THE CHURCHES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 557, 12 July 1909, Page 6

THE CHURCHES.

THE ANGLICAN CHURCHES,

The presence in town of the clergy attending the Diocesan Synod,gave special bterest to ye'sterday's services' in the Anglican churches of the city and suburbs, the pulpits being in most instances by clergy from the country districts.' At St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral the' Rev.' E;' J. Sola;iof Bulls, preached in the morning, and ;the. Rev/W.' -Deane in 'the evening.': The .Rev. \R. Young, vicar of Carterton, .preached to the children in the.afternoon. The, Rev. R. A.' 0. Wil-. liams, superintendent"of the Maori Mission, oocupjed-the pulpit of St. Peter's at matins, and' the Rev. G. J: Woodward at evensong. •The preachers at SkMarkV were the Rev. ;R. : Young ■ at- .matins,' the:' Rev.- A.' 0: Williams at the afternoon service tor children, and the Rev. J. ; E.-Hollqway, of Wanganui, at evensong. The Rev. W. Raine, curate of .Masterton,:-filled the pulpit' of St. Matthew's,' Brooklyn, in the morning, and Mr. Burdekin'in the, evening.'". At'.St.vThomas's . : tho' : preachers'; were tho Rev; G, W.'Dent, vicar'of-Eltham, and.the Rev. E. J. Sola,; and at St. Hilda's 'Ohurchroom,". Island Bay, the Rev.: A: T. B.i'Page', vicar of- Greytowu, and the' Rev. EL T. Stealey, principal of Claroville Maori College. The ,Rsv. C. J: Smith, of Otaki, preached at; All Saints' Churchroom, Kilbirnie. -

THE KNOX QUATEIVCENTENARY,

\The Rev. Dr. Gibb preached a forceful and striking sermon in St. -John's Church 'last evening on. the. life'and influence of John Calvin, the quater-centenary of whose birth ;to'ok place on Saturday'. • His remarks wero based Calvin's favourite text: "If God be for us who can be against us?", < -In the course of his sermon, Dr. Gibb declared that it/was not Calvin, but his successors, and for the most part'bis successors in Scotland, whpi introduced • a sort of fatalistic doctrine into the Church. There was nothing in .Cal-vin's-Institutes,- or in his.system, to justify the .dreadful satire of the .first verse,'of Burns's" "Holy "VVillio's Prayer."' For the death of Serveius', he said, Calvin was largery, responsible, but'not for the manner of .Tiis death. < Before his age in most ■ respects, Calvin was not before his age in his conduct in that matter, and->for his share in the death of Servetus he must be blamed, as Knox must be blamed for threatening death to anyone who should reintroduce the mass into Scotland. It was, however, an age when religious toleration was understood by.no one. Some of the atmosphere of the reformer's period was given to ; the Be'rvice by the singing of an unusual number of psalms, most, of which were chosen for their historical associations arid the antiquity of their tunes. /. They were, such psalms, Dr. Gibb explained,' as Cromwell's Ironsides sang when they went into battle!. Dr. Gibb intends to follow up his address on Calvin by a series of sermons on the great/creative personalities of the Scottish Church, and ho hopes that for next Sunday the choir will be provided with, some older psalm music,, of historical interest, than they, have yet been able to give. , ■ ■ ■ "': '■.-'■■