The Portland daily press., 1895-05-20
HIS FIRST SERMON.
DIR. Parsons inaugural at Chestnut
Street Church.

There Was Large Congregation-His Sub
ject Was my Church'-His Belief as
to the Church Forcibly Announced
At the Chestnut street church yesterday
morning a large con gregation assembled to
listen to the first sermon by the new pastor,
K ev. C. Nj. Parsons, D. D.
After the preliminary exercises, Rev.
Israel Luce announced that next Wednes-
day evening there would be reception to
the new pastor in the vestry.
Mr.. Parsons made a few brief nitro
ductory remarks. He said:
1t is III Q form OF our policy that men
must come and men mus; go. 1he changes
cannot be wholly unnoticed. / confess that
1t Is SO with me. 1t is my fortune. not only
to be the son of clergyman but the grand
son of a Clergyman. l have lived in parson-
ages for forty years. will not say how
many more. l have lived in some of the
lowliest and some of the best. | know all
the unpleasantness of itineIancy and all
the delight of it: for there is delight in IT.
II thi nix we make too much of the new
ness of the new clergyman. 1t need not
take six months, nor six days. nor six hours
for US to come together in some measure. !
know and love you already. l shall preach
to You the Gospel as best can and | shall
praaoh it to you differently from any other.
Uf course l shall. Your ministers have all
heen successful because of their individu-
ality. Every man must have his personals
ty. AS to matter shall always be glad of
suggestions. AS to manner shall have to
be the sole judge of that"
Mr.. Parsons said that he would take his
text from the 10th chapter and 18th verse of
Matthew. The short text is. My Church" /"
No man will deny that Jesus Christ had a
right to say my Church l have believed
always that the church of Christ. planted
in any community is the best thing that
could happen 10 that community. AS a
pastor in a western church he had realized
the Immense significance of the planting of
a pioneer church. He had never realized
how much men want the church until in
new western towns he had heard men beg
fog the privilege of having a church for
themselves and families.
But what is the church? What does it
moan? 1t stands for the largest ana best
things that we can know or dasiIe.
This old world of OUTS was n broken bank.
&c ub T6u6WcO tu6 lOob SAChit aAN SAS4ASsS
was resumed.
Ths church stands for reinforcement.
more potent than any that has come up at
lime of need in bloody batteselds. The
church stands for peace. Only God could
say "Bless them that curse you.''
There are truths in this word that are
fixed, and they ars found in the Bible.
When a man talks of progressive truth.
don't know what ii means ] doubt II lie
does. Progressive truth you might as well
talk about progressive gravity, or progress
siye heat. Jesus said 1T is fnished.'' and
the truths of the Bible are complete. There
is not one note of despair in all the Book.
It is psalm of victorr. swelling. exulting.
The speaker contrasted the social club
and the church. The former must necessari-
IL lie select and elect, but when the latter
becomes exclusive it is no longer true
church; against that chuich edifce that
contains all that wealth and art and music
can give. but does not contain welcome to
every body l shall always lift my voice. No
mnn on earth has any right to say that any
other man shall not worship in his churcn.
The moment church becomes select and
exclusive she forfeits her charter.
You wonder at the power Of the Roman
Catholic church or the mas ses. There is no
cause for wonder. / saw he ragged beggars
worshipping in the splendid interior of st.
Peters at Rome. They were not ashamed
of their rags. They knew that they were
welcome.
Mr.. Parsons dwelt upon the difference be-
tween a pastor and preacher and spoke OF
New York clergyman who declared that
he would not be pastor nor perform a
pastor s duties. that he was preacher and
would only preach. He saw his people only
from the pulpit, and that was their only
yelsfion.
!. AIr. Parsons indicated that be did not mp
prove of that kind OF a clergyman. His
sermon from beginning TO end was full of
q strong personality and an intense belief
in the brotherhood of God in all church
rclationA.
That he will not preach to the Chestnut
sirsat people like everybody else. as he him
self declared. is very ceIt tain.