The Parisian. (Paris, Tenn.) 1907-1962, 1921-08-19
ReU. Roberts Strong
Sern1o nat Methodist
Church Well Received

Following an eloquent sermon full
of beautiful optimism as regards
present time chaos and crime, which
was delivered by Rev P. D. T.
Roberts, pastor of the Trinity Meth
odist Church, Memphis, at the First
Methodist Church here, Sunday morn
ing, practically the entire of the
large congregation who heard the in
spring address, at the close of the
service, went to the chancel rail,
and pledged their support to the
principles as set forth by the speaker
for the dawning of a better day.
Rev. Roberts, with his family,
after a delightful vacation in Ashe-
vile, is spending several weeks with
his mother, Mrs. l.. w. Roberts, Hud-
son avenue, before returning Sep
tember l, to his charge at Memphis,
whore he is the popular and success
full pastor of a growing and active
church.
"A Paris boy-among the first of
the graduates of the Grove High
School--a self-made, successful, and
consecrated minister of the gospel
Rev. Roberts is always welcomed
back home, and many were glad of
the opportunity to hear him Sunday
morning.
The sermon dealt particularly with
the relation of the Gospel to the
present time of chaos and crime;
to the night through which the world
is passing in every department of
life; and called attention to the tact
that the Gospel in its full meaning,
and the Bible as the word of God,
must become again the great reality
that it is, in the minds of men.
The minister traced the present
state of unrest and crime and dis
order to the period back of the
world war, and stated in part:
1t had its beginning in the period
before the war when men and wom-
Ell became self-satisfied, and when
there had crept into the minds of
men the subtle influences of a form
of higher criticism that set at naught
many of the basic, fundamental prin-
ciples upon which the church has
been founded and with which it had
blaZed the trail across the uncharted
ways of human life, with Christ as
Pilot always. 1t began with the
going down of the sun of moral
standards, so that men and women
became self-satisfied and self-cen
tered; the home lost its old power;
the church became concerned over
the things that were hurled against
it, and finally came the booming
of guns that precipitated the great
world war. But there came darker
night than the world war; that
period following the war, when the
spirit of greed became rampant;
men higher up in almost every de
partment of lie became victims of
the greed habit and self seeking,
until the lses fortunate, the base
and the uncultured revolted and
ushered in the great period OF law
lessness which we now have.
emphasizing his chosen text: Rom.
1912, The night is far spent; the
day is at hand; let us therefore cast
off the works of darkness and let
us put on the armor of light" Rev.
Roberts continued:
eve must take heart and hope.
Tor the night is far spent, and we
must realize it. and do something
to help the dawn of better day,
by getting rid of our little sins, and
standing fast by the Gospel-the
word OF God-the good story of the
Lords Christ, which is the only
solution to the worlds problem.
We must cast off the works of dark
ness. whatever they are, and put on
the armor of light--the Christ char
aeter, knowing that He said BE of
good cheer, l have overcome the
worldr'
He atsted that his belief was that
the world was growing better, if we
only trace 1t out right, and that
truly the night is Jar spent and the
day at hand, but to hasten its
dawning, we must rut off the works
OF darkness. and put on the armor
of light. which means steadfast
character. belief in the basic prin-
ciples OF Gods COED word, and the
determination to Lc a good citizen
from every standpoint.