The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-05-11
SUNDAY SERVICES.
FIRST PARISH CHURCH.


Rev. Dr. Hill preached an excellent sermon
might go to his own place. sermon upon
the choice of habitation for the soul.
Neither the grand, nor the fearful realities of
spiritual life seen by the carnal eye, who could
measure the possibilities which slumber in a
human soul? Men were weak, were blind, had
nothing; yet were possessed of infinite treas
ures, had visions of ineffable realities, could
achieve results of indefnable magnitude. Who
should unriddle this enigma of human life?
The text gave partial solution of the mystery,
Judas had been admitted if ever man could
be, into heaven upon earth; admitted to be a
daily companion of incarnate wisdom and love-
But the testimony of the pure and loving John
was explicit, that Judas was nevertheless dis
honest hypocrite; he was out of his place in the
company of Christ and his apostles That this
dishonest and traitorous person had nothing to
reveal, against that holy company, showed
how absolute was their purity, and their free
dom from political schemng. 1t also showed
the general truth, which the preacher would
draw from it, that it is not in the power of out
ward circumstances to reform a man, any more
than it is in the power of such circumstances
to corrupt him; gifted with the awful, mysteri-
Gus power of free will man could choose
his own place, and grow into any nature he
desires. Although Judas was called among
the twelve in mature life and with fixed hab-
its of evil, his case was not then hopeless. That
mighty voice which raised the dead, that al
mighty grace which redeemed Saul, were ready
to raise and redeem Judas also. But he re-.
jected the offer made to him by the Lord, of
sitting on one of twelve thrones to rule the
tribes of Israel, and wilfully betraying his Mas
ter, went to his own chosen and appropriate
place of eternal infamy "a
1t was plain that Judas stood at the partino
of the ways and preferred to take the road to
oeatn' rather than the road to life. 1t became
each man TO take heed lest with but change
OF name, the tale be told of him. No criminal
upon earth, dragging out his miserable wears
under the decisions of his wicked heart. had
failed to receive repeated invitations to better
life. His terrible wretchedness, or still mora
terrible enjoyment of sinful pleasure. were of
his own choice. Sometimes man Tins
sunken in worldly and selfish thoughts. was
aroused to attend to the gospel invitation; and
with great struggles, and by the aid of the
ever present Spirit, attained victory over sin.
But, too often, the attachment of a man to the
evil course, which he had once chosen, became
so strong that the seemingly irresistible mo-
tives Of the Gospel failed to induce him to
come unto Jesns and be restored to his right
mind.
On the other hand DR.. Hill thought that
there was not Christian in the world, of any
qulckness or warmth of temperament. who,
upon review of his past life, doesInot tremble
at the perception of the dangers he has avoid
ed, the frequent AL Straits over which divine
grace has taken him safely, where less than a
misstep would have hurled him to perditiop.
For such grace the Christian deyoutly gave
thanks; the sin of the Pharisee was not in his
thanksgiving to God for his grace but in his
boastfulness of his own works, and in his
scornful judgment of his fellow-worsbipper
The mysterious power of freewiIl gave every
man the choice of his own habitatio n-tbe
spirit created its own dwelling plaoe-and
there was always an opportunity for the soul
to build more stately mansions" The high |
est works of genius, in all departments, met