Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1892-02-25


distance to San Sranciso. Many weeks
and months were passed before you could
reach that city. Now it is six or seven
days 1t used to be six weeks before you
could voyage from here to Liverpool
Now you can go that distance in six or
seven days. And so / measure the
distance between earth and heaven, and
/ find IL IL only flash. 1t Is one instant
here, aud another instant there. 1t is
very near to-day. Do you not feel tho
breath of heaven on your face! Christ
said in one place it is not twenty -four
hours distance when he says TO the
penitcnt thief, "This day, this day, shalt
thou be with me in Paradise" 1t Is not
day, it is not an hour, it is not minute, it
is not a second. OF how near heGven is to
earth BY oceanic cable you send mes
sage. As it is expensive to send a message,
you compress great deal OF meaning in
few words. Sometimes in two words you
can put vast meaning. And 1t seems TO
me that the angels of God who carry news
from earth to heaven, need to take up this
hour, in regard to your soul, only two
words in order to kndle with gladness all
the redeemed before the throne, only two
words Father saved" "mother saved"
'son saved" daughter saved" Aud
'there is joy in heaven among the angels
of God over one sinner that repenteth."
MY subject also impresses me with the
fact that the salvation Of the soui is OF
vast Importance. III you should make
$50 ,0C0 this year, do you suppose that
news would be carried TO heaven! 1t
would not be of enough Importance or
significance to be carried heavenward. If
at the next quadrennial election you are
made president of the United States, do
you suppose that news would be carried
TO heaveDl Do you suppose that the news
of revolution in France or Spain would
be carried to heaveni These things
are not of enough Importance, but
there is one item that is sure TO be car
ried. 1t is the salvation OF your
soul, it is your repentance before God.
The flying hoofs of Gods couriers clash
through the gates and the news goes from
gate to mansion, and from mansion to
temple, and from temple to throne, and
"there is Joy in heaven" among the angels
of God over one sinner forgiven. 1t must
he of vast Importance to be of any mo-
ment in heaven, your salvation, in that
land " here gladnesses are the everyday
occurrence, in that land where the COM
mon stones of the fields are jasper and
emerald, and chrysoprasus, and carbun-
Gle, and sardonyx. And yet, the news OF
your salvation makes Joy before the
throne of God.
You remember years ago stage driver
in the White mountains became very reck-
less. He had a large number of pas
sengers on the stage, and the stage was
drawn by six horses, wild and ungoverna-
BILE and he drove near the precipice, and
he drove off, the stage with its precious
| freight rolling down the embankment,
| and many were slain but few were
saved. suppose when they wrote home
they wrote with congratulation at their
rescue. The angels of God look down and
they see men driving on the edge Of great
precipices of ruin and danger, drawn by
wild, leaping, foaming and ungovernable
perils in this life, and if any shall escape
before they capsize, do you not suppose
the angels of God rejoice, crying: Good,
good Saved from sin, saved from death,
saved from hell, saved forever"
Having found in my own experience that
this religion is a comfort and Joy, stand
here to commend it to you. In the days OF
my 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 was 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 Ris,
and Progress, and Baxter's Cal 10 the Uneon
perted, and all the religious books around
nv fathers household; but that did not
save me. But one day the voice of Chris,
came into my heart, saying: 'Repent, re
peut; believe, believe" and l accepted the
offer of mercy, and though no doubt there
was more Joy in heaven over the CONVEX
sion OF other souls because of their far
reaching influence, verify believe when
gave my heart to God there were som'
spirits in heaven the gladden. for the deed
There is JOY in heaven among the angels
of God over one sinner that repent
eth" Turn this day to the Lord wit
bought you. Let this whole audienc
surrender themselves TO Jesus Christ /
for ten, twenty, fifty years you have no
prayed, begin now to pray, "On' yo'
say, II can't pray" Can you not say
God be merciful to me, a sinnerl'
mo- you say, II can't say that" The
can YOU not look TO the throne of mercy
No" you say, II can't look up"
Now I'll tell you how I'll arrange II
I'll go to sleep with my hand up, aud then
when Jesus comes through the hospital b
night he will see my hand lifted and b
will know by that want to go with him.
So it was done. For that night Jesu
went through the hospital and took tn
suffering lad, and the next morning tn
, nurse passing through the wards OF tn
hospital saw dead hand lifted braced o
, one side against the pillow, and the le
hand holding the elbow of the right arm
l Jesus had seen the signal and answered i
r o! sick soul, wounded soul, dying sou
a canst thou not give some signal! Wi
a thou not lift one hand or one prayert &c
n grant that this day there may be Joy
. heaven among the angels Of God over yol
: soul forgivenl