PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHURCH.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13841, 1 March 1909, Page 3

PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHURCH.

ANNIVERSARY SERVICES

At the Primitive Methodist Church, in.Timaru. yesterday, special services were conducted by the Rev. G. H. Mann of Geraldine, in recognition 'of the anniversary of the Sunday School. The church was prettily decorated for the occasion, .with flowers and foliage; the sermons delivered were greatly appreciated, and the services throughout were attractive, the singing; of special hymns by the school children being a pleasing feature of them. Mr J. Chiles conducted the. singing and Ml«s Bloomfield presided at the organ, Mr A. Bloomfield accompanying on the violin. All the music was bright and tuneful and reflected credit on those responsible for jt. Mr Mann preached a verv forceful sermon, at the morning, and the evening service, and in the nfWnoon lie Yleb'vomd a verv'practical address to the Sumlav or-bool scholars. At the morning service Mr Mann spoke front Ist Kim's, chanter 18 verse 3: «< Vo ff (Vxidin 1 ' fcred T-ord grontlv," making his text the bisis of a ctrnnjr pvor+ntion for all to do ns Obn<b'nh bn«l done i" .fearing, the J.ord *-"m bis voutb. He 'noin+ed out tb<>t this, in the time of Obad!"b reonired unrno oourape. and nb«v« all that wns wbflf-.tns want*" 1 to-dav—courage stoTirl bv our faith, and show ' that rbric+ianitv wis a r°al living , Wcp, n-hicll caused wbo profossed it. +n l-vo j-penoeted, admired. a"d +rnst*>d. '"•ns * man who did Wh-»t wm r>«rbt nnd"' - oiro"mp+'»T»p«*Q wb'Mi bad discoi'rgrred «c<"" , i of others:, he nrecfm+nd. i 1! 'his b'fe a fine of earlv nietv. and be was own'pf'tint tvne of "">nlv ehri c +ians n-hich ft once our «r>»nirntion and r""wct. The preacher went on to vl- - narontsj on the vnbie of p«rlv nietvsin children, stating t'">+- t.'iev Imd no risrht to expect thp»r children to b« converted «"t nnv particular ape; o'"l. dr"n' should lie hron<drt n« on the KTifWctandin? tbnt they to Cnfl fi-om the'"''' infanev. He omobn=l«ed tbo f««t. that vontb ■"••>s tbo Tno-t l«v,- n res«ionable period of. life avd Raid tb'nt wlnt a child was between 't»» nee, l of .t'jjnjl 15. tbnt be-or sb n usnnllv rp- | -»n n iT.ofl throughout life. Jt therefore devolved unon narop+n ac o solemn r>«tv t« surround tbeir "bUdron witb tbo«o inflnpn°"s moe-t, likelv to lp-wl tbpm -nlonnr the pith P F ropMtlule '>nd ean'ofl 'thp»n to £«■"• 'God from\ tbeir youth upwards. . Life was no chance | nrodnct; it was what we. made it. and | it was all important, that we pbonbl I make the best of it.. H» pntreated the I young people to respond to the call of i God, to.whom they belonged, and pxj pressed his conviction that children were more full of divine possibilties than we ' were -prone to believe, yet strange |to say, parents were often unsympa- ! thetic, and often regardless of youthi ful ambitions. Religion gave' stability to character; it gave to young people ' power to stand ..against the temptations of life, and he exorted one and all to start early with religion as the 1 guiding principle' of life, for Godliness was profitable in this life as,well as in the life to come.

At the evening service "Mr Mann gave some impressions he had gathered when on his recent trip to the North Island as a delegate to the conference. Basing his text on the words of Jeremiah 23-28, "What is the chaff to the. wheat,." the preacher said that these • words 'had been used as a reproof,/and it was in that sense that lie desired to use- them.- Every age had' its perils and, problems, and these we were foolish to ignore. During the past three weeks, he had travelled over 1000 miles,*'and-from'his observations he was convinced that we were misspending our energies, resources and opportunities'., , It was time, therefore, to speak plain of some phases of life in this, country. The sanctity of the Sabbath had been invaded, there was an increasing number, of people who paid no heed to church-going, and he made hold to say that modern civilisation in its best form, owed nothing to those who played fast and loose with the Sabbath. Some would pooh-pooh this assertion, but he ' challenged contradiction. Those who kept the coininandmjents mere (the saviours of their country. The 'tolerance of yesterday had passed into the license of to-day. Sacred ordinances; public worship, and the Christian Sabbath were being sacrificed for 'pleasure and recreation; the very essence of morality and religion was being surrendered tor that which could neither give food nor character. We craved for strength; wealth, power, liberty, progress and honour, but all tHese things would be lost if we sacrificed the Sabbath. In Auckland he had seen the trains, boats, trams, busses, etc., all going on the Sabbath, and in all the cities as well as in many of the towns, there was Sabbath desecration. All this would have to be altered unless we were to go back as a people. In the second place he desired to- say that there should bo -ja recognition of worthy ideals. At present the tendency was to idolise "money kings" and sportsmen, soul and body having been sold] to these. Good character and noble service should rather be our' aim, to honour God and uplift man should be our lambition. The preacher dwelt on the effect of low ideals, and said that the "church .-must-: attend more to the wheat and less to the straw; there was .urgent need' (of a whole-souled evangnkism—earnest, passionate, intelligent and "practical. Everyone should make this a personal matter, personal salvation being all important. Attend to health and business, and seek pleasure (within reasonable limits) by: all means, but .'above all, to be in tune with the Infinite was the first duty of every man. The greatest need of the young people ot New Zealand to-day'was more religion and power to discriminate between the wheat and the chaff.