The Portland daily press., 1870-06-23
Ensa6, et.ts IGNITION Of ihs uaiver'
sutist society.
aFCoND DAY

l An8alll et~ts -vcnti0n nt ths NntVef'
sulist society.
| SECOND DAY.
Commenced with greatly increased numbers,
and a sunny sky smiled its approval on the
work. The pulpit of the church was most
tastefllly decked with cut flowers The enter
tainment of the unexampled crowd was most
successfully carried out under the care of Rev.
| Mr.. Snow OF the Seminary aided by the hosDi-
tality OF the people Of Westbrook. The first
exercise of the day was the Conference at 8
O'Clock A. M. under the direction of Rev. L.
ID. Tabor of Norway. Much interest was ex-
hibited carrying the meeting beyond the bounds
of its time.
Meeting of the Council was convened at 8
o'clock, Rev. W. e. Gibbs of Portland in the
| chair. The request of the society at West
Parsonsfeld and bingham for fellowship was
referred to the Committee on Fellowship and
| Discipline. The business committee reported
| on the proposed amendment to the consttu-
ton of the General Convention, fixing the
number of trustees at II, of whom are to be
| taken from the bounds of the Northwestern
| Conference, offered resolution accepting the
| amendment except the limitation as to resi-
dence of trustees. After discussion the reSolu-
ton was rejected, and the amendment was en-
| dorsed as offered. The Committee on Fellow
ship reported that during the past year, Rev.
| j. M. Paine has been ordained to the ministry
| by request of the church and society IN Gardi-
| ner; and Rev. L. L. Record, having removed
| from the State, has been discharged from this
| convention and recommended to the commit
| tee of the New Hampshire convention. The
committee also report that Rev. l.. Walcott,
under the pressure of prospective change
more than year ago, withdrew from this con-
vention and without notice or inquiry on their
part has received the fellowship of another
body in fellowship with this conventien.) The
matter was referred to special committee con-
sisting of Revs. j. o. Skinner, q. Thompson
and Mr.. A. G. Derson. The report of the
Committee on Missionary Work was laid up
on the table to be called up at subsequent
meeting.
At 10 o'clock religious exercises held,
beginning with the reading of selections by
Rev. j. c. Snow of Westbrook: responses by the
choir. The S7th Hymn was read by Rev. w.
w. Loveoy of Orono. Scripture reading by
Rev. w. E. Gibbs of Portland. Prayer by
Rev. 2. Thompson of Mechanic Falls. The
316th Hymn was read by Rev. w. Sissons of
Stockton.
The Occasional sermon was given by Rev.
G. R. Moor of Augusta, from James II, %:
"Seest thou how faith wrought with his works,
and by works was faith made periect?'
Man is intelligent sympathetic and religious.
He reaches with his mind and heart into the
unknown and mysterious realms; through his
snirifua1 vic ba haho11s worlds and hpinUS
that his understanding does not touch. He
spoke of the early use of faith strengthening
by age, protected by the pillar of cloud by day
and of fire by night; of people sinking to
heathenism, yet clnging to some faith which
supported them through till enlightenment
came upon them. When faith was absent from
mankind there was no religion, reason and
faith among mankind. The meaning of faith
is misused and misunderstood. 1t is not SO
mysterious and distant from us; it happens in
all business, pleasure, reading, meditation,
yearning of the soul for futurity, it bridges un-
certainty. Nothing can be known in religion
except by faith. 1t is no more possible to exist
without faith than without thought. We OBJ
tain our chief benefit not from the life of Christ
but from few fundamental ideas he promul-
gated. His special doctrines are but few; for
giveness, regeneration, Immortality, that the
Fathers mercy never fails; these ideas consti-
tute the substance of the Gospels. Faith can
be proved by use, demonstrated by practical
life as truly as problem of science. Thus, a
disobedient life proves the folly of disobedience'
He then denounced most strongly the doctrine
of total depravity, and asked could human
man live the idea of hate and not be infected?
The faith of the Gospel is in the world to be
wrought out The building of a life is unfn-
ished. By faith we finish it. The Christian
religion as contemplated by the Universalist
Church can be lived; it is religion of faith;
it opens and enlarges by obedience to it. The
faith in life that is endless is more difficult of
comprehension, but is made perfect by works
of Christian life and love. By faith in unver-
sal education and the universal regeneration,
and hence universal salvation can it be VITAL
ized. This truth centers directly into all the
others of the Christian religion. Murray felt
that this faith was making and shaping him.
The harsher theology of even fifty years ago
is gone. So has the gloom and terror pertain
ing. Whittier breathes this beautIfuI rai.h in
his External Goodness" Dickens, on whose
fresh grave, despite his faults, his most intei-
gent and noble readers would all gladly lay
leaf and drop tear, where does that great
English novelist impress the soul and the
church more than when he makes the power of
| truth warm, and swell and over flow the heart
| of Scrooge and prays through Tiny Tim, "God
| bless us, every one." He then spoke of benev-
| olence and the pushing forward and extending
religion through churches and semnaries, and
/ of fla md at al ON Iad tn hon,
| and that attending to their call would expand
and beautify their spiritual status. The rever-
| end gentleman spoke most feelingly of his an
| tecedent, Rev. A. r. Abbott, the preacher on
like occasion last year; that it was his last Ia
Dor. He closed by remembering those who
| will pass away the coming year in most beauti-
| full words.
AFTERNOON.
A large collection of people assembled in
| front of Hersey Hall, to listen to the centenary
address by Mrs. M. A. Livermore, of Boston.
The numbers were greatly augmented by the
fame of the speakers, and the interesting char
| acter of the exercises. The exercises COM
| menced at 2 IL P. NJ, Hon. S. T. Hersey pre-
| siding.
Prayer by Rev. O. Fl. johnson.
Hymn.
Centenary address by Mrs. Livermore.
| She commenced by a simile upon the Pacific
Il. R., that at the Tooth mile stone, all passen-
gers alight and pay their devotion to that first
triumph Of the great enterprise. So IL Uni
versalists have come to their Tooth monument.
Retrospectively she spoke of Murrays landing
| on our shores and finding all denominations
arrayed against him, and for proclaiming his
faith was brick k-batted through Boston's streets,
that now a Universalist in regular standing
could get membership to Beecher's Church, or
even Murrays of Boston. That this belief has
so permeated the minds of men that there is
| no literary work nor orator but that breathes
this faith, although they do not know it. She
looks back when she hated Christianity and
when her early lite was darkened by the awful
stern theology of the times To-day she has no