Gippsland Times 7 11 1884 The opening of St Paul’s Church Sale
This church, the foundation Stone of which was laid in December last, was on Wednesday formally opened by the Bishop of Melbourne, in presence of a large congregation.
He was assisted on the occasion by the Rev. G. W. Watson (incumbent); Rev. J. Carlisle, Echuca; Rev. J. Garlick, Sandhurst; Rev. G. W. Hindley, Bairnsdale; Rev. C. P. Thomas, Rosedale; Rev. J. R. Walker, Traralgon; Rev. G. Sandiford, Warragul; Rev. H. A. Betts, Tarraville; and Rev. J. Hollis, Maffra.
The structure, which is built of brick, with freestone facings, is of the decorated period of gothic architecture, with traceried windows; that at the south end being of five lights, the north of three, and the side windows of two lights each. The roof is open in one span, with arched trusses and boarded under the rafters with wrought deal, stained and varnished; each truss springs from freestone corbels built into the walls. The dimensions are, nave 75ft x 42ft, chancel 25ft. 9in. x 24ft. with porch, organ chamber and vestry, and is seated to accommodate 500 adults. The walls of the nave are 23 ½ ft. to the cornice, and the height from floor to ridge is 50ft. The floor of the nave is slightly raised from north to south.
The usual morning service, which was rendered the more enjoyable by the presence and extremely creditable efforts of a very efficient choir, under the leadership of Mr James Stewart, the choirmaster, was gone through, at the conclusion of which the Bishop of Melbourne, the Rev. Dr. Moorhouse, preached a very eloquent sermon, choosing as his text the 27th verse of the 8th chapter of the First Book of Kings- “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” Referring to the ceremony that had taken place, he said that as was seen in the case of the temple of Solomon, splendour of architecture did not necessarily imply poverty of soul. Ugliness and unseemliness of any kind had no necessary connection with godliness, but that, on the contrary, wherever true piety has been found it has been anxious to enlist in the impression of its feelings everything that could elevate and ennoble all the faculties of intellect and imagination. It was impiety alone that refused to build and beatify the house of prayer. He referred in strong terms to the growing indifferent and secularization of the church at the present day, as shown in the irregularity of the attendance at divine service, that men were endeavouring to find in art and science what the church alone could afford, strength to overcome their evil passions, and to recover their lost self-control and power of will. By this means only could they hope to enjoy communion with God, and to maintain that communion it was necessary that they should remember the promise made by the head of the church that where two or three were gathered together he would be in their midst with power to bless those who obeyed the injunction. Although Solomon knew and acknowledged that heaven and the heaven of heavens could not contain the God of his fathers, whom he worshipped, he still built Him a house, not for Him, but for His creatures, that they might come together to meet Him to whom the temple was dedicated. If they then used the present building for this purpose, they also would be able to maintain that communion, towards which at present there was a growing indifference and disinclination, and so be enabled to recover the power of will, and to seek the blessing which they would assuredly receive. He concluded as follows: - I look upon this beautiful temple of yours as a pillar of your testimony to the cause of Christ. And brethren, when you clear all the debts upon it, and can call it your own, then maintain it in its simple beauty, but by all means by God's grace frequent it that you may gain the gift of God in Christ, and then it shall not only be the delight of your eyes, but you shall find it as Jacob found the scene of his wonderful vision, that it is indeed the house of God, that it is the very gate of heaven.
A service was held in the evening at half past seven, when the attendance was much larger than in the forenoon, every seat being occupied, while many who were too late to obtain sittings were accommodated with chairs and forms improvised for the occasion.
At the conclusion of the ordinary evening service, at which the Sale Brass Band attended, and Mr Stewart’s band of choristers again gave an excellent account of themselves, the “Magnificat” and the anthem “Arise, shine, for thy light is come,” being specially well rendered, the Bishop again preached, his text being taken from Matthew, 11th chap 6th verse-“And blessed is he who shall not be offended in me”, upon which he discoursed to the large assemblage in a very impressive and practical manner. The passage refers to the occasion when John, himself in prison at the time on a false charge, sent two of his disciples to ask whether the reports that had reached him of the Great Preacher were true or not, and they received for an answer, “Go and tell John these things ye do hear and see, the blind receive their sight,” etc. From this he drew that the best and most effective testimony that could be rendered by Christian men to the truth and reality of their religion was the substantial result of work actually performed, and no mere formula of doctrine, no mere antiquarian evidence from ancient documents as to the orthodoxy of their creed. This he enforced with great earnestness, and concluded with an eloquent appeal to the congregation to emulate the life and work of the great apostle, so that at the end they might be able to say with him, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of glory, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but to all that love His appearing.”
The proceeds of the collections at both services, which were made in aid of the Church Building Fund, amounted to £51.
