UNITED MISSION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 788, 11 April 1910, Page 2

UNITED MISSION.

1 .- MASS MEETINCS IN TOWN HALL. THE AFTERNOON SERVICE. Tho Town Hall was filled yesterday afternoon for the opening meeting of Dr. Henry's mission. Fully half of the audienco was composed of men. ' The Rev. J. K. Elliott (chairman of the Ministers' Association) presided, and ministers of most of tho evangelical Churches were on the platform. The Rev. W. J. Williams (Methodist) read a passage of Scripture, ;and the Rev. T. Keith.Ewen (Baptist) prayed. A large combined choir was effectively conducted by Mr. Potts. Mr. Elliott, in stating Borne' of the impression made on him by Dr. Henry so far, said that the missioner seemed to him to be a pre-eminently sane man; he did not seem to have any fads or foibles. There i were evangelists-.who somotimes irritated or amused one because they spoke to, their ministerial brethren with such a look of conscious superiority as though they could "give thorn points," but Dr. Henry was not a man. of that stamp. He had impressed tho Ministers' Association by his modesty and complete lack of ""bumptiousness." Mr. Elliott advised the : people of Wellington not to be afraid of enthusiasm, and not to come to the mission in a captious fault-finding spirit. If that was their spirit ' they might go to hear the Apostle Paul and receive no benefit. ', , Dr. Henry expressed his thanks to the, Ministers' Association, and emphasised his desire to keep the mission and ii? S?? verts > n close association with the Churches. It was exceedingly important that the mission should Dβ well attended during its first week. Mr. Potts, who has a clear, pleasant voice, sang a solo, "Nobody Told Me of Jesus.' r Dr. Henry's sermon was based on Psalm .wii., 4: "One think have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his. temple." The desire expressed in the verse, Dr. Henry said, was to know God at his best, and to know God at his best was to lift their eyes to the highest possible level, for joy, for servico. and'for victory. The doctrine of enthusiasm for Christ was one of great practical power for individuals and Churches.. Montaigne had said that men and women were of no value until they were inspired;, It was tho glory and value of Christianity that it afforded continual sources of the highest kind of inspiration. A holy contagion and joyous abandon to the person and will of Christ should characterise the experience and work of every true disciple; The case of St. Francis of Assisi and other cases, ancient and modern, were quoted in illustration of this consuming zeal. Not the Christ of poetry, or art, or history, or theological controversy, /but the-Christ of personal' experience furnished the foundations for Christian enthusiasm. A firm grip of the great fundamental truths of the Christian religion was essential to an abounding life of service and joyous sacrifice. There was needed a new birth of conviction in regard to the realities of the faith. Did they really believe in the universality of the Atonemont,';that Christ died- for the thief, the harlot as well as for the best? If they believed that a new value must be given to human life, which would mako men gird themselves to do the work of evangelism." ■ In order to keep in constant service for Christ, in order that their enthusiasm . should : never wane, and their:devotion never diminish, .they must ;keop 'an. open, vision of jihq .Laid dJe&us nGhrist/.ii:. There were throe reasons why a fe-birth of enthusiasm for Christ was needed:, first,, that the Churches might be saved to the su- . projmjo,. mission." to, which; God had : appointed , them;! second,' to' solve • the.' great problems, that perplexed the Church and confronted the .Christian in almost every • community, and especially.in great cities;, and, .third, to enable them to'save the .perishing. The argument here briefly sketched was elaborated by Dr. Henry with much vigour and eloquence. . • After a short prayer by Dr. Henry, Mr. Potts sang an appealing solo, "The Old Time Way," and the audience were invited to take up.tho chorus. All those who desired to live a new life; ahd-to assist the mission were in-vited-to; stand,' while the Rev. S. J. Serpell (MethodistV engaged'in prayer. Almost all the audience'stood; ■ , Dr. Henry then pronounced the benediction, and the meeting was at an end. ■ EVENING MEETING". . Notwithstanding the. bad. weather, there was a very large attendance at the evening service. • The Rev. Dr. Gibb (Presbytorian), read a passage of. Scripturo, and the Rev. J. J. North (Baptist) engaged in prayer. _ . . .' Dr. Henry spoke oivtho tost: "Even so the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." The preacher illuminated his text by tracing back several of its. words to their originals, and by a succession of anecdotes. The service Jesus Christ camp to render was to save all classes and conditions of people. It had been well said that there could never be per- . feet blessedness without perfect surrender, and possibly Christ's joy in His sacrifice was caused by His complete surrender to God's will. In the revised version the text read, "A'ransom instead of the'many." The-great vicarious and substitutional work of the Son of Man and Son of God could not be over-emphasised. It was not enough to believe that Christ died in some way for the world, to make provision for the world's debt, but, urged ; , the preacher, "I need to believe that Christ icok up my sins, and in His own body on the Cross exhausted for ever the penalty that was due for my sins." The namby-pamby and the wishywashy people I have met with in the Churches, declared the evangelist, "are the people who are hazy and in doubt regarding the reality and substance or Christ's sacrifice as a propitiation for human sin." ; ' • • Mr. Potts sang a solo, "He Died of a Broken Heart for Thee," and a prayer and hymn 1 followed. . The Rev. J. Gibson' Smith (Presbyterian) pronounced the benediction. The mission will, be continued in'the Town Hall this evening, and Dr. Henry will also speak : at 12.10 p.m. at the Queen's Statue.