Presbyterian Church.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 13 August 1915, Page 2

Presbyterian Church.

Special intercessary services were held in the Presbyterian Church on Sunday last, both morning and evening. The evening service, especially, was of an j impressive nature, one of the j elders taking part. The Rev. J. ! Richards explained that the j Premier had requested that j Sunday August Bth should be I set apart by the churches as a ] day of Intercessory prayer on behalf of the British Empire, and the allied armies. The words of the text were : “If ye abide in Me. and My words abide in you. ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you ” John 15, 7. The preacher said that prayer, if rightly understood is thejgreatest power in the world, that is, the greatest power a man can employ. We speak of the power of steam ; we speak of the power of electricity : we spoak of the power of thought ; and there is no power to equal the power of prayer when the soul is in harmony with God, and there is no power so far-reaching. Our highest ideals in life are obtained from Christ. In Christian thought we are moving forward to a given point — an ideal established by Christ whose influence as a Teacher is increasing- as the years go by. We prize the great teachers of the past whose works still remain with us. We appreciate the work of Popern icu s, the founder of modern astronomy; of Galileo, the discoverer of the telescope ; of Sir Isaac Newton who discovered the laws of gravitation, and many others. But above them on a higher plain—higher because of the intense spirituality of the men —stand Moses the great Hibrew lawgiver, and Isaiah, the. Hebrew prophet, and David the Hebrew musician. On a higher plain than any of those stands, in all the grandeur of supreme manhood, Jesus of Nazareth. He was not only the Divinely inspired, but the Divine Inspirer of human hearts —the ideal teacher, the ideal Man, the wonder of every age, and the supreme representative of all goodness. Toward the close of his address the speaker said Jesus taught that prayer was a divine preparation for work. Men are better or worse according to their use of or neglect of prayer. The strongest men in the moral world and the best workers, are the proving men. The strong generals associated wiih the British army are praying men, and they recognise their their obligation to God, and to their nation. The men who have taken the foremost positions in the British array have been men of prayer. Take on? r two names : —General H a veloc b, General Gordon of Khartoum, Lord Roberts the hero of many battlefields, and Earl Kitchener the man on whom so much responsibility rests at the present time. The most beautiful sight in England on Wednesday last, 4tli inst, the anniversary of the Declaration of War, was the great service of united prayer. Our noble King was there, aud Queen Mary and Queen Alexandra, and other Members of the Royal Family, and they were greeted with immense cheering before they entered the cathedral. The Grand Duke Michael was there, the Duchess of Fife, the Duchess of Albany, and Earl Kitchener, besides High Commissioners, and the Agents General. These are the men who are standing for God, righteousness, and liberty. Two solos were sung during the service. Mr Prentice sang “He Wipes tho Tear From Every Eye,” with wonderful expression and deep feeling, and Mr G. Shaw sang “The Man of Sorrows,” with great effect. At the close of the service Mr J. Devine, tho choirmaster, who is leaving for Trentham, having offered his services for the Special Ambulance Corps, was presented with a “Tidy” in which were .all the necessary articles for persona! use, from the ladies of the congregation, and socks knitted by Mrs J. Shaw, sent-. Mr Devine suitably responded for the kind expressions uttered and the sensible gift which he would highly esteem. After the Benediction the congregation sang the National Anthem.