The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-10-14
THE GLORY OF A COMMON CAUSE
Another Sermon by Sam Jones.

hnotneI sermon oy Sam Jones.
Correspondence Globe Democrat.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo-, September 2s.-AtI
the great gospel tabernacle, this after
noon, after Mr.. Sam w. Small. late of
the Atlanta Constitution, had concluded
his address upon the responsibilities of
parents for the right moral and religious
training of their children, Rev. Sam P.
Jones rose and said:
am glad the preacher-and we can
scarcely call him preacher, | suppose
the first text he ever took in his life to
preach from was yesterday-talked ON
the line he did this evening. / tell you
when you begin to talk about ''childf
and children" and ''boys and girls
you get very close to me then. You do
that. And somehow or another think
there is no question in the world that
brings us all so close together as this
one. Everybody here is either some
body's father or mother, or somebody's
son or daughter. We come very close
together here on this subject. | reeol-
lect when / vas preaching in Nashville.
one Friday afternoon, / got on the train
TO run down home, and at Murfreesboro
l walked out on the engine and took a
seat on the engineers side. The engi-
neer sat there with me, but with his
hand on the throttle and his eve on the
track, and every few rounds of the
wheel he would look at me and say
something. We were in conversation.
Directly he said
THE ENGINEERS WISH.
"Mr. Jones, 1 was out at church last
II.
wish I was. My wife is good woman, :"
and then he said: 'Last night when
you told about Virginia-that little in
cident about your neighbor in Carriers
vile, about going to see her, and about
that sick child and her wayward hus-
band" he said, "Mr. Jones, when you
got along there, you get mighty close to
me then. God came to my house last
year and took the sweetest child had
and," said he, 81 wasn't Christian;
was Just like Virginia's husband; y and
he said: ''Mr. Jones, l want you to pray
for me. want to be good man.
wish was Christian;" and directly he
would come back with the same remark.
Said he: "Mr. Jones, last night when
you talked about Virginia, you got
mighty close to me them. You got
mighty close to me then"
All, when humanity can Just get close
together-close togetherl Why, | know
| iustSas well as know | am in the town
of st. Joe, that what is good for me is
| good for you. What will help me will
help YOU What will make me better
| husband will make you a better hus
band. What will make me better son
will make you a better son. Do you
know we are all made out of the same
sort of dirt, and what will help one viii
help all, and what will hurt one vii
hurt all. Do you know that?
A COMMON CAUSE.
! 1t is a common cause we are in here
1t is a common cause. Are you al
| American? Are you an Irishman? AR;
you a German? Are you from China
1 don't care where you are from. | JUS
want to tell you from my own persona
experience that the religion of Jesus
Christ will make another man out O.
YOU, if you haven't got it, Just as tru,
as know am standing here. All, me
| have often felt when talking to strang,
congregations like the fellow that wa
shouting at the camp meeting and peo
pie looked sort of astonished at him
He just stopped and said: off you don
believe I've got religion you Just g
home and ask my wife, she'll tell you.
I like to see man able to prove it b.
his wife, and his wife able to prove i
by her husband. Ny Lord, we want t.
get religion here in St. Joe so that w
can prove it by any member of the fam
lily, that every member of the famil,
has got it and got it good.
ONE PIoUs DAY.
DR.. Hunt told me an incident I wan
to give YOU. He said that in his know
edge there was man, about an ayerag
Methodist-and that amt saying yer
much for any man religiously, hu
about as good as an average Presbyte
rian, brother Campbell, all whitley
whittlety-just an average Methodist
who woke up one morning and thinkin
pretty seriously, said: '1 have been i
the church for twenty years. | hav
got grown children. I never was relie
ious a day in my life It's a shameful
confession to myself, but | know, m
wife knows, and the children know
and God knows, / never was religious
day in my life, and Pm going to b
religious this day, God helping me, if
live till sundown and go to the pit,
can say in the pit, 4 was religious on
F day before / came here and Pm goin
to be religious to-day" He got VI
dressed himself, knelt down and said b
prayers. "God help me to be religion
, today He prayed earnestly. Jus
before the breakfast bell rang he said
"Wife, get the children into the sittin,
room and get the Bible | am going /
have family prayers this morning.
, never did in all my life, but I've nev'
been religious a day in my life"-an
he got mighty close to you old humbu,
! when he said that laughter "but e
! the children in the sitting-room
read a chapter and get down and prs
1 the best ] can," and he did. He wei
! to the breakfast table and the childr'
: began to turn up their plates. "Ho
on, children. We are going to ask
/ blessing this morning." and | tell you
: man has got all the concentrated el
q ments of hog in him when he will ;
: down and eat withnut asking blessin
s About all you need is to have two mo
legs and some bristles and you will
$ heeled up. Don't you forget thi
s Laughter Well, this man asked
d blessing at the table, and after bres
O fast he got up and kissed his wife gent
Q and kindly, and walked out and kiss
the children and told them to try to
v good, that their father was going to
e to be good to-day.
9 PRACTICAL PIETY.
: He went down to his store, and inste
= of speaking harshly to his clerks, ord
n ing his servants commandingly abol
, he was kind and gentle and Christ-li
4 to all, and all noticed it. He cal
:. home to dinner and asked blessing
a. his table. When he got through eati
h he says, "Wife, wish you would fix
- a nice order of toast and part of Il
i broiled chicken for poor old Johns
IS down here-that poor old paralyi
l. He's been sick two years, and I've me-
put my foot in his house. If you'll
ii up a nice tray, I'll take it down to
,e old man and try to say few kind wo
" to him." And while down there
,e said: s1f you want me to, I'll read
e. chapter of the Word of God and try
ie pray with you;" and the old man sa
ry with astonishment, s'Oh, I'm so gl,
e. no one has prayed with me since / b,
he been sick" And he got down the Bi
I'd and read chapter and prayed with
old man, and then went on to his ste
At night when be came home he gree
:. his wife and children with a smile, Q
:. =. that night before retiring he says, "W
- bring all the children, I'll read chap
- and we will pray again." and he q
80 And at night when be retired TO rest
;a knelt BY his wife's side and thanl
"a God for the grace that had helped
M .ha right through the day. 1t was