The Portland daily press., 1883-07-23
PULPIT AND PLATFORM.
CONGRESS SQUARE.

AV-uhy i DOG tuo iouS iih0 "a toicSfduu poles
stretching over this dear country of ours, along
the sea, through the valleys and over the
| mountain tons, penetrating into the interior,
| into the great cities, and even into every
humble hamlet of our land, 80 wonderful Is
| the workings OF the telegraph system of this
country OF ours. And thousands of men and
| women are engaged In touching the instru-
ments that send the messages from point to
| point and above them is a souless and,
think, very, wicked corporation, striving to
grind them down to the lowest terms for their
labor, and to use thei gigantic power to bring
them to their own terms believe that usually
strikes are i'll advised; believe usually they
bring more harm than good but my heart Is
with the strikers OF this company, and my con-
domination is on those who have brought them
TO this pass; and may God grant wisdom with
them who are the many, the weak and the
poor, and grant that they shall be able TO gain
the victory But If, as is so many times the
case, power and strength shall gain the victory
and the Legislature be aroused and take steps
Tor the protection of the weak and the poor In
the days to come. Here is a corporation with
probably, ten millions of dollars paid In, and
yet with capital Of eighty millions of dollars
receiving dividends on money never paid in
through the feeling of lawyers and interfering
with the processes OF law. At this very hour
the laboring man pays his million and five hun
dred thousand dollars out of his own pocket In
order that the holders of stock in the corpora
deciding that . large portion of the stock ought
to be considered as having no value II the
men who are in power shall look up to the
laws as did the swomen and men in the valley
OF Ebal and read that commandment Of God
that the strong and the rich shall not Cypress
the poor and the weak, what day for America
would have come!
STATE STREET CHURCH.
At State street church Rev Mr.. Hawkes. of
South Hadley, Mass, preached from the text,
"Acauaint now myself with Him, and be at
peace; thereby good shall come to thee
Job xxi: p.
The introduction was an explanation OF the
mistake Jobs friends made in supposing his
atfiiction was proof Of, and punishment
for, some iniquity of his. Eliphas thinks Job
does not know God and in the text exhorts
him to acquaintance with him. While it was
mistake in the spirit in which it was ad-
dressed to Job, it is a proper exhortation for
anytime, and has a general and particular ap-
piication for us.
First-It teaches that we are strangers to
God. Not directly, but by implication. Many
people are strangers to God and k now very lit.
tie abo ut him, and show strange perversity in
not needing when God makes advances for
acquaintance, as in revelation and the gospel.
Many hide themselves like Adam and Eve.
and Tor the same reason, because of SIM Sin
makes all men afraid of Holy God Elphas
showed this to Job as in the ed and 23d
verses" Receive, / pray thee, the law from
his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.
Ii thou return to the Almighty thou shalt be
built up"; signifying that he would not re-
cieve Gods law, that he would not submit his
heart and that he kept away from God. If
this is true OF US are we not strangers to God?
Secondiy-How one may become acquainted
with God We sometimes think. we know
gard to them. Saul of Tarsus thought he
knew all about Jesus of Nazareth, but when
he first met him, cried out in fearful sur
prise, who art thou?" and had to be told,
Il am Jesus"
Years afterwards, when he said 81 know
him" he had right knowledge of him, which
he did not have at first. And this is the req
son men are strangers to God; they are igno-
rant OF His true character: some think Him
harsh and severe. Hearing of His hatred of
sin, they forget, or will not look at the cross,
the proof of His love. The two knights dis
puted and fought over the shield, gold on one
side and silver on the other, because neither
weuld yield and look at the other side. God
is both "a consuming fire" and "God is love;'
but men will not yield and look to see if it is
not so; and this is the moral color-blindness of
sin. Like the opium habit, sin leads to disre-
gard of spiritual truth. DIR. Taylor told John
Newton that although he had studied every
word of the Hebrew Scriptures, yet he could
not find the atonement. The hymn writer
told him that he once tried to light his candle
with the extinguisher on i'll and SO with his not
hndlng the atonement in the Bible. Men will
not become acquainted with God till sin is put
OF. There is only one way for that; but while
the condition is simple, it is absolute. And
Job outlined it in the verses next succeeding
the text; to "receive the law from Gods
mouth" is to repent; to "lay up his words in
the heart is to submit the will; and to "return
to the Almighty" is faith, shown in trust and
obedience. The parable of the prodigal son
illustrates this, and also that that son did not
become really acquainted with his father till
he had passed through that experience. He
thought his father would only receive him
back as servant, while all the father wanted
was too have him right as a son.
Thlrd-What acquaintance with God will
secure. BE at peace; and thereby good shall
come TO thee" "Be at peace implies conflict
The sinner thinks God is bis enemy and feels
emnity towards Him in return. But when
like the prodigal SOD he comes to HIMSELF
sin is put away, he submits and believes obey
ing, and finds how very different, and how
much better God is from what he supposed,
he enjoys wonderful peace and gets great
good. a man who had grown up great
stranger to God became aware that his Christ
ian wife had an acquaintance with God that
gave her great peace. After much rebellious
conflict IL was tsaid Of him at last as of Saul
AoCuoiu no pIdlcJuy anu u6 IOulQ great
peace for himself, and good also, was instru-
mental In bringing the same peace and good to
many others. Before the gospel came to Scot
land the Scots were fierce and painted savages.
Receiving the gospel at last brought them
more spiritual peace and good than any other
people. Forty-eight years ago the Fijans we're
the most IMPLYING and sangninary of canabals
They became acquainted with God, and now
there is not a canabal in the more than one
hundred thousand population, they have neari
txru hDrson 1ot.t rrk.nn vkAll
among themselves and very prosperous. The
same peace and good will come to every people
and individual in proportion as he becomes ac-
quainted with God in His appointed way.
Fourth-Tbe importance of immediate &C.
quaintance with God. "Acquaint now myself
with him." Gods exhortation and command
is always "New." The Lord Jesus said that to
some the word would bel never knew you;
depart from me-"
Ii lack of acquaintance will lead to sending
away, IL Is all-imporsant to become acquainted
In season. 1t is mans highest and best privi-
lege that he may become acquainted now.
The bride groom came and they that were
ready vent in with him to the marriage; and
the door was shut. Afterwards came the other
virgins, saying, Lord, Lord open to us But
he answered and said, verify say unto you, /
know you not" "Acquaint now thyself with
him, and be at peace; thereby good shall come
unto thee"
DEDICATION OF A SWEDISH CHURCH
Meetings of the Swedes resident In our city
date back as far as 1874. Some time since,
however the little church on Elm street was
begun and yesterday it was dedicated. Two OF
the clergymen who were to assist in the cere-
mony sent word at late hour that they were
unable to come. A company which filled the
audience room assembled at the hour of morn
ing service. Wreaths, vines plants and choice
cut flowers were gracefully distributed about
the church and were especially noticeable
about the altar and font.
The service was conducted by Rev. N. Eller-
stad, former minister of the church, and
Rev. Kasper X. Faegre, the present pastor,
and was throughout In the Swedish language.
1t opened with prayer and was continued with
responses and scripture readings, with singing
after each portion read The sermon was
preached by Rev. N. Ellerstad, and the church,
the altar and the baptsmal font were dedicat
cd to the service of God. Following the ser
mon few remarks by the pastor ended the
service. In the evening the Rev. Mr.. Faegre
preached In the English language. The SUBJ
ject of his theme was 1.-THE Lutheran church."
and was an interesting account of the tenets
of the church and its growth in this country.
NOTES
A. L. II ~