The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-16
EVANGELIST MOODY.
He breaches Two Of His Characteristic
Sermons In West Church to Immense
Audiences Yesterday.
Will catch the brokeu-threads again,
And finish what we here began;

Doubtless Evangelist Dwight l.. Moody
as he stood in the pulpit Of West Presby-
terrain Church yesterday afternoon and
locked upon an audience which sung the
hymn as it never has been since the
Evangelist was here five years ago, voiced
the sentiment of the lines and congratu.
lated himself ON what q power he has been
in spreading the Gospel. Surely the one
Thousand men women and young people
congratulated him and LETT him after an
evening service with tho assurance that
why no has had such success and why
other men have failed to be benefited by
the Bible stories from the lips Of the great
man will sometime be understood.
10th the afternoon and evening sermons
were treats for those who heard them.
Mr.. Moody was at his best On both occa.
sions He Is Tho same forcible and clear
interpreter of the Bible as he was when Ut
the Auditorium. He Is also tho same man,
not having changed whit In appearance.
His face. despite the wrinkles of age Is
still n sunbeam and his adnionitions are
as kind ana tender as If direct from Heaven
The great evangelist was welcomed by Is
service of song which began half an hour
before the preaching service. The choir
was largely composed of those singers who
made tho meetings 80 interesting five years
ago. Prof. j. Z. Clymer was the leader.
While the choir was singing the hymn, the
first stanza of which appears at the head
of this column, Mr.. Moody entered che
church and was met by Rev. A. N. keig-
win, who escorted him to the pulpit aud
made HIM acquainted with Revs. Mr.. Nc
Curdy, Davidson and Montgomery who
were seated there.
After silent prayer the evangelist an
nounced familiar hymn, then began his
talk, which he prefaced with an appeal
for money to extend religious work in the
270O county jails of the country. He said
that when he entered on his evangelishc
work forty years ago he believed prison
work below his dignity. But when he
went into q Texas prison and found men
eager to obtain religious reading matter,
ho took up the work immediately.
Since he has spread religious reading In
all the.jails and was in Wilmington for the
purpose Of raising funds for the purchase
OF books to DO so distribu ted. He told ofsthe
conversion Of Valentine Burks, the once
noted burglar while in jail and by one Of
his sermons. MIR. Moody gave several
other illustrations which moved tho audi
| ence to tho extont Of contributing large
| collection and big sale Of books in the in
| terest of thu prison work.
II am going to talk to you this after
noon about the Bible he said; renewing
| going to tell you about them" He then
| declared the Book was being picked to
| pieces. Men take from 1t statements they
! want to believe and cast aside others they
do not believe. He predicted dark days
for America If the Bible is to be SO picked
| and thrown away. He admitted there
| wcrc numerous statements in the Book
! which he failed to understand, but instead
of branding them as false no let them pass
and thanked God that they were beyond
| his finding out. There is plenty in tho Bi.
| BILE man can understand and he urged his
| hearers to study those truths.
| Mr.. Moody said the Book was mis-
| judged more than any other volume. Men
Of to-day will read n new book and pro-
not read the book will declare 1t is worth
less Yet how different 1t Is with the BIZ
bic. Men who never read it say it is not
true and seek to destroy It's Influence
Ho never met but one iniidel who said he
had read the Bible and that man was
doubted Ms all tho scripture he could re-
peat was "Jesns Wept."
Despite the statements Of wicked mon,
Mr.. Moody said more Bibles have boon
sold IN the past five years than in
th past eighteen hundred years.
Tho minister who picks the Bibe to pieces
Mr.. Moody declared, il doing the devil {
work better than the devil can himself.
.thht may . Sos s strong to YOU but won,
any In my hearing have these kind Of
ministers, Task you to take your family
oug Of that Church." Some one remark.
ed, I'VE have none Of that kind here
brother" whereupon Mr. Moody uttered a
fervent thank God"
Mir Moody then discussed Sabbath desc
grafton "Ihe way the Sabbath is boins
used think those people who are picking
the Bible will want to take the Sabbath
story from the Book" said he. He said
the bicycle and Sunday paper were the
strongest enemies of the great day. They
are both taking the place Of the Bible. kHt
considered 1t a. calamity for any child tt
touch sunday paper.
He would to God that every pulpit In
the land would open fire on the SUNDAY
paper, and until that time the paper would w; /
flourish During his cvangslistic work he
had seen the paper In supposed Christian
homes, where the head of the house sale
she took 1t TO sec the Monday bargains
He had also seen Inen with it in church
Where are we getting to- he remarked
He hoped he was talking to people who die
not read the Sunday paper, but il he was
he informed them that the Bible was bettel
than any newspaper inasmuch as it tell
mankind of his future souls salvation
and of what godly men have done In IN
| past while tho newspaper only chronicle
past events. HG said the Bible is just be
coming popular and thanked Gol that W
live int country where the Book can b
bought read and studied AS partin;
broadside to the Sunday pArer MI
Moody said it was the master stroke of tn
Devil that it should crowd the Bible out.
Mr.. Moody proved himself u Leiever Il
sudden conversions and pre1lxed his dis
course along this line by telling of ono
visiting II town.a preacher OF which admoI
ished his congregation not to attend tn
meetings because Moody thought that
| III ln tod to-, I =
tho notice of the preacher in one of tn
daily papers, and prepared sermon OIL
sudden conversion, Of course all tina
preachers congregation wns at the service
Tell ~ man to stay away from meettn
and he will come the quicker and so
preached of the conversion OF the 5OJ) pee
pie in two days while Christ was on earth
told them aboutthe conversion OF tina
thief on the cross.
Sudden convcrsionl Doyoa believe /
it? If you Delaware FOLKS had 5000 COZ
versions in two days | think You wGTli
believe in sudden conversion. told thcl
Of Zuchcus and of other Bible celebrille
and think left that town after convin'
, ing the people that there was such thin
as sudden conversion l suppose tina
. preacher wanted the sudden conversion
Iacts picked from the Bible.
Mr.. Moody remarked that while he di
not think that everything the Bible con
tanned WAS inspired he did believe all wa
, given by inspiration, He then quoted ol
testament facts and remarked what kin
of a volume the old book would be
3 everyone of the truths wrro taken frOl
it. jesus Christ believed that tho whal
swallowed Jonah, that Moses lifted up tn
serpent in the wilderness; that mann
fell from heaven and numerous utht
statements because he made uso of thel
, while on earth.
"As Jonah was in the whales bell
three day, so shall the Son of Man be init
bowels Of the earth, said no. AS Nose
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness
l snail the Son of Man DO lifted up" NJ
Moody connected other old Testamen
statements with Christs sayings IN
thereby proved that Christ believed all Il
n truths Then why should we mott
: said. "Take one statement from the Boo
because you tLiLk it Is false and out gol
n the whole book Tha, is the way Il
d courts OF to day trea, testimony II Of
! statement j., false ali are Don't give :
i, the Bible or The sabbath for II you do Il
!, home will first be destroyed and then 4
v na ion.
d In the evening the large auditorium
g the church was crowded a tas.-hour be.o
V the time announced for opening tie 81