, 1877-12-22
THE CHURCHES SUNDAY.
METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH.

METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH.
D. Bagley, Pastor. Morning subject:
THAT ye might be filled with all the
fulness of God" Eph. iii, IA. After
brief rehearsal of the paragraph, the
speaker observed that in religious ex-
perience and life we should have high
purposes and aims: that our first duty
wes to be brought into harmony with
God, our second to stay there; that
thoughts entertained, entered into the
formation of chsracter-if they We're
vile, vicious, loose, dissolute. pure,
such would be our character; that we
should accept the will of God cheers
fully, not be resigned to circumstances,
but rise above them; that if filled with
Gods fullness We woald think, speak,
act. move and work in harmony Di>
vine, which would prevent friction and
reliance upon side issues for success and
support.
Evening subject: Healing of the blind
man by Jesus. the Great Healer. Luke
xviii, 35, As. Christ's miracles were
spoken of as evidence Of His Messiah :
ship and illustrative of phases of Cos
pei work. The blind man was regarded
as being terribly in earnest to be healed,
as all must be. to be healed spiritually; /;
that he and the Savior were brought
face to face; that he made as required
a definite statement of what he wanted; !;
that vehement desire and specific faith
take hold on God. and that Jesus Christ
saves at once and fully.
| CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
Rev. j. F. Ellis preached morning
and evening. The following extract is
from the morning sermon:
But when there is surrender of man
to God all that is choice and fine and
noble goes with him. He goes in to
God with all his faculties and all his
endowments. Not shred of anything
is left behind that he would be willing
to have the light of omniscience thrown
upon, bringing it to view distinctly as if
written upon his brow.
A soul thus surrenders to God. Well;
he is not disarmed and loaded with
chains and scourged and lodged in dun>
geons. But I tell you what happens ::
his chains are struck off, they that
scourge him are destroyed, the dun
geons are broken down and light
sweeter than ever be knew smites his
clad eyes. Or it happens more fre-
quently in this wise: that the chains
and whips und dungeons are not plain
ly visible till the light of God comes in
response to total self-surrender.
So we may all say and say safely,
and it is the only thing which we may
say safely: 1.-THE will of the Lord be
done!" All. if we little men and wo-
men-children all of us-knew the
scope of that will, that wondrous will;
that whatever has truth and beauty and
goodness, unstreaked with evil, has the
approval of that will; that that will
burns condemnation against nothing
that carries true blessing to man or
child; that it cuts down only the hurt
ful and the unwor:hy-and that it does
remorselessly cut down the hurtful and
unworthy!
And if His will is worthy of sovereign
ty in few things, why not in all? if in
great matters. why not also in small?-
Does physical law reign in the material
world? Then let the will of God reign
as absolutely in the World above the
world. Let the soul say in true and
grand abandonment of self 10 God !:
"Thine. utterly thine, thine forever!"
And when the law of conscience,
which is the will of God in the soul,
prevails wholly and carries the will of
man into the ways of undivided obedi-
ence, then by the unalterable laws of
our being shall come that new expert
ence. that uplift of the soul, that clari>
fed vision, that power for duty, that ca
pacity for joy, never known before and
never to be known till the hour of such
additional, total self-surrender as
cries out, "Thy will, not mine, be
DONE"
BAPTIST CHURCH.
The morning subject was "The per.
severance of saints" l Pet, j, 5. "Who
are kept by the power of God, through
faith unto salvation" A precious
promise given to Christians as cordial
to encourage and strengthen them in
their battle against sin. The text teach.
es-1. That true believers are kept unto
salvation. This is an unconditional
promise. 1t is not. will be kept, if they
do SO and 80. or may be kept, nor must
or can keep themselves, but simply they
are kept. not for season only, but unto
salvation. This assurance enables the
Christian to enjoy perfect and unbrok-
en- peace.
2-We are kept through, or by means
of faith. Nor can this faith fail. 1t is
the gift of God. and ''the gifts and call
ings of God are without repentance. +"
He by whose powers we are kept, be-