GOOD FRIDAY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2120, 11 April 1914, Page 8

GOOD FRIDAY

THE DAY IN THE.CHURCHES •Servk-es were held in many o£ thfl. churches yesterday, when special Good tnday services wcr©. qonduefced. . amcucan cHun6H.es.'. • The ■'services., at-.Bt. Paul's' Pro* Cathedra! Were well attended-yesterday The 'ajite-Communiou sorvico Was bold early in tho day. Thoro was a Jarse , congregation- present at matins, when the .vicar (the Her. A..M, Johnson) preached fremi -■the werds. inscribed on' "the-.central window ■ of .the chancel-apse, "Ho Bore Our Sins in His Own.Body."•Tin} service of three hours' devotion. .was also conducted by the vicar,. .who • gave an address on .the seven words, of tKe Cross,.as unveslings of, the mystery, of our beinss- It is interesting -tlia-t the first three hours' service • Was-held exactly 50. years aps, being conducted at. St. Alba'n's, Hol : born, by tho la-to Her. A. H. StantoH. At-evensong at St. Paul's the preacher was th& E«v. N. S.-Barnett, who based his sermon oft the words, "Tfee Heavens Opened." Tbo effertory at evensong was given to-tlioMissioa t4 G-binesain Wellington.' At-St. Peter's Cliurch yesterday services were h-efel at 8 a.m., 10.30 4a.n1., 12 o'clock to 3 p.m., and 7 p.m. ' The three hours'' meditation was. conducted by Archdeacon -Harper from 12 o'clock to 3 p.m., the subject of the addresses beiug the sayings of Jesus Christ on the Cross. After, the eveniuq service the choir sang Stainer's "Crucifixion.' , ! Dr. Fyffe was. at tho. organ, aisd tho solps were taken by- Messr-s." Clarksoji (bass) and Dunn (tenor). The offertories throughout ,t_ha day 'were given .to the Diocesan Social Service Fund, - ' ' ■ Easter services w-cre held'at St. Mark's yesterday. Jn the merniiig matins were hel'd, aiid a' sermsn de~ivered by tho' Rev. C. F. Askew, and rom 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock a three hours' service was held, and an dddress ielivered by tho Rev. W. H. Thomson.At Evensong'Stainer's "Story of file Cross" was given. At all' the services there were good attendances. On ftnira, 1 day. E%-eiisong was held, a»d Steiner's'i beautiful cantata. "The ' Cracifixioii" sung. Collections at the evening services '.weira in aid of tie- -ckolt fund. The vicar, announced to the vestry that lio: had .received an anonymous donation of £457, for various parochial, diocesan,.awl missionary objects.." Last j year an anonymous dokatiau of £200 j was made. ' ] PReSpYTeRfAM.CttUROHES. A Good Frkky service, was 1-eld in St. John's Church. yesterday morning. : Scriptures and hymns 'appropriate to tiio occasion were chosen, and l>r. ,Gibb delivered a. brief serniou on tho ■• words of I■ Corinthians) 15-3, ."Christ-, died for our sins." He asked thorn first to think of and'compare two .Christ-s;',th© Christof much- oi modem thought and the Christ .of the New Testament and Christian ■ faith. The fonnar was the Man of' Nazareth who sealed His testimony., with 'His:■ blood,, dying as a'auirtyr iin vindication of the truths ■ for' which Ho had lived. '..He -.'wa's G-od's-classic ador/ex, the world's'supreftvo Maa ' of. faith, but- only-a nia-n: • A gracipiis, benign, yet. sorrowful figure, this Christ made, thoaa think of the chdraetcrfsation of' Jesus madfe'by a great. German, "a bpautiful and iiieffeetual aagei beating' , in;tho void His--luminous- wings in vain." .Then there was the Christ of the New Tcitaraentr—man indeod, bene of our ;; bo«c, fleshof mir-.flesh, heart of our heart, yet mere infinitelyTnore, *vefi the incarnate. God—GoU nia'db manifestfor our salvation in a personal way, the .only way iu whieli God'cowld be'maoi-jesied'-.'ns ptir Siiviour. Tho faith" ofthe New Tcstaaent'and tljo. Christian' Church is in Jea-us as the Lamb of' God :that t-aket-h away the sin of tjio-world .lamb,skia ■fioih the fc'im-datfoii of-the world, tho lamb slain on Calvary, ■the lamb-slain--forever in the .tnijst rf : the -throne' of G-pd;. TIIO death theycommemorated that day was tho death not merely, of the-Moblest. nmu, the world's greatest benefautor, the supreme creativo personality of human hTstory, but of Him who in the bsgiarsing was with God and v,as God, aiid who foi- us mCn and oar rederniitioin 'became Man, and died on the tree. Hβ died for our sins. . To tho question why 'must Hβ die .that- sin might bo forgiven ttero had been' in, tho Church many answers, ami ■ probably none of them, completely ■ satisfactory. No- , wonder! Here they' Lad 'aii infinite quantity to ivnl with, and the depths of, God's heart were not to be sounded by the p-junjtnet of man's intelligence; ■ But. the fact was one_ thing, tho explanation aftother, and it mifdit.bo enough that-'en-that dey ihey'shonld dwell on the fact, <i.nd that- only. The fact was- evident everywhere throughout the,, Scriptures of the New. Testament. From beginning to end' they w-Wo k-eyfid to'.the-,truth that Clirist di«J. for our sins. '-.The fact was attested in the experience -ef believing meif all tlitetigli ■the.phristinfl-.-ceniuriM. ;, Were , it otherwise even, the im_p'assioned words nf Paul and-'.lohn woiild-fail't-fl inaintaia the credibility of the atoiiem-ent; . ■ Jjat diverse as were.th*'experiences of Chtißtian 'folk,vastly different, ; were the , moral and spiritual.condition;in wlilc.fi different'men '-co-me to- Christ,' they all alike res't-'th-eif- salvation -on. -the sqpremefact that {Jh.r&t. died for t&ii ■ sins. And this, conviction,-'.this -faith : grew steadily deeper, a-s .life. ratt". en. q Towards'the dose of 'life, and. in- the 1 hour of dying the soul's supreme effort t is to. lift .itself up towards Jftrn -.wso; " for its sako,.TOS lifted-up on the cross. a The usual se.jfvice was heM at. St. 1 James's Churchj Newtown,.last' moii\ Ij tho" preacher bring tho Ret. W.'Shiror, e, and the'subject, "The new sepulchre' in r a garden." Reference'was made to the fact;that the. characters of different to dividuals were revealed by their eondilol —Pilate in givin« body freely, Joseph in * the generosity of a wealthy ratvn, Niw '. demus in tho tribute paid by wisdom and learning,, and'the .'wofneu-in-waitiug to anoint the body of tlio Lord.' ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES. Tho Good Friday Services Held at- St Mary of tho Angels' Church,' Boulcot Street, were particularly interesting in asmuch as they, weje the first full seriei of services ia connection with the da; ■ held for a number of years m tliii ," church. In the morning at> 9 o'clock Mass of the P-re-sauctified was said, th.< Very Hov. Dean Eegnault being th« '" celebrant. During the celebration o ' Mass the ceremony of the Veneration 0 tho Cross was carried out while thi !? Plessod Saurament was'carried in pro 1 cession from the Altar of Repose t< I! the Main Altar. In the afternoon thi ceremony of' Stations of the Cross wagone through, the. ehureh. being crowd I ed. In tlio evening ti.lo Holy Wecl , ceremony of Tcncbrae was celebrated The choir, vndter the eonoiuctorship ,0 I! Mr. E. , J.' Healy, rendered iiicidenta music throughout all tho services. Th I Rev. Father Kimbell, S.M., acted a " Master of Ceremonies throughout th dav's services. • ' Morning and evening services wer held at f-lio other Catholic Cliu'rofes ii '" the city, and at 3 o'clock in tho eftci '■ noon there were Stations-of'the.-Cross : - , SALVATION.. ARMr.-. At the Salvation Army Citadel, Vivia.l Street, a special holiness nit-etusg wa held. Tlie service was conducted tr a Adjutant and Mrs. Carter, from, thi y Training College. . Adjutant Carte spoke, and took for his'test, "And sit a ting down-they watched Him there,' The Salvation Cadets. also assisted ii l t the service ■ ■ , r Special meetings wetfs held both morn ing and evening hvtho South Wellingto-i t, Hall. Staff-Captaia Walls presided a * both services. ; -