The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-10-25
The Dedication of the New Baptist Church

The Dedication of the New Baptist Church
at Bolton.
The third Sunday in, October, 1883, will
be long remembered by the people OF Bel
ton and the surrounding country. On
that day the new Baptist Church was ded-
icated.
The building is certainly an ornament
to the village and monument to the en-
tterprise and liberality of the congregation.
It is beautiful piece of architecture-a
frame building, fifty by thirty feet, with
pulpit, baptistry ard dressing-roolns on
one side and the cloir loft on the other.
There are four entrances to the building,
two in front and two in the rear. The
plan of the building is unique, and makes
the house one of the most convenient to
its SIZE in the whole country. It is neatly
furnished, and the inside as we'll as the
outside, is beautifully painted. The win
dows are of stained glass.
The seating capacity OF the house ls
said to be about three hundred, but last
Sunday. some time before the appointed
hour for the services to begin, much
larger number was seated. Three young
gentlemen acted as ushers. and well did
they do their duty. Every available
space in this aisles and dressing rooms
was filled with chairs.
Services began with beautiful volun-
tary BY the choir. Rev: J. s: Murray led
in prayer. After singing ''All hail the
Power Of Jesus Name" the pastor, DR..
Manly, gave brief history of the erection
of the. new house Of worship. He said
that on Sunday, October 16, 1887, notice
was given that on the first Sunday in No
yember the question of continuing in the
house then occupied or Of building new
one would be considered. When that
Sunday came around 1t was decided to
build new house, and that it be located
in the central part of the town. A COM
mittee, consisting Of Messrs. j. M. Geer,
"A. J. Stringer, +. Clinkscales. p. B. Rice,
r. A Lewis. and q. w. McGee, was ap.
pointed to solicit subscriptions and to COL
lect information in reference to location.
On the Goth November this Committee
reported progress as to subscriptions, and
recommended the purchase If the lot on
which the house Is built. On February
9Th, 1888, Messrs. ]. M. Geer, J. T. Green,
"a. j. Stringer, F. Clinksceles, G. w.
MCGEE and E.B. Rice were appointed as
"a Building Committee, with power to
raise funds, determine on kind of house
and contract for the erection of same. In
July the Committee contracted with Mr..
;J.H. Wren, of Due West, for the erection
of the building and completing it for the
sum of $2,325. The furnishing of the
house has been provided by the young
people Of the Church and congregation,
who contributed $2O098 and by the Slit
tie Cleaners" who contributed $50 90.
Everything, SO far, is.paid for, including
two stoves, which will be placed in posi-
ton, and an insurance policy of 81, 900 for
three years. It is proposed to inclose the
church lot with neat fence, and to get an
organ suited to the use of the church.
:. Rev. a. a. Marshall then delivered the
dedication sermon, taking his text from
Ephesians s.: :.27-'sA Glorious Church" !"
The following is a synopsis Of the sermon,
which was exceedingly forcible and I'M
.pressive, and which was delivered in Mr..
sMarshall's usual happy style. He began
hN saying !. .s-s
I have some where read description OF
a:mOdel home. 1t was represented as 9
home where there were no harsh words
and. no unkind looks, where every one
desired the happiness and enjoyment OF
Others. Thus a home, lacking the luxu-
ries of wealth, was made far happier than
more. pretentious ones. The fame Of this
humble but happy household, spread far
and wide, and was called the model home.
"A Church,. after ALL is but a spiritual FAM
sily, having common Fath.., "the
Father of ourL Lord Jesus Christ, of whom
the whole family in Heaven and earth are
named" And every Church ought to
strive to be model spiritual home-a
glorious Church, without spot or blemish.
Perhaps our ideal Of what a Church ought
Z to be may never be fully realized here ;
for, alas too often the Church, like Noah's
ark, contains the clean and unclean; like
tho Kings supper, at which there were
sune without the wedding garment But
without Il lofty ideal we cannot hope to
accomplish much, for man seldom reach es
but never passes his ideal. The extent OF
ties. shall endeavor to-day to present
for your. consideration the essential ele-
ments of successful church work, the
means which, if thoroughly followed, will
make the Church glorious in the sight f
God and helpful to fallen humanity.
The first essential element of success is a
reqenerated membership Regeneration is
that complete change III the human heart
that makes us love God and desire his
glory. It marks the beginning of chris
tian life The success and prosperity OF
the Church-nay, tits very existence-will
posed Of regenerated members. AS we
fall below the ideal we may expect discord
and failure. I can but view with alarm
the tendency in certain directions to teach
that regen GRAFTON is not prerequisite to
church mem bership, or that church MEM
bership NAV prove means of grace to the
upsaved. Especially is this true when We
consider the influence for evil which may
be exerted by one man. Sin, as well as
grace, works like leayen. and tends to
ieayen the whole lump, The power and
influence of every church is lessened in
proportion as it has in its fellowship those
who have never felt the regenerating in
sfluence of the holy Spirit. Where there
is aregenerated membership we may ex-
pect hrotherly love and mutual forbear.
ance. However good men may be, In this
life they are not perfect; so that there will
arise many things to test our love and
demand our forbearance. However homo
geneous church may be, questions will
arise about which we will ditter-questions
Whereon no amount OF argument will
cause us to see alike. Ihave long ago de-.
cided that mere argument as often wtdens
as It heals a breach. Who has not had the
experience Of him who said /: I'VE argued
the thing at breakfast and we argued it
again at tea, and the more we argued the
question the more we didn't agree. held
my own opinion, he another had,
and when we were done talking, we both
Of ms were mad.n While there may exist
this difference upon essentials, there
are essentials upon which we may not
differ without injury to the cause. 1t is
necessary that certain clearly revealed
truths, that have been generally received
and expressed in articles Of faith, shall
constitute an inner circle of essential
agreement, while outside that inner circle
we may and will differ. A church ought
to allow wide range for the exercise OF
individual opinions upon questions spec
.ulatiye, Us we'll as in the Interpretation Of
particular passages, when that interpreta-
ton does not impinge against the vital
truths of Scripture, while on the other
hand it must insist upon the reception of
those great truths that lie at the founda'
tion Of our system, and which are esteem
ed to be vital, essential and necessary. 10
fail in the former would be bigotry, to
neglect the latter would be suicidal, and
result in spiritual anarchy. The second
element of a successful church is an ear
nest desire for the glory of God, and a
Willingness to aUork for 1t. do not mean
to overlook faith as an essential element,
but I believe that faith and works are mar.
ried and inseparable. They are bound to-
rether as cause and effect, so that faith
serves as the measure of our capacity for
working. We can do no more than our
faith allows US, and oe can do no less. To
do more would be impossible, to do less
worId be unnatural So that working