The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-22

mighty is ready to pardon four hundred and
are men before the throne of God who have wal
lowed every kind of sin; butt saved by the
grace of Jesus and washed in His blood, they
stand there radiant now. There are those who
ination. who for the tenth time have
been lifted up, and finally. by the grace
of God, they stand in heaven. glorious
ly rescued by the grace promised to
the chief of sinners. want to tell you that 6od
loves to take hold of very bad case. When
the church casts you off. and when the club
room casts you off, and when society casts you
off, and when business associates cast you of,
and when father casts you of, and when mother
casts You off, and when everybody casts you off
your first cry for help will send the eternal God
clean down into the ditch of your suffering and
shame The Good Templars cannot save you,
although they are grand institution. The Sons
of Temperance cannot save you, although they
are mighty for good. Signing the temperance
pledge cannot save you, although believe in it.
Nothing but the grace of the eternal God can
save you, and that will If you will throw your
self on it. A man said to me: unless God helps
me l cannot be delivered. / have tried every
thing, sir but now have got into the habit of
prayer, and when Z come to drinking saloon
pray that God will take me safely past, and /
pray till am past. He does help me-" For
every man given to strong drink there are scores
of traps set and no one but the everywhere
talk about the catacombs of Naples, and the
catacombs of Rome, and the catacombs of Egypt
the burial places under the city where the dust
of great multitude lie; but tell you New
York has its catacombs, Nashville has eata-
combs, and New Orleans its catacombs,
and Boston its catacombs and Phia-
delphia its catacombs, and every town
and city neighborhcod its catacombs. They
are the underground restaurants, full of
dead mems bones and all uncleanness. Young
hal ia M
need of going into the art gallery to in skill
full sculpture that wonderful representation of
man and his sons wound around with serpents.
There are families represented a this audience
that are wrapped in the martyrdom of fang, and
scale. and venom-a living LAGOON of ghastli-
ness and horror. What are you to dol Do not
put your trust in bromide of potassium, or in
Jamaica ginger, or anything else that apothe-
carries can mix. Put your trust only in the
eternal God, and He will see you through.
While l have hope for all prodigals, there are
some people for whom must not be so hopeful.
/ mean those who have beenechurch goers all
their life, who have retained outward morality,
but who, notwithstanding twenty thirty, forty
years of Christian advantages, have never
yielded their heart to Christ. They are Gospel
hardened. A sermon has no more effect upon
them than the shining of the moon on the city
pavement AS Christ saws: 1.-The publicans and
harlots will 60 into the kingdom of God before
them" They have resisted all the importuni-
ties of Divine mercy, and have gone, during
these thirty years, through most pow
erful earthquakes of religious feeling.
and they further away from God than ever.
After awhile they will lie down sick, and some
day it will be told that they dead. No hope!
But turn TO outsiders with hope that thrills
through my body snd soul. 'Other sheep have,
which are not of this fold.n You are not gospel
hardened. You have not heard many sermons
during the last few years. AS you came in to
a religious meeting to-day everything was
novel, and all the services are suggestive of your
early days How sweet the opening hymn
sounded in your ears, and how blessed it is in
this place! Everything suggestive OF heaven.
You do not weep. but the shower is not far off.
You sigh, and you have noticed that there is
always a sigh in the wind before the rain
falls. There are those here who would give
anything if they could find relief in tears.
They say: "Oh my wasted life! Oh. the
bitter past Oh. the graves over which
have stumbled! Whittier shall / fly? Alas
for the future! Everything is dark-so
dark, so dark God help mel God pity
mel" Thank the Lord for that last utterance.
You have begun to pray. and when man begins
to petition, that sets all heaven flying this way,
and God steps In aud beats back the hounds of
temptation into the kennel and
around about the poor wounded sonl
put the covert oe His pardoning mercy.
Hark! hear something fall. What was that2
1t is the bars of the fence around the sheepfold.
The shepherd let's them down, and the hunted
sheep of the mountain bound I'M some of them,
their fleece torn with the brambles some of them
their feet lame with the dogs; but bounding in.
Thank God! "Other sheep / have, which are
not Of this fold"