The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-05-17
PULPIT PEARLS.
A Day of Spiritual Refreshing at
the Welsh Congregational
Church.
Able and Eloquent Discusses Delivered
by Rev. Or. Thomas. of Lsav-
eg~Orth.
Rev. G. Grimths. of New Cambria, MIs-
souri,. snd Rev Henry DAVIS, OF
williamsburg, Iowa.

The prevalence Sunday morning of
one Of the heaviest fains which has ever
visited this section of Kansas, Interfered
to such an extent with the attendance at
the Welsh Congregational church that
it was determined to postpone the dedi-
catisn of that edifice until next Sunday,
upon which occasion Rev. d. Williams,
of Madrid, N. Y, and other mInisters
from abroad, will be present and assist
in the services. However, neither this
forced bat unexpected change in the
program nor the inclemency of the
weather robbed the services of the great
measure of interest which attended
them, nor precluded the employment OF
the very able pulpit talent which had
gathered in view of the contemplated ded
ication; and at 8 O'Clock in the morning
quite a number of people who had
braved the miniature deluge which fell
at about that time, gathered in the beau
tiful auditorium of the church and lis
tened TO a discourse in Welsh by Rev.
G. Griffiths, of New Cam ria, Missouri,
based upon the scripture taken from the
prophecy OF Hosea, 10:12-13. and which
amply repaid the hearers of this able di-
vine for all the inconvenience which
they had experienced in reaching the
| church.
AtI1 O'Clock DR.. Thomas, of Leaven-
worth, who is one Of the most talented
and pleasing pulpit orators III the west
preached in English from the text: For
! He Ioyeth our nation and He hath built
| US a synagogue" The speaker was no
less logical than eloquent and the excel
lent thought embodied in his discourse
found expression in the choicest Ian
guage and was elaborated by the grace
| full imagery and effective illustrations of
an accomplished orator The theme of
the speaker was the influence of the
church for good in the community, and
the following is an outline of his able
effort:
| l rejoice with you, my friends that
you have been enabled to erect this
handsome house of worship. You are
to be praised for the exquisite taste
manifest in this structure. 1t is house
worthy of your thrift, enterprise and de-
votion, and it is eminently qualified for
the purpose of its construction. You
have contributed your share to the
beauty of this city already famous all
over the state for its fine private ami
public buildings and its elegant
| and commodious churches. 1t
would require no argument to convince
the stranger within your gates that the
people of this city are interested in more
than one world and are not wholly alb
sorbed in the things of This life. These
fine, costly edifices belonging to the
| various names OF the one church, at
whose affairs the many evangelical de-
| nominations worship, and pledge, as
Hannibal at the affairs of Carthage, obe-
dience and alliance to the Divine Mas
ter, speak with no uncertain sound, with
no lukeWarm enthusiasm, with no ordl-
nary eloquence, of the moral and relig-
ious character of the people of this city.
It is the custom of our times, and a
worthy one, too, TO construct appropri-
ate buildings tor the accommodation of
the various intellectual, social and as
thetical interests that occupy the atten-
tion of the peOple-structures sacred TO
art, to science, to letters, TO music, to
philosophy and to legislation: And the
men who thus contribute to the promo
ton of the cause of science, OF AIT, oi
philosophy, and thus assist in openiD G
up the fields OF mental research
TO the ardent explorer, are considered
philanthropists. But the man is more
of philantropist and that Fellowship
of men and women Is more considerate
that builds the house of worship, the
constant reminder of all that is grand
divine, spiritual and God-like in man
that perpetually breaches with logic un-
answerable that there is something more
than wealth and fame and position and
worldly glory TO be thought of, and thai
calls the farmer from his field, the me-
chanic from his bench, the merchant
from his store, the banker from his of
Ace, the clerk from his desk, to consider
f the highest philosophy and contemplate
the divinest of all arts. This house o
worship, so beautifully furnished; thi'
Spire pointing heavenward, speaks o
| mans mission. of mans dignity, o.
r mans destiny, more eloquently than al
the columns of Greece and Rome, th'
mausoleums of Asia and the stupendoui
. pyramids of Egypt. l am not speaking
at random, but utter the words of trutl
, and soberness, when | say that far easie
, could the world do without schools ant
represent the interest of the soul ant
point the eye heaYenward. And this en-
abies me To take up the argument o. N,
text and the fact l wish to impress uDnI
your MINDS, namely the value of tn
church to the community.
{ And first, | wish to impress upon you
G minds that intellectually, the church i
an adjournment and an Inspiration 10 tb
: community. The old pr judice agains
: the adjournment of the san"tnaries whic
q we rear to God, is fast passing away
,. The fathers of lie church who Tough
against everything tut bear walls, III
J comfortable seats and high, bleak pull
y pits from which The preacher cOula, o
/ Tip toe, look down upon +he congregs
# ton below. Went To radical extreme i
their hatred of The atiurnments of til
> mother church. We should build on
o temples as God builds the great tempt
4 of nature, in which the Savior loved
q hold his services, and which is adOrne
with every form "f ie>lheticIsm who
70 an infinite mind can devise. Beauty
IS essential To our bet development.
Il means harmony and complei euess, an
i. directs the soul To the lo7iicst sources {
:, contemplation The whole history {
mind, the entire development of civili
lie alton. proves the efficacy oi beauty in r
T. fning and clevating the standard of b
!. manity, and that II leads the mind
man up tn HIM who is the source of II
u beauty and the one altogether Lowell
a Then let the architect and the buIldt
ir exhaust Their best resources to adol
II and make imposing and impressive Il
church IN which the most High receive
~ the homage of His creatures.
IS Secondly, it is a fact that needs no a
a. gument to render it more emphatic tn
man is a religious being. He is spoke
of by Ovid as the animal that is mat
Oh to look up; like the ladder that the a.
le cient seer saw, he rests against ~
,y worlds; and whatever you may he plea
:, ed to cali this divine instinct, the fact r
mains that he has wants and aspiration
y which can only be fully met and sati
ut fed in the house of God. The craviI
for immortality, which has lived In Il
a heart of the race since time began, al
which is stam ped upon all the works
even the pagan artists OF ancient Gree
IT, and Rome finds in Christ alone satl
y flying portion, and rests only within Il
III portals of the church which He has g
ey tablished. The plainest enunciaiion
ne gospel truth the simplest revelation
al lfhe great eVangel of love and pea
" throws more light and cheer upon Il
great problem of human life and dea
than the wisest theories of the profoun
X est metaphysician.
m And then, the church is an influen
.. for good in every community. II h
~ been the grand cOnservator of order
40 all ages. 1t is the patron of law; it
as the fountain of light; it meets u
IL wants of all conditions of human life /;
.a diffuses peace; II is the source of powe
it has done more than all other agenci
% in bringing the world to its present co
nd dition of harmony and without reflex
ps ing upon the valuable offices of scien
q think we can safely say 1t is merely
satellite Of the great burning orb
Christian truth frOal which it borro,
Ia its light The church has kept the Zig
ms burning through all the long, dark ag
m of the past; II has stayed the power
!, sin and corruption in the world il gis