The Newtown bee., 1901-05-10

associated with it and how their ex-
ample and holy lives inspires us to
follow their faith, considering its end
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to-
day and forever" So long then as
these walls shall stand "the righteous
shall be had in everlasting remem-
brance, their memorial shall not perish
from off the earth" ''their works do
follow them" and being dead they yet
speak in accents mystic and constrain-
ing across the years whilst they beckon
us to the haven where we would be-"
A distinguished architect has said
that the question to ask oneself on en-
tering a church is not, els this admir-
able? Is this beautiful? But does it
send you to your knees?" think that
it may be said that though the beauty
of form and coloring does not strike
one-and ought it not, because "form,
color, order, movement, music" are
parts of Gods method Of working upon
our souls, yet the whole effect of the
decoration and furniture is to cause
one to feel that this sis none other
hut the house of God and this is the
gate of Heaven" The blending and
the symbolism of colors speak to us of
the same Almighty Father who
spreadeth out the heavens like a cur
tain and with equal facility tints the
wing of the butterfly and paints the
wide canvas of the crimson sunset sky.
The same God who has combined in
groups of three the shamrock and the
clover, whose order throughout his
universe is triple variety IN fundament-
al unity who made man, body, mind
and spirit, is the God who has revealed
himself through His Son Jesus Christ
and His Holy Spirit and who calls us
into union with Himself through the
cleansing waters of baptism in the
ThreefOld name.
Is it not seemly therefore that this
church set apart to the honor Of the
Blessed Trinity should bear in all it's
signatures the marks of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit? That it should
speak to us from it's peaceful but
glorious wall Of the coming Of God into
union with our MANNED humanity?
For the tive-leaved vine intermingled
with the three punched berries tells OF
the coming Of the Perfect One into the
hearts of the imperfect. The grace
vine entwining the windows, the more
ella borate symbols of the chancel walls
lead our thoughts up to Him who
speaks to us in Nature, in the Bible
and in the Church, not Of dead doctrine,
but of vivifying principles which be-
cause the Eternal God is behind them
have power to move the will, form the
character, uplift the life. Then
backed by the turreted reredos, en-
blematic of the high towers and turrets
of the Heavenly Jerusalem as seen by
St John in the apocalyptic vision,
stands our beautiful altar, by which as
by celestial ascent we 60 up to the
gates of the heavenly city, where God S
Bread and Wine are furnished the
UldfC1Clo oCCOluS OuU lO1 UllC 11OlJ O1UJ :
This as the sacrament ordained OF
Christ himself, as the one most con-
tinuously required in the individual
life for it's support and renovation, as
baptism is the sacrament required for
entrance on the new life in Christ, is
administered at the place of highest
honor in the church. This sacred ser
vice was the only service appointed by
Jesus himself with any fitness of itual
and with explicit Instructions to do
this in this particular way in remem.
orange of Him. So that as we gather
here from Sunday to Sunday and in
the name of the Trinity chant our
Trisagion, or our ''Holy, Holy, Holy
we are discharging precisely that dear
est and sweetest of all those who from
the Church Militant, the Church con.
tending have gone to join the Church
expectant while both we and they
await the coming of the day when all
reunited again we
SHALL CONSTITUTE THE CHURCH
TRIUMPHANT
serving, rejoicing, reigning with Him
who has led the way through the grave