The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-02-10

long since been ieyeled TO the ground; but
that which Jerusalem represented in the divine
economy. and which was commended rs the
object OF piOus affeetion-the church. the true
city OF God-remains; snd Of this it IL as GER
tain now as then. 'sThey shall prosper that
love thee"
Mr.. A. said he would aim to show, first,
that people who love the church, and exert
themselves to maintain her institutions will
| be prospered and blessed, and he set forth in a
few welI-ehosen words the results Of virtuous
living, and the estimation in which religion is
held by those who wish to build up prosper
Gus and enterprising community. Our age is
one in which the value of things is carefully
considered. Practical results, fruit, is what
this age demands. The lime was when phi
losophers and christians ignored the useful.
| The cylinder and sphere were engraved on
the tomb Of Arehimedes to remind coming
| ages Of his demonstrations in pure mathemat-
| Ics-leaving his useful mechanical inventions
| TO be forgotten. 1t was thought science was
degraded by being made to assist man to earn
his bread. But since the days of Lord Bacon
better views have obtained. Fruit is now
the test, and to this test we submit the gospel
| and its institutions. What would one hope to
| lind in country where no chimes of Sabbath
| bells are ever heard, no voice OF public pray
| ef, no songs of praise, where no christian Sab
bath smiles, where religion is deemed
| burden! Would he look for. thrift: The
1 building of church and the establishment OF
a christian sanctuary have been known to lead
to other improvements and the promotion of
| all outward means of comfort, while on the
| other hand, the decay of the parish meeting
| house is ever attended with a corresponding
| decline in the appearance OF the people. a
| Mt 6ph eli lv 70
gether.
The speaker referred to the effect isolation
would have upon human being, and graphi-
cally set forth the influences and benefits Of
christian fellowship in developing the social
qualities OF mankind, and from the intimate
relations between the intellect and conscience
showed how both head and heart were i'm
proved by the influences OF the church. He
would point TO the general intelligence and NOR
al,sentiment the land, the institutions of phi
lanthropy, TO show what the church and cler-
gy have done. To the complaint that the
churches were a bill of expense, he argued
with DIR South, that the money given for
preaching must be given away,-if not for
churches, then for goods-if not for houses Of
prevention, then for houses of correction.
He said there were those who pretended to
be able to love and worship alone; that with
or without the Bible they can take care Of
themselves; that all days are alike to them,
and that they keep perpetual Sabbath; they
cannot be learned anything by the preachers;
they do not feel themselves bound by grace,
duty or gratitude to maintain public worship.
Such pleas and excuses for not attending the
house OF God, he answered by pointing out
the manner in which such people spent their
time, and showed that they who professed to
OH Coh
gard any, and spent that day In uroftless
amusements. To say of man he thinks more
Of his Sunday dinner than a Sunday sermon;
that he may be found lounging at home, or
roaming the fields or streets, but never az
church on Sunday, is to say rather hardish
things against him. He may not be vicious, but
is not remarkably charmed by virtue. He may
claim TO be a friend to good morals and relig-
lon, but if his taste and example were TO be-
come universal, religion with its blessed min
istries would soon disappear, the light and
hope of the nation would be extinguished
and darkness would spread her dark win
over our national sky, and the smile and beau
ty Of heaven would no longer gild the pros
pect nor invite us onward. All nations have
their forms of worship, and the gospel of the
blessed God must be preached. If men are to
be saved, redeemed from selfishness and sin,
and fitted for the bliss and holiness of the
world to come, the church of God must be
sustained. And whatever the force of the ar
gument drawn from the material. social, intel
lectual and moral elements of society, the re-
ligious rises DER all, just as the majestic dome
of cathedral rises above the main building.
After prayer by Rev. Mr.. Atkinson, the
Secretary of the Baptist Home Missionary So
ciety for this District, and the singing Of a
hymn, Mr.. Averill submitted an exhibit of the |
financial condition of the church, showing |
that the cost of the building was $2,627.2O, of
which S7T3 was unpaid. The church had rails !
ed over three hundred dollars by a festival |
and the church at Cambridge, Mass, of which |
Mr.. Averill had formerly been pastor, had !
loaned them through the Home Mis-. Society |
five hundred dollars, for five years without in
terest. Our citizens had subscribed about |
$4,000 towards the building, small portion |
of which was yet unpaid but would be collect |
ed, and with the lots donated to the church in |
the city, the church would not be embarrassed |
to pay for the building, and consequently no |
subscription for this purpose would be called |
for, as is usually done occasions OF this |
kind.
subscriptions were then called for by Rev. |
Mr.. Atkinson for the support of the pastor |
portion of whose salary would be paid by the |
Home Missionary Society; provided the church |
here would raise $3.50 of it. He gave brief |
history of this church prior to the time of Mr.. |
Averilps taking charge of it, and the circum- |
stances under which the pastoral services of |
Mr.. A. had been secured. We apprehend that |
a society which has manifested as much energy |
and zeal as this one has in the erection of its |
church Will not allow its pastor to suffer. We |
are glad to see the church on so good foun- |
dation, and wish it God speed.