The Newtown bee., 1894-03-30
AT ST JOHN s.

AT ST JOHNS.
 The services at St Johns church were of unusual interest, and considering the state of the weather they were remark ably we'll attended. The chancel and choir of the church were crowded with @ rich profusion of potted plants, the most of which were in bloom, and the altar vases were filled with hyacinths, carna- tions and roses. The musical program, which was prepared under the direction of W. B. Banker, was so nearly complete as to make the services very largely choral. Miss NJ. $. Warner did good and faithful service as Organist and was as- sisted in the somewhat onerous duties of the day by MT Banker, who played the postludes. The choir consisted of Mrs Nellie Tucker and Miss l.. T. Glover, so- pranos; Mrs c. W. Sloan, contralto; Messrs Banker and H. Orgelman, tenors, and Messrs G. J. Tugnot and J. H. Fay Tor, passes. They received many con- gratulations and thanks from the con- gregation for their good work. The solo at the offertory was, "Come See the Place Where Jesus Lay" and was beautifully sung by Mrs Tucker. The subject of the rector's sermon was, 'The Victory" The text was Acts ? :24, "Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.'' In that new tomb, which Joseph of Arimathea had hewn out in the rock, in the garden, near Calvary, wherein was never yet man laid, was sealed by the combined authority of both the highest ecclesiastical and civil powers upon earth, the worlds only hope of eternal life. Had not Christ arisen, death must still have stood as the end of all things. Death is still the last great enemy, as life is the last great hope of the human soul. But death is no more what it once was; it has been stripped of l it's terrors; the victory has been wrested | from the grave; the truth of the resur- rection has been exempliied; one who died arose again; the Lord of Life has conquered death; and because He lives every soul of man may live also, through faith in Him, for He is the resurrection and the life and tl.e giver of that divine
 life which can never die. The divinity
 of Christ made it impossible that He
 should be held under the dominion of
 death and the grave. The life of God is
 deathless, and the tomb cannot hold that
 which is born of the Eternal. Our hope
 of eternal life hangs alone upon the eter nal life of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
 Christ. When Christ thus triumphed
 over the grave, His victory was our vic
 tory and because He lives we may alst
 live. sHe that believeth on me hatI
 everlasting life.' Christ is the life give
 who alone can make the children of mel
 partakers of the eternal life of God. Ant
 this eternal life is the only and gloriou
 hope of the resurrection. This life mus be in us that we may be raised up at tn last day. The root, the seed, the bull and every living thing in nature respond again to the vernal call of the great life reviving sun. But if there h5 no germ 0 principle of life abiding in them even tn , Sun of life cannot raise them up. Wha JOyIul nope IS porn OI GuiS 1aitH III 1n f resurrection of Christ the Lord! How
 quickens and transforms the life of tn soul. How it has redeemed and brighter ed and beautified the life of the world f How it helps us in our weakness and tr p al and sorrow to the victory of faith owe the sinful and unbelieving world. Fo : His resurrection is pledge, not merel ;. an illustration of the resurrection of mar n kind. He is the first-fruits, they are tn ' harvest.
 Q At the children's service in the afte, | noon, the infant daughters of Charle n Bidet were christened, Augusta File n and Louisa Jane, Mrs W. G. Hard, Nil e ". E. Ackley and J. H. Warner bein f the sponsors.
 e The Easter offerings for current paris [. expenses, amounted to $l16,and the Lel < ten collections of the children were abol e $50, which will be devoted to missionar l. work in general.