Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-05-31
HISTORICAL SERMON.
Delivered BY Rev. s. W. Eaton at the Congrcga.
tionAl Church In Lancaster,
HAY %. Iss3.

erance OF the Gospel, according to tn
Revised Version, from the first da'
until now"
No history reads like that of churcI
life, whether it be the story of indivi
dual organizations, or of the collectiv
body OF believers. Nor need we won
der, for God is in it; it records wha
Christ is doing in the world; it set
forth the fruits of the adorable spiri
in his blessed working. The church j
the institution of the ages. its origi
divine. and perpetual in its life
"oh, where are Kings and empires now
OF old that went and came?
But Lord, thy church is praying yet
A thousand years the same"
We are not, then, to impute extrava
gcnce of speech, or the insincerity @
empty compliment, when Paul ad
dresses the churches in such glowin
words, as if he were their lover no
less than their founder. If Christ love,
the church, and gave himself for il
why should not Paul. or any Christian
minister, likewise offer himself willing
ly in love and service and sacrifice o
self on its behalf?
In the providence of God the New
England coast, unlike our northwest
was sowed with sifted seed. The MAY
flower brought to the harbor of Ply
mouth, and TO Massachusetts Bay,
selected and peculiar people, zealou
of good works. 1t was the aim of thos
Puritan colonists to establish an idea
state, in which the people should b
'all righteous" SO that state ant
church could, by consent of the govern
ed, become identified and identical
and thus there might be one spot in thi
troubled world where there would b.
''none to modest or make afraid.
Subsequent experience proved tina
this conception of kingdom of Go,
on earth could not be realized, and tn,
attempt was abandoned; but such
conception, with its attempted realiza
ton, showed that if those people wer
stern in feature. their ideals were o
a diviner sort. We may well conced,
that they had defects of character, ant
sometime. committed errors of policy
and practice; but it will remain true
as Macaulay has said that, ''The Purl
tans were perhaps the most remarka
BILE body of men the world has eve
known"
This church was quite unlike the
early New England churches in th,
circumstances of its origin. The aim
of the first settlers of the place appear
to have been secular rather than relig
ious, and, consequently, the work to b,
done was to gather church out of th,
world. The Winnebagoes having beer
1 crh in, h.,
no fear of depredations from the In
dams, as with our forefathers 1t wa,
no rock-bound coast to which these
colonists came. There was here found
far inland, near the geographical cen
ter of Grant county, an elevated sit,
for town. The place was covered
with rather scattered growth of white
oak trees. and patches of under-brush
AT the foot of the decllvity, to the East
where the wooden mill now stands, {
generous spring was waiting to furnish
abundant water for the newcomer anC
his animals, which recalls the fact tina
some of the first settlers of Boston APP
pear to have been drawn thither by
the attractions of such q spring. Be
yond was seen the pleasant expanse Of
a rolling prairie, its graceful outline:
not broken by fences as now. Nowhere
was there to be found soil better
adapted to the purposes of agriculture
while yielding more than the scanty
growths of the older states. it happily
fell short of producing that over lux.
uriant vegetation, which, in some parts
of South America, is more than mar
| is able to sudue or control
1t is to be regretted that the ak die
not spare some members of that ole
and venerable generation of oaks, t,
stand as monumental shafts along GU
streets and in our grounds. The tree
Of 'the second growth" having beer
mere saplings within the memory o
some of us, can not claim our venera
ton like the original and ancient stock
One of the last of that early race stooC
on land formerly owned by myself, blu
now the property of Mr.. w. II
Decker, and was recently removed OF
account of its having become decavet
and unsafe. From the top of tina
tree flag was wont to float as q sig
nal of victory whenever, in the pro
gress of the late war. the arms of tn
| uulOu dCultNcu d
The church had its birth and beginnin.
on the 21st day OF May 1913. at the oil,
court house, which afterwards CAV
place to the present structure Then an,
there a little company of seven persons
pledged themselves to each other and t
Christ in covenant of duty and fel
lowship. 1t was not given them to an
ticipate the results of this action O
theirs definitely and in detail, as thes
forty years have developed them
They must needs walk by faith as the,
entered their untrodden path of churcl
life in new land The master of Ger
emonies on the occasion was the Rev
Jedediah ID. Stevens, who was, at tina
time, pastor at Prairie du CHEN, b
having previously served the American
Board as missionary to the Indians a
TT. Smelling and elsewhere. On tn
3rd day of June the Rev. A. Nj. Dixon
pioneer minister in this county pre-
sided over a second meeting, when TIL
organization of the church was com
pleted.
This church, although p resbyteriar
as originally constituted, adopted. a
an early day, tie polity of the Puri
tans; if | should not more properl
say, on the strength of some of tn
best authorities in church history, tina
its government was made to conforr
moro exactly to the primitive pattern.
At that time, in the absence of raj
roads, our great river was much NOR
important highway of commerce an
travel than now and affording. as it die
direct means of communication wit
the Southern states, it brought laro
emigration from that quarter to thes
lead mines. And since Congregation
} alism was then unknown at the Souti
while also it was the practice even wit
many New Englanders to organize a
Presbyterians on coming West, it natul
ally followed that this church and il
: companion churches of Platteville an
Potosi. should assume the latter polit,
After the New England element becam
more predominant they all spontaneou:
ly adopted the Congregational govern
ment. 1t is pleasant to recall the fac
that these two denominations, so nearl
: one in allessential respects. have mair
, tanned very harmonious relations i
the state of Wisconsin.
The first minister of the church wa
the Rev. Robert Carver, who, however
served in that Office here for only tn
} period of six months, from Octobe
lS43 TO June 1914. He was subse
quently settled in Massachusetts, an
during the late war was appointe
Chaplain of the 7th Reg. Mass, Vols
and died in the hospital at Orient. Lon
, Island, of disease contracted in the sci