The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-16

never shall preach. and that is out here In the
cemetery. will never go among the tombstones
and dead bodies of men to preach the gospel OF
the Son of God No, sir. preach to the living
No. SIR preach TO men with mind, and muscle,
and nerve, and blood. and bone. I preach to
men who walk and talk among the children Of
men; and beg you, brother, beg you tonight,
prepare to meet your God before your body Is
prepared for that graveyard out yonder.
II stopped in ST Joseph Mo- last summer
and there said Brother, God has put this meet
ing between you and an eternal hell. You kick
it to one side and rush to hell. Oh stop, con-
slider and give your heart to God Sitting in
that congregation was young man in the bloom
and vigor OF health. Before had left that town
that young man who heard the faithful warning
staggered, fell upon the sidewalk and died al
most within minute.
Captain Tom Ryman is a wealthy steamboat
man of Memphis He owns several boats. He
said to me, Brother Jones, / have been con-
verified and have given my life TO God. am
doing the best for my friends. wish you would
say word to Captain -, that big-hearted
man on my right He looked in perfect health,
but put the day of conversion off. Captain Ry-
man wrote me a letter a short time before
twinkling of an eye he had fallen
to the floor and never breathed
second breath. / tell you. whatever we do we
had better do speedily. Speedily Speedily! If
you do the best from to-day until you die, you
will barely make the kingdom of heaven in safe
ty. [Cries of ''amen"l Oh God, prepare the
man in this house who shall die first. Maybe
before next Sundays sun shall rise some of US
shall have breathed the last.
" Prisoners without hope'-the men and
women who live in Indianapolis, in New York,
in Atlanta, in Cincinnati, in Birmingham, Ala.
in Chcago-all over this country, who are as
certain to be damned as they are now among
the children of men. There are whole families
religion. Their fathers before them did
not, nor their grandfathers They are
as dead to religious influences and
efforts as if they were in their
graves to-day Men who neverintend orepent.
They have made up their minds deliberately
that they will be damned, and nothing you can
say, nothing you can do. will reach those
characters. They are dead to God, dead to the
gospel. dead to hope. dead to heaven dead to all
human soul ought to shun or pray to be deliv-
cred from"
At this point man pressed his way through
the audience down to the platform, and, inter
rupting the speaker, asked to be heard. He was
about twenty-six years DID, and though under
the influence of liquor, was not drunk. Two OF
three ushers and a number Of others tried to
quiet him. He shook himself Free and shaking
his hat at Mr.. Jones, asked to be heard. He
said, in a loud voice: tom Foley is my name.
I'm the worst man in Franklin Everybody has
heard of me. I'm drunkard. I want to speak
few words, Brother j ones"
Mr.. Jones. with admirable calmness and
soothingly "You can, my brother, but don't in
terrupt me long"
Tom Foley: sLadies and gentlemen, don't
want to act wrong at all about It, I'm drunk
ard. I've been drunk about nine weeks. | tell
you I'm going to quit to-day. | intend to be a
sober man. Brother Jones has touched my
heart tonight" Cries of "Amen," "Bless the
Lord"
Mr. Jones, reassuring- "God bless you, sir,
and save you Iwant you all to pray for this
brother who says he is going to quit. Thank God
we can quit Voices. 'Amen."1 Bless God we
can quit My brother Small sat under my voice
at Gainesville that memorable day. He had
been drinking for nine months. Thank God he
quit. Brethren, l beg you tonight to consider
these questions / have brought to your mind. I
am going to leave this subject with you. May
God give us here hundred souls"
"a prisoner without hope is 8 lost soul
During this last cruel war an incident oc-
Cured that illustrates most wildly the point l
am making In the Army of Virginia, the broth
er of Georgia preacher was fatally wounded.
The preacher brother was autographed for to go
to the front. He hurried and when he got
there, he found his brother was in country
home, and thought to be mortaly wounded. He
went out to him. and walked into the room
of the wounded brother, and looked into his
wasted face, and took his hand, and said:
Brother am so glad to see you. lam so glad
to be able to come here and wait on you. Bat,
brother. the first question is how about your soul
''Ah,' said the wounded brother, don't talk
to me about my soul With six mortal wounds
in my body, how can 1 talk about my SOUL I
have neglected my soul all my life. have neg
lected religion, and now, wounded. feverish and
dying, don't trouble me about that. Don't ask
me that question again
1.-THE next day he tried to talk with him,
but he waved him off and said: Brother,
begged of you yesterday not to trouble me with
that question: The surgeons came and dis
closed his wounds six in number, any one of
which was mortal This preacher brother sat
by him six days and nights but he would not
let him mention the subject any more. On
the sixth night he could see that his
brother was very low but perfectly quiet About
o'clock in the morning he thought he would lie
down on the lounge ia the room and rest little.
He did not think he would go to sleep, but he
had lost much rest that in an instant he was
sound asleep. He dreamed his brother had died,
and died with his mouth wide open.
He dreamed that as soon as his brother
was dead the devil came tripping into
the room in bodily shape and walked to
the side OF the bed and looked down his brothers
mouth to see If his soul was gone The preacher
said he thought the soul of his brother had hid
den behind a pile of wood that had been placed
in the room to keep up the fire. He thought the
devil scented the soul and started toward
the pile of wood AS the devil started
the brothers soul flew out of the window, cry
ing Lost! lost He dreamed he heard the cries in
the distance, and the screams Of this brothers.
soul, as it hurried in its fight. the devil in pur
suit He said he awoke in fright. and the
light had gone out He lighted the lamp, and
walked up to his brothers side. He was dead,
with his mouth wide open. The preacher said
he believed God had closed his eyes in sleep that
he might see the very thing that took place.
God deliver me from guilty sinners dying
bed. know but one hope, and that is to call
upon God, and He says He will hear your voice
and deliver your soul. God sanctify what have
said to your souls salvation tonight and before
we leave, 1 would ask every person in this house
who would shun that death to stand up and say,
here: Il will try for eternal life; want to be
Christian / want to do right and get to
heaven"
A number in the audience rose. Mr.. Jones
announced that those who desired to remain to
an after service could do so.
The Inquiry Meeting!
A large part of the audience remained to the