Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-11-05
THE ONE WAY OF SALVATION.
SERMON PREACHED BY REV. r. }.
HAUGHroN AT THE CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH, SOUTH PARIS, SUNDAY MORN
ING, OCT. %.
Published By REQUEST

Verify. verify, | say unto you. am the doc
OF the shccp.-Jno. 1917.
And In none other Is there salvation 10
neither Il there any other name under Heaven
that i given among men, wherein We must b
saved IL.
The first verse of my text, the words
taken from the gospel OF John, are tn,
words of Christ. The words taken from
the Acts OF the Apostles, are the words
OF Peter. But both passages expires.
one and the same fact. And the fact |:
this,-there Is but one way OF salvation
for any aud every man. often think
that Naaman, the mighty captain OF the
host Of Syria, was not the only man who
has regarded the plan OF God rs foolish
and simple. You remember that when
the prophet Elisha commanded him to
go and wash In Jordan ! times that he
might be cured of leprosy, Naaman be-
came wroth and asked why IL was that
ALBANIA and Pharpar, rivers OF Damas-
Gus, were not superior 10 all the waters
of lsrael.-why II was thst he might not
Just as well wash in those and he clean?'
You recollect also, that his servants
spoke 20 him aud said: "My Father, IL
the prophet had bid thee do some great
thing wouldst thou not have done IL :
How much rather then. when he saith TO
thee: Wash, and be clean:'
might call your attention, too, to the
fact that Paul had the same experience
in dealing with men, that these servants
Of Naaman had. mean that he found
men Ia his day, just as reluctant to COIN
ply with the Divine plan Of salvation.
lie preached the Gospel of Christ to the
jew, and il was a stumbling block tie
went to the Greeks, and they laughed at
il as the greatest piece OF foolshness
that they had ever known or heard.
The jew was all the time looking for
something marvellous, something mi
raculous, and the plainness of the Cos
pei story WAS 10 him an offence.
The Greek would be conteut with
nothing that was not scholastic; he had
poetry and art and philosophy and his
tory and oratory OF surprising excel
lence, and the Gospel story was 20 him
meaningless jargon, aud the perfection
OF folly" Aud are there not men and
women still, to whom the Gospel is the
perfection Of simplicity:
In this marvellous Nineteenth cei fury
forefathers would never have under
stood-thingS Indeed, that they never
dreamed %, il is difficult for some 10 see
thar there has been no change in the
plan OF God 10 save the world.
We are living In an exceedingly pro
greSsive age. an age that Is not satisfied
with old facts, and old WAYS Of living.
We laugh M the old tallow candle which
our forcfllhers used to burn, and which
was the only means that they had 20
tighten their darkness. We laugh ut the
old stage coach, aud AT the idea of our
fathers having 10 drir, 70 Portland or
Boston or New York il they wished to
get there. We laugh. and no wonder, al
the idea Ot our forvfathers taking three
or four months to 90 across 10 England.
That was journey that but few would
attempt, and they who did attempt Il
hardly thought that they should ever re-
turn again.
But how the times have changed The
tallow candle has given place 10 the oil
lamp; the oil lamp 10 gas, and gas l.
nov giving place almost entirely to cleo
tricity. Why, that faithful old friend OF
man, The horse, has no easy task To find
a man who will buy him, even AZ io'r
fgu-, Man is not satisfied with horse;
IL isn't fast enough in these days Of
clcctrics. And really, | do not know If
we shall not become tired of the clectrics
even, before We get very far into the
twentieth century.
We shall not DE content 10 ride, We
shall take 10 the skycycle, for We shall
want To IT, -, what a fast age we are
living in, How fast we want 10 GO But
don't YOU think We ought TO stop some
times: Don't YOU think we ought TO stop
To tske our lstiiude and our longitude
now and then: Don't YOU think that we
ought 10 stop our flying sometimes ana
look about Us. 20 see where we aret
This Is the great trouble with US in this
18th century; We do not take time
enough 20 rest. We are in such a hurry
from morn till night that we can hardly
fnd time 70 stop and think.
Our Lord said To his disciples, come
We into desert place and rest while.
But We are in too tremendous a rush 10
rest. We are forever hurrying and
scurrying and We scarcely know some
times, where We are going.
When look AT our terrible hurry from
morn till night, am reminded of a lit
tie .tory-ior III we did less by times,
We should do moye in the end. Haste Is
no; always progress; hurry, Is not
necessarily speed. Bustle, does not In
yAriably bring about achievement.
II is told of Prof. Huxley, that once
when the British Science Association
met i'm Dublin, he arrived late in the
city. Fearing 10 miss the President
address, he rushed from the train to the
station platform, jumped into jaunting
car, and said breathlessly 10 the Ceit 10
charge. ''Driye fast, I'm in hurry.
Cabby whipped up his horses, and prov
ed 10 be another Jehu. Suddenly, II
flashed on the passenger, bouncing about
the vehicle, In most undignitied way,
10 shout 10 the driver above the rattle
of the car. "Do you know where want
10 COZ" NO, your 'oner," was Pats
laughing reioinder, but I'm driving fast
All the while. as fast as can go.
II il possible 70 be ever going, yet so
a. never 10 arrive, ever doing, without
bringing much 10 pass, ever learning,
hut never coming 10 1.-The knowledge OF
the truth.
We NAV live as fast as we like: We
NAV invent what new machinery we hke'
there i one thing that remains the same
to-day. as IL was centuries ago, ana that
is the way 70 God.
Last week there appeared in one OF
our papers a vecy interesting account OF
a very interesting banquet. dare say
that many of you read the description
of IN. II was "A gathering which In all
probability will not be held again where
II WAS. But il must be consoling ana
gratifying 10 our lofty neighbors 10 feel
that what is their loss is our gain. AT
least. that is the consolation that we
would offer. It was "a grand gathering
of Old Oxfords legal lights. Many
eloquent and distinguished men were
present. and several able speeches were
made. One Of the speeches was called
1.-The ablest speech OF the evening, ana
was given in full. l am indebted 10 IL
for the thought of the morning.
| was interested myself in reading IL,
and | want TO call your attention 10
some Of the striking expressions In ths'
speech. ..o
s.Uaste and rspidity," remarked the
venerable Justice who delivered the
sneech. Haste and rapidity form the
most prominent Characteristic OF the
Iotb century, and what has been ac-
complished in this direction, seems little
hort of miraculous. Our chief aim Is
10 annihilste space and time.
Nothing but through trains satisfy US:
The little stops at the way stations OF
zine fret and worry Us, and il is with
in concealed impaticnce that we endure
the waiting necessary. 10 take on nee
essary water and fuel. All the Time we