Arizona republican., 1899-01-25
THE FEAST IS READY
God Invites All Peoples 10
 Come Info His House.
Men Have Many ExCuScS for NOf Being Christians The noodY Meetings Drawing 10 Close.

close, but the interest is continually increasing One Of the most imp-e -es-
 sive services ye- held was the enc at ONeiIl hall last night. Every one seemed deeply interested and thought
 ful, and there were many manifesto
 tions OF the fruits of MT Moody's la
 bors.
 The absence of Professor Towner,
 which was due to illness, was deeply
 regretted, but the choir, conducted by
 Mr. Meskimmons, continued it's music.
 MT. Moody read the parable of the supper as found in Luke T., for Q text,
 but dweIt especially upon the verse,
 Come, for all things are now ready"
 He said in part: You will notice that these three men were invited to feast,
 TO, funeral. If thers is one thing people like to do it is tc g to feast.
 Let the mayor of this city get up a feast, send out a general invitation to everybody, and you will see the great est crowd you ever saw in Phoenix. People would get there if they had to go on crutches or creep, and they would rush over one another to get the best seat, and if for any reason, they couldn't possibly be present, they would let their neighbors know they had received an invitation. People like to go to a feast. Now. Gods feast was prepared at great expense and thess men who were invited lad no excuse, so they began to make one. I won't dwell on that point, for we are all good at making excuses. That lit Fl rirI 1a of h 0t ppr o slz her to do something and she immedi- ately hides behind an excuse, and if her mother drives her out from behind that one she finds another. We all do it.
 ''Now this first man made an excuse that he had bought piece of ground and mus go to see it. Don't you think that was a queer time for him to go just at supper time, and wasn't it strange that he should be going 5o see it after he had bought it? Men don't buy land without looking a. it, but that thought came into his head and he made that his excuse. And I don't suppose there is enc in this house but what believes that man was telling a lie and that he never went that night to see his land. Do you know the or igin of excuses? It was in tha fall. Adam wanted an excuse for us. He laid the blame Cn Eve and 1 think it is very small thing to lay it on his wife. Ever since the time, of Adam man have been making excuses.
 t'The second man had bought five yoke of oxen and must go t0 prove them. A queer time to prove oxen just at supper time, but he wanted an excuse, and as he happened to think Of those five yoke of oXer he hid behind T bo polite; said he would like very much to De there, but he must provide for his family, and sso couldn'. come. Have1't you been invited some place where you didn't want to go? Yet you began to make excuses.
 But the third man excuse was the most absurd Of all. He had married wife, therefore he could net come. Why, there's no place Q young wife likes to go as well as to a feast; just try her and see. Blu. he wanted an ex- cuse and as he was just married he thought of his wife and hid behind her You know they all lied, but the time is coming vixen all lies shall be swept away. We hear good deal now about this being the most enlightened age 4 man traveie-l over this country not long ago talking about mens brains being larger and that their skulls were growing. and how wise people are get ting in this day. But I tell you, with all the enlightenment, and increased brain power, you can't find any better excuses than thOsa men gave, and challenge you here to make a better one.
 ''The common people are seldom in vited to a royal feas-. I have often been in England, but was never in vited o dine with Queen Victoria. You might spend all your life in Ger many and never receive an invitation to the royal table; that is not fCr the common people But this invitation 1 hold out to you is real one. The Lord wants you to come to His feast; He commanded His servants to go out inso the Highways and hedges and compel them to come, for all things are now ready. This invitation is not to the great only, but to the lOwly, the lame, the blind, the halt, to every one. Now notice GCd will excuse Shem for we read that nO1 one of those three tasted the feast.
 But let us come down to the present day, and down to Phoenix, and right into O'Neill hall, to yCu. You are in terestod or you wouldn't come here every night. have seen some Of you I miliar, but what are you going to do with this invitation? Are you going to accept it? If not, give us a good excuse. Young man, have you got an excuse? You say Yes. but 1 don't like to speak out in meeting. It al ways was hard for me to even say a piece in school. I'd rather get licked than dc it.. Very well, then, I'll say them for you
 Some make this bible their excuse. | They say there are so many cCntradic- | tiOns in it; so many mysteries there, l and it is So hard to understand Le. me tell ycu that you won't give that excuse before the throne Of heaven. | Perhaps yoU can't understand all Of it: then take what you can understand. I l tell you hat you are . sinner and how to be forgiven. Men always have trOu- bla with the bible until they turn
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