OPENING OF THE NEW FIRST CHURCH.

Otago Witness, Issue 1148, 29 November 1873, Page 8

OPENING OF THE NEW FIRST CHURCH.

" The new Cathedral on Bell Hill," as His Honour the Superintendent playfully called the new First Church last week, could scarcely have been opened under happier auspices than it was on Sunday morning. We are certain that in adopting His Honour's suggestion to secure the services of Dr Begg to open the Church, the Committee were only carrying out the wishes of the congregation. In fact, it fTvas regarded by many as an understood thing, some time before the arrival of Dr Begg, that he should have the pleasure of performing divine service for the first time in this noble building, which is truly a worthy monument of Presbyterianism in Otago. The weather yes. terday morning was all that could be desired ; and at a quarter to 11 o'clock the large building was crammed literally from floor to ceiling. Tbe Church is calculated to seat 850 persons on the floor ; and as not only every seat, bot every square foot of standing room was occupied, there must have been considerably over one thousand persons present. Hundreds of worshippers crowded into all the approaches of the building, and even the platform on which the pulpit stands was closely packed. A large number had to take their departure for other churches after vainly endeavouring to effect an entrance even within the doorways.

The circumstances attending the erection of this church have caused no small stir in the Presbyterian Church of Otago. But the so far successful completion of the work, its apparent suitability in all respects, and the admitted fact that it is one of the finest, if not the, finest ecclesiastical building in the Australasian Colonies, are considerations which ought to have weight with those ■within the Church who have heretofore opposed its erection. It is only due to the public of the Province that the new First Church building should be worthy of its historical position, and taking everything into account, we think the expenditure upon it is rather below than above what might have been expected. It is pretty certain that the same building could not be erected at the present time for the original contract price, £14,000 — which sum, we understand, will be the exact cost of the Church when entirely complete.

The foundation stone was la id by the late Rev. Dr Burns on May 29th, IS6B, and the works have been progressing more or less rapidly since that time. The difficulty experienced in obtaining suitable timber proved a serious obstacle at the commencement of the works. The difficulty and delay were considerably increased by the wreck of the first vessel chartered to convey the required material. Owing to this want of timber the body of the building could not "be proceeded with, and the consequence was that tbe spire and tower were almost at their full height before the roof was in progress. We have already furnished our readers witb a very full description of the Church, so that it is needless on the present occasion to mention every detail. We will, however, state a. few facts, to show the extent of the work and the manner in which it has been carried out. The exterior walls are built of Oamaru stone throughout, on a solid base course of Port Chalmers stone. The inner portions of the work are partly filled in with brick. The tower and spire are very strongly constructed : they are builfc in cement from foundation to finish ; the tower is 20 feet square at the base, and the total height of the spire, 175 feet. Owing to some misunderstanding, the spire has been erected slightly out of the perpendicular ; but arrangements have been made for heightening and straightening the upper portion, which will probably add 15 feet to the total height, and certainly enhance the elegant appearance of the spire itself. The body of the building is in one open space, and encloses a superficial area of 5450 feet. As we have already stated, it is seated for over 850 on the floor, which is eloped, and rises about four feet as it approaches the ma ; n entrance doorway. The la ter is screened off from the body of the Church by an elaborate Gothic panelled and perforated screen. The most attractive features of the interior are the pulpit, its surrounding railings, and the carved work on the capitals ab the spring of the arches in the apse. They are all executed in Oamaru shone, and carried out in harmony witbi the general design, and may fairly claim to take a front rauk as works of art. A large circular window filling in the space in' the main gable over the apse is also a marked feature in the building. It is a most elaborate fretwork of stone, and shows how freely our Oamaru stone can be handled. This window, and the heads of the two principal transept windows, are tilled in with tastefully arranged stained glass in patterns ; and coloured margins are introduced into all of the windows. The style of roof finishing is also remarkable for its ease and expansive effect, with apparent strength in all parts. The whole of the woodwork is painted — the principal groundwork a pale blue, and the principals and rafters varied for relief. We believe it its intended to paint the ioof on a future occasion, when probably a more elaborate style will be introduced. Should it be found necessary, it is intended to erect galleries, and the pulpit has been placed at such an elevation as will suit this arrangement without further alteration. Vestries, a school-room, and other accessories have been arranged as required, but of course these are Hot main features, and do not call for paf •

ticular description. The contractor for the building is Mr David Hunter, who has carried out his work in a most satisfactory manner ; and the carving, both in wood and stone — some of which has still to be placed — is the handiwork of Mr T. Godfrey, who is favourably known in this department of art. The whole of the work has been executed from the designs and under the personal supervision of Mr R. A. Lawson, architect. We trust that the managers of the Church will accept a hint already thrown out to them in these columns to have the grounds suitably laid out, and an appropriate fence erected, so completing their good work.

THE MOBNING SERVICE.

The Eev. Dr Begg ascended the handsome pulpit at eleven o'clock, and gave out part of the 122 nd psalm, commencing with the words —

I joy*d when to the house of God, Go up, they said to me. Jerusalem, within thy gates

Oar feet shall standing be. This psalm was led by the Church choir, and heartily joined in by the large congregation. The rev. Doctor then offered up a very impressive prayer, acknowledging the mercies of Godin permitting them to assemble on this occasion to consecrate the new church, asking His blessing upon their choice of a pastor, and upon their future labours. Part of the 6th chapter of the Second Book of Chronicles was then read, after which Dr Begg gave an exposition of Solomon's prayer at the consecration of the magnificent Temple at Jerusalem. Although Solomon had everything at command — wisdom, riches, and power — yet he, great as he was, knelt in the presence of God when offering this prayer, thus showing an excellent example to rich men of the present day. Prayer should be made at all times, whether in times of peace or war — in sickness or in health. Solomon in his petition to the G reat Creator drew no lines of distinction ; he asked that the supj)lication of the stranger might be heard when he came to worship in the Temple. The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, and all true believers must worship Him in spirit and in truth. We must have places suitable for the worship of God, but must not confine ourselves in prayer and praise to any particular locality. Part of the 132 nd Psalm was then sung, commencing at — We'll go into His tabernacles, A.n.4 at His footstool bow ; Arise, O Lord, unto thy reat, Th' ark of thy strength and thou. 0 let thy priests be clothed, 0 Lord, With truth and r ghteousness ; And let all those that are thy saints Shout loud for joyfulness.

The rev, gentleman chose his text from the 16th chapter of St. Matthew, at the 26th verses :—": — " For what is a man profited if he shall gain, the whole world and lose his own soul ; or "what shall a man give in exchange for his soul 1 " The circumstances under which these words were originally spoken were very remarkable. Peter had made a confession to Christ, saying — " Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God ; " and our Saviour had responded, that upon this rock he should build his Church, and the gates of Hell should not prevail against it. Immediately afterwards, he explained to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day ; but they did rot comprehend the saying which he spake to them. A great many persons lookde upon St. Peter as the infallible foundation of the Christian Church. Now, shortly after these memorable words wore spoken to Pefcer, his ignorance and fallibility were most wonderfully illustrated ; for, after he rebuked his master, when told of his future sufferings at Jerusalem, Christ turned and said unto him, ' ( Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou savourest not of the things that be of God, but those that be of men. " Therefore Jesus addressed him as "Satan," thus conclusively overturning the doctrine of Peter's infallibility, He afterwards asked the important question, what is a, man profited, if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul ; and further, when He stated that "whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it," he meant that it would be found in the world of immortality. We should search the Scriptures, and never be, afraid to ask questions thereon. How shall it be with us if we neglect the great salvation that is provided for us ? When He said, " What is a man profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul ? " he meant to say it wovild profit him nothing. In matters of religion there were things beyond the human intellect, the same as there were in the works of Nature. He was asked to believe the Bible ; it had(,'stood the test of so many centuries. He believed it was God's Word on the evidence of his senses. But he would ask, was it the Divine Word ? If it were they must accept it as it stands. But there were a great many things in it, the same as in the Book of Nature, which they could not understand ; yet a day would come when they would be fully explained. There are three important things to be considered in the text. The first was : That every man has a precious soul. Second, That that soul was in danger of being lost. Third, That if it were lost, all that a man could otherwise gain would be a miserable compensation for that loss. Their own experience and observation proved the truth of the first proposition. They kneAV that the body and you] were inseparable, the body being the casket, as it were, which contained the blessed jewel of the soul. When God made man he first made his body, and then breathed into his nostrils fclie breath of life, and nm became a*

living soul. The "body of a man goeth to corruption, but the soul never dies j it goeth upwards. There is an instinct implanted in every man to look forward to a future judgment. St Paul, in one of his Epistles, says : "we wrest not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." On the other hand, the angels of God watch over our interests ; and there is joy in their presence over every sinner that repenteth. Our Saviour came from his throne above to seek and to save that which was lost ; therefore there is a way of escape for every man to enter into the presence of God. He did not spare His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. It is the glory of men that Christ assumed our nature and spoke our language, and this is evidence which goes to the heart of man. When death comes it changes the countenance, and the body sees corruption ; but the soul goeth upwards. This brought him to the second portion of his text. — Jesus said that a man was in danger of losing his soul. No one could produce anything clean from an unclean object. Our Saviour had said, except we believed in him, we should die in our sins. It is like a case of shipwreck ; will we enter the lifeboat provided for us and be saved ? The rev. gentleman here instanced the time of Noah entering into the ark, and the multitude being drowned through their sin of unbelief, and also the children of Israel in the wilderness ; the question was, Would the Israelites look up to the brazen serpent and be healed ? and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so also was the Son of Man lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? It is impossible that one man can ever gain the whole world. Even supposing that all men with the exception of one were swept off the earth, would that man be any the better if he lost his own soul ? The increase of wealth will not necessarily make a person happy. Solomon had everything at ■ his command, and yet he declared that all was vanity and vexation of spirit. Man needs but little here below, nor needs that little long ; if we have food and raiment, we should be therewith content. Whether we have riches or otherwise, we can smell the fragrance of flowers and enjoy the beauties of nature as well. Solomon says the sleep of a labouring man is sweet, and a man's life consistetb. not in the things that he possesseth. The preacher referred to the parable of the rich man who had no accommodation for all his goods ; but the same night the Lord said unto him, " Thy soul is now required of thee, then whose shall these things be which thou hast provided ? " There is a peace which the world cannot give, and this comes only from God. Those who continue in godliness have the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. The man at the marriage feast was speechless because he had not availed himself of the opportunities accorded him of providing a wedding garment. God desires the salvation of all men, or else what would be the necessity of sermons being preached. We have loved darkness rather than light ; we have all siunod and come short of the glory of God ; bat he asks us rather to go to him for forgiveness. He says of the children of Israel— lf my people had hearkened unto me, I would have fed them with the finest wheat flour. There is a great gulf fixed between the glories of Heaven and destruction. What is the reason of this? Because the day of grace is past ; a man neglecting the means of salvation places himself in the same category as the evil spirits occupy. What shall it profit a man, therefore, if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul. The preacher would plead with them this day to flee from the wrath to come. The Bible says, "Ho ! everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters and drink, and whosoever will, let him take of thefountainof the water of life freely." Mary had chosen that good part whloh should not be taken away from her. The opening of this Church is an important event ; and it reminded him of the labours of the Free Church of Scotland. The Protestant Church, in all its branches differs widely from the Church of Rome; the infallibility dogma of the latter Church causes a wide gulf to exist between the churches. The Word of God is the only standard of truth. There is one theory still existing which was established at the Reformation, that everything introduced into the Chnreh must be in accordance with the authority of the Bible. Our Saviour, in authorising the apostles to preach the Gospel, said, " Go, teach all nations whatsoever I have commanded you." He is the Head of the Church, and presides over it ; and again, it is said to be the House of Christ. Therefore we must not be guided by the commandments of men. If we impose anything on our consciences contrary to the Bible, from that moment we become slaves. The preaching of the gospel is of most importance. St. Paul says; "I thank God Ibap tised none of you exceptC'rispus and Gaius :) : would he have made use of those words if baptism meant the same as regeneration '! The time is gradually approaching when the kingdoms of the earth shall worship Christ. The preacher here referred to the neighbourhood of Wigton, in Scotland, where several martyrs had suffered death in the cause of the Gospel. In those times the poor people were not allowed standing room by the wealthy classes to hear the Gospol preached. We must stand by the glorious principles of the Reformation. The Almighty should not be worshipped with instrumental music, wfcich, ia only attractive to the ear, We

must praise Him with, the fruit of our lips. For eight centuries no instrumental music was heard in the early Church, butsinging and prayer. The Colonies are now reaping the fruits of hard-fought victories in the times of the Reformation. We should think how wide the world is, and how many there are who have not yet heard the sound of the Gospel. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind, and let us do good unto all men, especially unto them that are of the ■household of faith. May God bless the reading of His Word, and" to His name be praise."

[We regret that we are unable to give a more complete report of the Rev. Dr Begglg eloquent sermon. The utter absence of anything in the shape of accommodation rendered reporting almost a matter of impossibility.]

An impressive prayer was then offered by the Rev. Dr Begg, asking the blessing of God upon the new structure, and upon the widow and family of one whose early connection with the Church would always be reremembered. The office-bearers and congregation who will worship in the building from generation to generation were also referred to, that they might love as brethren and bear each other's burdens. In conclusion, he prayed that " the kingdom of this world may soon become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. Thou crowneat the earth with Thy goodness, and makest the little hills to rejoice with thy fatness." May the blessing of God rest upon the sick and needy for Christ's sake.

The 67th Psalm was then given out, commencing with the words :—: — '■Lord, bless and pity ut, Shine on us with thy face, That the earth thy way, and nations all 31ay know thy saving gTdce."

This having been heartily sung, and a few Church notices given, the Rev. Dr Begg pronounced the Benediction.

EVENING- SERVICE.

The Rev. Dr. Stuart officiated in the evening, when service was commenced with the 100 th Psalm. The first lesson was then read, when the preacher offered up an impressive prayer for the extension of God's kingdom, and the blessing of his peopla. The 24th Psalm, "Ye gates, lift up your heads on high," was heartily joined in by the large congregation. The preacher delivered an excellent sermon from the 14th chapter of Romans, 7th and Bth verses : — "For none of us liveth unto himself, and none of us dieth to himself : — For whether we live, we live with the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord ; whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's."

Another prayer followed, the 59th Paraphrase was sung, and the congregation were dismissed with the Benediction.

The Bible and Psalm Book used by Dr Begg on this occasion were new, and gifted to the Church by the Young Men's Christian Association. They are very line specimens of the bookbinder's art, and were obtained at Mr Wm. Hay's establishment in Princes street. We understand that the collection made yesterday came to within a few shillings of £95.