LAWRENCE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ANNIVERSARY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 337, 11 March 1874, Page 2

LAWRENCE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ANNIVERSARY.

The anniversary of the above church was celebrated by a Soiree held in the church on Wednesday evening last. There was a very good attendance, and the tea arrangements were well managed. After the tables were cleared and the company had resumed their seats, tl:e Key. Mr Cameron, Pastor of the congregation, called upon the Eev. Mr. Menzies who opened the proceedings of the .evening with prayer. The Chairman in a few introductory remarks regretted the absence of strangers on the platform. He had no doubt, however, they would have plenty of speaking and good speaking too, still it was desirous to see strangers present on these occasions — a strange face and atrange voice added interest to the meeting. He had written and re-written to Dr. Stuart of Dunedin, but had been unsuccessful in prevailing upon Mm to come. Everybody,heremarked,seemedto be engaged.

He had received a telegram that day, which cheered him considerably amid his unsuccessful efforts, intimating that the Rev. Mr. Skinner had accepted the call to the Waitahuna congregation. If their church had now a pastor placed at Alexandra they would havoan uninterrupted line from Queenstown to Dunedin, for he believed the Rev. Mr. Her-ry was going to accept a call to Waihola. He would now call upon Mr. Stenhouse to read the report.

Mr. Stenhouse expressed the pleasure he experienced in again seeing bo many happy looking faces at their annual gathering. In reference to the work of the year he read a statement of the income and expenditure of which we here give a summary : — To balance 1872 £42 0 9d ; Seat rents £37 16s 6d ; Sustentation fund £155 7s 3d ; Missions £39 12a 9d ; Church Extention £2 12s 6d j Minister's passage £3 ; Soiree £18 3s ; Collections £147 7s 3d ; Temporary Loans' £33 ss; Balance £11 7s ; £479 16s 7d. By salaries £275 ; Loans £103 6s ; Soiree £14 16s 9d ; Missions £39 13s 9d; Incidental expenses £47 Is Id ; £479 16s 7d. Mr. Stenhouse remarked that the collecting of the Sustentation fund had been well managed during the year. The Committee issued a circular calling' upon members of the congregation to add to their subscriptions and give according as they had been prospered. This call was willingly resT>oTiaed*to. Waitahuna had been formed into a separate charge, so that now the onus of carrying on the church rested with Lawrence and the Blue Spur. With reference fco the Sabbath School he might mention that it was attended by between 60 and 70 children, with I 7 or 8 teachers. The difficulty of obtaining teachers had been overcome by drafting off the older and more advanced scholars, which plan had suited very well. There was also a Sunday ScKoolin connection with the Blue Spur congregation attended by upwards of 20 children. The picnic of the United Sunday Schools held on Monday last, when upwards of 400 children were present was a great success, and showed a vast change in the state of things which existed eight or nine years ago when there were only about 40 children in the district. In the day-school he could only number 20 when he came to it, and now there were 200.

The Chairman considered tbe report a very favorable one, but said they must not rest satisfied with it, but go onward. He would n ow call upon The Rev. Mr. Beck, who said he was glad to see so many young men prcseat that evening, ana lie vro«JJ take the opportunity of addressing a few words about Christ to them. The question was often asked by young men, What profit is there in religion ? What can be gained by it ? seeing that we can have health, vigor, and robustness of body, vroalt.h, knowledge, and pleasure without religion ; of what avail was its attainment ? He had no doubt they could gain much without religion, but for all that it was the one thing needed. One of the greatest teachers had Baid that Godliness was profitable for this life as well as for that which is to come. Everything showed that all the external trappings, all the armorial bearings and chic honors of this world could not satisfy the mind of man, and could no more beautify his character than a pot of paint could beautify the rainbow. To one who came after Him, who was possessed of great wealth, Christ said, " One thing thou lackest." Some young men said religion would hinder them from enjoying themselves : that it would snap their com^ panionship. True ; it might to some extent interfere with a man's commercial prosperity; but then as the late Mr.Robei-ston.of Brighton, had pertinently put it, he would ask "Brother, do you think that Go.l is going to reward highinindc.tness with this world's coin? " How has that man secured his harvest?

Probably by sacrificing every good principle. How has that man attained his wealth? Probably by a life of falsebool. If they sow that man's seed, they will reap his harvest ; if they adopt the false stratagies of the other, they may attaid to wealth ; — but let it be remembered that God took care of man's conscience rather than his purse. Religion may hinder a man from receiving the approbation of his fellows, but it will always secure the "Well done good and faithful servant." The speaker then showed how all the attempts made by learned writers, such as Strauss and Renan, to weaken or demolish the Chiristian religion had completely failed ; and said that no fear heed be entertained from a whole army of such men. No system had .been so successful as Christianity, and the influence of its founder was still moving on. Apart from the religion of Christ, there was no ground left to rest upon. The Chairman then called upon

Mr. M'Lelland, who referred to the excellent report which had been laid before them by Mr. Stenhouse. He was sorry to say that they had lost ground at the Spur, as BOine of their best men had left, and there were no others to take their place. Mr. M'Lelland then addressed the meeting on the furore of the present day for amusements — amusements too which were neither healthy nor economical. Young men ami young women would go to the theatre and pay four shillings for a front seat, and the most they could fiad to give of a Sunday, for the support of religious ordinances, was a paltry sixpence. He traced the origin of all this to the manner in which parents indulged their children by giving them whatever they asked for, thus creating in them an unhealthy appetite. Mr. Paul Ah Chin was next called upon. He gave a brief history of his Chinese, Melbourne, and New Zealand experiences, relating how he was brought to believe in the Christian religion. ' When he first attended church, he thought that all who went there were Christians; but now he found there was only about one-half of them who were real Christians. He then referred to the great difficulty he had in his work amongst his own countrymen. Chinamen, he said, in this country thought of nothing else than making money and returning home. He had attended the large gathering of children from the various Sunday Schools, and was very much What he wanted to see was a similar union of men all having their faith built upon the true foundation, viz., Jesus Christ.

The Chairman said they had the result of Paul's labors in their midst. Eleven of his countrymen had been brought under the influence of the truth, and had made open confession of their faith in Christ. They came to this country to get gold, and had found the pearl of great price. The Chairman impressed upon the audience the responsibility^' that rested upon the Christian community with regard to their Chinese friends. The Rev. Mr. Menzies then addressed the meeting. He selected for his remarks the subjects which have been creating a deal of discussion in the Dunedin press, viz., the Christian Ministers of Obago, and the charge of immorality against the district schools. The "Orago Daily Times" especially had been very severe in its treatment of these two subjects. According to the " Times " the Christian Ministers of Otago were altogether a lame set. and were paid as well as they deserved. The First Church had commissioned some one in the home country to send out a minister at a salary of £1000 a year. The "Daily Times" thought this amount far under the mark. In order to in-truct the wise merchahts and lawyers of Dunedin, so thinks the " Times," thrice that amount, should be offered. He, the speaker, demurred entirely to that standard of judging the Christian Ministry. If it came to judging the Christian Ministry in that manner, then Jesus Christ was put out, and the apostles were put out. According to this standard it would be impossible to believe that if truth was worth holding it was worth suffering for —for according to the doctrine of the Daily Times, unless it is well paid it is not truth.

According to this doctrine some of the grand* est scenes of self-sacrifice in the history of the church were in vain, and those who rather ohose voluntary beggary than sacrifice their principles had made a grand mistake. The speaker here instanced several of the secessions from the churches on matters of conscience, especially instancing ' the , secession 6f 400 Bunisters from the Church -of Scotland, and \Lord ..JefferyV exclamation " I am now proud of mycountry " on "witnessing the- 6ight. The Ministers of Otago were told they were not fit to become the teachers of the age, as the age had got ahead of them. Well, what did they find to be the characteristics of the age. So far as he could Bee, he found the men who so prated gave themselves up to a kind of intoxication, which he considered equal to, if not worse, than the greatest inebriation from strong drink. Men who had received that amount of knowledge which was dangerous to them. The speaker then referred to the theories advanced by certain scientific meo, and showed how one man. of science contradicted another. He instanced the case of Darwin's theory of development, and remarked that Agassiz had shown that the theory was founded purely ottrassertion* Pacts upon which, to establish thbitheory, were not forthcoming. It would * be impossible, he- continued, to attempt to lead men vrho take up such ground as these theorists da Again, the same held true with regard to spiritualism. That subject had come before him off and on for the last thirty years j and he. had found that whatever the foregone conclunion of the spiritualist was, he got a similar or confirmatory answer from the spirits, but he nevec got a fresh thought. Christian ministers could not be expected to take the lead of such men. Thus it was that Christian ministers hold it to be their duty to stand firm by the old land marks, an& follow no cunningly devised fables^ He, however, considered it the- duty of all Christians to deal tenderly with honest doubt. It was no easy thing for some men to- grapple with the great truths of eternity. It was also their duty to deal wisely with depraved, doubt wherever they found it. The great matter for all was to be imbued with a proper spirit. The rev. gentleman then spoke at some length on the second branch of thesubject, viz., the charge of immorality agauiat the public schools, but our space forbids v* further extending his remarks. The Chairman then called upon Mr. Drake, of Cromwell, who had just arrived, to address the meeting. The Rev. Mr. Drake said, owing to the long and tiresome journey he had undergone, he was entirely disqualified to make a speech. Hebelieved strongly in these gatherings where Christians met together to eat and drink. When two tribes met together in a friendly manner, they celebrated their meeting by eating ana drinking ; and when a man. met afriend he had not seen for years, the first thing he did was to ask him to eat and drink. The deepest mystery of their religion vrivs sealed by the act of eating and drinking. He thanked the Christian friends present for the kind greeting they had given him, and hoped, on his return from Dunedin, he would have the opportunity of preaching to them in their-nicely-varnished Church. A vote of thanks to the speakers wa* moved by Mr. Stenhouse ; and a similar vote to the ladies was proposed by Mr. M'Lelland. The Chairman said the thanks of the congregation was also due to Mr. Stenhouse and other* for the music provided. Psalms and hymns were sung at interval* by the choir, 1ea.,1 by Mr. Stenhouse. The Eev. Mr. Drake then pronounced the benediction, when the meeting dispersed.