Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-01-09

sorbing passion Of love for one Saw
Jour, and of sacred covenant pledg-
ing us to him and to each other. In
such a body divisions ought never to
occur; yet on account Of the infirmi-
ties of our imperfectly sanctified
nature, they are not unknown. In
deed the worry intimacy of the rela-
tionship is source of peril.
But through the guiding hand of
God this church, with It's pastor, has
been enabled to avoid such dissensions
and alterations during all this long
period. OF course we have sometimes
thought differently. as men must if
they think at all, being unlike in
mental constitution as In features.
But we can say that through the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we
have exercised such mutual charity
and forbearance as have prevented
the existence of parties in the church
and the alienation of pastor and
people. The flock has been one in
itself, and one with the shepherd.
may refer to the enterprise of
building church, in which we are
at present engaged, as having been
carried forward thus far in this spirit
of unity. Often the greatest Difficult
ties attending such an undertaking
are not those of pecuniary nature,
but those that arise from difference of
opinion and conflicting interests. In
our case we are happy to observe
that these difficult and delicate mat
ters have not produced alterations,
but we are moving on, united and
unanimous, to consummate the work
OF holy and beautiful house for the
worship of God, to surpass, as it
should, our pleasant homes of tram
guilty and comfort, at once orna-
mentlng our place and honoring the
Almighty. Such harmonious and
happy church life could not have
been maintained by people gathered
by emigration from different places,
and trained to varying forms of
thought and ways of action, except
by help obtained of God.
We have desired not 10 encrOach
upon ground occupied by other de-.
nominations of Christians. The world
is wide, the harvest is great, and
there is room and work for all.
remember without regret that no
word has ever been spoken in this
pul pit against other churches of
Christ. If God bestows the same
favors. on them as on us, giving
them the Holy Spirit, and purifying
their hearts by faith, "what am that
should withstand God. We believe
that by the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ we shall be saved even as
they" Wherever two or three meet
in Christ's name he is present, and
there would | gladly be. He is the
truest minister Of Christ, who is most
like Christ in preaching and living,
and tn at is the truest church which
in prayer and practice approaches
nearest to the divine pattern. By
this plain and safe method we gain
at once correct and an enlarged
charity. | find that Heavens grace
does not flow only in the one channel
which | may dig, but divides into
many streams, making glad the whole
city of God. "If Christ be preached,
therein we do rejoice, yea and will
rejoice" Christ's followers, though
many, are one. 1t is one Christ and
one church "one fold and one shep-
herd"
may refer to the fruits of this
ministry of twenty-five years as be-
ing from God. But here let me first
say that there is cause for humility
rather than selfgratulation in the
review. If we oil, dear brethren, bad
labored harder, and with more
single aim and devotion, the results
would have been proportionally
greater and better. Yet ! ought
perhaps to state, in justice to myself,
that it has been my uniform aim to
exert my strength to the point of
safety. The experience of the loss of
health some years since showed me
where the point was, and taught M
caution. | have found that the at
tempt to do more thans | am able,
results in my being almost entirely
disabled. | am compelled to omit
much by the same necessity which
arrests the farmer almost every night
in the midst of unfinished work.
This church which, twenty-five
years ago, was one of the smallest in
this part of the State, has become
one of the stronger. Instead of be-
ing nursing of the Missionary
society, it is able to sustain it's own
ministry, and to afford some help to
younger organizations, In I847 q
not large school house afforded ample,
ifnot attractive, accommodations for
the incipient congregation. In 1851
| this house was built, and in 1860 it
was enlarged. There being no or.
gained choir when / settled in this
place, and but an insufficient supply
OF hymn books, the hymns were ''lin-
ed, and sung verse by verse, and
without any instrumental accompa-
niment. Now the service of song is
performed with cultured and refined
taste.
We may congratulate ourselves that
the opening of the second quarter
century is to be signalized by the
completion of house of the Lord
ample enough to accommodate the
people, and sufficiently beautiful to
satisfy their aesthetic needs, for the
next fifty or hundred years. This
substantial and goodIy house will be
our ebenezer by which, as me q O.
rial, We sha declare to all beholders,
and likewise to our children. "Hith-
erto hath the Lord helped us
1t is right to say it, because it is
true, that the Gospel has not been
preached here, in this and other pull
pits, in vain. Could this place have
had so good a name for morality and
order except as consequence of this
constant, benign influence exerted on
the minds of the people? Do good
| mnraIl hnnriGh IN