The Portland daily press., 1875-05-10
SUNDAY SERVICES.

Light congregations was the general RUE
yesterday in the churches, the rain OF Inc carly
morning and the cold drizzle OF all day appar-
entlyiaffording ample justification Tor staying
| at home
HIGH STREET CHURCH.
There was, however, large congregation
| for such a morning at High street church,
| largely due perhaps to the fact that Professor
Rarbour of Bangor Theological Seminary had
| been announced to occupy the pulpit, showing
| that people don't mind SO much about the
weather when they are certain that they VIII
be REPAID by a sermon full of fresh and vigorous
| tbouobt. such as is always given by Profess
| sor Rarbonr. The discourse was deduction OF
| tbe lessons in the narrative found in | Kings,
| xviii:
/. And Elijah the Tishite, who was of the
| inhabitants of Gilead said unto Ahab, AS the
| Lord God of Israel liveih before whom L stand,
| there shall rot be dew nor rain these years, but
according to my word.
3. And the word of the Lord came unto him,
saying, .,
and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is
before Jordan.
4. And it shall be that thou shalt drink of
the brook; and have commanded the ravens
to feed thee tnere. =,
5. So he went and did according TO the
VI ord of the Lord; for he went and dwelt by
the brook of Cherth that is before Jordan.
G. And the ravens brought him bread and
flesh in the morning and bread and flesh IN
the evening and he drank of the brook.
T. And it came to pass after while thas
the brook dried up, because there had been no
rain in the land.
In introducing his subject, Prof. Barbour
said that the way in which the New Testament
treated the miracles of the Old, they could not
be cunningy devised fables. Christ in his
teachings was constantly referring to the bold
est of these miracles as historical facts; conse-
uuently we may take it for granted that there
is much instruction in them. 1t is necessary to
dwell upon this point because there is sentI-
mept abroad that the miracles of the Old les
lament are well enough to tell the world in its
childhood or to children of the present aSe-a
conclusion reached by the same process OF
reasoning whereby it was we'll enough 10 the
worlds infancy to pray such prayers as these OF
Elijah for rain, for food or safety. and excel
lent prayers for children now, but as for them
selves and the grown up world in which they
live, they are too old to pray. lie VINO Is 700
old to pray is too wise to learn lesson from
Elijah and the ravens. Having fully MAIN
tanned the doctrine of the divine authority and
value of the miracles of the Old Testament, the
preacher proceeded to state that the lessons to
he derived from the passage were various and
simnle. but be would only direct attention to
such features of this scripture as exhibit
Gods hand in providences for His servants IN
distress"
First. The first verse contains useful les
son, viz, that it frequently happens that IL
takes time to prove the truth of a message
from Heaven. "There shall be no rain these
years. elsewhere shown to be three and half.
Both Elijah and Ahab had to wait to see
whether God answered prayer touching the
provdential government OF the world. Ihis
was a testing case If the rain came as usual,
Abab would come to believe that God, who
didn't interfere to suspend the laws OF nature
in answer to prayer, would not trouble WICK
ed king But while this drought was going on
Elijah could do nothing Indeed, for a long
time, the king, as his people, probably thought
that it was but the usual drought, but by de-
grees as time passed the whole nation came to
realize the truth that God hears and answers
PRAYER The terrible drought which parched
up the land burnt deep into the national heart
the fact that "Give us this day our daily bread'
is not the prayer of lunatic, but the sober
petition of every thoughtful heart. And gen.
orally the world needs the lesson that God in
His providence takes time to instruct. His
forbearance and mans helplessness cannot be
taught in day. Man must grope about the
walls of the pit into which he has fallen before
he will feel his helplessness and cry for aid.
They who have the truth can afford to wait for
time is working for them.
Second-The next lesson which was drawn
from the narrative relative to Gods providence
is that good men, no matter how important
their lives and work, are reduced to great
straits in their conflict with unbelief. Elijah
was the greatest man of his time. He wrought
miracles, ne was entrusted with thrilling mes
sages from God, yet this great spiritual genius
went through experiences of want and hard
ship, for which there was no human relief.
Here was man whose prayers can command
bread for nation, made dependent upon the
fowls of the air; he who opens heaven and is
the chosen of the King of Kings is Obliged TO
hide in cave anG fly from before the meanest
of men, Ahab. The best men need to be re-
minded of their common humanity. 1t seems
a standing arrangement in the divine economy
that the more iustrious the character tine
more humbling the reminding that men are but
men.
Third-The next lesson is that, in His provi-
dence, Gods ends are served by the most uu-
likely means, as is seen in His employing the
ravens to feed His servant The preacher
noticed the fact that certain translators sought
to soften the miracle by making the rendering
Arabians instead OF ravens, but this he showed
to be an impossibilty. Why does God make
use of the lower orders of created beings?
Doubtless to remind us of their place in nature,
to impress us that God is over all, He uses
that outcast of the air to keep alive His ser
want Yet God had used the ravens OF society
the Judean robbers confession of faith on the
cross, and the labors of Bunyan had been
more effectua under God providence than the
preaching of many holy men. Following out
the idea, the preacher remarked that the nara
tive shows how for use the thus unlikely means
NAV be changed. For instance, the nature OF
the raven was changed. His wings, claws and
eyes were the same the first morning on which
he carried food to the prophet as the day before
when he had flown for carrion. The change in
them was not any change of feathers, beak,
etc., but of instinct. The same may apply to
man, except that his will is consulted. The
change in man that we call conversion is no
change ia outward appearance, but of the heart
and purpose. The natural man need not wait
for new b ands, or eyes or feet to serve God
Those which he has are good enough, only use
them for Christ
Fourth-The next lesson is found in the 9th
verse: "And he drank of the brook" which is
that God does not multiply miracles. Many
come to think that the Bible is full of miracles
Such is not the fact. There are just as few as
possible. 1t seems standing arrangement
that no supernatural aid is afforded until
natural aid is exhausted, and 1T ceases when
the necessity ceases. 1t is in keeping with the
whole economy of divine government, that
what man can do for himself he must do.
What he cannot effect, if God can be glorfied
and man impressed, God will do. The prophet
could drink of the brook; it was within his
power. God could have sent water. but as it
was at hand He babe Elijah go to it. He could
not get bread and flesh, so God performed a
miracle.
Fitth-There is yet another lesson on provi-
dence in the 9th and 7th verses, the latter
showing that ia time it came to pass that the
| brook dried up, which is that when divine
assistance reaches the tried believer, nature
itself will give way before that assistance fails
| The brook gave way before the ravens. So all
through the Bible we are taught that Gods
love- mercy and promises shall never fail, even
wnen the mountains are removed. Heaven
| and earth may pass away, but not Gods
promises The brooks of natural refreshments
may run dry, but the gift of God in the bread
| of life remains. Natural delights may run
| dry, youths feast of the beautiful become a
thing of the past, the sparkle Of social friend
| ships, the push of honorable career MAJ be-
| come subdued, and the quieter glide Of the
| brook set in which betokens the failing stream
| of life, yet we more and more feel to depend
| upon that above, which never fails.
PARK STREET CHUUCH.
The congregation at Park street church yes
terday listened attentively to an earnest ser.
mon whose subject was "Romanism in Ameri.
| ca, founded on Mark II, 1898, as text
"Jesus said to certain chief-priests and scribes
and elders: The baptism of John, was it from
| Heaven or of men? Answer me. And they
reasoned among themselves, saying, If we say
from Heaven, he will say, Why then did you