Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-03-04

been saved hear ali Lne TOUR lowers ring
and ring and ringm 'And there is joy in
heaven among the angels of God over one
sinner that repenteth."
Nv subject impresses you, | think, with
the thought that it is possible for Us 10 aug
ment the happiness OF heaven People THINK
that souls before the throne ara as happy as
they can be- deny it. Look at that mother
before the throne of God. When she died
she left her son in this world vagabond.
That son repented OF his iniquities and came
to God. The report OF that salvation mas
reached heaven. Do you tell me that mother
before the throne of God has not her joy
richly augmented? There is many a man IN
this house to-day who could 20 out with
torch and kindle a new bonfire of victory
on the hills of heaven. II you would tn
day repent and come to God, the news o.
your salvation would reach heaven. and
then, bark to the shout Of the ransomec.
Your little child went away from you into
the good land While she was here you
brought her all kinds of beautiful presents ..
Sometimes you came home at nlghtfall
with your pockets full of gifts for her, and
no sooner did you put your night key into
the latch than she began at you, saying,
Father, what have you brought me?' She
is now before the throne of God. Can you
bring her gift to-day? You may. Coming
to Christ and repenting of sin, the tidings
will go up to the throne of God and your
child will hear of it. Oh. what a gift for her
soul today She will skip with new glad
ness on the everlasting hills when she hears
of it.
My subject also impresses me with the
idea that heaven and earth are in close SYM
pathy. People talk of heaven as though it
were great way off. They say it is hun
dreds of thousands of miles before you
reach the first star, and then you go hun
dreds Of thousands of miles before you get
to the second star, and then it is millions of
miles before you reach heaven. They say
heaven is the center of the universe and we
the rim of the universe. That is not
the idea of my text. [ think the heart of
heaven beats very close to our world. We
traverse those distances.
1t used to be long distance to San Fran
cisco. Many weeks and months were passed
before you could reach that city. Now it is
six or seven days. 1t used to be six weeks
before you could voyage from here to Liver
pool. Now you can go that distance is six
or seven days. And so | measure the dis
lance between earth and heaven, and [ find
it is only flash. 1t is one instant here and
another instant there. 1t is very near to-
day. Do you not feel the breath of heaven
on your face? Christ says in one place it is
not tweuty-four hours distance, when He
says to the penitent thief ''fhis day this
day, shalt thou be with Me in paradise" 1t
is not day, it is not an hour, it is not a
minute, it is not a second.
Oh, how near heaven is to earth BY
oceanic cables you send message. AS it is
expensive to send a message, you compress
a great deal of meaning in a few words.
Sometimes in two words you can put vast
meaning. And it seems to me tnat the
angels of God who carry news from earth
to heaven need to take up this pour in re-
gard to your soul, only two words in order
to kindle with gladness all the redeemed
before the throne, only two words, Father
saved" mother saved ''son saved"
daughter saved" And 'there is joy in
heaven among the angels of God over one
sinner that repenteth."
Ny subject also impresses me with the
fact that the salvation of the soul is of vast
Importance. If you should make $500, 900
this year, do you suppose that news would
be carried to heaven? 1t would not be of
enough Importance or significance to be car
rled heavenward. If at the next quadren-
NAL election you are made President of the
United States, do you suppose that news
would be carried to heaven? Do you sup
pose that the news of revolution 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 your soul. It is your
before God.
The flying hoofs of Gods couriers clash
through the gates and the news goes from
gate to mansion, and from mansion to tenn
pie, aud from temple to throne, and there
is JOY in heaven" among the angels of God
over one sinner forgiven. It must be of vast
Importance to be of any moment in heaven,
your aviation in that land where gladnesses
are the every day occurrence, in that land
where the common stones of the field are
Jasper and emerald and chrySopraSuS and
carouucte and sarGonyx. And yet the news
of your salvation makes JOY before the
throne of God.
Having found In my own experience that
this religion is comfort and 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 consecrated in
baptism to the Father, aud the Son, and the
Holy Ghost; but that did not save me. In
after time I 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 I read Doddridge's s'Rise
and Progress and Bakers Call to the
Unconverted," and all the religious books
around my fathers household, but that did
not save me. But one day the voice of
repent; believe, believe" and [ accepted the
offer OF mercy, and though no doubt there
was Joy in heaven over the conversion of
other souls because O. their far-reaching in
fuence, I verify believe when I 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 repenteth." Turn this day to
the Lord who bought you. Let this whole
audience surrender themselves to Jesus
Christ If for ten, twenty, fifty years you
have not prayed. begin now to pray.
oh" you say, 81 can't pray" Can you
not say, "God be merciful to me, sinner@'
NO" you say, Il can't say that" Then
can you not look to the throne OF mercy?
NO. you say, II can't look up" Can you
not give some signal like that which was
given by the lad in the hospital? He was
sica and suffering and dying, and wanted