The Iola register., 1891-01-16


have had. can tell from your careworr
countenances and the tears in your eve.
and the deep sigh you have Just breathet
that you want reinforcement, and here
it is. greater than Blucher when he rein
forced Wellington. greater than the
Bank of England, when last month il
reinforced the Barings: namely. the
God who through Jesus Christ is ready
to pardon all your sins, comfort all YOU
sorrows, scatter all your doubts and
swing all the shining gates of heaven
wide open before your redeemed spirit.
Many of my hearers to-day are what
| the world calls, and what I would call
splendid fellows, and they seem happy
enough, and are jolly and obliging, and
if were in trouble 1 would go to them
with as much confidence as | would GO
to my father, if he We're yet alive. But
when they go to their rooms at night OF
when the excitements of social and
business life are off, they are not con-
tent, and they want something better
than this world can offer.
Years ago, at the close of religious
service in Brooklyn Tabernacle. gen.
| tleman most distinguished in appear
ance, and with remarkable cerebral de-
velopment came forward with his wife
and daughter, and said to me in most
courteous and elegant way: ''Let me
introduce you to my wife and daughter
who wish some counsel in regard to re-
ligious matters" and the three sat
down. After had conyersed with the
wife and daughter, turned to the gen.
tleman, and said: Perhaps you have
some interest yourself in these mat
ters?" None whatever" was the re-
ply, polite yet firm. But before the
meeting had closed saw his hand lifted
to his forehead. and his eyes closed, and
l said: ''Sir, have you not changed
your mind and are you not thoughtful
on this subject?' He said: II
am; since coming to this seat,
l have sought and found Christ as
my Saviour and have but one desire
more and that is. before / leave this
house to join my wife and daughter in
making profession of the Christian re-
ligion. have been known as on the
wrong side long enough" What was it
that had come upon him? It was power
from high.
At the first communion after the dedi-
cation OF our former church 32S souls
stood up in the aisles and publicly
espoused the cause of Christ. At an
other time 4G0 souls: at another time
500, and our 4.500 membership were but
a small part of those who within those
sacred walls took upon themselves the
vows of the Christian. What turned
them? What saved them? Power from
the level? No. Power from on high.
But greater things are to be seen if
ever these cities and ever this world is
to be taken for God. There is one class
of men and women in all these assem-
blages in whom have especial interest,
and that is those who had good fathers
and mothers once, but they are dead.
What multitudes of us are orphans! We
may be 10. 80, 80 years old, but we never
get used to having father and mother
gone. o. how often we have had trou-
bles that we would liked to have told
them. and we always felt, as long as
father and mother were alive we had
some one to whom we could go. Now
1 would like to ask you if you think that
all their prayers in your behalf have
been answered. NO" you say, "but it
is too late, the old folks are gone now"
must courteously contradict you. It
is not too late.
l have friend in the ministry, who
was attending the last hours of an aged
Christian, and my friend said to the old
Christian: rs there no trouble on your
mind?" The old man turned his face to
the wall for few moments and then
said: Only one thing: hope for the
salvation of my ten children. but not
one of them is vet saved. vet am sure
they will be. God means to wait until
| am gone. So he died. When my
friend told of the circumstances eight of
the ten had found the Lord. and have
no doubt the other two before this have
found Him. o. that the long postponed
to prayer for You. my brother,
for you my sister. might this hour de-
scend in power from on high.
The history of these unanswered
prayers for you God only knows. They
may have been offered in the solemn
birth hour. They may have been Of
fered when you were down with scarlet
fever or diphtheria- or membranous
Group. They may have been offered
some night when you We're sound asleep
in the trundle bed. and your mother
came in to see if you were rightly
covered in the cold winter night. They
may have been offered at that time
which comes at least once in almost
every ones life when your father and
mother had hard work to make living,
and they feared that want would come
TO them and you. They may have been
offered when the lips could no longer |
move and the eyes were closed for the |
long sleep.
o, unanswered prayers. rise in a mist |
Of many tears into a cloud, and then |
break in a shower which shall soften |
the heart of that man who is so hard he |
to pray. o. arm chair of the |
aged. now empty and in the garret |
among the rubbish. speak out. o staff |
If the pilgrim who has ended his weary |
Journey, tell of the parental anxieties
hat bent over thee. o family Bible
With story OF births and deaths, rustic
,ome of the time worn leaves, and let
Is know of the wrinkled hands that
,nce turned thy pages, and explain that
pot where a tear fell upon the passage:
o. AbSalom, my son, would God had
lied for thee
Good and gracious God! What will
,ecome of US, if after having had such a
levout and praying parentage, we never
,ray for ourselves. We will pray. We
will begin now. o, for the power from
N high, power to move this assemblage,
,ower to save Brooklyn and New York,