Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-05-07

church on earth honored with such me
moriali
1 THE MEMORIAL OF SINAI
Beneath it are two tables of stone, which
had brought from Mount Siuai where
the law was given. Three camels were
three weeks crossing the desert to fetch
them. When at Cairo, Egypt, proposed
| to the Christian Arab that he bring one
stone from Mount Sinai, he said, I'VE can
easier bring two rocks than one, for one
must balance them on the back of the
camel" and did not think until the day
Of their arrival 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 when 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 broth
erhood of the human race, declaring, "God
hath made of one blood all nations"
Since Lord Elgin took the famous statu-
airy from the Acropolis, the hill adjoining
Mars Hill, the Greek government makes it
impossible to transport to other lands any
antiquities, and armed soldiery guard
not only the Acropolis but Mars Hill.
That stone I 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 ac-
quaintances, and through Mr.. Tricoupis,
the prime minister of Greece, and Mr.
Snowden, our American minister plenipo-
tentiary, and DR.. Manatt, our American
consul, that suggestive tablet was sawed
from the pulpit of rock on which Paul
preached. Now you understand why we
have marked it "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 I 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?"
| But you cannot divert me from the ques
ton of the text as first put it. Ihave in
| terpreted these four memorials on my
right hand, but there are hundreds of
stones in these surrounding walls and un-
derneath us, in the foundations, and rising
| above us in the towers. The quarries of
this and transatlantic countries at the call
| of crowbar and chisel have contributed
toward this structure. "What mean We by
| these stones"
You mean among other things that they
shall be an earthly residence for Christ.
| Christ did not have much of home when
he was here. Who and where is that child
| crying? 1t is Jesus, born in an clubhouse
Where Is that hard breathing? 1t lis Jesus,
asleep ON a rock. Who is that in the back
| part of the fishing smack, with sailors
| rough overcoat thrown over him? 1t is
Jesus the worn out voyager. o Jesus! is
| it not time that thou hadst a house? We
| give thee this. Thou didst give it to us
| first, but we give it back to thee. It is too
good for us, but not half good enough for
thee Oh! come in and take the best seat
here. Walk up and down all these aisles.
Speak through these organ pipes. Throw
thine arm over us in these arches. In the
flaming of these brackets of fire speak to
us, saying, II am the light of the world"
| o King! make this thine audience cham
ber. Here proclaim righteousness and
make treaties. We clap our hands, we un-
cover our heads, we lift our ensigns we
cry with multitudinous acclamation until
the place rings and the heavens listen, 80
King! live forever!
Is it not time that he who was born in a
strangers house and buried in a stranger
grave should have an earthly house? Con
in, o Jesusl not the corpse of burir
Christ, but radiant and triumphant Je-
sus, conqueror of earth and heaven and
hell.
He lives, all glory to his name,
| He lives, my Jesus, still the same.
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives
know that my Redeemer lives.
| TrA
Blessed be his glorious name forever!
Again, if any one asks the question of the
! text, "What mean ye by these stonesg the
| reply is we mean the communion of
saints. Do you know that there is not a
single denomination of Christians in Brook
lyn that has not contributed something to-
ward the building of this house? And if
ever, standing in this place, there shall be
man who shall try by anything he says
to stir up bitterness between different de-
nominations of Christians, may his tongre
falter, and his cheek blanch, and his heart
stop! My friends, if there is any church
on earth where there is a mingling of all
denominations it is our church. I just
wish that John Calvin and Arminius, ii
they were not too busy, would come out on
the battlements and see us.
Sometimes in our prayer meetings have
heard brethren use the phrases of beau
tiful liturgy, and we know where they
come from; and in the same prayer meet
ings have heard brethren make AUDIBLE
ejaculation, "Amen" praise ye the Lordp'
and we did not have to guess twice where
they came from. When a man knocks at
our church door, if he comes from a sect
where they will not give him certificate,
we say: "Come in by confession of faith. "
While Adoniram Judson the Baptist, and
John Wesley the Methodist, and John
Knox the glorious old Scotch Presbyte-
rian are shaking hands in heaven, all
churches on earth can afford to come into
close communication: Zone Lord, one
faith, one baptism" Oh, my brethren,
we have had enough of Big Bethel fights
the Fourteenth New York regiment fight
ing the Fifteenth Massachusetts, regiment.
Now, let all those who are for Christ and
stand on the same side go shoulder to
shoulder and this church, instead of hav-
ing sprinkling of the divine blessing, go
clear under the wave in one glorious inn
mersion in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
I saw little child once, in its dying
hour, put one arm around its fathers
neck and the other arm around it's moth
er's neck and bring them close down to its
dying lips and give last kiss. Oh, said
those two persons will stand very near to
each other always after such an interlock
ing. The dying Christ puts one arm
around this denomination of Christians
and the other arm around that denomina.
| tiOn of Christians and he brinos them