USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > After eighty years of the organization of the First Presbyterian Church > Part 3
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only from the lips of its many inhabitants we need hope to hear of the true Physician.
A church must not only be based upon Scripture, but upon the whole teaching of Scripture. In this cold world a house that is set up on a few pillars, so that the winds can blow and the snow and ice collect underneath it, is apt to be chilly and cheerless. The neighbors will seldom care to drop in and spend an evening with its occupants. There is something analogous in the life of a church which has for its foundation only a few separate scripture doctrines, to the neglect of the great breadth and fullness of the teaching of the Bible. If I rejoice in having but a few prominent truths as the pillars that support my church's creed, and neglect to fill up the spaces be- between these pillars with every word that has pro- ceeded out of the mouth of God, words of counsel and comfort and cheer, then the atmosphere of my church may suit me, but to my neighbor, of opposite temperament and different education and experience, my church will be comfortless. And if my neighbor sets up his church upon a few other skillfully con- trived doctrines, which he regards as the essential supports of religious life, to the neglect of the other parts of Scripture, then, while his church may fairly suit his convenience, it will not be the place for me And so it comes to pass that for want of a sufficiency
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of scripture truth in all its variety underlying the life of the different denominational organizations, the representatives of these separate organizations are often not as neighborly as they should be. Let the whole Word of God be made the basis of every church's life, and then Baptist and Episcopalian, Methodist and Presbyterian, will often be found sit- ting by one another's firesides, enjoying the comforts of each other's homes. But while a church must have the whole of scripture truth as its basis, the truth must not be thrown loosely beneath it, but must be wisely gathered and compacted together. In other words, the church must rest upon a system of truth, and must be built up according to definite principles laid down in that system.
You ask a man what the basis of his religious belief is, and he answers, "The Bible." You ask again, " But what are the fundamental truths in your creed ?" If he answers, " I have no creed ; the whole Bible is my creed," you begin to suspect that he has no definite religious belief; he is of the Anti-Church party., The words which enter into the formation of an elegant literary style are all in the dictionary ; but if you ask a man whose style he most admires, Ma- caulay's, or Johnson's, or Addison's, or whose, and he tells you he admires Webster's Unabridged Dic- tionary most, what will you think? The forest con-
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tains all the materials needed in the building of a dwelling ; but if you ask a man what kind of a dwell- ing he prefers, and he says he prefers to live in the woods, you conclude that he is either a savage or insane. The Bible is a great forest. In it are trees of all kinds, and the leaves of every one of them are for the healing of the nations. In it are all kinds of fragrant flowers, so that the smell thereof is as Leb- anon. In it also are rocky steeps, and even wastes and solitary places, which have their use. And while it is true that one may find a degree of temporary shelter and much passing enjoyment by resorting to this vast thicket, yet, if he would find in it a home and a per- manent resting-place for his soul, he must take the materials he finds so abundant in it, and therewith build himself a house. And this leads me to note the third thing to be specially attended to in the building of a church.
THE CHIEF CORNER STONE.
The corner of a building is the most important point to be guarded in laying the foundation. It is the point at which there is the greatest pres- sure by reason of the meeting of two walls. In every building there are several corners. This is true of the church. Like the great completed temple above, of which an earthly church is but a poor
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miniature, it lieth four square, and the length is as large as the breadth. It is important that each of the four corners shall be well supported. Under one we find the doctrine of the Fatherhood of God; under another the doctrine of the personality of the Holy Ghost; under a third the doctrine of man's in- telligence and original likeness to God ; but when we come to the fourth we find that it is the chief corner. Here the treacherous quicksand of man's sinfulness has been touched. Here the natural foundation is most insecure.
Yet it is at this corner the only door of entrance is. It is at this corner the Heaven-reaching tower is built, for here we find laid, firm as the everlasting hills, Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages, so that the whole structure stands out against the sky in majestic grandeur and eternal security. And as we gaze in thankful adoration, that Rock which once opened its side and poured forth a stream of blessing to satisfy all thirsty souls, opens its mouth and speaks to us, saying : "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious ; and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded." Jesus Christ is and must al- ways be the Chief Corner Stone. If the life of a church be made to rest on any other -- on the doctrine of the culture and development of man's natural powers apart from the atonement made by Jesus for
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human guilt, or on the doctrine of the Fatherly com- passion of God, irrespective of the finished work of His Son, then the house is not securely built. "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
The next thing to be considered is the rearing of a church, or as it is set forth in the text, its growth- " It groweth." A church is not merely an aggrega- tion of human beings. It is rather an amalgamation. The relation between the members is not simply that which is formed by writing their names on the same communion roll, nor by arranging their persons side by side in the same pew. In the church, which is fashioned after the apostolic model, a process of as- similation takes place among the members. As they worship together, they begin to be of the same mind one toward another, and to be of one mind in regard to many things. They learn to love the same kind of spiritual food, and to receive the truth from the lips and heart of the same man. They cease to be one for Paul, another for Apollos, and a third for Ce- phas. They become adjusted to one another and spiritually unified ; or, in the language of our text, "fitly framed together," not as to their social tastes and conditions it may be, and not necessarily in their business relations, but in Christ. It is by being all united to Him, and by all possessing His mind, all
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marching to His step, and all having a common in- terest in His work and the doing of His will that the unity comes.
The trouble with many church organizations is that they are not churches. They are only congregations. The members are not bound together so as to form one body. They are only gathered together. The congregation differs from the church as the heap of untrimmed stones differ from the completed wall. A congregation does not grow. It only increases in size by the adding of new members, as the stone heap increases by the addition of new stones. The moment the idea of growth enters by the members being individually trimmed and polished beneath the molding hand of God's word-or the moment the mem- bers thus influenced are brought to find and fill the particular places for which the Great Master Builder has designed them, then it ceases to be a congregation, and becomes a church. A large congregation may be gathered in a year, or a month, or perhaps by the mere ringing of the bell, but it may require years be- fore that congregation can be so cemented together that it shall be a church in which "the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."
The lastthing we shall consider concerning the prop-
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erly organized church is the general direction and effect of its growth. The growth of some churches is inward rather than upward. The object of their growth seems to center upon themselves as material organizations. The best part of their energy is expended in the ef- fort to live and move and have a respectable being. They strive to have attractive brilliance in the pulpit, attractive beauty in their building, an attractive audi- ence in the pews, and a fair showing in the columns of the published records of their denomination. The growth of some other churches is outward rather than upward. They have their visiting committees for doing work among the poor at home. They have their Home Mission workers and their Foreign Mis- sion bands, their sewing circles and their social gath- erings, and when these forms of activity are the evidence of real life within they are to be specially commended. But it is possible for a church to ex- pend its energies in all these directions, and still fail to meet the apostolic requirement. In the ideal church the main feature of progress is in the direction of holiness. "It groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." Every one of its members is builded into it for an habitation of God through the spirit. If the growth of the organization be not in this direction it is not properly a church. It does not answer the true end. If it does not make those whom it gath-
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ers into its membership better men and women- more unselfish, more gentle, more loving, more true, more God-like ; if it has not the effect of making those who wait upon its services more Christ-like, it does not deserve the name of a church. If it sim- ply furnishes a kind of instruction and entertainment suitable for Sabbath hours, and affords its audiences a convenient channel for the conveyance of their weekly offerings to quarters where they may be needed, it is only a common school with an eleemosy- nary department attached, a lecture association which bestows its charitable proceeds upon worthy objects, and has the power of conferring nameless degrees of respectability upon all who attend upon its lecture- ships.
It is to be feared that many of the churches of this age are not in the regular line of Apostolic succes- sion; not as to their forms and usages, and outward appearance, but in the essentials of their life, and in the main direction and effect of all their services. To which order of churches does this church belong? To what class has it belonged in the past, and what will be its record in the future? To many, if not to all of us, these are questions of momentous interest. Most of us who are gathered here to-day have had some share in the moulding of this church's charac- ter, and we have all an account to give of the influ-
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ence we have exerted upon its life. We did not organize it. It is older than we. They that founded it as the Master's workmen have all fallen asleep: We entered upon the work with the foundation laid-the old foundation tried and sure. Have we built upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or stubble ? Have we helped to build a church, or have we only helped to add to a congregation ? These questions cannot be answered now, but they will yet be answered, for " Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."
Dear friends, never has this church been so favora- bly situated for true growth as now. Never were there so many sacred memories and hallowed asso- ciations connected with its life, to bind its members to it and to one another and to Heaven, whither so many of its members have gone. It is by their hearts being touched and tenderly influenced that the members of congregations become mem- bers of churches. Cherish fondly, then, every tie of affection by which God's house may be made dearer to your hearts. Ye do well to revive the memories of the years that are gone. As ye linger over the days that are past, and bygone scenes, whether sad or joyous, are recalled, and the faces of
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the departed come back to you along the path whither away they went, and you feel that during these me- morial days, as you call the long roll of your venerable church -- not the roll you keep on earth, but the com- plete roll which God keeps in Heaven, may the season be to you one of precious blessing. Thankful for all the souls that have been born into the kingdom here ; thankful for all the weary ones that have been refreshed, the mourners that have been comforted, the weak that have been strengthened, the wanderers that have been won back to God; thankful that to you in God's rich mercy there is still extended the infinite privilege of being both blessed and made a blessing in connection with this dear, dear old church, let your solemn vow be that you will be more devoted to all its interests and more faithful to all its offered privileges than ever in the past. May the strength which was given to the first pastor of this church to fit him for all the duties he was honored during his long life to discharge be graciously given also to its present pastor. May his bow long abide in strength, and may the arms of his hands be made strong by the hand of the mighty God of Jacob. And through the divine blessing vouchsafed in Pentecostal effusion and outpoured upon office-bearers and ordinary mem- bers and adherents alike, may this church be a true household of the faith, knit together by the bonds of
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intimate spiritual fellowship, so that even to those who are as yet aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise, your beloved pastor may soon be able to say, as he welcomes them to true fellowship with Christ and His people: "Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. And are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building, fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit."
SUNDAY SERVICES.
On Sabbath evening a congregation that filled the house to overflowing gathered at the union service of the First Church and her daughters. Following is the order of service :
Singing ; by the Sabbath School and Choir.
Anthem.
Scripture Lesson.
XXVIIth Psalm; Rev. R. D. Colmery.
Singing ; by the Sabbath School and Choir.
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RST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ERECTED IN COLUMBUS, SPRING STREET, NEAR THIRD.
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Prayer ; Rev. Robert J. Laidlawe.
Singing ; by the Sabbath School.
Address: "The Faith of the Founders ;" Rev. Wm. E. Moore, D. D.
Address : "The Bequest of the Eightieth Year to the One Hundredth;" Rev. Nathan S. Smith, D. D.
Singing ; by the Sabbath School.
Address : "The Obligations of Our Heritage ;" Rev. D. R. Colmery.
Address: "A Former Pastor's Greeting;" Rev. Robert J. Laidlawe.
Singing ; by the Sabbath School and Choir.
Prayer ; by the Pastor.
Doxology.
Benediction ; Rev. Dr. Moore.
A large chorus from the Sunday School had care- fully prepared most delightful and devotional music, appropriate to the occasion.
THE FAITH OF THE FOUNDERS:
REV. WM. E. MOORE, D. D.
I am requested to speak of "The Faith of the Founders." The topic is a fruitful one, and might
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lead us out in many directions. But we affirm of them --
I. That they had faith in God. That they were not unbelievers. The storm of French infidelity which swept over the land after their bloody Revolution had spent its force. The revivals of 1800 and subsequent years were most fruitful in Pennsyl- vania, Virginia and Kentucky, whence most of the founders came. They believed in God. They be- lieved in the Bible as His Word, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. They believed in that Word as sufficient to guide and control human con- duct; to correct the abuses of man's liberty; to build the fabric of society securely by freedom under law. They did not believe in the union of Church and State. But they did not believe in the possibility of a State, stable, secure and free, without the saving influences which are excited by the Church. They shewed their faith by their works. They put the Church at the foundation of the commonwealth which they came to found. They built the House of God humble and plain, side by side with the cabins in which they shel- tered their families .. Many of them were men who professed their faith and united with the little church in the wilderness.
II. Of the various forms of doctrine which pre- vailed then as they prevail now, they believed in that
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which bears the common name of Calvinism, which was taught by Paul and Augustine. They had learned it from the Westminster confession of faith, and from its catechisms. Its strong, clear statements commended themselves to their reason, their conscience and their experience. They believed in the eternal purposes of God, as expressed in His de- crees, and as consummated through the free agency of men. They were sure that what God purposes will come to pass, and they were sure that his pur- poses contemplate the ultimate reign of peace and righteousness through His gospel preached, believed and obeyed. They recognized Christ as the only Lord of the conscience, and the Holy Spirit as the only and all sufficient interpreter to them of His word. With such faith in the Triune God, they allowed no man -pope, prelate, priest or preacher-to stand between them and the throne of infinite wisdom, grace and love. They feared God with holy reverence, and because they feared him they feared no man.
Such faith may have made them too self-asserting, too independent for the times of partial knowledge, and imperfect development of Christian character. But they were honest and sincere. We do not can- onize them, but we gratefully recognize the strong meat of their doctrine in the works which "do fol- low them," now that they "rest from their labors."
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III. Of the forms of church government under which the visible church exists, "the faith of the founders " was in that which is known as Presbyterian- ism. Monarchy, whether of Pope or Prelate, they rejected as the usurpation of the prerogatives of the One Lord Jesus. Democracy-the rule of the casual majority, controlled by no fundamental law, reviewed by no superior and impartial judicatory-was, to their mind, equally subversive of the authority of the church's only Head. The church visible, in their view-they drew their view from the Bible-is, as to its polity, a democratic republic, ruled, under its Lord and Head, by an Eldership, chosen by its members without re- gard to age or sex, charged with the administration of the ordinances and the discipline of the body, subject to the review and control of Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly, themselves bound in their judg- ments by the Word of God and the constitution of the church. A form of government, simple, scrip- tural and most wisely adapted to secure the utmost possible liberty of the individual that is compatible with subjection to law and order; at the same time most efficient in combining its units, whether churches or individuals, in one powerful and efficient host.
Their faith showed itself by their works. They drew from their doctrine and their polity practical inferences which are realized in our day in the free
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commonwealth, in the system of common education, and in the magnificent charities which are the pride and glory of the State.
"Whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever."
THE OBLIGATIONS OF OUR HERITAGE.
REV. R. D. COLMERY, PASTOR HOGE CHURCH.
I have been introduced to represent the youngest daughter in this family reunion. And I wish in the very outset to correct a misapprehension that may arise in the minds of some, growing out of this pecu- liar relation which we sustain to the household. You all know it is a very common thing to regard the youngest as the spoiled child in the family. But we would fain hope that there is no spoiled child in this household. And if so, it is alike creditable to the mother and all her daughters. Indeed, we feel rather inclined to congratulate ourselves that we are entitled to the distinction of the favorite child, because of the tender sympathies that cluster around the helplessness of youth, for we are yet in our teens, and because we bear the paternal name.
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We are happy in the assurance that we have not only enjoyed the confidence and affection of our older sisters, but also the tender love and care of our common mother. We have reasons for hearty con- gratulations among ourselves that we, the children, assembled in family reunion under the maternal roof to-night, are possessed of all the elements essential to constitute a prosperous and happy family. Truly, in view of all the benefits secured to us by our godly progenitors, who laid the foundations of our Zion in the wilderness, we can take up the refrain which was sung long, long ago, " The lines are fallen unto us in pleasant places; yea, we have a goodly heritage."
It is a well recognized principle among us, based upon the Divine Word, that where distinguished favors have been conferred, or a rich inheritance bequeathed, there are corresponding responsibili- ties and obligations imposed. For instance, if some one should present me with a hundred thou- sand dollars, it would lay on me a weighty responsi- bility as the beneficiary and custodian of such a fund. Whether it would prove a blessing or a curse to me would depend upon whether I used it for the glory of God, or for my own personal and selfish gratification. Children are held responsible, and justly so, for the proper use of the pecuniary bequests of their parents. And so we are accustomed to hold the children of
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Christian parents to a stricter accountability than the children who have never been blessed with a godly parentage. And the same rule applies to nations, Christian and heathen. Indeed, the rule is of uni- versal application, for "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." And, "Freely ye have received, freely give." Under the inspira- tion of this Divine law we ought to estimate the obli- gations of our heritage. And what a heritage it is that has been bequeathed to us! The institutions of the Gospel-the church for which the Savior died, and the channel through which inestimable blessings flow down to us-the church, that grandest of all institutions-which God has organized for the conver- sion of the world. Such a bequest from our pioneer ancestry is worth more to us than millions upon mill- ions of gold. This heritage which they have be- queathed lays on us great responsibilities. In their day of pioneer life they could only do the work of the pioneer. With the greatly increased facilities at our command we should now be sowing and reaping abundant harvests. If it belonged to them to lay the foundation of God's Temple, which they did in faith and prayers and tears, it now devolves on us to build a grand and beautiful superstructure. If they intro- duced the leaven of Christianity, we must diffuse it. We must lengthen the cords and strengthen the
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stakes of our Zion, so as to keep pace with the growth of our city. This should be our special home mission work. But, more than this, our vision must reach to the circumference of our own country, and away beyond the seas; and wherever we see a brother who has never heard of the glad tidings that have been handed down to us, to him we must stretch out the hand of beneficence, and send him the message of mercy. And thus, from this city as a Christian centre, must go forth, to the very extremities of the earth, an influence that will bless and save our fellow-men. Here is a work in which pastors and elders and members should all unite.
Let us, my friends, not prove ourselves unworthy of the invaluable bequest of our forefathers by our failure to recognize the obligations of our heritage. But, trusting in the God of our fathers to help us in rearing the superstructure, as He helped them in laying the foundation, let us unitedly prosecute our work with untiring diligence, till we are called to lay down our work and take up the crown.
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