CHURCH SERVICES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 723, 24 January 1910, Page 6

CHURCH SERVICES.

DR. NELIGAN AT ST. PETERJS.' , j-'_..There-.was' a' crowded - congregation fat. ''Peter's Church last nighty when-tie Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Neligan) ajj-e " a powerful , address on the.'plaie of ra-)' ligion:. in: national life, He-stated-that the use to which tne. word' imperialism l was sometimes, put mado it too disreputablo Jor good mbii : .' and - women • to' use: but: they. should. rescue it from.' this dcgradation, and give it n higher and nobler meaning. : If .it meant,: as it should mean, |;? e ..recognition of. the, greatest responsiDility ever laid upon men,, it became a grand; word,:' and was lifted; out: of ; the:' ™ ? a - r i on t, of the . filtli, and dishonesty, • and cleansed. Ho proceeded to give an. interesting historical' sketch of the Greek. • Koman,' and Spanish'methods" of colonisa** ■ ■ fntl: : compared •' them with \ ; those -: -? L ■ n C^ ll ? c^r , lsetl ' British! Empire. ' ■ M ri s ls ;V ' colonies in' 1 many ': rcspects S bl ? d I tll ° ss ; o f -'.ancientGreece;,The; W ' , th(!lr : religion with them. /It it tii>n U ,ra f a heathen religion, but him f and as long'as hard- : immm* New -toe -mvasioa :.of • Australia by the Chinese;.- nori'a''' te-''"-flSSii: of'tW one : to to. greste . st <lall S erß Empire, had '

Ti, MARK ' S 9HURCH," - , Chapter-13 -of, the &sr? 'lv' i Hebrews-'Tly . faith Abel ofed Unfe oWuent sermon- on '{aitli° P t» Wa Wl )n .Preached on' largo congregationf VeiU ? lS * • oro a *ery;

the pro-cathedhal. aM§&spsff the Hoir ■ °®? r ®^ on througidisuso their powers were in dan : becoming atrophied, '^aroffl' of 'tte r chi^°r B t0 4)10 dcosionj' .ot tne church, as expressed in its eoan. 1 : faithffl tv 1 ni, m^ mbors were onlj 2™. ™ Church,, wonld become ■ such a men - m. k t°°L b ?™ e . ? ' ar E8 congregation on the ism., .He urged 'a return to the faith ol '■ .the; early. Church, a. faith: that took no■>' cognizance,, of' difficulties as known ■" to. ■• ' • v ay L. ap -i. wl " lnveste d; the Church wi th' a . strength, and, purpose that won: for-i|;-y f VIC - ric - s ' a ®* i » it - the entrenched 3^ ?ji !!W^''•■m --ißishon'. ni, 1j ' i.? e s' s ? ce ® ;to 010 Church .'JjS; ®l, j on tk?-' defensive,-, urging that • %® d3 7.? mi f of faith, a (Vich should be 'militant and amessive.' Th« decadence of faith, he said, must be rested,: and tho.' return; of this virile, re-'' '. "ant energy_cpuld. be manifested, in vari* P' ous. ways. . For .; illustration he drew at>' tenhon to the .'catalogue,, 0f,., "men ' of' taith enumerated in Hebrews, who by ' various u&Gs oftheir power had r, - on tlio victory. The Bishop set, the. keynote for' r tneibeneral Synod'now in session, in "Wei-' lington by an: earnest appeal for the emphasis .of spirituality'—a spirituality, 'and' taith strong'enough; to' lay.. at. rest ,• the' ' - many.obstacles ,'tbat wpuld. seem to. make' the march of the Church onwards so 6low and painful. . ..

CANON POLLOCK AT ST. PETER'S. ' .. .CMion: Pollock,..of .Rochester, England;; ! who. is visiting. New Zealand on a special mission, - preached the'-: sermon at St..Peter's ..Church' ''yesterday'-, morning, tak-'. • ■ ing as his -.test, the sixth, chapter of 1 St. Luke, 12th and 19th .verses.-. "And it earned •'. to pass in ;thdso days that-he'went oilt • into,: a mountain to pray andcontinued . all night- in ■a' prayer. - to' God.". ■ .7. And-. ; - - i we' whole •multitude' bought",':- to 7- touch;' '■ him,/for'there went; virtue- dut' of ; .hini-, 'J and He: healed them all.". The preacher ■ wentjon'to. refer, to the'-good ■the / spccial' I mission iri South Africa had accomplished by-bracing.; people - fora great spiritual effort, and with God's help it - was hoped that; the same -wpuld -'bo: done in' New-: Zealand.;-.: The,-.three essentials hero were ' - faith,- earnest;, prayer,- .and . earnest, work. ; -With these'; no ana could he .downcast,' , whatever- the obstacle.* l ; -Although.:-there.'-might be- differences' of opinion,. :and - one, ! might go to a particulair church'and-have' - I 'one"kind- of ritual,and-to another-" and-, have' a .'different irituaV. all'-agreed, -'it ,'aily' rate,.- that 'the' Christian -lifeV demanded', prayer. - All met 'on a common-ground:'in, this .partioularj ; and,having' 1 agreed on: . asked: ; Do' .we•; say our prayers?:.;' How much time' liad each of us given dur- ■ ing- the.'week to the very thing we all admitted; was necessary 'to a 'Christian;';' life? If the body' was stifled,- death re-,. suited, and likewise with .the soul'. Canon. Pollock also touched on the class of man who says he does not go/ to church, but tries to live a fairly: good life .and do'his : ■ duty: by his neighbour. . .There/was, the'i'. preacher contended, something more" to think about than the neighbour;. A man* ,: , had. to think of God and-to', remember 'in i ? prayer that He is-'present. -In -praying,7. - it ' was 'not .suflicieht,-to pass, a: few ,mor-. ■ . merits" reflecting on the past, and what lies' ' before, or to address a few- more or lea '- unconsidered words to the bedstead. As* - wrongly directed letters reached; the deid : letter-office, -instead of the:intended*dis-.

tinatioii, a large number, of prayers never / reached God, because tlxey Svere' not- pro- > peily'directed. 'To ask in the name of Jes iis / Christ was' a j*ra)i<T thing,' anithe whole,difference, camo over,,the life'of aman . who\ prayed in a spirit. that Godmight'give' him what' Ho ■ thinks isiright, • and not l what the , individual : thijks h« • wants'.- -It"was no easy\thing to/live i '■■■' Godly life. It was a- strangle,- and, what v : ever one did, Jie should 'not live hi> prayers unsaid. ■ • , . ••/•v-."'-