The Portland daily press., 1877-04-28
FAST DAY IN PORTLAND,
Observance Of the Day at the Churches
by the Odd Fellows, and Others.

Fast DAY this year proved like many others
and was observed in about the same manner
The day was quite warm, but the fresh north
erly breeze blew the dust about in the streets
in very promiscuous manner. There was
quite an amount of riding. The streets were
very quiet, and there was no disturbance te
note.
Religious Services.
Union services were held at the First Baptist
church and DR.. Smaller gave a very interesting
Bible reading. At st. Lawrence street church
there was Bible reading in the morning by
the pastor, Rev. Mr.. Wright. In the afternoon
there were devotional exercises at the Second
Parish church, where addresses were made by
Rev. Messrs. Dalton, Perkins, Wright and
Others. In the evening there was devotional
meeting at State street chapel, and the Inde.
pendent Temperance Union held an interesting
meeting at Congress Hall.
The only sermons were preached at the First
Parish by DR.. Hill, and at Plymouth church by
Rev. Mr.. Dalton.
REV. DIR. HILLS DISCOURSE.
DR.. Hill took his text from Psalms vii, 16-
"His violent dealing shall come down upon his
own pate" This saying. the preacher said, is
in accordance with many others in both Hebrew
and Gentle writings. 1t declares that what
measures we mete shall be measured tu as
again. Not only do Jewish and Gentle writ
ings declare this, but the older scripture of
nature also has it written unmistakably upon
its pages Nature is the great mirror of the
soul. 1t is true that nature shows US but q
simple phenomenon, the phenomenon of mo-
ton; and indeed we can sac mction only in it's
change, or in the change it produces; yet how
full of delicious surprises. are the themes of
thought and topics of investigation opened by
it. The senses recognize the motives. the
mind recognizes in the motives their efficient
and their final causes, the design and the
power of God. The world is a mirror in which
We see ourselves; it is revelation from God
and we were made in Gods image. Now, in
nature we find two important laws of motion
which illustrate tie spiritual law of the text.
The first is that action and reaction are equal
Yet the effect of the two may be very different,
owing to the difference of the two bodies acting
on each other. The second is that time is re-
quired to produce physical effects by physical
causes. In the moral, social and political
world both these laws find their parallel; one is
directly embodied and the other clearly sug-
gested by the text. Injustice and wropg-doing
infallibly recoil, as the Psalmist declares, upon
Psalmist suggests, violent and impetuous
action, even in good cause, would defeat
ITSELF A mass of men-nay, even a single
man, cannot be hurried beyond the natural gait
OF their movement without recoil that might
be mischievous. Indolent selfshness or COW
ardly inaction are to be severely condemned; :;
but hasty, lll-considered, forcible measures are
equally injurious. The only case in which
great movements can be made suddenly with
safety is when Jail thes particles; move stimuli
taneously under common gentle impulse, and
have their motion guided and restrained in the
same manner like the vast motion of the tides.
So in true revivals of religion, and genuine
reformation OF manners, we may with safe and
glorious results have Pentecostal seasons. But
Let majority, even in the right, beware how
they attempt to hurry or force minority even
in the wrong, lest their violent dealing come
down upon their own pate.
This is the difference between morality and
the one shows what is right, the
other how. to attain it. Craftsmanship
the hot haste of moral indignation,
as well as the injustice of the oppressor. 1t is
summed up in the words of SuetOnius, festiua
lente; or in the words of Goethe, "Raste not,
Christ and with God, who never indolently
neglects, nor, cowardly, shirks responsibilities
and action, but who also wisely refrains from
attempting to push things faster than they can
be moved.
a NEW CREATlON.
Rev. Mr.. Dalton took his text from Colos-
slams 3; 10, 1.-THE New Man." which is
rendered in knowledge after the image of him
who created him, where there is neither Greek
or Jew, circumcision nor uncircumc1siop
Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ
8 all, and in all.
All ante-Christian nations were narrow in
hoi omit I'd ;v, <1o;u
nent The Apostle had glorious conception
II the Christian as new man, OF type
uperior to any existing. st. Paul himself was
he finest example of the new man renewed in
knowledge after Gods image. His sympathies
we're wide enough to include Jew and Greek,
'cythians and barbarians of every degree. To
III alike. he preached Christ the Lord, mighty
% save.
The question I raise is, whether the ap-
'earance OF such man was exceptional, and
lis work SO wondrous that it could be
epeated only by miracle, or have we in the
reat Apostle, and the fruit of his ministry, the
rue Christian type which may, and ought now
0 exist in the church of God. 1 believe that
he grand conceptions of the Apostle were not
My realized in his own life and time, hut may
'e now. and will yet be the rule. and not the
Exception Of attainment among Christians. If
'ou ask why we may hope so much in the
uture, any more than we can believe it of the
'ast 1 admit the discrepancy, and think it
an be explained without great difficulty or
axing too much your patience of credulity.
,he words of Christ are spirit and they are life.
Is spiritual they require bodily organization
utilization of that age was effete, and had to
anish away. 1t was replaced by the Barbarism
'hich overcame it and overran the fairest
tiles and provinces Of the Roman Empire.
he best features of the old civilization were
9st to be restored only in the age before the
D4Fa Dt,s1n kIxos
ion OF Pagan lands too often survived, and
we're incorporated into popular beliefs, and
more or less, IN the services of the church.
Asceticism, g. g.-because the law of the new
fe in the church. Now the principle of
sceticism was not derived from the Gospel.
ut from an oriental conception of evil as
Inherent in all matters, and so in our bodies
which we are to mortify and crush.
There is no danger of overrating the achieve
nents of the primitive church, but we may
nderrate modern progress. What marvel
GUS work has been accomplished by the Meth
y the Puritans in the previous century, and
y the great reformation in the age before
hem. And is not ours the age of Bible and
Missionary Societies. home evangalization, the
&c of popular libraries, universal education,
he power of the press, the wonders of steam,
become skilled in the use of all these
rovidential helps to their proper work, how
lorious the church will be, and through the
hurch society and governments, and through
hese, the world itself, when 'the knowledge
f God shall fill thu earth, as the waters the
ea."
SUNDAY SCHOOLS ANNUAL MEETINGS.
The Methodist Sabbath Schools held their
nnual meetings in the afternoon and the fol-
owing officers were elected for the ensuing
ear:
Pine Street-Superintendent, B. M. East
aan; Assistant Superintendent, A. A. Nicker-
on; Secretary and Treasurer, M M. Riggs;
ibarian, B. F. Freethey. There have been 70
diversions and deaths the past year. The
membership is sol and the average attendance
81. There are 467 volumes in the library and
be receipts have been $445
Congress Street-Superintendent, Wendell
eighton; Assistant Superintendent, Chas. A.
Walden; Treasurer, james r. LOWELL Libra
ian, John M. Stevens; Board of Managers,
,has. A. Walden, John M. Stevens, Mrs A.
Iemont, Mrs. II. 81. Shaw, Mrs. Hiram Wat
Oh. The reports went to show that the school
ad passed through prosperous year, and that
II the departments were in a fourishing con-
ition.
Chestnut Street-Supern Andrew 81.
Tiles; Assistant Superintendent, f. G. Patter-
"