The Portland daily press., 1889-01-07
PULPIT AND PLATFORM.
NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH.


Lord" Psalm XXXVII, 80, was the text
taken by Rev. Howard c. Dunham, pastor Of
the New Jerusalem church yesterday, for
his memorial discourse upon the late Oliver
Gerrish. In his commencement the pastor
spoke of the common error that every good
and great man is self made. God makes ey-
erything that is good. The natural tendency
of man is to evil; his salvation Is of the
Lord. The preacher then sketched the life
of Mr.. Gerrish with strong and loving hand.
The main facts of his biography have already
been published. But ic Is of the life of Mr..
Gerrish as connected with the New Church
that the speaker presented many INTEREST," ng
facts. Mr.. Gerrish was the last OF the origi-
nal thirteen who established the church in
Portland.
His marriage was means of introducing
Mr. Gerrish to the New Chuech. On COM
ing to Portland he attended the First Parish
and apparently was well satisfied. Bnt
few months after his marriage, his brother
in-law, DR.. Little, came across the little work
entitled Doctrine of the Sacred Scriptures
by Emanuel Swedenborg" which Mr.. John l..
Megguier lawer, had brought from New
Gloucester. To DIR. Little this little work
was indeed revelation. In its light the sa-
cred scriptures became transhgured with
glory. He at once sent to Boston for addi-
tional New Church literature, and soon be-
came a confirmed receiver Of the clear, ra-
tional doctrine of this new age OF light and
life Having great esteem for the charac-
ter and intellectual attainments of his new
brother-in-law, Mr.. Gerrisn, DR.. Little was
desirous of interesting him in his new dis
covery, but at first he seemed to make little
impression. AS he passed the jewelry store
the doctor would often drop in and unfold
to Mr.. Gerrish the new truths which were
such delight to himself. But Mr.. Gerrish
was not to be easily captured. The late Will
Co., told Ina hat he
tions were very warm and earnest and often
not a little amusing to Mr.. Gerrish's appren-
tices, including the late Abner Lowell and
himself. But Dr. Little and the doctrines OF
the New Church we're destined to be victo-
rious. Messrs. Gerrish, Lowell ana Senter
all became members Of the New Church, as
we'll as others who were at work with Ger
rish. About 1927 meetings for the reading
and study of the doctrines were held on Sun
day evenings. In 1929 Mr.. and Mrs. Gerrish
attended the general convention of the New
Church in America in Boston. Aug. 81, 1881
the Portland Society of the New Church was
instituted with 13 members including Oliver
and Sarah Gerrish.
name of Mr. Gerrish on the executive and
other important committees Of the general
convention. For nearly fifty years he was
an active and influential layman OF the gen
the convention was at Boston in
| 1883. He much wanted to attend
| the meeting in Boston last May, but felt him
| self too weak. During the Boston conven-
| tion Of 1873, in the palatial mansion of a
| mutual friend in the Back Bay, had the
| pleasure of being present, at one Of the last
| Interviews between Mr.. Gerrish and DIR.
| Thomas Worcester, for long years the pre-
| siding minister of the convention and the
| official who in 1881 instituted this society.
| All who knew DIR. Worcester will remember
| him as one of the grandest and most digni-
| fed of men. 1t would have been hard to
| have found two more imposing men. In
| grandly simple way they talked over the
| great changes since they began attending
| conventions fifty years before. A few weeks
| after, Dr. Worcester was called home to the
/ better world, but Mr.. Gerrish was destined
| to remain among us for ten years more. In
| 1886 Mr.. GerriSh was one OF the delegates OF
this society to the first meeting Of the Maine
Association at Bath, and presented the re-
| port from Portland in which he gave brief
| history of the formation and growth OF the
New Church in this city, For many years
he was the treasurer Of the Maine Associa-
tion, but to enumerate all the offices he has
held would be neither useful or possible at
this time. Few laymen have been better
read or more Intelligent in the doctrine OF
the New Church than Mr.. Gerrish. From
early life he was fond of books and the
knowledge which they afforded. and as he
became able he gathered about him nne
library, which eventually included one OF
the best collections Of New Church litera-
|
when copy of the Heavenly Arcana cost
$40 and full set of Swedenborg's work
800. In his beautiful library on Locust
street, he had about him more than TWO
thousand volumes. short time before the
great fire of 1866, standing In the middle OF
the same and looking about with something
of satisfaction on his elegant array
of valuable books, he expressed an earnest
wish that the full sets might never be brok.
en-. They never were broken. They all
| to0athar n that 1la and aWfur
July night, but.in far different way tnan ne
had hoped.
To Mr.. Gerrish. in nearly every way, this
society is greatly indebted. Not only as a
member of the Church Committee, q Sunday
School teacher, and an active worker, but
financially, his generous purse has helped
the society over many dlthculty. In the
pecuniary troubles from 1910 to 1850, 1t was
Mr.. Gelrish who shouldered and carried the
debt on the Congress Street Church. The
members of this society who passed through
those hard struggles were opposed to again
incurring any large debt on church edltce.
1t is only just to Mr.. Gerrish and those Older
men to say that had their wise councils beer
followed, 1t doubtless would have been much
better for the society. But we all have tC
live and learn by the hard discipline of expe
rience.
To many, it may seem as If it must have
been exceedingly easy for such man as Mr.
Gerrlsh, with his inherited health and order.
ly inclinations toco-Operate with the Lore
in preparing for the better life. But We
cannot doubt that as with all Of us 1t wa
also with him, lifelong struggle. He had
of course, his special limitations, imperfec
tions and temptations. All who knew hin
well, of any degree of spiritual discernment
could not but know that he passed through
many hard conflict. As with us all, he hat
to learn the lesson Of the text that the ''sal
vation Of the righteous Is Of the Lord"
PREBLE CHAPEL.
Rev. William 7. Paelan, pastor of Prebl
chapel, reviewed in an interesting name
yesterday his work during the years that h
has occupied the pulpit of the chapel.
PINE STREET CHURCH.
Rev. j. l.. Hall of Brooklyn, N. Y.
preached at the Pine street Methodist Epis
copal church yesterday forenoon. Mr.
Hall took his text from Romans, ,I.XVI:
For am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ
for 1t is the power of God unto salvation TO every
one that beleveth; TO the jew first, and also I
the Greek.
NOTES
The musical programme at the Higl
street church last evening was as follows
God is Love His Mercy Brightens Tuft
l VIII Magnify Thee ....''-..... ...Mosentna
Last evening the Society of Christian, En-
deavor of the North Church, Cape Ellzab5th
observed its anniversary with special servlc
es and an address by Rev. b. Z. Snow, I'M
pattor.