The Portland daily press., 1874-11-02
SUNDAY SERVICES.
INDIA sr. uNrvrBsA11sr cHuRcH.


the first being given last evening. lie salt
that the Bible made several references to tn,
necessity of clean hands, and hence he deemed
it an appropriate subject for the pulpit, es
pecially as that necessity was as great to-da.
as it ever was in the past. The Pharlsees wer'
very.exact in this particular respecting thu
feshy hand though in their dealings with mel
it mattered but little what hands they EN-
ployed. whether of meanness, fraud or by
pocrisy. So many now regard very rgidly the
outward, and pay but little heed to the spirit
which moves it This latter we must regard
If we ever expect happiness-to ascend into
the chill of the Lord''-the outward and the
internal must be pure and holy. 1t is moi
enough to keep clean physical hands, but the
| spiritual ones must be the same. Keeping
clean hands means discharging all obligations
fulfilling all duties, rising above all evils-so
that disobedience, neglect or inactivity will not
cling to them.
In making material offerings, man wants
clean hands, So in making the offerings OF
| love, friendship and their kindred, which we
| are to make in our associations with men, we
| require pure spiritual hands, with no faint OF
| selfishness-no corruption clinging to them.
| If there is corruption within; if the spirit
| which moves mems hands is wrong-even
l though one may seek to hide tit WILL in
| some unguarded moment, betray itself. Hence
man needs inward as well as outward purity if
he would not stand forth hypocrite
1t is becoming an established truth that un-
| clean hands, moved by corrupt spirits, are dis
| reputable. People are beginning to regard the
hypocrite, whether it is the low vagabond,
| the brilliant journalist or the greatest
which each deserves. Let them purify them
selves if they desire to stand well. He believed
that the church, if 1T does not desire to con-
taminate itself by protesting purity, yet wink
members, must frown upon all unclean hands,
and not attempt to whitewash instead of re-
move the corruption.
The speaker then passed on to notice the me-
cessity of clean hands in several special rela-
lations speaking first of benevo'ence. He
was specially severe upon that species of So
called benevolence, which is offered that praise
from men may be elected; which is given to
aid on good causes, that the world may laud;
which gives and then regrets-such is given
with unclean hands, soiled with seltishness and
impurities. The true way is to cultivate pure
love for higher things love which will ena-
BILE men to cheerfully consecrate a portion OF
their blessings, to aid on reforms and enter
prises having the advancement of man in view,
and to feel that sympathy for. the poor and
=
praise, but from love.
The activities of life call for clean hands.
The world is alive to-day, and with its demand
for active hands, is coupled demand for pure
ones. 1t was one of the grandest blessings in
augarated for man, when Father Adam was set
to work; and one of the instructions always to
be given to the rising generation, u.s. that labor
is honorable, and more, that their hands should
be kept clean from incidence. Moreover, too
many stand aloof from the reformatory move.
70 ap1 fbornhv kaan 11nplnon hands hv
deavoring to believe that it is nothing to them.
Our duties reach out beyond ourselves. There
are obligations we owe to the general good; and
if not faithful, we must fear impurity. AS
long as intemperance, the social evil intrigues,
general corruptions reign, we are to work, la
Dor, have duties resting upon us, and COM
mand to act. AS we obey, we grow stronger.
As we fail, weakness must be ours
A third point was the necessity of clean
hands from crime He would not touch upon
where men and women do not feel that their
acts are specially wrong. Crime is the VIOLA
ton of natural or divine law. To have clean
hands, we must abandon all wrong. God has
given us bodies to care for. If by indulgence
in wrong directions. we bring suffering or
weakness, we are criminals in the sight of
heaven. The man who employs night in feverish
excitements, tho woman of fashion, the person
who wrongs his neighbor, who ISLANDERS and Cos
sips, who breaks any of the laws which should
govern his physical, moral or affectional
natures is, while thus doing the possessor of
unclean hands.
Besides the consequences of mans crimi-
nalty, reach, in accordance with the express
sion of the Infinite, unto the third and fourth
generations. Our ancestry may have been
strong and vigorous, but their intense overwork
gave us weaker men and women; and he be-
lieved that the intense strain which many place
upon themselves, the excitement in which pa
rents indulge in the fashionable world, and in
business strained to its utmost, was giving to
the world q generation of still weaker beings
than ever. God will never permit violation
of his law without the consequences following.
He urged greater adherence to the laws and
principles of health. Let each and every one,
as he or she has strength, be faithful to duty in
each relation of life, and thereby possess clean
hands, and consequently become happier here
and better fitted for happiness hereafter.
CHESTNUT STREET CHURCH.
In the afternoon the pastor, Rev, S. f.
Jones, preached an excellent sermon on the
parable of the Prodigal Son. This was one of
the group of the parallels Of Jesus Christ,
among which were those Of the shepherd leav-
ing the ninety and nine sheep and going in
search of the one that was lost, and tie woman
losing one of her ten coins and lighting her
candle to find it, and then bidding her friends
come and rejoice with her. These parallels of
Jesus were perfect. In all of them the point
of application was too plain to be mistaken.
The preacher went on to say that folly was
bound up in the heart of the predigal. He was
bent upon leaving his home, where he had en-
joyed all the comforts and blessings of life. A
touching tribute was paid to home-the home
of early childhood, and the young were enjoined
to properly prize it as the dearest spot on
earth. Home is not home without the spirit of
love, that humbly prays, "Give me this day my
daily bread" The demand Of rights is the
prodigal's claim, "Give me the portion of goods
that falleth to me- The preacher observed
that he would not have less call for personal
rights, but clearer apprehension OF personel
obligations. Does woman claim the right to
vote? Then she must be educated up to the
right standard. The sense of obligation and
responsibility should be equal with the sense of
right. The estranged heart and alienated af-
| fections of the prodigal were impressvely
| dwelt upon. Herein is a lesson of family gov
eminent. Your child is yours so long as love
prevails. When he ceases to love he is lost.
Parental authority should be judiciously exer-
cised. The atmosphere of home should be
that of love. Love should be the all and in all
of the household Harsh, hasty, passionate
chastisement is to be 'reprehended.
The first stage of the prodigal was extreme
| alienation. The second stage was extreme
apostasy. With all it is either "Nearer my
God, to Thee" or the prodigal's wandering to
to a far country. The third stage was extreme
| degradation, where he found his true level in
| feeding the swine. There are, said the preach
er, many to-dayswho hold their heads high,
who, by reason of their profigate lives, if they
found their true level would herd swine and
feed on husks.
| AT last there was an awakening on the part
| of the degraded wanderer. His past life APP
peared TO him in its true colors "a life as dis
NAL as the valley of the shadow of death. The
fourth stage was extreme remorse, a feeling
that conld not be long endured. The fifth
| stage was extreme Humiliation. 1t is only
those who have had the bitter experience that
know how hard it is to break away from evil
habits 1t may be compared to field of bat
tie, where the contending forces alternately
gain the advantage There is no battle waged
SO fierce and fearful as that which goes on in
many human soul between right and wrong.
The sixth stage in the prodigaPs career was
when he resolved to return to his father, and
the parable relates how he was received by the
forgiving parent, whose memory leaped ovel
the hideous gulf of his sons depravity tothe
the period Of his innocent childhood. The sew
eEth stage was the prodigafs joyous recep-
| tOn