Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-06-01
REV. SAM JONES IN ROANOKE.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MAI 18th.

of Rev. Sam Jones IN ROANOKE we'd
nesday night, May 18th, is from the
Roanoke Erening World of Thursday,
May 18TH
The tabernacle was crowded to its
utmost last night, almost 5000 people
being present. With a few prelimi
nary remarks by Mr.. Jones the ushers
proceeded to take up collection, after
which the evangelist arose and said:
81 understand that somebody has
said that the letter | read the other
night they had heard Inc read in
Georgia Now, l want to say that man
is a liar and bigger liar than any man
in Roanoke and that is saying a good
deal l want you to understand that
Brother Excel and Brother Stuart
were in the room when Ireceived the
note and can testify to that effect. l
would like the man who made that
statement, if he is here tonight, to
stand up. would like to see the big
gest liar in Roanoke.
Friends, am standing here talking
| have one object have nothing to
say about anybody or any official or
any institution-and that is to do good
Understand that. | understand the
excise board is in every mouth here
now. they are going around talking
now all the time about Sam JONES'
II will call your attention now to the
9th verse of the LIST chapter of the list
Epistle of ST. John. If we confess our
sins, God is faithful and just to forgive
US our sins and cleanse us of all our
impurities 1t is wonderful how st.
John could put the whole gospel in less
than three lines of that blessed book
| mean the whole gospel on the human
side, and really, brother, it is only on
that side that you and | have to deal
with.
ut is in religion just like it is in
farming. there are two sides. What
is the human side of farming? You
men must pillow before you can get your
harvest that is the human side of it,
and the Heavenly side of it is, the rain
and the sunshine that God sends to
bring us the crop that you sow. Any
body can raise nubbin without God
to help him. You may work diligent-
ly, but without the aid of God you will
raise nubbin. If you are trying to
make all your salvation by yourself
you will wind up nubbin. Now what
if we confess our sins? God is faithful
and just to forgive us and to cleanse
us.
IF we repent of our sins God will
forgive US; but listen to me, we have
got to repent first. Now repentance of
a man on his way to God is just what
the alphabet Is to a man of learning.
l remember when l used to kneel by
my mothers side andlearn my A B C's.
When | got into my spelling book |
thought l would get rid of them, but
In
A B C's The first thing that Sam
Jones ever did to please God was to get
ON my knees and get good hearty re-
pentance. God forgive the sins of
omission and commission of this day.
Do you know what the gospel is? tbs
breaking the news to a fellow right
straight.
"Oh God, pray that | can put the
way before you wayfaring men as clear
as possible, so that no one can mistake
my meaning. Now, listen to me. You
men who think that sorrow and long
faces and numbering and shouting is
repentance, you were never SO much
mistaken in your life; that is not re-
pentanee because in week Or SO you
are just as bad as you were before. If
you repent-that is, if you quit your
meanness and live a good life, then we
may call that repentance.
''Some people say that Sam Jones is
going through this country preaching
reformation. Well, brethren. if you
can tell me what this country needs
more than reformation I will gladly
fall in with You aad fight with you,
but there is nothing that it needs as
bad as reformation. l will show you
the difference between repentance.
Here Is one fellow. He gets up and
shouts and jumps three miles high, and
in little while you will see that fellow
drunk. Here is another fellow who
comes up to me and says: Mr.. Jones,
| am the meanest low down dog there
is in this town, but, by the help of God,
from now ON | mean to lead better
life, so help me Cod That last man
is the one who is going to be the best
and brightest christian.
"And what do you think? Some men
want and must have feeling before they
will get religion. Now feeling has no
more to do with religion than my coat
is Sam Jones, or the sweat on my face
is part of my face. That is just like
a man who has gone out in the woods
to cut down a large tree, when the
thermometer is ten degrees below zero.
| meet him and ask him, What are
you doing here, my brother?' Il am
waiting to sweat before | commence to
cut that tree down. That is the way
with those men who want feeling be-
fore they will get religion. That man
will never cut that tree down, but he
will starve to death,
Here, brethren, you look at 1t in q
sensible way, and listen to me. Feel
ing is not religion any more than starry
ing to death is cutting the tree down.
If you bankers and merchants and
farmers had as much sense about relig-
ion as you have ABOUT YOUR business
we would have more religion in this
town and don't you forget 1t.
''SOme of you will say, Mr.. Jones, l
cannot quit No, you will never quit
as long as you drink that shrinking old
whiskey, you low down scoundrel, you.
| tell you what would make some of
you men quit drinking that old stuff.
If were to go down hepp and put SOME
strychnine in barrel Of that stuff and
you were to see ne, you would say
when it is offered to you, oh, no; thank
you, l don't want any of that. That is
dirty mean way.
SOut say, Cdu quIU oil do OuCO.
No, you are like the man who says he
is going to quit stealing. He steals ten
dollars tonight and nine tomorrow
and eight the next day and So on, but
if he saw a chance to Steal a thousand
dollars he would do it in a minute, and
then start back and count from the
thousand. You can quit drinking; l
know some men who have quit drink
ing. How many have you got on the
chain gang here? Brethren, how many
have you got? Well if you don't know
you ought to keep up with the chain
gang7n
Now, give me your attention, and
don't stretch your necks like that, you
great big country goose, you. You
need travelling more than you need re-
ligion. You need to go abput and see
something. This only hope we have of
quitting our meanness is to come to
the conclusion we ought to be good,
and that we must; we will quit some
things that we do and that we will quit
them right now.
"And you women can help along
here, too. Say, would rather have
the devil after me in any other shape