The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-02-07
GOOD SERMONS
HEARD At THE
1ST BAPTIST
REV. EUGENE r. PENDLETON
PREACHED TO GOOD coNGRE-
CATIONS THERE SUNDAY MORN
ING AND EVENING.

ING AND EVENING.
The Sunday school of the First
Baptist church has reached the high
est point in numbers for year past
The Philathea and Baraca classes are
perhaps leading classes in all western
Florida, II not in the entire state.
Miss Blanche Kennedy, native of
Kentucky, Is at the head of the form
er and Mr.. Cecil Wolfe tie latter.
At II o'clock in the forenoon the
pastor delivered a sermon from the
text Call things are yours" deducing
from It the Catholic theme, How to
live in Christian sect without being
sectarian.' He said:
There has been too much belittling
Of our Christianity. We lave suffer
ed too long from the cramping of
Christianity into narrow crea1s, and
dogmas. Its life-blood has been
strangled out Of 1t in many instances
by the process through which mar
row minds have dragged It Every
attempt to reduce it to a syllogim Of
formula has proven 9 dismal failure.
Man works by uniformity, God by
harmony. Man builds an avenue and
trims the boy wood all exactly alike.
God builds a forest. ami there Is
tangled wildwood, and the clinging
vine-the violet Is there, and the birds
MARBLE in the leafy foliage, but withal
there is the most exquisite harmony.
The text is a plea for a larger view
Of Christianity. The one thing which
makes Christianity great religion is
Stc or %nh ~ Ill -
thought. Whatever Is good in any
sect belongs to you. II the Roman;st
has reverence, 1t is Christian virtue
and belongs to you. II Calvin gave
logic to ScripturaI Interpretation, it
is yours. If Wesley emphasized piety,
it Is yours. Nothing ia so binding
to spirituality as uniform creed.
Following human teachers has LED to
error upon error. The Christian is
born into a great family. He inhertts
the name and culture and prospects
OF his family. AS there is diversity
on earth so there will be in heaven.
Our provincial heaven and earth will
melt away and we will see some very
queer people come from the east and
the vets to SIT down with Abraham
and Isaac and Jacob In heaven"
Then by closer analysis the speaker
showed that the Christian is heir to
all that IS past, to all that is present
and all that is to come. That he has
as his best asset, confidence in the
future. Whilst all men alike with
the Christian inherit many past and
present blessings, the Christian alone
has Gods promise that these shall
last in future, and even that eye hath
not seen the things hat God hath pre-
pared for them that love Him.
Speaking Of public utilities which are
free to all he said. The poorest citi-
zen Of Pensacola has a better light
In his house than the Roman en-
perors ever knew, and who was 1t that
discovered electricity but Franklin, a
devout Christian. And who invented
the telegraph but Morse, another
Christian. His first message was
See what God hath wrought" Print
Ing itself was invented to circulate
the Bible and the eye glass to read
the Bible. Two and a half cents q
mile does not pay for q railroad, and
yet nearly anywhere in the world, ex-
cept in Florida, one can ride comfor-
tably for that. Five cents does not
E~S AoA "a AO WSPopOis WI Ny I1<S GULF
bined work Of Christian civilization
one can read the news FOR five cents
from all over the world"
In conclusion he said: "A despon-
dent Christian is q contradiction. A
gloomy Christianity is q subterfuge.
We have a cheerful hope, and God
does not want his noblemen to live
ignoble and squalid lives any more
than He wants them to live in degre-
dalton morally. One day He shall in
habit great house, with syspetems
and planets, and God will give the
light and 1t will be halleulia for me,
and halleluia for you, and we will
all sing haleuia."
Just following the sermon the Me-
mortal Supper was observed, and pre-
ceding this more than a score Of new
members were formally received by
the hand Of fellowship given by the
pastor and the ieacons.
At night the message was from the
text Master Save Us; we Perish, :"
from which was taken a sermon on
Every Mans Need o. Jesus In the
Storms of Life
You are probably aware that nneu-