National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-01-20


Moody offered fervent prayer:
Our Father, grant that this night may
bo made memorable to every one hore
Dear Saviour, didst Thou not promise
that where two or three are drawn to-
gether in Thy name Thou wilt como In
their midst2 We are met in Thy name
and now we want to remind Thoo OF my
promise Aud all through this meeting
may there come an awe, and may every
one know that ho is In the presence OF
the Lord of Glory. Help us to call our
thoughts in from the world-away from
all its SORROWS aud porplexities, from all
its cares, and lift them Heavenward to-
night. o., speak to every heart In this
presence to.night-hearts so hard and so
cold-for oh when Thou spoakest tho
dead shall awake, the deaf shall hear,
the blind shall receive their sight. o,
Thou God Of Elijah. answer by fire to.
night. May FIRE come down and burn up
the dross, consuming everything that is
hateful to Thy sight. Amen
Mr.. Moody spoke from tho nineteenth
verse of the fourteenth chapter Of Romans,
saying: You notice that these men were
invited to
A FEAST, NOT TO A FUNERAL.
Men like to 90 to feast and there is
always great rush to got the best seat.
These men were invited to o feast by q
king, and then all. with one accord, began
to mako excuse. There is n great deal of
difference between having an excuse and
making one If you don't want to go you
begin to shift and then framo some ex-
Cuse. | have no doubt that these men
wero very polite, and that they sent back
word that there was no one in oil tho
kingdom whose feast they would enjoy so
much, but-but-. The first man said ho
had bought o piece of ground; and n
strange time 1t was just at supper time to
go SEQ that ground. 1t could not run
away, the deed could not be altered-oh,
no; but he must 20 see 1t. Il was shift
ing-in plain language, 1t was downright
lie. He did not want TO go to the feast.
The next one had bought yoke Of
oxen, and this at supper timol He had
oil tho next day, and the next week
for that matter, to prove these oxen.
The fact was he didn't want to go, and SO
he sent the message and said he would like
TO be there,--that he would be only too
happy-but - Another lie
The other man, his excuse was more
absurd than the other two: II have
married q wife and therefore cannot
comew Who loves feast better than a
lewly married man2 But you see these
men all wanted to keep away.
are as old rs Adam. Among tho very
first things heBever gave to God was an
excuse, u very poor excuse
HE CHARGED 1T BACK ON GOD
that the helpmate Ho had give him was
to blame; that 1t was this woman who
tempted him. But from the time OF
Adam men have been pretty good at max
ing excuses. l venture to say that If
got of from this platform to ask my
friends here in front Of me every ono
would have an excuse before could get to
you. If you were at all 1ustered the devil
would be there to help mako 1t.
Now as to the three men in my text,
there Is not boy in this large audience
who will not. say they were lying. In
the prophecy of Isaiah He says; God
shall sweep away the refuge Of lies"
Every one shall He sweep away.
Now, l suppose that during the past
twelve years i have heard as many ex-
cuses as any man living. At the close OF
my meetings, until this season, l have
been accustomed to having meetings for
inquirers to meet me. (now / am unable
to do so for lack of time, as i have
deemed 1t best to take a run through the
country and make q short stay at various
places, and try to rouse up some Of our
churches,) and during my experience l
have heard evory conceivable excuse--
some of them most absurd. But of all
the excuses have heard in this country
or abroad. havo never heard a man give
better excuse than these three men
named in the text.
Now, my friend, what is your excuse
Young man, why don't you become a
Christian? II Christ would come to you
now, what would you to say to him? Just
think what you would say! can tell
you; You would be speechless. You
would be like that man at the feast with.
out the wedding garment!
GOD HAS PROVIDED SALVATION Fon
EVERY SOUL.
He wants you to come but mon 20 on
to make excuses. l want to give some OF
the excuses you in this church would
give:
One Of the excuses is the good old book
] have heard this often; it ia quite q
popular excuse-sn intellectual excuse
Now am glad the Bible is as 1t Ia, for II
/ could take that book up and read II
through and understand everything in IL
it would bs . pretty good proof that IL
did not come from God, and instead oi
there being one Bible in the world there
would be millions i thank God from
the depths of my heart that ] have moi
been able to fathom the depths OF climb
the heights Of this wonderful revelation
of His love. / contend that there is nc
book so misjudged as the Bible. j have
never found but one skeptic who had
read the Bible. Almost every skeptc il
able to give you his opinion about II with
out reading 1t He will give an opinion
of no other book on single reading.
want right here, my dear friends, t
ask you solemnly If, when you stand al
the bar Of God. you will give as an OK
cuse for rejecting Him that the Bible
kept you out Of the kingdom2
oh, no, my friends, there is no man
who will ever stand before God and give
that as his excuse. 1t is SO plain he who
runs can read. 1t is not necessary fol
you to run TO any musty library to learn
whether you have sinned or not.
That you have sinned you will all ad
nit. and that is the starting point. Now
whore can the sinner learn of God aud
the way to pardon rs in that book Some
people start to learn, aud rather than al
once learn the will of God they must be-
gin TO know the doctrine. You need
only begin with repentance. That is the
BEGINNING OF oop's ALPHABET.
The way to learn the bible il not t
begin at Romans begin at repentance.
1t is so easy TO attack the bible! jus
wish these inidels who 80 dread and de
nounce tho bible could all get off together
into country all by themselves where
they had no bible How soon would
they send for one! l was crossing the
Atlantic and q young Englishman wht
wanted to be smart approached the cap
tain aud in hippant way said he wai
afraid we would have a difficult passage
80 many parsons were aboard. The cap
tain replied: Young man, If you fine
any town in America or in your owl
country that has 5000 people and NJ
parson, will show you place nearer +,
he'll than you have ever been before"
Another favorit0 excuse Is; A mar
says, 81 would like to be Christian bu
don't know as am one of the elect.
My friend, you have no more to do witt
the doctrine of election than you have tC
do with the government of China. ThC
doctrine Of election ia nowhere taught L
an uncOnVerted man. The good hook
says: "Whosoeyer will Whosoeye