The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-10
CITIZENSHIP IN HEAVEN.
Rev. DR.. Fairs Sermon at the Indc-
pendent Church.


The services at the Independent Presby-
terrain Church yesterday were or
unusual interest At the morn
ing service the pastor, Rev. Dr.
Fair administered the sacrament of
baptism to an infant In the Independent
Church the forms of worship of the Church
of Scotland are used, and the baptismal
formula is very solemn and impressive,
the members of the session standing by
the pastor at the baptismal font.
Before the sermon DR.. Fair read extracts
of letter from Rev. W. H. Hudson. a
missionary in China who is supported by
the Ladies Foreign Missionary Society
of the Independent Church. Mr. HUI
son warmly thanked the members of the
church for the help and encoura cement
he had received from them He spoke in
the most hopeful terms Of his work ana
said the $500 recently given as a free will
offering in addition to the regular contri-
Buttons of the Independent Church. would
be spent in building a school 20 be called
the Arson Memorial This school build
ing will have dormitories to accommodate
boarding pupils and in connection with
the hospital already established would
success.
DR.. Fairs sermon was on Heavenly
Citizenship" His text was Philippians,
1920: Our citizenship is in heaven" Phil
ippi, he said. was one of the most beauti-
ful and celebrated cities of antiquity
Founded in the earliest ages, it had been
adorned and enlarged by Philip of Mace
don, from whom it received its name.
On its hills Alexander the Great had play
ed in childhood; its plain was the scene
OF memorable events; there the long strug-
gle between the dying republic and
the rising empire ended; there Brutus
committed suicide; there the gospel was
first preached in Europe and the Christian
Church established which eventually ex-
tended 10 the New World
Philppi was thus the starting point of
TWO great empires, the civil and religious,
which moulded Europe and laid the foun-
dation of the present The Philippians,
therefore, might well be proud of their
city and its citizenship But il enioyed
the higher distinction of being a free CITY.
julius Caesar, the founder of the Roman
empire had walked the streets of Philippi.
lie founded there a colony of free-born
citizens. Hence the people were free and
called themselves Romans BY the terms
of the imperial decree, the PHILIPPIANS
were lifted above their narrow provincial
relations they became members of a great
" IL
of its glories and privileges were theirs
1t might be they had never been to Rome;
had never walked its streets or seen the
great ruler there but still they were really
citizens of that distant and invisible city
which was far beyond the hills. So the
apostles took this Roman citizenship.
which meant so much to its possessor, and
he makes it the basis of a great spiritual
truth. He teaches that the Christian is a
member of Gods spiritual kingdom, which
is universal and eternal
1.-The Christian" DR.. Fair said "is a
citizen of an earthly city and a member
of a nation here. He owes duties TO his
native place and to his country. but above
all civil and temporal relations, he is a
subject to the divine government. True, he
has never seen that great city which is the
center and capital of the universe; he has
never walked its streets or seen the face
of its King, but his citizenship is there
all its hOnors, joys and privileges are his
julius Caesar was perhaps the greatest
uninspred man that ever lived 1t was his
object to found one great empire in which
all nations would blend and one language
be spoken and the same laws obeyed. In
this great object ne was defeated by as
sassination, but he was unconsciously the
forerunner and herald of a Greater who
is founding a universal kingdom which
will ultima tely encircle the world, and I'm
which peace and righteousness Will pre-
vail AS it was the national spirit of the
ancient Romans to uphold the dignity and
greatness of their country and extend ii
through the world, so the Christian ought
to feel the greatness of his calling. main
tain the Holiness of his profession and la
Dor to extend Christ's kingdom
In King James version of the Scrip
lures" Dr. Fair said, 'ihe text is trans
lated: our conversation is in Heaven
In that day language and citizenship were
synonymous. 1t is assumed a man would
sneak the language of his native land.
So let Christians ever speak the language
of Heaven
At night the pulpit of the Independent
Church was filled by Rev. w. A. Nisbett.