THE CHURCHES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1632, 26 December 1912, Page 6

THE CHURCHES.

A.ND..THE. CHRISTMAS.SERVICES,

ST. PAUL'S, ANGLICAN,

At St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral his Lordship the' Bishop, of -Wellington (Dr. S'prott) took as his subject': ."The Place of Christianity among the religions of the World/' He traversed the broad features of the various religions of the world and .mentioned how ■ they stood in regard to man's own moral needs, He especially compared Buddisin with Christianity and stated that Christianity alone provided ;man iwith-'a moral and an ethical system. In touching on the Christmas fesj tival Dr.- Sprott stated that it was not, in its origin, purely Christian; it had in the Saturnalia of ancient Rome and in the Tuletide festival of the Norsemen. But nothing, he continued, drawn from the times antecedent to Christianity could, In any ..way, give 'the Christian message of Kelp,and Hope/ -," ' vs. * : ST; MASKS .'CHURCH.'.'.' At: St.- Mark's Church the Rev. Mr. Askew took as the subject of his sermon: '-And a little child shall lead them." He touched on that peculiar influence which a child undoubtedly exerts and, .as an illustration, mentioned how a'child playing with animals could take liberties that an adult, might not' with 'impunity attempt. Finally he'spoke'of the Child of Bethlehem and His influence on- the world in general. This, he thought, should constitute the key-note of our. attitude - towards the Christmas festival.

ROMAN' CATHOLIC CHURCHES. In the various Roman Catholic churches of the city. there were masses from 6 a.m. till 10.30 a.m. The late services were .solemn...high-masses. In the 'sermons special references were made'to the coming to earth of Christ, and to the Christmas season in general. ST. JOHN'S CHURCH. Service' • was conducted in St. John's Church yesterday morning by Dr. Gibh, and. there.was a good attendance. The two passages, of, Scripture.which supplied the texts from Isaiah, chap, viii, v. U: . ,"She. shall call his' name Emanuel," and the other from St. Luke's Gospel. "And-suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God."

Dr/Gibb spoke first of the tendency, for some time past to dissipate the facts upon which the Christian faith was based while attempting to retain, its spiritual truth. He predicted' that there would be less of .this in the future, at least with-, in the sphere of the Christian Church. St. Luke's narrative was not what might be ; termed merely .a. beautiful idyll. It was a narrative, of sober fact, told in matchless phrase. ■ The truths to be learned from the text were: (1) The nearness of heaven ■to earth—of eternity to time. Usually the story Was.read as signifying that the angels and the heavenly hosts came from a distant world. That was not the meaning. The glory of the Lord was always round about men, only they could not see. ". The Hosannah was always ascending, it. is we that cannot hear. What happened on, the plains of Bethlehem was that the eyes of the shepherds were.anointed, and they saw. Their ears were attuned and they heard. Heaven, a great poet said, lies about us in our infancy, but in very truth it lies about us always. (2). Heaven was not only near but- friendly to man, and the pledge of this was the Babe of Bethlehem—Einanuel God with us. The vision faded, the song ceased, but the Babe remained and of Him, when ho. grew to manhood, St. John affirmed that they had seen his glory—glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace, and truth. It is in Him we know that the sin and sorrow of earth awake a chord of sympathy and compassion in itheiEoaftfof God. (3) Heaven is not only near and friendly, but deeply concerned that we should ber.onie neavenly-:minded, too. Christ is.Euianuel, not merely that we should be lost in transports of wonder and praise, but that we—trusting, loving, and obeying Him—may each in his, own degree become an Emanuel, a man, a woman in whom God, by His spirit, dwells and through whom He gets his will done on earth. (4) The. question of Christmas for each of them was, How far had the purpose of the Incarnation been realised in their experience? Let .them avail themselves of this season to make a new beginning, to aim at a closer walk with God. Then would the anniversary of the birth of their' Lord be to thenna real means of Grace. . I ■ •

. ' ST. JAMES'S, CHURCH. Services were held yesterday morning and evening in St. James's Presbyterian Church, Wellington South, and special Christmas hymns were sung. The Rev. 'W. Shirer spoke in the morning of the visit of the shepHerds to Bethlehem, and in the evening of the coming of the wise men. Special attention was called to tho fact' that those who saw the Child Christ rose above the tutward abearance of lowly and humble estate. Undeterred by these, they worshipped Him. Men, who honestly follow the light which they have, will certainly' find the Chijist and offer their gifts' to Him for the glory and the good of others.