Y.M.CA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1241, 25 September 1911, Page 5

Y.M.CA.

1> MR, HOLMES'S DEPASTURE. Mr. H. JT. Holmes, who lias been secretary of tho Y.M.C.A. in Wellington for some years, and is shortly to depart from this city, delivered an address to men at tho Y.M.CA. rooms yesterday afternoon. There was a {food' attendance. "The Best Life to Live" was Mr. Uolmes's subject. Ho quoted tho words of Paul: "For me to live is Christ; to die is gain." For tho eight years ho had been here, Mr. Holmes -aid, he had tried to give tho mesfage ho was giving that afternoon. Ho went on to say that there was one namo above all other names, and that namo was Jesus; and there was a lifo which was above all others—that lifo was Christ's. St. Paul was a man .who knew life from its centre (o its circumference, and his verdict was contained in the words tho speaker had quoted. One of the most distinguished surgeons in England of lato years was Sir Frederick Treves. Treves was also a great Christian, nnd one of his , hobbies was helping; tho deep-sea fishermen. Treves wont to one of his students one day and snfd ho wanted him to go and labour among the deep-sen fishermen. Tho man went, and to-day his namo was a household word—Wilfred Grcnfell, the sailors' mifeioner. away out in Labrador. And Grenfell said: "Nothing in lifo is worth having except faith in Jesus Christ." What sort, of lives > wore lived to-day ? Many lives were merely goldplated vaults, and the coat of arms for such lives might well be a clutching hand. Many lives were spent seeking pleasure. The young men of this country gave themselves over almost entirely to sport. This was not the life which, in the last analysis, was going to count most for the'eity, for tho country, or for God. The best lifo was tho lifo lived for Jesus Christ. Tako the life of Gladstone, whose character dominated England for two generations. Gladstone, with all tho honours of tho world upon him, spent his last days reading tho lifo and tho teachings of Christ. Tho speaker thanked tho men for tho friendship of tho years ho had spent among them—friendships which would never bo broken on north. His messago was that they might all live tho beet life. Let them forget tho world and bo captivated by the greatest ambition which could stir tho lifo of any man—tho desire to servo God.,.