The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-01-04 00:00:00

WITCH NIGHT BERVIONS.

Holy Trintte Wane wee very crowded es Friday
night when • rectal usaugac mike was held. Gerdes
was. hal °honk unummeing with the Processional
aims—
" All Perks that ea earth do dwell."
to the
towell-knows._ Old Hoadredttsea it was sang
with me rermarea. The whets of i. eterelee was tam
he the Rector Ohs sm. ff. Iverettt Gaoillr.t=wers
sung, sad the whisk al the neryles was well
laspremive sermon wee
.preeehed by tb. Rector from
As shy days so shall thy
streak b.
Mak tr__, mentiosted the eircurnstences under
w these words were spokes. torminii Pa" °I
di°
lege
grest_sidreas Kora. the man of God, to the &Urea
el mut he said :—Therse words not eate morel e won
gra/gone prolate', but they ore words which should be •
'pedal rade to es this evening. gethellaos
We
6ra hen
eemdillst the list difinusoments of another Twig We
•S Ming akar at great milestones at ills. one
aressaaeleee ge our bon», otlife is otis er. end orxr more
iXls*m. bees . .
Thlei—eat year, is you know, can never be re-called, and
Yet it is a very edema thing that sot or single oak,. not
r_ose single word, not one single thought of It Ii really ••••
01 f
55,054 _ :nn. This life of ours is a mart tenk tb
hie faa--that we have been permitted
through hue d join in this service
carries with it e great and terrible
every dal we live on earth carries with it its owl undying
That thought ought to make us very grave as to
how we are living rob day of Olt lives. As thr dices so
thy Peers must be. The days mak* the years,
_sad it tow.
dab/ radar* that marks the impress of our life es earth.
They are lust like hi types in the printing pem. sack of
which goes to make up each pegs of the greet story that is
Wag written. I daresay you have heard of the man of
whom it wr said that war he lost an hour in the more.
lag he spout the rest alibi day to trying to find it. Hew
Imlay of us, alas I have been 'wain/ great 01#Portositiee
hod UM Precious time which has been given us, and thee
lookilleadore us so hopelessly for those great °peanut.
ties e, can never come to as again. Our blamed Lord
told us to work while it day,, bemuse the night would
came when no was work. leery dee our hoes ill in •
sense a judgment day for sack of us, because it cut
never be re-called ; yM it will meet us again some
der. Wises the friends at Maadelesoha tried to Pereceht
him to Olesejroln his labours, be said, ' Let me work while
it is day; bemuse who knows bow won my bell will toll"
And such should be the hair of every Christian, for we
said always to bear the tree life, the reel W., in our sight,
and work more for God, sad se in His t He most
lives who thinks meet, feels ae noblest, sets the best
This is always a very solemn service, mad • very edema
moment of one's life. and one tries to say something on
an earaelaa of this sort, which may live in replies
memories, and In their sera era after the read of the
service hag creed. I suppose the same Islame of this
particular moment calls mils eery sorra feelhap is the
minds of ell of ea It easiehily Is, or it eaghe to be. •
night= and thaaktelases ; sod it le dee a time et
very mid gratitade, far all those
earsadese pest 5i55 we hue, every one of us,
received. And yet it is a Knee of aaU. or, I might abases
me, mad fovebedings for the hidden future. I wander
warn this New Tear his In store for us. Z =me
Shot lie veil whisk shrouds it raid he lit,
could see what is In store for you and for me, tor tre
is
tewn• for this perish, and for this oongregation. Before
this Use art yaw many of us will have altered=
eanablerably. sad ern if we undue have sot a
=. rook oar eirenenstross, our relator, our
ra—thfeerelearter tram our f
riends
whiewhinl he:
chosen the esecinc sHored i
ISMS this realm we have a demariepeldri gives of the tree
of life. Time as an eld bigend—end there is • great deal
of truth sometimes in them old legende—that on every
lea at the tree is inscribed the name of a parer. sad
whoa that pen= diet the lest fella from the tree et life,
and when • child is born into the world a sew leaf buds
forth. We have come now to the end of the year. and so
rare, may serious thoughts crowd apea ma mirk, and
one of the most heicelleims Is of the may leaves that have
fates from the toes of life lase this old peer wee new.
Ives TOW& the limits of our owe kasurledge, i our
own MM, our friends and relator, bow marltave
azoimaged time tor eternity. May, wham who were
here at ear midnight service last year, their place now
knows them no mare end yet Ido not went to make you
I woad muck rather stir you up to fresh efforts. We
tart aft day UM; Is then =tide( tonight far all of us
IM =Lad to tasks sew ranigOons shoot—en than
of habits long World of. sod eves talked
:Lat. yet reer realty curial eat. This is a time for
now resare, sad new reeolatior for terming over the sew
leaf whirls we have all bilked about and thought *boat so
der I mare there is nobody prima to. t who does
sot amse hope to be better some day; therefore,
let as earnestly pray this night that In the year which is
now about to oars to us, we may be bearer to our God
that we were In the old or that we made feel were
eareeetly end deeply our own need of the clearer
blood of the great seerillos Ur we have dor before.
But we most beware of reunion. Many a soldier,
carelemaere, sod unwatelif ulnae;u b retired
rferee's bails diagraoed and dishonoured. We must in
the future look forward with s bright hope with regard to
ear new pier; we mad not faint at the heaviest sorrow
gad las heaviest total; we meet not shrink from the
hardest work, if only these things are &rotated unto us
by God Himself. lilt is wrong to be sell sufficient, it is
equally wrong not to rely on the safaciency of God. We
don't know what we oan bear until we try; we don't know
what we ma do, till by God's gram we really try, and it
is oulythen that we realise the words of Us text. " As thy
days so shall thy strength be." May I take thus opirietanity
at saylag, may God make this New Year, for every
ea. of You. • barer cue—happy, that is, if in His wisdom
end love if' shell re fit to make it for you free front
great tempt did's, art 'sorrows, and totlsocne tasks—
happy, at any rate, in being swat more in His faith and
fear, realising more sad more every week and every day
the truth of the gracious promise, " As thy days so ghat
thy strength bs." To each of us a moment Uke this, just
cm the threshold of the New Year, reeks volume., far
more deeply sad far more solemnly than I can hope to
speak, became it speaks to us like the word of God Him-
self. It is one of those periods which God made Himself,
a sign of the season for us al, and so it comes and it speaks
to is exactly like God corning sad speakioe to De Himself.
Let ay, thee, now at the first moments of the New Year,
do what always is the custom to do at this midnight ser-
vice—let m. aak you to kneel down for a few moments
In silent prayer bet ore Almighty Clod—proper for pardon
for the past, for all the miserable wrongs we have cow
mitts& for all the things we ought to have dons and yet
have left undone; for grace to redeem whatever time God
may see fit still to give ; preyer for power to make our
new resolutions: sad as honest and tree prayer to be
enabled to hallow and sanctity it. beginning of this New
Tear, and to the end, by giving up ourselvm more than we
have hitherto done to His faith sad to His service ;
that daring the whole length of this coming yea prayer
yineenoe may be vouchsafed to be with es. and whensoever
In His mercy and love He may as fit that the evening of
life Mar draw to us, it may yet leave lingering behind it
the promise of a brighter and 0 glorious morrow.
The sermon was a very impressive one, and was listened
to with profound attentioa. At its close the congregates
joined In silent prayer for stew moments.
The recessional hymn,
"Hark, awake I tell out the story
Of our love, and joy, and praise."

to the tune "Holy Voices," brought the service a.) a do."
Haiedars gaud Hallelujah, (roes the Atanan, was played
ea • voluntary.

DiVOTIONLL lIIIKTINGIL

The Rector of St. Peter's convened a devotional meeting
at Alington Hall on the last evening of the oast roar.
There IVY • good attendance, the meeting Wog inter-
spersed with suitable hymns. Zsrneet and appropriate
addresses were delivered by the lt Iv. T. W. Knipe (rector).
and the Bev. CI 1. Powys, followed by prayer. • prayer.
meeting was also held in the same place at half .past sem,
on New YOSVII morning. prrelded over by the Rev. T. W.
Knipe, and the Revs T. NO.Ve, W. Allen. and Davie
took past A meeting ware also bald in the evening, at
eight o'clock, conducted by the Rev. J. Harrington. The
united week of prayer CCeilummoss at Hall this
Ltria) night, at sight o'clock. when v ministers
i is
consented to give addressee. and other ministers sod
gentlemen have osesented to preside.

SZIMITITI METHODIST CILSPILL.
A Watch Night fiervice was Mid la this plats of worship,
the weather being Am, and there ma a good oonyremation.
wervlos oommenred at bait put 10, when the Rev. W.
Martin (third minister for the it) led the ploosedinp,
and earnest addresses, suitable for the womb" were
delivered by himself. Yr. W. R. Davis, and Kr. Burden.
nee last moments of the pest year and the Bret of the
present year were spent in silent prayer. ameba hymns
were guns at intervals.

Sal= WIL.
The Rootlet friends also hold s Watch Ntiht Berries in
their chaps/ It ommanoed it 11 o'clock. and the.
wee a lair attendance. The Rey. J. Harrington. 01 Ho&
ombe, Bournemouth (isle :sinister of thle Moen. AM
addrrusd the meeting, his =West being—" Hans faith In
Gad." followed by the Rey. Mr. Albin Oa Priliget
Mo(der). Here oleo the lest moments of the pest year
and first of the present year were spent in Inset prayer.
=tixitabie for the occasion. were mac from Sankey's

WIIILSYLP CRAM.
The Weee held a With Hight Seeeire la their
chapel, 50-street. There wee a very good attendees*.
Harbert mad affecticmate Worm were delivered by
the Raw. J. Hartle sod the Rev. T. Neer& Suitable
hystaa were sung at lateewsle. The Rev. Hartle
proceed special sermons cal Sunday.