The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-19
AT THE FIRST BAPTIST.
Sermon to Children I'm Morning and
Baptism at Night.

Sermon to Children I'm Morning and
Baptism at Night.
The services yesterday morning and
last night at the First Baptist church
were full Of interest.
The morning service was especially for
children, and at night the ordinance of
baptism followed the regular service. Mr..
II. H. Ford was received as member of
the church. Two candidates also made
public professions of faith and two mem
bers were received by transfer.
The sermon for children was illustrated.
the pastor, Rev. John D. Jordan, using
a blackboard for the purpose. He used
the word watch as his text, taken from
Matthew %: Al: Watch and pray, that
We enter not into temptation; the spirit
indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak"
Upon the blackboard he wrote words
forming the acrostic of his subject, and
as he wrote each, he dwelt upon 1t with
interesting remarks. Those things which
he exhorted the children to watch were
words, actions. tempers, cares and hearts.
The children of the Savannah Female Or
phan home were present at the service,
and sang the offertory.
Their hymn was Il Shall See Him Face
to Face" and its excellent rendition won
the children many favorable comments.
Rev. Mr.. Jordan took the text for his
evening discourse from Matthew, 1881:
And He said unto him, If they hear not
Moses and the prophets, neither would
they be persuaded, though one rose from
the dead" He began by saying that
preacher in selecting as a text a passage
so familiar, places himself at a disadvan-
tage. He said that its being familiar is
the result of there being so many good
lessons conveyed by 1t. and that on ac-
count of these lessons, it should be taken
up. That God Is no respecter of persons
was emphasized, the parable Of the beggar
that asked for the crumbs from the rich
mans table being used to show how
Christ refuted the idea of the Jews that
the worldly prosperity of the one did not
insure his going to heaven, while the poor
man, upon whom, as the Jews thought the
displeasure of God had fallen because he
was not blessed with temporal wealth, as
cended to place among the angels.
That God is no respecter of persons was
further emphasized by the pastor in his
citation of the Christs injunction to his
disciples to go into all the world and
preach His Gospel. This, also, was con-
trary to the Jewish idea, the belief of
the race being that none but Jews could
rest in the bosom of Abraham. He In
stanced passages from the Scripture tn
show that God looks into the hearts and
not the temporal conditions of men. He
said that no man can think that his
wealth, political or social position can as
sure him of heaven, while, on the other
hand, no man can think that his poverty
and distress will save him. His salvation
can come alone through faith in Christ
The lesson of heaven and hell that NAV
be learned from the passage was also
given Heaven, Mr.. Jordan said, he liked
to consider as home, the most pleasant
place that can be known to the human
heart; and hell he believes to be a place
OF actual torment. With feeling and
power and thoughts clothed in the beauty
of eloquence, he dwelt upon the Bibles
statement that not only the angels in
heaven, but lost souls in hell, are praying
continually that the people now on earth
may not be doomed to the eternal suffer-
ings of the damned