The Portland daily press., 1876-06-05
SUNDAY SERVICES.
The Christian Life as the one thing Need
ful.-FarewelI Sermon of Rev. MIR.
Dole.

Dole.
Acts. 10. "a and So. "Then Peter opened his
mouth and said, of truth perceive that God is
respecter of persons, but in every nation he that
feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted
with him."
To almost every one who thinks and feels at
all profoundly, there is apt to come at some
time like revelation, the idea of the marvel
Gus simplicity of religion. This was the ex-
per:ence which came to Peter as recorded in
our text as it was borne in to him like sec
ond conversion from his old Jewish narrowness
that a Christlike life acas enough. But when L
speak of Christian life mean nothing shall
low or cheap We do not propose to empty
the Christian life of single element of its
meaning when we call it enough for we be-
leve it constant struggle and prayer.
There are several respects now in which this
thought of the Christian life meets certain
special demands of our age First for that
which is real Religion has lost its hold in
many minds for time because they are dssat-
isied with what seems to them false and mean
iDgless forms. But we are able to show all
such in the Christian life that which is real.
Another demand of the times is for what
shall be reasonable and the idea of our text
satisfies this demand. Show the hardest
doubter or critic who lives what Jesus's life
was and command him to strive towards such
life and his whole mind and soul say amen to
such preaching as that. The fact is, whatever
other faults you may discover, you cannot find
error in that sort of preaching which directs it.
self simply towards building up Christian lives.
My next point may seem paradoxical. 1t is
the demand of our times for mystery. 1t is not
mystery in religion against which men ever OBJ
iect 1t is the unintellgible and contradictory
in mems attempts to define the mystery, which
offend us. Now the idea of the Christian life
deepens our natural reverence in the presence
of mystery. What mean these solemn prompt
ipgs in us, this sense of need, these STRINGS of
love which goes out of self in devotion and
presence about us? We know these things as
facts, but the aohy and the hoU and the great
cause behind still lead US on with eyes bowed
in reverent and worshipful search.
My next point is that the Christian life meets
the demand for the positive. Men are weary
with hearing what is not. Aud every principle
which makes up this life is best set forth on its
positive side.
The Christian life also meets our demands as
being scientific. That is, it is based on facts of
experience. lake jesus lie, anu tu6 GREATEST
miracle in it is the fact of his character. Take
Christ-like lives wherever you see them-the
earnestness, the moral power, the reverence
and humility and trust and sweetness and dig
nity-these things are facts to be won every
man for himself.
Another demand of our age is for what shall
be comprehensive. All our churches feel this
impulse of movement together. And we have
in our text the basis of real unity. The men
whose lives honestly tend towards the Chris
tian ideal, all stand on ore side in the grea {
conflict between evil and good. 1t may be an
infrmity of many truthful minds that IN GER
tain points they have to doubt. But as long as
they build their characters on the single granite
foundation of Christ-like goodness no one, in
world where we all have to forbear with each
other, has the right to thrust them aside. The
whole complicated question of denomination
alism is involved here To me it has seemed
very simple. / have been too much interested
in Christianity to care more for denomination
al names than care for the pattern OF the
clothes which l wear. 1t is enough to believe
of a church that its purpose is Christian, and
people are very surely coming to see it,. Chris
tian lives build what walls you may between
them, gravitate together to make the universal
church, and no bonds of formal fellowship con-
stitute union where the solvent spirit of Christ
is not present Neither do you serve the cause
of the truth when you lock it up in your own
private fold or save men from error when you
forcibly shut it away from them. And in
these days the attempt is impossible. No
church holds monopoly of truth or lives free
of error.
have to add one other point where the
Christian life meets our wants-It is actual
helpfulness. Religion plainly stands or falls
as 1t answers the question-What good can it
do? On other considerations of form or of
creed the answer to many has doubtless
seemed unsatisfactory. But when you narrow
your question down to the simple fact of a
Christian life the answer is clear. Some OF as
have tried every experiment with Christianity.
1t it was divine we have feared no sort of test
and of the real thing in itself we are more and
more sure. Realized as life it will bear all
the weight you can throw on it-and nothing
but the corrosion of deliberate selfshness need
ever threaten its worth.
l want now to show what a test we have in
our subject for several important and practical
questions. First of beliefs 1 have not i'm
piled in the least that beliefs were not useful or
that certain simple convictions were not neces-
sary. There has been an undoubted tendency
to minimize religious belief till the craving for
simplicity has raised alarm for the destruction
of the essence itself. We have here whole
some check on this tende ncy. The moment
men ever throw out Of their thoughts of lelig-
ion enlightenment which belongs to the SYM
metry of Christian life, il they take from the
reverence or the justice or the humility or the
love- and therefore make it less Christ-like, they
may be sure that they have thrown out reality.
And it seems equally true that if any mans
creed, lie it narrow or broad, does not help him
towards real Christian life, to him at least it
is false. Faribe it from me to fight with the men
who think thrty-nine articles better than three,
but we have right to demand that their thir-
ty-nne articles work out truer lives and thus
establish their truth And L appeal to your
Judgments it not better, if man even must
choose between two, to believe few things
and intensely, than to try to cover a great cir
Gle of truths and have none of them real? And
do not many men seem to be trying to use and
to preach good deal more religion than they
really possess?
My next point concerns forms. Two counter
tendencies are working, one towards very little
form, the other towards a complex ritual How
best do men win Christian lives? That is our
test. Will chants and candles help any class
to devotion and love? Then in Gods name let
them use them. Or can men be as reverend
good and thoroughly happy, can they train
their lchildren to truthfulness and honor as
well without any worship or social service or
churches? Let them beware how they answer
this question, how they think to do the work
and win the life, and use no means and have
no food nor clothes
My third point is, that the Christian life is
the unerring test of preaching. Does the
preaching which you hear help you any to-
wards earnest Christian living? Does it draw
you to rest and trust in your heavenly
Father? Does it set before you ever
more beautiful the ideal of Christ?
Does it inspire you with active love to your
fellows? In word, does it do you real good?
Would to God that men would demand of US
ministers more that is genuine preaching, that
they would tolerate in MS nothing however elo-
quent, interesting, scholarly or convincing, save
as it served truly to help them! Where is the
class of men who work with so little definite
purpose or whose words make SO little impress
sion? Men do not care to quarrel with minis
tiers very much over their methods or doctrines.
No liberal Christian casts a slur on preachers
like Mr.. Moody or Dr. Hall, who with whatever
theologies are working to help men to be better,
but people justly call it a shame when full SEM
mary training and fair abilities and long tried
conventional methods do not enable their min.
listers to do them more good. 1t fairly sets
them to doubling whether the theologies and
the methods are very important and whether
the Christian life does not lie clear and simple
underneath all of them. And my last point
is that the Christian life is test of our work.
the sure index of its success. What do these
years OF labor bring you? Have you gained and
are you gaining solid Christian character? AS
mingled experiences enter and make up our
being, as old friends pass away, as cares and
trials leave their traces with u.s. and often full
Ter pleasures open on us, and the fuller mys
terry of life with its shifting light and shadow
grows ever deeper-how is it with us through
it all? Do we win our upward way towards
God. are we filed with intenser yearnings for
his restful presence, and does the inward life
of Christ in its sweetness and beauty and
of hoo oil tbo Of