The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-04-13
Good Friday.

One of many tokens of growing DISPOSE
ton among Protestants to exercise a more dis.
eliminating Judgment as to things to be pro-
tested against, is the observance by many of
them, with greater or less reverence and
propriety. of certain chief festivals of the
church, especially Christmas and Easter. Of
course this observance does not imply re-
cognition of the obligation of those festivals as
ecclesiastical appointments, but it is never
theless distinct concession of the appropri-
ateness and usefulness of them. They are no
longer regarded as unspiritual and modifying,
but as eminently important memorial institu-
tions, and helpful for the preservation of the
faith and the promotion of piety
And now that this reasonable spirit prevails,
it seems favorable time to ask, why should
not all Christian believers thus celebrate to-
gether other great and precious facts of our
common credible ascension of our Lord to
reign, as well as His humiliation to be made
suffering man? and the day of the cross, as
well as the day of the resurrection?
These are all links in the same golden
chain whereon we confess our hopes to de.
pend; why not praise the God of our salvation
together for every one of them? Certainly it
would seem that those who keep Christmas
and Easter, not merely as holidays but in COM
memoration OF the incarnation and resurrec-
ton OF Divine Redeemer, must also feel
themselves constrained to keep Good Friday
in commemoration of His voluntary offering of
Himself for the sins of the world. That was
very sad and solemn fast of the first disci-
pies, between the hour of the cruciflxion and
the resurrection morn, and the same fast of
forty hours was observed though not with the
same hopeless sorrow by all Christians for
hfteen hundred years. The fast of forty days
at this season is an ecclesiastical prescription,
the motive of which was the growing world
illness of the church, but the fast of forty
hours is the spontaneous tribute of Christian
love. Remove the bonds of blind prejudice,
and the influence of wrong and mischievous
Interpretation of certain scriptural texts and
every true Christian believer of to-day will
render that tribute as freely as did his
brethren of old. 1t cannot be long before
such freedom shall be attained, and then one
passing through our streets ON Good Friday
Will no longer see, not merely the "enemies of
the cross of Christ or unbelievers in it's
saving efficacy, but those who profess to
"'glory" in it, and to have found salvation
through it going on with their worldly trafick-
ing, utterly unmindful of the call which bids
them humble themselves in adoring con-
temptation before the bleeding form uplifted
on it. Ii there is day in the whole year
HhOh OfOiy WHICH, VI DuSluoSS SuOulQ STOP, ana
every shop door be closed, it is Good Friday.
In saying this, am sure that speak to the
inner consciousness of many more in this COM
munity than have hitherto religiously OBJ
served the day.
Our State Fast Day has degenerated into a
real holiday for the majority of the COM
munity;. and hence | presume the practice,
which is becoming habitual on the part of
our chief magistrates of appointing it for
some day after Easter, so that at least the
revels incident to its observance shall not
mar the solemnities of real fast The cause
or true account of its degeneration is not SO
much l would fain believe decline of the
religious feeling which prompted the institu-
tion of it, as the fact that it commentaries no
event illustrative of Gods great mercy to-
wards us, or of our sinfulness, as people, ard
presents, even in its original purport, but
little to touch the individual conscience I
have no fear that the celebration of Good
Friday will SO degenerate, but rather, con-
fidently expect that it will become, ere long,
the most striking testimony that we, as
people, give, of our allegiance to the cruciied
Redeemer, and of our sense of dependence
upon Him for all blessings. N.