ON SABBATH EVE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13544, 17 March 1906, Page 2

ON SABBATH EVE.

A COLUMN OF RELIGIOUS KISADING. (Conducted by the flev. F. W. Boreium.) LONGING. Of all the myriad moods of mind That through the soul come thronging, Which one was e'er so dear, so kind, So beautiful as Longing The thing we long for that we are For one transcendent moment, Beforo the Present, poor and bare, Can make its sneering comment. Still through our paltry stir and strife, Glows down the wished Ideal, And Longing moulds in clay what Life Carves in the marble Ileal; To let the new life in, we know, Desire must ope the portal— Perhaps the longing to be so Helps make the soul immortal. Loiijjiiig is God's.fresh heavenward will With our poor earthward striving; Wo quench it that we may he ctill Content with merely living. But would we learn that heart's full scope, Which we are hourly wronging. On- lives must climb from hope to hope, And realise our longing. Ah! let us hope that to our praise Good God not only reckons The moment when we tread His ways, But when the Spirit beckons— That some slight good is also wrought Beyond self-satisfaction, When we are simply good in thought, Howe'er we fail in action. James Russell Lowell.

NiK OR ACE OF GOD TO SINNERS. A One-minute Sermon by the Rev. ALEX-

ANDER Wiiytk, D.D., of Edinburgh,

" Who is a Ocd like unto Thee, Hint parclonelh iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of .us heritage? Ho retaineth not His angor for ever, because Tie delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast n'l their sins info flic depths of the sea."—Mican vii, 18, 19.

It. seems to mo we have here in this pass, age a summing up of Micah's ministry. He here gathers up, as in a nutshell, as we say in the proverb, what had been (he burden of his message (luring all his ministry. I presume lie gathered up here at iho end flip great themes on which he had preached, and the great matter which had boon for a long life (lie burden of his past ministry under these heads, if we may call them so, he is so overpowered with (he memory and the experience of God's grace, that instead of a sermon ho turns it, into a doxology; instead of aildrssing the people lie addresses God Himself; forgets the presence of the people in the presence of God, and in the salvation of the marvellous grace of God to the prophet's own soul, And I think that that is the true way of carrying a congregation captive, to forget, so to speak, their presence. When the preacher is so possessed by the presence of God and the glory of the Gospel of God that the people are forgotten, they are easily carried captive. When the preacher is, like this prophet, carried himself captive with the wonder and amazement, the worship and adoration of the grace of God. his sermon becomes a doxology. and instead of addressing the people he cries: " Who is' a God like unto Thee?" He is amazed at God's mercy to himself, and he cries in astonishment before the great congregation, telling them the great wonder in his own soul at what has done for himself. It is not. written, but I believe it is its true as if it were written, that before Hicah explained this great doxology of thanksgiving, ho had said: " Who is a sinner lileo unlo me?" I do not think he ever cried with wonder " Who is a God like unto Thee?" until he had cried "Who is a sinner like unto me?" There is a strain of experimental and autobiographical power in this passage, and I believe all great preaching and all great praying and all great singing and all great speaking has a touch of experimental and autobiographical power at the heart, of it. At anyrate, this passage is palpitating with the prophet's own great sense of the wonderful, and, indeed, amazing grace of God to his own soul. "Who is a God like unto Thee, for who has been a sinner like unto me ?" And therefore there runs through this passage those various notes of wonder and praise. Micah deals with this and that experience in his prophetical and personal life' that has drawn out of his heart this great doxology, " Who is a God like unto mv God ?"'

JOTTINGS.

An extraordinary revival has broken out among the lepers of Asansol, Bengal. "I listened" (writes Bishop Kobinson) "with gTeat delight, to the beautiful unconventional testimonies of regenerated and Spiritanointed lepers. My soul did magnify the graoe that could so wonderfully transform these poor human wrecks. So filled with tho Spirit were many of tho lepers that they begged to be permitted to visit the neighbouring villages in order to testify for Christ there,"

Mr Booth-Clibhorn and his wifo (who is the daughter of General Booth) have withdrawn in disgust from all connection with the church of Dr Dowie. Mr Booth-Clib-bom states: "On reading the editorial of the Rev. J. A. Dowie in his paper of December 16, 1905, I became convinced that I had fallen into a grave error when I first accepted him as coming in the spirit and power of Elias in fulfilment of Matt. xvii, 11. I humble myself before God and my fellow-Christians. I-deeply regret having led others into this delusion, and laving brought a shadow on the lifo and work of ray beloved wife, as well as causing her much mental suffering. Our. having called in surgical aid to open nil abscess in my knee, caused by several attacks of influenza, led to our dismissal from the pastorate in August last year, in conformity with the principles of Zion Church. Six weeks earlier, just after the operation, we had already sent our resignations from the Church of Zion to Dr Dowie, but as I was hanging between life and death, and all mental controversy was dangerous, my beloved wife withdrew the letters br cablo to the U.S.A. postal authorities, it may not bo unbecoming for me to express tho earnest hope that all the consecrated Christians which the Church of Zion contains may have their eyes opened to the character of the error by the abnormal fruits it has produced, and that thus blessing may come to their city and communities, and, perhaps, deliverance to their leader."

. The death of the Rev. H. F. Holmes, who was born on December 10 in the year of AVaterloo. has removed at the ago of 90 tho oldest, of English Congregational ministers, with one exception. The Rev. Thomas Lord is still living at oven a greater age. Mr Holmes was over 57 years in the ministry, and held pastoral charges at Wemlovor, Boston, Wimborne, Devonport, Buckingham, Wirksworlh. Potlorsbury. and Uckficld. As ho did not retire till 1895, this veteran was actually a pastor till the. age of 80. Ho was a brother-in-law of Edward Miall, the renowned founder of the Literal ion Society and of the Nonconformist newspaper, and some time lI.P. for Rochdale and Bradford.

A National Missionary Society of India is being formed by native effort as the outcome of n conference hold about a month ago, and attended by representatives of Protestant missions in India, The delegates met in the library of Serampore College to draw up the terms of the constitution, which worn formally adopted in Henry Martin's pagoda. Both tho administrators and the agents employed are to bo Indian native Christians, but the executive will have power to appoint an advisory boaTd of experienced European missionaries, whose counsel may be sought. The scheme avoids all interference with existing missionary societies: all members and workers are, indeed, expected ro be loyal to their own churches. An appeal has been made to the Christians in India soliciting sympathy with the new movement. It is fell that; the unevangolised parts of the country can never he reached by existing ,'oeielies—a. century of effort'on their part finding only one in a hundred of the .natives even nominally Christian. Among tho million Protestant native Christians' in India at present, however, there is, it i 6 felt, a hopeful field for a. great forward movement, and already offers of service and promises of support havo linen received.

A movement was started among farmers' wives in Kentucky last year to devote to foreign missions the proceeds of all eggs laid on Sundays. The announcement has just been made that enough money has been raised in this way to send four missionaries to Japan next spring. Before the end of tho present year it is expected that three or four "egg-paid" missionaries will be sent, to China. It was early last year that the Kentucky Women's Missionary Society started the movement, and the results have been so encouraging that other religious organisations have taken nn the idea. Before another year has passed it, is not improhablo that the hens of Kentucky and other States will be supporting a legion of missionaries.

At a special meeting of Highbury Quadrunt Church, London, a. resolution was pawed offering a very cordial invitation to the Row Harold E. Rvicrley, of Leiecs. tor, to become the pastor in siicceraion to Dr W. J. Dawson, and u deputation wae appointed to convey the invitation to him. Mr Bricrloy has twice nroached at Highbury Quadrant <lurtnsi the past year, the last- occasion being December 10, when there were good congregations at both services, in spito of the dense fog which visited London that day. The deputation has wailed upon Mr Bricrley and conveyed to him the invitation, and he has promised to give the mailer his prayerful consideration.