Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-12
DEDICATE TEMPLE
TO CHURCH WORK
BIG AUDITORIUM FILLED TO
OVERLOOKING
Formal Services Attract Thousands
and Many Are Turned Away.
Beautiful Effects Pro-
duced on stage


"If It were not for q Temple Baptist
PRAYER meeting and genius VINO sat
i'm the back pew dreaming out a new
home for us this building would not
now exist"
So declared Rev. Dr. Robert ]. Bur-
dette to the vast audience who crowd
ed the Auditorium theater yesterday
morning on the occasion of the church's
dedication of the immense amphithe-
ater
All the Baptist churches of the city
had been invited to take part in the
dedication and great numbers turned
out. The vast building was packed
from pit to dome and hundreds of
others were turned away. Not even
the opening of the grand opera in the
same place Thursday could surpass the
services yesterday. The brilliant dis
play of jewels seen Thursday was
lacking yesterdGv but the crowd was,
If anything, greater.
The ringing of the chimes behind the
proscenium arches silenced the wor-
shippers, following which quartet
concealed behind the curtain sang
Kingsley's Love Divine, All Love
Excelling."
The scene as the curtain arose was
one to make any heart beat faster.
The stage had been set with an inter-
ior church scene and through the
stained glass Gothic window the light
streamed. A hundred little tots from
the infant department of the Bible
school occupied the front of the stage
and Joined in the service. Behind them
their elder brothers and sisters were
ranged, all of whom had been drilled
for the affair by Prof. B. G.. Kingsley,
the musical director. The musical pro-
gram was under the direction of Mr..
Kingsley and included a piano solo by
the director himself, as well as two
selections by the quartet and a solo
by Mr.. Paul.
Repeat Dedication
Letters of congratulation from the
First Baptist church, the Central Bap-
tist and the Memorial Baptist church
were read, after which the congrega-
tion arose and repeated the following
dedication:
pTo the sweetest ministry of music;
to the highest ideals of art; to the edu-
cation of the body, mind and soul; to
the training of the best citizenship and
the truest patriotism; to the strongest
manhood and the purest womanhood;
to the brotherhood of man, the fellow
ship of righteousness. the fatherhood
of God, and the teaching and living
his Son. the Savior of men: to the
training of all that is best and truest
In daily toll, in wholesome recreation,
innocent amusement and Sabbath rest
and worship: to the sacred unity of
the home: to the holiness of family
ties;s to the promotion of temperance,
chastity. honor, truth and righteous
ness we, the congregation of Temple
Baptist church, dedicate this house.
In the name of the Father. Son and
Holy Ghost Spirit. Amen"
Pastor Robert J. Burdette then
preached on the topic, 1.-THE Cycle of
the Temple" taking his text from
Revelation 1:8, Il am Alpha and
Omega"
'In the beginning-God. In the
splendor of the court of heaven, hosts
of the sinless creatures, ministers Of
his glory. worshiped his power and
might and dominion. Angels of God,
messengers and servants that did his
bidding. Swinging On space, the world
of his creation. empty and waste, with
out life. without light chaos of DESC
lation. emblem of a soul without God.
The spirit of God brooded over the
lifeless planet with the infinite yearn-
ing of the love that makes him the
All-Father. Heaven was court of
majesty. But royal court is not
home. Servants are not children.
Praise and worship is not love. And
the Lord God, as though he were
lonely in the midst of unceasing adora-
tion, wooed the sleeping planet with
the tenderness and beauty of light.
Singing fountain and fragrant blossom,
fruits of purple and gold, verdant
meadows and wood crowned hills, all
the abundant life of water and air
and earth came forth at the touch Of
love divine.
Man Above Angels
1.-The eternal Father fashioned under
his own hand, in his own image of
majesty, a race that should be dearkr
than the angels, for sorrow should
teach it to love. A race of men nobler
and stronger and more Christ-like than
the sinless ones who shout anthems
of glory about the great white throne,
but cannot sing the noblest hymn that
Wakens the sweetest music of heaven
and earth-the hymn of redemption
through love made perfect by suffer-
ing and sacrifice. Man was in the
world and all about him and over him,
always and everywhere, God. In all the
world neither altar nor temple. In
the pleasant garden of peace they
worshiped and in it's sun-flecked shad-
ows walked the Lord God. God in his
world-his world of life and authority.
And the worship of the world was the
worship of heaven. SinlesS ones of
earth praised as did the angelic hosts,
with phrase of reverence, God hath
said!' 1t was his world and his alone
'"Then sin crept into the world. How?
l will tell you If you, who know your
SELF will tell me how sin came into
your soul which you had from God,
pure and sinless. Sin came. And now
they learned the meaning of hat ter
rible word, Death And other fearful
words sprang into awesome life, like
the venomous thorns and thistles from
the grounds of their tillage. Sin. con-
demnation. punishment sorrow, hate
and enmity and covering fear. And
crying out against all evil sounds and
voices came the sweetest words-earth-
born-hope and mercy and victory
and pity. And out of 1t all-the pain
and the sorrow and the shame and the
sin-came love, like the light of the
heart of God shining into another
chaos of darkness. And Noah builded
an altar unto Jehovah place of wor-
ship and of prayer and OF love; of
mercy and compassion. For written
upon the stones of the first altar Is
the everlasting promise of the Father.
promise of memory, bounty. providence.
Altar Mans First Dream