The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-06
REV. j, G, G|BSON'S WISH
Would Like to Fly Away Like
the Dove and Be
at Rest.
REFERS TO THE TRAGEDIES
But He VIII Stay In the "City of
WickednesS" and Fight
to the End.

Rev. J. George Gibson of Emmanuel Bap-
fist Church occupied the pulpit and deliv-
cred a sermon at Grace Methodist Church
yesterday morning on the sixth verse of
Psalm LV.
And said, Oh that had wings like dove,
for then would 1 fly away and be at rest.
"Life is full of strange and inexplainable
contradictions, said the preacher. Our
wishes, our ambitions, are often controlled
by the most illogical conclusions. The
man who has all that wealth can purchase
and the man who has nothing are equally
miserable and long for the day of rest, the
first because he cannot grasp what money
will not buy, and the last because his idle
ness renders him weary. There is no
heroism in surrendering to the obstacles in
our path. Rest is mental and moral con-
dition and depends not upon surrounding
circumstances.
"The verses accompanying my text tell in
beautiful language the wonderful cause OF
David's lament.
mourn because of the voice of the enemy
because of the oppression of the wicked: for
they cast iniquity upon me and in wrath they
hate me. Ii was not all enemy that repr0acneQ
me; then l could have borne it: neither was 1t
he that hated me; then l could have hid my
self from him: but it was thou, a man mine
equal, my guide and my acquaintance. We
took sweet council together and walked unto
the house of God in company. The words OF
his mouth were smoother than butter, but war
was in his heart; his words were softer than
oil, yet were they drawn swords.
81 see in fancy David kneeling upon the
housetop and praying that he might be
dol 10 of fol cn
friend, from the wickedness of the city.
while he duplicates the throne OF
mercy dove rises from the flower garden
below him and scars away into the dim
distance. The grandest thoughts come to
US in trouble, the beautiful song of the
nightingale is heard only in the shadows.
David knew that his duty lay along the
line of heroic struggle with the enemy,
yet it CALLED him to think that these
enemies mum bered among them that false
friend whose face he must gaze upon day
after day.
'Shall I flee from the city of wicked
ness-shall l leave the neighborhood of
horrors and desert that church upon
which there is the stain of blood?
GAS that famous minister, Mr.. Spurgeon,
said, DO we not need rather the strength of
the OK to combat the enemy than the
wings OF the dove TO carry US away from
the enemy2'
"Shall I not. when the Lord SAYS, 60,
work in my vineyard, reply, Lord, L am
here?' Yes, for this day of trouble is but
the flowing of the river to the sea, the fly
ing ofthe sparks upward to their source, the
sun; and we will continue our struggle in
the city of wickedness till we reach the eter-
nal rest beyond the grave"
at is not in surroundings, however,
nor in changes of environment that happi-
ness can be found. The only true happi-
ness must be sought in mind at peace.
David could not fly away from himself;
nor can any one get away from himself.
The only proper thing to do, then. is to
find rest where we are. Some of our
brethren might say: we have had
trouble, therefore let us fly away but all
cries from the pierced heart would be cor
rected upon sober second thought Duty
demands that every man abide faithful,
whatever his environment be. Let no
good man flee from the City because it is
full of sin; let no patriot abandon his
country because there is corruption in
high places; let no Christian think for
moment of forsaking his church because it
has been stained by fiendish crime"
Dr. E. McClish, pastor of the Grace
Methodist Church, has followed the spirit
of the gospel in throwing open the doors
of his fold to the Emmanuel Baptist con-
gregation, and yesterday was the second
time Preacher Gibson has occupied the
pulpit The Emmanuel Church had its
Sunday. school there at the accustomed
hour, too, and there was also meeting
at which the unpleasant position in which
the church has been placed was talked
over.
A business meeting of the afflicted con-
gregation will be held in Grace M. E.
Church some night this week and then the
plans for the future will be discussed in
detail.
Pastor Gibson and his flock feel keenly
that the crimes with which Theodore Dur
rant stands charged will be always asso- I
ciated with the Bartlett-street editice.
Consequently they are strongly averse to
ever occupying the building again. But
what they are going TO do is problematic
There is debt upon the church of about |
10000, and to tear down the building and |
rear better one in its place, or in some
other place, confronts them as a pecuniary
hardship that is hard to endure. Were
their wishes alone to be consulted very
little time would be lost before the work of
destroying the polluted sanctuary would |
begin.
Mr.. Gibson contemplates a visit to his
sister at Chico, and will probably leave the
City before the end of the week. He has
need, he saws, of brief rest.