Celebration at Battle Creek.
Pen pictures of scenes and events of real life are necessarily limited and imperfect. The feelings, the enjoyment, the impressions, attendant on pleasant occasions, find a poor medium through which to convey themselves to the outside world, in pen and ink or type and paper. To be appreciated they must be a part of a person's own experience. This is especially true of the good season enjoyed by the church at Battle Creek, Sabbath, April 29. The meeting was the second of the series of appointments lately given for Calhoun County, and there were a good number of brethren in from surrounding towns, considering the unfavorable weather. After a hymn of praise, appropriate for the Sabbath morning, Bro. White arose and remarked, in substance, that we had met to celebrate one of the grandest events known in our world's history—the rest of God after the six days' work of creation; an institution that had its origin in Eden, when man was in his primeval innocence, when the world fresh from the hand of its Maker, was pronounced good, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. But, he said, there was another institution co-eval with the Sabbath, originating at the same time and place, the institution of marriage. To the complete surprise of the congregation, he informed them that it was proposed also to celebrate that institution on this occasion. To do this he remarked that it would be necessary to call on Eld. Isaac D. Van Horn and sister Adelia P. Patten. The parties were thereupon joined together by Bro. W., in those holy bonds which God in the beginning ordained for the union of man and wife. Thus were celebrated at once, both the institutions of the Sabbath and marriage, twin children of Eden, which, when Eden itself could no longer remain in this revolted world, but was translated to Heaven, God left upon earth, to mitigate somewhat the evils of the curse, and to bless mankind through all the checkered scenes of their fallen history. The order of the meeting having been resumed by prayer and singing, Bro. W. spoke with much freedom from Psa. cxix, 9: "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto, according to thy word." We would that we could lay before the reader, a verbatim report of his discourse. As it is, we hesitate to do it the injustice that would necessarily attend any attempt to give a synopsis of it. Suffice it to say, that all the young should have heard it, especially those who by getting a little smattering of the sciences to which their parents had not access, imagine that that takes the place of the sterling common sense of older and wiser heads, and that they are thus qualified to manage the affairs of life, not only for themselves but for their parents also. There is too much of that spirit with the rising generation which was manifested, as the report goes, by a certain Geo. Brown, who, when his father took him in as partner in his mercantile business, proposed that their sign should read, "Geo. Brown and Father!" More especially still, should Bro. W.'s remarks have been heard by those who, thinking, as above, that they are capable of managing their own affairs full as well, if not better than their parents, suffer themselves to manifest inconsiderate partialities for the opposite sex, and who before they have formed a character for themselves, or wrought out a foundation upon which they can start in life, recklessly presume to enter into a life-long union with the objects of their childish and shallow fancies. This course was shown to be in vivid contrast with those who on this occasion, had taken upon themselves the solemn obligations of married life, at the ripe ages of thirty-one and twenty-five, after having established a reputation that life with them is a success. In the afternoon we listened to an excellent discourse from Elder Van Horn on the subject of faith and works. While multitudes can be found who are ready to plead for faith, not so many seem to understand the place that works are to occupy in our Christian life. He showed that the two are inseparable; that while without faith it is impossible to please God, without works faith is no faith; for it is dead being alone. At the close of the meetings, the countenances of the congregation seemed to say,—nor were words wanting in many instances,—that the day and the meetings had been pleasant, profitable, and good.