The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-10-07
FROM EDITOR TO PREACHER.
How old Uncle 81 Was Converted by sam
Jones.
ATLANTA constitutional

After All hail the power of Jesus name''
was sung, Rev. sam Jones introduced Mr..
Sam " Small, of Atlauta, who delivered
short address on his recent conversion. Said
Mr.. Small
MY FRIENDs-Although | have often at
tended church and often Joined in singing
that grand hymn have never been able to
feel il and sing il with the enthusiasm OF my
whole soul until within this past week. /
shall not apologize to you for the novelty of
my appearing before you this afternoon.
Last Saturday | came to this city
and to this tabernacle as a curiosity
seeker, note-taker and general locker
on at this vast and remarkable scene
| came with all my worldly pride and all
my worldly ambitions and all my worldly
passions aud appetitGs in full tide upon me.
| brought with me q nice flask of good
whisky to cheer me during the intervals,
and two things happened to me. had on
good. new, nice-looking, comfortable shirt,
and had that bottle of whisky. L felt fine
and thought l looked elegant / could not
have felt much better, and the only way
did feel better was in being invited and tax
ing dinner With brother Jones. But when l
| left here in the afternoon and went back TO
| take the train l found somebody had gone
into my room at the hotel and drank up my
whisky; and l also found that my shirt
didn't fit me as com fortably as before,
because brother Jones had filled il
with br;ers and thOrns and net
ties, and my oonscier ce was fired until it
seemed to be burning Within me was rag
ing the flames Of an awakened conscience. [
struggled with it for forty-eight hours as
manfully believe, as any votary of Satan
ever did. / not only struggled with it and
tried to put down that raging fire within
and without, and / even went back to the
places where | had usually found surcease
from my worldly troubles | went to the
bar-rooms and drank Of the fiery fluid, but
only raised hell the more within and with
| out and for forty-eight hours tell you. in
the face of the laShings of my conscience
and the feelings which were awakened with
in me. | still tried and endeayored to
drown them out and go on my way as be-
fore. But it was impossible. Standing there
on Tuesday, in the presence of my weeping
wife and trembling children, God seemed to
lift my soul out of me and show me what
black. dismal diseased and despicable thing
ii was. fed from it in horror. Absolutely
before my God. tell you the truth fed
from il in absolute horror TO the upper
chamber of my house, and, on my Blended
| knees and with my face in my hands, | con-
tinued the struggle. Still could not leave;
still something seemed to hold me back
! something seemed to say to me: sit will be
all right. This is nothing but a spasm. the
reflections of that wave of religious enthusi-
| asm you got into the other day. Wait a
| little while and it will be all right, and
| when the whisky dies out you will be your
self again and the same jolly good fellow
| that you were before"
| lay there, a. it were in a stupor, await
| ing the time to come when / could get up
and reassert my manhood, and go oct on the
street and mingle with my fellow-man. |
! found ii would not come, and after four
hours of fearful mortal agony had to go
| back to the only refuge that find there is
| for the sin-tossed soul, and that is to come
and lay itself at the foot of the cross aud say:
Here, Lord, ! give myself away; it is all |
have to give"
Nothing but sin have give.
And found that the other line was abs0-
! lutely true:
Nothing but love shall [ receive.
! I received it, thank God, in perfect food
| tide. Oh. it just lifted me UP on my feet.
! went down stairs into the presence of my
weeping wife, her eyes still dripping with
! tears. She saw something was the matter
and she stood in amazement when [ folded
| that Iatient, loving, faithful form to nay
| bosom and told her the truth. | would to
! God you could have seen her. wish that
You could have seen the transformation in
| that household. SO glad was l. so perfectly
| satisfied was |, so certain was | that there
| was not q lingtri scintila Of doubt in my
| mind, and not thought of denial in my
| heart that / determined TO DO On the in
slant what the scriptures here say every re-
| deemed sinner should do for the honor and
| glory of the Savior: Go into the highways
! and hyWays and tell all men, Of every con-
dition and creed, of my changed condition
| and testify TO the loving kindness and ten-
der mercies and saving powers of my Jesus.
And as fast as could go | went to print
ing Office and had it announced and got me
| some barrels--the first time ever made good
use Of barrels in my life-and spread boards
over them in the public streets and male
that announcement which ! would not
recall for this world, if it was a
solid hammered globe OF doubly
refined gold | would not drag it with me
into hell As long as God will help me in
answer to the prayers of these good people
and my own feeble supplications, intend to
follow i'm the Footsteps of the meek and
lowly Jesus who has redeemed me with His
blood Another thing l then and there
resolved that would be OF some service to
the Master that had been so good TO His I'M
worthy servant. You may talk as you please
| about sudden conversion. Men have sneered
at il in Atlanta, where l am known so well
and for so much wickedness. No wonder.
can't feel that they ought to be blamed. [
certainly will not get angry with them, be-
cause il was wonderful to me. l know that
God can do anything that His divine Will
shall order IL was a sudden conversion,
when by the will of God, when on the instant
of the terrible earthquakes awakening Lis
bon crumbled into the opening earth and dis
appeared in the awful abyss that yawned
under the proud city. 1t was a sudden con-
version when few days ago, in Connecticut,
a great reservoir broke its barriers down, sent
its wild waters suddenly laundering down a
busy and happy valley, and swept thousands
of uHprepared souls away from earth forever.
1t is a sudden conversion when out of the
clear heaven the lightning's red bolt des-
cends and rives the giant oak from top to
roots. II Gods will can do those wonders,
why can not the love of God descend as
quickly and regenerate my sinbound soul?
Oh, know it has done it, and If were kurl-
ed, as by giant catapult, to-day out of this
tent and landed among whole continent OF
men as strong and powerful in iniidelity as
Ingersoll, might stay there till the eleventh
hour of eternity and they could not convince
me that mine is not "a saved soul to-day.
And feeling that way, ] intend to testify to
il il the boldest tones can command, when
ever and wherever God wills that | shall do
so.
Tho Beginning OF sickness.