The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-01-29

lllGlI SOULS, anu Ol lAiGSC blllS elSAl had beheld it suddenly. There is no question that these ninety-two had just as much light as the others, There was first a dim glimmer and then the full glorious light of the sun, The different ones got the light in different ways, but best of all they all got 1t, and in every instance there were the same character istics,
 "I don't believe in anything else than instantaneous conversion. No man was ever converted in more time than second, He began turning his life right toward God in one second. A man is a converted man when he says, I will serve God In the light or in the dark The word conversion is sometimes mis- used. It is never used in the New Tes- lament in the active sense, never in the passive. When a man takes advantage of what God has done for him and lets his will work with Gods will the help of God comes to him. The man who wills to do the will of God is a converted man.
 There are three most significant ways in which the light comes to the blind. First, they realize that they need it. Jesus never healed sick man who didn't want to be we'll. So long as man says, I see and don't need spiritual aid,' God cannot do much for him. When a man says there are no possibilities to which he has not at taired, the words of the old hymn are true, All the fitness required is to feel the need of Him!
 "A preacher was once staying with a family in Scottish town, and there was to be a family prayer meeting, The minister asked the lady of the house if all the members of the household had been invited. She answered that all had been asked but the kitchen maid, and that she was so slovenly in disposi- ton and ugly that she had not been asked. The preacher finally secured l the presence of the maid After the ser vice he talked with her and promised her a present if she would say every night, Oh Lord, show me myself! The maid did this, repeating the exact words every night When, after a time, the
 preacher returned the maid was thoroughly converted, and asked how to
 become somebody else. The preacher 1 told her to pray, oh Lord, show me someone else, and finally she saw Him
 and her sin was purged away. A few
 years after her face was so transformed l by Gods light that she could scarcely
 be recognized as herself! So long as
 you tell God of your good qualities you
 will gio to your homes with the curse of God upon you. When you cry, Oh God,
 be merciful to me, a sinner the light Of God rests upon you.
 Secondly like the man in the text, you must be tremendously in earnest. The blind man had heard that Jesus could cure the blind and he cried out Jesus have mercy upon me- The min iisters there tried to make him keep | still That was a great occasion and they didn't want it interrupted by a beggarly blind man, but in his zeal he only cried the louder. Mary of Alexandria was once a dissolute woman. One day she tried to enter church and found the door barred against her. Then she realized to what depths she had sunk and began from that time to live better life, so that when she died she was known as Saint Mary of Alex andria I wish that Encouragement could make some impression upon you. Friends, see if you can get some of the earnestness of the blind man.
 II once met man in Philadelphia who refused to give his soul to God despite all efforts in his behalf. At the same meetings one night an old lady during a service lost her pocketbook and went up and down the aisles search ing for it. I was just about to request her not to disturb the meeting when she of her own accord turned to the audience and said I have lost my pocketbook with morn four dollars int She cared more for her four dollars than the man did for his soul Most of you here would stand up for fifty cents and I could perhaps get a majority vote for much less. Just the moment you get in earnest you will be on the way to Jesus.
 '"rhe disciples of Jesus tried to keep the blind man away; We now try to bring the blind to Him and if some one here tonight is earnest enough to stand up and say: I want spiritual sight he will find many hands stretch ed out to help him.
 Thirdly, the blind man seized his op- portunity. He had heard of Jesus and had sent word to Him and had thought olI, II l OlliS oCS Iiliii pSi oolie'i'S Now is his chance. The procession comes nearer, Behold Jesus of Nazar eth passeth' Oh what joy; Jesus, the only man in the world who can help him is near If he had not cried just as he did it would have been too late, for Jesus never came back to Jericho again.
 "Oh, men and women, supreme oppor- tunities come to us which are of more z-s1 them you will be born into the king dom of God. Jesus of Nazareth pass 1 eth by
 T want to say to you tonight With a heart full of compassion that now is the time to say, Jesus of Nazareth, have mercy on me-
 q can see here before me people whose faces are beaming, filled with light because Christ is in their hearts. You can now almost hear the sweep of i His garments as Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. Tomorrow will be a great day here for God. Will you begin to be follower of Jesus Christ? Will you pray tonight for your sight and for the light of God?"
 At the close of the meeting an after meeting was held, at which many told of the chief difficulties which hindered their coming to Christ. The meeting was an enthusiastic one and was clos ta5 h,r fs,,,o,,+ 1>x- nJ,,