The Portland daily press., 1886-07-05
We are watching, we are waiting,
For the star that brings the day,
When the night of sin shall vanish,
And the shadows melt away.
Refrnin-We are waiting, etc.

We are watching, we are waiting
For the star that brings the day,
When the night of sin shall vanish,
And the shadows melt away.
Refrdin--We are waiting, ETC.
We are watching, we are waiting,
For the heauteouS King Of day;
For the chiefest of ten thousand,
For the Light the Truth, the way.
Refrdi,l-We are waiting, etc.
Rev. William H. Fem, D. D., then deliver
ed an address on Religious Worship Later
in the Century," He said
REV. W. H. FENN's ADDRESS.
Q) The first change which we note as
characterizing this the latter part of the CEN
tury,is from simple to more aesthetic wor-
ship. If one of those who fell asleep
hundred years ago in Portland could now
revisit the scene Of his labors, l am sure it
would be difficult for him to find himself or
his way through the new city. What with
the natural decay of the old buildings, the
vast wreck wrought by the late fire, and the
construction of new dwellings, old associa-
tions would be rudely shocked, the sense of
locality be at it, wits ends. Where is. this
and that old landmark? he would inquire
with mournful mien. But if memory and
! imagination would be puzzled to adjust them
selves to the grosser features of the change,
how much more to the great public institu-
tions, banks, insurance offices, the increased
population, schoolhouses, stores, the busy
streets, the scale on which things are done.
the rush and hurry Of modern life, the out
| landish vehicles, the odd dresses. If the day,
| however, happened to be Sunday, he would
| be even more surprised by the difference
| with which holy time was spent and the
| afternoons beguiled. Instead of the bare
meeting house, he would find the people
| gathering within tho walls of structure
medieval in its type and associations. The
| interior, no longer in bold and glaring white,
| is softened with mellow tones. The windows
richly digit, casting dim, religious light"
| The high old pulpit with its holy spiral
| stairs is laid low, reduced to an open stand
| on a platform. Instead of the divine attrac-
| ton which gathered the officers and people
| close about 1t, Is feverlsh anxiety to recede
| from it,-a grace operating quite strong
| enough, though it operates inversely as the
4 square of the distance. There is no longer
the same sort OF solemnity upon the face OF
| the congregation, nor the same uniformity of
| posture in prayer or in praise. They no
| longer fiddle and sing the hymns of a selec-
ton. In the room of the pitch pipe or bass
| viol, is that noble congregation of giant
| reeds, whose pedal is the very voice of many
| waters. Would he believe his ears when he
| heard the Lords Prayer repeated in concert,
| the responsive reading of the Psalms and
| other liturgical exercises long under the ban?
| And then, ON other days, how would he be
amazed at the departures from venerable
usage in matters pertaining to the religious
| life? Instead of the annual Fast, how would
| he abominate the wicked Sunday or rather
holiday which we have made Of it, How
| would his vltals creep within him at the
| widespread observance of Easter, the ami
| mated church-yard of memorial flowers, and
| the wild chatter of Gagged canaries, or the
| universal enjoyment of Christmas, when all
| these changes in the customs of religious life
| and worship you will yet find many perma-
nent elements of old time principle
| a. Aother notable change is from dogmat-
| ic apprehension of Christianity to one which
looks at it more as life. Supreme veneration
in our age is paid to fact; specially fact as
against dogma. The creeds as such are be-
| ing simplifed and on the basis of the Apos~
preaching the receding of God the Father, or
| rather of the abstract God in favor of the
| concrete Goldman. This will explain anoth-
| er remarkable matter, how Christianity has
! changed from being a religion of the future
| into this world-religion. Fifty yearsIago,
| the house of God was transfgured with SER
mons on Heaven, graphic and ravishing, now
| it would seem as if the heavens had gone far
of and become astronomical Observe the pc
| culiar want of responsiveness on the part of
the ordinary hearer to:matters of the future
| life. He listens, but he will not kndle.
Stand by the bedside of the invalid or dy-
ing Christian. He does not wayer concern
cerning salvation here and now, he is consis-
tent conscientious, lest he murmur and fail
of patience, but faith that is ardent, faith
that wounds up and scars after Christ, how
rare!
Certainly this predominating estimate put
upon fact underlies the christian spirit of
the time too, as constituting it the practical
age. There is plenty OF pressing work to do,
hence its earnest thrusting aside of strife
about words to no profit.
(3). Another change is from more de-
fined to more mystical conception of the
greater facts in religion. We are not to
press distinctions absolutely, but fifty years
ago, the fathers were more inclined to speak
of God as outside Of his universe, turning
universe is more like flower opening from
within, and God is the life of it's life 1t does
not express to us the whole truth to say that
the firmanent shows his handiwork. God in
ter-penetrates the whole.
Too often our elder brethren misgaye
themselves for Joy in things visible as though
idolatory lurked in their deadly fascination,
but we defy the charm by opening God at
their heart.
wheat grown in the shade. Degradation ov-
ertakeS religion when not in close contact
with every day life. 1t is not to be denied
that this broad church tendency may be car
spirit, of which st. John speaks in his
Epistles. But to us the indwelling spirit
consecrates and sanctifes the whole of hu-
man life, its customs, laws, its bat
teS ea wbeh Business 6e The tbseorv close Sc GSsv Gss
finds between God and human life. it discov-
ers also between God and the human soul
Our ancestors were wont to define sharply
the natural from the supernatural. They
were mostly old school in their theology
Human TlOhfQnn xung thry
generation an act of sovereign, naked omnip-
otence. We cannot affirm exactly what God
does, and what man does. The deeper we
go, the more mysteriously the human and
the divine are blended.
90 Another landmark of thought which
distinguishes our age from theirs is turning
from special grace to general, that is, to the
movement of the spirit in all men. We do
not deny the special but we antedate the be-
ginnings of change and expect from the
spirit greater diversity of operations. We
incline to be interested,not in the differences.
but in the resemblances, the things common
to all souls
% Still further and every way worthy of
note is the tendency toward an inclusive chris
tianity, rather than the exclusive, disposi-
ton towards comprehension. This out of a |
charitable and catholic zeal. The: point of |
view of the individual is giving way before |
the corporate sense of humanity. The self |
conscious and instropective habit has touched |
its decline. Magnifying crises of feeling in |
connection with conversion, it has un- |
churched the children and driven them into |
more churchly communions. There is some
thing besides conscious experience, which |
precedes and conditions 1.-THE antecedent
grace OF God,-without which we are insula-
ted from the life divine in church and histo-
ry. TO this tendency contributes nightly |
the instinct of Christian brotherhood, and in
cooperative ways. 1t seems the epoch of |
falling middle walls in economies, state and
church. All this is greatly magnifed by the
Overwhelming world consciousness which is
now upon us. There seems to be some all
preyading. moral ether whichIpermeates the
society OF moral beings and transmits
througs 1t lnnumerable waves of good or
evil influence, and this not only from cOnti-
nent to continent, but from Heaven to earth. |
giving to religion universal scope, making
OF redemption world movement in many |
of its features as pervasive and Irresistible
as God himself.
As Dr. Fem concluded, Mr.. Burgess rose
to say few words about a composer who was
born in Portland. John K. Payne. He said: