The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-11-16

thaJ u m'gnJ perish that day, aDd
possibly that it nigh. then hear
preached the lest sermon it wou d
ever hear on salvation He preacbs d
fcom the text "Conscience, record,
God As he pictured a ,oul in the
bondage OF ain, lie seemed to picture
} me. lie seemed 10 b. proc aim ng
That which my consci -rce was then
d ing for me. | began then to
see the ter BILE rec I'd that l
rad been writir &, aud my pencil fell
from my rervsless fingers, and /
listened until conviction was
planted into the loweit Depths OF
my nature, and / went away feeling as
II | was wtariDg ths shirt OF Netsus. |
went bsck to my home in Atlanta. 1
weot bFck TO the pa;e where / had
a ways found solace and relief from ali
my soriows and troublse. / went
back 10 ihe whisky bottle; went
back into the saloons; aud during the
next day and part OF the second day. !
was seeking, msdly, wi dly, recklessly,
throughout the whole city for some
compound that would take away from
me tina sense OF conviction, thst sense
oil utttr despair, that sense Of guilt
ne'B tt at was hanging over me during
all these te1ibe hours. But the
panac had 81 oft n sought with
succeis would lake effect 10 longer;
aud when, at IL o'clock on Tuesday, |
WIS lucid, and cav my c)ncition,
heard my mothers prayere me sgain
to me; heard her voice telling me Of
4 Eavior's love, aud Of His saving
blood; and determined to 90 and
orcsrale myself aud n axe at last one
hEal attempt to have my Savior look
with compassion on me-, and save me
from The terrible ia that Yves
before me. l went into my
upper room, into my library,
and Bnelt there before my cot. and
tbtre | stiUgsI ed for four NOR al hours
in moro phytical agony than / had
ever felt before. was in more fear
and trepidation, aud WIS under a.
deeper sense OF pam than / had ever
been before. had been brought into
my home out oil barrooms, cut, il
SEEMED, 20 my death by persons With
whom | bad bait ed 10 the msdness Of
drunRenr ess / Fad been shot down
in the highways, and brought hone
to linger for weeks aud weeks, through
some mad braWl OF dronken ness; but
never in ali the things that / bad
suffered before suffered what | d d
through those four mortal houre, and
it WIS only toward the latter pat OF
them thai the Consciousness came to
me that there was something yet in
The way. l saw that | had struggled
and struggled, AID it seemed to me
that there YVES no relief; that at LIST |
must give up. / seemed TO realize
that was making some reservation
from God that ought not to bs made. |
Finally prostrstod myself On the
floor End said: Here, Lord, | give
mytelf away; IL is all that l c IN do "
And then came over me snch sweet |
ms OF pescA, such a sweet sense Il
70 & veness, such an elstion Of soul, !
such ON exaltation OF mind, rs / had |
never conceived Of before in my life. |
l eaped to my feet with the con-
seriousness running all throu my ng-
ture that Jesus Christ had heard me
and redeemed me from my fin.
went down and told my W fs and
children. My wife could hardly he.
lieve it. She thought it was the
eymp'om Of delirium, and wppt more
bitter tears than any she bad shed in
the darkest hours OF her trial. But
my little children, led doubtless by
some inspiration from heaven, gath
cred round me and raid, Papa, we
believe it's true" Ssnsation and
tears in the audience l went ont
with my children. went to a print
er's office and told him / wanted 5000 |
circulars printed, announcing that
Sam Small wohld address the people
that night and inform them Of his
conversion. He thought / was crszy,
refused to Print the clrcuara, and ex-
pressed grave doubts as t. whether /
ought tn be allowed TO Dam at large
in that coalition. went aero q the
street to another PRINTED. He didn't
care VIII Their ! was Grey or not |
plsnked down 81 80, and that night at
1872 o'clock | stood upon an impro.
vi'ed platform with my children
beside me and spoke TO 5000 people.
The platform was rude coGtri-
vance, formed OF whisky barrels
with boards laid across them,
the best use 10 which |
bad ever put whisky barrels In
the whole course of my life.
! told them all that have told you
here tonight. gave them the history
oil my terrible Struggles OF that after.
noon, and Of the peace that hfd come
to my soul. | told them: 81 intend
here tonight to make declaration to
you that have deserted the ranks OF
the devil. l have been accepted as a
soldier OF the cross, and, God being
my helper, l intend to fight my way
10 heaven and never ialter till reach
the goal" | made the proposition
definite and irrevocsble. / said to all
my old acquaintance and friends: II
mean exactly what l say and want
you, whether you believe il or not, to
simply stand by ard see what the
power Of Gcd can do with a man as
lost and a. reckless as | WIS.," l said
10 them: II don't want you to ask me
to do enything that is contrary to the
Christian character and upright walk
in this life. You can only do 1t for two
reasons--either because you are reck-
less and goddess ard regardless OF de-
cency yourself, or you mean to insult
me" And from that day to this not
one OF them has ever asked me to do
a thing that was unbecomiug a,Chrls-
tan but, on the contrary, they have
applauded and upheld me in every
encouragement that man could give
another. And then and there con.
secrated my life to Jesus Christ; then
and there in that presence burned
my bridges behind me and resolved to
dedicate to Him the balance OF my
days. And when went back 10 my
home that night found that God, in
his blessed mercy, had wrought
wonderful miracle. He had gone to
the sepulcher whee my wife had
buried her love and disinterIed it,
aud placed 1t back in her heart with
all its tenderness and strength, and
she came forth to me With her cheeks
glowing and the light Of love dancing
in her eyes. Only once after that did
l have my doubts and fears. The
very next morning l awoke
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