The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-10-03

church has never been asettled fort but rather
annoy ny o pmn. its prog ess may not Dc az
hat we could h0te. and yet be re 4 and marked
Though its covenant is the identical one EN-
ployedb by DR.. Payson, 1T did not hesitate tt
advance upon his pDstion as touching a creed.
Dr.. Paysou employed no articles of faith fol
admission the eX animation OF candidates being
with him, as With the PRESBYTERIAN church, q
pastoral set. Dr. Tyler, Notwithstanding the
pre-eminent ministerial qualifications of lhi:
predeee sor,'' thought this detect and one OF
The things to he set IL order" And in tune
p 'eyailed upon his people to adopt the written
creed which the Second Parish church still
maintains, together with specified discipline
which has since been modified by the temper
anee agitation.
The creed Of the High street church on the
contrary Is found upon It's records, Feb. 70,
day. ... !. .i..'e
an entirely clear, no viewer, il it were to! be
rewritten now. I'VE would make it shorter, sir
pier and the phraseoiogy more Biblical.
The leat distinctive tenets of the Evangeii-
cal faith abide in the hearts of the children and
are emphasiz d among us with inc eased stress
But there are miner dogmas iBcnlcated which
are no longer preached, mainly because no long
err prohtably employed, in form and perhaps IN
subs anee also, outworn and outgrowp. Many
nj the hereSies to meet and deny which, they
ehAnual1 andsothers of its epoch were framed.
never were other than pnantoms and are long
iiid. Besides 1ur notions as to the aims and
,aJect of Manual are less ambitious and more
practical every ~ay.if'
The fathers hfty years since had far more con-
fesslOns d security against the admission iOf
. an unregenerate mem ership. We are more del
icate with Candidates, less technical, more cir
cumstantal. Mt that for moment we believe
the true spiritual life is not an indispensable
qualification, or that we would Justify the indis
lcrininate admissions of the muititudinist the
,ry We think rather that Matt l3.48 means
that do your best, some fishes will come IN;
while it does not covet unholy ASSOCIATIONS. He
would comfort amid failure resulting after best
eff arts at culling. The modern church, Ia nay
w ftf- OflV a
claims The gift OF discerning spirits and whereas
th fathers were almost inclined to feel the can
lidate is hound TO satisfy the church that ne
was Oh iseian. We are inclined to leave the
responsibility of decid ny whether he be a real
hri ti4usnore with the individual than WIN
the church.
,ae CONSTITUENCIES of this modified course is al
70 to De noted among us IN the greatly decreased
psrcen tags,Qf cases OF di cipline ana excom-
inuuic -tion a. the decades roll on.
Such Iiltngs ate every way more rare than
shey used 90 be- There can be no doubt That
1uJwafd y-@e cad "a iuore moral and consistent
lie, es .eci lily as regardsi toxicAtion, slanuer,
defamation, theft, lying.
No small partsf that discipline which does
ari SO among us grows not out OF POSITIVE crime,
nut out of tue negative neglect aud soclal ex-
CESS on the part Of the more cultivated cnnrcnes,
40 busy and pre0ceupied to watch and hoip the
more ignol ant and degraded who have happened
70 De bi ought in during q revival.
SOME OF the MOI IN arked signs OF advance is
to 90 diseOvere Inot so mach III the longing for
4 better architecture, more appropriate church
music, and in more general participation In
our Congregation shared III this general move
mept,, bat tho, movement is only elo-
queut because of the broad Christian
split which Is behind it. l mean rea-
diness to rise ABOVE old time prejudices, and
traditional assoeiatiops, and SO ia as may ne
prae6ieable in COZ sistency with Congregational
principles, iato harmony with the majority OF
she CHRISTIAN world. Formerly to adopt any Of.
Jne parG of the service (iturgicaD usages
Of the class from which we disseated was to 20
tainted with AngicIsm. "Popish docs,ine iurk-
ell illtiIe easien'e of Gregorsan music" whereas
now to rssi t the introduction OF prontaDte
ogms of worship for 10 better reason than LhAt
they are in use in another denominations super
stitiDn itself The. determination to MAINTAIN
dssinil rity for is own sake instead or desiring
co atlantic as Iiiuch of agreement with other
Christians possible, is the ess ence Oh sectan-
ansrn. fhe earth is the Lords anu the tulness
Gnere0f.=a ~ A-atrt Y Ctit 81 st.ilss
Perhaps one OF, the more hopeful tokens Of
n prog ress in the premises is seen not In TINS
ssle factEh at such changes are gradually appear
ing here aud elsewhere, for the changes ths m
serves lay not be in every case vice and expedi-
ient, but rather lin this the attainment OF tne
trong conviction, th4 it may be our privilege
as iG Is always oar right 10 enlarge ana monliy
our modes rof action and OF worship as the
growth OF opinion or the,diferences OF elrcula-
stances may require. This without the COM
prOnIise of any principle. Its beginning VIII al
ways bs memorable as coInciaing. Il
g. This church under God is indebted for It's
preservation to il grasp OF the SITUATION ana
for i5ssdevotionto its proper work. y
/ am not claiming for it more than moderate
Appreciation either of lis privileges or IT'S re-
spOn5ibIlitits, iLhas made grave mistakes ana
has fallen TAR short. But such as 1T Is, 1t owes
che veAeratiohit receives nom the pubic, TO lts
1t least p &rtial conseeraJion TO the welfare OF
our cirz5ns. ChuIc hes are all 100 mueh lncliIlr
ciined to nest til emselyes IN their comfort and
t5tlige TO Housewives We have never -S"ttie1
down to sach 9fixedness of residence, that we
could not be moved. We nave bevn ready 10 Ter
model or adore our editiee as -caslon relnited
5ut there is no idQlatry ot place.-BuIidinss per
haps afe temptation to vanity, and ban 70
the very poor We may beiuore in bondage than
We know Bat if even in the year TO come we
are called to strike our, tent, am satlsned we
shall not need the LVTd's rebuke to hay7 codr
soonr STAKES Nef5hef have we been obJuse or
spl lffefsnt TO what Is gong on IN the Guy Ior
God. assA .r4ie. itFd ~ M q I'm
W. stand fortfe Deity of Christ as the condi-
tion uf'Sppn church fellowship. But we respect
every organ zation among US for The work which
i5is duiug and we believe SOME. OF the more
% snTy opposed to iis could not be spared. We
are not cJniqentiy expecting the nd Of aef
in our day, least OF all thaV all the
sscts are eVer gang 60 be reno ded ana
cYaescs with our pwn. we 40 WISH mat i1tln9
.lanting OF new enterpfizes there were Win all
our clutches vf every name more feeling OF a
y n cotamon III given district,
more deaiEInInati jnal community and more cum
ess OF aoEion--in any event sufficient econ
micai Knowledge to teach, that IL IS with
clutches as railroads, II two are built to DO
the service winch one can perform, the commun-
But perhaps lt4ISnot p acticable at this stage OF
hu man nat IRE, There was period when all the
evangelical churches OF Lne cltt were on deilgntt
full ttrns of fraterHel interc urse; when at least
among this Congregational churches, there was
stated and regular exchanges the first Sabbath
of every month Love TO oe cementeu
requires expressions and seals. This church
would rejoice to see the return OF a similar cus-
tom to that III the,tatheIs, convinced as 1t Isl
that TO it we owe much OF the harmony ana prosf
perity OF The past. bu5 most OF all, TINS churcn
bnaE it is set for the salvation or
ntssn. Pho church winch Christ mas in mind Is
lisyd ipAi.Ap the racs--nankind. IS
In G&epse We existp primarily: for the edthcation
1t Ourselves Al alocai ofganization, but even 50
otfiy thsn OF higher nsefulaess abroad, But lest
We dege crate i3to a cue, and a private school
and lavish the Lords money 10 graces on our
penance BY relatively cheap WORKS OF benencence
for The haaGhen,w esil'upon our sister churches
continually TO admonish US in the Lore, ana 70
remind us of the founders, who were truly God
II 1T anytime we cannot or do not reach the
ignoraat-and the unsaved, ano are not quaineo
for the .swldeawake hand-t to- hand" work OF CON
yerting souls here, we have SO far lost our night
t. be, and shall nave begun to die We are a.
church of Christ, but we are also a puohc cnar-i
ity, aud are exempted as such from tax9tion..
We belong therefore to tie community, ana we
owe TO its every member not merely the Gospel
but our higher efVlee OF manly sympathy anu
spiritual he D. We are to be free to every comer
and specially TO remember the poor. Did we do
otherwise we are nut public institution, we
dare uot call ourselves d Schu Gu OF Christ. On
the other baud 50 long as by The grace of Christ
we keepDnrsAlves alert and mobile, quick and
TO the dem ands OF time, we shall
live to do the w9rk, of our day and generation.
and tie High street church of the hundredth
gear Will as surely rBviy5 with JOY our memories
as we revive to-day the litsle church OF 90 years
ago.is,a .s-ttGaf 1ssl s4is5tt' eat s'f
Inthe afternoon the venerable DR.. CHECKER
ing assisted at the communion service.
To the evening a general meeting was held
After prayer and singing, Rev. Mr.. CHECKER
ing, fornerpastor of the church, was in
troduced who gave some personal reminiscent
oes relating to his work since he retired from
the pas crate. He then presented a papel
which was read by the present pastor, Rev
Mr.. Fem It was mainly a history of the
High street church. Weslearn from it tina
Dr. Chiekpribg began to- preach for thu
caaroA.in 1885, In 1S41 after q brief respite
he gssuued his labcrs and continued hero fol
nearly alqnartere " aIcentqry longer. Access
cessioasto the. church were large and fire.
quent3 Sui especially il the esrs1S4l,i ct the
time Of the grest revival in Portsmouth, N
FL. In that year 107 were added by profession
and % by letter, The change OF pastors wa
nade5vithout u as;santthis church has al