Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-07-08

1
| of his little daughter.
| SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 5TH.
| 1t is said that "all roads lead to Rome" On
Sunday morning last. 1t looked like all rail-
roads. country roads. and paths led to Bodley g
Wagon Factory, where the meetings of Rev.
Sam Jones were held. and that, in the lam
guage of Gen. Zachary Taylor. "all the world
| and the rest of mankind" were hurry ing
| thither, On Railr Dads, in carriages and other
vehicles, on horse back, and afOot. Such a
| meeting was never assembled in this Valley
| before, and there Is not .another building in
| this Valley where ten thousand people could
| be seated as was done there on this occasion.
The spectacle was sublime. The meeting in tn Q
afternoon for men only was also an immense
| one-probably six thousand being present.
The closing meeting at night was somewhat
greater. and it is supposed there were seven
| thousand present.
| Before the serv ices commenced in the MORN
| ing, Rev. J. T. Williams of the M. E. Church
| South announced that he wished voluns
| tary collection and subscription would be
| taken up as a manifestation of the love Of the
| audience for Mr. Jones and their appreciation
| of the good work he had done. He and Mr..
Reeves Gait and Major ]. w. Newton explain
| ed thatit was rot to comply with any contract
7
and that he had come here without making
any charge whatever. Mr.. Gait stated that
| Mr.. Jones came as the gu est and at the request
| of Mr.. Bodley, ard that Mr.. Bodley expected to
| pay ali expenses, but-that he must not be al
lowed to do it, and 1t was for those to give who
| wished to relieve MI. Bodley-who however did
not ask it. and who wished to manifest their
| appreciation of Mr.. Jones and the good work
| he was doing.
That Mr.. Jones might be the better heard by
the vast assem- blage, the pulpit stand was re-
moved down the aisle some dista nee. when he
had his audience on all sides of him. When
this had been done and the audience had be-
come quiet, Mr.. Excel. the leader of the choir,
| sang the hymn entitled, 1.-The Model Church"
Mr.. Jones then, addressing the audience. said
that this was surely an epoch in this great
Valley-the meeting of ten to fifteen thousand
people on religious occasion. and he hoped 1t
would result in great blessings to the people.
Mr.. Jones then read the text-St. John, 3rd
chapter, 10Th verse-"For God SO loved lie
world, that he gave his only begotten son, that
| whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life." He was grateful,
he said, that he was allowed to preach but he
was more grateful for a text like this. 1t was
a message to all man kind-to the fourteen
hundred millions Of men on the earth. 1t
would have been a good message If he had said
that he SO loved Europe. or he SO loved Asia;
but 1t was to the whole world that none might
perish. Gods nature Is to love. AS the sun
shines on all alike, SO does the love of God.
for he is no respector Of persons. BE loves the
worst sinner as we'll as he does the best saint.
The most important fact is, the Fatherhood of
God and the broth srhood of man. God is as
our of ,oPo ha 10 fofh mil
receive us in mothers arms with a mother
kiss.
Does mother quit loving her boy when
he does wrong? No, She yearningly asks,
20 where is my boy who was once as pure as
the dew on the rose?" mother often loves
her worst boy the best. She may have four
sons who are preachers and one who has gone
astray. You may say what you please of the
good ones, but If you say anything against her
poor, Maynard. dissipated boy. she will go
for you" in minute, for she can't stand that.
God loves a sinner more than Christian, as
is illustrated in the parable of the lost sheep,
wherein the ninety and nine are left, that the
one gone astray may be found and saved. |
Though your father and mother may forsake
you, God will take you up. He never ceases
to love you. God never damns anybody. Love
cannot save you. If love could save all would
be saved, for God has nothing but love for us.
We go to hell in spite of Gods love. Christ
died for us because God loved us. Where is |
the great store-house of Gods love? 1t is the
great heart of God, pouring forth love like q
river Love is from the heart of God. AS a |
mother will cling to her sinful boy, so. but ten
Thousand times more 80, will God cling to us. |
Marriage is the most holy relation. and he
believed that divorce laws have their origin in
I,11r CN,;1I l.
Just here that Society breaks down. He has no |
respect for mock modesty. He prizes more a |
good healthy woman with ten children. who |
is laboring to care for them, than for the silly |
woman of fashion. God bless your little one.
horse society people. Take off your frills and
flowers and fine clothes and the dogs wouldn't |
eat you. They put on airs whilst the country |
folks are ;like their steers-he prefers the |
steers
The husband began to drink! To give the |
full significance of that announcement would |
fill q volume-it means kicks, curses, and NAL.
treatment unspeakable.
The saloon keeper may drive the poor
Off his premises, as they do when
they no longer have money. but he will be his /
friend. The F. F. VS. have drunk enough |
whiskey to float them in hell to-day. 1t Is
evidence of low-breeding. the crime OF de.
1t is the worst of sins to get drunk,
for then you are heeled up to do the DEVILS
work. You say that you will drink aud that 1t |
is nobody's business. You lying. dirty scoun-
drel you-ltis somebody business your wife's
and chlldren's, and other members OF the COM
munity. When a man gets drunk and is i'm
prisoned for t,they should imprison with him
the man who sold him the whiskey, and |
should give the drunken man pistol to shoot
dirty old hound. The men who vote |
to license saloons 10 would cut a hole in their
backs and skin them rabbit-fashion. The |
has just contempt for the
church member who buys and drinks his |
whiskey.
In the North they work th elr.white girls to |
death on mere piltance of wages, and COM
plain of the way the Southern people treat the |
negroes, when the negroes are kindly treated |
and better paid. and are doing well when they |
behaves themselves. But sometimes he thinks |
that JUST is not melted out fairly. A negro |
steals chicken. and the lawyer prosecutes |
him vigorously and expatiates loudly on the |
great crime of stealing a chicken. when the
lawyer is worse than the negro. and ought to
be In the penitentiary-he may be a gambler
and prohigate scoundrel.
Why does the wife cling to aud pray for her
drunken husband? 1t is because she has some
of the love Of God-ot that infinite and bound
less love that enables you to enjoy this meet-
ing. The mother cannot give up her son be-
cause he Is the image of his father, and the IA
Their cannot give up his daughter because she
Is the image of her mother; but God gave up
his only son In his express image that you
might be saved, and all He demands in return
is, that you love Him. Those who know God.
love him: and those who.don't love him don't
know him. His dog and horse love him and
would do anything for him he wished them to
do, because he was kind to them and treated
them we'll. The man who looks up and don't
love God is lower than the beasts, and il he
don't feel like dog. he don't feel natural. He
should get some more hair and a tail and be a
sure enough dog. If the devil were dead, he
would make good one to take his place. If
you don't love.God. you are below the beasts.
Gods love is manifested in,three ways-Help-
fitness, sympathy, and Pardoning love-
You should pray to be delivered +. om having
a dram drinking. nincompoop min law. He
ha tho 60 mn obi ectiOn tn seloon. koanar that