The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-22
DEDICATED FOUR YEARSAGO
EPWORTH CHURCH CELEBRATED
THE ANNIYERS8RY LAST EVENING.

THE ANNIYERSARY LAST EVENING.
Addresses by Charles II. Plat, Charles Il.
bowman, Charles A. Baldwin and Others
"A Large Congregation Present-The
Church, Its Origin, Its object, and Its
Progress.
The fourth anniversary of the dedica-
ton of Epworth NJ. E. church at the
corner of Edwards and Orange streets,
was celebrated at a special meeting
held last evening. A large congrega-
ton was present, and Rev. Duane N.
Griffin, the pastor, presided, After the
opening services and brief remarks by
introduced and spoke of the history OF
the church during the past four years.
He spoke of the splendid opportunities
the church has for pursuing the work
in the neighborhood where it is now
located. He eXhorted all the members
to take an active part in church work
and to attend the class meetings. He
closed by prophesying a glorious future
for the church.
Assistant Superintendent Charles E.
Bowman of the New York division OF
the Consolidated road, and member
of Trinity M. e. church. was the next
speaker He spoke of himself as a
graduate of the old First Methodist
church. He referred to the breezy ways
of Methodists and said that in Trinity
M. E. church they had been having
breezes of late. He emphasized the
Importance of the Sunday school in re-
lation to the church and said that if
the Sunday school was taken away it
would be found difficult to keep the
church up.
Mr.. Moody of the East Pearl street
Methodist church was the next speak
er. He spoke of what Christ left for
the world and of the church and indi-
viduals as instrumentalities. He said:
God works by the force of love, kind
ness and gentleness. The power of
deep, earnest love is necessary to draw
men to God"
Mr.. Fenno, secretary of the railroad
Y. M. c. A., who was present, was then
called upon to speak and made brief re-
marks He said 1.-The preaching of
Methodist church. 1t is the glory of
the Methodist church that it proclaims
this, that rich or poor, low or high, may
gain heaven on the basis of the equal
love of the Lord Jeusu Christ. The
Methodist church also proclaims joy
full experience, and for this Methodists
ought to thank God We get a joyful
religion in our church if we don't get
anything else.
The last speaker was Charles Fl.
Platt, general superintendent of the
Consolidated road He spoke of the
church, it's origin, it's object and it's
progress. He said: Back of the Chris
tian church, the Jewish church, the
Abrahamic church and the family
church, back of the Garden of Eden
was the time when God impaired to
man the first covenant, and that COW
enant was in substance, DO right and
live, or sin and die The keynote of
that covenant was simple, blind obedi-
ence. 1t is possible that we may find
some church that has not got far from
that keynote, but many churches have
not been so obedient to God as they
were to the church. The keynote of
that covenant given in the first COM
mandment is loyalty. This includes all
there is in obedience and far more.
One can be obedient to a higher power
without being loyal The keynote of
another covenant is love, which in
cludes more than both obedience and
loyalty, but without these there can be
no love in it's purest sense. Love is the
highest emotion of the human mind.
1t is the essence Of God himself. Be
cause of his love our feet have been
taken from the mire of sin and placed
on the rock of God. The object of the
church is the development Of character
The development of feeling is not
enough, grand as it is. The salvation
Of the individual soul is not all of the
object of the church. The object of the
church is. to develop character in those
that have been saved, so that we may
have something worth saving. A test
of all religion is its effect ON character,
and when / speak of character 1 do
not mean reputation. Character is
what we are; reputation is what we
are supposed to be. We cannot lose
character without our own consent;
reputation we can. If Epworth church
helps to make strength of character in
those with whom it comes in contact,
then all the sacrifice it has made will
have been compensated for a thousand
fold'
The service closed with singing by
the choir and a benediction by Rev.
Mr. Griffin.
SAINT S4ENS' S.AMSON md DELTLAH