West Jersey Pioneer

CHURCH DEDICATION.

Agreeably to the announcement made in our paper, the new and beautiful chapel of the Central Methodist Episcopal church was dedicated to the worship of Almighty God, on Thursday of last week by Rev. Dr. Mattison, of Jersey City, according to the formularies of the denomination. For several days previous the weather had been stormy and the noble little band who form its membership, feared that the storm would be prolonged and prevent the attendance of many who were anxious to participate in the first regular worship ever held within the beautiful enclosure. But the day broke pleasantly and a fair congregation gathered together to enjoy the occasion.

The services were commenced by the reading of a hymn by Dr. Mattison, after which prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Street, of Millville. At the close of this exercise, Rev. Mr. Given, of the U. S. Navy, their late minister, read the scripture lesson for the occasion; when Rev. Mr. Morris, the present pastor, in behalf of the Trustees, presented the church to the officiating clergyman as a house specially offered for the worship of Almighty God. Rev. Mr. Ballard, the Presiding Elder, then read the acceptance, followed by the dedicatory sermon from Dr. Mattison. The sermon of the distinguished divine, was worthy of the reputation which his former efforts in this city had obtained for him, and was listened to with the most marked and pleased attention of the entire audience. The text was in the fifth chapter of the prophecies of Isaiah, involving the subject of churches and their privileges and was handled by the Doctor in the peculiar style of polished plainness, which forms so great a charm in his public efforts. After delineating "Zion" as the type of the churches and asserting that whenever there was an evangelical church, there was a spiritual Zion, he passed more particularly to the privileges of membership in churches and the erection of churches themselves.

He made some felicitous remarks upon a happy christianity, and asserted that if any one in the whole world had a right to be happy, it was the follower of Jesus. With a pleasant keenness of satire he insisted that if real religion existed in the soul a christian was happy—happy without theatres, or balls, or pleasure parties or billiards, happy in hot weather, in sickness, or even in death, and that one great charm of the Methodist branch of the Church of Christ in the past, had been that its people were a happy shouting people. He showed also that the most of the pleasures of social life really grew out of the institution of the church of manners that lends so graceful a charm to life, the generous impulses—that ameliorate so much of suffering and in fact all the higher facts of civilization to which we owe our social pleasures, were derived from the churches of Jesus. It was true, he said, that there were many good and pleasant people who did not profess religion, but still it was from the effects of that religion that they had been enabled to become good and noble and so in spite of themselves they were blessed by the religion they did not profess. He drew a graphic picture of the real difference between the professing and non-professing portions of community, by supposing all the christians, good, bad and indifferent, of Bridgeton, ranged on one side in one body and all the non-professors, good, bad and indifferent also ranged upon the other, and then letting any one strike the balance between them.

He accounted the erection of every such temple a public benefit and one that should be responded to by the material aid of prominent citizens. He alluded too to the necessity of union among the denominations in order to resist the aggressiveness of the Romanish church which was making rapid strides toward supremacy in the Land.

At the close of the sermon the congregation were invited to make their offerings, which they did in the most noble spirit. Rev. Mr. Given, who had given a large donation before to the enterprise, head the list with $250, and several other gentlemen did the same, after which smaller sums were contributed until the sum of nearly $4,000 was pledged as the morning offering.

In the evening the people filled the house to listen to Rev. Dr. Bartine, of Trenton. The sermon was a beautiful exposition of the "Priesthood of Christ," combining the Ecclesiastical historical knowledge with spiritual analogy, in such a manner as to hold the entire attention of the audience, while his oratory fastened the impression of his words. At the various points of the Priesthoods of other systems were contrasted with that of Jesus, in a manner that both enchained the attention and awakened the sympathies of the audience. At the close of the sermon the offerings of the people were renewed and a sum contributed which made the entire gifts of the day to amount to $5,075, the largest sum ever contributed in any one day in any of the Methodist churches of our city. We see no reason now why this church should not have a most successful future and stand among the foremost of those moral influences which it is our happiness to believe so largely control the people of our city.