The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-12-16
SUNDAY IN ORLANDO

Thos. III. Harris, Mr.. Frank Harris,
Jr., Mrs. Harvey Clark and her daugh-
ter, Miss Frances Clark started for
Orlando for the purpose of hearing
Bishop Warren A. Gambler preach his
annual sermon at the annual session
of the Florida Methodist conference
then in session in that city.
The air was crisp, the breezes some
what strong and the roads in stretches
somewhat bad, but in little while
the sun arose in splendor and all
nature seemed to smile rich benedic-
ton upon a peaceful world.
The trip, though without any mark
ed incidents, was most delightful.
Starting at few minutes before
D clock we reached what is now
.. med Florida's city Beautiful" at
rs, minutes to IL O'clock and after
aIfghting at the San Juan hotel long
enough to adjust ourselves we hasten
ed to the Methodist church to find
standing room at premium and all
of our party except the senior MEM
Der stood for two hours listening to
a sermon that might have been preach
ed without any discredit to themselves
by the Apostle Paul, or Mathew. Mark
Luke or. John.
Bishop Gambler has achieved the
reputation of being the Sturgeon Of
the American pulpit and he is en-
titled to that appelation.
For two housewife seemed not
more than half an hour--he held the
congregation not spell bound, for
many times even strong men were
industrially using their handkerchiefs
wiping away gathering tears
1t was a grand sermon, forcefully
and beautifully delivered.
Occasionally the Bishop rose to
attitudes as high as an eagle in his
flight but he tincured his sermon
with just enough sallies of wit and
plain spoken homilies to make it al
together enjoyable. At no time did it
become tiresome.
Rev. d. B. Sweat. the official report
er of the Conference, gives clear out
line of the sermon but of course it
lacks the inspiration and magnetism
of the speaker.
Mr.. Sweat says:
THE Bishops text was from the
last chapter of Luke and 47th and
4S verses. In opening he said that
Christ came not only as Messiah, but
one such as was needy by the hungry
old world. He was rejected because
the people We're not willing to have for
their leader the one who was poorer
than the foxes and the birds, with
no place to lay his head, who walked
the roads of selfdenial, suffered on the
cross, slept in a borrowed tomb.
Speaking specially to the class of
young preachers to be ordained to
deacon's orders, he said: DOM get
your theology from the times. If so
you will have to change it every
morning. The world by its wisdom
knew not God; it never has known
him and never will know him.
The bishop said hel was back here
with no new gospel, but the old Cos
pei, that crews sweeter and better the
more it is told. In the twentieth CEN
tury there is as great need for the
gospel to the genteel as there was for
the gospel to the gentiles in the first
century. There is as much heather
ism in the homes of the refined and
the cultured as is the slums
THE world calls for crowned saw
ior, but does not want suffering
redeemer. Old-fashioned sin calls for
an old-fashioned saviour; old fashion
ed sorrow calls for old-fashioned COM
fort and solace.
The Sons Came to Reveal the Father
THE purpose of the coming of the
worlds Redeemer was to reveal the
Father, and to restore man to his fl
fal relation to the Father. There is no
other way. 1t cannot be done by dis
cussion, nor by description. The bishop
said he had read Cicero's essay on
Friendship, essays by Black and by
Emerson, but never learned friendship
in this way, but when boy chum
came into his life then he learned
friendship.
No one can learn mothers love
from the study of books. Il had as
soon try to study the botany of or
anges in the icy regions of Green
land" exclaimed the bishop. Moth
er's love is learned at mothers knee,
and nowhere else" Just SO is the
revelation Of the Father only through
the Saviour by His life and by His suf-