Orange Bi-Centenary: Sermons to Members of the L. O. Association

ORANGE BI-CENTENARY, SERMONS TO MEMBERS OF THE L. O. ASSOCIATION. Rev. W. O. Raymond Preaches In St. Mary's Church, Rev. Mr. Martell In the Fairvllle Orange Hall, and Rev. John Read at Marysville. A special service in commemoration of the bi-centenary of Orangeism was held yesterday at 8t. Mary s church, Waterloo Street, at 3 o’clock p. m. The members of the various lodges of the city and of Portland marched to the church, headed by the band of the N. B. Brigade of Artillery, and presented a fine appearance. Seats were reserved in the nave of the church for the visitors. Every available inch of space in the church was occupied and hundreds turned away from the doors. The hymns sung were: All people that on Earth do Dwell; Advance! Advance! The Day is come; To Sing our Maker’s Praises; Onward, Christian Soldiers; Thou Whose Almighty Word. The church choir had been reinforced for the occasion and the members of the band assisted in the music, but the singing was largely congregational, and for heartiness could not well be surpassed. The sermon was preached by the Rev. W. O. Raymond, from I Kings, viii., 57-58: “The Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers; let Him not leave us nor forsake us; that He may incline our hearts unto Him, to walk in all His ways.” In opening, the preacher stated it had been his privilege three years since to address the members of Lodge 141, L. O. A. He was glad, on the present occasion, to be able to address so large and representative an assembly of the order. He welcomed the visitors to the church, and briefly referred to the hearty service in which they had just engaged. The occasion which they were assembled to commemorate was no ordinary one, but one that had left its abiding impress upon the history of the English nation. Not only this, but the more fact of its being the bi-centenary of their association, of necessity recalls the events of a long and important period in the nation’s history during which it has developed in territorial extent, wealth and influence to a degree that is truly wonderful. The recent jubilee of her majesty Queen Victoria had brought before the English people the marvelous progress achieved within the past 50 years in national power and prosperity. To-day the British Empire stands unrivalled amongst the j nations of the earth. The greatest nation of antiquity attained to only one-fourth its territorial size. The Russians of to-day are an eighth less. Our territory is 16 times larger than France and three times larger than the United States. In fact, the British Empire is estimated to cover one-sixth of the entire globe; and numbers amongst its subjects one-fourth the world’s inhabitants. The preacher called attention to one of the resolutions contained in a circular which had been handed him, a few days since, by a member of the order. The circular is issued by the Grand Orange Lodge of British America, and the resolution referred to the desire of the Orangemen “on this great and memorable occasion to place once more on record their unswerving fealty and devotion to the crown and constitution. We regard with alarm, and most emphatically condemn, the attempts now being made, not only in Great Britain, but in Canada as well, to weaken British influence and dismember the British empire, and shall to the utmost in our power resist all such disloyal movements.” Loyalty is not yet an unmeaning word in the community. The descendants of the old loyalists of 1783 have inherited much of the spirit of their ancestors, and their influence, together with that of other loyal hearts, although it be a latent power, needs only the emergency to call it forth in a way that will astonish him who may have the temerity to lift his hand against our country’s flag. It is meet that on an occasion like the present, our hearts should be grateful to the God whose good hand has been with us as with our fathers. To-day we, as a people, have the happiness to live under a constitution which, perhaps, better than any other the world has ever seen, protects the natural rights of man; a constitution that, like the providence of heaven, extends its gracious protection to all. It protects the poor man in the possession of his legal rights, whilst at the same time it checks the insolence of the great and says to majesty itself “thus far shalt thou go and no farther.” Yet the age, albeit an age of marvelous intellectual activity and of marvelous progress, is an age of great restlessness When men of intellectual power set themselves up as apostles of liberty, propounding doctrines that would undermine the very foundations of our common Christianity, we have reason to lay to heart the inspired words, “prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” The preacher briefly referred to what he conceived to be the legitimate aims and objects for which the Loyal Orange Society exists. He had seen enough of the working of the great religious body, to many of whose doctrines and principles they could not for a moment subscribe, to believe that its aim was to subordinate civil and religious liberty to the dictation of its own ecclesiastical power, a consummation which we were warranted to resist with all our powers. In concluding an earnest and impressive sermon the reverend gentleman said: We are assured by the highest of all testimony that “every tree is known by its fruit.” To your care is confided the honor of the society to which you belong. You have it largely in your power to make or to mar the good name of your society in this community, therefore let your lives show to the world that you are earnest, God fearing men. Let your motto be "defense and not defiance." Just as the church of Christ receives its sorest wounds from the hands of unfaithful members, even so you may bring discredit upon the principles you have professed if your lives are not consistent. "Let your light shine before men that they may see your good work and glorify your father which is in heaven." AT FAIRVILLE. Yesterday morning members of Willis L. O. Lodge, No. 70, and of sister lodges from the city and Portland, to the number of 68, assembled at the Orange hall, Fairville, and marched to the Baptist church, where a sermon was delivered by the Rev. Mr. Martell, the pastor. The occasion was the 200th anniversary of the Revolution of 1688. After singing hymn No. 116, God is the refuge of His saints, reading of the 19th psalm, prayer and singing of hymn 260 How precious is the Book divine, the reverend gentleman announced as his text 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy, 31st verse: ''For their rock is not as our rock, even our enemies themselves being judges." Israel, he said, boasted in his God who was as far above the gods of the heathen as the sun is above the clouds in the deepest valley. He was the counsellor in peace, the guide in war, and the refuge in time of trouble. It was no wonder that Moses used the language of exaltation. No doubt he went back to some time when the gods were tested to prove their worth - perhaps the time when he asked Pharaoh to allow the children of Israel to go out into the wilderness to sacrifice, and Pharaoh, defying the God of gods, the stroke of death in one form after another fell upon the land of Egypt. It might have been the time when Pharaoh and his host had perished in the Red Sea and the children of Israel joined in the glorious song of victory on its banks. On this the bi-centenary of the revolution of 1688, he called attention to the worth and excellence of the Christian religion. Upon the divine authenticity of the Scripture—upon that evidence alone the Christian religion must stand or fall. Mathematical proof of its principles could not be required. There was no room in mathematical demonstration for passion, prejudice or hard-hearted unbelief. If, he said, he were to tell men about their sinful nature, and warn them of the inevitable future to which it leads, he would be dealing with a class of evidence into which passion, prejudice, error and the hard heart of unbelief might enter. Moral proof is equal to mathematical demonstration. For instance, in the trial of a man by a jury of twelve of his fellowmen, there is an example of moral proof. If this is permitted, even relied upon, in cases of life and depth can we not receive the same evidence in matters involving spiritual life and death? A physician cannot prove mathematically that a certain kind of medicine will counteract a certain species of disease. This is all moral evidence. It is a common thing for an author to leave the impress of his personality upon his work. When we study God’s word there is something that settles down into our moral nature which convinces us that God is there dealing very closely with a being something like Himself. Mystery, which we find there, springs from ignorance which will be dissipated at the touch of faith. Could we have existed before creation we might have formed a stupendous idea of God, but without this He teaches to-day that he is the only and true God. When we hear of a revolution that shakes an empire from center to circumference we know that God is planting one foot upon the seas and the other upon the earth. But he also reveals himself as a loving, kind and indulgent father to all who will receive him. In the Bible is revealed man’s nature. God’s nature is shown forth not only in the works of creation and providence but also in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, the excellency of the Christian religion is shown by the fact that before Jesus Christ came the world was without love. Benevolence has radiated from the cross over the whole globe. Of the Christian religion it may truly be said that by its fruits it shall be. known. Christianity is the only religion by which it is safe to die. The doctrines of the cross are glorious in God’s word, but they appear more beautiful when woven into the hearts and lives of living men. When we stand upon the mighty pillars of divine truth we build up a character that cannot be broken down. The services were concluded by the singing of hymn No. 272, God in the Gospel of His Son, Makes eternal mercies known, and the benediction by the pastor. The lodges then marched from the church to Orange hall where the doxology was sung and the meeting dispersed, after inspecting the new banner of Willis Lodge. The standard is of silk, and one side shows a figure of King William on a crimson back ground; on the other is a picture of Queen Victoria on a blue relief. This banner will be first used on the 12th inst., at the picnic of the lodge at Musquash. The procession yesterday was under command of County Director of Ceremonies Frederick Estey. The lodges presented a very fine appearance. AT MARYSVILLE—SERMON BY REV. J. READ. The Marysville Orangemen attended service at the Methodist church there Sunday morning. Rev. John Read preached, making special reference to the Orange order.