The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-05-05

the salvation OF the people. We did not
build this church for mere worldly re-
forms, or for an educational institution.
or as a platform on which to read ESSAYS
and philosophical disqnisitions; but a
place for the tremendous work of soul
saving OH, l had rather be the meaus
In this church of having one soul pre-.
pared for a joyful eternity than five
thousands souls prepared for a mere
worldly success. All churches are i'm
two classes; all communities in two
classes, all the race in two classes-be-
levers and uubelievers. To augment
the number of the one and substract
from the number of the other, we build
this church; and toward that supreme
and eternal Idea we dedicate all our SER
mons, all our songs, all our prayers, all
our Sabbath ha~nd-shakings.
We want to throw detection into the
enemy's ranks. We want to make them
either surrender Internationally to
Christ or else fly in rout, scattering the
way with canteens, blankets, and KNAPP
sacks. Want to popularize Christ.
We would like to tell the story of his
love here until men would feel that they
had rather die than live another hour
without his sympathy, and love, and
mercy. We want to arouse up an enthu-
siasm for him greater than was felt tor
Nathaniel Lyon when he rode along the
ranks-greater than was exhibited for
wellington when he came back from
Waterloo--grcater than was expressed
for Napoleon when he stepped ashore
from Elba. We really belley e in this
place Christ will enact the same scenes
that were enacted by him when he land.
ed in the Orient; and there will be such
an opening Of blind eyes, and %unstopping
of deaf ears, and casting out of unclean
spirlts-such sllencing bestormed Gen
nesarets as shall make this house
memorable five hundred years after you
and l are dead and forgotten. Oh, my
friends, we want but one revival in this
church, that beginning now and running
on to the day when the chisel of time,
that brings down even st. Paul's and
the Pyramids, shall bring this house
into the dust.
Oh, that this day of dedic ,tion might
be the day OF emancipation of all i'm
prisoned souls. My friends, do not
make the blunder of the ship carpenters
in Noah's time, who helped to build the
ark; but did not get into 1T. God forbid
that you who have been so generous in
building this church, should. not get u n
der Its saving influence. "Conle thou
aud all thy house into the ark" Do you
think a man is safe out of Christ? Not
n day, not n hour, not one minute,
not one second. Three or four years ago,
you remember, a rail train broke down n
bridge OH the way to Albany, anu after
the catastrope, they were looking around
among the timbers Of the crushed bridge
and the fallen train, and found tho con-
ductor. lie was dying, and had only
strength to say one thing, and that was:
''Holst the flag for the next train" So
there come to us tonight, from the eter-
nal work, voices of God, voices of
angels, voices OF departed spirits, crying:
"Litt the warning. Blow the trumpet,
give the alarm. Hoist the flag for the
next train"
Oh! that tonight my Lord Jesus
would sweep his arm around this great
audience, aud take you all to his holy
heart. You will never see so good a
time for personal conservation as now.
"What mean We by these stones?" We
mean your redemption from sin, and
death, and hell, by the power of nm
omnipotent Gospel"
Well, the brooklyn Tabernacle is
erected again. We came here tonight
not TO dedicate 1t. That was done this
morning. Tonight we dedicate our
selves. In the Episcopal and Methodist
churches they have a railing around the
altar, and the people come and kneel
down at that railing and get the sacre-
mental blessing. Well, my friends, it
would take more than q night to gather
you In circles around this altar. Then
just bow where you are for this blessing.
Aged men, this is the last church that
you will w dedicate. May the Col
who comforted Jacob the Patriarch and
Paul the aged make this house to you
the gate of heaven; and when, in your
old days, you put on your old spectacles
to read the hymn or the Scripture lesson
may you get preparation for that land
where you shall no more see through a
glass darkly. May the warm sunshine
of heaven thaw The snow off your fore
heads! Men in mid-life, do you know that
this is the place where you are going
to get your fatigues rested, and your
sorrows appeased, and your souls saved?
Do you know that at this altar your sons
and daughters will take upon themselves
the VOWS of the christian, and from this
place you will carry out, some of you,
your precious dead? Between this bap-
tism font and this communion table, YOU
will have some OF the tenderest of life's
experiences. God bless you, old, and
young, and middlc-aged. The money
you have given To this church to-day
will be. l hope, the best financial invest.
ment you have ever made. Your
worldly investment may depend upon
the whims Of the money market, or the
honesty of business associates; but the
money you have given to the house of
the Lord shall yield you u large per-
centage and declare eternal dividends
long after the noon day sun shall have
gone out like aspark from a smitten
anvil and all the stars are dead.
The Alliance OF the south.
New YORK, April 26.-Geo. w. Shell,
Congressman from South Carolina,
was at the New York Hotel Thursday,
accompanied by Captain Dial, a promi.
nent banker Of his State. Mr.. Shell
succeeds Congressman Perry OF the
Fourth District. He was chairman of
the committee which conducted Till
mans campaignla last Fall and is a mem
Der of the Farmers Alliance. lie has
been prominent in State politics for
many years, and for several terms has
been Clerk of the Court in Laurens
COunty. ITp fold q Naw VorL T;n,o,