Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-12-05

| you good to hear, and his only thought is
that you shall get it. His style is like the
clear plate-glass OF perfect wlndow,-you
J do not see It or think Of it at all. You see
| through it the truth which is put there to
| be SEEN This afternoon. three children
were baptised, and the sermon was upon
the rite. Certainly to him it had beau
tiful meaning. and one thoroughly rational,
| though perhaps somewhat ideal. The e.
der could not help wondering, however,
what he made out of those words In the
| Prayer Book which have caused the revolt
Of the Reformed Episcopal Church, See
ing now that this child is regenerdte." at
hath pleased thee to regeRerate this infant
with thy Holy Spirit" II these words
mean auy thing, 1t is that by the ceremony
of baptism the unconscious infant is "free
again. Is spiritually different from what
1t was before. The preacher passed this
over, though, II it is true, it is the very
center of the whole rite 1t puzzles the
Elder to know how such new views as Mr.
Brooks and many, very many, like him are
making. Is got into such old bottles, full as
they are ready with old wine
Another contrast Is found IN the church
and pastor Of Park ST. The building is
old fashioned without and within. and
stands almost alone in the business part OF
the city, its former neighbots having gone
to the BLACK Bay" Here "Orthodoxy''
a
power. Murray came and relaxed the
bonds for while, but his evident laxty
both Of doctrine and OF industry brought
the stricter element again to the point, and
he left for Music Hall. Now Dr. Withrow,
a sturdy and worthy successor Of Lyman
Beecher, holds up once more a doctrine
which Is what it pretends to be. lie is ev-
identity member OF the church militant.
Tie is belligereut from top to toe. So far
from dwelling on those essential points
whereon most Christians agree, like Mr..
Brooks, he seems to sit forever on the watch
tower looking out for enemies. His whole
manner seems te be that of one who is
spelling for q fight" The short, jersy
sentences are all pugnacious. One feels
respect tor him as one who knows what
he believes and will stand by it bravely to
the last But one cannot help feeling that
the clemen; OF love, Of sympathy, which is
really the gospel element of true preaching
is undergrown in him. He could paint hell
more truly than heaven, and attack sin
frF L..hf ft,.I
self from before. He is rather of the old
dispensation then Of the new. The cou-
gregational singing, led by the usual large
choir, was really Inspiring.
Then the Elder went home through the
rain. He had heard three strong men of a
faith differing from his own. But one
thought was beaten into his head with ev-
cry drop Of rain which fell upon his UNI
brella, that upon the whole, the churches
are advancing towards unity, and that
though the forms into which their faith is
formed seemed often very different vet
the substance in each is more OF kind
than We are liable to think. So, though
the men he had heard were under different
banners from himself and put things often
in way he could not endorse, he felt a
brotherhood with them which he was glad
to ewn. and a sense of privilege that he
could work for the same thing with them,
though perhaps in different way So
with peaceful mind, soothed by the pat
tering OF the rain on the timed roof, the
Elder soon fell sweetly asleep.
ELDER BERBY.
Boston, Nov. Is, 1878.