The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-01-03
SUNDAY SERVICES.
HIGH STREET CHURCH.

/ w
| Teceipe it,
The prophet Jonah had for his object to
show the efficacy of repentance and prayer to
turn away Gods judgments; Joel speaks of
the promises made to the Lords people on their
return to Him, and the glorious outpouring of
the Spirit that should follow; Malachi exposes
and rebukes the henous sins of Gods chosen
| people, and denounces judgment against them,
but promises abundant blessing upon their
faithful observances of the ordinances of His
house, and rendering to the Lord His due. At
the time the prophet wrote, the people were
| depressed, their fields were desolate. and the
whole nation lay under the heavy curse of the
Most High. Malachi declared to them the
cause of this Judgment and desolation which
| reached the house and ordinances of the Lord
and caused the whole. nation to appear forsaken
| of God
Two kinds of tithes were known to the Jews
in the Mosaic dispensation: one Levitical, for
| the support of the priesthOod-the other thank
offering, an expression of gratitude towards
God for his mercy. These gifts were ordinarily
| collected and stored in cities-the Lords
treasure houses; and at this time these treas
| uries were empty and desoate. With this
neglect of tithes came also bitter and complain
ing words. What good was there in the
/
| prophet told them that all the evils under which
they groaned would be removed if they turned
to God. Their fields wonld bloom again, and
famine and want would disappear. The lesson
| taught them is lesson for all ages and periods;
we may profit by it in this day, and each local
| church may take the lesson home. When men
/ speak against God and His service, and covet-
BUSINESS prevails in society and in the church,
and worldly men question the value of the
church and its benefit to society, and complain
| of the expensiveness of religion then the
lesson of the text should be needed. Men
| speak against the ministry as a profession for
| gain; but who knows of wealth acquired in the
ministry? The Lord pity those who are so
| unfortuE ate as to become rich in their sacred
work. Was the ancient church without cost?
Look at the exceeding beauty and cost Of the
| Temple of Solomon! But they tell us we are
another people, of different age, and need not
make all this expenditure. But what did the
| Puritans thing? They gave themselves, their
lives, everything to God. The Old South
Church, for the time in which it was built, far
exceeded the costly beauty of its new successor.
| rich and beautiful though it is. Now, is it
| possible for us to say that Gods service is an
onerous burden? 1t is unworthy of our high
| calling The Church of God and His house is
| not to be considered commercial speculation
Our ownership in the house of God is not real;
| it is Gods temple: His dwelling place, though
| men often look upon the whole system as a
business enterprise, and measure the success of
the church by its popularity and its power to
worldly church must share in the dishonor
attached to it, and thus God is insulted in His
| own house. Yet ministers must be faithful 20
their duty and give no heed to the cavils of
| worldly men, who sit unconcernedly and irrev.
| erently in Gods house, and go away and discuss
| the performance, as they call it, as they would
an opera; and spread abroad the faults of
minister with as much unconcern as they
| would speak Of the appearance and actions of
a professional orator-forgetful that with
| fragrant irreyerence and impiety they thus cast
contempt and bring reproach upon the house
and worship of the Most High. Is it strange
| that God is angry with such mockery under the
name Of worship? Sarely He will visit such
people with striped and bring upon them the
rod of correction until they reform and yield to
Him due reverence and perform true service of
| the heart. What is the idea of true service?
| 1t must be in our readiness to surrender all to
| God-to give our hearts, our service, four prop
erty our children to Christ,-yes, our life ITSELF
Doing this, an abundant blessing will come to
us. You who will die this year, now is your
time of hope and promise; you who have an
| evil heart of unbelief, now is open to you the
| opportunity of putting away unbelief and
| coming Eear to God. Let all the tithes be
brought into the storehouse. Say not, we are
weary of hearing. this exhortation: we have
heard it all our life! Act. dol repent in earnest,
| and consecrate all to God in this opening of tho
year. and you shall find by happy experience
that the Lord is merciful to forgive, and able to
| save and abundantly bless.
| CASCo SIhEEI CdUhCH
| Appropriate to the beginning of the year
| Rev. G. S. Perkins of Casco street f. B. church
| preached yesterday morning from Psalms xvi,
Ia. II will pay my vows unto thee, now, in
the presence of thy people," He said that
many begin the year with many we'll meant
resolutions, only to find themselves at the close
in very much the same condition as before 1t
is so mo rally and financially. Attempts to
| reform and become better prove failures. and
the resolutions of no effect. The same in re-
| gard to curtailing expenses and living within
ones income; all attempts become likewise
worthless and end in broken resolutions, and
all because it is resolve and not pay. Pay
| your VOWS. AS a nation we do not need to
| strive about making new principles and prom
ises to the right; but pay and fulfill those al
ready pledged. A note is of no use that never
natures, and what we need is to meet our obli-
cations and pay our VOWS Another reason
| why we should begin to meet those obligations
| is because it will be more difficult as they in
| crease-oOliga are accumulating against
us-it will be more difficult to put our financial
affairs in proper condition if resolutions are
not governed by actions. The only way is to
begin to-day. Again-a man may lose his dis
position to pay, his word may not be good, he
may suddenly be called away. Again--paying
1
Our departure has been publc-if in the
church, the church has witnessed tin world
| ly matters it has been seen. Our return
| should also be public-and pay our vows be-
| fore the Lord in the presence of his people. We
| have taken vows and must meet them-the
| day will come when they must be met Our
| vows, however feebly uttered, are binding up
on us for fulflment and must be paid. And
our vows hold good against us, whether moral
ly or spiritually.
CONGRESS SQUARE.
TIE pastor preached most earnest discourse
yesterday morning from the words found in
Acts, XVI: 49," Almost Thou persuadest me to
be Christian" The sermon was an earnest
| appeal to the audience to embrace Christiani-
ty.
Hereafter there will be vesper services at this
church Sunday evenings.
ALLEN MISSION.
The religious services yesterday at Allen
| Mission were of unusual interest The sermon
by Capt. Button was listened to very attentive
| ly by large audiences both afternoon and eve
ming Text in the afternoon Matt. 90 chap.
| AZ, and in the evening Heb. a, chap. 16. Capt.
Button will be at the Mission this evening and
give some account of the great reform move
ment in England. The public are invited.
|
FUNERAL.-The funeral of the late City Mes
senger, George 7. Ingraham, took place from
| the residence of his son-iD-law, Alderman Sam
uel Waterhouse at No. % Carleton street, at
1.30 o'clock yesterday. The members of the
| city government met at the city building and
marched to the house. The Aged Brotherhood,
| of which the deceased was member, also at
tended in body. Rev. Mr. Fem, of High
street church, oficiated. The remains were
taken to the Eastern cemetery for interment
The flag on the City Building was at half mast
| during the day in respect to the deceased.
DISTURBING MEETINes.-The meetings at
the Allen Mission have been disturbed quite
frequently of late by crowd of young roughs
who go there for that purpose. Last evening
| fellow named James Powers disturbed the
meeting, but officer Luther Sterling was pres
ent and he was arrested and taken 10 the sta
ton. 1t is hoped that Judge Knight will make
| on avan,n1a Of h i'm