The times., 1899-06-13
EVANGELIST SETH REEs.
He Criticiscs Preachers for Having
Worldly Ambitions.

He Criticiscs Preachers for Having
Worldly Ambitions.
The third of a series of ten union Pen
tacostal meetings being held at Masonic
Temple by the Quaker evangelist Seth
C. Rees, and Byron j. Rees his son, was
fairly-well attended last evening, the hall
being about half filled with listeners. Con-
siderable spiritual enthusiasm was mani
fessed during the evening. the vigorous ex
hortations of the evangelist producing
quite an effect upon the congregation.
Evangelist Rees opened his discourse with
reference TO the spirit of the disciples
of Christ before Pentacost. He said they
were imbued with the spirit of God long
before the Pentacost. God had never sent
people who were unsaved and full OF the
| devil" TO preach his gospel. He had never
been so hard up that he had TO choose
sinners to do his work. The apostles were
fishermen who left their only means of
support and followed the ope who promised
them only persecution and short rations
Evangelist Rees maintained that they
must have been converted before Pentacost
to have done this.
Referring to methods of preaching. the
evangelist said: "If come to p reach any
thing but the gospel ! should be silenced
what we will want when the death rattle is
in our throats and the world is full of fire.
There is time when we can return good
for evil. People tell me this sort of
preaching is only an ideal, but the dis
ciples, the apostles, the Quakers, end
even the early Methodists preached it, and
we may have the same thing today.
Walk in the garden, trample and bruise
geranium, and the plant showers you
with sweet perfume. If God made the ger
anium so, why can he not make man the
same way, so that when we are bruised
we may return the fragrance of heaven? =?
/ People walk over us, and most of us re-
| sent it. We say We cannot stand it, If
you are crucifed in Jesus. though, people
might walk all over you and you would
! feel it no more than you can feel one step
! ping on your shadow.
"The trouble nowadays is that We are,
| SO many of us, office seekers. Folks are
never wholly satisfied until done with Of
! fee seeking. We have more folks now who
are trying to lead than who want to fol-
/ low. The great generals rise from the
1 ranks and learn TO obey before they at
| tempt TO command. Do you see people
who preach the word of God try to button
| hole the Bishop and lobby with the Pre-
| siding Elder? Do you see men who want
! to teach the Bible class? They are Of
fee seekers. They want something. Why
| is it they don't feel as good when they go
out as when they went in? Because the
unsanctifed only have desire for place and
! position. Remember that when God takes
the measure he will cut the suit to fit
| every time. You see preachers who are
longing for large congregations and huge,
costly churches and have not had a con-
vert in five years, and who would not know
what 10 do with one should they get one.
Oh, save US from such unholy ambitions,
bombast, and efforts for show. Oh! give
us the old faith of orthodox truth and
have the Holy Ghost sent down from
Heaven! Why, one cannot even start a
mission now without half dozen persons
trying to run it. The baptism of the Holy
Ghost would take all of that out"