The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-30
FRIENDSHIP HAS
 GREAT. INFLUENCE The Rev. pr. | D. Steele Breaches Strong Sermon THE FIRST CUMBERLAND He Emphasized Friendship as the One Grat Pearl Without Price and pweIled Upon undylns Friend
 ship of God to Man.
THE FIRST CUMBERLAND

At the First Cumberland Presbyterian church the Rev. l. D. Steele, pas for. preached to a large congregation at the morning service yesterday, taking for his theme. "The Power and In- iuence of Friendship" pr. Steele urged his hearers to make friends with men. He emphasized friendship as the one great pearl without price and dwelled upon the undying friendship of God to man.
 His text and sermon follows:
 "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly, there is a friend that sticketh closer than brother" Proverbs 18th chapter 27th verse.
 Friendship Is called the master passion of humanity. The history of the world is the history of individuals whom God used to push the worlds onward move ment All great mental and moral forces which move the world are centered and embodied in some man and his special friends. Friendship affect ones relation
 
 to his country, to his God and to his strong, and noblest with the noble. It has power to sustain ambition within laudable limits, check avarice and con quer selfishness. No one Is good, great or useful wholly of himself. In all cases lives are fashioned, beautifed and en- obled by some one dear to us.
 Our strength, courage, and noble deeds in life do not spring from a single soul, but from the magic influence of some soul that dominates ours.
 Must Retain Ambition.
 Peter the Great and Charles the Great never could have maoe the impress on the world they did, had 1t not been for some strong friends. Each had to re- strain his ambition, guide his zeal. fire his intellect and direct his great energies. Such was the case with George Wash ington, who was greatly indebted to Hamilton and other friends for his great success. King David's life was made the richer by the matchless love of Jonathan. This friendship might be found in a brother, sister mother, wife or neighbor. He who wins hearts will have plenty of hands and purse to help in the struggle of life.
 For one who seeks friends for commer- cial interest and the financial gain, there is no real noble, elevating friendship. Such friendship can be sold as matter of commerce on the market. But true friend ship scorns a money value. While this is true. yet in many cases friendship con tributes to great success. Many a dull boy has passed under the shadow of some great friendly soul, whose radiant character lit up the boy so he saw a new life, a new world, which awakened all his being to a nobler life. Noble, ex- alted, clean friends are real tonic to things we could not before say, they in- spire us to do things beyond our powers. Some one has said they double our strength. they double our joys, they diminish our sorrows. God is the one great Friend in Jesus Christ to all humanity. iie Woa' anu ID tiic fAiShu oi oiiiciSs hc Lords life has inspired it's millions to better doing and higher living.
 Sinners Made Into Saints.
 All saints are sinners made into saints by the power of this friendship of God. Be good-natured, live close to God. Gull tivate the best qualities in your own na- ture, be cheerful, be hopeful, be cour- teous, above all take deep interest in some one else besides yourself. Be generous, be large hearted, be charitable to the faults of others, make the best of your good qualities and skip the disagreeable things in your lives. Help others to things that are better.
 pr. Steele closed with this prayer: 70 God Almighty, our Helper. our Friend; Thou shadow of a great rock in weary land; Thou shelter from the storm. Thou art the friend of sinful men. We had tainted had 1t not been for Thee. How unworthy we are of such fellowship and friendship. Come to us when none other could come; inspire our lives that we may rise ou. of the dust and as it were, walk on the very air In the newness of hope. All we ask is Thee, for in Thee we have all things; in His name, Amen" !"
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