The old church belonging to the Rushden Independent Wesleyans was used for divine service for the last time on Tuesday night. As was expected there was a large attendance, the building being filled. The preacher was the Rev. T.G. Harper, of Wellingborough, and formerly of the Rushden Church, and the Rev. J. Scarboro, the present pastor, also took part in the service.

  Mr. Harper founded an impressive discourse on the text on the wall behind the pulpit  -  “How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts.”  He said this was the expression of a man who evidently had an intense love of the House of God.  It was only to the spiritually-minded  that the words of the text appealed.  That inscription behind the pulpit no doubt expressed the heartfelt experience of those who caused it to be placed there.  He was not one who would attach an undue and

SUPERSTITIOUS REGARD TO A BUILDING

and on the other hand he was not one of those superficial and flippant souls who could tread lightly the floor of a building where God was worshipped. It would be an ill day for the life of England when they despised the place set apart for the worship of God. He was not disposed to think with some that almost any kind of building would do for God’s worship the desire to erect a house worthy of God so far as human nature could make it was well pleasing to God, so long as no pride or desire to excel their neighbours was mingled with it. He should imagine that when that building was erected in October, 1873, it was erected amid the anxious thought and pious prayers of the founders, and some of those present could recall times when in that place they had renewed their strength and been girded up for the conflicts of life.  There were some of them perhaps who had come there with minds darkened by sin, but

A BEATIFIC VISION

had burst upon them and the burden of their guilt had rolled away. He thought it was meet and right that they should have one more service in that house of prayer, and recall the hallowed associations of the past.  He remembered coming among them more than nine years ago and taking services in that place.  He would always remember with gratitude the charity with which they judged him and the kindly disposition they manifested towards him.  He never thought he should be privileged to stand there to take the closing service in that house of prayer. He was quite sure there were some of them that night who thought it was almost like separating something from their heart strings because there they had experienced such fruitful blessings and because changes had occurred there which turned their lives and which enabled them to “read their title clear to mansions in the skies.” But they had not only to look back on the past, but forward to the future.  God was continually calling for his people to go forward.  Some of them had their minds bent on

BUILDING ANOTHER HOUSE,

because God had called upon them to stretch their borders.  He trusted that God would lead them in the right path and would teach them to be of one mind and sink all personal considerations.  It had pleased God to give them success in the past, but in looking to the future it was important that they should be actuated by right motives.  They must not be led to erect a house of God to satisfy their own fancy or because they desired a better place of worship than their neighbours. It must be such a house that the poorest would feel they could come into it sure of a hearty welcome. He believed God would prosper them and would manifest His presence among them. Mighty God enabled them to worship Him in spirit and in truth throughout the coming years of their lives and then they would worship Him more perfectly in the temple above.

  The service ended with the singing of the Doxology.

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