The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-08-13
Saturday Morning, Aug. l3, 1864.
A Discourse
DELIVERED IN THE SECOND PARISH CHURCH,
august 4, 1854,
By REV. J. }. cARRuTHERs, D. D

DELIVERED IN THE SECOND PARISH CHURCH,
august 4, 1854,
BY REV. j. j. cARRUTHERs, D.D
psALx cxxx: g. Ar thon. Lord, shouldcst mark in
iluites Lord, who shall stand, But there is forgive
with thee that thou masst be feared.
On the fourteenth day Of April last, We as
sembled, as now, professedly TO humble our
selves before God, 10 acknowledge our short
comings and transgressions us people, and to
invoke the merciful interposltion OF his proyi-
dence in behalf of the moihentous interests as
sailed and imperlled by the Southern rebellion.
On that occasion, yourpreacher enumerated and
described-in their nature, influence, and issues
the more prominent and prevailing niquities
of our land. We found these in a laxity of
princpl which, were it to become general.
would seal oar fate as a nation, in the practical
disparagement cast on Gods holy word, in the
extensive desecration of the Sabbath in the
oalhs and blasphemies and impreca;ions so COM
mon even At our doors, IN the intempefance
which, with all its fearful accompanying and
consequent evils, threatens to paralyze the in
tellectual yigor of our youth, TO destroy more
precious lives than even the rebellion, and usher
without aught of preparation save for eternal
ruin-thousands of undying spirits to the iudr-
ment seat OF God.
might repeat all that was formerly said as to
each OF these kinds and forms of iniquity, and
the repetition would be justified by the fact that
there is, in regard TO none Of them, any eneonr-
aging symptom Of public reformation. These
pulpit manIfestoes against pop. lar and prevail
ins sins reach but few of those who are con-
sciously implicated in the preparation. Even
the moiety, perhaps the majority of protesting
Christians treat the National fast merely as
becoming and decorous formality, having little,
If any reference 10 their duty or their destiny:
and, in such circustances, we cannot and ought
not to wonder that few, ii any, of the ungodly
find their such az 10 fba kta
of God. We do not expect to see the iibertine
inprineipe or practice-the swearer--the sab
bath-breaker-the drunkard-uniting in these
ayowedly penitential services, and we are not
quite sure but these enumerations and denuncia-
tons of public sins - whilst meeting with the
concurrence Of all who do assemble in the sane
tuary-create feeling of self-complacency very
unfayorabe TO real and acceptable devotion
May we not. dear brethren, detect, on earnest
seii-lnqairy, some latent feeling such as tnat
which led the Pharisee 10 look askance on the
wretched publican, whilst thanking God that he
was not as other men Are we not prone TO
rest satisfied with the simple acknowledgment
OF the fact that these said public sins do extern
siyely prevail and might draw down upon US
the heaviest of Gods judgments-wthout set
ting ourselves, IN good earnest, to abate those
evils, TO rebnke them ON all fitting and suitable
occasions, and to induce all under our private
or public influence, to abandon aud abstain from
practices so disgraceful and DISASTROUS When will
all Christians in our land awake to the palpable
but neglected facts that the world has no self
redeeming and selt-recuperatiye power, that the
current OF iniquity, unstemmed, unconfned,
will not only never be diminished in the volume
of its noxous waters, but will increase in depth
and breadth and speed, il rushes on 10 its nat
uTal and inevitable destination
Little benefit to our country will accrue from
the exact enumeration of national and public
SINS and quite as little from their acknowledge
-
followed up by resolute and well-direeted efforts
to abate the evils we professely deplore, and by
instruction, example and influence of all avaa-
bic kinds, to promote reverence for Gods name
and attributes, the sanctifcation of the sabbath,
the deyout perusal Of the Holy Scriptures, and
the exorcism from the body polite of the demon
ofintemperance. In any orin all these directions
we may as individuals be able to exert but little
reformatory power; but that little - multiplied
by the number of persons really earnest in the
purpose of well-doing-might effect an amount
of good that would battle calculation, and uli-
mately issue in the disappearance Of those forms
OF wickedness which provoke the Justice of
holy God, suspend the blessing from on high,
and pave the way for public degradation and
disaster. Let US feel that we have something
more TO do than to mourn, however sincerely,
over the prevalent evils Of our tune and land.
Patriotism, If worthy of the name, will ever
lead to the throne of grace, and bid us there in
improve the purpose of speaking elsewhere,
and acting, and, if need be, enduring, so as in
strumentally to purify the fountain and the
streams of public morals, and make our land
the habitation of Righteousness. Be it then to
each of US the object of holy ambition aud ear
nest emulation TO earn by diligence and zeal and
moral couragein the service OF God and of our
country, the encomium pronounced by Jesus ON
the humblest of his followers: ''She hath done
what she could. F"
Turning now TO the lessons Of our present
text il seems almost a truism 10 say that if
there was no forgiveness with God, there would
be no reason and no room for prayer. This is
reasonable service, only because God has opened
up to us, through the mission and righteousness
and sacrifcial death of his dear Son, d medium
for pentential acknowledgement on our part
and gracious remission on mis- own. Sin can
thus be forgiven. The petitioner and intercessor
may alike draw comfort and encouragement from
the thought that there is nothing in Gods ma
ture nothing in the perfections of his character,
nothing in the principles OF his administration,
10 prevent forgiveness - provided this be sin
cerely sought in the name of Him who bore our
sins in His own body on the tree To the Son
of God-the Saviour of mankind--our Advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous
nothing can be denied, and whatsoever, there
fore. we ask in His name. believing, we shall re-
ceiye
Dut forgiveness, whether extended to indiyid-
uals or nstions, is but the precursor of other
benefits which ever follow in its train. The for
given sinner is, as such and for that reason, ac-
cepted of God, numbered amongst his children.
registered in the book of life A people whose
iniqulties are pardoned, will begin instantly TO
reap the rich results. We must not and dare
not presume on divine pardon as having been
already extended to US as a nation but our re-
cent history, the achievement of our armies
though intermingled, as at this time, with some
sad reyerses- our public relations - and the
prospects now opening before us-ali seem TO
indicate the returning favor of the Most High
He has permitted us to be severely chastened-
to be heavily pressed down by burdens created
by the sad necessities of war - to be afflicted
through all our borders, by losses only more
tolerable than the loss of liberty = to be com
PEELED TO retrench. never before, not only in
luxuries and comforts but, as 10 some of,ls, in
what till now were deemed the necessaries OF
life. All this He has permitted; and yet, In the
midst OF all, he has given to us--is now giving
10 us such tokens of his favor as seem 10 Justify
the hope that success is about to crown our nat.
riotic aspirations and efforts, and that an hon.
orable peace will, ere long. bless our land
Let us notice one or two of the events that
have recently transpired, and which seem 10
warrant the hope that this dark night of national
calamity is drawing TO 8 close, and that day.
we trust long one of peace and prosperity
is about TO dawn upon US.
1. | know not whether we ought to reqre
that one branch of our national legislature ha
refused to sanction such an amendment. by tn
people, of our Constitution, as would thence
forth and forever exclude slavery from all sec
tions vf our land. 1t is well that the people no,
know who of their representatives are such h
reality, and who Of them still cling to that &C