New-York tribune., 1900-11-19
ToNPKIys AVENUE CHURCH CELEBRATES
SERVICES IN COMMUNICATION OF ITS TWENTY
FIFTH YEAR BEGIN.

TAr IN LEAN bE11N
The Tompkins Avenue Congregational Church. of
Brooklyn, of which the Rev DR.. Robert r Mere
olth has been the pastor since 1887. celebrated
yesterday its silver anniversary. sermon was
preached by DR.. Meredith in the morning
The church building when the Doctor accepted
can thirteen years ago was small, and the new
building is said to be the Nrgest Congregational
church In the world The society has member
ship Of nearly three thousand. There were special
musical services, under the direction of Walter
Peck Stanley the organist assisted by additional
instrumental and vocal performers
In the afternoon the Sunday schools in which are
three thousand pupils, assembled in the main audi
thce room, and were addressed by the Rev DIR
Jesse i; Hurfbut Addresses were made in the
tbe santS by Rev r Albert j. Lyman pastor of
Mckelway Editor of The Brooklyn Eagle SER
Wednesday evenings, and the Observance Of the
anniversary will end with anniversary prayer
DIR. Meredith over generation ago was pastor
of St Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church. in New
in New,York State. He left St Pauis in 1870. was
pastor Tor one year in the Central Methodist Epis-
copal Church. and later joined the Congrega tonal
CHURCH: as he did not like the itinerant system In
made pastor of a Congrega iona1 chnrb Tep ne ne
Boston DR. Meredith is nearly seventy years old,
MT Mckeiway's subject Pew to Pulpit" 1t
was lay discourse To the clergy their doctrines
its pastor the speaker spoke particularly Of the
denomination. saying: "
10 more than to those who belong TO II Congre-
ealonallsIn is an agreeable and Ineligible sys-
tein AS a polty 1t is self government. AS doc
urine II is orthodox, but not unteachabIe Conpre-
gatlonalsm became system by the MULTIPLICATION
OF local churches. Thence ensued interchange Of
ministers and members, and thence fellows hip and
scrutiny mp anu
shall not too closely sketch the doctrinaI dt,,
SONS within evangelical Christianity The secret
OF avoiding or of healing them is put the things
on which YOU agree in capitals or italics ana IN
thhgs as TO which you disagree to throw W., tb
types This you are doing whether you know r. nv
not Congregationalism has gone from the desnotl :
he urir1
iour ministers do not scare you any more All ~
you nave gone from fear of eternal punishmart -
me me preference OF gospel of love He'll has
;soItehed into 'fiades And the latter Is hut y
hynothetical preserve for those whose disagreement
win ourselves Is both incurable and inrorr gtbia
ne Ianguishing dispute about posthumous n1oho
Ion resolves Itself into conviction that those rho
pelleVe with Us Will not need It. and thar thnao
VINO dlner from US can escape II by sinDlv adnnt
ing our views. The thought of the time ,s IT.
theoIogy is not fnaltty. but fermentation. that
II IS less Gods thought about man than mars
limited thought about God. The nineteenth centiiry
apologies to the twentieth, Just as the eiehteentb
and seventeenth apoogized to the nineteenth ror
ever having put love Of law above the law Of iove
The speaker then spoke of the need OF power and
simplicity In preaching, and of the necessitv for
equality among all worshippers. Caste In Brook
Iyn. he said. was mostly in churches.