Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-12-19
a NEW pAsroR 1NsrALIED..

AshehDlHSeh AhtehO tDe EEeECihess I
The halliday conference, predatory to
the installation of the Rev. William H. |
Johnson as pastor OF First Unitarian
Church, began Tuesday at l, so o'clock.
A large assembly wan present and the
cosy church building was pretsily decor
ated with evergreen and exotics.
Vocal music was furnished by Mr.. and
Mrs. George w. Stone and Mrs. John p.
Wales and instrumental muBtc by j.
Norris Robinson, FIRST yiolinint; Horace
Belts, second yioliniat; Walter L. Butler,
viola; Ralph Stone, violoncello.
The exercises began with voluntary
by the choir. Prayer by the Rev. O. Il.
Weld of Baltimore, followed. PASTOR
elect johnson delivered q pleasant ad-
dress of welcome.
Conference organized by eleoting the
Rev. w. P. Tilden OF Plain6eid, N. j.,
chairman, and Il. w. Littlefeld Of fhila-
delphia, secretary.
The Rev. w. l. Nichols OF Philadelphia
delivered an entertaining address on
'tThe Religious Education Of tho Young"
George W. Stone read au interesting
paper entitled Church Life in the New
Faith" The Rev. ]. b. Clifford OF
Germantown spoke Interestingly on
''Religioua Union the Basic OF Universal
Peace" Miss Gertrude q. Magill road
gu excellent paper entitled "rhe Joy of
Believing" Following those exercises
the subjects which were under considera-
tion were briefly discussed BY the Revs.
d. W. Morehouse OF New York, Weld,
Tilden.
Conference closed OF 430 O'Clock and
| the time between then and tie beginning
of the installation services WAS given to
soeiability and supper, the collation. be-
| ing served in the church parior.
The installation services began at $50
O'Clock, with large audience in attend
ance. Ministers md members OF other
| denominations were numerously repre-
| scented. "Inspirer and Hearer of Prayer
voluntary by the choir, was followed
by invocation by the Rev. ". I. Nichols.
Scripture was read by the Rev. o. Il.
Weld. The congregational hymn 80
Worship the King" was fined by tbs Rev.
j. u. Corning of Camden, N. j.
The sermon was preached by the Rev.
M. j. Savage OF Boston It was deeply
interesting and was listened 10 with the
utmost attention. His text waa Hebrews
XII, 25-2R, and the thought he expressed
was the infallibility of Gods laws and
the indestruotibility Of religious filth
among men. In bis Introductory re-
marks he said we are in the midst Of
grave and far-reGohing changes; things
are being shaken rs never hEfore n the
history of Christian thought. He bs
lieved that nothing would be discovered
anywhere that wonld dishonor God ci
iujure man. Religion, said he, Is mau't
thought concerning his relation to God.
, There 10 an emotional side OF religious
i thought, and the emotion depends GU the
thought. Feeling and thought combined
tend always to inparnate iiEelt in out
ward forms, to devise some means tC
better the relation in which we stand L
God. All religions of the world, frou
! the beginning, have been animated b.
tho same one purpose as that which ami
mates us now. Religion can never be
! come Anticipated or pags away. Chang
! of religious thought must OF necesAit.
come If man grows any. We stand her
rs little children, togrow. How Is 1t tn
. changes multiply SO thick and fast upoi
: us? How ia it NO are 60 disturbed? Thi
new revelation Of truth came only to us
9 Great knowledge has come to us only il
: the last 200 or 800 years. II We will W
4 cannot retreat to tbs universe j
II which our fathers vera. In the CHANG
a from the old religious thought I
II the new we have no fear that any of th
b religious lights God set in the heaven
! for Ills children are 10 be obscured. W
! only lose mistaken, and We are richer b
their loss. God has spoken to us an
O bids us to be faithful to what he Say
II now, as we'll as to be faithful to what b
h said in the past. We are not turnin
4 our backs on the wisdom of the Rncief
| H. S.,I,, t.,n taIt
gence, into broader feeling. The onl
. thing any system Of old religious though
r fears to-day is the questioning of intell
ii genoe. What heYe we learned of IL
l. Bible? 1t is not an infallible revelatio
o OF God. 1t is the spiritual biography {
" o wonderful and wonderfully reltgiGu
y race. 1t bears all over it marks Of huma
: origin and human imperfec.ion. II
universe, up to 200 or 800 years ago, {
far as the thoughts OF men wei
concerned, was comparatively q sma
Il affair Gods law ia not in book.
is in the forces OF the universe. Look U
" in the blue sky and you see the face
3, God. Everywhere you turn the univer
s. becomes the raiment and garment
II infinite God. We have discovered in Il
10 modern world this planet ia very oil
Y, The human race ia very old. We ha'
ia discovered beyond question Of don
"a there was no Garden OF Eden and no pc
ID feet Adam. The GARDEN of Eden sto
IN is an importation from Persian though
We no longer believe in the fall of ma
4; The ascent of man all intellige
~ theclogiens must believe in to-day. Sin
n man has not fallen he needs religion ju
NJ the same. We read ia the modern wor
ds his needs. II IS hard to break from o
u ideas. We have only tenderness I
ne those who find it hard to give up the Of
ny Sentiment is beautiful thing but
20 should not stgnd.sin the way of 4
Ia betteImHnt OF the world. We can ha
4 too much OF the heart in religion as ool
pe pared to the quantity Of brain, or vi
lis versa. We need equal balancing. Wht
10, VIC face the modern world we need +,
forces, impulse and intelligence.
~ need correct feeling aud theory we ne
=" S theory side and heart side. II we q
n. men right hero we need have no fear th
oils they will be right hereafter. Uutaris
OF do not throw away the Bible. They thrS
'ol away certain theories they nave found
be untrue. We have grander and mob
conception Of God thRu ever betol
,ns Iesue we accept az our Elder Brotht
M. The church is erander than the world
or ever known. We arc voluntary as!
81 oiatiCn, pledged TO help eann other
rise lift the world, TO study truth in all dir
tons, TO embody it in institutions, and
means to lift up and save the wor
~ The congregational hymn 1.-The LIZ
~. Is my Shepherd" was lined by the Il
.Ily w. u. Gilbert of yineland, N. ).
nd Rev W. r. Tilden offered the installati
the prayer. Response was msde by
wn CHOIR. The Rev. j. II. Clifford extend