The voting on new members was done by ballot.  When the ballots were all in and counted it was announced that all whose names were presented were unanimously elected except that of the sexton.  There were twelve votes against him, but twenty-six for him, and Philip declared that, according to the constitution of the church, he was duly elected.  The meeting then went on in the usual manner characteristic of preparatory service.  The sexton had been present in the back part of the room, and at the close of the meeting, after all the rest had gone, he and Philip had a long talk together.  When Philip reached home he and Sarah had another long talk on the same subject.  What that was we cannot tell until we come to record the events of the Communion Sunday, a day that stood out in Philip’s memory like one of the bleeding palms of his Master, pierced with sorrow but eloquent with sacrifice.

CHAPTER XVI.

The day was beautiful, and the church as usual crowded to the doors.  There was a feeling of hardly concealed excitement on the part of Calvary Church.  The action of Thursday night had been sharply criticised.  Very many thought Philip had gone beyond his right in bringing such an important subject before so small a meeting of the members; and the prospect of the approaching baptism and communion of the sexton had drawn in a crowd of people who ordinarily stayed away from that service.

Philip generally had no preaching on Communion Sunday.  This morning he remained on the platform after the opening exercises, and, in a stillness which was almost painful in its intensity, he began to speak in a low but clear and impressive voice.

“Fellow-disciples of the Church of Christ on earth, we meet to celebrate the memory of that greatest of all beings, who, on the eve of His own greatest agony, prayed that His disciples might all be one.  In that prayer He said nothing about color or race or difference of speech or social surroundings.  His prayer was that His disciples might all be one—­one in their aims, in their purposes, their sympathy, their faith, their hope, their love.

“An event has happened in this church very recently which makes it necessary for me to say these words.  The Holy Spirit came into this room last Sunday and touched the hearts of several young men, who gave themselves then and here to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Among the men was one of another race from the Anglo-Saxon.  He was a black man.  His heart was melted by the same love, his mind illuminated by the same truth; he desired to make confession of his belief, be baptized according to the commands of Jesus, and unite with this church as a humble disciple of the lowly Nazarene.  His name was presented with the rest at the regular committee meeting last Monday, and that committee, by a vote of three to two, refused to present his name with recommendations for membership.  On my own responsibility at the preparatory service Thursday night I asked the church to act upon this disciple’s name.  There was a legal quorum of the church present.  By a vote of 26 to 12 the applicant for membership was received according to the rules of this church.