The Portland daily press., 1869-12-31
Dedication OF the High street Church.

present incumbent
AT an early hour the congregation began to
pour into the sacred editice, and at the hour
for the commencement of the exercises the
church was crowded to repletion with the
members of the parish and many from other
societies. After the preliminary exercises were
ended, which were highly interesting and con-
sisted of voluntary on the organ, followed by
an anthem sung by the choir, with fine effect,
an Invocation and reading of the Scriptures
by Rev. DR.. Carruthers, of the Second Parish,
hymn by the choir, then the Dedcatory Pray
er by Rev. Dr. Chickering, the forme. pastor,
after which another hymn was sung by the
cholr and congregation-the Rev. DR.. Man
ing, of the Old South Church, Boston, deliver
ed the Dedicatory sermon, which was an effort
replete with poetic Imagery, deep thought,
gracefulness of expression, and exhibiting on
the part of the speaker great elementary pow
erS.
The text was taken from the 18th chanter of
the Epistle to the Hebrews, 9th verse y" And
M's 0ord, get once more, signifeth the removing
~ nose things that are shaken as of things that
dre maze, mat those things achich cannot be
shaken may remain"
members of this religious society and their
friends, the present moment is one of pleasure.
Beneath all that is transient something valua-
BILE remains When fire lays city in ashes, if
we afterwards see finer city rising in its place
our attention is called to something nobler
than the mere city. This something is the
spirit of the people who recreated it, and which
remained after that which was pershable was
destroyed If ithad not been for the fire which
SO nearly laid the whole of Portland low, this
indomitable spirit might never have been seen.
So with a church. When we have seen it de-
stroyed and another, more elegant rising in its
place, we are reminded of the love for God
that is implanted so deeply in the hearts of its
members The temporal things have persisted
but the spirit could not be removed. And this
fact we see exemplified in trnth which has
stood the test of ages, and so in the mighty
work of redemption there are things that can
be shaken and others that cannot be.
1t we ask what is the one immortal fact
among the perishable things of the church it
is the cross of Christ One of the symbols of
Christianity is globe surmoanted by cross,
That cross is the great fact in human history
1t will be an object of ever growing worship
when all other things are forgotten. The very
traces OF events will be worn away, no vestige
OF States left on the earth, nothing but the
cross. That shall be monumental over the
graves of all acts and keep the memory of our
planet fresh through eternity. The angels will
ask after the cross and watch the phases of
that ball on which it was placed, which will be
to them the place of the cross and nothing
trpin ha ~. IL
fought for supremacy. The cross alone will
save this little planet from oblivion 1t is the
altar world to which Christ went to lay down
his life to take it again, and they cast their
crowns at his feet saying, "Worthy is the
Lamb"
In saying that the cross is the thing alone
that shall perpetuate the world, mean the
whole work which that cross stands for. 1t
was in this world that Christ put off humanity
and put on Divinity, his beautiful life culmin-
ating in Gethsemane and Calvary. When we
speak of the cross we mean him who bore it,
who unravelled the mystery Of forgiveness,
who solved the great problem that made men
stand aghast at how sinful the world was and
from it wrought out deliverance and showed
how it might exalt the divine glory.
demption? Let US see how inevitable are the
results. The memorableness of an event de-
ponds upon the future, not on the present mo-
ment. Many of the most beautiful scenes are
grander in the retrospect than in the present.
Shakespeare was nothing to his townsmen, and
since his day his name has made his little
birthplace famous. Ayrshire is rendered me-
morable by Byron, Bedford by Bunyan, Genoa
by Columbus, Mt. Vernon by Washington,
Plymouth Rock by the landing of the Pilgrims.
In like manner what is this globe but for the
great name associated with it? Who in the
future will value it of its own account? Christ
was born here and began work that saved it
from ever being forgotten. Many of the local
tiles just mentioned, and the names that made
them famous, will be endeared to successive
generations. But there is future into which
they cannot reach. The "dead past a" will
bury them. They will cease to have relation
to living things when we step out of time into
eternity. Christ's cross will overshadow all
for Calvary never can be forgotten; it hallows
the world, for it is the symbol of the redemp-
ton that will halow the world. Christ has
accomplished work which shall never become
a thing of the past, but continue to increase in
power and love in the memory of the world,
flesher and fresher as the cycles of time pass
on. The mightiest person comparing himself
with God must confess, "He must increase but
must decrease, and Of His government there
shall be no end"
The great work OF love only can be eternal
the work of the cross trumphing over the darl,
work of sin.
Such the destiny of Christ's work, hoping it
may define our duty as ministers of Christ
We have met tonight, not SO much to conse-
crate this building as to be re-consecrated in
the holy work ourselves. Our thoughts turn
to the work. We naturally ask, are we per-
fortnight so as to insure the permanency of the
work of Christ. Shall the impression we are
making by our daily life be temporary, or sur
vive the wreck of matter. Only so much of il
as is identified with Chrst's salvation must per-
ish. Christ buildeth with silver, gold and pre-
cious stones that the fire cannot harm Are
we building with the same materials. We
must live like Christ or our lives will be like
chat which the wind bloweth away.
Nothing is more beautiful than Christian
life, but it must not be confused with. fine art
The asthetic element in our nature must moi
sway US. We fail when we sacrifice substance
for shadow Honoring the Gloss is not blessing
ourses-es. You may make your life beauti
ioi pasea-t but it will vanish like cloud pal
ace wheh a DIN from eternity touches it. /
may oe ni,]t substitute for hard think
lng' out IL Is OF tne eash. earthly. The elemen
~ 'o"e 10 it. 1t is no part
While guarding against one v4uo,o don,
forget the opposite. Those who are -. = .
ting against forms of worship com :. ~,
same sin. Devotion to ones own lusts b,
wars. When Moses would save his people fro
the fiery Serpent he didn't turn Serpent-kill,
but lifted the brazen Serpent. The champio,
of the faith are not necessarily fighting men,
The best way is to let Christ plead his cause
his enemies, and they will be ashamed. I
scatter darkness don't beat it, but bring
Light Christ is the light. Forms and cree
must change. They only fill brief want b.
Christ is central and lasting. That suscept
biity must be awakened. That is the mu
tard-seed that shall grow into mighty tree.
Are you polemic? The day is coming whe
nobody will care whether you were victor
conquered. Are you a proselytizer? Yol
converts will curse you for turning them fro
the substance to the shadow; when Christ sha
be alfin all. There is no controversy betwee
us and any man who adopts his form of bell
SO long as he is earnest. We only quarrel wit
them when they allow form to take the pla
nf fha b,.o