WESLEY CHURCH.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLI, Issue 12807, 27 March 1916, Page 6

WESLEY CHURCH.

AXXI VERSA I! V SE U V ICRS.

The fiftv-third anniversary of Wesley Church, Eden street, wa3 celebrated yesterday, special services being arrangwl for tee occasion. Tbe Rcr. G. JBLJLaorence, 8.D., was the morning preacher, and he took as his text Exodus xiv., 15. Tho, wilderness wander- ( ings of the children of Israel were tot • outlined at length, and then tho preacher showed that when the deep ; was before and the foe behind roeix on|y hope of deliverance from their ; panning taskmasters lay in implicit faith in Moses and in obedience to his ; counsel, for he was. God-guided and inspired. In their.farther wilderness wanderings the. Israelites _ grew dis- • spirited, weary and doubting on many - occasions, and in this they were a prototype of the Chnrch to-day. As thoy ■ required a strong definite command from God to go forward, so the Church , - to-day wanted afresh to hear the voice - *of God. The entire world situation ... was a call to the Church to go forward: There was a good congregation and the choir rendered Pflucgprs anthem "Consider and Hear Me." In the evening the Church, was almost quite full. Tho service began with Jackson's "Te Deum." The Braycrs wero comprohensire and made reference to the fifty-three years of . church life. The aged and infirm who were erstwhile 'workers wero particularly remembered, and the world sanation called forth many petitions. The special mtr#o included the anthem "Bow IJown and Hear Me" (W ickons) and the quartette ,r Liko as the Hart (Griffiths), and with the hymns gave iKynitj and beauty to the service- _ The Her. J. A.. Locbore took as his text "He that is not against us is for us" (Luke ix., 50). He began by remarking that if Jesus had His pnyciple of exclusion in the saying "He that is not for Me is against Me * Ho abo had His principle of inclusion as . stated in the text. John had spoken to the man who_ was busy casting out devils in Christ's name, but who at the same time was not following Jesus along with the Apostdho band. Jesus laid down that where men were not deliberately hostile he regarded them as being for Him rather than against Him. The Master was fliinlrins and speaking of men as we know them, living their life of probation in this world. Character was being made; the final destiny was not yet fixed, and Jesus ever -followed people and hoped that they would bo won ibr His Kingdom. He followed up to the eleventh hour. As a rulo people had not much faith in the late conversion, and there was only one example of tho kind in the Gospels and none in the work of'the Apostles. The man wlio had led a reprobate life and at the eleventh hour on the strength of his penitence and faith was said to be admitted to heaven gave a shock to our sense of justice, for he had had no time to reconstruct his life and build a worthy character. Then there was tho man who lived cleanly, who did righteously, performed kindly acts, did or did not go to church, and made no profession of Christianity: what was to he said of him and his future? He seemed to be neither a gospel sheep or goat. But Christ diet not have our difficulty in placing him. Ho churned that man and all lib goodness. Wherever there is genuine lovo and selflessness, compassion _ and mercy Jesus . claims that _as being the product of His own spirit. At the same time Jesus nover lowered the moral standard and never made it easy or tempted men to accept Him as Master on false conditions. He avers that it is necessary for His Follower to take up His cross daily. An Eastern religions reformer gathered a mimlwr of disciples. All were arrested and condemned to death. As they were in a line bound with cords, .with the platoon of soldiers lie- , fore them, one disciple turned and asked the leader. "Master, are von satisfied with mo?" The answer was a smile, and in the next instant a bullet was* through each of their hearts. Tile good in all our rnmniilliitie.who were nut- aggressively opposed t«. Christ and the Church. who continually heiiied lame dogs over styles, showed them to the Lord, and "ask. "Master, are you satisfied with mer" Hie condition of the world and of tin Church cried for all those who .wen not ontrightlv apposed to the Christian revelation, to defintely anil wholeheartedly ally themselves with Chris, and His work. Was it possible tf speak the gracious word to lies tow tin kindly look, to give the winning touch i Christ elmlleiiged men to lie heroic foi Hiui. There was. a disinclination to lit definite. "Talk no more of the evidences cf Christianity." said Coleridge. "Try it." Men in the eanijis and mei; ill the trenches were making a brnvi confession of Christ and of their ueei : of the Divine, but there were numerous "war conversions" of anothei type. _ The case of I)r Fay Mills, ol America, was quoted. and of Lairedan, .French' atheistical- writer and sonj: composer, but the latest striking casi was that of Jloratio W. Bottomley, freethinker, M.P., and editor of "John Bull." Here is his noble testimony: "Now. to-day. in my twfch year, and after about as strenuous a life as any man of that age has ever lived. I Mieve in God aiu.' in the immortality of the soul of man. The great world-war has done it. 1l war there is a mighty alchemy transmuting the base metal of human experience into the pure currency of faith, in these searching days no* man cau ' lie content with a mere negative philosophy. The doubter must go to the wall. Pure rationalism, however scientific. has no word of comfort for weary watchers, or solace for broken heartsI believe that God has a divine pur t Wse for not only the lj|ood of heroes, but equally for the tears of women, the quivering anguish of the human heart, aud the sacrificing effort of unselfish aim/'' Mr Bottomley felt that to* let a few of his friends know of his changed attitude did not meet tin case. Chivalry demanded that lit should let the world know that he had Ringed himself on the Christian side, 'the people before the preacher would , best bless their own |iersonality, thcii homes, and the community iii which their lot wascast by being equally definite in Christian matters as well a?, in patriotic. Christ appealed to tin.' spirit of chivalry, which had a plan ... in every heart. Let them give Him the best response of which their being; was capable.