The Washington herald., 1907-11-04
LOYALTY TO CHURCH
Rev. Mr.. Fishburn Advocates
1t i'll Morning Sermon.
TWENTY-FIRST ANNIVERSARY
Mount Pleasant Congregational
House of Worship CrOwded-DwenS
Upon Christ rs the Law Of the
Church, and to Follow in His Foot
steps Means Hife-WOrds of Advice.

When Rev. NJ. Ross Fishburn. pastor of
Mount Pleasant Congregational Church.
stood in his pulpit yesterday morning. he
faced one Of the largest audiences in the
history Of the church. II was the twenty
first anniversary Of the church. but the
sermon was not historical or statistical
The subject, Continued Loyalty" had
70 do with the possibilities Of devotion
TO the church. Rev. Fishburn said. in
part:
Speaking after the manner Of men.
our church attains its majority to-day
TWenty-one years ago the Mount Pleas
ant Congregational Church was organ
lied. Ten years ago the past summer
this edifice was commenced. The corner
stone was laid with appropriate cere-
monies August Is. 1897. Let us use as
text to-day the legend cut upon that
stone. 'Christus. Dux. Lux. Lex Rex
for Christ IS indeed our Leader. Light.
Law, and King Instead OF doing obei-
sance to our church directory and our
treasurer's books; instead Of making this
/ twenty-first anniversary the occasion of
self-glorihcauon. let US turn our thought
to those four great words descriptive Of
our Savior, which have meant 50 much
to us in the past. and which should pos
sess an even fuller meaning for US in the
future
Look Across the Years.
OF Christ as 'Dux, Leader" the min
lister said: "As. with memory's aid. we
| look across the years and recall the
various steps in our progress. we may
appropriate 70 ourselves the words Of
Aoraham's servant Of old. who. at the
conclusion Of d successful Journey de-
clared: i being in the way the Lord
| led me- From the outset Christ has
/ been our leader. He il was who united
in covenant fellowship those nineteen
earnest lives twenty-one years ago. He
ii WAS who directed the purchase and
equipment for church purposes Of the
hall on Howard avenue. He IL was who
led us 20 the spot on which this struc-
ture stands and bade US build for his
Kingdoms sake He it is who now leads
US in ways Of service, in our own com
munity not only, but in many lands
/ "lutl+tI pbE BlLlS are sent.
'Christus Lux is the second mighty
word upon our corner stone. Christ has
/ been and is our light In the light of
His revealings we have learned 10 know
/ God, our fellow-men, and ourselves In
His light, too. have we seen light in
/ life's perpleXiues. and amid the shadows
of earth's sorrows. Into this sanctuary
/ have we come with hearts hurt, souls
stabbed. courage crushed and with our
/ cries articulate and inarticulate Hither
I nave we come from new-made graves
where sleep the precious dead. and here,
In the light OF Him who is the resur-
rectlon and the life have we found light
Christ Is the Law.
Moreover, Christ has been and is our
law On one occasion when our Lord
was preaching in Jerusalem a certain
man stood up and tempted Him. Christ s
answer was swift and conclusive. What
is written in the law That ancient law
Christ so fulfilled that to-day He is him.
self our law To follow in His steps
means life"
Concluding. Mr. Fishburn said: This
Christ who has been our leader. light. and
law, has likewise been our King Christ
us Rex The kingship Of Christ was the
L
And when He came and walked on Pal
estinian soil. He claimed for Himself this
regal authority. All the hundreds who
have stood before the altar Of this church
have acknowledged the sovereignty OF
Jesus. Thus have our conquests as in
dividuals and as a church been won.
through surrender Of self to Christ the
King. Nor viii you misunderstood me
when l say that to-day rs never before
We need to assure ourselves that in our
| hearts the Lord Jesus is still supreme.
From the day of Laodicea's downfall TO
the present hour, the greatest peril CT
any church is temporal success No
church has ever been killed by hard
ship. On the other hand, the church of
/ Christ never stands so secure as when
it costs most to be a Christian Our
peril grows as our temporal prosperity
increases. Knowing these things. with
what blood earnestness must we devote
ourselves these days 20 the doing Of our
Masters will. Better. incomparably bet
ter, were it for people and pastor
alike never to have come out of the
old hall. four squares north Of this
edifce. where together we joyfullv en-
dured hardness for Christ's sake. than
that here, in this costly building. sur
rounded with evidences of temporal pros
perity, our spiritual vision should be
clouded or our devotion to our King be
diminished"
Mr. Fishburn was assisted in the de-
vOtional service by Prof j. W. Chicken
ing. pioneer ip Christian work in Mount
Pleasant of thitty-fve years. At the Of
fertory, Miss Francesca Kasper sang
Handers Il Know That My Redeemer
Liveth." She was accompanied by Mr..
Lewis c. Atwater. who recently has been
engaged as organist Of the Mount Pleas
ant Church.