The Portland daily press., 1873-12-29
SUNDAY SERVICES.

The severe snow storm yesterday caused q
thin attendance at the several churches in Il Q
morning. At the hour of the afternoon service,
however, the storm was over and the sky clear
Sidewalks were promptly shoveled off and the
walking was quite respectable. The evening
attendance was excellent.
CONGRESS STREET M. E. CHURCH
The pastor, Rev. c. B. Pnblado, preached in
the morning from Peter l. 10. 1.-THE precious
blood of Christ" Blood! 1t is precious as il
flows from the side of the soldier boy in the
battle trench, or trckes from the wound of the
patriot, or gushes from the cash of the martyr
But it is more precious as it trickles from the
brow and the temples, or oozes from the hands
and the feet, or springs from the side Of the dy
ing Nazarene. The blood of Christ is the soul
of christianity, and the hope of the world. It
was spoken of, on the Mount of the transfgu-
ration glory; it dropped from the wrestler in
the garden; 1t fell from the Redeemer as He
hung on cross in Palestine; it will be the cho
rus of heavens songs First 1t is precious,
because it procures the ransom and pardon of
humanity. Humanity is in sad plight. There
are sin-charms round its soul. 1t is chained by
sins against God and man, chained by sins
against conscience and charity; chained by sins
against the mount of fire, and the mount of
blood. Sins to account for. red as scarlet, and
countless as forest leaves, and foul the grave,
and dark as night. What is to be done? Can
mines of gold, or seas of pearl, or hills of dia-
monds procure the breaking of the chain, or
the pardon of sin? No! no! What can? Lis
ten! l hear Paul in speaking about Jesus, cry,
f1,ro,, UhH ;o
b lood, even the forgiveness of SINS" Listen!
hear the elders sing, Thou vast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood"
Second. The blood of Christ is precious, be-
cause it can alone clean the sin-defiled soul.
Man needs not only to be redeemed; needs not
ouly to be pardOned, but he needs also to be
aoashed. The soul is fetd dungeon. and re-
qures to be purified 1t is soied with the
SCOT of pandemOnium; furnished With the filth
from the sewer of Salandom, and must be
washed Anything to wash the soul? There
is dew to wash the flowers, and rain to wash
the forests and water from spring or stream to
wash the body, but all mel all the dew that
ever fell on heather-bell or lily Leaf all the
springs that ever dubbed and the streams that
ever ran, and the seas that ever FLASHED, can
not wash out one sin stain from the soul.
Blood can. What blood? Not the blood of
heroes that has dreuched the Thprmopylas
of the W. rid, or been split at the Marathons of
thu nations; not the blood Of the martyrs that
fed0tneo the arenas OF Rome, OF simmered
in the fagot fires OF Smith6elds, or dyed the
brooks and stained the heath of Scotland or
tinged and saturated the hill slopes of Pied
mont; not the blood of goats, or the blood of a
mere man can wash sin from the soul, but
The precious blood of Christ can wash all
SINS from all souls Hark! / hear a cry ring
~? a.ong the years, 'The blood of Jesus Christ
HIS son cieanseth us from all SIM" Brother
dou desplse the precious blood. What Elisha
! said to Naaman, We say in idea to you 'sGo
wash ID oofdan' a I1I y. may say, "other rivers
no" ask of yonder Hotteniot
sitting by the river, "What are YOU doing
there?' He answers, 81 am trying to wash my
skin white.'' Well, you will succeed in that,