Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-06-24
SERMON ON MEN ONLY.

SERMON ON MEN ONLY.
Rev. G. A. Elson, of Nelson, Va,
preached an excellent sermon ITO men
only" at the Central Baptist Church on
McCallie Avenue yesterday afternoon.
Rev. Elson has been holding revival
services at the church for the past three
weeks, and yesterdays sermon was
Especial" There was a large congre-
CATION of men present, who listened at
tentively to the discourse. The speaker
chose as his text Ecclesiastes II, 0, in
conjunction with the first verse of
Psalm 119. "Rejoice, o young man, in
your youth, and let thy heart cheer
thee in the days of thy youth, and
walk in the ways Of thy heart, and in
the sight of thine eyes. But know thou,
that for all these things God will bring
thee into Judgment. Blessed are the
undealed in the way, who walk in the
way of the Lord
After the singing of Jesus Lover OF
My Soul" by the congregation, the
speaker stepped to the front of the plat
form and spoke in part as follows:
Brethren, the Bible speaks of two
men who came to meet Jesus n day
and they were possessed of a devil
Now there are many different kinds of
devils that possessed men in that day,
and | firmly believe that men are
possessed of devils today. l believe
that our besetting sins are the devils
that possess US. Some men are possess,
ed of the money devil, and can think
of nothing, have no time for anything
but the making of money. Here the
speaker referred to the death of Cor
nelius Vanderbilt and in a very dram
attic hammer told how he willed his inn
mense fortune to his heirs and then
asked his wife to come to his bedside
and sing: Come Ye Sinners Poor and
Needy"
The minister then took up the whisky
devil and handled it in O mastery man.
ner, describing the evil effects of whis-
ky under four different heads, namely:
The whisky drinker, the whisky renter,
the whisky seller and the whisky
maker.
He spoke at some length on these
topics, arraigning the church members
who rented houses to whisky sellers as
the greatest of hyprocrites. In speak,
ing of the the evil effects and the in
gradients Of beer he said: among
other things that beer contains is In
dian hemp, and do you know that ten
grains of Indian hemp will kill a dog;
Why don't it kill you? Because there
is more dog in you than is in the dog.
In speaking of the far reaching re-
suits of strong drink he illustrated his
point by portraying the scene in a New
York court room at the sentencing of a
murderer to death. He said; AFTER
the verdict of murder in the first de.
gree had been returned by the jury and
the usual question asked by the judge
as to whether the prisoner had anything
to say why sentence should not be pro-
nounoed upon him the prisoner said:
Your honor, l trust that you will not,
or allow any one to interrupt me while
l am making my last talk on earth. If
l killed my wife l did not know when
the deed was done. l was drunk. But
before your honor granted the license
for q saloon in this town l was a sober
man; before you jurymen signed his
petition for him to keep a saloon l was
sober, but by your votes and your aid
his house was opened. l was weak and
gave up to temptation. Faithful wit.
nesses swore that l killed my wife and
l suppose l did, but l can not believe
the clergymen within sound of my
voice, your honor, who granted the
license, and you jurymen who voted
the ring of whisky in power, will be
any less guiltless than l who did the
deed, prompted by your snare.'"
The preacher closed with an earnest
appeal to the unbeliever, making q
strong exhortation to those present who
lad never made profession. Quite an
interest was manifested and an after
meeting vas held for those who would
stay.-Rev. G. A. Elson, of Virginia,
in the Central Baptist Church, Chatta,
nooga.
The man who, after stud ying a hun.