Dr. Lyman Abbott preached last night in Appleton Chapel on the text, "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection," Epistle to the Hebrews, 6 chap. 1 verse.

This text implies that religious teaching is not to continue to repeat the same thing; but to accept a lesson and to go on from that. Religion is like a tree, growing and changing because it is a living thing. Its growth is similar to that in literature; not that in science, where the messages and discoveries are definite. Literature, art, and religion deal with the infinite. Every new poet brings a new message, every prophet sees a new vision, perhaps not as great as a previous one but yet a new one. In the early history of Europe every distinct province had its own deity. In fact the theology of progression is distinctively a feudal theology. Slowly the people came to believe in one God, but still there remained the contention between the priests and prophets. The priests said that the office of religion was to placate God, while the prophets declared that its office was to please God, to do what was pure and good and righteous. In fact the history of the church, is the conflict between these two, the pagan, and the christian, wrestling through the centuries. But through the contention, certain things became established. First, people believed in the unity of the universe, it was no longer a mass of segregated and separate phenomena. Secondly, they believed in a single God, not a definite one, but a God, illimitable, transcending all knowledge. Above all, people learned that it is desirable and possible to approach this God directly. The pagans, in the church of the middle ages, had constructed a process of mediation, but perhaps they were excusable because it was but the first attempt to bridge over the gap between God and man.

So we learn that the changes in religion are not lawless, but are subject to a steady growth, always in the light of what has gone before. Another thing we learn is that every man has an ear to hear the voice of God for himself, and hearing, has a right to go out and proclaim it to his neighbors.

The anthems sung were, "O come ye servants," Tye; "Send out Thy Light," Field "Abide with Me," Barnly.