The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-03
FORCEFUL SERMON BY DR. B. |. BUSH AT
 HIGHLANDS CHURCH
Minister, Called to South Highlands Presbyterian, Preached Twice
 Yesterday

It was a well pleased congregation that filed out of the South Highlands Pres byterian church after the morning ser vices yesterday. They had gone there with the expectation of hearing a splen- did sermon by a minister bearing the highest inducements of the committee delegated to find a pastor suited to the conditions and necessities of the South Highlands church. The call was extended to Dr. B. G. Bush of Lexington, Ky, by the congregation two weeks ago upon these recommendations.
 Ills sermon yesterday morning and again last night came up to every ex- pectation. pr. Bush is forceful speak CT, logical methodical in the treatment of his subject of pleasing personality and a rnagnitism that attracts and ap- heals to his hearers. The congre gation after hearing the two sermons yester- day are satisfied that the committee made no mistake in its selection of pastor.
 At the morning services yesterday pr. Bushs text was For I am not ashamed Of the gospel, from Pauls Ilrst letter to the Romans.
 There was a time in Pauls life when he might have said he was ashamed of the gospel, but when he wrote to the Romans he prefaced his letter with the statement For I am not ashamed of the gospel, Dr. Bush said. He had seen Christ and his apostles; had seen the class of men Christ had gathered about him; saw that they were of the uncul- tiired. the lower classes, and in the days before his conversion when he was Saul of Tarsus, he might have said he was ashamed of the gospel, and of the people with whom Christ had surrounded him. self But when he wrote to the Romans he began by saying he was not ashamed of the gospel.
 sOf the 12 men Christ selected as his disciples only one was cultured, the man of Judea, Judas The others came from the lower classes, yet Paul was not ashamed of them.
 it"Christ picked his men from the bot tom and turned the ladder upside down. The educated, the cultured, the strong must bear the burdens of the world, the burdens of the weak and of all who are unable to bear their own burdens. II the men at the bottom are strong ana good then the kingdom of God will be on earth.
 "The gospel is positive, not negative. Empires were never built by negatives, wars were never won by negatives. You
 
 when going out to meet the French to prevent them from overrunning England, said: England expects every man to do his duty And the men did do their duty and civilization was saved. You have read of the patriot who said Give me liberty or give me death,' and 1t was such as Patrick Henry that made this great country possible.
 Napoleon asked just before his death who were the great men answered, Alex arder, Caesar, Charlamagne and Napo- leon. We built empires by force. They have toppled over.'
 ..Washington was not ashamed of the gospel At Valley Forge he knelt In prayer before going into battle. Lincoln is not known for the stories he told. Bishop Ames when asked to what he at- tributed Lincoln's great strength said When calling on Lincoln I never ler' that he did not take me Into the east room and kneel in prayer. Lincoln was not ashamed of the gospel. Lee was not ashamed of the gospel and it was this that enabled him to make one man equal to two or three, yes, equal to TOUT at times.
 .sThe church first served had been built 250 or 300 years before. It had a seating capacity of 1200 or 1900. It had never been filled but twice; once by Henry Ward Beecher and another time
 
 once more went back there to look upon the face of one of my deacons. He had been . deacon 40 years, super irtendent of the Sunday school 30 years, and 50 years a member of the church. He had never been anything more than post master and owner of grocery store, Yet the church was filled with people who came to look the last time upon his face. They came out of saloons to i'll the church; they came from across the mountains; they came from 50 miles away to fill the church If I had never had but this one man in my church l would have felt that 1t had done good
 'I called to see woman, a member Of my church, in New Jersey, who was des. perately ill She said she did not want to get we'll for the sake of her husband or her two little children, for they could get along without her, probably better than with her as she had been & Dur- den to her husband, but she did want to get well so that she could go baek to the east side in New York and tel the foreigners of the great wrong sne had done them when she was girl, a bar maid there, selling them liquors. felt that the church had accomplished a great deal had there been no other member but this one good woman.
 At the conclusion of the services the members of the church and others whe had listened to his sermon were lntro- duced to Dr. Bush, wished him success fin his new field and congratulated the .sonrregation on securing his services.
 While no definite time has been sci for Dr. Bush to come to Birmingham ano take charge of the church 1t Is probable that he will be here about the first ol Anril