The Portland daily press., 1873-12-15
SUNDAY SERVICES.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.


thee an everlasting light: and thy God thy glo-
ry." In the introduction the speaker alluded 10
that common thing in the natural world winch
we call light and showed how conflicting had
been the theories by which philosophers had at
tempted to define it. These theories had all of
them been in a measure unsatisfactory. And
vet every one knew something about its source.
and its effect in dspelling darkness. The sun
is regarded as the great Illuminating power
throughout the world of nature.
So in the moral. world there were darkness
and light the terms were common and Scrip
tural, and by intelligent minds were easily I'M
understood. Here, as in the natural world.
there was one great source to which light could
be traced and from which it emanated. The
Lord, with whom is no darkness at all, was this
Sum- The comparisons and analoges between
the sources of light in the two worlds were nu-
merous, and some of them, in a measure very
complete. In both the light was ever shining
but intervening objects prevented its rays
wherever darkness was found. In the moral
world sin was this intervening object, and the
cause of moral darkness.
Allusion was then made to the glowing pre-
diction of the prophet. He looked upon the
nations in darkness but in prophetic vision
saw undU tuere WAS u time IN une future Wnen
the Messiah should come,- a'eLght to tighten
the Gentiles." He should establish a kingdom,
and its subjects should be all taught OF God,
and be children of light In accordance with
that prediction the Light came, and the chris
tan church answered to the description of the
prophet. When she had been true to Christ,
she had not walked in darkness, but had had
the light of life. And thus it would be in future,
for there is still force in the language ''the Lord
shall be unto thee an everlasting light" And
oh
true to every individual follower of Christ His
pathway through this world shall be illumined
and his Immortality glorious. The everlasting
light should shine upon him.
The preacher then turned to the other clause
of the text "And thy God thy glory He allud-
ed to the glory which the church of the Re-
deemer had, and showed that this was not in
herself, in her wealth, her numbers. her influ-
ence, but it was derived from the Christ who
was her head the God whom she worshipped,
And in this was involved great principle, ap-
plcable to all the human family, and applica-
BILE to man in his individuality. 1t has been
said and accepted as truth, that man is a relig-
ious being. not godly, but religious in the wide
acceptation of that term, He is inclined to wor-
ship something. All history, all facts prove
this to be true. And hecce as Paul expresses
it, There be Gods many" Some of these
are real, some imaginary, some material and
some immaterial, some senseless idols, and some
endowed with intelligence. These are worship
ped.
Another thing to be considered is that mans
character is moulded in great measure by the
object which he worships No matter what it is
or by what name he calls it, if it becomes his
deity, he is influenced by it, and he receives
honor or dishonor, glory or shame, through his
worship. 1t is to him endowed with superiori
ty. He thinks about it, reverences it, and at
tempts to initiate its fancied or real excelencies
The great law of assimilation is constantly at
work This is illustrated in the history of vari-
Gus nations. David alluded to it when he spoke
of the gods Of the heather, which were fash
toned by their own hands of the grossest mate
rails. He says, ''They that make them are
like unto them: so is everyone that trusteth in
them"
What, then, shall we serve or worship SO
that 1t can be truly said of US. "thy God, thy
glory" Evidently, some being that is really and
IN all respects superior to ourselves. A being
whom we can love and be enlarged in our Whole
moral natures; being whom we can initiate,
and grow wiser and better. A being who IS
glorious i'll all his attributes and Projections;
the uncreated and infinite one, who alone is
worthy of our homage, Then our God shall be
our glory
CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.
Rev. Father Powers delivered a very inter
esting and instructive sermon at the Cathedral
yesterday, taking for his text st. John, l19, 2S-
Our holy mother, the church, he said, divides
season, or Advent, commentaries the four
thousand years previous to the coming of
Christ, during that time the world was plunged
in darkness, iniquity and SIM There are three
great periods which deserves our special consid-
Grafton, viz:-First, His incarnation; second;
His coming and third, the last day. Previous
to His incarnation the human race, with the
exception of one chosen people, was plunged in
idolatry and gloom. He came animated by a
sublime love and for us underwent intense stuff
erng When Jesus came upon the earth He
founded the Holy Catholic church. Let us, Che
continued, follow the precepts of that church;
let us avoid evil and do good; let US love God,
who redeemed us from slavery, and let us per
form our duties with Christian simplicity. At
the day of judgment, God, who during our lives
was merciful to us, will pronounce terrible
sentence upon us if we have not obeyed his pre-
cepts Now is the time to turn over new leaf.
now is the time to wash our sins in His blood.
Christmas is not season for carousal and rev.
elry, but for devout and Christian duty. Let
us forthwith receive the Sacrament of penance;
let us receive our God once more; let us inspire
those about us with good and pous examples
and we will reap our reward of eternal glory
which God has promised us,
NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH.
Rev. VIM. B. Hayden, the pastor of this
church, preached yesterday from Exodus, xviii
"a and %, upon the significance of Jethro's as
sistance to Moses. He remarked that there
was a church possessing written word or sa-
cred scriptures, anterior to the call of Abra-
ham and the deliyerance by Moses. Some
good and true elements of that church remain
ed in the time of Moses. Melchisedek was
High Priest of that prior church. Jethro, the
6 e ;tc oil IT,
purer church than the Jewish. From Jethro
during his life with him, Moses must have re-
ceived much of that instruction and training
which made him so fit AN instrument after
ward to accomplish the Lords purposes to-
wards the Jews The wisdom and exalted
character of Jethro were displayed in his adj
vice to Moses He was the means, under the
Providence of the Lord, of the establishment of
the Israelitish judiciary. The ritual OF the
church, the time of journeying and the place of
hating, together with the order of March and
encamping were all regulated by Divine revela
ton. But the division into sections and the
ordination of rulers was suggested by Jethro,
thus by the Lord indirectly to Moses This
typifies new era in the spiritual LIE OF regen-
Grating men and women. While the Lord gives
the means of becoming wise and living Alright,
and does much for us in secret from infancy to
old age, he also leaves much for us to do con-
sciousy and as of ourselves
We spend much time in acquiring the mate
rial out of which conscience is formed. When
we begin actually to make it and live by it, an
alyzing our conduct and motives and governing
life every day by its spiritual standard we also
experience a new period of christian love or
zeal. This is prefigured ly the fact that when
Jethro came to Moses he brought with him
Zipporah, Moses wife, from whom he had
long been separated. 1t is always the effect of
an orderly arrangement of spiritual truths by
which they are made effective in common at
fairs, that new delight is felt in them Hence
order is not only heavens first law in logical
sequence bat it is also the first and most impor-
tant element of genuine enjoyment OF heaven
ly delight and happiness.
ALLEN MISSION. p
Rev. Benz. Freeman of Ferry Village, preach
ed a farewell sermon at the Allen Mission, in
the afternoon, from st. Paups declaration
"Tnese light affections which are but for mo-
ment, work out for us far wise and exceed ding
weight of glory
SOLDIERS MoNUMENT.-The committee to
perfect arrangements for the organization OF
the Soldiers and Sailors Monumental Associa-