The Portland daily press., 1883-05-01
THE METHoDlsTs.
The Exercises on sunday.
LEWISTON, April %.

LEWISTON, April %.
Sunday at conference is always the great day
Of the feast II opened bright and beautiful
and a. an early hour multitudes were seen
throngiug to the City Fall, whore all the con-
ference services we're held because OF its seat
ing capacity Of 5000.
The Love Feast conducted By Rev. s. Allen,
d. D., commenced at Q o'clock and continued
with an increasing interest for an hour and =
half, and by the time Of public service the
house was packed, hundreds standing through
the entire service.
Bishop Foss preached, taking his text from
Acts, v, 32-aAnd we are His witnesses Of
these things"
The context shows what things. the divini-
~ OF Christ, His redemption mission, His mira
Giles, teaching, death, resurrection and ascen-
sion. In ascsrtaining all truth, there are two
ways Of reaching the knowledge we seek. viz,
by reasoning process and BY exPerfencc.
was shown that experience Is the highest test
Of truth Does the Christian religion submit
itself 10 this high test? We shall see.
/. The probability that it does. This was
shown by the necessity OF religion Of univer-
sal adaptation All men have not time or ca
paafy for close reasoning-all have time for
experience therefore il Is not reason though
reasonable. 1t is not science, though In perfect
harmony with scientific facts and discovery.
II Is not philosophy though philosophical.
Experiment has been found the best method
ia other things. We always seek facts when
We desire certainty, because facts lie at the foun
dation Of all truth. Experiment alone de-
velopes facts; all progress Ia scientific thought
Is absolutely dependent on theories as foun-
nm hiei n hi I'D IL II mt than pr0ha-
bic that God would give as this method OF
arriving at the truth In relation 70 cur highest
interests, our duty and our destiny? But IL Is
not for the learner to dictate the experim enis
by which the truth he seeks shall be reached;
the teacher does this and God dictates the
conditions aud the experiments BY which We
ehatl reach truths In religion.
Repentance, prayer, faith are the expert
ments we are to make. III ye do this thing,
His will, ye shall know his doctrine; know
your relation TO Him; know II ya have passed
from death unto life
1--WE are His witnesses of these things" A
witness does not guess, nor is II his
duty 10 reason He Is not competent wit
ness unless he knows facts.
We are witnesses OF His resurrection, saw
HIM after his death, felt His power TO forgive
sin, regenerate aud save from the guilt and
love OF sin. Enoch. Paul, David and others
bad this knowledge. How do we know this?
How do we know anything? BY consciousness
which Is the condition OF all knowledge.
The Spirit beareth with our spirit. Would you
know Make the experiments he dictates,
test His promi es aud see results Then you
will know. Thus you bring the whole mat
ter, the promises, the truth and results within
the realm OF personal consciousness and like
the apostles become His witnesses of these
things"
a mere sketch cannot do justice to such
sermon; such force of argument, such beauty
Of illustration, such tenderness and pathos IN
seldom found combined with such grace of
ofatory.
The singing was congregational aud
grand, led by a choir, cornet and piano.
AT the close OF the sermon the following
we're ordained travelling deacons; w. II.
Holmes, J. Frost, j. r. Roberts, G. j. Pear
son, T. r. Jones, j. III Snow and d. II. Ford
A collection Of $50 was taken for worn out
preachers aud widows Of the conference.
At O'Clock the hall was filled to Its utmost
capacity to listen to sermon from DIR. Fow-
Ter, chief Secretary Of the Missionary Society.
The speaker took his text from Darius 2--"The
stone cut OF the mountain thus filed the whole
EARTH The first leading thought was to show
Gods plan to regenerate aud save the world as
intimated In the FIRST promise God gave 10 our
race, 10 the seed of the woman But the work
OF regenerating ideas is theswork of ages; IT Is
q weary process In illustration he referred TO
the promise of the Messiah to the world. "
| took forty centuries 10 deveopa the ideas, aud
| then, when He came, those who knew the
| scriptures and prophecies Of his coming and
character SO little understood the idea that In
stead Of sustaining his claim they caught him
| and nailed him on the cross. SO II has ever
| been; IL il weary work to fix an idea in the
mind OF q race and lift II into higher, pnrer
| life. IL has taken eighteen centuries TO dc.
velope the meaning OF the great commission
| given to the apostles. So slowly has the idea
| developed that to-day though we have had the
| commission eighteen hundred years and have
been acting under 1t, we are still in the minor
ity. The forces Of the Gentiles and even their
numbers have not yet been brought In
He pissed to speak Of the hopelessness OF
| the heather world without the gospel What
| else can lift these nations up2 What has
| ever done II except the gospel? Even could
they be saved in the future world without ~,
| what would that future world be? When we
| do we take character with usl
| What would Heaven be then TO the puref
| You SEQ then our responsibility. Give them
| the gospel.
He met the excuses many offer and passed
| to encouraging marks Of success, points 70
| the triumph Of missionary effort the spread
| OF Bible truth within tho last quarter oil n
century as indications that the day OF anal vic
| tory was near at hand.
"A collection TO aid aged and feeble minis
ters and widows were taken, amounting to
S34, making the collections for tho day more
than Ss5, The largest conference collection
We think, ever tsken in the conference.
The service wasfollowed by the ordination
of J. A. Corey and g. w. Simons as elders.
In the eveninga platform missionary meet
ing was held The hall was again crowded
with deeply interested congregation and th'
speaking was sustained and SO this day OF in
terest closed.
The following figures in relation to the sew
eral districts of the Methodist Conference arr
Of interest.
AUGUSTA DISR1cT
Membership Probattioners, 533; member
ship, $3.50; deaths, 60; baptism. IA. onnron