ON SABBATH EVE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11917, 15 December 1900, Page 3

ON SABBATH EVE.

A COLUMN OF KJELIGIOUS READING. "each Moment holy ts." Each moment holy ; Sj f or ol ,t from God Each moment flashes forth a human soul, Holy each moment is, for back to Him Some wandering soul each moment home returns. THE LIFE OF DAILY FAITHFULNESS. A One-minute Sermon by the Rev. "W. L. Watkjnsox, D.D., ex-President, Wesleyan Conference. Lot us, day by day. do all the good we can. The apostle was intent on beneficent action, and day by day lie sought strength for such action and looked for renewal through it. Be did not put faith in toe periodical'doing of great deeds, but in the faithful pursuit of R daily helpfulness. In one of her letters Miss Havergal writes:—"The hits of wayside work arc very sweet. Perhaps the odd'bits, when all is done, will really come to move than tha seemingly greater pic-ess—the chanoo conversations with rich and poor, the seed sown in odd five minutes, even the table d' hote for me and the rides and friends" tables for you." This doing of good in a small way at every opportunity makes many rich. ' Said the painter of antiquuy, "No day without its line," and so ona by one his masterpieces came to perfection. Let our motto be :" No day without its beneficent deed?, although that day may be simple and obscure," and we, too, shall turn out masterpieces which no mere artist enn rival. Let us live the life of doily faithfulness, and we shall rejoice as those who find trrr;..l spoil. The years shall only clear our vision and show us more glorious'things; they shall render the ears more acute, that they may catch wonderful whispers we now miss'; they shall bow the body to the earth, but they Khali give to the soul wings and clowning mercies. When our heart and flesh fail us God piiall be the strength of our heart and our portion for ever."' What nobler work, what greater blessedness can we ask than this? The world may not know us to applaud; but what to us is the world when God approves? THANKSGIVING SKRVICE FOB THE

RETURN OF THE CITY IMPERIAI VOLUNTEERS. The following wore the special prayers written by the Archbishop of Canterbury for the special welcome and thanksgiving service at St. Paul's Cathedral: — "0 Almighty God, Who art a strong tower of defence unto Thy servants against the face of their enemies: We yield T!ice praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance from those great and apparent dangers wherewith we were compassed: We acknowledge it Thy goodness that we were, not delivered over as a prey unto them: beseeching Thee Mill to continue such Thy mercies towards hr, that all the world may "know that Thou are our Saviour and mighty deliverer through. Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. "0 Lord God. the Strength ot al! them that put their trust in Thee.' we vickl Thee hearty thanks for that Thou hast vouchsafed to bring again the*e Th_v servants to their home in peace. Grant we beseech Thee thai they surely trusting in Thy defence may net fear the power of nnv adversaries, and may continue Thy faithful soldiers and servants unto their lives' end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. "We remember before Thee. O God, cur comrade1! smitten down by sword and sickness, who have departed from us in faith and now do rest in the sleep of pence. Raise us, wo beseech Then, fro mlhe death of sin unto the life of righteousness, that when we shall depart this life we may rest in Thee, as our hope is those our brothers do. and with all those that are departed in the true faith of Thy Holy Name, may have our perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and soul, in Thy eternal and everlasting glory ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." The service as a whole, says the British Weekly, was most appropriate. A fanfare of trumpets heralded the commencement of the processional hymn. "Praise, my rotil. the King of Heaven," and brass and stringed instruments aided the praise. The prayers were recited in faultless style, and the venerable Dean read the lesson (Josh, xxii. 1-6) in a clear, strong voice whose tones rose nobly nt the turning-point of the passage (v. 5). During prayer the inevitable baby's voice echoed through the cathedral, and one wonderfifl how the child got there. Whoever chose the Bishop of Stepney to preach the sermon knew what he was about. Or Ingram snid^'the rk'ht things, and said them in a direct, manly way: Hardly a " sermon." the address Was a homely, friendly talk. "My brethren," was the best possible beginning, and the one text possible, ar, the. Bishop put it. was that which had he«n shouted al the C.l.V.'s as they came along the street?. —"Welcome home." AVben he referred to the homes of the C.l.V.'s. and, again, in a solemn passage, to their dead comrades, the listeners' tense faces showed that they were inwardly moved, but they had learned on the hard field of war to control the expression of their emotions. The nart of the service in which the citizen soldiers most heartily joined was the National Anthem at. the close. Tt would be useless to attempt to describe the thrilling, impressive effect. Altogether, the lhankfgivir.g service was undoubtedly the most satisfactory item in the official programme. JOTTINOS. The Bishop of 'Winchester, in the course of i speech at a luncheon at Bournemouth, propounded the question: Why did n bishop ivear gaiters and a shovel hat? Did the luestfon suggest itself to them when they ndulged in a feeling of merriment as he nassed :lo\vn the street? Did they think that it was iceanse he liked (lie.garment? or felt that they ■vera becoming or comfortable? Xot in the ca=t. Jl was because he was preserving that ivhich was common-to a very large portion of, rheir countrymen not so yon- long ai*n —li«. ivas trying to induce reverence for the past. He honed, therefore, they would look with ■omewhat different eyes upon the garments in ■piestion, when they considered what they vere intended to convey. The new House of Commons contains l? 0 as against P,b in the last Pariamfiiit. Of these 130, 93 are Liberals, U ire Unionists, 1?, are Conservatives, and onr— ;he member for North-Kast Cork—is a Naionalist. An analysis of ib» Nonconformist nemhciM shows that 26 arc Pre-byterianr., 31 kfefhodisls. 25 Congregaliour.'ists; 1.1 belong o the Society of Friends. 10 are Pniiarians. md 4 arc Baptists. Tim Baptists were better •eprescntod before the dissolution. The Bishop of Rochesier preached at the rejpening services of St. James's Church, Bernondsey. The- church, which is one of Ibe largest in Bermondfcy, and accommodate'ome 1500 worshippers, was crowded. The riisliop of Rochester had almost reached the ■lose of his sermon when, without warning, lie new installation of electric light went out, md the church was left in darkness except 'or a few gas jets at either end. The Bishop jan.-ed in his sermon, and remarked that it .vnuld not hurt them to be in the dark, and v.'n'inucd his address. More gas jets were it. but in any people I"fl the church a! once. Russian papers give particulars of an extraordinary religious community in Kinff City, vhoseehicf tenet is idleness. They are known is the Malevanteliina. from l.lsn name of their 'oiinder. Corrado Malevanixig, who was recased from a lunatic asylum in 1872, and Iraightwsy began Mo propagate his strange iect. Ha sing tuemselvos upon the parable >f the lilies which " toil not. neither do they •pin," the Malevanlc-hina reject al! work ex--ept that of the household, uear coarse, ranbre garments, and restrict themselves to i diet oT bread and cheap fruits. The harvest thanksgiving service al St. Peter's Cliurch, Budloigh Sulterton, was inerrunied by a startling incident. The Rev. r.-. C. Price, rector of Ansford, Castle Cary. Aas the preacher, and lie had just announced lis text, when it was discovered that the coat rearing was on fire, and blazing fiercely. As ,c struggled to release himself from the coat he fem-ile portion of the crowded oongrogaion rushed from the cliurch in alarm, and be greatest excitement prevailed among the .vhole congregation until the fire was exir.guished. The wearer of the coat was named Bolt, of Colaicn Raleigh, and he is a mohiier of the Bicton CV.un.-ii choir. He had a mx full of matches in his pocket, and these lad ignited. Before the flames were exinguishod he was badly burned on the arms, 'vfter considerable delay the service was resumed. After the declaration of the poll at Camborne the crowd rushed to the public hall, ivhere Mr W. S. Caiue. M.P., was announced o speak. One of the leading \rethodist lavnen, Mr T. Fiddick, who presided, said lie vas move in a condition to sing the Do.Nology ha", to speak. Thereupon I lie whole audience ■<>£« to their feet, and sang ;n only Cornish Uethodisls can sing, "Praise God from whomill blessings flow." Mr Fiddick said they in'! won a great triumph for rightcnuEiit'ss ml truth, a- triumph for the church and the Sunday school as opposed to the public--IOUSC. Dr Parker states that the current rumour is to his approaching marriage is '' an abomin- • ble lie."