The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-01-21

morn; as though rising above us, tier
above tier, were the myriads of Heaven
looking down ready to applaud our fidelity |
or hiss at our stolidity, while coming
through the Sabbath air were the long,
deep, narrowing groan Of the dying nations
that are never dead. May God with o
torch from Heaven set all the pulpits Of
England and Scotland and Ireland and
the United States on fire. AS for myself,
standing here in this presence this morn
Ing, feel as If had never began to
preach. If God will forgive me for the
past, will do better in the future.
Since many of you came on the stage of
action a whole generation has gone into
the gates of eternity. Your opportunity
to act upon them is gone. They have dis
appeared from the churches, from the
stores, the shops, the streets, from the
homes. You, o, Christian man, had an
opportunity Of meeting them. You did
meet them. You talked with them on other
subjects. You had an opportunity Of say
Ing the saving word, and you did not say
that saving word. Just think of that!
OH where is the fountain, where, with
sleeve rolled up, we may wash our hands
from the blood of soulsp The only ques-
tion is, whether, as Christian men and
women, we can now interrupt the other
procession marching down, and will after
awhile, II unarrested by Gods grace, fall
off.
Is II not time for something desperate?
Inanimate solicitation will not do They
will not stop for that. You need
momentum gathered by a whole nights
wrestle with the omnipotent God. Oh,
these dying souls these dying souls What
shall we say to themp What shall we do
for them? Catch them before they make
the last spring. Put down everything else
and run for the rescue. Tomorrow may
be too late. Three o'clock this afternoon
may be too late. Now reach over your
pew and seize that soul before it flashes
out Of your sight forever Their house is
on fire, and no ladder to the window. Their
ship is going down, AMI no iife-boat. Oh,
men and women of God, awake! awake
Oh, that all rewards, and punishments, all
joys and sorrows, and the agonizing and
rapturous vociferation of three worlds
would arouse you to-day! o God! Flame
upon us those overwhelming realities |
Kill our stolidity, knock from under us
our couches Of ease, consume our indiffer-
ence, and throw us into the battle.
II John Livingston in a small church
in one service had five hundred souls
brought to God, why may you not in
larger church have three thousand
souls as easily as he had five hundredy IL
is the same Gospel. John Livingston did
not save them. 1t is the same Holy Ghost.
1t is the same great Jehovah. II John
Knox could put the lever of prayer under
Scotland until IL moved from end to end,
shall you not, by the lever of importunate
petition, move this whole city of Brook
lyn from the East River to New Utrecht,
and from New Utrecht to Long Island
CityY God can do it He will do
it II you nightly and relentlessly ask
Him to do it. There is no need, in this
presence, of bringing the old stereoSyped
illustrations of the fact that God hears
prayer, nor telling you about Hezekiah's
restored health, and about Elijah aud the
great rain, and about the post-mortem ex-
animation of the Apostle James, which
|
by much p. aging; nor Of Richard Baxter,
who stained the walls of his study with
the breath of prayer; nor OF John Welch
and the midnight plaid; nor of George
Whitfield fat on his face before Col. No
need OF my telling you these things. l
turn in on your own consciousness,
and review the memory of that time
when your own soul was sinking, and God
heard your cry; and of that time when
your child was dying and God heard your
: petition; and of that time when your
. fortune failed and God set in your empty
!, pantry the cruise Of oil and the measure OF
meal. want no illustration at all.
think the Lord put on US as a church a
great responsibility. We set our hands to
, the work of evangelization. We arc doin 2
; nothing else here. We do not want to do
any thing elss Ehere but this work OF
5 evangeHzation. That Is, we want 70 bring
E mon and women to Ch ist and bring them
/ now. | do not know how you feel, my
/ brethren, but my heart is breaking with a
, longing that have for the redemption OF
> this people. II God does not give me my
prayer, can not endure it. offer my
/ self, offer my life, to this work. Take it,
, o Lord Jesus, and slay me II that be
, best. Whether by my life or by my death,
, may great multitude Of souls here be
borne to God. II from the mound OF my
, grave more can step into the Kingdom Of
| God than through my life, let me now lie
} down TO the last sleep. Bat only let the
] people be saved. Lord Jesus, IL is sweet
, TO live for Thee. Methinks ii would be
sweet to die for Thee. II in the Napo-
leonic wars six millions fell, II in the wars
/ Of the Roman Empire one hundred and
eighty millions fell, shall there not be a
great many in our day who are willing II
, sacrifice, not only worldly ambition, but
, sacrifice all for CHRISTI
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