The morning call., 1893-09-25
A NOVEL SERVICE.
Four Divines Preach From
One Pulpit.
This Was i'm the Second Unitarian
Church-Two of the Preachers
Were Ladies.

So great was the congregation that many
were denied admission to the Second
Unitarian Church last evening, which
was the scene of most interesting aud yet
very novel services, as Rev. Leslie w.
Sprague, the pastor. was assisted by three
Unitarian divines, two being ladies.
The church was artis tically decorated
with ferns and brake. and the music was
exceptionally good. The regular choir was
assisted by Mrs. j. NJ. Pierce aud Alfred
Wilkie.
The subjects of the sermons were
Faith" by Rev. Ulysses g. B. Pierce of
Pomona; Hope" by Rev. Florence Ions
bury Pierce, also of Pomona; CHARITY" I"
by Rev. Lila Frost Sprague, and the
pastor, Mr.. Sprague, closing with ''The
Greatest of These" and they spoke as
follows:
Rev. Ulysses G. B. Pierce began: With
out a positive and deep-roOted faith life is
weak and wayerlDg. None OF us can have
our full measure OF usefulness and ha9pi-
ness without this fundamental virtue.
There are two things we need to create
a sublime faith and we must believe In if
we would have sweet, harmonious lives.
First, then, we must have faith in the
eternal goodness. IL we would have peace
in our hearts we must feel that the uni
verse means we'll with US; that the world
is not a rickety. runaway machine, but
that it is full of method and meaning.
No wonder that some religious people
speak of life as dresry pilgrimage aud
the world 4 wilderness Of woe. Visit The
old buryiDg- ground in Plymouth, Mass.
and you Will see such epilaphs as this over
the grave Of child:
He glanced into our world to see
a sample OF our miserie.
Peace will come to the soul when we
place implicit trust in the universe, so that
the setting sun is as beautiful as the dawn
and that mans future is as safe as his
past.
Rev. Florence Lonsbury Pierce followed,
saying: The hopes of to-day shape the
character of tomorrow, and we shall never
strike higher than we aim. We must fol-
low the example of the archer who takes
into account the attraction Of gravitatiOn
and aims high enough 10 allow for our
environments and temptations. Is it not
hope which is leading the tide Of popuia-
ton further and further west? What led
the early settler of California to brave the
long, tedious and dangerous journey across
| the plains and over the mountains?
ut is to hope that the prophets and poets,
the philosophers and preachers owe their
greatness, and how often do we class them
as idealiGts-as visionary and unreal. If
we stop To think we shall find that they
are the ones who are true TO nature aud
we the ones who are false. While we are
growing at the evils Of the day, they from
their deep insight are prOclaining the
! tidings of hetter day"
! Mrs. Lila Frost Sprague said: Charity
| should govern all our actions. for it is our
constant ha Ditto judge our fellow-creatures
| as though their opportunities and heredi-
| tary traits were the same as our own. Be-
! fore we can form a just opinion Of an-
| others conducr we must view it from
! his standpoint and assume the cir
| pnmctqnpps which have OnUarnQn hic
| life to be our own. Then, too, we should
| feel that the greatest misfortune that can
befall a man is 10 DO wrong
We instinctively offer help to those who
are physically weaker than ourselves
| but manned soul is far more pitiable
than deformed body, yet it seldom re-
ceives the same assistance and sympathy,
| perhaps because we thOughtfully feel that
each alone is responsible for his mental
| humps.
10 be truly charitable and helpful we
must constantly keep in mind differences
! of temperament and conditions.
Rev. Leslie w. Sprague, the pastor of
the church, was the last speaker, taking
| fnr his topic "The greatest of these"
He said the Bible called charity the great
est. Surely each of the three is great. BY
the test that theology assumes that saliva
tion is the aim of life, but modernized
thought says salvation is life-life Is SAL
vation, their faith is so great, for what can
| be done in life without faith?
But hope is also great. Faith is conf
dence in the order of things. Hope is GEN.
tered npon some result to be achieved by
that order. Hope is the guide and COM
| fOrter.
And charity is great. whether we call it
love or consideration. 1t is the last gift of
the gods. While we are saved by hope
and faith-charity is salvation. Charity is
the greatest of the three because it is the
outcome of the other two. Faith is the an
tecedent of hope ard the two beget charity.
Faith and hope are mighty. Their glory
shall never grow dim. They are the ex-
cuse for every creed. But charity is
mightiest and in this latter day charity
shall be the creed of true religion.
Mrs. Laura Ormiston Chant of London
then delivered few appropriate remarks
and was listened 10 with marked attent on.
At the close of the service Mr.. Srague
announced the subject of next Sunday
evenings sermon as Sunday and Our Mid
winter Exposition.