The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-08-06

manufacturing and merchantile estab.
lishments; our city OF SURPRISING beauty
with It's happy homes and joyful people;
our schools, our colleges, our hospitals,
and our churches have their foundations
in the toll of other days.
The providential mission of our own
church is easily seen when one considers
the conditions at it's coming. On the one
hand was growing liberalism that has
! never been aggressive nor successful in
reaching the people and on the other
lurld Calvinism that might make men
fear but could never lead men to love
COD. Then came Jesse Lee telling men
uhaU The loving worm within it's clod
were dlYiner than q l0veless God amid
His worlds. He told of a Savior able
TO give immediate deliverance from the
guilt and power OF sin. No wonder needy
helpers heard this Gospel gladly
Tor IL has always been the worlds SUI
preme need. This teaching made good
men and today we are inspired by the
memory OF men and women whose lives
were rebuke to every form of evil and
help to every righteous cause.
Having theology that can be preached
has made this church as 1t is today the
largest Protestant church in the State
The successes of the past impose grave
obligations. Chr1st'S sacrifice and atone
ment for men was made once for all but
IN the spreading of this truth, urging 1t
upon all men, there is great work still to
be DONE. There must be progress. We
must do better than our fathers. Moses
must do better than Abraham. Isaiah
must improve on Samson and Paul must
have larger vision than Solomon. But
IN 1t all we go back to the fundamentals.
Modern photography SURPRISES the old
silhouette but still uses the old sun light
We build on the same foundation. He
was with our fathers he is with us. We
believe the Bible to be the revelation of
God. 1t tells us of the divine interest in
humanity. Jesus Christ is still the
unique man, the incompatible teacher
the fullness of the God head bodily"
the willing sacrifice for men and the
eternal mediator. The Holy Ghost Is
still the Comforter, sanotifier and tran s.
forming power in mems lives. We do
not seek q new gospel but we try to apply
this to present day needs. And we are
perfectly confident that 1t will meet every
need of mankind. While others may
seek an up town location In more exclu-
stve conditions we stay in the midst of
the people believing that we have the
message the world needs for It's salvation.
And we are hopeful too. Jesus was an
optlm1st in most adverse conditions and,
when the world was most hopeless, dared
to proclaim. 1.-THE Kingdom of Heaven
is at hand" EVIL is abroad in the world
but good is stronger than evil. Every
man may be good II he will. The golden
age is in the future. But it viii not
come without a struggle. From the
days of the Master every advances has been
made at heavy cost. We shall not cease
to fight lawlessness and corruption. Our
missionaries Will not abandon their work
because their friends have fall n. We do
not expect the Kingdom to come by revo-
luton but by the slow constant processes
that have ever characterized Gods
methods with men.
Then, today we reverently remember
the past; we manfully acknowledge and
assume the duties of the present; and We
look out and up to the reward of tn
faithful. What is heaven A city? Is 1t
not more attractive to call it a home?'s
hundreds are turning toward Maine
"the home state" Out from our earthly
fellowships our friends are going TO the
great home. How attractive it is over
there. We know so many who are now
there. 1t won't be a strange place. In
Imagination you throng these aisles with
forms familiar in other day s. They are
no longer with US but they await our
coming and if we are true and faithful
by and by we shall be called into the joys
OF the eternal home.
CONGRESS SQUARE CHURCH.
Special Old Home Week services
were held in Congress Square church yes
terday morning. A good sized congrega.
ton was in attendance despite the suns
mer absenteeism. During the week pre-.
yious the organ which had served the
congregation SO many years was disc
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