The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-05-18

aneau OF the day IN which he lived.
The swift-footed years that have passed
since Luther died have not yet come
up to Luther's grave.
l remark, further, that we have tried
here, in the love and fear of God, to
build church that would be charac.
terized by conversions l have heard
of very good people who could preach on
for fifteen or twenty years, and see no
conversions, and yet have faith 1t
takes a very good man to do that.
do not know how a man can keep his
faith up if souls are not brought to the
Lord Jesus Christ That church that
does not bring men and women to
the feet of the Saviour is failure.
care not how fine the building or how
sweet the music, or how eloquent the
preaching, or how elegant the sur
roundings-it is failure. The church
of God was made for just one thing
to get men out of the world into the
kingdom of Heaven. The tendency in
churches is to spend their time in Civ
ing fine touches to Christians already
polished. We keep our religion too
much indoors, and under shelter. when
it ought to be climbing the rocks or
hewing in the forests.
Here is Brooklyn, here is New York,
here are the United States, here is the
whole world to be converted. 1t is
1894 years since Christ came, and vet
Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South
America are still unevangelized More
- 4.
world than are born into the kingdom
of God. At that rate, l ask any one
who can do a simple sum in arithmetic
to calculate when this world will be
brought to Jesus. At that ratio never!
never! never! And yet we know that
it is to be brought to Christ. But the
church will have to change it's tact,
and take wider sweep with the gos-
pei net than any it has yet taken.
l believe that the great masses of
the people are now ready to re-
ceive the gospel, if we give them a
chance. A boy goes along the street
at night, and sees a fine house beauti-
fully lighted up. and hears music, and
he says: II wish L was in there, but /
have not been invited" and so he
passes on. Here is the church of God,
lighted up with festivity and holy
mirth, and the world passes along out
side, hears the music, and sometimes
wishes it was inside, but says that it is
not invited. OH invite the world to
come in! Go out into the highways
and hedges. Send ticket of invita-
ton, printed in these words: "Come,
for all things are now ready"
We have had conventions all over the
country discussing the subject: ''How
shall the great masses be brought to
Christi They have passed splendid
resolutions at the close of the meeting
"a long list of eight, ten or fifteen
have been read. and then the presiding
officer has said: "All those in favor of
the resolutions for the conversion of
the world, purifying the cities, and re-
deeming the masses, and making every
thing all right, say aye" "Ayel aye
say a thousand voices" ''All opposed
No." THE ayes have it" There. the
world is converted. All, we do not
seem to get along by such process.
If this world is ever to be brought to
God, it will not be by the handful OF
ministers we have in this country. II
will be by the great masses of Chris
tian men and women discharging their
duty. If the private church member
ship of this country would but put on
their armor and go forth, believe that
in fifteen years this whole land would
be redeemed for Christ. Would God
that all the people were prophets! /
am never afraid to hear a man say that
he is going to preach. If he cannot
preach, people will not go to hear him.
If he can, he has a message from the
and / would have him de-
liver it. Look out how you interfere
with him.
Since we have been together as pas
tor and people how many have been
promoted to the glories of Heaven.
They died sweetly, calmly, as only
Christians can die. They have put
down the staff of their pilgrimage;
they have taken up the palm of the
victor The Lord Jesus has swung his
arm through this church a good many |
times He has been up and down all |
these aisles. He has taken the little
dear little children. He |
came down into the garden to gather |
the lilies, and the aged as well. |
One who sat right here, so that |
when / used to preach ] /
could almost put my hand on his |
head, when l came back from my sum
ner vacation, was gone. Oh! how the |
ylories of Heaven shone around that |
Did mans face as he sat there Sabbath !
after Sabbath, Gone now. Happy |
spirit, Happy with all those who have !,
passed the flood.
One army OF the Living Cod
To his command we bow;
Part OF the host have crossed the food,
And part are crossing now
I thank you for all your kindness,
or all your sympathy. for all your
prayers for me as pastor. 1t is sor-
ow to me that l am to be absent, even
or few months. l have worked to
he full extent of physical, mental and
piritual endurance for this church
Now we start out on our twenty
ixth year How many of us will eli
t here, l know not But, living or dy-
ng, let us cling to Christ Oh. that all
he people would love Him. l wish
hat / could take this audience
his morning and wreathe it
round the heart of my Lord Jesus
,hrist Oh! He is such dear Saviour!
lie is such loving Jesus. He is so
'reciousl He is all the world to me.
lie is Heaven to me. He washed away
ny sins He comforted me in days of
ark ness and trouble. He is mine. o
blessed Jesus! Sweetest sound I ever
eard, or ever expect to hear, is Thy
anne.