The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-08-13
SINNERS "sINGED."

REV. SAM JONES HAULs THEM OVER THE
GOALS
AT THE HIGH BRIDGE CAMPAIGNING
GROUNDS.
ABOUT FIFTEEN THOUSAND PEOPLE IN
ATTENDANCE.
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette of the 3rd.l
II singed them to-day sHre,' said Sam
Jones Yesterday as he sank back in a chair
at High Bridge Camp-meeting after his
sermon, almost exhausted with his efforts.
eff some of those thick-skinned sinners
haven't heard the truth to-day, then Sam
Jones don't know how to tell it," was the
eminent evangelist's further remark, as he
wiped his forehead of the beads of prespir-
alton and endeavored to shake hands with
the crowds who were pressing about him
to congratulate him on his effort, which
was, so he himself remarked, one of the
best, he thought, he had ever made. The
occasion and gathering was a fitting one
for his endeavor, as the crowd in attend
ance was simply wonderful. Early in the
morning they began to pour i'll on horse
back, in wagons, in carts and afoot, and
before the cottagers had arisen for morn
ing prayer the woods were thick with peo-
pie and vehicles. Shakertown, just across
the river. sent a delegation of gray-appar-
eled women and children, whose queer garb
opJ ,,ao,,1ior oool-coi1+tIo honpntc from
beneath which many pretty Shaker face
peeped, was a frequent sight all day. Ex-
cursion trains kept arriving continually
during the morning from all parts of the
Southern road, and when the two Cincin-
natl special trains arrived with their
heavily loaded cars of passengers from the
city the crowd was about fifteen thousand,
most of whom had come especially to hear
the Georgia evangelist who had that morn
| ing arrived from Shakertown, where he
had spent the night.
When Sam Jones arose to preach from
the top of an old piano box, which served
in lieu of rostrum, the tabernacle held
some twelve thousand people. After a
as follows:
| We invite your prayerful attention to
the nineteenth verse of the eleventh chap
ter of the Book of Proverbs 'sAs right
eousness tendeth to life, SO he that pur-
sueth evil pursueth it to his own DEATH"
| When good man dies he not only goes
to heaven, drawn thither by the natural
forces Of spiritual gravity, by the approval
of God and angels, but when good man
dies he goes to heaven by the common con-
sent of every intelligent creature in the
| the world. Nhen a bad man dies he not
only goes TO hcll, drawn thither by the
natural forces of spiritual gravity, not only
by the approval of God and His angels. but
when bad man dies he goes to hell by the
common consent of every man in the
world. You have attended the funeral of
doubtful character, and have been to the
church he professed to. but did not possess
religion, and his pastor on the occasion of
the funeral read his text. and, as we say
sometimes, preached him to heaven
Haven't you left the church and heard on
the sidewalk from saint and sinner about
these words THAT preacher outraged
oyery principle of truth that man is not
in heaven he knows it. we know it, and
all know he has not gone to heaven ,
Have you ever left a good mans funeral
who was known and esteemed of all good
men, and have you after hearing the eu-
logy of the preacher upon his life and char.
acter, and the preacher pointed to the sin.
ners and said this man has gone to
heaven - and haven't you heard comment
on the way from church, from saint and
sinner, who all say ''that was truly good
man, and he has gone home to God 2
There is no other place in the universe fol-
| y a r.
heaven he goes there just on the same
principle this book would drop to the flool
if | were to turn it loose. When this body
of mine, when that body of yours. shall
turn your spirit loose, if you be good, your
spirit goes to God just as this book would
drop to the floor when a bad man dies his
spirit goes to hell just as naturally and in
.eyitably as this book would drop to the
floor were | to turn it loose. A good maj
goes to heaven because he is good, ant
heaven is the center of gravity for all that
is good "a bad man goes to hell because hi
is bad-that's the nature of the whole
matter. Mark my word, brother, goot
man is ready and destined for heaven be
fore he dies. We seem to be far beyond
the promised land, but heaven let's dowI
low and hovers over the pallet of the goo(
man. and he is in heaven before an ange
could come to take him there. A goof
man goes to heaven because he is good, an(
a bad man goes to hell because he is bad
The demons of the pit, all of them, coult
not keep good man out of heaven wher
he dies, and all the angels of heaven Cal
not keep bad man out of hell when b,
dies. The natural and inevitable tendenc,
, OF his nature and being and gravity curset
! him in spite of all other forces in the uni
verse righteousness tendeth to life''-
! just as it is true for righteousness to Leaf
to life and the light shines more and NOR
into that perfect day, so the fate of tn
transgressor is hard aud so the wicke,
! shall be turned into hell. We have don
good and shall see the resurrection. the.
$ that have done evil shall see the resurrec