THE ANGLICAN MISSION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 932, 27 September 1910, Page 9

THE ANGLICAN MISSION.

• WOMEN'S MEETINGS. Tile first of a series of twentyminute; meetings for women, one beginning at twenty-five past twelve and the othor at twenty-five minutes past one, to be held cacli day in connection -with the Church of England Mission, took place in tho-Seamen's Institute yesterday, and was well attended. Canon .Stuart took tho first meeting, And after a hymn and prayer gavo a very interesting address, taking as. his text the third, fourth,, and fifth' verses of tho twelfth chapter of St.. John. Canon Stuart spoke of the unattractiveness .of thoso times, with their frenzy of persecution, the coarseness and brutality, of the soldiers, tho ingratitude of the multitude, and the denial and. betrayal. One gleam, in all that darkness, was tho love and. devotion of Mary, who alone seemed to enter into the mind of Jesus, and glean something of his thoughts and intentions. She knew from His. words that tho time of the Crucification was at hand, and, as they sat at supper, cast about in'her mind what; she could do .to show her love and sorrow. The. one precious' thing she possessed was this pound of spikenard, . which she had laid by against the time of death. Rising, sho brought it and anointed the feet of Jesus, to the manifest annoyanco of Judas" Iscariot. . The .only other time when. Jesus had been; anointed Was when Mary- Magdalen,' weeping, washed his feet . and anointed them from the oil', in her alabaster box, the Pharisee ; standing." by scorning her meanwhile, and Canon Stuart, in, drawing ,a parallel' between, the. two women, said he .was inclined to think .that they were one - and woman .in different stages of their history.. "In .-. both, cases they were' discouraged and sneered at, and; ho- urged those present, when doing any, little action of kindness and thoughtfulness, not to ■ be, deterred by the discouragements :. of v others, or the Pharisee within, themselves whispering that what they were doing was of no "use, and not wanted. ■' • V

Die second twenty minutes' address 'was;given by, Bishop Julius, who said that, a little whilo ago, i New Zealand had had such a distinguished soldier as Lord Kitchener inspecting the forces and defences throughout the country. When his report was sent in, no . one questioned it. He was recognised .as being . head and shoulders above, all in his. work. Eighteen hundred years ago One .; came and spoke as no one - ever spoke before, and no one like Him has come since. He speaks to-day iii : this-mission. "We're not worth baring, any. one of, us, and why God 'loved, us ■ "much as to send 'His Son ■ .to. save .us. is a constant .wonder," His Voice is one/of authority.- He always commands, and, in our .hearts, wo wish' for . one .who can tako command, and .who has "the right -to' do. so. A great deal of . religion is very cheap, very nasty, but Christ never 'cheapened it. Not a little .scrap of time ; given when there is nothing better to-do' is wanted, but all of'.a .person's Mime; life, intellect,' : love— the whole being. "Am I willing to obey?/ Js what .everyone, should 'ask, for it .is. a matter; of surrender. When anyone feels that Christ commands every bit of their Mng, they begin' to realise the power that is in them; His Voice commands, without failure, the winds and the.,waves, and they obey Him, . At; mid-day meetings', Canon Stuart will always speak tho first one; and Bishop Julius at the secondhand, by arranging it,in this manner, it is hoped that many 'will be.able ;to attend in, the spare time of. ; their 'dinner hours. '