New-York tribune., 1876-10-09
CuI-RCH ARCHITECTURE.
The Pen DR. C. d. HeLmcr0t ne 1OInDLiHs AUeHue Cgngr
uOaQt Churct (bTOOktyH).

The Rev. Dr. c. D. Ht@cqt Ne zgmP;ias AS'""e co'9T'ga
The dedication services at the TOmplins
Avenue Congregational Church in Brooklyn Of which the
Rev Dr. c. d. Uemer is pastor, were held yesterday
morning In order to provide greater accommodations,
and 10 remedy serious acoustic defect III the building
the interior has been entirely Tcmodced Work was be-
gun early in July last and has just been finished The
alterations costing about $4,000. The somclrcuar
ARRANGEMENT Of seats has been adopted both on the
main floor and in the gallery, which runs entirely
around the church, and thus each sitting directly faces
the minister The platform is spacious and occupied
only by a small desk over ana back OF which are inc
organ and the cCI' Inc sSa'nt ci",'y i n'S Us '
taken from Genesis xviii, 10, Il, 10 10 ana
Toh rled ami OF his sleep aud he said, surely the
Iord Is In this place and knew it not. And ne was
afraid and said How dreadful i- tins place! Ihs j.
@ er bu The house of God and this the gate Of
TOOK lie stone that he had put for hs pillow and set II
NJ for pillar and poured oil upon ne top oil H. Ana he
The simple Pile Of stones erected by Jacob .ontra7ted
win e temple which Solomon built three years
later shows ihe advance in divine conception Whch oc
CURED during that time, ana though 1od cannot pc
housed I'm any temple made win hahdS SHOWS tilhi
inc eccesinstical cdice l. product OF Tie Fl iHtua
growth aud progress OF the builders. II would thus
seem that a complete history OF the growth ana Gov,
oumcnt OF the church must include that Of the church
edince. In the deve opment or man yoa cinhot Iiso
him to any great hight by the cultivation oi any one
part of his nature. lOu must combine the eCuta-
ton Of his physical. intellectual, and moral ma
have all seen who has lived an irreliglous Ire
hg attaius the ago OF 40 or 90, ana WhO bcihs
highly cultured in other WAYS cannot pray When Lo DC
comes converted. Though he were an orator, man
cannot pray unless he has been educated up TO- ana
in the same measure prayer IS product OF CROWN
aud culture the church cdcc is product 0f the grown
of the church. The cave mon would haidll nave Sc
Iccted cave as nttng place Oi worship, just as the
Greeks erected the ParthcuOn as the ng exponent OF
their highest culture. The idea obtained among tue
Hebrews that God demanded sacred dwelling
mace upOn earth, aud for this reason the
tabernacle was earned I'm the journey through the
Wilderness by the children OF Israel, and II was
the central point around which their cncampnents cius
tered Among the Purtans the house was not regarded
as His dwelling, but simply for the use OF w0rslpers
hence the exponent of thai idea the mectnghOuse
They held that since Christ chose the place Of HIS
trausfguratOn hilltop aud not temple that place
became sacred, and that any spot IN which men M0f-
shipped in spirit and in truth became sacred.
The reason why religious societies shOc build dll-
ferent buildings from those used for secular pufpOSts Is
because they stand constant reminder To the com
muDity that there rs q hereafter. But while you make
the outside symbolic either Gothic cruciOrm, why
not make the interior convenient The element OF com
fort has been forgotten by building committees OF
churches for hundreds of years. Tie mistake began
when the Protestant church. the doctrine OF jusiica
tiOn by faith. separated from the Catholic church and
took section OF the cathedral with them, which while
II answered the purposes OF ROmanis, was In no wise
fitted for Protestant church. The hrst Object 70 DO
attained is that every person IN the audience should
both aud hear the speaker To attain TINS the ann
phitheater Is the only correct form, form which has
come do7 10 US from the remotest antiquity, ana which