The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-05-20

his delayed guests the meats smoking,
and the beakers brimming. and the min
strel with his finger on the stiff string
ready 10 strike at the first clash OF the
hools at the gateway. Waiting as a
mother waits for boy that ten years ago
went off dragging her bleeding heart after
him. Waiting. Oh, can you not give me
some comparison intense enough, impor-
tunate enough, high az heaven, deep as
hell and vast as eternity? Not expecting
that you can help me with such a COM
parison, ] simply say He is waiting as only
an all-sympathetic Christ knows how to
wait for a wandering soul.
Bow the krea snd kiss the son,
Come and welcome, sinner. come.
But l remark again, not only Christ is
waiting, but the Holy Spirit is waiting
Why are some sermons dead failure?
Why are there songs that do not get their
wing under the people? Why are there
players that go no higher up than hunt
er's halloo? Because there is a missing
link that only the Holy Spirit can make.
II that Spirit should come through this
assemblage this morning there would be a
power felt like that when Saul was I'M
horsed on the road TO Damsscus; 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 Pen
tecOst. DO you notice that sometimes
that Spirit takes an insignificant agency to
save soul? think il is very often that
at just one passage of scripture. just one
word OF scripture, a soul Is saved because
the Holy Spirit gives it supernatural
power. Do you know what it was that
brought Augustine from his horrible dis
sipaiion? it was that one verse: Put We
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no
provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts
thereof" DO you know what it was that
saved Hedley Wears, the celebrated sol
der? Ii was the one passage: believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt
be saved" Do you know what it was that
brought Jonathan Edwards to Christ? 1t
was the one passage: Nov unto him be
glory forever and ever"
One Thanksgiving morning in church l
read my text, 20, give thanks unto the
Lord for he is good, and young man
stood in the gallery and said to himself:
81 have never rendered one acceptable
Offering of gratitude TO God in all my life
Here, Lord, / am Thine forever" BY that
one passage of scripture he was brought
into the divine kingdom, and if 1 might
tell my own experience | might tell how
one afternoon | was brought to the peace
of the gospel by reading of the Syro-Php-
nician's cry to Christ, where she said !:
Even the dogs eat of the crumbs that
fall from the masters table" PhilO-
sophie sermons never saved anybody.
Metaphysical sermons never saved
anybody. An earnest plea going
right out OF the heart blessed
of the Holy Ghost, that is what saves, that
is what brings people into the kingdom of
bric I 10 Il thpr..,itf l,nN
Thomas Chalmers preached great sermons
in his cary ministry, but Thomas Chal-
mers SAYS he never preached at al until
years after he had occupied pulpit. He
came out of lis sick room, and weak and
emaclated he stood and told the story of
Christ to the people And in the great
day OF eternity it will be found that not
SO much the eloquent sermons brought
men to Christ as the story told, perhaps
by those who were unknown on earth,
the simple story of the SaviOrs love and
mercy, sent by the power OF the Holy
Ghost straight TO the hear. Come, Holy
Ghost. Ay, he is here this morning. He
fills all the place. | tell you, the Holy
Ghost is ready.
Then 1 go on and tell you the church Is
ready. There are those here who say:
"No one cares fer my soul" We do care
for it. You see a man bowling his head
in prayer and YOU say: THAT nan is in
different" That man bows his head in
PRAYER that the truth may 90 TO every
heart. The air is FULL OF prayers They
are going up this morning from this as
sembly. Hundreds OF prayers straight to
the throne of listening God. The air is
full of prayers-prayers ascending, noon
by noon from Fulton-st. prayer meeting
Friday night by Friday night all over this
land, going up from prayer circles. Yea,
there is not minute OF an hour of any
day that there is not supplications ascend
ing TO the throne of mercy. The church il
ready. And if you should this morning
start for 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 sill
yer bowl for his baptism; give him full
right to ali the privileges OF the church OF
Jesus Christ"
On, l know there are those who say the
church is a mass of hypocrites, but they
do not really think so. 1t is glorious
church. Christ purchased it. Christ
built it. Christ swung all its gates. Christ
curtained it with upholstery, crimson with
crucifxion carnage. Come intoit. Come
into it. | do not pick out this man or
that man and say: "Iou may come" l
say all may come-whOsoever will. Come
with us and we will do you good. The
Lord hath promised good concerning Is
pel."
We are n garden walled around