The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-05-09

Beethoven entwine them into one grand
and overpowering symphony. so, suppose
in the latter days of the 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 a thous-
and feet square in St. Marks, or mosaic
hoisted in colossal seraphim in ST. Sophia
80 suppose God will make, after awhile,
one great blending of all creeds, and all
faiths, and all Christian sentiments. the
amethyst, and the jasper, and the chalce-
dony of all different experiences and be-
lief. cemented 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 ye by these stones?"
there shall be innumerable voices to re
spond, 1--WE mean the Lord God omnipo-
tent reigneth."
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 institution, or as a
platform on which to read essays and philo-
sophical disquisitions, 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 eter-
nifty 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 subtract from the number of
the other we built this church, and toward
that supreme and eternal idea we dedicate
all our sermons, all our songs, all our
prayers, all our Sabbath handshakings
We want to throw detection into the enc
my's ranks. We want to make them either
surrender Internationally to Christ or else
fly in rout, scattering the way with
canteens, blankets 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 sympathy 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 Wellington
when he came back from Waterloo; great
er than was expressed for Napoleon when
he stepped ashore from Elba. 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 opening of blind eyes and
unstopping of deaf ears and casting out of
Genuesarets 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. Pauls and the Pyra-
mids, shall bring this house into the dust.
THEY BUILT, BUT ENTERED NOT.
Oh, that this day of dedication might be
the day of emancipation of all imprisoned
souls. My friends. do not make the blum
der of the ship carpenters in Noah's 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 saving influence
Come thou and all thy house into the
ark" Do you think a man il safe out of
Christi Not one day, not one hour, not
one minute, not one second. Three or four
years ago, you remember, a rail train broke
down a bridge on the way to Albany, and
after the catastrophe they were looking
around among the timbers 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 warn
ing. 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
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' We mean your redemption
from sin and death and hell by the power
of an omnipotent gospel.
Well, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Is erected
again. We came here tonight not to ded-
icate it. That was done this morning To
night we dedicate ourselves. In the Epis-
copal and Methodist churches they have
a railing around the altar, and the people
come and kneel down at that railing and
get the sacramental blessing. Well, my
friends, it would take more than a night
to gather you in circles around this altar.
Then just bow where you are for the bless
ing. 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
days, you put on your spectacles to read
the hymn or the Scripture lesson, may you
get preparation for that land where you
shall no more see through glass darkly.
May the warm sunshine of heaven thaw
the snow off your foreheadsi
Men in midlife, 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 Chris
tian, and from this place you will carry
out, some of you, your precious deada Be-
tween this baptismal font and this COM
munion table you will have some of the
tenderest of life's experiences. God bless
you, old and young and middle aged.
The money you have given to this church
today will be. hope; the best financial in
vestment you have ever made. Your
worldly investments may depend upon the
whims of the money market, or the hon.
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