The Portland daily press., 1895-03-23
MANY TURNED AWAY.
No Abatement in the Interest at the
Mills Meetings.

The Hall Would Not Contain Those Who
| Wished to Attend the Evening Meet
ing-Many Rose for Prayer.
! There will be no attempt made to obtain a
general observance of tie ''Midw week Sun
day" Tuesday, but all those who arc will
ing to cluse their places of business that
day will be asked to do so in order that
those in their employ may be able to attend
the afternoon service at City hall.
THE AFTERNOON SERVICE.
| The afternoon service at City hall was
we'll attended. Rev.Dr. Allen offered pray
er. and Rev. B. Fay Mills preached. his SUBJ
| ject being ''Jacob's Blessing.' ~
| THE EVENING SESSION.
| Tho great hall was packed again at the
evening session. and many were turned
away. Rev. l. Luce led the devotional
exercises. and Mr.. Hills sang 1.-THE Three
Calls MI. Mills then said:
| ask you to be especially prayerful dur
ing this sermon because feel that it will be
a SAVIOR of life unto life, or a SAVIOR of death
unto death to many people, and l desire to
| speak very simply and in the fear of God.
| The question that concerns us tonight is
this: "Can a man be spiritually dead while
physically alive?'' My text will be fond
in John xii. 39-"Therefore Many Could
Not Believe.''
They would not believe and they at last
reached that stat that they could not be-
lieve. They closed their eyes and they
lost their sight. They close their ears. and
they could not hear. They hardened their
hearts until they could not melt. The fact
that man can come to the point where he
can not believe is a three-fold cord any one
strand of which j strong enough, There
is the testimony of the Bible, Of nature,
| or If you please to SO term ii of science.
and OF observation. and if was TO sum up
the Bible in one word it would be ''opportu-
nifty" 1t is the one thing that is proven
from first to last
A blind heart is sKeptical heart. When a
man says 1T will not believe in God.' he
has come to the point when he is past feel
ing, and then he is past hope. Some people
cannot be renewed under repentance. That
is the plain, simple, straight statement of
the Bible. and if You are renewed under
repentance tonight you Iuay be certain that
you have not committed that sin. We are
to make sure that we fail not Of the grace
of God.
Tonight bid you beware that you do not
sell your birth right. for you cannot find it
again. though you seek it with tears: Even
the loving John has said that there is sin
that is not unto death, and that there is a
sin that is unto death, and that there are
those for whom prayers are not to be
offered. God forbid that we in our weak
ness should be made the judge of the spir-
itual condition Of any one but DO know
that there are ties in the history of all
spiritual minded Christ ians when they fsel
that the spirit is noe making intercessions
with them for some person forswhom they
are trying to pray.
Any persisted in sin may be a. fatal sin.
A man who says, ,"No'' to the p1eadings of
the spirit, may lind his nature SO changed
that 1T Will be necessary for him to go on
in sin. have said that this is also the
teachings of observation. do not pretend
that3fcan look at man and tell if he has
committed the deadly sin. Those who die
out OF Christ do not as a rule die hard. but
there Is no encouragement for you in that
fact for it appalls me. A man who at::sixty
teels no striving of the spiritfInay have been
nightly moved at fifteen or at fifty. You
may measure your danger by your lack Of
concern regarding eternal things. The fact
that sinner can die calmly is simply a
PROOF that at some period in his career he
haa settled his spiritual destiny. If the
splIlt OF God was convincing men of com.
Ing Judgement they would not be inditfer-
ent al the vital moment. l offer this word
OF encouragement. II there is in your heart
e convection of sin, and a feeling of repen-
lance you have not committed that sin.
} man said Il have committed that sin,''
nut SAID, ''the fact that you are fearful
judgment shows that you have not" and
ne seao :! will come to Chlist just as am. ~
1l$ Y FL