The Portland daily press., 1875-08-16
SUNDAY SERVICES.

SUNDAY SERVICES.
CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.
Yesterday being the day set apart by the
church for celebrating the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin, Pontifical mass was celebrated
at the Cathedral in the morning. Bishop
Healy off1ciated as celebrant, Father Bradley
assistant; Father Ryan, deacon; and Mr.. Lee
of the Baltimore Theological Seminary, mas.
ter of ceremonies. Bishop Healy delivered
very eloquent and instructive sermon. In the
afternoon pontifcal vespers was celebrated and
Father Wallace delivered the sermon, based
upon Luke xvii, 1919.
HIGH STREET CHURCH.
At the High street church, Rev. John Hall.
DID, of New York, preached to a full
house morning and evening. His sermon in
the morning was an earnest and eloquent ap-
peal, founded on the text, Matt. %, 6-"Come
see the place where the Lord lay"
This is an invitation to tomb-on the banks
of the Seine is the costly tomb of one, who by
his power and ambition, shook the thrones of
all Europe. At Springfield a modest tomb
maIhS Iu6 IcSuiuS PAoSO VA oAO INV w 10 VIC III
strument of emancipation to millions. And by
the waves of the Potomac is another tomb, to
which so many pilgrimages have been made, in
admiration for the character of Washington.
But no tomb is like this. There never was such
power as was exhibited by Jesus; never such
disnterested public spirit, nor such glorious
emancipation, for He ransomed the whole
world from sin. His nearness to his people is
without parallel He is at once brother, friend,
priest and king Looking into his tomb what
do we see?
1st A borrowed grave. A most uncommon
thing, but there was certain fitness in it. He
was, while on earth, poor man, his compan-
ions were poor men, and his life marked by
the features which characterize poverty. He
dignifed and consecrated poverty By his lite,
and by his burial in borrowed grave. But the
burden he carried was borroaoed burden.
I'd, 1t was a costly tomb, even magnificent
one, belonging to rich man, who strangely
enough had begged the body of this outcast
with whom he was scarcely acquainted. Some
times worthy men have begged their bread
through life, and their merit been recognized
only after death by some imposing monument.
'sThey asked bread but were given stone"
But the moment Jesus dies the Lord guards
His precious remains which the Jews intended
to throw aside as carriOn. So important was
this that it is made the subject OF prophecy in
the SD chapter of Isaiah. Man has no more
power over Him the moment the work of
atouement is done.
Sd, 1t is an empty grave. If we find grave
rifled of its contents we are surprised and
shocked. This empty grave is a history. 1t
tells us that "He has risen as He said" and
that the prephesy of Isaiah, "With My dead
body shall they rise" meant something. 1t is
also monument There are many monuments
not intended as such, but events have made
them so. Here sin was conquered; our debt
was paid here, and here is the receipt in full.
1t is prophecy also. for it speaks gloriously of
Ne future. Jesus lay in this grave, but He has
risen again. We lay our loved ones in this
grave in His name, and because He rose they
shall rise again. 1t was an angel who gave the
God means that the members of His great
family shall not be strangers to each other. So
He makes His angels ministers unto man. One
other fact is to be noticed as we look into this
empty grave. The clothes lie folded, and the
napkin apart by itself; no haste manifested no
disorder. 1t refutes at once the story of the
Jews, the cowardly Galileans had broken in
and carried away the body of Jesus. The angels
here te stify that Jesus rose with the divine ap-
probation. What should then be our feelings
as we view the place? What does it mean? It
means, believer in Jesus, hope and rest for you.
You have laid the burden of your sins upon
Him and need have no fears. The work is
done, the prize is paid. Nothing else can give
this confidence to those who chose to bear their
own burdens, and to account for their own bur-
dens, and to account for their own sins. The
open grave means, too, that we shall see
again the forms of those loved ones whom we
have laid away in the grave. We shall hear
the tones of those voices, which memory some
times brings back SO wildly; we shall feel the
touch of the dear hand again. As Jesus rose
they shall rise. We may well exclam clark,
from the tomb JOYFUL sound" 1t was to a
company of women that the announcement in
restored to her high estate by the resurrection.
STATE STREET CHURCH.
In the morning George Leon Walker, D. D.,
preached from Rev. xxi. 10: ''On the East three
gates; on the North three gates; on the South
three gates; and on the West three gates.''
Biblical story begins in a garden and ends in
metropolis. 1t begins in the purity Of two
people in Eden; it ends in the bless of the
great throng of the redeemed in the Eft ernal
City. Between these two points the Scripture
history of man is growing, developing, defect
ing and concentrating.
Man starts in solitude. His perfection is In
society. The glorious, healthful, perfect city
of the text is type of all the varied advanta-
ges of perfect Christian manhood. All
Scripture is full of alluson to this city of God ;
and the apocalypse is an opulent and magnifi-
cent description of it.
Among the special particulars which the text
suggests, are:
l. The various approaches to Heaven. The
gospel is a gospel for the whole world. The
gates are in every direction. And every nation
and every tribe may have successful candidates
for Heaven. But yet the geographical various
ness is not SO remarkable as the moral various.
ness of those who enter the pearly gates. Those
OF every creed and OF every temperament may
be there. Paul with his stormy conversion,
| and John aud Fenelon with their quiet, natur-
al Christian experiences and those of every
other grade of thought and feeling may enter
at some one of the gates with their opposite
looking frontage.
q The unexpectedness of arrival there
Men have laid out great many roads and
there has always been some one to say "This
is the only road to Heaven" Some have said
You can only 60 by such and such way of
baptism, and others "God cannot be served
unless you are willing to be damned But if
we are ever happy enough to get to Heaven we
shall find many there who have traversed very
diverse roads fromlus. Those who have con-
scientiously fought each other through their
lives will perchance smile as they meet on the
golden square in front of the great white
throne, Erasmus and Luther, Calvin and
Servetus And then too, am afraid, we shall
| find surprising vacancies there, of those who
nave SAID, Lord, Lord, but never came.
3. But there will be moral unity among
all who get there. Going to Heaven is not a
matter of happen so. There is tone of feel
ing and oneness of life which pertains to all
who get in at any of the gates. There need be
no mystery nor mistake about it, for we may
be sure that if we look and go towards Heaven
we shall get there ".Where your treasure is
there will your heart be also.'
A. No one need be kept out of Heaven.
There are doors enough and wide enough, and
adjacent enough to let everybody in. No mat
ter what your feeling, no matter what your ex-
perience, there is a door right over against you
that leads straight to the center of the city's
golden square.
5. Are you preparing to go into any of these
gates? These gates are sure to open for us or
to be closed against us, either suddenly or on
slow hinges, waiting to turn. 1t is for us to
say whether they shall let us in or keep ms out.
The speaker spoke with great fervor and elo-
quence of his past long experience as the pas
tor of this people and of the changes that had
taken place in the sixteen years since he first
stood in that pulpit His closing words were
full of tender suggestion to the families of the
church and parish, and brought tears to many
eyes.