News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-05-14

God.
How long he waited for mel How
long he has waited for you'll Waiting
as a banqueter waits for his delayed
guests. the meats smoking, and the
beakers trimming, and the minstrel
with his finger on the stiff string ready
to strike at the first clash of the hoofs
at the gateway. Waiting as mother
waits for boy that ten years ago went
off dragging her bleeding heart after
him. Waiting. Oh, can you not give
me some comparison intense enough,
importunate enough, high as heaven,
deep as hell and vast as eternity? Not
expecting that you can help me with
such comparison, simply say he is
waiting as only an all sympathetic
Christ knows how to wait for wan
dering soul.
Bow the knee and kiss the Sen,
Come and welcome, sinner, come.
COME AND WELCOME.
But 1 remark again, not only is Christ
waiting, but the Holy Spirit is waiting.
Why are some sermons a dead failure?
Why are there songs that do not get
their wing under the people9 Why are
there players that go no higher up than
a hunters halloo? Because there is a
missing link that only the Holy Spirit
can make. If that Spirit should come
through this assemblage this morning
there would be power felt like that
when Saul was endorsed on the road
| to Damascus, like as when Lydia's
heart was broken in her fine store, like
as when three thousand souls were lift
| ed out of midnight into midnOon at the
Pentecost. Did you notice that some
times that Spirit takes an insignificant
agency to save a soul? l think it is
very often that at just one passage of
Scripture, just one word of Scripture,
a soul is saved because the Holy Spirit
gives it supernatural power.
Do you know what it was that saved
Martin Luther? 1t was that one verse,
1.-THE just shall live by faith" Do you
know what it was that brought August
inc from his horrible designations? 1t
was that one verse, Put we on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and make no provision
for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof"
Do YOU know what it was that saved
Hedley Wears, the celebrated soldier9
1t was the one passage, believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be
saved" Do you know what it was
that brought Jonathan Edwards to
Christ? 1t was the one passage. Now
unto him be glory forever and ever"
One Thanksgiving morning in church |
| read my text, 80 give thanks unto
the Lord, for he is good" and young
man stood in the gallery and said to
himself: Il have never rendered one |
acceptable offering of gratitude to God
in all my life. Here, Lord, l am thine
forever" By that one passage of
Scripture he was brought into the |
kingdom, and if l might tell my own
experience, l might tell how one Sab
bath afternoon [ was brought to the
peace of the gospel by reading of the
o-Phenician's cry to Christ, where
she said, Even the dogs eat of the
crumbs which fall from the Masters
table" Philosophic sermons never
saved anybody. Metaphysical sermons
never saved anybody. An earnest plea
going right out of the heart blessed of
the Holy Ghost, that is what saves,
that is what brings people into the
kingdom of Christ.
L suppose the world thought that |
Thomas Chalmers preached great ser
mons in his early ministry but Thomas
Chalmers says he never preached at all
until years after he had occupied pull
pit he came out of his sick room, and
weak and emaciated he stood and
told the story of Christ to the people.
And i'm the great day of eternity it
will be found that not SO much the elo-
Ouent sermons brought men to Christ
as the story told, perhaps, by those who
were unknown on earth, the simple
story of the S,aviour's love and mercy,
sent by the power of the Holy Ghost
straight to the heart. Come, Holy
Ghost. Ay, he is here this morning.
Ho fills all the place. I tell you the
Holy Ghost is ready.
THE AIR IS FULL OF PRAYERS.
Then go and tell you the church is
ready. There are those here who say,
''No one cares for my soul" We do
care for it. You see man bowling his
head in prayer and you say, ''That man
IS Indifferent" That man bows his
head i'll prayer that the truth may go
70 every heart. The air is full of pray
ers. They are going up this morning
from this assembly. Hundreds of
90, - e lie
tening God. The air is full of prayers
prayers ascending noon by noon from
Fulton street prayer meeting, Friday
night by Friday night all over this land,
going up from praying circles. Yea,
there is not a minute of an hour of any
day that there are not supplications
ascending to the throne of mercy. The
church is ready. And if you should
this morning start for your Fathers
house there would be hundreds and |
thousands in this assemblage who |
would say if they knew it, make room
for that man, make room for him at the |
holy sacrament; bring the silver bowl |
for his BAPTISM give him full right to
all the privileges of the church of Jesus
Christ"
Oh, l know there are those who say
the church is a mass of hypocrites, but
they do not really think so. 1t is q
glorious church. Christ purchased it. |
Christ built it. Christ swung all its
gates. Christ curtained it with uphol-
stery, crimson with crucifixion carnage.
Come into it. Come into it. do not
pick out this man or that man and
say, 'You may come" say all may
come-whosoever will. "Come with
us and we will do you good The
Lord hath promised good concerning
Israel"
We are garden walled around
Chosen and made peculiar ground,
A little plot inclosed by grace
Out of the worlds wild wilderness.
Do not say you have never been in
vited. invite you now to the Kings
feast. One and ALL ALI All! But
go further, and tell you that
the angels are ready. Some people
think when we speak about angels we
are getting into the region of fancy.
They say it is very well for a man
when he has just entered the ministry
to preach about the angels of heaven,
but after he has gone on further it