The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-16
8.l|AST SUNDAY IN
THE OLD CHURCH.
.--------------------
Baptist Congregation
Hear Final Sermon in
Present House.
.oF CHEERFUL CHRISTIANS.
Din Smith Tells Of Those Made
Brave BY Faith in God.
Appropriate Lines.
Of CHEERFUL CHRISTIANS

= last time. and very probably work on tar
Sdemolation OF the building will begii
to-tiay, certainly this week,
Whe the congregation naturally feels
sad over leaving the place which is the
center Of many tender associations. the
splnedid new church ut Adams and
FRANKLIN is the just occasion OF hearty
3self-congratulation and pride. Or. w. r..
IL. Smith preached the final sermon from
the text: BE OF good cheer; i have over
e como the world. John xvi: SO. lie
snid in part
#.$"Our Christianity is the enemy Of the
holeful face and the detected heart II
came into the world with a burst Of an
gelc music; its triumph will be cele-
brated with the song Of Moses and the
Lamb. Tho New Testament tells the
most tragic story of the race, and yet 1t
IS the most jubilant book in the world.
The Man of Sorrows was never shaken
from his central calm, his good cheer
and confident hope.
"This indispensable element in the
"a greatest life must smile in the faces and
thrill in the hearts of his people. There
fore he said unto them: My joy INgive
unto YOU They caught It, and the VIC
torous notes Of the early church drown
all Ats signs and moaning grlefs. Count
&it all Joy. brethren, when ye fall into
divers trials says James. the brother
"A Of the Lord. Rejoice, and again l say
rejoice shouts Paul in his Roman prison.
Peter could say Whom having not seen
ye love. yet believing ye rejoice with JOY
s.unspeakable and full of glory.
Timid Made Brave.
What is the ground Of this sacred
oeprcoming grace? How may tiinid,
;@hcsltatng men of unsteady faith spring
mp into conquerors amid the buffetlngs
9of the world? The power rests in God.
alt has come to achievement in Jesus
Christ. The forces adverse to Christian
cheer are already beaten. a foe de-
$ffeatcd must not triumph over the Mas
tiers disciples | have overcome the
world, Its terrible black temptations
have assailed me, and they are trampled
under my feet Its waves and pillows
of trouble have gone over my SOUL but
III have leaped UP into the eternal sun
shine and peace.
E,s"In him was the mightiest performs
ancc of our race and from the summit
8of victory he calls lis to herosm and high
tcndeaovr How did he win? What were
Ills guiding principles? He consented to
be humble. He made himself of no rep
utaton.
THE vulgar temptation to be great Is
III ever present to me and to you. A little
scvancscent applause is sweetcr than the
bcnediction of IL good conscience. Hun
cry pride and vanity, doomed to disap
rointmen. will shut the heart to the
Lords good cheer. He consented to the
RI law of obedience. / came to do thy WILL
Oh God. 1t is my meat and my drink TO
do the will of Him that sent Me. Not
My will, but Thine, be done. In Jesus
for the first time, Gods will was done
on Garth in it's completeness. This is
sthc way and happy shall we be If we
walk In it.
He consented to life Of faith. He
believed that this Is Gods world, ana
that men could be won to a grand spirit
ual life andS that the Kingdom OF God
could be established on this planet. He
believed in men. They are Gods erring
children, and arc capable Of reconcilla-
a ton to the Father. They will hear me
and the whole earth shall be filled with
His glory.
The Guiding Stars.
These principles were His guiding stars.
BY them IIe oycrcailic the evils of the
world. and laid the basis of an evcrlast-
Ing good cheer. courage and hopefulness
in the hearts Of men,
Optimism Is a Christian virtue. 1t
blazed in the heart Of Christ and in that
holiest place you and / must light our
4 torches. Dark demons Of temptation still
infest the world. and unsolved problems
yet veX the human intellect but the
powers and instruments of victory ARE
forever with us. Let us be of good
cheer. have overcome the world.
Jehosaphats Levites sang in front OF
The foe, and the alien army fed in con-
fusion. The old Ironsdes Went singing
to battle and never lost victory. We
want joyous hearts, stable Wills, and
radiant faces. The battle Is half won TO
him who believes he can. The human
heart loves the optimist Emerson
recipsed Carlyle, even in England be-
cause he was more hopeful OF republic
can institutions, The cheerful tones of
he doctor help even more ian his meTf-
cine. The teachers faith in the student
Is q profound stimulus to effort The
statesman who loses heart over the
financial, racial and labor problems Is
the man who will aid the least in their
solution. The remedy is in applied Chris
1anity. The Church must do His work
with His inv!nclble enthlt,iasms. Away
With forlornness and despair. Pessimcss-
Ism is alien TO tho Gospel. !, II I, be
lifted up will draw all men unto Ne.
3 Take heart, Christian men. Face the
morning; he of good cheer, for have
overcome III world.
The movement for the building of this
new church began in December, 1880 dur
Ing the pastorate of DR., W, W. Landrum.
Ir January, 1900 a collection was taken.
and 5000 WAS subscribed. which then
insured the undertaking
The church grew to its present dimen-
slons from a band of nine people, who
met and organized the Second Baptist
Church on Friday night, April 4, 1870,
In the building now known az No. lM
North Third street,
On Sunday, June o. 1870, the church
met for public worship for he first time
4 on the second floor OF Browns building,
= corner Main and Eleventh Streets, on the
iot on which now stands the Nhtona,
Bank OF Virginia.
Within a year the congregation began
raising money to build house OF wor-
ship.
+ In Aprll, 1922. tho foundations were
laid for big building on a 10, on tho
eagt side OF Eleventh Street bstwe1n