The Portland daily press., 1892-02-29
srATE STREET CHURCH.
Rev. DR.. Hincks, Former Pastor, Occur
pies the Pulpit.

pies the Pulpit
Professor Edward \. Hincks of Ando-
YER Mass. and former pastor of State
street, preached at that church yester-
day morning, a very scholarly and able
sermon The text was taken from the
9Th verse of the 18th chapter of st.
.Iobn aJesus answered. thou sayest that
1 am a king. To this end was born and
for this cause came / into the
world that should bear witness unto
the truth, Jesus claimed to be king
and added by way Of explanation that he
claimed to be witness to the truth. He
came. then. to set up kingdom resting
not on swords and spears, but on ideas,
convictions and affections.
The subject suggested is Jesus king
because witness. A witness to an i'm
portant fact carries the power of that
fact in his testimony, The calm, honest
witness in a criminal trial carries the YER
dict in his mind. The lookout in the
steamers bow who sees an approaching
ship and gives warning rules the ship by
his warning word. Men who testify to
higher things, laws of nature or moral
principles get authority by their testi-
mony. Agassiz was honored because he
had something to say about the develop
ment of life in the planet. The late DR..
Hill of your own city was respected be-
cause the people knew he had always in
his mind some great thought. Garrison
was identified with the principle of the
sacredness of personality to which he
testified in season and out of season.
Jesus brought testimony to the SUI
preme fact, the life of God. He knew
the divine character perfectly, for he was
in full sympathy with it. He put into
his testimony such earnestness as no one
else. has ever shown. So he burnt the
truth into mems hearts. Jesus testified
to God by his life even more effectively
than by his words. He lived out all he
knew. This competent witness to the
supreme truth is our king. He brings
no iron yoke. Life is little bit of road
way leading into mist. We know that
He who stood before PLATE was true
witness of God. Let any heart yearning
for truth and God test his claim.
Second Parish Church.
Rev. George A. Gordon Of the New Old
South church, Boston, exchanged with
Rev. Dr.. Merrill of the Second Parish,
yesterday. He was heard by large audi
ences both forenoon and afternoon.
His topic in the afternoon was the
ssGospel Of Memory His text was
from St. Luke 16, 1881, the parable of
Dives and Lazarus, Son, remember
The sermon was powerful presenta-
tionof the gospel doctrine concerning
the nature of human memory. He said
that among all the mysterious powers of
the mind none is greater than that of
memory. To it we owe the conscious
ness of personal identity. Without mem
ory there would be no knowledge. 1t is
the basis and groundwork of habit which
has so large part in the acts of daily
life and it's operation is to large extent
involuntary and stimulated by environ
ment.
There are thousands of people who
think they are going to forget their evil
deeds because they have faded from i'm
mediate recollection, but like the bird
whose fight carries him beyond the
sight of the beholder, they have not dis
appeared from out the universe of God.
You will see them again. King Ahaz
walking in Naboth's vineyard and, con-
graduating himself upon this beautiful
possession was conforted with the
prophet Elijah and cried in dread 'smine
enemy Elijah's presence in that place
brought up to Ahaz's mind the memory
of Naboth's murder.
The power of the memory to punish is
its most fearful quality. The power OF
remembering is the torment of lost souls.
The torment of Ahaz, of Saul, of Judas,
was the memory of evil deeds. Thank
God there is salvation from such mem
ory in the gospel of Christ; the rich and
infinite grace of God. The grace of God
extinguishes, SO far as we submit our
selves to it, the memory of evil and puts
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