The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-07-11

denly brought to clear sense Of our responsi-
bllltles and dangers. From this event we are
led to draw sound lessons of announcement
and instruction. We are ENCOURAGED from this
fact that in the presence of the great peril the
whole nation manifested its belief that God is
still our refuge and help in every time of
trouble. The belief of our fathers is still our
belief, and that faith in God is shown to be
chiefly fixed in the national heart. Another
omen Tor good is the evidence the people give
81 thelr faith in prayer. They feel that prayer
IL HOT an unmeaning form; but real power in
the plan of Gods government of the world.
Men OF every order of religious belief united
III this earnest cry to God foi the recovery of
our President May we never lose this faith
IN prayer, so shall we ever dwell in Gods
FAVOR. Such are some of the favorable relig-
lous signs. What are the favorable political
omens? We are taught first, that the feroc-
lou5 spirit of Nihilism has no place among our
people, The criminal in this dreadful occur
renee was alone in his folly and wickedness
and no party or political faction sympathize
with him. Another good political omen is that
Inc event shows that we are one people. Every
State and section united in expressions OF
sympathy with tho sufferer from the great
crime But what are some of the warnings
from this event? We see first the evils of the
present political methods. Caumny. detrac-
ton, every form of personal abuse is resorted
TO; but we should turn from such infamous
methods and minglo our religion with our pol
ltics, so that our political action shall be pure
and upright as becomes Christian nation.
Another warning is the evil resulting from
a mans yielding to his evil propensities. The
life OF the miserable assassin tells US of this
danger and bids us beware of giving rein to
our own evil passions And in our denuncia-
ton of the criminal we are to pause and ask
ourselves if we are yielding to any evil propen-
sity Of our own nature. Have we become SO
thoroughly imbued with the leaven of the Cos
pei that our entire influence upon the commu-
nifty is benefcent and elevating? Let the fear
OF God and regard for man be the ruling ele-
ments in our lives. and then only shall we as
nation dwell under the shadow of the AL
mighty.
FIRST BAPTIST.
At the First Baptist church Rev. Mr.. An
derson preached from Matt 513-"Ye are the
salt of the EARTH" In the sermon on the
Mount Christ sets forth the duties man owes to
God and his fellows. 1t is wise at this time to
consider the broad and fundamental principles
underlying the duties and obligations of tie
Christian citizen. We learn from the text the
value Of the individual. Christianity does not
divide onr race into the aristocracy and the
common people. God looks at nations it is
true; but he looks at them through the indi-
vidual. In the olden time there was a favored
class. The priest and the bishop were higher
than the common people Later in church
history the reformers found t, at the Bible
gave to the individual q right to a voice in the
choice OF his ruler and his mode of worship
Ihls important principle in political govern
ment was first derived from the Bible. Again,
the text shows most exalted appreciation Of
the value of personal character. Christians
are the salt OF the earth only as their own
characters are thoroughly permeated by the
principles of the gospel. How vain are the eff
forts OF nations to perpetuate their existence
and powerswithout education and virtue in the
people. Where these are wanting there is no
safeguard to the government. In the recent
tragedy at Washington we see the proof that
tho public sentiment of the country at large
has no sympathy with such methods of politi-
cal action as are current in Russia now or were
common in all countries centuries ago. A
pure public sentiment is essential to perma-
nent good government. Again, to be the salt
OF the earth, the prevailing public spirit must
be IN accord with the spirit of Christ. The as
sassin was not one of band of conspirators;
yet he was one of the community. We may
remember that though correct public senti-
ment may not permit evil conspiracies, vet it
may not be sufficient to deter individuals from
atrocious crimes. We need to have thorough
christian principle in every individual heart.
But in looking at the crime of the I'd of July
we must come to the conclusion that as O peo-
pie we are responsible in part for the deed.
The spirit of faction, the greed of office, man
lfested themselves in this dark crime We are
as individuals to seek for that high standard of
personal character that will be blessing to
the community, and reverence for God and
love to Christ are to be such a power in our
daily life that our influence shall ever be on
the side of truth and righteousness; and thus
we are to aid in the glorious work Of bringing
the world into that moral condition when the
knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as
the waters cover the sea.
wILLIsToN CHURCH.
Rev. F. e. Clark preached from Psalm 97:6
'The heavenssdeclare His righteousness and all
the people see HisSglory". More people have
stood gazing up into the heavens of late than
for long time in theapast, because strange
visitor has appeared in our skies. To some the
comet has been bat spot of light, to others a
point OF telescope inquiry. To the Christian
it should suggest something concerning God,
something concerning man and concerning
mans future.
1t tells US of Gods immensely and of the
vastness of his operations In itself though it
has a nucleus thousand miles in diameter,
and streamers flowing from it four millions of
miles long, it is but plaything in the
heavens, weakling among the stars, but it
reminds US of the heavenly bodies among
which it wanders and which it has seen in its
travels perhaps. In imagination, as we think
of its wanderings it carries US to Jupiter and
Saturn and Mars and Neptuneathree thousand
millions OF miles away; thence our magma
tions journeys to the nearest fixed star, twenty
millions of miles away, thence on to others six
teen hundred times as far away, whose light
has been six thousand years in reaching our
planet, from which Noah might be seen en-
tering the ark and Eve listening to the temp
tation of the serpent"
To the farthest limit of telescope vision our
imaginations carry us, but even there we have
no reason to believe that Gods universe stops
Our imaginations can fly no whittier, where
God has not been. Our brains grow weary,
our powers of calculation fail, the figures dizzy
us and still we have not reached the end!
Where shall we stop? There is but one answer
: in God" We cannot see the farthest world,
but God can. The light of some worlds, which
has been travelling toward us at the rate of ten
million miles minute since time began, may
not yet have reached US, bnt God knows where
they are. Truly the heavens declare His
and all the people His glory
But while the comet suggests to us Gods
greatness it also suggests mans littleness. As
single leaf of a tree in a vast forest would not
be missed if it fell to the ground, no more
would the earth be missed if it fell a wreck in
Like microscopic insect on such a leaf is
man. The veins of the leaf are mountain
ranges to him, a dew drop ON it is his ocean.
And yet how he struts and plumes himself
The would-be murderer at Washington is con-
sumed with vanity, and love for notoriety,
not realizing that he is the worthless insect Of
an hour. And yet these same heavenly bodies
while they tell mans littleness as an animal,
tell of his greatness as an immortal soul for the
human intellect has weighed the stars and de-
termined the comets course.
Revelation too tells something more marvel
lous for in the light of astronomy's truths read
"God SO loved the world that he gave his only
begotten son that whosoever bslieYeth on him
should not perish but have eternal life." Thus
only can we understand mans true worth and
his real preciousness in Gods sight,
Concerning our future this recent visitor to
our skies teaches us: If God cares for such
thing and preserves it in being, will He not
preserve the soul that can understand the
comets laws and predict its returns?
But some comets fly off from the central at
tracing sphere, and get lost amid the rings of
meteorites the astronomers say and never re-
turn to our vision. So there may be lost souls
which attracted by other things than God.
circle ever further and fur Their away from
him and never return.
May God preserve us all from such fate