LAWRENCE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 267, 13 March 1873, Page 4

LA WRENCE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

The anniversary soiree of the Law^ rence Congregational Church was held in the Athenaeum on Friday evening. Tra v^as on. tbe table at half-past six o'clock, and shortly after that hour a. numerous array of ladies and gentlemen sat down. to. partake of the good cheer provided. The attendance waa so large that all could not be accommodated afe'the tables at once, andnumbers had* to wait. The excellent, arrangements made, however, prevented any disappointment or ineooveniencd, and in, due couse of time all who presented themselves wece accommodated, comfortably with a seat afc the tables and an- ample supply of tea. and various- edibles. The provision made for the appetites, of the assemblage proved more than equal to tho dernand^larg^ though. ißw.as* a^d. tfe%

various good thing* provided were the best of their respective kinds. The tables were presided over by Mesdames Menzies, Bryant, Armstrong, Burns, Leary, Silk, Easinussen, Morrison, Goldsmith, Hunter, Buck, Titchener, and Misses Campbell, Herd, and Peters — all of whicL ladies fulfilled the rSle of hostess in an admirable manner. The Eev. Mr. Menaies, the pastor of tbe congregation occupied the chair. When the tables had been finally cleared away, a psalm was sung, and the Eev. Mr. Bull offered up a prayer. The Chairman said he felt gratified at seeing such a large gathering of all denominations, as it evinced a spirit of Christian unity. He narrated the circumstances which had led to his leaving the old country and entering upon the charge of the Tuapeka district. He pointed out that his labors were, as ■were also those of his brother ministers, more of an evangelical ' nature than those of a settled pastor. His district . extended from Waipori on one side to Beaumont and Tuapeka Mouth on the other, and he stated the number of services he held at the many different places in his district, The" arduous labors such as lie and bis brother minis- ! ters had to perform rendered it impossible that they could visit the people of Lawrence as much as they could wish or they expected. But he considered the people of Lawrence should come and visit them more — attend the church and hear about things eternal. The Bey, Mr. Bull delivered an address upon the absurdity of people dwelling so much upon mere doctrinal differences, and the necessity of paying more attention to the teachings of Jesus Christ. He pointed out the necessity that existed for all denominations joining together to crush the modern infidelity — noticeably Spiritual* ism — now raising its head and drawing many from the true faith. The rev. gentleman concluded by stating that the brightest period in the history of the Church was when it was resisting apparently overwhelming powers arrayed against it, and counselled unity and concord among the various sections of the Christian Church. Mr. M'Lelland made a few appropriate remarks. The Eev. Mr. Cameron exhorted church members to bestir themselves for the advancement of religion, and showed the great power for good living consistent and godly lives exercised. At this stage of the proceedings, his Honor the Superintendent and the Goldfields Secretary entered the hall, and were accommodated with a seat upon the platform. The former, upon being asked to address the assemblage, said he was ignorant of the object of the meeting, and made a few pertinent remarks regarding the deficient ventilation of the hall. The Rev. Mr. Eoseby expressed the gratification he felt in visiting for the first time the capital of Otago's premier goldfield. He had viewed with'pleasure the many feokensi of tbe private enterprise and public spirit of the inhabitants of Lawrence that had met his gaze. He felt much pleasure in seeing the variouß mining operations in Gabriels Gully, and hoped that the mining, interest would long be sustained by the energy and industry of the people. He was also, gratified to find in Lawrence such evidences of religious feeling, and such concord among the vai'ious denominations. If he read the signs of the times aright, it was a time for God's people to forget their little differences, and, adhering to the fundamentals of their religion, to unite to repel the attacks of the foe. The attacks of modern infidelity were different from the persiflage of Voltaire. -Spiritualism was advocated by men of the greatest learning and of - irreproachable character, whose conclusions, backed up as they were by the most reliable scientific researches, carried force to the thinking minds of the age. If at such a time Christians split up into sections, instead of uniting, they would be guilty of disloyalty to the Commander whose standard they bore,and to the Sovereign whose subjects they were. If the Christian Church was to subdue its enemies, it would be by" the living power of making the "^rorld better than it found it* It was aot by historical triumphs that Christianity would be judged, bat by its present usefulness. The Church, which the of hell was not to prevail against, was one capable of doing moral, spiritual, and- physical, good to the people. The Church had mow reached a crisis in its history, and it behoved its advocates to show that ita power lay .not in .mere words but in the rigor of its life. The K new^ and beautiful faith " he did not consider fairly represented by Messrs. Peebles and Dunn. If theinftuenceof tbatfaifch was not purifying the morals of the community, it was not improving- the state of the ■world, He did "not believe any faith or religion was good that did not purge the community of its vices, elevate the individual, and make the world better. The rev. gentleman concluded by stating that in- his opinion the man who acted honestly according to his convic tioas, who lived diffusing good around hfati, was "the good and faithful seri&£% n yfhfi would receive the reward »|K»tJonwi in Soripture. - Mr. M* Alpine made a few observatisas. J The Secretary' for the Goldfields proJieeed a vote of thanks to the ladies .ii^ho had presided over the tables. In '$oiDg so he highly eulogised the char- . *&S£ Qjt &6 QhiUnnan^ stating that he

had always endeavoured to promote and cement feelings of Christian fellowship amongst the various denominations existing in the community. His Honor the Superintendent, in seconding the motion, said that he had been much pleased to hear the catholic address of the Eev. Mr. Eoseby, and also that such a spirit of concord pervaded the various denominations in Tuapeka, He suggested that the assemblage should sing the good old Scotoh psalm — Behold how good a thing it is, And how becoming well, Together such as brethren are, In unity*to dwell. His Honor's suggestion met with approval, and several verses of the psalm were sung. The vote of thanks to the' ladies was carried by acclamation, as also was a vote of thanks to the speakers. The proceedings were diversified and enlivened by selections of music given at intervals by a very efficient choir, under the leadership of Mr. John Menzies.