The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-02-16

From the Baltimore Sun.
Evangelist Moody looked about him
on 4.2U0 persons at the Cyclorams
Building yesterday afternoon, every
seat being occupied.
Among the many Interesting ele,
ments In the evangolist's methods OF
work there IL perhaps none more po
tent than his praoticalness, and this
phase was shown even before he began
to speak. While the audience was
gathering he kept those already seated
from becoming impatient by giving
them something to do, hymn after
hymn being sung. and swelling grad
ually In volume as tho audience grew
more numerous. His eyes seemed to
be everywhere ct once, and noting
every new group OF persons coming
In at any OF the entrances, he called
out TO ushers and visitors where va
cant seats could he found, or admon-
ished others to make room, doing the
duty OF head usher. leader OF the
nesting ahd general manager at one
and the same time.
Beside him sat NJ. sankey. perched
organ, over the top of the walnut case
his head only being visible to those
In front OF him. The big choir led by
PROFESSOR Sanders and accompanied
by Professor Hollingshead, stood,
gospel hymn-books in hand, at Mr..
Sankey's left. On the right were cIer.
gymen OF Protestant Epicopal, Re.
formed Episcopal, Presbyterian, Meth.
odist, Baptist. Lutheran. Congrsga.
tional, Christian and other churches,
as representative a gathering on a
small scale as was the audience on a
large one
Mr.. Moody did not have any DIM
Guilty In arousing or holding the at
tentlon of his hearers. There was a
simple directness about him that went
right to the point and made every sem
tenco have its effect. When he declar-
cd. pointing at q certain spot in the
mass OF auditors before him, that IA
merely formal prayer Ia no more a
prayer than Is live rose the same as
rose in that wonan's hat" there was
not woman In the building who had
rose In her hat who did not have u
guilty feeling that it was her artificial
rose which was meant. And then, too,
the speaker had little way of pulling
up suddenly and interrogating his
listeners with "See?" or "Wnat do YOU
think or thutF and is that true or
not?' with such directness that one
felt an almost irresistible desire to an
Swer him.
The sermon In the afternoon was on
Prayer of which Mr.. Moody said:
The country needs great prayers
more than great preachers. We have
theological seminaries to teach mon
how TO preach but II Is far more i'm.
poftant that they should learn how to
pray. IL they knew how to pray there
would be no need for evangelists to
come along and to stir things up.
what we want Is to ask God to teach
US how to pray. The first element in
true PRAYER Is alteration. We must
remember that God Is great and we
are small. God Is holy and we are
vile. Another element Is confession
OF sin. Ii we church members don't
confess our sins, we aren't going to
get the people Of Baltimore to confess
them. There's got to be some CON
fession. We're bad lot the whole Of
US. 1t takes thousand Christians to
chase one sinner We need to POSSESS
the true spirit OF Christianity.
1T don't mean to he professor much
OF religion now, but it means much to
be a poascssor Of religion. Lots OF PEG.
pie go to church and make big sound
with their prayers and hymns, and
think ITS going to cover up multi,
tldue OF sins No such thing! Loud
amens aren't going to cover up any
thing ut all"
True prayer must also include for.
Rlveness Don't expect the Lord to
forgive you 10000 sins when you
wont forgive your ncighbor one
What door is to a house forgiveness
is to salvation. 10 say the Lords
Prayer from the heart is the test OF
discipleship."
At night over 6, 900 persons wont to
the Cyclorama Building Five thou.
sand got in. Shortly after o'clock
the people began to assemble and soon
lilled the immense auditorium, occu-
pyinR every seat and filling all tho
available standing room. Numbers
on whom the doors were closed waited
patiently outside on the pavement I'm
Til, at the close of the sermon, large
numbers of the congregation with.
drawing, they were admitted In time
to take part in the prayer meeting and
closing hymns.
Mr.. Moody continued his discourse
on Prayer" summing up the ten Gle.
ments which. he said, are part OF true
prayer as follows: Alteration, confes.
sion. restitution, forgiveness. unity,
faith, perseverance. thanksgiving. Pc
tition and submission. MIR Sankey's
strong baritone was heard In several
solos aud In beautiful duet with Mrs.
J. Ii. Patton, alto.