The Ocala evening star., 1911-01-02
AT THE METHODIST CHURCH

The capacity Of both the auditorium
and the annex of the Methodist church
were taxed TO their utmost last night
when the congregations of the other
churches in town gave up their night
service and joined with the members
of the Methodist church in welcoming
their new pastor. Rev. John r. Ley
Pastor Ley expressed hisethankful-
ness for the welcome and the spirit Of
| Christian fellowship that prevailed in
many cities when all denominational
! lines We're obliterated and pastors and
| people came forward TO welcome any
. new pastor coming 10 their midst
! The reverend gentleman took TWO
texts. one from PauIs first letter TO
the Corinthians and the other from
Malachi. These he designated as
double barrel text. His theme was the
Iunchangeableness of God and Gods
| laws and the changea bleneSS of man.
| He told about visiting a congregation
! over which he had been pastor some
III years before. and though the au-
| dence filled the largest auditorium in
| the city. when he called on any pres
| ent who had been members of the
church when he was pastor to hold up
their hands there was but one hand to
| go up He also spoke of being pastor
! Of the Ocala church Is years ago and
that during his pastorate two hundred
and forty We're added to the church,
but in looking over the church register
| he could find but twenty-six of those
still holding membership with the
church.
Among other things denoting the
changeablenes of man was fashions,
| He said it was a far jump from hoops
| TO hobbies, and that he would like 10
! see even another change. He would like
| to see the fashions change so that 1t
would be the correct thing for ladies
TO come to church bareheaded or 20
remove their hats when they got there.
IOtherWiSe he afraid that people
would either stay away or listen with
out being able to see, and if there was
much more change for the worse In
the fashion of woman's dress. she
would look like a billiard cue with an
umbrella on top.
| He spoke of the standard of weights
being founded on the unchanging laws
of gravitation and that if these laws
were susceptible of change a pound
. might weight less at a. m. than it
did at noon. in which case it would be
Iimpossible to prosecute the sugar trust
for Swindling the government by snort
weight as they would claim that they
always did their weighing at the early
morning hour.
Pastor Ley gave many beautiful IL
Illustrations of Gods interchangeable love
and unchangable mercy supported en-
tire by quotation from the holy book
and said the final picture of God 5
mency to man was Christ on Calvary
cross
The members of the Methodist
church of Ocala are to be congratulate
ed for their new pastor has an earnest
eloquent deliver ythat is both interest
ing and instructive. while vein Of
quiet. subdued humor comes TO the sur
face occasionally that is decidedly re-
freshing and another quality OF the
sermon that was highly appreciated by
the vast audience was the fact that 1t
was not drawn out to an undue length
Dr. Dodge of the Presbyterian church
made the opening prayer and the Rev
H. T. Gabby of the Baptist church OF
ficiated in that capacity at the close OF
the sermon.
At the close of the service the pas
tor presented the names of the Ley
family, who wish to unite with the
|Ocala church. and as they consist OF
mother, wife, three other mc ii.,urs OF
the family and himself it looked like
considerable Of a Ley-Out from one
particular church.