The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-03-29

Lutheran Church, OF tnls city.
The space between the chaneel and the
front pews was filed for the occasion with
chairs for the invited guests, in which were
seated the clergymen Of other denominations,
Including Rev. DR.. E. T. Wlnkler, Rev. DR..
john T. Wlghtman, and Revs. Meesrs. Smart,
Bracket, W. q. Adams, A. n. Chretzberg, D.
z. Lafar, ]. L. Honour and W. c. Dana. The
Mayor, members of the City Council, members
of the press, the architect aud builders of the
church, and the building committee and vestry
were also seated here. On the altar, which
occupied the centre of the chaueel, were
arranged a vase of beautiful flowers and ferns,
and wreath OF evergreeus and lmmortees
surrounding the Holy Scriptures. At one side
of the chancel stood the unfinished pulpit, COW
cred with thick garlands of evergreens and
snow white blossoms, prepared by the thought.
full care of the ladies of the congregation, to
supply the deficiencies In the structure. The
pews in the centre OF the church were occu-
pied by the gentlemen composing the pro-
cession. A large number of chairs had also
been placed along the iaisles, and every one
was occupied. The seats at the sides of the
church were crowded with ladies, many of
whom had been in their places since nine
o'clock. The galleries, were well filled with
the Juvenile representatives of the Sunday
schools, the gallery on the north side being
occupied by the girls, and that on the south
side by the boys of the different schools. Al
together 1t was a bright, pleasant, lovely
scene, sight which will live in the memory
of those who witnessed 1t, and one which may
well repay the care and labor and anxiety
which has been endured by this energetic
society in securing this beautiful place of wor.
ship.
The services of dedication were conducted
in German, and were begun while the process
sion, headed by the pastor OF the church and
the other Lutheran clergymen, was passing up
the aisle, The Introit being repeated alternately
by the pastor and other clergymen as follows :
Pastor. How amiable ore Thy tabernacles,
o Lord of Hosts.
Clergy. My sou. longeth, yea fainteth for
the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh
crleth out for the living God. For day In
| thy courts Is better than Thousand.
Pastor. Lift up your heads, ye gates;
! even lift them up, ye everlasting doors.
Clergy. And the King OF glory shall come In.
Pastor. Who is this King of glory?
Clergy. The Lord Of Hosts, He Is the King
of glory.
The ministers then having entered the
chancel, the whole congregation arose aud
Joined with the choir in the Gloria Patri:
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and
| to the holy Ghost; as 1t was In the beginning.
is now, and ever shall be, world Without end.
| Amen.
Then followed the Invocation by the pastor,
s.The Lord be with you;" and the response by
the congregation, "And with thy spirit"
This was followed by the service of dedlca-
ton as prescribed by the liturgy of. the
Lutheran Church, the Recltative and Gospels
Il Kings, viii, q, 80, and g., So; Eph. H. IL, %,
and Heb. K, 10. 2O,) being read In turn by the
pastor and the Rev. DR.. Rude.
The Apostles Greed was then recited In
unison by the pastor and congregation, and
this was followed by the service of consecra'
llon reclted by the pastor.
Next came Luther's hymn, "Elu feste Burg
ist unser Golt," sung by the choir and the
congregation. The organ accompaniment
was by Professor q. E. Eckel. The choir, led
By Mr.. Heinemann, comprised Mrs. Eckel, 30
prano; Mra Henneker, alto; Mr.. Senior, ten
or, aud Mr.. Issertel, base, assisted by strong
chorus of selected singers. The vocal music
was also accompanied By a brass band under
the direction OF Professor Beck.
The dedication sermon was then delivered
by the pastor, as follows:
Haggai I'd chapter, 10th verse: "The glory oi
this latter house shall be greater than OF the for
mer saith the Lord Of hosts; and In this place
wI give peace, saith the Leri OF hosts."
Welcome In your new house of God, my be.
loved congregation, Ia my greeting from Out
of an overfowing heart TO you this day. The
day-day of rejoicing, 0 day Of tears Of glad.
ness-aIls US With pride and bessedness
With pride, because the sma!! number OF Ger.
mans In this city have succeeded In completing
Wide through this land, and even other nation.
alties will boast of 1t. Only Germans could
have undertaken and finished such building;
vet, I think that I can read In your hearts
what l feel In my own. that to day Joy abOunds.
Yes, God has made us to rejoice. because din.
culties did not overwhelm u.s.. Firmly stands
the noble pile. After five years of hard strug-
gle ana labor the beautiful temple is finished,
and whoever aided In the work must rejoice.
But we assuredly also feel that except the
Lord build the house they labor 10 vain that
bnild It.: and we humbly bow down before Him
who alone has been our helper, and we, of our
own accord. excaim: ISL soil Dec gloria. "
to God be all the glory;
It was not vanity that led us to build this
house, but necessity; and that the glory OF this
latter house Is greater than OF Inc former, 1s
based on we'll established facts. Churches
cannot be built too large. The Lord invites
all to come unto Him, and. therefore: must
the house of God afford room 10 all who will
come to Him. Nor can churehes be built TOO
extensively. Do not men dwell 10 expensive
honses? Why, then, ought not the people OF
God. the body of Christ, build royal abode
tor Him? We do not build such houses 10 our
honor. but to the honor Of God. II Is true
Christianity that needs not external pomp.
and we have enjoyed blessed refreshmeAt
from on high In our old and plain little house
of PRAYER: but The saying of Lessing remains
nevertheless true: Only mistaken religion
can discard the beautiful, and 1t ls an evidence
OF true religion when IL always leads us back
to the beautiful. An English poet says: A
thing of beauty Ia Joy forever. The truly
beautiful always brings gladness. The golden
age would return when on eartn an arI ana all
science were the haGdmaids OF tne hlngdom
OF God.
This building ia built according to the Ger
man or usnally termed Gothic style, not mere.
ly bpcanse we are Germans. but because
Consider the Gothic style OF architecture as
the really proper style Of chnrchly architec-
ture. was given the German people through
the grace of God to purify the true Church OF
Jesns from the rubbish of human maxims, and
German workmen have likewise found the
corresponding form for the temples of God
on earth, All our styles OF architecture bear