Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-20

Him first He has been seeking you in
many ways. You never heard sermon or
a hymn or had tract thrust in your hand
but what Christ was seeking you. 1t may
nave been letter from your wife or q
picture of your mother looking upon you
as You did that which you ought not. 10
was Christ seeking You.
Il remember one time young man tell
ing me that he used 20 be dissolute and
many Tunes he had came to his room ana
| had seen picture of his mother looking
down at him reproachfully That face
haunted him until he had to turn IT to the
wall. IT was simply Christ seeking him.
christ IS seeking you now. 1t does not take
an anxious sinner and an anxious Savior
long to meet.
There was a shepherd once, and he had
one hundred sheep. Ninety-nine of them
| Were safe, but one of them was lost and
| ne ceased not nor rested until he had found
that one. A woman had ten pieces Of sill,
Yer ana lost one OF them. She did not sit
| ocWn 10 weep, but she took a light and a
broom and she sought until she had found
| the one that was lost And so IL was. u
was not the sheep that was glad nor the
piece OF silver, but the shepherd and the
woman who rejoiced.
Personal Matter.
at is you, brethren, that this text refers
to, not your neighbor nor some one else,
but You, yourself / remember one time a
woman Who thought she ought TO receive
special consideration because she was a
very respectable sinner. But somehow or
other she failed TO reap the rich harvest
| that should come from faith. On one co.
casion she heard the question asked Are
| you God-like? This made her think again.
1 50 brethren, i ask You, are you God-like7
l don't believe you are altogether goddess,
/ put are You completely God-like2 III not,
You should come TO Christ and ask Him 10
| make you like Him"
In earnest, yet very common, everyday
| words, Mr.. Moody told the story OF the
! blind beSgar who had been told OF the
| wonderful healing powers of the Christ and
now he went 10 Aim TO have his sight re-
| stored. Drawing on his imagination, as he
/ said one had right To do when he tried to
| realize how great is Christ and His good
| work. Mr.. Moody went on to draw a verbal
| picture OF the wonderful scenes in Jericho
that day when the poor blind man and the
| f1ch man OF Jericho were saved. He pic
| tured the scenes as Christ and the line OF
| bis followers trudged along the road until
1 they reached the big sycamore tree in
| which Zacchaeus had sought to hide him.
/ self from the observation of the crowd, and
yet see it all for himself.
/ .''Zacchaeus, make haste and come down.
| for today 1 must abide at thy house"
| And Zacehaeus probably wondered how
Christ knew his name, bat he did make
| haste to come down. Brethren, lie knows
your name and your street and number,
| and He knows it every time You lie, or
| seal or cheat, strike your WIFE He
| knows IL every time YOU get drunk.
| Brethren, We hear great deal about
the impossibiiity of sudden conversion But
how about Zacchaeusc There was no sign
| OF conversion when he went I'D into that
| tree, Yet he was converted by the time he
came down He must have been converted
| some time between the time he left the
| branch and the time he reached the ground
! But We are told that sudden conversion
does not last and does more harm than
| good. Again, how about Zacchaeus? wish
| we could have dozen or hundred like him
| right here in this town. Zacchaeus was d
/ ffch mar, but he went right of and de-
voted one-haH Of his goods to the poor. Oh,
my brethren, IL we could but get some
| OF the rich men of Washington TO follow in
| the footsteps OF Zacchaeus, have an idea
| that the poor Of this city, at least, would
believe that there was some value in sud-
| den conversion"
knew He Was n sinner.
| Mr.. Moody told a pathetic story OF his
work one afternoon in the Tombs in New
York. where every one OF the men behind
the bars insisted that they were innocent
and prosecuted. all save one That one
knew he was vile sinner, and Mr.. Moody
| said that it was like cup OF cold water TO
a thirsty man TO find one sinner in such o
| company, to ind one man who was honest
| enough TO know that he was full OF sin, for
he knew then that there was one man there
who might be saved, and that one man was
/ saved.
Brethren" said Mr.. Moody, drawing to-
! NdEN a CioSt,s II Is mol me EOlIN ana the
virtuous that Christ came 10 can 10 repent
ance. It is the sinner that He rejoices TO
| save. Won't you Gomez
| This closed his address or rather the prsy-
/ e. that followed il did. for the prayer was
/ an earnest appeal that The spirit CT the
! living Christ should be abroad among tn
| gathering ready to bring over to His side
| every hayward or doubling heart Then
| the choir sang a hymn that told of the
welcome that will await the wanderer when
| he comes home.
| Let us all come home right now" said
| the preacher impressively. LET us al
come home TO the Christ in a prayer for a
henediction." Rev. L. ID. Bailey led In
| prayer.
Rev. DIR. McKim OF the Church Of the
| Epiphany delivered an eloquent address in
| which he urged upon his hearers mot TO
| receive the grace of God in vain" It is the
| right and the duty of each one TO answer
for himself. he pointed out; no one can an
/ swer for you when the offer OF salvation is
I made. You can receive Him. ana YOU also
! have the power to reject Him and 20 de-
| prive yourself Of the JOY and the happiness
/ that comes from receiving Him. Christ is
| ready. anxious and able TO save sinners
/ even to the uttermost.
MIR. Moody's Little Story.
Take me as I am" was The hymn THAT
| the choir sang at the conclusion OF Dr. Nc
kim's address. The third verse reminded Mr..
Moody OF an incident in the story OF the
4 conversion Of a young English army officer,
anu nc StSPPS2 tie singing, Whiie ne tod
| of this young man. The young lieutenant
had been gambling and rioting until late
| one night and was on his way back 70 his
| own quarters from the officers mess
| Mr.. Moody" said he, IT was Going back
to my room and said to the Lord, Lord.
| take me, but you've got TO take me Just es
1 am, for IL you don't I may change my
mind before morning"
| Il was shocked at first" said Mr. Moody.
| when he told me that story. And yet,
when thought of It. I saw that that was
| the way it had to be; he must be saved Just
| as he was or not at all And Jesus ala
| take him, and that man became q faithful
Christian worker and one OF the most sodiy
| men ever knew. He died not long ago st
| Gibraltar, and he has gone to his reward
| with Christ who saved him"
| Mr.. Moody asked that while the Choir
was singing the next hymn, all should turn
and speak TO those about them Of chx1Gi
and His love.
Il hate this talking at arms length,
Come, let's turn this into a conversational
| meeting" and he himself stepped down int
| the crowd and Joined with those who xerO
going from one 70 another speaking here Z
word OF hope and there a word of conso,s,>
ton After some hymns and brief prayss1
| the meeting closed