The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-07-30

And let his praise be great;
lie makes his churches his abode,
His most delightful seat
After the singing of this beautiful hymn
by the congregation, led by the choir, Rev.
l.. Catlin, Of Tama City, offered short
and comprehensive prayer,
Rev F. Hurd, of Montour, then read
the first Recommendations from the 9th
and 18th chapters of II. Chronicles, and
Rev. L. Catlin read the second lesson
Heb. X, 1926
At the close of the lessons Rev. G. NJ.
Hall, of Montour, announced hymn 964 -
Great King Of glory, come;
And with thy favour crown
This temple as thy home
This people as thine own:
Beneath this roof, q deign to snow
How God can dwell with men below
After this came the sermon, by Rev. J.
w. Clinton, of Mt. Vernon. We would
be pleased to publish this sermon in full,
but were unable to obtain a copy and will
have to forego the pleasure it would be to
us and our readers. He took his text
from John x, 10:
II am come that they might have life,
and that they might have IL more abund-
antly."
He began by stating that he would
take up the thoughts contained in this
passage and discuss them in the following
order
First-The advent of Jesus-What he
came for.
.Second-What he came to bring-That
you may have life.
7hird-The measure of what he came
to bring-More abundantly
This event-the coming Of Christ-is
the most important event of history. 1t
is tie event for which all others took place.
4 history of the Christ would comprise
history of the world if written in full
Take Christ out of history and there is
nothing left. All ancient history, all the
songs of the bards, and every smoke that
went up from the Jewish Altar told of the
coming Of the Messiah All events tran
spring previous to his coming are linked
with him by these letters-B. C.-BeJo,e
christ All events occurring since his
advent are dated !. D.-M TIE gear IF out
L9rd Ills fame and power are still in
crcasing, and in every Christians heart
swells this morning the hope that out Of
the commissions and revolutions of the
present and all ages, shall come clearer
conception Of the Christ and his mission to
the world Jesus announced on the plains
Of Judea eighteen hundred years ago, -
am come He steps out upon the plat
form in all the purity Of his character and
the divinity Of his nature and says, Il ain
come" And here in Montour, this morn
ing, he speaks to you, my brethren, and
to me, and tells US Il am come" He
came ut just the right time. In any pre-
vious age the world would moi have been
ready for him. but just at that hour when
men had discovered their own littleness
just when they became conscious Of the
fact of their failure to find out God by
their own wisdom, just then Jesus came.
H. What he came for-That they
might have life. No doctrine of the
Bible is clearer than that the world
without Christ IS dedd. Under the
pressure of this awful thought, Jesus Of
fers himself to save the world He says,
''Tll go-by prophecy-by my spirit--final-
ly in person--that the world may not be
lost-that the dead nations may live; I'll
bear the boon of life to the dying" Christ
came to bring US the grandest mystery
that is given to human nature to grapple
with-that of life. 1t is an unsolved prob
lem-even in the lower orders. And yet
a higher problem-that of spiritual life
comes to the consciousness Of every hui
man soul, and by the help which Jesus
affords this greater mystery may be solved.
Amidst all the Affections Of life Christ
comes to us and says, Il have borne your
griefs and suffered your Affections" In
the darkest hours Of care and sorrow, by
the grave, down through the charnel
house, the glorious light shines - the
Christly mission appears.
Ill The measure Of what he came
to bring-Morc abundantly. 1t is true
that in the past ages there are many
bright specimens of divine life. We
see it manifested in the life of Enoch, |
who enjoyed it to such an extent that God
reached down and took him straight to
heaven. We see it in the life of Isaiah !
We see it as it is manifested in all the
prophets. David and Moses knew the |
secret of life. But to-day it may be had
more abundantly-more obundonhy. We
have had so little of it, while there is an
inexpressible vastness-an ocean. O, are
we not ashamed that we have not more
May God come to US, to church members
who give, to generous outsiders whose
Judgment tells them that church in Il
community is good thing-to all-may
God come in the fulness of LIFE.
The above is but brief outline of the
train of thought pursued. tits impossible
to put upon paper the beauty and clo-
quence Of the sermon. Suffice it to say,
it was one of the reverend gentleman's
best efforts.
Rev. Clinton then made statement of
the financial affairs Of the Society. which
was as follows:
Lot. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $27O00