Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1892-02-26

"a song In a nidnigat mission. and as she
| listens 20 that song she hears:
All may come, whoever win,
Tn.s Man receives poor sinners still.
She puts into that harbor, she kneels
| by the rough bench near the door. she
says, 80, Lord Thou who didst have
mercy on May Magdalen. take my bis
tered feet OF the red hot pavement OF
hell.n God says, MY daughter, thy sins
are forgiven thee; 80 in peace" Now,
al the four towers OF heaven strike a sill
yer chime, and they who pass through the
celestial streets say, WHATS that why,
| the worst sinner must have been saved.
| Hear all the four towers ring, and ring
and wing" "And there is Joy in heaven
among the angels OF God over one sinner
that repenteth"
! My subject also imDresses mo with the
idea that heaven and earth are in close
| sympathy. PeoDie talk Of heaven as
| though IL wore great way OFF Thcy say
/ il is hundreds OF thousands OF m les before
! you roach the FIRST star, and then you go
! hundreds OF thousands of miles before
! you gat 10 tho second star. aud thcn IL Is
millions OF miles before you reach heaven.
/ They say heaven is the center Of the uni
! verse and We are on the rim OF the uni
verse That is not the idea OF my text
! / thinl, tie h art Of heaven beats very
close to our world We measure distances
! by thc time taken 10 traverse those
! distances. ii used 10 be long
! distance TO San Franciso. Many weeks
| and moatEs were passed before you could
reach that city. Now it is six or seven
! days. IL used 10 be six weeks before you
could voyage from here to Liverpool.
Now you can 50 that distance in six or
/
! distance between earth and heaven. and
| l lind it is only u fash. IL IS one instant
! here, and another instant there. II is
very near to-day Do You not feel the
breath Of heavea on your facet Christ
said in one place it is not twenty four
| hours distance. when he says to tho
! pentent thief 9Th day, this day, shalt
thou De with me in Paradise" 1t IS not q
day, il is not an hour, IL j. not a minute it
! is not "a second. O! how near heaven is to
eartu. By oceanic cable you send mes
/ sage. As IL IS expensive 10 senl 4 message,
| you compress a great q al Of meaning IN
! few words Sometimes IN two words you
! can put vast meaning. And IL seems to
me that the angels Of Goo who carry news
/ from earth TO heaven, need TO t4Ie Up tais
! hour, in regard TO your sou oaiy two
words in order to k,ndle with gtala3ss all
! the redeemed before the throne, only two
words Father saved "mother saved"
"son savedn daughter saved" Aud
there is Joy in heaven among the angels
/ OF God over one sinner that repenteth."
My subject also impresses me with tho
fact that the salvation Of the soul is Of
vast Importance. If yen should make
| 5000. this year, do you suppose that
news would be carried TO heavcnl 1t
would not be OF enough Importance or
! significance to be carried heavenward. II
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 a revolution in France or Spain would
/ be carried 10 heavenl These things
! are not Of enough importance, but
there is one item tat is sure 10 be car
! ried. 1t is the salvation OF your
soul, it is your repentance before God.
/ The flying hoofs Of Co.'s couriers clash
, through the gates and tie 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 nncr forgiven. 1t must
be of vast Importance TO he Of any mo-
ment in heaven, your salvation, in that
/ land where gladuosses are the everyday
occurrence, in that land where the COM
mon stones of the fields arc jasper and
/ emerald, and chrysOprdsus, and carbun-
! Gle, and sardonyX. And yet, the news Of
: your salvation makes 10Y before the
throne Of God.
You remember years ago a stage driver
in tho White mountains became very reck-
less. He had large numoer Of pas
sengers on the stage, and the stage was
drawn by six horses, wild and ungoverna-
BILE and he drove near the precIp.ce, and
he drove off, the stage with its precious
freight rolling down the embaukment
and many were slain but tcv were
saved Isuppose VIXEN they Wroie home
they wrote with congratulatioa at their
rescue. The angels Of God loo.. down and
they see men driving on the edge OF great
precipices Of ruin and danger, drawn by
wild, leaping, foaming ana ungovernab.e
perls in this life. and il 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 foreverW
Having found in my own experience that
this religion is a comfort and a 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 cons ecrated
in baptism to the Father, and the Son and
the Holy Gaost; but that did not save me
In after time was taught to kneel at the
CHRISTIAN family altar with father aud
mother and brothers and sisters, tho most
/ Of tpem now in glory. but that did not save
! me. In after time i read Doddrldye's Rise
and Progress, and Bakers Cal 10 the UtcOjt-
ueTted, aud 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, re-
pent; believe, believe" and accepted the
offer of mercy, and though no doubt there
was mere Joy in heaven over the CONVEX
sion OF other souls because OF their far
reaching influence, i verify believe waen /
gave my heart to God there were some
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 who
bought you Let this whole audience