Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-02-09
The Church the BIRTHPLACE of Souls.

Sermon By Rer. DR.. futile, President
Of Wabash College, at the dedication
Of the Net0 School Presbyterian
Church Of Evansville, Req. Nm H.
BIC Carer, Pastor, corner of Second
and Walnut streets, February 7th,
1864
FExT-"And of Zion it shall be said: this and
that man was born in her; and the Highest him
self shall establish her."-PsGlHs 81: 8.
This is Psalm of triumph, written,
as some suppose, to be sung when Jeru-
salem was delivered from the Assyrians.
during the reign of Hezekiah. In an
elevated strain the Psalmist celebrates
Jeho vah's love for Zion, the city of God.
Glorious things predictions and promi-
ses had been spoken in that great city
things which were certain to be fulfilled
Among these as spoken of in the 18th
and 9th verses, was the fact that Zion
was to be the birthplace of Rdtions-the
city of their spiritual nativity Egypt,
and Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Eth
Opia are mentioned as representing all
nations who were to be converted to
God, through an agency of which Zion
was the chief seat, the home The time
was to come when the nations, instead
OF besieging and assaulting Jerusalem
to destroy her, would, be iovfuilv
naming her as their spiritual birthplace.
In the 9th verse the same imposing idea
is presented IN regard to persons. Of
individuals it would be true, as Just as
serted of nations, "And of Zion it shall
be said: this and that man were born
there" This was named as tie chief
glory of Zion, and in consequence of
this it is further asserted that the
Highest himself shall establish her.
X X
Indeed, as the seat and home of those
Heaven-ordained agencies by which sim
ners are regenerated, the church. where
Gods people meet, may not inaptly be
described in the language of the text:
"And of Zion it shall be said, This and
that man were born in her; and the
Highest himself shall establish her"
AS appropriate to the occasion of our
assembling at this time, l propose to dis
course to you concerning THE CHURCH
AS THE BIRTHPLACE OF SOULS And in
the first place, let me discuss that great
event called the souls birth. Literal
birth is the beginning of a new. exist
ence, designed to be one of expanding
strength and happiness. As contrasted,
either with our existence or annihilation,
life is regarded as most desirable Ex-
cept under the coercion of remorse, or
some other intolerable anguish, no one
wishes he had never been born, or that
he may forever be blotted out of exist
enee. Birth is the beginning of this
state, universally regarded as desirable
1t is true, 1t Is a period of helpless weak
ness and dependence, yet, if not him
dered by some misfortune, that feeble
beginning may be developed into the
manly beauty of David, or the brawnv
force of Hercules. There is a sense in
which the natural birth is to be regarded
as an event of the highest importance,
because, in the present condition of
things, it is not only the beginning of
physical existence, but the necessary
condition of the intellectual and moral
birth. of the happiness which the ma
tural birth brings to parents, to society
and the new born, need not now speak.
But there is such an event as intellect
UGt birth, which, in itself, is noble and
more important than the physical. When
the mind begins to open so as TO appre-
bend the simplest ideas, in a sense, that
mind experiences birth which is the
beginning of new existence.
Each new idea acquired, all fresh COM
binations of old elements into new forms
of thought, each addition of stength, en-
abling the mind to mount up, as on eag gle S
wings, running without WEAKNESS, and
walking without faintness, until it as
pires to companionship with Plato and