The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-05-24
PULPIT AND PLATFORM.
STATE STREET CHURCH.

livered without the use of written notes, in such
clear and forcble manner, and are so strong
and practical in their subject'matter, as to
hold the close and eager attention of the
numerous hearers.
The morning sermon was drawn from the
10th verse of the Sd chapter of John: God
SO loved the world that he gave his only be-
gotten son, that whosover believeth in him
shall not perish but have everlasting life"
Luther said of this text: "Here we have the
Bible in short" 1t outlines Christianity to
us. Quietly, but with great strength, it sets
| aside all atheism and Pantheism God is not
the great unknown and unknowable absolute
He is a person; He loves; He gives; He
| blesses. This text is the declaration of orig
| inal knowledge. The theme is the love of
| God; and the object of this divine love is the
world of His children-that is, all men, every
where and in all ages. This is on account of
their original and constit utional relations to
| Him. There is no election in this text. Every
one may truly say, "God so loved me that He
| gave His only begotten son." and so on. What
| is this great affection reaching out 10 all men?
1t is benevolence, active good will and delight
towards all sanctified and holy ones in heaven,
and towards all partially sanctifed men on
earth. 1t is not a general benevolence but a
| special affection Gods love and good will
take direct fatherly quality. The natura
sun eliminates the entire continent, and yet
| it touches and invigorates every flower and
blade. So Gods love is over all and upon each
This love appears in action. 1t forbids us
CHASING Christ with men. He was the great
love-gift of the Father. The love of God
| gave and sent him, and the gift expresses the
Fathers love and implies all that came out Of
| the Saviour's mission and passion-the birth
| the persecution the suffering and the death.
Jesus was willing, but the gift both in its orr
| gin and best owment, was the Father's-His
unspeakable gift.
This gift implies activity ON the part Of
the recipient-Jesus is to be received
AS the giving was Gods greatest act ard
| greater than the creation--s SO the acceptance
of Christ is mans greatest act Godward. This
activity or acceptance is called believing. We
receive Christ by believing, and cannot do il
otherwise. What is this belief? Not receiv
ing some particular truth or all truth. 1t is
not to believe a creed. To receive the son Of
God is quite another thing. We receive him
| as we accept the care and follow the counsel Of
our faithful physician when we are too sick te
help ourselves, too sick to use our own knowl
| edge. Faith is obedient confiding acceptance
of Christ, and the Father SO expects us to re-
ceive him. Here we reach the grandest pre-
| rogative of man. 1t is within the power OF
every soul to decline to receive Christie ex
| ercise entire freedom. Hence the most mag
| unanimous act of man Godward is to receive
Jesus-to reject him is correspondingly mea L
| and wicked.
Sin is fatal disease, and the sinner mus
ha We divine help brought directly to him
| Without Christ man will m;serably perish
| The text implies that, even with Christ, men
| will DnriSh nn1acc fhav hn1iova in him Tho re
is ruin in sinners, and this ruin will go RICH
| on if he is not accepted as Saviour. If he j.
rejected no remedy for sin remains.
The text of the evening sermon was the 13tl
verse of the 4th chapter of I'd Corinthians
''We also believe and therefore speak"
NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH.
The Rev. j. K. Smyth preached yesterda,
from Gen. xiii II, where God promises the
land to Abraham" He showed that the promis,
was coupled with the stipulation that he should
arise and walk through the length and breadth
of it; and that we too must walk through thu
| promiseil land with Gods angel leading u.s. i
| we would possess it and not live slothfull,
with the wicked people of the cities of the
Plain. We are all of us like Abraham will
| the Kingdom of Heaven promised us as
possession if we will occupy and explore it
We can only avail ourselves Of the promise b,
living in avoidance of evil and selfshness.
we ask how we can occupy it while living tn
answer is that of Jesus: 'The Kingdom O.
Heaven is within YOU Every mans path il
this life may be beside that of some angel if h,
will live so as to be fitted for communion will
him, and he may be walking always in heaven
ly ways. Two elements make up the Christian
Goodness and truth. Goodness belongs to tn
heart, truth to the mind They make tn,
length and breadth of the land of the heaven
ly Jerusalem, whose length and breadth ar
| equal; and of those two attributes are mad
| up the characters of the angels. Every home
should have this heavenly length and breadtl
and be squared by goodness and truth. The
| should not be simply places where children
get shelter and food, but places where they oh
tain spiritual food and instruction. l some
times think our Sabbath schools may be don
evil rather than good by inducing parents t
leave to them the spiritual instruction whicl
| it should be their duty each day to instl. How
many homes are there in this city where eacl
day the family assemblies for even brief re
ligious exercises?
How many men of commerce or scienc
traverse only the breadth of labor or of study
1 and neglected the qualities of goodness an
charity, having thus breadth without length
The same is true in the churches. TIL
neglect she simpler duties Christian aucholi lite
went to the other extremes In later day
| some sectS hold that faith alone and othel
that charity alone, brings salvation, but tn
New Jerusalem is described as four-square IAN
| the Saviour, in whom infinite love was unite
to infinite wisdom teaches us that we mu:
initiate him, and let our faith and works wal
hand in hand through the Kingdom of HEAVIER
that some day He who has promised it to U
may call us to its possession.
ST. LUKE's CATHEDRAL.
Yesterday was Trinity Sunday and was spe,
tally noticeable at the Cathedral since
marked the last appearance with this societ
of Rev. Canon Hayes prior to his departu1
to-day for his new rectory in Westfeld N.
Among those present was the canon-elect, Re,
Mr.. Stills of Halifax.
Mr.. Hayes took for his text St. Peter iv7-
But the end of all things is at hand; be J
therefore sober and watch unto prayer" A
the close of this discourse Mr. Hayes said:-
know how sure an anchorage and how full ,
help in the striving towards Christian life
lprayer) has proved to many among us VII
have tried not only to learn it but to live
, But l trust that beyond this you have learne
| to look upon the teaching and the work of til
9 | Cathedral as a trust not for yourself, nor fl
those who worship here only. but for the who
church of God, and specially for that porto
} of it, this Diocese, whose great interests a
, centre here. l am most deeply thankful
have been permitted to bear some part in pr
pairing, SO to speak, in laying foundations f,
more important and visible work of futul
, years; and that is another memory to be la
up and cherished for all time am sure tn,
the earnestness of the Bishop and people
whom it is committed will see far greater r
suits from the new life and work of the year
come"
= 41,<, c AZ.
Hayes babe the teachers and children adie
To-day he will receive his friends and b
them goodbye. The st. Luke parish will pr
sent him with handsome purse of money al
the clergy of the iocese with rare old Bib