The Portland daily press., 1873-11-24

uary, preached at High street church to a large
audience yesterday. Text lisa. xviii g. Z. "Tw9
Or three berries in the top of the uppermost
boughs, four or five in the outnost fruitful
branches thereof, \ at that day shall
man look to his maker"
Our Lords preaching was both local ard time
~. He spoke on what engaged public atten-
ton. The killing of the Galileans at their
worship and the falling tower of at Sloan,
were texts for sermons to the multitude We
seek to follow Him in thus adapting a dis
course to what is engaging the thoughts of the
people By the signs Of the times, there is
general iessenIng of abundance The uncer-
tainty of this worlds possessions is theme on
every tongue. For such an experience the
text stands written. The central idea las we
look at it) is that a time of deprivation is
time of attention unto God. There are several
ideas suggested by this principal one, which
may he considered:
/. That there are several things in the plan
of this worlds maker. Behold" cries nature
as well as revelation, 'behold the goodness and
the severity of God" Hard things come on
us. They come either with or in spite of the
| will of God. We do well to bear Him counsel
sci of His WILL" and be patient till we see His
end "He is pitiful and of tender mercy" and
this he has promised to show.
| 2. The hard things IN providence are only
incidental. No one would create only to de-
| stroy; for creation and destruction are contra
| dictory terms. See that shaken tree. 1t has
| borne before, and will bear again. For one
season Its boughs are stripped to set mems
thoughts at work, to turn the busy farmer
under its now open branches to the heaven be-
yond Too heavily laden with fruit for him to
see heaven before be has now clear vision
the three or four berries ON branch do not
shut out the once forgotten skies, and the God
above them! 5aH@ X EEefEG 8N
3. The main idea of the prophecy is that
God becomes more prominent in the diminish
ing of earthly good How is this? Clearly,
because the good things Of this life shut out the
| better things of the better life. Man, made
| for God, let's his goods have his attention.
| When they 60, and man is stripped as if for
| the grave, his desolated soul goes back to it's
maker. If men only saw this they would be
cautious in saying that worldly gaods were a
blessing Give me" said one, "neither pow
erty nor riches"
f. When man looks to God He can be
seen. What is it to 'look to our maker?" 1t
is to give him the attention. confidence, love
and whatever else the heart had been giving to
the persisted possessions. o, what histories of
abused mercies, what Acknowledgements of
goodness, priced only in their perishing, what
confessions of dependence, what Qualifications
OF higher wisdom, what waiting for His far
Their will, can be read in that look which the
smitten soul casts up to God in the day of its
levelling! f3 me faATft 8Gl
5. But look is required for relief eHear
and your soul shall live." ''Look and be saved
These are not only simple but profoundly wise
directions. To see great King you have but
to look To get great blessing in time Of
utter Distress you have but to trust, that is,
look with your mind, and lean with your heart
upon good promise. The looking will not put
back your lost abundance, but it will secure
God as an object of thought, of joy, of hope,
Of possession, lin short. will put Him in their
place in the heart. When that is secured
blessed are the shaken boughs, blessed the les
SEEMING of possessions, blessed whatever the
hardships that put the creature out. and let
the Creator in. He that hath ears to hear let
him hear. Amen
STATE STREET,
In the absence of the pastor, Rev. Mr.. Tinker
of Auburn, preached from John, viii, 34-
"Jesus answered them, verify verify say unto
you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of
sin.ss 1871 EHt kE4fB
The theme was the bondage of sin The sinner
of all men fancies himself to be free. His boast
ed freedom is delusion. He is a slave "sold
under sin" The bondage of sin may be seen,
nrst In the effect OF sin on the will. 1t weak
ems mans capacity to resist sin. This is evil
dent from the force of habit. which is only a
tendency of the mind induced by repetition of
individual actions, each one of which has exer-
clsed an influence. Second, sin may he seen to
be bondage when we consider the havoc it
makes with our good resolutions. All men at
times have high aspirations which prompt them
to form noble resolutions. How many now of
these resolves ever ripen into acts? The path
behind each one fof us is strewn with broken
resolutions. The history of every man is large
~ record of "promises made but never kept"
Temptation has swept away our good resolu-g
tons as the thistle-down is swept before the
whirlwind oFlaf ffaa . y es -vN 81
Third. sin will be seen to be bondage when we
consider how it incapacitates men to fulfill
the law of their being. Every rational being is
under obligation to be perfectly ''holy just and
good.r' This law can never be let down.. 1t is
more infexibles than the laws Of the Medes and
persians. Now. who here or anywhere can say
that he meets the requirements of this law of
his being? Who can say that heis perfect in
every point of character We regard it mat
ter of course that ali men have their faults.
See now what is the import of this conviction.
1t means that sin has wrought itself into our
whole being, that the fulfilling of our whole
duty is practical impossibility. Fourth, sin
may be seen to be bondage when we consider
the fears which it brings upon the soul. The
siuner breads death. Why is it? The sinner
breads to meet God Why is it? The sinner
breads the great eternity beyond. Why is it?
1t is sin that fires the grave wi h gloom. 1t is
sin that hangs over the portals of eternity
Flaming sword of vengeance. Fear is among
the strongest motives which influence the will.
Judge then what the power of sin must be
when it can hold its victim in the face of these
terrors. Can there be anything sadder than to
thinko of what man ought to be and then reflect
upon what he is. These souls of ours were made
for the crown and the scepter; not for the. fet-
her and chain. They were made to exult i'll glo-
rious freedom; not to writhe in degrading bon
dage: They were called into being to be "heirs
of God and joint heirs of Christ" not to be
miserable slaves of the prince Of darkness.
FIRST PARISH CHURCH.
In the absence of the pastor, Rev. q. c. vi
nal of Kennebunk, preached from John w. AZ:
HE must needs go through Samaria." Mr..
Vinal began his discourse by abiding to the
journey Jesus was about to make from Ju-
dea to Galilee, He said, "Why does the mar
rator say" in tone somewhat of regret, HE
must needs go through Samaria." We find the
reason in that other statement that the Jews
had no dealings with the Samaiitans. Ever
since the building of the temple in Jerusalem
they had been at variance. The Jews stood up
in their haughtiness and said, we will have
nothing to do with those Samaritans. We will
not even travel through their country. And so
the term Samaritan was a word Of reproach.
We see, therefore, why the writer of this mar
rative should add, HE must needs go through
Samaria." No jew would go through it. Gal
lice might forever remain without religious in
struction before single Jew would overcome
his prejudices and bear that truth through Sam
aria. How different with jesus! No enmity,
TO prejudice. no dislike of the Samaritan pre-
vented Him from going over to the principal
city, Sychar. The Jews were surprised at the
rashness of Jesus in being willing to visit so
despised and rejected people of the Jews.
How beautiful the picture the Imagination can
delneate from the words, $50 when the Sam
aritans came unto Him. they besought Him
that He would tarry with them; and He abode
with them two days" Here was the perfect
Son Of God, standing among superstitous,
jealous and bigoted people. A large, generous
disinterested spirit in close contact with narrow,
selfish natures! One who was willing to deal
alike with Samaritan and jew! He must needs
go through Samaria In other words He must
go through trial and suffering; He must needs
encounter persecution and hatred; He must
needs overcome Jewish bigotry and formality;
He must needs brave death itself before His
work could be completed and His truth estab-
lished. Spiritually considered, every soul has
its Christ experiences passes through i is Wild
erness of temptation and self-dena, its mo-
ments of TRANSPORTED joy, its suffering of
Gethsemane, its death of Calvary In passing
through this world we all must needs go through
our spiritual Samaria.
After discpursing upon the meaning and i'm
portance of temptation aud the effect of bigot-
ry upon the individual as upon the church. Mr..