St. Mary's Church.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue XXXXV, 7 December 1903, Page 2

St. Mary's Church.

DIAMOND JUBILEE. SPECIAL CELEBHATIONS. Sunday last, Dec. 6, 1903, marked an event of unique interest in i< nnuction with the history of the Church of England in this province. Sixty years ago the first service was held in New Plymouth, and on this the diamond jubilee ct-W obrationa were decided upon whieb it was Imped would in some Measure !«' fitting to such an uiiHpicious occasion. Special services wore held and attended by unusually large congregations. Tho order of the services was Holy Communion 8 a.m.; Morning IVuyer, 10 a.m. ; Holy. Communion, 11 a.m. ; Service for Men, 3 p.m. ; Evening Prayer, 7 p.m. lVwither : The Bishop. Children's Service, 3 p.m., address by the Archdeacon . MORNING SERVICE.

The service at 11 o'clock was Mcrbecke's Communion Service, arranged by Stainer, and was sung by the choir with very pleasing effect. Bishop Neligan was celebrant, and was assisted 1 by the Venerable Archdeacon Cola, and Revs. F. G.Evan* and G. T. B. Kyngdon. Special hymns were used and there wuh a large number of communicant*. His Lordship took for his text St. Raul IV., 4 and !>—" But whom the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, inade of a womun,smade under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that rve might receive the adoption * of sons."

The Church's teaching for to-day, the second Sunday in Advent, said the Bishop, was very clear as to the authenticity of the Scriptures, and that they contained all that was necessary for faitl). Wo wore reminded to-day that it was from Holy Scripture that we obtained our knowledge of the incarnation. Though wa lived now in the days of criticism and undogwatic idejts—and it wm* said that men passed out of or beyond the Scriptures and required a non-credal religion—yet Scripture was committed to the fact that He who came in great humility, bciag made of woman and under the Lord, shall come again. Men might decry, tho Second Advent ; but those who had deeply studied the Scriptures were sure of it. Those nit®, however, who " fixed the date " of this second coming were guilty of a second blasphemy, fpr it was written, " Of the hour or manner of My coming noman shall know." A non-crwial religion was an impossibility. We could not remove by criticism the factfi of the , virgin l > rth and the seccmd advent. A dogma was a sect of a society stated in puch a manner as to be easily understood by members, and the speaker revived the condition of the society of tho Gal-, atians as seen by St. l'aul. Ho also quoted the words of a celebrated divine, who had said that perhaps nothing had done more to preserve tthe Church of England from the errors common among other churcliea of the Reformation ; its only fault was the Nicev« Creed. The reverend speaker pointed out that the Church of England was not a product ot tlho Reformation ; that it was the ancient ' British Church. Speaking ot „ the Old Testament the Bishop sairf it told men ho'.v to prepare for tha Second Advent. the history of the Church was viewed it was seen to bo the history of the lives of great men—soldiers, statesmen, poets and orators. The same applied to nations—Gretfk, Latin and Hebrew. Jerasulem itself at the time of tho Crucifixion was typical of the fact that "the time was come." Not only was St. ,I'auKs statement provod historically : it was also proved' spiritually, by tho very fact that th'ey were met together in the Churab that day.- There was, too, an individual application. In e\ery )if« there was a fullness of time—God'fl time for tho foul. Men made many mistakes, and God had sent His Hon to point tho way out of error. This might bo effected by tho agency of senile great sorrow—the sudden bringing of a person face to face with God, oH the weary hours of sickness. It might be—grant it might often—at the time of Confirmation. But until a man became consciously. Christian his Christianity was notmuch. A simple code of morals or a series of excellent ethte could not exert any great power on his lifeThe purpose of the incarnation wa» to redeem (literttfly to"|bring back"£ or get us free from our bun ten oi sill. This was a memorable occasion. On Dec. 3, 18Q3, to be exact, the Rev. William Holland," young, slight, and fragile, wais appointed priest of t!he parish of St. Mary's. The early historian had contrasted this priest's appearance v ith t'he study of that great Empire-buil-der, George Augustus Selwyn, who 'tvus his Bishop. On Lady • Day, 18-15, tho foundation stone of St. Mary's Church was laid, ana oil St Michaelmas Day, 1846, it was Opened for sprvice. Less than a year afterwards Mr Bolland was curried to a spot just outside the church that he had loved so well and freiu which God had taken him at the early age of 27 years. The l'ulncM of his time had come. Continuing, Dr. Neligan recounted how peopfa had questioned if it was a Cdtholie priost which prompted Bishop fttlwyn to refuse to allow a Wosloyott missioner to hold service In the church. Some among those present, if they would carry their minds back, could remember no doubt that tho Bishop had been publicly hooted in the streets of New Pfytnouth. Hte answer was to be seen in Ah# life of the lute Henry Govett, a life that had been devoted to the church. In holding out t>h*t none byt a priest of tho church officiate His.hop Selw.vn had done'a great service. Tlie whole of Taranaki cared for St. Mary's, which had during all these years been able to preserve its faith intact. He referred to the silent congregation outside the church walls, joining with those inside in pnuifio of God for that faith. •' They have gone ; we are here," pursued the preacher, " and what for ?" To assert clearly that all that had passed in Taranaki was only in tho working out of God's way, and to assert the people's priviliges and claim the right to fol» low in the footsteps of the Ilev. Bolland and hand down to posterity ail' untarnished memorial. Tho history of New l'lymouth was the history of St. Mary's, and it was writ large on the stones of the church.

The Bishop concluded with an eloquent appeal on Itohalf of the funds being raised to found a memorial t* the late Archdeacon CJovctt and Rev. Hy. llrown. The afternoon service for men only was very largely nttekded, anil in the evening: the churoh was packed. Largv numbers of people could not tjain admission ut t-he latter service. llishop Neligan's powerful addresses were listened to with rapt attention, but a fuller report is unavoidably crowded out tdis morning. TROUBLED WITH SCIATICA. Let Rheumo cure you ! It has cured others. The positive assurance or James A. Capper, Lyell Bay, should convince you. Mr Capper, writing on Feb. 1, says I was much troubled with sciatica pains, and at times I could get no sleep. Following the advice of a friend 1 tried a bottle of Rlieumo, and that bottle drove away the sciatica pains. That has begn three month!: ago,and they have not returned since. If they do, Rheumo is tlio niedicii.e 1 shall go for." Mr Copper's confluence comes from experience. Sold by chemists and stores at 2s 6d anil 4s (,d per bottle.—-Vdyt.

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