WESLEYAN HOME MISSIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1168, 15 November 1871, Page 2

WESLEYAN HOME MISSIONS.

The anniversary services in connection with the "Wesleyan Home Missions, were conducted as follows : — On Sunday, two sermons were preached in the Wesleyan Church, Durham street, that in the morning, by the Rev. A. Reid, of Dunedin ; aud that in the evening, by the Rev. J. S. Smalley, of Port Chalmers. Yesterday afternoon, about 600 persons partook of tea in a large marquee adjoining the church, trays being provided by Mesdames M'Keever, Ja-mitage, G. R. and 31. B. Hart, juu., Jones, Gould, Gee, Candy, Harris, Derry, Meadows, Harrington,- Partridge, Creswell, Mouldey, Ashwin, and Wheeler, together with Messrs Turner, Hale, Wilkinson, and Martin. After tea, a public meeting was held in the Church, which was filled. The proceedings were commenced with singing the hymn " Salvation, O the joyful sound." The Rev. J. Aldred read the 30th chapter of Isaiah, and the Rev. R. S. Bunn offered up prayer. On the motion of the Rev. A. R. Fitchett, Mr C. W. Turner was called to the chair. The Chairman, in brieflj' opening (.he business, said that although the proceeds of the meeting would be devoted to the Home Mission Fund, yet the meeting itself must be looked upon in the light of a social gathering to welcome the ministers of the district. The Rev. W. Lee, from Oamaru, said that lie had been requested to speak on the tooic, " The New Zealand Conference." He did not intend to speak upon that topic, but upon the importance of leading a useful life. How fearful it was to contemplate a wasted life ; the energy, the strength of a life expended to no purpose. God intended man to lead a useful life, to devote all his powers of body and mind in promoting the glory of the Great Creator and well-being of his fallow-men. It would be no excuse for a man to say that his po tver was so feeble and insignificant that it was of no use. Power became greater by exercise, and God only expected from a man according to the talent with which he was endowed. If they devoted all their talents to God's service in being useful, and in promoting God's glory, He would abundantly reward them, both in this life and the next. Each person had his own peculiar sphere of usefulness, and to be useful in that sphere was all that God required. The Rev. J. S. Smalley, from Port Chalmers, said that he was pleased to see so large a gathering, but he regretted not meeting ministers from other denominations on the platform j probably this was because there were so many Wesloyan ministers present. He had been requested to speak on the subject of Education, and after carefully considering the question, he had come to the conclusion that if they were to have national education, that education must be secular in its chai'acter. He did not think that denominational education woidd reach the wants of all, inasmuch as it must be limited in its character ; and if a national system were not adopted, many of the people would perisli for lack of knowledge. He considered that religion should be taught in the Church and at home, but not in the school. He advocated a national and secular system of education ; the establishment of schools where the children of the Papist, and the Protestant, and the Jew could meet together on common ground for the purpose of education, leaving the religious education, as he had previously said, to the Church and to the home. Referring to the revival movement which was going on at the present time, he said that wherever the doctrine of Sanctification was preached he believed that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit would follow. He then noticed the different manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the work of conversion, and pointed to the marked difference there was in the manner of the conversion of Lydia and that of the Phillippian Gaoler — the one gently softened by Divine love, the other smitten witli the agony of a soul suddenly awakened to the exceeding fearfulness of sin, and crying for help to save him from its consequences. The Chairman said that shortly the education question' would be brought before them hi a practical fotfm ; for they would either have to give up the denominational school attached to their church, or to find the money themselves for carrying on the school, as the aid they had received from the Government would bo withdrawn. The Rev. J. S. Rishworth, from Invercargill, said that Home missionary labours were a recognised department of church usefulness, and with regard to the necessity foivsuoh «■ work, he would,:moneion fhttfc the spiritual darkness o£«oirie of the country districts called for anxious and prayerful consideration. He would ask, should they who enjoyed the advantages of a Gospel ministry every Sabbath ref use to send that Gospel to those who were so poor that they could not afford to pay for the support of a minister ? It was not only prayer and sympathy that this country districts required, but practical aid, and this he hoped would be afforded them that evening. The Rev. R. Bavin, from Timaru, said that he had been requested to speak a little on the events that had been transpiring in Europe during the year that was just closing. He was one of those who held that the hand of God was to be seen in history. This hand of God was clearly to be discerned in the history of ancient times, and the finger of God was as clearly to be traced in the events that were now going on around them as in the ages that were past. Thank God, they were able to speak of the Franco-Prussian war as a thing of the past, and also to thank Him that the fearful scourge was not permitted to reach, the

beloved land from which they sprang — dear England. When they thought of France as she was and France as she is — once so lovely and so powerful, now so lowly, so humbled in the dust. Then again, Germany, once disunited and weak, now so united, so powerful, and so compact. Then let them look at the events of the year 1870 as affecting the Papacy — the assembling of the (Ecumenical Council and the promulgation of the doctrine of the Papal Infallibility — hardly, however, had that Council bioken up ere the temporal power of the Pope was destroyed, and Rome itself thrown open for the preaching of the Gospel, the circulation of the Bible and tracts. Looking at these great events, he believed that the finger of God could be clearly traced. That God had been punishing France for her great wickedness, and they could not but rejoice that in the unity of Germany God had raised up a great Protestant power which would effectually resist the efforts of the Papacy, the days of which were numbered, and would, he believed, soon come to an end, when " The Kingdom of this World would become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ." Let them then, one and all, endeavoiir to advance the coming of that glorious kingdom by giving their hearts fully to Christ, and by devoting every power they possessed to His service. The Rev. F. W. Isitt, from Balclutha, said that if it were a necessity to exclude the Bible from their schools it was a necessity they should mourn over, for as a Home Missionary he could tell them that already the country districts had suffered from too much secularization, and ho thought that those who had applauded the exclusion of the Bibles from their schools ought never to rest, but to use every exertion to bring the children to Christ. Referring to the greatness and grandeur of the Christian works — its noble aim, and what it would ultimately accomplish, he said that those engaged in Christ's work in spreading the knowledge of their blessed Master might each, one and all, exclaim — " Thank God, I too am a labourer in the Lord's vineyard." Was there a power in the world that had accomplished one half that the Gospel had done. What had rendered the English nation so great amongst the nations but the power of the Gospel ? And they found every country that had. the Gospel iv its pui'ity standing forth in the van of civilisation and progress, the wonder and admiration of the world. The people of those countries were foremost in the work of philanthropy as well as in the work of civilisation. It was the knowledge and power of the Gospel that had done this, and it was to assist in spreading this knowledge, to apply this power that an appaal would be made to them that evening, and he hoped that they would pray that the Lord would abundantly pour out His Spirit upon the whole earth. The Rev. A. Reid, from Dunedin, said that he did not believe in the exclusion of God's book from schools, and he mentioned this in order that it should go forth to the world that Methodists, as a body, were not in favour of excluding God's Word from tho schools. Ho contended that it was as easy to get converted schoolmasters as it was to get converted ministers of religion, and he resented the imputation that a schoolmaster was incompetent to teach religion. It was not the Roman Catholics or the Jews that had occasioned this difficulty, it was Protestants themselves — should it be said that the Bible was to be withdrawn from their schools in order, as some said, that children should love another ? ]S T o, let Protestants agree to discard all minor differences, and cling to the Bible and keep it in their schools. Let them all prostrate themselves at the feet of Christ, and pray to be brought nearer and nearer to him, and in proportion as Christians lived nearer to Christ, so would they love each other tho more, and the educational difficulty would be solved in this manner and not by the exclusion of the Bible from their schools. When Christians realised what Christ had done for them, one song would burst fvoin every tongue — "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." The Rev. A. R. Fitchett said that those who wished to see the Bible taken out of the schools, did so wishing to bring about that result in the interests of the Bible and of religion, and he was one of those who hoped to see secular education taught by one set of teachers, and the Gospel of the blessed Jesus by another. He begged to move a vote of thanks to the ladie3 who had presided at the tea and to the choir. The motion was carried by acclamation. The following music was sung during the eTcning — Anthem — " Not unto us", Fawcett. Solo — "Lord have mercy," Pergolesi— Mr Stansell. Solo — "How beautiful ;" and chorus— " The Lord gave the Word," Handel. ■ Solo — " Be thou faithful unto death," Mendelssohn — Mr Rowley. Chorus — "Lift up ypur_-hci«I«)" Handel. Chorus — " a?WUodvens are telling," Haydn. Tho proceedings were terminated by the Rev. A. Reid pronouncing the Benediction. The amount realised at the anniversary services was about £65.