The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-11
A BALTIMoREAN IN SAVANNAH.
He Listens to an Able Divine and Pays
the City q Comnliment

He Listens to an Able Divine and Pays
the City a Compliment.
Mr.. ]. Frank Supplee, in the Baltimore
Telegram of Sept %, in an account of "A
September Southern Trip" gives an in
teresting resume of a sermon by one
of this city's best known and ablest d.
vines, and adds the usual compliments
that visitors pay to Savannah. He says:
We worshipped at st. Johns z. e.
church. Rev. c. H. Strong is the rec
tor. He is in our judgment one of the
strongest thinkers and most eloquent of
pulpit orators in the south. He speaks
without notes, and his gesticulation is as
graceful as his elocution is perfect in in
tonation and pronunciation, free from all
mannerisms or platform affectations. We
venture modestly to attempt to reproduce
a few of the thoughts in his discourse.
His text was: THAT those things which
cannot be shaken may remain. He
brews xii, q. Adam was probably the
first moral being-there may have been
generations of sentient beings before
him, and he may have been the result of
a gradual growth or evolution in moral
sensibilities; he was the first to possess a
moral conscience. CThis may be an old
theory to scientific tbeologians, but 1t was
new to us) He stated in the world there
was a large class of people, who from a
heredity of ancestors had been trained in
a school of scripture teaching and wor-
shipful faith and veneration, so well that
no doubt of the truth of the Bible, or of
the Christian plan of salvation, ever arose
in their minds, and duty was a pleasure,
worship delight; but there was another
class not so favored with pious ancestry,
who found it difficult to embrace the be-
lief Of others. They come to the preacher
in his study for assistance in their doubts,
young men generally, but not always. for
men Of ripper years came, too, having read
the works of Tyndal, Huxley and Spen-
Ger, thoughtful, earnest seekers for light
and truth. To such, more particularly,
he addressed his remarks, and his SER
mon was an endeavor to reason with them
from nature or from natural religion out
side of divine revelation, the force and
necessity of belief and of holy living.
He said there are things in the scripture
that some men shy from like horse from
an object by the wayside that alarms 1t,
and they are not to be blamed, for If any
one would claim that the awful slaughter
wreaked by Israel upon her enemies, the
bloodthirsty deeds of revenge and muir
der were ordered by God, such one was
unworthy Of liberation.
The sacred history records the progress
of savage and barborous people toward
civilization and the patient dealings Of
Jehovah with them. To thoughtful men
the impression must come that existence
does not end with this life, that there
must be life beyond of reward or pun
ishment, otherwise we are worse off than
the beasts of the field. for they are not
worried by narrowing moral thoughts,
fears and misgivings,
There is no justice if there is no contin-
ued existence, for we see the good, the
useful carried off by the touch of pesti-
I Ii
remain. The shaft of death brings down
the noble youth just on the threshold Of
life and success, while 1t passes harmless
ly by the aged and withered FORM bent
with many years of dissipation, and
whose span of life seemed running to
waste Every nation that has ever been
discovered, excepting possibly a tradi-
tional tribe in the far away South Pa
ciic, has had universal feeling of wor-
ship, and a hope Of a hereafter.
Compare the teachings OF Christ, it's
breadth and universally, with that OF
any other religious leader, does it not
commend itself to the earnest seeker for
truth? But ignoring all revelation as not
germaine to his theme, the preacher said
to his hearers, for them II necessary, to
search the sayings of Plato. Socrates and
Buddha, who lived six hundred years be-
fore Jesus, or even the writings Of later
day atheists, such as the eloquent IngeT-
soil, and II you find a nobler sentiment
grander reliance than in Christ use it,
and God who soest the hearts Of all men
and judges their intentions, may bless
you in this truth. Having found the truth
H. will necessarily cause you to first, be-
lieve in a true moral God and another
state of existence, and second, If you be-
lieve in such a moral Being, to whom you
arc responsible, it will cause you to form
and maintain true character, which will
be pleasant to this moral governor, and
will be rewarded by him.
Savannah is a lovely city, and is with
out a rival in America for beauty and
restful happiness. All through it are
squares. containing noble statuary Of To-
cal heroes, who have distinguished them
selves in the annals of American history.
Broad avenues paved with smooth as
phelt, court-yards OF flowers, and shrub
dences. The city is laid out on broad COM
prehensive plans there is no stinglness OF
ground, which is 80 conspicuous In
Charleston streets or those Of eastern
cities As one looks over the city in every
direction his eyes see green trees, we'll
kept grass plats and shrubbery, a scene
Of tropical loneliness and southern beauty
The DC Soto hotel IS 10 our mind the equal
Of any in the Middle States-it occupies
q whole square Of ground and f. an arch
itcctural monument to the enterprise Of
tho capitalists and business men OF the
city. In the spring It's gorgeous parlors
and wide verandas are filled with happy
tourists en- route to Florida, for a trip 10
tho land OF flowers IS now deemed in
complete without q stop here going and
returning.
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