Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-10-01
DIR. rw1rCHELL INSTALLED.

An Interesting Day at Dwight Place
Church Yesterday-Ths Eccles1asti-
cal Council = The Installation Ser.
vices-The Address by DIR. TWttchen
of Hartford.
The council of Congregational clergyman
called to examine and install DR.. j. E.
Twitchsll as pastor of the Dwight Place church
met in that church yesterday afternoon at
o'clock. The church was beautifully deco
rated in honor of the occasion. Rev. Mr..
Blakeslee of Fair Haven was elected scribe
and Rev. Burdett Hart moderator. The
roll was made out as follows; First church,
New Haven, Pastor Rev Newman Smyth,
F. s. Bradley, delegates; United church, A.
w. DeForest, delegate; Yale College church,
Pastor Rev. DR.. Barbour, Rev. Samuel
Harris, delegates; Church of the Redeemer,
Rev. John E. Todd and Thomas P. Merwin,
delegates; College Street church, Rev. DR..
McLane; Davenport church, Rev. 1. G. Me-
serve and James H. Foy, delegates; First
church, Fair Haven, Rev. Burdett Hart and
E. B. Willis, delegates; Second church, Fair
Haven, Rev. Mr.. Blakeslee; Howard Avenue
church, Rev. Mr. Mulch and J. w. Town
send, delegates; Taylor church, Rev. John
Al1ender, delegate; Dixwell Avenue church,
Rev. A. B. Miller and Isaiah Butler, delegates;
church in Westville, L. W. Fitch, delegate;
church in West Haven, Rev. Lyman P. Peet,
delegate; church in North Haven, Rev. Mr.
Reynolds and B. N. Page, delegates; East
Haven chnrch, Rev. D. j. Clarke and dele
gate; First church, Milford, Rev. J. w.
Calhoun and George F. Pratt, delegates;
ALI
gate; church in Woodbridge, Rev. Mr..
Marvin. The following clergymen were also
invited: President Timothy Dwight, Rev.
George E. Day, DID,, Rev. George P. Fisher,
D. D., Rev. Levi o. Brastow, all of the Yale
Theological school; Rev. Prof. Newcomb,
of New York, and Rev. Thomas r. Bacon, of
New Haven. After prayer by the moderator
the history of the soeiety's action in calling
DR.. Twitchell was read and also his letter of
acceptance, together with letters of dismissal
and recommendation from the council and
church in Cleveland, Ohio, where DR.. Twitch-
ell once acted as pastor, and from the church
in East Boston where he resigned that he
might accept the call to the Dwight Place
church. These letters were approved as
satisfactory and DIR. Twitchell proceeded to
give statement of his doctrinal belief.
After dwelling upon his boyhood spent in
Christian home and under Christian infiu-
the Dwight Place church and in the confess
sion of faith. The questions of questions are,
what is the nature, the moral condition and
destiny of man? Who is God and what are
the relations which exist between God and
man? The Old and New Testaments are su-
pernaturally inspired as is shown in their ex-
ternal and internal evidence. The Bible is
the word of God and the only infallible rule
of faith and practice. It is a progressive
revelation, a revealed religion. God is one
eternal self-existent person of infinite heart
and will whose proper name is love. DIR.
Iwitchel then expressed his be.
man at creation, his disobedience
and fall in the usual and thoroughly ortho-
dox way. To meet man in this state Christ
came with sinless life and sacrifcial death.
This display of infinite love is the highest
means to bring sinners to change of condi-
ton and heart. The rewards and penalties
of the hereafter are in accordance with deeds
done here. The former consists in compan-
ionship with God, the latter in loss of every
thing forever. Salvation comes thro ugh re-
pentance and faith. The same light is not
given to all, and those souls only are guilty
who choose wrong consciously. Character
is the result of choice. Those who are with
out the law and gospel are to be judged
resurrection of the dead in which individ-
ual identity is preserved and perpet-
uated. There will be a second coming of
Christ to establish his kingdom upon earth.
In conclusion DIR. Twitchell gave as the sum
and substance of all his theology that Jesus
Christ came into the world to save sinners.
The roll was called in which each member of
the council had an opportunity to ask ques-
lions. Very few were asked and the council
moved to sit by itself. After rehearsing the
paper of DR.. TwitcLel1 it was approved as
orthodox and it was moved that the council
-
church provided bountiful collation. for the
members of the council, after partaking of
which preparations were made for the install
lation exercises in the evening.
THE INSTALLATION SERVICES
The evening services were opened with an
invocation by Rev. Mr.. Marvin in the place
of Rev. DIR. Harris, who was unable to be
present. The records of the council were
then read by the scribe, Rev. Mr.. Blakeslee.
An anthem was then sung by the choir. The
Rev. N. M. Calhoun led in the responsive
reading and was followed in a scripture read
ing by Rev. William w. McLane, D. D. The
sermon was delivered by Rev. Joseph 81.
Twitchell, of Hartford, from the text
For after that in the wisdom of God the world
by wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe
The speaker showed that it was not res-
son that Paul appealed to, but the con-
sciences of men. Proceeding he said:
So it is that the Christian preaching was
powerful not from theory, but from fact. AS
then, SO now unbelief gives way before the
facts of Christ and the gospel. We no long
er look for a sign. To the thinking world
Christ is the most glorious fact of history.
As far as our human nature is concerned,
all the truths of the gospel are foolishness.
Goodness and righteousness foreign to
our nature. Nor is it because they appeal to
our reason that we accept them,
hr1% hn0onan Wa 0cYT1I1
coming from God. Now that we
see so unlikely gospel prevail and this fool
ish way of presenting it effective. what say
wea We see it run by peoples intellects and
appeal to their consciences. We see men of
the greatest intelligence most affected by it.
It appeals to something deeper than mind. 1t
must derive its power from God. What
does this gospel do? It teaches men how to
act. 1t assumes that they are dissatisfied;
that they have sense of guilt, of right and
wrong, and their obligation to some intelli-
gence higher than themselves-and all these
things are SO. The human mind even in the
savage state shows readiness to receive and
appropriate the facts of the gospel; when
preached it seems clothed with universal
tongue. The childlike can convince the wise
and the uncivilized barbarian recognizes its
truth.
Before stop let me emphasize the follow
ing facts, viz: The church may not fear that
it's progress will be stopped by intellectual
opposition and from this we preachers may
take courage. We seem weak. Other men
seem to overpower our truth with their phil
osophy, but we forget then that our gospel
is not one of philosophy, but one of fact.
Our pu1pits should be inscribed with the
text, "It pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe"
After further application of the text to
preacher and people the speaker drew a les
son from it for the encourageme nt of the in
stalled brother and closed what was recog-
nized as powerful discourse.
After the prayer of installation by Presi-
dent Dwight, DIR. VIM. Fl. Barbour, D. D.,
gave the charge to the pastor. Among other
things he said: My brother, beware of men,
all of them. 1 do not mean that
you should reject them all, but
beware of letting little clusters of men
make merchandise of you. Be the slave of
no man. Beware of them who wish you to
run with them to the extreme of reform or
of any radical movement. If Christ has
called you it is likely he has some little con-
fdence in your ability. Take heed, there
fore, and preach him in all purity and re-
member that you are not to address your
charge as belonging to any social class, race
or color, but as the SONS and daughters of
God alone.
In your general ministry you need not to
I,o xuar1,a1 fhoE Won can't food tho oLi11roy,