CHURCH NOTES.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 7 May 1901, Page 4

CHURCH NOTES.

By Amicus.

A pleasing feature at the service in Holy Trinity Church on Sunday morning was the large number of communicants who had been confirmed on the previous Sunday. The Vicar had chosen a very appropriate subject, which was made to illustrate the blessings of the Eucharist. The first miracle that Christ did was to turn "water into wine. It was an act that brought blessing and pleasure to the company at the marriage feast. Mary expressed the need and Christ supplied it. It is the same with us today : we have but to express our needs, and find a willing helper in God. The Rev Mr Stewart preached a fine discourse on Eom 8 chap, last two verses. He said the chapter from which the text was taken was one of priceless splendour. The great theme of the Apostle Paul was to seek conformity with God's holiness. At |tho end of the eighth chapter the writer is seeking for protection by the love of God, and he shows the safety of those who are shielded by it. They are to be conscious of its operations so as to perform undistractedly their duties to God. 1. The love of God is the great central doctrine of Christianity.- It is not the form of God that is mentioned, but the love of God, and this is also shown in the miracles of Christ rather than to demonstrate his power. The chief duty of life is to love God. Nature teaches us the power of God. "We are wonderfully impressed with it. Its space, its joy. We cannot not tell whence it came unless from God. The mystery of force is the great problem occupying

men's thought, and there is no solutio n only that it is the nation of. God. It is not generated, only greeted for our use, it therefore evidently eomes from God. God is also a Being *** lias a ledge of beauty. He has an esthetic sense as seen in the be; "it.es of nature, the beauties of colour i *d sound. The atmosphere is the mediu '» of, .sound, so made that it will carry a , of sounds. All these things s. How the power of God, but Redemption pr. ™ es H,s 1 io J e : Our attention is drawn to th « wonderful love in this Epistle and t, name of Christ is blended into cadenct * ot n ™ slc - Only as we learn of Christ ca n we learn God. What are the objects ?« ocl f love? Man is the chief ob Ifet.and though not worthy of God's love w shown to tend. If only one sinner live, I Uirist would die for that one and His s. vsnhce for one is efficacious for all. Learn \ what it is to live in the light of thisknowl edge. The Apostle is persuaded that noi 'ning can separate us from the love ot God. It would appear as if at no time he were in doubt about it. but the experience -of his life bad prov 'ed its permanence. He proceeds to sho <w with wonderful detail that nothing ca n separate us from God's love. Deat a cannot do it. Christ teachet * that death is the release of the spirit from the body. Life full of difficulty and temptation cannot separate. Temptation comes to make us regorous and develope into hardihood. Angels—the superior intelligences cannot separate from the love of God. We would think God would spend his time with them, but no. he thinks of man. Time present or future. Space and fovce cannot separate us from God.