The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1889-02-27

terested. Perhaps it was the hymn be-
ginning:
Sweet hour of prayer Sweet hour of prayer
That calls me from world of care"
Or it might have been the hymn that
commences
There is life for look at the Cruci6ed One
There ia life at this moment for thee;"
and she said to herself, II wonder if that
can be true of me" Then in the PRAYER
when the minister asked God to pity the
children that had no pious mother to
train them; children exposed to every
temptation, and in danger of ruin, she
said to herself, What wicked mother
have been to neglect my children So"
and presently when in the sermon the
preacher told her of the patience of God.
the love of Jesus, and of the great saliva
ton SO freely offered, that very night she
resolved to lead a new life.
This is not church, it is only a public
hall; there Is no carpet on the floor; there
are no cushions on the seats, but the gate
OF Heaven to many souls. And now
say to those who are still unconverted
and still unooncerned, God waits to be
gracious; Christ stands at the door of
your heart and knocks. He says: "Come,
tor all things are now ready" "Who-
soever will may come" Will you not
answer:
"oh Lamb of God, come"
If you feel the importance of what 1
am saying; if you are really longing for
the peace and hope of the Gospel, then,
however Indifferent and thoughtless
others may be, nevertheless, you may be
sure of this: that the kingdom of God is
come nigh unto you"
THE LIFE-G1vING SPIRIT.
And this leads me to say, in conolu-
sion If any have been truly converted,
or if any are now sincerely seeking saliva
ton, it is owing to the influence of the Holy
Spirit of God. Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost are all concerned-all have a part
in the salvation of every redeemed soul
The Father sends His Son; the Son comes
and dies for sinners on the cross: the
Spirit comes and persuades and enables
the penitent soul to rely on the great
atonement. Without Christ we couIdnot
come to God for salvation; without the
Spirit we aOOuld not come.
"It Is the Spirit that quickeneth." 1T
Is the Spirit who makes the Bible, the
ministry, the sacraments, and all the
means OF grace efeotual in the salvation
of men.
When the Spirit comes down in gra
cious power upon whole congregation
at once, stirring up Gods people to
prayer and constraining sinners to cry,
what must we do to be saved, then we
call it revival of religion. Many of
you have passed through such scenes and
you remember seasons when a solemn
awe rested on the whole congregation.
All was hushed and still before the ser.
vice commenced. During the sermon
when the preacher paused moment the
silence was like the silence of an empty
house, or if the silence was broken, it was
by the stihed sob of some one who could
not repress his emotion. When the min
lister began to speak again there was
breathless attention-one feeling seemed
to prevade the whole congregation-you
yourself felt deeply moved, and when
the person sitting next to you was con-
verted you could almost feel the breath
OF the Spirit on your cheek. 1t was a
solemn moment in your history-a criti-
cal moment. One was taken and the
other lett. Your friend was taken but
you were left. You were almost per.
suaded-almost saved You may have
lost the opportunity, but be sure of this.
the kingdom of God came nigh unto you.
In the tul6lment of my great commie.
sion | stand and ask, Is this to be all {?
God has given you His word; He has
gwen you the ministry of the word; He
has given you His Son. He has given
you His Spirit; He came very near when
friends were converted all around you
very near when you tremblei and wept,
and asked, Whist must 7 do to be
saved p
But if you stopped there you are not
saved. You are still among those of
whom the apostle speaks when he saws
he that believeth not is condemned al
ready. What are you going to do
about it? The kingdom of God ia nigh
onto you this moment. Believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved
Will you If have not made the way
plain the responsibility is mine If you
do understand it the responsibility is
yours, for the sermon is ended.
Oh, no, Christian friends The sermon
is ended, but that is not the reason why
your prayers should end. Pray for those
who are standing, as it were, on the very
boundary line between the two kingdoms
of light and darkness. Pray that they
NAV Ia ke ono noora gfor o,,J ,yto.. A.