Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-31
FOLLY OF FORMALITY.
Rev. George Hodges sails Into the Organ
Dispnte-An Episcopalian Hobby Also
His Dedfcatiou Sermon.

Rev. George Hodges sails Into the Organ
Dispnte-An EDiscopalian Hobby Also
His Dedication Sermon.
The beautiful Church of the Ascension
on Ellsworth avenue, near Neville street
was consecrated yesterday by the Rt. Rev
Cortlandt Whitehead, Bishop of the diocese
With him there were present 15 clergymen
including the new rector, Rev. r. NJ
Granger. of Steubenville, several of whom
assisted in the interesting services.
The sermon was preached by Rev. George
Hodges, and, in many of its points. was in.
tensely practical. He took for his text
Acts is, Eye shall be witnesses of me-" He
said:
The Master stood with His disciples upon the
mount of the ascension. The hour of His de-
parture was at hand. Henceforth He would be
with them, but not in the old familiar way. They
would no more look into His blessed face But
He wanted to give them all the help He could.
With what gracious, helpful, inspiring speech
could He leave them3 What last word could
He say? What He said was this: aye shall be
witnesses unto Me-"
How were they to witness? They were wit
nesses to certain important facts about Christ.
1t concerned both Christian believing and
Christian living. We meet here upon Ascension
Day to open in the name of Christ church
whose title is taken from this day. What
question, then, can be more appropriately asked
than this: What shall parish do to bear It's
witness most efficiently? 1t must be constrained
by the love of Christ 1t must be a personal
love; not with any metaphysical doctrine, not
with any ecclesiastical method of approval
oh. no.
If we love Christ we will get the theology
straight enough. The parish in which Christ
is preached as these first witnesses preached
H1m-not from partisanship, not from loyalty
TO the ministers or to the church-wIll do
efficiently. Christian truth Will be set forth
in its true proportions. The truth is sometimes
set forth in mal-proportions-as the picture of
a man that might be painted by an artist in
some fit Of insanity-in which his little finger
should be of the same size as his head. The
malicious demon is still at work, and he seems
TO delight in denominational assemblies. At
this moment he is raising great disturbance
in council of Christian brethren over
question which to all sensible onlookers is just
about as important as discussion whether the
pews of the church shall be of oak or ash.
mean the "organ question"
He Is getting ready against next October to
take the time of the General Convention with
discussion which shall put us in an equally
ridiculous position-the discussion of a name
while the very foundations are being assailed
while the foundations of social order are suf-
fering assault We will have to conquer these
giants, or they will conquer us. We will have
to ruin them, or they will ruin u.s. Yet in the
face of all this men are disputing about church
music, and trying to change enames-consldering
the color of stoles, debating about the furni-
ture of churches and making experiments in &C.
clesiastlcRl clothing 1t is astounding that any
body of Christian men, amidst such calls for
Christian duty, such waste of time and energy
molehills magnified into mountains; the little
finger distorted till it is bigger than all the
body
The witness will be borne by work. It will
exist to uplift men. The true communicates
will be bound together to do this Christlike
work. There is danger of too elaborate and COM
plicated machinery. 1t may be helped by liter
ary societies, tennis clubs. singing and sewing
schools, by benefcent associations and reading
rooms. But these may also injure by catering
to the materialistic spirit. But il we are true
Christians and love the Master, these things
will all draw us nearer together, and We shall
be true witnesses for Him.