CHURCH SERVICES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11399, 17 April 1899, Page 6

CHURCH SERVICES.

ST. ANDREW'S. The annual services held in connection with St. Andrew's Church yesterday were both well attended. The Rev. G. Heighway occupied the pulpit in the morning, and the Rev. Dr AVaddcll in the evening. . The latter, in the course of his sermon, Blated that he that day completed twenty years of his ministry in St. Andrew's Church, and he had only been fifteen months in the ministry beforo that. Twenty years had yyrought many changes. He looked into r£t_.e faces of Ihe pews that evening, and" of the many who looked into his facij twenty years ago only a few remained. Sonic answered to their names on tho roll call of-other churches. Somo, alas! had drifted out and were lost in the world. A great company had joined the Church of the first born, whoso names were written in heaven. It was but a short time since he last spoke froiii that church platform, aud yet within thebrief space of a few weeks the-shadow feared of men had darkened three homes of the congregation. Dr AVaddell proceeded to allude to those who had passed away recently, and made Bpecial and feeling reference to the death, of ■ the Hon. AY. H. Reynolds, who waa, he believed, the very oldest member of the church, and might be said fo have been in a sense its founder. The present site of the church was granted by the trustees of Mrs Reynolds; aiid it was mainly through the exertions of her. husband that tho sum of £500 was raised for the erection of the first wooden structure in which the congregation worshipped. Sometimes Mr Reynolds had to act ai doorkeeper, bellman, and precentor-, and once or twice, even as preacher, reading a sermon to the congregation. After the induction of Mr MeikJejohn, office-bearers were duly elected, and at a meeting of officebearers, held in Mi Reynolds's house, the name of St. Andrew's was fixed upon for tho church.

CENTRAL .-MISSION. The Rev. AY. A. Sinclair, who succeeds the Rev. Mr Ready in connection with the work of the Central Mission, delivered addresses both yesterday morning and evening. There was a large congregation in. the'morning, and in the evening the Garrisoiv Hall was packed with those ahxious to -bear the rev gentleroan. On this occasion Mr Sinclair look his text from the fourth chapter of the Acts of the. Apostles, the words being, " Neither is their salvation in any other," He touched upon the miraculous healing of the lame man, the narration of which was contained in the chapter, and proceeded.to refer to the fact that persons did. nbt^'atrthe present time, believe in such things -as miracles.' People asked where the great \vorks spoken of by Christ were to be f6und,"and he'(the speaker) maintained that they were even to be found in the mission.- They had only .to look to see moral and spiritual miracles, and these w-ere some of the greater works- of which Christ spoke. Mr Sinclair .then referred to salvation, of which there were many kinds, such as mental, physical, political, and social; bul salvation was not possible apart from Jesus Christ. In conclusion, he exhorted all to seek this salvation, and gave them as a definition of faith the words "Forsaking all,! take Him." Mr Sinclair has a pleasing voice and manner of delivery, his enunciation being remarkably distinct; and his language of a- kind to be understood'by all. He is fluent, and his style is quiet, deliberate, emphatic, and .intensely earnest. , . TRINITY A V ESLEYAN CHURCH. Harvest thanksgiving services were held in Trinity A.'esleyan Church yesterday. The occasion also served to introduce the Rey. P. AY. Fairclough to the pastorate of this church. In the morning the rey;. gentleman preached from the text, " One.': sou'eth' and another reapeth " (John xxxvii, 4). He pointed out that no one man originated .and carried out to its conclusion anything in human affairs. It was hard to be the first. Tho foundations of things were deep.down. If the first working through one produced good, that ono would be entitled to apart, but only a part of the credit; .if evil, thank God,.only a part of the blame. Referring to -the theory of heredity, the-preacher'said:'—"Human life is not a torrent that leaps from a crag for an impetuous plunge, but an irrigating stream that may be turned this way or that. Neither does it come to us as a harvest;' but as a green plant associated with weeds which' one may' pluck out. But heredity is. a good.force, because moh do not attempt to control it. They do not make a wise use of environment. Wo both sow and reap, for there is. the past that-; has been sowing for us, and there, is the i future for which weare sowing. The grandest, enoblement is to be- enobled l>y our dren. AYe must not think either that ive' shall never meet prosperity face to face. If wo have sown evil, prosperity will drag us to the judgment seat." Mr Fairclough then spoke a few words in connection with the commencement of his ministry .among them, and expressed his thanks for the hearty reception with which he had been met by many members of the congregation.

Mr Fairlough again occupied the pulpit iv the evening, when he preached from the text " And thou shalt rejoice iv every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee " (Deut. xxvi, 11). He said persons were accustomed to regard the Jewish religion as somewhat sombre. But everybody's religion was sombre to those who don't belong to it. Religion was intended.for inside view like a cathedral window. It was a great mistake to regard the Bible as a sombre book. Samson was one of tho most rollicking characters in literature. Job was as caustic as Swift. Christ Himself, when he touched the deep things of life and made them luminous, did sa in a manner, which must-often have made his hearers smile. The Jews had more fasts than feasts. They had just as much right to laugh to the glory of God as to weep. The Jews had two leasts of harvest. - The first was the festival of the first fruits when the green ears began to show the first change of tint. They brought green ears of corn as the first fruits into the house of God.. The second was the real harvest feast, when bread niade of the ripe corn was brought in. The Jews acknowledged God as presiding over the destinies of men. Life was not worth living if the grass did not grow... For people.v/hodive iv cities there are too many middlemen for them to realise this fact. People who lived in the country had a greater reliance upon God. The first thought, of the Jews in connection with the harvest was of the poor.

" AA 7e arc accustomed," paid the preacher, "to think ourselves a good deal better than those old Jews. But did.anyone know a single instance of a farmer leaving a sheaf behind for some Chinaman or other • foreigner? The thanksgiving also took the form of supporting religion. Each brought an offering to support the ordinances of religion and the ministers of it. The preacher concluded by pointing out that the last harvest, bountiful as it- was, would not, because of the low prices now ruling, benefit the farmers so much as that of the preceding year, when they got good prices. In that year ho knew of some case? where farmers were not slow to express their thankfulness. This year it was the inhabitants of the towns who would receive the most benefit from the harvest. It was, consequently their turn to give thanks." The church was very tastefnllv decorated and the choir sang several sriecial anthems, tho principal anthem for the evening being " Ye shall dwell in the land." Soloists, Miss Bremner and Mr Mauson.