Methodist Church. Anniversary

Feilding Star, Volume X, Issue 31, 23 August 1888, Page 2

Methodist Church. Anniversary

j COMMUNICATED.} The favonrable weather, the popularity of the preacher, thesympathy of the Christian and general public, together with judicious advertising, brought full congregations to the above services last Sunday, more especially at the evening service, when extra seats had to be provided in every available space, Mr Forlong took for his text that remarkable passage contained iv the 9th, 10th, and 11th yerses of the let Epistle" of John, the central thought of which* '■■ Haiti the witness in himself/ bad been advertised as his subject. He began by -rehnnding h» aidience, in a varied arid'interesting manner, of the ieady credence they givo to the witness of men;, notwiihstanding their usual liability to error. Then he claimed •»■ much readier faith in the infallible witness, testimony- or record- of God, concerning bis Son. viz-, "That God hath given to ds eternal life, and this life is in his Son.' lie then went on in his own forcible, graphic, and convincing ' way, to prove to a demonstration, the doty of all believers to realiz», and their, privilege to enjoy an inward and glorious conscious* ness, of their being the happy possessors of this all important blessing, "Eternal life," and further, that this precious boon was in perfectly safe keeping:, entirely independent, of the recipient's changeful feelings. Quoting the passage, "Our life is hid with Christ in God," so boldly confident was the speaker on his important theme, and so clearly did he place the truth of the case before his hearers, that they must have felt he was justified in "defying" any that were anxious to put off beyond that solemn hour, their hearty acceptance of the divine record given above. Mr Forlong is particularly emphatic on the necessity of giving God's words supreme attention above the opinions, thoughts, or comments of men. His evening subject was the certainty of future punishment for all those who per* sisted in rejecting the teitimony spoken of in his morning discourse. As described in the story of " The rich man and Lazarus," evidence was adduced from the Old Testament, as to the existence of this place of torment. .'lt; was explained that the Lord Jesus did not. speak the tragic story of the text as a. parable, but as referring to circumstances which he knew to have occurred in the history of the two individuals concerned. y It wa* pointed out that the same words in the original were used in the threat of punishment as in the promise of future blessedness, and, consequently, the hope of the believer And the doom of the rejecter depends entirely .on the ffaithmlness of ihe unchangeable God. The speaker ventured the rather novel opinion, that tlie words of the text led to the belief that the location of the future punishment of the believers is situate in the fiery interior of this world. He also* alluded briefly to the Dunedin pamphlet on "The Reign of Grace." and told hi* audience, that its author, was utterly incapable, as a scholar, of coming to any decision on the subject fof which he wrote, explaining that the author does not.kby any means, stand high amongst theologians. At the close he reminded the people of the purpose to^sJiieh the collection was- to be applies!; ,natneiy. the necessities of tlie cfftpel trustees to which appeal they resp«m(dM_iberally. The- Soiree, held-iu^lhe Army. Hall on Monday evening* warlike all our annual gatherings in the past:' an unqualified success. The friends who had worked so hard in getting "up the affair, beheld with tear and trembling' the threatening aspect of the afternoon. ";Nowi : -heavy showei would dattsull their expectations, and cause them' t_sfear the worst, anon, a bright speck of blue, in the 'sky would take that gloomy tinge oat of everythin* else ; and hope, .thaV is -said .'to "spring for ever in the luini&u^' breast," would revive again. Thus ihe evening wore on, and everything beVng" ready, tlie anxious query wa* passed round the hall; "Will tne people turn up?*' The tramp of scores of feet waS the reply; and the tables, so bountifully laden: with good things, and so beautifully decorated with flowers, were quickly surrounded by folk apparently blessed with a blissful ignorance of indigestion, ,' yyyy y.. Having done full justice to the carnal man, preparations were made for the profit and enjoyment of the spiritual, intellectual, and musical parts*- of our complex being. The Chape] harmonium is placed in position on the "platform, and the choir ready for action in the background ; Mrs Richardson presides at the the instrument. All is ready, when the Rev ;Vlr Harris, the Minister lit charge, gives ont the opening hymn, and then calls on friends Adams and Wratfc to pray. After which Mr J> : C: Thompson is called on to preside, and the meeting is in full swing. The Chairman, in his opening remarks, thanked the friends who had turned' up in such goodly numbers, and thus cheered the hearts of those who had been bearing the harden and heat of the day. He then called on Captain Woods, who had kindly lent the hall for the occasion, to address the the meeting — Salvationists seem always ready to speak to any crowd of human beings. The Captain gave an earnest exhortation to prepare for the final judgment. Mr Gordon Forlong.theoldman, earnest and eloquent, was the next speaker called on. He dwelt for a short time on the " Unjust Steward,'* showing that it is intended to encourage all sorts of Christian workers, with the blessed thought of haying those whom they were instrumental in bringing to Christ standing on the bright and happy shore, waiting to receive them into "everlasting habitations." He also. spoke impress* ively of the duty of giving both self and substance to the cause of God. Perhaps tbe most mt 'resting part of his address was that in which he told Of a French travelling preacher, whose acquaintance he made during one of his visits to France. When asked! bow he {the French preacher) travelled without money ? he explained ß that the laws of the country caused him to be arrested and imprisoned for one night in each parish for preaching the gospel. So he preached to the gendarme who arrested him. on the way to the prison, and to the prisoners while there. Next' morning he would be conducted to the boundary of the next parish, by the same gendarme. to whom he told the gospel over again. Thus, for twenty years, he had been travelling all through Frunce, from parish to parish. When asked how be procured food ? he said it was usual, after preaching in a yihage street, for him to walk along until through one of the low opea windows he wauldLsee a family at dinner, and would then introduce himself as _ stranger, saying he would like to dine with them ; invariablyy he '-Would be invited in with the greatest courtesy. After dinner hc'wbuld give them a short address. .. How do 'you procure now clothes? brought, the answerV&at some kind stranger would notie'e'the^need of a hat or coat, and offer to. supply a new one instead. Mr ForlongV knowledge ot French manners made the account of thi*