THE FIRST CHURCH

Evening Star, Issue 3459, 24 March 1874, Page 3

THE FIRST CHURCH

'p.MJfbtfer froih Yic Wr * the. Eey; | Mr . Ipic'iciey!' of. ‘ pblac~ preached this forenbon in TH mustered Hfr£elj,'The miniate * £ $94 ftc^^cbianlydocking; man .but . bald Head, ffi >e, Hayamp] voice iyHpw) ing, kna in feadiAgl'.ahd prea,chin| 122 35-

foi ward unto &c. The preacheri {hereafter delivered the Lord’s Prayer with , an introduction. He then read caput 3of j 11. 'I imothy setting forth prophetically thej great vices that should characterize tha latter' days, 'i he text was selected from verse 5, j first clause, to wit, “Having a form of god-| liness, but denjing the power thereof.” The! rev. gentleman sweetly expatiated on the* form, minus the spirit, of true religion. The i radical distinction bee tween vital godliness; and the form of it was experimentally de-; monstrated with a copious citation of appro i priate Scripture quotations He happily; showed how the mere external form andj manifestation may exist without the spirit I power, and reality of piety. This outward! form is a sham and a l-feless body. The inform ng spirit is not there. With considerable! animal ion ana alternate waving of his right! and left hand he peip-tually played, auti-f thetically, on the characteristic poles of his! text. Four classes of people passed in review before him, i 1- Those who make no profession of Chris-! tianity. j 2.> Such as hare the power, but lack the! outward profession, by not putting their; light conspicuously before the world. s 3. They who h ave both the form and! power of religion harmoniously blended. j 4- They who ,ha\m tfie form but not thej power—like the Laodicean'Chhich— and, wei may add, the modern churches of these evil! days. The skeleton .without the soul—ex-' ternal ceremonialism, minus internal experi-j mortal introspection, these avail nothing.! ;Merc icrmaHam dosa|not piirifyAand trdbs- i form the hwrt andJcharauter. Why,,then.! be hypocrites ? Why appear to be wise andi religious, when we are not so ? Because, j no self-deniM, j on personal re-( nunoiations" are required to keep up a form ? of religion which is assumed for mercenary, and social considerations. To improve onr| a gain of godliness. Besides, formal-i ism and outward profession, administer) •oothing opiates to diseased minds and! troubled conscience's.-’dn the beautiful re-! gions of Colac, the preacher has evidently! been growing in grace and personal holiness,.quietly irabv ing. the japostplio epirit of the! beloved discipte, and of such mejek followers! as the sainted M'Cheyne, Manyn, Wfllfs,i Bonar. Well wood, &c. The Kev. Mr Dickie, • as a simple-minded disciple of such men, de-i livered a prk'citibal 'aermon. He clearly showed that formalism resulted in a; practical denial of godliness. Hypocrites are; total strangers to the sweets of heart religion, I whichj Having no living models to study, they; falsely conclude that there are none such I so j there must be the living and genuine reality,: and power of religion. At the conclusion ofi the sermon, (the congregation again sang s' rp(Miatfbf!Wctqa9.th3fMm; me, <> Lord, the perfect way of thy precepts! divine.” «c. j At this stage of the service, a chijd ( waa i presented for baptism. The minister gave! an exhortation to the parents, then he! prayed; again he sprinkled the infant; and; again offdreflAiji a ITESrC the great! congregation sang finally apart of the 119th| psalm, v 37—“ Turn thou away my sight! and eyes from viewing, .vanity,” Ac After-' wards, were au-i nciinced. Ultimately, the minister, with! unlifeed hands, solemnly, slowly, andj .^eftlhtiMlyjptitfOOuifced the c benedittloh’vj'r I I am, &c., I _ . J. 6. S, Grant. |