The Portland daily press., 1870-09-19

lev. Henry w. Foote, the pastor of Kings
Chapel in Boston, preached at the First Parish
Church yesterday, taking for his text the verse
from Scripture, Il have not the righteousness
within my heart, have not concealed thy
loving kindness" The preacher commenced
by asking how many of us can truth
fully apply the text to our own life. Do
we not more frequently hide our thoughts be-
cause we think they are too sacred to be dis
played before men? Is there not often false
shame in regard to these matters? Even be-
tween friends a stiffness often bro O Is over the
profoundest feelings of the SOUL Now relig-
ion is the deepest thing in man; should man
then keep his religion to himself or let it out
for the benefit of others?
Religion should give force to character and
be director to her thoughts. We should not
make noise about our religion, but we should
make use of it for the benefit of others. What
a man thinks that will he do. What he thinks
in regard to politics Will find expression at the
ballot-box. The power that works from one
man on others is that that moves the ord, so
the Gospel whispers good tidings because it
was the life of Jesus Christ. 1t was the out
spoken power of religion that took great hold
upon humanity. 1t should be as spontaneous
to live as children of God as honest men. But
ii is just here that the feeling of false shame
comes in. False shame being a form of false
hood, begins by working from the heart out
ward. A strong, wilful mans mind either in
school, in college, in the State may possess
great power for ill or good. Think what suf-
fering from moral cowardice often keeps the
gentle silent. They may inwardly feel them
selves to be right, but false shame restraints
their utterance. Among the early Christians,
those WAC professed their faith were liable to
the m srtyr's death; they gave up ali for their
religion But when the world was emptied
into the church it turned the church into the
world. We feel there is recognized propriety
in going TO church and supporting it. We
have to thank our New England for that But
is there not false shame that deters many
from doing for the church because they are
afraid it will cost them something in the eye of
the world. A false shame that will lead peo-
pie to think that they are pretending religion,
no matter how honest they may feel them
selves to be. No minister can carry the ark Of
God alone. The people are the church and
they must put their shoulders to the work
False shame puts its bars around the commu-
MON table. God did not put them there. This
fear of being thought to pretend more religious
than one possesses drives some men away from
the church with whip of singing cords,
who, as they turn away, are trying to keep
down that which may build up a church or in
sttute great reform.
Then comes religion in family life. The
family dates from the Garden of Eden. 1t is
the old form of patriarchal government The
father is the High Priest of the family, the
mother the Altar. 1t is the providenta
school of life the place where the relations Of
human beings are to be taught. But even
here false shame put its seal. In these times
too many fathers are apt to know too little Of
their children. Let them beware lest they may
become utter strangers to them. The home
must rest upon the deepest interest of the
family and the wants OF each single soul met.
Don't shrink any sooner from speaking to YOUR
children of religion than you would from re-
proving an ebullition of temper. The old Ro
mans used to lift up their children with their
faces towards Heaven. Remember that the
child who knows there is one to whom he can
come for prayer is not, cannot be lost. Relig-
ion should be something more than prayer in a
closet. The family altar was the centre of the
household of the aucents. Family worship in
its essential ideas lies at the heart of a Chris
tian home; the Bible should be open in every
house, and evers day the hopes aud fears of all
should be brought to it and draw encourage
ment or consolation. The memory of good
home shall live like breath of incense in the
recollection.
In the evening Mr.. Foote preached an able
discourse from ST. John, 10th chapter and 18th
verse:-"And he bearing his cross" The music
as usual was very fine.