The daily gazette., 1880-03-29
FIRST EDITION.
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Easter Sunday Services,
WHAT OCCURRED IN the
cHuRcHEs YESTERDAY.
FAREwELL SERMON AT GRACE, AND
INITIAL SERMONS AT UNION, SCOTT
m AND AsBURY-EAsTER OBJ
+ sERvAFcEs At OTHER
a u .f't" CHURCHES. is4' 'H

HHA - N.ltHN LiN' N|N 'I NHfHfn |a %
Z lel Hlf Ia if a.s sf fH.
,,, AT GRACE CHURCH.
FAREWELL SERMON BIT REV. DIR.
In honor Of the occasion, Easter Sun
day, Grace M. e. Church, yesterday
morning, was adorned with splendid
array Of potted flowers across the chan
csl, and the pastor, Rev. W. J. Steven
son, d. D.. delivered his farewell ser
mon amid the inspiration of floral
beauty and fragrance. The scripture
lesson was the 10Th Psalm, aud the text
on which the Doctors discourse was
based was as follows "This Jesus hath
Ged raised up; whereof we all are wit
nesses. Acts, IL, 32.
The sermon was distinctively an East
or effort, and classed Easter as the
greatest OF all christian anniversaries
greater even than Christmas. Christ
mas commemorates the birth of Christ,
but Easter commentaries bis glorious
resurrection, and is therefore the great,
mighty and inspiring anniversary of the
christian world.
The proof of the resurrection, the
sermon held, was three-fold: Documen-
tary, monumental and experimental.
| That the resurrection occurred, some
eighteen hundred and odd years ago,
there can be 40 reasonable doubt. The
Bible refers to it specifically in prophecy
and records the fulHllment. Christian
history bears testimony TO the resurrec-
tion, and personal experience, which is
the consciousness OF every christian be-
lever attests the resurrection OF Christ.
The acceptance Of this fact establishes
Christianity, and the resurrection Of
Christ Is the erowning proof Of immor-
tality. '', - tf"'
The points thus briefly delineated
were amplified by the pastor in most
eloquent and impressive manner, the
| c, ose attention Of the audience attesting
how closely the Argument appealed 10
every mind. In concluding, DR.. Steven
son made brief allusion to his pastor
ate of the past three years, spoke en-
couragingly of Its success. and affection
ately OF the lasting friendship 1t had en-
gendered among his congregation. To
| all he bade a touching farewell.
| At the close of the sermon, many Of
the congregation pressed forward and
bade the pastor personal farewell.
At Grace chapel, last night, prayer
meeting was held under charge OF
President J. M. Williams, of Wesleyan
Female College. # '-.'
The first Quarterly Conference OF
Grace Church for the present year
will be held in the church on Wednes-
day night.
On Friday night the congregation
will assemble at the parsonage to meet
the new pastor, Rev. Geo. W. Miller
and his family. Mr. Miller will preach
his initial sermon on Sunday next. He
comes here from the Central Penn.
sylvania Conference, his last station
being at Chambersburg, Pa.
DIR. Stevenson will go to Baltimore,
to-day to visit some friends, and start
on Thursday for Troy, N. ", where
the Troy Conference, to which he has
been transferred, will convene. His
station will be the State Street M. e.
Church in the city of Troy, one of the
finest charges in the Conference. He
will carry with him the best wishes o.
his last congregation to his new field
Of labor. ".'
L .llt AT AsBuRY.
IL
| The audience at Asbury, at the ser
vices yesterday morning about fillet
that edifice three quarters full 1t wa,
expected that the church would bs
crowded owing to the fact that 1t was
the opening sermon Of the pastoral,
of Rev. Chas. Hill.
The sermon commenced promptly al
1890 o'clock by singing the four hun
dred and eleventh hymn, after which
the pastor invoked the Divine bless
ings not only upon his congregation
but upon every one after which h,
read for the instruction of the congre
CATION the SD chapter, of Isaiah. H
announced as the basis for his sermon
the second verse, second chapter, Is
) Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians
7aFor / determined not to know any
thing among you, save Jesus Christ
, and him crucified."
In commencing his discourse tn
! pastor said 1--WE all know that this
, Easter, and that it is customary t.
! preach on that day of Christ and Hin
risen from the dead, but will waiy
that custom and speak of othe
things" Some people in reading tb
! text that have read would no doub
charge the apostle with narrow mind
ness. Ifsuck a thought ever entered
!. into the minds of anyone present, lie
! me disabuse such a mind of such
thought. The subject is a giganti
one. The apostle did not mean t
!, know nothing save Jesus and hir
! crucified in q. literal sense, but h
= meant and felt that in Christ Jesus an
! him crucified that 1t was subject fo
all to stand by and find refuge in.
There is a truth in the Cross G
Christ that can be found nowhere els
and while he was the pastor of tn
2 church he would endeavor to bring
q their minds the great truths of the gol
pei. He then spoke of the great teacl
Ia ings of Christ, that even his enemie
l. said "Surely no man ever spake SO.
Now how did the apostle determin
. know Christ. He determined to kno
v Him as the mediator between God an
D. man, knowing full we'll that the atom
ment was not in the flesh but in I'll
ID shedding of blood, and this atonemei
to Christ made upon the Cross when |
yielded up his life for mankind. l.
us linger on the sufferings of Jesu
ct which he bore and made for mankin
ks M 1t is not of his bodily sufferings whit
~ wa will sneak of for these sufferinj