The Portland daily press., 1873-12-22
SUNDAY SERVICES.
FIRST PARISH CHuRcH.,


Dr. Hill. preached from Luke XII, %, a ser
mon upon the natural arguments for immor-
tality which the Lord thus authorizes us to use.
After abiding to the varied scenes of mingled
sorrow and joy, recalled by the Christmas holy
days, and by the landing of the Pilgrims, of
which this was the anniversary. in the midst of
comparative hard times he expressed his faith
that the only satisfactory solution of the enigmas
of life is to be found in the acceptance of the
Christian Doctrine of Immortality. But THE
strongest faith will not disdain confirmation,
and he well remembered the confirmation
which his faith received in the midst of the
hard times of sixteen years ago, from the pub
ication of the first volume of Agassiz's Contri-
buttons to the Natural History of the Uuited
States, and of Peirce's Analytical Mechanics.
In these volumes the great master of Zoology,
the highest Physical Science, and great mas
ter in Mathematics, the key to all physical sci
ences, bore their strong testimony to the fact
that science is possible only on the ground that
man was made in the image of God; that God
was the insplrer of all wisdom and understand
ing, and that the understanding of che physical
world is simply reading part of the revelation
of Gods thought. These remarkable books, to
the recent death of the great naturalist, were
in one sense fulfilment of prophecy, the
prophecy implied in the Lord Jesus appeals to
us to judge for ourselves of religious TRUTH and
see whether Nature herself did not teach the
substance of what He taught, direct from the
bosom of the Father.
The preacher next passed to a direct enforce
ment of the appeal of the Lord; urging that
God has not exhausted his mercy in his tempo
raj gifts. All things for millions of years, have
ham ri fhn nrfh for vptt Infin ito
skill and power; therefore the partial failure at
times t o sustain life and comfort among men
the recurrence OF war, pestilence, famine, and
minor distresses among men; since 1t cannot
come from chance, nor from inability in the AL
mighty; must have reference to higher than
temporal ends; the world, like the Jewish law,
is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. This
life is not the final purpose of God, but he has
made us to be partakers with Christ in a divine
life. As He lives by the Father an eternal and
ever-bessed life, so would He make his follow
eIS partakers in that same eternal and blessed
Immortality. The pseudo science of this CEN
tury, like the pseudo-science of all previous
ages, sets itself against this spiritual view and
evolution of blind forces eliminating in the
maturity of his body, and setting in total and
everlasting eclipse at death.
But the true science of to-day, like the true
science of the past, takes the position so firmly
held By the great man whom the whole scien-
mortal child of the Eternal God, that in study
ing Nature, he is but reading the handwriting
OF his Father; and that when death removes
him from the scene of his earthly studies, it is
but to usher him into new worlds in which he
may more successfully pursue the work for
which this preparatory school of life has fitted
him. No imagination could set limits to the
possible advancement of Science. Even the
few chemical elements known to us here, and
the simple scheme of animals and plants upon
rfh off obi of vvt,i 0t,
might occupy the highest human genius for
millions of ages, with ever increasing delight.
This vista was, according to the spirit of the
Lords appeal, a pledge of immortality; nor
could eternity exhaust the bliss which an In
Unite Father OF bOundeSs resources would be-
stow upon an obedient and grateful child.
= TEMPERANCE LECTURE.
The fourth of the series of Temperance lect-
ures was given Sunday evening in the Congress
Street M, E. church by the pastor, Rev. Chas
B. Pitblado Taking for his text the 18th verse
of the 4th chapter of Galatian, cit Is good to
be zealously affected always in good thing,
he said the temperance reform was a good
thing, as few will say it is not, and therefore
men should be zealously affected toward it.
He was glad the pulpit was beginning to wake
up on this subject If we can once get the
will surely progress. The Temperance ques-
ton is the great question of the day, and there
is no other to be compared with it.
Why we should be affected; why this city
city should be affected in the cause of temper
ance was most vividlv shown by the preacher
whose illustrations and statements were full OF
interest He portrayed the ruin of ministers,
lawyers and others, caused by intemperance,
which had come under his observation, in tat
style for which Cough has been thought pecu-
liar. which came fully up to anything we ever
heard from Cough. He showed how we should
be affected toward the cause, both negatively
and positively-in the latter case by thoroughly
enforcing the laws; by constant agetation and
above all by personal abstinence.
We have copious notes of this splendid
lecture. but our limits will not permit US to use
them now. The house was densely filed and
the large congregation listened with the closest
attention to the admirable lecture, which occu-
pied one hour and twenty minutes, and was de-
lvered with the fervid eloquence for which the
Rev. gentleman is noted. 1t was one that is
calculated to do much good if those who heard
it will only practice the precepts it set forth.
POLICE NOTES Friday man escaped from
the Portsmouth Jail and came to this city. He
left on the i'll fated western freight, and was
arrested at Kennebunk. Probably he was the
stranger" on the Mattawamkeag who first
saw the headlight on the down train.
Annie Leighton held reception Saturday
night. 1t was a nice sociable time, and the
guests, not being restrained by the formal
rules of an effete and hypocritical society, gave
themselves up to general hilarity. Deputy
Bridges politely dismissed the guests about
eleven o'clock.
Officer Harmon had serious time Saturday
night in quelng disturbance on Fore street
He succeeded in arresting two men and bringing
them to the station.
Officers Hanson and Stevens arrested Rufus
W. Higgins Saturday, for assaulting man
named Jordan, on Green street.
Officers Crowell and Sterling arrested two
men Saturday, named Ward and Godfrey, fol
an affray on the corner of India and Federal
streets.