The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-14

the times-as far in advance as the cross
of Christ is ahead of all human invention.
Paul was thousand years ahead 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.
Give iniquity four thousand years the
start, and the feet of Christianity are so
nimble that if you will but give it full
swing ii will catch up and pass it in two
bounds. The church of God ought to be
ahead of the times.
| 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 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 wo-
men to the feet of the Savior is a failure.
l care not how fine the building or how
sweet the music, or how eloquent the
preaching, or how elegant the surround
lngs-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 giving
fine touches to Christians. already pol
ished We keep our religion too much in
doors, and under shelter, when it ought
to be climbing the rocks or hewing IN the
forests Then it would be a stalwart re
ligion, robust religion, religion able to
digest the strong meat of the word, in
stead of being kept on the pap and Cruel
of spiritual invalidism. 1t is high time
that we threw off the Sunday clothes of
sickly sentimentality, and put on the
wOrk-day 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
eighteen hundred and ninety-four years
since Christ came, and yet Europe, Asia,
| Africa, North and South America are
still unevangeliZed. More people born
every year into the 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 its tact, and
| take wider sweep with the gospel net
than any it has yet taken l believe that
the great masses of the people 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
| q,
and he says, Il wish was IN there, but
l have not been invited" and so he passes
| on. Here is the church of God lighted
up with festiviJy and holy mirth, and the
| world passes along outside, hears the
music, and sometimes wishes it was in
side, but says that it is not invited. Oh!
invite the world to come in Go out into
the highways and hedges Send a ticket
of invitation, printed in these words,
! Come, for all things are now ready"
Some years ago POO men were buried in
the Hartley colliery of England The
! Queen of England, from her throne, tele-
graphed, rs there any hope for the
menu 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 ques-
tion that thrills up TO the throne OF God
to-day is, is there any hope for the
mem" Answering intelligence comes
back from the throne of God, thrilling
through the worlds darkness, thrilling
through the world S woe, Yes hope for
one hope for all Whosoever will, let
him come. And the spirit ana 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
Christie 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 resolu-
tions for the conversion of the world.
purifying the cities, and redeeming the
masses, and making everything all right.
| say Ay." "Ay! Ayr 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 a
! 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. 1t will
be by the great masses of Christian men
and women discharging their duty. If
the private church membership of this
country would but put on their armor,
and go forth, l believe that in fifteen
] years this whole land would be redeemed