MICROFILMED 1986 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY GENERAL LIBRARY BERKELEY, CA 94720 COOPERATIVE PRESERVATION MICROFILMING PROJECT THE RESEARCH LIBRARIES GROUP, INC. Funded by THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION Reproductions may not be made without permission. BERKELEY, CA 94720 FOR ADDITIONAL REPRODUCTION REQUEST MASTER NEGATIVE §6- 074% NUMBER AUTHOR: San Francisco. First Univers- alist Church. TITLE: Installation of... PLACE: San Francisco DATE: C [37422 VOLUME 5: i CALL feo MASTER §6- NO. i} %. Ib Xx NEG.NO.O"48 San Francisco. First I'miversali-t Churct. Installation of «wv. F.L. Rexford ... : San Francisco cl8747, FRE 24 p, 23cm. cPamphlets on California C biography, v.5, no.l1l6, Ve. 6 x FILMED AND PROCESSED BY LIBRARY PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY, CA 94720 JOBNO. 86 1 5/0 DATE 3 8/6 REDUCTION RATIO 8 DOCUMENT | SOURCE BANCROFT LIBRARY EL = 2 2 mI lI Al ll2 ll 20 = |e 125 fl fie MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIAL 1010a (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) LULL EHD LH LY an | lo METRIC 1 2 4 5 , 6, 7 , 8 9 , 10 14 , 15] AAT mim ttm Sf TTT INET x ALLA TEON Rev. E. L. REXFORD, D. D. it Gi Go NG A Uh ) OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AT PACIFIC HALE (Bush Street, between Kearny and Dupont,) {G: “s, " & ————— . FF eg FORNS pos Grundy Greening, Jae. J4, IE] £. -_—— ee CHARGE TO PASTOR—By Rev. Horatio StEsBINs, D. D. ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE—By Rev. Taos. L. ELLioTT. INSTALLATION SERMON—By Rev. W. E. Ijaus. AND OTHER SERVICES. SAN FRANCISCO: ~~ <2 BENJ. DORE & CO., BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS. > ~~ No. 512 SACRAMENTO STREET. Retake of Preceding Frame Rev. IL. REXFORD, D. D. AS PASTOR OF 'I'HEH dD I, Aniversalist d RY hareh OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AT PACIFIC HALL, Bush Street, between Kearny and Dupont) y o Crrservr ir 0, JLT, Ss ‘ ‘. pA AE] CHARGE TO PASTOR—By Rev. Horatio Stessins, D. D. ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE—DBy Rev. Thos. [.. Ecrviorr. INSTALLATION SERMON—DBy Rev. WE. Tyas, \ND OTHER SERVICES. SAN FRANCISCO: oo i —— <>” BENJ. DORE & CO, BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS. = ! ES No. 512 SACRAMENTO STREET. Retake of Preceding ANE 2 4 #5 a Ff YU a4 4 “#% x E Rev. E. L. REXFORD, D. D. a $y <5 AS PASTOR OF THE OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AT PACIFIC HALL, (Bush Street, between Kearny and Dupont,) Grr00/ v7 77 C1 0 1/20, He /0 / ( CHARGE TO PASTOR—By Rev. Horatio Steins, D. D. ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE—By Rev. Thos. LL. ErLvLiorr. INSTALLATION SERMON—DBy Rev. W, E. Ijaws. AND OTHER SERVICES, SAN FRANCISCO: 29 BENJ. DORE & CO, BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS. X- No NO. 512 SACRAMENTO STREET. ~ SNC INTRODUCTORY. # ~~ HE CL ES LASTORS PARTICIPATING IN THE ) . . . : | The occasion of the Installation of Rev. Doctor Rexford, as Pastor of the First Universalist Church of San Francisco, Sunday evening, November Ist, 1874, was one of peculiar interest, not only to the Universalists of this city, but to all interested in the development of a Christian charity, broad enough to include, and recognize the worth of all earnest workers in the Master's Vineyard, by whatever name they are Rev. HORATIO STEBBINS, D. D., . . . UsiTakiay known among men. Rev, W. E. ITAMS - This Church is the only representative of our faith in Cali- Rev. Wo E TJTAMS, . CONGREGATIONALIST. Co. . . . fornia. Its situation, so remote from the great centers ot ~ THOS. L. ELLIOTT TT . . : . + Coe ro : UNITARIAN. Universalism in the East, prevented the attendance of minis- + L. HAMILTON, : : : PRESBYTERIAN. ters of our own denomination sufficient for the requirements . ELKAN COHN, D. D.. HEBREW. of the occasion. Yet to this isolation we are indebted for a CC a. : nost delightful exhibition of fraternal fecling, and bro CHAUNCEY PARK, ~~ . . . . Prissvremiaw. most delight fooling, and broad Christian sympathy, by prominent representatives of other . J. N. PARKER y ’ Je NC PARKER, : . . USNIVERSALIST. . tl : te oh I religious organizations in this city and vicinity. The Trustees of the Church, relying upon the liberal feel- ing which characterizes so many of the prominent clergymen of the various denominations of Christians on this Coast, in- vited several of them to assist in the Installation of their Pastor. The following gentlemen responded promptly and cheerfully to the invitation: Rev. Horatio Stebbins, D. D. Pastor of the Unitarian Church; Rev. W. E. [jams, of the Green Street Congregational Church : Cohn, Rabbi of" the Congreg Rev. Lo Hamilton, Pastor of the Independent Presbyterian Church, Oakland : Rev. Chauncey Park, Presbyterian Clergy - man of Centerville ; and Rev. Thomas L. Elliott, Pastor of the Unitarian Church, Por tland, Oregon. Several of the leading Jbastors of other churches in the city expressed their regret that the demands of their own pulpits for that evening, pre- cluded their acceptance. The attendance was very large, and the ceremonies—swhich are given in full in these pages—uwere of a deeply interesting character, and worthy of the lar ge -hearted, liberal-minded men engaged therein; fitly representing, as they did, the cosmo- politan character and enlightened spirit which so greatly abounds among the best religious thinkers here. To the Universalists of the Union Parish, which had called Doctor Rextord to this new field of labor, the services were specially significant, as foreshadowing the broad and gener- ots inanner mn which their work is to be advanced, and mdicating the liberal spirit which is moulding the civiliza- tion, and directing the Christian activities of the present age. Pastor lev. Elkan ation Emanuel, ot this city : Order of Erervises. ORGAN VOLUNTARY. CHOIR. CHANT, I x Rev, Tuos. LL. Evvorr, (Unitarian. NVOCATION 1 m NT ’ 1 3 o praise Thee for Thy Our Father, who art in heaven. We praise I'l or Th i indness that has brought us with joy and gladness t« loving kindness that has broug Boks to this hour For all Thy mercies brooding over us and a ! i Thee reatest for ound us, we give thanks to Thee. Thou create world apound 18, we 8 Thy fatherly love over us all, us most brotherly fellowships by Thy fatherly love or wall nd in i 7 spirit be present in all our and in this evening time may Thy spirit be pimsent 3 Y on « Fam . ed i” ] hearts. May all these services tend to our spiritua up] : 8. RT » with this people an ing in all grace and beauty of life. Be with this people ¢ y 3 1 . he al We 7 with these, Thy servants, who in this hour shall in oy Y | | , 3 J v on 0 S a utter words of life and blessing and strength. Be with o — Amen. evermore, in life and death, and in the immortality : ’ S E READING Rev. Evxax Cony, D. D., (Hebrew.) ScrIPTURE READING, : PSALM CXLVIL it is g 1 alses unto our Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing pra Aralee 19 ay, Grod ; for it is pleasant ; and praise is comely I The Lord doth build up Jerusalem : he gathereth tog xd : srael. the outcasts of Isra a He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their we ae He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. ) Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. - ; The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground. 5) Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving : the harp unto our God : Who covereth the heaven with clouds, for the earth, who make He giveth to the he which ery. sing praise upon who prepareth rain th grass to grow upon the mountains. ast his food, and to the young ravens He delighteth not in the strength ot the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fe that hope in his mercy, Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem : praise thy (tod, O Zion. For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee. He maketh peace in thy borders finest of the wheat. He sendeth forth his commandment runneth very swiftly. ar him, in those , and filleth thee with the upon earth: his word He giveth snow like wool i he scattereth tl 1c hoar frost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like mor sels: who can stand’ before his cold ? He sendeth out his word, and melteth the wind to blow, and the wate He showeth his word unto judgements unto Isracl. He hath not dealt so with any nation : and ments, they have not known them. m : he causeth his. rs flow Jacob, his statutes and his as for his judge- Praise ye the Lord. Prayer, Rev. J. N. Parker, Universalist.) Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, may Thy kingdom come, and may Thy will be done in the hearts ot Thy children here upon the earth, as it is done in Heaven above, We, Thy dependent children, the objects of Thy love, the creatures of Thy care and never failing protec- tion, would desire to draw nigh unto Thee at this hour, and humble ourselves before Thee in the attitude of worshippers, We thank Thee for all the testimonies of Thy love and (6) j s fr he morning goodness which Thou hast bestowed upon us from the g of our existence unto the present moment. ur pie We thank Thee that Thou didst speak unto 1e y 2 7 Tests Anes oan of men in days of old by prophets, priests and x z ba sti se latter days, spoken to us by Thy Se that Thou hast in these latter days, spok ay ty Chri T hast appointed heir of a Os. Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast apy » of i tins We "Sc a s hopes We thank Thee for the Gospel of Thy Se a . : pe ly do we pray that the truths of the 1 joys, and devoutly do we pray and joys, and devoutly LE pel t in : s hearts; may they g ol may find a lodgement in all our hearts; 3 Gospel may find a Jodg hear yyy : ami p ion to na from heart to heart, from family to family, fo ot i i ang ©til the kingdoms of this 1 rom k ym to kingdom, unt : tion, and from kingdc gdc he Kingdon of th world shall become in word and deed the kingdoms ord and Master. I ,. T tod, for the privilege we are permitted We thank Thee, O God, for the | a Se pertite is joyf :casion ; that we hi to enjoy of meeting on this joyful oc asion ok | sermitted to assemble for the purpose of inducting : evant, beloved b th Pastor of this into the office of Pastor erval + beloved brother, into the o servant, our belove a 1 ay Thy blessing descend richly rch cociety. May Thy ssing 4 church and societ) ; A t upon him. Be Thou with him and bless him ‘ Ho | y 1 * QO r rclonnl lal | 1 toils for the upbuilding of the cause and kingdo PE or | "oh im strength and wis- ot the Redeemer upon the earth ; give hin strong ne | | ] 3 Del} s befor s people, with the ‘om abov come before this p , dom from above to 151 hs Wh the fe 1st, leading them of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ, Jo iy pom In te Q 11 Ye av es of righteousness, where they ma) green pastures of righteousne s where II he their souls, and beside the flowing stream ot Se : el | 1 re forever. rel ist, ¢ rst no more fc av slake their thirst, and thi they may slake the more to G ay Thee, O God, that Thy blessing may re or v they labor and strive upon both pastor and people, and may "i : or wad sive 1s "that truth in the hearts - for the establishment of th s of together for the es : Sle h i ich shall bring them to know ‘Lhee ) Thy children which shall bring t nb Res of how is life eternal. May ¢ se | Son, whom to know is life eters g andl ps ah sent occasion be sanctified and blesse go hore d. and when Thou shalt have done all who are here assembled, an ee i self wi s here upon t arth, ) serving Thyself with us here uj the earthy We her 5. with a world redeemed, and croy ; hs a * which we ask in the Redeemer’s Thy kingdom above, all of which we as J S name—Amen. RESPONSE BY THE (CHOIR. =~ i) ( (CONGREGATION, O Lord of life, and truth, and grace, Ere nature was begun ! Make welcome to our erring race Thy Spirit and thy Son. We hail the church, built high o'er all The heathens’ rage and scoff ; Thy Providence its fenced wall,— “The Lamb the light thereof.” Thy Christ hath reached his heavenly seat, Through sorrow and through scars ; The golden lamps are at his feet, And in his hand the stars. O, may he walk among us here ; With his rebuke and love,— A brightness o’er this lower sphere, A ray from worlds above. SERMON, . : Rev. W. E. Tass, (Congregationalist.) 1st THE SSALONIANS, 5th Chapter, 21st Vers “pP i : apter, 21st Verse.—¢ Prope all things fast that which is good.’ rove all things; hold The theme which I draw from these words and which I would discuss this evening, is Eclecticism—the only true principle of Christian Theology. Seek after the good in every creed and land. Accept nothing without evidence, and cling tenaciously to what you have proved to be true. Use your intellect in religion as elsewhere. Prove all things ; not some things, but all—and then be neither coaxed nor bribed nor driven from your faith. ive for it, aye, even die for it, if need be. At no time shut your eyes to new light—Dbut with open eyes and open mind and heart, go forward welcom- ing the new truth, but not forsaking the old. By Eclecticism in Theology I mean, of course, the prin- ciple of critical selection of doctrines under the guidance of right reason. The greatest of E nglish dramatists, in King Henry V., expressed a vital truth when he said, there is some soul of goodness in things evil would men observingly distil it out ;” and, indeed, underlying even the most offensive dogmas you may detect “a soul of good.” (8) A delightful friend of mine once said to me, “ Why, sir, 1 can see something handsome in every face, even the most homely, because I seek for it.” 1 fancy she would have been compelled to seck a long time in some cases; and yet her heart was right. Since surely it is wiser to seek for beauty than for its opposite, and, too, is it not vastly wiser in theol- ogy for us like her to seek in our neighbors’ creeds the true and the beautiful rather than the reverse? You have, doubt- less, noticed that what we seek for in this world we often, if not always, find. In the discussion of this principle, this evening, it is my purpose to give it a double application—first, to our sacred books, and then to our less sacred sects. Eclecticism requires us to search the Scriptures, to prove or test all things that are there, and to hold fast to that which 1s good. Our Scriptures are not one book, but many books, written by some forty different writers, living in various periods of history, a space of perhaps fifteen far] years, covering the time from the writing of Genesis to the date of Revelation. These books were written by good men ; “holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, ” the same Holy Ghost that still moves you and me, and all men to do all the good we ever perform. In my humble opinion it was the writers who were in- spired, rather than the writings ; and, therefore, we notice in the various books of the Bible so marked a diversity not only of style, but also of thought. An inspired idiot is not, with- out a miracle, able to rise to the intellectual elevation of an uninspired man of genius. A weak man, though inspired, is not able to soar .so high as a richly gifted mind; just as a shallow intellect, though favored with the most thorough education, can never in the race for this world’s prizes compete with an uneducated man of eminent native abilities ; or just as a barren field, however patiently tilled, can never yield so luxuriantly as that fertile soil which laughs with a harvest, when tickled with a hoe. I beg your attention to this thought—it was the writers of the Bible who were inspired, rather than the writings; and 9) therefore we should naturally expect that doctrinal, ethical, historical and scientific imperfection in the record which has so frequently been criticised. This imperfection is human. It is the truth of theBible that is divine ; the forms of speech in which that truth is contained, must be admitted to be human, and, therefore, imperfect. For lack of recognizing this vital distinction, good men have passed on into all the sad errors aud mischiet and manifold evil of gross literalism. I do most earnestly and solemnly submit that literalism is to-day working the cause of religion a vast detriment, and I was not at all sur- prised, but delighted, when the distinguished Dr. Christlich, at the late meeting of the Evangelical Alliance, boldy declared that our theories and definitions of inspiration require a thorough revision. We are to consider, also, that whilst it was the writers who were inspired, rather than the writings, these same writers were not all equally inspired—that is, there were and are degrees of inspiration. No one can successfully maintain that Solomon’s sensuous song is the fruit of as full an inspira- tion as the pure spiritual breathings of the 51st Psalm, or that the writers of the Old Testament enjoyed as abundant an afflatus as the seraphic John, or the consecrated Paul. Jesus is sald to have had the Spirit without measure, an overflow of the divine lite. Not so others, who like us, in various degrees, because of various capacity, enjoyed the influx of that light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. To teach that all Scripture is equally inspired, only tends to discredit the whole mass of revelations. Every Saint has his favorite Bible author, and his favorite Bible passage, and is practically an Eclectic. Go to the sick room of a suffering child of God, and you shall there find a well-worn Bible ; but one page, perhaps, worn far beyond all the rest. Ah! could that tear moistened page but speak, what a story it would tell of moments of penitence, hours of resolution, days of sweet peace, and trust and hope; a Psalm, perhaps, some of John’s loving, tender words; or a triumphant cry leaping from the fiery soul of that mighty man of Tarsus; no matter, the hungry soul knows where to turn for the bread (10) of life, and the water of life ; knows the particular book, and page, and verse, where the divine mind breathes comfort and consolation. So, however much a certain school of theolo- glans may oppose this principle of Ielecticism, it is the principle that is actually employed—even by its very oppo- nents. I know that it is objected that if we allow discrimination of this kind to be made, the whole Bible is in danger of being set aside ; but this objection has less force than is imagined ; for the truth in the Bible is vital, self-evidencing, and everlast- ing. In both nature and revelation, we can tell when it is cloudy or when the sun is shining. Ye timid souls! have no fear for the absolute truth that can never die; only cease striving to make men believe that the shifting clouds are really the eternal sunlight. Honestly admit that there are both a human and a divine element in Scripture, and God’s cause on carth shall thereby be not the loser but the gainer I pass now to the application of this principle of Eclecti- cism to the jarring sects of Christendom. If there is good to be sought and to be found in each book of the Bible, not less is it true that good may be found in each denomination of Christians, and to look a little while at the virtues of our neighbors may be agreeable, at least, by way of variety. - First of all, then, there is the venerable Catholic Church, mother of us all, and surely a true and wise Eclecticism can not refuse to mark and heartily commend, at least, the sesthetic element of her public worship. With Michael Angelo to poise in mid air St. Peter’s peerless dome, and Raphael to spread on canvas the marvelous colors of the Transfiguration, and Haydn to translate into a matchless oratorio the sublime story of Creation, and Dante to write in immortal verse his visions of the unseen realm, this ancient church has ever been trite to art as the minister of devotion ; and architecture, painting, music and literature, have from an early day found in this venerable communion a faithful patron. Until re- cently Protestantism, on the other hand, has slighted and discarded the beautiful as an adjunct of religion—but in so doing has missed the cooperation of one of the most vital elements of the human soul. To build uncouth meeting- (11) arn houses, and sing harsh harmonies, and listen to long sermons, was part of the religion of our fathers; they scorned the Crom as an architectural ornament. These fair flowers would have beeen flung from a Puritan chapel as a vain and Popish intru- sion ; and instrumental music—is it not still in some places regarded as a device of the devil > Not long since, in an East - ern city, as I stood beneath the high arches of a Catholic Cathedral, saw here and there upon. the walls rich paintings memorial of Christian history ; saw costly altars bathed be softest tints descending from elaborate windows ; listened to the sweet and solemn notes of a massive organ, whose tones now sighed in cords fit for a miserere, and now pealed in strains fit for a Te Deum, I confess that I feit the power of art as the minister of devotion, and more than ever betore, was ready to own the mistake of Protestantism in her long and vain effort to divorce the beautiful and the good ; and was ready to see the wisdom of the Greeks in using the same word for the beautiful and the good. Let our temples, then, be worthy of their great divinity ; and let our worship refuse 10 appropriate offering of either taste or imagination ; for great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised. I will praise din with my whole heart, with all my powers—unot part of them. What I have here said of the Cathclic applies equally to the Episcopal Church. To go now to the very opposite of the Catholic communion, a true Belecticism will learn a valuable lesson from the unde- monstrative Friend or Quaker, who seeks the still hour and quietly listens for the faintest whispers of that holy inward divine voice ; and well were it for us all, did we more faith- fully and more frequently enter the inner closet, shut the door and harken to the heavenly oracle. It is because the Friends cultivate this deep spiritual religion of communion with an indwelling God, that they stand so exceptionally high in point of morals, and their very faces, like that of Moses, so often shine with the radiance of that light which falls not on land or sea. Oh! in this noisy, bustling life of ours, say, do we not all need the inspiration and the nurture of the still hour, the peace of Grod that passeth all understanding. But, again, a wise Kclecticism cannot afford to ignore or (12) despise the importance of the emotional as illustrated in the marvelous carcer and glorious triumphs of our Methodist brethren. A religion writs emotion is not the religion of either the Old Testament or the New. Read David's pathetic pages, with their wails of woe and their peans of praise ; or Isaiah’s raptured visions, with their undertone of warm, Pow - ing sensibility ; or Jesus’ burning words of spirit and life ; Paul’s tumultuous apostrophes ; or the hymns of the ages, Tee have gushed full and free from breaking or exulting human hearts, only to be taken up by faith and hope and chanted down the centuries—and admit, that true religion appeals not to the cold intellect alone, but as well to the needy and struggling heart. Professor Tyndall was right, in his late able address, when he said, “1 would set forth equally the inexorable advance ot man’s understanding in the path of knowledge, and the unquenchable claims of his emotional nature which the understanding can never satisfy.” Said David—¢ as the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” Religion is largely in our feelings ; and our Methodist brethren have gained their wide dominion over the masses by their constant and faithful recognition of the emotional as a factor in ali aggressive or actual piety. Neither can we afford to despise the stern theology of the Calvinistic creeds, as held by our Presbyterian and Baptist brethren. There is a solemn and massive truth underlying the entire Calivinistic scheme. That truth is the twofold conception of our own moral guilt and the absolute sovereignty and imma- culate holiness of Almighty God, who is “over all, through ali, and in you all ’—Creator, Moral Governor, Judge. This uni- verse is His; He reigns ; He rules ; and He holds your destiny and mine in His hands. ¢ Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, amen.” This principle of Calvinism, assertive of our insignificance and incompleteness in comparison with the infinite majesty and perfection, should never be ab- sent from any pulpit or any piety ; for amid lite’s disappoint- ments, delusions and cares, amid its mysteries and sorrows, surely there is solid comfort in the thought that a great, (13) responsible mind presides over all, and shall yet brine order out of seeming chaos, and light out of real darkness. « The Lod reigneth, let the earth rejoice.” oo But if clecticism may find in the so-called Orthodox de- nominations much to commend, has not the time arrived when the same may be said of the so-called liberal denne tions. What do we owe to our Universalist brethren, if not a brave and faithful assertion of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of the race, as illustrated in the divine mission of the Son of God—at once God's own Son—and our own brother. Only one hundred years ago, and a very large section of Christendom had no Heavenly father. The God who was then preached was, in too many cases, simply dread- ful, with a fixed frown upon his awful brow, and a scource within his omnipotent, unsparing grasp. Read the Mlogeephics of New England saints of only one century ago and yon shall see the writhings ot’ the human soul without any just coneep- tion of the divine Fatherhood. The mission of the Universalist denomination has been to emphasize, as against a too literal orthodoxy, the glorious discovery of God as the Eternal Father of all men, aye, of even wicked men; for, as said Jesus, if vo then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven vive good things to them that ask him?” Here is a distinct inpli- cation of God as a universal Father of both the evil and the good a truth not yet fully recognized by orthodox theolo- olans. To have seen and felt and proclaimed in the face of opposi awe pposi- tion, this sweet and blessed doctrine, is the peculiar praise of those who are called Universalists, but who should more strictly be termed Restorationists; for in our day, I am sure that every intelligent Universalist isa believer in the continu- ity of our mental life and moral state. The Restorationist then, has a cheering gospel when he breathes into despairing souls the double message of a Father over all, and a final vic- tory of good over evil, this victory being, to my mind, the manifest and glorious preponderance of good, under a law of development of God’s spiritual kingdom. And wherever a Theology of despair shall lift up the terror of a God who is (14) no universal Father, and of a future where evil shall triumph over ood, there I hope and pray a humane Liberalism may, for God's sake, and for Christ's sake, and for this weary world’s sake, boldly arise and challenge this terror and strip it of its weapons of destruction. As a reaction from the theology of the cighteenth century, Universalism was only a necessary, natural and proper consequence ; until now, in well nigh all our pulpits, terror is so giving way to love, that, in fact, we all need the proffered aid of modern science to reassure us of the cer- tain nexus of transgression and penalty. So we tend to extremes; but as an eternal truth to be more or less empha- sized according to human needs, we hail the doctrine of a Universal Father and a Christ, whose cross was the center of a circumference of love wide enough, and warm enongh, to embrace every act and scene in the drama of human history. And, again, our Unitarian brethren have richly deserved a generous share of the high honor of laboring to restore de- throned, outcast and exiled reason to her rightful seat as a queen in the empire of religion. The reformed Hebrews, who are so well represented here to- night, should share this honor accorded our Unitarian brethren. «If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her cunning.” As a Christian man I am a debtor to the Jew for historic names that are immortal, for a literature that has swayed the ages, and for a Saviour that has broken down the middle wall of partition between us. Time was when it was the prevailing fashion of theologians to denounce reason as totally depraved, and, therefore, unfit to offer an opinion touching either Bible or church ; so all (questions, even of science, must be settled by the letter of some book of the Scriptures, and it would be amusing—if it were not so sad—the spectacle of theologians of the seven- teenth century hunting for a passage of Scripture to prove that the Copernican system is both false and wicked : because, forsooth, contrary to the letter of our sacred writings. Au- thority has ruled Christendom—now the authority of an infallible book, and now the authority of an infallible church, and the poor discredited human intellect, meantime, has sat meckly waiting for permission to think; until at length our (15) Unitarian friends, with others able no longer to remain pas- sive, began to think vigorously aud to ask a great many alarm- ing questions. Reason was sick and in prison, and they visited her; she was hungry, they gave her meat ; thirsty, they gave her drink: a stranger, they took her in ; naked, they clothed her. Her prison doors, they flung wide open, and aid “ come forth ;” and now she walks the earth emancipated, crowned, sceptered, triumphant and applauded by rejoicing millions ; not the enemy, but the friend of religion. Bigots define Unitarianism as hostility to Jesus; but how false is this definition. Hostile to Jesus they are not. De- nying that there are three Gods, they yet stand before the Christ of history, with uncovered brow, reverent heart and receptive soul. Upon his modest head they lay a crown upon which are recorded these immortal words—¢ King of Men.” That broken and wounded form of His they hold forever sacred. Al, were he living now, right sure am I that such men as James Freeman Clarke, and Edmund Sears, and Chand- ler Robbins, and Rufus Ellis, and E. E. Hale, would be among the first to recognize his royalty, and the last to forsake him in his ministry of salvation. They would follow him, and that not like Peter afar off, since in tact they are actually fol- lowing him to-day, walking in his radiant footsteps, reproduc- ing his divine spirit. Would to God you and I served Christ with but half the fidelity of some who are rejected only because of a tabooed name. } Read the late message from the Unitarian Conference to the Congregational Council. Mark the Christian spirit ot that message. Note the deep and general regret which Congregation- alists feel and express that the Unitarian Committee failed to be personally present —and then confess with me that a new era is upon us— the era of broad charity and of divine hope. When Unitarians speak of Jesus as our common Lord,” and when Congregationalists stretch forth longing hands to greet those honored brethren ; when both yearn for that unity of which this Committee so touchingly speaks, ah, my friends, let us sieze the cord and ring the golden bell of universal Christian fraternity. (16) ¢ Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring out the false, ring in the true, Ring out the darkness of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be.” I should be doing injustice to my own personal convictions it 1 should now conceal my firm persuasion that the Unitari- anism of New England has already contributed to a marked and benignant modification, in both the theology and the for- mulated creeds of my own denomination. A true Eclecticism cannot then afford to ignore reason in religion. In this hurried review of some of the various denominations of Christendom, we have noted as features worthy of univer- sal approval the ministry of art, the illumination of the spirit, the validity of the emotional element, the sovereignty of the divine mind, the universal fatherhood and the right of human reason to a supreme seat in the temple of religion. Now see all this illustrated in the wonderful life of our « common Lord,” whose soul was open to all that was beautiful in nature. The bloom of the lily gladdening his eye and en- riching his speech. Who was filled with the spirit, who was not ashamed to weep at the tomb of a friend and brother ; who prayed to the divine mind as the righteous and sovereign ruler; who ever addressed that mind by the endearing term of Father, and who in his methods of thought and conversation never once sought to cast discredit upon man’s intellectual powers. In a word, He was a symmetrical soul—a complete, well- rounded life ; whilst we, on the other hand, tend to narrow- nesss, to developement upon a single line, to exclusiveness and bigotry. He was the truth; we a truth. But the principle we are now considering, points us to those segments of truth found in others, and bids us seek for truth even amid our foes; and appropriate it as the very food and life of our needy souls. « Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Friends, it may be only a fond dream; but surely, amid all the strifes of sect and party, we can at times see something to indicate the dawn of a day when there shall be upon our (17) earth only one Holy Catholic Church, whose creed shall be the absolute truth, and whose spirit shall be one of selt-gov- ernment, as the characteristic of our interior life and divine love, as the characteristic of all our treatment of others. For the hastening of that glad day may this Church, with all our other churches, both labor and pray. Let no more energy be wasted in vain debate, but let all our energy be ex- pended in redeeming this wide world from its sins and sorrows. There 1s a great work to be done-—how great God only can measure. Intemperance and oppresson; fraud and violence; atheism and profanity ; irreverence and superstition ; ignor- ence and fanaticism ; insubordination and murder ; licenti- tousness and dishonesty; falsehood and ill will ; these consti- tute the grand divisions of that vast army of evil, which all good men are summoned to resist. There is a kingdom of darkness, and be it ours to join the opposing force with Christ as our leader and commander. From God’s army I should not dare exclude one single volunteer. Hail and welcome all who are on the Lord’s side. In San Francisco to-day a great battle is going forward, and wrong, is bold, aggressive, inso- lent, if not triumphant. Vice is armed and defiant ; corrup- tion is intrenched in high places; and the very ministers of law are too often false to truth and justice. The part this society has borne against intemperance has been conspicuous. Then, ever, my friends, thus side with God; and no matter if, bigots count you aliens, 1 tell you all liberal souls of every name will hail you as no more strangers and foreigners, but tellow-citizens, with the saints and of the household of God. His kingdom shall yet triumph ; “and I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying—hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth—Amen and Amen.” CHANT, . . . i . . i . . . CHOIR. INsTALLATION PRAYER, . . Rev. L. Hamivron, (Presbyterian.) Our Father, who art in heaven, we thank Thee for this occasion, and for the promise it gives, and the hopes with which it looks into the future. In the good Providence with which (18) Thou dost watch over all thy children, Thou hast called thy servant to be the under-shepherd of the great Pastor over the flock gathered here to accept thy gift. We now in these sol- emn public formalities ratify this dear relation between pastor and people. We earnestly pray for thy blessing upon then in it, and that Thou wilt give them abundant fraitfulness in spiritual life and all good works. Enrich thy servant with all the graces of truth and of thy Holy Spirit, that having freely received, he may freely give forth the treasures of the Gospel to others. May he, first of all, be a true man, bearing into every worldly relation the spirit of’ honor, honesty and human kindness, inspiring confidence and winning esteem hy those manly virtues which ever command the respect of all. May his power go forth into society for good. May his influence fall in blessing upon every social interest, inspiring men with purer and loftier principles of action, chastening evil tempers, repressing bad customs, infusing vigor into every true re- form, giving new cheer and courage to every worker for the bettering of our human condition, ever aiding in the enlight- enment of the ignorant, the strengthening of the tempted, the rescue of those who are ready to perish. May his influence, also, enter deeply into the Zomes of his people, bearing sweet- ness and light into the family, that truest type of heaven on earth, sanctifying domestic affection, turning the hearts of parents to their children, and of children to their parents, and binding the whole household together in that dear unity which is fraught with the richest blessings of our earthly estate. And. O Thou Infinite Love, may Thy special grace and blessing be upon him in his ministerings to this Church and Congrega- tion. May he live in communion with Thee, the fountain of truth and life. May his public words be full of divine in- spiration. May he be faithful in his warnings to those whose evil ways shall imperil their own life, patient with the erring, tender to the weak, earnest to all. May he visit the sick with counsel of cheer and strength. May he comfort the mourners, strengthening weak hands, lifting up the depressed, soothing bruised hearts, teaching the weary where to find rest. May he move among his pecple as a light of heaven, radiant with the warmth of the Divire Heart. Like the great Master, may he (19) incarnate in himself the Infinite Love before the eyes and to the hearts of men. © may he be able to so draw this Church and people together, in the unity of sympathy and labor, for all the interests of life and the welfare of souls, that they shall be a blessed power of salvation in this city where they do their work. And may Thy sanction rest ever upon the rela- tion here and now constituted. May Thy guidance go before pastor and people, in pillar of cloud by day, or fire by night. May Thy light shine along all their pathway on earth until it shall merge into the perfect day of the heavenly life. And we will ascribe all glory to Thy great name forevermore ——Amen. RECITATIVE AND ARIA— “72 Native Worth,” . MR. ALFRED WILKIE [fHARGE AND RigaT-ftan © FELLOWSHIP, REV. HORATIO STEBBINS, D. D. Tt is my duty, My Dear Sir, in the order of this occasions to give you some hints, suggestions, counsels and reminder pertaining to this business, that may serve to refresh your understanding concerning things which you already understand, it may be, but which are good to be said and good to be heard over and over again. Let me begin with the things that are natural, and come by degrees to the things that are spiritual. First of all, in coming here, you have moved to consider- able distance from your former field of labor, and you are surrounded by somewhat new conditions of nature, climate and society. The peculiarity of the scenery, from horizon to horizon, must have impressed you ; huge always, often grand, sometimes sublime, rarely beautiful. The year is divided into wet and dry-—Spring begins in December, and Autumn begins in June—W inter is in the Summer, and Summer js in the Winter. Trees shed their bark, and squirrels live in the ground. There is no autumnal glory, and no wintry terror, but quiet monotone of genial, indulgent days. Manners and customs show a peculiar mixture of the indigenous and the exotic, (20) with a mild tinge of provincial jealousy. The man of wide experience, either of thought or travel, discerns that we are yet, in spite of all modern improvements, at some distance away. There are many things here, that are anomalous, at least according to any known law—men buy and sell by weight, but “make change” only within three or four cents! a singular combination of accuracy and indifference. The currency of the United States, has never got into the pockets of the people, yet California and Massachusetts are the only States that have continued through all financial demoraliza- tion to pay their own debts in gold. An eastern man, with his home experience, coming here, loses the points of the compass, the seasons of the year, and takes cold in July. There have been more snap judgments, wise guesses, I-said-so’s, and grand panaceas made on California, than would be required to set the world right, inaugurate free trade, liberate Ireland, heal the schism in the Buddhist Church, if they had the least bit of sense in them. The truth is, men and things here, the country and society, cannot be wisely estimated by the whim of a casual visitor, nor by any would-be-philosophic judg- ment. There is a tradition of that most interesting man, Thomas Starr King, that he said, that when he had been here three months, he thought he knew all about California, but when he had been here three years, he.concluded that he knew nothing about it. Therefore, I would advise you not to make up your mind about this country now. You can be doing something else, while your opinions are growing. I congratulate you, and I congratulate this people, that you have come here quietly, as a man of good sense, without any blest of trumpets going before you. We have heard nothing of your power “to draw,” nothing of your keeping fast horses, or of your being a good shot. In the wise and happy tenden- cy of our time, to make the minister more human and more accessible, that is, more popular in a good sense, there is a passion to throw in light weights, qualities that have no normal relation with a strong, firm and deep character. There are a great many things, that are all well enough, yet if a man takes to them strongly, he had better not be in this (21) business. You are happy in having no factitious reputation, and I trust that you have got sense enough never to have any. Be a man of the world; appreciate the world, and sympa- thize with it. But do not run into the mistake of supposing that any amount of outward activity can take the place of inward momentum. If you go about your work here, with a devout and firm purpose, you will find those around you who belong to you by natural affinity of mind. And here 1 admonish you, not to go outside your own proper nature and character, but to do the thing that belongs to you. Do not allow yourself to be exploited, or to take up any scheme, or to practice any dodge, for the manufacture of a reputation. If the people have any disposition that way, as good people sometimes do, manage 1t as carefully as you can, and keep about your business. Do a good square work day by day, and by and by you will be respected, and yet a little, and you will be beloved. While you go wherever your presence is re- quired, for the discharge ot religious offices, or the expression of human sympathies, beware of running into what is called sociability ; an idle lounging habit of mind that consumes time, and would consume eternity, and accomplishes nothing. Study, reflect, think. Write your sermons carefully, medita- tively, and offer no considerations to others that do not satisfy your own mind. You believe in moral causes, but do not be looking around you to see their effects. A man knows very little about the good he is doing ; go on. The days of religious controversy are somewhat over, and a better spirit among religious sects is quite manifest. Some run into silly platitudes over it, and make religion a mere saccharine sentimentality. I know not which is most to be deplored, the firm, hard, old sectarian, or the flimsy sentimen- talist, who looks upon all opinions, as equally true, and thinks the kingdom of God is coming by obliterating the lines of human thought. Preserve your intellectual boundaries, but let the sun shine over the fence. You are a Universalist. You know the history of that doctrine from Origen to our day ; it is rooted in Calvinism. But what a modification of thought! Cherish that love of truth, which will allow the (22) modifications of experience, and lead you on into larger knowledge, and make you a liberal, indeed, capable of appre- ciating the many-sided nature of truth, and capable of un- derstanding and honoring those from whom you dissent. Toleration is simple good manners and plain ethics. It is giving to others what you ask for yourself. Liberality is a divine grace that includes the truth, as the beautiful includes the good. Toleration is a duty ; liberality is an ability. A few of us, of different name and tradition, have come here this evening to assure you of our cordial good will, and to install youn with simple religious formalities as the minis- ter of this people. In doing so, we express our interest in Christian teaching and work, and our personal regard for your welfare and usefulness. In token of all this, I give you my right hand. ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE, . . Rev. Tuos. Evviorr, ( Unitarian.) In the Address to the People, Mr. Eliot said in substance : That all men agree to manage and advise others by common sense, but conducted their own affairs by the sense of their particular calling. The seaman could advise a doctor by common sense, but knew very well when it came to sailing a ship, that it took sailor sense. He wished some noble, self- sacrificing layman were here on the platform in his place; one who had exemplified in his whole life, the duty of a church people, toward each other and their minister. When a minister undertakes to tell you what to do, he is apt to make only a special plea for his own cratt. In your treatment of your minister there is first of all, to be observed the great commonplace duty of Justice. He does not ask peculiar favor, or a special law of judgement, but he is a man among men, and there is a simple justice, but a broad and well understood one which he looks for, and which you will gladly give. It embraces not only business matters; it takes in all which make up the day’s or year’s work. Remem- ber that you have duties as well as he, and that he has rights as well as you. But we do not stop in this sacred relation with cold justice. Give your minister sympathy. He nceds it ; you can scarcely ( “0 (¥3) tell what help and encouragement your sympathy, felt and expressed will give. Even a child can thus help on the patient toiler, the loving word of a faithful man or woman is an in- spiration. In the third place, a people should not forget the words, for the works’ sake.” Man was not made for the church, but the church for Man. Minister and people are not selfish recipients or exchangers, they live and labor for Humanity. That Hu- manity’s needs and woes, are the cause of the church's ex- istence. In the life of the church we should call this great fact often to mind ; we are not standing for ourselves, we are Christ’s hands and feet to succor a world. This church has the unspeakable privilege of proclaiming (rod’s sweet and holy love to mankind. I have heard that it was sald of Dante, there goes the man who has been in hell It was a tribute to his terrible, earnest convictions, which wrote themselves in every look. May it be said of you, as you walk these strests and labor, and suffer and live, *‘ there go men and women who have seen, and been in heaven.” Rev. CHAUNCEY PARK, (Presbyterian,) read the following Hymn which was sung by the Choir and Congregation. Rise, crowned with light, imperial Salem, rise! Exalt thy towering head, and lift thine eyes! See heaven its sparkling portals wide display, And break upon thee in a flood of day ! See a long race thy spacious courts adorn, See future sons and daughters yet unborn, In crowding ranks on every side arise, Demanding life, impatient for the skies! See barbarous nations at thy gates attend, Walk in thy light, and in thy temple bend ! See thy bright altars thronged with prostrate kings, While every land its joyous tribute brings. The seas shall waste, the skies to smoke decay, Rocks fall to dust, mountains melt away ; But fixed his words, his saving power remains ; Thy realm shall last, thy own Messiah reigns! BeENEDICTION, . . . Rev. E. L. Rexrorp, Pastor. (24) END OF REEL. PLEASE REWIND.