The Portland daily press., 1888-01-30
PULPIT AND PLATFORM.

Rev. S. ID. Payne, formerly Of Florida,
preached very pleasing initiatory sermon at
Pine street church yesterday morning. He
took his text from the 18th and 10th verses
of the LIST chapter Of Paul's epistle TO the
Romans: 80, as much as in me is, am
ready to preach the gospel to you that are
Rome also. For 1 am not ashamed Of the
gospel Of Christ; for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth /;
to the few first. and also to the Greek"
Before referring to his text the speaker
said; Last Wednesday took the express
at Florida and left behind the green orange
trees, bananas and mangolias. The people
down there are apprehensive Of my freezing
or getting stuck in snow drift; they told
me would when l came away. But want
to tell you that am not one of the kind that
get frozen. think l have been in cold
climates before. am here providentially
and only as temporary pastor until confer
ence meets. / have come here to work"
He then spoke of his work in the West
and South and then said that he was going
to talk to his congregation not to preach
from the text given.
1t is supposed that when Paul wrote this
epistle to the Romans there were some 5000
or 1900 members. How Christianity reach
ed Rome we have no certain knowledge. One
theory is that the gospel was carried there
by the converts Of Peter, but there are other
theories extant. We know, however, that
about the year IS there was church at Rome
made up OF some 5000 or 5000 members and
to this church Paul addressed the epistle Il
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ" IL
seems to me that II we ever needed firm
belief In the gospel it Is to-day. There is a
skepticism and spirit Of inquiry to-day
especially In regard to the Bible. believe
that the sun which shines to-day shines on
the best world and the best church since the
fall of man. / want to say that II this Book
cannot bear the search and investigation Of
man and keep up with the march OF science
1t Is only matter Of time when it must be
swept away. You cannot stand against the
tide of learning and enlightenment. Now
the question is are we able 10 stand to-day
in the face Of infdelity, in the face Of
science and say with Paul, as he declared
nearly 1900 years ago, II am not ashamed Of
the gospel"
In the first place we are not ashamed Of its
author. The very statements that Jesus
Christ made, astounding and unprecedented
as they were, have all come to pass. The
thought of the world has been drawn to
Christ. He Is the object OF thought, as no
other man of the world ever was. Never
was there on the face of the earth such
pure, spotless character, as that Of Christ.
Even his enemies acknowledge his purity.
II know men," said Napoleon, ''but this
was no man." Did you ever think of it, that
there is not a non-Christian nation on the
face Of the earth that can cope successfully
with even the smallest Christian power? |
don't see how any man, when he looks at
the spOtlessness Of its maker, can be asham-
ed Of the gospel
The conception Of God that charms me
the most is as a father. The conception of
God is the conception that thrills my soul
Now another teaching that Is going to reYO-
lutionize the world is that we are brothers.
Ashamed Of the gospel no, brethren, am
not ashamed Of 1t. Now, L Will tell you
that am not ashamed of what Christianity
has done for the world. | don't understand
how any man or any woman can be an inf
del When man comes to me and tells me
that he does not believe in Christianity, /
say, then bring me something better. Bring
me something better than to love my neigh
Dor as myself. and to worship God with all
my soul, bring me something better than
this and I'll take it.
III you want me to tell you how Christ
could he man and God at once, | cannot tell
you; if you want me to tell you the mystic
ries of the trinity | cannot; you can ask me
ten thousand questions and / cannot answer
them, and | can ask you ten thousand ques-
tions and you cannot answer them. We are
sick and tired Of this scientific preaching.
IL is the gospel that Is going to win; have
preached it to you down here in Maine; 1t is
good in the north, and the south, and all
over the world. | am not ashamed of the
gospel and its teachings"