The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-24
GRAND JUBILEE DAY
OBSERVED By n. II. TWENTIETH
CENTURY LEAGUE.

Presided - Prominent CIergymen
spOke-The Days Programme.
1t was a great day yesterday for New
Haven Methodists, a grand jubilee day.
Yesterday was set apart as a day of
Thanksgiving on the contamination of
the big task started several years ago
by the New Haven Twentieth Century
league for the extinguishing of the
mortgage debts from every Methodist
Episcopal church in the city All the
churches of the city of that denomina-
ton participated in the services in
honor Of the event, which were held at
the First NJ. E. church. 1t was a very
important day for the Methodists of
the city and one they had looked for
ward to for long time.
The Twentieth Century league move
ment was started by Henry H Bene-
dict, who believed that the indebtedness
of the Methodist churches of the city
should be wiped out. He felt that the
| total debt of $4,000 hindered the prog
ress of the churches.
At meeting of the New Haven
Evangelical union in association with
the official members of all the Met hod-
list Episcopal churches in New Haven
in the lecture room of the First church,
December g. 1898, Mr.. Benedict outlined
his plans and the result was the for
nation of the Twentieth Century
league. A vast amount of work was
necessary in order to raise the money
needed to wipe out the indebtedness
but success at last crowned the efforts
of Mr.. Benedict, John T. Manson and
their fellow workers.
The morning services yesterday were
opened by President Benedict of the
Twentieth Century league, who spoke
brief of the order of exercises and ex-
pressed his appreciation of the re-
sponses to the work of the league by
the people. Mr. Benedict introduced
Bishop Daniel Ayres Goodsell, D. D.,
LID, who took for his text, And
| they heard the voice of the Lord God"
Bishop Goodsell prefaced his sermon
by alluding to his experiences in the
ministry in this city. His last parish
was that in this city as pastor of the
First Methodist church. Mr.. Goodsell
told of the great contrast in his work
then as compared with his labors Of
| to-day. Then he reached the people
directly while now he communicates
with them through the ministries. The
results Of his work in New Haven have
been manifested throughout the coun-
try. Yale men who attended the ser
vices when at college have given him
very cordial welcomes not only in the
east but in the far west. DR.. Go2GSell
said that God had blessed New Haven
and the people of the First Methodist
church in the Twentieth Century work
and it was the opinion of the bishop
that no better place, than the spot at
the coner of College and Elm streets
| could be found in New Haven on which
to build and maintain a temple in
which to worship God.
Taking up the text of his sermon, DR..
| Goodsell said:
THE late Robert Ingersool made the
subject of this discourse a part of one
of his lectures and claimed that book
which stated that the people heard the
voice of God could not be believed.
| 3ASCloO GlollILS0 LLllt LlIC l[oth llGth lAc
vocal chords that were capable of pro-
| ducing sounds which the human ear
could hear and understand. But how
] different is our opinion from a different
view point I believe that God found It
necessary to instruct His people In His
own good and righteous way and the
| statements in the Bible are to be con-
strued as representing the will OF God
| as expressed through His disciples, the
prophets. Ingersoll scoffed at the idea
of God calling His children and those
who had and have fallen. I wonder if
Ingersoll was father who had mad
occasion to call his son to him for
something the boy had done but ought
not to have done.
| I'm the first and in the last chap
| tiers of the Bible God is calling His
| people. Every book of the Bible
| sounds out the call of the gracious
God to the soul of man and God truly
calls man to return to Him. God called
the Jews to be His chosen people. He
called Moses to be a great leader and
law giver, and He called Elijah, the
| man of oak, the man of granite, the
man of iron, if you please, to work for
| Him, and Elijah was a man who could
| stand before kings and denounce the
| wrong and wickedness of the world
God called David, the shepherd boy
| small of stature but great of heart
| And so He has continued to call man
to do His work and He is still calling
them. / rejoice, Holiday that, the word
call is found so often in the Bible and
I still further rejoice thta so many
have heard and answered that call.
Gods call to man is found again and
| again in the life of Christ. If we con-
slider each event of the life of Christ,
we find it call to us to take up our
cross and follow Him.
I'VE are somtimes confused by the
great monetary forces, btu we may rest
assured that Christ will use all of them
for His good and for His cause. Is
/ it not true that every country open
to Christ is open to commercial inter-
| ests? And countries when opened to
| commercial interests are Immediately
open to Christ's workers. Love, per-
fected love for God is the power, the
force and influence that will lead US
in the light and pathway which Christ
has made clear and plain to all.
IT congratulate the members of the
| Methodist churches of New Haven up
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