Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1891-04-27

Marks or mosaic hOlSted 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, 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 We by these stonesY
there shall be innumerable voices to
respond, ''We mean the Lord God
omnipotent rei9neth .
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 Il platform on which to read
essays and philosophical 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 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 songs, all
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 tbs 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 sterp2d 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 open
ing of blind eyes, and unstOpping of
deaf ears, and casting out of unclean
spirits silencing bestOrmed Gen
nesarets as shall make this house mem
Orable five hundred years after you and
I 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 TIE FLAG FOR THE NEXT
TRAIN"
Oh, that this day Of dedication might
be the day of emancipation of all inn
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 il building this church, should
not get under its saving influence.
Come thou and all thy house into the
ark. Do you think a man is safe out
of Christ? Not one day, not one hour,
not one minute, not one second.
Three or four years ago, you remem-
ber q rail train broke down n 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, ''IIoist 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 Tor 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 stonesI We
mean your redemption from sin and
death and hell by the power of an ON
nipOtent Gospel.
Well, the Brooklyn Tabernacle is
erected again. We came here tonight
not to dedicate it. That was done this
morning Tonight we dedicate our
selves. In the Episcopal and Meth
Odist churches they have 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 night
to gather you in circles around this
altar. Then just bow where you are
for the 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 days, you put
on your spectacles to read the hymn or
the Scripture lesson, may you get prep
aration for that land where you shall
no more see through q glass darbly.
May the warm sunshine of heaven thaw
the snow off your foreheads.
Men in midlife, do you know that
this is the place where you are going to
get your fatigues rested, and your sor-
rows 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? Be
tween this baptisInal 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. 1 hope, the
best financial investment you have ever
made.
Your worldly investments may de-
pend upon the whims of the money
market, or the honesty of business as
sociates, but the money you have
given to the house of the Lord shall
yield you large percentage and de-
clare eternal dividends long after the |
MONDAY sun shall have gone out like |
a spark from a smitten anvil and all |
the stars are dead