The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-01-29
Ex-Saloon Keeper Declares
Devil Will Get You On
Little Things
RELATES In SERMON
HIS OWN CONVERSION
Scores Hypocrisy; Convert
Likens Religion To
Chicken Pox

When the spirit really calls man
to conversion, he must give up every.
thing. When | was converted by Mr.
Sunday, / threw away lot of cigars
as soon as | got out of the taber
nacle for the spirit said that the old
devil would get me on one of the lit
tie things that / didn't want to give
up" declared Bert Gill at the NJ. e.
church Sunday afternoon when he de.
livered his sermon, Gods Call for
Strong Men"
Mr.. Gill took as the basis of his
sermon his own conversion to Chris.
tianity after serving Satan behind
/ the bar in his own saloon near East
Broad street in Columbus, for many
years.
The meeting, which was union and
/ represented the services of num-
ber of the Mt. Vernon Protestant
churches, was in charge of the Rev.
Foster c. Anderson, pastor of the NJ.
Il. church, assisted by the various
ministers who offered prayer individ-
ualiy before the sermon. Mrs. Thorn
as, of the Congregational church,
sang solo before Mr. Gill took the
pulpit.
The story of Mr.. Gill's conversion
dates from the time when Billy Sun
day began holding his evangelstic
meetings in this state number of
years ago, when the speaker was a
saloonkeeper.
Mr.. Gill, when Sunday came to Co.
umbus, fought as hard, IL not harder,
than any other man in Columbus to
keep the evangelist from the city of
Columbus, but Sunday came.
The bar rail would be crowded, he
said, after supper, but all watched
cleared, its habitues going to hear
the evangelist in his great tabernacle
Gill, left to his own resources, heard
the call of the spirit, he said, and hit
the trail' two hours before he ever
reached the great building.
The first thing he did, he said,
when he arrived at his saloon from
the evangelist's meeting was to place
his business in the hands OF an at
torney for disposal to the brewer
from whom he had bought it.
Mr.. gill scored hypocrisy heavily,
declaring religion is like chickenpoX
you don't know it's there until it
breaks out, then everyone in the
neighborhood knows it and you're not
afraid to let others know it,"
Before he was converted, Mr.. Gill
said he was against it, but the spirit
had spoken within him and he could
not resist it for it led his steps me-
chanically toward the tabernacle
where the evangelist was preaching
the gospel to nearly 1900 people.
Alter his conversion, Mr. Gill said
he went home and was so gloriiied
that the material things of life did
not bother him His wife wanted to
know what he was going to do for Il
living; II man near the turning point
in life, and he quoted the scriptuer:
Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness and all these
things shall be added"
81 did not know how true this was
when one really has religion" the
speaker said, until later when ! was
given $3.50 with which to start res
taurant and made good with It,"
He related his experience with his
little restaurant near one of the Co
lumbus churches which undoubtedly
showed the spirit of the Lord had TAX
en- him and truly converted him to
christianity not hypocritical Chris.
tianity but real sanctity."
lie concluded by telling what
Christianity and his conversion had
done for him. When he left the sa.
loon with the doors barred, he said,
he did not know where he could Dor,
row u dollar ii he needed IT, He had
large friendship in the liquor bust.
ness, but none on the other side
Then be related how he, an eX.saloop.
keeper. had won friends among the
greatest lights OF Methodism, one Of
which he would not exchange for all
the friends he ever had I'm the liquor
business,
Mr., GIL spoke in the evening at the
same church, with crowd equally as
large as was that which attended the
afternoon services, on "The Power OF
Prayer"