The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-29


and deep as hell, and long as eternity
Not hoping that you can help me with
| such a comparison, l will say; He is
waiting as only the all-sympatheticC Christ
can wait for the coming back of a lost
soul"
! Bow the knee and kiss the son.
Come, and welcome, sinner; come.
Again, the holy spirit is ready Why is
it that so many sermons drop dead-that
Christian songs do not get their wing IN
der the people that so often prayer goes
no higher than a hunters "holloaF' 1t
| is because there is a link wanting-the
work of the holy spirit. Unless that
spirit give graphing hooks to a sermon,
and lift the prayer and watt the song,
everything is dead failure That spirit
is willing to come at our call and lead you
TO eternal life; or ready TO come with the
same power with which he endorsed Saul
on the Damascus turnpike, and broke
down Lydia in her fine store, and lifted
the three thousand from midnight into
midnoon at the Pentecost. With that
power the spirit Of God now beats at the
gate Of your soul. Have you not noticed
what homely and insignificant instru-
mentality the spirit Of God employs for
mans conversion{ There was man on
Hudson river boat to whom tract was
offered. With Indignation he tore it up
and threw IL overheard. But one frag-
ment lodged on his coatsleeve; and he
saw on it the word eternity and he
found no peace until he was
prepared for that great future.
it was that caused Martin Luther to see
the truth! The just shall live by faith"
Do you know there is one-iust one-pas-
sage that brought Augustine from a life
of dissipation} "Put We on the Lord Jesus
Christ and make no provision for the flesh
to fulfill the lusts thereof" 1t was Just
one passage that converted Hedley Wears.
the great soldier to Christ: The blood
of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin"
Do you know that the holy spirit used one
passage of scripture TO save Jonathan
Edwards snow, unto the king, eter-
nal, immortal, invisible, the only wise
God, our Saviour, be glory" One year ago
on Thanksgiving day, l read for my text:
''Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is
good; for his mercy endureth for ever"
And there is a young man in the house to
whose heart the holy spirit took that
text for his eternal redemption. i might
speak of my own case. l will tell you l
was brought to the peace of the gospel
through' the Syro-PhBnician woman's
cry to Christ: Even the dogs eat of
the crumbs that fall from the Masters
table"
Do you know that the holy spirit almost
sermons never save anybody; metaphysi-
cal sermons never save anybody; philoso-
phical sermons never save anybody. But
the minister comes some Sabbath to his
pulpit, worn out with engagements and
the iangling Of sfrenied door bell;
he has only text and two or three ideas
but he says: 80 Lord, help me. Here
are good many people ! may never
meet again. | have not much to say
Speak thou through my poor lips:'' and
before the service is done there are tear
full eyes and solemnity like the judg-
ment. The great French orator, when
the dead king lay before him, looked up
and cried: God only is great :" and
the triumph of his eloquence has been
told by the historians. But | have not
heard that one soul was saved by the ora
torical flourish Worldly critics may
think that the early preaching of Thomas
Chalmers was masterpiece. But
Thomas Chalmers says he never began
to preach until he came out of the sick
room, white and emaciated, and told
men the simple story of Jesus. In the great
day of eternity it will be found that the
most souls have been brought to Christ,
not by the Bossuets and Massillons, and
Bourdaloues, but by humble men who, in
the strength of God, and believing in the
eternal spirit, invited men to Jesus
There were wise salves-there were ex-
cellent ointments, | suppose, in the time
of Christ, for blind or inflamed eyes. But
Jesus turned his back upon them, and
put the tip of his finger to his tongue, and
then, with the splittle that adhered to
the finger, he Amounted the eyes of the
blind man, and daylight poured into his
blinded soul. So IL Is now that the spirit
of God takes that humble prayer-meeting
talk, which seems to be the very saliva of
Christian influence, and anoints the eyes
OF the blind, and pours the sunlight of
pardon and peace upon the soul Oh, my
friend, wish we could feel it more and
more, that If any good Is done it is by the
power of Gods omnipotent spirit. l do
not know what hymn may bring you to
Jesus. do not know what words of the
scripture lesson l read may save your
soul Perhaps the spirit of God may
hurl the very text into your heart:
Come, for all things are now ready"
Again, the church is ready. Oh, man.
If could take the curtain off these Chris
tian hearts, could show you a great
many anxieties for your redemption. You
think that old man Is asleep, because his
head is down and his eyes are shut. No,
he is praying for your redemption, and
hoping that the words spoken may strike
your heart. Do you know the air is full
of prayerl Do you know that prayer is
going up from Fulton street prayer meet
lASy anu 1IOh rTIudY evening prayer
meeting, and going up every hour of the
day for the redemption of the people1
And If you should just start toward the
door of the Christiane church, how quickly
it would fly open. Hundreds of people
would say: "Give that man room at the
sacrament. Bring the silver bowl for his
baptism. Give him the right hand of
Christian fellowship, Bring him into all
Christian associations" Oh, you wan
derer on the cold mountains, come into the
warm sheepfold. let down the bars and
bid you come in. With the shepherds
crook / point you the way. Hundreds of
Christian hands beckon you into the
| church of God. A great many people do
not like the church, and say it is a great
mass of hypocrites but it is a glorious
! church with all its imperfectious Christ
bought it, and hoisted the pillars, and
swung its gates, and lifted its arches.
and curtained it with upholstery crimson
with cruci6xion carnage. Come into it.
We are a garden walled around
Chosen and made peculiar ground;
little spot enclosed by grace,
Out Of the world s wild Wilderness
Again, the angels of God are ready. A
great many Christians think,that the talk
about angels is fanciful. You say it is a
very good subject for theological students
who have just begun to sermonize; but for
older men it is improper. There is no more