The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-03-04

rleu neavenWaru.. IL aC Ine next
quadrennial election you are made
president of the United States, do you
suppose that news would be carried to
Heaven? Do you suppose that the
news of arevolution in France or Spain
would be carried to Heaven? These
things are not of enough Importance,
but there is one item that is sure to be
carried. 1t is the salvation of vcur
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 angles of God over one sin
ner forgiven. It must be of vast inn
portance to be of any moment in
Heaven, your salvation, in that land
where gladnesses are the every day oc-
currence, in that land where the COM
mon stones of the fields are jasper and
emerald, and chrysoprasus, and car
buncle, and sardonyx And yet the
news of your salvation makes joy be-
fore the throne of God.
You remember years ago stage
driver in the White mountains became
very reckless. He had large number
of passengers on the stage, and the
stage was drawn by six horses, wild
and ungovernable, and he drove near
the precipIce, and he drove off, the
stage and its precious freight rolling
down the embankment and many were
slain but few were saved. l suppose
when they wrote home they wrote
with congratulations 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 un governable perils in
this life. and if any shall escape before
they capsize, do you not suppose the
angels of God rejoice, crying: Good,
goodl Saved from sin, saved from
death, saved from hell, saved foreverw
The supreme court of the United
States does not ad journ for anything
trif1ing 1t must be the death of a cab
met minister, or the death of a presi-
dent, or some matter of very great mo-
ment. When l find all Heaven adjourn
ing its other joys for this one joy. l
make up my mind it is of verv great
Importance if Heaven can afford to ad-
iourn all other festivities to celebrate
this one triumph.
Do you wonder that so many of these
Christian people have toiled night and
day in this work of soul saving, if it is
of such vast Importance? Do you Won
4 III ;,lA
Bishop Asbury, and John Wesley, and
George Whitefield, and Paul, and an
gels, and Christ, and God stripped
themselves for the work? Around that
one soul circles the mist the fire, the
darkness, the JOY, the anthem, the
waiting, the hallelujah, and the woe of
Gods universe. If the soul is saved,
then lip comes to trumpet and fingers
to harp and hammer to bell and there
is Joy among the angels of God over
that one soul forgiven" For such
soul l plead.
Having found in my own experience
that this religion is a comfort and
Joy l stand here to commend it to you.
In the days of my infancy Twas carried
by Christian parents 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 l read
Doddridge's Rise and Progress, and
Baxter's Call to the Unconverted, and all
the religious books around my fathers
households; but that did not save
me. But one day the voice of Christ
came into my heart, saying. Repent,
repent; believe, believe" and L ac-
cepted the offer of mercy, and though,
no doubt, there was more joy in
Heaven over the conversion of other
souls because of their far reaching in
fuence, 1 verify believe that when 1
gave my heart to God there were some
spirits in Heaven the gladder for the
deed There is Joy in Heaven among
the angels of God over one sinner that
returneth" Turn this day to the Lord
who bought you Let this whole audi
ence surrender themselves TO Jesus
Christ. If for ten, twenty, fifty years
you have not prayed, begin now to pray.
60" you say, 81 can't pray" Can
you not say, God, be merciful to me,
a sinner" NO" you say, 81 can't
say that" Then can you not look to
the throne of mercy? mo" you say,
81 can't look up" Can you not then
give some signal like that which was
1oI kha FOL 10
was sick and suffering and dying and
wanted speedily to go away from all
suffering and pain, and he said to his
comrades in the hospital, ut 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; l must be
asleep and He doesn't know / want to
60"
''Now I'll tell you how I'll arrange
it I'll go to sleep with my hand up,
and then, when Jesus comes through
the hospital by night He will see my
hand lifted and He will know by that
l 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,
braced on one side against
the pillow and the left hand holding
the elbow of the right arm. Jesus had
seen the signal and answered it o!
sick soul, wounded soul, dying soul,
canst thou not give some signal? Wilt
thou not lit one hand or one prayer?
God grant that this day there may be
Joy in Heaven among the angels of
God over your soul forgiven!
The Preferred Underyest.