The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-06-16

Ito says H- Theology has Al GONE Into
rive Lettcrs- The Gladnc,. ct the chris
tan Eeiigion-A Few words OF rare
vrii-Hi. Few Months Absence.
TBooktYN. May t8.-Thc Tabernacle
wa crowded 90 the doors today when Rev.
u Talmngo took for the subject OF his
forenoon sermon % passage Of scripture
which has been made the subject uf much
discussion and various Interpretation by
modern thcologinus His theme was, "A
On crful Church, and the text was So.
lrct,d from Solomons Song iv, I, BE
hold thou art fair, my love. 80
Higher criticism says that this book
Of Solomon's Song is a love scene, IA for
luru maiden signing for her beau. If So 1t
h. AN unclcnn and dchauched uttcranCe in.
SER I'd in the pure word Of God and Is not
fit for common reading My opinion is
thai it is an inspired ode setting forth the
feeling Of Christ toward the church and Of
the church toward Christ Christ Is the
bridegroom and the church is the bride.
Tn. same words we can utter today truth
fully whether i'm regard to the church VI
Go. in general or this church in particular,
Behold, thou art fair my love- The .
pat week has been one of prolonged con .
grr ulutiun for that we have for 20 years .
bell permitted to associate with each 9th /
er in the relation of pastor and people. /
Wien l came to Brooklyn, found "a small /
bard of Christian disciples who from vari-
uus causes had become less and less until
they stood upon the very verge of eNtinc-
uo' as church, and the question was
being agitatcd from time to time whether
Il would be possible to maintain church
lie longer Indeed had not those men and
l.. 4 lon.
would have surrendered to the adverse cir
cumstances. They marshaled a congrega-
tiuual meeting, and gathering up all the
forces possible they cast 10 votes for pas
tor, al of which l am happy TO have re-
cei,od.
The Tabernacle Defined.
il was not through any spirit of personal
courage or reckless adventure that was led
from one of the warmest and most congcn-
iul pastoratcs in Philadelphia that man
ever enjoyed to this then most uninviting
field, but it was the feeling that God had
called me TO the work, and I was sure he
would see me through.
] have thought that 1t might he protta-
Bile to us to state briefly what kind of a
church we have been trying to establish
In the first place, remark that we have
been trying to build here Il Christian
tnlAHCU, ulsIlntIlNtll SuCll--lll bliltT NOINlNi
"a church where we should preach tho
Lori Jesus Christ and him cruoifed
My theology is all gone into five letters
Jesus. Jesus, the pardon Of all offenscs
Jcs Is, the foundation for all structures
Jesus, the balm for all wounds. Jesus,
the eye salve for all blindness Jesus, the
guide through all perpleXities. Jesus the
hope for all discouragements. Jesus the
reform for all wrongs, l have faith to be
LEV that there is more power in one drop
OF The blood Of Jesus Christ to cure the
woo OF the world than in an ocean full of
human quackery Jesus is the grandest
noe in any ninstrelsy. He is the bright
est gem in any crown. Height overlapping
all height The center of every circumfer-
ence. The circumference to every center.
The pacifer of all turbulence. The UNI
pirt Of all disputes. jesus Jesus At
his table all nations are to sit. Around
his throne all worlds are to revolve. He
is 30 be the irradiation of the universe.
Jesus! Jesus! 1t is that truth that we
have tried to preach in this Tabernacle.
A Broad Creed.
DO you ask more infinitely what we be-
icve2 l can tell you. We have no dry,
withered, juiceless theology. We believe
in God, the Father Almighty, maker of
heaven and earth, the deliverer Of the dis
treSsed, the home for the homeless, the
friend for the friendless. We believe in
Jesus Christ, able to save to the uttermost,
pardoning the guilty, imputing his right
eousness to the believer. We believe in the
Holy Ghost, the comforter, the sanctifier,
cheering up the heart in life's ills and kin.
ding bright lights in every dark landing
place. We believe that the whole race il
so sunken in sin that nothing but the ON
ii ,,f &. ,Jr lfr IL
believe in grace-free grace, sovereign
grace, triumphant grace eternal grace
We believe in Bible, authentic in it
sta sments, immaculate in It's teachings
glorious in its promises We believe il
heaven, the abode of the righteous, and il
he'll the residence of those who are sou
suicides, of their own free choice refusing
the divine mercy. We believe in the sal
walton Of all men who accept Christ b.
faith, be they sprinkled or immersed, woT
ship they in cathedral or in log cabin, be
liCve they in Presbyterianism or Episco
pacy, dwell they under Italian skies or il
Siberian snowstorms be they Ethiopian 0
American. All one in Christ. One Lord
one faith, one baptism, on the way to on
heaven. We built this Tabernacle for tn
purpose of setting forth these great the
orieS of the gospel Of the Son of God
the pulpit Would that we had been NOR
faithful in the pew
] remark, further, that we have trie
here to build church distinctively uncon
ventional Instead Of asking, as some pee
pie are disposed to do, how other peopl
do it, we have asked the question how pee
pie do not dOit Imperious custom has de
cided that churches shall be angular
cherries, gloomy, unsympathetic, forget
ting that what men call "a pious gloom
impious, and that that church has the bes
architecture where the people are the mos
com Portable, and that that is the most Of
fcient Christian service where the peopl
are made most sick Of sin and most an1
ious after Christ and heaven. And so W
called the architects together for our frs
church building and said, Give us II
amphitheater' is, large famil
circle, gathered around "a fireplace Fo
many years We had felt that an amphitht
alter was the only proper shape for an au
dience room. The prominent architects c
the country said: &" 1t cannot be done. 70
need "A churchly building" And so we ha
plan after plan of churchly buildings prc
sented, but in due time God sent MAJ
who grasped our idea and executed It, $
far rom being a failure, it satisfied on
want, and all our three churches wer
built on the amphitheatrical plan, an,
scores Of churches all over the countr
have adopted the same plan.
Democratic Church.
And, my brethren and sisters, we fail Ii
our work just in proportion as we try &
be like other churches We believe tina
God intended every church, like ever
man, TO be individual, gathering up all it
peculiarities and idiosyncrasies, and hurl
al a,,I
object. In other words, no two churche
ought ever TO be just alike. Here is
church, for instance, whose object 1t is {,
prepare philosophers and artists and crit
les for heaven. God speed them in the diff
ticult work. Here is a church, on the 9th
err hand, that proposes to bring only tn,
poor into the kingdom of Jesus Christ