USA > Delaware > New Castle County > Wilmington > Centennial services of Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church, Wilmington, Delaware, October 13-20, 1889 > Part 9
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Whatever has been or may be your course toward Him, God seeks thee to-day. Out on the mountains of sin and waste of folly, He seeks for His lost one, and long has He toiled in the search. "He never
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gives up a soul so long as in the economy of His grace there is one resource left, or in His infinite ingenuity one untried suggestion. God give up a soul ! The thought would darken His great white throne with suspicion. God give up a soul ! It is not the loss of the soul that gives the climax to such a suggestion, but the fact that it takes the godliness out of God."
Though He is discarded of thee, thou art not rejected of Him. To-day He invites thine acceptance of His Son as thy Saviour; to-day he proffers thee His grace; to-day He tenders thee a free and full pardon of all thine offences; to-day He offers thee Sonship with Him- self and brotherhood with the Saviour.
But though so free, it is offered only on this condition. Jesus says : "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me. "-John xiv : 6.
"I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."-John viii: 9
"Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." "He that believeth on Him is not condemned."-Acts iv : 12.
"The scripture hath concluded all under sin." You are included. Shall the object of this conclusion in your case be secured ? "that the- promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." He, He alone hath made the atonement for the sins of the world, complete and sufficient to all eternity, and God is satisfied with the propitiation of His Son. So that you have not to bring additional worth to be accepted. And this is true of every sinner, however great. his guilt.
"Naught of merit or of price Remains to justice due ; Jesus died and paid it all, T'es, all the debt I owe."
"When He from His lofty throne Stooped down to do and die, Everything was fully done, "Tis finished was His cry."
"Weary, working, toiling one, O, wherefore toil you so ; Cease your doing, all was done, Done ages long ago."
"Till to Jesus' work you cling Alone by simple faith, Doing is a deadly thing, Yes, doing ends in death."
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"Cast your deadly doing down, Down, all at Jesus' feet ; Find in Him your all in all, All glorious and complete."
Oh man ! woman ! child ! I dare not tell you anything to-night in the doing of which you might be lost. Should I tell you to meditate upon these things you might obey, go out and perish; should I say pray about it you could do it, go forth and be lost. I urge upon you now the immediate, right now acceptance of Jesus Christ as your only Saviour. "For as many as received Him to themi gave He power to become the children of God even to as many as believed on His name."-Jolin i: 12. You cannot be lost in doing this. Receive Him and be saved. Believe it when I tell you that God accepts every sinner as saved who accepts His Son as Saviour. Will you do it ? Will you do it now ?
"O, believe the record true, God for you His Son hath given : You may now be happy to Find in Christ the way to Heaven ; Live the life of Heaven above, All the life of glorious love."
"This the universal bliss, Bliss for every soul designed, God's original promise this, God's great gift to all mankind ; Blessed in Christ this moment be, Blessed to all eternity."
"For the scriptures hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe."-Gal. iii : 22.
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Past Triumphs and Future Victories.
BY THE REV. W. L. S. MURRAY, PH. D.
" Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."-I Cor. XV : 57.
The proposition laid down by the apostle in this sublime argument is that the religion of Christ is either false or true. If it be false then it follows that "our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain; yea, and we are found false witnesses of God. Ye are yet in your sins. They also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this ife only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable."
But if the religion of Christ be true then none of these things follow. Whether it be false or true depends upon the resurrection of Christ from the dead. If He rose not then His religion is false and Christ is a deceiver and ought to have died on the cross, His ministers are false prophets, His believers false witnesses and the whole system a falsehood.
.
"But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept." "He rose again the third day according to the scriptures, He was seen by Cephas then of the twelve. After that He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once, then by James, and last of all He was seen of me as of one born out of due time."
Of the resurrection of Christ we have, besides others, three proofs. First, The annual celebration at Easter, and a striking illustration in the recurring springtime, when nature rises from the icy tomb of Winter to the beautiful life of Spring.
Second, The weekly proof in the recurring Sabbath. It is one of the best anthenticated historical facts that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh day of the week to the first day, and called the Lord's day because of the resurrection of Christ on the first day.
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Third, The daily or, better still, the momentary proof of Christ's resurrection. This is found in the life and testimony of Christians, for says the Apostle, " We are begotten again to a lively hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, which hope is as an anchor to the soul, sure and steadfast." For these and inany other reasons, it follows for us as well as for the Corinthians that our preaching and your faith are not in vain. Those who have testified that Christ rose from the dead are not found false witnesses, and those who have fallen asleep in Christ have not perished, and instead of our being of all men the most miserable we are, through our hope in Christ, of all inen the most happy.
Paul rejoiced in the Christian's victory over four things, viz : The law that condemned, sin that defiled, death that destroyed, and the grave that consumed. His glowing logic breaks into flaming rhetoric. His prose into poetry. His reasoning into fervid exclama- tion when he shouts, 'O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy victory ? The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law.' But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
In these Centennial services now closing, which have continued for a whole week, which have been so full of interest, so replete with hallowed association, so fruitful of sacred reminiscences, with so many able historical papers, with such preaching of the word of God in demonstration of the spirit, and with power by leading and eminent divines, with such a revival spirit inducing sinners to seek pardon, and members of the church power we give thanks unto God that we now have the victory.
I .- Over ignorance.
By this we do not mean to say that all Methodists are classical or have been trained in the academies, colleges or universities, but we do mean to say that a great many have and that the facilities have been wondrously multiplied.
Rev.J. A. Roche, D. D., who served this church a full term begin- ning 1851, said during these services, "Sixty years ago we did not believe there were three Doctors of Divinity or a half dozen graduates in our ministry, but to-day there are many. While Methodism in this country had its birth in a sail-loft, in England it was born in a university. Ignorance is weakness, and knowledge is power. We rejoice in what our church has done in the last century in supplanting the former and in planting the latter. In the annual report of the Board of Education of the Methodist Episcopal Church, issued January, 1889, we find the following summary:
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Class of Institutions.
No. of
Schools.
Value of
Buildings and
Grounds.
Endowments.
Debts.
No. of
Teachers
Students last
Students
from the
beginning.
Theological Institutions -.
12
$ 631.500
$1,256,000
67
833
4,233
Colleges and Universities ..
56
6,326,774
9,398,982 $432,300
863 16,185 111,404
Classical Seminaries
54
1,951,325
396,700 171,500
376 10,167 172,979
Female Colleges and Semi- naries
9
801,000
23,000
60,000
118 1,150
22,774
Foreign Mission Schools ..
66
373,126
5,000
20,300
171
3,941
8,163
Total
197 $10,083,725 $11,079,682 $684, 100 1,595 32, 276 319,553
INCREASE IN FOUR YEARS.
In 1883.
In 1887.
Increase.
Theological Institutions.
10
12
2
Colleges and Universities.
45
56
11
Class Seminaries and Mission Schools.
86
120
34
Whole unmber of Institutions.
142
197
55
Total number of Teachers
1,405
1,595
190
Total number of Students.
28,591
32,276
3,685
Value of Buildings and Endowments.
$14,023,342
$20,479,307
$6,455,965
Students from the beginning
319,553
Less debts.
The editor of the Christian Advocate, Oct. 17, 1889, in sending out an educational supplement of one of the most able of all Christian papers claims that no such paper as the supplement has ever been sent forth in the history of Methodism.
2 .- Victory over pinching poverty.
We have been astounded while listening to the historical papers of this Centennial at the poverty of our fathers. I cannot call to mind a single church in this city that has not had a great struggle, either with debt, or its untoward circumstances and poor environments, or all combined. The peril of poverty, with two exceptions, faced every en- terprise in its beginning. The sheriff has threatened and has sometimes appeared to sell the church property, but God has raised up friends. Even St. Paul's, because of her position and pewed system which was called the "silk stocking" church, and Grace, her queenly daughter, have had to toil and sacrifice, ecomomize and deny themselves as we had never suspected.
It stirs our hearts to hear of their early deprivations. even the mothers toiled in factories during the day and cared for their churches
year.
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ASBURY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
at night. We are not all rich now, nor will we ever be in this world's goods; but thanks be to God we have the victory over the hardships which our fathers endured. A young lady who complained that she could not have a piano, said: "Never shall I forget my mother's gentle tone as she simply replied : Never mind if you cannot have a piano on earth, you may have a harp in heaven.' " Said the young lady : "From that moment my feelings changed and the current of my life was changed." So while our fathers were poor, "they esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for they had respect unto the recompense of reward." Rich in faith, "Seeking a city whose builder and maker is God." Denied the treasures of earth but long since received not only their harp in heaven but a crown of glory also.
3 .-- Victory over persecution.
In this city the Methodist church has had her full share of perse- .cution. Her aged members recount with unfailing memories the heroic days, when in this, the old mother church, the congregation had to meet early in the evenings so as to close their services before dark in order to reach their homes in safety. Stones were often thrown against the building with violent force during service; sometimes through the windows. There are those living who speak of the old pulpit which had a panel knocked out of it by a missle thrown from the hand of a ruffian. Many of her daughters have suffered in a like manner, for Methodism has not been nor is she now a temporizing church. Her motto "Holiness to the Lord" signifies no compromise with evil. Therefore she attacked sin in its strongholds. "From the first she has been outspoken. Bold in her allegiance to the right, she has invariably taken highest ground and the front rank. From the first she recorded her protest against slavery and incorporated it in her organic law. Her testimony and her laws have ever been unequivocal against the theatre, the dance, and all gaming. Against intemperance she has been a burning wrath. No public or private sin has ever escaped her scourge.
Mere formalism she has unsparingly denounced. She has de- manded a thorough-paced spiritual experience, and a consistent and holy life. Her habit in all these respects has branded her as extreme and even Puritanical, not to say fanatical, and the straightest of the sects. It is her glory that intense religiousness, separation from the world and self-denial have always been branded as "Methodistic." She has been persecuted for her peculiarities, for her zeal, for her doctrines, but over all God has given her the victory. It is no longer said of Methodism, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth ?"
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For others have seen her good works and have glorified our Father in Heaven. "No weapon framed against her has prospered. One has chased a thousand and two have put ten thousand to flight."
4 .- Victory over sin.
Of all enemies of the human race, and of the Church of God, sin is the greatest. It has cursed the whole race ; entered every home ; polluted every heart. "With chilling breatlı extinguished the light of our households, unsheathed the sword, bathed it in blood." It has dug every grave in the bosom of the fair earth; but for sin we had not known the name of widow or orphan, tear or sigh, sorrow or death. Sin the fell destroyer, the arch fiend of the pit, has done its worst against Methodism, but through Him that loved nis and gave Himself for us we are more than conquerors.
During this whole week of Centennial services we have stood with our faces toward the past. Now let us turn to the future and con- template the duties of the present that we may make the victories of the future as glorious as the triumphs of the past.
I .- By being steadfast.
The word from which we translate steadfast signifies a seat, therefore this word would teach us to be settled in doctrine. It may be that the Apostle had seen the Corinthians wandering from place to place seeking peace and finding none. They had listened to Greek speculation and Atheistic argument. All the while their sins multi- plying in number and accumulating in burdens upon their souls. They wandered, weary and worn. The Apostle preached to them Christ and his resurrection the true doctrine. They accepted it; believed it. Being justified by faith they had peace with God. They had found the true doctrine, and the Apostle said to thein, be steadfast, or in other words you are tired and worn, take a seat; sit down; rest your souls.
Be firm in the conviction of the truth; be settled in the faith; be rooted in love; be steadfast. That is, do not move yourself from the doctrine of the word. The greatest calamity that ever befell Methodism in the Mother Church has not been her poverty, her ignorance, nor her persecution, but her disaffection in doctrine. Well do many remember how the wolf in sheep's clothing entered this peaceful fold. How the poor sheep were left scattered, bleeding, dying. Now in order that a similar calamity may be avoided, be ye steadfast in doctrine. There are three conditions of stability: the grace of God, a fixed faith, and a determined purpose. Concerning the first: "Being justi- fied by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
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and access into that grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
2 .- "If ye will not believe ye shall not be established. Doubt dis- turbs, faith settles.
Doubt darkens, faith illumines. Doubt looses Christian moorings and sets the soul adrift lining the shores of time with spiritual wrecks. Faith and hope are as anchors to the soul sure and steadfast having entered within the vail. Abide by the doctrines of Methodisin, tried and true, the doctrine of God's word. Do not move yourself from then1. Believe the word, believe it all. Doubt will unsettle you, faith will make you strong that you shall never be moved. The Chautauquan, one of the finest literary magazines of this country, published this story which belongs to natural history. A little fish called the kite which makes it home along the shore among the water- covered rocks; when feeding sometimes seizes a sweet morsel on the fisherman's hook, if it is out in the channel it is helpless and is soon taken by the angler; but if it is near the rock and can settle down upon it, nature has provided it with power to expel all the air from between itself and the rock, so that it clings fast to the rock. The angler may tear the hook from its mouth and leave it torn and bleed- ing, but he cannot separate it from the rock. So it is with the Chris- tian, God has given him power to stand. The foundation is sure. The doctrines of His word are sound. The "Rock of Ages" is secure and so is the Christian who trusts in Him. The stars might more easily be removed from the heavens, the mountains raised from their founda- tions and hurled into the sea, than a child of God plucked from His hand.
3 .- A determined purpose.
Joshua said, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord," and expressed a purpose and a determination that saved Israel from idolatry. David saw and felt the persistent efforts of the world to move him from the foundations of his faith, but said, "O Lord my heart is fixed." He set his face like flint and turned his feet to the testimonies of the Lord.
Perhaps I cannot better illustrate the power of a determined purpose than by the following incident. A few years ago in a rolling mill in this city, a laborer was rolling iron. a very hard and difficult work; the bar had been heated and drawn from the furnace and by two men was to be passed back and forth between the rolls. The bar was brought to the proper position but it was with difficulty that the rolls were made to take hold of it, and in the struggle and haste the workman's foot
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CENTENNIAL EXERCISES
was caught and drawn between the rolls, which crushed and burned him almost to the knee. He threw up his hands, seized a rod of iron suspended above him, held on and cried for help. Help came and he was saved from a horrible death. He determined by all his power of soul and body to hold on, for he saw and felt it was life to hold on but death to let go. So in this world, we are sometimes caught between the upper and nether millstones and are in danger of being ground to powder, but by the side of all such the cross of Christ is planted with extended armis so that all may lay hold on eternal life, "and nothing shall be able to separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus." Again, as God has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, we should abound in the work of the Lord.
The fields are white unto the harvest and laborers are still compar- atively few. The world's need appeals to us. Doors stand open before us. Evils are rampant. Intemperance is destroying its millions. Worldliness is a great maelstrom swallowing up precious souls. The subtle influences of rationalism are doing their deadly work. The youth are being corrupted. Manhood destroyed. Old age deprived of the joys of religion. The heathen are perishing. God is calling. Who will go unto the field ? Who will enter these open doors ? Who will lift his voice against intemperance, worldliness, gambling, theatrical performances and the ball room ? Who will cry out and spare not ?
Let us try how much we may do, not how little. Let us abound, always abound in the work of the Lord. There is work for all. Let every one do whatsoever his hands find to do with his might. Let the heroic deeds of our fathers, the self-sacrificing labors of our local preachers, the devoted services of the laity as rehearsed in our hearing during this Centennial occasion, inspire us to undertake great things for God, to expect great things from God. There is work for the least as well as the greatest. This affecting incident occurred in the M. E. Church at Mt. Vernon, N. Y., a few Sabbath evenings since: A little girl, frail, but very bright, came with an elder sister to the altar for prayers. Her father, a highly respected lawyer, sat in his pew. After a brief prayer, the child rose from her knees, went to her father, put her arms about his neck and whispered: "Papa, I can't stay there without you." The father was deeply moved and permitted his little one to lead him forward as a penitent seeker. The effect on the audience was wonderful. Many rose and asked the prayers of God's people. It was the turning point in the work, and more than fifty have since been happily converted. This but illustrates the truth of His word, "A little child shall lead them."
Let us abound in the work of the Lord because we know it is not in vain in the Lord.
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ASBURY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHI.
We know that the work of Methodism is not in vain. First, Be- cause of its success in our country at large.
The general summary published in our year book for 1889, gives the number of Episcopal Methodists in the United States as follows:
Itinerant Ministers 27,741
Local Preachers 42,335
Lay Members 4.413,836
Total Lay and Ministerial 4,441,567
Non-Episcopal Methodists in the United States:
Itinerant Ministers 4,072
Local Preachers 1,702
Lay Members .
201,314
Total Lay and Ministerial 205,386
Grand total Methodists in the United States:
Itinerant Ministers 31,813
Local Preachers 44,037
Lay Members 4,615,150
Total Lay and Ministerial 4,646,953
This summary shows that our numerical progress reaching through the entire period has been nearly five times as great as that of the population.
We have under the blessing of God seen that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. "Methodists, much less other people, have no idea what has been done. We must endeavor to bring into our view the present working of this vast army. Thirty thousand preachers every Lord's Day, preaching sixty thousand sermons to millions of hearers; a Sabbath-school force much larger molding as many millions of youths, other officers working in their appropriate spheres-the whole permeating the land, working in the pulpit, and by the press, and in educational halls, all to build the age in intelligence and virtue, work- ing against vice, against intemperance, against false doctrine, against oppression, against all manner of wrong and sin-working to lift humanity towards God."
Second, Because of its success in our city. This is shown in my paper "Then-Now" as read during the Centennial services, which may be found among the historical papers published in this book.
Has any church in this city ever failed ? Did a sinner ever trust and perish ?
It is also shown on this beautiful arch under which I stand, and
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CENTENNIAL EXERCISES
upon which we have been looking all the week. In the days of Rome's glory, when her generals returned from victorious fields triumphal arches were erected in conspicuous and suitable places in honor of the victorious general. The general himself came quietly into the city, lodged with his friends or in privacy until a day of triumph was appointed. On that day gates were thrown wide open, snow-white horses bore the trophies of many battles, the streets were strewn with roses; tablets showed the battles fought, the victories won. Captive kings followed the triumphal car. The whole city witnessed the pro- cession. Coins were thrown broadcast among the people. Great feasts were provided, and the triumph continued for days.
So this Centennial service has been a week of triumph. We have celebrated the victories of a hundred years. We have fought on more battle-fields than either Pompey or Cæsar, and have contended with greater and more difficult foes. The powers opposing them were visi- ble, ours invisible. Theirs the strongholds of Europe, Asia and Africa, ours the strongholds of Satan. We have greater reasons to rejoice than they. Our arch means more than theirs. Our rejoicing is over men made alive; theirs over men put to death. Ours is a triumph over sin; theirs a triumph in sin. Their victory came by the sword; ours through our Lord Jesus Christ, "who led captivity captive and gave gifts unto man."
"Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundant, ?bove all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
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ASBURY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHI.
The Transitory and the Permanent.
BY THE REV. JACOB TODD, D. D.
Text: Hebrews xii: 26-27. "Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signi- fieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that .are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may reinain."
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