Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-23
VISITORS IN PULP1TS
MEMBERS OF CONFERENCE Be
FORE LOCAL AUDIENCES.
Sermon by Rev. DR.. r. T. Tagg at
North Carolina Avenue Church
His Theme.

cal pulpits yesterday morning and AFTER
noon and in general spoke In their sermons
Of the question of church union or cooper
alton, which Is being SO much discussed
by the conference. All church-goers were
anxious to hear something in regard to II
and were good listeners. While In most
cases the matter was merely mentioned. OF
church liberality In general emphasized
some made a special point of 1t. bringing
out the ideas advanced In the sessions OF
the conference
The sermon at the North Carolina Ave
nue. Methodist Protestant Church. corner
of Sth and B streets southeast, where the
conference is being held. was preached py
Rev Dr. F. T. Tagg Of Baltimore, the new
president of the conference. His theme
was "A Witnessing Church" :.
In introducing his remarks he said II
had been his wish that another member OF
the conference should preach at the con,
ference church, since he was so well
known there, but that the pastor, Rev. Dr.
A. Norman Ward, In making out toe iist
of supplies. had insisted that the president
ference church So, he said, humoralisly,
1t was not his fault that he was there, and
he asked to be absolved from all blame IN
the matter
Dr. Tagg's Sermon.
Dr. Tagg spoke in part as follows:
More harm Is done to the church by
those within 1t who live irregular lives
than by scoffers on the outside.
IT have seen churches that might well be
called churches of 'unbrotherly hatred AND
strife They seem to live only for division
and contention, and are most happy when
they make each other most miserable
They bicker over place and position, and
contend over triies until all the church is
af1ame with envy, division and strife, and
before they are aware of 1T they crucify
the Son of God afresh, and put Him 70
an open shame.
NO enemy can stand before witnessing
church. No argument can answer an up
right life. When the church becomes an
incarnate Gospel the power of all her
enemies will wither before her. The fact
Is, If this busy moving mass, this meal
culable moral machinery. this mvincible
power, now largely latent in the church,
were all turned toward God, and diligently
engaged in the work He has given II, the
worlds conversion would be speedily ac-
eomplished.
not needed. If there are other churches
sufficient to do the work, and they do 1t,
then another church is superfiuous. 1t is
simply a waste of money and talent. Every
talent, every influence, every element of
power should be employed in Gods service,
not to build up an organiZa ton, but to pro-
pagate the Gospel and win men to Christ.
If the members of the church will faithfully
do His work He will take care of the or.
ganization. Every church owes the Gospel
to the community in which it is located.
That is what it Is built for.
Discusses Liberalism"
IT have hardly any patience with the
word liberal it is used in many
churches. Properly used 1t is strong and
F,,l
sense of federation for the honest opinions
Of others; but when 1t is used to Indicate
the liberation of assaults upon doctrines
and creeds. upon the fundamental principles
of religious faith, then away with it. When
liberalism becomes intolerant of orthodoxy
then away with it'll tell you one Of the
most rational and stately words in human
from n-ed Greek word which means to
think right Motto think as you please,
not to think as passion, pride, prejudice or
parsimony may dictate, but to think right.
Under the fascinating but enervating in
f1uence of that word liberal many of our
and church members have drifted
into the open sea of infidelity and skepti-
cism.
1T is the churches that believe some
thing. and believe that. in believing it, they
are right, absolutely right and that all
those who differ are eternally wrong tina t
move the world and become Gods vice
gerents In the salvation of men. A church
that is afraid of a creed, that is afraid Of
its own statement of the truth as If sees n
is a habby and useless church that has a
name to live and is dead. Oh. for the dav
when creed members and Bible members
may be ostracised and cast off NV TIC
church and held off until they do their first
works over again, repent of their sins ac.
cept coos truth and preach it with a
quenchless fire."
The Life Eternal.
Rev. George E. McManiman of Ohio sec-
rotary and treasurer of the board Of home
missions of the Methodist Protestant
church, who is In attendance on the gen.
eral conference of the church now In ses-
sion In this city. delivered the morning
sermon at McKendree- Church yesterday
His topic was The Life Eternal.
The power to know is life" he said
knowing Is eternal life God made man
to become master of the universe by in
vestigation and knowledge, and knowiedpe
and life are almost Identical Tell me what
a man knows and l will tell you what his
life is and has been. :,
Man knows all the laws under u,,;.h
animal and insect life exists, and. besides
that of relationship-which is the highest
law of all. The law of relationship lie def.
mite In existence, indestructible In power
and never fades away. Down in the h,r-
man heart, Weakened by kindness. chords
that are broken will yibrate once more,
The law of relationship is the law bv
which God binds together the highest In
telligences of this life. The whole strue-
ture of society, from neighborhoods to
governments and church organizations.
grows out of the ability of man to .recog-
nize this law. The lower orders NAV have
the power to know this law Of relationship.
but man alone has the actual knowledge. :
At Rhode Island Avenue Church.
The Rhode Island Avenue NJ P. Church
was attended last night by a great number
of the deleg ates to the general conference
being held in this city. In the morning Rev.
j. H. Lucas of the Pittsburg conference oc-
cupied the pulpit. and at night Rev. c. D.
Sinkinson of Atlantic City, N j., officfa ted.
Among those on the platform was Rev.
DR.. Southland, the oldest member of the
Baltimore conference, who Is about eighty
years of age. He has been about sixty
years in the conference Rev, DIR. F. r
Tagg the newly elected president of the
general conference, was also present.