St. Mary's Church.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue XXXXV, 9 December 1903, Page 4

St. Mary's Church.

On Sunday afternoon His Lordship Dr. Neligan addressed a very large congregation oi men at St. Mary's. The sermon was preceded by a short but impressive service conducted by the Kev. A. F. Smith, l>r. Neligaii reading the lesson, from St. Luke xxiii., dealing with the Passion. 'lire wJdiess was based upon the lesson, in which, tine Bishop said, were embodied all the salient features of the Passion, i.. it were displavcJ all the best amJ i. ■.' worst features of human nature. ;:i this l'assion were shown all the sins which men could commit and still retain a resi>ectable and apparently christian character. There were three mvn who stood out beyond the rest. These were Cai.iph.as, a religious man who yielded to sell - (interest and expediency and crucified Christ. Herod was guided by utility and Pilate was controlled l>y '"oral cowardice. T-i.'-<e were three great men in then dav but behind them was a strong-er'power-that of public opinion a.n!.l in response they delivered up Jesus Public opinion was the powvc 'behind autocracy, oligarchy, awl democracy. It was public opinion that erucilied Christ, and to-day the same thing was true. The religion oi Christ was a practical religion. We lived in a democratic country, and it was said by some. "Vox populi est vox dei"-the voice of the iieopte is the voice of God. This ought to be "Vox populi, vox Veritas, vox dei"—the voice of the people ivastte voice of truth and the voice of God. The Vnglo-Saxon race was never so true as in the days of adversity. The speaker referred to the dark davs of the years 1899 and 1900. It "was in a time .such as this that the Anglo-Saxon generally showed 'himself to be most a man. He then got to the bottom of things, anid thought of the things that lealiy mattered. Every form of constituted authority, be it autocracy, oligarchv, or democracy, was supported by public opinion. At the time of the Crucifixion the country was in a state of national discontent. In this discontent there was also a religious element, the people trying to read Christ to suit their own desires Wherever religion tried to work witm politics failure was certain to follow. The moment a religliotis body touched politics it lost power because it was trying to establish a cause by methods that were not spiritual. God had said His word was not of the world. A man miHht join any society, as a citizen, but he was not at liberty to utilise Christianity in touting for votes at the hustings. 'Hie Bishop referred to the light value which he had been informed was placed upon the marriage ties in New Zealand, and to the ease with which divorce might be obtained—which was simply placing a premium on immorality. Some people sakl this was because we had too much religion ; but he said it was because of a departure from religion. If a religious party assisted in politics any way which helped the passing of laws rendering these finings possible (and the Bishop cpniWmned such laws in very strong terms) then it had contravened the principles of true religion. We could not stop gambling by means of the polling booth ; we must go back to tba Ten Commandments, and especially teach the tenth. He hoped he would never live to see tine day when a church should join the political "ins" or "outs." He urgod those lathers present to see to it that they taught their children aright ; if they taug'ht the Creed, tlie Lord's Prayer, ami the Ten CoiiuuandiuenUs, they haid enough to keep Uwui on the rig'nt road through life. His Lordship, continuing his address, said that he had talked to many people since coming to New Zealand, and had noticed a strange suspicion of motive among men. Every man seemed to suspect his neighbour of having an axe to grind. If that was the state of public opinion then it was a rotten state, and the sooner it was changed the better for politdds, whether colonial or municipal, throughout the land. It was a rotten public opinion that could not lead a man to trust his neighbour. It was this same public opinion taat put Christ to shame upon the Cross. When public opinion failed to drag an object down to its level it at once proceeded to iiidulge in persecution. Jesus Christ saw this coining, but he had only said, "Give unto Caesar what is his arid to God what is his." He had told them he was against the traditions of the people because ©hey were against God's will. Public opinion was thus disappointed, anid Jesus was 'brought out, bound, disgraced, an effete (political) failure. Pilate appealexi to public opinion and then followed tin result. This was true to-day as much as then. Dr. Neligan referred to the decadence of politics, national and municipal, "ansl deplored the fact that the better people refrained from participating in public affairs. Kei.'nement iit»d the hard woids of public life did not go together. But, said His Lordship, lire people themselves ar« responsible, and if they eliminate themselves from public affairs, then there will be lees chance of things becoming better. Politics, whethbr it be national, municipal, or road board, were left to the uminsU'UCted and ignorant. In the expression of public opinion, he continued, we were at our worsjt, because there was no sense of personal responsibility. On a road board, he believed, men collectively would do more unbusiness liku things in one hour than in sixty years of their own pripate ■bUKine».s transactions. Men together lost tlie wnst. of individual responsibility ; it was inevitable, and they required divine assistance. On the average, and he was prepai-ed to repeat this statement, the expression of public opinion was man at his worst. To avoid putting Christ to shame men must recognise their own personal responsibility, and help by trying to create such an atmosphere around them as truth, honour, and purity can more easily flourish in. Any true man couM gather others around him because lie was a true man, and in the sphere of his influence men found it easier to go to ebtirclv and say theft- prayers i)nd recognise the true code of morals. In the shadow of a charuclvr like this the green venture of a bettor life would flourish. It was the businest ai" all men to assist, aaid not leave church matters to the bishop and his priests. Iteligion included the clergy and laity. It was lou.ii'l that wlivuever a man stood nll for the right he was scouted. Thus it was with Christ on the Cross, and with Bishop Selwyn, who in the streets of New Plymouth was Itublicl.N hooted. Who was rigilit ? The bishop or the. luiin.striicled public opinion of his day ? Wo must always go !>uck to the standard of the living Christ—to that for which wi» thanked God to-day : the glorious heritage of an Kiupire and a Faith—and we should live in such a manner as to be worthy of it. In a grand peroration His Loi-A-ahip referred to the ux>rk of the late Hevs. Bolland, Brown, and Govett as empire-builders in a true sense of the woixl. Side by a|le they now lay, in the quite ehurohyard outside ■the walls of the fine building in which die people worsbipiKd to-daf ; •ide by side with soldiers officers and privates, known and unknown —ai?T we now had the privilege of banxKng down to posterity the story of God by sending out a* band of missioners to labour among the QeoI'le of the back blocks.

The service closed with the singfng of the. National Anthem!