S. ANDREW'S' CHURCH, CAMBRIDGE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1897, 2 September 1884, Page 3

S. ANDREW'S' CHURCH, CAMBRIDGE.

I The services n comma mocation of the fourth anniversary of the above church were held last Sunday, and were numerously atlended ; the church being well filled both morninc; and evening, i The incumbent, the Yen. Archdeacon Willis, conducted the services which were choral throughout, assisted by the Veil. Archdeacon Dudley, and the Revtf. S. Davies ; and the musical portion was lendered by a large and efficient choir, iv which were several members of choirs of other churches, who had kindly given their assistance on the occasion. The Yen Archdeacon Dudley was the prerchet for the day. In the morning the Rev gentleman took his text from Joshua, chap. I, \eise ix. : " Have I not commanded thee ? Be strong and of a good courage ; be notairaid, neither be thon dismayed : for the Loid thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." The preacher said God was always mote ready to heai than we to do. What we should most desire is the strength which was given to all those that put their tiust in Him He was the stiength of Abraham, of Joseph, of Moses, of Joshua in all thu'r trial.s, temptations and vicissitudes ; of the Judge*, of Jehosophat, of Hiv,ckuh and of Josiali, each one of who'n was successful so far as iti'ould besa'd of him, " H' 1 ti usted in the Loid th.it he should deliver him "' As they failed in tt list they failed in power. What they did in then own strength failed; what they did in faith succeeded. According to their faith so was their strt ngth. It is still so. Our Joshua leads us against those Cauaanitish enemies, the sins ot theflebh, and conquers for us as we tiust Him. cJod in Clnistis the strength of all that put their ti list in him. The weakest in the flesh amongst us, and the most unfa\ourably sut rounded, mly please the Lord Chiist in will and deed, oven as He was tlnough all His life 01: earth tempted as we aie, the well beloved son in whom the Father was well pleased. We hear at the ptesonfc day a great deal about tlip unknown and the unknowable. God wa-> not unknown to Chiist. Speaking to the Jews he said, "I know him " He compa'cd his knowledge ot his flock to his Father's knowledge of him. His servants knew him. S. John says, "We know that the Son of God has come.'' S. Petct knew him. S. Paul says, "I know in whom I have believed. What kind of knowledge is this ? It is derived fiom essential expeiienee, not of the body, 'out a ppintnal experience. This expeiience is above the evidence of the senses and is within the icach of us all. It is not of the flesh, but of grace. We who by baptism have put on Chiist, ha\e this capacity. Born of water and of the spirit wo have within us the germ of spintual life. We may tmst God forthwith. In the temptations of youth, in the trials of sickness or adversity, and in the difliculties that seem to obstiuct our Cluistian life, if we tinst him Me shall conquer. It may seem difficult to love one another apait from the ties of kindred, but believing that where a command is given, capacity is also given, we may in ti listing obedience act, and speak words of love and the spirit of love would thereby be evoked. "Why call ye mo Lord Lord and do not the things that I say." Is it a hard saying ? Yes, to the natural man. The one thing wanted is that ti ust which does not ask what belief is, that accepts God as a living God and his commands as living commands. Can my position be that of God's child, an Inheritor ofgiace? Then I need not sin again. To go foiwaid in stedfast lesolve will please him I sei \e. Theie is an inheritance in this life, the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. Why should we comeshoitof it? It is the want of the spint of tiust that makes people non communicants. Tins trust is sanctified common sense. [ do not know how it is with \ou ; perliaps I have enjoyed more "spuitual blessings than some of you, especially the yuungcr one?, but it seems to me that 111 any trouble, retaining tiust, and retaining faith such trust woald be :leveloped aiu>l lutdiued. We must expect stiange forms of fciial to conic sooner di later. Is it piesumptuous to think we 2an stand through them all ? It would be, if we i died on our ow n strength. We want a trust like that of Geneial Gordon, md we should regard the future without lread, trusting in the Captain of our Salvation, who will never deseit His Soldiers for His gieat Name's sake [lave we not all been called ? Is not this the inheiitance of us all? Does He not say tins to you, dear people of S. Andiew's? As you look baJs, does he not say, " Trust me. Have I failed you in the past ?" Strengthen yourselves then as you go on by a gicatei cotnpactnes of fiont and hy unity of a"tion. If some, as alas ! must be the case, fall, up the lanks. Have a personal trust .n a peisonal God. Seek strength uid edification in piivate piayer, in Family woiship, in attendance at God's house and, above all, in attendance at the Holy Communion. Would that the next anniveisary showed a great in:rease in the number of communicants. l?e strong and of a good coinage. God iias done gieat things for you in the past, and we should lejoice in this, and casting ouiselves on our unseen but not inknowable God should have no fear for ihe future, trusting in Him "Whom .laving not seen ye love ; in whom, ;hough now ye see him not, yet believing ye u'joice with joy unspeakable and full )t glory." May these wouls be fulfilled in one and all of us present, and let all iv ho can draw nigh to him in his special ardiuance and there receive life-givmg food to give us strength for the 1 attle that lies before us. In the evening the preacher selected his text from XXII. shap. S. Luke, 35th and 36th v., "And lie said unto them, when I sent you without pui&e, and scrip, and &hoes, lacked ye anything?" And they said, " Nothing." Then said he unto them, "But now, he that hath a puise let him take it, and likewise his scrip ; and he that hath no swoid, let him sell his Raiment and buy one." After explaining how the bodily wants of Chiifet and his disciples were piovidsd for by fiee contiibutions and the promptings of hospitality during his life on earth, the preacher said a time came when the dissiples found the ideal life to be impossible. They had to accept the aidinary conditions of life, having to live in the world while realising more than ever that they were not of it. Their faces after their blessed Lord's departure must be set onward and upward, and it was their business to show themselves wise, capable teachers, worthy of Daniel's description, "They that understand." Living sober, righteous and godly lives, showing themselves the most loyal citizens, the bravest soldieis, and the most useful members of society. We have here the. system of Church organisation, the principle underlying the whole of the administration of the visible body. Endowments for church purposes are as lawful as those for hospitals or grammar schools. The labourer, also, ia worthy of his hire. As a matter of fact, everyone does not possess the gift of prophesy ; some are gifted with wealth, some with capacity for manual labour, some with scholarly attainments, and the Apostolic rule is one of economy and mutual support given by the division of labour. Experience teaches that the ministry should be regarded as a profession. St. Paul lays this down clearly, though he earned his own living as a tent-maker. " Have we not ministered to you in spiritual things? Is it a hard matter, therefore, that ye should give of your worldly things." A paid ministry ia an ordinance of the Lord himself. He was> far from disparaging voluntary labour, and missionary effort such as the heroic work done in the middle ages by that society of which Phillip of Assissi was the founder. That person was to be pitied who could,, read unmoved of the life-long work and sacrifice of such persons as Francis of Assissi. It was not denied that organisations were apt to become cumbejaomfy and. that by e^dyryy.

ments people had felt relieved of then', own liability, but the* voluntary system, ' pure and simple, was utterly unsatisfactory to the requirements of a, 'permanent, ministry. On the other i hand, abuse M no argument against the use of a thingj good in itself, and the want of a suitable, provision for c.inying on the work of Christ in a new country was most unsatisfactory. A large district in charge of an mchdeacon had to depend on a single minister, who, on account of the services he had to hold at distant places, was unable to visit his own Sunday-sthool. In another distiiet, the clergyman was unable to live decently and Keep out of debt, his stipend was insufficient to meet absolute lequireinents and it was impossible for him to make any provision for the future. A self denial equal to that of tlie apostles was shown by the clergy in this diocese. Some of you may ask what connection has this subject with your anniversary thanksgiving? You ha\e been cndcavouiing te organise your church on a satisfactory basis You have provided a handsome chinch and decent sunday-school and paisonage, and you have desired to set youi minister free from the care of an outlying dishiiet, which cannot but uiipaii the thoioughness of his woik among you. Last year you have received a check, owing partly perhaps to the hard tunes that have pveveikd and partly to that 1 hairy among Chnstian bodies winch to my mind is one of the most disastrous things of the day, but which our Loid has no doubt permitted for Ins own purposes. One day the people will awaUc and ciy shame on one another for their piesent ih nines, and then theie will be a realisation of what our Loid had in 111 1 is mind. We miiot use all means that come to our hands, all ways that are lawful foi the purpose of establishing the Kingdom of Christ on this eaith. Liteiatuie science, art, all that ennobles or elevates must be piessed into the set vice. We must set before us as our aim to make all our lCbOiuoes saitihcrvient to the advancement of Christ's gloiy. To this end we must woik haid on the lines on which we have begun, anil as youiealue the increased etHcienc) youi cleigymaii would lia\e shown had he had an assistant ; set this object befoic you as an aim to bo accomplished. "In w care and on we must" was a lavouiite saying of Bishop Selwvn's. SUml shoulder to shouldci. Say to yourselves. We will ha\e thebest, we w lil enable our minister to be ins best; we will get out of debt ; we will attend to the care ot the young; we will endeavour to live in the spiiit of Cbii&tset before us. If we realise that He is with us, and will assist and bless us we shall accomplish our aim, or, it not, shall accomplish at least w hat the Master will approve. At the morning service special psalms, as sung at the dedication of the chinch, woie chanted, and Jackson's Te Deuni and Jubilate in F were &ung. The hymns were Nos. 396 (opening), 273, 242, and .317 (Ancient and Modem). In the evening Statham's service was rendeied. The anthem was " Thine, 0 Lord, is the gLoatness,"' and the hymns 213 (opening), •240, 403, and 393 (lecessional). After the morning service, Holy Communion was administered to twenty-six communicants. The offeitoiies, amounting to £9 3s 2d, go toward the debt on the building. Theie will be a social gathering in the Public Hall this evening, when no doubt a very nuineious attendance may be expected.