Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-01-16
A MEMORIAL SERMON.


IL was IN rs 10, as i nave 6alui tnat the
old church was so far completed that it
could be used for regular services. Where
the service had been held before this date,
/ do not wholly know; but during the frst
year ut least, as Mr.. Amin states, THE
brief and simple service which we main
~tained-nnd which was attended some
times by but two or three-was held In Mr..
Hays hall. And for the favor OF granting
the hall for that purpose, 1 e~pdeavored
II l am not mistaken, to make more than
once to express suitable gratitude. And |
speak OF 1t now and record IL as one Of the
incidents In early history Of, this church"
The site OF this hall Is now occupied by
the Rosenwald establishment. But while
the building was in use from this date, it.
was not until 1877 that the house was dedi-
Gated. The reasons for the long delay are
thus given 10 the dedication sermon: yet
| right or wrong, i was resolved from the
outset that SO far as the matter depended
| upon myself; fest, IL should not be dedi-
Gated and formally presented to the Lord,
az a building In which He should be be-
| sought to place his name and take up his
| abode, until 1t was completed; and second,
that there should never be any indebted
ness or encumbrance Of any kind upon it.
| Some fourteen months ago. when / received
| $500 for the purpose Of completing tho
| building, l fully intended that 1t should be
dedicated during the autumn Of last year
| (1876). But delays / could not we'll pre-.
vent, and the seeming necessity OF doing
| after all with my W hands a considera-
BILE part OF what yet remained to be done,
have made IL impossible to ask you to a
| dedication service until now. 1t is COM
| pleted, and those Of US who have had the
deepest interest In 1t, and the largest share
| of personal labors connected with it, now
say with thankful hearts: "Bless the
Lord. o my SOUL"
Tho vexatious delays were sometimes
| cheered by Providential incidents. "On
ing the erecting Of the building, and when
the funds were sorely needed, and had
begun to fear that all precious interests
| would suffer for lack Of punctuality OF
payment, I received a draft for $500 from a
lady whom / had never seen,nor heard OF. /
suppose that unknown lady's interest in
this mission was due to the other ladies'
whose names / have mentioned. The letter
inclosing the gift contained a prohibition
against ever making known her NAME, and
the prohibition was so stringent and ac-'
companied by reasons SO strong and valid.
that i shall over feel my mouth closed
against the utterance OF her name"
The character Of Mr.. Amin and the
spirit of his preaching are wildly revealed
Ia an other passage from the same sermon:
snow as We formally present this building
an Offering to the Lord, the aims and OBJ
jects contemplated In such an enterprise
as this will perhaps admit OF a distinct
statement. We came hither to preach the
Gospel, to make known among the people
the unssarchable riches of Christ, to defend
that religion of which Christ is the center.
God forbid that l should glory save in the
Cross Of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the
cross of Christ we glory, not in the wood
on which he hung-but in the expiation of
human guilt effected by His sacriticial and
~atoning death, in the proper, real and full
satisfaction which, by and in His sufferings
and death, He rendered to a Holy Law; in
all the wondrous truths and doctrines
which cluster in mysterious, perfect har-
mony around the dropping, bleeding brows
Of the Glorious Sufferer of Golgotha. Nor
tdares q creature guess which of the glories
brightest shines, the justice or the grace.
I'VE solemnly and joyfulIy dedicate this
church to the worship of that God who has
revealed Himself to us in bis word as
Father, Son and Holy Ghost, three persons
in ono eternal essence and Godhead, the
| same In substance, equal in power and
| glory and confederate together, each sus-
Gaining an essential part 10 the stupendous
scheme of human redemption. Unitarians
may be Christians; on that point we say
nothing, but Unitarianisin is not Christi
anity.
"And now our desire and prayer are that
the tolls and sacrifices of those now men,
toned, and Of all who havs toiled and
made sacrifices for this church, may be
rewarded and crowned with what to them
" ould bs unquestionabiy the most accepta-
BILE reward, the growing influence Of cur
work and its complete success in souls re-
newsd and sins forgiven in men and
women and children enlightened, elevated
and redeemed to God and to Christ"
So at last, on September 9th, 1877. the
dedicatory services we're celebrated; con-
= $500 tALs@A- AL =.
mon" which was based on / Kings, go.
$50 he built the house and flushed it;r
and III Chronicles 20:s,-And have built
thee q sanctuary therein for thy NAME"
At some time during these early years,
I can not now give the date, the adobe
building with its long, stone-paved portal,
which occupies the east front of the Mis-
sion premises, was purchased at a cost OF
about 81, 600, as a residence for the mis-
sionary, and to afford rooms for the school
he conducted. 1t was then a one-story
building merely, and not Joined to the
church building as at present. At one
time its roof blew off In q violent wind,
and he had to appeal thro' the papers for
the means 10 procure the new tin roof with
which 1t was Replaced.
But Mr.. Amin was q pioneer, also, in
educational work In this region, and all
our Mission schools, this side the range,
sprang from his initial effort. "Our Prot
estant religion" he writes, sis q religion
Of intelligence Of faith, indeed, Tut not OF
superstition. knowledge and liberty are
its life and vital breath.n ON the first day
of March, 1870, he opened a school in one
Of the rooms Of the house be then occupied
s'the present residence of Mr.. Louis Suiz-
bacher, 10 the room now occupied Tin '76)
as his law office" IL was a small Begin
ming, opening with four pupils and closing
August 10th, seventeen having been en-.
rolled. But 1t was sturdily pushed to
larger extent, and with the help of his
daughter, Miss Rebecca f. Amin, success |
fully carried on during his whole ministry
here. One instance of its conspicuous use-
fulness is modestly recounted by him:
"Rev. Gabino Rendon of San Luis, Colo, |
was also a boy in my Las Vegas school
during the '70s, and | presume received his
earlier promptings to something higher |
and better during his association with us
myself and daughter) as his teachers. !"
MIR. Rendon is at present giving i~nstruc-
ton to a theological class at Del Norte
College, Colo. With ~unrelinquished EN-
phasis Mr.. A. made teaching an essential
and organic part OF his missionary labors, |
and schools sprang up everywhere. Of
him it could be said as Carlyle has said of
Scotland's great reformer, John Knox,
HE sent the schoolmaster into every
parish In the kingdom, and said: "Let
the people be taught"