ST. LUKE'S CHURCH.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 678, 17 June 1914, Page 6

ST. LUKE'S CHURCH.

VICAR'S FAREWELL SERMON. The Rev. E. S. Wayne, who haa been in charge of St. Church, Te Kuiti, for the past four yeara, and ia leaving to take up the charge at Waimate North, peached his farewell sermon on Sunday evening to a very large congregation. The church waß well filled in the morning and the minister took for his text part vf the thirty-second verse of tii« eighteenth chapter of Genesis, "I will not destroy it for ten's sake " Th 9 sermon dealt with the influence which could be exerted for good by even a few and exhorted the congregation to exercise that influence at all times. In the evening it was taken from the eleventh chapter of John, the fifth verse "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." I have chosen this text to-night as there are no other words in Holy Scripture, that if obeyed will bring the Christian to God. It ia not by striving to do great things that the knowledge of God is made known, and Christ's glory U manifested to men, but in obedience. "If any man will do His will he shall know of the doctrines whether it be of God" or simply "Whatsoever He saith u jto you do it." For that is the only way that we can please God. I have reminded you often that every word-in the New Testament was first written tp Christians. The Goßpels that every believer might know the certainty of those things wherein he had been instructetl, and in every Epistle St. Taul made it clear to whom he wrote. To the called of, or the faithful in, Christ Jesus. A Bun in the faith, or a fellow-labourer. And it ig to you, my brethren, as the called of Jesus Christ, I am speaking to-night. Asking you to consider well the privileges and responsibility of your calling. Striving to make you feel how much you have received.* how much is expected of you who are "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye should shew forth the praise of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light." St. Peter ia here calling on every Christian to set forth the praise of his Redeemer. To witness to Him, to worship Him, and set forth His glory. St. Peter al 30 makes clear our great dignity in Christ Jesus. We are a royal priesthood, with power to keep spiritual dominion over our passions. To gain victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. ' We should live with quiet assurance, and the dignity of those who are more than servants, and whom our Lord Himse'f calls His friends. They who lay the greatest stress on the privileges and honour of their calling, will always be the most ready to help and uphold the miniatry of the Church. For they realise most fully how much is required of those who are set apart "For the perfecting of the saints, fcr the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the Knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of tne stature of the fulness of Christ." In preaching my last .sermon to you as your vicar, after over four years among you, the thought of the great responsibility of my calling comes upon me with great force. In all I have believed that the Holy Ghost has mada ma an overseer to feed the "Church of God, which He hath purchased with His Own blood." I have Btriven to jreach to you the Gospel of our Lord Jeßua Christ, striving to be "your servant for Jesus' s«ke." I-da not wish to dwell long' to-night on the thought of the past—woik that I might have done better. My failure to make you realise that we can not disregard our L.ord's word "Do this in remembrance of Me" without dishonouring Him, or Hbsent ourselves from the prayers of the Church, without hindering the salvation of men for j whom He died. And often when the church has been almost empty I can aay "I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts." The cry of Elijah has been on my lipa, "Lord take away my life." I know thatmany of you do not feel my ministry has been a failure among ycu, and I am truly grateful for your friendship, and ioi nil help and encouragement, but it is neither on success or failure that I wish to dwell to nightbut that we may go on our way think, ing mora of what our Lord ha 3 .done for us, striving more earnestly to he obedient unto Him. There is no text 1 would rather l?ave engraved on a young Christian's heart than the one I have chosen for to-night, "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." The words were first spoken in Cana of Galilee, and by the obedience of the servants our Lord wrought His firßt miracle, and manifested forth His glory." And so Christ ever manifests His glory through the

obedience of His servants. I have Iried in every sermon to preach unto you Christ Jesus. I have striven to impress upon yo«J in many ways the need of obedience to the precept, "Whatsoever Be saith unto you, do it." I have spoken of Baptism, for that was His last charge, of Confirmation, one of the doctrines or teachings of Christ. I have called you continually to the Lord's Supper, for that is .the only service He instituted to be used in continual remembrance of Himself. To many the Lord's Supper seems as useless as filling water pots ' with water, when wine is required, for they forget Kim who said "Take eat," "Drink ye-all of it.", Think of our Lord's words to Nicodemas. They shew us the cause of men's failure to draw near to God. Belief is necpssary. but "Faith without works is dead," so, let us, for once, alter the word belief into "do," and then the verse reads "If I have told you earthly things, and ye do them not, how shall ye do them, if I tell you of heavenly things" Our Church is right in making the services our Loid ordained the centre of all her worship, and side by side with the Grst she insists on Confirmation, used by the Apostles, witnessed to by Holy Scripture, and there" spoken of as one of the doctrines of Christ. And these three services as used in New Testament times, and as used in our-Church from the earliest times till now teach. Baptism, that Christ diedonce for all for us, to cleanse us from sin. Confirmation, that Christ gives the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him, and that we cannot serve Him truly till we receive power from on High. The Lord's Supper, of Christ's death; till His second coming. And not only shows that we must have faith in Him ss the Soirot G;d, but also be oria in Him. There two reasons why many will not receive, this the Gospel way of teaching Jesus Christ. First, because it is ho simple. It showß us that we can do nothing to merit salvation, but just receive it from Christ becuse lie ditd for u?, That we need His Holy Spirit, and strength and life from Him At:a because these gifts are offered so simply in the Christ ordained services, many do not value them or seek tnem there. And secondly becausa when Christ gives Himself to us in those services He requires us to give ourselves to Him and this is more than they are prepared to give. And brethren do you always remember that the Gospel is preached to win not souls, but men. For in the Greek the word for soul and life is one, and we belong body and soul to God. Continually I have called upon you to obey Christ's words, "Do this in remembrance of Me." At His table we do not only show "His death till He come," but we also learn that eternal life is the portion of both the living and the dead in Him. In this srevice He offers the life of which He spoke to some saying 'Ya will not come unto Ma that ye might have life." Of others, "I give unto the eternal life." -We need repentance from sin and faith in Jfsus Christ before we come to His services, but after these let U3 remember the words spoken to St. Paul; "Why tarriesfc thou? Arise and be baptised and wash away thy sin," and the apostle 3 used Confirmation aa a compietion of Baptism. Let us ever draw near to our Lord in the way He calls us. "Take eat, this is My body." "Drink ye, all of it." That our. Lord's Prayer, "That they may be one, even aa We are One, I in them and thou in Me," may be fulfiled in us. If you wish to serve the Lord Christ, drive out of your minds the thought that He came to save soals after death. He came to sanctify, to redeem your life now and in eternity. Is it a little thing that men. refuse to worship Christ in the way that He appointed. Think of Nelson's last message to hi 3 men, "England expects every man to do his duty." How that message fired the sailors' bearts. The remembrance of Christ's passion never fails to fire hearts that are set on Him. My brethren, it is not because the Lord's Prayer is formal, because Baptism, Confirmation, and the Lord's Supper are forms, that men refuse to make these Christ ordained forms the centre cf their worship. But because they call for a dedication of body, soul and spirit to God. Nothing less than this is required, and I have preached this over and over again, because I can say from my heart "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it," knowing that through obedience His glory is still manifested. Hearts still stirred by the memory of His passion. And now I must bring this my last sermon to yoa to a close. I pray God to forgive my mistakes. Tha imperfection of my service. I ask you to give a friendship to my successor such as you have given to me. To meet hitn more than half way in every effort he makes for the welfare of the parish. Remember

that he has to make the same effort to know each one of yoa as you have him alone, and he can only help where yoa are willing to help him. It is no light task God has set him to do; for we read that ministers must "Watch for your souls, as they that must giva account." And of the people's part 'to work together with them so "that they may do it with joy, and not with grief." Will you listen to me when I tell you how hard it ii to teach the standard of life and worship our Lord requires when so little keeps many of you from coming here to worship Him. . If you lov-» Him for His Bake, strive to serve Him more faithfuly in this. Strive to encourage one ancther in this. And now, where I have failed, I pray God that he who follows me may succeed. I ask pardon for all my shortcomings, both from you'and from God. I pray that you may make the words of our text, "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it," a motto for your lives, and I commend you to One alone Whose ministry ia without fault, even our Lord Jescs Christ. "The Grace of our gLord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen."