PALMERSTON.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4354, 4 March 1875, Page 2

PALMERSTON.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) - w- Pebruary 27.

A meeting of the subscribers to the fund for the erection of an English church was held in the schoolroom on Tuesday evening, to meet the Bishop and to appoint a provisional - committee. The attendance was small, being apparently limited to those who were willing to undertake the duties of committeemen. Bishop Hadfield presided.- -Mil Snelson said that the amount already, subscribed was £1 58, which he thought might be supplemented by other subscriptions, so as to bring- it- up to £2OO. The Chairman expressed.the great pleasure the statement afforded him. He had come_ through Palmerston in' November last,,, when" visiting the more remote of his diocese, and was" muoh gratified on' his return to find such a ‘ beginning had been made. . HO had done all in his power to- supply the spiritual ! wants of the various" districts. " Population, however, had spread so rapidly that, owing to,.the scarcity Of clergymen,.it was a.difficult matter to keep pace with it.- The project of erecting a church was. not a new , one, .for ,eight or nine months ago a piece Of land had been purchased for that purpose, but it was not in,the centre of population, and, it had ,to be abandoned. A piece of ground ah acre and a-half in extent bad since been pm-chased from Mr. Rhode:-; for the sum of £60..., With this site provided, he thought the amount subscribed, was . sufficient to justify them in commencing, operations at once. There were two ways "of going ahout dt. - They i might; either erect a,neat little church sufficient for their* present requirements, and afterwards, - if found too small, they-could break through:and add to it,'or they-might get a good design of a larger church, and ouly'go' on with that; portion that was requisite for their present wants. If they would give him an estimate of the number .of; sittings,; he would put these two ideas before the architect. If they elected a committee he! would forward, the plan, when prepared, to them, and if it were agreed to they could set about;it at once. He would suggest that a. building committee.be appointed, subscriptions collected, and then a managing committee, elected.:. He'should like to see a beginning, made, as its would doubtless be of great advantage to the young to have a place of worship erected, : He should like to have'the opinion of those present as to the kind of building, they thought -most desirable. Mr. Perrin thought the building most suitable would be one that would accommodate 100, built so that, without deterioration, it could be added- to so as to seat 300. The Chairman enquired to what amount they could go as the cost of the building. Ml'. Suelson replied, to about £250. The Chairman said that in addition to the amount paid for the ground he thought they might safely rely on a little further assistance. Mr. E. Marsh then moved, —“ That the members present—Mr. Snelson, Perry, Marsh, Keely, Donally, Oakly, Meyrick, and Green—form themselves into a committee (with power to add to their number) with the Bishop of Wellington as treasurer, and Mr. Snelson as collector.” Sir. Perrin seconded the motion, which was carried. Mr Pen-in enquired if any clergyman was available. His Lordship said that he had to use great caution in promising, owing to the many causes of disappointment in operation; but lie had no doubt that by the time the church was ready the services of a gentleman would be available. His Lordship then thanked those present for their attendance, congratulating them on the beginning that Pahnerstoffhad made. A vote of thanks to the Bishop for his presence and -for presiding, terminated the proceedings. Divine service was held in the schoolroom on Wednesday evening, and was well attended.

Bishop Hadfield preached a most instructive and . impressive sermon on the remarkable words of St. Paul to the Thossalonians (1 Thess., y. 23) —“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” His Lordship observed that St. Paul entertained a strong love for the Church of Thessalonica ; aud yet, while he praijgl them for their zeal, he did not hesitate, as%ikiq,imanner was, faithfully to reprove them for certain evils which they had, even then, allowed to creep in. His intense love for the. Church of Thessalonica, was manifest in the words he had just read, and to which he invited their earnest attention. In considering them, he should take the subjects in inverse order—the body first, then the soul, and lastly the spirit. Before speaking of the body, he might observe that we understood the distinction between the soul and the body, though our ideas respecting the |soul were at times somewhat vague and confused. The distinction between the soul and the spirit was more difficult of apprehension. There were the words “spirit, soul, and body," and it were idle and presumptuous to say that it was merely a vain and meaningless distinction. They must endeavor to ascertain the apostle’s meaning, aud that was the only passage in which the tripartite division of the perfect man occurred in Scripture. We are told that man was created in the image of God, that is, in a state of perfect holiness. From this ho fell, ■ through sin, and sin brought in death. It was not until the gospel was published that the doctrine of the resurrection of the body was promulgated, though, centuries before our Saviour’s time,. Grecian philosophers had taught the immortality of the soul. It was this doctrine of the resurrection of the body which proved such a formidable hindrance to the reception of the Gospel When, at Athens, St. Paul preached this doctrine, they accused him of setting up two Gods—Jesus and the Resurrection. They did not understand what resurrection meant ; it did not accord with the teachings of their philosophers, who wished (if he might use the expression) 1 to get rid of the body, in order. that the soul might, live for ever. It is not only our soul that is redeemed by Christ, but our body and our spirit also ; and if our body be redeemed, how careful should we be that that body was not polluted or defiled by sin—by drunkenness or sensuality—for it will be raised again. He would warn them not to give heed to the teaching of the modem school of thought, which denied the possibility of our bodies being- raised again after they have mouldered in the dust. They.must not limit - the power of God who raised again the Lord Jesus, aud who shall raise the bodies of the , faithful at the end of the world, to live for ever in glory. The soul is regarded as the seat and . source of the intellect, the faculties, the affections. In his short' exhortation, preceding the text, St. Paul clearly indicated the dreadful truth that the Holy Spirit in us might be quenched or extinguished by wilful sin. Obeying St. Paul’s exhortation, “ Hold fast that which is good, and abstain from all appearance of evil,” would be the best mode whereby we could preserve blameless our spirit, soul, andjjody, and to “ pray without ceasing,” was the most effectual means of resisting sin. Palmerston, which has long enjoyed Immunity from the prevailing epidemic, has at last succumbed, and several are laid up with the measles. They are not confined to the infantile portion of our community, as several adults are “ down" with them.

Mr. Waldegrave’s Royal Hotel has changed hands, the purchaser being Mr. Gilbert, late accountant to the Corporation at Feilding. The premises are to be considerably enlarged, and a billiard-room added.

The Wesleyans are to have a meeting on Monday for the purpose of taking steps for the erection of a chapel T They are strong in funds, - having amalgamated with the Scandinavians, and the chapel will be for their joint use. ' • ' -