Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-25
JOY In HEAVEN
Over One Sinner That Re-
penteth More Than Over
NINETY-NlNE JUST PERSONS
Who Need No Repentance-Dr. Talmage
breaches from the Text.
1t is Possible for Us to Augment the
Happiness of Heaven-Angels of
God Fitting Through the
House-God's Armies.
NINETY-NINE JUST PERSONS
Special 10 the Gazette.

| Qlenc6. lie expects 10 De absent from HOIu6
about ten days, during which period he
| speaks in as many cities. The subject OF
| his sermon was Heavenly Congratula-
| tons" His evident intention was TO make
| worlds that seem great way on from each
| other appear very near. His text was taken
| from Luke XIV, 4; Likewise joy shall be in
heaven over one sinner that repenteth,
| more than over ninety and nine just persons
| who need no repentance.
A lost sheep! Nothing can be more
| thoroughly lost. look through the win
| dow of shepherds house ut night. The
| candles are lighted. The shepherd has
! just placed his stah against the mantel. He
has taken on his coat, shaken out OF 1t the
dust and hung It up. l see by the candle
light that there are neighbors who have
come in. The shepherd, tagged out with
the long tramp, sits down on q bench, and
the wife and children and the neighbors
say to him: "Come now, tell us how you
found the poor thing.'' well" he says,
this morning 1 went out to the yard to
look at the flock. No sooner had / looked
over the fence than 1 saw something
wrong. The fact was they did not count
right Ninety-five, niuety-sixi ninety
seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nlne-only
ninety-nine. Mcdonald, you know we
had q hundred. And 1 wondered which
one was gone, and l began again, and
1 counted ninety-ive, ninety-six, ninety
seven, ninety-eight. ninety-n!ne. Well,
whistled up the dogs, and started on the
fields and across the bridges, and 1 tracked
the uoors, and leaped the gullies, but no
bleating Of the poor thing did hear, said
to myself: The lamb must have fallen into
ditch, or a pack of wolves from the
mountains m ast have torn it to pieces and
sucked its life out? But 1 could not
give it up. You see it was pet lamb.
1t was that one with the black
spot on the right shoulder that used to
come and ickSmy hand as l crossed the
field, and somehow l could not give it up.
So l went on and on andaon until after
awhile heard the dogs bark, and l said:
Whats thatp Then l fastened TO the top
of the hill, and looked down. and there l
saw the poor lamb. 1t had fallen into the
ditch, and as l came where 1t was
and bent over the ditch and stopped
down TO lift the poor thing out, wish
YOU could have seen the loving, and I'M
ploring, and tender way it looked at me.
lifted it out and it was all covered with the
slush and the mud 1t was an awful thing
TO do, but ! lifted it out, and 1t was so lame
and so weak it could not walk alone, so
threw it over my shoulders, and I started
homeward; and the condition OF
that lamb you NAV judge of from
the coat which l have Just hung up.
But tramped on and on until IL is safe in
the yard poor thing! Thank God, thank
God!' Then the shepherds wife spread
the table and brought out the best fare that
the cabin could afford, and they sat up very
late that night, and they talked, and they
laughed, and they sang, and they ate, and
they drank, and they danced, and told over
and over again the story of the lost sheep
that was found.
With such tenderness and rusticity of IL
lustration does Christ represent the souls
going off and the souls coming back. when
he says: Likewise there is joy in heaven
among the angels of God over one sinner
that repenteth more than over ninety
and nine just persons that heed
no repentance" To repent is to
feel that You are bad, and to be
sorry about it, and to turn over new leaf,
and to pray for forgiveness and help.
Just as soon as man does that they hear
right away of it in heaven. There are no
gossips in glory going around to chatter
and laugh when a man falls; but there are
many souls in glory who are glad to run
about and tell it when man is saved. The
news goes very quick from gate to gate,
and from north wall to south wall, and
from east wall to west wall, and in three
minutes every citizen of heaven has heard
of it; for there is Joy in heaven among the
angels of God over one sinner that repent
eth I can very easily understand how
there should be Joy in heaven over Pente-
cost with 5000 souls saved in one day-no
mystery about that; l can understand how
there should be JOY in heaven over the
Parish Of Schotts, when 400 souls were
saved under one sermon of Mr.. Livingston;
can understand how there should be joy
in heaven over the great awakening in the
time of Harland Page, when in one year
473,000 souls were brought to God in the
United States; l can understand very easily
how there should be joy in heaven over
500, 600 souls converted in 1857 in this coun-
try; but mark you, my text announces
there is JOY in heaven among the angels of
sfrc% srS,, hot
eth.
Some cathedrals have one tower: some
cathedrals have two, three, four towers
Did you ever hear them all ring at once2 1
am told that the bell in the cathedral OF St
Paul rings only on rare occasions. for
instance, at tbs death or birth of q king
Have you seen q cathedral with four tow
ers, and have you heard them all strike
into one great chime OF gladness2 Here is
man who is moral. He is an example to
a great many professors of religion IN some
things; he never did a mean thing in his
life; he pays all his debts and is q good
citizen and good neighbor, but he says he
is not Christian. Some day the Holy
Spirit comes into his heart and ne sees that
he cannot depend upon his morality for
salvation. He says; 80 Lord God, 1 have
been depending upon my good workS,NI
find I am sinner and want thy salvation.
Lord, for Jesus sake. have mercy on me-
of the towers Of heaven strikes a silvery
chime, for there are four towers to the
heavenly temple. Here is a man who is
bad; he knows he is bad, and everybody
else knows he is bad, but he is not an out
cast, far from being an outcaSt. He moves
in respectable circles.
But one day, by the power of the Holy
Ghost, he rouses up to see his sinfulness
and he says: 20 Lord, have mercy, l am
4 wanderer, and without thee 1 perish. |
Have mercy" God hears him, and imme- |
diately two Of the towers OF heaven strike |
a silvery chime. But here is an outcast. |
He was picked up last night out Of the gut
ter and carried to the police station. He |
has been in the penitentiary three times. |
He is covered and soaked with loathesome- |
ness and abomination. Accusing from his |
debauch, he cries out: 40 God, have mercy |
on me. Thou who didst pardon the peni- |
tetft thief, hear NEE cry for Mercy And the |
Lord listens and pardons. and no sooner is |
the poor wretch pardoned than three Of the /
great towers Of heaven strike up 4 silvery |
chime. But here IS waif of the street. |
She passes under the gaslight, and your |
soul sAudders with = great horror. No pity |
for her No commiserstion for her. As /
she passes down the street, she hears a /
song IN midnight mission, and IS she lis /
tens TO that song she hears:
All may come, whoever will,
This man receives poor sinners stiI.
She puts into that harbor, she kneels by |
the rough bench near the door, she says, /
70, Lord Thou who didst have mercy on |
Mary Nfadyiaiar tal-a my blistar.ad faet off