The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-29
THE MEETINGS IN THE AFTERNOON.


THE MEETINGS IN THE AFTERNOON.
How Christians Can Compel the Unconverted
TO Come to Christ.
The attendance at the ladies' prayer meeting,
1T 2I5 p NJ. was very large, every seat in the
lecture-room Of the Second Church being filed
Mrs. j. E. Gilbert led the meeting. which con-
sisted of ScripturaI readings, singing and pray
ers. If the attendance at this service continues
to increase some larger room will have to be
used. II is also possible. judging from the num-
Der at the regular service which followed in the
church chapel. that the afternoon meeting will
have 10 be changed soon to Tomlinson Hall. As
the weather improves vast increase is antici-
pated at all the meetings
AT the regular afternoon service there were
more people than on any previous occasion All
the seats were taken and some of the auditors
were standing IN the rear of the church. While
the audience was congregating Professor Towner
led in the singing Of several hymns. The audi
ence not joining him very heartily, he urged
them to s'sing out" Remember" he said,
''thAt the only thing positively know that
viii do IN heaven is to sing" The opening prayer
was pronounced by Rev. DR.. Mcleod, after
which Mr. Mills read Scripture lesson prelim-
mary TO his address, accompanying it with some
He began reading AZ the thirty-ffth verse of the
first chapter OF John, relating to the manner in
which Christ gathered his FIRST disciples about
Him. To many people it a
strange thing that John the BAPTIST
should Immediately recognize Christ having
never seen him before. He had been able TO do
il, the evangelist thought, because Of the prnci-
pie of spiritual relationship. The great point
to be brought out by the lesson was the man
ner in which the Rronp of disciples attached
themselves to the cause OF Christ. The first 10
come was John the Baptist. then john the
author; and then Andrew Now what do you
know about Andrav2 Who here tell
anything about him2' the evangelist asked.
about all the biography we have of Andrew is
TO be found in these sentences right here One
OF the Two which heard john sneak was Andrew,
Simon Peters brother He first fndeth his
brother Simon and saieth unto him, We have
found the Messias. which is. being interpreted,
the Christ. And he brought him TO Jesus
Now that is all We know about Andrew. But
isn't that enough9 He brought his brother to
Jesus, and that brother was Peter. who preached
on the day of Pentecost. when 5000 souls were
saved, and whose words have come down us y
Peter then brought Philip. and he in turn found
Nathaniel. aud thus did the little group of dis
ciples. which at frst had consisted only of John
the Baptist increase in a brief time to six. eff
we succeed with our work here in this city," Mr..
Mills continued I'VE must have the spirit of
these early oisciples We must go out to make
personal appeals 10 the unsaved. Why has God
made the great structure of society he hast
Whv does the heart yearn for ASSOCIATION with
other hearts, What need is not
dained preachers, but more preachers who will
20 out as individuals and win men to Christ
IL was very easy to see the connection between
the Scripture lesson and the address with which
Mr. Mills followed it up. He chose tor his text
Luke xiv, %: Compel them to come in" TIE
conversion OF souls. he said, had been ascribed
by the Bible to different agencies. 1t spoke
sometimes though God was the only agent,
saying by His will begat He u.s. Sometimes
the truth was spoken of as the power which
made men righteous. Sometimes the RESPONSE
Rhr fify ny1f ho ali
himself for the Book said: MAKE you a
heart: Wash ron and make you clean" But the
ner's fsllowman He that winneth soul
1s wse;n 'he that winneth many souls
shall shine as the brightness of the armament"
The commission to mankind broad as
had been that to Christ when he earth,
SO far as related to the duty OF saving other
msn Christ had said "As nv Father hath
sent Me, even send YOU The trouble with
some Christians was that they tried TO shirk
this kind of responsibility. They would say, II
can't save souls.7 IF you can't" said the evan
gelist, tsyou ere good for nothing You can
save souls just a. much as You can raise wheat.
No hvirg make kernel of wheat
spread ont into the waving blade-not all tne
alchemlsts Of all history can do that-but you
can plant the seed and then God has prepared
all the Influences to play upon il and develop 1T.
And SO with unsaved souls. Christians could
plant the seeds and then God would develop
them"
Mr. Mills then proceeded to enumerate and
explain the various ways IN which Christians
way Was by consistency. Nothing could take
the place of a blameless lifs There was differ
enee between b,ameless and faulfless life .
No had ever iiyed tautless life but one
could live blameless life. for that was TO live
to have no faults for which one could be
blamed. The evangelist said he once knew a
minister who had observed q skeptic attending
his services, and he made mp his mind preach
speciaI series of sermons to that man He
did SO. and at the conclusion was rejoiced to
the erstwhle atheist advance and join the
church why" said the minister,
what was it in any of nv
sermons which at last appealed
to yous Please tell me what point it that
wrought the change in vour mind" The man
was greatly embarrassed and was compelled at
last sag that it wasn't anything in the SER
mons that moved him. He had been brought TO
whom be had been watching The old fellow.
he knew, had had more tribulation than per-
hapa any other person in town. and vet his face
WAS almost always radiant. The atheist had
asked him why was, and the old mans expla-
nation was *Oh, III wal only give your heart
20 Jesus Christ he'll make you feel Just like
this" The old colored man had compelled him
70 come In.
The second way to compel people to come in
was BY Christian joy. A man who has been the
means OF leading many thousands of souls TO
christ once said that IL he should want TO start
o. great revival IN any community. he would
gather together lot Of people who knew some
ming about the way OF Christian life. Nothing
sttrac,ed people like happiness. II would not
nave the rehg1on some people have said the
evangelist II would not have religion that
made me gloomy. can almost cay that in pro-
pertaon as You are gloomy You fare wicked.
~ 10 an which causes all tho gloom
In the world. The wav TO make
people Christians 10 let them know aonsthiuc
about the WY Of Gods salvation. The reason
some OF ue are so cross grained aud sour IS be-
cause we have just enough religion 10 make us
unhappy. u st little religion, like iuet = little
enneattons IL dangerous Mr. Mills said that q
man Nho was trying 70 serve God and the devil