The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-02-15
The Work of the Evange-
lists Goes Bravely
Forward.
STORIES AND PRECEPT.
The Rev. Mr.. Mills Sermon at the
Park Church Last Night--
Today's Meetings.


gelisr has awakened is regarded as some
thing marvellous by the local pastors.
The crowds at both seryices-Mr. Chap
man at the First Baptist and Mills at the
Park Reformed, or at each end,' as
pastors are now beginning to term the
two places at which the evening services
are conducted-were unusually large.
The service at the Second Presbyterian
Church in the afternoon was also at
tended by throng that packed even the
aisles and the galleries. and the morning
are increasing in interest and attendance.
The services will be continued another
week.
After the congregation had sung
s.Who's on the Lords Side" Mr.. Mills
arose and announced his text from Luke
xiv. 20, 81 cannot Gomez
MR.. MILLS SERMON.
"Jesus, he said, "was telling parable
of man who was going to give a great
supper. 1t was an oriental custom to
send out invitations several weeks ahead;
and then, when all was ready, to send q
Invited ones But they ali
with one accord began to make
GACuSts. NOue Ol ttlSffl llhtl dLlJ, Uut
they made them up. Now let us examine
some of these excuses. One said, i have
purchased piece of ground and must go
and see it, What silly excuse. Ii he
was going to purchase it would have been
better one. Was he afraid the ground
would run away? The next man said,
I have bought five yoke of oxen; must
70 and try them Could he find no other
time to try them?
"Now the third man gave the most
senseless excuse OF all. I've married a
Wife he said. Would she have kept him
at home. Why didn't he go and take his
wife along with him? Who would better
have enjoyed sucn q feast than young
bride? The very thing ne gave as an ex-
euse was reason why he should have at
tended.
sit is just such excuses people give for
not joining church. One says there are
SO many hypocrites in the church. Well,
that is only further reason why they
should join. The church needs more
earnest Christians. just such as they
would be. 1t is not surprising that some
seeing that Christians have got hold of
good thing should try and initiate them.
Another says, oh, well, I'd only be
stumbling block Is it really necessary
that man in order to come into this
. church should put himself on the floor of
this or that aisle for people to walk over
him?'
HYPOCRITES AND STUMBLING BLOCKS.
Mr.. Mills ridiculed these two excuses.
He admitted there were both hypocrite5
and stumbling blocks in the church: but
those people, ne said, who presented such
excuses were not honest. They did have
confidence in the church. notwftnstand-
ing their avowal to the contrary. A crew
OF shipwrecked sailors found themselves
upon an unknown island in the South
seas. They feared cannibals. One
climbed cautiously up to the top of the
bluff and looked about him to see il there
were any signs of life. s.Hnrrahi' he
cried to the others. They hurriedly
reached his side to see the cause of his
exuberant exclamation. He pointed
them to church spire in the distance.
No cannibals where church spire is
seen.
''An infidel was travellingin section of
country infested with cut-throats and
robbers. He stopped at an old mans
house for the night, and was afried to go
to sleep. The old man and his family,
out of politeness, waited for the stranger
to retire. By and by they got tired wait
ing, and the old man said:--sWell stfan-
ger, if you're not going to bed we must.
1t is our custom to always read q chapter
in the Bible before retiring and join in
NO. replied the infidel, i think III go to
bed.' See the confidence that man had in
the church he had SO maligned.
1Ah, my friends" continued the evan
R6l1SL, 'u0UelleVbTS may SCOu as Lney
please, but the church has all the power
and moral beauty of healthful humanity
In it, and it IS these who have kept this
sinful old world from going TO destruc-
tion long ago.
Sometimes hear people say, Pm GO
ing to join at Gods time God has your
wasted youth scored against you. Others
say, i don't understand the Bible OF
course some understand it better than 9TH
ers. Those who have been in Gods school
only one day are not expected to know
as much as those who have been there
what it says. Little Henry was doing
something that displeased the lady of the
house. Henry, don't do that said the
lady Henry went right on with what he
was doing. simply saying, 4 don't know
over to the lady and said, i don't want
TO understand what you say Let the
wicked forsake his way That is easy to
understand. 1t is the A B c Of the Bible
GOING INTO THE ARK.
Some say, in answer TO the question,
why don't you join?' Why I'm SO pecu-
liar / walked down street filed with
soldiers There were lean men, and fat
men, and short men and tall men. The
tall mans uniform wouldn't fit the short
man. But the uniforms were made to fit
each. | don't suppose the elephant went
into the ark in the same manner as did
the rabbit ! know thousands of church
members, but know of no
two who ever came in the same way. A
man was once converted under railroad
bridge. That man did more harm than
good by explaining to all the way to get
religion. He advised them all to go un-
~der the railroad bridge, as he did, at
certain hour and pray. He didn't know
of any other mode of conversion.
WAITING FOR A SWEAT.
"a physician sat crying like baby
awaiting conversion. Why don't you
give your heart to Jesus?' | said. He
blubbered out i haven't t got the feeling.
That was unnecessary. Mr.. Parker tells
a story of a man who didn't have the
feeling He went out one cold winter
day to cut down tree He sat down
with his axe in hand near by. A friend
came along. Why are YOU sitting there
shiyering III that mannerg' asked his
friend tI'm-I'm Wv w-waitlng till I
g-get to sw-sweating,' he replied. with
chattering teeth, 'be-before III c-cnt TIL
that tree-tree down.
.sWhy he would have sat there till he
froze to death ii he waited till he began
to sweat before starting IN with his work.
And there are hundreds of just such fool
ish people in this congregation. They're
waiting till they get the feeling. Chris
tianity isn't gush or mere sentilnt n, it's
principle You have only to say III do
what God wants me to-; and 10 those OF
you who say I'm afraid l can't hold out,
have only to tell you that one thing is