Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-01-28
MOODY AND SANKEY
Open their Services in Knoxville-A ire
mendous Outpouring of People.

Open their Services in Knoxville-A ire
mendous Outpouring of People.
Mr., Dwight l.. Moody, the gifted evan
gelist, whose services for the cause of re.
ligion and Christ have moved and stirred
the world to such an extent for the past
few years, arrived in Knoxville Tuesday.
Mr., Ira d. Sankey, the eminent musical
co-worker Of Mr.. Moody, had preceded
him.
The J0arHdt describes Mr.. Moody rs "a
man in appearance about 80 years of age,
of rather ordinary, every day life appear.
ancc, low in stature, of heavy build, with
short and thick neck. He wears a plain
black suit, and Il full set of beard over his
face, of a decided iron gray appearance.
He has a pleasing and inviting appear
ance, a pleasant and easy address, and an
earnest and devoted manner"
Free circulation having been given
through the prints of the hour and place
of the opening meeting, which was fixed
at the Church Street NJ. L. Church, South
at three o'clock p. m, every one was on
the look out for that event, and all the
holders of opening meeting tickets were
prepared to be on hand in time.
The system of admission by tickets was
adopted from the fact that no place Of
meeting in the city would contain all the
crowds that would like TO attend. Hence.
by the issuance Of tickets for each meet
ing, it was hoped to give all an oppor.
tunity to attend the services.
Long before the appointed hour, the
crowd began to assemble in the ncighbor.
hood Of the church, anxious to get in
early and get desirable seats. About .
O'Clock the doors were opened and the
holders of tickets for that service were
admitted, in a constant stream and sought
their seats as they came to them.
The stream of persons continued to
flow in up till fifteen minutes 10 3, before
which time all seats were filled. Chairs
were crowded into all the aislcs and all
available space, and all were given seats,
as long as there was any vacant space.
After the arrival Of the hour, the crowds
were allowed to stand inside the doors
and about in the aisles where they could
get standing room.
The meeting opened with singing, and
at 3 O'Clock Mr.. Moody announced that
the First NJ. E. Church, on Clinch street,
would be opened for an overflow meeting
and directed Mr., Sankey to accompany
some of the ministers to that church,
where those parties who could not gain
admittancc at the main service might be
accommodated. Mr.. Sankey went around
to that church, and q considerable con.
gregation assembled there, and engaged
in the service.
A condensed report of Mr.. Moody's
remarks reads as follows:
81 don't know that | can begin in
Knoxville with anything better than The
Word of God, and with that as a subject
we will begin these meetings"
The influence of these meetings will be
fruitless, he said, unless guided by the
word of God. 1t is fashionable TO say
that we believe the bible, but still We
don't believe parts Of it. But if YOU give
up II portion you might as well give up
all of it. 1t stands as one book. If you
take part of it you must take all.
What we want is to take the very things
men cavil about, read and believe them.
If one OF Gods promises were broken
there would be a jubilee in hell this af-
%ternoori.
| believe that the reason there are so
many failures in the christian line is that
the people don't read the scriptures.
The book is supernatural from the be-
ginning to the end.
After relating numerous instances of
the fultillment of the Scriptures the speak
err said he would doubt his existence
quicker than he would the word of God.
In Christs ministry on earth there were
no shorthand reporters following him
around taking his words, and no printing
press to preserve them, as in the present
day, but those words still stand, and can't
be blotted out of existence. They are
burnt into the very soul and cant get
out.
Some people object to our meetings be-
cause we teach the doctrine of assurance.
This was taught by Paul, and by Christ
himself. Job, David and other Bible
characters had assurance. And John
wrote to those that believed that they
might also know.
The idea of sudden conversion is also
objected to. God believes in sudden con-
version, and God teaches it. Look at
Lacheus. There was no sign of CONVEX
sion when he went up that tree, but there
was a pretty good sign when he can't
down. He mus have been converted
somewhere between the limbs of tree and
the ground.
| would like to have the modern phil.
osopher who thinks it takes six months
to convert a man to come into one of our
after meetings for inquirers.
Gradual conversion the speaker illus.
trated by citing an instance of a clerk
confessing that he had robbed hi, en-
ployer's till Of 81, 900 during the past
year. BY the gradual plan he should be
instructed to rob him of only half that
amount the next year, and so on, gradu-
ally, until in five years he gets down to
the point that he will steal nothing at all.
He touched upon the absence of the
Bible from the Sunday schools of the
present age. The lesson leaf and quar-
terlies, he said, have swept the Bible
out. He has been working in his home
school to get the Bible again introduced.
A very appropriate illustration of the
question book teaching was given.
III the ministers won't think it.imper-
tinent he would say that there is needed
more Bible teaching from the pulpit also.
Some preachers take a text and soar
away on other themes, never touching
the Eible again till the next Sunday, when
they com hack 10 lakn annihnr text