The Portland daily press., 1896-11-30
CONGRESS SQUARE CHURCH.
bianchard's Sermon on "The Bible
the Consider of Mankind"

A' Congress Square church, yesterday
nornlng, the pastor. Rev. DR.. Henry
Diahchard, preached sermon on "The
| oioie The CONSIDER Of Mankind" Rev.
uo"sn q. Wilson, the superintendent of
ehe work in the field of the Maine Bible
ooolety was present and made a brief
ADDRESS. He told of the good work done
oy the society-of the eulogy upon it by
an x-governor-and stated it's great need
of funds.
Dr. Blanchard took his text from ii.
Ihessalonians, H.. Is and II verses.
NOW our Lord Jesus Christ, himself,
and God, even our father, which has
loved us and given US everlasting conso-
iatlon and GOOD hope, through grace.
comfort your hearts and establish you in
every good word and work. He said
invite your attention, this morning to
sermon on "The Bible-the CONSIDER OF
Mankind" The theme was suggested
70 me by some words of the great French
scholar-Ernest Renan. He is supposed
to be very destructive critic OF the
Scriptures, bus he said In his admirable
History Of the People of Israel preface
Vol l., page XII "Ths Bible in its va
| rious transformations, is, whatever may
be said, the great book of consolation for
humanity" Placed in my mind, it had
dropped out of consciousness, but was
revived by an experience. Last Sunday
| afternoon. preached at the Reform
School. One of my hearers, little fell
low about eight, could not keep awake.
| After the service was over asked noble
Col. harrington about him. He had
neither father nor mother. He had lived
at the poor farm at Augusta. He had
burned up a barn. 'Maliciously ?"
asked. eyes, so 1T was thought because
he had been badly maltreated. On his
poor little body there were marks of this.
Riding home and seeing the building
standing out against the sunset
and the Maine General hospital
before him CDR. Blanchard con-
tinued), the pathetic scenes of hoth-the
remembrance of bedsides at which he
had sat-of those who had died there,
all made great wave of sadness roll
over him. He felt the need of consola-
| tion. Then these words of Renan sprang
into consciousness from the depths Of
memory. He recalled that his brother
Wilson was to be here today. He re :
solved to speak on the theme announced.
Whatever may be said," Renan wrote.
For he knew, great scholar that he was,
how much is saidRof views news concern
ing the Bible. He knew that Erasmus,
the scholar Of the Reformation, was the
founder of modern textual and Biblical
criticism. as Arohdeacon Farrar shows
in his important work on "The History
of Interpretation" He knew how the
book OF Judges was a collection of folk
lore-that Psalms were written by I'M
known poets-that Daniel was never
written by Daniel the prophet Much
more he know. Whatever may be said,
still, still the Bible is the great book of
consolation for humanity. RenanTQave no
illustrations. 1t was the preachers
pleasant task to do SO in his sermon.
All may be summed up in this SEN
tence-The Bible is the consider of man
kind because it, more than any other
series writings, makes it's readers feel
that its writers felt the presence of God
that they trusted utterly in the infinite
power and wisdom and goodness of God
whose rule makes for Righteousness
that they pictured perfected sooiety on
earth one day to be-that they present
vision OF contamination when God
shall be all In all These are the things
to console nen in their sorrows DR..
Testaments. First of all, every reader of
the Old Testament feels how profoundly
the presence Of God is felt Whether it is
the story Of the burning bush on Mount
sinai, whether IL ia psallnist or prophet
who writes or speaks, God presence is
the overwhelming feeling that every
where is manifested. See how the psalms
sing of the goodness and power of God.
Soc how job makes men trust in God
whatever may befall. See how the
prophets teach of an ideal common
wealth in which all shall be we'll because
all will obey God. Professors of sociology
In our.colleges today, take their students
to the Old Testament to learn of the
great prophets of Israel. The New Testa-
ment is full Of the same lessons. Jesus
and Paul stand forth from it's pages to
comfort men. They felt Gods presence
They trusted in His power. wisdom,
goodness-the spoke of an ideal COM
monwealth-they teach that an end shall
come when God shall be all in ALL
Passages from the Old Testament and
New Testament were recited fervently to
illustrate these points. He was glad,
therefore, to assist the Bible Society of
Maine. There was time when he
thought of Withdrawing. He had felt
that the Bible needed an interpreter so
much that. though he was life mem
Der. he could not approve the mere dis
tribution of Bibles, without teachers. But
he had come to the belief that the peo-
pie would select what would help and
leave what they could not understand.
Out of several hundred of hymns in a