The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-05-07

world God will take the best parts of
all denominations of Christians and
weave them into one great ecclesiastical
harmony, broad as the earth and
high as the heavens, and that will be the
church of the future. Or, as mosaic is
made up of jasper and agate and many
precious stones cemented together
mosaic thousand feet square in st.
Marks, or mosaic hoisted in colossal
seraphim in st. Sophia-so suppose
God will make, after awhile, one great
blending of all creeds, and all faiths,
and all Christian sentiments, the anne
thyst, and the jasper, and the chal-
cedony of all different experiences and
belief celnented side by side in the
great mosaic of the ages; and while
the nations look upon the columns
and architraves of that stupendous
church of the future, and cry out,
what mean we by these stonesr
there shall be innumerable voices to
respond, "We mean the Lord God
omnipotent regneth. -"
Still further you mean by these stones
the salvation of the people. We did
not build this church for mere worldly
reforms, or for an educational institu-
ton, or as platform on which to read
essays and philosophical dispositions,
but place for the tremendous work of
soul saving. Oh, had rather be the
means in this church of having one
soul prepared for a joyful eternity
than five thousand souls prepared for
mere worldly success, All churches
are in two classes, all communities in
two classes, all the race in two classes
believers and unbelievers.
To augment the number of the one
and substract from the number of the
other we built this church; and toward
that supreme and eternal idea we dedi-
cate all our sermons, all our sony ali
our prayers, all our Sabbath hand
shakings. We want to throw detection
into the enemy's ranks. We want to
make them either surrender uncon-
ditionally to Christ or else fly in rout,
scattering the way with canteens, blan-
kets and knapsacks. We 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 sym
pathy and love and mercy. We want
to rouse up an enthusiasm for him
greater than was felt for Nathaniel
Lyon when he rode along the ranks;
greater than was exhibited for Yelling
ton when he came back from Waterloo;
greater than was expressed for Ma
poleon when he stepped ashore from
EIba.
We really believe in this place Christ
will enact the same scenes that were
enacted by him when he landed in the
orient; and there will be such an open
ing of blind eyes, and unstopping of
deaf ears, and casting out of unclean
spirits-such silencing bestor1ned Gen
nesarets as shall make this house mem
orable 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 and the Pyramids, shall bring
this house into the dust.
"HOIST THE FLAG FOR THE NEXT
TRAIN"
Oh, that this day of dedication might
be the day of emancipation of all i'm
prisoned souls. My friends, do not
make the blunder of the ship carpen-
tiers in Noah's time, who helped to build
the ark; but did not get into it. God
forbid that you, who have been so gen
erous in building this church, should
not get under its saving influence.
"Come thou and all thy house into the
ark" Do you think man is safe out
of Christi Not one day, not one hour,
not one minutes not one second.
Three or four years ago, you remem-
ber rail train broke down a bridge
on the way to Albany, and after the
catastrophe they were looking around
among the tinbers of the crushed
bridge and the fallen train, and found
the conductor. He was dying, and had
only strength to say one thing, and
that was, Hoist the flag for the next
train So there come to us tonight,
from the eternal word, voices of God
voices of angels, voices of departed
spirits, crying: Lift the warning. Blow
the trumpet, give the alarm. Hoist the
flag for the next train.
Oh, that tonight my Lord Jesu.
would sweep his arm around this great
audience and take you all to his holy
heart. You will never see so good {
time for personal conservation as now
"What mean We by these stonesf w,
mean your redemption from sin anC
death and hell by the power of an ON
nipotent Gospel.
Well, the Brooklyn Tabernacle i
erected again. We came here tonigh
not to dedicate it. That was done thi
morning. Tonight we dedicate our
selves. In the Episcopal and Meth
odist churches they have railin:
around the altar, and the people com,
and kneel down at that railing and ge
the sacramental blessing Well, IN!
friends, it would take more than nigh
to gather you in circles around thi
altar Then just bow where you ar
for the blessing. Aged men, this is th
last church that you will ever dedicate
May the God who comforted Jacob IN
Patriarch and Paul the aged max