St. Cloud visiter [sic]. [volume] (St. Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1857-1858, 1858-01-14
a Sermon.

On lle iirst Sabbath Of the year we al
tended the service OF the Cumberland
Presbyterian Congregation which r1:ets
ia Wilson's Hall, where a|lcra IS ne. l,es:
rent, The services Of the preacher and use
of the hall. with fuel. ieing all grato;tous
As the meetings. have formerly been held
in tie upper pat oE one Of MIR. s.o"rys
warehouses, AMI the arrangement, for i!,s
Change had not been fully completed: the
Only seats wtrc the loose ooa.|s !;,i'. on
stools ma boxes ;s,lici, surrounded t's'
room an' had .act.;t> the past OF >ofss IT
the late ball. The wal}s were simply III"
Notwithstanding and e:'I!dSn! wI,:ci' sup-
ported t Over head was covered " III
loose boards laid across the jos.1 ana &C
ca>iona||y board wa wa'aling, This Of
fosdel y,eS to the roof; and left ID
dos;',t Of perfect 'cnsiiation. The sails
and windows had Teen pfo;usv'v decorated
with evergreens iur The ,ate fest taI occa,
siou, AID shis was still in is I'ace.---
There too was the platform from which The
orchestra had lately flooded the place with
,nu>ic and sat many feet III lively gaotio".
1t was screened in front By q huge
skeleton map OF Minnesota and the
large pictorial map Of some enterpri-
sing carriage maker. In one corner
stood the writing DESK table, screw
press and chair of the proprietor
who uses the ..:>El as AZ office, and in
the opposite corner lay a large heap
of fircwood, ready for f!sc stove.---
Our party arrived first: next came
the preacher, in sloisc;sing felt hat,
and constituted himself chairman Of d
committee to make tAse in the stnvss
The warmth this impaired to the at
mosphere was scarce percept'ble,
and If the air had not been mild We
should have had chilly time. The
room in which we have been meeting
is perfectly comfortable but is toe
small, and greatly wanting in point Of
centrality Of position ; but plastered
walls as well as pilIared aisles and
gothic windows are by no means III
dispensable 10 religious service.
The preacher is the Rev. Calhoun,
I. graduate Of Andover, and a gentle
man who speaks better kngis'i than
we often hear from the sacred desk
Or forum. So that, to Il critical ear,
his discourse tucked harmony vita
his surroundings, and failed to meet
the ordinary ideal CT backwoods
sermon. We shoniei have greatly en-
ioyct| {: stox,ning defamation fresn
some regular Boanerges, who makes
horse skoes all week and wie'ds the
terrors Of the law on the Sabbath
The anathe,nas of such & speaker.
delivering the first sermon il such a
place, would have been something to
remember, and, looking thus al the
81 might have BEEN" we fee, inclined
to quarrel with Mr.. Calhoun for spoil
ing such All opportunity but our p,,r''
| pose was to speak of the sermon as it
was.
| The text was from, the parable Of
the Supper. "I pray t|ee have me-
excused - .-..~.
The speaker enumerated the man:
and ordinary reasons given, tor
refusing to recognize the Divine law
as the only rule OF acticn, or, as it is
commonly expressed, for IS refusing to
become christians"
! This was the second sermon we
have heard Mr.. Calhoun preach OH
this subject, and we have never heard
any one take more definite and COM
prehensive view Of it. The being a
christian signifies net only Joining
some church, saying prayers, and sub
scribing to religious and benevolent
institutions. It is all this and very
much more. 1t is the earnest pur
pose Of the soul to make the divine
! law, the one complete snle ofaetion7 10
set aside ali considerations Of expeai-
ency and live by the rude Of right. ..-~-
No matter what may be the sins Or
shortcomings Of other professors. If
a man acknowledge the moral beauty
Of the Divine Law, the fact that it is
disregarded by all others, would only
| il, possible, Increase his obligation to
square his life inAexibly, by that rule
No man refuses TO be a farmer be-
cause 50 many wicked aaan engage in
ti!ling the ground. Noe do men de-.
l cline to become merchants On account
lof tho dishonesty oi Hlarchants. /.
/! @s He might have added that man de
] not refuse 10 farm because thsra aru
! so many bad farmers; bat, a,l tlss,
contrary, most Ilen aye sllsisiesss e,
.lsaow HIT how q could
i mai, age that hasiias Chm all1 I1