Smyrna times., 1885-09-02
Love-.


Boston Courier.
Love.
If / could only just make men believe |
that God is love, it would not be long
before they would all be hocking to
this Tabernacle. There is many n
man in this city who hates God because |
he thinks God hates him. remember
a few years ago we put up church in
Chicago. We were anxious to make |
people believe it was true that God is |
love, and we had some gas jets put |
back of the pulpit which, when lighted
up, spelt God is Love" We thought
we would burn it into the hearts of the
people. One Winters night a man
happened to 90 by, and he saw it,
That amt true" he said "GOd hates
me- He went few blocks, and then
he came back and looked at it again.
And he came into the church and took
the farthest seat away from the pulpit,
and after the meeting was over l found
him weeping. l asked him, "What is
the trouble?" He told me his story,
how he had fallen and wandered away
from a loving mother and a loving
home, and was a prodigal in far
country, and going by, his eye caught
that sentence, God is Love-" and he
thought it couldn't be true. l spent
some time in telling him that God
loved him; that He didn't want him
to perish; and there and then he Just
accepted of that love, and became a
new man in Christ Jesus. At our
Tabernacle in Chicago, we had that
same text burning there, "God is
Love-" and thousands and thousands
will remember how that was burning
there every night when that Taberna-
Gle was lighted up. Now, remember
that God hates sin with a perfect
hatred, because he knows that it is
going to mar His children's happiness.
But bear in mind that God loves the
sinner. There was time when l
didn't believe that. l used to think
that God was behind the sinner with
q double edged sword, ready to hew
/ him down. But | went over to Eng
land in 1877, and in Dublin on Sunday
night l went to hear the boy preacher.
l didn't know who he was, but he said
he would like to come to America, and
l looked at him, and l didn't think he
could preach. However, he told me
to write to him and let him know if
wanted him; and I didn't want him
and didn't write. But he came over
here and reminded me of the night
l met him in Dublin. l wrote a rather
cold letter, but got another in return
saying he would be in Chicago soon,
and if l wanted him to preach he would
preach Well didn't know what to
do with him. was going out of town
Just then, and so | said to the officers
of the church, Il wish you would LEI
this man preach" They didn't much
want to, but said, Let him preach
Thursday and Friday nights anyway
And so he came and preached. When
got back home, the first thing sale
to my wife was, -" How did that Irish
man get alOngP" And my wife said
"Why they like him very well; but hi
, breaches very different from you. HI
breaches that God loves men.
"Well," l said, {" he must be wrong.
That's what we all say when anybody
differs from us. "Well," said my wife
Il think you'll like him, because h'
proves everything by Scripture"
}. went to hear him Sunday, and h
u preached from the sixteenth verse fth,
: third chapter of John, For God 81
loved the world that he gave his Onl,
begotten Son, that whosoever believetl
in him should not perish but hav
everlasting life." And l noticed
4, smile all over the audience. He ha
preached two sermons from that tex
S and yet they wanted to hear another
And he went through the Bible froI
Genesis to Revelations, to prove tha
God loved man. And noticed q grea
. many brought their Bibles and re
ferred to the passages to be quoted
h Monday night there was a great crow
=" there to hear him, and he said, 8" NJ
friends, if you will turn to the sil
y teenth verse of the third chapter (
Mt John, you will find my text" Wei
ct there was a great smile all over I'll
~ audience. thought that about IL
Is, best sermon l ever heard. II was be
ter than the first one and it melted N
t. heart. My heart went out toward Il
es, people as it never went out before, an
~ / asked God to forgive me for not ha
sc. ing loved them better. The ne.
night the crowd was still larger, al
again he said, My friends if you wi
turn to the sixteenth verse of the thi
chapter of John, you will find n
text" And he preached wOnderf
sermon, and touched n higher chOl
that night. The next night we we
= again, and thought surely he cOuldl
- preach again from those words but
said, "My friends, want to speak
you tonight on the sixteenth verse
=. tI,o ttf-d cboY,tar of TOhu And euI
ly enough, he preached a sixth serm
from that text, and touched a high
''S chord than before. Well, the next d
I. he got up and said, My friends, ] ha
been hunting all day long for a n,
o. text, but 1 can't find one, so if you "
. please turn to the sixteenth verse
"A third chaper Of John" And RENE
~ ber we'll one thing he said: "For