Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-04-18
Thoughts of Foreigner at the
Staunton Baptist Church.

Editor TandicdtOr:
Wandering through Virginia, it was my
good fortune to spend last Sunday in your
beautiful mountain city. As & stranger
and foreigner was at a loss, at first, to
know where to attend worship. Curiosity
and my Baptist instincts led me to wander
past the other churches of thg city and seek
to know how an American BAPTIST cOngre-
Cation might look and how near a Baptist
preacher OF progressive America resem bled
one of the land from whence [ hailed. |
found the congregation made up largely OF
what seemed to be the working class,
devout and attentive however, and ready,
devotional exercises. l confess to have
awaited the coming of the minister with
some apprehension, lest | might be called
upon to listen to a dull and unattra ctive
sermon, but his personnel treasured ME.
With dignifed and imposing presence
that might suggest mind fond of the III
tricate in thought and the profound in doc
trine, detected a pleasant, beaming coun-
tenance, lit up with the love for men that
can come alone from the inspiration of the
Masters love for humanity, and now, l,
with no little curiosity, awaited the SER
Christ and the resurrection" l have heard
the text preached from before, but never
with more ability and skill than upon this
occasion. 1t has been my privilege often
to hear SpurgeOn, with the inspiration of
an audience of five thousand, and yet
confess that my heart has never been more
moved than by last Sundays sermon, which
l heard in the Baptist church of Staunton.
With earnestness of expression and the fire
of OratOrY that seemed born of love for his
fellow men, and devotion to the Masters
cause, he depicted Christ and the fervor of
his love for our race, as the one and only
hope of poor fallen humanity, and as in
GLOWING words no infrn6nPaH 10 no ft11
Smile of the disabled steamer, as day after
day she lay at the mercy of the storm, with
all eyes fixed upon the horizon looking
anxiously for relief land the uncomfortable
JOY OF the passengers as the relieving
ship hove in sight, and likened this
the Christians heart, in contemplation
Of the salvation in store for him
when relief shall come from the burdens
and cares, the veXations and sorrows OF
this life, the deep feeling which filled the
audience was too manifest to escape even
the eye OF stranger. Yet throughout the
discourse there was in the choice OF Ian
guage the elegance and grace of express
sion, the ease and readiness Of utterance,
all that betokenS the accomplished speak
er. l confess, sir, that had | heard this
sermon so delivered in one of our large
cities, in church filled with an audience
of the cultured and the rich, | might not
have come away with feelings of such sur
prise and qualification, but thus to find a
Comparatively feeble church, for so it i'm
pressed me, enjoying such a privilege, as
with us none but the wealthy and cen
trally located congregations possess, filled
me with grateful and agreeable emotions
and l shall carry home with me sincere
admiration for the preacher who had so
touched my heart and portrayed in such
ardent words the love Of Christ that made
me feel no longer a stranger, but brother
to all who love him.
Will you pardon me sir, for thus offering
TO express my qualification and this tribute
of thanks for the pleasure of that Sabbath
day and thus let the preacher and congre-
alton know how | appreciated the privi-
iege of sharing with them in their worship,
and that the Joy with which their hearts
seemed to be filled was shared by a passing
STRANGER.