ARCHBISHOP JULIUS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 2 May 1927, Page 8

ARCHBISHOP JULIUS.

| SERMON AT ST. MARY’S

On tho occasion of his first visit to Timaru since his return from a world tour, Archbishop Julius preached to a large congregation in St. Mary’s Clrwch last, night. Archdeacond. A. Julius, assisted by the Rev. E. Osmers, conducted the service, the address being given by die Archbishop, who tokk as his text the Ist chapter of tho Acts of the Apostles, verse 8: —“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses untu me in both Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” These words, said the Archbishop, wore spoken to a company ot eleven men by Jesus Christ., They were to bo witnesses for Him, firstly at home in Jerusalem, and ultimately they were to bo witnesses unto the uttermost parts of tho earth. While all knew that they were witnesses, history told little else about 'hem. St. Philip left only a letter, of St. Jime3 they knew only a few words, and, of the remainder they knew comparatively nothing. They knew how, by their own Braver Book, they kept festival days of those few, and that l .'gilt they were celebrating two of - the early apostles. In the calendar of their Book of Prayer they had a great number of Saints, many of them strange names, and they had come in more by virtue of festival days than ty any reason of the Saint himself. Jesus Christ had sent certain Men out to witness for him, aud if these witnesses failed, what would become of them today ? The witnesses would l ecome weaker and weaker, until lhey vmuld be lost altogether. In the last century there arose a number of writers who took up the task of >etting up proofs of the Gospel. It was a great ago for evidence, but when ihe witnesses were missing, these men rise up in defence of the Faith. Their works were exceptional, and he was sure that if the younger clergy read more of Bishop Butler’s sermons, they would not preach the rot they did when they got older. The i rciibishop said he knew of no works which were more stimulating than those he was referring to. It was their cb ty to | love God with their minds, as well as with their hearts, and they had to fo > a little more thinking on religious matters. There were not many in the world to-day who wore callable or reasoning. Few there were who could j take up an argument properly, and when they could not do that, their logic failed. The works of d.o great writers had failed to convince, and were available to a few on'y. The early apostles had told of Christ’s life, j His death and His resurrection, and Iby that they wero known. They wait j out Into the world, aud exhorted all to follow Him, and the path they chose-led through suffering, £.: d sometimes to death. Later witnesses could not say what the early postles had said. The apostles had seen and hoard, but to-day all they could say was that j they had learned fro mothers, had I received into their hearts, and in their I hearts they knew it to be true. A ! tree was not known by its roots, but by the fruit it bore, and when they were speaking of Christianity, they did j not ask what it was in the Ist Century, j hut what was it to-day, and what trine ! was it bringing forth. What of the ! witnesses of r.he latter generations ? | Faith had brought a change in them, j not sudden]};, but it was such that it j was marked, and Christianity spread, not by what men said, but by what men were. The way of Christianity long ago was the way in which it went in many places to-day. Right through history there was a long line of Saints, and wherever the Saints were there was witness for Christ. It had never failed, and never would. Paul spoke of it in the lltli chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, said the. Archbishop, and if they were to read it, it would make them see what worms they were in comparison with the men of (lie early days. It catalogued the Saints of the early days, and there it stopped. Meii had tried to carry on tho role, but they had not the talent of the writers of the Epistles. It need not have been, for it never stopped. The only business Christians had when they grew up was to go out into the world and' bear witness. They were the men who influenced tneir neighbours in the workshop. The Christian character '.as the fruit of the living tree, and the living fruit was not meant to be kept in. a glass case. What- was the Christian character, asked the Archbishop. It was not morality, for he knew _ lots of people who were not Christians, but wlio were thoroughly true. Because a person went to church, it was not to sav he would not cheat his neighbour, because he probably would. St. Pau 1 told them what it was. It was love, joy and peace. They were the three outstanding traits of Christian character, and they came from something the heathen never dreamed of — tho reconciliation with God, through die redemption of Jesus Christ. Love of God which spread itself out, joy which radiated life, and peace which passed ail understanding. ‘Tn his concluding remarks the Archbishop said he knew of no time when" Christ wanted more witness than to-day, and lie" knew of no place ; where it was more needed than in New Zealand. A man who had a heart full of love, whose soul was full of joy, and who was at neace with God was a man whom they should be glad to meet. A lot of Christian people went about with faces as sour as vinegar, and gavii way to nerves, and the world said- “If that is Christianity, then Cod help them.” A man looked this way and that, and asked: “Is Christianity right?” b,ut there came a- time when man received witness in his own'heart, and when lie said- “I know it.’’