Joint Meeting of Auckland Branches.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume I, Issue 11, 1 May 1911, Page 160

Joint Meeting of Auckland Branches.

A combined meeting of branches of the C.E.M.S. m Auckland was held at All Saints' Church on Tuesday, 28th March, when a good assemblage of men from various parts of the city was present. The meeting was preceded by service m the church, at which an address was given by the Rev. A,

H. Colville, from Romans xii, 15, "Given to hospitality." Mr Colville said that New Zealanders were accounted a hospitable people — no one had proved it more than himself, since for three years he had been travelling' all over the Dominion. While very grateful for the kindness that had been shown him, he would not care to limit a host's hospitality to the dinner that he provided for his guest. We judge a man to be hospitable if he is sympathetic, warm-hearted, ready to do what he can for the comfort of his guests, eager to make him feel at home. Similarly, we must not limit God's hospitality to us to the good things He has provided for us m this world. A man might say that God was not very good to him — he had not many of the good things of life that his neighbours had. God had not shown much hospitality to him. Many a man seemed to bear a grudge m his heart against God. If he came suddenly into a fortune, would such a one have a greater belief m God's hospitality ? It was not always those who had wealth, that had most faith m God. We do not judge a man's hospitality by the amount he gives us. We ask: "Is he my true friend? Is he striving to do the best he can for me out of the means at his disposal?" And so with God — He is our real Friend, the Friend that sticketh closer than a brother, always striving to do all for us that He can. What wonderful trouble God takes with each one of us, and has taken all our life ! Taking each one separately and individually. What love He has manif ested to us, love strong enough to correct us. What opportunities He has afforded us to know Him better, to develope our spiritual nature. God's hospitality was shown m the recent mission — an invitation was given to all to take part. Some man might say: "Oh, religion is not mmy line. I don't go to church, and if I did, my mates would chaff me, and say that I was converted. Besides, if I went, I should feel awkward and uncomfortable. 33 A man might be justified m saying that religion was not m

his line, if this life were all; if the grave. were the end of life; if man had no spark of the Divine m him. But this life is not all — the grave is the gate of life; our destiny is to become sons of Goa, to become like God. And m consequence, no man could honestly say that religion was not m his line. Men who spoke so, had hung up their religious faculty, had neglected to use it, perhaps from boyhood, until now it was almost dead. If a man kept his arm m a sling continually and never made use of it, its strength would disappear, and when he wanted to make use of it, he would find he was not able. But exercise would m time bring back the long-lost power ; but it would want patience and perseverance. And so with our spiritual faculty — it was not dead, only dormant and exercise would develope it. There was one word which was written, as it were, over the door of the Kingdom of Heaven; a word which might have been taken as the keynote of the mission ; a word which might be over every church. It was the word "Whosoever." Every man had a spark of the Divine m him : every man might rise to higher things if only he would. What about our hospitality? was it limited or was it like God's ? what was our ideal for the church? Did we look upon our church as a kind of club for respectable people, for loungers? A celebrated Frenchman once spoke of the Church of England as "That aristocratic and worldly institution." The remark may have been justified at the period when it was made, but it was not applicable now. And yet, the suspicion still lingers that the Church is not for the poor, it is only for the well-to-do. The C.E.M.S. could do much, to drive away that idea. But it all depended on what we are ourselves individually. Do we seek to be hospitable m the same way that God is? Christianity is not a system of negations — "Thou shalt not this or that." A man cannot save his Soul .by sitting still and keeping from doing wrong things. He must be up and doing, doing what is right. There were once two women m a slum parish, both regular at-

tendants at cliurcli and meetings* The one prided herself, on keeping' to herself and not mixing with her neighbours. The other made a point of leaving home early for church m order that she might call for her neighbours and endeavour to bring them with her to service. We might admire the first for her endeavour to live an honest, decent life, but we could not fail to admit that the sec.ond was doing Christ's work m trying to seek and save that which was lost. God has deliberately willed to reach men through men. Much, therefore depends upon us individually, upon us as members of the C.E.M.S. Unless the men of the Anglican Church m New Zealand endeavour to make God's idea of hospitality true of themselves, New Zealand will drift away from the church. A Christianity of exclusiveness, of self-satisfied Phariseeism, of miserable respectability is out of date ; the man m the street will have none of it. But real Christianity, earnestly aggressive, full of self sacrifice, and a yearning for the souls of others is never out of date. At the meeting which was held m the schoolroom, Mr Colville gave an interesting address on "The Missions m South Africa and New Zealand, compared and contrasted." Speaking as one who. had had the privilege of taking part m both these missions, Mr Colville said that they were proofs of the vitality of the Church of England. Our grand? fathers would never have dreamt it possible to arrange missions on such a large scale, and m the Church of England. The Church was then too much the Church of the well-to-do; there was little elasticity either m her services or methods. Missions such as these prove that the English Church is waking up to the needs of her children who have gone across the seas — she has long been alive to the necessity for Foreign Missions to the heathen. H.H.R.