Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-05-11
AN INTERESTING SERMON.
Rev. A. A. Wallace Dedicates the
New Presbyterian Church at
Bowling Green, Mo.-synopsis
Of His Discourse.

said, In part:
"These words, written az an exhort.
alton to Christian husbands, will
ever stand as foundation stones OF
which that noble institution, the
Christian home, lie built. They also
bring Us face to lace with the great
truth of Christ's love for 'His Bride,
the church. Such q theme should
wake our dull spirits and call into
active attention the noblest powers Of
mind and heart.
"First, we are confronted with the
truth OF the reality and genuinenesl
Of the love borne by Christ for Hi
church. The tender relation He en-
ploys to set forth His love is remark
able. When God would convince the
world Of His pity for men, He EN-.
ploys the relation OF father and child,
When He would proclaim His com.
forting love for the sorrowing, He
uses the relation OF mother and child
And when He would tell the story Of
His purifying and uplifting love fol
His church, he employs the close and
intimate relation of husband and
wife.
"The experience of the church In
all ages gives witness to the strength
of Ohrist's love. The protection ex-
tended to Noah, the call and care Of
Abraham, the d~eliverance from Egypt
and the settlement of Israel in the
land OF milk and honey r all elo-
quent tokens Of the love Of the Heav-
emily Bridegroom for His bride. And
In later years, when the fires OF per-
secution ragged, and the blood of faith
full martyrs flowed, even these were
lessons in divine love, proving to the
church the fulhllment of the promise,
when thou passest through the
waters l will be with thee; when thou
walkest through the fire thou shalt
moi De
"But the browning evidence Of the
love is found In the cross.
God loved the church and to such q
degree that it a be recorded, 'He
gave himself for it, Greater love
hath no nan than this, that q man
lay down his life for his friends.'
"When, in the wild confusion of a
disaster, a sweet singer OF
Israel refused to escape for his own
life because his wife was pinned be-
meath heavy timbers and could not be
rescued, and he thus chose death
than desert his wife, a Chris
tian world stood in admiration as 1t
beheld his devotion. But eighteen
hundred years ago the Heavenly
Bridegroom went up the sleeps of
Calvary to a bloody and cruel death,
that thereby His church might escape
the wreck OF woe and sin. Surely, in
CaIvary's light, no other proof is
needed OF the deathless love that sur
rounds and protects the church of
God.
"seoond, the nature Of this love is
watchfnl and jealous. The figure en-
In the text declares it, and the
phrase, Present it unto himself
gives emphasis to 1t. jealousy Is a
word that in this day is not held in
great esteem. 1t has been used so
often to do duty for revenge and
bloodshed, and employed SO frequent
y to set forth emotions that are
vicious and cruel, that We r wont to
it as a word unfit for use in
the vocabulary of Christian duty.
"The husband who does not love
with q jealous love does not love at
all. 1t is the natural and necessary
sequence of love. To this thought
God gave sanction when He said to
Thou shalt not make unto
Thee any craven images-thou shalt
not bow down thyself to them nor
serve them; for /, the Lord, thy God,
am a jealous God.' The church of
God must learn that she wrings the
heart of Christ with pain when she
gives herself over to wordliness and
stirs to its deepest depths the ieal-
pussy of her divine husband when she
becomes q lover of pleasure more
than a lover of God.
"This love is also a sanctifying and
cleansing love. He gave himself for
The church that he might 'sanctify 1t
with the washing Of the water by the
Isaiah gives expression to a
ike thought, and it is for the same
purpose that the Holy Spirit takes
His place in the believers heart. The
Instrument employed by the Spirit is
Word Of God, sven al Christ himself
prayed: 'Sanctify them through thy
"This love lie also described as beau
and clarifying love. Isaiah
said: 81 will make thy windows of
agate and thy gate carbuncles, and
III thy borders of precious stones.' In
ancient times when q queen was to be
all candidates for the high
honor were separated for a time,
we're beautifed and adorned with
jewels. So declares the Psalm
The Kings daughter shall be all
glorious within; her clothing shall be
wrought of gold What wondrous
Of the church Of Jesus Christ.
"Third, this wondrous love forces
upon us some special truths. Promi-
nent among these is that of the eternal
Of the church. The gates Of
hell shall not prevail against it,
this love calls for a response
On our part. I'VE love Him because
He fret loved u.s. We place, there
lore, the church of God above all re-
form movements, above all philan-
shropies and above all fraternal
To these God may have
given His permission, but to the
church He has given His sanction.
Thus the church of Christ stands as
he n divine agency for the procla-
nation of the gospel, the one divinely
ordained channel Of enlightenment