The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1891-01-23
PLEADING WITH SINNERS
a Stirring Revival Discourse By
Rev. T. Dewitt TaIma9e.
The Great Inviting Word Of the Christian
On-''Couae'-EROOEn For All in the
sAviOUF's FOId-Peace For An
the World.


Genesis, vi. -. Come" Revelations,
xxi II. Following Is the sermon:
Imperial, tender and all persuasive is
this word Come" Six hundred and
sseventy-eight times IS it found in the
Scriptures It stands at the front gate
of the Bible as in my first text, inviting
autsdi1uvians into Noah's ark, and it
stands at the other gate of the Bible as
in my second text, inviting the post
sdiluvians into the ark OF a SaviOur's
mercy. Come" is only a word of four
letters, but it is the queen of words,
and nearly the entire nation of English
vocabulary bows to its scepter. 1t is
AN ocean into which empty ten thousand
rivers of meaning. Other words drive,
but this beclEons. All moods OF feeling
hath that word Come" Sometimes it
veeps and sometimes it laughs. Some
times it prays, sometimes it tempts, and
sometimes it destroys. 1t sounds from
the door of the church and from the
.seragliOs OF sin, from the gates of Heaven
and the gates of hell. 1t is confident
and accrescent of all power. 1t is the
heiress of most of the past and almoner
of most of the future. Come" You
may pronounce it so that all the heav-
ems will be heard in its cadences, or pro-
inounce 1T so that all the woes of time
and eternity shall reverberate in its one
syllable. 1t is on the top lip of saint
and profiigate. It is the mightiest of
all sOlicitants either for good or bad.
To-day weigh anchor, and haul in
the planl1s, and set sail on that great
word, although I am sure I will not be
liable to reach the further shore. 1 will
bet down the fathoming line into this
sea. and try to measure its depths, and,
though tie together all the cables and
-cOrdage I have on board, will not be
able to touch bottom. All the power
of the Christian religion is in that word
to- s,T \
mandatory IN religion is of no avail.
The imperative mood is not the apprO-
PIRATE mood when we would have peO-
pie savingly impressed. They may be
scOaxed, but they can not be driven. Our
hearts are like our homes; at friendly
KNOCK the door will be opened, but an
1attempt to force open our door would
land the assailant in prison. Our theO-
logical seminaries. which keep young
TInen three years in their curriculum be-
fore launching them into the ministry,
will do we'll if in so short time they
can teach the candidates for the holy
sOffice how to say with right emphasis
and information and power that one
-~z1rd-''COrneI'' That man who has
such efficiency in Christian work, and
that woman who has such power to
persuade people to quit the wrong and
begin the right, went through a series
of losses, bereavements, prosecutions
ana inc IL1S-1S Oh twenty years
before they could make it a triumph of
grace every time they uttered the word
4Eome."
YOU must remember that in many
cases our Come" has mightier
Come to conquer before it has any
effect at all. just give me the accurate
census, the statistics OF how many are
down in fraud, in drunkenness, in
milling, in impurity or in vice of any
sort, and will give you the accurate
census statistics of how many have
been slain by the word Come Come
and click wine glasses with me at this
ivory bar" @%COme and see what we
can win at this gaming table" ''COme,
enter with this doubtful specula-
ton" 'tCome with me and read those
infide1 tracts Christianity ''COme
with me to a place of bad amusement. .
Come with me in a gay bout through
underground New York
Now we want all the world over to
harness this word for good as Others
have harnessed it for evil and it will
draw the five continents and the seas
between them; yea, it will draw the
whole earth back to the God from whom
it has wandered. 1t is that wOoing anC
persuasive word that will lead men K
give up their sins. Was skepticisu
ever brought into love of the truth by
an ebulition of hot words against inf
deity? Was ever the blasphemel
stopped in his osths by aenunciatiOn o
lolasphemy? Was ever a drunkarC
weaned from his cups by the temper
-ance lecturers minlicry of staggering
steps and hiccough? No. 1t was
''Come with me to church to-day anC
hear our singing Come and let m,
introduce you to a Christian man whom
you will be sure to admire;'' ''COms
with me into associations that arr
cheerful and good and inspiring;'
Come with me into joy such as YOU
never before experienced"
With that word which has done $,
much for others approach you to-day
Are you all right with GOd2 mo yo1
say, II think 1 am not; am sometime
alarmed when think of Him; fear
viii not be ready to meet Him in tn
last day; my heart is not right will
God Come then and have it mad
right. Through the Christ who died Z
save you, cOmel What is the use il