The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-28

warming ourselves at the camp fires. or ON
furlough at home, our feet upon an otto
man, we sagging back into an arm chair
As you go down the street, YOU see an
excavation and four or five men are work.
ing, and perhaps twenty or thirty are
leaning on the rail looking over at them.
That Is the way II is in the church of God
today; where you find one Christian hard
at work there are fifty men watching the
job.
Oh! my friends, why do you not 90 TO
work and preach this gospolY You say:
81 have no pulpit" You have. II may
be the carpenters bench, Il may be the
mason's wall. The robe in which you are
TO proclaim this gospel may be u shoe.
makers apron. But woe unto you II you
preach not this gospel somewhere, some.
howl II this world il ever brought to
Christ, II will DO through the unanimous
and long-continued efforts OF men who,
waiting for no special endowment, conse-
crate to God what they have. Among the
most useless people In the world are men
with ten talents, while many one with
only two talents, or no talent at ALL IL
doing great work, and so "the lame take
the prey"
There are thousandsoi ministers of whom
you have never heard in log cabins ut the
west, In mission chapcls ut the cast-who
are warning against the legions OF darkness,
successfully warning. Tract distributors,
month by month undermining the citadcls
OF sin. You do not know their going nor
their coming; but the footballs OF their
ministry are heard in the palaces OF
heaven. Who are the workers in our
Sabbath schools throughout the land to-
day? Men celebrated, men brilliant, men
Of vast estateY For the most part, not that
at all. have noticed that the chief char
acteristics OF the most Of those who are
successful In the work Is that they know
their Bibles, are earnest In prayer, are anx.
ious for the salvation Of the young, and
Sabbath by Sabbath are willing TO slt
down unobscryed and tell Of Christ and
the resurrection. These are tho humble
workers who are recruiting the great army
OF Christian youth-not by might, not by
power, not by profound argument, not by
brilliant antithcsis, but by the blessing Of
God ON plain talk, and humble story, and
silent tear, and anxious look. "Tho lame
take the prey"
OH this work Of saving tho youth OF
our country-how few appreciate what II
isl This generation, tmmping on 10 the
graye-wo will soon all bc gone. What
next2
An engineer on locomotive going
across the western prilirics day after day,
saw little child come out In front Of a
cabin and wave 10 him; NO he got in the
habit of waving back 10 the little child.
and Il was the days Joy 10 him TO see this
little one como out In front Of the cabin
door and wave 10 him, while he answered
back.
One day the train was belaied and Il came
on 10 the dusk OF the evening. As the an
ginccr stood at his post he saw by the
headlight that little girl ON the track, won
dering why tho train did not come, lookin,
Tor the train, knowing nothing oi iu peril
A gr,at horror seized upon the engineer
Q lie reversed the engine. lie gave II
; charge OF the other man on board, and the
he climbed over the engine, and he cam
down on the cowcatcher. lie said, thong
ho had reversed the engine u seemed q
though II were going at lightning speed
faster and faster, though II was really slow
ing up. and with almost snpcrnatura
clutch he caught that child by the hair an,
lifted II up, aud whom the train stoppe,
and the passengers gathered around 10 scl
what was the matter, there the old cngi
nccr lay, tainted dead away, the llttl,
child alive and In his swarhy arms.
"Ohl" you say, that was well done.
hut want you 10 exercise some kindnes
and some appreciation toward those II
community who are snaiching the It'll,
ones from under the wheels Of temptation
and sin anntchlng them from undc
laundering rnil.trains Of eternal disaster
bringing them up into rcspectability In thi
world aud into glory for the world TO come
You appreciate what the engineer did
why can you not appreciate the grandc
work done by every Sabbaih.school tcaChe
this aitcrnoon2
Oh, my friends, want 10 impress upoI
myself and upon yourselves that II Is mo
the number OF talents We possess, but th'
use We make Of them.
God has q royal family In the world
. Now, II should ask "Who are tho roya
Of hisiory7' YOU would say. "llouso q
, llapsburg, house OF Stuarts, house q
, Bourbons." They lived In palaces, an,
had great cquipago. hut who aV th
. Lords royal iamilyf Some OF them ma,
, serve YOU la the household, SOM
Of the arc In unlightcd gafrcts
some of-.hem will walk this afternoon
down the street, ON their arm basket o.
broken food some Of them are in III,
! lms.houso, dospisod aud rejected Of men
yet Ia the last great day, while u will b'
iound that some OF us who Jared sumptu
ously every day, arc hurled back into dis
comiiturc, there arc the lame that vii
take the prey.
One step further; There arc a grca
many people discouraged about getting I,
Heaven. You arc brought up In goo,
families, YOU had Christian parcntagc; bu
you frankly tell me that you are a thou
. sand miles away from the right track.
I My brother YOU are the one ! want 4
/ preach 10 this morning. Ihavc been look
! Ing for you. will tell you how You 60
asiny Il was not malioiousaess ON YOU
, part. II WIS perhaps through the genial
liy and sociality Of your nature that yol
. fell into sin. You wandered away from
, your duty, you unc0nsciously left ihl
, house Of God you admit the gospel 10 b.
! true, and yet you have 10 grioyously an,
, 40 prolongcdly wandered, you say rescue I
impossible.
II would tako week 10 count up th,
names Of those In Heaven who were Ol
earth worse than you tell me YOU are. Ihcl
went the whole round OF iniquity, the!
diugraccd Themselves, they disgraced thoi
household, they dospaired Of return be
cause thesr reputation was gone, thei
property was gone, everything was gone
, but in some hour like this they heard th
voice OF God, and throw themselves ON IN
J divine compassion, and they rose up NOR
I than couquerors. And tell YOU there
] the same chance Tor you. That Is one rca