Connecticut western news., 1880-08-26


 by Rev. David Buck of Sheffield, Mass, who selected as his text, the 9th verse of the 93d Psalm. The subject was "The Higher Christian Life" The word house, said the speaker, may have various signifcations-it may mean the place where God reveals him. self to his people; it may designate the build rug especially set apart and consecrated to the worship of God; or it may refer to the peo- pie of God.
 Holiness signifies the entire eradication of sio, the death to sin, followed by the full, per feet life Of righteousness; for sin expired from the heart of the man connected to Christ. Everything converted with the worship of God should be pure. Holiness is the essen tial characteristic of Gods people: for we are called, not to uncleanness, but in holy cause to holiness. The first obligation imposed upon the believer is the renunciation of sin aud of all sinful associations. "Come out and be thon separate" said the apostle; and this injunction requires not hatred to sinners, but avoidance of them. Sin is unclean ard defiles whatever it touches.
 The beginning of spiritual life is holy in it's nature, because it is of God, an uucorrupt source. We are renewed in this spiritual lie by the grace of God, az this is the new crea, tion. We are like our fellows in nature, but iu this higher life, urlke. We are exhorted to grow up into Christ, to be more like God and less like Satan. The whole life of Christ is au examplar of Bible holiness and as the result of union with Jesus we partake of di vine nature and of holiness.
 Real Christians know tue truth of thls. The very sum of Christianity is the indwell. ing within us Of Christ crucided yet living
 because Christ lives in us. The world looks for pracSica' demonstration of the dh rlty of religion and tbis we cannot give by our words alone, but by it's exhibition iu our Hives -
 There must be piety in our hearts before our lives can make manifest the efficacy of religion the heart must preach by the life.
 As the On .stiau grows in grace he be- comes purer iu lfe. This grace is an esseu- tia1 prerequisite to the possession of full rest of the soul. spiis an agitating disturbing, di-
 vding force; grace is subdung mellowiug,
 hsrmop;zing in it's efectT. The two forces are autagonistic. Jesus has power to con- trol material aud mo:ol forces, end spi iI1al as well, aud can give the sinner peace and
 rest from sin. When the soul stands on the
 summit of holiness, it enjoys perfect resS.
 This rest is felt want of the church; it is :, necessary to the right perfor nance of work.
 All have much wo'k to do, and should be alive, healthy, strong, for we are Gods ser.
 vauts, and need fall strength.
 As we grow in grace we grow in power
 the more ofGod there is in US, the greater our capacity for work. Grace is a'so an es- u sential prerequisite to the entrance into 6 proper religious state. s..
 There are three moral states-iu the first ' sin reigns. iu the secoud grace reigns, yet sin . abides; but the third is the state of perfect u sanctifcation and holiness of life.
 Holiness is strength, power, fit for every Y emergency. We gre required to love a' . men, even our enemies This is difficult, bu e by this is meant not that we should love ou' Y enemies as friends, with complacency ant
 pleasure, but with pity and sympathy. The sermon wes replete with quo+ations a biblical and poetical and was listened to witt h pleasure. The general prayer meetings fol is lowed and were fully attended. The number It of persons on the grounds was not large, bu
 not many left after the preaching, preferins 't to stay to the after meetings. which are daily D growing in interest.
 " .EvENtNG SEE MON. ' The Rev. s. F. White of Lakeville dis g coursed iu the evening, taking his text iron k II. Kings, chap. 12, verses and 2. it The righteous are the salt of the earth v hence one good man may become the medium if of salvation. If God had found ten righteous if men in Sodom and Gomorrah He would have q spared those cities. For Elijah's sake Got
 sent rain upon the lan1 of Israel, parched b! 7, the long continued drouth In the city O ,e Samaria was one righteous man, Eisha the f.. servant of the Lord. It was a time of de .e generacy in Israel. From the cottage to tn, l. palace idolatry was the crying sin. As re ,e suit of this Gods judgment fell upon the na ! tion. The Syrians came up and besieged Sa ,. maria until such was its straitness food failed p, famine ragged, and women devoured their off Q spring to satisfy the cravings of hunger. II this awful extremity God sent a message 0 is deliverance. Food was promised on the nor r, row at the cheapest possible rate. But g " Lord on whose hand the king leaned, doubted ,s In spite of the prophets credentials he dared G. to disbelieve; and said, ''Behold if the Lorc es should make windows in Heaven might thiI i. thing be-" His sin was unbelief. He doubted ve the possibility of the deliverance promised us But I turn from this man and call your atten
 ton to the sin he committed, viz: Un6eliet Q By unbelief we. do not mean alone that forn ! of it which is called infdelity. That is onl, '; the ripe fruit of the tree of unbelief, whel TO men stand up and cry, "There is no God