Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-06-22

Church ia Worcester, Sunday morning, June
IS, 1854, by j. G. adams, Pastor.
SIN the day Of adversely consider. "-EccL. Z; 10.
Life is a lesson. There are many dull and
inattentive scholars over it. There are few
who ponder to some extent its meaning, and
gain wisdom of its revelations. He who
penned the text, evidently knew something Of
its deep experiences, and was in some good
measure qualified to give advice to his fellow
men in respect to their life-pursuits and inn
provements.
| An adversely has come to our beloved city.
Its business interests have been stricken in
their most vital parts. During the past week
the consuming flame, has, in a few hours,
scattered the property and many of the pres
ent secular prospects of a large number Of our
citizens, and left restitution that is felt near
! ly or remotely on every hand. Worthy men
of toll who, at the last weeks beginning,
felt themselves happy that they had something
as the result of honest labor, by them, for
their support, and that of others dependent
upon them, have suddenly, ere its ending,
found themselves stripped of it all by this
| Bosom of destruction, and made to feel that
their steps to prosperity must be taken over
again. We must, all Of us, know, have
something of this calamity in mind, as we
come up to this place of Christian instruction
to-day. deem it q privilege that can
| properly Lelel 10 IL anu, Us we nave one COIN
mon sympathy i'll respect to this visitation,
that may seek such direction of our thoughts
as shall seem most in agreement with the I'M
erring instruction of Christian wisdom and
truth.
This is new kind of affection to this peo-
pie; not in nature, but in degree. Fortunate,
indeed as we say, has this city been in time
past, that it has suffered in comparison with
other cities, SO little from the destructive flame.
We were hardly prepared for such visitation.
And yet, it is but one of the occurrences Of
what we term evil, in the course Of human
experience, which calls for the exercise of
other emotions than those of wonder or grief;
---one Of the life-lessons -four earthly course,
from which we should endeavor, now that
| the seriousness of the event is most fresh
! ly upon us, to draw sacred instruction,
aud holy strength, and divine life. For
think that we cannot sometimes better re-
ceive our admonitons and directions to duty,
than from the events which are IN nearest
connection with us, and that speak most
| plainly and impressively from our every day
| life.
The direction of the text is, that in the day
! of adversely we should use a constituencies
! becoming our nature, and according with that
| gu dance given us in the revelation of Christian
| truth. Let us seek to do 50
l. BY reflection upon the great truth of
human depe4 dence. First, upon God; les
| son needing most frequent repetition with
man, but almost constantly forgotten in the
| hurry and strife of the world-and specially
| forgotten in seasons of highest human sue
cess and prosperity. Fulness begats inliffer-
] ance to the source whence this fulness comes.
Uninterrupted success often leads its subjects
to feel as though there might be no cessation
of this blessing, SO that often where worldly
4 Thrift ia therp hp lna Of Of fho
recognition of the Giver of all good. 1t is
when calamity oyertakes them that men are
brought more really to themselves, in their in
stinctiye reference Of the cause of their grew
ance to the overruling power. Many man ex-
perience is related in the humble acknow,e lg-
ment OF the ist,-'BefoIe was afflicted
went astray, but now have kept thy precepts.
Anything that can awaken us to this true
thought of God, that can quicken and keep alive
our reverence for Him, land our sense of daily de-
pendence upon his mercy, is worth something
to us-more than can be estimated in any
earthly gains. If it be trial and affection that
must do this, then are these not altogether
messengers of evil, but agents Of mighty
goodness, whose coming we may welcome,
and whose teachings we may place nearest
our hearts. 1t is this conviction of depend
ence ON God which can make so really
independent OF all other resources; which can
| give ulLutlGS5 W Jul stSp dlulu VIC IlOSl IldZ-
ardous way, and guidance when we feel that
human wisdom knows least how to direct,
and human poweri is most impotent to support
! us. He that dwelleth in the secret place of
| the Most High, shall abide under the shadow
| of the Almighty" He hath security which
fails not, though cities were consumed,
| lands made desolate, s'the earth removed,
and the mountains carried into the midst
of the Fsea." Let us not fail TO recognize,
in our meditation day, this instructive
! truth of human dependence on divine good
ness and power.
3 OF our dependence one upon another.
Here is consideration second Ill importance
only to the one just mentioned. The great
truth expressed in that apostolic saying, 'sNone
of us lveth unto himself is never more dis
tinctively or convincingly manifest, than in
some affection, like the one which the past
week has furnished us. When the actual ex-
tent of this calamity was known, how visi-
BILE were It's effects beyond the immediate
losers and sufferers themselves. Scarcely an
interest in our whole city was there unmoved
by it. 'frhe rich and the poor indeed ssmet
together" in this visitation. Traders, profess
sons, callings, various as they were. all felt
the shock. Not few streets, but many, were
stricken with at least temporary desolation.
Men felt the straining of the cords that bind
them in these life pursuits and had new
realizatons OF the delicate structure of this
great complicated web OF human society. And
vet the wonderful fact itself was none the
more important. That had been before-is
now-and ever must be. God instituted it;
and in his own unerring wisdom, too. He
made men to be helpers to each other,--the
highest good in this present life to which they
could be born. So reads the law such il the
Interpretation of the commandment; Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as myself Were
this great fact only seen by men every where,
as it has recently been felt by us could the
conviction sink into all souls, when any
wrong is inflicted upon our fellow men,
when any moral calamity is dealing with them,
,croag Is done to as and that in that calamity,
AS the heavens stand,-we must have
shaIe;-could we only realize that every dis
honesty with God, and with conscience, every
Ubiquitous abuse of our moral nature,
every burden laid upon degraded and
crushed humanity, every continuance of
the reign of ignorance and tyranny,
every institution tending to demean, rather
than to exalt our nature; that all these are
common excavations, common calamities,
which all the world must, in some degree,
feel, and in consequence of which it must SUIT
fer,--what widely different aspect would the
whole face of human society assume How
much better men would know each other
how human vanity and arrogance would les
sen What a vanishing away of the arti6-