The Portland daily press., 1864-04-23

question fer you and me 10 decide, In rehf-
ence 20 which We have controlling re
sponsibility. That question is whether You
and / Individually will determine, so lar as
we are concerned, henceforth to make the will
of God-and not any bond ofparty, or coun-
sci OF temporizing eXpediency-the iuexora-
Bile rule OF every act, which contributes our
share to the guidance of public affairs?
If we are ready to answer this question in
a solemn aud life-dedicating affirmative, then
the passage of Christ's prayer we have been
considering to-day, affords us hint how to
begin our work.
Begin in prayer. "Pray thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done" But beware lest prayer
become a cloudy and vague supplication for
things which do not take hold of the actual
woes of society, nor shake, like a Sampson,
the fast-rooted pillars of popular sins. Think
what it is the coming kingdom would bring,
and pray for these things. Would the will OF
God done on earth, do away with intem-
perance in all its degrees, with slavery in
all its forms, with profanity Of every name,
with social extravaganza, and separation Of
rich and poor-then pray for the ending Of
these things, but be sure, while you pray, that
your words and your heart thoroughly ac-
cord. No man can rightly pray thy kingdom
come, who sympathises with or apologies for,
any form of evil which that kingdom will
overthrow.
Begin in Prayer but go on in Work. Work
with your prayer and work as part Of piety.
Work in the toilsome pathways of business
and politics, remembering it is the kingdom
of God which Is over you and that there Is
not an act of daily life, or duty of citizen
ship which rightly regarded, is not invested
with all the saBctities and rewards of religion.
Trading or praying, laboring or voting, do it so
as Gods will may be done in it, as il is done
in heaven. And as one instance, in which
the solemnities Of a religious act ought to be
regarded as appertaining TO a civil duty, let
me, in ending these observations, speak OF one
act in which many of you will soon bear a
part.
We are approaching another Presidential
election. The din OF preparation for a cam
paign second in the magnitude OF its issues to
40 other ever entered Oh in our country, If
not indeed superior TO any, already begins 10
be heard. 1t is but ANAL part in the great
whole, which we can take with our best en-
deavor. But this part is assigned us. IL
might seem very proper advice, very profess
sional, aud BETTING the pulpit, as the pulpit
is sometimes regarded, should my exhorta-
ton be- "Brethren. think less of these matters.
Do not get too much involved in the contest
Hold yourselves aloof from the struggle.
Think more of your souls, and think less of
this question, who this great nation will lift to
the seal of awful responsibility as our public
head" say this might be deemed fitting aud
professional. Not so do read my duty as man
or minister. My duty, as | read it, bids me
say rather, Think Of this. Think of it as you
never thought Of ii before. Take it home as
a question of conscience and duty and relig-
ion. Pray over it, as you pray over the
salvation of a son. Labor and snpplicate
that the man who will most completely do the
wiH Of God on earth, shall be the nations
choice, And see to il that in this crisis of our
nations life, you put not forth the sacred act
of suffrage at the behest of party, or the i'm
pulse of passion, but under the sanction OF
conscience, and as a duty you owe to right
eousness, humility, and the kingdom OF God.