The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-09-17

CuURcn.-This beautiful edifice, situated
on the corner of Twentieth and Broad
streets, which has just been completed,
was Yesterday dedicated to the service of
Almighty God. Long before the hour for
the commencement of the exercises, ladies
and gentlemen were focking into the
church, and by ii O'clock it was densely
thronged. The pews on tho main aisle
were mostly occupied by ladies, and the
side pcws were filed with persons of both
sexes, while settees were placed in the
space in front of the chancel, and chairs
in the aisles, all of which were speedily
occupied. In the galleries were large
number of Sunday school children and
adults, and, indeed, there was not an
available inch Of room in the church,
either for sitting or standing, to spare.
The audience-room will comfortably scat
about 700 persons, but at the lowest CAL
culation there were not less than 1000
present at the services yesterday morning.
We noticed on the pulpit desk beautiful
Bible and hymn book, with broad purple
ribbons pendant, embroidered with the
anchor, the emblem of Hope. Professor
Gebhardt presided at the organ.
On the entrance Of the clergymen, the
choir sang the beautiful anthem "Let all
the earth keep silence before Him." The
pastor of the church, the Rev. DR.. Edwards,
then arose and pronounced the words
"The Lord is in His holy temple let all
the earth keep silence before Him." and
then announced that the dedlcatory ser
vices would be conducted by the Rev.
Robert n. Sledd, of Lynchburg, Va.
The Rev. Mr.. Sledd then came forward
and gave out the following hymn, which
was sung in very creditable manner by
the choir:
The praise of Zion waits OH Thee
MY God and praise becomes Thy house;
There shall Thy saints Thy glory see,
And there perform their public vows.
O Thou, whose mercy bends the skies
To save when humble sinners pray,
All lands to Thee shall lift their eyes,
And grateful isles Of every sea.
Rlest is the man whom Thou shalt choose
And give him kind access TO Thee
Give him a place within Thy house,
To taste Thy love diyinely free.
Soon shall the fiocking nations run
TO Zions hill, and own their Lord;
The rising and the setting sun
Shall see the Saviour's name adored.
Mr.. Sledd then offered up an earnest
PRAYER. in which he besought the blessing
of God upon the church, pastor, and con-
gregation, closing with the Lords Prayer,
the audience joining.
The first lesson from the orty-cighth
Psalm, and the second lesson from the
twenty. first chapter of Mathew, COM
mencinc at the thirty-third verse, embody-
ing the beautiful parable of the vineyard,
were then read after which, at the request
of DIR. Edwards, the congregation arose and
repeated the Apostles Greed: &" believe
in God, the Father Almighty" etc.
The 25lst hymn, commencing
" Daughter Of Zion, awake from thy sadness; ;,
Awake, for thy foes shall oppre.s thee no more,
was then sung by the choir.
Rev. DR.. Edwards then announced that
all the Methodist congregations in the city
had been invited to partake Of the holy
communion in the afternoon, and he eX-
tended the invitation to Christians of all
denominations. He further stated that
the Rev. C. II. Hall, of Baltimore, would
preach in that church on Sunday and Mon
day evenings, and that the meetings would
be continued every night during the week.
The dedicatory sermon was then de-
livered by the Rev. Mr.. Sledd, who Sc
lected his text from the sixth chapter Of
the First Kings, seventeenth verse 8" And
the house, when it was in building, was
built of stone made ready before it was
brought thither: SO that there was neither
hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard
in the house while it was in building"
The reverend speaker commenced his
discourse with all interesting sketch of the
building of the temple at Jerusalem, from
its original conception by David to its COM
pletion by Solomon. Eighteen hundred
years had passed since the structure was
finally thrown down, yet it was still, and
must ever be, an object of the livcliest in
terest to the Christian. 1t was the dwell
ing g-place of God, where He dispensed His
blessings to His faithful worshippers. 1t
had also a typical significance. 1t was the
ensamplc and shadow Of heavenly things.
In this sense it was used by Isaiah, by St.
Paul, and by St. Peter. The Holy Ghost
contemplated it as the type, and the
church as the antitype; the temple as
the shadow, and the church as the
substance. Taking this as starting point,
he applied the subject to the Christian re-
lgion in all its ramiications. God chose
the basest earthly materials from which to
build His temple, but afterwards changed
them for His use, sanctitied them and made
them in His own image. Christ was the
chief cornerstone of Gods temple, and
without his atoning blood none could be
saved. IL mattered not how many CON-
mendable qualities man was possessed OF,
unless he received pardon through Christ
he had no fellowship with Christians, and
was but a clog upon the wheels Of the pro-
cress of the church. The church had
more to fear from hypocrites than from all
other influences combined. God supplied
ample means of grace, but man was re-
| ouired to work out his own salvation. Yet
| there was much to encourage the Chris
tian. and Gods work would 60 on until
the Gospel had attained its end-until the
last stone was laid upon the temple. When
the temple of Solomon was building, all
was confusion, while on Mount Zion all
was peace. This might have been intend
ed to symbolic that kingdom of which the
temple was type. The life of Christ was
q life of peace and love, and when at last
he died on Calvary, he effected perfect
reconciliation for iniquity, and made way
for the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding.
We do not intend even to give synop.
sis of Mr.. Sledd's eloquent and appropriate
sermon, and what We write we write from
recollection. 1t made deep impression
upon the large congregation, who listened
with almost breathless attention from the
commencement to the close. His picture
of Heaven was beautiful in the extreme
and his application Of the text to the