The Portland daily press., 1891-09-30
THE FREE BAPTIsrs.
Third Annual Meeting Of the state
observation-disclosures Anthony's
Garpoan

'""u ~nuudt meeting OF me St0to
Association-Professor Anthony's
Sermon.
The third annual meeting OF the ma,he
Free Baptist Association began ias' evening
| at the Free Baptist church on congress
street. The church was wen h'iou Al Spite
| of the showery weather Inc preliminary
| exercises consisted OF the reading Oh the 10th
| Psalm. followed by prayers and singing
| Then Rev. C. e. Cate. pastor OF the church,
delivered an address Of welcome. 1t was
brief but full of point and feeling. The re-
Spouse was made by Deacon E. d. Wade of
Dover, the president Of the association. who
reciprocated the kindly wishes Mr.. Cate had
expressed and hoped great good to all might
result from the sessions of the association.
Then after reading of the scriptures and
prayer, the annual sermon was preached nv
Rev. A. w. Anthony of Lewiston and Bates
College. His text was Luke X. 1857:
(which now Of these three, thinkest thou.
was neighbor unto him that fell among the
thieves? And he said. He that Showed mercy
on him. Then said Jesus unto him. 90 and
do thou likewise" Christianity, said the
speaker. is more than creed. The latter is
statement. Christianity is life. After
commenting on the contrast between the
two. Mr.. Anthony said he had been greatly
interested in the current discussion on the
revision of creeds, but much more was he in
terested In the revision of society, which
must come through Christianity. The revised
version of the ID )ly Scriptures is not of half
so much interest as the revision of man,
Inc good Samaritan was the embodiment of
the gospel of compassion and adaptation.
Creeds are means. not ends. The speaker
quoted the definition of 'pure religion" in
the epistle Of st. James and said Christiani-
ty must be applied by man to man. The
church must stndy existing conditions of
life and thought and adapt 1t
self to its environment. The Christian must
not ask. Who is my neighborP but, To whom
can show myself a neighbor? The church
is coming more and more to recognizs the
needs Of the day. The speaker spoke of
some of the problems with which 1t has to
deal, such as intemperance and poverty, lust
and RIGHTEOUSNESS, fraud and corruption in
business life, although 1t has
hardly antagonized them yet in
politics. The church is just
beginning to recognize the existence of dis
content among the working men. 1t has
been in great danger of passing by some of
the weak and wounded members of society
The interest the Pope has shown in labor
questions as displayed In published inter
views and in his encyclical letter indicates
that the Roman Catholic church win not
pass along like priest or Leyite, and the
Protestant church too, Is waking up to their
Importance. 1t Is necessary t. see the suf-
fering man and learn his necessities. 1t is
not simply matter of providing the oil and
wine but they must be ihtslllgently applied.
Some wounds are centuries old and must be
treated with caution. We must move slowly
and use sympathy. The gift of self is essen
tial. The mere spending of money may in
crease instead of diminishing poverty. You
must go to the sufferer and study his needs,
aud 1t must not be done impertinently or
unfeelingly but with courteous. considerable
interest such as becomes Christian. The
closing portion OF the sermon was devoted
more particularly to UNCONVENTIONAL mat
tiers. In 1882, according to the statement of
ex Governor Chamberlain. the Free Baptists
had more churches Ia Maine than any other
denomination, though having fewer members
than some as many of their societies were
small. There is little heresy-hunting among
them, and their converts are scattered
among all the churches. Perhaps in the
number of converts made they lead all the
evangelical denominations. The sermon
closed by adapting the general lessons of the
text to the needs of his hearers. There is a
plain gospel message to be presented but 1t
must be phrased In the thought and language
of the day. Christ adapted himself to those
among whom He lived. We must continue
His work. He gave no creed. He lived a
life.
The exercises closed with more hearty con-
gregatioDal singing. prayer and the bene-
diction.
The church was handsomely decorated, an
arch of green in front Of the organ bore the
words, MAINE Free Baptist Association
Welcome" and beautiful flowers and trees
in great profusion adorned pulpit, platform
and organ. The church's committee ON en-
tertainment consists Of Messrs. Rufus Deer
and L. M. Webb.
The programme for Wednesday is as fol-
lows:
500 a. m.-Prayer meeting Rev. Willis M. Davis
500 a. m.-Devotional exercises, Rev. A. ID.
Dodge.
$50 a. m.-Business session. ReportIof commit
teeo on credentials; roll CALI presi-
dents address; reading OF records,
E. K. Davis, recording secretary
report of executive board by Revs. D.
w. Waldron aud b. D. NEWELL report
of treasurer, r. Deering Esq.,; cleo
fiOn of life and annual members ap-
polntment of committees business
nomination of officers; candidates
fer membership New England AS
ISOLATION; delegates TO other religious
bodies; resolutions; iDter-den0mina-
tional; trustees Maine Central Insti-
tnte; neurology.
1O.45 a. m.-Report on neurology, Rev. A. G.
Hill.
Ills a. m.-Sermon. The Church the Body of
Christ, Rev, q. F.Penney, ID. d.
zoo p. m-Vice President o. b. Cheney, presid-
ing. Woman's Missionary Society;
the present needs of our foreign mis-
sion field, Mrs. D. f. Smith, recently
from India.
2.25 p. m.-The Woman's Missionary Society and
the Maine Workers, Miss L. A. De-
Merltte, Dover, N. III.
800 p. m.-0ur foreign mission work, Rev. 7. Ii.
Stacy.
400 D. m.-Business meeting of the Womans
Missionary Society in the vestry.
Young Peoples Society.
7.30 p. m.-PraIse service.
z 40 p. m.-Paper-Young Peoples Social and
Literary Guild, Miss Ida III. Ful0nton
800 p. m.-Singing; Society of Christian Endeav-
or, Rev. o. w. Waldron, Concord, N.
1916 p. m.-Advocates of Christian Fidelity, Rey
Thomas Spooner, Lawrence, Mass.
SAB p m.-Snging; question box.
PERSONAL.