ANNIVERSARY SERVICES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 11111, 8 May 1911, Page 3

ANNIVERSARY SERVICES.

A TKRKACIi COXGKKGATIONAL ciivucir. Special services were held yestcrday to mark the anniversary of the 'lerraci . Congregational Church. Tin , music and singing were bright and appropriate, anil Iho congregations were large. l'ne preacher at the morning service was the Jier. J. Kcwl whose text was taken from KphcMans, chapter 4, verses 11 and 12; and Colfls>ian«. chapter 1, verse 18. He spoke of the New Testament idea of the Church, and of its buildingup. There were- special reasons lor doing so at this time. First, it was (he anniversary of their church j and, second, the Church at this day was in some quarter? thought very little c.f. Ho gave a quotation from a letter of Tolstoy, sent to Pnul Sobatier not very long before his death. "Religion," wrote Tolstoy, "is truth and goodness, the Church falsehood and evil. I tell you frankly I ennnot agree with those who Ijoliev-e the Church is an organisation indispensable to religion. The Church has everywhere been a cruel, lying institution, which in seeking for temporal advantage has perverted and disturbed the true Christian doctrine." "Exaggerated as this language was, and intemperate," continued Mr. Glasson, "yet something nearly approaching it was very common. Even amongst Christians and members of the churches there was altogether an inadecjuate conception of the Church and of its claims upon them. I put it to you," said the preacher, "here this morning, are you cherishing the Church in your hearts; are you praying and working for prosperity; are you doing all you can, or doing anything to try to build up the Church, which is the body of Christ?" He then submitted a study of St. Paul's idea of Oho Church and its building-up. St. Paul, like many a modern critic, had at one time looked ■ upon the Church with contempt; but after he became a Christian .the Church and its building-up was the one subject that occupied his mind. St. Paul ransacked his vocabulary for figurative language by which adequately to imagine his idea of the Church. It was a "household of faifn," the "family of God," "the body of Christ," "bride of the world's Redeemer," and the "pillar and ground of truth." The Church had always been tlie medium of revelation; the organ by yhich the Almighty spoke of Himself and His Angels. It was for the modern Church, by its fidelity to the Mind and Spirit of the Master, and by showing it was possible to realise the. New Testament idea of the Church to wipe out the reproach against it. In the evening the attendance was large. The anthem "Lead Kindly Light" was,nicely rendered by the choir. The preacher," Eov. L. Jl'Donald Aspland, took his text from Habakkuk, chap.' 2. verso 20, "But the Lord is in his temple. He construed the meaning of the passage of Scripture to be that the prophet was contrasting the Baal worshippers, who failed to answer men's needs, with the true God, Who was revealing Himself in His temple. Tne temple could also be taken to mean the universe—that God could be found daily in life if sought.