USA > Vermont > Bennington County > Bennington > The one hundred year old meetinghouse of the church of Christ in Bennington, Vermont: being a record of the centennial of the same held in the meetinghouse, August the 19th and 20th, 1906 > Part 6
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will be melody to the heavenly hofts; our fouls will be mingling in holy union, with the triune God and with each other, and we joaring in our affections above the kingdoms of this world and the glory thereof, running with great alacrity in the path of the juft, which jhall be as the fhining light, jhining brighter and brighter unto the per- ject day.]
O can any one on this folemn and joyful day refrain from complying with the affectionate command of the bleffed Lord, my son give me thine heart! and neglect to experience for him- felf old things to be done away, and behold all things to become new ? Let us all in this manner unitedly attend to the folemn and important duties before us.1
[The paffages of jcripture I have chojen to af- fift our minds to juitable meditations and reflec- tions on this occasion, are recorded in II Samuel, xxiv, 24, and II Chronicles vii, 5.
" And the King jaid unto Araunah, nay ; but I will jurely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer a burnt offering unto the Lord my God, of that which doth coft me nothing. So David
1 The introduction previous to naming the text, was delivered as the first exercise of the day, and it then being done extempore, will, I presume, be an apology to the reader, for any variation which may be discovered from the manner in which it was delivered.
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bought the threjhing floor and the oxen for fifty jhekels of filver."
"So the King and all the people dedicated the houje of God."]
In connection with thefe words, we read, And again the anger of the Lord was kindled againft Ifrael, and he moved David againft them, to fay, Go number Ifrael and Judah ; David it is evident in the pride of his heart, commanded Ifrael to be numbered, for it was in holy anger that the Lord moved David to number the people. After David had numbered the people, his heart fmote him and he confeffed he had finned. The Lord gave him his choice of three judgments, viz. Seven years of famine to be in the land, to flee three months before his enemies, or to have three days peftilence in the land. David like a good and wife man, chofe to fall into the hand of the Lord, knowing that his mercies were great. The peftilence raged until feventy thoufand men died, then the Lord repented him of the evil, and faid to the deftroy- ing angel, it is enough, ftay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threfhing place of Araunah the Jebufite.
At this place, the prophet Gad, by divine in- fpiration, directed David to rear an altar unto
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the Lord, which he accordingly did, and offered burnt-offerings and peace offerings: fo the Lord was intreated for the land and the plague was ftayed from Ifrael. When David came to Arau- nah to buy the threfhing floor of him, to build an altar unto the Lord, Araunah, with the lib- erality of a king, gave not only the threfhing floor on which the altar might be erected, but the oxen for a burnt facrifice, and the threfhing inftruments and the other inftruments of the oxen for wood; but the king of Ifrael would not accept them as a prefent, for this reafon, he would not offer a facrifice unto the Lord his God, of that which did coft him nothing; fo he paid him a full price therefor.
This was the very place where Solomon after- wards built the houfe of the Lord at Jerufalem, in Mount Moriah. And David called the place the houfe of the Lord God. David had it in his heart to build an houfe unto the Lord, and for the piety of the intention he was commended, but was not permitted to execute it, becaufe he was a man of war and had fhed blood. But he pre- pared for the houfe of his God with all his might. And the chief of the nation offered willingly.
David did not believe it fuitable for him to dwell in an houfe of cedar, whilft the ark of God
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dwelt within curtains. And agreeably to what the Lord had revealed and promifed unto David, Solomon, his fon, with great expenfe and labour, built a glorious houfe for the worfhip of God, according to the pattern which was given unto his father by the fpirit of God; And when this coftly and truly magnificent building was com- pleted, it was dedicated by king Solomon and all the people, with prayer and thankfgiving. An example worthy to be imitated, by all in after ages, in dedicating the houfes which are built for the worfhip of God.
[We come this day to dedicate to the Lord what is all his own. We have come to make an offering of this houje unto him, which he put into our hearts to build, and enabled us to compleat. And notwithstanding it is very inferior to the temple which Solomon built, with rejpect to its fize, richnejs, and elegance, yet we can jay, we have not come with an offering which has coft us no- thing. This building, for the congregation for which it is dejigned, is fpacious, it is convenient, and fuitably ornamented. It has been erected with confiderable expence and labour, and we now come to dedicate it unto the Lord, to be a place for jocial prayer and praije, - for the religious wor- jhip, of the one living and true God.
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In further projecuting the jubject before us, I purpoje in the first place, to produce proof, that it is the nature of those who are blefjed with good hearts, not to offer that unto the Lord which cojts them nothing.
II. I purpoje to jhew in what manner it be- cometh us to dedicate this houje unto the Lord this day.
III. I purpoje to enumerate jome of the blefi- ings we have reajon to hope for, in devoutly dedi- cating this houje unto the Lord.
The arguments I jhall adduce in favor of the firft propojition, are the following.
I. It is the nature of thoje who have good hearts, to love God jupremely, and their neighbors as themjelves.]
God being the fountain of all good, there can be no holy affections in creatures, unlefs they take complacency in his holy character, cor- dially unite with his children, and exercife pity towards all in affliction. When examining the laws and directions which are given as the cri- terion of good hearts, we find we are required by them, to fet our affections on things above, not on things on the earth; Col. iii, 2. And as we have opportunity, we are directed to do good unto all men, efpecially unto them who are of
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the houfehold of faith; Col. vi, Io. We should love our enemies, blefs them that curfe us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them which defpitefully ufe us and perfecute us. Matt. v, 44.
To be poffeffed of good hearts it cofts us our whole affections, we being required to love God with all the heart, with all the foul, with all the mind, and with all the ftrength, and our neigh- bors as ourfelves.
It is natural for what is in the heart, to be exhibited by overt acts, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth fpeaketh.
Thofe who have good hearts therefore will be expreffing their friendfhip to God, and their good will to men, in the moft emphatic manner; and furely this cannot be done by offering that unto the Lord which cofts us nothing, but that which cofts us fomething; and the more coftly the offering, the more expreffive the friendship. If we were to exhibit a token of friendfhip to an earthly friend fhould we prefent him with that which coft us little or nothing? which we did not efteem as containing any real value ? Would our friend accept fuch a prefent as a real token of friendfhip? but on the contrary would he not believe it defigned as an infult? And will not
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our God in a fpecial manner, behold us as mockers, when we pretend to exprefs our friend- fhip, by prefenting him with offerings which coft us nothing? Moft furely he will. Our lip fervice, our formal adulations, will only exhibit us as painted hypocrites, and moft odious in his fight. In the ancient Jewifh church, the beft of their flocks were required to be devoted to God in their religious worfhip, and that with a will- ing mind. Under every difpenfation we are re- quired to conduct as good ftewards under the great head of the church, in all the good things of this life, which we naturally moft ardently love, and make a god of. Never hath been the time and never will be, when we fhall not be re- quired to devote ourfelves, and all we poffefs to the fervice of our maker. The doctrine of our Saviour on this fubject is very clear, it is very explicit. Matt. x, 37, 38: He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he that loveth fon or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his crofs and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
If we have only that which is of little value to prefent, as a token of our friendfhip, that little will be accepted; inftance the poor widow who caft two mites into the treafury, who was com-
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mended by Jefus as having caft in more than all the rich; who had out of their abundance caft in much, while fhe of her penury caft in all that fhe had, even all her living. For if there be firft a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
[2. Thoje who are blefjed with good hearts, take great pleasure in expreffing their jupreme love to God and their good will to men.]
It is the language of the godly, I delight in thy law, i. e. God's law, and I will delight myfelf in thy commandments, which I have loved.
We are fenfible we take great pleafure in giving proof of our love to our beft friends, in inviting them to our tables when moft richly furnifhed, in doing them every kind office in our power, which we believe will be connected with the promotion of their beft good. But how much more natural it is to fuppofe, that the fouls which are breathing forth this language in the moft lively accents, Lord whom have we in heaven but thee, and there is none on earth we defire bejide thee; to devote themfelves wholly unto the Lord as a living facrifice, and make all things in their power, to the greateft poffible degree, fubfervient to the great end of exhibiting their fupreme attachment to his glorious caufe.
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Who can read the language of Paul, Rom. ix, I-3. I say the truth in Chrift, I lye not, my con- fcience alfo bearing me witnefs in the Holy Ghoft, that I have great heavinefs and continual forrow in my heart, for I could wifh that myfelf were accurfed from Chrift for my brethren, my kinfmen according to the flefh, and doubt with refpect to the pleafure which good hearts take, in making every poffible facrifice to promote the beft good of their fellow finners, in doing good to all men, efpecially to them who are of the houfehold of faith?
Thofe who are bleffed with good hearts take great pleafure in expreffing their love to God, in focial worfhip. They are glad when any fay unto them let us go into the houfe of the Lord, and it is their language, our feet fhall ftand within thy gates O Jerufalem.
[3. It hath ever been the practice of thoje who have been blefjed with good hearts, to make very coftly offerings unto the Lord moft high.]
To país over undelineated the rich and coftly offerings in erecting the ancient tabernacle, the ftill more coftly offerings in erecting the temple built by Solomon, and the very expenfive wor- fhip of God under the Jewifh economy, and the greater or lefs expenfe of his worfhip under
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every difpenfation, permit me to call your at- tention to a few of the ancient worthies.
Behold Abraham, at the direction of Heaven, quitting his native country and his kindred, and going forth not knowing whither he went. Behold him with the wood, the fire and the knife, ready to facrifice his beloved fon Ifaac, at the command of Jehovah.
Behold Mofes in afferting the rights of his people, and vindicating the caufe of juftice, fleeing from the riches, the honors, and fplendors of the Egyptian court, and feeking an affylum in a foreign land for the prefervation of his life. Behold him praying for the rebellious Ifraelites, when they had committed the great fin of mak- ing unto themfelves gods of gold, Yet now if thou wilt forgive their fin and if not, blot me I pray thee out of thy book which thou haft written.
Behold Epaphroditus, of whom Paul thus writeth to the Philippians. Becauje for the work of Chrift he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to jupply your lack of jervice towards me.
Behold Paul proclaiming, But what things were gain to me, thofe I counted lofs for Chrift, yea doubtlefs, and I count all things but lofs, for the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift Jefus my Lord; for whom I have fuffered the
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lofs of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Chrift.
Can we revert to thefe ftriking examples of piety, to the cloud of witneffes who have gone before us, imitating Jefus in making all things fubfervient to the caufe of truth, and not unitedly acquiefce in the truth of the propofition under confideration, that it is the nature of thofe who are bleffed with good hearts, not to make an offering unto the Lord of that which doth coft them nothing.
[II. I proceed to jhew, as was propojed in the jecond place, in what manner it becometh us, to dedicate this houje unto the Lord this day.
I. It jhould be done cheerfully, for God loveth a cheerful giver.]
If we give what we pretend to devote to God grudgingly, or of neceffity, it is not that kind of giving which he requireth or will accept. With- out charity, which is love to God, we might be- ftow all our goods to feed the poor, and give our bodies to be burned, and it would profit us nothing.
All we prefent to God fhould be an expreffion of holy love, and whatever is done in the exercife of holy love, will be done cheerfully.
[2. With real gratitude to our bountiful bene-
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factor that he has enabled us to come with juch an offering as this houje to prefent unto him this day.] If we contend our bleffings are our own, independent of our maker, and as fuch, attempt to prefent them unto him, he will not receive them as an acceptable offering. He hath taught us the earth is his, and the fullnefs thereof, and what we offer him, we muft acknowledge is al- ready his own. And fince it is his, reafon dic- tateth gratitude fhould be exercifed therefor, and that it fhould be offered unto the Lord with thankful hearts.
[3. This houje jhould be dedicated unto God unrefervedly, to be unto him an houje of prayer, and not a den of thieves.]
This we are fenfible was the profeffed defign of erecting this building, that it might be an houfe for religious worfhip, prayer and praife; and it becometh us this day unrefervedly to fet it apart for this holy ufe.
[4. With holy and fervent prayer to Almighty God, that he would honor this houje with his gracious prefence, and here record his name, come unto us and blefs us. Exodus, xx, 24. That here he would be in the midft of his people and commune with them; convince and convert finners: That this might conftantly be unto us none other
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than the houje of God and the very gate of Heaven. Genesis 'xxviii, 17.
Shall we now my ref pected auditory, thus holily, jolemnly, prayerfully, and joyfully, dedicate this houje unto God? And will you accompany me, in thus addreffing the Lord moft high?
O thou great and eternal Jehovah, we thy de- pendent, jinful creatures, acknowledge that our blejjings are flowing unto us through Chrift our dear Redeemer; and we do praije and adore thy name, that thou haft put it into our hearts to erect a convenient houje to affemble in for thy worship; that thou hajt fucceeded us in our undertaking; that we have enjoyed the unanimity and harmony that has prevailed among us; that the houje is now in readinejs to be dedicated unto thee, for thy gracious abode and our worship : And we do now, O Lord, in thy prejence, with deep humility, and with holy cheerfulnejs, and with profound adora- tion, dedicate this houje unto thee ; bejeeching thee to accept this offering which thou hajt enabled us to prefent, as thy gracious abode, jo long as thou in thy good providence jhall continue it in exift- ence. Here, O Lord, wilt thou command thy peace; here wilt thou blejs thy people with the fruition of thy love, with the fpirit of prayer and merciful anfwers; caujing them to fhare largely
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in thy grace, and behold difplays of thy glory. Here O Lord wilt thou meet in mercy perifhing finners, until all thy gracious purpojes jhall be accomplifhed, concerning the people affembling in this houje to call on thy name.
III. Having dedicated this houje unto the Lord, I jhall, according to the order before us, enumerate jome of the bleffings, we have reajon to hope, God will confer upon us, if we have been devout in the offering.
I. We may hope to ejcape thoje righteous judg- ments, which we dejerve to have inflicted upon us for our fins.]
When the Lord expreffed great anger againft Ifrael by inflicting inftead upon many thoufands of their warriors, by peftilence, and David had built an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, the Lord was in- treated for the land, and the plague was ftayed from Ifrael.
This merciful God is our God, and he is uni- form in his conduct towards all his creatures ; therefore, if we prefent him with acceptable offerings, we have reafon to believe he will avert the judgments, and never inflict them, which he hath long been threatening us with, and which in due time he will inflict upon us, if we remain
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impenitent, and refufe in a fuitable manner to prefent him, with thofe offerings which he requireth.
[2. We jhall have reajon to hope that God will honor this houje with his gracious prejence: For he will accept of an offering from his people which he requireth of them, and which he enableth them to make.] Inftance his accepting of the temple, which Solomon built, as a place for a ftriking difplay of his glory, love and mercy. For it is recorded, Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from Heaven and confumed the burnt offering and the facri- fices; and the glory of the Lord filled the houfe and the Lord expreffly declared, Now mine eyes fhall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this houfe. Though we may not be honored and privileged with the fame difplay of God's glory as King Solomon and the people were, when they had dedicated their temple, yet if we have been honeft and truly devout in our offering, we may hope for the manifeftations of his love, and the fweet enjoy- ment of the light of his countenance.
3. We may have reajon to hope we jhall, in this houje, enjoy great pleasure. God's favor is life, and his loving kindnejs is better than life.
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And who that has ever tafted and feen that the Lord is good, will not join with the pfalmift and fay, for a day in thy courts is better than a thou- fand; I had rather be a doorkeeper in the houfe of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wicked- nefs? Here may we hope the Lord will command his loving kindnefs, and we enjoy the bleffing, as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that de- fcendeth upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord commanded his bleffing, even life for- evermore.
[4. Here may we hope to enjoy peace which jhall endure forever.]
God is a God of order, and when that order is preferved which he hath eftablifhed, peace is the natural effect. It is contrary to the order which God hath eftablifhed, for any people to dwell in their ceiled houfes, and his houfe lay wafte. But when his houfe is built, dedicated and become an houfe of prayer and praife, the Lord will behold it with pleafure, give peace which the world cannot give or take away, and bleffings in abundance.
The Ifraelites after the Babylonifh captivity, when returned to their own land, received fevere reproofs for their indolence, in neglecting to rebuild their temple. But when the people
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engaged in the work, great was their fuccefs, notwithftanding they labored under the moft forbidding afpects. They experienced peculiar protection and endearing bleffings, tho' their latter temple was fo far inferior to the one built by Solomon, that the queftion was afked, is it not in your eyes in comparifon of it as nothing ? and the ancient men who had feen the former and the foundation of the latter, wept with a loud voice.
We can fay of this houfe it far exceeds the former in magnitude, riches and elegance; but can we hope the glory of this latter houfe fhall be greater than the former, in the gracious pre- fence of God? Though the latter Jewifh temple was far inferior to the former in its earthly fplen- dor and glory, yet the latter exceeded the former in glory, in being honored with the perfonal prefence of Chrift, and his promifing that in that place he would give peace. But can we, my brethren, hope for greater fpecial bleffings in this latter houfe, than your fathers and your- felves have experienced in the former. You can look back to the ancient building, and remember the many precious fhowers of divine bleffings which have there been fhed down from the Father of Mercies. You can remember the
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gracious outpourings of his holy fpirit, which fired the hearts of his people with love; which caufed finners in Zion to tremble, and many fouls in captivity to fin and fatan to be fet at liberty, and fhout the praifes of Zion's King. You can remember the many joyful hours you have fpent in the demolifhed houfe of God, and take your final farewel: But never, no never will it be erafed from your remembrance, how often your bleffed Jefus hath met you, mingled with you, and communed with you there: How often you have fitten under his banner of love, with great delight, and his fruit was fweeter than the honey comb to your tafte. With mingled emo- tions of joy and forrow, do you not now take your laft leave of yonder fpot of earth, which has been devoted to the fervice of your God, for this more fpacious building ? Let us praife him for his goodnefs, and attempt to excel all who have gone before us in well doing.
Grant me your kind indulgence for this di- greffion, for how could we, under thefe gracious fmiles of heaven, pafs over unnoticed your former place of worfhip, where your anceftors and yourfelves took fweet counfel together, and where the Lord commanded his fpecial bleffings: but whilft remembering with joy and gratitude
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your paît favors, you may look from the old and demolifhed houfe of God, to this truly com- modious and beautiful edifice, and praife God for this temporary abode, but not forgetting that this building will be but of fhort contin- uance. Let us therefore look from this building, to that houfe not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens, which is full of love, which is full of glory, and which we may, in the ways of well doing, ere long enjoy, as our fettled rest and eternal home: uniting with all the worfhippers of the King of Glory, in eternally praifing the great I AM, and enjoying the full fruition of his love, without any enemy to interrupt, for- ever and ever. If this houfe be unto us an houfe of prayer and fpiritual worfhip, and we follow the Lamb whitherfoever he goeth, all thefe rich and ineftimable bleffings [we fhall have good reafon to hope] we fhall be admitted into the full poffeffion of, in our heavenly Father's good time.
If we have out of the abundance of good and honeft hearts, made our offering unto the Lord this day, and continue to fuftain uniform and pious characters, the bleffings enumerated are ours; yea bleffings which far exceed any intelli- gent mind to defcribe or even apprehend; bleff-
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ings which eye hath not feen, ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, for the Lord will be our portion.
IMPROVEMENT
[It is a matter of joy to thoje who have good hearts, and that for which they exercije great gratitude, that God hath granted them thoje blejf- ings, by which they are enabled, in a mojt lively manner, to express their friendjhip to their maker, and the pleajure they take in promoting the bejt good of the human kind; that they are abilitated with their temporal blejjings to erect houjes to afjemble in, to call upon the name of the Lord, jupport his worship, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and to vijit and comfort thoje who are fick and in prijon.
2. We cannot have any rational ground to be- lieve we are the children of the Moft High, or hope for his jpecial blejjings, unless we preferve the order he hath appointed, in expreffing a ju- preme regard to him by all we pojjejs, and in all we do, and a difinterested affection to our fellow men. The hijtory of God's conduct towards his ancient covenant people the Jews which is given us for our inftruction, clearly evinceth this truth : For in reading their hiftory we learn the dealings
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