The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-16

flag and he put up another.
NOTABLE CONVERSIONS.
He came into this church three weeks ago
drunk and sat back by the door ana replied in
subdued tone to the preacher: THAT is lie.
But church usher heard him and told him to
be silent or go out He came the next night
sober and was regenerated Being in the liquor
trade, he sent back all the samples of rum sent
him the day before he resigned that business.
and loves the religion he once hated. / baptized
him last Sunday morning. Large salary has
been offered him if he would go back to his old
business No; he will never go back. Writing
home the news of his conversion to his Christian
mother size writes back congratulatory letter
and says IF, through giving up your business,
you get out of means, come home You will
always find me ready to rescue you" He told
one of his dissolute companions the story of his
conversion oh said his dissoute companion,
''if you have become Christian you ought to go
and speak to dying girl in yonder house, about
her soul She is dying of quick consumption"
He was led to her bedside She was dying in
room where all around were dissolute. He told
her that Christ would save her. What makes
you think thatg" said the dying girl. The new
convert took out his New Testament and said 1T
is in this book" 'Show it to me" said the dying
girl The new convert said: II have neglected
this book myself all my life until few days
ago, and cannot find the place, but know it is
he began to leaf over the book, and, strange and
beautiful to say, his eye fell upon the words Of
Christ: Neither do condemn thee. Go and
sin more" She said: 1T is not possible that
New Testament was handed her, and she said:
eyes, yes: | see it for myself, and l accept the
promise Neither do l condemn thee. Go and
sin no more" In few hours her spirit fed
and her funeral sermon was preached by the
new convert, who, only few days before, had
a blaSphamnr a hating
and all that is good. That was regeneration.
If you can find any dry husks of technicality in
that, show them to me. Regeneration! By the
pardoning grace of God all made over again.
A ship captain two or three years ago came and
sat in yonder gallery He did not believe in
churches, and he had special dislike for Talmage.
The gospel arrow struck that nearer in the heart
He arose for prayer. Over six feet in height
when he arose there was doubt about the fact
that he had risen. Before he left this house he
was Christian. He went out among ship-own-
ers and ship captains and told them hatchange
had been wrought When on the sea and off
Cape Hatteras, in a long continued fog, and he
and all the crew were at their wits end, he went
to his room and prayed for the salvation of his
ship and all on board, and came out saying: ''All
right. boys, at such an hour the fog will lift
God tells me so in prayer A man on deck
laughed to scorn such an idea. At the time he
said the fog would lift. a fash of lightning
struck through the fog-a fash that sent the
scoffer stunned to the deck. The Cape
Hatteras lighthouse suddenly appeared,
and the ship was put on her course into
safety. On the land the captain spends much of
his time among the sick, and he kneels by those
who have, by their illness, been In their beds for
months, and they rise up restored. And he kneels
by the side of those long decrepit and they walk
without crutcheS, and in answer to his Suppllca-
tions blind eyes, that for ten years have not
been able to read, read the Scriptures Physical
agonies, the sight of which was APPALLING, have
left their sufferers to speedy convalescence;
no secondhand evidence about this. l have
seen the restored patients and heard the teStl-
mony from their own lips The scoifing
captain. who came here with heart full of hatred
and contempt for the gospel now devoting all
his time to evangelical labors That is regenera-
ton. No far-off story about men in some other
land. They are both of them here this morning,
subjects of regeneration.
Then the doctrine of vicarious suffering is said
to be dry. and absurd, and useless technicality
Christ suffering for others Why, my hearers,
you don't scott at it when you see it in other
directions. You can see its beauty when
mother suffers for her children, when patriot
suffers for his country when friend gives up
everything for friend. Why should you not
instances of vicarious suffering all about us2
Oh, how many spend their time carrying other
peoples burdens and dying other peoples
deaths In one of the literary institutions of
as teacher She was a stranger, and
of such retired and reticent habits
that she formed no acquaintanceships.
Her dress was plain and shabby that she was
dismissed from her position, and, in reply to the
letter dismissing her she wrote that if she failed
to give satisfaction it was probably her own
fault. After being unable to get any other em-
ployment she ended her life by suicide. Upon
investigation, it was found out that, out of her
small earnings, she had supported a father
eighty years of age, and was supporting a
brother in college. For that reason she wore
the shabby dress, and had gone without blankets
on her bed, and without any fire in her room all
winter. When this was found out, the people
who had scorned her gathered at one of the
largest funerals ever held in that place. and
gazed with interest upon the face of the martyr,
but it was too Late Vicarious sacrifice!
DISPLACED ADMIRATION.
Anybody who has heart is thrilled with such
a story as that but they tell us it is a dry and
absurd doctrine when Christ puts forth his pow
erty to purchase eternal riches, and his self;
abnegation to secure our enforcement, and He
kneels on the sharp edge of humiliation to let us
climb over his lacerated shoulder into life and
heaven Men admire Emperor Traian because
when mounted for battle he got off his horse to
do justice to a poor woman by the wayside, but
cannot see any beauty in the fact that the con-
queror of earth and heaven dismounted from the
white horse Of heavenly triumph to appease our
spiritual beggary. They are thrilled at the valor
of the Horatii and the Curiatii, who
went out, three champions for the Ro
mans and three champions for the
Adams. to decide the fate of nation, but have
no quickened pulse as they see our champion,
Jesus go out alone against ali the allied forces
of earth and he'll to battle for the emancipation
Of the human race. They can even appreciate the
spirit of Bucephalus Alexander's war-horse,
which, after being gashed and fatally wounded,
until all his arteries seemed opened, kept stag
gering on until he got his imperial rider clear out
of peril and then with one groan. expired More
appreciation for the bravery of brute in behalf
who flung himself from the highest heaven into
the raging seas of death to save all those who
would lay hold of his right arm of deliverence
Be it ours to admire and adore these magnificent
doctrines of Christ, while others scof and jeer.
For all those who, on infidel platform or in
unconverted pulpits deride evangelism, have
nothing but prayer for their recovery. When
during the last century the plague was raging in
London, there was hotel near the cemetery