PASTOR ORDAINED. 
(Continued from Page 1.) 
if not the youngest, minister ever or- 
dained in Manchester. Only a few 
months ago had he reached the age— 
21—when he could be ordained. 
The exercises were largely attended 
by members of the church and friends, 
despite the fact several other events 
kept many away. The rostrum of 
the church was decorated with flow- 
ess, a large cross of flowers standing 
in the rear, and a large arch of green 
and white reaching from one side of 
the platform, in the rear, to the other. 
Fred K. Swett sang with pleasing 
effect after the invocation, and the 
congregation sang ‘‘ Coronation.” 
Rev. J. L. Campbell, D.D., of Cam- 
bridge, former pastor of the Lexington 
Avenue Baptist church of New York 
city, preached the ordination sermon. 
A striking coincidence in this connec- 
tion is the fact that Mr. Brewster 
attended Dr. Campbell’s church in 
New York, was converted under him 
and was baptized and accepted into 
membership of the church by him. 
“Two Tests Applied to Christian- 
ity’’ was the the subject selected by 
Dr. Campbell, and his text was from 
John 4:42 —“ Now we believe, not 
because of thy saying, for we have 
heard him ourselves, and know that 
this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour 
of the world.” 
“Can we know with any degree of 
certainly that the Bible is of God, and 
that its teachings are absolutely and 
unquestionably divine?”’ interrogated 
Dr. Cambell in opening the subject. 
“ Other nations have had their relig- 
ions; how can we know that the 
religion of Jesus is the only one that 
has come from above ? Other religions 
have had their sacred books, too ; how 
can we tell that this book alone con- 
tains God’s special message addressed 
to a sinful world? 
“We believe because of the testi- 
mony of others, and we believe because 
we ourselves have experienced. But 
how can I be sure that any of these 
events the Bible tells us about ever 
occurred? All] the alleged witnesses 
have been dead and buried for eigh- 
teen centuries. Might-not his disci- 
ples be deceived or deceivers? Oh, if 
I had only been there myself! 
“ But let me say that the age of 
Christ was not a dark, but an en- 
lightened one ; Rome was in the very 
zenith of her intellectual and material 
splendor. Palestine, too, abounded 
with schools of learning. 
“Instead of being credulous, it was 
a period of doubt and disbelief and 
widespread scepticism. Philosophy 
had destroyed faith in heathen divin- 
ities. Belief had gone. 
“The disciples could not be de- 
ceived, for they had seen Jesus often 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
21 
after his resurrection. They could 
not be deceivers, for they had every- 
thing to lose and nothing to gain by 
their avowal. 
“We are in a better position to 
judge of the truth of Christianity to- 
day than had we lived in Palestine in 
the time of Christ. You may occupy 
a place so close to a painting that the 
picture will be blurred. You must 
stand back a certain distance. I un- 
derstand the Reformation now far 
Sabbath, and let 50 years go by, so 
that the influence of Christian teach- 
ing may ina measure disappear, and 
you may not need to go to the future 
to find a hell. You would have it 
right kere in Boston. 
“* Personaly. experience, Hf you 
want to know for yourself about the 
truth of anything, no matter what, 
then the preceding condition must be 
supplied, and only then can you ascer- 
tain. Christianity occupies precisely 
REVee be oe, DIKSEN SDs Dx 
Of Gloucester, who presided at the Ordination Exercises in Manchester, Tuesday. 
better than if I had lived among the 
excitements and confusions of that 
disturbed period. 
‘‘We have a great advantage over 
those who lived on earth when Christ 
appeared among men. We know what 
Christianity has done for the worid. 
We know what it is doing now. It 
has blotted out nameless sins, banished 
human slavery, exalted womanhood, 
ennobled childhood, dried up earth’s 
sorrows and sent millions singing home 
to glory. 
“We speak of the miracles which 
Christ wrought while on earth; but 
mightier marvels are being accom- 
plished by Christ every day. Banish 
the religion of the Bible from the 
land, close our churches, extinguish 
our altar fires, scatter our Sunday 
schools, do away with the Christian 
that same scientific ground. Supply 
the conditions and you will know. 
Repent of your sins and renounce 
them. Cast them off and become 
dead to them. Accept the Lord Jesus 
as your all-sufficient Saviour, and then 
you will ascertain in your own deepest 
consciousness that Christianity is di- 
vine. The human heart, in its deep- 
est longings, hungers after the living 
God, and he alone can satisfy. 
«“ Ah, friends, put out the light of 
history and history will repeat itself 
and rise and write itself anew. Put 
out the light of discovery; other 
Columbuses will come, and the hidden 
continents and the unknown islands 
will emerge from the trackless waves. 
Put out the light of civilization: that 
has been frequently done, and a better 
has arisen upon the ruins of the old. 
