ON SABBATH EVE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11797, 28 July 1900, Page 4

ON SABBATH EVE.

A COLUMN OF RELIGIOUS

READING.

THE IDEAL CITY. (By the Rev. Charles M. Sheldon.) "What, makes a, city groat arid strong? Not ' architecture's' graceful strength, Not factories' extended length, But men, who see fb« civic wrong, _ . And give their lives to make it right, And turn its darkness into light. What makes a city full of power? Not wealth's display nor titled fame, Not fashion's loudly boasted claim, But women, rich in virtue's dower, Whose' homes, though humble, still arP great, Because of service to the State.

What makes a city frien can love? Not things that oharnieil the outward sense. Not gross display of opulence; But right, that wrong cannot remove, And triith, that faces civic fraud, And smites it Jn the name of God. This is a city that shall stand,. A Light upon a nation's hill; A Voice that evil cannot still, A source of blessing to the land; Its strength, not brick, nor stone, norwood; But Justice, Love, and Brotherhood.

THE SIGN OF GOD IN THE HOUSE. A One-minute Sekmon bt Canon Liddo^1.

There is one mark of a household in which God is known, and loved which is too often wanting1 in our day: I mean the practice of family prayer/ - Depend upon it the'worth of practice of that kind'can only be measured by its effects during a long period of time; and family prayers, though occupying only a few minutes, do make a great difference' in any household'at the end of a. year. How., indeed, can it be otherwise, when each morning, and, perhaps, each evening too, all the members of the family—the old: and the young, the parents 'and the children, and master and servants meet on a footing of perfect equality before the Eternal, in whose presence each is as nothing, yet to whom each is so infinitely dear, that He has redeemed by His blood each and all of them?

The bad spirit's that are the enemies of pure and bright family life must flee away—the spirits of envy''ah'd pride and untruthfulness | and sloth, and' the whole tribe of evil . thoughts, and make way for His presence in. j'the hearts of old and young 'alike, who' as He | brings us one by one nearer to the" true end !of onr existence, so does He alone make'us i to be of " one mind in a house" here, within : the narrow presence of each horns circle, arid hereafter in that countless family of all nations and tongues, which shall'dwel? with i Him, the universal Parent of all eternity:''"'

The World's Christian Endeavour Convention, now being held mainly in the Alexandra Palace, London,"is one of the most astonishing world gatherings ever held. Literally tens of thousands of young people are coming from all.parts of the world, and especially from England and America, the two great centres of the English-speaking race. '"Ore Saturday, the 14-th July, there were Crowded welcome meetings at the Albert Hall, and also at the Alexandra Palace, where, ' like the Jews of old, thousands'of the visitors dwell ixt. tents. To meet the necessities of these thousands, services are held on'the spot on Sunday. The most prominent ministers and laymen of the great' Evangelical Churches' taKe part in the proceedings^" Two or three meetings are held simultaneously in the* Great Central Hall, in the immense tent, in' the Concert Hall, and in the Theatre of the Palace. • ' : "

The Hon. Alpheus Hardy, the princely: American'benefactor of countlesa good caiis.es;, who educated the great Japanese Christian,. Dr Joseph Hardy Nessima, tells the following: thrilling story of his experiences to the PsiUpsilon Society at Amherst College, of which lie had just been made an honorary member: " I am not a college man, and it was the bitter disappointment of my life that I could not be one. I wonted to go' to college, and become a minister; went to "Phillips Academy to fit. My health broke down, and in spite of my determined hope of being able to go on, at last the truth was, forced on me that I could not. '

"To tell my disappointment is impossible. ■It seemed a.s if'aU'my tops and pyrjipse in life were defeated.' 'I cannot Be God's "minister,' was the sentence that kept rolling through my, mind. "When that fact at last'became certain to me, one morning, alone, in my room, my distress was so great that"! threw myself flat "on the floor. The voiceless cry of my soul was, '0 God, I cannot be' Thy minister!'' Then there eanie to me as I lay, a "vision, a "new, hope, a perception that I could 'serve' God in business with the same'devotion as'hi preaching, and that to make money for God might be" my sacred calling. The vision 'of this service, and its' nature as a sacred ministry, were so clear and joyous that I rose to my feet, and with hew hope in my heart, exclaimed aloud, ' 0 God, I can be Thy minister! I will go back to Boston.' I will.ma.be money for God, and that shall be my. 'ministry.' ■'■ ' •■'■• ' ■•

" From that time I have felt myself as much appointed and ordairied to make money for p-od as if I'had been permitted to caixy o'.ixt my own plan and been, ordained' to preacii the Gospel. I am Goii's man, and the 'mm? istry to which God has called me is to' make and administer money for Him."

It is proposed to. erect in Melbourne a Mission Hall in memory of the late Eev. Samuel Chapman. .' ' '

A remarkable national superstition exists in China concerning the present, year.' Writing from Lab-hp-kpn recently, a missionary, Mr Parrptt, says:—"The Chinese have "an extra mor>th this year, two eighth months'; and the national superstition 'is that' when this occurs' there must be a* change of dynasty, and prqbably some great rebellion cr woe of some sort." The events of the present are remarkable in the light of this strange superstition.

The Jqint Committee of representatives oi Primitive Methodists and Bible Christian Churches, which has been entrusted with the negotiations for uirjon during the past four years, has held its final meeting. The report of the- voting on the question, at the Primitive Methodist Circuit Marph quarterly meetings, was presented by Rev. John Hallam, secretary to the; Primitive Methodist1 Connexion. The tabulated returns showed that 12,974 circuit officials were present at the 661 quarterly meetings, and on the question as to whether they wore in favour of. union with the Bible Christians 2402 voted for and 9583 against, whilst 988 were neutral. The' circuits in Scotland were the only ones where a majority of officials voted in favour of union. As the vote against union' is so decisive, the negotiations will now cease.

" Some day you w { ill read in the papers dai D. L. Moody, of EastiNorthfie'ld,' is'dead," Mr Moody said a. little while before his death.

"Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher, that' is all—out of this clay tenement into a house which is immortal; a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint—a body fashioned like unto His pfloribus body. 'I'was'born of the flesh in 1837. I .was born of the'spirit in 1856. That which is b'orii of the flesh may die. That which is born "of the Spirit will live for ever." . '

With a view to interesting their people in church history, the Congr'egationalists have arranged a series1 of excursions to place?' of historic importance! Recently' they were to visit Lutterworth, the scene of the labours of the late John Wyelift'e. Dr Guinness Rogers has promised to deliver the oration on Wycliffe. These excursions' have been > arranged by the Young People's Branch of the Congregational Century ' fund, and the committee feel that the opportunities thus afforded for historic teaching are not the least valuable part of the work which is being done in connection with this fund. '

In order to find a way out of a deadlock Dr Berry, of Chicago, withdrew his nanie from the lists of candidates for the two vacant bishoprics in the Methodist Episcopal Church of America. Accordingly Rev. David H. Moore and Rev. J. W. Hamilton were elected on the seventeenth ballot. Bishop Hamilton visited the Hull Conference in 1898 as one of the representatives of American Methodism. Dr Moore comes from Athens County, Ohio. Two new* bishops have also' been appointed to'control the Asiatic Missions of'the Methodist Episcopal Church:' They are; Rev. Frank W. Worne. a Canadian by birth, and Rev. Edwin. Wallace Parker.

T!\e Rev. A. Mitchell. Wesleyan minister at Coromandel, has been, for several weeks in the hospital suffer!njr from a bad attack of typhoid. 'He is slowly recovering. ' ' '

The Bey. Pavid O'Donncll, evangelist, has been invited to spend another year evangelising in New Zealand. He will probably conduct a series of conventions for the deepening of spiritual life in the various centres as a preliminary. ' : ■ ' :

Mr A. Grant, late general manager of railways in Auckland district, has been promoted, and has taken up ]iis residence in Wellington. He was one of the*'blinders of Knox Ohurcl>, Parnell, and will be ixuioh missscL