Church Work and Life

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 579, 4 February 1929, Page 14

Church Work and Life

MESSAGES FROM THE PULPITS

SPIRIT OF UNREST GOD-GIVEN IMPULSE BROADCAST SERMON That a spirit of restlessness was implanted in humanity by God for the purpose of testing mankind. and so teaching men that rest can only be found in Him, was the basis of Archdeacon G. MacMurray's sermon broadcast from St. Paul's Angli can Church last evening. The preacher took as his text the Gospel for the day, being the eighth chapter of St .Luke, verses 14 and 15: “And that which fell among thorns are they which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring forth no fruit to perfection. But that which fell on good ground are they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it. and bring forth fruit with patience.” “I have taken this text because I believe it contains a message of ex-

treme importance in this generation,” said the Archdeacon. "Although the spirit of unrest had lain deep in man’s heart all through the ages, the characteristic is more marked in this generation because there are greater opportunities for indulgence of that spirit.” One verse of the test gave a picture of the world to-day, and the other how the restlessness might bo overcome. When business cares were made ari end in themselves, then they crushed and hardened the people from bringing fruit to perfection. Then there were those choked by riches. Wealth, in itself, was not a bad thing. It was not a thing to despise. "The man who despises riches I distrust,” said the preacher. “But it is a very different thing to make a pursuit of money to the exclusion of deeper things. ’ The deceitful use of riches could never bring satisfaction to the soul. Then the pleasures of the world. “I do not wish you to think I dislike pleasure, but people whose whole life is a routine of pleasures are also people who will bring no fruit to perfection.” But the fact was there that God had made his people restless, impulsive, and had given them a capacity for business. Surely there was a purpose in that? He had refrained from giving the gift of restfulness in order that man might look to Him anil by encouraging the seed of the world in good ground, find peace. Augustine had said: “Our hearts are restless unless they rest in Thee.” In order to obtain that rest the •world must receive the seed in an honest and good heart. The original Greek word “honest" meant having a quick sense to high ideals. There were people who believed that they were assured of heaven if they merely went to church and prayed. A man with an “honest” heart was one who lived always close to God. “An honest and good heart,” that’s what is wanted by you and me,” concluded the Archdeacon.

SCIENCE AND RELIGION

“TWO UNOPPOSED TRUTHS”

SCIENTIST-CLERIC’S VIEW “Many people think that if a man takes up the study of a science, he must renounce all religious faith. To test this theory, a brilliant graduate cf Cambridge recently wrote to a large number of the most noted scientists in Britain. To his inquiry, the great majority replied that their researches had revealed nothing to cause them to deviate from an implicit belief in God.’* These were the words of Archdeacon 11. W illianis, of Waiapu diocese, who pleached yesterday morning in St. haul’s Church, and conducted the service in the absence of the vicar, who is ill. The archdeacon has been visiting; Auckland in connection with the recent science congress, before which ho lectured.

“The fact that we have been having a science congress makes it worth our while to consider how we stand in relation to our faith,” said the preacher, "iiovv do we now stand in the fac* of scientific discoveries?

“In my view, uiere is no conflict between science and religion. The word science’ means nothing but knowledge.’ A man of science is simply trying to And out the truth. if U ur religion is not based on truth, we had better give it up. There cannot be a conflict of truths,” the archdeacon continued.

A man who made some great dis- j covery in the held of science was given his intellect by God. Darwin, whos**, theories had done a great deal to provoke the supposition of a conflict o 3tvveen science and religion, never l< >st liis belief in God. Three weeks bef ore he died he was iound reading the -B/.Jjle, and atr his death he expressed the ’tvish that his tenants should have the Gospel preacned to them.

Referring to the story of the creation and the account of the infancy of the earth as recorded in Genesi?*, the preacher said it had been remarked that geological discoveries huxi discounted the whole narrative of the creation. /

But inquirers should not lc*>k to the Bible for a scientific explanation of the creation. They should sear ch for the intention of the writer. The writings of Moses were surely no £ to be regarded as scientific truths , nor us history, but as religion. Hi a* object was to reveal to the early ci.vilisation the mind of God, and the fac;t of His presence us the Creator of tile earth. Genesis was written for the. enlightenment of nations which attributed the creation to idols and man-made gods

HUNGER AND STARVATION

SERMON a;t ONEHUNGA “They that b/.j slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger; for these pine away, stricken through for w ant of the fruits of the fifeld.” —Lam. ''tv., 9. Such was <£he basis upon which a vigorous exx>osition of unemployment and poverty was given by the Rev. I). D. Scott at the Onehunga Presbyterian Church lasrt evening. Heath b. y combat, he said, was far

preferable to death t»y progressive emaciation. Anyone would sooner be slain than be starved to dorath r,nder the conditions of the siege methods of ancient warfare. Indeed, the methods

of ancient warfare had not yet, been outgrown. He instanced the action ot the Allies in the recent war, i:>. 1 interfering with the food supplies in Germany, and said elicit it was not until months after the signing 01 tn»armistice that, msc Quakers could find their way Into G to relieve the half-famished \ /omen and children.

The Prince of Wales ha d last week taken upon himself to eng.jge in a personal visit to fields of unemployment, misery, and want, and all honour to him as it member of our Royal House. Unemployment issued in. hunger; hunger ended in starvation, accompanied oy mental and moral tension which affected character adversely. Most wageearners soon felt tb.e pinch of hunger wnen out of work. "imagine the thoughts of men who meet one another day after day with no work to do, and no means to ouy fo*od.” Unemployment alfected the moru J. and spiritual welfare of a nation far more than most men believea. It was impossible to build up a nation or a church with a starving multitu.de.

The nrst ts'semial for a vigorous physical and spiritual national lne was lo see that liie people were properly fed. Christ a vas compassionately disposed toward hungry people, ne knew vvnat it was to be nungry nimseli. lie Knew that a hungry multitude soon became a multitude. ii was a niifitakeii policy to expect the bust result is lrom an unaerieu people. a here wev o conditions leaumg toward starvation., suen as iaiiure of crops, warfare, slackening or trade, growcu of population, etc., out tnese were promcd.'. s ror statesmen anu economists to m more primitive times, tne u timer eoum go to me anu trie usner to uie out wnut cnance liau the texemmg minions 01 inuiu, china, or i'iew lurii to-uay ; hair ot those swarms ot human oemgs ttieu betwio tuey nan reacnea their lust uuvfiday. i;a endeavouring to reiate the question or unempioyinent, ano consequent rU-Av- or stars atAvju, to tile Gosper anu AAngoorn or uuu, we could never oe tfue to His spiixt unless we ueaiL Qirecuy witn me ucmai souis of men. ! Tne cmspei must be brougnt to bear in a direction luwai'u moumnig tile character ot mankind. U'ar too many were to-oay iike tne prodigal sou—wasting meir suostanoe in riotous living, tuna, nao snown in that parable mat mueii nunger and starvation were urougiic on oy tne sunerers uiernseives. At Cambridge recently mr. Philip rfnu>voen, a man who nau maoe a uieiong stuoy ot tne working masses, atnrmea tnat the British puonc spent £±,UOU,OUU a oay in drink, anu an equal amount in gambling. riot 11 oi tnese vices were non-prouuctive—-indeed, they were destructive 10 production. ivtr. bnuwuen, speaking quite uispassionateiy, lurcher said tnat the greater part or tins umouni was being spent by wage-earners, wnicn, if uiverted into useful cnanneis, would re..coo unemployment to negligible dimensions. “These are questions for us to think about,” said lVlr. Scott. ’Here wc nave a Crown surrounded by enormous wealth, ana millions of its subjects ground down witn abominable poverty.” It was not within his province to deal with cures ana remedies, but he affirmed that starvation > could be kept in subjection in many cases' by truehearted, primitive, and Christian living, coupled with abstention from vices-

METHODIST CONFERENCE

ASSEMBLY IN AUCKLAND In order that ministers of the Methodist Church from many parts of the country may be present at the opening of the new Theological College the annual conference will be held this year in Auckland. It will begin on February 21 ad will continue for at least a week. The sessions will be held in the Pitt Street Church. Over 220 delegates from all parts of

the Dominion will be present, the Rev. J- F- Goldie, of the Solomon Islands, presiding. This will be the first time in the history of the Church in Xew Zealand that an outsider has been called upon to preside. There are no burning questions on the agenda for discussion, but it is anticipated the conference will be an interesting one. Th© Methodist Theological College, at the corner of Grafton Road and Carlton Gore Road, will be opened by Mrs. A. C. Caughey on Wednesday, Febviiflrv 07

The new chapel at Wesley College, Paerata, will be officially opened on Saturday, February 23, by Mrs. Marion Smith, who gave it.

NEW VICAR INDUCTED

ST. AUGUSTINE’S, STANLEY BAY

The Rev. F. G. Harvie, the new vicar of St. Augustine’s Church, Stanley Bay, was inducted last evening by Archbishop Aver ill, in the presence of a. very large congregation. Canon F. W. Young attended the Primate as chaplain.

In an address, the Archbishop said the new vicar was sent as the Church’s representative to minister to the parish. The vicar was not in the charge as a free agent, but was the representative of the Church to administer the Sacraments in accordance with the beliefs of the Church of England.

The Archbishop also referred to the duty of the congregation in aiding the vicar in his work, which would be useless without the co-operation of the people. There was need to persevere in their efforts to build the new church, and while what they had done in the past was commendable, there was need of further effort in the future. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCHES “Love” was the subject of the lessonsermon in all Churches of Christ, Scientist, yesterday. The golden text was “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all his works.” Among the citations which comprised the lesson-sermon* were the following from the Bible: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God”; and then from the Christian Science Textbook: “The starting-point of divine science is that God, is All-in-all, and that there is no other might nor mind—that God is love, and therefore He is divine principle.” “All substance, intelligence, wisdom, being, immortality, cause and effdet belong to God, the eternal manifestations of th© infinite divine principle, love.”