Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-17
PREACHED FIRST SERMON
Rev. E. R. Pendleton at Fifth Baptist
Church

The Rev. Eugene r. Pendleton of the
Monticello Baptist Church of Monticello.
Ga. who will occupy the pulpit of the
Fifth Baptist Church for the next two
months during the absence of the pastor
Rev. Weston Bruner, who is in Europe
preached his first sermon yesterday morn
ing before a large congregation. Mr. Pen
dleton took as his subject Were the good
old days better than these?" choosing the
text from Eccl, vii:10. Say not thou,
what is the cause that the former days
were better than these, for thou dost not
consider wisely concerning this" Mr.
Pendleton said, in speaking of human life
before Christ, Men lived a nomadic exist
ence; the knowledge of God was obscured
conscience was deadened and moral nature
depraved until in the nations outside of
Israel, the home was the place for the
planning and preparation of crime. When
Israel came in contact with INDIAN, it be-
came necessary TO enact severe measures
to keep the plague of moral leprosy from
spreading. National life was even worse.
Tyranny, bigotry and violence were legal
lied and unrestrained by single redeem
ing principle of right. A preteXt was
enough to bring about war, might made
right. Even Rome was destined to be pill
LACED by wild hords of our Anglo-SaXon
ancestors. If good men appeared at any
time among the crowd, they were like the
seven wonders OF the world, and had no
pilot or compass, no basis or ballast, and
were lost in the of evil about them.
The religious life OF the ancients was like
wise both corrupt and coTrupting. Religion
must have a basis of faith, and there was
no faith.
Men worshiped they knew not what.
There was an emptiness about religion that
rang out with the very tones of deceit and
falsehood. Into such a world Jesus was
born. The first and last anthem of the an
gels was his only herald. Christianity came
to work a mightier change. 1t came to
10 ptlfn Of low If ba ta
hearts out of hearts of stone. 1t was to
change men back into the image of God
and every old passion must be replaced
with a divine aspiration, every old habit
must be replaced with new purpose, every
old thought must be replaced with a new
ideal The speaker, in referring to modern
national life, said: "Pessimists and calam-
ity howlers are ever present, but national
life compares favorably with any period of
the past
''There is tendency everywhere toward
characterization. In Russia we hear pre-
monitions of a coming time when out of the
ashes of a revolution there will arise gov
eminent of the people. In our own country
there is a widespread love of peace. / re-
joice in the effort to bridge the chasm be-
tween religious bodies, and may God speed
the day when all Christians can shake fra
ternal hands over the dead past. l am an
American and an optimist enough to be-
lieve that there has been an especial fit
ness in all of our Presidents as in the his
tory of the judges of Israel We have
never had a despot or debauche IN the
White House. Coming rom Georgia / am
happy to be able to say that believe our
President, Theodore Roosevelt, is one or
the best Presidents we have ever had. re-
ioice that Gov Folk of Missouri, who rout-
ed the boodlers is a Baptist and has de-
monstrated the popularity of backbone and
prInclple in office. Mayor Weaver of
Philadelphia is a Baptist. May God not
give us the privilege and responsibility of
guiding this nation with our rugged truth,
and one day give us Baptist President in
the White House."