, 1873-05-05
Opening Services Of Grace
M. E. Church.
The Dedication Sermon Preached
by Bishop Foster.
Report Of tho Board Of fTrnstccs"-
A Collection.

cd by o largo concoNleo VI poop'ot n
crowded to oyorilowiDB tho chapel III when
tho exercises wore conducted. Tho 'mnsa
auditorium of tho church being as yet nnhnlsh-
cd, the congregation will worship Tor tho prob-
ent in tho yestry or chapel. This thoy can essl-
" content themselves to do, for tho room Is Pc
cularly handsome and ATTRACTIVE with its bright
and tasteful frescoing, high coilings aud p'onti-
ful supply Of light It was rendered moro than
usually charming yosterlay by profnsioh
OF beautiful floral decorations, arranG-
cd with flno tnsto md enoct. There
woro present 1argo nnmbof OF
prominent Methodist diyinos, among them
Dlshop Fostor, tho Rov. DR.. Fowler, tho Ney. Or.
Dandy, tho Rev. DR.. Dugboo tho Itov. Il. Hitch-
cock, the Rov, J..H. Leonard, tho Roy. =. NJ
Boring, and tho pastor, tho Rev. NJ H. faf1-
hurst. ..,,u.au,,
Tho exercises began with IN organ voluntary,
followed by tho reading, by DR.. Fowler Oh LILO
hymn commencing
, ,v,c,, tho congregation united in singing, Then
Dr.. Dandy offorod an appropriate prayer; the
orcanies followed with " Home, Sweet llome;,
t1,o roannnsiye roadiug of Psalms WAS conducted
by Dr.. Dugboo, and hymn was snng.
THE SERMON. n
Vlo acrTnt,,ra lesson was rend by Bishop to8-
ter. from tho 4th chapter Of tho First Elbtle OF
John. the 14th verHe of which waB tahon Ior
lila text. 81 follows: s'An1 wo havo soe1l, and 40
testify that tho Father sent sho so9 10 ue i1e hs
sermon by saying that tho propositions Het forth
In The torl,s Of human speech arc OF value pre-
nisolv In tho proportion that they contain truth.
Containing no truth thoy are o! mo no aroS tho
promise. Any form Of speech containing at, 1ruti
Is Of aomo valuo to eoino part Of bong. !rath
Ia somowhat OF tllo nnturo Of God nimaotl III.
decd, Ho defines Himself as Truth. But truthR aro
not Of ouual ynluo, and 1t is wies to discriminate
among theu, nnd select tho most valuable.
Truth that rolatos to moral duty Is ct value only
as 1t ie approhonded BY tho being Do9na nnnos n1sa
solely in tho mind Of tho grcat Law. diver; 1t
must bo conveyed to mankind. Tho truth IN the
toxt is tho most important one ever announcco
to this world: Whotler it have sgnlhcnnce i .' ~
fo,Ewe do not know. It il Of value along tue
whole sweep OF Intelligent existence as Inc
most profoundly dly-momontoua truth that has
ever aes cong God to a te sant Of to9s s MS Son
to save tho world, 1t mattora little whnt
mistakoB occur in human books or hnnnn 6 con. 2.
decturea; il It is falso, then IT mat1oIs ntt.e
jesus as they do upon common mon seem 2. not y. 70
know that they aro thrusting dagger into tho
very honrt Of the worlds salvation. Mhlther
does tho speculation tond. md whnt would 10 lts
drom tho faith Of n,ou, aud reaovod from tho
ephore of humnn thought, and IT follows thht
God has novcr gvon aign out OF. uoavon thht
h. Of mn o thns nsope of
world. Tie whole subject Of hulnnn destiny is
ahrouded in impenetrabla darknosB Whether
doath ia tho upshot OF human e1iss.
nnco-the end Of all, the oblivion to which
NO come-no mortal las over done moro than to
r,oroly conjecture nothing authoritative has
ever boon spoken or written. From tho begin
ping Of tho world doath h9s pursued ha romolsa
:. and sisonce havo reigned, md not sound has =:
como back from beyond tho grave. Some 1f'
keon years ago the speaker preachod what he
faiity Of tho aoul, in which ho advanced certain
thoories which seemed to him tenable; but,
lator than this, Wien ho stood NJ the opon grave
OF the. creator part, of his being, ane
iA nna listened 'a and strained hs oars to calcl
somo sound OF COMFORT, he roalized how
poor and win wore all the thcorion and comics.
lures Of philosophy. It WAS not until he laic
any solaco or hope. Expnnge Christ from hu b,
IMAM fifth, and these walls, erected out Of til.
emouldering runs Of agreat city, might as Wcl
bo torn down; they wore reared Tor in1,aanGht
Jesus the world is poor indoed. 1t wns Jesu
that taught tho world that God has y father
heart aud fathers love.
Tho assertion OF tho to1t unfolds 0 wonderful
myatsry-that tho Son, who was Of His Fathe
md coequal with nm, was sent BY tue Fathe
to tho Garth on divine mission. It contains
Two distinct propositions: that Christ was II tn
world, and that lIo was Hont to TIC e woria ?
God. The earned thought accepts the first fact
believes TINT 1lo was on Garth, and dwolt i
Judea; that for tho space Of three years aud 81
months lie appeared in public and gave utter
nnce to certain doctrines The fact that Chris
Nas on earth is just as vol ascsrtained as is tn
fact that Julius Cnsar or George Wash
Jngton over lived. There can be n
question Of Ills oarthly lifo. Tho othe
tact-that God sent Christ into tho world
stands upon entirely different ground. No min
Oh enrth, or in Heaven, can testify directly t
that fact. God is the only ONO who Gun estat
dish it-who can say, This ia My Som whom
have acnt upon eart1:" God has establislod
In tho New Testament, every word aud line {
(which IL trno, no matter hoW supornatura.l,
: may seem to U.s.. The speaker had no synpath
or affinity with those theologianH who oInaaculat
fhe Scripture by leaving Cod out ulory Do