The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-07-21
sUNDAz SERVICES.
INDIA STREET UNIvERsALIsT CHURCH.

MAUI. 9TH, 81. Take therefore, no thought for
the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought
for the things of itself" Commentators re
garded the true Interpretation of the passage to
be "no anxious thought" We are not to have
undue anxiety, not to borrow trouble regarding
future events and duties, but to so live, work
and act in the present. that we shall be prepar-
ed for whatever changes or duties we may
meet Experience demonstrates that there is a
great deal of needless suffering brought on by
apprehension. Many weep for fearithey are
| going to weep at some future time are afraid
because they fear they are going to be afraid
Even if it is natural to be anxious, is is for our
| welfare that We overcome that natural part
| of our beings. No man can be intently dwell
| ing upon the duties of tomorrow, allowit to
| rob him of his rest and peace, and expect to be
either faithful to present duties, or really pre-
| Jared to meet those of tomorrow. We are not
to ask to many1questions regarding future we
cannot see, but we are to be Jealous in the work
| of the present. We are not to mourn in sum-
| mer because winter may come by and by, nor
in winter lest the spring be late. 1t to-day is
beautiful, enjoy it, not mournfuly style it a
weather breeder" Whatever thy hand finds
to do, do it with thy might. Every day has its
| obligations The preacher thought every one
| would admit tire theory advanced to be correct,
hut many would ask how can it be reduced to
| practical life? merchant with note in the
Dduh letiS le lLuSJ DE ANXIOUS, 1eC he DelleNeu
anxiety never paid notes, One must be active
and secure the funds now, and there will be no
difficulty. If be failed it should not be be the
result of not trying If, as one gentleman di-
rected another, we 'fy round" do, act. we
shall not only accomplish greater work, but
life will be much more pleasant. He believed
we were justified in making honest provisions
| for the future. But we must begin now, not
wait. We fit to-day for tomorrow. He be-
leved God will always help those who help
i - Lii I<.I IL,
any mans work for him. The man must
sow the seed and cultivate it, and reap. God
| would grow the harvest. So man has work
| to do, and his chief anxiety should be that he
does it. In personal reform, in guarding the
words of the young, IN the, suppression of
| crime, we are not to wait until tomorrow, but
| work, begin now. Man endeavors to live too
much. He wants to live to-day and tomorrow,
| in heaven and on earth all at once. He belev-
| ed it full of sorrow and needless anxiety. In
closing he referred to the tendency of looking
| beyond, away into the future for happiness. He
| thought it well to think of heaven at times.
| But is it not well to think of the possible
heaven we may have on earth? Following
Jesus, seeking pure and good life obeying
| God, who has so abundantly lavished the
| blessings of earth upon us for our joy, letting
the pure affections of the heart for God and
man, reign within, and he believed heaven
soul weut to Immediate happiness at death, but
that all must grow up to holiness and purity.
Hence the necessity of gaining strength and
spiritual embodiment now. Onr measure of
| peace and joy will be in proportion to the eff
| forts we daily put forth to secure them. The
present is ours, the future yet to come. Faith
fulness is always rewarded. Negligence is al
| ways punished.
NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH. 81
| Rev. William B. Hayden preached very
| interesting discourse on the question, Does our
probation extend beyond the grave, or is there
repentance in the other world? Text, Deut
VIII, .. The object of the Lord in his leading
of his people through this world is similar to
that of his leading through the DESERT to prove
them, to see what is in their heart, to have it
appear whether they will keep his command
nents or not. If heaven is entered, it uust be
entered freely. None are prepared to enter
| until they had rather keep the divine precepts
than not. Men are always in freedom here and
hereafter. So far as Gods willingness is
concerned, the probation would last forever.
His love, goodness and mercy toward
the sinner never ceases. He is ever
glad to receive the returning prodigal.
Nor would divine justice suffer if God
should forgive the sinner hereafter. Justice is
| satisfied when man restores to his neghbor
what he has taken from him, and begins to
| live just and upright life. At any point in
| the sinners eternal career at which he should
turn from his evil ways and do that which is
| lawful and right, he would be received; he
would save his soul alive All the difficulty
lies in man. He continues free; and we know
from experience that many call evil "good."
| This choice the Lord cannot interfere to pre-
| vent in the other world any more than in this.
| The formation of habit here teaches us les
son. Long habit tends to make us what we
are, so that at length we do not desire to
| change. This evil may become so confirmed in
| the present life that the man may not be willing
| to change in the other world. Heavenly life
| will offer him no inducement. Hence, those
passages of Scripture which represent the
state of the wicked in the eternal world as be-
ing Everlasting" must be taken as embody-
ing substantial truth. The worm that never
dies" being the evil thought there possessing
the understanding, and ''the fire that never
shall be quenched'' being the wicked feeling
there ever burning in the heart. But there are
classes, not visibly Christian, who yet are not
| at death confirmed in evil; viz: infants and
children of all nations; the Gentiles, ignorant
| of the Gospel; and the oppressed, in circum-
| stances which force them into false positions.
All these are delivered in the other world; ig-
| norance being instructed and bad crcum-
| stances reversed. All in whom good intention
| predominates make a right choice and are saved.
| Lastly, the administration of the Lord over
| the bells is one of mercy, not of vindctlveness
| directed to improve their condition, and not
| simply to punish. These heavenly ideas about
| the best mode of treating the evil have. since
| the middle of the last century, been descending
into christendom; having since then revOlu-
/
of treating its erring and dangerous classes. The
| "peace policy of our government toward the
Indians is an exemplifcation of the mental at
| titude of the heavens towards the hells The
| second coming of the Lord is effected by the
spread of these heavenly principles in the
world.
STATE STREET CHURCH.
Sermon in the morning by the pastor, Rev. E.
Y. Hincks. Text Mark X, q. "Then Jesus be-
holding him loved him." Every part of Christ's
life and every word he spoke shows the perfec-
ton of his love Here we see Christ finding in
the young man who came to him, something to
love at the first moment of their acquaintance.
Christ's view of human character was compre-
hensive He saw in moment behind the
| blemish and the fault, into the manhood, and
| saw something to love in everybody. Christ
must have seen the defects in character infin-
itely more than we see them, because he could
look into the inmost heart and see the impulse
that makes every outward defect of life If a
man is conceited, Christ sees the conceit and
something more. If man is dishonest in deal
ing, Christ sees the dishonesty and something
more. And yet Christ saw beyond the conceit
and the dishonesty into the manhood of the
man, and labored to save that. This all COM
| pliSIlS lONC iiiftuC Ohiioo VI
his dwelling for an hour upon the faults of any
man. We cannot imagine him going to John
and talking for an evening about Peters quick
| temper, or Thomas's skepticsm.
Another effect of his deep love and his disre-
gard of rank and station. Christ traced his
family back in direct line to Adam, and so
could show about as good family tree as any
body; but we do not find that for this reason
he sought any greater affiliations with the ''frst
families of Palestine, or that he regarded the
rich Nicodemus any more highly than the poor
Peter. If Christ were in this community now,
would he not disapprove of some arbitrary dis
tinctions that we draw? Would he not main
tain that our servants have rights that we
onght to respect more than we do?
This pervading love made Christ form just
estimate of every man he saw.
If we discover conceit in man, we call him
a conceited man: if we find man dishonest in
anything we call him a dishonest man.
The exquisite statue of Venus of Milo, has
its arms broken off. In looking at this won
derful masterpiece we should be apt to speak of
it as that armess statue, instead of rejecting
upon the beauty and grace of every feature.
But Christ saw the whole man in spite of every
blemsh, and seeing his possibilities he never
ceased for a moment to labor for his salvation.
When the Outcast woman came TO him, the
| crowd saw only the harlot; but the Saviour of
the word saw the woman, and labored on the
woman's soul, and the result is that the forlorn
| woman has now become seraph as bright as
the brightest of them all. This love is the key