GOOD FRIDAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1407, 6 April 1912, Page 7

GOOD FRIDAY.

A SUNNY DAY OF LEISURE. The windless, Indian summer weather Which, all unexpected, has. been delighting and puzzling Wellington people tor a week or more, held for Good Priday, !and the day was spent by many thousands of people in harmless, healthful leisure. It i 3 scarce permitted by the iniangible agency called public opinion that thero shall to organised amusements on that day, and nouo of nny account were actually held, but tho peoplo took the air and drank in the generous sunshine in the places that seemed to them best. Among the resorts open to them were tho seaside places on tho Manawatu line, and these found favour with several hundreds, some of whom used the special trains yesterday, and some of whom had gone by the Thursday trains to stav over for tho four days. Strangely enough, tho ferry traffic across the harbour was not ■heavier than on an ordinary fine Sunday, but the fact was that the crowds wero taken ovor on Thursday Go stay. Every house across the harbour is fully rcciipied during the Easter vacation, and many hundreds. more than usual will roam tho hill paths and tho sands war Day's Bay and Jluritai. In the city a Sunday service was run by tho trams, and olthough passengers had to pay arable fares, the loading on all sections was fairly heavy. The lines carrying most passer.gers were those to Lyall Bay and Newtown, where children and grown-ups disported in the almost waveless sea or played after their habit in the sun. Altogether, the day was a real joy to many thousands of city folk, whose opportunities of enjoying such a day have been but varo in the past summer. CHURCH SERVICES. Good Friday was observed yesterday by BDecial s"rvic»« in 0.1! the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, and in some churches of other denominations. At St. Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral, the Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Sprott) was the preacher at tho morning service. He took as his text Mark X, .15; "The Son of Man came not to.bo ministered unto, but to minister (not to hn served, but to rervel, and to pivo His life a ransom for many." The Bishop referred to the kpeculations, which ho said were oh the wholo futile, regarding theimeaning of the word "ransom" as aoplied to the death of Christ. It was better to put aside all auch speculations, and to simply say that in the circumstances, things being as they ■were, Christ could only ransom mankind nt the cost of His life. Through death Hβ won deliverance for men.. Tho Cross of Christ saved us from tho slavery of cin, and from'the fear of death. It also freed us from the tyranny of men. Christ was tho victim of public opinion, and no one who realised that could bow down before public oninion. The Cross of Christ gave us a noble independence, and freedom of conscience and will.- It. also saved us from tho slavery of self. Selfishness was the perversion of our very nature, but tho Cross of Christ had in many a man turned tho life of selfishness intothe life of service. The three hours' service from 12 to 3 p.m. was conducted by the Rev. A. 1L Johnson, and them v.-ns Evensong at 7.30 p.m. At St. ■ Peter's Church (Willis Street) there was n service at 8 a.m.; morning prayer at 10.30 a.m.. the three hours' servico from noon till 3 p.m., children's service at 3.15 tun., and evening service at 7 p.m. Stainer's "Crucifixion" wine rendered.at 8 p.m. Archdeacon Harper conducted tho three hours' service, .which was very largely attended. Similar services were held at other Anglican churches.

Maunder's cuntntn, "Olivet to Calvary," was sung by St. Mark's Choir on Thursday evening. The tuneful work, which gives admirable expression to the theme dealt with was interestingly interpreted SJI r tllc baton of Mr - Lawrence Watkins. lhe soprano solos were taken by Miss Gladys Watkins, Mr. J. Ferguson was the tenor, and Mr. Culverwell the baritone. Mr. Amsden presided at the organ. The offertory wasin.aid of. tbechoir fund The spsciaX-i'Gobd:.-Eri(lo.V'-,sfcrvfce3,.-."at-tracted, crowded consregatious to (he Roman Catholic Basilica yesterday. At 9 a.m.,. when .Archbishop Redwood celebrated a pre-sanctifled mass, the buildiW was packed- to the doors. A feature of the service was the solemn ceremony known as the Adoration of the Cross. The' preacher was Archbishop Redwood. At threo o'clock in the afternoon Archbishop Redwood wus again tho celebrant at a special service. At the evening service the preacher was tho Rev. Father Culleii, of &t. Patrick's College. Special services were held in all tho Roman Catholic Churches yesterday, the feature of the morning sen-ices being the singing of the Passion. This morning. an early service will he held at the Basilica, at" 7 a'.in., and to-morrow solemn nigh Mass will be celeqrated at 10.30 a.m. Special services will also bo conducted, with the usual Easter ceremonies, at tho other Roman Catholic Churches, ineludiii" those at Wadestown and Northland. A service was conducted in St. .Tohn's Presbyterian Church yesterday by Dr. rrl i e Wils a lnr B e congregation. Jno hymns and lessons wero appropriate to the occasion, and a brief sermon was 'slivered from the text (Matthew xxvii., iZ). 'He saved others, Himself Ha cannot save/; Dr. Gibb noted Hie heartless and stinging mockery of these words cast in derision at Christ by 'his enemies, but pointed out; that they contained a profound truth. Christ could not save •if-it. T h<n '° was "° physical impossibility, ont it was morally and spiritually impossible that Ho should como down from _ the cross. There were many analogies in human experience. All tiio great things accomplished by man for his fellowmen /had been through the costly sacrifice o, those who saved others but could not save tiiemselvos. Human analogies, however, could not set forth adequately tho truth of Christ's sacrifice. Christ could not save Himself: (1) Because to bo tho Messianic King He needs must die. As tho Redeemer of the world, Ho was perfected throusrh anfferinp. (!!) Ho could not save Himself because it was His Father's will that He should die. T.ho cup His Father gave Him, He said on ono occasion, Ho must drink. Both of these necessities were rooted in this—that His mighty lovfi for men forbade His savin;; Himself. If man was to be redeemed. Christ must die. They might try—it sometimes was their duty to try—to push behind that great necessity end work out a theory of the atonement. But to-day it would be enough for them to rest u'non the wonderful and deplorable fact. The testimony of the Church and of all believing men was that Christ's Cross did save . thorn, by taking from them tho sense of guilt. All that they knew of life, and the passion to serve was rooted in tho sacrifice of Christ.

An Easter servico was conducted at tho St. James Presbyterian Church (Wellington South) yesterday by tho Rev. W. Shiror. win said that, in holding such a service there was no departure from truth. They welcomed an opportunity for devotion, for cominpr into fellowship with other Christians, and for' nWitatiu* nn the story of the Cross. Mr. Shirer took sis his text "The rent veil' (St. Matthew, xxvii., 51). This text paid the preacher, taught a truth concerning ft coming forth and an enterim; in by the work—ccomplished on tho Cross. There was also a rendin? of the vpil of the unwen world. All should recall fho historical fact of the Cross and its spirituel lesr.ons. The Christ of to-day was'living in the spirit of man, even moro intensely living than ever he was de-;ul. Tn nnmuncinrr the hymn "Art Thou "Weary." with which the service concluded, Mr. Shirer asked his congregation, in rinsing it, to remember the "Joy of Christ." Easter Sunday, the festival of the "Resurrection of Christ, will be celebrated by special services in most of tho churche= to-morrow. Particular? will bo found in our advertising columns on pa?o 2. A* ■ announced • in our advertisement column, the STiecirtl monthly service fur m?n only will Yα held iii Kt. Mark's Church on K>ist»r Day, at 3 n.m. An nrxnn rcritil wil bp (riven bv Mr. T,anrwioo Watkin? at 2.45 p.m. Mr. .T. Forjniron will rcmUr tho <-oln. "If With All Tour Heart?," from Iho "Elijah," at ISA p.m.