The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-09
THE SoWER AND THE REAPER.
lIOODY'S POTENT SERMON ON
CHARACTER BUILDING.

Great Preacher and as many Il urn
ed Away as We're Able TO Gain Adj
mission.
Long before S o'clock last night the In
dependent Presbyterian church auditorium
contained $500 people. They were packed
IN every available space even In the
inches in the walls. Possibly never before
has the building been so thronged. Many
sauatted under the choir platform, and
as many gathered about the stand Even
standing room in the gallery was out Of
the question.
On account OF the great crowd, fully
2.G00 who came late had to fOregO the
meeting They were turned away 10 other
churches. Many went TO the First Bap-
fist church. where arrangements had been
made for such Of the Overplus as desired
10 attend.
The Moody meeting was opened with
fervent prayer by Rev. T. ]. Shipman, of
the Duny Street Baptist church, preceded
by a hymn by the choir under the direction
Of Mr.. c. p. Miller. Prof. White being alb
sent. Mr. +. X. Demmond and Mrs. Geo.
Williams sang the duet, Il Shall Be Salts
fed When l Awoke in His Likeness"
Rev. A. NJ Williams invoked the pres
ence of God in fervent words Another
hymn. Lamb of Calvary" was sung by
the choir after which Miss Georgia How
ard sang. After the Toll Comes Peaceful
Rest"
Mr.. Moody read the fifth chapter of
Paurs epistle to the Galatians, which en-
joins man from walking in the ways of
worldly lusts, etc. Mr.. Moody prayed earn
estly, thanking God for the blessings he
showers upon his people, and for their
continuance.
Mrs. S. F. Smith sang What Shall the
Harvest Be?" the choir joining in the
chorus. II was a fitting song for the
sermon that followed.
BE not deceived; God is not Knocked;
for whatsoever man soweth, that shall
he also reap" Gal, 81, was the evange-
lists text.
This law applies to the highest, as
well the lowest-all," said the evange-
list Its Gods eternal decree that what
soever a man sows that shall he reap.
man said to me once that he didn't believe
the text That didn't change it, Opinion
does not changeAa truth. 1t is impossible
TO deceive God-its folly to try. That
man didn't want to believe il. He was
subsequently arrested and convicted of
theft. doubt if he did not believe it in
I'm going to divide my text into four
parts; something l seldom do. My object
is to get the text into your minds
poets to reap when he sows; second, he
expects to reap the same kind that he
sows; third, he expects to reap more;
fourth, If he be ignorant Of the kind of
seed it makes no difference.
mo man prepares himself for a voca-
ton unless he expects reward for his
labor-the harvest. If he wants to grow
cotton he will plant cotton seed. It's just
as true in Gods as in mans kingdom.
You lie to your boy or servant; he will
learn to lie, too. A merchant once told
CO1ll0 honest
/ told him he taught his clerks to lie
about his goods, etc, and the clerks learn
reap lies. Political, society and business
lies are as black as any other kind No
man is exempt from Gods law.
The strongest argument against Whls-
ky selling is found here. You sell my son
whisky and make drunkard of him;
somebody else makes your son drunk
ard. You sow whisky, you reap a drunk
en- son. l challenge you TO ind whisky
dealer of long standing but who has
skeleton in his closet A man accepted
this challenge once, and said l had TO
retract it, because he said his father sold
whisky and never had the curse of Cod
told him twas strange, that his was the
first case in my experience. Two Others
were in the room at the time, and one
expressed surprise at the mans state
ment, saying the man was a habitual
drunkard; that his brother had but re-
Gently committed suicide Possibly that
man thought his brother was no relation
TO him. 1t is just as bad for a property
know father with four beautiful boys,
who rented "A house to the mistress of
brothel. His sons were wrecked in that
house. This was in Chicago"
Mr.. Moody took up the case of Jacob,
who robbed Esau of his birthright. He
showed how Jacob had suffered long and
severely for that sin. Laben deceived him,
his sons deceived and brought him to fire.
quent grief. He reaped what he had sown.
David did the same thing. 1T is astonish-
ing 10 me- he said, THE nations can't see
the truth of this law"
Taking up the third division of his ser
mon, Mr.. Moody said: IF you SOW ten
acres in cotton, you expect to reap more,
else you would not trouble about sowing.
Jacob told one lie to his father; his sons
told him hundred. The same with David.
How low both fell under Gods punish
ment. The evangelist told of young man,
high and esteemed. who got drunk one
night and committed murder He was con-
Victed and sent up for four years.
After his release he returned home ostra-
cised as if he We're leper. 1t took him
long time to build up his character,
which he lost in one night. 1t takes
long time to build monument; it can be
destroyed in minute.
1t becomes us TO look what kind of
seed we SOW. A farmer doesn't sow seed
he knows nothing about. He would be
crazy. If he did He keeps his best seed
from his previous crop for planting. Man
is sowing for eternity and should look
well what he's sowing. All of us are
sowing every day. Tell me what you sow
and I'll tell you what your harvest will
be, and I'm not prophet, either. Tell
me how boy treats his parents and I'll
tell you his harvest. ] have an utter con-
tempt for any young man who complains
of the restraints his parents impose upon
him
"A man in England told me England had
the advantage over America in laws be-
cause we don't hang many murderers-
the meanest go unhung, because of money
and influence. The man that stabs me is
a prince beside one who stabs his poor
mother by coming home drunk every
night. In the latter case he kills by de-
grees. That's worse than murder. I never
saw a child treat his parents scornfully
but the child came to a bad end. When
my dear mother died several weeks ago,
my little daughter asked me If 1 were
going to give her flowers l told her I
gave mother flowers during her life -
Here the evangelist pleaded in pathetic
tones TO the young man and daughter to
be considerable of their parents-to make
their last days happy and bright. for, he
said, you will not have them always"
There must be penalty, if there be
q law. It's the penalty men don't like
Do YOU suppose God will let you violate
his law with impunity? No The penal
ty of sin is death. You ask if God is
going to punish you for all your evils on
earth and afterward, too. Here is where