BAPTIST SOIREE AT CAMBRIDGE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2387, 27 October 1887, Page 2

BAPTIST SOIREE AT CAMBRIDGE.

The sixth annual gathering in connection with the above Church was held in the Public Hall, on Tuesday evening and proved a great success. Hitherto the meetings have been held in the Tabernacle, but this year some of the more advanced among the congregation suggested the advisability of holding it in the hall, as they thought it would be more largely patronised ; and the result has proved they were right. A sumptuous lea was provided at (i.BO p.m., the following ladies presiding Mesdames J. Houghton senr. and jnnr ; Sinerdnn, Gerrish, Fitzgerald, Hedgecock, McNeish, and the Messrs Henson and Kiley. Alter tea Pastor Griffiths took the chair; there were also upon the platform Pastor Spurgeon, of Auckland : Revd-v .J. Dellow Hamilton ; W. Evans and \en. Archdeacon Willis.

\fter the hymn “ All hail the Bower, had been sung, and the Uevd. . Lvaiihad offered up a prayer ; the ehaiiman said they had met to celebrated the sixth anniversary of the opening of their Tabernacle, and they had many reasons to be thankful to Godlor the help and strength that hud been granted to them during that period. They had also special reasons to be thankful fur mercies granted to them during the past year, for the great enemy Death had not visited their church, and nut only had they not lost any but he was pleased to say they had increased in number. The officers of the Church had been very united in the work. There was an old saying, “ resist a deacon and he will fly at yon,” but he laid not found that t > be the case in Cambridge, for they worked hand in hand ; and indeed the members, officers and pastor had all agreed, and the work had progressed in a very satisfactory manner. As was the case in all Churches, they had some members who were very good, some not quite so good, and some who were very little good at all, but he trusted that in time they should reform the latter class. He then said that 83 years ago that very day the celebrated Balaclava charge was made, when (100 brave men risked an almost terrain death to overthrow a great power. Though they knew “somebody had blundered,” their hearts-were loyal, and they did not hesitate to go forward, and if necessary die. So it should be with the members of the Church ; their motto should he “forward,” and, if necessary, they should be prepared to .-a:oiaie their lives rather than their principles. He trusted that by God's grace lira year ou which they’ were entering Wfluld be a more prosperous oue than any of the proceeding. The programme was then proceeded with as follows :—Piano and organ Duet, March from “ Kli, ” Miss Wilson and Mr Hartley ; Handel's “ Ho was despised,” Mrs Chambers : Consider the Lilies, Mr O. t bul.md : Address, Revd. J. Dellow; Duet, “0 Happy Land,” Mrs Horne and Miss Tiewheeler; “Gates of the West, ’ Mrs Kirgnson ; Address, Pastor Spurgeon ; Pianoforte, Trio, “ Kyrie ” (Mozarts 12th Mass,) Misses and Master Nixon, “Charity,” Miss Trewheeler; recitation, “ The Starless Crown,” Mrs Hcdgcock; Address, Archdeacon Willis ; “ The Reaper and the Flowers,” Mrs Chambers ; “ Not Lost but Gone Before,” Rev. J. Dellow, (encored); “ The Old Cathedral,” Mrs Horne; “ The Pilgrim Fathers,” Mr W. Chambers (encored). Mr G. Garland attempted to sing “The Gates of Heaven,” but there wa> such a noise that ho desisted, and the meeting concluded at 10.15 p.m., by the singing the Doxology. Pastor Spurgeon, in his address, said a young man, when asked which of the family of birds he liked best, replied: “The skylark, for its beautiful song; the robin, that made winter lively with its red breast am- pretty twitter ; and the sparrow, because it wos so companionable, and with its chirp seeaied to say, ‘ Cheer up, cheer up,’ and lie thought he prefened the sparrow, for he was always about, and always seemed bu -y, and eoii-cqu-mtly cheered everyone with Ids busy way-. Mr Spurgeon then Continued : 1 am liktt tin; sparrow, and have come to say "Che,a- up.’ In these divs wo hear a great deal about depression, but it lias evidently not extended to Waikato, for you hj ue gold in the verv dust, and by the reports not only gold, hat'sovereigns ready c>ine.h (I,mghter). [ was astonished at the nnmbe.r of people that attended the evening service at the Tabernacle on Sunday, for it was a wretchedly wet night, and it reminded me of a celebrated humourist of the last century who, one very wet day, upon arriving late at a house at which he had been invite 1 to dinner, was asked by the host it he hj id been deterred by. the bud weather, replied, “No, for I intended coming whether or no.” I am glad to meet so many friends this evening, hut f should not be honest if 1 said I altogether approved of the style of entertainment. I should have preferred hearing (at some portion of the meeUpg) a statement of Church affairs, but every one to their liking as the gentleman said when he saw the Frenchmen eating frogs. There are many ways of doing things, s,,me pleasant and some otherwise, and although you intend to do things in a pleasant way you sometimes make a mistake, as a young pastor did whq wept to visit a poor woman who had just lost her little child. The latter was naturally very much grieved, and the pastor said he could sympathise with

her as lie knew hew he felt when his little dog Oscar died. That man opened his month and put his foot in it. Jt is very difficult for Christain ministers to say the right thing in the right place and a! tno right time. Mr father has a .peculiar way of doing things, hut they often turn out well. I remember him once going to a tea meeting, and arriving early he noticed a woman slinking about, so he played the part of amateur detective, and presently saw her slip a pad of butter into her pocket. Many people would have sent for a police officer, and they would have been justified, but my father stirred up the fire (it was the depth of winter) and pursuaded the woman to take a seat on a form near it, and all fresh atm.erg he placed on that form, so that she was pushed close up to the fire. In a little time the butter was gone, and so was the woman, for she could not stand melted butter. That was a kindly rebuke and ha thought would do more good than if she had been handed over to the tender mercies of the police.” Mr Spurgeon gave several other racy anecdotes that were very apropos, and after wishing the members “many happv re. turns of the day," resumed bis seat. ' I