Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-02-05
INSTALLATION SERVICES.
Sermon by Rev. DIR. Spaulding-Charge to
Pastor and Right Hand of Fellowship.

The installation services took place at
7:30 p. m, in the main audience room OF
the church, and were attended by very
large audience. After an opening vOlun-
tary by the organist, the minutes of the
council were read by the scribe, Rev j l..
Sewall of Milton. Following the reading
of the minutes came the prayer of invoca-
ton by Rev. Austin HaZen, and an anthem
by the choir. Rev. George b. Spaulding,
ID. d., of Syracuse, n. Y, then preached
the installation sermon, a discourse of
great beauty and impressiveness, of which
the following is Il brief abstract:
SERMON By DIR. sPAULDING.
fBut Jesus called them unto him, and
said, Ye know that the princes of the Gen
tiles exercise dominion over them, and
they that are great exercise authority
upon them. But 1t shall not be so among
YOU: but whosoever will be great among
you, let him be your minister, aud whose
ever will be chief among you, let hia be
your servant; even as the Son OF Man
came not to he minlstered unto, but to
minister, and TO give his life ransom tor
many" Mat Xxx Bog.
When the mother of James and John
stood before Christ and besought him to
bestow upon them the foremost places in
his kingdom, all mankind stood there with
its false GreedS and ambitions. And
when Christ called his disciples closer
about him and disclosed to them that
great, fundamental truth of the gospel,
the true greatness and nobility of loving
service, the church was there to hear.
Jesus pointed out the fact that in the
kingdom of God he who would be greatest
must be the servant of all. How this
great truth of Christianity received mean
ing and imDresSlVenesS AS uttered by the
lips of Christ. What is Christianity
but unseltsh service, the revealment OF
Gods nature in this respect and Its reflec-
ton in ourselves =? And | know OF no
truth which more needs to be emphasized
at the present time.
What was there in the sacrifice of
Christ, in the motive and spirit, that does
not belong to you and me This Is the
religion of the Cross. Nay, III a sense 1T Is
the religion of nature itself. Each thing
in the world about us seems ordained to
serve others, even at its own expense. BY
the same eternal obligation OF love God
gave his only begotten Son for us The
last the supreme, the infinite sacrifice
must be made because 1t was necessary
that it should be made
The universal spirit of unselfsh love
and service smites most severely that pre-
Valent idea OF scholarship, which eXalts
self-development, the highest culture OF
the individual. The Cross of Christ is
saying to such man or such woman,
Thou art noble-thou art base Rise
up, do something worthy, suffer some
thing for the sake of thy poor poor fel-
lows :" How deeply this truth cuts how
it reveals the power OF sin and seliishnesS
in us. 1t is the law of our discipleship,
the condition of our meetness Tor Heaven,
and earth as we'll. 1t is the essence of our
Christianity.
But this truth is closely allied to anoth-
err and royal truth. lie who thus spoke of
himself rs Il servant came as King. There
is equality nowhere, neither IN heaven nor
ON earth. There Is greater and less
among men. There are men born 10 rule,
and men whose very bleSsedneSS Is To hc
ruled Christ recognized this law. by II
he raised himself into sovereignty by 1t
he would have his disciples eNalt them
selves
Notice now how this greatness is to he
won:' whatsoever will be great among
you, let him be your minister" 1t was SO
! with Christ. Here was new way To get
kingdom. who before Christ ever
thought of winning crown by becoming
Il slave so the NaAarene proposed 10 con
quer this human race to himself. Strange
Us was the idea at that time, it Is he hoped
that we have became sufficiently familiar
with il so that it Is not OtOplan. After
all, it is the most rational way. The soy
ercignty which Christ came 10 establish
HDuld come in only one way-byt The service
Of love Because he came to minister and
not TO be minstered unto, therefore he is
/ now highly exalted.
And as il was with Christ, so must ii be
with His church. In this spirit of self
sacrifice and uusellishness Is to be found
. the power aud influence of the church
over the world. The church is the media
tor between the greater and the less
among men. And as with the Master SO
must ii be with His disciples. lie who
would be chief must 'be the servant
/ When human eXcellencies and attain
meuts centre around self how mean and