The Portland daily press., 1880-04-12
SUNDAY SERVICES.
STATE STREET CHURCH.

STATE STREET CHURCH.
Interesting services were held at State ST.
Congregational church yesterday, able and
practical sermons being preached morning and
evening by Rev. DIR. W. E. Merriman who, in
the absence of the pastor, is now supplying
the pulpit. The forenoon sermon was based
ON the 9th verse of the Sd chapter of 1st Cor
inthians-"We are laborers together with
God" In the physical world Gods forces are
active and keep to His thought, and all crea-
lures are working with and for God. Had
men always worked with God Eden would
have extended over the earth; but they have
not, as whole, harmonized with Him. They
may, as many do, neglect and override Gods
laws, yet, in time, must be subject to them.
Wicked as we'll as good men in some way will
serve Him. The text is Christian statement,
Christians do work with Him, not as the wick
ed, not blindly as nature, but intelligently.
willingly and in fellowship. The work in
which Christians thus engage is not enjoyment
of worldly good, not subiugation of the earth,
not destructive service, but redemption. The
Christians activity cannot at any point be dis
jointed from that of God. His is conjoined
with ours and ours with His. The direction
to all who would have salvation is, join in
with God the Father, and have your work
complete in Him. Keep in with the power
and methods of Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Personal religion is fellowship with God in His
divine operations in our souls. Christian char
acter is divine human product. Christians
have mission to all other men-it is a con-
tinuance of Christ's mission, not a separate
work of theirs. All the redeemed do redeem
ing work, working to Gods eternal plan. To
this he shapes and disciplines our lives. Here
in are our perfection and blessedness, and the
promise of eternal glory. Be in agreement
with God in His Providence, intellectually,
spiritually and in your affections. Take the
place He appoints for you-that is your Office.
Govern all things in your life by fellowship
with Gods will. This is Christian law-not
to be compromised.
The text of the evening sermon was from
the 18th verse of Sd chapter of Philippians
Forgetting those things which are behind
PAYsoN MEMORIAL CHURCH.
Rev. Mr.. Dickinson, at the Second Parish,
preached in the morning from the text Ps.
1929: ''Thy testimonies are wonderful"
The preacher desired to bring to view the won
derful and divine character of the word of
God. How many careless and inattentive
readers of the Bible are found, even among
Christians! The testimonies of God are won
derful because of their entire adaptiveness to
adapted to the mind and intellect of man.
Simple and profound, open and abstruse, they
come to every grade of intellect They open
and enlarge the soul and widen the reach of
the mind. They improve, expand, exalt and
quicken the intellect. The wisest and best
men have been made so by the study of the
Bible. The best and most cultivated commun-
tiles have been made so by the influence of the
Scriptures And what is most wonderful, this
book, so wise, so full and inst ructive was writ
ten by comparatively uncultivated men-that
is by those not learned in the wisdom of this
world, not taught in schools of human philoso-
ply. Again the Bible is adapted to the taste
of man. 1t awakes and exalts his sense of the
sublime, the beautiful, the glorious. No as-
thetic faculty in man can fail to find in it's
pages that which will arouse this faculty to its
highest action. The Bible is adapted to the
entire emotional nature of man. 1t arouses
his fear, calls forth his indignation against
wrong, appeals to his justice, calls for his love
OF all that is lovely, and so brings into action
every high and noble emotion of the soul.
Again the Bible is adapted to the human con-
science. The Word of God enlightens the
conscience and renders it sensitive to the faint
est indication of right and wrong. But this
Word also acts upon the human will. Con-
science tells man of the right, but the Divine
Word has power to move, impel and per-
suade the will, and so influence men to act in
accordance with the monitions of conscience.
And our wonder is more and more excited
when we remember that this Book was written
by men. for the most part, of lowly birth and
humble life. But one thing more the Bible
does for us: it tells us of a Saviour through
whom our ruined nature may be restored to
the Divine image and we he brought back to
10 Inyn and .anxrtap NfC NI
vine Word be to us the instrument of saliva
ton.