National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-02-23
A MEMORIAL SERVICE.
The Truth 81 the old Testament veri-
fed by a Commemoration observ-

The Truth of the old Testament veri-
fed by a Commemoration Observe
nnce.
Rev. Z. r. Webb, Of tho shawmut Ave-
nue. Church, Boston, delivered very i'm
pressive sermon ut the Tabernacle Church
Yesterday morning to a large congrega-
ton. Ho took his text from Exodus xii,
26-27:
And it shall come to pass when your chill.
dren shall say unto you, What mean ye by
this seryicc2 that ye shall say, IL is the sacrl'
flee Of the Lords passover, who passed over
the houses OF the children OF Israel IN Egypt
when he smoto the Egyptians and delivered
our houses. And the people bowed tho mead
and worshipped.
After describing graphically and at
some length the interesting and affecting
scene to which the text alludes, bringing
out the event in its true and wonderful
relations, the preacher passed to notice
three lessons taught us by tho text.
1. Tho memorial character Of this SCR
vico and its bearing upon the integrity of
the Old Testament. Having prescribed
the killing Of tho lamb aud the sprink-
ling of the blood upon the Intel and side
posts of their doors, the command Is
added. "And We shall observe this thing
for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons
forever"
And so IL was observed all through their
subsequent history. observed and COM
memorated by tho people, the prophets
the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles,
rs the one great, peculiar event in their
history.
Now as to the bearing Of this comment
Grafton upon tho integrity of the Ola
Testament 1t il sometimes asserted
that Moses did not write the Pentatouch,
and that the events recorded in it never
occurred. But what is memorial service
but an unimpeachabe witness to the
events which 1t commentaries.
MONUMENTS ARE THE EPtToME OF
NATIONS HISTORY.
Monuments and memorial services re-
cord and perpotuate the great turning
points and steps in a nations life, and
hence the impossibility of setting up
monument to commemorate what never
occurred. Would yonder beautiful shaft,
rising almost to the stars, have ever been
reared aud dedicated with imposing and
eloquent services if Washington had never
lived and acted aud impressed himself
upon our national history Could our
people have been persuaded to commence
rate the Tooth anniversary Of the battle
and victory of Yorktown If the bat.
]
! never occurred? Could our people
| have built Bunker Hill monument
except for the battle at Bunker HIP 1t
| is not within the bounds of possibility for
! anybody so to have imposed upon the
| American people as to make them cello
brate with monument aud memorial SER
| vices events that never occurred. They
| keep alive the great crucial event in our
actual history. They stand to demon
strate and keep alive in our memories the
truth of the past.
Just SO this memorial service in He
brew history. 1t exists because the event
occurred, and for no other reason. The
preacher who denies the truth of the
Mosaic history-the passover and the
passage of the sea--nies in the face OF one
of the profoundest principles of national
life.
The Jews were not fools any more than
we are. Aud thoy could not be persuaded
to celebrate with monuments aud memo
rial services an event that never &C.
CURED any more than We can. And the
jews, and the prophets and the historians
and the Messiah aud the apostles,
each and all recognize and celebrate the
passover with memorial services, and so
accept and porpetuate the integrity OF the
Mosaic record. just as reasonably deny
the events which we commemorate as deny
tho events in their history which they
commemorate.
2. The second lesson, the preacher said,
is the value of the lambs blood, fore.
shadowing and anticipating the sacrifice
of the Lamb of God that taketh away
the sins of the world"
And third lesson taught us by this
event is the necessity of obedience or of a
personal appropriation of the blood of
Christ for the delivorance and redemption
} of our souls. Those ancient believers
were saved because they sprinkled the
, blood upon the Intel and door posts. And
we are saved If we appropriate the blood
of Christ "sprinkled upon our conscience
, to purify us from dead works to serve the
living God.n