The Portland daily press., 1897-06-02
HOME MISSIONS.
Anniversary Of the Congregational
Society.
THE ANNUAL SERMON PREACHED
BY REV. FRANK 7. BAYLEY.

hLvs L MANN 1e LA LII
The Address of the President, Major Gen.
o. o. Howard-some Critics Answered
Tho Doctrine of He'll Fire and the
Burning Lake.
| Saratoga, June 1st.-At the opening
session of the list Annual Meeting of the
| Congregational Home Missionary Society,
the sermon was preached by Rev. F. T.
Bayley, of Denver, Colorado, formerly of
Detroit and Portland, Maine, from John
4-13, IA, with John 1879. Christ used
the universal language of symbolism.
He never sent his hearers to the diction-
ary. He made bread, water, light, rest,
to stand for his Gospel. 1t is characteris-
tic of water that it satisfies thirst and
that its nature is to impart itself. 1t will
flow to lower levels whenever barriers
are removed. The water of life, John
says, ,sis the Holy Spirit. And the Holy
Spirit is God dwelling in the heart of
man, resident and regnant. God satisfies
the soul that thus receives him. But he
also transforms it, making it like him
self. 1t becomes his throne and a new
centre OF his power and redemptive love.
He that believeth on me,-out of him
shall TOW rivers of living water'' God
begins with the individual. The individ-
ual is the unit of life and power The
progress of the kingdom is through con-
tagion and propagation; the contagion of
love, the propagation of faith from man
to man. Water if left to itself will flow
down to lift the lower levels up to itself.
And this is as true of water in the way-
side fountain as of water in the hills
Indeed, it is the same water; and the
pressure of the hills is behind the hum
blest fountain. 1t will give itself while
it lasts. What symbol of love of God
But love is the same everywhere. God in
the heart of man is the same God w no is
in heaven and who gave his Son for us
all. Love in lost world must be redemp-
tive; and to be redemptive is must be sac
rifcial, self-giving.
Here is the revelation of the business
and calling of the church and of the Son
OF God in redemption. Here is the essen
tlal philosophy of missions A thrifty
church Is like q green wheat field; made
up of many individual plants, each di-
rectly nourished by God, each growing
and giving itself for the service of the
world. Missions are no more an elective
in the Christian church than are flowers
in a garden or fruit in an orchard Nor
Will divine love in mans heart draw
distinctions between work here and work
there, save for convenience-any more
than Gods sunshine observes the circles
of our geography on the earth. AS wat
er will How down and on, and flow fast
est towards the deepest places, SO divine
love must flow out of every heart in
which God dwells to make it like his own
heart. But the church has too much ig-
nored the comprehensiveness of Gods
purpose, too much departed from the
simplicity of his plan and too much de-
MED the adequacy of his power. 1t has
OF a flowing fountain. 1t has drawn its
pretty circles where God has swung the
whole globe, free and clear, in the sun
shine of his universal love. In place of
the simplicity of loves free giving, we
have brought in the tricks of the market
place and have made the bride of Christ
peddlar and q beggar. The distressing
problem of today IS a spiritual rather
than financial problem; question of
spiritual power rather than of money. De-
spite the hard times and the many calls
there is money enough for self -gratifica-
tion and gain. The entire gifts of all the
churches of the United States tor missions
DO not equal the amount spent for chew
ing gum. And as for tobacco-the COM
parison is odious and odorous. 1t is alb
surd to charge the present distress of the
Lord S treasures to the business stri n
gency when one cent day from each of
our church members would in year pay
all our debts and leave a surplus of more
than 81 ,0O0, 900. The lack is of love rath-
er than of money. And "he that loveth
not knoweth not God for God is love- -
bridegroom will not take a penny
day for the care of his bride. ALI that he
has is hers. The trouble is in our hearts.
The tide is out and our ships and shall
lops lie stranded. We cannot pry them
up or make them sail on. Oh for the in
coming tide of Gods almighty lovel
GENERAL HOWARD'S ADDRESS.
The annual address blythe president of
the society, Major General o. o. Howard,
was delivered as follows:
The anniversary of our beloved society
has come again. The year seems to us a
short one, for 1t has been one of some
anxiety, and on the part of our active
workers one of privation and labor equal
to any in the past history of our organiza.
tion. Our anxiety probably ought not
to exist; however hard it may be for us to
see the whitened fields increasing in ex-
tent and ripening for the harvest with an
insufficient number of laborers in the
harvest field. Worrying is out of place.
1t is the Lords work and we are willing
and ready to do his bidding; and He has
left word for us to cast our burdens of