The Portland daily press., 1884-12-05
CHURCm OF THE mEssIAH.
Installation of Its New Pnstor-FulI Re
port of the Services.


the pastorate OF the Church of the Messiah
took place last evening in the presence Of a
large congregation, every pew being occr' iad.
The service commenced with an orgs v, in-
tary, to which succeeded the anthem, praise
Waiteth for Thee" An invocation by Rev.
Mr.. Crosley followed, and reading of Scripture
by Rev. Mr. Hayden.
After singing auother hymn, Rev. O. A.
Hayden of Auburn arose to preach the in
installation sermon, taking as his text Deuter-
onomy xxxVi, q: "The Eternal God is thy
refuge"
REV. MR.. HAYDEN's SERMON.
He said that these words we're spoken by
Moses to the people OF Israel. God is q refuge
In thought. The intellect demands God. The
attempts of science to dispense with Him are
unscentifc. The attempts of philosophers to
dispense with Him are uDphilosophical. SO
with our moral nature. We need this refuge
in our own struggle for reform as much as in
our struggle for ourselves. There are times
and moods in which our forward work brings
with it painful sense OF the unknown future.
This point was elaborated by the speaker to
some extent
There is another thought which is contained
in this text; that is, God Is our home. That
word refuge may be translated "mansion,"
our abiding place, which gives the thought
that God is our abode, our home. II IL at
home that we feel safe; so with God We fear
no evil. AT home We rest; so our hearts rest
in God. Home is the private church; church
is the public home. We work for our home;
tue world to come that shall be eternal. A
home bere may be typical OF that. What In
our reliance and surety for that home? 1t is
the promise that the Eternal God is our refuge.
But we need In our weakness and blindness
some visible guide; some leader to show us the
way to God. As the people of Israsl needed
Moses, so We need q human teacher. The
highest aud the lowest blessings of life both OF
heart and mind-blessedness and love and wis
dom and goodness-are miuistered to men
through men; and to live without dependence
and human help and guidance is to be either a
savage or an angel. Gods guidance ia minis-
tered to us through man, but our weakness of
faith in the unseen is ever tending to per Eert
the relation between teacher and taught into
practical forgetfulness taat the promise OF the
new covenant is they shall all ba taught OF God.
We must not pat the teacher between ourselves
and God. The teacher, be he teacher or au-
thor, has succeeded in his work when he has
taught his pupils to do without him; aud the
highest approval that he eau receive is when
the scholars say to him. "Now we believe, not
herause OF thy word, but we have beard h,m
ourselves"
The true leader of the people OF Israel was
cloud and the fire that lowered over
their camp for q defense and went before them
for guide. We may have the same divine
guidance II we will. God's providence does
still shape our hearts, and Gods spirit will
direct us within and God's word will still
counsel as. II We will wait and watch we
shall not be lefs undirected. 1t is good to see
just how God comes and offers himself Just
here to the human soul IL he really Is God,
He must have some help to give us here.
Christianity is the bringing OF God to man and
the man to God. This church aud every
church stands for that If it be Christian
church.
The speaker then dwslt especially on the
relation OF the minister to the chufch. Come
to God. Get the pattern Of your life from
Him and then go about your work and be
yourself. Gods presence is enough for toll
and enough for rest. If He journeys with "a
by the day, He will abide with us when the
nIghtfall comes, and His compaDioushi2 will
be sufficient for direction on the road. and for
solace and safety in the evening Of life. There
is so much real work TO be done, real help TO
be given, and real life to be lived with God
that we should be earnest and faithful that we
may find God our refuge at the end as he has
been through cur life.
The prayer of installation was offered by
Rev. j. II. Little, which was followed by a re-
spone by the choir.
DIR. j. P. Weston, president OF Westbrook
OCmluaEJs WIN uoINCEcu buO CuANkC W tno
pastor, spoke of Mr.. Crosley's faithfulness
and efficiency in other fields Of labor. and his
knowledge of him before he came here. He
charged the new pastor to be trae to his own
| convictions, and pursue the method that he
| had tried to prove, 10 bear in mind that he
was q Christian minister, aR ambassador
| for Christ. carrying the image of truth and
-!cye from the Kings of Kings; that he had en-
tered upon the greatest and most important
-
had been ordained and would consecrate him
self anew that evening. His duty was two
fold-that of a Christian teacher aud that OF q
Christian pastor. He charged him as preach
or to present sound doctrines in reference to
God, in refe renee to Christ, in reference to
destiny, and in reference TO morals TO preach
repentance Of sin and regeneration OF heart.
He referred him TO the scriptures as the man
of his counsel, and charged him to Ieverent-
tally bring to their Interpretation and
laudation the research of scholarship; not to
sneer at creeds, but have well grounded be-
liefs and teach them. He exhorted him to be
faithful in his studes that he might be faith
full in his pulpit; to be faithful to tho denom-
universal; to consider the needs of the young;
and extensively to regard his pastoral work.
The Master went about doing good, and the
servant should follow his example in this re-
spect.
gave Rev. F. M. Houghton great pleasure
to address few words OF welcome to Mr..
Crosley. BE had come to religious people
and people of good sense. He wished to
welcome him especially to the Universalist
conventions and churches. He felt that the
people were thankful to him for extending to
the new pastor a personal welcome. In q
word the clergy welcomed him to the duties
aud pleasures Of Universalist's work.
In his address to the parish, Rev. j. FL. Lit
tie urged the people to keep out OF debt; to aid
the pastor in his work; to give careful atten-
ton to the details of parishs business; and to
promote social development amcng them
selves. In closing he called attention to the
need OF unity Of spirit in all their work.
The exercises closed with singing, after
which the benediction was pronounced BY the
pastor.