The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-01-26
SPLENDID SERVICES At
METHODIST CHURCH
Two Strong Sermons BY Rev. +. NJ.
Richardson.

Richardson.
In spite OF the driving rain a
good congregation was present at
the Methodist church Sunday morn
ing.
The quartet choir sang a beautiful
arrangement of when | survey the
Wondrous Cross" with solos by Mrs.
A. p. Rowe and Mr.. Sweetzer and
a duet by Mrs Rowe and Mrs. Keep
pen.
Rev. r. NJ Richardson preached,
taking for his text the last clause
OF the ninth verse of the eighth
chapter of Romans, Now If any
man have not the spirit of Christ
| he is none OF his.
After some Introductory remarks
Mr.. Richardson explained that by
the spirit OF Christ was meant not
an identical soul-nature, but the
temperament or soul-attitude OF
Christ made what IL was by contact
with God.
This spirit has certain mani
festations. which. II enumerated
briefly. are:
First. simplicity. Christ's atti-
tude TO life and religion showed an
entire absence OF the Journalism
which two often means a lack Of
spiritual power.
Second, fraternity. Christ look
ed on God as a father and all men
as brothers.
Third, sympathy. His sympathy
was not put on from a sense OF duty
but the real feeling from the heart.
Fourth, spiritual devotion. This
was manifested in public and pri-
yate prayer and In the study OF
Gods word. Two many Christians
lose their spiritual graces because
they do not read and study their
Bibles.
Fifth. personal contact with the
sinner. Those who have the real
spirit OF Christ go out into
the world and strive to win sinners
to God
The speaker then urged all present
to be filled with the spirit Of Christ
and to surrender themselves to God.
At Night
The evening service was also very
well attended. The choir sang an
extremely charming and effective
number, When the Autumn Leaves
Are Falling before the sermon,
and a simple, but beautiful hymn,
Give Me Thy Heart" at the close
OF the service Mr. Richardson s
text was Judges XVI, 90: And she
said. the Philistines be upon thee,
Samson. And he awoke out OF his
sleep and said | will go out as at
other times before and shake my
self. And he visit not that the
Lord was departed from him.
Samson, said the speaker. was
one OF the greatest sinners OF the
Bible, because he threw away the
opportunity that his qualities and
his times opened to him, and be-
cause he destroyed Gods plan for
his life. From the story of Sam
son the following lessons were
drawn:
Sin closes the door of great OPP
portunity. This was illustrated
from the lives OF Byron, Poe. Ba-
con and other brilliant men whose
lives were wrecked by their own sin
Then, sin ruins by imperceptible
and deceitful processes. Special ref
erence was made TO the insidious ad
vances Of the habit of intemperance,
but the speaker said that the same
thing was true OF all sin.
Also, sin first captures and then
blinds its victims, as the Philistines
did Samson. When a man has con-
tinued long in sin he becomes blind
to spiritual beauty and purity and
has little chance to escape from the
power OF evil.
Last, sin despises its own victim.
Samson, making sport for the lords
OF the Philistines, was but a type OF
many a man OF woman who had
been destroyed by sin and Is de-
splsed and held in contempt by
those who have caused the ruin.
Mr.. Richardson then made an inn
passioned appeal to resist the
advances OF sin and cast IT off at
once. as in the end II would mean
blindness. despair and death.