HANOVER STREET CHURCH.

Otago Witness, Issue 1325, 21 April 1877, Page 7

HANOVER STREET CHURCH.

The anniversary gathering of the above Church took place on the 10th. -The preliminary tea-meeting was well attended. Mr Binnie catered. After tea, the platform was occupied by the Rev. Mr Davjs (in the chair) and Revs. Messrs Will (East Taieri), Dr Stuart, Dr Roseby, Fitchett, and Lewie. Devotional services having been entered into The Chairman, in a few introductory remarks, congratulated the congregation upon the success of the past year's operations, gave a welcome to the friends from other congregations, and bespoke for the coming year increased activity and devotion. The Treasurer (Mr Currie) read the financial statement The total income from all sources amounted to abcufc £800; the expenditure to within gome £3 of the income.

Dr Roseby spoke upon " Martin Luther, and the Spirit of Protestantism." He would deal with two or three points only. Luther illustrated the Scripture command, " Prove all things ; hold fast that which is good." He had the entire spirit of his age against him ; the immediate past was against him, and the future, supposed to be under the control of the priesthood, was also aga-nst him. There was a time when the Church was the protecbor of the weak against the strong, the patron of learning, but in Luther's time the corruption of "the Church was great and general. Luther, seeing this asked himself whether this was the Bride of Christ, and camo to the conclusion that there was something terribly wrong. Penance and indulgences, upon being investigated by hira, he concluded to be a lie ; and so he nailed his colours — his ninety-five theses to the door of the Church at Wittenburg— and challenged all and sundry to refute tliein. He brought all things to the teat not of reason — bub of conscience. Thus one result of his testing was destructive. This was the case with some now-a-days but the testing is carried too far, it is altogether destructive-^while Luther held fast that which was good. He held fast his

loyalty and allegiance to the God of truth, andaho to his moral consciousness— God's vicegerent within. And ia like manner must we act now— not be afraid to let go the accidents of Christianity, while we hold fast the essentials. The Rev. Mr Fitchett gave an address upon " Hugh Latimer, or Old English Preaching." Though Protestants of the present day had but little interest in the subject, they had yet received a great inheritance from Latimer and his contemporaries. After giving a short sketch of Latimer's history, to the time of his martyidom, in company with Cranmer and Ridley, he proceeded to speak of his preaching. He was the popular preacher of his time. What were the secrets of that power ? In the first plaoe, he used great plainness of speech ; and Mr Fitchetfc read several extracts from his sermons in illustration of this. This was a great element of power. Much of the preaching of the present day was full of circumlocution and parenthesis. In the second place, he had great courage. He rebuked the King to his face, and the Convocation, when preaching betore them. If would be well for minister^ to take a lesson from Latimer— to rebuke not only ratioaal.sts Mid freethinkers, but the T 3 j° £ their own con £ r egstions. In the third placo, his preaching was practical— ia contradistinction to that mawkish thine so prevalent now, called « Gospel" preaching. His sermons were full of instruction for godly living, something like the Sermon on the Mount.' la the last place, there was great humour in his preaching; and the speaker gave several illustrations of this He concluded by suggesting that it would be a good thing if modern preachers seasoned their discourses in some such manner. The Rev. Mr Will's subject was" "The Rev, Henry Cooke, or Modern Church Work." He gave a sketch of his life ia Ireland, ascribing much of his inaoir.ition to the influence of his mother. The tiroes ia which he lived were exciting, France being m the throes of the Revolution. After a training in Glasgow, he was ordained. In the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Arianistn : was then very prevalent. Cooke from conviction opposed this, and was therefore onpopular, but he was able to hold his own until at last he silenced all formidable opposition from ( the Unitarians. The great Daniel OConnell fell foul of Cooke, who sent him a challenge to discuss the Repeal question; this O'Connell declined, and as a result ne was not able to carry on hiß agitation in Belfast. Cooke entered the political arena, and it would now be not a bad thine it ministers were to interest themselves somewhat in matters political. * During the evening the Choir sunc a number of anthems. ° Dr Stusrt offered prayer,, and the proceedings were brought to a conclusion by the Benediction. ' J