The Portland daily press., 1896-02-24
81 WILL GIVE A WHITE STONE"
Rev. Mr. Rollins Sermon at Congress
Square Church.

Rev. S. H. Rollin, the successor Of
Rev. DR.. Miner, of the Columbus avenue
Universalist church of Boston, occupied
the pulpit of the Congress Square church
yesterday. The sermon was suggestive
and scholarly and of great interest. Mr..
Rollin has fine voice and impressiy We
manner. and holds the attention of his
hearers easily
The text of the sermon was from Reve-
lations. "To him that overcometh, will
give white stone and in the stone new
name written, which no man knoweth,
saving be that reoeiveth it," Mr.. Rollin
spoke of the book of Revelations as
having formerly been considered as out
side the line of investigation and reason.
Now 1t has been studied by scholars and
its character we'll determined. In it. there
is much that is mystical and much that
is poetic, as we'll as many moral and
spiritual truths He assumed that his
hearers had in them, something Of the
mystical and some Imagination, else the
text and the sermon would be as mean
ingless as the grandeur of the Fifth
Symphony Of Beethoven to one who had
no music in him. While the text was not
easy to be understood it was suggestive.
The opening words, "To him that over
oometh, told to whom the stone should
be given. We are here to overcome; it is
the great purpose of life. The result Of
effort in overcoming Is Achievements. Why
should stone be given one who did
overcomes Why white stone selected
Man in his early existence could fig t
successfully with the beasts of the field,
but 1T took long time for him to develop
SO as to master the hard and unyielding
stone and the white stone is harder than
the red or the dark. When he had over
come the stone he made from 1t II shelter
for his family, a place for his business
and selected it as the silent sentinel
which should stand guard over his grave.
AS memorial of the obstacles overcome
was the white stone given.
But in IL was o new name. The old
names Of family, of city, state and nation
nished, no man will give up his family
name, preferring to hold to it till by
overcoming, the stain disappears. A sug-
gestion to change the name of Portland
would call forth protest from every
citizen. To propose another name for
the United States would arouse the
people from Maine to California and TO
ouUouiuuUo Lew Uduto LUZ OurlSblbulby
would fire the indignation Of the Civilized
world. Why then a new namep May it
not be that Of characters A name
additional to the old one. Cromwell was
the Protector Napoleon the Man of
Destiny; Gladstone the Grand Old Man;
Washington, the Father Of His Country :;
Grant, the Silent man, and Lincoln, the
Saviour of the Nation. Station aud
position Of themselves, count for nothing.
1t is of no consequence who may inherit
the crown Of England. He who over
comes and establishes any reform is
greater than he who inherits the throne.
The homely family name is glorif1ed by
achievement 1t may not be deemed out
of place in Portland to call to mind how
by achievement the plain name of Tom,
has been changed to that Of Gear of the
House, and may he to that of President
later. These new names the world knows.
but the names given in the text is
known only to him who receives it. The
mother whispers to the child in her arms
soft sweet words of love and endearMent,
which only the little one hears, and
whose only answer is smile. In some
suoh way rs this, may it not be that over
brooding. Father OF us all, shall whisper
out new names in our ears.