"A NEW CITY."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 794, 18 April 1910, Page 9

"A NEW CITY."

CENTRAL MISSION. A FORWARD MOVEMENT. The Methodist Central' Mission, in Herbert Street, began yesterday a forward movement in the shape of a series of bright and attractive Sunday evening services in the King's Theatro. The Rev. E. O. Blamires, the newly-arrived missioner, was in charge of tho mission activities' throughout the day. Ho spoke at the mission hall in the morning on "The necessity for Full Consecration." Tho Mission Band played in ■the streets before the morning and evening services, and open-air meetings wore held. There was a large attendance at the King's Theatre in the evening. Mr. Blamires read messages of greeting from the President of the Methodist Conference (Rov. C. H. Laws); from the Re'v. W. Slade, of the mission at Duncdin, where My. Blamires was formerly working; from the Auckland Central Methodist Mission (Rev. J. Wilson) ; from the Rev. W. I. Sinclair, who, with the Rev. N. Turner, formerly of Wellington, will take up similar work in Christchurch nest year; from tho Rev. Pratt, of Roxburgh. The president of the conference, in the course of his message, described Wellington as tho strategic centre of work for Christ, and said: "We wish you well and give- you a ringing cheer as you march out of your encampment." "A New Wellington" was the subject chosen by Mr. Blamires for his sermon. The text was Rev. xxi, 2 "And I, John,, saw the holy city New Jerusalem, coming' down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." .. No State or city, the preacher said, had ever been ideal, but it was well to think of ideals. True visions were tho seeds of progress andthe beginnings of great works. Abraham in vision saw his descendants occupying Canaan, Isaiah commenced his public ministry with a vision, and the greatest dreamer tho world had over seen was Jesus Christ. Tho result of his visions was to turn the world upside down. Here in Wellington there was a great work to do for Christ to seek and to save the lost,' and, thinking over . it, ho - (the; ' preacher) saw a vision, not o! the New Jerusalem, but of a new Wellington— a city coming down from God out of heaven, like a bride adorned for hoi husband, radiant and spotless, all vileness cleansed away. There were no hotel bars in. that new city of his vision, no gambling dens, no brpthels in any or -the streets. And a great voice came down out of Heaven saying, "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men. iWellington has become tho dwellingplace of God Himself, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. Drunkenness, crime, ■'■ and poverty; and all sorrow and sighing shall 'flee away. There shall be no more oppression of tho poor, no more degrading of men by the powers of sin." The visions that wero given us, by God could .be translated intoaction ;by faith. .'John, after ho had seen the vision 'of tho New Jerusalem, left' the Isle of Patmos and went back to Ephesus. There, as an elder ,of the church, ho spent his best endeavours in making actual what ho had seen in' his vision. There were_ in the New. Testament three beautiful letters written by him, the threo epistles of'Jolw. They were quite different from the book of Revelation. They were written to plain, hardheaded people, living' probably at Ephesus. and they "were full of-,direct, practical precepts. In writing thus the object of tho apostle was,, one might well suppose, to show, how, heaven could be- brought ■ down to • earth, • > and the glorious vision be made a great reality. It was to be done by simply copying the Great 'Example. 'That was how John tried to translate his vision into actuality, and in tho same 'way the vision of tho New Wellington must be made a fact. In that, work the Central Mission, ho hoped, would bear a worthy part. They did not ask people to leave their own churches in order to attend tho mission meetings.. The effort was designed moro for those Who were not attracted by the services in the churches,, but they wanted the prayers, not only of tho Methodist churches, but of all the churches in tho city. Mr. C. A. Potts, of the Henry-Potts mission, gave valuable aid with the vocal part of tho service, and the Central Mission Band, orchestra, and choir also assisted. ' .