The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-02-11


lost all my property, and You see i am
getting old, and IL is rather hard on me /;
but am sure God will not let me suffer.
He has not taken care OF me for seventy
five years now to let me drop out of his
hands" | went into the room of an aged
man-hIs eyesight nearly gone, his hearing
nearly gone-and what do you suppose ne
was taking about? The goodness of God
and the joys of religion. He said: AZ
would like To 60 over and join my
wife on the other side of the flood,
and am waiting until the Lord calls
me. am now happy. shall be happy
there" What is it that gave that aged
man so much satisfaction and peace2
Physical exuberance2 No; it has all
gone. Sunshine. lie can not see it.. The
voices of friends. He cannot hear them.
1t is the grace of God, that is brighter than
sunshine. aud that is sweeter than music.
Ii a harpist takes harp and finds that all
the strings are broken but one string, he
does not try TO play upon it. let here
will show you an aged man, the strings of
whose Joy are all broken save one, and yet
he thrums it with such satisfaction, such
melody, that the angels OF God stop the
swift stroke OF their wings, and hover
about the place until the music ceases.
@, religions 'ways are ways OF pleasant
ness, and ali her paths are peace" And
If YOU have not the satisfaction that is 10
be found in Jesus Christ. must tell You,
with all the concentrated emphasis OF my
soul: "One thing thou lackest."
/ remark, again, that YOU lack the ele-
ment of usefulness. Where is your bust
ness? You say it Is No. 10 such a street,
or No. 260 such a street. or No. 500 such
street. Ny friend immortal, your bust
-,
wiped away or a soul To be saved You
NAV, before coming 10 Christ, do great
many noble things. You take a LOAF of
bread to that starving man in the allev;
but he wants immortal bread. You take
pound or candies to that dark shanty.
They want the light that springs from the
throne Of God; and you cannot take il be-
cause you have II not in your own heart.
You know that the flight of an arrow de-
ponds very much upon the strength of the
bow, and l have to tell you that the best
bow that was ever made was made out of
the cross Of Christ; and when religion
takes a soul and puts it on that and pulls
it back ana lets it fly, every time
it brings down Saul or
Goliath. There are people here of
high social position, and large means, and
cultured minds, who, if they would come
into the kingdom Of God, would set the
city on fire with religious awakening. Oh,
hear you not the more than million voices
OF those in these two cities who are uncon-
verted? Voices OF those who in these two
cities are dying in their sins? They want
light. They want bread. They want
Christ. They want heaven. Oh. that the
Lord would make you a flaming evangel.
As for myself, I have sworn before the
high heaven that will preach this gospel
rs well as can, in all its fullness, until
every fiber of my body, and every faculty
OF my mind, and every passion OF my soul
Is exhausted But we all have work to
do. | cannot do your work, nor can YOU
do my work. God points us out the place
whore we are TO serve, and yet are there
not people in this house who are thirty,
forty, fifty and sixty years of age, and yet
have not begun the great work for which
they were created? With every worldly
equipment, "0ne thing thou lackest."
Again, YOU lack the element of personal
safety. Where are those people who as
ISOLATED with you twenty wears ago?
Where are those people that, fifteen years
ago, used TO cross South ferry or Fulton
ferry with YOU to New York; Walk down
the street where you were in business ff-
teen years ago and see how ali the signs
have changed. Where are the people
gone? How many of them are landed in
eternity ! can not say, but many, many. l
went to the village OF my boyhood. The
houses We're all changed. l passed one
house in which once resided a man who
had lived an earnest, useful life, and he is
In glory now. In the next house miser
lived. He devoured widows houses, and
spent his whole life in trying TO make
the world worse and worse. And he lie
gOne-the good man and the mIser both
gone to the same place. All, did they 90
to the same place? 1t is an infinite abb
surdity to suppose them both in the same
place. Ii the miser had harp, what tune
did he play on Il? o my friends | COM
mend TO YOU tins religion as the only per-
sonal safety. When you die, where are
you going to? When we leave all these
scenes. upon what scenes will We enter?
When we were on shipboard, and we all
felt that we must 90 TO the bottom. was /
right in saying to one next me: ~ won
der if we will reach heaven if we do go
down tonight" Was / wise or unwise in
asking that question? tell you that man
is fool who never thinks OF the great flu
ture.
IL you pay money you take a receipt.
If YOU buy land you record the deed.
Why? Because everything is so uncertain
YOU want it down in black and white, YOU
say. For a house and lot twenty-five feet
front by 100 feet deep, all security; but
Tor soul, vast as eternity, nothing, moth
ing! IL some man or woman, standing
IN some of these aisles, should drop down,
where would you 20 to? Which is your des-
tinyP Suppose a man is prepared for the
future world. what difference does it make
to HIM whether ne goes to his home today
or goes into glory? Only this difference:
Ii he dies he Is better of. Where he had
one JOY on earth he will have million in
heaven. When he has small sphere
here he will have grand sphere there.
Perhaps 1t would cost you sixty or one
hundred or one hundred and fifty dollars
to have your physical life insured, and
yet tree OF charge l offer you insurance
on your immortal life, payable not at your
decease, but now, and tomorrow and
every day and always.
My hope in Christ is not so bright az
many Christians. | know, but ! would
not give il up for the whole universe, in
In one cash payment, ii il were offered
me. 1t has been so much comfort to me
In time OF trouble. it has been so much
strength TO me when [ have been as
sailed, it has been so much rest TO me
when L have been perplexed, and it is
around my heart such an encasement OF
satisfaction and blessedness that / can