The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-04-18

You see, too, why we are very apt to be misunder-
stood. In the first place many people are csutious
and of all things they ought to be cautious when
10 mner se nave
pressons and have done things in one way 1t Is hard
to change. 1t is hard for the master who has ruled
bis school with the birch for fifty years to believe
boys wills can be governed by any method less
harsh. There are those, too, who never know a
thing unless they see it under one particular form.
When they see their piece Of black coal they know it
is coal, but when you show them diamond and tell
them it is the substance exactly they do not be-
lieve you. They do not fairly understand COAL If
they did they would know it as well under its more
beautiful as under its commoner form.
1t belongs here to say few words incidentally OF
that vague something which is called soundness Did
1t ever to you carefully to think what it is =?
Is it goodness? No. For men may stand among the
highest for goodness and yet not be called sound Is
It righteousness? No. Some Of the hottest men who
fulness? But thoughtfulness has almost always
been feared as unsound Is 1t regard for the Bible
Tor the Bible are set down as unsound. What is it
then to be sound if it certainly Is none of these
things which we have mentioned?
tell you there is not or never was a who lived
lite without aspirations and thoughts who was not
very sure to be sound, and you can hardly point to
man who stands high thinker against whom the
sound. Why! The Pharsees were sound and Jesus
was not sound The Romish bishops and doctors
were sound and Luther and all his associates were
unsound. Only little while since all the dead
churches and all the dull preachers in the country
sound, and the cry raised against the late
Mr.. Finney that he was too unsound to be trusted.
Claiming was uns0und, Bushnell was unsound.
Nay! when PROT Park went to Andover voice
went up all through New England that he was not
sound.
The fact is, my friends, theology is one of those
subjects so large and so deep that it seems to be
nearly the last where men learn humility. 1t takes
know. " We begin by thinking that we Rnow"Lnow
enough at least to condemn the errors of Others But
as sure we face the problems of life as we
tom ourselves to search after TRUTH and are willing
to bow before mystery the majesty of the questions
with which we are dealing brings both charity and
humility.
Wecannot, therefore, blame people too much ifthey
misunderstood 1t partly indeed, because they
take no pains to set themselves right, because they
lack either the ear esness the moral courage to 60
straight to the source of their Misrepresentation and
discover its ground. But the trouble more often Is
that people do not know any better, and that their
misunderstanding is rather their inrmity for which
they ought to be ptied than fault for which they
can justly be blamed.
But how shall we know, some of you ask, whether
this form of the gospel Of which We have been
speaking is as true and good as is claimed?
You know how 1t is with the coal of which we
were speaking. There Is test to which all forms Of
coal have to yield, and that test IS fire. Take the
black lead in your pencil, take your costly diamond
and apply this test OF the furnace and you have the
same results in each just with all forms of
all. 1t is Chrst's testify their fruits We shall
know them." give you therefore this test tor all
kinds Of preaching. 1t is the most solemn test by
which man can stand by and see his work tried
and no one can evade it. What does the preaching
which you hear do for you? What actual good does
it do? Does it tend to lift you towards God, and
move you to love him? Does it show you your
duties? Does it give you any inspiration to do them?
Does it make you see the badness Of sin and hate it?
Does it really persuade you to long to be better?
Does it deepen your love and sympathy for the
people about you? In short, does all this preaching
you towards God and each other?
Ii it does this in even some measure, thank God
that he puts his seal upon it, If 1t does not by your
love for your SOULS charge you to rest till you
ind gospel that is able to help you and to do you
actual good.
And yet there is one rule by which we preachers
never need to be afraid OF this test 1t is take
we first have good and helpful ourselves, as
we give to you only what God seems to give us, and
OF which we can say "those things we have seen
which sometimes attends minister's work, as he
feels how little he can accomplish and how hard it
is to win attention to his truth l know OF no word
more encouraging than that which the voice of God
seems to speak to us all as the rule of his service
Gre aohdteuer good 3ou get and yow cannot do any,
thing more.
have tried thus to make aIclear case before you.
want you to see what we are working for.
plainly foresee the success of our cause Whether
you and live to see it not this form Of the gospel
which have only feebly described is sure to prevail
us in all OF our churches there people who
need richer simpler and more reasonable presenta-
ton Of truth and sooner or later they will come to
known where there shall be preached. better than
any OF us now arc preaching, both solid principle
and earnest love, both liberay and positiveness of
convictions, both simplicity and profoundness. And
here is our strength church, If we stand as one
of the places in Portland, where men can say that
RELIGION is real, hearty and wholesome.
If we Lelieye now in object if it is enough for
us to follow the divine way of goodness if we are
ready to bear and orbear with each other in seeking
this end, then let join hands and say SO. But it,
though we all want the same thing, to build up the
kingdom of God there those who cling certain
accustomed expressions and methods and who can.
not therefore work well here elsewhere by all
means if this really be true, let them go where they
can do greater good
Let me leave with you finally so that there can be
no misunderstanding what is our one aim and pur-
pose, as compared With which we count everything
else unessenIia. We long and pray and work to i'm
ming his cOorness ourselves to help men as much as
we can to win the same glorious life Is there any
thing more worthy than this to be called the king
dom of God?