News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-07-04
CENTENNIAL SERMON.

| CEIO | E!VVlHI DEkluUv.
DELIVERED IN THE CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH. SUNDAY, JUNE %, 1890, BY
REV. ". 4. ROBINSON, D. d.
Tpr. Robinson. who is pastor of the Congrega-
ti0na church at Homer, y. y. is one Of the
ablcst Congregational cleIgymen III celtral New
! York. lie was born in MorrSt9Wh ana lllted
there for MiddIehury College whence he was
graduated in 1852 Four years ago his alma
mater conferred upon HIM the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity. He also graduated from
Bangor Theological Seminary i'll 1S63. lie was
for time principal of the Academy at Coventry
and during his first Vermont pastoratG served
for nearly three years on the Vermont Board or
Education as a colleague with President Buck
ham from what then the Third Congress
SiOnaI District. His first paStOrate of six years
was at Barton. thence lie removed to Homer TO
take the pastOrate of one of the largest Congre-
gatiOnal churches in central New YORK, where
he has remained for more than nineteen years.
He has held now for several years the important
position of president of the New YORK Home
Mission Society. His father, ReV: 5; Robinson,
was widely known in this State, his last pastor
ate cOntinl ing for 2G years at NOTES.-The, where
he died in 1850.
l Sam Z; II. Then Samuel took "a stone.
and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and call
ed the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto
hath the Lord helped u.s.
4 parable in three names ;-Mizpeh, or eX-
pectation,-Shen or the place of safety and
rest and Eben-ezer, or the monument of
help. That memorial stone with the motto,
Hitherto hath the Lord helped" is erected
between the place of outlook or expectation
and the mount of safety and rest.
Is not this fitting parable for us gathered
here to-day under circumstances so impress
sive and replete with suggestions?
Coming back to my bOyhOOd's home by
your invitation for this Centennial Celebra-
ton, as Il loyal son of this Town and this
honored Church, | can but feel the fitness of
the thought which puts this memorial time as
Il waymark between the beginnings of these
institutions of town, and school, and church,
which have here blessed the generations and
the future contamination of their work unto
rest and reward. The "MizpaE" point when
all this was before our fathers who here laid
the foundations, is behind us. The summit
"Shen." the place of full fruitiOn, is before
us We stand here gratefully looking back to
the initial point of the progress and success
already witnessed, and hopefully looking for
waBd toward that which shall yet be realized
under Gods blessing; and reverently we re-
peat the old motto, Hitherto hath the Lord
helped
Seeking briefly to guide your thought to
some of the chief lessons contained for us in
the parable which the very terms of our text
would elOquently repeat upon an occasion
like this, remark
1st.-Great honorand privilege are granted
those whose work the Lord accepts, helps and
blpSSeS.
God works by instrumentalities. He is
pleased to use men as the agents of His gra-
cious will. He raises up individuals fitted to
be the ministers of His cOunsels and sets the
cOmmingIing forces of human life to work out
the results that enlarge the coming of His
kingdom. Men make their plans; they
yield to their varying motives; they shape
their course under the stress of their cond-
tons. The cOmmonest and most prosac i'm
pulses combine with those exalted and super
nal to affect their actions. But what they
are, and what they do never escapes the
knowledge and over-ruling of Him who holds
them and their work under His direction
Men may setishy and Wickedly live with IL
spirit antagOnistic to the ends which God
seeks in the world, yet He will make the wrath
of man to praise Him, and the remainder He
will restrain. 1t is n woful loss and waste for
any person to set himself in opposition to the
or at ends of Righteousness and love which
God puts as the true goal of life and service
We may we'll pray with Mrs. Browning, one
for another,
Let star-wheels AMI angel wings, with their
holy winnowiugs,
Keep BESIDE you all your way.
Lest in passion you should dash, with blind
ana heavy crash.
Up against the thick-hossed shield of Gods
judgment in the field"
But it is n blessed truth that man may put
himself into purposPd harmony with the Spirit
of God, and may cOnscentiOusly and earnest
Iy seek to do his part in the great work which
God commits to his generation. The feeling
of this inspiring purpose of true life, and the
expressing it in a way to ensure Gods ap-
prevail, do not necessarily take a PERSONS
sphere and kind of work out from the ordi-
nary and every day lines of effort and faith
fitness. But there is a spirit that transforms
and dlgniiies the common action. the life that
men fail to call heroic, and uniteS the aim and
the service with Gods wise and mighty work
for the progress of civilization and the larger
sway of His grace.
We come here to-day to recognize and hon
or this truth concerning every one who in the
days gone by has helped with good will to Law
the foundations of these institutions, or to
minister to their better strength and effici-
ency. Another voice than mine will appro-
priately, and eloquently set forth the history
of the sacrifices and tolls amid which the pio-
neers began the subdung of the wilderness
and the founding of this town one hundred
years ago. We can but imperfectly under
stand what they endured in that dav But
mingling with all lesser motives. in the hearts
OF some OF those heroic men and more heroic
women there did rise the thought of planting
institutions which should promote the true
welfare of their children, and should make
their home here the centre of influences which
should honorGod. This thought found its ex-
preston in their early attention to the inter
ests of education, and to the ordinances of
religion. and at length in the founding of this
dear old historic Church. Is your magma
tion keen and skillful enough to picture the
scene briefly limited at in the record of that
meeting in Jacob Walkers barn" when this
Church was organized? Surely He who was
cradled in n Manager and who thence has risen
by way of the Cross to draw all men unto
Him, looked upon that little beginning with
approval, and conferred His blessing upon
those humble men and women who poor in
this worlds goods were yet rich in faith and
i'll love to God and man! 1t is short list of
the Boardmans and Brighams and Coles and
Goodales and Shaws and Tinkers,-the thir-
teen who composed that little church formed
in the barn; but thirteen was by no means an
unlucky number in that instancel They were
building better than they knew, and theirs
was the privilege and honor to be co-workers
with God for great blessings here and widely
in the world. | can but he impressed with the
quality of the faith and faithfulness of those
founders of this Church, and of others who
Joined them q little later when | learn how
they maintained here the ordinances of relg-
ion though for many years unable to enjoy
the regular and stated ministratiOns of a !
pastor. God blessed their labors. One of the |
largest revivals ever experienced in this town
was enjoyed in 1892 when the Church was
without pastor.
| remember personally every one of the |
older Deacons of this Church. They were |
godly men; men of marked individual |
ity, and some of them of a peculiar and |
unique originality of mind imperfect men,
willing to make noble sacrifices i'll His name.
| wildly recall the time when my Father took
me with him up to the West Hill to see old
Dea Goodale, then near the close of life and
| know how my father loved and hOnOred
him a good man and true. | remember the
sanity Dea. Powers, my first Sabbath School
teacher, and | shall never forget how by his
we little children of his class were tax
en- to his bedside as he lay dying, that he
might see us once more and give us his final
counsels. seem to feel his loving hand upon
my head yet as he said; William, be Il good
boy, and grow up n good man, and | pray
God to make you very useful in his service. -
recall the deep sense of loss felt by my faith
ar and the Church when Dea. Bingham moved
away from town and | also remember how it
seemed to me when he came back on a visit
from that distant and shadowy city, New
York | knew too the eccentric but well-meau-
ing Dea. Fletcher. Grace had a hard struggle
with some of his peculiarities but few men
now would do more liberal and self-sacriicing
leeds than did he and two or three others for
The sake of retaining my father in this pas
-orate, when he felt that he must 90 where he
,Ould secure for his growing family better
temporal support. Well, they all sacrificed
together, and their pastor much as any =
loved the quiet and gentle and true-hearted
Dea. Wilder as did but few men in my boy-
lOod. | was a great deal at his house with
lis boy Willie, my especial chum. 1t was not
I home of wealth as men speak, but it was a
nome rich in all that makes it stand close to
he home aboye-ln n similar way came my
nigh esteem for Dra. Lyman Dodge. | knew
him as Il man of prayer and of faithfulness, of
ew words but royal spirit. Oh, how | can
e-people this Westinghouse to-day with the
orms of these otftce-bearers in this Church. |
md with Others too many to be named, who I
TODD by them in the days that seem so re- I