Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-06-13

|66.
,,.-chsd In A body TO the new churcn;
The nestor. Rev. II. p. Mitchell. preacneo
an able sermon IN the morning, suo ING
congregation In attendance was gu WI,
usually large one. The services o.osi
with communion, ana tncl na; wo NV car.
professions of faith ana aao''ions W 0'''
fificate to the church.
The Tent Meetings.
Tho evanoslistic meetings under the d.
rectiop of Rev. NJ. b. williams snd III. IN
man. were largely attended on SUNDAY
sftsrpoon and night and the interest III
creases with every mesting
SUNDAY afternoon at 4 o'clock the great
tent was over-crowded with men onIyI
estimated at 5000. Young. old. and MD
w,dowtrs and old bachelors ''sat under
the GOSPEL preaching for nearly three
houYs. Mr.. Williams preached q power.
mi sermon. portrayipg the career OF Iass
vouno man. and indeed. the vices and
HABITS of the male sex. He was very piain
and practical in his talk. and prouuceu
such an impression that at the emu Oh Tue
meeting hundreds OF men cro"ue d . sp "
him of nm earnest intention to reform anu
do pet.or in the future. s.,
Al night the tent was again crowded Dy
bn interested congregation and NJ the
after-meeting there was goodiy numoer
of professions of conversions go,
The meetings will continue till Ihurs-
day night of this week. at which time they
will close. unless some special reasons
shall develop TO warrant continuance.
Mr. Williams has many engagements
ahead for tho months OF July and August.
10 Presbyterian Pnipit'.
The Presbyterian ministers meeting
rosterdav morning had n very full attend.
ance. and all the reports OF the WORK Oh
Sunday were very encouraging.
At the First church DIR. Kerr occupied
his pulpit in the morning. ana al nign.
exchanged with DR.. Cooper, OF tho fiIs'
Baptist church. o ,h
pr Fair of the Grace-Street church.
preached morning and night to good con-
erecations. At the morning service tnere
vas communion and nine additions-sN
hv certificate and three by profession. In
the Sunday school the superintendent,
| Mr.. b. G. Wherry, awarded each OF tne
| following pupils Bible for recitlng me
| shorter catechism perfectly: Mary Wnrlhg'
King Warlng, Jonn Augustine auu o.
Harvey Blair. Jr.
The First-church services were well at
| tended morning and night, Dr. Gammon'
| the pastor, preaching on both OCCASIONS.
Rev. j. CALVIN Stewart had fine congre::
| cations at both services at the Cnurch OF
| the Covenant ,,n.
was ordained and installed pastor OF Miz-
| nah church, now worshipping in tneir new
and beautiful sanctuary on Chestnut Hill.
| A large and interested congregation was
present to witness the solemn ordinance
| M the LAYING on of the hands OF the pres
| bvtery. by which the novltiate was IN
| ducted into Office as a minister OF the Los-
pei. DIR. Kerr preached strong ana ap-
pirate sermon. urging all to hold 10 the
| old paths" In these days or noveities III
wholesome words OF counsel TO the young
pastor, while Rev. L. Is. TURNOUT presided
| over the meeting and sealed the compact
| between pastor and people.
| The Lessons of Calamity.
DIR. Hoge's discourse Sunday morning was
| n sermon of the times. his theme being
THE Lessons of Calamity"
He commenced by speaking of the DESC
| lating floods which hnd so often occurred
| in China aud especially the memorable one
| of 1871. when three great rivers slmultane-
ously overlooked their banks. submerging
| thousands Of square miles of territory ana
sweeping away an appalling number OF peo,
ple. These deyastatlons had their paraliel
| In the tidal-waves produced by earth
ouakes IN japan. but calamitles vast even
| as these impressed us less vlvicly than
| those much lese in magnitude which oc-
| Cured in our own land and among those
in whom we felt personal interest.
THE WASHINGTON CATASTROPHE.
The recent catastrophe in neighoorlnG
| CITY in q building devoted to dramatic
| fctions. but which had been the scene of
real tragedies of the most mournful
character, affected us more profoundly.
! than the tidngs of the extermlna:ion OF
| millions by flood. famine, and fever In
| China or Japan. The Doctor said we
| could appreciate the disaster IN Washing
ton city oil the more senslbly because OF
| its similarity to the one that occurred IN
| Richmond on the memorable day when
| the Capitol building was the scene OF
CALAMITY which plunged the whole COM
munIty in mourning.
Among the lessons impressed by such
| events was the arresting OF the attention
| of the people at large to certain great
| truths of revelation which men are prone
| mt ordinary times TO forget or disregard
but which startling provldences so en-
force as to give them an immediate reailza
ton of the pressing and personal I'M
portance of these truths such as could be
| produced III no other way.
SPIRITUAL APATHY.
Men sometimes need to be aroused from
spiritual apathy by events which com
mand the attention Cfthe most needless
We often hear 1t SAID that' actions speaE
louder than words. This IS sometimes
true even of the acts of God: not tha'
they are anv more entitled to regard than
the written revelations of His Word. but IN
the sense that they arrest and rlvet the
attention of men more powerfully than
the abstract truths of Scripture, though
equally solemn and important.
The results of this Divine method o
arousing the attention of men to splrltua
things is seen IN times of great nationa
trouble, when under the constraInt o
alarming providences the Executive ISSUES
"A proclamation summoning the people u
humiliation and prayer. and when Tn
spectacle is witnessed of nation on 1t
knees making confession OF sin and depre
eating the Divine displeasure.
ANOTHER ILLUSTRATION.
Another impressive illustration of thi
WAS seen in Richmond after the calamlt.
to which reference has been made-whel
not upon the Sabbath, when churches ar
generally thronged by devout worship
, pers. but on secular weekday, when al
public offices and institutions were close'
and all business suspended; while ever
house of God was open and filled wit
people of all classes, subduod by com
mon sadness and bumbling themselve
under an omnipotent Hand.
3 Another lesson of great calamity
especially when 1t comes without mo
ments warning, is the folly of delaying
, | attention to the interests which relate t
l an eternal Observation-Disclosures which de
. mand the immediate attention of all be
levers in the great doctrine OF lmmor
tally.
At such time also men are reminde'
$ not only of the necessity of preparation O
. which is inevitable to all, but of the IN
finite proprety of cherishing and main
tanning the most kindly relations wit
: neighbors and acquaintance, and especi
d ally with the members of their own house
( holds.
i Should one leave home in the mornln
2 with anger in the hearts or bitter word
4 | uDon the tongue n wound NAV be infllcte