National Republican., 1876-04-10


the blessed work.
Services at Waugh n. z. Church.
Yesterday morning a large audience were in
attendance on the serviees.condueted by the pas
tor, Rev. DR.. J. S. Deale. The exercises opened
with singing and prayer, Mr.. Deale read a Sc
lection of Scriptures from Acts, second chapter.
Also, questioning the members Of the Sunday
school upon the Berean series. Mr.. Deale took as
the basis of his sermon the text found in James
v:2o "Let him know that he which converteth
sinner from the error of his.way shall save 4 soul
from death, and shall hide multitude Of sins"
There is in the New Testament many summaries
Of truth, so drawn as to be the truth in them
selves, and although we have many Bibles, the
summaries Of truth are very advantageous to us,
and If advantageous now, how much. more ad-
vantageOus were they in the early history of the
Church when the gospel could be only obtained
by few persons In the text We have a truth
that is striking, and that is easily remembered.
In what sense can n man save others, and why
should he? In what sense can a man save an
other, do you say? Indignant that such ques-
tion should be asked from the pulpit, we sympa-
thize with you, however. One man cannot save
another; he cannot change his affections, his will
or his obligation TO God. In this sense cannot q
man save another. Only the Almighty can do
this. But there is a way that the text and con-
text assert that man can convert another, and
his is not the only scripture that asserts it. Paul
spoke to the Gentles "too open their eyes and turn
them to light;'' and turning to light means to
convert. Now, what were they to do with the
Scriptures They have an importance and they
were not to ignore them; and they assert that a
man may convert or save another. In what sense
are we to consider this? Tell men in what sense
MAN MAY RUIN A NAN,
and will tell you in what sense q man can con-
vert another. You hear a man say that he knows
a besotted man in his neighborhOod who has re-
formed, but unfortunately some of his friends
persuade him to frequent his former haunts and
he was ruined. By what is meant by ruin is the
contact of mind with mind that produced ruin.
Just change the subject and rouse the influence
to that which lis good and you have seen that
which Will save u man. As man is Euined so
man can be saved by his friends. Character is
what man.is at heart. Character, like murder,
will cut. You might as we'll try to change
lightning as TO lock- upa mans character from
his fellows. 1t was made to be seen. II was
made for good or evil, as the character is good or
evil An unhOly man cannot invest himself with
a good character. The holy man will feel re-
pulse when coming into his presence. The re-
verse Of this is true Of every man of good charae-
ter. Just!as n sinner exerts an influence over
others TO be such, so does the spirit of God in
induce all men to come unto him.
There is to me q solemn grandeur in the
thought that God had permitted us to WELD this
power TO the redemption Of others. Weare ruined
by the example Of others. There is a tendency to
follow the example of others. Men and women
dress so So and we must dress the same way. Thus
men are led into the haunts Of sin and vice by the
perniciOus followowing of an example of SIM
Men may save others by example; SO a man is
constantly influencing others by by the example
he exerts. Everywhere
THE EYES OF THE WORLD ARE UPON rs
We are n spectacle Of man, and in godly example
is the way We may preach God and win and save
men from death, The ungodly are gratifed when
they can draw others into their wsys-in every
particular way that carry men to hell. Men use
the splendOrs Of sin to win others; they simply
mean to draw men TO ruin, and they know how to
do it. This is done in different ways, and in what
internal ways do men plot to draw to ruin your
souls and the souls Of your children.
As men draw to sin by persuasion so can we
draw men into the way by persuasion, whether we
intend 1t or not, so long as we allow men to put
forth more energy to ruin men than we do to save
men How little Of this persuasion is there in the
persuading men to come to church, to class; in be-
seeching mento come to Christ. The difficulty is
that there is too little heart in the works we need
a baptism in our work. There is not an instance
in the Bible where man was saved but by the
efforts of another. Jesus said 'Ye are the salt of
the earth" The phases of the Gospel are divine
but God has left the application of the Gospel to
the people; they are workers together with God.
If iniquity is to be staid, ,the Church the visible
body of Christ, Of which you and are members,
are to do it. Why should we seek to convert
others? Gods answer is the best: Lei lim know
that he that eonyerteth sinner frop the error of
his way shall save a soul from dcsth, and cover
multitude of sins" There is a,eeial meaning in
the expression, Let him kns~." Tell him all re-
with the most cIplieit confidence price
less is the soul, and bsS glorious is the way to |
which he would lift soul from the gate Of DEATH
Angels must eo,et our position to save q souI
from death api what a death must men endure |
to save thehselves from DEATH We should work
with easer energy to save souls from DEATH for
ghss meaning is embodied in the word death
To save a soul from such q death is worth the
work Of q lifetime Let US determine 10 save
ouis from death, and If we trust in God we shall
inOw that our efforts are not in vain. BLESSED"
aid David, ais he whose sins are forgiven
In every case no man has been converted but
hat had his sins covered. Oh, who would not
ave soul? What motive for saving a soul is
here in the text. Would You be happy to save
ouls in the sense Of the text? Did 1t ever strike
GU that the joy of Christ was in the saving of
Ouls? We may not remember the sermon. but
re may remember the text or the summaries of
he gospel.
At the close Of the sermon Rev. Mr.. Merrick
ID in prayer and the choir sung. the services
losing with the Doxology and the benedetion by
be pastor.