The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-07-21

OF The creation OF man as recorded in the Bible,
1t invests man with spiritual nature. 1t de-
clares to him grand religion to live by in
comparison with which the fables of the clas-
sizes are puerile. The heart yearns for some
thing better than evolution can give it This
yearning finds expression in the songs of our
best poets who in all ages have reflected the
voice of humanity. The Bible aoLe teaches
that men are dHiDelv born. This is needed to
raise the grovelng races of EARTH the despoud-
ing and the sensual, to hope of better things.
Christianity is an universal religion because 1t
teaches unity of nature. God has made Of
one blood all the nations of the earth. The
old religious were local, they divided the race.
The Greek desplsed the barbarian, willie the
Jew detested the Gentile-as the Hindoo does
the Parlah Equality of race must be taught
by the religion which aims to be universal.
The social distinctions of other days have
gone by. Kings no longer rule Shy the grace
of God The theory that some races are
born to rule and Others to serve, has gone down.
The idea of a common humanity, man-one,
under all colors, in all climes,-is born of the
Bible.
Our religion teaches unity of worship.
What can the poor Hlndoo do with his mil
lion of Gods to be worshI ped? VINO could pos
sibly remember all the deties of the old Pau
tneon, with the worship due to each? The
Bible relieves us from this perplexity. 1t says:
''The Lord our God is one God; thus filling
a universe vaster than Homer or Virgil ever
dreamed. THIS sublime idea of one God for
the philosopher and the infant, for the dweller
in Arctic snow and Africa sun, lays the foun
daton for a universal religion. Christianity
teaches another uuity,t the unity of redemption.
Nothing can be more repulsl7 than the idea
of Law as Lord. Its advocates own that it
Furnishes blunders, as it does sin, and that the
blow falls before the warning is uttered. Law
is always memorable. Some tell US that penal
ty is bound up in the SIM forgiveness is simply
impossible and regeneration simple fiction
How a gpfn1 OotnrQ he made holVp ODIV
by the interposition of God and the atonement
provided for human needs. No other religion
brings redemption to man, In the gospel, God
is just even while he forgives sin, and the great
problem of uniting mercy and justice is solved
The Creator comessdowu to the world He has
made, the lawgiver submits to his law, ard by
this means man may be made holy. All this
the scientific writers call illusion. But the
Bible abounds 10 Instances of the regeneratlng
| power of Christianity, and our eyes are wit
nesses to the same miraculous renewing OF the
hearts of the impure 10 every community. The
| fountain of pure lie is opened by Christian
| ity, and its visible Transformations Of sinful
nature are prophecy of its future TRIUMPH.
| Christianity teaches also uni of destiny HE
grand march of humanity is onward, from the
| garden of Eden to the Celestial City, from the
| humble manger of Bethlehem to the Great
| White Throne. The grave is not the end OF
| human life; it opens realm of Infinite pro-
gress beyond. Aside from the Bible no clear
| human destiny Buddhism teaches the utter
| loss of identity through transmigration. And
much of the ideal philosophy of the day looks
| for the absorption of the finite mind into the
great Oversoul. If the power of the human
soul have no higher destiny then is annlhila-
ton preferable. Nothing penetrates the cloud
| of blackLess which lies beyond this life Cicero
| received no comfort from his fame nor solace
| from his studies, when he sought to solve this
| last great problem of the destiny of man, and
1.,x- ap1a afal
in the case of the late John Stuart Mill.
| When this eminent scholar laid his beloved
| wife away in the tomb, he believed that her no
BILE soul had ceased to be, and could only CON-
fort himself by living large portion of the
year in foreign land by her grave.
But this religion of ours speaks with words
| of cheer. From the lips of Jesus come the
words of hope. 81 am the resurrection aud the
| life" THIS religion makes this world but a
| shadow while the other is the substance Ii
| gives us victory over the future. Is it not
worthy to be accepted as the absolute religion.
This faith bids every weary toiler look up, and
| says to all men, I'VE are of one blood" Hence
| the duty of gi ing Christianity to the most de-
| graded nations of the world. The sunken
races need the elevating dea of the divine par
| entage, The way upward lies not through
civilization to Christianity but through Chris
tian:ty to civilization. Thought is stimulated
| and labor quickened by the great idea what
soever ye would that men should do unto you,
| do We even SO to them" Hence too, reasona
| bleness of personal pety To love the one Ie-
| vealed God, near to every one of us, not an alb
| straction of infinite attributes but personal
| God, is what honor and conscience and graft
tude prompt 1t expands the soul. Eternal
| death is eternal separation from God. The sou
must be lifted to the Fathers bosom by infinite
love, Be full of zeal therefore to give this eter
nal religion to those for whom it is prepared.
JUNIOR PRIZE EXCLAMATION.
| rba Oft, off oi
the church this evening, which was well filled
as is usual on such occasions. The following
| is the programme
| Prophetic Intimations in History and Science,
| Josiah Oden Tilton, Milford, N. H
| Reforms and Reformers,
| Edward Halves Smiley, Fairfield
| The Ministry of the Beautiful,
Samuel Austin Read, Gardiner, Mass
The Aspects OF American Society,
Cyrus Knapp Merriam, HoutoD
| The Permanently of Words,
Henry Hudson, Jr, Guilford
| The Anglo-Saxon Race,
| George Washington Hall, Hermon Center
| William Go.dthwait, Lawrence, Mass
Ideals,
Leslie Colby Cornish Winslow
| Herbert Tilden, Lewiston
Edward Andrew Read, Gardiner, Mass
| The Founders of New England,
| Gust vus Isaac Peavey, Waterville
| Impatience of the Speculative Intellect,
| Edward John Colcord, Parsonsfeld
| War and Arbitration,
| George Bassett Howard, Winslow
| The Geography and the People of America,
Charles Francis Hall, Oxford
| Individuality,
| John Hosmer Cox, Watervile
| Physical Culture,
| *Mary Caffrey Low, Waterville
| *Not speaking for the prize
VISITORS, sc.
Among the strangers already arrived, we no.
tice Prof. w. G. Wilkinson, D. D., of Roches
ter, N. Y. Prof. VIM. Mathews, LII D., Of
Chicago, Prof. c. E. Hamlin, LII D., o
Cambridge, Rev. G. W. Bosworth. d. D., O
| Haverhil, Mass.