National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-02-23
some MEMORIAL SERMONS.
THE EVENT OF SATURDAY REFERRED TO
FROM THE PULPIT.
Rev. Or. Faunce Delivers a Timely and Elo-
quent Discourse al the street Baptist
Church-sermons by Rev. Dr. Webb, OF hos
ton, and Rev. Alexander Crummell.


At tho E.street Baptist Church, the
pnstor, Rev. d. w. Faunce, ID. d., re-
peated, by request, his sermon given on
Dec. last, entitled "Tho Placing Of the
Capstone" The text was Zach, Nv, q He
shall bring forth the headstone with
shoutings of Grace, grace unto itp" ON
the 9Th Of December last, at 2 o'clock p.
M, tho capstone was placed in position
on Wonder structure, and tho Washington
monument was finished. Thirty and six
years in building, almost as long as tho
timo given to tho Herodian Temple, it is
completed at last. Yesterday the services
of dedication wore held, and now the
monument stands as stood that
temple, not only wonder and do
light, but commcmoration and
prophecy. 1t is monument to man
but it is also. in its eloquent simplicity,
sign to the ages to come, showing that
somewhere in the course Of human events,
in this world or the next, it will DO found
that goodness is always monumental,
bringing not only the praise Of men but
of God. All grand building is instruo-
tive And in this utilitarian age, when
men are asking why not spend the
money that has been used on this struc-.
ture In building hospitals and asylums.'
IL is some thing that horizon as WIDE as
the centuries has been gained, and that
monument has been erected which will
no exhibit our sense of the true
grandeur of goodness before the eyes
of millions as to induce Thorn to
gather about its base thoir magnificent
charities. 1t Is something, moreover,
that when the age is fairly daft over a
flashy French ornamentation, like that ex-
hbited in our Army and Navy building,
which means nothing save transitori-
ness, we have been able to erect in this
capital of the nation monument severely
plain-a real work of high art-modeled
in its general form after tho conception
OF those grand old Egyptian builders to
whom modern hippancy WAS unknown,
and who have set forth best OF all nations,
in their structures, the idea of
THE PERMANENT AND EVEN THE
ETERNAL.
Our Lord used the completed temple
and the falling tower of Sloan as both
texts and illustrations of religious truth.
After his example the news of the day Is
20 be seized upon, not as godsend for a
public teacher short of material for dis
course, but to show men that the final
ends of all worthy material things are
moral ends. Was 1t some monument just
completed AT Jerusalem amid great diff
culties which suggested to the Prophet in
the text that His own work would GER
tainly DO crowned with success; that
Gods work in sending q Messiah would
be n success; that since one thought runs
through the ages Gods completed plan of
the universe would also be glad success
as the finished structure should emerge,
which would be at once the monument of
His grace and the "hAbitation of His
glory"
/. In any study Of monuments first Of
all there is the question Of foundation.
There must be no failure in that respect.
And so in the case of our monument, a
magnificent feat of engineering was I'M
dertaken, and the removal of a consider
able portion of the material beneath tho
structure was accomplished, and foun-
dation laid which in every respect was
deemed secure Our Lord taught of foun-
dations in his parable Of the two builders,
thus setting forth wisdom in con-
trast with folly in the ques-
ton of foundations in religion.
"Other foundation can no man lay than
that is laid, Jesus Christ the cornerstone
1t bears Gods great structure, IL must be
the foundation likewise for US. As there
is one person whose opinion as architect
of the monument is or ought to be Of
worth as to the security Of its foundations,
80 there is one person, Jesus Christ whose
opinion on the matter of the absolute
safety of the foundations Of my eternal
hopes
IAN WILLING INpIIcITIy To TRusT
9. Foundations secured. the next ques.
tion is of some worthy structure to be
built upon them. For years the Wash
ington monument stood a by-wOrd and @
disgrace, like some unfinished Christian
lives that are here gathered about it.
They ceased from their labors," but moi
by the gaining Of heaven. Had the
monument remained as we useo to see it,
we should have continued to hang out
heads in shame at every mention Of the
failure. But there is to-day, an altered
tone Of remark concerning it, which
should stir any man who hat
really begun to build the Christian
character and has ceased to grow. We
are to rise aud build on. Out of wide
ranges of our life, out of its secular a.
we'll as its devotional duties, we are tC
obtain material for the growing structure
Some Of ii may need the rough hewing Of
repentance and the cutting of the Mas
ter's sharpest tool before it can go in any
worthy way into the structure. All act
are to be done as courses OF stones mad
ready for their place, just as esoi
block in yonder structure was hewn anc
shaped and then set squarely and by rule
3. In all monumental building there 1
tho careful following of pattern
Judged before its completion the worl
al A ,ipkf n n pta ~
of marble In yonder worky yards and un
dertaking to judge Of the shape of tn
monument from that fragment, would &c
no more absurdly than do some men VIII
pick up hero and there fact in this work
shop Of the universe, and then pass judg
ment oil the plan adopted, and even upoi
the competency OF
THE GREAT BUILDER HIMSELF.
We must wait until the universe /
done before we judge IL. Meanwhile a
help to our trust we have perfecte
word, and also the perfected character o
Jesus Christ; the capstone of the struC
turo Of revealed religion, has appeared
The browning stone can be surmountet
by no other. "In Him dwelt all the full
ness of the Godhead." You can adj
nothing moro to that attainment. NJ
better higher teacher or Saviour is posi-
Gods completed plan OF completes
Christ. Aud 50 by these two perieete
things, can trust Him with his eterna
plan OF the universe as it is disclosed a
the final day.
4. A monument is memorial. Yonde
structure tells less of tho deeds than Q
the character Of Washington. The mon
uments we rear on the plane of on
mortal life are characteristic-of whom
They are commemorative of what? II
who rearS to self putting on this structur
the words, Gan this have done fror
my youth up" builds to his personal an,
spiritual pride monument that men vii
not recognize nor God regard, save wit
displeasuTe The true inscription on tn
monument we rear is its dedication t
our loving, living, dying, risen Lore
Every such life has in il capacity 70
transferrence. 81 will make him pilla
In the fannie of nv GOdu There wi