The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-05-05


we think it is about as good sermon al
we know how to preach, it all amount
to nothingP 1t is because the Holy Spiri
did not bless the truth that day. VIII!
is it that on some other occasion, whel
we come with only few thoughts il
our mind. hardly arranged at all, bu
with burning desire for the salvation
of the souls of men, and the sermon is
poor one, Judged by the rules of human
rhetoric, that on that day the people
come to God? Because the Lord send
his spirit to bless that sermon. On, if thi
morning the spirit of God would shint
on your heart, you would wake up as i
from long sleep, you would look arounC
about you, and you would kneel dowr
and cry for mercy l shall never forge
a scene in my first settlement. We haC
a morning prayer.meeting in time of re-
ligious interest, and there was mar
who had entered the door just before
the close of the sermon. | said to my
self. II wish that man had stayed away
he has come to disturb this meeting"
had heard him express his contempt fol
religion and all religious things, and wat
sure he was there to interrupt us. He
came in and sat down, and before the
benediction was pronounced he arose
People shuddered, for all knew him in
the village. But so far from disturbing
our meeting, he said: "Ol, pray for my
soul" and that night he found his way
into the kingdom of God, and his wife
and his children. The spirit of God
sought him out and brought him in, and
by the tine night came he was saved for
ever. If the Holy Spirit should strike
off your chain you would be free If he
should touch your eyes this moment
you would not onlv see yom sin, but the
grandeur of Savior's ransom. Ga, he
is a mighty spirit. People of God, il
you will importune his coming-if you
will with proper faith importune his
coming, there would this morning be
five hundred souls in this audience who
are out of Christ, who would march in
solid column into the kingdom, and the
house would be full of the glory of the
Lord, and there would be here such
praying and weeping and wailing and
singing as you never heard. Oh, that
the spirit would descend nowl | wait
his coming. Aged men who know the
way to pray, who have long been pray
ing, implore the descent of that spirit,
Men in mid.life, young men; men who
would be saved now-ask for the COM
ing Of that spirit
"Come. Holy Spirit Heavenly Dove,
With all thy quCkenlng powers
Come, shed abroad Savlors love,
In these cold hearts of ours"
Twenty five years ago l had man
standing before one day preaching the
Gospel to my people. As sat behind
him l thought to myself, "Ol, if l only
had that mans physical health, how
much good l could do" Though l was
well, he seemed to be more than we'll
athletic, strong, exuberant. That was
the best sermon he ever preached. That
week he was dead. Inever shall forget
that mans last sermon; shall never for.
get his text. 1t was 30 appropriate for
my people then; it is so appropriate for
my people now; "Have you received the
Holy Ghost?"
remark again, that your ant is par.
don. That young man down in the vii
derness, oh, how he thought of his fa.
therl He thought; IF 1 could only hear
my father say, L forgive you,' l would
be hap y" 1t was pardon he wanted.
That is what you need. What has been
the greatest sin in all your life2 0le
man would say one thing; another man
would say another thing, can tel! you
what has been the greatest sin of your
life; the one that towers above all other;
the ghastliest, the blaCkest crime the
soul can commit. 1t is not murder; it ia
not theft; it is not adultery; it ID not bias
phemy; but worse than all these com
bined. 1t is the sin of driving back the
Son of God from your souls, aGd cruel.
flying the Lord Of glory, and tramping
on the bleeding heart of infinite love;
and that sin we have all com mitted. To
that chief sin you have added other sins
how msny2 In all your life how many
do you SUPPOSED a thoussnd2 "Oh, yes"
you say. Fifty thousandP Yes" you say,
"in the course of my life." One humid
red thousand2 "Yes;but let us stop there"
One hundred thousand unforgiven trans.
gressionsl Sins against Sabhaths; against
Bibles; against sermons. Sins against
God. Sins against yourself. Sins against
the CROSS. Sins against tho ministeriDg
spirits that came to defend you. Sins
against your own deathbed; your fathers
deathbed; your mothers deathbed. Sins
the judgment day. Sins against the glor.
les of heaven and the grandeurs of eter-
nifty. Sins inexcusable; sins without
all unforgivenl You know how
rapidly the snowhakes can accumulate
on winters day; you know how soon
they aggregate on top of the Alps, and
the certain conditions of weather that
great block of snow, which is made up
of little snowhakes, shaves off an ava.
lanche on the villages beneath, destroy.
ing them. So the sins of your life-Cold, |
freezing transgressions- ns-accumulating
aCcumnlating, heaping up wrath against
the day Of wrath, at last, if unrepented, |
will be an avalanche of darkness for stri |
king down upon your soul. They seem
more like cloud, black, thunder charg.
ed, and flash with all the lightning of an
God, and they hover and sWoop
about us, until, in the suffocation, we |
gasp for m 5rCy, and hope a gale from
heaven will blow away the cloud. God |
is willing to lift that cloud; he says he is
long suffering and patient; he is the God |
Of great pity; he Is willing to blot out
your transgressions; he is willing to take
you in The arms Of his con passion. Oh, |
here is the letter; 1t is letter from your
Father, offended and outraged; 1t is q let.
ter to you, the wandering child. He
says: "Come back come backl "Though |
your sins were as scarlet, they shall be |
as snow; though they be red like Grim.
son, they shall be as WOOL" Pardon for
all; free pardon; everlasting pardon. Oh |
says some man in the gallery, "that Is |
not for me-. You don't know my case or |
you would not give such an indisCrimin- |
ate offer as that. LIDO not know your |
case specifically, or just how much you |
may have offended against God, but |
will suppose it was the worst case, and
then l will tell you there is salvation for
you, for you, for yonl ...,.'g
"There Is fountain flled with blood,
Drawn from EmmRnuels veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Tnua atIath alp n,,itt