The Iola register., 1891-05-01

churches they have railing around the
altar and the people come and kneel
down at that railing and get the sacra-
mental blessing. Well, my friends, it
would take more than night to gather
YOU in circles around this altar. Then
lust bow where you are for the blessing.
Aged men, this Is the last church that
you will ever dedicate.
Nav the God 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 spectacles to read the hymn or the
Scripture lesson, may you get prepara-
tion for that land where you shall see no
more through a glass darkly. May the
warm sunshine of heaven thaw the snow
OF YOUR fureheads. Men in the mid
life. do YOU know that this is the place
where you are going to get your fatigues
rested. and your sorrows appeased, ana
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 baptismal font aud this communion
table. you will have some OF the tender
est OF life's experiences. God bless you,
old. and Young. and middle aged. The
money you have given to this church
to-day will be. | hope. the best financial
investment you have ever made. Your
worldly Investments 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 large percent
age. and declare eternal dividends long
after the MONDAY sun shall have gone
out like a sDark from a smitten anvil
and all the stars are dead.
Beneath it are two tables OF stone
which | had brought from Mount Sinai
where the law was given. Three cam
els were three weeks crossing the des-
ert to fetch them. When at Cairo,
Egypt, proposed to the Christian Arat
that he bring one stone from Mount
Sinai. he said. 1--WE can easier bring two
rocks than one for We must balance
them on the back of the camel, and
did not think until the day of their ar
rival how much more suggestive would
be the TWO because the law was written
on two tables of stone. Those stones
marked with the words mount Sinai, =
felt the earthquake that shook the
mountains where the law was given.
| The lower stone of the wall is from
Mars hill, the place where Paul stood
when he preached that famous sermon
on the brotherhood of the human race.
declaring. God hath made of one blood
all nations Since Lord Elgin took
| the famous statuary from the Acropolis,
the hill adjoining Mars hill. the Greek
government makes it impos sibleto trans
port TO other lands any Egyptian an
| tiquities. and armed soldiery guard not
only the Acropolis but Mars hill
That stone obtained by special per-
mission from the queen OF Greece, a
most gracious and brilliant woman,
who received us as though we had been
| old acouain ances. and through Mr.
Tricoupis. the prime minister of Greece
and Mr.. Snowden. our American minis
ter plenipotentiary and DR.. Manatt,
| our American consul. that suggestive
tablet was sawed from the pulpit OF rock
/ on which Paul preached. Now you un-
derstand why we have marked 1t The
Gospel" Long after my lips shall utter
| in this church their last message, these
| lips of stone will tell OF the law. and the
sacrifice and the gospel. This day |
present them to this church and to all
who shall gaze upon them. Thus you
! have my answer to the question, What
| mean YOU by these stones:
have interpreted these four memor-
| ials on my right hand. but there are
hundreds of stones in these surrounding
walls and underneath us in the founda
tions and rising above Us in the towers.
The uuarries Of this and transatlantic
countries at the call of crowbar and
chisel have contributed toward this
structure. What mean We by these
stOnes?'
Still further you mean by these stones
| the salvation Of the people. We did
not build this church for merS worthy
reforms or for an educational institu-
ton. or as platform on which to read
ESSAYS aud philosophical disquisitious,
! but place for the tremendous work OF
soul saving. o. had rather be the
means in this church of having one soul
prepared for joyful eternity than ), ,00C
souls prepared for mere worldly success.
| All churches are in two classes. all COM
munities in two classes. all the race in
1.-TWO cIasses-believers and unbelievers.
To augment the number of the one and
subtract from the number OF the
lOther W. built this church; and toward
that -I1reme and eternal idea we dedi-
cate all our sermons, all our songs. all
onr PRAYERS. all our Sabbath handshad-
|ii-s. We want to throw detection
iu;o tie eHemy's ranks. We want tC
imrkr them either surrender unCOndi-
tio-a Y & Christ o. else fly in rout.
We want 20 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 with
ont his sympathy and love and mercy.
We want to rouse up an enthusiasm fOr
him greater than was felt for Nathaniel
! Lvoa when he rode along the ranks
than w1- exhibited FOR Wellington
! when he came back from Waterloo
greater than was expressed for NaDO,
leon when he stepped ashore from Alba.
We really believe l.. 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 ewes. and unstopping oI
deaf ears and casting out Of un'
clean spirits-such silencing bestOrmed
Gennesarts as shall make the house
memorable after you and | are dead and
forgotten. o. my friends, we want but
one revival in this church, that begin
ming 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.
Ch that this day of dedication might
be the day of emancipation of all i'm
prisoued souls. My friends, do not
make the blunder of the ship carpen-
tiers in Noahs time, who helped to
build the ark, but did not get into it.
God forbid that you who have been SO
generous in building this church should
not get under its influence. Come