The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-03-16
THE OPERA HOUSE MEETING
SERMON YESTERDAY BY REV. j. LEE
MITCHELL or FAIR HAVEN.

Singing by Professor Fostor of Washington
and Rev. Mr.. Foster of This City-Rev.
MIR. Mason to Preach Next sunday-Mrs.
S, S. Thompson TO sinG-Two More Meet
ings.
Owing to the storm yesterday after
noon the popular religious service at
the Grand opera house at $3.50 was not
so largely attended as the previous
meetings have been. An audience OF
about 600 persons was, however, pres
ent and there Were none of the disturb
ances which have annoyed some of the
meetings.
Rev. Mr.. Meyers of the German Bap-
fist church offered prayer, and pre-
liminary song service was rendered by
the large chorus choir occupying the
stage. A fine selection was also sung
by quartet from the Yale Glee club.
Prof. Foster, musical director of the
First Baptist church, was present, be-
ing the guest of his brother, Rev. Mr..
Foster, pastor of Olivet Baptist church
in this city, and at the request of Rev.
DIR. Phillips, who presided at the meet
ing, the two Messrs. Foster sang Only
a Beam of Sunshine" The selection
was superbly rendered and made the
most entertaining part of the program.
Rev. Mr.. Meserve of the Davenport
Congregational church was to have
preached at the meeting, but he was I'M
able to be present as he was confined
to his bed by illness. Rev. j. Lee
Mitchell, pastor of the Grand avenue
Congregational church. however, preach
ed an admirable sermon taking as his
text the words IF We have faith even as
a grain of mustard seed" Mr.. Mitchell
began by describing a conference held
in General Meades headquarters at the
close of the second day of the battle of
Gettysburg to decide whether to so on
with the battle the next day or to re-
treat When a vote of the conference
was taken it was unanimous to pro-
coed with the battle the next day, and
all the world knows the consequence.
Continuing, Mr.. Mitchell said: Had
those men received a message from
heaven foretelling the outcome? No;
they knew that the misfortunes with
which the army had met had ham
mered out a resolute. body of men. So,
when God is going to give US the victory
He will make us sure of it. There is
something which impelS me to act on
probabilities. If your soul goes to
heaven it will not be because you know
but because you dare. You have one
certainty before you, namely, that
every man is building his own future
for himself, no matter who or what he
is. There was a few years ago a GER
tain congressman who took pity on a
poor family and finally made up his
mind to build a house for it to live in.
The man of the family was a carpen-
ter, SO the congressman gave him the
Job of building the new house, not tell
ing him who it was for. The carpenter
begun on the house and on every occa-
sion when he could slip in a piece
of decayed timber or other poor ma
terial he did SO. Then when the house
was completed his chagrin may be
imagined when the congressman told
him the house had been built for his
family
''It is your own house you are now
building, and by cheating God you are
not lnJuFlUS f1lIIl So illuC1l DIS YOURSELF
The house which you are building you
will inhabit for all eternity. The mus
tard seed of faith which bids us decide
for Christ, is i'll everyone, and the GER
tainty of the ownership of the house you
are building is always before you. Do
what is yours to do to-day and some
time when the noise of the strife has
passed away you will know"
Mr.. Mitchell concluded his sermon by
an appeal for all those who were
Christians, or desired to become Chris
tians to stand UP, and nearly everyone
in the house rose up.
AT the close of the sermon Prof. Fos-
ter and Rev. Mr.. Foster sang Though
Your Sins be as Scarlet" The service
closed with a prayer by Rev DIR.
Phillips and a hymn by the choir.
Rev. John Fl. Mason of the First Bap-
list church will preach next Sunday af-
ternoon. Another feature of the service
will be the singing of two solos by Mrs.
S. S. Thompson.
There will be two more Sunday after
noon religious meetings at the Grand
opera house.