The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-02-07

eing her bleeding heart along with him.
Waluins! On, give me q comparison
intense enough, ho. enough, importu-
nate enough to express my meaning
something high as heaven, and deep as
bell, ard long as eternity. Not hoping
tlat you can help me with such COM
parlson, I will say, He is waiting as
only the all sympathetic Christ can
wait for the coming back OF lost soul" !"
Bow the knee and kiss 9e Son.
Come, and welcome, sinner, come.
Again, the Holy Spirit is ready. Why
is 1t that so many sermons drop dead;
that Christian songs do not get their
wing under the people; that 80 often
prayer eoe3 no higher than hunters
''hallos?" It is because there is q link
wanting-the work OF the Holy Spirit.
Unless that Spirit give graphing hooks
TO sermon and lit the prayer and wait
the song everything is dead failure.
That Spirit is willing to come At your
call and lead you to eternal life, or
ready to come with the same power
with which he unhorsed Saul on the Da'
mascus turnpike and broke down Lydia
10 her foe store and lifted the 5000
from midaight into midnoon st the Pen.
tacost. With that power the Spirit OF
God now beats at the gate otyour soul.
Have you not noticed what homely and
insignificant iostrumentalitY the Spirit OF
God employs for mans converslon'
There WAS man on Hudson river
boat to whom tract was offered. With
indignation be tore it up and threw it
overheard. But one fragment lodged
on his coat sleeve, and be saw on it the
word 'seternity," and he found no peace
until be was prepared tor that great fu,
.ure. Do you know what passage IT
was that caused Martin Luther to see
the truth? "Tke just shall live by
faith" d. you know. there is one
Just one-passage that brought Angus
tine from a life OF dissipation? Pat
ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make
no provision for the desh to fulfill the
lusts thereof.'' It was lust one passage
that converted Hedley Wears, the great
soldier, to Christ, The blood Of Jesus
Christ cleanseth from all sin." Do yor
know that the Holy Spirit used one pas
sage of Scripture to save Jonathan Ed
wards? "How unto the King eternal
immortal. invisible, the only wise God
our Saviour, be glory"
One year AGO on Thanksgiving day
read for 10y text, "Oh, give thanks un'
to the Lord, for he is good; for bis mercy
endureth forever" And there is
Young man in the house to whose hear,
the Holy Spirit took that text for bis
eternal redemption. I rignr speak o
nv own case 7 will tell YOU I wa:
brought to the peace of the gospe
through the Syro-PEenician womau''
CRY to Christ. '.Eveu the dogs eat of lh'
crumbs that fall from the masters ia
ble."
Do you know that the Holy Spiri
always uses Insignificant means? E;o
ouent sermons never save anybody
metaphysical sermons never save any
body; philosophical sermons never saw
anybody. But the minister comes some
Sabbath to his pulpit, worn out with en-
gagements and the jangling ofa frenzle!
dooroell; he has only text and two o.
three ideas. but be says: 30 Lord helI
me! Here are good many people
may never meet again. l have no
mu-h to say. Speak thou through ny
poor lips" and before tie service l.
done there are fearful eyes and a solen
nifty like the judgement.
The great French orator, when tht
dead king lay before him, looked up ane
cried, "God only Is great" And the
triumph of his eloquence has been tolt
by the historians. Bu. I have not hearc
that one soul was saved by the oratoric
al flourish. Worldly critics may think
that the early preaching of Thomas
Chalmers was masterpiece. Bu
Thomas Chalmers says he never begar
to preach until he came out of the sick
room, white and emaciated, and tolc
nen the simple story Of Jesus.
In the great day of eternity it Will be
found that the most souls have beer
brought to Christ not by the Bossuets
and Massillons and Bourdaloues, but BY
humble men, who in the strength OF G oc
and believing in the eternal Spirit, in
vited men to Jesus. There were wise
salYes, there were excellent olntments
I suppose, In the time of Christ for biine
| or inhemed eyes. But Jesus turned his
back upon them and put the tip of biz
finger to his tongue and then with the
spit,le that adhered to the finger he
anointed the eyes of the blind man, anr
daylight poured into his blinded soul
So it is now that the spirit of God takes
humble prayer meeting talk, whict
seems to be the very saliva of Christian
influence, and anoints the eyes Of lhe
blind and pours the sunlight of pard or
and peace upon the soul.
Oh, my friend, 7 wish We could feel il
more and more that if any good is done
it is by the power Of Gods omnipotent
spirit. I do not know what hymn may
bring you to Jesus. I do not know
| what words of the Scripture lessons
I read may save your soul. Perhaps
the spirit of God may hurl the very text
into your heart, "Come for al things
are now ready"
Again, the church is ready. o man
I could take the curtain of these Christ
Lao hearts, / could show you ere:.,
| many suxieties for your redemption.
You tkink that old man is asleep, be
cause bis heaa is down and bis eyes are
shut. No; he is praying for your re-
demption and hoping that the words
spoken may strike your heart. Do you
know the air is full OF prayer? DO you
know that prayer is going up from Fu!-
ton street payer meeting and from Fri
day evening prayer meeting and going
up every hour OF the day for the REDEEM
ton of the peoples And if you should
Just start toward the door of the Christ
ian church how quickly 1t would fly open!
Hundreds of people would say: Give
that man room at the sacrament. Bring
the silver bowl tor his baptism. Give
him the rioht hand of Christian Fellowship