THE SPECIAL EVANGELISTIC MISSION.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2481, 20 March 1882, Page 3

THE SPECIAL EVANGELISTIC MISSION.

Mrs Sampson, an Evangelist who, a few years ago, was very successful in England, and who has reoently held several very successful missions in different parts of this colony, has just commenced a mission in Ohristohurch, under the auspices of a large committee, composed of several of the leading members of the Protestant ohurohes in the oity and suburbs. A series of meetings are heinir held. On Saturday evening Mrs Sampson addressed a meeting of members of Christian churohes, in the St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. There were about 600 persons present. The subjeot of the first part of the address was " The advantages of Christian union and organisation." The speaker said the power of an army could not be measured by the mere number of names on the roll; it must be measured by the number of men who were ready to stand shoulder to shoulder, to form those wonderful British squares; to advance in line ; to fight or fall together in a grand invincible organisation. The power of the Church was analogous to that of the array. Next, speaking of the increase of zeal which resulted from union, and the loss of power that was a consequence of disintegration, she said—The housewife knows that to put out a great fire it is necessary for her to do no more thaa take the tonga and place one piece of coal hero and another there, and they would soon d:e because they were separated. The great unifying power of the Ohuroh was Christian love. Mi s Hampson had seen in the room of an electrician a number of persons holding eeoh others hands so that they could not let go. They were as one beoause they were held by the power turned on by the operator. Just so it was with Christians under the power of God—they were as one. God's great heart of love was an infinite source of electrical force, uniting and holding the members of his Ohuroh. After the delivery of the first part of the address hymn No. of Mr Sankey'i collection was sung, and the Rev. J. Elmslie led in prayer. After this Mrs Hampson read t.ho 6-h chapter of Isaiah, and after offering a suggestion or two on the first verse noticed that whon Isaiah beheld the glory of God he j peroeived his own uucleanness, and said, " Woe is me.' for lam undone .' because I am a man of unclean lips," &3. Then the congregation were exhorted to look to God, and study themselves in the light of His holiness. By oontrast purity showsimpurity, said Mrs Hampson, as light reveals the dark in b>, or sunbeams show the dust upon the poliohed table. When Job saw God he said, " I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the e%r, but now mine eye seeth Thee, wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and BBb.es." When Peter beheld God in the man of he said, " Dapart from me, for I atn a sinful man O Lord." When Isaiah beheld God's glory he said, "I am undone." Would the congregation look by faith to God, then thoy might feel to say as Isaiah did ; but they wore asked to notice also that just when Isaiah thought ho was undone—that ha should never bo able to look up again—one of the Seraphims with a live ooal taken from off the altar—a symbol of something searching, cleansing, purifying—touched his lips, and he was ohangod, so that instead of being ashamed or afraid to look up he, when God wanted a messenger to send forth, was ready to say, " Here am I, send mo." So would it be with as many of the members of the congregation who felt their sinfulness if they would turn and pray to God that he would pardon and purgo them by His holy spirit. Mrs Hampson then concluded with a fow words of practical wisdom to her co-workers. Speaking to persons who were appointed to go into the enquiry rooms to talk to the anxious, she advised them not to argue with persons, nor to enter into any kind of disputation, nor to attempt to expound any particular system of theology, nor to preaoh sermons on texts of Saripture, but simply to take their Bibles with them and try to get the anxious persons to rest on tt e truth sot forth in a single verse of the Word of God, recommending snob, verses as John v., 24 ; John vi., 37 ; and Matthew xi., 28. Then, speaking to other Christians, she asked them to sit in different parts of the theatre, and to be careful not to nit in comfortable seats and neglect persons who do not generally attend ohuroh, but to too that non churoh goers—mon and wojr.cn who have been circless about religion—be accommodated with seats, thnt everything thoy can do may bo do::e to bring those perjorjs to Jesus,

The mission wns continued on Sundsy evening in the Theatre Royal. LoDg before the time for commencing the servioe every seat was occupied. Mrs Hampson delivered a very interesting and powerful sddress, which was listened to throughout with very eager attention. At ihe close of the address thirty anxious enquirers went into the mquiry room. There will be no public meeting this evening, but after to-day Mrs Hampson will tot eight days consecutively conduct a meeting in the Theatre Royal, to oommence eoeh evening at 7.30, and on each week day ■he will oonduet a prayer meeting in the Congregational Schoolroom, Manchester street. On Wednesday afternoon an extra meeting will be held in the Iheutre. This will be for women only.