Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-28
SERVICES IN OUR CHURCHES SUNDAY
Appropriate to
Many Sermons Appropriate to
Christmas-I3aptist Ministers Fight
ing Against Appropriations 10 Sec
tnrinn NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

! that he accepts the cnurcn ihNilatiOh
TO become fits pastor. was read at the
morning service on Sunday by Dir. VIII
liam NJ Hin.
In this communication Mr. Sweeny says
simply that on the conditions which had
been made known TO the committee III
the previous correspondence he accepts,
and that a letter more In detail would
follow. He did not say what time he
would come 10 Richmond, as there were
several engagements which he would be
called upon to fulfil or get released from
II possible. One is for q date in January
and another in February.
The intelligence concerning Mr.. Swee-
ny's acceptance in the morning papers,
and communicated through this letter
| to the congregation of Seventh-Street
| church caused widespread satisfaction and
I delight 1t is glad news, and new de-
termination has seized the people OF the
| old church to take on a full new life ana
] increase it's every faculty OF usefulness
| and good The church has the utmost
] confidence i'm Mr.. Sweeny-in his power
| of Leadership and his great ana weli-knowh
ability as a preacher. They feel they
! have chosen great leader and are willing
1 TO follow. proud of his leadership.
Rev. w. c. Payne of Philadelphia
| preached at Seventh-Street church at the
| morning and evening services.
DIR. Witherspoon Grows in Popu-
Iarity.
| Dr. Witherspoon, at Grace-Street Pres
byterian church, delivered his Christmas
sermons TO large congregations, both
morning and at night The Doctor TOOK
| for his morning text the first clause OF
| the seventh verse of the second chapter
| of Haggai: And / will shake all nations,
and the desire of all nations shall come
| Said he: 1T is not the quantity of what
one writes but the quality, and what this
prophet wrote and gave to us for our In
| struction in spiritual things is contained
| in only two chapters-one chapter OF
fifteen verses, the other OF twenty-three.
| His keynote is repent; and what was the
desire of all nations referred to by this
prophet? The coming of Christ, the LORD,
whose birth we are so forciby reminded
| of at this season. The rationalists ex-
PLANTATION of the birth of Christ is that
the times produce the man; as the man is
needed for the times he Is brought TO the
front: but this reason for the birth OF
Christ at the time ii occurred in Bethle-
tradiction of the times. While the Jews
were expecting the Messiah they had not
the correct idea Of what He would be,
or what He would dc at His coming. Their
idea was king to overthrow the Caesars.
But Christs coming was not the ration
alist's idea of what the man Christ Jesus
should be. The Prophet Haggai wrote
five hundred years before the coming or
Christ that the desire of all nations was
to do away with the superstition of the
times and the birth of the Saviour or
the world"
Or. Witherspoon then gave an account
of how God prepared the way for the
coming OF Christ. as the text says: Il
will shake all nations" and how the pro-
| phecy Of Haggai had been fulfilled.
THE NIGHT SERMON.
At night the Doctor took for his text,
"And they came in haste, and found
Mary and Joseph. and the Babe lying in
the manger" The evening discourse was
a continuation of his morning sermon,
and the preacher was very earnest and
forcible in his appeal to all classes to ac-
cept Christ as the Saviour of mankind.
Said he: Without Christianity the past
has no meaning and the future no hope.
The coming of Christ was not announced
TO the rich, the kings. the priests, the
scribes, or those in authority, but TO the
shepherds at night while minding their
sheep. and he pitied the man. let him be
ever so low. or high. in his daily occupa-
ton. and could not accept Christ as
his Lord and Saviour"
GROWING IN POPULARITY.
The Doctor is very logical in the appi-
cations of his texts, and his preaching
becomes more and more popular with his
| congregation. The singing by the choir
was both appropriate and good on This
occasion. The anthems in the morning
Let Us Now Go Even Unto Bethlehem
and "IIe Shall Reign Forever"-were well
! rendered as was the evening anthem
'Hark, The Herald Angels Sing"
The Christmas festival Of the Sunday
school will take place in the lecture-room
Thursday evening at 1880 o'clock.
On Sectarian Appropriations.
The Baptist Ministers Conference met
in the Second Baptist church yesterday
| at noon. This was report day, and Rev.
DIR. ]. c.. Hiden, of Grove-Avenue Bap-
| fist church, reported six baptisms Sum
| day. making twenty-nine since November
| 18th. Other gratifying reports were
made.
The committee appointed to oppose the
| appropriation of the city's money to sec
tartan institutions by the City Council
was modified in it's personnel, and was
urged to prosecute its instructions with
| vigor
Professor Edmund Harrison, of Hop
| kinsville KY, who preached so accept
| ably TO his old charge, at Grove-Avenue
| church at the morning service Sunday,
gave stirring and earnest address TO
the conference. Professor Harrison is
| In the city on a visit to relatives in this
| city, and will lreturn to HoDkinsville in
| the course of this week.
Professor Il. h. Pollard. son of Profess
sor John Pollard, this city. of Columbian
| University, was also present and at the
| invitation of the president of the con-
| ference, spoke on the work and outlook
! of the great school with which he is con-
nected Professor Pollard preached at
| Leigh-Street Baptist church Sunday
morning and evening.
Among the other visitors were Rev.
Mr.. Stewart, of Ashland; Rev. w. L..
| Hays, of Marion, S. c., and DR.. George
! f. Bagby, of Farmville. Mr.. Stewart is
pastor of the Baptist church of Ashland,
and OF the church at Columbia. He
stated that his Ashland flock desired him
to surrender his Columbia charge. and
| devote his entire time TO them. He will
probably comply with their wishes.
LoVE-ToKEN SERVICE.
The services at Randolph-Street Bap-
! list church Sunday were of peculiar in