ANGLICAN MISSION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1513, 1 June 1886, Page 2

ANGLICAN MISSION.

GERALDINE.

This misiion has been continued during the past week. On Saturday the service at 3 30 was specially for young people and children, and, notwithstanding the afternoon proved wet, there was a large attendance. Oo Sunday the services were commenced at 7.30 a.m. At the morning service at 11 the rev. gentleman took for his text the words “ Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full "—John xvi., 24. The rev. gentleman pointed out that that day was Rogation Sunday, and the following Thursday Ascension Day, and that for ages and ages of the Church’s history the three intervening days had been set apart for special prayer, asking God to bless the harvest and fraits of the earth. It was not theories with regard to facts, but the actual facts themselve*, that men were called upon to believe. No doubt many things in the Christian religion were hard to understand, but the Church asked men to believe them, but not the theories that were invented with regard to them. It was the theories that men tried to fo*ce upon their fellowmen that made so many agnostics and atheists at the present day. Many of these theories were so narrow and bigoted, so contrary to the ideal of truth, that men were in many instances right in rejecting them. The Apostles' Creed, he saii, was what the Church called upon men to believe. The Church did not ask a man to say he believed in the Bible, but asked him to believe in God, and, although they treasured the Bible, because without it the world would'neyer have known that God is Lave, yet they did not pin their faith to the Bible, but to God—-not to the Book, bnt to God. He spoke of the great importance the fact of Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension was to the worid, and compared the sacrifice offered bv the High Priest of the Jews and the Atonement which Christ had made in Himself; reviewed the evidences of His Resurrection and Ascension, the proofs of which were undeniable. On Sunday evening the church was crowded in every part, extra seats being placed along the aisle, and many having to stand during the service. The rev. missioner took for his text the words : “ To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams ” —I. Sam., xv., 22. He preached an excellent and impressive sermon, which was listened to with great attention by all. At its conclusion be asked those who could make it convenient to remain, and, descending to the aisle of the church, he addressed those who bad remained on the subject of Salvation, pointing out tha grounds upon which a man was entitled to say he was a saved man, and strongly objecting to the manner in which many persons put the question “ Are you saved ?” doing it in such a manner as to take them quite unawares, and the person questioned not perhaps quite understanding what was meant, and, not being able to give an answer in accord with the ideas of his interlocutor, was often made miserable about himself. He pointed out what was meant by being saved, and the grounds upon which a man could say he was saved. It was announced that next Thursday, being Ascension Day, service would be conducted at that church; also that the service on Tuesday evening, when the mission closes, would be a thanksgiving service. The collections on Sunday and to-day will be devoted to the local and general! expenses of the mission. TEMUKA. The mission was continued on Saturday, when services were held at 7.30 a.m., 10 a.m,, 3 p.m., and 7.30 p.m., there being a good attendance at each. On Saturday evening the rev. missioner delivered a very telling address from the words “Righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” He gave a very graphic description of the process of manufacturing paper from filthy rags, and showed bow the paper produced from these filthy rags was used in the Clarendon printing establishment at Oxford iu the production of the Bible. In applying this parable, he pointed out that (he printers could not print on the filthy rags, but could on the paper produced from them. So persons living in sin were as filthy rags until cleansed by God’s grace, and the Truth preached to them could make no impression upon them unless their hearts were prepared to receive it. On Sunday services were held at the usual hours. At 11 a.m. the Rev. Mr Bodingten preached on Prayer, and at 3 p.m. he catechised the Sunday School children and delivered an address to them. He aaid ho was extremely pleased with the school, and slated that it was the best he had examined in New Zealand. This no no doubt it due to the system of standards instituted by the Rev. T. A. Hamilton. In evening the church was so crowded that many had to go away through inability to obtain adm'ssbn. The rev. missioner again preached an admirable semen, his text being Romani,

xii., 1. Services were held yecterday and were well attended. At the evening service the church was full, not a seat being vacant, and a most eloquent address was delivered by the rev. missioner on the words “ Sender unto Csesar the things that are o»sar\” etc. Services will be held to-day, and to-morrow the mission will come to a close. On Thunday evening, at 7 o’clock, the rev. missioner will preach in Bt. John the Evangelist’s Winchester.