Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-08-16


and altar linen were of the most exquisite
workmanship and lent very imposing effect
to the otherwise plain appearance Of the church.
The music was of q high order and afforded
great pleasure.
Solemn high mass was celebrated by the
Rt. Rev. Bishop Grace, assisted by Father
Raveux, Father McMullen, ce lebrant; Father
Brennan, deacon, and Father Gouffsn. sub
deacon. The music was furnished by a double
quartette, led by W. F. Markoe, organist Miss
Jennie Raggles and Mrs. Col. Smith, sopranos:
Miss Grace Hageerty and Mrs. l.. Demeuels,
altos; Messrs. John Donahue and Louie De-
meuels, tenors, and Messrs. John Guion and
A. SwanBtrom, bassos.
THE SERMON.
The sermon was preached by Bishop Grace,
who spoke eloquently as follows:
In that day shall this canticle be sung 10 the land
of Judah Zion, the city OF our strength, Savior,
q wall, and bulwark, shall be set therein.
Open ye the gates, and let the just nation, that
keepeth the truth, enter in
The old error is passed away; thou wilt keep
peace; peace, because We have hoped In thee.
Isaias xvi: v. l-3.
have selected this passage from Isaias as
appropriate to this occasion, for propheticaily
pointing, az it does, to the church to be estab-
lished by Christ. it presents under symbolical
forms the supreme excellence of the Christian
religion, and the rscs and purposes of the
Christian temple. Zion, the church, is called
the city of strength, in which a Savior, a wall
and bulwark shall be set, and a people that
keepeth the truth shall enter in.
Coming to the New Testament VIC find these
symbols explained and verified in the sacra-
ments aud ordinance which are the bulwarks
IF the spiritual temple of the church, and the
privileges with which it was endowed; aad
ae same ideas of beauty, of strength, and of
unity conveyed by images borrowed from the
material temple. The rock. the wall, the
building up, are Christ's words with reference
to his church. The fitting together. c. impact.
ness, and symmetry of all parts are st. Paul's.
open ye the gates and let the Just nation that
keepeth the truth enter in" have their counter
part in the words of Christ commissioning his
apostles to teach all nations and promising
the perpetual abidance of the spirit of truth.
Ali the prerogations of the church of Christ
are conn rised in this one that she possesses,
preserves and teaches the truth. This is the
source of her strength, OF her beauty, of her
durability, of her unity, of her efficiency in
all things holy, in all things perfect.
Now the purpose for which the church ereo.s
her terial temples is to show forth and en-
body In action the beauty and holiness of the
truth which is her Propagation: truth in the
doctrines she there teaches; truth in the wor-
ship she there renders to God, truth in the
sacrsments she there administers, truth in the
doctrines she there teaches.
OF what value is any teaching except it be the
teaching of truth7 Christ came to be light
to tho world. He was that light through the
truths which he taught. These solemn truths
touching God and man, and mans duties to
God, and bis eternal destiny, which
Christ revealed, he also ordained should
be communicated to the nations of the earth
nations. have asked, what is the value of
any teaching except it be the teaching of
truth? Here is revelation from God to man.
revelation deemed expedient in the divine
counsels for Gods glory and for mans we'll
being here and hereafter. 1t is no Indifferent
matter To teach what is erroneous, to teach
what is false, were to extinguish the light
revealed; were to dishonor God; were to delude
man to his spiritual ruin. No, God has not
left those revealed truths of his subject, like
things of earth, to loss and decay. He pro-
vided for their preservation against the natural
imperfections and inirmities of the human in
strumentalities to which he committed the
teaching of them. The very commission Civ
en- by Christ to a ministry Of mon to teach the
doctrines he revealed, implies that He will fur
nish the assistance necessary to enable them to
fulfill the commission. But it is not implied
merely; We have Christ's express declarations
TO this effect. 'Go, teach all nations, teach
them to observe all things which / have com.
manded You, and, behold, lam with you all
days until the oonsumn,ation of the world.
Il am with you;' with you in your teaching,
with you to enable you to fulfill the commission
give you and to teach truly my doctrines to
the world through all time. As 3 further guar
anty of the truthfulness of their teachings,
He premises that he will send them the Holy
Spirit, the spirit of truth, who will guide
them in all truth and abide with them forever.
And, indeed, this supernatural assistance is
necessarily implied in the nature of divine
81
infallibility. In SO far es a
religion processes to be revealed it of
caurse processes to be infallible; but If the
revealed part be ambiguous, if it
may mean many things, and many
of these contradictory, it might just as well
have never been made at all. To make it in
any sense an infalible revelation 10 us, we
need power to interpret the revelation that
that revelation itself.'' You already anticipate
my conclusion. The doctrines taught in this
temple are taught with the authority of Gods
church her ministers preach not their own
views and opinions, or doctrines of their own
divining they speculate not upon thespossible
of things or OF ambiguous words 1
they teach as having authority they teach doc
trines which are delivered to them ; they teach
what the infsliible church of God teaches, and
commands them, as her ministers, to teach.
These teachings are true !; they are the doc
trines OF Christ, revealed by Him for
Gods glory and mans eternal good. Woe
to me, brethren, If preach to you doctrine
different from that which l haYe received.
Nay, if an angel were to descend visibly upon
that altar and preach to YOU doctrine differ
snt from that which your church teaches-woe
10 that angel Should We or an angel from
heaven, says st. Paul, preach to you other
than that which You have received, let him be
The rejection of the principle of supernatur-
IL assistance In the teaching of the doc
.rines of revelation, has brought about
/ condition of things in our time
which calls for serious consideration.
minds have wondered at the readi-
ness with which the Pagan world accepted the
doctrines of Christ at their first preaching by
The apostles and thei1 immediate successors.
Miracles are not sufficient to explain that rapid
of Paganism to Christianity. The
movement was one of rebound. The world