The morning times., 1896-11-09

OF the ludicrouS is so thoroughly fevpioped
In me that when / hear these Scripture
words read AT the obseguies Of one OF the
religious do-nOthings in the churches 1t is
too much for my gravity. Their works
do follow them.' What works? And in
what direction do they follow them-up
or down? And do they follow on foot OF
on the wing? And how long will they
follow before they catch up? More ap-
propriate funeral text for all such religious
dead-h heats would be the W ortls In Matthew
xxv:S-.Our lamps are gone out One
would think that such Christians would
show at least under whose banner they
are enlisted.
THE SERMONS OBJECT.
Now, the object of this sermon is to
stir at least one-fourth OF you to an ambi-
tion for that which my text presents in
blazing vocabulary, namely, passion for
souls. To prove that it is possible to
have much OF that spirit, bring the conse-
Grafton of $3.50 foreign missionaries. 1t
is usually estimated that there are at least
5000 missionaries. 1 make n liberal al
luwance, ana admit that there may he ten
bad missionaries out OF the 1000, but do
not believe there is one. All English and
American merchants leave P0mbay, Cal
cutta, Annoy, and Pekin as. soon as they
make their fortunes. Why? Because no
stay In that climate after monetary induce
ments have ceased. Now, the missionaries
there are put down on the barest necessi-
ties, and most of them do not lay UP one
dollar in twenty years. Why, then, do
they stay in those lands of intOlerable
heat, and cobraS, and raging fevers, the
thermometer sometimes playing at 13O
and 140 degrees of oppressiveness, twelve
thousand miles from home, because OF the
unhealthy climate and the prevailing i'm
moralities of those regions compelled to
send their children to England, or Scotland,
or America, probably never to see them
again? o Blessed Christ! Can 1t be any
thing but a passion for souls?
n, is easy 10 uuurrst anu All tliis irequeno
depreciation Of foreign missionaries when
yon know that they are eHopposed 30 the
opium trnffic and til at interferes with com
merce; and tn en- the missionaries are moral,
ana til at is an offenSe Ia many OF the mer-
chants--Eot all of them. but many ofthem-
who, absent from all home restraint,
are Immoral ,nat we can make only
faint allusion To the monstrosity Of their
denominations.
A QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
who is that young Woman on the worst
street in Washington, New York, or Lon
don, bible in hand, and little packase
in which are small vials of medicine, and
another bundle in which are biscuits?
How dare she risk herself among those
roughs,' and where is she going? She is
one OF the queens of heaven, hunting up the
sick and hungry, and before night she will
have read Christ's Let not your heart be
Troubled in eight or ten places, and counted
out Irom tn ose walls the right number OF
drops to ease pain, and given food to
family that otherwise would have had
nothing TO eat today and taken the meas
uIe of a dead child that she may prepare
for il 4 sh roud, her every act of kindness
for the body accompanied with hene-
diCtion for the soul. You see nothing but
the filthy street along which she walks anu
the rickcty stairs up which she Climbs.
6nt she is accompanied by an unseen cohort
OF angels with drawn swords TO defendh her,
and with garlands twisted for her victories,
all up and down the tenement house dis
trictS.
But, after all, the best way to cultivate
that divine passion for souls is to work
for their salvation. Under God save one,
aud you will want right away to save two.
Save two, and you will want to save zen.
Save ten, nd you Will want to savetwenty.
save twenty, and you will want to save
hundred Save hundred, and you will
want to save everybody. And what is the
use Of talking about it, when the place to
begin is here, and the time is now? And
While you pray / will in one minute tell
all there is Of it Full pardon for the
worst man on earth, il he will believe in
Christ. whose blood can instantly wash
away the fuulest crimes Full comfort for
the most narrowing distress that ever
crushed human being. At your first mo-
ment OF belief, a process by which the
whole universe of God will turn clear
around for your eternal advantage. For
the mere asking, If the asking be in earn
est and You throw everything into that
asking, complete solace and helpfulness
for the few years of this life, and then
wide-open heaven, which you can reach
In less time than ii takes me To pronounce
that imperial word, flashing with all the
Joy that an infinite God knows how to be-
stow Heaven!
THE REWARD
In this world God never does his best
He can hang on the horizon grander morn
ings than have ever yet been kindled, and
rainbow The sky with richer colors than
have ever been arched, and attune the
oceans to more majestic dOXologies than
ever vct been chlntci. but, as near
as l can tell, and l speak it revercntly,
ne, zen line place where God has done
his best. He can build no greater joys,
lift no mightier splcndors, roll no loftier
anthems, march no more imposing pro-
cessions, build no greater palaces, and
spread out and interjoin and wave no more
transporting Inaeniirence. ! think heaven
is the best heaven God can construct. and
it is all yours for the serious asking.
How do you like the offer? DO you
reaiiy think il is worth accepting? II SO,
pray for 1t. Get not up from that pew
mere you are SITTING, nor moe one inch
from where you are standing, before you
get full title for it, written in the
DloCd of the Son OF God. who would have
all men come to life present and life ever
lasting. II you have been in military life
YOU know what soldiers call the long
roll All the drums beat it because the
enemy Is approaching, and all the troops
must Immediately get into line. What
sGurrying around the camp. and putting Of
The arms through the straps OF the kn1p-
sack. and saying Good by to comrades you
may never meet again! Some of you Ger
mans or F:tnch'neu may aast neard tnat
long roll Just before Sedan. Some of you
.talIans misT hA.e hearu thai iung roll
Just before Bergamo. Some of you Northern
AMI Southern men may have heard 1t iust
before the battle of the Wilderness. You
know its stirring and solemn meaning:
ard SO l sound the long roll today.
4 beat this old Gospel drum that has
fpr centuries been calling thousands to
take their places in line for this battle
Oh one side of which are all the forces
peatfie and on the other side all the force
demouniac Here the long roll-cnil: who
Is on the Lords side?' Quit yourselves
like .men. In solemn column march for
God, and happiness, and heaven. So glad
am l that l do not have to wish myself
accursed,' and throw away my heaven
that you may win your heaven but that
we may have whole conv ention of
hcsvens-heaven added to heaven heaven
built on heaven-and while 1 dwell upon
the theme 1 begin to experience in my
own poor self that which l take to be
something like passion of souls. And now
unto God the only wise, the only good,
the only great, be glory forever! Amen!"