AN ANGLICAN MISSION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1695, 11 March 1913, Page 6

AN ANGLICAN MISSION.

MIDDAY SERVICES. , Midday mission services, wider the auspices of the Anglican Church, which are to be continued daily this week, commenced, in Wellington yesterday. The Bishop of .■Wellington (Dr. Sprott) addressed a congregation of women in Bakers Hall, Lambkin Quay, and later the Rev. H. Watson , vicar of Master ton, conducted a service, for. men it tile Concert Chamber of the Town Hall.

The. service at the Concert Chamber commenced at 1.20 p.m. and lasted for half an hour. About thirty men attended. Mr. Watson said that he did not feel able to speak about the special temptations and difficulties that came to men in their business and social life, but he felt that what he could do was to put-be-fore them the eternal truths of the Gospel I of Jesus Christ, so that each one might bo able, to apply these truths tb himself. The sense ol : sin was.the,first thing required in any life of progress. It was the shadow of sill' tha,t darkened the earliest pages of the Bible. During the few days of thjs mission they woiinl uy to find God's remedy lor sin, Mr. Watson took as his text the, parable of tho Good Samaritan: The . parable told ' the story of a man who left tho walled, city of Jerusalem—the city of God—for Jericho, a city that was connected with a curse. So ninny crimes and murders had been committed on the highway lying between tho cities that it was known as "the road of blood." The man of the parable set out upon this road, heedless of its dangers, thinking that he, at any. rate, might escape them. This, was a picture of a man who' got away from tho religious life and the things of religion. The parable brought, ojit the great facts of sin, notably its guilt., It was easy to hoodwink other people,-and even, ill a degree, to hoodwink oneself, but a man could not hoodwink .God. A second thought to be'drawn from . the parablo was that sin-hot only, robbed a man of his robe of innocence, but left a wound. ; The consequences/of sill were'lasting,- and their operation was not confined to the sinner, but extended to many ' others. Nothing, said- tho preacher, •was more pitiable than to see'a man trying to pull himself togetherjafter a life of siri anddissipation. ,Their message;"'for that day, said Mr. Watson, ill bringing his brief discourse to a conclusion, was that the old Life, the life of prayer and.Bible-read-ing and communion, was the best life; because it was a safe life. 'The regular performance of religious duties might be irksome at times, and there was a temptation to leave it. just'for - a .little time, but beyond the limits of- tho religious life there was terrible danger, because there lay temptation and sin. SERVICES FOR 'WOMEN.'. The-series of mission services, for women, which have .been arranged for this week, commenced . yesterdiy in the lodge room,. opposite the Kelburne Tramway. The first meeting was held'at 12.20 p.m., find was very well attended. The Bishop of . Wellington (Dr. Sprott) presided, and gavo an address, taking nB his subiect "the Breaking of tho Alabaster Box by Mary <,Magdalene." The story, as interpreted by the bishop, symbolised the sacrifice of Christ and utter devotion of love as. shown by Mary. It was probably, the reason why the promise had been given- that wherever the Gospel was preached the story of her sacrifice would be . told -to symbolise the whole message of Christianity—the great gift of limitless love.. ,

Curiously enough at the next .meeting (1.20 p.m.), which was also"well attended, Archdeacon Fhiicourt took the same, subject treated .in tho earlier, address., but lie dealt with ,it in a different way. The meetings will bo continued till Friday (inclusive) at the same place and at tho same times.