The Portland daily press., 1874-09-14
SUNDAY SERVICES.
ST. LAWRENCE STREET.

ST. LAWRENCE STREET.
Yesterday morning the pastor, Rev. A. Fl.
Wright, preached sermon from Jude Ill
Earnestly contend for the faith which was
once delivered to the saints"
The presence Of ungodly men in the church,
whose lives were in opposition to the pure doc
trines of Christ, led the apostle Jude to make
this exhortation. There was need that the in
fuence of these enemies of the truth should be
counteracted, or neutralzed by earnest defend
ers of the faith.
Each Christian must stand upon the ground
of his faith, and hold fast his profession without
wavering. He must watch infdelity with fidel-
ity. He must resist error by proclaim
lug truth. He must regard himself as set for
the defence of the gospel, and be earnest and
zealOdS in maintaining the truth against all
forms of error and unbelief.
Concerning this duty of contending for the
faith, the common duty of all Christians there
are some points indicated in the text.
l. The faith for which we are to earnestly
contend is faith delivered to US, and not a
faith discovered by US.
1t is not original with man-not the product
of the human mind working under the laws of
thought. 1t is divnely revealed and commune
Gated; God-given, not man discovered. A faith
delivered to the saints by the Holy Spirit.
The apostles were careful to disclaim any
human origin for the subject matter Of their
teaching. Paul says emphaticaly: 81 received
it not of man, neither was | taught it by the
revelation of Jesus Christi This was the
APOSTLES strong point against false teachers.
He never taught for doctrines the opinions Of
men.
The first element, therefore, of our conten-
ton for the faith must necessarily be the main
tainance of its divine origin. We must stand
up for it as revelation, not of mans wisdom,
but of Gods grace. Here Paul planted him
self, immovably. Upon this rock we must un-
| hinchingly stand, and hold fast our confidence
| unto the end
We are TO say to men, 1--WE come not to you
with PHILOSOPHERS and speculations and theo-
ries, but with truth diyinely revealed We
offer you not the deductions of human thought,
nor the probabilities of speculation, but the
positive, unhanging eternal testimony of the
Son of God, who came to bear witness the
truth, and who was himself the way and the
truth nd the life.
III. Our contention for the truth should be
free from the spirit Of controversy. The ex
bortatinn is to contend for, not to fight about
the truth Thele is great difference here.
A life may be spent in continual controversy
about the truth, which accomplshes very little
ing its sacredness and purity. The world has
been filled with the din OF religious controver
sy The theologies of the schools are an end
less labyrinth of human speculations upoI
questions which the gospel does not raise no
determine.
Now, it would certainly i'll become me to sa,
that all this hard thinking and hot fighting ha
accomplished nothing for the honor of truth
Let theo.ogians have their battles let then
sharpen their definitions and split their hair
of doctrine, bdt there are defenders Of tn
faith as good as they who know nothing o
their wisdom-men with believing hearts an
cody lives, who have been living epstes
known and read up by all men, witnessing t
the truth and power of the gospel.
Defending the faith does not mean buildin
walls of definition around gospel truths. Tn
men who stand in the ranks and heroicall
fight their country'S enemies no less II
true defenders than they who, with mighty il
tellects, construct its laws and frame lis const
tuition. He is defender of the faith who's
moral energies are enlisted in the cause {
truth, and who is daily resisting evil and wrons
How then are We best to contend for tn
faith once delivered to the saints?
[. By receiving it into our hearts.
Intellectual assent is not enough; convictio
of the truth is not enough. There must folio
that belief of the truth which is made stTon
and operative by a heart experience of its real
ity Not until you have come TO feel I'll
power of Gods truth in your soul and upo
your life can you successfully contend for IL
faith
ii. We must contend for the faith by col
slant profession of it, Christian profession
not duty that can be done once for all. I'll
apostle says something about 'holding fast OF
profession " We should make good our pr
tession each day. 1t is by steadtastness
faith, and continuance in the life of lovil
service, that we are enabled to hold fast OF
profession.
4 Brethren, we can nobly contend for the fai
A by nobly living it. A holy life is the mo
: convincing evidence of the power aud reality
g the Gospel Without growth in holiness
. profession is vain, and al contention for I
e truth sake powerless. Even Christ hms,
!. could not witness good profession witho
. giving to the truths he proclaimed the force
his own perfect example Every Christly /