, 1874-01-12

prayer With cod md defiant spirit h, soInehow 1t
Having mud porsevrrna interaeasons ef doas people,
our aims. M pusor and fiook yerc IN tho ncalnnuR
Avaton Of inutual aieclio and earnest cooperation
~ the ono work Tor whio tla church saa orlanlze.
rcore. in paint 1t Internal pence ad harmony, aid
nniiy Of prpoHc anl lu'ors during tho to Of The
IF hoo wS e, ossa II y9s e Gsr
tootton and unambftoilH conHecraon TO single ob-
1G .ss m9 ha ec "A sats 70 G p.ss . hos
sass @ s,gsS So psn1lssis snlssfssa 70 fsA s s
se ossa eas ma saa tssss essss; and nqs ood %
| rsigncd onionH Us With undsprtod sway. And still
n1s Gkos its q "a tho sano sst opesanR to @
i iii|s el're ias not beon % tsi viii knowledge
lsops distinction, tic eaaIcey us moi arison M from
nseneo 'a of MI Sarnsst dssrp and eeavor per
loading membership. Complaints have been nlalu
TINT to teacllngs Of the pulpit aro loo dootrnul but
works boen united n tho lessons that have been COM
mncatcd ami urged nren tho attention Of tho cor
a Il ~ sya 4 oo1ss s sy sss
pressed a t'ocessary to Id accepted III order to securo
plaea IN me communion Of Haihs7 ltavo not wit
hosscs enough to bear oil In tho declaration that
the uo uotweeu seliptural facts aud teachings, and
Of dol9 And who will rtso up and aay TINT tho
great tlnsiea Of reentancc toward God and faith III
eur Lord JesYs Christ have not beon presented with
wl testify tint tho moral dutica ncucaod in tho
TEE COMMANDMENTS nna the Sermon on the Mount
ehurei has ri hooa i is true, for lectures o.
eusslons Of a the notorious sanus q tn tnes.
On thia subject tastes differ The minjBrauons Of
suh detailed refcronccs to indlyals aud Political
question:, ,,, as soino might have dosirod: lcayo
pursued as not been tie Wiser ono. My flrst SERMON
! TO this congregation was founded on tho text: al
qesrml1.e,a nos to know anything among you savo
sgu Of TINT text as then literally exrouiilcl, have
ever endcav9rcd To- n,uko my guide III I'LL my public
Witt tns pe" lave trea tS f he sao
pose. 70 God now commend tho results.
Tho fruits Of our work hero hayo been noithor few
nor small. As already suggested, peuoo and gool-
fellowship havo rcigned among is during ali our
earlier years IN an eminent degree. The mcmborg Of
tho faith OF tho Goapel. cannot think Of haIf-a-
dozen persons who have boon drawn awuy from our
body. Noary ii Of our membership have stood, and
si . stun asnly w. on the platform Of our ressiyed
@ h,ys WSo aa bSa csg sy y IL a no p
foundation Of horo. Aud In respect 10 Integrity at
~, what church i.as better record to e1hbit7 We
faith, without regard to poysolal character. nut III
our whole history no, more thar, lal{a-dozen or at
hundreds havo boon found chargeaDle With onenacs
aga,nst good morality that could DO sustained by
Thla ohre, has been from tho beginning faithful in
tho support nf Christian ordinances at.d Institutions
II any other congregation lns been more uniformly
Sabbath day, we have not been acquainted with liz
history. II my other body Of coi,m,,nieuna havo
tue Iers GSi 70 a1o Sco s gnoas Of eih tha pass aot
II any other people IL our city or ta Northwest
trtGuied moro steadily lnore IberalIy, accorna to
navoonce bosidos responding to private applications
for help III many directions, know not whore they
private bconcencc aud nil tlat aH boen IonU for our
| own Church and mnstrattons, amounting to him
Of oasaa' o. dollars Tue IN" emsra a1s % 81 this
various enterprises u religion beyond their limits.
THIS Church took t,e lead In tho work Of mission
this casa evor established III Chicago was tho Dchcl
afterwards the Erie Street Missou School, which was
snoa s a Ae Ct Il s
Also. tho Taylor Strcet School, which aiming tho
earlier md moro proslerona missions Of tho city,
sustained chiefly by Ibis church until Il surroun-
cd by other enterprises moro adyAnageously located
and waa diaeontin,cd with yiow 10 new movement
with the church organized thirty-ono years and
lan Hince aud has always embraced nearly ul the chill
sen Of tue g,ogregasis}of whom very large pro
are now active workers IN tho caso Of the ncdeener
either among us or III other places. Comparatively
III Christ.
1t as never been the policy Of pastor or people to
Eeek for groa nominal ingatherings by apreaB direct
cd chiefly 10 feeling Imagination; honce, whe we
havo nut reported largo numbers Of noccsstons to
the church by profession some other congregations
ave been permitted to rejoico In steady increase
by the reception Of new couverta ut almost every
mnuion si1lco organization. amounting In all to
between four unl five hundred, bcsIdos argo additions
by tetrr from other churches. And, Of thoso whom,
wo have received on confession, not half q dozen
Eyaugul!cal faith. Tho enemy will BOW tares among
tho wheat but where hus y smaller proportion Of
tie visible Church hare will be found Ut lust anong
| the triumphant saints In glory.
We have contributed largely toward new organiza-
tons in the city, beginning With tho North presbyte-
rian Church. III 1875 and furnishing valuable materials
vet Presbyterian Church, since reunited with liz. the
Westminster Church, tho Calvary Church. Lake For
Christ Episcopal Church, And loes Ii SAVIOR Of ya,tty
III ,lB 10 say that many Of tho lending members til
these and other churches hnso tn former years. re-
ccvad part Of their Christian training III Our commune
ton7
niay DO permitted to refer, III this connection to
Of genera! consistency and stability Of character3 No
other congregation Of city has embraced lnoro men
Of talent earning and commanding in!ineuee or mere
families held In high csteenf as members OF general
aouiety, and no oihrr congregation has preserved
batter record 1t regards tho aobro.y and nloera-
ton Of lis neore touching ail the oxcitiuE questions
Of tho earlier period Of our history. No other more
unitcdEy and nrmly sustained Government ii, tho
! days OF It's peril md conflict with intornal focs
No Other has exhibited lttio appearance Of 1cklo-
through all the variations Of aocinl tsto ind
lRious sentiment Iii tho community. No other Evan
gsca congregation. during the changefu generation
through which VIC hAvD nearly passed. llas been con-
tented under tho 1ninstrntions during the half
Of thirtyone years. And do you hoovc that this ex
ample Of Christian coustancy aa been altogether I'm
fruitful in point Of restraining influence upon other
Christian congregations that might otherwise have
givcn way much further AnI nora tsastrosly 10 tho
revolutionary spirit of tho times TIT. church M stood
firmly by A pustor when he likely to he left a
most alone In upholding tho ca,so Of Presbyterian
der aud faith In the Northwest And never did Its
principles bei, when other churches around
widely distracted by weakcnng aud diyts've Influences
There haye bcGu tios III our history when tLe fator
lug of this ch.rch:or Of IT, spiritual guilds might
have bean fatal to tho on1ire hf4eh Of the prcsbyte
ian Church. with which We stood connected In the
NorthWest- God t,e prsisntl for The colservatiye
wisdom which It pleaaud Him to youchsafe to Ills
people III thoso critical years. Tho dangers aro now
past. The clouds hive rolled away. Nov the two
branches OF tho grnut PresDy terLan family one,
busla brosd enough to consts with tie liberty uf tho
cure household, aud nut 100 liberal to rtservo power
for tho exclusion OF open and covert enemies Of tho
| true Gospel. :.