St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-03
DEDICATED TO GOD.
The Woodland Park Baptist Church
Dedicated Yesterday.
Sermon by Rev. DR.. Riddel1---A History of
the Enterprise.

Selby avenue and Arundel street, was dedi-
Gated with more than ordinarily interesting
services yesterday afternoon, Its seating ca
pacity of 500 having been taxed to the full
by an audience of its own and the other st.
Paul members of that denomination.
The audience room with its Eastlake set
tees and pulpit furnishings presented very
tasteful appearance, ewhile fine
gallery over the vestibule did
not detract from the perfect
contour Of the inner structure. The build
ing is well lighted with ground glass windows
ornamented with colored panes in miniature
windows above them, while the sides and
ceiling are very neatly papered in imitation
of fresco, with the pastors study in front,
prayer or Sabbath school room and church
kitchen is the rear piano and organ and
talented quartet all looked very inviting and
home like at the first public service.
On this occasion the pulpit platform was
ornamented with vases of choice flowers and
very elaborate floral design stood upon an
easel to the right Of the desk representing the
summit of a basket of rare floral offerings
placed upon background of evergreen.
The exercises opened with select anthem
by the quartet, reading of the scriptures by
Rev. H. E. Norton, of the First street mis-
sion, prayer by Rev. R. w. Arnold, of the
East st. Paul Baptist church, which, after
the rendering of hymn by the congregation,
was followed by the dedicatory sermon by R.
R. Riddell, D. D., of the First Baptist church.
After some preliminary remarks over the
planting Of this church, in which he felt more
than ordinary interest, and to give special
thanksgiving and praise, he selected his
frorr of OH 1 2.QE
''Jesus answered, my kingdom is not
of this world, then would my servants
fight"
These words fell from the lips of Jesus at
the most criticai point in the worlds history,
for in that hour centered the dividing line
between the eternity of the past and that to
comet was the hour when Jesus passed up
to the cross that, he might ascend to the
throne. At this time the Roman king, the
greatest of the earth, confronted the king of
heaven. PLATE could not understand the
mystery, but acknowledged there was some
thing on the one hand, while Jesus was full
of knowledge on the other of the position
and power of God and man.
For long period prior to this utterance,
there had been restless, insecure feeling
among the kings of the earth, fearing the
predicted coming of what the Jews supposed
would be a secular or earthly ruler, and the
whisperings of Jesus kingship had
added unrest to those in kingly power. They
feared an usurper and dethronement, know
ing that their positions were at the mercy of
man, and therefore the announcement of
Jesus, "My kingdom is not of this world''-
its sources of power are not of the earth or
man, and are beyond the reach of all
human instrumentalities.
The kingship of Jesus then had three great
antagonists. The first was Judaism, which
had planned for Gods giving them secular
king greater than Solomon, with whom they
might crush the Roman power. The second
was the development of intellect and philoso-
ply in Greece which accounted it foolish
ness; and the third was the Roman power
which worshiped alone the great force of
arms.
But Christianity with its springs
of power out OF sight and whose
sources were not in human
life had overcome both the Jew and the Gre
clan, crossed the Tiber, sat in the palace of
Caesar and wore his crown. It silently
swept antagonistic notions from its path,
swept on grandly over the centuries as no
storm path ever could with its hidden sources
of power out of the worlds reach. Chris
the grasp of giant, such is its potent power
and Christian linked to Christian labor is
one who moves in the kingdom of heaven.
The speaker then spoke of the ideas of
some people that they were to have special
paradise of their own all walled in with flow
ers from the world; of others who were con-
tent to let them have it if they would keep
their religion out of society and politics. He
believed that God designed his followers touse
their elective powers by grace as well at the
ballot box, in government, state, city and
town politics, and cited the miserable condi-
ton of the pulpit and the church in regard to
the agitation of the slavery question, until
God raised up men, once mobbed but now
revered, to denounce the wrong, and to
deluge the land in blood to wipe tout. When
a Christian enlists, he enlists to secure truth
and justice, and against wrong, injustice,
inhumanity, meanness, oppression in gov
eminent, and if he compromises with them
he makes a fatal error. Christianity asks no
favors from the world, and its greatest vic
tories have been when it has shaken itself
clear of it. 1t is resistless in itself without
the worlds aid. Its powers are as hidden, as
the leaven in the meal, as stealthy as the 81
lent growth of the forest, as cease
less as the powers of gravitation.
By the building of this church a new
Christian centre had been established in St.
Paul, and our hearts kindle in prophecy as to
the streams of influence which may come out
from it to help lead its citizenship to love, to
light, to life and to God. 1t was little light
that dawned at Palestine and now the pagan
nations have all become Christinized, while
all art and culture of the earth have their
origin in Christian centre. The kingdom
of heaven is like unto a Banyan tree whose
trunk is Jesus, and whose branches and
shoots are the churches in whose shade the
whole world will finally be gathered, and the
time is fastening on when this old globe
of ours shall be swung like a censor in the
heavens by the hands of the Father, fully
perfected in his image,
The pastor, DR.. Woods, arose and said that
in the construction of this chapel on the hill
all the denominations thereon had bid it well
come and God speed, and besides extend to
it good wishes and a helping financial hand.
That all might know what had been done
with the means raised he called upon Gen.
j. W. Bishop, chairman of the building COM
mittee, for report
Gen. Bishop came forward and said that he
had made no written report but would make
verbal one: The structure, which was 4S by
rs feet in size, was commenced October 1,
and its foundations were completed Novem-
Der 1. Its cost with the ground on which it
stood had been $1,000 of which sum
$1,000 had been paid by its members and
contributions of others, but fully two-thirds
of it by members who had made considera-
BILE sacrifice in so doing.
At this juncture Dr. Riddel and the pas
tor joined hands in the work to then and
there raise the money to free the chapel from
debt before its dedication to God, and there
upon ensued scene of contribution and
earnest work which showed how the souls of
the Baptist denominations of the city are in
the Christian work. On the first 81, 900 Dr.