USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > North Adams > Addresses and papers presented at the Diamond Jubilee, 1827-1902, May 11-14 (First Congregational Church of North Adams) > Part 10
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What Paul discovered was the preparation of the Gen- tiles for the reception of the Gospel of Christ. That the spirit of truth was opening their minds to receive the gos- pel was evident to him, and it was good logic which con- vinced him that the same spirit of truth ought to be open- ing the hearts of apostles to give them the gospel, without waiting for any.
The Spirit which at the beginning moved upon the elemental chaos saying "Let there be light," has ever since been moving upon the great deep of humanity, and in the days which have been darkest and most hopeless signs of His presence have always been appearing. When, in the fourteenth century, the tyrannies of ecclesiasticism were heaviest, Wyclif caught the first gleam of the returning light of reason, and reflected it in his brave witnessing. The light was there; it was dawning in the minds and consciences of the people; Wyclif did not create it; he saw it and hailed it, and helped others to see it. When, in
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the sixteenth century the revolt of reason and conscience against sacerdotal superstitions began to stir the souls of men, it was Luther and Zwingli and Erasmus and Colet who saw and heralded the rising day. And when, in a generation whose passing has been witnessed by some of us, the rigors of an immoral Calvanism became oppres- sive to the moral sense, and a fatalistic gloom was settling upon the churches, the Spirit which in the beginning moved upon the face of the waters kindled in the hearts of men a larger hope, and Channing and Taylor and Beecher and Bushnell bore witness to the light which they had seen and helped to banish forever those shadows of a loveless fate from the hearts of men.
I have only singled out a few faces from the great cloud of witnesses of the light who in all the generations have been quick to see the dawning of loftier thoughts and higher ideals. The more closely we study their rela- tions to the times in which they lived, the clearer it will appear to us that the forward movements with which they were identified were made ready by the Spirit of life which is always brooding over humanity and by whose informing touch light springs up in the darkness. We sometimes call such men epoch-makers,-they are rather epoch markers. They did not kindle the light, they saw it and rejoiced in it, and taught others to behold it.
And the one truth for you and me to lay hold upon and make central in our thinking is that God who is Light is in His world today; that there has never been an hour when He was nearer to human minds and human hearts than He is now ; that He is revealing Himself today far inore clearly than He could reveal Himself to the men of ten centuries ago or of forty centuries ago; that new light
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is all the while breaking forth from His word, and from His works, and that it is your business and mine to discern it and walk in it and help our fellow men to see it. "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord." That was the word to the prophets of old; is it not our commission also ?
To what are we to bear witness? To the traditions which we have received from our fathers? Yea, verily, for many of them are precious and inspiring traditions ; their truth has been verified by the experience of generations ; their promise is fulfilled in our own time. Poor and barren must be the lives of those who have received from the past no legacies of truth which they treasure, no messages of hope which they can transmit. Not all that is traditional in doctrine and form and use can be carried over into the new day, for always there is much that decayeth and waxeth old and is ready to vanish away. Not all of last year's growth is in the fields and on the branches today; the leaves and straw and chaff of last summer have returned to the earth from which they came; but the life that they nourished is here, making the world fruitful and beautiful in the springtime. Nature knows how to treasure the grain and bury the chaff, and we must learn her lesson.
From the past we have received a most precious de- posit of tradition. The truth that was revealed to proph- ets and apostles, the symbols in which their faith was ex- pressed, the customs in which it was enshrined, the songs and prayers in which it found voice, are worthy of our reverence. We may not be able to use them all, but they are all sacred, because of the life of which they have been the embodiment, and many of them can never grow old. There is much that we share with the ages gone by for which we forevermore give thanks. But our God is a liv-
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ing God; He worketh hitherto, and He worketh now and evermore ; behold He maketh all things new ! New leaves upon the branches, new bloom in the borders, new grasses in the meadows, new lambs in the pastures, new nurslings in the nests, new life in all the world ! Is it only in the life of thought, the life of the spirit, that all forms are petrified, all movement arrested ? No, the law of growth is verified in the phenomena of this realm also ; old things are passing away, all things are becoming new. This year is not last year in the world of thought any more than in the woods and the fields. This century is not the eighteenth century in theology and philosophy any more than in machinery. The increasing purpose which runs through the ages runs not through the material realms alone; it is the thoughts of men that are widened with the process of the sun. This time is not the time of Augus- tine or Calvin or John Robinson; nay, it is not even the time of Taylor or Park or Finney ; how is it that ye do not discern this time? It is not alone the light that broke forth from God's holy word in Lutterworth or in Scrooby or in Northampton of which you are to be witnesses and heralds; it is the light that is breaking forth today. Yea, from God's holy word -- from the Book that we call by that name-the light is breaking forth today. It is a dif- ferent Book from that which Taylor quoted and Finney in- terpreted and Park expounded ; it stands transfigured to- day in a new light that shines from its own pages. It is a greater Book than it ever was before-less magical than once, but more wonderful; less preternatural, but more spiritual; less of a wand to conjure with and more of a sword to fight with and a staff to lean upon. The change which has taken place in men's thoughts about the Bible
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has resulted from abandoning the apriori theories which men have made out of their own heads about the Bible and going directly to the Bible itself and letting it tell its own story. But the change has taken place. The at- tempt to ignore it or deny it is stupidity-or worse. It is a different kind of Book from what it was once supposed to be ; it cannot be used as it once was used ; it must be used in another way. Intelligent men of this generation who try to use it as intelligent men were using it in the last generation will simply stultify themselves and imperil the souls of those whom they misguide; the light that is in the Book and in them will be darkness, and how great will be that darkness? But there is light in the Book, now; it is full of light; there is more light in it than there ever was before ; there must be, for we know the truth about it now as we never knew it before, and when we know the truth about it we must surely be better fitted to find the truth that is in it. The truth is in it-The Truth. It holds for us, just as securely as it ever held, the record of the life of Him who is The Truth. There is the Light; behold it, rejoice in it, bear witness to it !
I have spoken of our function as witnesses of the growing light of this new day. Let me speak now, for a little while, more familiarly of a service which is more personal and domestic, of our dispensation of the truth of the gospel to souls that are in darkness and in the shadow of death. To them also we must be witnesses of the Light that lighteth every man coming into the world. We ought to keep the eyes of men open to the meaning of the days in which they live; but we shall find many to whom these larger questions are of subordinate import, because they are involved in personal struggles that banish the
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light from their sky. There will always be those near us who will be oppressed with the sense of their own weak- nesses and failures and shortcomings ; who have fought with the inbred sin and been defeated again and again ; who have lost heart in the conflict with their own worse natures and have sat gloomily down, despondent if not despairing, or are weakly drifting on the current of their own lower impulses. We often find such souls among us, those in whom the purposes of virtue have grown less strenuous, whose ideals have been dimmed, and whose life, though outwardly cheerful enough, is gradually being overshadowed with a darkness that may be felt. It is a bitter experience. If you or I know any who are sitting in this shadow, we ought to rejoice in our commission as wit- nesses of the light. To them we ought to be able to carry the good tidings that there is help and deliverance for them, since there is One who has said, " He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." This is the gospel of the grace of God with which we are put in trust. There ought to be no such clouded spirits among those who know us well enough to believe our word.
Others there are to whom the darkness has become a habitation on account of sorrow which has blotted from their day the sun and from their night the stars. How many there have been in all the generations to whom the plaint of Job has been the voice of their deepest experience :
" Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, And life unto the bitter in soul ?
Which long for death but it cometh not, And dig for it, more than for hid treasures ; Which rejoice exceedingly And are glad when they can find the grave ?
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, And whom God hath hedged in ?"
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From none of the children of men is this cup wholly witheld ; losses, disappointments, the failure of friendships, the desolation of homes, some or all of these things happen to all of us .
" The fool hath said, " There is no God, But none, there is no sorrow."
And there are times when the sense of this desolation is so quick and keen that hope departs from life and we cry :
" O Sorrow, cruel fellowship, O Priestess in the vaults of death : O sweet and bitter in a breath, What answers from thy lying lip?
" ' The stars,' she answers, 'blindly run; A web is woven across the sky ; From out waste places comes a cry And murmurs from the dying sun.
" 'And all the phantom, Nature, stands With all her music in her tone, A hollow echo of my own, A hollow form with empty hands.' "
Now to all those who are thus overwhelmed by trouble, to souls sitting dumb in the darkness of a great affliction, we ought to be able to go as witnesses of the light. What is the gospel with which we are put in trust, if it is not the assurance that they who mourn shall be comforted? That servant of Jehovah, whom the old prophet invests with all the attributes of the divine humanity, is repre- sented as proclaiming his advent in these words :
"The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath annointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek ; He hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted; -to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes; the
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oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. "
If God is light and in Him is no darkness at all, then darkness must not be the habitation of any of His chil- dren. If God is love, if all things are working together for good to His children, then there can not be any incon- solable grief in the heart of one who believes in him. Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. If we be- lieve in God at all this is what we must believe. If there is a Father in heaven, there ought to be no hopeless mourn- ing on the earth. Myriads of things will happen that we cannot explain, but we know that nothing happens with- out His knowledge, and that out of the sorest of our suf- ferings some fruit of good is growing.
" Evil is only the slave of good, Sorrow the servant of joy. And the soul is mad that refuses food Of the meanest in God's employ :
" The fountain of joy is fed by tears, And love is lit by the breath of sighs, The deepest griefs and the wildest fears Have holiest ministries. "
This is the Christian interpretation of trouble, and part of our business in the world is to lead our fellow men into the light of these great hopes. We ought to know these things so well that we shall be able to make others believe them. We ought to be able to comfort others with the comfort wherewith we have been comforted of God. That is the method of the divine economy. No good gift is bestowed on any man for his exclusive use; all good gifts are to be shared. Those who rejoice in the light must be witnesses of the light.
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One more suggestion comes to us from the word that gives us this commission. It is to those who stand upon the heights that the dawn comes soonest. I have seen the sun rise more than once from the high places of the earth -once on that rocky ridge of the Gorner Grat in Switzer- land, more than ten thousand feet above the sea, which commands the mighty panorama over which the Matter- horn domineers. When the first rays of the dawn began to run their fringe of silver along the snowy peaks of the Mischabelhörner and Monta Rosa it was all dark westward in the vale of Zermatt; over all that slumbering hamlet the shadows lay heavily. The impulse stirred to call through the telephone to the sleepers down there and tell them that day was coming. Yet that assurance could hardly be needed. Faith in the coming day, albeit it is only faith, is strong enough in the hearts of the children of men.
In the great movements of God's Kingdom the dawn often comes slowly. Through the long night of supersti- tion and oppression and social wrong, there are many who wait for the coming day,-"more than they that waiteth for the morning,"-crying often, often in the night, "How long, O Lord, how long?" Only one hope assures them-
"That the slow watches of the night Not less to God belong, And for the everlasting Right The silent stars are strong."
But always in such nights, there are watchmen on the mountain tops who catch the first signs of dawn, and shout to those in the valley below that "the morning cometh." The world is never without these heralds of a better day- brave souls who climb near enough to God to discern
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something of his purposes, and who lift up our hearts with visions of the glory visible to them and soon to be revealed to us. Beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring us these good tidings. The old prophets of Israel were chief among these witnesses of the Light; always their faces were toward the East and their eyes were straining to behold the light of a new day. "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed," they cried, "and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." In every age such witnesses have appeared. The world will never know the debt it owes to these brave sentinels upon the heights. Solitary are these altitudes, and the winds blow keen and cold, but prophets of the dawn must risk such perils and privations.
It is to this guild that we all belong, and to something of this lofty service we may be called. But if it is not for you or me to stand upon the mountain tops and be the heralds of a new day, there is not one of us who may not climb high enough to be able sometimes to send down the word of hope and promise to those who toil in the darkness and wait for the light. Andrew Ryckman's prayer may befit the lips of every one of us :
" If there be some weaker one, Give me strength to help him on ; If a blinder soul there be, Let me guide him nearer Thee."
I could find no message, my brethren, which seemed for you more fitting or more inspiring than this which I have brought you. The chimes of your century clock are striking their third quarter. It seems not long ago that we were standing here at the semi-centennial ; but even that recent date is to quite a large number of you a prehistoric period.
SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY a16I
If I look back to the day when I first stood in this pulpit as your pastor, thirty-six years ago, I recall a day to which the memory of most of you runneth not. A few of us here still remember it, though mists gather in the eyes when it rises before us, and the soft haze of distance lies over all the scene. The mountains are here, unaltered in their outline, undiminished in their majesty ; they seem to draw a little nearer than of old, as if to claim their share in our remembrance; but the busy little town of those days has spread itself over these hills and assumed urban dignities ; much that was quaint and homely and primitive in that old life has disappeared ; it takes some effort to put ourselves back into those physical conditions and to reproduce the social atmosphere of those old days. How many of the forms that then were treading these streets in the vigor of youth or the prime of manhood, have vanished from our sight; how many of the faces that were then looking up from these pews are now looking down out of the great cloud of witnesses! I see them now,-strong faces, earnest faces, full of light and sympathy, kindling with conviction and resolve, beautiful and dear to memory.
The band of loyal men and women who stood around me in the days of my youthful pastorate are nearly all gone ; the group of young people who shared my hopes and enthusiasms are now gray headed, but my memory al- ways goes back with glad and swift feet to that lustrum, for the church at North Adams has always been dearer to me than any other church to which I have ministered, saving only the one which now claims my service. True and faithful men and women were those that here wrought by my side; with the crudities of my youth they were pa-
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tient; how much occasion they had for patience I know now far better than I knew then. My best aims they al- ways supported ; how much I ever did for them I do not know, though the will was good, but I know how much they did for me. The ministering was not all on one side.
As I think of those whom I knew in this fellowship, and of the spirit which prevailed in all its assemblies, I am impressed with the truth that this church has always been a company of witnesses for the light. Ever since I have known it, the minds that gave tone and character to its counsels have been open minds, hospitable to the truth, ready to see the light which is always breaking forth from God's holy word and God's marvellous universe. John Robinson has had lineal descendants, after the flesh, in this congregation, and many more who were of his spiritual lineage. You have had strong and brave and true men in your pulpit since I went away-all the while, since I went away, there has never been any fear in my heart that you were not well shepherded; the witnessing of this pulpit has been with mighty power ; it has been heard around the world ; but those who have served you there, those of them who are here, and those whose voices are still, will confess with thankfulness that it is the witnessing church which makes possible the witnessing pastor; that if the word has sounded forth with commanding influence from these walls, it is largely because the people in these pews have been large minded enough to be willing that it should have free course and be glorified.
You have nothing else to do in the days to come, be- loved, but to be witnesses for the light. Still, as in all the days gone by, it is sown for the righteous; more freely to-
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day than ever before is it scattered ; with open face behold it, and yield yourselves to its transforming might; then go forth with it, letting its guiding ray shine fair upon all the dusty ways of daily toil, upon all the hard problems of our social life; bearing the comfort of it into homes that are desolate and hearts that are heavy laden; till there shall be, nowhere within the circle of these hills, a heart that is hopeless or a home that is not the house of God and the gate of heaven.
MRS J.
OYLE
10000000000000000000000009
MEST. T . MUNGER
CRAWFORD
MRS A PAINE
MRS
GLADDEN
MRS W. L. TENNEY
PASTORS' WIVES
MRS L. PRATT
MRS
Tributes to Faithful Women of the Church*
We delight to call to mind today our aged sisters still spared to us, the absent ones, and elder sisters to whom we still look for prayer and counsel.
In 1833 Mrs. Caroline Lillie united with this church, now one of its oldest members; through her four-score years she has felt a deep interest in the success of her church; she and her sister, Mrs. Austin Bond, ministered to the early worshipers in this church in the service of song. Of Mrs. Bond it could be said she loved much-her large family made home the sphere of her work ; the lives of her children bear testimony to her worth more than pen of friend can do. She dearly loved Dr. Crawford, and gave one of her sons the family name of her minister.
Miss Martha Streeter has been a member of this church the greatest number of years of any one now living; her sister Hannah is also living in the west. Who can forget the three sisters in their home, who gave far beyond their means, oftentimes to be messengers of love to those who were in need.
Mrs. Abby Erwin, ninety-two years of age, was with us yesterday to meet the pastors; almost her entire family
*Just a few words to explain these tributes. I knew of no better way to secure a memorial of the women's work in our early church than to ask different ladies to write a short tribute of some earlier worker. I fear we seldom stop to realize our precious heritage of church ancestry, we are so busy with the things of today.
There have been many other consecrated souls among us, whose names cannot be mentioned for the want of time. We can speak of only a few who carried the outside work to completion ; the " polished stones" that beautified its finish, are known to friends and to the Lord. J. P. GOODRICH.
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have sung from time to time at public worship since 1843 -a granddaughter is a member of our present choir.
Mrs. Martha Potter has been one who has strengthened the "tie that binds" over sixty years. Her unfaltering trust has been an inspiration to many; she has stood by the "River" and watched all her family cross to the other shore. I doubt if any one in our church has been able to so comfort those in sorrow as she has, calmly showing her faith by her works.
Mrs. John Doane, nearly sixty years a member of this church, is a shining example of cheerful resignation, and often worships with us in spirit, though unable to come up to the Lord's House.
Mrs. William Martin, over fifty years a member, has built up this church in so many ways, we all recognize her as a "foundation woman," and lean upon her counsel and prayers-for though she has been tried, she has not been found wanting.
Mrs. William Ford, a member forty years, and her children and grandchildren, are working with us today.
Mrs. Freelove Chase has been one of our number since 1857.
Mrs. Willard Ballou is another member whose faith is unwavering.
Mrs. Elizabeth Cone has been one of us over thirty years, bringing a long Christian service from a former home; her interest in the prosperity of our church is con- tinuous, her children and grandchildren keeping her in close touch with all our efforts.
We still feel the influence of the quiet home-makers, Mrs. Hiram Benton and Mrs. Dr. Rice, through the services of their daughters. Mrs. William Brown and Mrs. Moses
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Darling were also efficient helpers. The ministry of the rare young women who were permitted to work but "one hour " in choir or Sunday School is not forgotten : Fannie Butler, A. E. and Frances Brown, Eva French Millard, Carrie Parmly, Mary Phelps, Eunice Haskins, Carrie Smith Whitney, Florence Butler Roos, Libbie Barber.
Nor do we forget the "shut ins, " Mrs. W. W. Butler, Mrs. D. Raymond; the absent ones whose prayers are for their old home church, Mrs. L. M. Holbrook, Miss Hawkes, Mrs. Edwin Thayer, Mrs. Houston, Mrs. Homer Smith, Mrs. Ellis, Mrs. J. Parkhill; the three sisters, Mrs. Charles Butler, Mrs. Lydia Kimbell, Mrs. James Flagg, whose children have been trained in this church and are helpers here today.
How the list of workers comes up before us as we unroll the scroll: Mrs. Jewett, Mrs. Barber, Mrs. Hodge, Mrs. French, Mrs. Bixby, Mrs. Stowell, Mrs. Gallup, Mrs. Elizabeth Thayer, Mrs. Porter, Mrs. Richardson, Mrs. Perry, Mrs. Jackson, who are still our elder sisters to whom we go for counsel. Time fails to speak of scores of good women who have worked in this part of the Master's Vineyard.
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