The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-03-12
Welcome New Pastor.

OWOocO POOPAC, oahhoyS Al OAoOhaAh6 ~
welcome to their new pastor, Rev.
George Laughton, formerly of Medina,
New York, who preached his first
sermon Sunday. In the evening the
First Congregational and First Metho-
dist churches were closed and the
people Joined with the pastors, Revs.
Hanks and Jennings and Rev. fowler
in expressing the welcome of the city
to the new pastor.
After expressing deep appreciation
of the splendid courtesy shown him
by the members of these various or
CARNATIONS Rev. Mr.. Laughton
preached on the subject "The Life
That Is Worth Living" The basis
of his sermon were the words: Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God, and thy
neighbor as myself Said he: 1.-THE
three great arts to which the intel
ligence of every man is invited are
Religion, Altruism and Self-culture.
Thou shalt love God. Despite the
efforts of men to discredit the spir-
itual instinct it remains forever true
that man is incurably religious.
Men may bury their heads in the
dust, and try to persuade themselves
that there is nothing but dust, yet
sooner or later, the tragedies and
triumphs, the glory and the shame
of their own experience compel them
to look up and recognize their des-
tiny in the heavens. The chief end
of man is to find God and enjoy Him
forever.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor.
The man who is truly religious
quickly discovers that Gods plans
are larger than his own little life,
and include other peoples interests,
The great need of modern life is not
more churches, more elaborate
ritual, or a more extended organiza-
ton. The need of today is for men,
who trying to fall in with Gods
plans recognize their duties and res
possibilities toward others.
$50 many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind;
While just the art of being kind
Is all this sad world needs"
Thou shalt love thyself. That is
self-culture, and it simply means |
that all the right qualities of mind
and heart have been cultivated, and
all wrong qualities have been elm
mated. There are some men whose
souls are like deserts over which the
simoons of selfshness sweep, and on
whose bosom flower never blooms.
There are others, whose souls have
been SO cultivated that they blossom
and fructify like the very paradise
of God. Let us so live in this world,
that it shall be brighter and bet
ter place because of our influence.
The evening sermon was in part
as follows: Text: am not ashamed
of the Gospel of Christ. After des-
cribing the remarkable change that
had been worked in Paul he spoke
of his enthusiasm in the cause OF
Christ. f'For nearly five years l have
in a town where to live is
to be known. My ministry there was
termed a fairly successful one by
those who observed it. At least it
so happens that the church was
placed on a sound business basis.
and best of all men and women had
been born for God and heaven. When
1 laid. down my work last Sunday
evening l called on that vast con-
gregation to witness that mine had
been a ministry in which the Gospel
Of Christ had been preached and liv-
ed as far as my limited capacity
would allow ne so to do. Today L
take I'D the work of pastor in this
herewith announce that,
with all the earnestness of which
am capable by the grace of God I
the same Gospel.
SO it becomes MY purpose this eve
ming to discover for you salient fea-
lures of this Gospel. And first: The
Gospel of Christ stands for the fact
that Gods attitude toward men is
the same as that of Christ's. Men
have misunderstood God. He has
been maligned, and misrepresented.
He has even been hated, mot for what
He was. but for~what men thought
He was. Even in Christ's day there
we're men who regarded God as a
being as big as the universe and as
tyrannical as Roman emperor. But
Jesus came, and in words that reach
sd the heart, and enlisted mems SYM
He told them that God was
)ne who cared for them, who was
anxious for their welfare, whose
plans concerning them were always
IF the best And so plead with you
% take your views of God from Jes-
is. He who told the story of the
Prodigal Son, is God yearning with
compassion toward men who had
trouble upon themselves.
He who, forgave the dying thief was .
Tod in His true relation to human
oily and sin. He who spake unto
he fathers by the prophets hath in
.hese latter days spoken unto us by
His Son Christ stands as God ex- i.
blamed.
Secondly-The Gospe1 asserts that ,
he meanest of mankind is worth l.,
'aving. The Son of Man came to =
eek and to save that which was lost. ,
lie did not address himself to class, :
md leave the mass of men unheadeu.
ME charge brought against Him ;