The Portland daily press., 1874-08-24
SUNDAY SERVICES.
FIRST PARISH CHURCH.

|
Rev. Dr. Hill returned to his pulpit yester-
day, after his vacation, and preached from
Luke tx, %, on denying ones self and taking
| up the cross daily. Substantially the same Ian
guage was found in five or six other places in
the four gospels and this was an indication of
| the Importance which the exhortaton assumed
| in the eyange,ists' mind. Yet it has been the
| fate of this most important saying of our Lord
| to be partially misunderstood by the Christian
church to the present day. The preacher would
! PASS over, with mere illusions, the question
| whether it was addressed to the twelve or to
believers in general; because be-thought the
testimony Of the evangelists explicit, that it was
addressed to all; also he would merely alude to
the question, what was meant by coming after
Jesus, and following after him; he would as
sumo that the phrases meant the same as being
disciples of Christ, or being true Christians, or
members of Christ's kingdom. He would con-
fine his attention principally to the two phrases
Let him deny himself, and let him take up his
cross daily.
1t was commonly assumed, among Engiish
readers of our day, that denying ourselves
meant refusing the petitions or desires OF our
udtufdl luClludtlOuS, ociL uShis' '
thus, in our speech, almost synonymous Win
self restraint, or abstinence. But the preacher
considered this misinterpretatlon OF the say
ing of our Lord, which narrowed very much lls
comprehensive meaning. The original word
had in classical Greek all three of the meanings
of tie English word deny; to contradict an as
sertion; to refuse a request; and to reject a
claimant. But in the New Testament, while
the first and third meanings were unequlyocaily
found, the second meaning was not, he thought,
to be found, unless it were in the language OF
the text. He preferred, therefore, to give 1T
the third meaning, which was an undoubted
Scriptural meaning and which gave to the text
a vastly more comprehensive and searching i'm
port If any man will be follower of Christi
let him acknowledge Christ as Master aud re-
nounce allegiance to himself; let him ac-
knowledge that the law of Christ is supreme and
all comprehensive, and that his own wishes, his
own Judgment, his own interests, are not to
be considered, the first question always is,
What doth the Lord require of me? A man
was to do nothing more, and nothing less, than
his duty; fidelity to Gods law, and loyalty to
Christ were to rule every hour of his life, every
emotion of his heart Thus true self-denial
was altogether independents of the question OF
self-restraint, or abstinence, which might, or
might not, be required by this acknowledge
ment of supreme loyalty to Christ.
In like manner the taking of the cross daily
was, IN the preachers Judgment much more
comprehensive duty than the mere bearing of
suffering and sorrow. To that, the Providence
of God might seldom call some men. The
taking up of the cross daily was the daily re-
newing of an unalterable resolution to obey
Christ, to do what he requires to make the
law of God and our own convictions OF duty
supreme guides and not to suffer any passions,
desires, tastes or inclinations, to make US DISC
hey the direction of our heavenly visions.
Christ did not require of us obedience to a law;
we were not under the law, but under grace.
Nevertheless Christi did require of us obedi-
ence to the Spirit; an acknowledgements of his
right to command, and daily renewed stead
fast purpose and endeavor to obey.