The Portland daily press., 1874-04-18
Fast Day Services.

Preaching services were held in the morning
at High street, First Parish, First Baptist, New
Jerusalem and Williston churches. We give
below abstracts of all sermons except of Rev.
Mr.. Hayden. which will be published in our
next issue. A temperance pray er meeting was
held at Congress street NJ E. church, short
cses by the Sabbath Schools of the Pine street
and Chestnut street churches.
FIRST PARISH.
The Rev. DIR. Hill took his text from the
gospel of Matthew, xxi. 80, "For John came
unto you in the way of righteousness but We
believed him not -s.s.
This he considered an illustration of the
fact that thorough acquaintance with the
scripture and an enlightened morality may
not prevent man from being very dull of
spiritual apprehension. and Hind to tho rnons--
milton of Gods prophets. He would draw
from this rebuke given by the Lord to the
Pharisees, lessons applicable to the Unitarian
and Universalist denominations, and thought
he could do SO, by applying it to the rela-
tons which they bore to the more Orthodox
trinitarian sects. He feared lest the So called
liberal Christians should be blind to what
was really good in the other sects, and fail to
learn what they could best teach them. The
trinitarian denominations were very rapidly
changing their old attitude, especially since
the civil war, placing less stress upon doc
trinal texts, and more upon the evidences of
a new spirit. This change was seen more in
the middle States, but was felt also in New
England. 1t was not so much change of
opinion in them, as change of spirit toward
those who differed from them in opinion |
they we've becoming more willing to acknowl-
edge that Christian faith and holiness may
be in man who does not accept the scheme
of salvation laid down by the New England
divines of the 18th century. Let the Unita-
rians, said DIR. Hill, meet these concessions
of modern orthodoxy, by ceasing to make
denial and negation more prominent in their
theology than positive affirmations. When
Christian has arrived at speculative views
which he cannot express in scripture Ian
guage he may well fear that he is departing
from the simplicity which is in Christ; and
when on the other hand his speculative views
prevents him from freely, cordially and con-
scientiously using the language of the
Apostles and. of the Lord himself, he may
well fear that he is not holding fast his
Christian faith. ul
The vital truths OF Christianity, which gave
it its power, did not lie either in those points
on which the various Protestant sects differ
or in those pure monotheistic doctrines which
Jesus expressly quotes from Moses, and in
which Moses agrees with heather sages. The
power of the Gospel has been incomparably
greater than that of any other religion, and
that power could not have come from the
things in which the Gospel agreed with Ju-
daism, or with the more eastern religions
it was shown under all the various forms of
Christian faith and could not therefore lie in
the points on which Christians differ, so
much as in those in which they agree. These
fundamental truths of general Christianity
were compressed into the bapismal formula;
all nations were to be baptised into the name
of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
These were the powerful truths of the Gospel
the paternal character, the fatherly love
of God toward man, and that God so loved
the world as to send his dearest Son to die
for us, that whatsoever believed in him might
not perish but have everlasting life; and that
the Father and the Son visit through the in
fuences of the Holy Spirit those who trust in
Jesus promise. To these central truths of
Christianity the preacher thought all denom-
nations must finally come, and the whole of
Protestant Christendom, while divided in
their views of nom essentials, would COM
bine with new, zeal and new love in embrace
ing, exemplifying and preaching these doc
trines, through which alone man could he
lifted into any high and noble life on earth
and have any immortal hope of heavenly
world to come. iif =
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.
Rev. DR.. Smaller delivered discourse from
Exodus XXXII., 24,-"Then cast it into
the fire and there came out this calf"
In the introduction allusion was made to
that event in Jewish history to which the
text referred. A brief and connected sketch
was then given with some of the attending
circumstances. The part which Aaron had
IN the transaction, the position he occupied, |
his making the golden calf, snd the excuse he
offered for making it, were clearly described.
Three points to be noticed in the narrative |
were these
l, The strange inconsistency of the people |
in rejecting the chiefest good, and choosing |
in its stead that which was injurious and de- |
grading. They turned away from Him who |
had done so much for them, and who had |
promised protection, prosperity and all good |
things to them, if obedient; and sought a |
senseless idol as an object of their homage |
and worship. tln
2, The readiness with which a good man |
may be induced to yield to the popular will |
Aaron was in the main good man, and a |
of the living God, abhoring idola-
try. Yet when the people demanded an idol,
he not only yielded his assent to their request,
but actually assisted in making an idol for |
them and thus was in measure regarded as
sanctioning their course,
3, The frivolous excuse, which one who is
guilty of wrong doing, will make in justifca-
ion and palliation of his deed. Aaron was
evidently blinded to the enormity of his SIM
He said the people were set on mischief. and
that his own part in the transaction
was very trifing, and almost accidental. He
simply cast the gold into the fire, and there
came out this calf.
Then the preacher exhorted the hearers to
keep in mind these three things and notice
how they applied to some of the sins of the ]
present day, and especially the sin Of intem-