Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 1872. TEA MEETING.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1407, 21 August 1872, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 1872. TEA MEETING.

The first anniversary of the establishment of the United Methodist Free Church in Napier was celebrated by a tea meeting in the Oddfellows 1 Hall on Tuesday evening, which was as pleasant and successful as anything of the kind we have yet seen in Napier. The weather —which exercises so patent an influence on the success of gatherings of this kind —was all that could be desired, and the largo hall was quite filled with the assembled company. The provision was abundant, varied, and of a quality reflecting the utmost credit on the providers. The arrangements were well carried out, and no hitch of any kind occurred to mar the proceedings. Precisely at half past 6, grace was sung, and the lirst business of the evening began in earnest. At about a quarter to 8, the tables were cleared away, and the chair was taken by J. Rhodes, Esq. An anthem having been sung by the choir, the proceedings were opened by a prayer from the Rev. D. Sidey. Choir: '• Sound the loud Timbrel."

The Chairman said that according to the next item on the programme he must call upon himself for an address. He would respond to the call ; but bis remarks would be brief. His good friend Mr Col en so, whose name appeared in another part of the pro gramme, would without doubt make up for any deficiency in the length of 1 lis address, He felt extreme pleasure in presiding at a meeting of this kind —the fullest he had seen here on any public occasion, political, social, or otherwise ; and, considering the occasion which had brought them together, it was a credit to the townspeople that so many were here to-night. He was proud, toOj to notice such a sprinkling of the rising generation. The Jesuit fathers of old had said, "Give os the rising generation, and we will not care about, the old folks; " and the principle slill held good. I.f the Church obtained a firm hold of the rising generation, the time was not distant when it would comprise the whole mass of the people. It was not the aim of the Church to gain adherents <-o any sect or party—not proselytize, but to Christianize, the great mass of the people, and on that ground the new body of Christians among u? had been heartily welcomed by those of other denominations. Six or seven years ago the Methodist body had been tried in Napier and found wanting ; but Mr Taylor and Mr Redstone appeared to be made of different stuff from Mr Shaw, and instead of selling the b'.iilding upon which the contributions of the public had been expended, they had brought to a completion their two handsome chapels, one at Napier and the other at Waipawa. It was characteristic of a large class of the community that they were slow to attend places of worship belonging to other denominations : but would go en masse to a pastor of their own church. It was the result of a deeprooted principle in human nature,doubtless planted there for beneficient purposes by tiie great Father of all. Yet though differing in externals of worship, they were all engaged in the same work, with the same goal before them, and must gradually converge to one path. He looked forward to the time when instead of many sects there would bo one catholic universal religion, and the earth would rapidly progress towards the peace that.must ultimately prevail. He would not further occupy the time of the meeting; but would remark in conclusion that lie would be proud and happy to be present at the next annual gathering of thi* kind j tuvJ ho

hoped that on that oceasion the present hall would not be found large enough to contain the meeting. [Applause.] Mr T. Moore, the Secretary, was then called upon to read the first annual balance sheet. He said the trustees of the Church, at the close of the first year, expressed their gratitude to Almighty God for the success which by His blessing had so far attended their etToi'ts. They had found Christians of all denominations—Episcopalians, Presbytei ians, and others, come forward liberally with aid to their cause. He then read the following balance sheet Dr.

Amount owing £l7l 0 11 —From this latter item, however, must lie deducted the proceeds of the .special collection last Sabbath and the present meeting, which might he roughly estimated at .£3O. He. trusted the report won Id prove satisfactory. [Applause.] Violoncello Solo : (by Bertoni) "La Verginella"— Mr C. S. Thomas, with piano accompaniment by a lady.

Mr Colensc said a question familiar to all pre.-ent had arisen in his mind since he came here this evening. When the great prophet of Israel fled with a perturbed spirit, and lodged in a caAe of the rocks amid the grand scenery of the wilderness of Horeb; after the storm raging among the mountains, the fire, and the earthquake—came a still small voice: "What doest thou here, Elijah?" It was a question like this that occurred to him where he stood; and he replied—Because of his love and regard for Methodism. He stood ihere an advocate of Methodism such as that of the olden time—such as he had seen, known, and honored. In Cornwall—the part of England whence he came—were born, lived, and died some of the great heroes of Methodism ; and well could he now remember the faces of some of those venerable old men who had lived the lives of faithful teachers, and died triumphantly, sustained by the they held. them was the old man William Care B.n c ii«ell. In a local paper that evening he had read Professor Max Multor's tribute to the late Bishop of Melanesia, wherein he said that the name of Patteson would never be forgotten in the field in which he labored. So was it with the name of William Cart' Kw--w&U'. Though treated as the offscouring of the earth, he and his fellow-workers, like their great master of old, went about doing good. He could remembei his venerable figure in the chapel at Penzance, when too aged and infirm to say more, still exhorting the congregation in one sentence—" Have faith in God." It reminded him of the tradition regarding the dying charge of the beloved apostle, when carried for the last time into the presence of the congregation : " Little children, love one another." Looking back through a long vista of years—-for if was the Methodism of a bygone time with which he was acquainted—he loved it for its admit able organization. He loved it, too, for this—that it sought, without the intervention of any man or class of men, to bring the sinner close to his Saviour and Friend, his Father in Heaven. As he spoke he recalled thiough the years that had passed the face of many a faithful old preacher, "fervent in sphit, serving the Lord," and their countenances shone forth from his memory like the lace of Moses when he had been communing with God. There were giants in those days, and their strength was derived from earnest, constant and faithful prayer, from their communings wiih God in private. There was one hymn, 344 of Wesley's, collection— one in his opinion 100 sacred and solemn for congregation-

al use, but which was truly expressive of the deepest feelings of many of these servants of God :

Thou hidden, lore of God, whose height, Whose depth unfat homed,, no maa knows; I see from far thy beauteus light,. Inly I sigh for thy repose :. My heart is pained, nor can, it b& At rest, till it finds rest in Thee. Is there a thing beneath the sun That strives with thee my heart to, share ? Ah, tear it thence, and reign alone* The Lord of every motion there! Then shall my heart from.-earth be fcee, When it hath found repose in Thee,

—This was a darling hymn with- many of the old Methodists—one which they used many times in their prayers, aiul when, they came forth from theirclosets the worhl benefited by their previous, preparation. An incident in his own, life showed him the value of Methodism.. Forty years asjo«— a young man then—lie landed in Sydney. There were then only two Church of England ministers, there, and their duties were so heavy that they were obliged to conduct many of their services—those in the prison and elsewhere—on the Saturday, besides.having five regular sen ices—each to. conduct every Sabbath. The Rev. Mr Hill, one of these ministers, asked him. to visit a poor sick woman in a suburb. With great difficulty in the dusk of evening lie found her, lying alone on the floor in a sad state of destitution ; he saw at once that she had but, two or three hours to live, and he told her so. He could never forget the indescribableexpression on huv face as she-raised herself, and said, " 0, sir, speuk plainly." Thank.* to Methodism,, he was enabled to speik plainly. Few events of his life were more deeply impressed on his. memory than this, and he loved Methodism because it spoke plainly to the soul. It was often asked : What is the definition of ihe Church? There was no definition equal to the-short and simple one given by our Saviour: —"Where two or three ate gathered together in My mrae." Many of the so-called churches had wiought much misery on this unhappy world. When the earth revealed her slain he believed it would be shown that the *ocalled Church of Christ had slain more than all the wars of wicked men—and all in the name of religion and the glory of G-od and to that church would apply the words of Scripture; :t Ye neither know me, nor my Father;" He then '-poke of the mining accidents, the deaths by which average one daily in the county of Cornwall, and alluded to the power of Methodism, as shown, in the case of imprisoned miners, cufc off from the upper earth, spending their last hours in prayers and praise. Hesaw a fair sprinkling of ladies before him to-night. Though he left England long ago—before any of the ladies now present were born—he well remembered the rows of neatly-dressed ladies in, thelarge chapel of St. Ives, with their pretty white cottage bonnets trimmed with sulphur-colored ribbons, without a single bow. [Applause] If he was a Methodist preacher, before exerting his. forces against drunkenness and the other mighty evils of the time, he would, strongly protest against the over-dress-ing of the Methodist females,. The memory of that neatly-dressed congregation was one of the bonds of attachment binding his heart to his home,, and he Wo;«ld like once more to takehis seat in the old chapel, if only to see such another congregation. Luther had said three things were necessary fova minister—prayer, study,, and temptation. To these he would add two—*experience and lave. He called upon all good Methodists to beat up their minister in their prayers, by which both teacher and taught would benefit. Of ail churches on earth he believed, the most liolv in the sight of the Father of all was the one in which was to be found the greatest love to God and man. In conclusion—and he adverted to thehumility ot Solomon and of David by way of illustration—he exhorted them, to lowliness of mind, and love one to another. speaker, on resuming, his seat, was much applauded.] The Choir here sung an ant.lienL The Rev.- D. Sidey expressed hi* great pleasure at seeing so largo a& assembly gathered this evening for *■ good and Christian purpose. Such a meeting a& this was conducive to a tine manly and womanly dignity of feeling, which might be described n* A strength of sympathy in particular

channels. There was something in the true dignity of human nature which possessed a special and peculiar charm, and when we were brought into contact with a person possessing this quality, the moie we looked upon him the more were we impressed with the perfect workmanship of the bountiful Creator. Oftentimes we might meet with a form and figure of almost perfect mould, but the countenance, in the absence of dignity of mind, a dead and fearful blank. Again, we might meet with the spurious dignity of starch and buckram—the very opposite to real nobility of mind. The question of what constituted true dignity was one of great importance, and worthy of thoughtful consideration. It- way the soul of man which distinguished him from the beast, and made him the noblest of the works of God, and it was the quality of the soul which stamped its mark upon the body. True beauty was the expression of a dignified and noble soul upon the bodily form, . making the whole framework glow with attraction. He once heard a party of ladies discussing the reason why a man who had been two or three years before known as the handsomest in their city, had become coarse and degi aded in his personal appearance, and generally repulsive. They eame to the true conclusion —one which did not apply to that man alone—that he had never disciplined himself to sacrifice any gross or selfish enjoyment, and the true and natural result was produced upon his personal aspect. As the form of the .statue was determined by the strokes of the sculptor's chisel, so did each sacrifice of selfish gratification, each aet of sympathy and kindness, leave its mark upon the form, and fashion it to a beautiful and dignified whole. Just in proportion to the vigorous and healthy exercise of the powers of the inin 1 did it acquire true nobility of thought. [Mr Sidey here related an amusing anecdote of an old Yorkshire farmer, of vigorous intellect and dignified character, who put to shame a large party of arrogant sceptics who confirmed themselves in their disbelief of holy Scripture by ideas derived from the " Vestiges of Creation." He thought that the excessive refinement of the present day tended to displace to some extent genuine dignity and sincerity of feeling. In the king dom of nature the trees did not grow smooth nor the rocks polished—in short, everything was not covered with vehet. There was a spurious dignity which affected to despise labor, whereas without labor, either of head or hand, true dignity did not exist. During the American war of independence a small detachment of men under a corporal were sent to perform certain work in a trench. The work was too much for the men, but the corporal lent no assistance, merely standing on the brink, and shouting, "Heave away, there." '• Why do you not assist? "asked a gentleman who came up. " Sir P was the reply, "do you not know that I am a corporal?'' "I bpg your pardon: I was not aware of the fact," said the stranger, who dismounted, secured his horse, and leaping into the tivnch, with a few words of encouragement .to-the men, applied his own strengti, and as sisted so effectually thai the woik was .-peedily completed. "Now, Mr Corporal," said lie, as he left, " the next time you have not sufficient men for the work assigned you, ja>t send for your Commander-in-Chief to assist you again.*' The stranger was Washington, and a better instance of true dignity and nobility ol character than was shown in this little incident could scarcely be found. There was one great quality in man's natuie—the desire for higher and better things; and in spiritual matters this quality was of vast importance, leading him to " pres* toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. Jesus." With this object in view it was not .sufficient to abhor the evil—a man con tenting himself with this would become of all men the mosi abhorrent—he must also be a lover of what is good : like a flourishing tree, which, while bringing forth ripened fruit, is preparing its buds for future seasons. [Applause.] Choir: " Biessed be the Lord God of Israel." The Rev. R. Tayloji said his friend Mr Colenso seemed to have a very affectionate remembrance of old heroes of i

Methodism—W. C JfessseH-pai ticularly. He hail been forcibly reminded during that gentleman's address of another hero of old—Hodgin Casson, a very eccentric, popular, and useful preacher. [Mr Taylor here related two interesting anecdotes of the preacher in question]. Much had been said among Christian men of the kingdom of Christ, and he [Mr T.] had thought, much on the subject lately. Of what did this kingdom consist % In one sense of the whole universe ; but this definition did not answer the conditions of that kingdom as spoken of in Scripture. He believed it to be the kingdom of God's grace within ms. To this kingdom we might (race special refeience in the parables of the leaven, and of the grain of muslaicl seed. Of this kingdom Christ was the sovereign, and to no man had he delegated his pover. Of what consisted the promised increase and extension of this kingdom 1 It was not in the multiplication of churches or church members, for it was possible —that this might* go on, as it often did, without the kingdom of Christ increasing in proportion. Each one, individually, and this was the great point, could assist in extending the kingdom, —for its extension consisted in the Dhine grace mg more power over more human hcaits. In the kingdom of grace, as in the kingdom of nature, the result would be much in proportion to the labor bestowed. Some people disliked the idea of proportionate reward in the other life; but the Scripture doctrine, a> illustrated in the parable of the talents, was plainly that the future leward is proportioned to present services—and the thought was full of blessed encouragement. Let each and all, then, so employ their time as to bring many men and women from darkness into God's marvellous light. [Applause ] The Rev. H. B. Redstone, in a few humorous remarks, moved a vote of thanks to the ladies who had provided the present entertainment, the singers, and the speakers. His theme, he said, was threefold, Indies, mu c ic, and eloquence all intimately connected. With respect to the iadies at Penzance and St. Ives in Cornwall, if Mr Colenso went there to seek the neat fashions of the Methodists of forty years ago, he would be sadly disappointed. He (Mr R.) while coinciding with Mr Colenso, had not moral courage to condemu the fashions as he ought—and they changed so much that, if he did, he would have to prepare a now lecture on the subject every week. Mr Ridding seconded the vote of thanks i

The Rev. R. Taylor proposed, and Mr Hawk en peconded a vote of thanks to the chairman.

Both votes were carried by acclamation, and the proceedings closed with the naiional anthem.

To amount paid for land...$$11 13' 0 “ building of church, including fencing, : painting, fyo 474 19 G “ harmonium 1(5 0 0 “ amount paid to church funds 15 0 0 “ printing, insurance, lighting, cleaning, &c.. 34 13 9 “ half-year’s interest on loan 6 0 0 Cr. By donations to building fund £348 9 0 CO CO >Q ** “ opening services and tea-meeting 37 1(5 11 “ bazaar 213 7 9 “ donatiaus from England 35 0 0 “ pew rents G3 9 8 £587 3 4