The Portland daily press., 1876-01-17
SUNDAY SERVICES.
STATE STREET CHURCH.

At the State street church yesterday Rev.
Mr.. Perking of Boston presented the claims of
the American Tract Society. His text was in
John 17:1S: GAS thou hast sent me into the
world, even so have 1 also sent them into the
world" We learn from Christ's own lips that
His mission was to seek and save the lost; and
this is also the mission of His church-a glo-
rious work, contemplating the forgiveness of
sins and the bringing of msu into fellowship
with God, yes, into vital union with Him
through Christ. 1t looks to save men of every
class, high and low, rich and poor, and aims to
bring all the institutions of society into harmo-
ny with Gods law, and Undue them with the
spirit of the Gospel. In doing this, it is an
important question how to reach the forty
three millions in our own land, and the thir-
teen hundred millions of the earth's inhabi-
tants so as to save them. Two thoughts sug-
gest themselves: First, We need the aid of the
Holy Spirit; Second, The use of all proper and
efficient agencies to do this work. To the Sec
end thought the speaker especially referred;
and considered the Tract Society as one of
those efficient agents. First, 1t is many
tongued. To reach all our race, one hundred
and forty-three languages must be used in pre-
senting the truth, In the Apostles days this
was provided for by the miraculous gift of
tongues, but it is a formidable, obstacle to mis-
sionary work now. The Tract Society can al
ready use one hundred and thirty two of these
languages and spread the printed page before
the millions using these many tongues. In
fifty years the society has given six hundred
thousand dollars TO foreign missions; and its
colporteurs use this many tongued power to
spread the truth. Second, The versatility of
this agency was referred to: 1t is ready for all
occasions and every emergency. Third, 1t is
far reaching in its power. An interesting il
lustration of this was given in foreign mis-
sionary work; missionary gave tract to a
native of India, who carried it two hundred
miles into the interior, where it fell into the
hands of cultivated native and resulted in his
conversion 1t is to do work of this kind that
the society needs funds and the foreign mis-
sionary cannot reach the heather world with
out such aid. But it is equally applicable to
our own land. The ignorant masses outside of
New England need to be taught the way of
| life, and to do this great work the colporteur
must carry the printed page in their own Ian
guage and so give them a knowledge OF the
| way of life. These colporteurs may be hum
| BILE agents, but their work is supplemented by
DlVlue power anu dCnleV6S a glorious RESULT
Ono laboring in Washington Territory was
| spoken Of who in September travelled over 700
| miles, drawing in the people to his meeting
one Sabbath, and the next 20 miles away hold
| ing another service Again, this is a truly
| Catholic agency. All can unite in it and do
| be used in the way designated. This is one
| agency, and the speaker commended it to his
| hearers; but they were exhorted to consecrate
| themselves anew to faithful, earnest Christian
work and follow wherever the cross of Christ
| leads in winning the world to God.
NEW JERUSALEM CHUcH.
New Jerusalem Church, Rev. Mr.. Hayden
| preached from Genesis xvi-13-14: 'Thou,
God, seest me-" One of the most wonderful
things about the universe is the constant over.
| sight of the Lord, which, as the sun shines to
| all parts of the material system, penetrates to
all parts of the spiritual universe. 1t pene-
trates to the remotest depths. Job says: "Hell
is naked before Him, "but evil spirits withdra "
from His gaze, while angels would feel that
| light and warmth were gone should it be with
drawn. In proportion as we are pure in heart
shall we delight in his presence. He provides
for US, not what He desires to provide, not what
we naturally desire, but what our constant and
varying needs require. The purposes of Provi
dence are ever changing to conform to the eve
changing wants of man, and to lead them tc
salvation. Our thoughts and words are contin-
ually changing from high to low, but if we art
always travelling spiritually in the right direc
ticn, we shall at last come into state where
we shall be more constant. The angel appear.
ed unto Hagar twice, at intervals of fourteen
| years, but she knew not that at every moment
of that interval the angel had been ever pres
ent and watching over her, though not visible
until distressed, nigh unto death. So the spirit
of the Lord is ever watching over us, though
our spiritual eyes are not opened to behold
Him. But special times will CO ne in our his
tory, when the hand of the Lord will be re
vealed. They may be far apart, but they will
be so significant that we cannot doubt that q
benifcent Providence is ever over u.s. The
thought that the Lord is ever with US should
make US less ready to quit the right path; and
when we feel that every manifestation springs
from the fountain of Divine Love, we should be
the reader to receive that love.