The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-01
DR.. LANDRUM'S SERMON.
Continued from Sixth Fage.)

tistry above which I stand, 1 was buried
with my Lord; at the table just before me
partook for the irst time of those men,
orials which commemorate the dying love
of Jesus; in yonder pews, in other years,
sat my sainted mother. and about her
those noble men and women who shaped
nv early Christian character, and who ap-
proved my boyhood's efforts, a-
TO tell to all around. ~ #
What dear Savior l have found"
Behind this pulpit for twice seven years
stood my father, whose mural tablet is in
full view What memories come trooping
hack to me- How utterly unworthy 1 feel
10 be allowed to speak from a platform
from whence 1 have heard the sanity SEN
fences of Crawford, and Mallary and Je-
Ter and Taylor and Boyce, and Broadus,
and Nell, and Tucker, and Campbell, and
Devote and fitzpatrick, and Ryals and
nv own classmate, the chivalrous ]. E.
L. Holmes Being comprised about as l
ann by so great a crowd of molly witnesses,
how could 1 dare 10 enunciate harsh, flip
nant false or unfraternal utterance?
This is a great occasion. Conformity
with this convention we celebrate the GEN.
tenuial of this church, 1 wish / might
review these one hundred years, but IL is
not the time for that. Looking back over
The century for a moment, it is pleasant
IN mark the progress of our beloved de-
nomination, TO thank God and take cour-
ace. What hath God wrought i'm Georgia!
In 1888 Baptists claimed in this state about
sixty churches, but in 1899 sixteen hundred;
in 1899 about 1000 communicates, and in
1899 10000 of the white race alone; in 1893,
2 half hundred ministers, and in 1899, 700
in the pastorate and those out of it a
host unnumbered; in 1893, the constitution
of Georgia was so revised as to afford
absolute religious liberty to all it's citizens,
The clause on that subject emanating prop
erIy from the pen of the Baptist Mercer,
while in 1893. Baptist principles so wide
" predominate as to forever to shut off
any possibility of that union of church and
state from which our fathers suffered in
the colonial period. Daniel Marshal's
eat-great-grandson, my colleague in At
lauta. unlike his distinguished ancestor,
dares speak his mind with none to modest
him or to make him afraid. If loyal to
Christ, there is no reason why we Bap-
fists in Georgia should not go on conquer
ing and to conquer the places of sin and
desolation for centuries to come. Shall
we do it? Not. if we ever allow
ourselves 10 forget the central and
centraliziug doctrine of the Christ-hood of
Jesus 1t is well TO remember that the
day of power is liable to become the day
ton and a naughty spirit before fall" Our
peril as a denomination is suggested by
the query of Peter: Lord, what shah this
man do?" Our danger as a denomination
lust now lies in our centripetal tendencies;
ii is due to our doctrine of individualism
pressed TOO far; it comes about when we
subordinate the main matter of following
Christ in doctrine and duty TO the consid-
Grafton of some question of only Incidental
value and Importance"
Dr. Laudrum discussed the essentials OF
Baptist belief as compared with the nom
essentials. The incidental must be subor-
djnated if UNCONVENTIONAL unity is TO re-
main unbroken, he said. The incidental is
speculative and Furthermore it is divis-
i've 1t has broken up the Baptist de-
nomination into thirteen different sects
such as Free-Will Baptists, Seventh day
Bapusts, Six-Principle Baptists ana
others.
From the discussion of the incidental in
denominational matters DIR. Landrum pro-
ceeded to a discussion of its i'll effects In
religious matter, and the many errors I'M
der which the professed followers OF
Christ labor and the evil results to the
cause of religion because of the magnify
ing of incidentals to the exclusion of mat
qers of gre ter Importance. Neither civili-
cation, nor society, nor law, nor the Bible
itself, he said, can take the place OF
Christ. Christ has the only method for
taking away the sin of the world. 1t is
the regeneration of the individual 1t is
impaired as well as imputed righteous
ness The world must be saved Individual
~ and not in mass, and there Is none
other means of salvation under heaven
than faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.