Morning journal and courier., 1886-01-07
THE CONSIDERATION.
Christ Church AbsOlved From Debt Is Consecrated to God By Bishop williams of Hartford.

Williams of Hartford.
 According to the rules of the Episcopal church no church can be consecrated until it is free from debt, and within the past few days Christ church, which was consecrated yesterday morning by Bishop Williams, of Connecticut, has been made free from debt of SC, ,000 by the earnest work of the pastor, Rev. E. J. Van Deerlin, church committee, of which MT. Elliott H. Morse was chairman, and gift of s, ,000 from Mrs. L. H. Boardman Long before il o'clock yesterday morning, at which time the conservation exercises were to begin, the church was crowded and seats Shortly after the appointed time the New Have clergy moved up the center aisle in body to the altar, and the services began. Bishop Williams offered the exhor- tation, Rev. Dr. Vibbert, of St. James church, Fair Haven, read Bishop Williams sentence of consecration, Rev. Harry P. Nichols, of Trinity church, read the morn ing prayer, and Rev. MT. Van Deerlin read a short history of the church.
 The church was first organized in April 1856, but the society was started about three years before through the efforts of the three Misses Edwards. It was a sort of offshoot of Trinity church. The Rev. Mr. Brewster was the first rector of the society. January 16, 1856, n new society was organized with Rev. Joseph Brewster still at it's head he hay ing given entire satisfaction and assisted the society very materially in its first struggle for foothold. About this time 1t was decid ed to enlarge the church and as an outcome of this the property now occupied was bought, and through the efforts of the Misses Edwards, Trinity church and mem bers of the parish money enough was secured to warrant an attempt at building. Accord ingly on the 10th of August, 1s50, the corner stone was laid and the edfice first opened for service at the feast of the Epiphany in 1500 The society was then very greatly in debt But by the efforts of Rev. Mir Brews- Ter the debt was reduced. In 1882 Mir Brewster resigned and was succeeded by Rev Dr. W. G. Spencer.
 About this time the rectory was purchns- cd, putting heavier debt upon the parish Dr. Spencer was succeeded by the present rector, by whose work the debt was entirely reduced. The sermon was delivered by Pres ident Smith, of Trinity college, and was a scholarly and finished discourse and m GA . hoftation to higher Christian living and ef- fort in view of the rich reward to the earnest Christian.
 The church was handsomely decorated. Festoons of holly depended from the ehan- eel arch. The leetufn and reading desk were similarly trimmed, Potted plants and palms adorned the windows and the chandeliers were wreathed in evergreen The hymns and chants of the eonseeration service were rendered with enjoyable sweet ness by double quartette consisting of Mrs. Robertson, Miss Phelps, Miss Langdale, Miss Eggieston and Messrs, Smith and Brown of Trinity choir, and w. H. Brown and A. B, Cornwall of St. Pauls.
 EVENING SERVICE AT CHRIST oHURCH-AN
 ELOQUENT SERMON BY REV. B. W. MArUR- IN, s. s. J. E., OF PHILADELPHIA. A large audience gathered at Christ church last evening to listen to the eloquent divine, Rev, B, w. Maturin, rector of St. Clements church. Philadelphia. The subject was the parable of the sower Christ was the sower, the seed was his regenerating grace, and | our hearts the soil, which we must prepare for the reception of the seed. When a man | is baptized he has the seed. It may spring | up in stony ground and wilt under the
 morning sun; it may find the soil too hard | to even begin to grow, but still it is there. | It may lie for twenty years and then the 1 heart be softened and the seed take root and | grow; whether it grows not depends en- | entirely on yourself Baptism and the sacra- ment cannot regenerate without the cooper ation of will and effort on the part of the man.
 Only one out of the four kinds of seed 1 grew, Some fell upon the hard ground 1 ground beaten hard by the pleasures, riches,
 cares or poverty of the world; and here feil | most of the seeds that are lost Yet even
 these hard hearts may be ploughed up and l seed take root. Who shall awake the giddv butterfly of fashion and frivolity to a realiza- | ton that she is living soul? Who shall | break up the hardened soil that it may re- l ceive the seed?
 | The half converted soul is rocky ground in
 which the rocks of sins retained keep the seed from the good soil beneath. Blast the
 rock, my brother! Too many have turned 1 to Christ with the rocks unbroken in their hearts. Will you break it? Remember the
 vitality of the seed. If you give it soil, it
 will grow. ''Some brought forth an hun dred fold, some sixty some thirty" Was not the "thirty fold' seed grown among
 broken rocks in hardened soil ploughed up again2
 'fHave l the seedF" Second, 'Is the soil I prepared?" Third, "Am I developing the | plantF'
 After the conclusion of the service the
 preacher gave an informal talk upon the sub l jeet of prayer. He said that without prayer
 there was no such thing as true Christian | life. Be systematic in your praying. Culti
 that of a man, by personal conversation with him through his word and by prayer. Those who have no system in their religion never amount to anything as Christians Next to system, your praying must have Individuality. Use the Lords prayer
 Use it not so much as prayer as rule of prayer If your appeal is for g | special boon, ask for it that you may thereby | hallow his name; that thereby his kingdom may the sooner come; that his will may be | done, and so on. Or, use the Lords prayer as skeleton, clothing the same ideas in your own words and introducing your own wants. Thus you will surely pray aright.