Year: 1866




i CHRISTIAN FRIENDS when rightly
viewed, the present is an occasion of nc
ordinary solemnity. Why are we here
What do these ceremonies indicate
I Are they not the fullest declaration OF
faith in the Invisible, Omnipotent, Ev.
erpresent, Triune Godi Are not ON
deeds to-day the manifestation by works
of our faith in the reality of the Al
mighty, without whom nothing il
strong, nothing is holyp In laying the
corner stone of temple to he erected
for the worship of .Jehovah-the Father
the Son. and the Holy Ghost-a temple
into the binding of which we pour oul
sacrifice of wealth-to which we bring
our constant care, our labor and oul
earnest prayers: what do we but mani
fest our deepest and most solemn con
victions in regard to every revealed at
tribute of the Great Eternal, and that
He condesccnds to manifest His special
presence in temples reared by human
hands. and dedicated to his worship and
service! All this must he acknowledg'
ed true, unless we own our gathering
here to day a mockery-a solemn farce
without any object and void of reason


What. then. is the decpsignificance OF
this gathering, and these ceremonies
1t is that we bclieve--believc most fully
and implicitly in the God OF Revela'
tion. God the Father, who has
made us and all the world. God the
Son who has redeemed us and all man
kind. God the Holy Ghost, who sane
tilted us and all the people of God"


Believing in this trinity in, unity we
will, by Divine help, erect temple to
be dedicated to the ever blessed-thrlce
in one. Thus by our deeds, Will we
show our faith.


Our deeds this day, are deeds of
earnestness we believe, and therefore
do we act. We are fully assured that
we are following no cunningly devised
fable. But all the deep feelings OF the
soul, all our assurance of our immortali-
ty in life to come, are wrapt up In the
belief we here manifest by our deeds.
We say to the world by their acts, that
we believe in the holyone. We believe
in that revelation which announces to
rs all, we know of God, and OF our
own future destiny; and we lay here to-
day the corner stone OF temple, the
object and uses of which shall be to
maintain and transmit to future gene
rations the faith once delivered to the
saints in the worship and service OF
Him who alone is worthy OF all the
alteration man can give.


We take this faith once de-
livercd to the saints" as our faith.
We inscribe it upon our banner by
our deeds to-day, and we promise to
hold it up, and proclaim it, as we walk
our daily rounds ofbusiness and OF care,
ever pointing to the Cross, and to Him
who hung upon it as the foundation of
all our hopes for time and eternity.


1t is here we found IA temple to the
Living God. 1t is here we erect place
of worship for Him before whom angels
bow, and Cherubim and Seraphim veil
their faces. "Will God indeed dwell in
temples made with hands' Behold the
heaven, and Heaven of heavens cannot
contain Him, how much less any temple
nan NAV build ?" Yet does He, "the
high and lofty One who inhabiteth the
eternity stoop to our intirmities, prom
ising that when two or three are gath
cred together in His name there will He
be in the midst 1t is then no God afar
off to whom we found this temple, or
whom we come here to worship, but
One who is ever by us-whOse ear Is
ever open to the Offering of prayer and
praise, as it may ascend from those who
NAV worship Him i'll spirit and in truth.
| One who ever listens to, and looks IN
loving tenderness upon the humble
and contrite one, who coming to bow
before Him, offers the willing sacrifice
of obedience and holy worship.


How sacred must be the place where
men commune with God' With what
auful solemnity should sinful man ap-
proach the presence chamber of Deity! :!
/ With what reverence and holy awe
should they draw near, as they come
| to commune with Him who said
to Moses. as he gazed upon the
burning vet unconsumed bush, Draw
not nigh hither, put of thy shoes from
off thy feet. for the place whercon thou
standest is holy ground" Well might
the sons and daughters of guilty man
quake as they approach the presence OF
that God who uttered His law from
amid the thrndcrs-the fire and smoke
of cloud-cappcd Sinai, had not Jesus,
| the mediator of the new Covenant, ap-
pcared IS the one in whom mercy and
truth have met together, righteousness
and peace have kissed each other.


! While. therefore, we now come filled
with holy awe and admiring love, yet
NAV we come boldly in the name of
Jesus. who stands as our elder brother,
and our advocate with God, we may
come IN His name and offer unto God,
who is spirit, the sacrifice of those
who worship Him in spirit and i'll truth,
knowing that the Father seeketh such
to worship Him.


What do we here to-day! We lay
with pious hopes. the corner stone of a
temple to be dedicated to the worship
and service of Almighty God.


Raise for a little the curtain of the
future. gaze down the stream of coming
time, and see what shall happen in this
house of God. which we would build to
His great name.


Here we trust, shall stand, for many,
many long years to come, the white
robed priest, dispensing as one commits
stoned from above, the word and ordi-
nances of Gods house. Here shall be
offered the sacrifice of prayer and praise
of Gods people. Here for many gem
erations. shall come the gathering null
titudes of those who strive to deal just
ly, love mercy, and walk humbly with
the Lord their God. How solemn all
these thingsi How full of the hopes
and fears, the joys and SORROWS of
eternity.


Contemplate with mere care and great
er particularly these coming scenes.
Here in this house so soon TO be
builded, shall stand the man of Cod
he who is sent as Gods Ambassador to
guilty man. bearing messages from the
High and Holy One.


One great portion of his work shall be
to preach the word; and oh what a work
is that. How much centres in the
preaching of the everlasting gospel.
What necessity. What a fearful re-
sponsibility is laid uponhim who preach
es. What an aufully fearful one upon
those who hear, that they should take
heed how they hear. The message is
not from man to his fellow man, but
! from God to man. He who brings the