The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-27


 standing of the partnership. One ney- CT heard of q man advertising for partner who is a bankrupt.
 with God 1t is different. He does not take in a man to partnership be- cause of his standing. God associates Himself with the morally bankrupt. Not for what He can make out of us, but for what He can make of us. He takes us into partnership with Him that He may'lift us out of bankruptcy. Why should you hesitate to come into such a partnership? You certatniy have nothing to lose.
 T do not believe that the Lord Is self -centered God. On the contrary His thoughts are the reverse. He lives not from the outward inward, but from the inward outward. Our thoughts are away from Him and groveling in the perishabie instead of being with linn and doing His commands.
 We are laborers and not stock nolo- CTS in Gods partnership; Goa ,ee the whole thing and calls us to the labor. To you men I say, l don't kno" what you are doing or what you arg handling, but whatever it is God TUT nished the whole of 1t. You read aoout the sometimes semi -omnipotent ran7 | roads giving rails, cars. safety anu palatiaI comforts to locality or couh- | try. but in reality they did not slNs | a single thing. The earth IS the Loiu and the fellness thereof.
 This world is something like 1 bathing suit. man at the seasioe rents it enjoys 1t for few hours anu puts 1t aside for the next man on the morrow, and the performance Is re- l peated innumera ble times. This same principle governs the earth A genera | ton enjoys it. And yet despite this fhnir l for this old second hand world.
 Another thing l would like to call your attention to. There are some who are robbing their God. In the DOCK 1t is said that one tenth Of your sup stance should be given to, the slory I of the Lords business, but how many of you are there that do if? There is the seventh day upon which II ls commanded that there be no work done' but that 1t be devoted to. God. Ho" many of you that do it?f . 7 e,s.4.
 Let us be honest with God in our l transactions with Him. Let us keep books with God When we get a thousand dollars credit God with Ills hundred and use the nine hundred re- maIning for our own interests. If we but did this we would find that our business enterprises would prosper Tn extraordinary manner. and that the world would be revolutionized in the space of ten years
 "Remember that God furnishes the 1 capital and that we do the labor. Cllhe to Christ, in Him we have pure re- sources and no where else
 "One thing We need as Methodists | today is fewer dead churches, and more life in those that are not dead You see as I have seen church building. which cost thousands of dol lars, but church which has not taken | to its membership a single saved soul in ten years. A church of this sort is like a bad telephone connection You cannot hear the party on the other end and youN ask for better connection The church Is but the con- nection with God. a connection with the great source of divine power. May God lift up this church, and Methodist churches everywhere to a better con nection with the divine"
 i The sermon was concluded with a prayer by Rev J. W. Shores, the old est Methodist minister in the State oi l Alabama"
 At this point in the service the Bishop announced that $500 was need ed for further enlargement of the church building and for the erection l of a parsonage and stated that he would start subscriptions for the amount, not only from the members of the church but from the many friends of the church who were present In a very short while the whole amount | was subscribed. TT
 The formal dedication of the church followed. The stewards and trustees of the church were called forward about the rostrum, and the simple. bu solemnly beautiful service was read each of the four ministers upon tn' rostrum taking some part in the dedi' cation.