Morning journal and courier., 1880-12-13
Church Matters.


 mon-Rev. Thomas R. Bacon, Of Dwight
 Place Church.
 At meeting of the East Congregational morning at the close of the service, the church voted unanimously to extend a call to Rev MT. Gould, of West Brookfeld, Mass. MT. Gould has several times occupied the pulpit of the East church. He preached with much success for four years in Provi- dence, R. l., and since then has had his pres ent charge in West Brookfeld. He is a brother of Rev. Dr. Gould, one of the lead ing pastors and preachers of Worcester, Mass, and a man of considerable renown, especially in the Bay State. The society of the East Congregational church have meet ing this evening" when it is believed it will without doubt ratify the call of the church Rev. MT. Williams preached at this church yesterday morning and evening. His morn ing discourse was based on the words "Quench not the spirit The Sunday school service of the church is held in the after noon.
 Rev. MT. Dennen preached yesterday after noon on the willingness of Christ to save those who look to the cross. The attendance was quite large for chilly, snow threatening weather Among the notices was one of 8 church sociable to be given next Thursday evening.
 Rev. MT. Webster preached at the First M. E. church yesterday morning.
 Last evening Rev. Mir. Meserve gave ser mon on ''The Passover" /" it being the second in his series on 'sOld Testament Shadows" begun the previous Sunday evening Gin place of the prayer meeting), when the subject was ''Cities of Refuge" Last evening the con gregation sang with precentor instead of 8 choir, which was something new. MT. J. J. Matthias oficiated as precentor. The pastor this evening gives the fifth in his series of lectures on his European trip, this evenings lecture being upon the subject 'sThe trip from Lucerne down the Rhine."
 Dwight Place Church.
 Rev. Thomas R. Bacon, the new pastor of the Dwight Place church, preached his first sermon as pastor of the church yesterday from the text to be found in Phil Sd chap ter, 18th and 14th verses. He attracted the from the beginning to the end. He said among other things that Paul was the greatest of Christian preach CTS. His peculiar fitness was largely due to- circumstances. His birthplace was Tarsus, which as a center of learning and philosophy gave him a Greek education, culture in Greek thought. He was born a Roman citi- zen, under the protection of imperial law. He was Hebrew of the Hebrews, with legal learning. Thus Paul appears as having in his own person the main characteristics of those ancient systems which have furnished the three great forces of modern civilization religion, culture and law We trace these three directly to Jerusalem, Athens and Rome. The hand of Christ touched the scattered threads and twisted them into the sterling three-foId cord of Christian civiliza- tion.
 Paul more than any one man represents all that binds the old world to the new. In re- iigion he was Jew, in culture Greek, in law @ Roman. He was enough of Roman to appeal to Cesar, enough of a Greek to re- quire wisdom, enough of Jew to seek after a sign The same impulses of religion and culture and law that move us moved him. It was because his life touched and still touches the life of the world at so many points, that he was so successful preach
 
 Christ. His fitness was largely due to his training and circumstances. The clements of great success as a preacher are knowl- edge of God and knowledge of man both are essential It is not enough to know God, for he must bring the knowledge of God to man. His knowledge and sympathies and capacities, however varied and manifold, can all be brought to contribute to the one thing which the preacher should spend his whole life in doing, the pressing toward the mark for the prize of his high calling of God.
 The speaker closed with a reference to the circumstances of his own birth and training, which were familiar to the church, and an appeal for help in the work which was before him.
 The afternoon service was largely attended and full of interest The choir sang appro- priate selections in addition to the Congrega- tional hymns, the effect of which was in hour Mr. Bacon's sermon upon the ''Open Door" was very suggestive of improvingsop- portunities for doing good.
 The English Hall Sunday school presented very pretty sight yesterday morning. The room was thronged with eager faces and eyes seemed brighter than usual, as if their owners enjoyed in prospect the pleasures of the Christmas tree in store. The beautiful songs were rendered with animation and 8 spirit of enthusiasm was manifest throughout the school Mir. Prudden, superintendent of the Sunday school of the Church of the Re- deemer and MT. Lincoln, superintendent of the Calvary Baptist church Sunday school, were present as visitors, and expressed them selves much pleased with the system in use and the order maintained. There is library connected with the school containing some six hundred volumes, under the charge Of Messrs H. G. Newton and Julius Twiss