The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-17
METHODIST
 LOVE FEAST Preliminary to Wesley
 Celebration. DR. TIGERT WILL SPEAK Distinguished Divine Will
 Preach Tonight. Many Visiting Alabama Ministers to Participate in the Bi-centenary Services at Court Street
 Methodist Church.

As a preliminary to the celebration of the bicentenary anniversary of the birth of John Wesley, the founder of Method ism, love feast was held last night at the Court Street Methodist Church.
 The regular celebrative services will be- gin tonight when Rev. John T. Tigert. D. D. of Nashville. Book Editor of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, will preach at the Court Street Church.
 Rev. J. s. Frazer, D. D.. Presiding Elder of the Montgomery District, was expected to hold the service last night, but he was i'll, and in his stead Rev. A. J. Rice, pastor of the Court Street Church conducted 1t.
 A good sized congregation was in att tendance and the exercises were extreme ly interesting. They were begun with the singing of the hymn Come, Thou AL mighty King" after which Rev. J. T. Mangum. pastor of tho Clayton Street Methodist Church, delivered an eloquent prayer.
 The service, as Dr. Rice said, was a service of praise and as a Psalm appro- priate to the occasion be read the One Hundred and Third, beginning Praise the Lord, O My Soul"
 Origin of I've Feast. In a brief address pr. Rice told of the | origin and history of the love-feast The earliest sacrifice he said was the custom | of eating and drinking together, and this | festival had. ever been a symbol of higher | fellowship. Among the Hebrews while | they were yet in the nomadic state 1t | had been a custom, of religious origin and purpose, to receive strangers, to par take with them of food and drink, to offer them hospitality for two nights and one day, to protect them even longer, and | the ceremony of breaking broad and shar- | ing drink one with another, had among | the Hebrews, and indeed among all peo- ples, always been a symbol of the broth- erhood of man.
 In the first epoch of Methodism, Dr. Rice said, the custom of eating bread and drinking pure water was established among the converts to the new faith as and trust and of their love for each other. This custom had endured until the present day and 1t had been decided, he | explained, that there could be found no more fitting way to initiate the services celebrative of the natal anniversary of | the great John Wesley than by this simple service.
 | Bread and water were handed to those present and when all present had par | taken a hymn was sung.
 Then members of the Methodist Church testified to their faith and of the bles- sings that had been bestowed upon them through the church.
 Dr. Rice Spoke of Wesley. | Dr. Rice spoke briefly of John Wesley. What seemed a basic principle of the founder of the church. he said, was his realization of the importance of the in- dividual and of the supreme majesty of a single moment. If there could be any thing like unto Christ at the we'll of Samaria, it was. said pr. Rice, John wes- ley alone with some poor soul in prison.
 Many persons. even learned men, rep resented that Christ was always calm, that he was never stirred by the great emotions, the great thoughts that were within his soul; yet 1t was recorded that when he preached that midday sermon at the we'll he refused to eat; that was a divine. an ecstatic moment.
 The speaker appealed to the members of the church to get closer together and stated that they must. as they came closer to one another also come closer to the one thing for which. more than any other. Methodism stood-the preach ing of the Scripture.
 Rev. J. H. Jones, pastor of the Perry Street Methodist Church led in prayer and the service was closed with benedc- tion by Rev. w. S.. Dade of Union Springs
 Among the visiting preachers present last night were: Rev. E. E. Cowan of Enterprise; Rev. W. s. Wade Presid- ing Elder of the Union Springs District: Rev. E. A. Dannelly of Auburn; Rev J. M. Glenn of Loachapoka and Rev. E. H. Hendrix of Birmingham.