MRS. HAMPSON'S MISSION.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIV, Issue 9662, 7 November 1882, Page 3

MRS. HAMPSON'S MISSION.

The usual daily services in connection with this' mission, "now" drawing to a _- dose,- were heldyesterday in the Princess - TKea^re'. , , The service was well attended,- and the, proceedings of the usual- character.' ... . • • , At the evening service there was a very large gathering, the chair being taken' by^r Or. Carson as usual. On the"satform' were the Rev. W.J. WillialnaanaHhe.Rev.': J. Treadwelli, Pro-ceedirigs^comme'nced-with ,'' Come thou fount" of ; eVery;' blessing." Prayer was then.offered Eev. Mr Treadwell, which was followed by the hymn, " I've found the pearl of greatest price," ■ Mrs Hampson then read, from the Ist Epistle General of St. , John. The hymn, " Simply; trusting every day," was sung, after ; Twhich . Mrs Hampson offered prayer.' ••'■:■■'.'■ Mrs Hampson then delivered an address from the/text, " As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so vujc; ye i in, him." . Christ belonged to them,, apd; that implied the precious love an'd.'pijwer'put into their possession, and wHat Gpd had expected of those who Lad-received thetruth. Paul accounted alLhls:, high, knowledge' naught for the knowledge (qi Christ Jesus, and gloried^ not j ■ save in his 'cross. .' How- wise would the: saved ones get just. in proportion as they put 'themselvesunder the power and teaching- ■of Jesus,' that- name, which' W charmed away fearj' and. 'drew' them < neaSjeVtb God;'bridging the gulf .and re moym'gjthe^distance..' Iri the hour, of diStreps' the 'name -Eelped'the afflicted ones I;'o ; be'ar' ! iheir-,lot, and to illustrate this,jsne..gfap'Mcally related incidents of a storm ) at/ sea^ .and.'a colliery explosion In the- latter, case a '- ■ po!brj" njan,.:.whose; injuries- r were.-. such .- that he djd.no t know his wife or children, was j roused into : consciousness by the name :of jesus repeated in his ear. That Jesusl was <, theirs if they< would accept him',; and' -recognise -that, as the Bible clearly:', taught,; : Christ was the- Lord, and that r at' his 'name "every knee should bow. The text told them that the full salvation of-. Jesus'' was theirs if, they ■ _ wOiilcF^eceiv'e ', it; 1 They, were not to merit' or. barter for it, but just to stretch ou't'th'eirhands for. it, as the, earth for the 1 precious rain and sunshine. This thbughtrwould'. lay. .them low, at the grVat ..Giver's feet— to' receive .without doing anything, to .obtain the salvation. • But, they.must.be aware of things which stood. in their Way. • There was the fatal gifti.of -popularity,! which lifted.m en up' asjina balloon,- and .caused them to for- - get that all were sinners, and that there was;; .ho room" ■ for- boasting or for, selifi 'Receiving involved, also, something substantial, and : not the grasping of a shadow/ 'Jesus' Christ was only a reality, to^tliose 'who had come one- by one and' sat at His feet. . The rest of the* world believed, in Him> but '>-*Saey^had pever grasped. him or realised that tliey .stood in need- of Him. . .Jesus ■ wa.slbe.qnly. reality of earth, or life— the only friend that had stood by her for 30 years. ' What else .was real— wealth, which would. -.take to itself wings and flyi;, hqme,H,which. might .be Bw.eptj away.;. ' Friends ".might idepart, sorrows might come like •' avalanches, but Jesusi-was' the same -yesterday, today, and for ever— in life and indeath-f---and this was the experience' of millions, ' whp.liad tried. Him. They should not treait him,, therefore, as a shadow, but' . hold him 'fast— not put Christ- away with the gilt-edged Bible, but remember that the.possession of Sim. was inalien-able,.-aid that nothing could separate ", them, from Him whom they had • obtained by- conversion. While Jesus. was theirs, they.L-ould never be poor, friendless, or go astray. Ho should be set everywhere before them,' and be the guide of their lives, for " a constantly used Christ would make them- as sound as a bell from head to foot; Following directions of the test they, must rest in Christ, with their heads touching the skies, and -letting everyone know it. Actions<Bpoke louder than words, and people who would not read their Bibles would watch the doings of the converts of the mission. empty talk,'lju : tUhe' / truth of Jesus must be reduced to blessed practice 'iri their Jives. They must walk in the light, "not hiding their, privileges . under a bushel, but 'wotfnng oiitalife of loye before all men. ThisJwalkingin Gsd touched them all, an4',wquld stamp ( the converts with' a loving and dutifnl disposition, for .when all was done- in Christ everything be-' came sanctified. There wns no reason for them to run out to meetings every day, but the saved would! prove that they were' so in. the performance of their doines'tic .duties, all of which they i would, feel- they were doing-, for ohrißt.! Every little homely duty they touched, .was .'sacred,., .and /a new. thing to them, because they did it for Christ. If domestic duties were done in' this way; no publican's, clubs\ or entertainments ■ could win ■ mistands from ; their firesides, '.yrquid', be heaven .and home. ' -Walking,- also,' meant progress, nlways on ,new ground,, and" this touched the older Christians, ; and' told them the awful tale that .their 1 experience, prayers, and.'feelings we'-e ■ those of 20 years ago,_an.d_'that. there was no reaching.out for new power and new life', for new views of CHrist and new duties to practise, so as to be higher in the Divine life, and more like Jesus.' .^'Wa^king', also, meant steadiness, how-' - eve* much' the Christian life might be a ba.ttlel ]' But the quiet . everyday plodding of religion was far harder than -• fighting, and unobtrusive Christianity could burn whenever coldness was opposed to it on every: side. Spasmodic Christianity was not the bulwark of the churches, but the pastors rejoiced over the steady-, Christian. By the help of Jesus they should not' have intermittent attacks, of religion, : galvanised 'from sleep 'by revivals, but a steady religion upon which tho church could reply, and the pastors lean; Jesus wanted them to walk on' and never stop', but continue to the end, not aiming all at once for. that which had taken, older Christians 20 years to accomplish". The steady walker, step by step, infallibly reached the - goal. They were not to think of the trials and temptations before them, but listen to the loving words, and take the guiding had of Jesus, till the last-night •would be reached and the last enemy overcome. .It would not be God's fault if they did not reach their destination,'s6 rif thfjy held fast to Jesus they would, as sure as they were there that night, one day sing hallelujahs within the pearly gates. Coming to the subject .of " Intemperance," Mrs Hampson referred to the many requests for prayer the had received on behalf of drunkards, many of them-being very painful cases, and stated tbat she would probably not find'a'single family represented in the congregation whose hopes had not been blighted by the terrible evil of in- - %' temperance.- What therefore could they do in the matter? She would Bay first to.the young converts that they " must sign the pledge, for one of the most fruitful causes of backsliding was •when the devil drew men into a publichouse. How many souls get down into tho gloom of unbelief and despair because they left the Lord Jesus at the door of the public-house. Let them therefore burn' the bridge, and put away the possibility of such a thing occurring. They should make up their minds to conquer or d,i e > aß(^ m the arms of apparent defeat they would rush into victory. They had no right to ask God to help them, while, iv this

matter they would not; help themselves. God said he would help them — and in salvation he did it all — but afterwards he : would only lift the weight they could not lift. While they were sober they were men, and could keep the first drop from' going down their mouthsi When .'they allowed that, ' God . turned and grieved, and they fell into the hands of the devil. If they drank what had ' cursed tens of thousands, and what they knew was becoming too sweet to them.'selves, they should put the temptation away, and' then no one but a coward would ask a tetotaller to drink. She would . ask the converts therefore to pledge themselves, not to take the drink — mothers, that their sons should have nc taste for it, and bring ruin upon themselves in after life ; wives, that their husbands might have no example to drink in their homes. She urged them to let their manhood take a higher stand, arid sign away for ever what could not bless their homes and their children, ' and might curse them ■forever. Referring to the practice of doctors recommending mothers to take stimulants, she saiditto thehononr of the profession that they advised the use of strong drink far less than they formerly' didj but the practice had led many women to become hopeless slaves to strongr drink.. . Speaking- as a mother, and a suffering one too; she could say .tbat there, was no neoessity whatever for 'such stimulerits. Alcohol took hold of the' earnest- men who liked to see everyone happy — those were the •' men whom it wrapped in' chains .and dragged down into outer darkness. They should remember the terrible' fact that 60,000 drunkards' graves were annually opened in "Great Britain, and 60,000 moderate' drinkers' stepped forward to take their': places. Her ;own. practice, (and in illustration of it she • fe- v lated several touching -passages in. her domestic life), was, that she would have died^a thousand deatbs rather than taste the fatal thing. Wives and mothers should avoid, it, and the result would be that the practice of drinking 'in homes^would ■ be done away, with, for it would never he brought orit". there. Teachers , also, should not drink,;- for their example might be death to: others ; and the breath "of the lips of a worker might create an appetite for drink in ottfers and curse, many souls by carrying poison ,to them. ; From every stand-, point in the Christian church, the right and best thing for all present was to sign the pledge card.; Why should not theChurch of Christ move in this matter, and by taking a high stand in it rescue many from' the > terrible evil. Even publicans had been found to recognise the fact, and had been anxious to close -their doors and obtain other porsuits. She urged all present to war against the evil, 1 and the Christian Church could close the public-houses better than even Sir Wilfrid LawFon's Local Option Bill. In thic , way, .by,. , Christians banding themselves together, ..everyone present could do iris part towards destroying the fatal thing. Mrs -.-.Hampson -then earnestly urged those present to sign the pledge cards, and to let their temperance be Gospel temperance, which .cared for God and for Christ. Let the converts form themselves into a Christian temperance organisation, and as' they had received -Jesus, so walk in him as to bless' the souls as well as the bodies of those they came;, into contact with. They would be a Christian temperance band,, call it by the name Blue Ribbon or whatever other badge they preferred to name it. With atf-appeal to the unconverted to come to the inquiry room, Mrs Hampson closed a strikingly interesting address. After she had offered prayer in moving terms on behalf ot the congregation and otheis who had attended and helped on the mission, and from whom she waß shortly to part probably for ever in this world, the proceedings closed wilh the Benediction. The hymn, "All the way my Saviour leads me " was sung, duriug which a collection was made on behalf of the widow and orphans of the late James Allen, who died suddenly on board the Huia, and a largo number of persons signed the pledge cards.