The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-27
Dr. Ogden Unable to Reach Birmingham in Time
 Comes Today
SHORT SERVICES TO
 BE HELD AT NOON
Dr. Foster Breaches on "The Straight Way"-Says Those Who Are Saved Far Exceed Those
 Who Are Lost

Tho second services in the revival at the First Presbyterian church were held last night, with Dr. John s. Foster in the pulpit. Dr. Dunbar II. Ogden was scheduled to preach yesterday, but he found 1t impossible to reach Birmingham in time and will begin to preach this evening. Dr. Foster will conduct the noon services today, which will last only 50 minutes beginning at 12 o'clock. pr. Foster last night stressed the fact that the services would last only 60 minutes and said that bushes men could make appointments with the absolute certainty they would be in position to keep them.
 pr. Foster took his subject last night from the seventh chapter of Matthew; Enter ye in at the straight gate be- ing the text. He pointed out that the number of the saved were much larger than were the unsaved in the world, and showed that mans plan of salvation was in direct contravention to God s. and that the plan of men led only to destruction.
 Saved Far Exceed the Lost
 I've have every reason to believe that the number of saved far exceed the mum Der of the lost" said Dr. Foster That sacrifice of the Savior on the cross was for the purpose of saving the world. No man ever goes on that long journey to the world of darkness except over the. protest of God. He throttles his con science and brushes from his pathway all the safeguards placed there by loving hands. Man goes to the home of lost souls when he drifts, but only over the protest of the Heavenly Father and Of his better self
 Our Lord does not tell us that It. Is more difficult for man to enter heaven than it is for him to enter hell He Is telling us the very opposite, despite some advanced theories to the contrary. Our Lord has said, Strive ye to enter In at the straight gate. The Lord urges that we agonize to enter in at the straight gate.
 "We find some people who would disre- gard Gods plan of salvation and set up one of their own, which Is destructive. Gods way. say, is narrow. and per mlts of only a few travelling in it. Mans way. we say. is broad and permits of the travel of many.
 "The narrowness of God is like unto the narrowness of the parent who says that which is evil must be removed. how ever much the heart longs for it, and that which is evil must be eliminated. however much 1t may be cherished by the sinful soul. Christ urges us to be ex- ceedlngly careful lest we be deceived. The matter is worthy of our most earnest attention, or else we may find ourselves moving along the broad path that leads but to destruction.
 "Why does the Lord designate the path way to heaven as the narrow way, and that of destruction a g the broad? Do you know that man has never yet devised a scheme of salvation which receives his own ndorsement that does not permit him to carry his own sins into heaven with himself: that does not permit him to take all the evil it is possible to crowd into the human heart and carry it into eternity. God tells us that the way to heaven is so narrow that he cannot carry his sins with him. The road is sufficient ly broad for the man himself but it will not permit him 10 carry sin. Mans way is broad enough to carry all the sins Gods way Is just broad enough for the man and eliminates all sin.
 To the Unbeliever
 There are people in the world who will deny that there Is a God These people will say, What is the Almighty that we should serve Him? Why should we believe in Him? If there Is no God then there is no supreme being. If there is supreme being. then there is no moral law. The laws of the city are the expression of the people of the city. and law. n'its last analysis, is just the ex- presson of the personal will. If there Is no supreme being, then there is no ex- precision of the personal will and there is no moral law. There is no accounts bility and it is matter of indifference to men as to how he lives. The vilest man that ever lived on earth may stand side by side with the saintliest if there Is no accounting to a supreme being. When we have no God there Is no ef- fort at reformation, no desire for the de- velopment of conduct. Why should there be? There Is no God, we say, then there is no standard of conduct. There is to be no day of accounting; why should man care for his life. Let him eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow he dies
 Another argument offered by some people is that the Lord is too indulgent to punish the world for Ats sins. Have you ever seen a parent too indulgspt to punish refractory child? Have you ever seen a child that knew 1t would not be punished, whatever its transgression? Then you have seen father that was his child's enemy and a child that will grow up into being it's own worst enemy The Lord does punish His children when they disobey his commands, just as good fathers punish their children for their misdeeds.~ The scene at the cross is one of the best. evidences of the fact that God does punish the world for it's trans