The Penn's Grove record., 1892-02-26

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to Christ and repenting of sin, the tidings
VIII go up to the throne OF God and your
child will hear Of it. Oh, what a gift for her
soul to-day! She will skip with new glad
ness on tue everlasting hills when sho hears
Of 1t.
My subject also impresses me W.T. the
Idea that heaven and earth are In close sym
pathy. People talk of heaven as though IL
were a great way off. They say 1t is hun
dreds of thousands of miles before you
reach the first star, and then you go hun
dreds Of thousands OF miles before you get
to the second star, and then It is miilions OF
miles before you reach heaven. they say
heaven is the center of the universe and we
are on the rim Of the universe. nat Is not
the idea of my text. l think the heart OF
heaven beats very close to our world: we
measure distances by the time taken 10
traverse those distances.
II used TO be Il long distance to San Fran.
cisco. Many weeks and months were passed
before you could reach that city. NOW us
six or seven days. 1t used to be six weeks
before you could voy age from here to Liver
pool. Now you can go that distance Is SIX
or seven days. And so | measure the dis.
lance between earth and heaven, nnd
1t is only a flash. 1t is one instant here and
another instant there. 1t is very near TO-
day. Do you not feel the breath or heaven
on your face? Christ says in one place it Is
hOt LntuNN-AhLA u
says to the p~enitent thief, This day., thus
day, shalt thou be with Me in paradise" IL
Is not a day, it is not an hour, II Is not q
minute, II is not a second.
Oh, how near heaven is to earth. BY
oceanic cables you send a message. AS IL IS
expensive u send a message, you compress
q great deal Of meaning in a few words.
Sometimes in two words you can put VASE
meaning. And it seems to me tnat the
angels Of God who carry news from earth
to heaven used to take up this hour In re-
gard to yoir soul, only two words in ordei
TO kindle WisI gladness all the redeemsS
before the throne, only two words, "Fatnel
saved" "mother saved" 'son saved
daughter saved" And ''there Is joy i
heaven among the angels Of God over on
sinner that rcpenteth."
My subject also impresses me with tn
fact that the salvation of the soul is of vast
importance. II YOU should make 5000, 0W
this year, do You suppose that news would
be carried to heaven? 1t woul3 not be OF
enough Importance or significance to be car.
ried hea v%euwarl. If at the next quadren
NAL election You are made President of tn,
United Stat"s, do you suppose that news
would be carried To heaven. Do you sup.
pose that the news of a revolution in France
or Spain wouli he carried to heavens Thee,
things are not Of enough Importance, but
there is one item that is sure to be carried.
IL is the salvation of your soul. It is your
repentance before God.
Inc rylng nJats or Gods ~couriers clash
through the gates and the news goes from
gate to mansion, and from mansion to tenn
pie, and from temple to throne, and ''there
is JOY in heaven among the angels of God
over one sinner forgiven. 1t must be Of vast
importance IN he of any moment in heaven,
your salvation in that land where gladnesses
are the every day occurrence, in that land
where the common stones of the field are
Jasper and emerald and c~hrysoprasus and
carbuncle and SarGonyx. And yet the news
Of your salvation makes joy before the
throne of God.
Having found In my own experience that
this religion Is a comfort and a joy, 1 stand
here to commend it to you. In the days Of
nv infancy / was carried by Christian pa
rents to the house Of God, and consecrated in
baptism To the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Ghost; but that did not save me. In
after time | Vas taught to kneel at the
Christian family altar with father and
mother and brothers and sisters, the most of
them now in glory but that did not save
me.
In after time | read Doddridge's '.Rise
and Progress and Bakers "Cali to the
Unconverted,' and all the religious books
around my fathers household, but that did
not save me. But one day the voice of
Christ came into my heart saying, "Repent,
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offer of mercy, and though no doubt there
was joy In heaven over the conversion of
other souls because of their far-reaching in
auence, | verify believe when l gave my
heart to Col there We're some spirits in
heaven the g'adler for the deed. "There is
Joy in heaven among the angels of God over
one sinner that repenteth. :" Turn this day to
the Lord who bought you. Let this whole
audience surrender themselves to Jesus
Christ. if for ten, twenty, afty years you
nave not PRAYED. begin now to pray.
''Oh." you SAY, II can't pray" Can you
not say, "God be- merciful to me, a s~innery'
mo" you say, II can't say that" Then
can you not look to the throne OF mercy1
NO. you say, II can't look up" Can you
given by the lad in the hospital2 He was
sick and suffering and dying, and wanted
speedily 10 20 away from all suffering and
pain, and he SAID to his comrades in the hos
pital, ait is strange to me that Jesus doesn't
see me when He goes through here nights
and takes others to Himself. He goes
through here and He doesn't see me. ! must
be asleep and He doesn't know l want to go.
'.Now, | tell you how I'll arrange it. Pli
go to sleep with my hands up, and then
when Jesus comes through the hospital by
night He will see my hand lifted, and He
will know that I want to go with HIM" So
it was done. For that night Jesus went
through the hospital and took the suffering
lad. and the next morning the nurse passing
through the wards of the hospital saw a dead
hand lifted hraced on one side against the
pillow, and the left hand holding the elbow
Of the right arm. Jesus had seen the signal
and answered il. Oh, sick soul, wounded
soul, diving soul, canst thou not give some
signalf wit thou not lift one hand or one
PRAYER. God grant that this day there may
Be 10y in heaven among the angels of God
over your soul forgiveni