Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1895-09-20
OUR MEETINGS.

The protracted meetings are under
| the preaching of Rev. Mr.. Lomax, OF
| Ottumwa. He has begun to hold meet.
ings in the basement OF the United
| Presbyterian church, on the corner OF
| Seventh and Grand avenue.
My dear friends, we send You tins
special invitation to attend the revival
services to be conducted by Rev. LomaA
and others. We ask for primitive
Christianity a herring; printed COS
pei will never convert the world. The
most powerful appeals ever made to the
human heart, conscience or reason are
made with the glowing lips of the liv-
ing speaker.
This is the day Of days. We are llv-
ing IN wonderful times. We are trying
to stand at the top in everything with
good live church We have no new
gospel to offer you. Christ is the I'M
changing theme OF the pulpit. All the
inventions of the age will not discover
new gospel. but they may reveal new
methods of enforcing the old story
There is an elastic element in CHRIS
tianizing that forever adapts into the
great onward march of humanity. The
church that denies this possibility OF
consciences of its members human
creed. in our Judgment, holds in its
hands the very danger that IS piercing
Christianity in this age. We are free
people. Where God has bound us we
are bound Where he has left us free
we are free indeed. Anything that re-
tards the progress of man making the
best of himself is violation OF his
freedom. The man who is a Democrat
because his father was. is slave TO
that extent. This age needs men who
think for themselves These days are
freighted with great responsibilities
and opportunities Do we realize IT?
Are we redecming the tirfle? Its high
time to awake: the master has come
and calls on us to make the most OF
life and the best of both worlds. lie
asks nothing of us that is wrong or
unreasona bic, but the practice OF that
which we know in orr own hearts is
for our highest good. Let us not brood
over the dead past. Ii there was no
second chance in life we might despair
when once we have failed, but it is the
glory of the new .dispensation under
which we live, that though we fail we
may rise again; that our very failure
may become stepping stone upon
which we may plant our feet to climb
higher.
Most people WHO rise in life, who
grow noble, strong and helpful reach
their places through victories over
difficulties and over their own failures
and defeats.
A shrewd critic said of Napoleon that
the secret of his success was not that
he made fewer mistakes than Others
but that he forgot them sooner and
turEed to some better plan We would
like to share with you the duties, priv
ileges and hopes of the gospel OF Christ.
1t is gospel of peace and hope and
rest as sure as you live. There is life
for the lifeless, pardon for the guilty,
and grace in it for those who are weak
and who think they are too far away
to ever return.
We beg of you by all the sorrows
through which you must pass before
you die, by all the trials, temptations
and mistakes through you will surely
fall if you are not Christian. to decide
soon There is nothing gained in de-
lay and it may not be always your
privilege to obey Christ. | ask you
again, if it is possible for you to do so,
to attend the meetings. You will be
made very welcome.
HENRY MCCRAvEN.