The Portland daily press., 1872-04-15

church edifce just completed by the new Con-
gregational Society at Woodford's Corner, was
formally dedicated yesterday afternoon at 8
o'clock. The audience was quite as large as
the building would accommodate, many per-
sons going out from the city to attend the servi-
ces. There was very pretty floral display on
this occasion. Back of the pulpit, ON the wall
of the recess was an elegant cross of callas and
evergreen, and on the platform and table in
front of the desk were pyramidal boquets of
choice flowers. Across the front of the plat
form was gracesully festooned garland of
evergreen. The order of exercises was as fol-
lows: & 49,
Prayer by Rev. F. Southworth of the Bethel
Anthem-Benedic aninaa aea-by the choir of the
First Baptist Church. s1sfsel u
Selections Of Scripture, by Rev. J. B. wheelwright
Dedicatory Prayer, by Rev. Mr.. Hincks of State
street church. ~ y, .,.,..., ..lf .-..i.'-s-.r. .-
Sermon by Prot. VIM. Barbour of Bangor Theologi-
cal Seminary. -L-.s.L IN 2, Z'EIff.y 81 q
Prayer BY Rev. A H. Wright of st. Lawrence
Hymn, by RevM H. Williams, of Plymouth church
Benediction by Prof. Barbour. a
The discourse of Prof. Barbour was founded
On Luke iv :16 and several following verses
After pointing to the beautiful consistency be-
tween our Lords teachings and life by his con-
stant attendance upon the services of the syn
agogue, he remarked that His was the true ex-
ample of the Christian church. There are GER
tain forms of worship which the teachings of
Christ authorize and enforce. 1t is proper to
set apart places of public worship Christ recog-
nized this custom by his attendance upon the
worship of the synagogue, which in his time,
was fitted in its ritual to the wants of the peo-
pie; and He, with the power of attracting the
attention of the people by his preaching, in the
open air, by the wayside and on the sea, did not
omit the worship of the temple. "He went to
meeting on the Sabbath day" is the exact
meaning of the text. He was brought up to at
tend public worship; and he who says he needs
no meeting house, but can worship best in the
companionship of birds and amid the beauties
of nature, does not follow the example of
Christ. Secondly, the Bible should be read in
our churches as the book of authoritative truth.
1t is peculiarly becoming to our denomination,
in that it is our only guide-our only book of
faith and discipline. We have no formal creed
and can pick up but a few ARTICLES of faith. p
Christ in his teachings endorses the Old Testa-
ment and in the text puts prophecy and miracle
together. This day the Scripture is fulfilled
He has taken pains to guard those portions of
the Old Testament that are the subjects of
doubt All the modern objections to certain
portious of the Old Testament have been re-
peatedly raised and laid The Bible should be
read so as to meet the peculiar wants of the
people. We do not read it under a rule of a
calendar, but in time of sofEo~ read of consola-
ton; in time of joy we find words of praise;
when death is near we seek the words of life
Third, Following Christ the church finds that
Christ authorizes preaching The truth must
not only be read but enforced. He ordained
ministry; and preaching the gospel to the poor
is distinguishing feature of our religion
Fourth, this edifce is built for gathering wor-
shippers in place of prayer. As moral and
responsible beings we cannot live without
prayer. 1t is the grand preservative and pro-
lection of worship, and it is the means by
which we obtain a correct view of Gods will
The meeting-house is also place of praise
The earlier churches sang praises, and the
Psalms were frequently arranged in lyrical me-
ters for this purpose. The speaker closed by
congratulating the society upon the completion
of this house of worship. 1t is an indication of
growth, an increase of the popular demand:
and the people, in obeying the example of the
SaviOus had blessed themselves.
He congratulated them that they had an Or
der of worship which Christ can accept; and
said he, standing here with the New Testament
in my hand, say that Christ would find him
self as much at home in one of our simple Con-
gregational churches as in any place know of
on earth. He further congratulated the people
upon this evidence of spiritual growth, and re-
ferred to the pecuniary sacrifices and labors
which had built the edifice and the tokens of
interest and sympathy which sister churches in
the vicinity had given He spoke of the non
sectarian character of the society, and warned
them IL they allowed aught but ''the unspeaka-
BILE riches of Christ" to be preached from that
pulpit their labor would bring blight instead
of blessing.
A collection was then taken up for the bene-
fit of the church funds, and the audience was
dismissed with the benediction after uniting in
singing Coronation rlHE.f