The Portland daily press., 1875-03-01
SUNDAY SERVICES.
ST. STEPHENS CHURCH.

L.
The following sermon preached in st. Steph'
ems church, Sunday morning,by Rev. A. Dai-
ton. Rector, from the the text, st. Matthew,
VII, II. If you, then, being evil, know bow 20
give good gifts unto your children, how much
more shall your Father which is in heaven give
good things to them that ask Him.
1t is as natural for men to pray, in certain
circumstances, as it is for them to eat ana
drink when hungry and thirsty. When IN dan
ger or distress, the language of prayer rises to
our lips, and is uttered, unless the promptlngs
of the heart are restrained. The child asks MS
parent for bread, the poor supplcate the rich
or relief and subjects their sovereign Tor Jusuce
or mercy as their cases require Our prayers
to God differ from those only as addressed TO
Him as the Supreme, belief in whose power
and providence is necessary condition to our
offering them. Deny these fundamental truths,
and prayers will cease. Admit them, anu
prayer or workings of the Supreme becomes as
universal as the belief. Says one OF the wlsest
of the ancients, There are tribes OF men 80
ignorant and degraded, SO low in the scale of
being that they have no science, no letters, no
writ en- language, no ideas OF property, no
laws, but nation or race without aitars'
without forms of worship and prayer you can
not find on EARTH.
But are there DO serious difficulties inherent
in the subject? Yes, there are, and often have
they been started, and as often answered. The
alleged difficulties have not, however, siIenced
the voice of prayer, perhaps not IN single in
stance. And on the other hand, explanations
and answers have not induced prayer, because
they have not, and they cannot inspire spirit
of prayer. Objections to prayer are usually an
afterthought to excuse the neglect which has
already become a habit of the mind. Hence a
removal of the objections is not followed ny a
return to devotional habits. Where the dlspo.
sition to worship does not exist, no NUMBER or
arguments will prompt to prayer.
Why then, waste time in noticing skeptical
objections? Mainly for the satisfaction OF the
pous, that they may know that faith IS not
irrational, and that their habit OF prayer may
be confirmed and encouraged. have saiq
that nraver to God presumed our weakness and
needs. aud His power to bestOw the blessings
for which we pray But even this is now ques'
toned, and never more lngenlousiy OF pausi
bly, than in the essays on Religion recently
published as the legacy of John stuart Mill
Mr. Mill appears to have entered on the dlS-
cusson in spirit of fairness unusual even IN
him. But we must deplore his want OF rever-
ence in handling the subject as II 1t were one
quite within the province OF human reason,
when in part it belongs to higher ana more
congenial region, that of conscience aud the
spiritual affections. Mr. Mills main position
is that the existence of evil is conclusive proof
that God canuot be both all-powerful and per-
fectly good Compelled to decide between the
two his decision is in favor of Gods benev-
olence at the expense of his power. which
must be regarded as limited. But great man
as was Mr. Mill, he may have erred here, as
he certainly did on some other subjects. The
only sense in which God is said to be ON
nipotent is that He is able to do whatever
power or might can effect But no power OF
might is sufficient to make two noun
tains without valley between them,
for that is naturally impossible. Even OF GOd
therefore, we do not say He can do lmpossiDill
ties, or that which is contrary to the nature Oh
things. In the nature of things, then, per
haps He could not make man without free-WllI,
and the exercise of this made his fall possible.
If made without free will, he would not been a
man, but a machHe. There IS really no PROOF
that God is not omnipotent in the acceptable
and proper sense of the word
But our Savour's argument in the text IS
based not so much on the Divine power as on
the Divine benevolence and holiness. IF ye
being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children, how much more shall your fa-
Their which is in heaven give good things 70
them that ask him." His power is assumed
aud His goodness is inferred by that Unborn
and necessary conception of the Supreme as
answering to our highest thought in this re-
gard. Add the fact of His being our Father,
and we as His children may approach HIM
with perfect confidence that if we can ask any
it be "a good thing" for which we ask.
AS to qrestons of law, ali must see that they
cannot be at. variance with the will and pur-
poses of Him who ordained them in the be-
ginning. Probably no man believes in God,
who does not believe that he is able to answer
our prayers, and it is doubtful if any man will
long continue the forms of prayer who does
not believe they are or may be answered. La
saying this do NOT forget what has been said
we'll said on the reflex influence of prayer-its
influence on cur own minds, answering to that
of the sea when the beholding of it enables us
to share its sublimity. But | cannot believe
that when prayer appears to be one thing ano
is believed to be another, that it will long be
kept up. Aud it is equally true that If man
believes in God and meditates much upon the
Divine attributes his musings will kindle
a fire which will blaze up and duly appear II
that form of Ineligible speech which we cal
PRAYER. He will take to himself words and
cali upon God who heareth prayer, to whom
therefore all flesh shall come.