UNITED INTERCESSORY SERVICE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16752, 21 July 1916, Page 6

UNITED INTERCESSORY SERVICE.

THE ('ALL OF GOD TO TIIE CHURCH. 'Ihe monthly unit' d intercessory service arranged by tho Council of Christian Churches was held in flic Hanover Street Baptist Chuich last mqht, and was laigMy attended by representatives of all tlio nonep'bco,)al iliui-hcs. 'J he Jiev. \V. Cray ])i\on (president of the Council) piesurled Afterthe opening- devotional cxeicisos the liev \V. A. I lay g.ne ,i vigorous and insp.nng addiTos on th« subject ot "The Call ol God to the Church." The greatest fact to be gamed, he said, was the recoveiy of the sons" of our unuorthiness in God's Right. We had become so piospcrous, thmg, had been goinn so smoothly with us in omoutuaul and moterial life, that we had come (o lcpi/d ourselves with coiiEuiuing complaeoncv. Wo wcie driven b> the _ war to a. recovery of our obscuted spiiitual s< nse. The Church would have to repent and do her frt works. There was littlo doubt that we would bo compelled to return to simplicity ot living. There must bo less ostontatkn'and more real humility. There were three directions in which the Chuich would have to move. First, it would have to odor a more simple and diicct statement of the truth. Wo would have to git lid of elaborate theories of doctrinal truth and possess ouiselves of tho outstanding i'=»ential facts of revelation. The Church's message must bo as simple and a-s stein as our necessities. Iho Church must stop playing with pet denominational ■upws and go to men with the Bread ol Life. Secondly, we must translate this simpler teaching into daily life. Wo vveie < illed upon to reduce the di°tanco lying between belief and Our boys at the ftont weie looking over the edge of things into the eternal icalifies. They were seeing things that would givo a new direction to their minds. What kind of a Church wore we providing for their homecoming. The Gospel we had must l>o a real Gospel. It must have tho power of piartical lighteousness. as seen in our person il and national life. These nun would see through the sham, .selfishne-s, and makcIvliove which -till chug to us In thp thiicl place, we would have more generally to c\erriso the mi'rstry of comfoit and consolation. The Chinch was canving a very heavv load of passeng"is. Everv nrin and woman must cairy eo.nfort and fortitude to confuted minds and drooping «pints 'Iluousrh this v>ar a great truth vas emerging nto tho pi ice of .1 practical foue— naimlv, personal imnnnalitv We must Ickli ,11-op'e the fa;t of another and bettor life He co'ie'uded with an appeal lo let the vaimth of the love of Chiist thaw our he>rts and wa'-ni all our relations with our fellow-men. After t'io address a number of those present offered praver before tho meeting wns binnghf to a clov with a liymn and the Benediction