The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-28
FROM THE CHRISTIANS SIDE.
EVANGELIST GALES SERMON on
COL. INGERsOLL's SUBJECT.

Grated From Vice and Iniquity.
The Marvellous Power of God to
Transform Men Discussed with
Much Force and EIOquence.
While the audience at the theater last
night was entertained by the crystalline
eloquence of Col. Robert G. Ingerson on
the subject, Liberty Of Man, Woman and
Child" the same subject was being dis
cussed by Evangelist Weston r. Gales at
the First Presbyterian Church. but from
an entirely different standpoint Mr..
Gales discourse was from a Christian
standpoint.
The church probably never had its scat
ing capacity so thoroughly taxed with
people eager to hear what the evangelist
had 10 say. Some were probably a little
disappointed in what they heard. The i'm
preston gained circulation in some quar-
| tiers that Mr. Gales was to answer Col.
Ingersoll. The truth was quite the re-
verse The liberty of men, women and
children, as presented from a Christian
SIDE was to be discussed with no partic-
ular reference 10 Col Ingersolls lecture.
Thinking probably that some such refer
! ence might be made and that Mr.. Gales
might spring a sensation in an attack on
| the lecturer discussing the topic from an
| other view, many were doubtless prompt
| ed to attend. This class did not predomi-
| nate however. The attention given the
| evangelist was very close, and not one
left before the sermon closed, with the
exception of those who could not obtain
seats.
Inc dominating thought in Mr. Gales
discourse was the liberty men, women and
ch,idren benefited by embracing the gos-
pei OF Jesus Christ. The liberty they re-
| celVe Is sweet, consollng, lasting peace,
he said which brings joy and everlasting
rest TO the soul. The sermon was embel-
! hshed with Illustrations which did not fail
| TO make a lasting impression on the minds
Of the congregation.
Nineteen hundred years ago." said Mr..
! Gales, in opening his address, liberty
] IN It's truest sense was the thought and
| nope OF the few. but was not experienced
| IN the lives of the manly Centuries came
/ ana Went-the race was enslaved: stupid
| an superstition, ignorance and moral tur-
| pltude History and the long buried, but
| now uncovered ruins of ancient cities tells
! us of art as well as luxury and excess.
! but the few, though wealthy. were en-
| slaVed by sin, and the masses of their
feioWmen were in abject and piiless
bondage TO them. Now and then some no.
/ Die soul, longing to know Him who alone
| could lead men out of the slavery and
| 5iNShA VI Eli sought ana FOUND light and
! hberty, but the heart of the race eraved
that which God was preparing TO give it.
| eighteen hundred and seventy-one
years ago, the evangelist continued lin
| the synagogue of Nazareth at Galilee. a
! young man about 30 years old stood up
| and proclaimed: The spirit of the ord
! rs upon me, because He hath anointed me
! to preach the gospel to the poor: He hath
sent me to heal the broken hearted. to
| preach dellverance to the captives and
! recovering of sight to the blind to set at
liberty them that are bruised AS He
spoke, the dawn Of liberty began to APP
! pear, and the light to illuminate the
gloom. Three years are gone and that
same young man, crucifed on Calvary, is
| lying in yonder sealed tomb and before it
! was rolled a great stone affixed with Ro-
| man seal and before it stood body of
soldiers TO watch it. That decaying body,
| the unbroken SEAL the unmoVed stone
proclaim the failure of His mission. the
| folly of his claims. But the stone is roll
| ed away, the sepulchre deprived of its oc-
| cupant, and the only answer that Roman
| Governor, or Jewish high priest. or IN
| believers of every century from then In
| til now can give to thu question, Why me
empty tomb the broken seal the risen
| Christi is that the soldiers slept. A COM
| pany of Roman soldiers set 70 watch,
every pTecaution to prevent Interference
used, and yet few frightened, scattered
| despairing men and women troke the
SEAL moved the body folded the napkin.
rolled the ponderous stone aiyay, while
every soldier slept, though set to guard
the tombl
Forty days more pass in the interval, >"
he continued. He has mingled with,
talked to and instructed His disciples. He
leads them out to Ohvet, and visibly glo-
ritied, He ascends from among them until
lost to human vision on His way 10 the
| right hand of the Father. There are no
facts in history more thoroughly proven
than the resurrection and ascension of
Jesus Christi
Il received a communication a few days
ago from some one in your city" said the
| evangelist, asking me if it We're not
true that no one confirmed the miracles
of JESUS, but His deluded followers, who
were looking for a temporal kingdom and
under the spell of His Authorizations. If
the writer had been sufficiently acquainted
with the word of God, he might have
| turned and read of the declara ton of one
who was not a follower of Jesus during
His life upon earth, and who on the con-
trary, was for years the relentless foe of
| Christianity Converted at last he re-
cords that Jesus was seen of above 500
brethren at once, few of whom had fall
en- asleep, but the most of whom were
alive when Paul wrote twenty-six years
after the ascension.
| would
have rejoiced to have blotted the resur-
| rection of Jesus from the page of history.
The Roman power would have ben glad
to have seen it done. Why
did they not summon the witnesses ?
| Why not demand their names? Here
stood the converted Pharisee proclaiming
this truth and enumerating his witnesses
to establish, and the only reason given for
the risen and the ascended Son of God
is: The soldiers sept.
@Back yonder in the synagogue at Naz-
areth we saw the dawning of the liberty
ethan makes men free indeed Now-the
sun is risen, the bows fall, the shackles
fan away and men and women and chill
dren are as free as Cod can make them.
The mistress of the world sits upon her
seven hills and holds IN her hands the
reins of a worlds government Proud. Ii
centious prohigate and blood-thirsty:
mighty still il comes bnt checked and
| enslaved by sin; Christ through his SER
wants, invades. first The colonies of the
great empire, and Chen armed with the
sword OF the spirit Which is the Word Of
God, lie thrusts the God inspired and God
quickened weapon right into the heart Of
Rome Three hundfed years are gone
and there gathered in The Eastern city a
| COMPANY of men who renreepntad tho