A NOTABLE SERMON.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81890, 11 December 1906, Page 2

A NOTABLE SERMON.

To the Editor. Sii, May I allowed, aa a stranger to congratulate you and your leaders on the presence of at least one minister in Now Plymouth who leally preaches pure, old-fashioned Chnstu.rt.tyt )„ the*, days, when we "loot 011 all sides, the curious mixture of Mauiichausisni, .Ualiomedauism and C liristianity. which is now (lie v, anil which, under ihe name of l-elisiion

hns had SO important an elicct on legislation mid public opinion, it is refreshing to hear a sermon like that preached by the Jlev. Mr. Brooke yesterday morning on the subject' of temptation." The service opened by singing two or three hymns, in winch the fact of the existence of temptation as a necessary factor -in building up a true character was recognised. With a courage that took me by surprise, the preacher read as his first lesson that portion of the second chapter of Joel which contains those two promises, "Behold, 1 will send you corn and wine and oil., and

ye shall be satisfied therewith/' and also "Tiie floors shall be full of wheat and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil . . . and ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your Cod." Now, when we remember two facts, (1) that the word "eat" in the Bible usually covers both eating and drinking, anil (2) that it is impossible to have other than fermented wine in a vat, tiie leading of this lesson struck nie as being intended as a source of thought for any teetotallers who might "be

present. One was more, coniinned in this feeling when the second lesson was read from the Epistle 0 f St. James, in which wc are assured that Uod docs not tempt 113 to sin, and where tho though!/ which is "so frequently given uM eraneo to by extremists, that by giving us wino and strong dunk, thy G'reat Architect of the Universe has actually placed temptation in tho way of the weaker one, is plainly refuted, while we are also assured that "Fvery good gift and every : peifect gift is from above, and eometh down from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning"; a passage which assures us that when, by the mouth of UoseU', Ho states that wine, to be of His good gifts, it still pnittiiiuea to be so in oijr day. The discourse which followed those hvnins and portions of Scripture was of the character to be expected from such an introduction. The text was from Our Lord's Prayer: "Lead us not into temptation, but de-

liver lis from evil," the preacher, unfortunately, using the less clear and somewhat inept New Version, which here, as in several other instances, is so very inferior to the Authorised Yersion. But this was the only exception which could be taken to his discourse, which utterly cut the ground from under the feet of the modern religionist, wlu» holds that it is our duty to remove temptation from our own paths and that of our fellow-men. instead of learning to resist it by Divine aid, constantly asked for and obtained, and so to teach others, God, he assured us, is always directing and controlling, and that by putting ourselves in the Divine hand, and work-

ing in harmony with the Divine will, | we may be assured of the necessary aid in time of temptation. The heresy, or at least lack of faith, which asserts that it is necessary to buttress Christianity with the Mahomedan doc trine of total abstinence, was uot hinted at, other than by the spectacle | of its usele«su(;sa in a scheme already | complete. ' After illustrations given of I

some of tho variolic ways in which we I lead ourselves into temptation, the speaker went on to ask the very im--1 portant and comprehensive (juestion, 'What ■would life be without temptation'r' 1 lie showed how necessary were temptations to the formation of a perfect character, pointing out

how Christ had subject tc them; but iicvt ihh-i' did he so muHi its iunl at the popular, though faila cious, doctrine which lies at the base of prohibition, Iluit it is a public <lut\ to endeavour In tlo —wlml tin- Ab mighly hii;-. not done—try to remove rciuplation. (Mi tilt; contrary, tin-

preacher assured us of (he fact, whic! every though! ful mind has by degrees to Hint the trulli of it! its own "Npep e:iee, lhal out of trusis ami i• nll. . lions come forth tiie periec; litV. The sermon tends to convince me that. a? Chri-tiau people, we are entirely on tiie wrong track when we int'/tsdur:enactments of a. prohibitory clara'der which arc plainly at variance with the Divine, and therefore the only trutmethod of improving society, it b the great importance of this question which causes me,! Sir, to ask you to insert this somewhat lengthy Ictler I am, et(V A VlSlTOlt. December 10, 1000.