The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-05-06
voices to respond-''We mean the Lord
God omnipotent re.gneth."

voices to respond-"We mean the Lord
God omnipotent relgneth." !"
Still further yoa mean by these stones
the salvation OF the people. We did no;
build this church for mere worldly re-
forms. or for an educational institution,
or as platform on which TO read ESSAYS
and philosophical dispositions; but a
pace for the tremendous work Of soul
saving. Oh. l had rather be the means
in this church Of having one soul pre-.
pared for joyful eternity than five
thousands souls prepared for a mere
worldly success. All churches are IN
two classes; all communities in two
classes. all the race in two ciasses-be-
levers and unbei!everS. 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 hand-shaklngs.
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 popularlze Christ.
We would like to tell the story Of his
love here until men would feel that they
had rather die than live another s.our
without his sympathy, and love, and
mercy. We want to arouse up an enthu-
siasm for him greater than was ielt to-
Nathaniel Lyon when he rode along the
ranks-greater than was exhibited Tor
Wellington when he came back from
Waterloo-9rcater than was expressed
for Napoleon when he stepped ashore
from Elba. We really belle'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 unstopplns
of deaf ears, and casting out OF unclean
spirlts-such sllencing bestormed Gen
nesarcts as shall make this house
memorable five hundred years after you
and are dead and forgotten. on, my
friends, we want but one revival in this
church, that beginning now and running
or to the day when the chisel of time,
that lrinss down even st. Paul's and
the Pyramids, shall bring this house
into the dust.
Oh, that this day Of dedic ,tlon might
be the day OF emancipation of all I'M
prisoned souls. My friends, DO not
make the blunder fthe ship carpenters
in Noah's time, who helped 10 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 un-
der its saving influence. Come thou
and all thy house into the ark DO you
think man is safe out Of Christ: Not
one day. not one hour, not one minute,
not one second. Three or four years ago,
you remember, rail train broke down a
bridge on the way to Albany, and after
the catastrope, they were looking around
among the timberS Of the crushed bridge
and the fallen train, aud found the con-
ductor. He was dying, and had only
strength to say one thing, and that was:
Hoist the tiay for the next train" So
there come to US tonight, from the eter-
nal work, voices Of God, voices OF
angels, voices ofdeparted spirits, crying:
Lit the warning. Blow the trumpet,
give the alarm. Hoist the flag for the
next train"
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 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 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 ever dedicate. May 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 lays, 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 of, 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 o; the tenderest 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. I hope, the best financial invest
ment you have ever made. our
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 a large per-
centage and declare eternal dividends
long after the noon day sun shall have
gone out like spark from smltten
anvil and all the stars are dead.
TOSEPH F. RHAME,