Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1892-08-03

ShriSt came 10 saSc sinners DO you
believe that? You are told that all you
have to do to get the pardon of the Cos
pei Is to ask for il. DO you believe that?
Then come TO him ami say: 20. Lord, 1
know Thou cans't not lie Thou hast
told mo to come for pardon. and could
get it. come, Lord. Keep Thy prom
Use and liberatc my captive soul.
Oh, that you might have an altar in
the parlor. in the kitchen, in the store,
in the barn, for Christ will be willing To
come again to the manger to hear
prayer. He would come in your place
of business as He confronted Matthew,
the tax commissioner. IL a measure
should come before congress that you
thought would ruin the nation, how you
would send in petitions and rcmon-
strances. And yet there has been
enough sin in your heart TO ruin il for
ever. and You have never demonstrated
or petitioned against it If your physi-
cal health failed, and you had the
means, you would go and spend the
summer in Germany, and the winter in
Italy, and you would think it very
cheap outlay If you had to go all around
the earth to get back your physical
health. Have you ever rasde any effort.
any expenditure, any ezertion for your
immortal and spiritual health? No,
you have not tak:n one step.
o, that you might now begin to seek
after God with earnest prayers Some
of you have been working for years and
years for the support of your families.
Have you given one-half day to the
working out of your salvation with fear
and trembling? You came here this
morning with earnest purpose, l take
it, as ! have come bither with an earn
est purpose, and we meet face to face.
and tell you, first of all, if You want
to find the Lord, you must pray, and
pray and pray.
remark again, you must seek the
Lord through Bible study. The Bible
is the newest book in the world. ''Oh, "
you say. ''it was made hundreds of
years ago. and the learned men of King
James translated it hundreds of years
ago" 1 confute that idea by telling
you 1t is not five minutes old when God,
by His blessed spirit, retranslates it
into the heart. If you will, in the
seeking of the way of life through
Scripture study, implore Gods light to
fall upon the page, you will find that
these promises are not one second old,
and that they drop straight from the
throne of God into Your heart
There are many people to whom the
Bible does not amount to much If
they merely look at the outside beauty,
why, it will no more lead them to
Christ than Washington's farewell adj
fho s.
Shaster of the Hindoos. 1t is the IN
ward light of Gods word you must get
or die. went up to the church of the
Madeleine, in Paris, and looked at the
doors, which were the most wonder
fully constructed i ever saw, and |
could have stayed there whole week;
but had only little time, so, having
glanced at the wonderful carving on
the doors, / passed in and looked at
the radiant affairs and the sculptured
dome. Alas! that so many stop at the
outside door of Gods holy word, look
ing at the rhetorical beauties, instead
OF going in and looking at the affairs of
sacrifice and the dome of Gods mercy
and salvation that hovers over every
penitcnt and believing soul!
o, my friends, if you merely want TO
study the laws of language, do not go
to the Bible 1t was not made for that.
Take Howc's Elements of Criticism"
1t would be better than the Bible for
that. II you want to study metaphy-
sizes. better than the Bible will be the
writings of William Hamilton. But il
you want to know how to have sin par
doned, and at last to gain the blessed
ness of Heaven, search the Scriptures.
For in them we have eternal life"
When people are anxious about their
souls-and there are some such here to-
day-there are those who recommend
good books, That is all right. But
want to tell you that the Bible is the
best book under such circumstances.
Baxter wrote "a Call to the Uncon-
verted," bat the Bible is the best call to
the unconverted. Philip Doddridge
wrote THE Rise and Progress of Relig-
ion in the SOUL" but the Bible is the
best rise and progress. John Angel
James wrote advice to the Anxious
Inquirer" but the Bible is the best adj
vice to the anxious inquirer.
0, the Bible is the very book vol
need, anxious and inquiring SOUL A
dying soldier said to his mate: Com
rado. give me n Drop The comrade
shook up the cantcen, and said: There
isn't drop of water in the canteen."
Oh said the dying soldier. that's not
what want; feel in my knapsaclS for
my Bible" And his comrade found the
Bible and read him few of the gra-
cious promises, and the dying soldier
said: "Oh, that's what / want. There
isn't anything like the Bible for diving
soldier is there, my coinrade?' O,
blessed book while we live. Blessed
book when we die.
remark again, we must seek God
through church ordinances. What"
say you, cant n man be saved without
going TO church," ] reply, there are
men, ] suppose, in glory, who have
never seen church; but the church is
the ordained means by which we are
to bc1 brought TO God; and II truth
affects MS when we are alone. IL affects
us still more nightly when we are in
the assembly, the feelings of others en-
Phasizing our own feelings The great
law OF sympathy comes into play. aud
truth that would take hold only with
the grasp Of sick man beats might
lily against the soul with n thousand
hcart-tErobs.
When you come into the rcligious
circle. come only with one notion. and