The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-09-01


The new Methodist Episcopal church at Bid
deford was dedicated to the worship of God
yesterday, the services commencing at half
PAST ten a. m. The order of exercises were as
follows: The services commenced with vol
untary on the organ by Mr----of Saco, fol-
lowed by the singing by the choir Of the beau
tiful anthem 81 was glad when they said unto
me, let us 60 up to the House of the Lord" etc.
Hymnl16th, Before Jehovah's auful Throne"
was tbenread by Rev. Mr. illsbury of Congress
street, Portland, and sung grandly by the con-
gregation led by the choir to the tune of Old
Hundred. Rev. @. Lord of Oak Ridge, then
offered prayer, and Rev. c. Munger Of Alfred,
and M. Wight of Goodwn's mills, read appro-
pirate selections of Scripture, after which Rev.
W. S. Jones OF Wesley Chapel, Bath, read the
969th hymn. which was sung by the choir
Rev. S. F. Wetherbee, the pastor, then in
troduced Rev. H. b. Ridgaway, D. D., of st.
James NJ E. Church Harlem, New York, as
the preacher for the occasion.
DR.. Ridgaway announced as his text John,
XII. 49, And if be lifted up from the earth
will draw all men unto me-"
He introduced his subject by saying that no
law was more familiar than that of attraction.
This law operates kboth in the material in
tellectuala and moral worlds. 1t is true in both
too, that the larger attracts more powerfully
than the smaller body. Jesus lifted up, mani
| tests this power of attraction not so much by
| His word or his works as by his death. He
announced therefore as his subject, "The At
tractive Power of the Death Of Christ"
| I. In contemplating the mission Of Christ
i we find that His work-the peculiar work
which he came to accomplish-the saivaticn OF
| men-would not have been contemplated
| without his death-and that the peculiar death
| which he suffered. History can only be inter-
| preted truly anu satisfactorily by reference to
the plan of the Divine mind, and that plan as
shown in the Scriptures, demands of the Mes
siah suffering and death.
III. Jesus contemplated his death as that act
| which would finish his work, and as that with
out which his Nork could not have been finish
ed. The death was the objective point of the
life-the thought of his death the controlling
thought of the life of Christ. 1t was not as
Renan falsely asserts, an after thought born of
chagrin and despair. 1t appears in the CONVEX
j aaton with NicOdemus-it was the theme of
interview with Moses and Elijan on the mount
/ Ill. The peculiar work which Christ was to
accomplish could not have been accomplished
without his death, because that death was a
| vcarious one.
Nv. The death which Jesus suffered was
necessary in order to give the highest aud most
affecting of the Divine love. II, said the speak
er, want to get nearer to Jesus-nearer to
the Fathers heart, 60 not TO the bright sum
NIT of the TRANSPORTATION but to the gloomy
deaths Of Gethsemane-tO the sad heights OF
! Calvary.
v. The death of Christ was necessary because
if he had not been lifted up upon the cross he
never could have been lifted upon the mediate
rial throne. ft a
VI His power to draw men to himself is
due to the character of his person, No mere
| man could use of the text.
This mere skeleton conveys about as good an
idea of the sermon as the specimen brick of the
old Roman did of the house he wished to sell.
Indeed no report,not even a verbatim one could
do it Justice. 1t was full of passages of rare
eloquence and power, embelished with most
felicitcus and beautiful illustrations, and rich
| in pure evangelical sentiment Tears and fer
vent responses attested its effect upon the au.
dience. r
After the sermon the trustees of the church,
through their chairman, Leonard Andrews,
ESQ.,, presented the building to the pastor, who
received it in behalf of the society, and took &C.
casion, in few felictous remarks to tender his
| own thanks and those of of his people to the
young men Of the congregation for their gift, a
beautiful gallery clock, to the young ladies' for
rich and elegant communion and baptismal
service of silver plate; to a lady of Biddeford
for two silver vases for flowers; to another lady
of Jamaica Plain, Mass, for q large and richly
| bound Bible for the pulpit; and to master Ell
roy s. Matthews, little Sabbath School
scholar,aged six years,for fine hymn and tune
book, bound in Turkey morocco-the purchase
of the carefully saved pennies Of two years self
denial.
Rev. J. B. Lapham of Saco, then offered the
dedicatory prayer, the 965th hymn, was then
read by Rev. G. w. Blackman of Kennabunk
Depot, and sung by the choir and congrega-
ton and the benediction was pronounced by
the pastor r.-a ~
The church is beautiful edace of wood, two
stories in height. On the lower floor are the
large and small vestries, the class room, etc.
On the upper tho auditorium. The length of
the church is SO feet, the breadth 81, and it
will seat about 600 persons. 1t has a very neat
and tasteful spire, 145 feet in height in the bel
fry of which is a sweet toned bell from the
foundry the Meneelig's at Troy, N. Y. Graves
Of Boston, was the architect. The entire fin
ish of the interior is of brown ash, filled. The
total cost was nearly $4,000, including the
lot, which is one of the most delightful in the
city. ls.a 'e-.5s
In the afternoon the choice of pews was sold
at auction, the first choice being knocked down
to James Andrews, Esq, at $105 The choice
money amounted to over $1,000.