The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-05-16

so nlmDle That II you VIII but give IL full
swing IT will catch up and pass it in two
bounds. The church of God ought TO be
ahead OF the times.
A staIwnrt Religion.
remark. further. that we have tried
here in the love and fear of God TO build
a church that would be characterized by
conversions. have heard of very good
people who could preach on for fifteen
or twenty years and see no conversions,
but yet have faith. 1t takes very good
man to do that. 1 do not know how
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 Savious 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 a 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
10 spend their time in giving fine touches
to Christians already polished. We keep
our religion too much indoors and under
shelter when ii ought to be climbing the
rocks or hewing in the forests. Then it
would be a stalwart religion, a robust
religion, a religion able to digest the
strong meat of the world instead of be-
ing Kept on the pap and Cruel of spirit
ual invalidism 1t is high time that we
threw off the Sunday clothes of sickly
sentmentality and put on the workday
dress of an earnest. active Christianity.
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 yet Europe.
Asa, Africa North and South America
are still unevangelized. More people
born every year into the world than are
born % Of Cd haf
rate ask any one who can do simple
sum in arithmetic 10 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 &c Christ.
But the church will have to change its
tack and take a wider sweep with the
gospel net than any it has yet taken I
believe that the great masses of the peo-
pie are now ready to receive the gospel
If we give them a chance.
A boy goes along the street at night
and sees a fine house beautifully lighted
up and hears music. and he says. Il
wish l was in there, but / have not been
invited, and so he passes on. Here is
the church of God lighted up with fes-
tivity and holy mirth, and the world
passes along outside. hears 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 high
ways and hedges Send a ticket of in
vitation. printed in these words. Come,
for all things are now ready"
Buried in Sin.
Some years ago 200 men were buried
in the Hartley colliery of England. The
queen of England, from her throne. tele-
graphed, rs there any hope for the
men?" After awhile the answer came
over the wires: mo hope. They are
dead" Here is a whole race buried in
sin and darkness and woe. The question
that thrills up to the throne of God today
is, rs there any hope for the men?"
Answering intelligence comes back from
the throne of God. thrilling through the
worlds darkness, thrilling through the
worlds woe: Yes Hope for one, Hope
for all. whatsoever will. let him come
And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come.
And let him that is athirst come"
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 resO-
lutions for the conversion of the world,
purifying the cities and redeeming the
masses and making everything all right
say aye" "Ayei Aye." say / 900 voices
"An opposed no." THE ayes have it,"
There, the world is converted! All we
do not seem to get along by such pro-
cess.
If this world is ever TO be brought to
Cod it will not be by the handful of min
listers we have in this country. 1t will
be by the great masses of Christian men
end women discharging their duty If
the private church membership of this
country would but put on their armor
and go forth I believe that in fifteen
years this whole land would be redeemed
for Christ Would God that all the peo-
pie were prophets. I am never afraid
to hear 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 Almighty. and 1 would
have him deliver il. Look out how you
interfere with him.
Closing Words.
Since we have been together as pastor
and people how many have been pro-
NOTED 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 children-the 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 l used TO
preach l could almost put my hand on
his head. when l came back from my
summer vacation was gone. oh, how the
glOries of heaven shone around that old
mans face as he sat here Sabbath after
Sabbath Gone now, happy spirit Hap
by 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 flood, Z
And part are crossing now.
I thank you for all your kindness. for
all your sympathy, for all your prayers
for me as pastor 1t is a sorrow to me
that / am TO be absent even for few
months. / have worked to the full ex-
tent of physical. mental and spiritual
endurance for this church.
Now we start out on our twenty
sixth year How many of us will close
it here / know not. But, living or dying,
let US cling to Christ. Oh. that all the
people would love Him! l wish that |
could take this audience this morning
and wreathe it around the heart Of my
Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, He is such a
dear savior. He is such a loving Je-
sus, He is so preciousi He is all the
world to me. He is heaven to me. He
washed away my sins. He cOmfOrted
me in days of darkness and trouble. He
is mine. o blessed Jesusi Sweetest
sound / ever heard or ever expect to
hear is Thy name!
My closing prayer this morning is that
God will have mercy on the dying popu-
lation of our great cities, and that the
l.. !. Ill