The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-04-13
SUNDAY SERVICES.
WILLISTON CHAPEL.

wILLIsTON CHAPEL.
The first Sunday III the mouth, Rev. Burke
f. Leavitt pastor, preached sermon from the
text: I'd Corinthians, g. 12-"Now is the day
of salvation
The best preparation for receiving this truth,
as indeed for the reception of any, is an entrance
into the circumstances under which it was writ
ten. Not the external circumstances merely;
but through these and beyond these, entering
into the feelings of the writer, we are in way
to receive what more than anything else we
want-the ex act thought of the Bible.
As we approach Panl through his external
circumstances, and enter into his feelings, we
see that with him salvation was an amazing
reality. First, notice his surroundings. His
life began when ss yet the possibility of saliva
ton was matter of faith. He had pursued
and completed his education while the POSSIBLE
ity of salvation was matter of faith.
Jewish affairs, no more than the affairs of the
entire outside world, established the possibility
of salvation. Every drop of sacrificial blood
was prophecy that one day there would be an
offering by which sin could be taken away
But it was impossible that the blood of bulls
and goats should take away SIM" Paul, going
to the altar with his heart 0urdened with sin.
could there see no power to relieve-and it was
only by faith in power yet to be revealed-in
sacrifice yet to be offered that he could get re-
lief. 1t was when Paul and other devoted
Jews were in state of expectancy of deliv-
erer that the day of salvation dawned
But now to pass to his inner self; what was
his idea of salvation? Not precisely what we
should expect from the school of bloody sacri-
fees ard religion grounded in blood, in which
he studied. But the new day was more day
OF teaching than any that had preceded 1t
gave men new ideas of the need of salvation. 1t
is great work of the cross of Christ which is
amazingly left out of sight, to bring to mans
consciousness his exceeding guilt and i'll desert
as a sinner
This was lesson Paul learned Salvation.
with him, was heLceforth simple idea, vet
comprehensive as his immortal life. It was
the blotting out OF his sins. 1t was justfica-
ton with God by which eternal deiiverance
from sin and its consequences was ensured,
This idea we find reiterated in different phases
as we read the verses back of ii e text. Saliva
ton was rescue from life with an inferior
aim to life whose aim was Christ
1t came when the man was born again
This salvation Paul had experienced ia the
germ which had unfolded more gloriously in
fold in the life of any who will receive it to re-
hottest eternity. This is the salvation whose
day Paul confidently affirmed, had dawned.
'N0,o is the day of salvation"
If, as we have done with Paul's idea of sal
walton, we enter into the circumstance under
which this fact was affirmed of salvation, we
may see that it was calculated to thrill those
| upon whom 1t fell from his lips.-The prophecy
| he quotes a. introductory to this assertion, as
multitude of Others teach that the day of saliva
| ton was at one time fact of TIE future 1t
was long night, before the day dawned A
| gross, material idea OF salvation had possessed
| the Jewish mind while all idea had left many
| heather mind before the day dawned SO that
| they were not ready to discern when it appear
ed.
| 1t was at the midday of Pauls life that the
| day broke-but he did not see it,-no man knew
it. To those who stood by the cross and saw
the warm blood reddening the earth it seemed
| the death of hope.
Dependency of the deepest kind had settled
| on all minds. The dawn was darker than any
| preceding moment.
Think you that it was any ordinary impress
| sion which he felt who then discovered that the
| day of salvation had dawned? When the jew
| saw the blood which had coursed the body of the
| Son OF God substituted for the blood of victims
| from his own herds which he had hitherto seen
| set over against his sins? Must it not have
thrilled those who in deepest darkness heard
| and received the announcement "NoD is the
| day of salvaton? For four thousand wears it
could not be uttered. But the work of redemp-
ton was at last complete "Noao is the day Of
salvation" Notice that the element of time no
longer enters into the account. NoU. The most
present, the most instantaneous of all words is
employed in connection with this work of eter
nal moment to us.
| Men do not believe 1t. The preaching which
is most after the theory of men scouts the idea,
| that in an Instant the greatest knaye can be
| transformed into au ''heir of God and joint
| heir with Jesus Christ" as truly as the most
honest man-But the chief of sinners who
| murdered men simply because they were
| followers of Christ was so transformed And
| al ho oil
| "Noao is is the day of salvation"
| The element of time is eliminates Men
think they need time for repentance, to settle
| their views, to be cautious But observe that
ali the conceptions of salvation which involve
time make it human. But it is God who
saves, altogether. Now is his time. "All
things are ready" he says.
Are you? Noac? Is it safe to ask God by
| word or conduct, to wit?
| FREE STREET.
Rev. Mr. Quincy of Boston preached in the
morning from Mat vi, 6, "Enter into thy
closet and when thou hast shut thy door, pray
| to thy Father, which is in secret and Ps.
| xxi, %. SIN the midst of the congregation
| will praise Thee" The subject, worship pri-
| vate and pnblio, and their relations to each
| othee.
| The word worship or worthship is Saxon
and originally was appropriated to what is
| due to worth This Saxon idea is the true
one, and we should at once correct the idea so
often given to the child, that he is to worship
God because he demands our alteration; rather
as the child recognizes worth in good man
and admires it, tell him God is like the man,
only better, and therefore for his real moral
| worth we reverence Him. He who cannot see
| goodness in his fellowmen cannot worship
men-on the contrary he who can see all that
| is noble in man and whose soul renders homage
| to the same is in way to render worship to
| God. If such do not 1T must be tine fault of
! their telchers-God must have been deprived
of his noblest attributes. If worship be not
natural, no effort of the will can bring it
about. Only the Holy Spirit can do it,
| The channels through which the spirit of de-
votion flow are private and public worship.
| 1. Private worship-The soul is often in
such mood that it requires privacy-even the
shut door may not always seclude the world,
| yet it is gres help. As the body needs its
house, SO the soul needs Its closet, and for the
closet spiritual communion only the soul and
its God must be present. Few can be in a
crowd without being self conscious; few
prayers in public that are not beset with
worldly thoughts Blessed be that seclusion
that lets the soul pray as it will! Many
prayers also from their nature must be private;
things nearest to US, most our own must be
breathed in private
z. Fuoc worship-This is as necessary for
some moods of the soul as private worship. Its
advantages are, first: The aid we get and give
through sympathy. In our spiritual imbeclity
we DOUBT and fear, then we need to flee tn the
| sanctuary for sympathy The soul Of +;n,o
alone is like drop of water in the sand hnt
as it meets others in the prayer circle it fows
gently along-like the river to the sea. 1t il
fatal idea that minister is to do our worship
for US. We cannot worship by proxy Too Of
ten we hear people say: They mad a good
meeting" or poor" one. There should be no
"they'' in our worship.
| A second advantage in public worship is the