The Portland daily press., 1873-09-22
SUNDAY SERVICES.
PARK STREET CHURCH.

PARK STREET CHURCH.
| In the morning Rev. Mr.. Buck preached 9
sermon on the Religious meaning OF Sacrifice.
Sacrifice has two sources and is OF two kinds; il
arises (1) from certain facts of experience, and
~ from certain facts of consciousness From
experience arises sacrifice as Precipitation OIL
purchase. From consciousness arises sacrifice
or obedience to the supremacy of the higher
impulses.
l. OF the sacrifice arising from experience.
The primitive man discovered that all human
transactions imply law of reciprocity. If one
wants something from another he pays for it,
This law was naturally transferred to transac-
tions with deity What men wanted from the
invisible power they must purchase-by sacri-
flee. These propitiatory gifts of sacrifice were
three; a. gifts of property, pastoral or agricul-
tlral fruits: ~ the offering on Calvary, an ap-
peal to which makes it available to the indi-
vidual; 81 the offering of personal en-
deavOrs after righteousness. The last two
have been sometimes inculcated Jointly, but
they are essentially antagonstic; either of them
supersedes the other. The arbitrary device
which has brought them into theological rela-
ton only serves to show how separate they
are.
III. The sacrifice that arises from conscious
ness. This arises whenever in the conscious
ness OF the Individual a higher impulse is per-
mtted to conquer in its own right an impulse
of inferior grade. Without detracting at all
from the degree of merit pertaining to those
acts of self-denial which are designed solely to
secure good title to mansions in the skies, 1t
may be truly said that the nOblest sacrifices
man can perform are those which proceed from
an original motive in his soul and which may
be paradoxically termed his.spontaneous sacri.
fees, performed without calculation or hope of
gain in unconditional obedience to his highest
impulse.
cAsCo STREET CHURCH.
Rev. A. A. Smith preached from Mark vi 2
and viii: o. A sermon addressed especially to
the younger portion of the congregation.
He commenced by declaring that the present
age is an age of religious and scientific conten-
tions. The question of Jesus. "Whom do men
say that amp is the great question. Upon
this question turns the destiny of every one.-
Christ was either man or more than a man,
human or divine. He did not speak like a
man but with divine authority. His miracles
declare his divinity also Infidels deny them,
thereby rendering Jesus own words false, while
His own generation declare Him the very
Chrsl Again the success of the gospel argues
its divine origin. From without and from with
IN nothing has been able to stop the Car of sal
walton. The adaptation of the gospel to the
"
its divine origin When nation has received
Christ it has at once marched forth to a better
development. 1t is not enough that we ac-
knowledge Chrsts divinity; We must accept
Him as our redeener
FREE STREET BAPTIST
The pulpit of this church was occupied by
Rev. Mr.. Williams, a class-mate of DR.. Small.
He preached an excellent sermon, taking his
text from Mark xii:6, Having yet therefore one
son, his we'll behaved, he sent him also last I'M
to them, saying, they will reverence my son."
The speaker, after brief analys of the whole
verse, selected the last clause as the subject of
his remarks, saying, that first we should rev.
creme because he is just what He is represent
ed to be. the Sou of God. The remark ibe
traits that he claims is sufficient to attach Him
to us. His advent is an advent of love and
mercy. And lastly because of his purity
Nothing in nature can possibly be as pure as
the holiness which He imparts,
ST. LAWRENCE STREET CHURCH.
The pastor, Rev. Mr. Wright, preached in
the morning from Ecclesiastes 63, 'If a man
beget hundred children and live rnany years,
so that the days of his years be many, and his
soul be not filled with good; and also that he
have no burial; l say that an untimely birth is
better than he." The preacher warned the
yonng to fill their souls with the richness and
goodness ofthe Lords love, so that when they
shall arrive at old age they will merit the love
of God and of all those near and dear to them
on earth. He described infinitely the sorrows
and darkness of re man whose years are spent
apart from the holy teachings of his Master;
aud he graphically depicted the sad ending Of
such a man.
STATE STREET CHURCH.
-, Al,
annual collection of the parish in behalf Of
foreign missions. the pastor preached a sermon
appropriate to the occasion from Matt. xviii.
10, 20; our Saviour's parting command to his
disciples to teach all nations. Learning relig-
ing differs from learning any branch of hui
man study in this, that the stndent of Christ
ianity has TO keep going back to the rudiments
and acquiring them over again. The steady
wear of care and temptation upon the heart OBJ
literating the truth, makes this necessary. This
is especially true of the principle implied in
this command. 1t is one of Christ's most i'm
portant sayings All of his words are great
facts, this one the greatest of them all 1t
was invested with the dignity of a great occa-
sion. 1t was the GROWING scene in the great
drama of our Saviours life. In it he launched
Calvary and Gethsemane upon the sea of ages
The circumstances under which it was given
worthily sets off its essential greatness.
0OuSluer HTSJ bDe motives WHICH IL eDIOiuS.
1t confers priceless trust. Christ makes over
his sufferiDgs for humanity to human hands.
The faithful preaching of the cross alone pre-
vents the blood which was shed for man from
being wasted. 1t gives glorious power. There
is d divine might in the love of Christ. 1t has
the energy of the love Of God. 1t speaks with
resistless eoquence this the passionate voice Of
Calvary. But through is the power of the love
of preached Christ only. Christ buried in the
forgotten past is powerless 1t imposes sol
emn responsibility. The harden of world s
grief and woe was upon ChristS shoulders. He
rolled it upon those to whom he ommitted the
saving power of his life and death. This triple
motive gives this command power to call out
superhuman effort No wonder that PauPs ar
dor was unconquerable. But secondly con-
ceive the breadth of the command 1t is as
wide as the world, as enduring as the ages.
The eye of him who gave it reaches all his fol-
lowers to the end of time We feel the spur of
it less than did the apostles, only as we are
more calloIs than they. From this we easily
see the relation of missions TO the church,
They are not optional undertakings, the over
flow of its kindness. They are the tongue with
which it breaches Christ If they are weak Il g
church is faithless. If it disbeleves in them
it disbelieves its Master. We live in gr at
epoch in the history of the church. WHhin
fifty years God has thrown open countries con-
tanning 600000,000 of people to the preaching
of the cross.
NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH.
The sermon Sunday morning by Rev. w. B.
Hayden was from Exodus xiv, 10; where the
Israelites were he mined in between the Egyp-
tians and the Rel Sea. "And The LORD said
unto Moses. WI erefore crest thou unto me?
Speak unto the children of Israel that they GO
forward The doctrine announced was that
..layer in order to be effectual or acceptable,
must be followed up BY corresponding efforts of
life The divine advice here does not discourage
forma,. earnest PRAYER, but only shows how the
benefits of such PRAYER may be made practical
ly available to the believer. Aud this is by 60
ing Oh, under the Divine guidance, and per-
forming the good works which duty requires.
The Lord does not require prolonged supplca-
ZION to make Him willing. He is more read
to bless than we are to receive. In every temp
tati on. two motives are presented; one spiritual
and heavenly, the other natural and worldly.
As SON as we conquer, by rejecting the evil
and acce Ming the heavenly motive, the angels
rejoice. nbssiaces clear away, the sea parts and
our enemies are left behind
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.
The pastor delivered an unusually able and
eloquent discourse from first Peter l. 10; "Tht
,rec;ous blood of Christ" All blood is pre-