WESLEYAN CHAPEL, EVANS' FLAT.

Tuapeka Times, Volume I, Issue 18, 13 June 1868, Page 3

WESLEYAN CHAPEL, EVANS' FLAT.

A Soiree was held in the above Chapel' on Monday evening last, to commemorate the erection of that much needed house of prayer for this populous and still increasing district. The weather being all that could have been expected for this Beason of the year, drew a large number of people together. We noticed many kind sympathisers from Blue Spur and Lawrence. Our Lawrence friends, we ar sure, will not be offended with us for putting the Blue Spur before their incorporated city, as we understand it is the parent Church of Methodism in the district. Two tables were arranged the entire length of the Chapel, each of these being divided. There wei-e four tables ; that on the right was presided over by Mrs. M'Millan, assisted by Miss M'Millan ; the second table on this side byMiss Evam, assisted by Miss Gilfillan. On the left table there were Mrs. Drap- : per, assisted by Miss Mann, and Mrs. Brook, assisted by Miss M'Nicholl. It is but right to observe that the tea was j excellent, and the eatables good and j abundant ; and walking a good distance, i as some of us had to 6o (amid the usual difficulties in locomotion), ample justice was done to the good things provided. About 120 sat down to tea, in two divisions, and even then the fragments taken up were something considerable. After tea, a hymn was given out, which the Choir sang (we think in Welsh). We should have preferred an English expression on such an occasion ; nevertheless, the singing was very good, with this exception. But it is only the day of small things with them ; and let us hope that an effort will be made to give the music in English by-and-bye. The Rev. Mr. M'Nicoll offered up a prayer. It was then proposed that Mr. Robert R. Clarke, of the Blue Spur, should take the chair. Mr. Clarke said that he would make no apology, as apoligiea were now knocked on the head. He begged to congratulate his friends at Evans' Flat on their exertions in providing such accommodation for the worship of God ; and was highly delighted at seeing so many at their meeting, and the excellent arrangements entered into for their entertainment. It behoved every Christian man to exert himself for the spread of the Gospel. People would not go far for the Gospel ; and they were bound (knowing its value) to bring the Gospel home to every man's door. This the friends at Evans' Flat had done : they had done what they could to supply a mucb, felt want for that locality. The Gospel must be promoted by a missionary spirit and zeal to a greater degree than they had hitherto witnessed it before it would attain to its full development. Kings had not yet become nursing fathers, nor queens nursing mothers ; the tribute of princes had not been yet lain at the feet of Jesus, nor the abundance of the sea had not yet been converted unto him. Then labor so as to receive the prize ; run so as to obtain the crown. The Secretary, Mr. Roberts, read the financial report, which may be summed up thus : — Cost of building, L6B 13s. Yd. Subscriptions and collections^ L 56 65.; balance due, Ll2 7s. 7d. The Chairman called upon Mr. Manuel, of the Blue Spur, one of the oldest and most sincere friends of the cause, to address the meeting, who, after an effort, got on his perpendiculars, and he said, he was highly gratified to see such a meeting in that little Chapel that evening ; and he had very much admired the Chairman's remarks, that every one should do something ; and that he considered, seeing that there was such an array of speakers, that his duty would be to sit down, which he begged to do. The Chairman said that he had great pleasure in calling upon another friend, one who had often assisted them. This' gentleman was Mr. M'Lelland [This being the case, it caused a hitch in the arrangements which we did not antici* pate, and we were precluded the pleasure of taking notes during Mr. M'Lellaud's address. We are glad, however, that we can take a little liberty with this gentleman, in passing him over on the present occasion/] "The Chairman had great pleasure in calling upon his friend and brother Mr. Henry Bloxham, who commenced his address by saying that, at their last tea meeting at the Spur, one of the speakers had said that he disliked apologies, and would rather that a man got up at once, say what he had to say, and Bit down, Nothing had been said as yet in reference to the ladies, and the " spread " which they had laid before those present ; but he (Mr. Bloxham) would not shrink from that important duty, for he was free to

confess to being a "lady's man." He considered that they were deserving of all praise. He suggested that bachelors should pay double fare ; but again thought that they were objects to be pitied. As ladies were so very scarce, he believed that in many instances bachelors were not so from choice. However, they must not forget the one thing needful, and that they all should do something to help on the good work, recollecting that by doing good they were getting good ; and illustrated his idea by giving an account of a traveller in a snow storm, who had nearly succumbed to the fatal influence of sleep, but made a desperate effort to continue his journey, and in the effort found a fellow-traveller, who had fallen into this fatal sleep, and whom he aroused by rubbing into life, the exercise of which also preserved life in him. The traveller in the desert, too, could always tell when nearing water. A ministerial friend of his was lately travelling in Africa, when his attention was directed to a few trees in the distance, and the presence of a large flock of birds, one of which appeared to be drawn down to the earth, and which was making an ineffectual effort to avoid coming down. The traveller at last found, upon a close examination into the circumstances, that an adder was attracting the bird to him with his charmed eye. The traveller no sooner perceived this than he despatched the enemy, an act which commended itself to all the birds, who flew around the traveller, pouring forth a volume of song such as he had never heard before. And what should they say of the joy in Heaven over souls rescued from the power of the Old Serpent, Christ's enemy and ours. Christians, labor and pray that Satan's Kingdom may be destroyed. Mr. Samuel Whiteside, one of the gentlemen who had taken such an active part in the erection of this place of worship, gave an able address on the rise and progress of the work ; the difficulties which were in the way, and which he had the happiuess of seeing vanish one by one, until their work had been accomplished. When Mr. Oliver (now ot Port Chalmers) came there, he wanted a place to hold service in ; Mr. Brooks very generously placed his house at his service ; hence the beginning of the Wesleyan Church in Evans' Flat. They were much indebted to tho brethren of the Blue Spur, Messrs. Clark, Bloxham, and Tucker, for so ably and regularly occupying the pulpit, and affording them at least one service every Sabbath. He had also had the pleasing duty of publicly acknowledging the handsome gift of a pulpit bible from Mr. Hopkins. The Chapel was open one evening in the week for prayer, and another night for a bible class ; there was also a Sabbath School. He closed his address by an earnest appeal to his hearers to give themselves unreservedly to God and his work. The Chairman next called upon Mr. A. B. Matthews, a gentleman whom, if he was not already known to them, they would be better acquainted with before he sat down. Mr. Matthews said, as apologies were out of date, he would make none. It was a difficult thing, however, to make a speech at a tea meeting to suit all parties. It must not be too long, nor too short ; then it must not be too dry, for no one cared for a dry speech at a tea meeting. Then it should have a dash of humor in it. They all liked a little fun sometimes ; and many went to tea meetings to get it, and came aAvay with something better. They should, however, at all times, and all occasions, avoid foolish jesting. By these remarks, he hoped they would understand that he was not giving a receipt for a general tea meeting speech ; but being very kindly asked by their Committee to say something, he most gladly complied, and would do his best. A friend of his the other day, who knew he had a warm side to Wesleyanism, said to him, " Now, I say, mate, you will never stop going to those meetings till they make a Wesleyan of you, all out ; " for he had some faint idea that he (Mr. Matthews) was booked for the Wesleyan station. The same friend said to him that he was afraid of his wife also going in the same direction, for' he heard of nothing but Wesleyanism from morning till night. Revivals, prayer meetings, &c, greeted him wherever he went; their prayers wera preferable to read ones, or any other, and their sermons, they had so much of the gospel in them ; and well he might Be afraid as regarded him (Mr. Matthews), for he had got a Wesleyan wife, and a Wesleyan baby, than whom there was not a finer in the district ; so they could see he had got something to begin with ; and moreover he could not find anything reprehensive in Wesleyanism, or Wesleyan people either. He liked their preaching; he liked the shake ef a Wesleyan hand ; there was a good grip there ; and lastly, he liked their tea meetings, where the ladies presided. He had heard of a Wesleyan horse bolting with a Presbyterian minister ; but he did not think that society intended bolting with any body, but merely to endeavor to save their souls. He-was rocked in a Presbyterian cradle, had boarded and lodged with the Independents; but he had fonndjnonemore warm-hearted than the We3leyans. He had seen in them much to love and much to admire ; and he could not do better than to advise them to go with them, for they would do them good, for the Lord is working for them to his glory. But a speech at a tea meeting, in his opinion, was not what it ought to be unless seasoned with religion — he meant the religion of Jesus. Let them drink deeply from the wells of salvation, and obtain copious draughts from His Holy Spirit ; let the gentle stream of Hii teaching flow through their daily life, permeating all their words and actions. He was reading the other day of two very Opposite characters' ; the subject was from the " British Workman," and was called " The Oiled Feather." One of the parties used oil abundantly, and everything ran smoothly with him ; the other did not use it, and everything went wrong! The moral of this was, that Christians should exhibit the gentle and loving character of Christ ; and by using gentle words, and by showing a loving deportment, they would soon win. a world to the Saviour. The Chairman said he had now great pleasure in calling upon anj esteemed friend and minister, the Rev: Dr. Copland. Dr. Copland said, he owed seme apology for being so long behind time ; but

in coming down from the Blue Spur he had mistaken the road, and had to retrace his steps some considerable distance. He was glad to be in time, however, to hear some of the excellent remarks of the last speaker. He had intended to speak of the book of books, and prepared accordingly ; but the evening was too far advanced to admit of that being done. He was glad, however, to bear testimony to the zeal of the friends in that neighborhood, in erecting a house for the worship of God. Those houses suggested a monument to God's glory. Mr. Matthews' "oil" was very suggestive, and it would be well to keep always a little on hand. He hoped that their religion would be something more than the mere erection of a building ; that there would be no worsMp unless the heart was engaged. The condition of the heathen, living without the knowledge of God, was preferable altogether to the man in our day who, having the opportunity of attending Divine ordinances, and receiving the Gospel into his heart, despised it and treated it as of no moment. Let them see that they not only erect monuments to His glory in the far off land, but that they give their hearts to Him and to His work. The Rev. Mr.'M'Nicoll was very glad apoligies were going out of date. He thought they had not only good wine at the beginning, but all through ; that the speeches, he thought, were rather above the average. He had attended meetings in Christchurch and other places, but from his experience the addresses of that evening were certainly not excelled. He could pick out from any of the addresses many ideas which would dovetail with the remarks which he might make ; but as the evening was so far advanced, it would be unwise to begin a speech. A few remarks, he thought, would not be out of place. In regard to the building in which they were assembled, it wanted lining ; and the ground might be formed iuto a neat garden. He considered it right to beautify the house of God. We should take a just pride in those things. Even a stone from the quarry wanied squaring and putting into shap3. So Christians were compared to stones. They may see a brother who was a little rough in the corner, although in every other respects unobjectionable; he wanted a little polish. They had another brother who was not altogether smooth ; use a little oil to him, as they had heard tonight. The Christian, too, was compared to a star. Now, there were very few star 3 of the first magnitude, while even up to the sixth magnitude there were not a great number, and a vast number could not be seen at all without the aid of a teliscope. Now, he did not see why they should not all be stass of the first magnitude. The man's or woman's Christianity was very doubtful if they had to make a teliscopic observation to fiud it. Every Christian should have his lamp ready trimmed, and his light burning. During the evening, several hymns were sung by the choir. Votes of thanks were given to the ladies, proposed by Mr. R. Olivey, seconded by Mr. S. Urin, to Dr. Copland, and the Chairman. Just a word about this gentleman, who makea aii excellent chairman. He got through his part of the work with well accorded honor ; and he has the happy knack of j bringing the speakers to an vwiderstanding. |