At the close of this ceremony the minister, the Rev. James Davies, offered a dedicatory prayer, and the people sang, on their knees, the solemn and significant hymn,—fit to voice the faith and feelings of those who are resolved to consecrate themselves entirely to God, and to do His will, “the Lord being their Helper”—the hymn composed by Gregory the Great, somewhere between the years 540 and 604, and translated in 1627—and as good for the new time as the old— “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, And lighten with celestial fire.” After the hymn, Mr. Davies gave a short address on the creed to which they had given their adhesion, and the resolution contained in the last clause of it. But the people would not leave until Mr. Knight had spoken, and he was ready with a few words. “Dear Friends, you know, and I am sure many of you share, my belief, that Christianity is a life, and that all real discipleship is eminently practical. You have declared, by adding your signatures to this book, that you mean to live up to your faith. I think you understand that my heart’s desire and prayer to God is that our little community shall be strictly governed on New Testament Principles, and, according to the laws of the New Kingdom which Christ came to set up in the world. I believe that those who have entered this kingdom, and who live in communion with its Head, do receive daily enlightenment from Him who is the Light of the World, and therefore I believe that the true rulers of men must be those who are ruled by Jesus. Now, I ask you, the members of Christ’s Church, to take upon yourselves the responsibility of the management of this community, and to govern it according to the will of your Master, as revealed in the New Testament, and in the events and progress of these times. You surely know the right; _do it_, and, as far as you can, see that others do it also. I invite you to become during the next week a church in council; to consider certain things which relate to the well-being of the community; to decide what, if any, by-laws shall be made and enforced; to appoint an executive committee; to settle certain sanitary, educational, and other matters; and generally to undertake the responsibilities of our little State. You can govern in your own right, which I hereby commit to you; or you can, if you prefer to do so, submit your suggestions to the whole society. In a little while, perhaps, we shall discover that the best way to rule will be to have a number of men and women chosen and elected by the people; but at present I ask you to appoint a committee of, say, twenty men and women, who shall prepare and propose, not to the community, but to the Church, certain resolutions touching the interests of us all. This will be your first work to-morrow. I do not propose to be on this committee, nor to interfere with it unless it should become absolutely necessary, but to leave the management of affairs in your own hands.