The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-01-08
AT THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

II they have red-1etter days at the
Christian church, yesterday certainly
must have been one of them, for they
had an unusually large turn out at the
Sunday school, and a congregation at
the preaching service that would have
done credit to a church OF double its
membership. Then again, before the
sermon Mrs. Winston sang the beau
tiful song, II Have Friend, You
Ought to Know Him." as none else in
Oca1a could have sung it. To add also
to the musical part of the service Mr..
Ten Eyck accompanied the organ with
his violin. However, these were only
preliminaries, for it was the sermon
of the Rev. Sam J. White, formerly
pastor of this church. that the au-
dience was anxious to hear, and those
who were fortunately present heard
such an earnest, fOrceful discourse, de-
livered with all the beautiful diction,
charming elOquence and exquisite
word painting for which this speaker
| is noted, that at it's conclusion every
person in the congregation congrat-
ulated himself or herself on being
present.
| The speaker somewhat startled his
audience when he commenced by say
| ing that for his topic he had chosen
| the phrase. "Playing the Fool" and
/ he illustrated his meaning by quoting
| the errors of many people who in their
words and actions refuse to believe in
the all-powerful strength and work of
a supreme being. He could not under
stand how a man could look on the
wonderful works of nature and attri-
butte 1t to a work of chance. To him he
IN 1a1 10
of grass in every lovely flower, in the
air We breathe, in health giving wa
ter. in the glory of the sun and the
| beauty of the stars, voice that spoke
Gods love to man.
| Taking his watch in his hand he
asked if anyone was foolish enough to
say that that wonderful piece of
mechanism, with it's minute detail OF
iservicea BILE parts, could be a work OF
chance, but how much more wonder
full was every detail of this mighty
universe; the planets as they move in
their various orbits with a precision
and eXactness far and away more true
than a.y~WdCcn or : feciinen OF human
skill: the changing seasons. following
each with the regularity of time itself
the action of the tides and revolution
of the earth on its own axis. all point
Ito a controlling, guiding hand, whose
work is omnipotent, otherwise with the
least detection of any detail from its
regular action the system would be
plunged into chaos and the universe
destroyed. How foolish then for any
to say that this mighty work IS only
a matter of chance.
He spoke of some wanting to get al
the worldly joys Of the present time
promising themselves that later they
would be willing to give to him their
| service, but procrastination being the
thief of time it would soon be too
late. Worldly pleasures and happi-
ness should not be the only aim and
object of life; in fact, the speaker
doubted the possibility of perfect hap
piness except founded on a belief In
divine providence and the resurrection
OF man.
Gods ways and not mans ways
None can understand the mystery OF
the casket. We stand beside It and
gaze for the last time on the father
who guided our footsteps. on the loved
mother to whose care and self-sac riffce
we owe all that We have that is good
and true. the babe taken away and a
mother heart crushed We say. Oh. why
did God serve us so. We cannot an
swer. but for all that, we know that II
is his work and that 1t is well. and
when the sunlight OF Gods love fills
our souls and when faith in his power
to reach out his hand and take us in
Is fully realized, We will nevermore
have cause for calling ourselves fool
fish
| In speaking of the departed year
he said it was a thing of the past with
nothing for which he should waste
| time or regrets, but looking at the
present and the future with a fixed
and steadfast purpose TO serve Him ia
the utmost of our ability, humble tho
it may be, so that those who are spar
ed to the end of the present year may
be able to say that they have atoned