The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-05-10
PULPIT AND PLATFORM.


was present.
The exercises opened with the singing of
"Jubilate Dec" (Marenthal) by the First
Parish choir. Select passages of Scripture
were read by DR.. Webb, followed by prayer
by DR.. Hill. The choir then sang so Father
Hear u.s." by Winter.
The report of the past year was read by
Rev. L. Fl. Hallock. A summary of the
year shows the following figures: Expended
for services, travelling expenses and books
given away, 81, 093.56; paid American Bible
Society for books purchased, $2,320.50; adj
yertising, printing, etc, $63.75; due the
treasury March 81, $3,677; total, S3,51602.
Amount received from all sources, including
sales and collections $3,51602. Six persons
have been employed as assistants, three of
whom are now in the field. In Cumberland
county, since October, 1871 families have
beensvlsited, of which 256 had no Bibles and
were supplied; 2,Ss7 children were found
not attending Sunday school; 1856 families
who attend no church. In Portland were
found 81 families having no portion of the
Bible; 81 children in no Sunday school; out
of 5,125 families visited, 2,097 declared them
selves as non-church-goers.
The annual address was delivered by Mr..
w. E. Gould, who took for his topic The
Circulation of the Scriptures as an import
ant factor in the Enlargement of the Mes
siah's Kingdom
Passing by definitions, the speaker claims
the Kingdom to be a fact, and not an IDEA,
that it was subject to laws, and orderly
ion of effort by the spirit and the Brldes
Hence the Kingdom is divine in origin but
dependent on ordained influences for its de-
velopment upon earth.
The occasion confined the topic TO one OF
the most important of these influences, VIZ:
the circulation of the word. and the address
was an attempt to show that the Kingdom is
to be extended as the word is circulated
First-From the power of the Scriptures over
the conscience and life.
Second-From the power of the Scriptures to
erect and sustain high standard of public NOR
ality.
Third-From the power of the word to sway
and civiliZe mankind.
The main argumentwas an appeal to the
high authority Of the Scriptures as the mind
of God, which by its PRONUNCIATION in print
and in pulpit, brought light out of darkness
in the early age. and later on in manifesting
its power in redeeming man from the low es-
tate of mean desires, 10 the proper concep-
tion of high standing and great capacity as a
child of God.
Buckles theory that religion is simply an
index Of intellectual culture was c0ntrasted
with many examples of Christian faith and
power III IHe uedTI anu HE.
The choir sung the hymn beginning,
Triumphant Zion, lift up thy head,' fol-
lowed by brief remarks by Rev. E. B. Webb,
d. d. and Rev. Thomas Hill, ID. D. The
choir sung hymn to the tune composed by
III. K. Oliver, a contribution was taken and
the exercises closed with prayer and bene-
diction by DR.. Webb.
coNGPEcs STFrr NJ II cIIIrprrI
AT the Congress street Methodist church
yesterday, Rev. Ezra Tinker, the new pas
tor, preached in the morning and afternoon
to large audiences. In the afternoon he took
as his text, Matthew, 27:22, 'sPilate saith
unto them, what shall do then with Jesus
which is called Christ"
The following is a brief abstract:
1t was too much to expect that PLATE
would be very exact in the the administra-
ton of justice. By nature he was selfish and
and dogmatic. An official of a government
whose maxim was that might made right
would not be very likely to incur the dis
pleasure of whole nation for the sake of a
single individual who was destitute of
wealth, rank and distinction. Unconscious
ly the Roman governor pr0pounded the
greatest question of the past eighteen centu-
ries and the greatest question of all time to
come.
II We consider the sphere or pnrfospfty,-. OF
science, of art and of literature we shall dis
cover the influence of Christ. A philosophy
which tries to account for che universe, for
the race, its end and purpose, cannot ignore
Christian teaching and divine revelation.
Philosophy like Mary. must sit at the feet Of
foot of the cross. There it will find an an
SWer, there it will find the salvation of the
religious phenomena of today.
Science in its Investigations and research
es meets with the same fact and must answer
the same question. The arch@logist inquiries
for the ancient temple in which Christ stood
and where He worshipped and he finds moth
ing but the foundation stones upon which
that magnificent structure was reared. In
his amazement he calls to mind the words of
the Lord Jesus, saying, 1.-THE time shall
come when there shall not be left here one
stone upon another that shall not be thrown
down.
Soothing infdels have risen to dispute the
claims of Jesus and whole cities that have
been slumbering for ages beneath the clods
of the valley have leaped forth from their
well worn tombs to confront these bold
blasphemers. Art too has asked and an
swered the question. RaphaelshaS painted it,
Michael Angelo has chiseled it.
The litterateur of modern times must like
wise answer for he finds the literature of the
past eighteen hundred years impregnated to
greater or a lesser extent with Christian
ideas. He sees the influence of the despised
Nazarene on every page and in every line.
Master minds have been so enraptured by
the excellency of Christ's teaching that they
have been willing to lend the weight of their
influence to spread that name abroad, jerome
brings the wealth of his great scholarship and
lays it at the Masters feet. Dante could not
have written his Inferno under any other
sky than that of the Christian. Millions
muse could not have inspired with any other
fhQma than that of 8Pqrq0ica acf ~ N r.
adise Regained." Goethe and Schiller owe
much of their influence to the fact that they
were both under Christian sky and sung
to Christian world.
Heaven and earth conspire torask and an
swer the question. Ecce Deus succeeds
Ecce Homo and Credo crowns them both,
and the angelic throng in ecstacy at the
scene sing out, 'Glory to God in the higest,
on earth peace, good will toward men,"
ANNIVERSARY OF SECOND PARISH SUNDAY
SCHOOL.
1t was fortunate that after such an I'M
pleasant Saturday, the Second Parish Sun
day School should have had so favorable an
afternoon as yesterday for holding the exer-
cises of its Sixty-ninth Anniversary. Every
seat in the Church was occupied. The plat
form was tastefully decorated with flowers
and their fragrance joined with the throng
of prettily dressed children in making a
thoroughly enjoyable occasion.
The choir music was of that exquisite Or
der characteristic of the singers. The
schools choruses were well sustained and
the singing and recitations of the Chinese
pupils showed that much diligent training
must have been given to that branch of the
work.
The superintendent's report showed a
membership of $685. the Chinese department
having 10, and 66 teachers. The average at
tendance during the past year has been 326
Nine scholars have been united with the
church and there have been only two deaths,
Grace bearing and Hattie Liscomb.
The treasurer reported the total collections
to have been $469, the total disbursements
$45s, thus leaving balance of 81.
HDr. Webb Of Boston, then addressed the
school, taking for his subject 1.-THE Study of
the Bible" One great benefit to be derived
from such study is the filling of the mind
with divine authority. We should know
and understand Gods laws. There is no
beauty in the world except as there is con-
formlty to its physical laws. God is the
source of all law and authority and by the
study of the Bible we come into direct COM
munication with Him.
Another gain to be made by the study Of
the scriptures is the formation and main
tenance of character. Our minds and hearts
are enlarged by the thoughts we dwell upon.
We think of the grand and beautiful in ma
ture and we are eRpobled and made better by
the very thought and as we come into closer
relations with God the Greater of all these