The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-25
TX E L o E B,
 Jeweler.
DR. vANcE's MEETING.
He Preached Two Sermons at Central
 Church.

Church.
 The series of services being held at the | Central Presbyterian Church continue to | grow in interest and attendance. Dr. | Vance. the eloquent minister from New ark. New Jersey. preached yesterday two | sermons. morning and evening. that were | characterized by forcefulness, earnest | ness and effectiveness. The mornings lesson was from the 23rd l verse of the 14th chapter of St. Luke. | And the Lord said unto the servant 1 Go out into the highways and hedges. and l compel them to come in that my house | may be filed" Dr. Vance weaved into the warp and | wool of his discourse thread of thought ! that without deviation or break, contin- ued from beginning to end. Every | l thought suggested. every principle in- volved, every idea and fact advanced, l were characterized bys logic, conciseness and simplicity. The lesson, as taught by Dr. Vance, | was that religion Is not confined to churches, as so many people seem to l think, no more than Is mans life depend | ent upon the dinner table. So many people feel that when they have joined the church. attended divine worship, and partaken of the spiritual food, that their I duty to God and man has been fully dis charged. But not so," said Dr. Vance for Jesus disciples were about to fall into | that great error. that spirit of satisfac- ton with themselves, when He came to their rescue and sent them out into the world and as they went they preached the word" A point emphasized by Dr. Vance. in this connection was that. as in the les | son, those who have the greatest oppor tunities are the very last to accept Christ, and when He sends His messenger out. 1t is into the high ways and thes hedges. into the factories and the offices. the ob scure boarding and tenement houses, and bids all to the great feast of the soul, which He has spread. "I want to lay upon your heart" said Dr. Vance, the duty which Christ laid | upon His disciples-to go out and preach the gospel Not the religion that Is con | fined to the churches, but a religion that l can make a pulpit of a street corner, or transform drawing room into a church. The invitation must not go out as from one who feels his aloofness and superior | fly, but with a spirit of good will and that evidence of fellow feeling which is | impressed rather than spoken Come thou with us and we will do thee good. One special thought presented by Dr. Vance was that the very fact that re- ligion is free, that churches are open to l all, is enough to keep people away, show l ing the perverseness of human nature. If a law should be passed prohibiting | church going what a change there would | be; what an awakening! People would at once proceed to fight for their rights. | and all sorts of places would be utilized | for churches. The strongest point in the l lesson was here brought out that peo- | pie do not appreciate their privileges If Christians were as earnest and as 1 jealous for the cause of Christ, said pr. l Vance, as the politicians are for the | causes they represent. the churches would | be filled. and the church accommodations | altogether insufficient.
 The great truth taught through the en- | tire discourse was that Christ appeals to all, to the people, to the masses. not only to those who are rich and influential, but to those in the byways and hedges: to those who are poor. who are maimed, who are lame and who are blind. The doors of Christs church are open for all. His feast is spread for all.
 The last thought he left with his con gregation was that the days are slipping by and the time for action is now-there is no time to be lost.
 The Night Service.
 The congregation attending the services at the Central Presbyterian Church last night was SO large as to necessitate the opening of the lecture room to secure seating capacity.
 The subject of pr. Vance's sermon last night was Forgiveness" and his text was the 7th verse of the 1st chapter of | Ephesians: "In whom we have redemp- ton through His blood. the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace"
 Dr. Vances sermon was remarkable last night for its depths of thought, scope l and intensity of feeling.
 Forgiveness is a theme that has been preached through the ages" he said, and | in the text there Is enough to flood earth with hope and fill heaven with joy pr. Vance spoke, of the different motives
 which actuate people in going to church. l the strongest of which is the need of
 forgiveness, that feeling on the part of
 man. that he needs to get right with God. He said the prevalent idea is that
 to transform society, Is to give men bet
 ter wages, shorter hours for work, books and comfortable homes. when all the
 time the spirit is crying out, Purge me
 with hyssop and will be clean: wash
 me and will be whiter than snow"
 Sin is an offense against God, against one's self and against ones neighbor' ] said Dr. Vance. land Jesus Christ alone
 has the solution, the cure for sin. The | first step to become free from sin Is to seek Gods forgiveness. which is always | free and full: as when he said, Neither do condemn thee, go and sin no more
 Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.' Dr. Vance contin
 ued. and the story of forgiveness starts Un the first page of the inspired book and
 ends only when the debt has been paid by Christ when on the cross He shed His | blood for the salvation of sinners and
 the remission of sins God never changes; what He was, He is now and ever will l be-"
 | A beautiful thought was hero presented
 forcibly. that the son of man has power on earth to forgive sins to give peace
 tn a troubled conscience, and that for
 giveness Is for all Christ offers 1t with
 out money and without price.
 An inspiring thought Dr. Vance left
 with his congregation was: "Bo ye kind
 one to another. forgiving one another,
 even as God, for Christs sake, forgives
 you"