The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-01-07 00:00:00

WEYMOUTH.

Sr. MART'S CHI7IIOII. —On Monday evening the
member. oe e eonnuegation of this &lurch held • tea
meeting in Cie Schoolroom, after which poems in the
Dorset dialect were read by the Rev. W. Barnes.
_ . .
There was • very gaol att.- ntlanee.

SIMMS &BLS Cuseirf.--Our two M.P.I have given
Eli each to be expended in sale to be distributed
amongst the poor. H. Edwards, Esq., H.P. besides
this donation gave the inmates of the Union a
treat on Wednesday last, each adult male receiving
ith. of Where°, each female Ph, of ten, and fib. of
cake was given to each of the children.
BALE or Wog.—A Christmas sale of work took
place on Thursday and Friday last at the Royal Hotel
assembly room, the profits to be devoted to the Church
Missionary, Church Pastoral, and Jews Societies, also
the new church, and a local charity. The stalls were
attended by the following ladies :—Mrs. Coles, Mra.
East, Mrs. J. Miliedge, Mrs. W. Talbot, Mrs. Eliot,
Mr.. Talbot Greavea, Mrs. !inches', and Mrs. Clef ton.
The band of the Eith Regiment attended, and performed
in their usual splendid style,
Ifithcouse Items Hone Minalou.—The report of I
this mission ending September, 1867, has been printed
and circulated. This mission was established on an
enlarged basis in the autumn of 1866, when it was felt
that some ample provision should be made for the dense
and for the most part poor population that has sprung up
within the last few years In the north-western part of
St. Mary's parih. The large room at the Middle School
has been fitted up and Divine cervices regularly per
formed there. The receipts during the year have
amounted to £3ll 125., end besides subecriptione in
money the following donations have been received
the free use of the room in which services are held
from the trustees of the Middle School; a silver
Communion cup and plate from W. Thompson, E.g.;
Communion table from Mr. D. Thomson ; cloth for
Communion table from Mrs. Curme ; and a pulpit from
Mr. Stephen Brown.
INQUIST ON Till BOOT Or Al! INFANT.—An inquiry
was held at the Old ROOlll4 Inn, High-street, on
Monday evening, before G. Sy rionds, R. 1., coroner,
touching the death of the female illegitimate child of
Eliot Sargent, lately in the employ of Mrs. Davis,
Hight-street. The first witna,n examinei was Elisabeth
Maher, who deposed that ahe was employed as nurse
at the house in which the girl Sargent lived as maid-of
all-work. Saw Sargent on Friday afternoon who com-
plained of being unwell, and having rheumatism in the
back. Left the houee about five o'clock in the after-
noon, and was sent for again about seven o'clock.
Found that Sargent had gone to bed. Went upstairs to I
her and found her standing by the bedside, and um a '
new born infant lying in the chamber utensil. Ran
down 'tsars at once, and after oommunicating
with Mrs. Davis went for her sister-in-las,
who was a midwife. The child proved
to be alive, and at ten o'clock was sleeping by
the mother's side in bed at 12 o'clo:k the same night it
was dead. Told the girl she intended making away
with the child as she had made no clothes to receive it.
This the girl denied.- Mrs. Elisabeth Flisher deposed
that she woe a midwife, and was called to Mr. Dayton
house on Friday evening to attend Eliza Sargent, who
had been confined of A female child. When she first
saw the infant she thought it was dead, but whilst
attending the mother she beard it breathe and
afterwards cry. The girl Sargent appeared much
distressed. The infant must have been born half
an hour before she saw it. The infant died by
the mother's side about twelve o'clock. It wee
a full grown infant—fl,. J. Moorhead deposed to
seeing the body of the child 011 Saturday afternoon.
From an external examination he could discover no
marks of violence, nothing to show that the child had
died from other than natural ceases. Found no
hemorrhage. Made • pose morrow examination to-day,
found the child to be only an eight months' child ; it
weighed only live-and-half pounds. The cause of death
was congestion of the brain and its membrane.
Severe labour or the fall might have occasioned this.
Congestion that would be fatal to • premature child
might not be no to a full-grown one.-11r. Orilla
assisted in the poet stereos examination and poi eine
firmatory evidence. The jury returned • verdict of
death from natural elms.
LATINO THI CORNER STONS AT ST. Jons'e Canso&
—The church accommodation at St. John's having fee
, some considerable time been deemed insufficient, it his
at length been determined no far to enlarge it se to
admit of 320 more worshipper*. The alterations will
consist of taking down the existing transepts, chancel.
, chantsl web, vestry, it, and extending the nave 15
feet. The transepts are to be deepened six feet, they
will be doubly as wide as at preaent, and divided in the
centre by stone arches and piers, supporting the double
roofs forming two piles to each transept The cleaned
, is to be re-built and extended an additional nine feet,
also a chancel, chapel, and porch to be built on the side
; facing Preston road, and an organ loft, choristers and
clergyman's vestries on the side next the Dorehester
road, The harmony of the present building will be
preserved, and it is sonsidered the style of the building
will be improved by the enlargement. The contractor
is Mr. T. Dodson, of this town, who is to complete the
alterations according to the plans of Mr. B. C Bennett,
, arehiteet, Lennoxstreet, London, by 30th June. On
Thursday afternoon the ceremony of laying the oorner
stone took Place. Divine service being held in St.
I John's Church, commencing at half-past two. The
, Rev. J. Stephenson, incumbent, and the Rev,
llothauiley, curate, read prayer.; the Rev. Charles
Phinn the first lesson; and the liev. F. W. Tregarthen
the second lesson. The sermon was preached by the
Rev. 'l'. T. Perowne, 11,D., ofiStalbridge, who took ea
his text St. John, ix chap., and part of 23 verse,
"The Father seeketh such to worship him."
The rev, gentleman proceeded to show that
I seated by the well of Samairia, Christ bad
, done away with all notions of the local pressmen
of God. One place was not more holy than another.
. But, said he, are we not, then, to hawse..
I eat apart for the worahip of Almighty 11o76116::::
endow of building goodly churches to the homey and

glory of God, a consecrating them to his service, of
treating them with -evereree and reelect, only a
superstitious relic of the past, a weak return to the
elementary things of the chureh'a childhood ? Is our
mrviee to day one on which heaven belt, down with
pity if not with disaporebation ? The answer to this
queation can only be rightly given by clearly distinguish'
tog between things that differ. The temple on Mount
Rion served • doable purpose. It had both a typeal
and a devotional use. It furnished types and shadows
of the good things to come. It provided helps and aids
for the acceptable worship of God. Its typical purpose
has come for ever to an end, for the spiritual bleeders
of the Gospel have oupereeded materiel 11Ona or the
law. Its devotional peep°oo i, taken np and per-
petuated, el-vateri and purified, and spiritualised by the
worship of the Christian Church with here inmerated
building*, her ordained minixters, her furniture and
vestments for uses. We have, then, our churches not
apart for the worship of God. We expend on them skill
and paint and money. We would have them rank
amongst the goodliest buildings in oar land. We treat
them with reverence and" keep oui foot" when we come
within their precincts. But we do this not because we
ascribe to them any inherent holiness above other plow.;
not become we forget that the hour of which our
Saviour spoke is conic, and that whenever two or three
are gathered together in His name, the place wheron
they stand is holy ground, bemuse there He is in the
midst of them ; but because so long as we are in the flesh
our complex nature is influenced by material as well
as by spiriteel considerations ; became "the wine of
devotion, having no YOWLS to hold it will inevitably
ho spilt ,and loot." Because if we erected mean
churches and put them to nnworthy nem, mo
unworthy an expremion would inevitably beget, if
It did not betray, an unworthy sentiment of reverence,
becaue the power of association as a help to de rotion
would be lost; bemuse the truth that all things.
materials, well as spiritual, come from Him whom we
wol ship would be in danger of being contradicted or
ignored. Wie hays within our churches certain planes
set apart for the use of the ministers in the celebration
of the service. Bat it is not bemuse we recognise any
longer a holy and • moat holy place in nor earthly
temples. Thatdistinetion we know hasomeed for ever.
The veil has been rent in twain. Now all Christian
people have boldness to enter into the holiest of all by
the blood of Jesus. Now, there is but one High Priest
over the House of God—the Son, who is consecrated
for evermore one sacrifice for sin—the sacrifice of Hlm•
self oaoe offered on the alter of the cross ; one most holy
pleas heaven itself,. into which he has entered to
ain the preemies of God for us. If we et apart
trr ra erading-deak, the pulpit, and the eommneioo-raile
for the use of the clergy, it is not because we anent
them more sacred than the test of the church : but
because right, name, and the declared will of the Lord
teach us that ail things should be done decently acid
in order. We have vestments and furniture for church
aces; but we do not attach to things, any more than
to places, any intrinsic holiness. The ark of old might
only be touched by consecrated hands, but there is
nothing that answers to that in the furniture of our
Christian churches. The table of our Lord is that upon
which the highest rite of our religion is eelebrated ; Yet
who can venture to forget that the very table on which
that holy aaarament was instituted by Chriet himself,
was the borrowed table of a borrowed guestichamber,
and pawed back again at ones, aa far as we know, to corn'
mon tees? Who would wish to aubmit to voluntary
humility and will-worship in foe of the obviou, argu-
ment that if the table on which the bread and wine
are placed be holy, how muse more holy is the body of
, a Christian man, who if lie worthily receives the Holy
Sacrament, receives. not only the ontwarg eLible sign—
the bread and wins—but the thing signified as well, the
body and blood of Christ, which are verily and indeed
taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper?
who is himelf a member of Chri,t and. temple of the
Holy Moat? lt is a noble and a
bleed work in which we are engaged. and very
necessary work you know it is, to admit some 300 ad-
ditional worshippers within these walls ; to provide
accommodation which is imperatively required, especially
for the'poor, who are at present ton much excluded by
want of space from the mervices of the sanctuary ; but •
noble end a blessed work, in all and above all, to per.
petuate for many generations, yea, may it be to the
end of time, a goodly company of Hams epiritual
worshippers of whom it is 'aid, "The Father seeketh
such to worship Him." The work is a great and an
arducus ene, as well as a blessed and • noble one. I
commend it heartily, not only to your prayers and your
; sympathy, bat to your Christian liberality to-day;
only, brethren, for ourselves es well as for this our
; work, let us take with on the words of our Saviour
' Christ, "The Father seeketh such to woriihip Him."
I The sermon ended, a collection was made, which
amounted to L'2o 6e.. and the outdoor ceremony of
laying the corner atone was gone through. The order of
pervice used was adapted from that for laying the
j foundation stone of • church or chapel in this ekes's).
' Mrs H. Bothamley had the honour ofjaying the stone.
, after which. in consequence of the severe cold, these
, present went again into the church, when the Novice
' I was concluded. There was • large attendance on this
I °erasion. A tea and concert at the Burden hotel in the
evening closed the proceedings.