The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-22

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Eyes"
"What forg'
1.-THE preacher said if would do before got
it like / thought would do if had it, / would
get it. and know would keep on praying if l
had it" The next;wednesday night, when he
was at prayer-meeting, the preacher called on
him to pray, and he got down there and he
prayed the very best he could. And when he
got out of church his wife was just itching to
get hold of him, and she said, 'You pray in pub
lie and got no religionl
"Yesn
what did you do that forT
"Well. the preacher said if / would do before
/ got 1t like thought would do after got it, l
would get it, and / know would pray if l had
it. And he just kept on doing before he got it
like he thought he would do after he got it. and
in about three weeks the greatest biggest case
of religion broke out all over him you ever saw
on any man, and he lived to be one of the
grandest Christian men in that country. and died
with the blessing of God resting on him and his
family
Listen If any man will do the will of God
he shall know all the doctrine. Some people
are afraid to trust God. You know what trust
ing God means. Go right along and do what de
says to do, and depend upon Him to do His part
That is it. Brother, start to night, start to-
night If l the worst old sinner In the
house / would join church tonight If
got chance What! Join church sinner Well
very careful about who they take in. They take
them before the session, you know. aud they
have TO come in trimmed all over; you know
that. You know the Baptists won't allow fell
low to come IN at all until he has got it certain
But the Methodists just slosh around loose and
take in anybody. Now which has got the best
of It'll say the Methodist Church will show up
as much religion and as many good members as
any church in this land We just slosh around
loose and take in any fellow that comes. Now
amt that sol Why, we take them six months
trial, and some that do very we'll we let in on one
month Come in
I will tell you another thing: old Uncle Jimmie
Paine one of the most sanity that ever
blessed Georgia in his ministry; he was a minis
ter for fifty years, sanity. grand old preacher
I'll tell you how he joined church. In his younger
days. going to church with his wife (his wife was
a good woman. l would not advise any one to
join church who had giddy, goddess wife, you
had better sort of stay back and help her, in my
| opinion. He had a good wife, and would go
| down to church with her, and while she was at
| the church worshiping he would stay at the gro
Gerry and drink. There was revival going on
| every night, while he was at the grocery drink
| ing and when he heard the singing after the
| preaching he would come down. knowing it was
| through WITH and would get his wife and 60
| home with her One night the preacher preached
| a little longer than common and he drank little
| too much that night he got strange and unco,
| happy; and he went down to church at last so
| drunk that he didn't know where he was or any
| thing about 1t. He stepped up or. the step and
balanced himself against the door. the drunkest
man you nearly ever the street And
the preacher opened the doors of the church
| and said Anybody who wants to join come up y
Well sir; that fellow started right up the aisle
| just staggering every which way. just NOR
| titled everybody, and his wife was just mortified
| to death. He came up and gave the preacher
his hand and he wanted to jine him, and
| the preacher Just stood there and held him up,
and he would have fallen if he had turned him
| loose. Finally, some brother came and relieved
| the preacher and his wife got him in the buggy
and got him home. The next morning bright
and early his wife was up and she walked to the
bed. She saw him open his eyes and when he
opened them wide she looked at him and said
"AIr. Payne do you know you joined church last
night e.1ns -,
"Do you know you Joined church last nightf'
mo; wasn't at church at all"
eyes you was and you joined the church last
night"
II did not. was not In there at all"
II tell you upon my honor. husband, you was
there aud you did join the church last night"
He just raised up in the bed turned his feet out
on the floor, and looked at his wife a Moment and
said "Did /, wfe2"
Eyes you did, sir'
He sat still moment. Then he said. "If
did will stick up to it, God being my helper"
And he did give his heart to God and made
one of the grandest Christians the church ever
had. That is fact brother--the whole thing
It amt, brother, whether they are hallooing
"Hallelujahr or not when they come in. but the
whole question is. "Do you give yourself to God
and do you stick up to it until you de2" Thank
God for Suitability" Applause. I declare
to you tonight, as the old colored man would
say ''the most principest thing about religion
Is stickability." / know when first started no.
body thought would hold out Everybody who
met me the first two or three weeks after
joined church took my hand and said: Il am
glad you joined church; hope you. will stick"
And / would meet another and another, and
they would keep running that stick into me
laughter until, if it had not been for my re-
ligion, / would have had hundred fights the
first week after joined church. Laughter
Stick! Stick Stick!
Yes, glory to God, have been sticking thir-
teen years. and / am going to stick until God
says SIT is enough; come up higher" / am one
Methodist that is running on final perseverance,
glory be to God Lets start in tonight brother
you cannot be any worse case than was; you
cannot have any worse prospects ahead of you
than had My mind runs back thirteen years
to my start. and will tell you | had about as
little to start with any fellow in the universe;
but made the start and from that day to this
have tried to do what said l would do when I
gave myself to God. l remember just as we'll
when / pushed my worldly interests all to
one side. l took Blackstone, and Greenleaf, and
the code, and showed them all to one SIDE and
all that this earth promises to me- and took
l.
journey together to a brighter world" Brother
the gladdest hour in my life is when look back
and see the hour turned my back on this old
world, and gave my heart to God. Will you
start night | wish You would.
will tell you in a moment or two and then
close, just how one man started. I was preach
ing at iuka. Miss Old DR.. Hodges was there
before the immense audience and said: II con-
fess my sins to God to-day. My mind has
wandered over all the range of science
nd and
found rest for my soul l stand up
before you, fellow-citizens, and confess my
sins to God. and build a tabernacle here to day,
and want my precious wife"-he was an infidel
and she an atheist-''to come in and live with
me and we will look to Thee who is the builder. !"
When he said that his wife rushed up by his side
and leaned her head on his BOSOM while the
tears rained down her cheeks. MY husbands
God shall be my God, and his people my people,
and his burial-place my burial-place, and his
Lo.sa La ,aaxr In iubx