Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-07-03

man who says. am all right, my past
life has been right, don't want the
pardon of the Gospel, for l have no SIN
TO pardon, let me say that while the
man Is In the mood, there is no peace
for him; there is no pardon, no saliva
ton; and the probability is be VIII go
down and spend eternity with the loSt
Pharisee Of the text.
But If there be here one who says, L
want to DE better, | want to Quit my
sins, my life has been very Imperfect
life; how many things have SAID tnat
| should not have said, how many
things have done I should not have
done; want to change my life; want
to begin now; let me say to such soul,
| God Is waiting, God is ready, and you
you are near the kingdom, or rather
you have entered it, for no man says
am determined to serve God, and sur
render the sins of my liiej here now,
consecrate myself TO the Lord Jesus
Christ who died to redeem memo man
from the depth Of his soul says that,
but he is
ALREADY A CHRISTIAN.
NV uncle, the Rev. Samuel K. Tai
mage, of Augusta, Ga, was passing
along the streets of Augusta one day,
and be saw a man, a black man, step
from the sidewalk out into the street,
take his hat off, aud bow very lOwly.
NV uncle was not man who demanded
obseQuiousness, and he said, what do
Won do that for?" ''Oh," says the man,
''Massa, the other night was going
along the street and l had burden on
my shoulder, and l was sick, and was
hungry, and came to the door OF your
church, and you were preaching about
God be merciful to me sinner, and
stood there at the door long enough TO
hear you say that If man could utter
that prayer from the depths OF his
soul God would pardon him, and finally
| take him to heaven. Then l
put my burden on my shoulder, and |
! started home. / got TO my home, and
| sat down, and l said, God be merciful
to me a sinner, but it got darker and
! darker, and then Massa, got down on
my knees, and / said, God be merciful
to me a sinner and the burden got
| darker and darker; l knew not what TO
| do. Then got down on my face, and
/ I cried. God be merciful to me a sin
ner,' and away of saw light coming,
and 1t came nearer and nearer and
! nearer until all was bright in my heart,
| aud l arose. / am happy now-the
| burden is all gone, and | said to myself,
II ever / met you in the street, | would
get clear off the sidewalk, and / would
| bow down,
AND TAKE MY HAT OFF
before you. ! feel that owe more to
you than to any other man. That Is
the reason bow before you"
Oh, are there not many now who can
utter this prayer, the prayer OF the black
man, the prayer of the publican, "God be
merciful to me a sinner ?" While | halt
I'm the sermon, will you not all utter it?
l do not say audibly, but utter 1t down
in the depths Of your SOULS conscious:
ness. Yes, the sigh goes all through
the galleries, 1T goes all through the gal
| leries, it goes all through the pews, 1t
goes all through these aisles, sigh after
! sigh, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Have you all uttered it? No, there Is
one soul that has not uttered 1t: too
| proud to utter 1t, too hard to utter it,
| Oh, Holy Spirit, descend upon that one
heart. Yes, he begins to breathe 1t
now. No bowling Of the head yet, no
starting tear yet, but the prayer Is be-
ginning-it is born, God be merciful to
me sinner. Have all uttered itP Then
l utter it myself, for no one in all the
house needs to utter it more than my
own sout God be merciful to me STA
ner.