The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-10
.FORCEFUL SERMON
TO THE TRAVELLERS
Or. Stage breaches at First
Presbyterian Church
A REMARKABLE INFLUENCE
The Travelling Man in Going from
Town to Town Has an Excel
lent Opportunity for Help
ing Humanity.
A REMARKABLE INFLUENCE

The Rev. John w. Stage, pastor of the
First Presbyterian church, preached yes
terday a special sermon to travelling men,
II, which he set out in impressive Ian
guage the travellers duty and position In
society. The church was crowded
By way of introduction, DR.. Stage said:
Travellers Power.
NV friends, l am glad to welcome you
to this church. When / was asked, by
your representative, % deliver this dis
course | Immediately began to think
about what | should say to YOU and IL
occurred to me that possibly no other
organization of men have such an oppor-
tunity as do you, for effecting, not oniy
the business, but the moral and religious
life of the nation. In passing from one
hamlet to another, one city 10 another'
one state to another. the notions OF the
people with whom you come In contact
must, of necessity, be somewhat erect
ed by the ideas and ideals that you have.
X shall be my purpose, therefore, TO
leave with you the teachings of Jesus
and His ideals of life
| shall take the text from John XII ~
90, And there were certain Greeks
amcng them that came up to worship at
the feast.
THE same came therefore to Philip,
and desired of him, saying, Sir,
w would Jesus.
sPhilip cometh and telleth Andrew;
and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
And Jesus answered them, say
Verify, verify, | say unto you, ex-
cept corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abideth alone; but, if
1t die 1t bringeth forth much fruit
There were certain Greeks among them
who came up to Jerusalem to celebrate
-. Doe on IN
was at the request OIL these Greeks to see
Jesus, which caused some connection
among the disciples, that led TO the great
saving of the Savior, Except n corn OF
wheat fall into the ground and die, IL
abideth alone: but. If II die, it bringeth
forth much fruit" These Greeks were
not Jews. they -ad lot been initiated
into the ceremonies of the temple nor
were they under the -losalc law. They
were. sometimes. called the Proselites of
the Gate The Jews admitted them thus
far into their 6reat religious festival;
still they were aliens and Gentiles.
1t does no violence to the Scripture,
to say that they were travelling men, who
went up and down the land with open
eyes and unstopped ears, nearing ana
seeing. They saw more in Jesus of Naz-
areth than the Jews saw, and the eX-
PLANTATION of this Scripture is to be found
lust here: They saw that enthusiasm
had reached its height, anu. while palm
bushes were strewn in the way and Bo-
zannas were in the air, That the next
day, perhaps. the Great Teacher would
be cast out of Jewry Recognizing ms
wonderful insight into truth, and know
ing that the old PHILOSOPHY ana tenn
pies of Greece were outworn, they had
come to invite Him 90 teach the truth,
in the seats once occupied by Socrates,
Aristotle and Plato. Wonderful temp
tation this to turn aside from work that
seemed doomed to falure, and take up
what was certain of success; neverthe-
less, the solemn answer through all the
ages since. Is Except a grain of corn
die, 1t abdeth alone.
Gospel Knows No Classes.
1t possibly may be well for me at the
beginning of this discourse to call at
tention to a deluson. often entertained
by men who form themselves into or
ganizations. and thereby think that they
become a class. The gospel recognizes
no classes. in the sense that the truth
can be presented in such way as to make
allowances for the environments or the
peculiar elements, that enter into the
forming of those influence that are
round about certain workers In the world,
and are absent from the lives OF certain
other workers.
against the laborer. neither Is there one
for the laborers that makes up for the
differences between him and the capital
lists Poverty and riches have the same
gospel. The man who travels up ana
down the land receives the same BiDle
teaching as the one who may never nave
left the rural habitation Of his birth. me
rich man who sins against God, though
he wear purple and fine linen and t.
,I,a no thing must
nay the penalty. The man Who holds
his bag of gold and the laborer who digs
with his pick in the minerals of the
earth stand equal before God. The same
gospel of hope. the same gospel OF re-
ward for righteousness. the same doc
trine of damnation for wrong, belong TO
both. You are here then not as class.
wishing a special gospel but you are
here as an organization, asking that the
gospel of Christ able to save all men
who believe be preached to vol.
In your organization 1t is not alone
true that you simply grab your grips
and catch the midnight or the early
morning train. but You are mighty
force in the civilization of this nation.
Modern trade Is laid on such lines as TO
call for tho best type of BRAIN of heart
and of physical manhood The great
schools and universities are sending some
of their best product to the world as
travelling men. co-laboring with God In
making the world finer ard more beau
tiful place for mans habitatlon and
am thankful to say that some of the
finer specimens are Just those who hear
and heed the call of the church bell. and
lend their influence to God. In every
strange hamlet in city where Gods day
finds them. ! wish ! could say this Of
all of you. IT Is not unmanly, but 1t Is
the manifest Of all things to reverently
take your place in the sanctuary and lis
ten to the reading of the Great Book, and
If the singing OF some old hymn recalls
the scenes around your humble birth
place. and tear should steal aown your
cheek. you are no whit less. but rather
the more of a man for that.
Glory of Work.
Having now the gist of the text, let us
lay the great truths along side of the
life that We are living here and now.
When the request Of these Greeks open
ed the way of the Savior TO have the
hills of Greece for a public bema when
the head and hand that had made the
Acropolis glorious, would take on pew
skill under his matchless teaching, lie
turned and said II must work the work
OF Him who sent me, / was born to die
for the world" This Is the most Illus
trious example of hxedness of purpose
and clear~eyed vision Of the work, one
came into the world to do. The petition of
the Greeks was splendid and though He
was the Son of God, at the same time
He was the son of man. and what mans
blood would not move the faster and
his eye kinde like the eagles, when he
Contemplated the magnificent sweep of the
field for the exercise of energy on hearts