The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-11-03
STATE STREET.

lu6 DdSJUE, new L. L. IlluCkS, delivered q
very impressive sermon based on II Cor Iv-1S
"While we look not at the things which are
SEEM but at the things which are not seen; for
the things which are seen are temporal, but the
things which are not seen are eternal"
Rev. Mr.. Bliss from Constantirople, address,
ed the Woman's Missionary Society in the
evening.
PARK STREET CHURCH.
Subject of the sermon, "Daty." Text,
will walk at liberty, for 1 seek thy precepts.
Psalm. 1886 large part of the misery of
human life arises from the attempt to walk at
liberty without regard to the obligations which
lie in the way, and which, being neglected,
vindicate themselves; they trip up aud lay low
the rash rambler; and they mock at him when
his fear cometh
Liberty is enticng; it includes every good.
but the diverse phase of liberty is always
Duty. The only way to liberty is the path of
obedience Of The watchword of liberty is duty.
The symbol of liberty is yoke. ''The truth
shall make you Free s'Take my yoke upon
you"
Duty is the souls first stepping stone which
it consciously uses in its ascent from bondage
to liberty. Before it gets foothold there it
founders in manifold blind struggles towards
fatuous ends frightened by hell fire, goaded by
threats; but then it becomes conscious of itself
and perceves not only what is threatened to it
but what is due from it-dnty. 1t recognizes
in that ROYALTY at once imperIous and friend
ly, memorable and kind.
Two objections to the claims of duty were
considered. To some, duty appears to be de-
fusion, phantom king upon phantom
throne; because. as it is maintained there is no
one to whom payment of dues can be made
Man is tine measure of himself; what can he
owe outside of himself. 1t is of no avail to
talk theology to those inquirers; and Fortunate
ly duty needs no theology for its foundation:
itself Is the foundation; it does not require
deity for its support; rather duty SUPPORTS
deity. The fact of Obligations intituively dis
cerned in solid fact, is indestructble founda-
tion it is deity proving itself, and, incidentally,
proving deity. -.
The other objection is that duty is an inter-
| loper in the kingdom of loye. 1t is contended
that the spontaneous service of love is genuine,
while the constrained service of duty is but
base imitation.
If indeed we were all perfect we might ex-
pect from one another spontaneous flow of
love and goodness. If our ancestors had, from
generation to generation, 50 wrought in the
field of duty as to add to the transmissbe
treasure ever increasing harvests of love we
might perchance in this generation abandon
that severe tlage and sustain lives of sponta-
neous rectitude by drawing freely on the organ
~ iuucIitduCcs we LulSlI tAuiDiG tue peTleCCt
bloom OF righteousness as freely and uncon-
scously as the flower unfolds itself to the OBJ
servers. Then, indeed would the world be tull
of beauty; but where should we look for merit?
Not to the careless unconscious flower; not to
the careless unstruegling man. In the world
as we find it, struggle is an imperative necessi-
| ty, aud with struggle goes good desert. What
ever might be in an ideal state. in the present
state moral beauty is closely joined to duty.
HIGH STREET CHURCH.
Rev Mr. Fem preached from Matt. 1899.
Sand he that loseth his life for my sake shall
find it, This paradox of our Saviour is found
frequently among His utterances. The thought
being that the life which is selfish is valueless
The life that is used for the good and blessing
of our fellow men is the only true one. The
glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is that in set
ting forth a paradox of this character His own
life was in full accordance with it. The pecu-
liar and unfavorable circumstances under
which Christ was born were clearly shown, and
the power which He had exercised for their
good. What did the life OF Christ accomplish?
Losing His life what did He gain? Born
Jew He rose above it. He was the largest,
most comprehensive man the world has ever
seen. No man today but feels the largeness,
| the force, the nprebensiveDess of His love.
There is no family but is desiro s to bring up
tueir cntluTe'N III preCeptS, ALL 10 De named
with His n,me. No e iucatioHal institution
but what seeks to be founded on Him. The
same thing may be said of all our courts of
justice. The life of Christ shows that the gain
which comes to spiritual life is one of the
largest faith. The man that lives under the
influence of moral forces is the victor in all
contests. To do great things, one must be
great, and to do this one must suffer much A
man to be anything must be willing TO die
unto himself, and no man can do this who has
not an abiding sense in an Over ruling Prov-
dence. The trial of Christian ia til is hard
and often known to none but God alone; aud
losing our life here, we gain it, unto eternal
life.
NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH.
Rev. w. q. Hayden delivered on Sunday
morning. his third discourse before large and
interested audience, on the Wilderness Journey
of the Israelites. The lesson of the day was
tine Bitter Waters of Marah made sweet by
divine Intervention.
The whole was made to apply to the expe-
rience of the Christian, in the journey OF his
life, and in his faithful efforts to be led in the
right way by the Lord our Saviour. The spirit
ual meaning is of more practical importance to
us now than the literal meaning.
The waters of revealed truth are bitter to us
at first, because they demand self-denal.
Therefore they are not pleasant to the taste of
the natural man; they are contrary to his I'M
regenerated feelings.
But branch from the tree of life turns their
bitterness into sweetness Herein lies one of
the miracles of the spiritual life one of the
wonderful workings of the Spirit of God on the
believing soul of man He removes self, and
communicates His grace. He takes away from
the faithful worker, his old, selfish desire, and
inspires new love; a love for the truth; a
love for right and good things; a love for the
Lord and Saviour; a love for the brethren and
the neighbor. Aud from the exercise of this
| new life and love, comes refreshment, joy, sat
isfaction and blessing
THIS course of sermons is becoming increas-
ngly interesting to the public.