Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-11-08

Anniversary Day at West church.
APPROPRIATE SERMON BY REV. Mr. oTrs-THE
TROUBLES OF THE CHURCH AND ITS TRIuMrHs--
REWARD OF THE PASTORS LABOR.
Many members OF other denominations wor-
shipped with the West church people yesterday,
joining in the celebration of their seventh an
niversary, and rejoicing with them in the deliy-
erance the church from its siiction. Although
the note which has been hanging over the
church with an impending gloom has not actual
ly been lifted, and the pastor could not hold it
up before the congregation as he had desired,
still the means of cancellation (save three hun
dred dollars) have been provided, and Mr.. Otis
is hopeful that before the dawn OF another Sab
bath he will have the note in his possession.
Why it is not now there is well known. So san-
guine is he that he will get it before next Sunday
even II seven hundred dollars must be raised,
that he has appointed praise meeting for next
Sabbath evening with especial reference TO the
deliverance Of the church.
The services, yesterday, were not character
lied by any unusual incidents. The member
ship worshiped with deeper devotion and re-
joiced with q greater joy, but beyond this there
WAS nothing different from the usual Sabbath
services Selections were read from the Psalms
beginning with the 12lst as the morning lesson,
and the text WAS from the l26th Psalm and 3rd
verse--"The Lord hath done great things for
us whereof We are glad" Referring hrst to
the appropriateness OF the whole Psalm to his
church, Mr. Otis viewed the text in its histori-
cal application, and compared the deliyerance
OF his own people to that of the lsraelites under
Zerubabel from their Babylonish captivity
The people OF his church had not been driven
| into exile as were the children of Israel, away
from their altars, their homes and their temple,
| but they had been in captivity of debt. They
| had been compelled to serve out a miserable
| and mournful bondage in that worst OF all sla-
very-the slavery Of debt. Since tue day it was
| built the church has been in the bondage of
| debt; but so much Of 1t as was Calling has now
been lifted, the church is free from It's captivity
| and its people are delivered. The Lord, he said,
/ had done this for the church, not by direct in
strumentality but through the hearts of men,
bringing help to them that help themselves.
| One of the Inducements which had led Mr..
| OttH to accept the pastorate Of the West Church
| was, he said, the conviction that it's member
| ship was a hard-working and self-sacrihcing
| people, and he had not been disappointed in
| them. During the go months that he had been
there s2s, 79G had been contributed, almost ST.
900. per month, which he thought WAS a commen-
dable showing in these bard times From outside
friends in all churches about $1,000. had been
| received, most of it during the past MONTH
| For this help he felt grateful. 1t also showed
| that there was not only sympathy among de-
nominations as such, but also among christians
| to one another, which re'enforced his belief
| that Wilmington was good place TO live iii and
\ to have d church.
The value OF little things was dwelt upon as
| illustrated in the manner i'll which tue money
| had been raised to pay oil this debt Ilttle by
little had it been gathered by the Sunday School
| classes and others, some bringing i'll five cents
and others five dollars 1t had been raised by
| giving, begging. praying and singing, by the
| men, women.and children Of the church, who la
| bored day and night i'll this behalf II also de-
noted revival in the church-a growth in grace
| which had gone beyond the church ont into the
community.
Referring to the increase in church member
| ship as another OF the great things the Lord
hath done for us Mr. Otis said that two years
| ago the church was blessed with revival which
| resulted in Il conversions. During his pastor
ate li2 persons had been added to the church,
which WAS an average OF five to each month
| since he had been with it, or more than one for
| each Sabbath.
Notwithstanding what had been done there
was much still TO do. When Zerubabel led back
the lsraelites to Jerusalem they did not sit down
in repining at the wreck Of their loved city, but
the fragment which came back set about the
restoration of their homes, the rebuilding of the
temple and the elevation of the walls which had
been thrown down. As they labored must
the people OF West church. There yet rests
upon it a mortgage debt, which, while it does
not enslave the people must be met; but beyond
this is work of grace which must be cultivated
and Increased. He compared the self-denialt
which the people OF the West church had made
with the scriptural incident OF the husbandmen
planting the seed while his children were crying
for bread never doubling that like blessings
would return to those who gave in this emergen
cy. 1t would not come back in money, but 1t
might return in good health TO enjoy that which
wac now POSSESSED, and in other ways.
THE SABBATH SCHOOL ExERcIsEs
| ln the afternoon the seventh anniversary o.
the Sabbath School was celebrated, the audi
| ence room being arranged az last year. Above ,
moss grown ''rock OF ages upon which was
planted "a church was raised all arch correspond
ing with the pulpit recess, upon which was tn,
golden motto II will trust aud not be afraid.
| Beneath this motto and spanning the arch wac
another motto, 'rhat rock was Christ" Tn,
Sunday School banner hung from the apex o
tile arch, and floral displays about its base com
pleted the decorations
After the opening hymn the annual report
war read by Charles Baird, superintendent VIII,
stated that the school numbered 500 officers
teachers and scholars, with an average atten
| dance of $50. During the year Isaac s. Bart
and Jno p. McLear, among the teachers, ha,
been punctual in their attendance, while Of thu
children Mary O'Toole, Ella Walker and Charlie
Crozier had been alike present ON each Sabbath
Mary OToole had missed only three days il
four years. The infant school, under Elli
i Springer and Sale Shields, numbers 1876. Th
collections OF the year amounted TO S7il.0i INC 8
| of which had been spent III aid of the churcl
debt fund. The dead of the year were Mrs
Cochran and little child years OF age.
A concert exercise "The Rock of Ages, wa
the chief feature of the anniversary, at the cou
clusion of which Rev. Mr.. Otis presented t.
Miss Ada Belts the Songs OF the Sanctuary, "an
to Misses Matte WALES, Ella Walker and Sal
Jones each copy Of "Bnnyan's Pilgrims Pro
gress" az prizes won in the late catechism bee
The exercises closed with the singing OF Nj
Sankey's famous hymn, "The Ninety and Nine,
and the benediction by Rev. Mr.. Otis.
= societies.