Year: 1872

DELIVERED BY REV. W. HIGGINS, OF SUPERIOR, WIS.


HAVING been permitted in the Providence of God to
organize your Church. establish your Sabbath School,
and Prayer Meeting ordain your first Elder your
first Minister and offer the first Prayer under this roof
it is with unfegned pleasure, stand here tonight to
address you concerning the and solemn obliga


ons YOU assume the installation of your first Pastor


And fl st and foremost, do solemnly charge you to
revere tie high office Of the pastor


Were an ambassador from the court of ST. James
present here tonight his breast giterng with the
golden crosses and silver stars with which soveregns
decorate their ENJOYS you would feel reverence for his
office representing the power and majesty of Eng
land How much more should you respect the Office
of the ambassador of Christ of him who in uttering
the truth and tenderness of Gods message the guilty
is speaking Gin Chrst's stead" and who in the relation
constituted here tonight is by the Providence of
God, by His Spirit, His Word and His people to speak
to you in Chrsts name The pastor dwells among you
as it were "minister resident" from the of hea-
ven With outward insignia of his heavenly mission,
his testimony in the Lords house and in your homes
will certify you that he bears the of Christ
upon his heart, and one day expects the King in His
glory to decorate him with the of rejoicing for
the souls he has saved on earth.


You do not wish your pastor to forget his high
ton then charge you forget it not yourselves Re-
member what the seven churches of Asia heard their
pastors entitled by the lips Of Jesus glorifed The
pastor is yet Christs messenger and star in Chrsts
right hand. Remember too, what Jesus said to His
first minister's He that rece;veth you, He that re-
ceveth whomsoever l send receveth Me, and he that
| Fl, NJ


Honor the pastor then whom the King de-


ghteth to honor Let the title " Reverend" be 20
you formal and empty one but let it speak of the
reverence due the Office and Message of Christs mes
senger to this church.


And 2ndly: do soemnly charge you to obey your
pastor.


As well might we expect chaos and old night" to
evolve the fair of the natural world without the
Voice that said Let there be light ~ look for
definite symmetrical result amid the helpless cashings
of human plans unless they blended and moulded,
by guiding mind Feeling this we naturally seek
leaders, and will have them, authorized or unauthor-
ized Hence there is many uncrowned king in our
land, and unordaned bishop in our churches Bnt
who is better fitted guide the work of the church
than its pastor? Who will be more anxious than he
to promote the gentle OF the spirit, ana OF con-
science enlightened by the word of God?


And the warrant for your obedience is found in the
Holy Oraces: "Obey them that have the rule over
you and submit yourselves, for they watch for your
souls as they that must give account" Remember
them which have the rule you, who have spoken
unto you the word of God: whose faith, follow"
But 3dly: | charge you to trust your pastor Have
full confidence that he understands the right way of
presenting the truth it is in Jesus of laying out and
experimenting his work among you; and of deciding
difficult questions that will come before him. This
pastorate may extend quarter of a century, or
longer. Will there be occasion in all that time
when some member of this church may not have to re
mind himself 1t is my duty to trust my pastor p
The best troops in the world occasionally led to
distrust their commander, though they be led by a
Wellington, Napoleon. They do not hear from
all parts of the field all the exigences that may
demand change in the plan Of the battle, and So fo