The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1883-04-17 00:00:00

GOD'S CALL TO OUR CHURCHES AND OUR

NATION."

Lisa Smiley was a day of spacial prayer appointed
to ba observed by the Congregational Churches of
England, in connection with God's severe dealinp
with our cation of late years, being on the special
recommendation of the committee of the Uongrega.
tional Union. The Rev. T. Nears preached an able
wirmoti on the subject, which will be reed with peculiar
interest at this time. We make the following

extracts:—

liethro unto owe, sad I will return unto you, ealth the
Lard of Hoets."—lllalsehl id. 7. Here are lemon, for all time'
and for all peoples, but emphatically fur those ambits who ham
bees mouthy favoured of (hod. It is to such that Clod
addreems His words of warnang sod enoouragemeat Let us
consider now what there le in the oomition OW'. Chuck
and people woich calla for rebut. • 4 warning, and let us
endeavour to give earnest heed to the words hmdta addressed.
I, The du'y enjoined; 11, Thu promise attached. I, The duty
enjoinel— Return unto ma" Let us proceed to enquire
ear, earodupy into the meanlog of MD gel og away from God,
Ls involving the need of our retutuing to Ulna. 1, In the Snit
place we may regard this tondo( away from God on the part
Ll His people and nation ss the gradual decline of interest in
ilis Lamm and worshtp film people had not entirety and
abeolutiely absodone 1 the service wad worship of ; the
outward semblanos of worship Wag utaimained, Ysl, us
known to teod, their service was falm and hollow.
hided, is the meaner and method of all religious deollos. It
is maudeeted outwardly In imillerence to the sonicu and
houw of God. And this is an evil watch is only too visible in
the Month of God at die peewit time. It to one of the Wu-
I tog, and Indeed painful, if not alamiog, features of the t Mee
that there io a ...ibis diminution of the Interest of the pro-
-100.1 people of God in His bowie and its service. Wh Never
a ay be the causes ci this epeilt of indigence. sad &Mae, at
least w• me it an hear of ot oo M 1 hands. There is math lee
Interest taken in the direct religious .o,lce 04th. church, and
much lees active effort put forth by the mass of professing
Christians than In some other days, and all this betokens only
too Mealy an inward decline, sod, indeed, want of trio lit.;
II Implies, in shot, that the power of religion is not felt and
experienced in the heart of these who prates it. If religious
Id. were Atone and healthy within us its visible fruit would
be sea in the din °Owl to the outward services of God's house.
TI, .• stoic..
.would be hailed as the most pleasureable of all
life's opportunities, and the interest of Got's people in them
would be manifest by constant and earnest attendance on
Chum. The abance of thew radars can only tell no that
there is much decline and much turning away from the Lord.
2, But bends, this turning away from the Loot was visible
amongst His own people. In their indifference to toe
leower and value of religion in directing their own lives.
Th:. is the great evil of which Jehovah here run Ulna.
Nothing can more clearly show thet the life C. not under the
control of religion, and, indeed, that the heart ha. ceased to
believe in it, than the o .noction that it is not e nential tattoo
We. Herein is, ail ha. always been, the tribe evilence of
religious decline. How Is this spirit Sabath in do church of
Christ to-dayhowlar this idesh to taken moonshot of the hearts
of many professing Christians, obviously it must be didloult
to say' but that there is much of this spirit manifest every
observing person must clearly discern. There is an enornootta
amount of sheer unbelief sa to the power sail necessity of
genuine religious faith end principle; th re la a growing
tendency with multitudes to disavow all faith la the need of
Christian profession and principle, and. diepoethon to be
guide I simply by the natural dictates of the mind. Them are
palpable and painful facto, and they may account for much
of the dealings of God, not only with this union, bet with all
natio.' s. 11. Tole turning away from Gal is further iudicatel
by the lack of effort and selfsactifice. This is the specific
charge which Odd brings h re against His no ople. Will. man
rob Got 7 But ye have rothod me. In the resolution which
the c mouths of the Coal egiational Union hsalesued,regarding
the day if spechl prayer In respect of G oil dealtags without
nation, special ernopheds Is thid on the nu 04 !Christian people
wails • more earnest and prayerful consecretlon of their
property to the cause of God. It cannot be denied that, in
respect of th e matter, our shortcomings one and Si, are
great. There are many noble cramp. of eplendid • hrletan
liberality and service; but, with the vast mem of professedly
hrietian people, their shortcomings are palpable sod *Wait
Second, If we ask what eth bo the aoct of sub deport-
ing from Cl 4, the on.wer 1, ooly too evident, and it is worth;
of conal oration. 1, Ito effect on the people of God themselves
inlet be eensibly to Impair their own hoppinese sod ently-
ment of religion. The peope of God need to h their faith
streortheued and in . Let us make our 'elision reel.
living, and our Joy shall shall be real and living also. 2,
Another effect of this d epartlng from the thing (hell. to impair
the real usefulness and power of our life. The Christian ceases
to be useful end powerful ; ths church ceases t • be useful and
powerful, just no it ceases to be truly and really religious Bo
soon es the form tikes toe place of the reality, so soon does
the power of the life wane An t the little power of the
church to-day over the great mass of men, is largely amounted
for on the ground that the church haa no real Ills and power
in herself. 11, therellore, we would have real influence, we
must get it in the real life of oar gouts otherwise our power
Is no avail. 3, But one further effect of this deputing from
God, and the saddest of all is, that God departs from us. We
forget that God recompenses His people as Ile rec.,lncrnisiel:
others according to their deeds. God ther fete .
rhos istnents upon lIIs people when they forsake His law and
ilis ommandments, and when they Wain to despise His
worship and service. The forms which God's displeasure
mistimes are many. With Ms p'ople He doom Ills dis-
pleasure In withdrawing from than the very privilege@ they
despise. How often is this wen in the decline of individual
churches In the decline of religious Waimea communities.
And hoe often God's displestare Is seen la the nations by
the hand of adversity, of calamity, wasting, sad impoverish-
ment. Such • tme we have panel through of late
years. Great distress and difllculties have been upon our
nation. And wherefore his it been 1.1 Bs Mob of God's
(Maple mire In us, because of mu u.ifsithfulnew as His pro-
(seed people. An if God has show., Ms displeasure to Ills
peop • in other day. by teropoial d street and calamites,
why should we refuse to recognise in the times of ...verity
and trial,tlo.ed almoet unparalleled in the hiotory of our country
God's band in them? are we so Inthiul to God ail a nation?
Are we ,0 true to Him as profaning Christians, whether as
Individuals or communities? Have we so Completely done
Itts wilt, that we cannot suppose that His drool...sure ma be
t .wards us? And have the great body of the people so lived
up Co their prio.lbso and honoured God's law, and met His
claims that such temporal (Battense and trials as have
come upon to, have been uudeserred Not need I
enter into any discussion at this time as to the likelihood
of God chastising us by the calaalthe of hal trade,
bad baryons, said the other physical ills Let it be
answer en nigh to such objectors as tell us that
Clod doss out Interfere with the comae of nature to punish
His creatures. that Clod bodes so in the past if we credit His
word, and that He has • perfect right to use all material things
to correct and punish His Creettlree, and to teach them their
duty and obligation t and dependence, ni Him. Let us not
doubt the pe fact Jo 'tics and power of God tauten nature and
by Sure, so auto correct and chsoon the vlnful children of men.
Let not philosophy, frequently false wo called, drive us from
such • conviction as this. And we shall do Maly ae • nation,
If we are led by the notional distress' and didlculthie through
which we have been pawing, to examine oureelvesjoersonall.
sad le communities, and in all the aspects our ille,
religiously, politically, socially, commercially, and to me LI
there be not enough in our national life, as it has been lived
through late years, to call forth God's diepleasate sad jade.
meat, and to mall as to • better state of mlod and heart, and
to lead us to rep nt truly of our ,Ins and to turn unto the
Lord. " What the return to the Lord memo." 1, Let us
regald it as implying Ana a return to a sincere 11th iq 1.104
and His service. God is 'retry of our profanities. There is
abuodant arofemion all about us. What God wens is reality.
Let every one of us who mums the lame of ettriit, really and
truly live that name. This is the true return 04th. Soul to God.
2, This return to God involve. something mere than this
sea', faith, and experlenoe of Divine thiags. It also Involves
the full setting forth of the life to God. To return to God to
to render the full devotion of our Marta and lives to
Him Ills to take God as ou Clod and Lord; It is to devote
ourselves onre erVedly to ; it is C, make Ills service our
supreme service; it is thus that we are to turn to the Lord.
11, God's prong.e to dome who return to Ifini—" [IMMO
unto me and I will rotors unto you, oeith the It.rd of Hone"
1. Let us in thi Bret PIM* riaLLAtiline the fact, as here Implied,
that all spectel good I. In God'. Moro to us. It is in the
absence of God from Ills people in the Church that all trouble
and sorrow and difficulty are ace motel for, and it is only
as Gel returns to us that bl seeing will ninth also. Gods
=and Go favour upon us I, the only round of
to tie We cannot prosper without God; the f of
God is element/al Cu any true life, whether individually or
collo lively. What le Implled in God's return to us? I. rirst
and foremost we on ty take it as exprwelve of the favour sail
bison, of God. It implies that Clod's help and blousing MI
be ever emended to us, that our welfare will ever be the
object of the Divine care. 2, This return to God Is
extrusive further of our participation in ail ntedfsil
personal blades. We h ire herein the promise of all
needful grace and help In our release. lire; we have also the
premise of all other help. We lath nothing when we that
return to God,_aod God returns t, us. Then would be 'utility:
the promise, "I will open the windows of heaven, and pour yes
out • blowing, and there shall not be room enough to receive
And I will rebuke the devourer for your makes and hesball not
destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your Sue
east her fruits before the time in the geld, ealth the Lord of
Hosts. And all notions shall call you Mewed ; for ye shall
be • delightsome land, saoth the Lord al Hosts. Now here
I. trroatise in the most explicit form of earthly and
teen good as the reward of religious obedience. Arad the
reveres is true; the al, moe of such a life tf obedieoce to God
was followed by God'e withholdi gof Ms ear. hly Me. And
why should It be otherwise to-day Why should not God
the people of Zeeland for their sins find f weed alums
rrni.tiotir despising of Privileges, by withholdint earth', good
ash. punished His chosen maim of old! Is there no c.ll
lor God's displesinni la there such obedience to God's
law and authority by the peo,tha that any sock
thaetleement would be unjust Is our life aa •
people so just, upright, pure, temperate, :haste, that
we can only look for God's blowing? la our trade, end aim-
metre, and al oar civil actions oo Jost and Christian that we
can expect nothing from heaven but Its favour? Who does
not recognise lathe • ne and evils, In the ungodliness, in the
ingialty and injustice which prevail. • voice culling Woad
for God's jodgmentsthod we may rest 'soured that God has been
ho Ws His hand heavily on this nation,m •to Bolds and factories
and worksblps, en Ire trade and IndnetrlClA to correct the
natioo for its many evils, and in joilent to remit the people
to • cense of the righteous law of Clod. His judgments ore
full 41 mercy. We need notto complain of judgment. They
are our best bleseinp in the long run, and therefore weehoold
say. unhappy is the nation that knows no ju Worth And if
we lay to hest the imiens which these severe 'hem are fitted
to teach as we shall be taught many salutary imsous, and the
price of millions MU be but • small mollies, If ao the result
of all thas long continued disasters, we are taught Smogs of
thrift, economy, prudence, temperance. and above all ales,
true' In God, end faith in moral and rellg ous principles.
.Lst
us hope that these lento' s will in 5 Me massare be learned by
us, and let us hope that the special aorta which are bang
made by the ministers of our own churches to-day, men
whom God bas Nasal In the past as the beam sad able
expounders of Ishmael religion and national rightmussese,
may have God's special hie sing, and that our own churthes
may have new bisminge sent to them. sod that large and rich
hlmelnp may net upon our nation
.• that pure and undefiled
median may greatly Spread threiribo" our beloved land-
" Return unto nos sod I will return unto you, smith the
7.. cord of Hoots."