Evening star., 1894-03-02

thought, Were the people who are altogether
too good" One of the meanest men in all
history was the elder brother in the 18th
chapter Of Luke. He was altogether tco
good in his way, but there was not single
one of the Beatitudes delivered from the
mount to which he was not radically op-
posed.
He went down" said Mr. Moody earn
estly, he went down from the sins of the
mind just as the younger son was lost
through the sins and lusts of the body.
There are no sins that do not come in one
or other OF these categories, just as they do
In the classes represented by the publican
and the sinner. OH but If they could only
have called on the name of the Lord He
would have heard their cry. And how good
was that father of those two boys? How
like he seems to me to God himself,
who is ready and willing to save each ana
al, even unto the uttermost
Must De an Honest Cry.
'Whosoever calls on the name Of the
Lord shall be saved But Il must be en-
honest cry. Brethren, IL We could but send
up an honest, earnest cry to God We would
have such a pentecostal blessing as we
have never known. And We don't have to
go back to the days of Manassa or even to
the New Testament times for a proof Of
this"
The speaker in connection with this point
told of a noted burglar who was in fan in
ST Louis. and by chance read the report CT
a Moody meeting in morning paper. The
man was a dyed-in-the-wool wicked man
and was attracted to the story by a sensa-
| uonal headline THE Jailer Jailed" under
the impression that Phiippi, where the in
cident occurred was a little town near by in
Illinois sQmewhere, and he was delighted
10 hear or jailer, a member OF a class he
mated OF old. jailed himself. The man read
on ana on and when he read that any man
might call upon the Lord and be saved he
fell upon his knees in his cell and prayed
long and earnestly. And he was saved and,
what was more, his character was SO
changed that when the time came on for
his trial TO begin the sheriff labored long
ana successfully to get him on 1t ended
up In the man becoming a deputy sheriff.
! ana from being a desperate and Infamous
burglar he rose to a point where he was
trusted with all the money that came into
| the sherins s office. This was back in the
| early SOs. Administra tions have coma ana
gone, but that man still holds his place for
! MS honesty and ability. Mr. Moody gave
| the mans name and said that IL there was
any man In the audience who did not be-
| heve this incident to be true he was al Nh
| erty to write to the man in ST I.ouis ana
ask him about it. -~
| The Answer to Prayer
Il don't think" said Mr.. Moody, that
tnere was ever a man at any time or place
VINO prayed truly TO God without having
MS prayer answered And you don't have
TO wait Tor me to finish my sermon before
You make your prayer. Just bow your
head where you are and honestly say:
| Lord, have mercy on me- a sinner You'u
have your prayer answered before YOU
leave this hail. Won't you pray, father.
son; won't You pray, mother, daughter.
| won't you pray? Is your burden too heavy
| for you to bear? Then throw IL all upon
| the Lord. Is there a lost woman here to-
| night! Let her but say, Lord make me
| clean Is there gambler here tonight,
tired of his past life and his sins? Let
throw hon oil ha 4 - l..
| skepuc here tonight who has never
prayed before? Let him at least bow his
| head in Difference to the others. Don't you
believe in the existence OF God2 Then
pray, oh, God, IL there be a God, help me-
| have known many an atheist TO be
helped by that simple prayer.
! Let US all pray. Bow your heads and
| say after me, Lord help me- Now YOU
| didn't all say that. Say il again, all rever-
| emily and earnestly. God, help me- Now
| again. Lord, have mercy upon me, a
] sinner. Every head was bowed. Many
| a voice followed the evangelist in these
words of supplication. Many an eye was
| filled with tears, and many a heart was
| touched 1t was wonderful scene, ani
one that was deeply impressive however it
| was viewed. Mr.. Moody followed with an
! eloquent invocation for an outpouring Of
| divine grace and mercy. Then the choir
| sang the two appropriate hymns, Christ
| Died for Sinful Men" and Take Me as
| Am" This closed the regular meeting of
the evening, but by far the larger part Of
the crowd stayed for the after meeting and
there were more than enough people watt
ing outside the closed doors to I'll all the
seats vacated, so that at o'clock there
were quite as many people in the hall az
| were there when the service began.
Yesterday Afternoons Meeting.
At the afternoon Moody and Sanl1ey
meeting yesterday one OF the largest
crowds that has attended any Of the day
meetings was present Almost every seat
in the great hail was filed and the services
were of more than usually impressive
character. Mr.. Sankey sang a number of
his hymns and there were prayers by Rev.
]. C. Butler and Mr.. Moore OF Boston. Be
fore delivering mis- address, Mr.. Moody
stated that he had received during the Sc
ries of meetings, great number of per-
sonal letters from people who desired that
he should make a special prayer for them.
He had made a collection Of these requests
and he read them out asking that the con-
gregation and choir should bow their heads
in earnest prayer he did so. Mothers
asked for prayers for wayward sons. wives
for drunken and dissoute husbands, and
there Were requests Of all sorts that made
a deep impression on the hearts OF all who
were present.
Mr.. Moody's address was directed for the
most part to the backsliders, who had en-
joyed fellowship and communion with the
Lord and had lost it Men go back from
a state of grace into sin" he said, mot
by one great fall, but step by step. There
are many people who keep their position in
the church who are just as bad those
who have been deprived OF theirs. The
prodigal just as much a backslider
when he left his fathers door dressed in
fine clothes and with plenty of money as
he was when down there among the swine.
His heart had gotten away from his IA
:her. just as many Of you have let your
hearts get away from your Almighty Fa-
ther"
One Of the first steps in a fall said Mr..
Moody, is self-confidence. When a man
begins to get big in his own estima ton
he begins to get small in the sight Of God.
Mr. Moody illustrated the point he was
making by repeating the story OF St Peter
and showed how he had gone back little by
little. beginning with an overweening con-
fidence in himself
MckANE WEARING STRIPES.