Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-05-04

patient. DO you DcllcNc tnats 1Ou are
told THAI Christ came to save sinners DO
you believe that? You arc told that all
you have to do to get the pardon of the
gospel is To ask for II. Do you believe
thats Then come 10 him and say: 80 Lord,
/ know thou canst not lie. Thou hast told
me To come for pardon and could get 1t.
! come Lord. Keep thy promise and lib
crate my captive soul. !"
oh, that you might have nm altar I'm tho
parlor, In the kitchen, In the store, I'm the
barn, for Christ will he willing TO come
again tn the mangcr to hear prayer. He
would come 10 your place of business, rs
he confronted Matthew, the tax commits
sioncr. II "a measure should como before
congress fhat you thought would ruin the
nation. how You would send in petitions
and rcmonstranccsl And yet there has
been enough sin In your heart To ruin II
forever and you have never demonstrated
or pctitioncd against it, II your physical
health failed, and you had the means, you
would 90 and spend the summer in Ger.
many and the winter In Italy, and you
would think 1t a very cheap outlay IL you
had To go all round the earth To get bacl;
your physical health. Have you made any
sffort. any expenditure, any cxcrtion, for
your immortal and spiritual health?
Oh, that you might now begin to seek
after God with earnest prayer. Some Of
you have been working for years and years
for the support of your families Have you
given one half day to tho working out Of
your salvation with fear and trcmblingf
You came here with an earnest purpose, I
take II. as I have come hithcr with an
earnest purpose. and wc meet face To face,
and tell you, first Of all, II you want to
find tho Lord you must pray and pray
and pray.
Bible Study.
l remark again you must seek the Lord
through Bible study. The Bible Is the
newest book I'm the world. "Oh, you say,
''it was made hundreds ~ years ago, and
tho learned men Of King James translated
1t hundreds of years ago" confute that
idea by telling you 1t is not five minutes
old, when God, by his blessed spirit, re-
translates IL into the heart. II you will,
in the seeking of the way of life through
Scripture study, implorc Gods light to fall
upon the page, you will find that these
promises are not one second old, and that
they drop straight from the throne of God
into your heart.
There nre many people to whom the
Bible does not amount TO much. II they
merely look mt the outside beauty, why IL
will no more lead them to Christ than
Washington's farewell address or the Koran
OF Mohammcd or the Shastcr of the Hin
docs. II Is the inward light Of Gods word
you must get. / went up 10 the Church Of
the Madeleine in Paris. and looked nt the
doors. which are the most wonderfully
constructed ever saw, and could have
staid there for whole week, but l had
only little time: 81, having glanced Mt
the wonderful carving on the doors,
passed in and looked ut the radiant affairs
and the sculpturcl dome. Alas, that so
many stop nj the outside door of God s
holy word, looking at the rhetorical beau
ties, instead of going in and looking Mt
the altars ~ sacrifice and tho domo of
Gods mercy and salvation that hovcrs over
pcnitcnt and believing souls
Oh, my friends, II you merely want TO
study the laws Of language. do not GO to
the Bible. II was not made for that Take
"Howc's Elements nf Criticism;" Il will
be better than the Bible for that II you
want 20 study metaphysics. better than
the Bible will bc the writings Of William
Hamilton But II you want 10 know how
To have sin partloncd and at last to gain
the blcSscdncss Of heaven search the Scrip
lures, for in them yc have eternal life"
When people ARE anxious about their
souls, there are those who recommend good
books. That is all right But / want to
tell you that the Bible Is the best book nm
der such circumstances. Baxter wrote "A
Call Ia the Cnconvcrtcd, hut tho Bible Is
the best call Ia the unconycrtcd. Philip
Doddridgc wrote "Thc Rise and Progress
of Religion In the Soul :" hut the Bible Is
the best rise and progress. John Angel
James wrote advice to the Anxious In
quircr, " but the Bible Is the best advice
to the anxious inquirer
Oh. the Bible is the very book you need
anxious and inquiring suul' a dying sol
dicr said to his mate, "Comratlc, give mo
u drop The comradc shook up the can
teen and said. There isn't drop of water
In the cantccn. oh" said the dying
soldier. that's not what / want; feel in
my knapsack for my Bible" and his com
radc found the Biblo and read him few
Of the gracious promises. and the dying
soldier said: "Ah, that's what I want
There isn't anything like the Bible for n
dying soldier, is there, my comrade?" oh.
blessed book, while we livcl Blessed book
W hen we die,