Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1886-12-03

requiem over some CHOSEN WARRIOR
"the beauty of Israel fallen in the
midst of the battle" And as it goes
hymning down the ages, it closes its
song in no plainIive notes: 1t bewalls
no Paradise lost, none who
Hand in hand with wand ring steps and slow,
Through Eden took their solitary way
No it sings of ransomed and trium-
phant spirits passing through its open
portals s-upborne on nesting wings by
rejoicing angels and welcomed by the
Saviour to the bowers of Paradise
regalned.
This leads me to sp,ak of the latter
part Of the Divine laying Of the text,
to speak Of the manner in which this,
your good work" this, your Church,
will glorify your Father in Heaven.
You have been reminded to-day that
"unler the lar as weN as under the
G0spel, houses have been erected for
the public worship of God in order to
till mems minds with greater reverence
for his z lorlous ma jesty, and affect
their hearts with more devotion and
humility in his service. But temple
erected nor uHier tie gospel, what
specific purpose has it, what special
message should it give to man. If 1t
be true, | say, that every temple built
in whatever age should be revelation
to the eve of what man knows of God,
should take what man knows of God
and of Gods attitude toward him and
place it lncaruate before the world, If
Its language sho.ld b. whom We wor-
ship Him declare | unto you,' then
let us ask, what should Church built
under the reign of Christ proclaim Of
God our Father? How will it best
glorIfy the God and Father Of our
Lord Jesus Christ:
/ Ii is astonishing with what vague
ness TINS question has been answered
/ IN the thoughts of men, and in the
temples which they have reared all
along the Christian centuries. How
often has 1t been assumed that the
marbl. aud the wood and the costly
stones are to be piled IN the same
power and robed in the same color,
whether the sanctuary be built to the
"God Of hope" revealed to the Chris
tian, or 10 the unknown God Of
/ Heathenism. How often on such an
occasion as this has the temple which
eushrIned God as revealed in the old
testament, though its sanctuary was
guarded with successive wells aud it's
Il u ho #
/ fees. How often has it been eloquently
descrlbr u as the very pattern OF the
/ Church which breaches n new and
better Iuseuans- II is true thrrr are
certain attributes of diety which must
shape every temple which would por.
tray HIM. His eternity and unchsng-
bleness and majesty and boundless
wealth should speak in the enduring
material, the clustering fabrics the cub
lime proportions. But the vocal fame
should declare too what is God stti-
/ tude to man, whethe- these storing at
tributes are arrayed against man or for
man, whether they must frown upon
him in wrathful forms and hues or
robe themselves 10 emblems Of grace
and peace. And brethren the reply is
/ IN the words of inspiration when con-
trastlng the law aud the Gospel, "ye
are not come 10 the mount Sinai that
burned with tire-ye are come to Mt.
Zion. The tire, the darkness,th savage
wiidness of the desert, the tempest,
the trumpets threatening voice; ye
are not come 10 these, We are come
( TO the Mt. Zion and to the heavenly
jerusalem, the city cleaning on its
summit. Angles are there and spirits of
just men made perfect, and God is
there too-"the judge of ALL but be-
tween Him aud frall man stands
Jesus the mediator of the new coven-
ant" And the voice that floats above
the mansions of that beautiful city,
above the hosanns. Of it's blissful citi
zens is voice "that speaketh peace.
1t comes from the blood of sprinkling
the preciou. blood Of Christ which
spesketh better things than the ven
geance cry of Abel's blood. And peace
through the blood of Jesus Christ,
peace on earth good will towards men
a Church built under the reign of
Christ should proclaim from turret to
foundation stone. Its every stone
should CRY out "peace.' It's walls
should CLEAN with JOY, and gladness
and SORROW and signing should never
veil the temple built under the new
and better covenant. Between it aud
the temple of the old Testament u
chasm ,awns as wide as that, which
in the inspired vision parted the
mount of terror from the mount Of
peace If inspiration symboliz-d the
early revelation by storm wrapped
Sinai, what wonder that temple under
that revelation expressed God trown
on sin. What wonder that veil after
vel barred the entrance to the mercy
seat, aud that t blood of daily victims
Redeemed the courts Of the Sanctuary.
Bat Christ has reut the veil of tie
TEN pie, and the Mediator touches every
penitent with his pierced and loving
hand. He has driven away the oleat-
ing sacrifices from the courts OF His
sanctuary AS he drive the money
changers, for Christ is the one sacrl-
fee. once for all made and finished
on the cross for the sins of the whole
warld, and so peace is made for the
sons and daughters of men. The con
trolling srrvic Of the Jewish temple
was to propitlate God--of the Christian
Church to proclaim God propitiated.
The first represented man seeking
God; the second God seeking man.
The first sought peace; the second
dispenses peace already attained.
Peace it must proclaim through its
pulpit, peace through its divenely ap'
pointed sacraments. You come to the
Font and the Holy Table not to pro-
pitiate Christ, but to receive the pardon
and the divine life, " hich have been al