PARIS, 14th SEPT. 1864.

REV. AND DEAR SIR,

At a meeting of the Vestry of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Paris, held on the 12th inst., it was, on motion, unanimously resolved:--

"That the thanks of the Vestry be tendered to the Rev. Dr. Morgan, for the able and appropriate Sermon delivered by him, by official appointment, at the Consecration of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Paris, on the 12th inst., and that he be respectfully requested to furnish to the Vestry a copy of the Sermon for publication here and in the United States, as being a valuable contribution to the welfare of the Church and as holding an important place in its history."

I have great pleasure in transmitting to you a copy of the above resolution, and beg to remain,

Very respectfully, Yours,
(Signed) ANDREW D. LILLIE
Clerk of the Vestry

THE REV. WILLIAM F. MORGAN

PARIS SEPT. 14th, 1864

MY DEAR SIR,

Your kind note, communicating the resolution of the Vestry, is received, and I hasten to place the Sermon at their disposal, fully aware of its imperfections, and only anxious that it may in some small measure realize their kind estimate of its importance, and further the good work so auspiciously begun in Paris.

With assurances of high regard for the Members of the Vestry,

I am, dear Sir,
Faithfully, Yours,
WILLIAM F. MORGAN

ANDREW D. LILLIE, Esc.
Clerk of the Vestry

Beloved Brethren--Amidst the vanity of earthly and of human things, the Church of God abides. The vigour of man droops at last. Even to the life of great communities and empires there is a final pulse. But the Church, that system of recovery: that shelter for erring and straying souls which God, in mercy, ordained from the beginning of the world, both as an evidence and an instrument of His love, outlasts everything that can die: keeps time and footfall with "the ages all along", and will never receive discharge from her advancing and unwearying mission, until all her redeemed children are presented faultless before the Throne, and she herself accepted "as a Bride adorned for her Husband."

[8] Consequently the past of the Church is as authentic and as full of solemn instruction, as the present. Her lessons, whether given under the Old dispensation or under the New, are alike trustworthy. There are those who claim that "the old is better," while others insist that the new is cumbered and falsified by the old. The same controversy wrought mischief and division in primitive times. But then, as now, the disputants on both sides were wrong--misled by sparks of their own kindling. The Truth of God and the Church of God have a common life and history and pledge of ultimate conquest, in the whole Bible. The Old Testament unfolds the New, and the New unfolds and confirms the Old. With the course of time and the larger access of light, this will be more apparent. But even now, we cannot turn to the Old Testament without confessing how full of wisdom and counsel, and undesigned coincidence it is, upon every passing interest or event, and I have thought that the passage just read from the Book of Ezra might suggest, as well as any other in The Sacred Volume, that very line of discourse and sober reflection which the solemnities of this occasion would seem to demand.

The fact is, doubtless, familiar to most of you, that the prophesy of Jeremiah touching the restoration of the Jews and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple was, in effect, fulfilled during the reign of Cyrus, King of Persia. Led by the spirit of God, he decreed and urged on with singular zeal a religious work, in the progress of which he could feel but little personal interest, and whose spiritual significance and bearings he could in no wise comprehend. In truth, the magnanimity of Cyrus is almost unexampled, for he not only permitted, but with inspiring and eloquent words, encouraged the Jews, captives as they were, to return and reconstruct the sanctuary and shrine of their most [8/9] holy Faith. There were no conditions,--no special clauses. The imperial command was: "Go up to Jerusalem and build." And what makes this generous tone of the King still more noteworthy is the circumstance that the Jews, thus bending under obligation to him, clung to the minutest points of their ritual and theocracy. Their license was the liberal gift of an idolatrous Prince; but they used it, as the children of the God of Abraham, and while fully appreciating the large-heartedness of Cyrus, they would concede nothing, no, not a jot or tittle, to conciliate him or his prejudices, so far as their religion was concerned. The full recital of what was done upon the decree of Cyrus would greatly encumber my discourse; but the Book of Ezra is within reach of all who hear me, and it will be found, among other points rigidly insisted upon, that the register and genealogy of the priesthood was thoroughly examined, and that some, with false pretensions, were cut off. It will be found, also, that the altar of the God of Israel was carefully placed, and that every prescribed observance and offering, every feast and every fast were duly commemorated, "as the duty" (or service) "of every day required." It will be observed, moreover, that this precise reinstatement of their religion took place even before the corner stone of the new Temple was laid.

Now--it is assigned as a reason for all this minute, and as some might think needless attention to particulars in their ritual, "that fear was upon them, because of the people of the land." Strange reason, this!--The entire congregation of Israel, including the maids and servants, did not exceed fifty thousand souls. A little band of captives, surrounded by unsympathizing millions! Holding even their life at the mercy of principalities and powers! Ordinarily, the alarm awakened by such overwhelming odds would lead to timidity in the [9/10] assertion of an isolated and unpopular faith--Yes, to compounding and to compromise. Although acting by royal clemency and consent, it would be considered politic to accept the boon in the spirit of concession, and to omit, or hold loosely, or to veil, in some way every article or observance which might give offence. Propitiation and expediency would rule, and the leading purpose would be, how to rebuild a ruined Temple and reconstruct a broken altar of sacrifice and worship, without doing too much violence to surrounding opinion and prejudice. The leaders of Israel, in her sad captivity, acted upon nobler motives. The favour of a King was as nothing in comparison to the integrity of their faith, and the very fact that they "were afraid of the people of those countries" was sufficient ground for loyalty to the God of their Fathers. This was the logic of their disquietude in a strange land, that, because they were few, therefore they should be firm, and since they had nothing but their ancestral faith to reclaim and rest upon, therefore, it was not only their privilege, but their solemn duty, to cling to both. And they did so. They kept their faith scrupulously, fearing the people of those countries, knowing that any agreement to coalesce or amalgamate with them would result in confusion and ruin. In this spirit of wise consistency the work went on, and the foundations of the Temple were laid amidst a conflict of emotion, of joy and sorrow, which will be for ever memorable. The ancient men who had seen the glory of the first House wept aloud, while the younger, burdened with no such memories, shouted for gladness, so that the mingled sobs and acclamations could scarcely be distinguished.

But little progress had been made, however, in laying up the walls, before everything was arrested by an unforeseen and most embarrassing proposal. It came--and obviously with sinister [10/11] intent--from a few principal men at the court of Darius, who said: "Let us build with you, for we seek your God, as ye do, and we do sacrifice unto Him, since the days of Esar Haddin, King of Assur, who brought us up hither." Of course, such a proposition could not be accepted. It was utterly out of the question. Such a union would be like the mingling of oil and water, of vinegar and honey, and accordingly Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the Fathers of Israel said unto them: "No, ye have nothing to do with us, to build a House unto our God--but we ourselves together will build a House unto the Lord God of Israel." That honest and heroic reply roused a terrible opposition. Vengeance hung like a cloud above the Holy place, and the sound of the axe and the hammer ceased. But the eye of the Lord, as we are told, was upon his people and, after a considerable interval, the work was resumed and again immediately interrupted by its old adversaries. Tatnai, the Chaldean governor, and others evilly disposed, came upon them, as they were laying stone upon stone, with the stern inquiry of the text "Who hath commanded you to build this house and to make up this wall." They answered--"We are the servants of the God of Heaven and Earth. This temple is reared to His glory. We build, also, under the decree of Cyrus." This straightforward rejoinder could not be trifled with. It was soon conveyed to the reigning monarch, and, arresting his attention, he commanded that search should be made for the original decree, and no sooner was it found than confirmed. The work went on, and by the providential help of its enemies, the Temple was completed.

Now, I regret, beloved, that the exposition of the text should have detained you so long upon the trials of those early church builders; for I trust that this beautiful and yet modest [11/12] Sanctuary now hallowed to the service of the same Infinite and Eternal God has awakened no animosity in any bosom, and met with no hindrance in any quarter. It is a Christian church, in a professedly Christian land, and in the midst of grander ecclesiastical structures; I may presume that it has been welcomed, at least, with the greeting of tolerance and charity. Nevertheless, it should not be counted strange, or regarded as an impeachment of Christian charity, if the very question of Tatnai, the governor, had been suggested to some minds and even found expression upon the lip--not in the spirit of Tatnai, God forbid! but almost, in his very words: "Who hath commanded you to build this House, and make up this wall."

For we are perfectly aware that this American Episcopal Church in the metropolis of France is a new religious fact. It marks an era. It is the first Church of our Branch and Communion ever consecrated to Almighty God on this continent. The course, hitherto, not only of empire, but of the Christian religion, has been westward; and accordingly, as I have said, the question may very naturally be raised, why recross the treacherous waves of the Ocean? Why come back to build a church here? In view of existing means and agencies, is it in anywise required? Who hath commanded you to make up this wall?

Dear Brethren, we have anticipated and duly considered such natural inquiries, and humbly trust that we are not unprepared to vindicate the special solemnities of this day and the important mission of this Church. Lend me your patience then, and may the Great Head of the Church grant me His guiding light and favour, while I proceed to exhibit a few of those reasons which have led us in a foreign empire, to build this House and rear this wall.

[13] First, we have builded as "the servants of the God of Heaven and Earth." We hold to this chief and most essential claim as strongly as the Jews of old, for, without it our invocation of the Divine blessing to-day would have been a mockery. They were honest. So are we. Their God is our God. Under a dispensation of which theirs was but the shadow, we enjoy a closer and more filial approach to the Father than they, through the purchased redemption of Jesus Christ; and, accordingly, while they built the Jewish Temple, we build a Christian Church, and while they under the rigours of a more limited and undeveloped covenant could only rear the Temple upon one chosen site, it is our privilege under the larger grants and disclosures of the Gospel to build a Christian Church anywhere upon the surface of this fallen world, provided we do not intrude upon brethren, who by the same authority and holding the same faith, are doing the required work in the saving of souls.

The captive Jews, furthermore, as we have seen, added to the simple claim that they were the servants of God, the actual and visible testimony of a creed and a ritual which He had ordained. Their doctrine and their worship gave attestation and emphasis to their more general assumption. It proclaimed them to be His servants in a clearly prescribed line of obedience and religious observance, differing altogether from that prevailing around them. In like manner, while claiming to be servants of the Most High, and Christians also in a general sense, it is with a difference not less positive and distinct than that of the Jews, that We have built this House and reared this wall. Not only as Christians, but as Episcopalians, members of a pure branch of the Catholic Church, we have come in all charity towards existing communions and forms of faith to plant our own in its integrity. We believe in it. We love [13/14] it. We cling to it, and even as the Jews in reconstructing their Temple began with sifting and purifying the genealogies of the priesthood and restoring their liturgical services, and giving to their religion throughout its Divine distinctiveness, so would we on this spot and around this altar thoroughly maintain and enjoy the Holy Doctrines--the Ministry--the Sacraments--the Liturgic order and Worship of the Episcopal Church in the United States, which we, in common with the Church of England, hold to be identical with the Church founded by Christ and planted by the blessed Apostles. In her essential doctrines as contained in the creed, and further amplified in the Articles and Homilies, we are possessed of all that a Christian man ought to know and believe to his soul's health. In the ministry we recognise not only the Divine appointment and primitive order, but a conservative element of the utmost value. In the Bishop, there is a continued principle of life which nothing can interrupt, and which carries with it, as we judge, the promise of our ascended Head--Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. In the Liturgy, derived as it is from Holy Scripture and the purest fountains of devotion of the purest ages, and hallowed withal by associations of unspeakable interest, we have all that we could desire for communion with God in public worship, while we have in it also an unchanging safeguard against error. Indeed, I may adopt the language of one of our Bishops, now gone to his rest, and say that in the Apostolic succession and in the Liturgy we have the best protection against false doctrine--the best preservative against extravagance--the best and surest bond of union--the best security for the truth as it is in Jesus--the best and most effectual way in which the affections of the heart can ascend acceptably through the mediation of the Divine Intercessor before the Throne of God.

[15] Do not, 1 entreat you Beloved, regard this affirmation of our doctrine and polity as boasting, for we desire not to boast, or to contrast ourselves invidiously with others, but to be understood, and to inaugurate the services of this House with a clear assertion of our principles and ecclesiastical status. As strangers here, we would honestly present our credentials, that we may be known and identified from this day onward. Think not, however, that we are resting altogether in a mere churchly equipment. We are not. We do not undervalue the importance of a trustworthy basis, or the support of sanctions and formulas handed down to us from the earliest days of the Church; still, like our adorable Master in approaching the fig tree, we look for fruit. We know that this House will be barren and desolate unless the truth upon which it is built shall be life and power in quickening those who hear, and therefore our most devout and humble prayer is for the presence and gracious influence of the In-dwelling Spirit--that the worship here offered may be acceptable to God--a pure offering of the heart, and not the empty mockery of the lip: that the seed here sown may take root and flourish; that sinners may be converted and turned from the error of their ways; that tempted and bewildered souls may be arrested and led to a sense of their danger; that the regenerate may be confirmed and carried forward in their religious life, and that the stranger and the sojourner may find a covert here beneath the Saviour's wing, yielding to heart sickness a medicine, and to home sickness a precious balm.

Again, we have built this House by permission of the Emperor and the legislative authorities of France. Without such imperial consent, of course, we should have sought no entrance here and this wall would not have been reared. There is a [15/16] monument in this empire, not wrought of marble or perennial brass, not to be found in the Pantheon or in any public place, nowhere visible to the eye in any quarter of this magnificent city, but which, nevertheless, will outlast, in the estimation and judgment of sober minds, the proudest shaft or commemorative entablature in the realm. It is the reply of Napoleon the First, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and four, to the prayer of the Reformed and Protestant Churches presented by the venerable M. Martin, president of the consistory of Geneva. The petition was addressed to the throne at the epoch of the coronation, the proudest hour of the imperial glory, and in most respectful terms besought protection and liberty of worship, and such a line of civil administration as should confirm the peace of the Protestant Church. His Majesty, in the very spirit of Cyrus, King of Persia, vouchsafed the following answer: "With pleasure I see the pastors of the Reformed Church of France assembled here. I seize with ardour this occasion to testify to them how much I have been always satisfied with everything that has been reported to me respecting the fidelity and good conduct of the pastors and the citizens of the different Protestant communions; I wish to be understood that my intention and my firm determination are to maintain liberty of worship: the empire of the law ends where the empire of the conscience begins; neither the law nor the prince must infringe upon this empire. Such are my principles and those of the nation, and, if any one of my race, prior to his succeeding me, forgets the oath which I have taken, and deceived by the inspiration of a false conscience attempts to violate it, I devote him to public animadversion, and I authorize you to give him the name of Nero!"

Magnificent utterance! It fell like music from Heaven upon [16/17] the ears of those pastors, accustomed, as they had been to the intolerance and persecuting despotism of a dominant hierarchy. They are words fit to be engraved upon the lintels and doorposts of every temple of Liberty in every land. Nor are they falsified under the present imperial reign; and, if anything would explain to me the continued ascendency of the Napoleonic rule in this empire, it would be such a bequest, transmitting the rights of conscience and the liberty of worship to such, and such only, of royal lineage, as were wise enough to maintain and allow them. But aside from the statutes and provisions in force, we have a special title to the consideration of the Emperor, now seated so prosperously upon the throne of France. Under another and hostile dynasty he was an exile, and for a period found in America such hospitalities as are comforting to the heart of a stranger, and never, we feel assured, will he refuse to any lonely sojourner, or collective church from over the sea, the forms and consolations of their cherished faith.

Again, we have built this House and reared this wall with the consent and by the command of the Church in America, assembled in General Convention. Without the countenance and benediction of that Church, we should be filled with distrust and embarrassment, in the prosecution of this foreign enterprise. There must be a legitimate source of authority before there can be a sense of stability, at least in matters of religion, and accordingly the utmost deference has been paid to that august triennial Council, which alone could license and authorize our present work. We have the satisfaction of knowing this day that the American Church is with us, in spirit and in full consent--that what we have done is not only approved, but heartily commended to Almighty God for special blessing. And were further proof required, it [17/18] might be found in the fact that one of the most eminent and honoured of American prelates is in your midst, when, as I have reason to know, all the most ardent feelings of his heart are with his disturbed and divided country; and, also, by the fact that your preacher and others present, [* Benjamin R. Winthrop, Esq., Treasurer of the Home Committee, and several lay gentlemen whose visit to Paris had more or less reference to the consecration of this Church.] representing the interest of the American Church, feel the separation from their beloved land, at this crisis, to be a sacrifice. Even the inspiration and delight which the marvels of this old world must awaken, fail to bring content, and we are among you under the constraint of Christian duty and official appointment, to hold up the hands of a faithful pastor, and to hallow a Church whose erection is largely due to his indomitable zeal and perseverance.

And here we reach the leading and practical consideration, which beyond all others has governed the prosecution of this work--its necessity, its importance, in this grand centre of civilisation and intellectual activity.

Of course the American Episcopal Church had no thought of planting or propagating a new faith in France, by rearing this wall:--for the Gallic branch of the Catholic Church from the days of the Apostles has kept the primitive faith, although, as now, so through long ages past, under a mass of unauthorized additions, which has made her, with the entire Roman Communion, chargeable with the sin of schism in the Church of God. And I may add that this sin has been fearfully aggravated by the dogma which has, in effect, exalted the Virgin Mother above the Only Begotten and Eternal Son in the order of [18/19] worship, and converted the principal Churches in this city and land into temples of unscriptural worship. And yet let us not withhold the undeniable truth that, like pearls among pebbles, so the principle doctrines of the Christian religion have been held amidst the corruptions of the Gallican Church:--the divine inspiration of the Scriptures; the true Deity of the Redeemer and of the Holy Spirit; the union of the Divine and human natures in the person of Christ; His obedience and sufferings for the Redemption of men; salvation, only by his atonement, righteousness and grace; the renewing and purifying influences of the Holy Spirit; the general obligations of holiness; a separate state; the universal judgment, and the eternal retributions of the righteous and the wicked: all these precious and essential verities still hold place in the doctrinal formularies of the Roman Catholic Church. Even Luther allowed that we might discover faith at the bottom, and that "under the Papacy, there was much Christian good." It was from these choice flowers of doctrine that those saintly Port Royalists, Arnauld, Nicole, Pascal and others caught an aroma, an inspiration of devotion and spiritual elevation, which has spread through the world. It was upon these projecting bulwarks of the Christian faith that those illustrious preachers stood, whose names are everywhere cherished, and whose mighty voices shook this empire and made licentious courts and kings tremble, as Felix trembled before the great Apostle.

Nor, again, have we felt compelled to rear this wall because the Protestant faith has been unknown or inoperative here. France has been the theatre--the great battle-field, in the war against Papal error. From the days of Claude, archbishop of Turin, and from the days of Vaudois, who kept the faith of the gospel so purely in the Swiss valleys even in the [19/20] eighth century, the struggle for primitive truth, extending across the borders of this empire, has been going on until there is scarcely a section of it which has not been drenched with the blood of Protestant martyrs. The most notable wars of France have been religious wars, carried on between a tyrannical court hierarchy and the defenders of a pure Gospel, while the blots--the historic blots upon the renown of this empire, most damnable and ineffaceable, are the persecutions and massacres which in times past have made it a Golgotha, and turned its imperial capital into a human slaughter-house. The stories of the Waldensian persecutions and of the murderous intolerance which pursued the Huguenots are among the most familiar in the Christian homes in America; nor is it unknown there that within the last half century, at one period there were two hundred and fifty Protestant ministers proclaiming the Gospel in France, while at the present time there are French evangelical divines whose labours and living words are held in admiration and honour. Alas! that the results of their labours, so far as visible at this day, should be only as the glimmering of a dying flame, sending but a dim ray athwart the almost universal gloom.

Nor, yet again, have we ventured to rear this wall because the Mother Church of England, or Protestant Christians in the United States, have been unrepresented and inert in the populous and fascinating capital of France. Chapels of the Established Church of England, if not numerous, are planted here, and sound a grateful invitation to members of a like faith and ritual; [* Here passing illusion was made, and a cordial greeting given to the Clergy of the English Churches in Paris and from England present in the Chancel.] and to the honour of that Church be it [20/21] spoken, that everywhere on this continent, at every point where from any cause there is likely to be a concourse of her children, whether resident or transient, spiritual provision is made for them. Episcopal jurisdiction reaches to that point: the Pastor is there, the liturgy is there, and the glorious Gospel of the Son of God. There are fifty chaplaincies and stations scattered over Europe, under the auspices of the Colonial and Continental Church Society, where English residents and tourists may enjoy their accustomed services, and I beg even on this occasion the privilege of expressing my grateful acknowledgments to that Society, and to those who minister under its auspices, for the refreshment I have derived from these fountains of sweet waters in the spiritual desert. As a stranger, satisfied, almost intoxicated with the varied incidents and disclosures of the way: pressing on from one centre of historic interest to another, filling six days with the sense and spirit of centuries--it has been a relief unspeakable to stop on the Lord's day, and be recalled to the actualities of the present and endless future. Yea, it has been a disenchantment which the tourist needs, "dislodging his thoughts from earth and binding them to Heaven;" and I am prepared to say, what I doubt not others who have gone before me are prepared to echo, that the plain English chapel, with its familiar ritual and its touching hymns and homely expositions of Gospel Truth, has been often the scene of deeper and more powerful emotion than the renowned city or the impregnable fortress, or the vine-clad river, or the picturesque ruin, or the world-renown masterpiece of art. Forgive me--but I have wept convulsively in an English chapel, when I have been cold in the cathedrals of Europe, and calm even on the snowy summits of Switzerland.

Why then, it may be asked, nay, it has been asked, why [21/22] should not the English chapels in Paris suffice for American churchmen there, both residents and visitors? Several excellent practical reasons might be assigned, none of them involving a particle of unkindness or disrespect towards the Established Church. I will name but one. The renown and attractiveness of this capital make it a centre of protracted sojourn, even to the tourist, while a large number of American citizens have founded homes here, and as to such of them as are Episcopalians it might upon occasion be most acceptable and delightful to join in England's liturgy, and to respond most cordially to those loyal and beautiful petitions which invoke the Divine regard upon Her Gracious Majesty the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the High Estate of Parliament--but not always, not oftener than circumstances require; for the heart of an American Episcopalian cries out for the public service to which he has long been accustomed (which although identical with the English ritual in general character, yet varies in many notable particulars), and especially calls for those concise but earnest supplications in behalf of civil rulers, which it was found necessary to introduce into our Prayer Book after the war of the Revolution. The very frequency and fulness of corresponding prayers in the English service remind him of his privation, and quicken within him the sense of being a stranger; and I do not hesitate to say that, if no other reason could be alleged for rearing this wall, the one named would be sufficient; that at one point on this continent, at least, there should be a sanctuary where a churchman from America might join in the wonted prayer for the President of the United States and the civil authorities of his country.

But the question will inevitably follow--could not this privilege, and every other which the heart might crave, be abundantly [22/23] enjoyed at the American Chapel? Now it would grieve me, Beloved, were I to say one word which even by implication might seem to undervalue that well-intended Christian enterprise. I have the highest respect for its founders and early promoters, and also for those distinguished pastors who have successively served it, especially for him [* Rev. Dr. McClintock.] who, although personally unknown to me, has recently signalised his position here not only by eloquence and pastoral fidelity, but by an intelligent and resolute patriotism which his countrymen will not soon forget. No, I have not an unkind thing to say of the American Chapel; for, aside from the instincts of courtesy and the precepts of common charity, the few weeks I have passed upon this continent have made it appear to me, more than ever, a crime for Christians, holding the great essentials of the Gospel, to be contending with each other upon collateral points, no matter how important, in the face of a misled, sceptical, God-forsaking world. And yet, on an occasion and at such a starting point as this, it behooves us to be honest; and I hesitate not to say that the American Chapel in this city is not an Episcopal Church. It cannot be upon its present ecclesiastical foundations. The fact that it has incorporated a portion of the Church service into its worship does not make it such. The fact that an ordained presbyter of the Episcopal Church in America [* Rev. Dr. C. M. Butler] has consented to fill the interval between the departure of a Methodist pastor and the advent of a Presbyterian divine does not make it such. Ordinarily the American people are clearsighted, and perceive the fitness and true relation of things; but this attempt at amalgamation is an anomaly and [23/24] a mistake. Even Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and the rest of the chiefs of the fathers of Israel, thousands of years ago, when approached with such a proposition, instantly replied: "Nay--We, ourselves, together, will build a house unto the Lord God of Israel." Swift as thought, they saw and revolted at a coalition--a union of such mixed and heterogeneous elements, assured that it would work nothing but mischief and sorrow, and, in my judgment, it would have been far better had the Protestant bodies in America been true to their platforms, and repudiated the Episcopal Church in the very language of Zerubbabel and erected a chapel here perfectly consonant with their theological standards and modes of worship. There is beauty and sublimity and a grand attraction in positiveness of faith, even though that faith be defective. This made Calvin what he was; this gave dignity to the thumbscrew and other instruments of torture, when employed in the days of the Reformation upon steady and unflinching souls:--this immortalized Zwingle, and threw a rainbow of "Heaven's own light" above the flames in which Huss perished--but a mongrel faith or a mosaic worship will have no martyrs and no history.

Therefore, because there was no American Episcopal Church in a city to which Episcopalians from America continually resort, bringing their preferences and their holy vows with them, therefore we have built this House, and made up this wall, and consecrated it to-day and for ever to the appointments and uses set forth in our impressive Office.

With undissembled charity toward Christians of every name, we devote this Church to a pure faith and a holy worship, and desire to associate with it all that Jesus, the Son of God, ever [24/25] revealed, and all that His chosen Apostles and Evangelists ever proclaimed of that truth which maketh wise unto salvation. Should it please God in the orderings of His providence to make it in the coming time a promoter of Christian unity, we shall devoutly bless His holy name. There are ancient apostolic churches on this hemisphere [* Before the preacher sat the three distinguished Clergymen serving the Russian Church in Paris, evincing by their presence their cordial sympathy with the occasion. And with them sat the eminent Abbe Guettee, whose labours for Catholic Unity are so well known.] which would cordially welcome, as we have reason to believe, any authentic centre of Catholic recognition and communion; and, if this be so, then assuredly they could find none more unobjectionable than that now brought nearer and represented here, where to an unquestioned Apostolicity there is added perfect freedom from secular controul and political entanglement. But we are content that the great Head of the Church should ripen His purposes and bring about the fulfilment of His own tender farewell prayer, in His own time. Meanwhile may His most precious and refreshing dews descend upon this place, upon the beloved pastor, and the people. Here may the wayfarer find a home, a spiritual hospice, most grateful to his soul, where after protracted wanderings he may overtake rest and comfort, and hear words long denied, which in the hidden music of their memories and associations shall make this spot a "Bochim, a place for the breaking forth of tears." Here may strangers from America in years to come, whether from the South or the North--all questions settled upon the basis of the Union--all contention hushed--all animosities healed; here may they worship the God of their fathers "in unity of spirit and in the bond of peace"--or, if sorrow should come upon any of them (for where [25/26] beneath the wide heavens does sorrow not come), or evil tidings, or failing health, or the shadow of death:--in the wakeful ministrations of this parish, and the fidelity of its pastor, should they crave them, may they receive such consolations and assuagements as shall lighten their darkness and yield them heavenly support. Oh God Triune, Holy, Blessed, and Glorious, whom the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain, condescend in the plenitude of Thy love and the fulfilment of Thy gracious promise to be with all those who shall seek and serve Thee in this House which we have builded. In the name of Jesus we offer it to Thee. It is the issue of many prayers, and sacrifices, and toils, for like Thy Temple of old, it was "built in troublous times." Hallow it with Thy presence, and make it a delightsome place--the joy of many generations.

Inasmuch as the foregoing Sermon will be likely to fall into the hands of many who have given little attention to the nature and claims of the work to which it refers, a brief historical account of the establishment of the American Episcopal Church in Paris has been thought a desirable if not indispensible appendix.

Early in the year 1858, the attention of the American Church was called to the urgent necessity for some provision for the spiritual wants of her members dwelling and travelling abroad, and especially in Paris, where the English Churches could not, as in other parts of Europe, supply the want, because the necessity was in every way greater while the provision was proportionately less. After long and serious consultation among several Bishops and a few of the prominent Clergy and Laity, it was determined to make the experiment, and, in the summer of the same year, the Rev. Wm. O. Lamson, of the Diocese of New York, was clothed with such credit and power as the Church was then competent to give, and sent to Paris for the purpose of ascertaining the practicability of building up and maintaining there an American Episcopal Church. The movement had no other reference to [27/28] the American Chapel already set up, than to do what it had already been found incapable of doing, by reason of its unepiscopal and indistinctive character--viz: to minister acceptably and effectively to American Episcopalians, and thus fill up the measure of ample provision for all American Christians. The enterprise found immediate and encouraging success. On the 12th September 1858, after some difficulty in finding a place for its services, by the kindness of the Reformed Church of Paris it secured an upper chapel in the Church of the Oratoire, where it patiently waited for the authorisation of the French Government to establish itself independently in Paris. Circumstances delayed this permission, and it was not until May 1859, that the American Episcopal Church saw itself free from hindrances of this kind and established humbly yet independently in a room in the Faubourg Saint-Honore, which had been fitted up by the liberality of those who had gathered round to love, befriend it, and build it up. Here it remained for two years and a half, prospering and strengthening itself in the grateful affection of the thousands to whom it successively ministered.

Meanwhile its successful work had so satisfied its friends as to its permanent importance that upon the issue of a needful authority from the French Government, a parochial organisation was formed according to a plan wisely drawn [* By Hamilton Fish, Esq., an early friend and one of the first officers of the Church.] and submitted to the revision of two American Bishops then abroad. [* Bishops Potter of Pennsylvania, and Delancey, of West New York.] A vestry was constituted and by-laws adopted. This organisation added strength and ensured permanence to the Church. At the same time, a Home Committee was formed from among its early friends in the United States, of which the Rev. Dr. Francis Vinton became Chairman, the Rev. Dr. Wm. F. Morgan, Secretary, and Benjamin R. Winthrop, Esq., Treasurer. Thus self-constituted and with the prestige of success, it came before the General [28/29] Convention of 1859 [* The Paris Church was represented at this Convention by its Warden, Theodore S. Evans, Esq., of Paris.] in a Memorial from the Rev. Wm. O. Lamson, who had been chosen Rector, and asked to be sanctioned by law of the Church, and taken under the control of the Convention. The prayer was answered by the enactment of a Canon, [* Canon 5, Section III, Title III of the Digest.] which at the instance of this successful enterprise opened a new and important chapter in the work of the Church. This Canon placed the Church under the jurisdiction of the Presiding Bishop and incorporated it with the American Church, as one of its institutions.

The necessity for a permanent and creditable place of worship now became obvious, and measures were concerted between the Vestry in Paris and the Committee in America to accomplish the remaining work. These would have had speedy success had not war and its consequent embarrassments fallen upon the country, absorbing its attention and means to the exclusion of outside objects. The Paris Church suffered in common with all things American, and chiefly by being thus obliged to suspend efforts to provide a fitting place and appointments for its services, and to give them thus their due influence and prosperity. It was therefore determined by the Rector to renew the endeavour with all its added difficulties, and accordingly by three successive voyages to America he was enabled to reawaken and increase the interest of the Church at home in the enterprise, and to rally round him many new and zealous co-workers. The Home Committee, with the staunch fidelity of its enlightened Chairman, [* The Rev. Dr. Francis Vinton was the first to whom the Rev. Mr. Lamson communicated his views in 1858, and to his steadfast friendship and zealous advocacy the success of the Parish Church is largely due. Scarcely less praise is due to Benjamin R. Winthrop, Esq., its devoted and sagacious friend and faithful Treasurer, from first to last.] Secretary, and Treasurer, became the [29/30] centre of operations, and by the summer of 1863, the funds collected seemed to warrant active measures. Accordingly, contracts were made for a suitable Church, upon ground that had previously been secured in the Rue Bayard. The ceremony of laying the Corner-stone took place on the 12th September 1863. The service was precisely that set forth by our American Church, and was impressive and memorable, rendered more so by the accidental presence of two prominent presbyters of our Church, the Rev. A. N. Littlejohn, D. D., and the Rev. Robt. H. Clarkson, D. D., who made earnest and encouraging addresses, and who with the Rector, gave a triple representation of the American Church, while the Rev. Dr. Caswell, Vicar of Figheldean, England, and formerly a presbyter of our own Church, who had been specially invited to a prominent participation in the service, together with two of the English Clergy of Paris, made a triple representation of the Anglican branch of the Church. The clergy of the Russo-Greek Church in Paris, and the distinguished Abbe Guettee, represented the Oriental and Gallican branches of the Church. It was altogether an unstudied but most happy and auspicious drawing together of Catholic Christendom to inaugurate this planting of the American Church in the Old World, the reflux to its source of the stream that had coursed to another hemisphere, and its progress filtered itself from all impurities.

During the progress of the building thus inaugurated, the Rector returned and pursued his effort in the United States, and met with so hearty a sympathy, that, in the spring of 1864, he was enabled to pronounce the work so nearly completed as to be beyond ordinary peradventure. But for losses incurred by high rates of exchange the funds secured would have fully met the whole expenditure. These losses represent all the deficiency now existing, about one-sixth of the whole cost. This it is believed may safely be left for a final appeal to the thousands of true-hearted Churchmen who have not been applied to for this important work, which stands as a monument of glory to God and of praise to the American Church it represents.

[31] Assured in the sympathy and pledges of the Church at home, of which it is a mission to her own wandering and scattered children, the promoters of this work have caused the Sanctuary erected to be consecrated to Almighty God, to whom it is to be rendered therein perpetual worship in the faith, order, and liturgy of the American Episcopal Church; to be a monument of her fidelity to Catholic Truth and Apostolic Order, and by its fruitfulness in good to the souls of men to manifest through her the Spirit of Christ, the great Head of the Church.

Accordingly, by appointment of the Presiding Bishop of the Church, the Right Rev. Chas. Petit McIlvaine, D. D., D. C. L., Bishop of Ohio, was sent abroad to perform this act of formal and solemn consecration, and, likewise by Episcopal appointment, the Rev. William F. Morgan, D. D. was delegated to preach the Consecration Sermon, and to declare therein the faith and order of the American Branch of the Church, and her reasons for thus raising and consecrating a Church of her own name in a foreign land. This honourable duty he has in the foregoing discourse discharged with an ability and fidelity that will be found fully to justify the confidence of the Church he has represented.

The other services which signalised the Consecration sustained in an equal degree the dignity of the Church and her sense of the importance of this her work. Besides her Bishop five of her presbyters appeared in their vestments and shared the services with several of their Anglican Brethren. The Russo-Greek Clergy, also with the Abbe Guettee were again present to renew their proofs of sympathy with us. The Church already wore many of the adornments with which her faithful friends are enriching it day by day. Every article of the appointments for its worship is a freewill offering, even to the rich and powerful organ, which is a gift from the ladies of the congregation. The stained glass which is rapidly filling the openings of the Church are thus far and will be to the end individual gifts, some of the richest, already in place and to be furnished being memorials.

[32] The Church is in the Gothic style, of the 13th century, divided by pillars, which support slender galleries, into nave and aisles. The groining and arching are simple and graceful. There are five rose clerestory windows on either side, and an other rose over the chancel arch. The front is pierced by a triple lancet, each subdivided, the whole surmounted by a rose, larger and richer than the others. The Church is furnished with comfortable and roomy benches, and passages are neatly tiled. The material of the building is the ordinary cream-coloured stone of Paris.

Finally, American Churchmen may well congratulate themselves upon the achievement of this noble work, and to them it will confidently look for that sympathy and support which it will ever need to make it all it is designed to be,--an honour and a blessing to themselves, and an important agency for the furtherance of the highest interests of Christ's Kingdom in the World.

[33] Benjamin R. Winthrop $1,000; Alex T. Stewart $1,000; Joseph Harrison Jr. $750; Le Grand Lockwood $600; Calvary Church N. Y. (Collection, say) $600; Abraham Bininger $500; A. A. Low $500; Jay Cook & Co. (Wm. G. Morehead and Jay Cook) $500; F. F. Randolph $450; Church of the Ascension N. Y. (Collection) $362.89; Ezra R. Goodridge $350; Messrs. Ogden, McCagg and Sheldon, of St. James Church Chicago each $100--$300; Mrs. Livingston Thomson $300; Theodore S. Evans Fr. 2,500; Robert M. Mason Fr. 2,500; J. P. B. Curtis Fr. 1,000; Thomas N. Dale Fr. 1,000; Samuel, Wm., and John Welsh $250; Mrs. John E. Thayer $200; Hiram Hutchinson $200; John William Wallace $200; Mrs. M. A. Depau $200; Henry Coggill $200; Mrs. Willing and Miss Ludlow $200; William Niblo $200; William Appleton $200; Alexander Brown $200; Henry S. Sanford $200; Alexander Duncan $250; Mrs. James J. Jones $200; Robert H. Ives $300; George K. Shoenberger $200; S. B. Chittenden $250; H. Pratt McKean $300; Frederic Goodridge $200; Solon Humphreys $200; George Merritt $200; Benjamin H. Field $175; Trinity Chapel N. Y. (Collect.) $155.65

Frederick W. Coggill $150; Adolph E. Borie $150; S. B. Caldwell $150; Horace Gray Jr. $150; Miss Hope B. Ives $150; Mrs. E. S. Constant $150; Thomas B. Coddington $150; Henry Morgan $150; Miss Eliza S. Butler $300; Mrs. Daniel Le Roy $100; Hamilton Fish $150; Mrs. Edward Clarke $100; William B. Duncan $150; Joshua Bates, sterling 100; David Groesbeck $150; Mrs. Robert Walsh $100; Daniel Le Roy $100; Mrs. C. Dash $100; James M. Brown $100; Charles H. Wilmerding $100; W. H. McComb $100; John Caswell $100; A. Arnold $100; Henry A. Barr $100; Stewart Brown, francs 500; A Lady of Paris, francs 500; John Wilmerding $100; Robert J. Livingston $100; J. J. Astor Jr. $100; Clarkson N. Potter $100; J. Butler Wright $100; Cash (J. C. G.) $100; E. A. Quintard $100; John D. Locke $100; A. J. Drexel $100; John D. Jones $100; William Lottimer $100; Sheppard Gandy $100; William Whitlock Jr. $100; Samuel Wetmore $100; David Stewart $100; Richard Mortimer $100; Benjamin B. Sherman $100; Tobias Wagner $100.

[34] Benjamin Aymar $100; George Barclay $100; James B. Johnston $100; Solon F. Goodridge $100; John T. walker $100; William G. Pierce $100; George W. Butts $100; George Jones $100; Edward King $100; L. W. Jerome $100; John Bohlen $100; J. Pierpont Morgan $100; Charles L. Thomas $100; Tyler Davidson $100; Larz Anderson $100; Samuel Wiggins $100; James S. Amory $100; Benjamin T. Reed $100; Nathan Matthews $100; Augustine Heard Jr. $100; Thomas B. Wattson $100; Robert H. Berdell $100; William Appleton Jr. $180; George C. Shattuck $100; M. P. Read $100; A. W. Morse $100; John R. Wilmer $100; John Grigg $100; F. C. Lawrence $100; Thomas Sparks $100; E. W. Clark & Co. $100; William F. Roelofsen $100; Noah L. Wilson $100; Edmund S. Munroe $100; R. A. Withhous $100; J. H. Benedict $100; John P. Van Bergen $100; J. F. Butterworth $100; George Folsom $100; Robert E. Livingston 4100; Hoyt, Spragues and Co. $100; Babcock Bros. $100; Smith Clift $100; C. H. Wilmerding - Sundry Subs. Through $95; Rev. Dr. Chas. and Mrs. Mason $75; Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Lyman $100; Junius S. Morgan, sterling 25; Russell Sturgis, sterling 25; Hottinguer and Co., fr. 500; Vanden Brock Bros. and Co., fr. 250; A. S. E. Roberts $100; John A. Brown $100; Mrs. and Miss Hooper $100; Henry W. Spencer $50; Charles B. Collins $50; James Dundas $50; Miss Farnum $50; John Tweddle $50; George L. Rogers $50; Mrs. A. B. Sands $50; Hamilton Hoppin $50; Miss Eleanor Jones $40.

[Transcriber's note: in this next grouping all donations were $50, unless noted otherwise]

Misses Hadden $40; Mrs. James Phalen $40; A. W. Greenleaf; Mrs. Emily Paulding; J. Howard Wainwright; Mrs. A. G. Stout; George Kemp; Mrs. Theodore S. Evans, fr. 250; Poirier and Co.; Rev. Dr. W. F. Morgan; Member of St. Mark's Ch., N. Y.; Rev. R. S. Howland; John Alstyne $75; Daniel Low; Archer and Bull; Thomas Messenger; A. Friend (M. R.); William Oothout; Westray and Co.; Gro. F. Thomae; Mrs. Charles Lamson; A. H. Ward; William H. Guion; C. B. Hoffman; Thomas F. Powers; A. G. Jerome; Alfred Lockwood; R. M. Martin; W. R.Travers; Isaac Seymour; Samuel S. Sands; H. A. Johnson; George T. Lewis; Lemuel Coflin; J. G. Fell; George F. Tyler; A. Whitney and Sons; R. N. Rathbun; A. H. Franciscus; Miss Rebecca Wallace; Thomas A. Biddle $40; Taylor Gillespie and Co.; Charles Borie; James E. Caldwell; Mrs. Samuel Welsh $75; Amos D. Smith; Edward S. Hall; Mrs. E. W. Elliott; Charles Messenger; Thomas D. Middleton; Charles R. Green; Peter V. King; H. D. Aldrich; D. B. Allen; Samuel L. Mitchell; James C. Woodward; Aymar and Co.; Tracy R. Edson; Joseph Walker; James Punnett; Sturgis and Co.; Thomas Tileston; Mrs. J. F. Young.

[Transcriber's note: in this next grouping all donations were $50, unless noted otherwise]

[35] Gilbert L. Beeckman $75; T. P. J. Goddard; William Scott; C. W. De Land; Peter Hubbell; Miss Jane Mason; Miss Susan Mason; Mrs. Eliza Shimmin; Fowler and Co.; Otis Daniell; George Linder; O. A. Bingham; E. B. Ritchie; William Perkins; D. P. Ives; Henry P. Sturgis; Henry Eyre; John E. English; W. T. Thomas; Alexander M. White; Joseph Ogden; Gustave Shiff; John Jay; J. O. Low; E. H. R. Lyman; William H. Fogg; Tucker, Cooper and Co.; William Aymar and Co.; Sydney A. Schieffelin; A. C. Richards; Harvey Spencer; William T. Coleman; George T. Strong; William E. Curtis; Henry Clewes; J. B. Herrick; Thomas M. Mullen; Mrs. Homenden; G. A. Cannon; A. Boody; J. S. Williams; William Douglas; George R. Jackson; William Weightman; W. R. Lejee; Lewis Audenried; Henry A. Smythe; E. W. Bancroft; Charles H. Appleton; Theron J. Dale; Charles P. Kirkland; Edward Matthews; Mrs. H. S. Wyckoff; William H. Lee; Mrs. Turner Sargent $30; D. R. Whitney $30; J. R. Ingersoll $30; Misses Lincoln $30; Mrs. S. F. Goodridge $25; Mrs. M. Lewis $25; Mrs. Lawrence Lewis $25; J. V. L. Pruyn; B. Heinemann $25.

[Transcriber's note: in this next grouping all donations were $25, unless noted otherwise]

Francis Payson; Member of Trinity Chapel N. Y.; Two ladies of do.; D. H. Arnold; Munsell and Co.; E. L. Hedden; George C. Collins; H. N. Camp; J. M. Wheatley; E. W. Corlies; Charles McDougall; G. W. Pritchard; Howell and King; Thomas W. Ogden Jr.; M. E. Lord; Charles G. Landon; William Paxson; T. Belknap Jr.; P. R. Pyne; C. P. Leverich; W. S. Gilman; A. Mills; L. Robinson; Henry Coggill Jr.; Samuel J. Reeves; C. F. Fell; J. Fisher Leaming; Charles A. Meigs; Cash; Joseph Ripley; Charles Stanton; Thomas J. Buckley; Charles Christmas; Jacob Reese; S. Cambreling; Henry Sheldon; C. W. Cushman; Mrs. M. A. Breant $40; R. & W. Manton; William T. Dorrance; Ed. Whelan; Seth Adams; Mrs. J. F. Hoppin; Charles Homer; William C. Peters; E. D. Peters; M. C. Ferris; E. S. Rand; Frederic Cunningham; E. and T. J. Dale; E. P. Bancroft; John A. Lowell; George H. Peters; George A. Meyer; S. G. Dennis; L. J. Van Boskirk; S. R. Bowne; John B. Norris; Luther Clark; Cash; Thomas Kirtley; W. E. Bowen; J. Henry Powers.

[Transcriber's note: in this next grouping all donations were $25, unless noted otherwise]

[36] Mary Powers; Daniel T. Hoag; John L. Riker; John F. Crane; Boyd and Hincken; H. T. Jenkins; Degen, Taft and Co.; Oddie, St. George and Co.; Russell Sturgis Jr.; Charles Sherry Jr.; H. N. Slater Jr.; George A. Pierce; Frank E. Richmond; St. Stephen's Church, Prov.; William Gale; B. Haxtun; Miss Sheldon; Jennie N. Cushman; Sarah S. Cushman; C. P. Leverich; D. McDougall; Mrs. D. D. Howard, fr. 100; Mr. Sumner, fr. 100; Mr. Osborn, fr. 100.

Subscribers of $20.
William A. Smith; Daniel Huntington; T. Belknap; A. G. Coffin; E. M. Crawford; H. S. Ludlum; Mors. Lovering; John Punnett; E. Delafield; P. R. Kearney; A. W. Payne; J. F. De Peyster; William Rhinelander; George Manley; J. R. White; G. C. Satterlee; C. Neave; Miss M. Neave; John Barstow; C. A. Lambard; D. Whiton; N. Walker; C. Canterbury; David Lewis; Mrs. William Blake, fr. 80; E. O. Tuffts; Phillips.

Subscribers of $15.
Charles A. Hemrichs; Two friends of St. Thomas Ch. N. Y. "A. friend".

Subscribers of $10.
A. V. Blake; R. Spedding; Mr. Gillette; Dixon; Vauness; A. S. Gallup; E. A. Greene; F. Burgess; Rev. R. B. Duane Cash; Richard S. Smith; Mrs. Provoost; Lillie Lamson; H. J. Nichols; W. B. Hunter; E. Waterman; E. Augell; Misses Mason; G. S. Winslow; C. D. Kellogg; H. L. Richardson; F. H. Stimson; J. P. Ellicott; D. H. Bayley; George Odin; B. C. Clark; James Clinch; H. B. Renwick; Arthur W. Pierce; J. B. Palmer; George L. Claflin.

Subscribers of $5.
George N. Fisher; Frank Draper; Rev. M. Renauf; Mrs. E. D. Fisher; Josiah Ward; Margaret Bills; George W. Chapin; Rev. E. R. T. Cook, fr. 20.

NOTA.--It should be observed that the total sum represented in the above Subscriptions is not all to be carried to account of the Building Fund. Much of it was not given for that special object, and has been absorbed in expenses of collection and other necessities of the Church. The gifts are recorded, however, because of an unwillingness to leave out any subscriber. It is hoped the list is correct, but, as another list will be published hereafter when the further collections are made, all mistakes can then be corrected. Meanwhile it is only just that the friends of the Church should be so far publicly recognised.

The contributions to the furnishing and adornment of the Church will also hereafter be acknowledged.

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