The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-10
SERMON AT MISSION
REV. MIR. MATHEWS BREACHES IN
 HOLY COMFORTER.
Ie Large Congregation He Delivers Eloquent Sermon From Text
 From St. John-InIterest


 Rev. J. R. Matthews, missionary of the Protestant Episcopal Church for the Diocese of Alabama, delivered an eloquent sermon to a large congrega- ton in the Church of the Holy Com forter last night Mir. Matthews, whose personal magnetism. learning and godiiness have made him a notable hgurein ecclesiatical work in Alabama is attracting the attention of many churchmen in the city and his sermon last night was one of the best he has ever preached.
 He took as his text St. John iii Is: Ask and 1t shall be given.
 If we lieved in the times of the In- quisition and read our Bibles in mean Imprisonment" Mir. Matthews said, i've should appresiate them better, but now they are so freely given that we abuse them: and it is so with the church. If in those days of the In- quisition a soldier, taking from us the Bible. had asked us which verse we should prefer most of all to keep, we should have responded that. next to Psalm 23. we preferred the verse that is the text of the sermon tonight. You will do the preacher justice tonight if you will say, in/ departing that he tried to tell youfthe perfect love of the Living God: yet he has not told you the trillionth part. But he wishes to tell you six superlative things.
 First. as Is indicated in the text" MT. Matthews continued SGod is the greatest possible giver: He so loved the world that he gave His only be- gotten Son. We may imagine our Father seeing this beautiful world be- fore sin tarnished 1t, and desiring His creatures to praise him and enjoy the world with him. No sooner had sin thwarted that plan of mans enjoying God forever than He initiated plan of redemption to get man back into Paradise; from Genesis to Revelations. there is ever apparent Gods unique plan of securing man into his presence again. t
 Then God gave the greatest possi- ble gift. His. only begotten Son. God parted with his Son. If we are not satisfied with such an act of love we should go to Calvary and see the bles- sed Jesus on the cross; the Father suf- ferred more than the Son. In your be- reavements you should go to the cross and read Gods love.
 Tn the third place God gave to the greatest possible, advantage--that we should have everlasting life. Eternal life is not an abstract idea. it is a per- son, the life of Jesus. It is not proper  to eternal life when he has died: so soon as that he was received by Christ he had entered into the eternal life. Death does not begin life; it merely marks a change of abode.
 "The gift. was made on the easiest possible terms; to, whosoever be- liveth.' It is necessary to believe son- ly that Christ died for our sins. that God raised Him from the dead. and that He gave us everlasting life. Sub scribe to these three articles of be- lief. expressed in the creed, and you will have everlasting life.
 God gave to the greatest possible number; 'whosoever believeth,' It is not one or few or many, but all who believe. Nobody is foreign to God, he embraces the world with the univer- salty of His love.
 All those things God has done from the best possible motive; not because he had to but because he loved to. His Is a loving kindness; He is prompted not by duty so much as by love; and His love is different from ours be- cause He loves an imperfect creature and we love a perfect Being.'
 The services at the Holy Comforter will be continued throughout two weeks.