The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-05-19

waits Tor his delayed guests, the meats
smoking, and the beakers brirnming, and
the minstrel with his finger on the string
ready to strike at the fret clash of the
hoofs at the gateway. Waiting as a
mother waits for boy that ten years
ago went OF dragging her bleeding
heart after him. waiting. Oh, can you
not Give me some comparison intense
enough, importunate enough high as
heaven, deed as holl, and vast as ,eter-
nitya Not expecting that. you can help
me with such q comparison, simply say
he is waiting only as an all-sympathetic
Christ knows how the wait for a wander
Ing soul.
Bow the knees and kiss the Son,
Come and welcome. sinner, come.
But / remark again, not molly Christ Is
waiting, but the Holy Spirit is waiting.
Why are sOme sermons q dead failurep
Ohy are there song that do not get their
wing under the people? Why are there
players that go no higher up than a
hunters halloo? Because there Is q miss
ing link that only. the Holy Spirit can
make. If that Spirit should come through
this assemblage this morning, there
would be q power felt like that when
Oott WoS uhttoAbOu Oh Gil6 IOdu w Oa~
mascus; like as when Lydia's heart was
broken in her fine store like as when
5000 souls were lifted out of midnight
into midnoon at the pentecost. DO You
notice that sometimes that spirit takes
an Insignificant agency to save a soulp I
think 1t is very often that at just one
passage of Scripture, Just ono word Of
Scripturt. O soul'is saved becaused the
H0Iu Snirsf crfvoo ft -ot,
Do you know what it. was that saved
Martin Luthera Itwas that one verse :
1.-THE just shall live by faith" Do you
know what 1T was that brought Angus
line from his horrible dissi ,)ations? 1t
was that one verse: s'Put ye on the Lord
Jesus Christ. and make no provision for
the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereofO Do
you know what it was that saved Hedley
Wears, the celebrated soldier? tt was
the one passage: "Belieye in the Lord
Do you know what IT was that brought
Jonathan Edwards to Christi 1t was
the one passage; "Now unto him be
glory for ever and ever"
One Thanksgiving morning In church
| read my text, 80, give thanksunto the
Lord, for he ls good" and young imam
obooA Al thO httliCky anu bhlU W ulInSClIs
Il have never rendered one acceptable
offering OF gratitude to God IN all my
life. Here, Lord, I am thine forevere." !"
by that one passage ofScripture he was
brought into the kingdom, and ifI might
tell my own experience, I might tell how
one Sabbath afternoon was brought to
the peace of the.Gospel by reading Of the
Syro-Phoeniciar's cry to Christ where
she said: Even the dogs eat of the
crumbs that fall from themaster's table :"
PhllosGphic sern ons never saved any
body. Metaphysical sermons never saved
anybody. An earnest plea going right
out of the heart blessed OF the. Holy
Ghost, that is what says, that is what
brings people into the kingdom of Christ.
| 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. Ant
in the great day of eternity 1T will be
found that not so much the eloquent
sermons brought men to Christ as the
story told, lerhaps by those who were
unknown on earth, the simple atory of
the Savionr's love and mercy, sent by the
power Of the Holy Ghost, straight to the
heart. Come, Holy Ghostr Ay, he
ls here this morning. He fills all the
place. 1 tell you the Holy Ghost is
ready.
Then go en- and tell you the churcf,
is ready. There are those here who say;
mo one cares for my SOUL" We do
care for It. You see a;man bowing his
head In pray er and you say: "That man
is Indifferent" That man bows his head
in prayer that the trute may 90 to
every heart The, air is full of prayers.
They are going up this morning from
this assembly. Hundreds of prayers
straight to the throne Of Its teding God.
The air Is full of prayers--prayers as
cending noon by noon from Fulton street
prayer meeting. Friday night by Friday
night all oyer this land, going up from
praying circless. Yea, there Ia not a
minute Of an hour of any day that there
are NIT supplications ascending to the
throne Of mercy. The church Is ready
And fsYou bshould this moning start
Tor your Fathers house, there would be
hundreds and thousands in this assem-
blage 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, know tbere are those who say
the church is mass OF hypocrites, but
they do not really think SO. 1t is q
glorious church. Christ sparchased it..
Christ built 1t. Christ swung all its
gates. Christ .curtalned it with urhol-
stery, crimson with crucihxion Carnage.
Come into it. do not pick out this
man or that man and say: S.You may
comc." say all may whoyer
will. Come with us and we will do
you good. The Lord had promised good
concerning Israel."
We are q garden walled around
Chosen and made peculiar ground,
a little plot enclosed by grace
Out OF the world wild wilderness.
Do not say you have Dever been In
vited. | invite you now to the Kings
feast. One and all. ALI All! But Ifgo
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 1t is very
well fol man when he has just entered
the ministry to preach about the an
gels of heaven, but after he. has gone on
further 1t is hardly worth while. My