The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-25

Yesterday morning the new oohocksink
Presbyterian Church. at the corner of Franklin
street and Columbia avenue was dedicated to
the worship and honor of God.
The services throughout were of most inte-
resting character and from the evidence appa.
rent made a deep and no doubt lasting impress
sion upon the large congregation which there
had assembled The cornerstone of this struc-
| ture, which will form when completed one of
! the finest and most imposing ornaments in the
northern part of our city, was laid on the goth
| of September last, and by the unprecedented
liberaty of the congregation, the work has
! never ceased, and will go on until the finishing
touch to this temple has been completed.
The large congregation have cause for re-
iolc1ng in the thought that this edihce is clear
| from all incumbrance, and that the workmen
who have labored so arduously for its upbuild-
ing have received their hire. About $50, 900
have been spent thus far upon the building, of
which sum the ladies-let credit be given them
have raised $4,000. The lecture-room in which
the dedicatory services were held yesterday, is
completely and elegantly finished, Its appear
ance receiving the appreciation of all who have
set foot within it. In this room the audience
assembled yesterday numbered over twelve
hundred persons, many others falling to gain
adInIttance.
After praises had been sung and PRAYER
offered to the "Glver of all good gifts,n thank
Offering in the practical shape of S2l5O was
made by members Of the CONGREGATION and some
others. The Rev. Samuel A. Mutchmore, pastor,
then delivered the dedication sermon, from
which we make some extracts, and which was
listened to with profound attention. The mem
tiOn of memories sacred, clustering around the
temple OF God, brought many tear to the eye,
ard caused deep solemnity to come over all
his hearers. The text was:-
"How amiable are thy tabernacles, o Lord Off
-S4th Psalm, part OF lst verse.
Words like Investments are forever changing
with fashion! AT the time our Bible was trans
lated, "amIable" was the dress of the thought
men represented by the word "beloved.n
Hence the Psalmst eXclaims, "How beloved
arc thy tabernacles, 0 Lord OF Hosts.n But the
probabilities are that there was an amazing
difference between his condition then and ours
to-day. The opinion is entertained by the
learned ThOluck that it was sung at Mahanaim
during DaIid's exile from Jerusalem by the
rebellion OF his son; so he was using these words
to express sorrow over departed joys.
We will use them to express joys over bless
ings, we hope, just begun. A mighty change
when the language of sorrow in our age is made
the medium of JOY in another. The occasion
that has brought us together to-day is one of
peculiar interest. We have come here to rejoice
together over what has been done Tor the glory
OF God We have come to utter His praises IN
this new temple, which, by His mercy and
assistance, we have built for His name. We
have come TO feel and express the Joy that
breaks in upon the mind after hard and
doubtful conflict has ended in victory; the joy
that heroes feel, who in the struggle dare not
stop even to wipe the sweat from the brow, who
have at last triumphed, and can with calm COM
placency sit down and survey the trophies they
have won.
We have to-day no lack of motives for Joy
and Thanksgiving For Gods blessings during
the year have been profuse. His Spirit has been
in the hearts of the people 1t was inspiring life
which gave them mind to work. If we have
been in labors abundant, it has been because of
the working IN US ''to will and do of His own
good pleasure"
We now invite your attention to the truths
suggested in the text, which 10 the desire of the
soul for place sacred to the worship OF God
This may be styled the desire of the nations"
for the very first moral and intellectual pulsa-
tions manifest themselves in the choosing and
constructing places sacred to worship.
Wherever there have been men to worship,
there fanes and shrines have appeared, dedi-
Gated to the honor either of the true God or
imaginary deites, This was what stirred the
spirit of Paul as he wandered through the streets
of Athens II was literally crammed with
shrines and IDOLS, until it was true, as expressed
by one of their poets, THAT it was easier to find
god than9 man in Athens" The forum,
wherein the apostle gaZed, was studded with
statues: The altar of the twelve gods being in
! the centre Of the temple of Venus; and again,
! there was a place sacred to Joye; and the
AcrOpolis, with its sides and summit covered
! with sacred monuments every available ledge
| laden with shrnes or images. There, too, was
! the Erectheum, with its Enclosures, its deities,
| and the caves of Pan and Apollo.
| But the central glory of the scene was the
| bronZed statue of Minerva, the mother and pro,
teCtress Of the city. Indeed, sacred shrlnes met
him at everyprncipal entrance oithe city at every
street some object or scene of DEVOTION and every
view bounded and tringed with fairies or idols
seeming at least rs If Imagination had spent
itself in inventing deties and lest some one
should be neglected, an altar was erected 10 the
unknown God. SO that Paul, while at Athens,
gives testimony that this desire for places sacred
10 worship was not peculiar to the Psalmlst IN
the time OF his exile but is as wide as humanity
and as deep as the human heart.
Races have been found with no idea OF
clolhlng, ignorant of the use OF the simplest
ntensil Tor procuring or enjoying the means of
llle, puI never without place sacred to their
God, with rites and services corresponding to
thoughts apparent IN all these desires OF nations
t0r consecrated places of Divine service:-First,
the clear testimony to the fact of sin which
Ihey afford. Sin has entered the world, and the
worship OF the world is the sure evidence of the
revealed fact
All this church and altar-building, idol
making and lile-taking shows than man is ever
| uuueE curse OF lame-WOrthlneSs, and feels
thaJ ne has injured the Being in the world
whom he regards supreme, and would fall upon
some device to propitiate him. and regain his
iOst power, 1t is the feeling of sin in the soul
that mas IN the past turned the world into q
slaugnter.house, and now rears churches sacred
70 GOD. Sin, as paradOxical as it may seem,
| Dullus the temples, and sense of sin crowds
them with the penitent inquirers, and hope of
us delYerance through Jesus Christ makes the
Gospel power in the world
Ihe second idea apparent in this desire for
places dedicated to praise is a sense in the
human soul of infnitude. This is difficult of
expression, and will be difficult to understand.
stages of human society men do not think pow
ertully, There is want of dehnitiyeness in
their thoughts; they are diHusVe and scattered.
The religion most natural to their condition is
polytheism and pantheism. But as the human
mind advances it feels painful dih1seness In
iN g.IsT su IA Hon. 20 N1 ft