| Show TENT REVIVAL OPENED Evangelist Oliver Begins His Series of Meetings CITY ON ITS WAY TO DEVIL Tho Preacher Devoted His Remarks Largely to Insincere Christians and Those of Imperfect Deeds Objected to Pink Teas and Church Festivals for Church Purposes Has Secured Resounding Tin Pans for Collection Purposes Preparations Prepara-tions for the Services L Evangelist Oliver began his series of revival meetings last l night In the big I tent erected on the Federal building site on South Main street The plank seats will accommodate 3000 people and the seats are provided with backs so that listeners will not brook their own backs with that tired feeling when the meetings become protracted A stand on the south side of the tent will accommodate 100 singers The lighting light-ing Is by six arc lamps and a few Inc In-c ndescen Ls There were present last night about 500 people largely young folks Prof Burke of Omaha the choir conductor who arrived In the afternoon led the singing with a choir of twelve young women There was no Instrumental music as the evangelist announced it had been impossible to complete all arrangements ar-rangements for the first night One of the first exercises was the passing tin pans as collection bask accompanIed by humorous remarks from preacher ON ITS WAY TO THE DEVIL In his opening prayer Mr Oliver called the Lords attention to the fact that if there was any place on Its way to the devil It vas Salt Lake subdued laughter Then he took his text from I John xv 7 7 If you abide In me and my words abide in you ye shall ask I what ye will and It shall be done unto you The speaker nald this was the key that unlocked Gods treasure house and If we enter into fellowship with God we will be better able to enjoy those treasures when God tells us to help oursejves There Iso difference between mere knowledge and putting that J knowledge to some practical use j and if we do not make use of what vi know some one Is apt to go hungry Knowledge is dangerous when not used rightly He then went on to excoriate the business men who went to church one day in the week and did bad work during the remaining six There is too much he said of this playing tag with the devil and hide and 1 seek with tho Lord Great blessings only can come td those who abide in Christ not for a minute not for an hour not for a day but for all time When you do away with Christ you do away with all that there Is in this world 1 When the churches really reach Christ he thought the results of their labors would be farreaching as compared com-pared with the work they are now doing do-ing They should be on good terms with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords Many of them were now faraway far-away from that position so earnestly to bo desired by those who really desire to serve the Master It has been said by some of my friends that I am an embassador of Christ I believe I hope that iq I so The United States Is a great country the greatest in the world but them Is no place within its I gift that I would prefer to that of being be-ing a humble representative Christ in all the world HYPOCRISY IN CHURCHES He then went on to say that there was too much cant and hypocrisy among the churches Religion did not consist Jn putting J on ones best clothes and sweeping down the aisle of a fashionable fash-ionable church especially on Easter day A church was no place In which to show the latest models the milliner millin-er and the dressmaker Further than that clean hearts are even better than clean qlothes and one had 1 better be rich in Gods love than have all the wealth of the world Gods work cannot can-not bo accomplished through an unclean un-clean church and ministers who arc themselves unclean have no right to preach the word of God unto their fellows fel-lows As to what Is called good preaching preach-ing It he said why It that was all that was necessary to save Salt Lake I City she would have been saved years agoAmen said one of the local revivalists revi-valists in the audience whereat the evangelist looked pleased and remarked re-marked Ah that Is I what I like to hear it makes a man feel that he Is saying aoinelhlng whether he Is or not CRITICISM OF CHURCHES The business man who allies himself with a church simply because It means an Increase of business for him was then attended to Such men thought i the evangelist compromised themselves with the devil and made the church aden a-den of thieves instead of what the Lord intended that It should be Preaching without prayer could be of little avail and the social clubs of the world were all wrong because the members of them forgot there was n Christ Instead of pink teas there should be Bible classes I The family home should ring with the voice of prayer Stirring lemonade or dispensing dispens-ing oyster stews made out of a solitary oyster that looked mournfully around for Us mate had nothing to do with abiding in Christ no matter If I such things were done In the name of the church As for revivals and converts to Christianity they were of but little avail unless the man or the woman who professed repentance had been led to do RO largely by the personal application applica-tion of prayer Prayer was then offered a quartette sang the evangelist announced that meetings would be held In the tent until un-til further notice and then the audl Once dispersed |
