The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-21


you went TO the spring or to tho we'll
and got II drink Of water, and then
went in and sang together in tho O!d
meeting house. This morning rs your
| mind goes back to tho first meeting
! house that you ever saw, and the first
| meeting house that yor ever entered,
| rs you close your eyes and Uhink OF 1t,
| it stands before you just rs it did then.
| i'm its same f0rm-thc seats arranged in
! the same way, the old pulpit in the
| same end OF the house with tho window
| behind it. And there in the amen cor
| ncr sat the old men and aged women,
| and on the front seats sat certain men
| and women you rccOllcct how they
| looked. IT. all comes before you this
morning rs an impressive and beautiful
| picture never to be faded from your
| memory. 1t has become Il sacred place
| and solemn associations gather about
| it. We sometimes hate to think Of the
| old meeting house being torn down.
| We can sympathizc with that feeling,
| and We appreciate it. Some OF the
young people rise up in rebellion some
| times ANA say this old meeting place
| cannot DC torn aside to give place to
| new one. My grandfather came here,
| here | sat with my brothers and sisters,
| here first heard the songs OF praise.
here | heard the first sermon, and
| cannot urar to think Of this house being
| torn down. But the old must frequent
| ~ give way to the new, and there on
the same spot will rise Il moro bcnuti-
fui Cuiiicc and more convenient and
rUmmodious building, and after the
first shock we rejoice and praise the
| I.or,l that he has 1t it into the h .rts
Of the people to honor him in putting
up IL new meeting house.
The Lords house, we love
and think OF it as His-built for Him,
dedicated to Him. Here we meet Him
tie has promised to meet Ills people
hrrr. He has met them here and here
we meet with His pcoplc--thosc who
love lin and those who believe in Him,
and here We Worship Him. We may
Worship Him anywhere. AS lie sat
there hy Jacobs we'll and talked to that
woman Of Samuria and she asked Him,
must We Worship in Icrusulcm or on
| the mountains, Jesus taught her Il
great truth, that God can hc Worship
ped both in nJrrusalrm.aud on the noun
tainS. God is spirit and they ;hnt
Worship Him must Worship Him in
spirit and in truth. God may be w0r-
shipped anywhere, in His house or in
your house or in the highway or in the
forest. in the great temple or under the
bush arhur. For many Of our churches
"
road in the country in the long ago our
fathers went there aud they erected Il
rlir arhur OF brush aud poles with
rough logs for SCItS, and there they
worshipprd Him in all sincerity, and it
hrcumr for then II very Bethel and
they came to love the very spot, That
, gave way to Il building: that gave way
; to Il better: but who shall say that God
was worshIppcd better in tho recent
building than under the brush arb0r.
Here We arc to hear from Him, We
are to read Ills Word, We are to hca
, Ills truth proclaimed, and here the mar
, OF God brings to us Il message. Snnda!
y after Sunday, rs often AZ he is greeted
by the people, he comes from God will
=, u message for us. But let us not be
~ lirvc that only here we arc to ear q
- Him and read Of Him. AS VIC ma
" worship Him anywhere, we may ais,
y read Of Him anywhere whether the or
a daincd minister is present or not
', Here the ordinances arc TO bc observed
~ We may buptiXc here or elsewhere
!, but it will take place here. And her
:, the Lords supper is to be takcn,' thu
~ solemn feast which carries our min
~ back to that supreme moment in tn
~ history cf the world when tho Ma
:" hung on the cross and offered himsc
as Il sacrifice for all the world. llcl
this sacred, solemn ordinance Is TO he ol
-, served for all time until he co ncs agai
y" showing forth to the orld that he die
=, ~ FOR sin.
- The LORDS housc-whut is it an
~ what does it stand ior? Every house
,t God means something for the comm
~, nifty. rs the stranger comes into tn
- town and sees the spires of the houses
- God, what does il mean for him?
' wcans that on the part Of the people
''' on the part. ut least, Of some OF ii
>; pcoplc-it mcaLs libcrality and gene
49, osity. On the part Of Sono of them
-. means sacrifice, it means that the
~ was II struggle at one time, that ii
a. people Of God contributed of their mca
:, once. twice, perhaps the thi,
~ and fourth time, gave of their substan
,.I =" that this house might be built. Eve,
" Lords house ought to mean and it do
J., mean that there are living in the COZ
-" munity some brOad-mindcd, larg
~, hearted, willing contributors, WI
~ gladly lay their means on the Lords
Nv Nv tar. And it means also loyalty, loyal
80 to the Word Of God, that there are pc
;' "S pie in this community who believe
tho Lords Word, who are trying
as obey the Commandments OF the Lo
I1u Jesus Christ, who said, Go, go into ,
Il! the world. You are trying to Oh,
- tn'S great command. The people
,I this church, the people Of every churc
=" are trying TO obey the Lords comnlan
'Mn M in having tho Word preached here al
~; elsewhere. 1t means freedom, libcr
WI the truth shall make you free. y,
';o We arc free men in Christ Jesus. B
~, this house, erected here in this pluC
o,s IN this place, it means that we are l.
~, citizens of Il free country, that we II
-" 40 in tho enjoyment Of civil aud religio
- Liberty, given to us in the past,
lis which our fathers shed their bloc
-, This house Of Worship teaches tn
.u great principle, that we are in the Z
n nM joymcnt OF religious liberty, that
~ ,n have the privilege Of bringing togelh
NS'h our means and building church,
~, planning 1t ourselves, opening it VIII
';H' we please, having these doors OPEN
.in every day or every week; that Coo
Wy Word is open, that we can read it OF
~i selves, that we can WOrshiD Cod orror