THE CHURCHES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 7523, 4 January 1917, Page 4

THE CHURCHES.

IiVi’ERCES SM>\, TII A N K SG; 1V1N( 1 , AM) COMM EMUKATULN SrhtVIOKS

By command of His Majesty King George special intercessory, thanksgiving, and commemoration were held iu ibei churches throughout the Empire on Sunday lust—this last, day of ibc old year, and following' will bo found references L> tho services held in tbo Tomuka churches

ST. PETER’S CHURCH,

At St. Peter's Cluirck tbo service was one of intercession, thauksgtivlng and coinmemoruiion. There was a large congregation, including a good muster of senior cadets and soldiers, under Captain A. C. Buist. Tbo Vicar, Key. A. it. Norris, took. for bis text, “And in righteousness Lie doth judge and make war (Uev. \i\u, 11). Tbo preacher said it was the expressed wish of His Cracious Majesty King George, that all Christian people 'throughout his Empire should unite on the last day the year in intercession, thanksgiving, and commemoration service.*. First of all, the service was an intercession or prayer for those who through perils oi war arc. serving the Empire. Wo believe in the value of prayer not because it is a natural instinct, nor because it was caused oy sentimental feelings. But we believo that thoughtful and earnest layer ia worth while every day to place before 'Almighty God our petitions for those who are lighting at the front. ; we don't understand how it avails, but wo believe it helps beau se the wisest of teachers had taught us that man ought to pray. Our Lord Jesus. Christ said that men ought to pray and not to taint. And it ia our duty not- Vo faint, but to go on interceding for the men in the King's Navy and Army who light tor truth, honour, and justice. Because we are human wo thins lir.„t of those who are nearest to us, oi ihose who have gone from our own homos. It helps those who arc lighting to know that they are rciuorabored in prayer by father, mother, shatter, brother, wife, or child. it would give them fresh courage in limes ct stress, anil wo ought to realise, if we have not already done so, that men who have gone, and men who are yet to go, have gone or will go to tight the enemy oi God, to light for God's salve, for His justice, and Christ’s kingdom in this world. Wo ought to know that - they go to war with a divine commission ; to “execute wrath against them that do evil,” and if men realised this they would light cleanly and in a Christian spirit. Wo can believe that those who thus light are going to victory, national victory, wo hope, but certainly personal victory : the victory that God has atore for everyone who lights well in This life. Tor some of them it may oe a short march before they enter ihi •’valley oi the shadow,'' pul at ihe end of that valley is victory • and fullness of Joy- I'ivc second note of iha service was ‘ than..sgivin-g. iVc can thank . God from our hearts occaiisc ho is sovereign ruler, I'hgiver of all life, and lounUun of aL wisciom. die it is wno inspucs men nan high-courage unvl (puck un.ter-„nuaUi-og, and jjo it is wno some

„mns intervenes, w-iati oiusavumv.l arms, when things look dark. simll ibank God presently that at liit- beginning of the war w-j wore not o'crw-demwid. M hen iwo think oUiose nrst days in Belgium and e ranee one is almost compelled to - ooliove t/flat there was divine inter veal (on at Arons- and the Maine, so smalt was our force compared p.itb. m-nl of the LUeniy. The third note ot me service was that of Go.uiiiemora'tion." Goumvanoration or . those, ' rue brave and -true who have amt me cleut-u oi Honour, and are • ug-Hi it'd m .this hope of resurrection to ' eternal lue"; and our desire ohoui'd be that Gpd will give us grace to follow the good example ot urese men, who served God here and are at test, so that ,at length, with them, we may enter His unending joy. This was the time to look up to God, and put our trust in Flint, ljur conviction is that this struggle stands out ou our part as the most righteous war in history, and we ought to press on to victory tor the sake of God and His kingdom on -earth. And we must not hc-silato to think this or say this because the Kaiser, with blasphemous hypocrisy, is appealing to his god ; his god ii not the Father of our Lord Jesus Chrisf. The Vicar then went on to speak oi our duties as soldiers ot Ghrist, and dealt shortly with the conscientious objectors, who take certain sayings of Jesus and interpret them literally as the basis of their objections. lie said iw-o might respect their convictions, if sincere, but wo could not respect their- intelligence or their interpret a lions oi Scripture. Concluding, he said, “Wo are called, my brethren, not i nly by patriotism, but by Ghrist ; and wo ought in this war to realise that it is our duty to wage' war against those who have broken eousistcnlly till the laws of God and man. If we can realise that it is our boituden duty to prosecute this v-ar right to a victorious end, wo should Tarn to be mioro patient, and more willing to bear the burdens laid upon its by the war, and to do what Glad would have us to do. During the service the following hymns were sung ; “0 God, our help,” ‘‘Thy kingdom come, G) God,” "Let. God arise,” and “To know JTiee is eternal liu-.” Ihe Psalms were him ll'ilh, 071 h. and li’.Olh. The service, whirls was ■ tr.'-'i ally compiled for such an ovamm, concluded w ith Ihr .National AnI hem.

catholic nu : unres

At St. .Joseph’s Church, Teuuika and Pleasant Point, inlereessary services were held at 8 and 10.150 a.m., there being Jorgo conge r jatic-iK,

■ i . i i i j J i ’RES BvTE HI AN CHURCH.

A: the .Brushye?rian Church ori Sunday morning there was a large congregation. The pastor of iho church, Rev, U. Macdonald, took lor the subject oi his sermon, “Peace, . . . ami there is no peace,’’ Ezekiel xiii., lo and 10. In the course of .‘his -sermon the pmacher said every prophet was more or less a politician ; in Israel there was no distinction between Church -and Sjtnto. False prophets were like some politicians, and prophesied what they thought the people would like to hear. ’The preacher gave as an example. the prophet Isaiah warning the people against making covenants and agreements with the people of Egypt and .'Syria ; iu reality, no sard, it you do so you arc making covenants and agreements wruh •death and hell. On the blessings of peace the Jotys set great store, x'heir ordinary salutation was. ••Peace," peace was among the greatest blessings looked . forward to m Messianic times. The prophets knew that there was a false peace as well as a true peace—a peace that -would only end in trouble in the future, ouch a peace as would bo founded on expediency, and so on. One oi the most prominent facts in connectlion with the war during the past few weeks had been a kind of. oiler by Germany to make peace. Whatever end Germany had iu view, one’ thing was clear, that she was anxious to make it understood that she was not responsible for the continuance oi i hi-: war 1 There was an old proverb that “when the fox began to preach it was time for the lambs t/p iook out.’’ When the Gormans began ,o preach it was lime for humanity! to ; .ook out for more villainy. The preacher Went on to speak oi the motives that might be behind Germany’s feelers, but they were certain,v not for the Ixnent of humanity,, alio preacher drew a comparison bei,wcvn the fuses oi Germany and, jack the Kipper, who had been guilty 'of . a numoer oi brutal crimes -U or -Vi years ago. Alter Germany uad prepared for the war for years, with every circumstance of lying and a-pachery ; bringing it about when it suited her„ convenience, and carrying it on with circumstances of cruelty and bestiality that would have disgraced the Turks or Red Indians,; when she Jiuds the power to continue Iter bloody work is slipping a Way from her she, begins to whine about peace I And President Wilson nas come to help her, and says

; u*l me act us mediator betAveeu tiie contending nations ; there have boon aorw on belli sides, but, your ultimate aims arc not so very dilierenti after all ■" The preacher briefly re,orryd to a few of the Gunman atrocities, which the American president iiacl never lifted a linger to prevent. Put now that the arch Villain of the whole, plot was on the point of oeing punished tho bowels af compassion of the President of bmerica are moved, and ho wants to ( sa v e tin; rascal ;| Gan any one doubt what the answer will bo V Won’t tin; answer be, “Hands oil, and mind your own business ! Without your assistance we have carried on ;he war thus far ; without your assistance we will carry it through, and we will tolerate 'no interference iron* you or anyone else.” Better far that Britain should go dowh .itjiitnig tor rigateousiiess uian prolong lor a lew years a nuseraole, uiameuii eAisteuce uy, as tltc ola prophet put rt, '•pateumg up eoveaaots and agreements with deatu

and licit. oro-uuy and Honourably .nc jj'iion has limit ; greatly ana uunouraoty let him die, if need pc ; out putting behind all cconjuii-cal,

political, military, unit even patriotic considerations, let us a sit wnat -lie Scriptures say in regard to tuc peace uiterances. Ou what condition woes oott grant peace.' me 1 rst ot ait consittTons is •Rnpmut we mat is the teaching ,-f me i inle,

and ot every Uhristian church. Have litm Gior-mans repealed ! 'Ja-. c they mown the slightest comp Ju-tion and sorrow lor their crimes ti d thou' atrocities '! Their only regret is chat they could not .Give done more ! that they have not Lech able lo multiply their vileucss ten times ova, it i s a mere- waste of time ..o, talk to the Germans .'a ,-rv other way than through the month of the cannon. Hluii every ~i tit, woman, and child of our nation should know, should realise, is that v,o me lighting for our .very existence. Germany or Britain has to go down, and if Britain goes down Acw Zealand will go down with hoi. There are sign* that our , leaders' eyes are at last opened to the task in front of tile nation. Mo hope that Lloyd George is the “strong man” that we have been looking for, for the last two years, and it is our duty to uphold him in every Way. Wo enter upon another year not lightly, lor w : o Know that It will prove u .year of sorrow to many ; but we cuter upon it with, faith and with conli hmeo and a good conscience, because wo believe that wc arc lighting the battle oi (ho Lord. As in other years wo may expect losses aud disasters ou land and sc«, but on the whole our prospects for Ihe coming year are better thah they ever have been before, and by the blessing ot God on our Heels ami arms and those of our AlliesIhe end of it will sec, if not the full end of the war, the end of our peril and the beginning of, a now world, wherein dwcllclh righteousness and mace. i The Psalm and hymns/ wore suitaHle to the subject of - the Uev. Macdonald’s discourse.

KING STKF.KT MLTEOOIST C HUHCII.

i here was a fairly large congregation at the King Street Methodist Church on Sunday morning, when the Rev. M l . GriHin in his sermon dealt with the subjects of .intercession, thanlUsgivhigi, and eommpmoration, taking as his text 1. 'lint "do ' 2— 1 ‘ t exhort therefore, that, first. of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men ; for Kings, and for all that are in authority ; that all \uvay lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty," Dealing first with the subject of intercession, the preacher said it. was necessary, first oi all, to have an "object" to pray, to intercede, for. Their first object would bo [Layer for the Nation. Prayer was never more needed than it is at the present time- Another object was the King, and the King was acting a noble part in the present crisis in the life of the nation, iHo .did not stand afar off from, his paopld, but was one with them, and fell very much for the loss of so many brave ■’l,'en. Another object of prayeij whs “those in authority.” 'There was great need to-day for men, thorough, reliable and true. In this regard tbo preacher referred to Mr Lloyd George, and ho .shortly dealt with what he had done and what he had set his heart upon doing. Ho thought one thing v.as the banishment of liquor from the United Kingdom during the .war, and he hoped Mr Lloyd George would have the courage to carry his intention through. Another object foi' prayer was the sick, wounded, and dying. They had suffered to protect our. wo,men and children, and ourselves in safety, and deserved to be .prayed for. Another object 'was "the men at the front." Mr Griffin, spoke q'f our indebtedness to them, and of the dangers they were facing, and the cruel hardships they arc enduring in the trendies —now mere mud-ho’es—fot' our sake. Another fitting object of nrayor was '"the men in the camps." The preacher referred to the fact that a number of the men wore disgracing their uniforms, by getting under; the influence of liquor, and spoke of a paragraph in a Wellington newspaper, calling upon parents to beep their daughter's at home while soldiers were in the city. Mr Griffin next (idealt with Ids second subject, that of •Thanksgiving." Ho i said the very materialistic influence of this life was destructive of spirituality, and .therefore of thanksgiving, ll was therefore necessary to cultivate the habit of .'What hade ’ l \\;a to; be thankful for 7 First of all, God’s mercies ; they never cease. The Psalmist said, "I. -will give thanks unto the Lord" ; 1m did so with his whole head, and this was true than'.sgiving. Thanksgiving must be pra'di.ial, am! that meant sai riliees. It did not show practical thanksgiving lo give that which costs us nothing. In this regard Mr Griffin said that many who were giving gifts .of money lo various patriotic purposes are practically giving nothing, because the. money they are giving comes from “war profits." The .money did, not come out of ordinary income, and therefore such people were rot giving am/Ihing. Then there wan safety, to ho thankful for. llncler ( Clod we owed that to our great navy. If it were not for tile navy people .might at Iho •moment be in fear of a shell crashing through the church and blowing them into eternity. They had also to bo thankful for our splendid Army. At one time it had been referred to aa a “contemptible army,” and we have been called “a nation of shopkeepers. True wo are a peaceful people, and inclined to peace, but when war took hold of us it was in the blood, and our aimy had given a splendid account of itself. In the Army great deeds had been done while (he Navy had not been surpassed in any age. Speaking of the tim'd -subject, “Com-, memoration/' Mr Griffin .said thiisjwas sacred ground and here we come With reverence. Hie naked the question what ought we to do to perpetuate the memory of the brave departed 7 Our duty w'as to , ’see that the oausff for which they gave their byes is carried to a successful issue. Theremust, bo no more “sentiment hero ; wo must push the battle to the gates. Wo /should show our ', professions to bo true bjr doing our part ; by , showing the same , spirit of self-sacrifice, that actuated them. Emerson sang "Not gold, but only men, Can make a people great and strong ; Mon )vho for truth apd hono'ur’e sake •Stand fast and suffer long. Hrave men, who work while others sleep ; Who dare while others fiy, They build a nation s pillars deep Ami lift, them to the sky.’ The Bible lessons and hymns were appropriate 'to the service.

UK.MARK STREET MP.TII ODIST cirrucir.

The Rev- •). W. Griffin also oil 1 Suited at the Denmark Street Methodist Church in the evening, and preached a sermon similar in Us mam pon ,s to that delivered by hint at Iha King Street Church in -Ihe morning, ■' u onlline of which is given above. Ik' lessons and hymns were in krep-ug will. I lie lenour of the sermon. There was a lar^i;

SALVATION AItMV.

Services held in the S'ullvoitio'u/ Aumiy Hall last Sunday were strongly, marked by an undercurrent o£ deep, feeling, a a intercession was made for lire nation in her great need. The watch-night service was ito those present a hallowed, sacred times, mottoes were exchanged,; yows renewed, and in the last lloctingl'moments of the old year reference was made in prayer to the text quoted previously in the' 'meeting : “ Some trust in chariots, ’.ami some in horses, but wo will remember the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm xx., 171. May England's foremost trust be in that great name, the controller oi the universe.