The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-07-28
SUNDAY SERVICES.
coNcREss STREET METHODIST.

CONGRESS STREET METHODIST.
The pulpit was occupied in the afternoon by
the Rev. L. R. Thayer. d. D., presiding elder
of Springfield District New England Confer
ence, who delivered very able and impressive
sermon, selecting as text Rev. ILL., Is. 81
counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire
that thou may'st be rich," That man is DOS
sessed of great intellectual and moral capabili-
ties, is seen by the record of his doings. Yet SC
far as we know the, limit of these capabilities
has never been reached. Man is also posse ssed
of DESIRES appetites, proclvities, etc., culmnat-
ing in constant wants, which impel him to in
creasing activity, but Notwithstanding all this
activity, we are obliged to confess that life,
without religion is failure. The most press
ing wants are not supplied by earthly things
We cannst conceive that God designed that
man should suffer constant dissatisfaction, that
he implanted in him all these desires and wants
merely for the purpose of tantal;zing him;
hence he has revealed himself and has estab-
lished religion. What now is the course of wis
dom for us? In worldly affairs, when man
finds himself IN water too Deep confronted by
aid some one wiser than himself. and his sense
of security is in proportion to his confidence in
his helper. This was beautifully illustrated by
narrative of the preachers experience on
board steamer, when passing over the rapids
on the st. Lawrence river. All were filled with
uneasiness till the pilot came, who by his calm
and easy manner added to the assurance of the
captain, that he had guided boats through the
passage for twenty years and had never lost
one, won their confidence and dlspelled their
fears. He took them safely through though
the danger was imminent at many points. But
~, lo rali0 nj OnIdpp
text presents one to us,a counsellor-the Alpha
and Omega-the same who fought and died in
Palestine long ago. He gives us counsel IN ev-
cry exigency of life Let US look specially at
the purport of the counsel which he gives in
the text. The religion which Jesus came to es-
tablish is the gold here spoken Of and which
we are advised to obtain, that we may be truly
rich. Religion has been thoroughly tested in
every way, as to the evidence upon which it
is founded by its influence upon nations, by
its influence upon individuals and the blessings
it has conferred.
This religion is to be sought and obtained di-
rect from Jesus, and from him only. 1t is to be
bought, 1t is free in one sense; still there is
not single promise in the Bible to which there
is not condition appended. and what is con-
diton but a.price? The price we must pay fol
the religion of Jesus is all we have and are. En-
tire conservation to God is the condition of sal
walton. This is price all can pay.
The result of paying this price is stated, sThat
thou mayst be rich" That man is truly rich
who has the love of Jesus in his heart and the
prospect of Heaven before him ;and he who has
not these is poor indeed.
CHESTNUT STREET CHURCH.
Bishop j. w. Wiley, d. d., delivered dis.
course yesterday morning from John, III-1,2
and 8. The sermon was one of power and great
fervor,its prominent idea being the Fatherhood
of God. This idea was developed in simple ear
nest and impressive language. The speaker
thought that the Fatherhood of the Deity was
TOT much lost sight of by christians in contem-
plating the charity and atonement of the Son.
And yet this idea of the Fatherhood is the
grand central pivotal idea of theme Testament
and was first advanced by Christ. The Old
Testament speaks of the Deity as riding the
whirlwind, as holding the storms in the hollow
of Ais hand, but it never speaks of his parental
relation to his creatures. This sweet and com
forting truth had no place in the beliefs Of
man until proclaimed by the lips of Jesus. Toe
many christians apparently conceive of God as
harsh and revengeful; and of Christ as avert
ing his wrath. But infinite love and mercy are
attributes of the whole Deity, of the Father who
conceived the plau of redemption, of the Son
who executed it, of the Holy Ghost who brings
the Fatherhood ofGod has it's limitations as set
forth in the scriptures. Because we are the
creatures of God, it does not follow that we are
the children. The relation of the parent to the
child is not identical with that of the create to
the created, or with that of the Maker to the
thing made. We became the childen of God
and the joint heirs with Christ by adoption
through the agency of the new birth. Only by
d'ligent seeking, by devout life, by an ear
nest appeal to the Holy Spirit, by an implicit
faith in Christ can we attain this glorious hon.
or and be justified in calling ourselves pure.
fFe STATE STREET CHURCH. rar uk
Rev. MI. Leavitt of Willston Chapel, preached
in the morning from text taken from por
ton of the 23d verse of the LIST chapter Of
Ephesians: (Which is the body" 1t is tn,
church which is here represented as the body O
Christ The discourse was upon the necessity
and duty of every one to become member Of
the church, and of the Importance of the
church to the whole world in both spiritual and
temporal concerns.
NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH. C7rsg
Rev. William B. Hayden, preached yester-
day morning on moral experiments; or some o.
the providential ways in which the Lord teach
es, leads, and trains his people: from Numbers
xI, IS. vrjty,s,l t.,s. e..-.....sy, sr-. ....-
First, the fire symbol was explained; "th'
fire as the Lord burned among hhepeople." Thu
fire meant is the flame of life in the heart
is called "the Lords fire. because all life il
communicated from Him, perpetual stream
flowing in. As it comes from the Divine Source
or out of heaven, it is an holy and pure flame
1t is only in the heart of man that it gets cor
rupted becoming therein unholy and impur
fire. For the natural heart is is enmity toward
God. Hence this fire, descending into thu
camp of Israel. became lust. Inc people
longed for gross food, lusting Tor the quails.
The Lord gratified their desire, and thel
taught them by experience the destructive re
suits of following their own selfish gratiti ca
TONS The pestilence carried them of IL
crowds, and there they buried the people that
lusted. They were permitted to ENJOY the
quals, even to safety and disgust. 500
Here is disclosed a law of Providence. The
Lord sometimes makes concessions to our strong
natural DESIRES allowing us to come into trib-
ul2tion through them, to wean US OF our inor
dinate cravings for selfish and worldly things
1t is blessed thing for us when we have learn
ed the lesson, when we come to make rlgh
spiritual use of our life experiences: constant
" setting our hearts on better and better
things. .
Fancifnl ideas of happiness follow us int,
the kingdom. We form adequate ideas Of
heaven. Inc JeWs CUACclFcu tHc JOyS VI ths
future life to consist in feasting with Abra
ham, Isaac and Jacob. Some of the apostles
contended as to the places of dignity and pow
er they should hold in visible kingdom
So, no doubt, many Christians entertain fan
ciful ideas as to what constitute heavenly joy
and heavenly happiness. We mentally built
ssimayipary heavens" But these fancies will
have to be sobered by actual experience. Tn
Lord will allow us to try various experiments
to convince us of our errors Thus b.
degrees He instills into us bette
knowledge, and juster ideas of eternal life ant
of his eternal kingdom. Many OF us carr.
with us, thus, in our own minds, when we g
into the other world, false ideas;-a ''frs
heaven and first EARTH" which will have t
pass away and be removed, before the ney
heaven and new earth, built by the Lord, ant
to remain forever before him, can be revealed
to us and established for us.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.
At this Church an audience largely diminish
ed by the heat and the rain, listened to an ear
nest and able discourse by the pastor, Rev. Dr.
Shailer from Job, 81, Z: !'Wherfore do tn
wicked live" etc. The speaker remarked, il
opening, upon the mystery surrounding tn
character and provdences of God, and the pei
| plexities which attend even the righteous in al
tempting to understand them. The text is a
expression of such perplexity. 1t is know
that God loves purity and holiness; and yet W
often see the good in poverty and want, Will
the vile and the wicked are prospered an
i l.. IL, I1l.