The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-10-18
ANNIVERSARY OF
ST. LUKE'S CHURCH
Services Held Yesterday aud viii Be
Continued Today.
RECTOR ISRAELs' MORNING SERMON
Refers Particularly TO the Introduce
tion of the Religious Idea in Public
Schools, Which lie Recently Ad-
vocated--Corrocts n Mis.statement
and Favors Sectarianism--Pro-
gramme tor Today's Services.

The forty-fifth anniversary OF the |
organization Of st. Luke's Episcopal |
church will occur today and in COM |
memoration of the event special SER
vices were conducted at the church |
yesterday. In the morning at 730
o'clock the Holy Communion was OBJ
served and another at II. The latter
followed the usual morning prayer and
sermon, which is reported below.
At 7.30 o'clock last evening Rev.
Rogers Israel, rector of the church,
preached the anniversary sermon. The
text was found in Second Thessaloni-
ans, ili:13 Mr. Israel spoke extempore
Of the blessings which have been vis-
tied upon the church, giving a sum-
mary of the work accomplished and
the needs for the future.
In the morning Mr.. Israel preached
from the texts: "There Is one body and
| one spirit"-Thessalon iva; land
the various gifts are given that there
should be no sCism in the body
Corinthians, xii :25. The sermon con-
| cerned the church, using the word with
| it's common meaning. Some may say
that clergyman should preach the
| gospel-not the church. But what Is
| the gospel if it be not the message of
| salvation to the world, and this mes
| sage, we find, is inseparably connected
with the church." The relation of the
| church to the gospel was then proven
from scriptural passages.
CHRIST SPEAKS OF THE CHURCH.
"Our Lord, Jesus Christ" said Mr..
Israel, speaks continually OF the
| church, the kingdom of God in this
| -, - til, u, l.,
| Head, as the means by which His gos-
| pei shall be preached and to which
| shall be added daily such as accepting
that gospel or as the sacred writer
says, such as are being saved SO
| much does our Lord and His apostles
! speak of this that there is no Christian
body today, however minute, but that
| claims more or less close connection
| with the church of the Message of the
| Gospel, the Church. The preaching of
| the church is therefore the preaching
| of the gospel. In fact, Christianity
| cannot be preacher the gospel of our
Lord cannot be and is not delivered
without the preaching of the church in
some connection. Non-sectarianism is
a delusion and a fraud as it is general
~ understood, which is an emascuated,
non-doctrinal Christianity, fit neither
for children nor weak -minded-let
alone robust men and women"
Mr.. Israel then referred to his ad-
dress before the state board of char
tiles and correction, in which he was
reported to have advocated non-sec-
tartan teaching in our public schools
He denounced the report as wrong and
an injustice to himself. "My words
WERE" said Mr.. Israel, "to encourage
! 1,Ln ,,r;,,
as a necessity in the present condi-
tion of Christianity, so that each child
might attend upon and receive the
teaching of the communion to which
it belonged. And this was what they
termed non-sectarlan," said Mr.. Israel
Continuing. "NOn-sectarian today
means non-docuinal. The idea is
ridiculous in itself. The very word
doctrinal means teaching and the
teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ are
His doctrines and therefore the doc
trines of Christianity.
NON-DOCTRINAL TEACHING M
POSSIBLE.
| A non-dOctrinal teaching of Christi
anity therefore is an impossibiity. But" /"
said Nj. Israel, "the moment doctrine is
taught UP springs first one and then
another Of the innumerable variations
of dOctrinal bodies and opposes it's
opposite, demanding mons -sectarian
teaching or, as it interprets that term,
the omission of that doctrine which
contradicts it's own. What is left us
, then, for there is no important doc
trine which some man or body of men
,, has not differed from and if we allow
, the privilege of objecting to one we
| t., oil Cot
and finally to all Authority of some
kind is a necessity of unity such as
, Christ prayed for. If then there is nc
; such thing as non-scctarian teaching
; are we then to give way to the over
whelming wave of individual judgment
and control in matters spiritual which
has swept over this fair land? 7 say
most earnestly, No, God forbid! .
There is faith once delivered to the
saints" which has united all nations
before for ages in one Body and may
in Gods good providence do it again
The speaker then discussed the breadth
and scope of this apostolic faith, urg.
ing his hearers to an acceptance of il
in all its fulness of love and definite
ness.
The services today will begin at II
a. m. with a celebration of the Holy
Communion. In the afternoon from
to o'clock the rector and Mrs. Israe
c and the curate, Rev. f. ]. Haughton, ,anC
Mrs. Haughton will receive the parish
t toner's informally at the rectory. A
e the same time the Needle Workers
s Ward Of the Woman's Guild will ex
: hibit their annual product of gar
= ments.
e In the evening at 73O o'clock Their
l, ;,,
IL with the full vested choir, followed b,
re the reading of a summary of the worl
done by the several guilds during tn
year. The Offering will be devoted {
the work of the Womans Guild. Afte
2, the service a final reception will b
given at the rectory by the rector an,
~