Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-02
IMMENSE CROWD
HELD BY DIXON
PASTOR OF MOODY CHURCH IS
HEARD
AUDITORIUM THRONGED TWICE
TO HEAR VISITOR
Hundreds Turned Away at Evening
Service When Eloquent Preacher
Appears-Morning Theme,
"What Is SalVation"

Wide comment during the day on the
eloquence and power Of Rev. DR.. A. c.
Dixon. pastor Of the Moody" church
of Chicago, who spoke at Temple Bap-
tist church yesterday, caused the gath
ering at his service last night in the
Auditorium of the largest crowd ever
assembled there and probably one of
the largest ever congregated for an
evening service in Los Angeles. Fif-
teen minutes before the opening of the
service every seat in the immense audi
torium was taken, and in order to pre-
vent crowding and to hold back the
throngs that threatened to overcome
the doorkeepers all outside portals
were locked. 1t is estimated at least
1000 persons were turned away
DR.. Dixon has a marvellous gift. He
is not a great orator, or maker OF
poetic or stirring phrases. But he
speaks with an earnest conviction and
a homely style that drives his logic
home. His simple directness and his
obvious sincerity make him irresistible.
He held both morning and evening
audiences we'll nigh spellbound. After
speaking for over an hour in the morn
ing he stopped suddenly.
"Just another word" he said and
laughed why, you listen so well l
find 1t hard to quit talking" 1t was
true that no one In the great audience
seemed to have realized the length OF
the sermon.
Outlining his theme, DIR. Dixon said:
Is Not Reformation
This church, and all churches, are
divided into two sections-trees ana
posts. A tree you plant and 1t grows
and bears fruit. A post you stick out
and it decays. The difference between
a tree and a post is the difference be-
tween a living Christian, bearing fruit
and the protesting Christian who has
come into the church without the spir-
itual life, These Christians take up
much of the time of the pastor TO
whitewash them in order to keep the
posts from topping over. Ihe dlfter-
ence between a living Christian ana y
protesting one is the same as that be-
tween a garden and a cemetery"
A large congregation assembled to
hear the eminent preacher. DR.. Dixon
took his morning text from The Acts
of the Apostles 16: 30-31: And brought
them out and said, 'Sirs. what must l
do to be saved?' And they SAID, Be
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved and thy house. d"
He said in part:
"This text does not say what must
do to be reformed. Reformation Is
a good Christian and is neither form
nor reform-it is life. 1t does not say
what must l do to be educated? God s
Christianity is deeper than education
culture and wisdom-reform, education
and culture, 1t includes them all. But
the text says What must l do to be
saved?
What is salvation? 1t is four-fold.
Salvation is a great historical fact.
Jesus Christ said, L came down from
heaven L was with the Father before
the world was He was God manifest
in the flesh, born of the virgin, grew
to manhood, was betrayed, crucifted
and rose from the dead and ascended
into heaven.
"Whether you believe it or not, the
sun shines just as brightly. Christ
died, rose from the dead and ascended
into heaven. The man who knows the
truth and rejects Jesus Christ does Vio-
lence to his reason.
salvation is a great historical fact.
It is the sun in the historical skies.
Salvation becomes a sudden expert
ence. There may be water in the res
ervoir for the whole city, but it is
only those that drink that quench their
thirst. Jesus Christ in his atonement
is sufficient for all, but is efficient for
those only who believe-sufficient for
all from the first babe until the trum-
pet or the arcndngel.
Is Historical Fact
"We call it repentance and faith, and
sometimes we try to draw the line be-
tween the two and try to decide which
comes first. You might just as well
say that John Jones came down this
aisle-which came first, John or Jones?
No man ever repented without faith
in Christ, and no man ever had faith
IL, iSf with rpnpnt1nce.
out theological expressions and in plain
Anglo Saxon, repentance is taking
Gods side against sin.
1.-THE people who fight on the side of
sin are sooner or later suicides for all
time and eternity. Are you fighting
on the side of sin or on the side of God
against sin?
"There may be much penitence but
no repentance 1 have seen people who
could shed tears to the regulation
amount and weep by the square yard,
but not repent. 1t is not mere tears,
but more strength for the penltent to
be repentant.
salvation, a great historical fact,
sudden experience, becomes gradual
process. A new birth is not a process,
but a crisis with a view to the process.
The moment you look with faith, that
moment you begin to live and not mere
ly to exist. The crisis with some is
quiet and without demonstration. The
men who are converted in the rescue
missions nearly always know the mo-
ment they face the crisis. Have you
passed the crisis?
"It was as this text says, Believe in
Jesus Christ, that proved my crisis.
I didn't have to have pack and un-
pack, but simply to believe in Christ
and call him Lord and Master, and |
took Gods side against sin and unbe-
lief.
Men and women, boys and girls, will
you take Gods side against sin and
pass the crisis?"