The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-07-16

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single conversion, ana at tho inlxsionA-
r'es for preaching In Bengal scyentcoo
years without single conversion, yet
In all those lands there arc muititndos
of Christians today.
But why GO 10 far 10 ftnd evtiencss
Of the Gospels power Ia save a soalf
We are witnesses We were 50 proud
that no man could have humbiei us;
we were - hard that 10 earthly power
could have melted us Angels Of God
were ali around about us; they could
DOT overcome us Bot one day. per
haps at a Methodist anxious eeat, or at
Presbyterian oatecl.stical lecture, OF
at burial or on horseback, q power
seized us, and made us got down, and
made us trcmbie and made us kneel,
and made us cry for mercy, and we
tried to wrench ourselves away from the
grasp, but We could not Il flung us fat.
and when we arose we were ~ much
changed AZ 6ourgis, the heathen, who
went into a prayer meeting, with dag
ger and q gun, 10 disturb the meeting
and destroy il, but the next day was
found crying "oh, my great sinsl Oh,
my great Saviour" and for eleven
years preached the Gospel Of Christ to
his fellow nsountaineers, the last words
on his dying HIPS being, Free gracel"
Oh, it was free gracel
TRANSFORMED by THE HOLY sprRrr
There Is n man who was for ten years
a hard drinker. The dreadful appetite
had seht down its roots around the
palate, and the tongue, and on down
until they were interlinked with the
vitals of body. mind and soul; but mo
has not taken any stimulants for two
years What did thati Not temper
ance societies. Not prohibition laws
Not moral suasion. Conversion did Ii.
Why" said one upon whom the great
change had come, "slr, / feel just as
though were somebody else" There
is a sea captain who swore all the way
from New York to Havana, ard from
Havana to San Francisco, and when
he was In port lie was worse than when
he was on sea. What power was 1t
that washed his tongue clean OF pro-
families, and made him psalEl sngerf
Conversion by the Holy Spirit There
are thousands of people here today who
are no more what they once were than
a water lily Is a nightshade, or q morn
ing lark Is vulture, or day Is night
Now, If should demand that all
those people here present who have felt
tho converting power of religion should
rise, SO far from being ashamed they
would spring to their feet with more
alanr;ty than thnv avar srrano IN the
dance, the tears mingling with their
exhilaration as they cried, 1--WE are
witnesses And If they tried to sing
the old Gospel hymn, they would break
down with emotion by the time they
got to the second line:
Ashamed Of Jesus, that dear friend
On whom my hopes of heaven depcnd2
No! When blush, be this my shame
That no moro revere his name.
Again, / remark that 1--WE are wit
nesses" Of the Gospels power to com
fort. When a man has trouble the
world comes In and says, Now, get
your mind off this; go out and breathe
the fresh air; plunge deeper into busi-
ness" What poor advicel Get your
mind of it When everything is upturn-
ed with the bereavement, and every
thing reminds you of whnt you have
lost Get your mind off It'll They
might as well advise you to stop think
ing, and you cannot stop thiaking In
| Oh nall t,, thn
fresh alrl Why, along that very street,
or that very road, she once accom-
panied you. Out of that grass plot
she plucked flowers, or into that show
window she looked fascinated, saying
"Come, see the pictures" Go deeper
into businessl Why, she was associated
with all your business ambition, and
since she has gone you have no aInbi
ton left. Oh, this IL clumsy world
when it tries to comfort broken heart
/ can build Corliss engine, / cax
paint Raphael's Madonna" I car
play Beethoven's Symphony" a
easily as this world can comfort I
broken heart. And yet you have bee,
comforted How was it donsi Die
Christ come to you and say, "Get you
mind off this; go out and breathe tn
fresh air; plunge deeper into business 7
No. There was minute when h
caine to you-perilaps in the watche
of the night, perhaps in your place O
business, perhaps along the street-an'
he breathed something into your sou
, that gave peace, rest, infinite quiet, .
that you could take out the photograph
of the departed one and look into tn
eyes and the face of the dead one an
, say: 1T is ell right, she is better off;
would not call her back. Lord, than
thee that thou hast conforted my poo
heart
COMFORT FOR THE soREowzEG.
, There ore Christian parents here win
: are willing to testify to the power c
: this Gospel to comfort Yocr son ha
Just graduated from school or colleg
and was going into business. and tn
. Lord took him. Or your daughter ha
Just graduated from the young ladie'
seminary, and you thought she was gt
= ing to be a useful woman, and of Ion
;. life; bat the Lord took ber, and 20
were tempted to say, "All this cultur
! of twenty years for nothingi" Or th
little child came home from school wit
the hos fever that stopped not for th
f agonized prayer or for the skillful ph,
a sician, and the little child was taker
= Or the babe was lifted out of yot
4 arms by some quick epidemic, and 20
a stood wondering why God ever ga,
= you that child at all, ii SO soon he wa
. to take it away. And yet you are M
= repining, you are not trern1, you a.
y not fighting against God. What er
, absed you to stand all the triall
soh,n you say, II took tho medicir
= that God gave my sick s9M In m
= distress threw myself at the feet OF
!, sympathizing God, and when l was Il
weak to pray or to look up he breathe