Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-04

sions are more and more costly, and
churches less and less noble. There
is no finer saying in Scripture than
that of David to Nathan: "See
now, l dwell in an house OF cdear,
but the ark Of God dWelleth within cur
tains." It showed this righteous monarch
to be more splendidly lodged than the sa-
cred emblem Of the Divine presence. He
could not enjoy bis cedar palace, whilst
there ere only curtains to enclose the ark.
After this, let our piety be shown by our
readiness to dedicate the very best we have
unto God. If God is TO have house at all
that house should be the nOblest and the
costliest that we have the power of rearing
bearing some proportion to the majesty
and the greatness Of Him who is to mani
fest and reveal Himself within its walls.
1t is one Of the best Of all good deeds to
| build a church. In building a church we
! express our felt connection with the spirit
Ual world. The public buildings Of a town
or Of q city may be regarded as the express
sion Of some sentiment, instinct, or wishes
! of human nature. Markets, Senate houses,
Library buildings, Hotels, have all risen as
the effects, embOdiments and realiZatiOus,
| Of some principle in our COMMON nature.
But these are all for our material wants
and interests. Churches spring from other
! feelings, are designed to meet other aspira-
I tiOns and promote other interests. In
/ building house for God, we declare that
| we have other relations and other wants,
! and other interests than the secular and
/ the physical. We thus attest our relation
/ TO eternity, our moral obligation to the in
finite, and our desire Of communion with
| the Eternal Father Of Spirits.
| Again: In building ! church we express
our philanthropy We arc not building
/ merely for ourselves but for others; not
! even for our contemporaries, but for pos
| terity. Unborn generations viii probably
/ worship in this site. A more philanthropic
&C. than this we could not perform.
| A church true to her mission is the greatest
blessing to society. There the MIST
soul-elevating ideas are proclaimed.
! These ideas are the seed of character and
the soul Of history. They Lift the savage
| to sage and turn the sinner into a saint.
| Churches, therefore, are the salt Of the
earth; they prevent society from becoming
/ thoroughly putrid; they are the light Of the
| world-they throw their beams upon the
! hidden deeds Of darkness and make the
workers thereof ashamed; they are cities
| set on a hill; they are TO society what tides
are TO the ocean, what the winds are to the
atmOsphere-they stir the mass and keep it
| pure. The erection Of every such place is
| the opening new fountain in the desert,
the kindliug Of new light in the trma-
ment.
The churcl-the corner stone Of which
/ has now been laid-is to be devoted 10 the
| service Of Almighty God, according TO the
! doctrine, discipline and worship Of the
Protestant Episcopal Church. Brethren,
! let US bless God that our church is a pure
/ branch Of the One Holy Catholic Church.
| She is tine continuation into Protestant
times after spirit and traditions, and gen
eral church life Of ante Reformation times.
She is at once patriotic and Protestant, not
OF the 10Th century only, but of that and
all the rest that went before. True, the
church IS old, but II is fresh and sound. Il
is framed, as we believe, after the pattern
Of the early Christian church, and accord
ing to the Scripture model. Her doctrines
and teachings are sound. None can mis-
take the clear utterance Of her standards.
| They declare the supremacy and sufiicienCy
Of Scripture. They defend the two creeds,
for they may be proved by most
certain warrant from Scripture. On
all the cardinal points Of theology, such as
the being Of God, the trinity in unity, the
incarnation, the atOnement, ETC., they Ut
ter 10 uncertain sound. No communion
in ChFi,tendOm rests on more reasonable
principle; none has maintained more wise
" unity in essential faith, yet large free
dom Of opinion, q simple teaching, a sober
worship, practical training, a sound ethi-
cal spirit. Her aim is 10 educate in her
children Gle intelligent, conscientious love
Of the doctrines Of The gospel. These doc
trines must prevail. They are Interchangeable.
The members Of the church have changed,
but its foundations have not changed; its
sacrameuts have not changed; its doctrines
have not changed; its rule of faith has not
changed; its glorious head has not changed.
To these principles and doctrines we this
day stand committed. Let US hold them
fast. Let Us be faithful and true in main
tanning them. Their march is onward.
Their triumph is certain.
Brethren, We have much for which to
be thankful in being members Of the
church to which we belong. The church
has provided US with the nOblest form Of
worship compiled by human minis, and
the mos; fitting book Of prayer for the house
Of prayer. The prayers which
the Church has offered for fourteen
hundred years; the praises which she has
sung for a whole millennium, the rights
which she has used fol nearly forty genera
tiOns Of christians, are the prayers and
praises and rites which form the basis OF
our service, and which unite US in spirit
with the first and earliest worship Of the
Church of Christ. What a communion of
saints does this enables Us to enjoy with
the glorious company Of the apostles, the
goodly fellowship Of the prophets, the no
bic army Of martyrs, and the Holy Church
throughout the world, as it enters into
Gods house with thanksgiving and into
His courts with prayer and praise!
The Church collected is but a temple
reared for the habitatiOn Of
the = mighty God, and Of this temple
Christ is both the foundation and the cor
ner-stone. It's foundation is Christ. On
Him, as on an immoyable basis, there
rests the whole Christian Church, and
upon this foundation we haze laid our cor
ner-stOne. The o1rnsv Is lie place where
two walls meet, and tEg cornerstone is
that by which they s-C connected or COM
bined. Helc- =Ie lea suggested by
/ cornerstone Is mainly Lhs- Of union, but
it is as uniting what was separated that
Christ is spoken u IS a cornerstone. In
his person we're combined the divine Da-
Gentle. He united God and man. He
reconciled the world to its Maker. He re-
| stored harmony where sin had wrought
| fearful separation. Yes, He was and is
the cornerstone between earth and
| Heaven.
Upon this cornerstone we are to-day to
pour the oil of our gladness and the wine
! Of our wealth, cOnseCrsting our joys and
our possessions to Him who had bought US
/ with His price. Upon this cornerstone we
must give up all that we have and all that
we are. And when the building is finished
| the passer-by will lCOk at it and call it
/ stone and mortar, but God will doubtless
| seem in it-hiding in the cTevices, con-
| cesled in tine very structure, the sacrifices,
| the self-denials, the conservation and love
of those who have given their all to the en-
/ teTpTiSe.
And as with the Church collectively, so of
| the individual Christian character. The
/ church is not built Of dead materials. 1t
is folmed Of living stones: and each stone
that is fit to be built with TIE walls Of His
| holy habitatiOn is 10 be richly sculpurted
and decorated. Those hidden principles
and motives upOn which the grand super
structure Of faith and charity is built, are
| strong and steadfss,! and not only strong
and steadfast but they are beautiful. They
| not only supDOrt the edihce, but contribute