The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-04-26
LOVE THETEsT OF THE SPIRIT.
Union Fast Day Service at the First Free
Baptist Church Yesterday-Serlnon of
Rev. #. C. Rogers.

There was a union Fast day service
yesterday at the First Free Baptist church,
in which most of tie Protestant churches
in the city took part. The audience was
not large, numbering two hundred and i've
by actual count, but that is "a fair audience
for Fast day, Rev. Mr.. Bean read selections
| from the Scripture, and Rev. Mr.. Samson
offered prayer. Rev. Il. G. Rogers of the
Pine street Methodist church preached the
| sermon. lii remarked that ministers of his
church have so many things to attend to
| just before conference that he hadsnot been
able to write a special sermon for the ocoa-
sion, but should preach On an import ant
subject.
He took for his text the we'll known words
of Paul, when writing to the Church OF
Coriuth, in which he placedslove. commonly
| rendered charity las the highest of all things.
Mr.. Rogers said that persons speaking
or writing under strong emotions use strong
language, and mike use of terms they do
not wish should bestaken literally. Poetry
abounds in this, and there are specimens
in the Bible. When John said that if all
the works of Christ ana all his words were
to be described the world itself would not
contain the books; he did net mean to be
taken literally. And when Paul spoke of
love as in itself all that was necessary for
the complete Christian life he did not mean
to be taken literally. 1t was strong way
of saying that love surpas ses all other
graces and gifts. Love is vital element of
true religion. We sometimes pray for the
faith of the primitive church, and yet they
had contentious even while they had special
gifts that passed with the passing of the
apostles. These gifts were the credentials
of the early church. They silenoed opposi-
tion. They invited faith and were special
gifts of God.
We may say many things, and yet not have
the grace of God. Christ gave his disciples
power over devils. and yet one OF them was
Judas. Great gifts do not go as matter of
course with Christian life. Emotion does
not prove the possession of religion.
Emotion may show nothing more thai a
passing interest in The things of God. We
need to ask ourselves. lis love the grace
l need the most Christian love has been
defined by Ruskin to be hearty wish to
benefit others at our own loss. We do not
value goodness enough as compared with
snowy gifts. church too often demands
that a preacher shall lie brilliant, rather
voted to God. Goodness should rank above
oloquence. and a devoted life above great
ability.
The Indian camps have vanished, but the
rivers of Maine still run to the sea. The
castles have crumbled. but the Rhine yet
remains. Other gifts have vanished from
the church but Love remains.
Perhaps too much stress has been laid on
%,ikt =,
special temptations. while love has been for
gotten. Shall We rejoice more over resto-
ration to health than ever restoration to
the favor of God. We need TO be reminded
sometimes that G cd works on human
character and lives as we'll as on bodies. AS
Emerson said what we are stands over us.
and every Christian life should be beauti-
full life. The grace of God should overcome
| The natural ill man as far as the natural is
evil. There are men of whom it is said. ''if
they have been converted" but of whom it
is natural to ask, from what and O what?''
According to Paul, it was love that was to
drive out, ontention from the Church of
Christ. The church does not need more
money as much as it does more love. To the
spirit of unity in the churches was due
much of the results Of the recent meetings
In THIS CITY. we neeu 10 study JDe STORY Oh
the life of Jesus. and to see that there was
nothing TOO humble to receive his atten ton
| believe that the great field of labor for the
Church of Christ is in the streets. There
should be better homes for the poor. better
factories in which men and women may
labor, better sanitary arrangements, less
su fering from cold and from want of food
and less going o ruin.
People want an earnest ministry. and yet
must the ministry supply all the holy fire.
A man once said to me that he liked fire
In minister, and yet he hadn't fire enough
in his make up to light a match. and had
the worlds salvation depended upon his
efforts there wouldn't have enough been
saved to have started quartette in heaven
Love asks not hing in return. 1t does not
say. Il must nave paragraph in a religious
paper showing what have been doing'
May it not be possible that we make our re-
ligion too much matter of giving and of
doing and have not love enough. Men and
women who do not claim 10 be Christians
attend church, give freely, walk honestly
and avoid evil, and what teen is the test of
Christian life. it not the fruits of the
spirit love of all this must he added obedi-
ence to God and love for Christ. let US
strive to be what we admire in others.
Rev. DR.. Dalton read the closing hymn,
and Rev. John Carroll Perkins pronounced
tile benediction.
Governor Cleaves was present at the SER
vices.