The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-10-18
PULPIT AND PLATFORM.
CONGRESS SQUARE CHURCH

dressed this epistle was mostly made up Of
them had been students of the philosophy OF
Greece and Rome, and all were more or less
slaves to the doctrines, rites and traditions OF
the religious systems under which they had
lived. With them were some converts from
the Jewish faith, even yet more bound by
creedS, rights and ceremonies. Before Christ
ianty could make itself felt as life-giving
faith, it must do away with the old faith, and
and the old ceremonies. They must be con-
WINGED that the old life was behind; that they
had risen with Christ until the old life was
beneath them The advent of Christ was in
deed resurrection for humanity He lifted
up the world to higher life. This was to be
the test that was given them. Had they risen
with Him to the light and glory that His own
divine life and glorious death had brought to
the world?
Our modern civilization has felt the infiu
ence of this lifting up, but there is much to
be done before law and cestom will be in accord
with the spirit of Christs gospel.
What is there in that state to which Christ
raised us that differs from the life of those
who never heard of Him?
First, there was new impulse given to the
world, new inspiration. We cannot think
of Christ without being better. Men were by
this new inspiration taught to forget them
selves and to live for right for truth, for justice
1t made the way by which men had reached
what seemed endless renown seem poor and base
when compared with the spOtless life OF Christ
We have only to look along the line of Christ
ian history to see the working of this inhu.
ence, from the time that the apostles of the
Lord went forth in the name of the crucifed
Christ, all apostles, martyrs, champions OF lib.
erty all witness for Him in this respect, and tc
the power that Christ has given to the world to
rise out OF itself.
Christ raises men by the revelation that He
made. In Him the heavens bowed down to
the earth. Through Christ was the gate OPP
ened between humanity and the divinity.
Not only did Christ show in Himself all no.
bilitG, all honor, but through Him the posi-
tive work of life was made to stand by the side
of the possibilities of heaven. Against the
things Of the world He placed the life beyond.
Christianity transformed the whole structure
of society John saw, indeed, new heaven
and new earth. The old ideas Of power fell
before the revelation that Christ proclaimed
from the skies The old mode OF thought
faded away before the message OF the crncified
Redeemer. Humanity has risen with the risen
men could not look on religious questions as
they had, and the transformation that he
wrought i'll society i'll thought was but slight
compared to that wrought by Jesus Christ
he, it may be said again, lifted up all hui
manity.
Is the test-in special sense will seek to rise
far. They will seek the higher level of the
new world of righteousness that they have en-
tered.
We must have faith. We must believe in
him. We must believe in his demonstrations
OF power. We must believe in his promises
whether referring to this life or to the life to
come. Not a blind faith Not one that
shrinks IfroM the fullest investigation. We
must take the life and words of our divine
Lord, and from both build consistent faith
that will enable us 10 say II know that if this
earthly house of the tabernacle is dissolved,
have remaining unto me a house not made
with hands eternal and in the heavens" We
must have hope. The apostles wrought with
faith but with glorious hope. They hoped to
see the world transformed by the word of thei1
master They hoped, as we'll as believed,
lection to Christ. A living faith will enable
us to see what Christ was and is. The gospel
is one of love. 1t is the beginning and the
end OF Christ's message. The world will be
conquered by the all prevailing love of Christ
We rise with Christ to seek the world of love.
iHo SosPci ID loVe. 1ue cnurcn make us nrSI
and last appeal in love. 1t comes in the
power of the son of God in love. Before the
time of Christ no one sought the outcast lie
came to save the lost. In heaven or on earth
there is no appeal like the appeal of Christ to
the soul. He loved u.s. He died for us.
Where is the soul that can resist an appeal
like this?
ROSSINI HALL.
The Rev. Henry A. Wales of Biddeford
lectured yesterday afternoon at Rossini Hall
on Superstition, before the Spiritual Fra
ternity. The venerable John M. Todd pre-
sided and the hall was well filed.
Mr.. Wales is a tall thin man, resembling
Theodore Tilton to some degree. He is a
pleasant speaker, although talking rather fast
He spoke for about an hour and a half, using
no notes. Ae classes, it would seem from
his lecture, under the general head of ''super-
stition" all that the Christian world has been
in the habit of holding sacred. He did not
he said, believe that there is such a thing a.
Goods house." No man can make a IIace
that he has made, sacred by any ceremony Of
conservation, and SO he set the idea thai
churches are of any special account down as
mere superstition. He passed from the subjee
of churches to that of prayer saying: 81 be-
lieve that of all senseless things the most sense
less is modern prayer" He practiced prayer
and believed in it, but at the same time die
not believe that prayer has any influence will
God, or that it will be answered HI
said that he heard Mr.. Moody assure man ad
dicted to the use of intoxicants that if he &C
cepted Christ and asked in faith, that God
m tn hot ab
he said, was absurd, and that Mr.. Moody tt
whom he said that God had given great tai
ents) ought to have known better. He him
self had prayed for the life of his son, but hi
prayers were not answered and the child died
God will do as he pleases and man cannot
change Him, therefore prayer is foolishness
There are not 100000 Christians in the worlt
to-day and God, according to the churches, il
to confine himself to that 300, 900 to the exclu
sion Of the rest of the world. The man who
will pray the most will fight the most and Oh
the most senseless occasions. During the late
war the North prayed for victory, and the peo
pie of the South prayed for victory, land yet
said the speaker, sit was mere political ques
ton and don't believe it made the difference
OF the snap of His finger to God which side
beat" He next took up the subjects Of
missions and classed the hope that the worlt
might be converted as superstition 1t was
proposed, he said, to save men from hell, but
he would say, eff God had rather have mer
to go to hell than to have them saved, to hel
let them CO."
The Bible he said was good book, the bes
in the world. A book to study and live by
but what he desired to do was to have men ge
their minds clear of the idea that it, more
than any other book is sacred.
The observance OF Sunday as day of res
and worship he said is only superstition. He
believed that the higher interests of humanity
require that one day in seven, or better still
one day in ten should be set aside apart fo
amuSements. He did not object to the custom
of resting one day in seven, but it is the givin,
the day sacred character that he has failed t.
md any authority for either in or out of the
Scripture. Referring to the Bible again ht
said that if he had one he would like to point
out Its errors, but there being none at hand HI
continued his remarks on the Sabbath, ant
said II God had ever, as the Bible said, blessed
the Seventh Day, all nature ON that day would
rest. He closed by exhorting his hearers Il
hold fast to the truths that had been pro
claimed, and thus to help humanity.
At the close his lecture at the suggestion @
the venerable John NJ Todd, collection wa
taken up.
SECOND PARISH CHURCH.
In the morning Rev. Mr.. Dickinson at tn
Second Parish Church preached from tn
parable of the Prodigal Son-Luke 10: 11-3l
The preacher introduced the sermon by nal
rating an incident concerning child lost ur
on the mountains, illustrating by the interes
of the search and Joy of its recovery. tn