Middletown transcript., 1895-06-29

by Christ. 1t received the gift of the
Spirit. Into it all converts were in
itiated. 1t stands out clear and de-
finite from the very first.
Of this continuity of the Church as
a visible organized society, existing
through all time, this building in which
we are gathered is a standing reminder.
The bricks of these walls were brought,
we are told, from the mother land be-
yond the sea. Not less truly was the
Church life which found home on
| this spot a continuation of the life of
that Church which for more than
thousand years had fourished on the
soil of England. That English Church
in turn can trace her origin back by
unquestioned lines to the Church of
the further East. and so to tha upper
room in Jerusalem, where the Holy
Ghost descended on the faithful few
whom Christ had commissioned to 60
forth to evangelize the world.
1t is a great comfort, then, that
when in service like this, our eyes
are directed to the past, we may trace
our lineage back to the day of Christ
Himself. The Church is built upon
the foundation of apostles and pro-
phets and Jesus Christ is Himself the
cornerstone. And as she has main
tanned the apostolic organization, so
has she also maintained the apostolic
| faith and worship. She declares that
which she has received. That, and
that alone is her precious message.
There is no truth on which she lays
emphasis to-day and which she in
sists on our accepting, which was not
part of the first Gospel declared to
the twelve ard which has been held
and declared through the intervening
ages. The Church cf God is not
school of human opinion. Private
OpiulUu uho WIuC leHSC hitulll hCA
borders, but her own great function is
to declare age after age the simple,
precious Gospel of the way of life,
which St. Peter and his companions
declared when the church began her
life. She is not concerned in laying
emphasis on ally one truth at the ex-
pense of any other. She has received
commission, she speaks by authority,
and her chief effort should be to declare
faithfully the message she has received.
On an occasion like this, it is i'm
possible to forbear dwelling with
thankful hearts on the blessings we
have received. God has indeed given
US ''goodly heritage" We should be
ungrateful if we did not remember it.
1t is no slight thing that after all these
centuries and in this far-off land, we
are able to share in the fellowship and
blessings Of the Apostolic Church, to
have the Gospel declared in its pri-
mitive simplicity, to worship God with
the ages that are gone. But while we
dwell with gratitude on these grand
and assuring thoughts, it is well to re-
member that every blessing we receive
has its corresponding responsibility.
The gracious heritage which has come
down to us from the past and of which
this ancient building is reminder and
type, is a heritage of life. The creed
that we have received is a creed 70 hold
and live by. The truth which the
Apostles declared and for which the
martyrs bled is a truth which should
find it's fruit in all our daily living. To
belong to the very society which
Christ established and in which His
disciples worked, may rightly be pri-
zed as privilege, but the privilege
will prove an empty honor unless we
realize that it comes to us all as call
to consecrated service. An apostolic
church should be filled with apostolic
spirit and do Apostolic work. We are
faithless to the past while we pretend
to honor it, if we settle down to the
enjoyment of privilege and neglect the
very work for which the Church was
established. "Freely ye have received"
is the lesson of the past. Freely
give" is the duty of the present.
And so, in conclusion, would call
your attention to the work that lies
before us. We belong to the living
Church. IA service like this we're better
not held at all, did not the survey of
the past suggest thoughts for the
future.
In the first place, there is personal
daty which rests upon us all this day
and all through our lives. 1t is the
duty of appropriating to ourselves the
blessed Gospel which has given life to
nineteen centuries, and which is full of
blessing to-day. 1t is Gospel to live
by, it is Gospel to die by. 1t is not
enough to know that this blessing has
come into the world, it is not enough
to know that it has been accepted by
many in our own community. We
must make it our own. We must lay
held on its precious life; we must gain
its blessings for ourselves. We must
live by it's law and live in its spirit.
We must hold fast to it, for it comes
from the worlds Saviour; we must
hold fast to it, for it comes to US as
well-spring of life. To neglect it, to
grow careless about it, to forsake it's
privileges, to forego its blessing, when
the opportunity is freely presented, is
to be guilty of the greatest folly which
man can conceive. In this venerable |
house of God, in this place where our
fathe rs worshiped, let us resolve to
hold fast our fathers faith and share in
our fathers hope. While the river of
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