The news & observer., 1900-11-22
RALEIGH, n. {,
WAS HIS TEXT
Mr. Stuart's Last Sermon in
Raleigh.
nDnlAIR MAC CMODAOIIC
CROWD WAS ENORMOUS
A Collection Amounting to 1875 Was
Taken Up.
A FITTING CLOSE TO A GREAT SERVICE
Church Members Must Go to Work and Do
Something. Make the Most of What
Stock You Have Go',"
He SAYS.

Rev. George r. Stuart, the evangelist
who has been speaking to immense
crowds twice day for the last ten
or eleven days, preached his last ser
mon of the series last night at Eden
ton Street church to one of the biggest
audiences he has had. Not only were
all the seats and extra chairs taken,
but there was not an available spot to
stand on by half past seven o'clock.
A collection was taken up for Mr..
Stuart's benefit, and the handsome
amount of 1915 was the result.
Mr.. Stuart began by thanking all
who had contributed to the success OF
the meetings, the choir, the audience,
the pastors, and the newspapers OF the
city. He then announced his text,
which was Raleigh, North Carolina,
saying he knew this was unique, unus-
ual, but the world loves a variety.
Taking texts from the Bible is a habit,
like so many other things in the world.
The first division of the rather wide
subject, he said would be 'The
Preachers of Raleigh" Preachers are
never fully appreciated. You all fall
over one another to go to hear the
evangelist that comes to town for a
week or ten days, and your faithful,
Woodworking pastor you neglect all
the time. Some infdels once started
a town of their own in Missouri, with
out having any churches or preachers;
but things got so bad that they had
to send off for some preachers after
little while. Lord Salisbury said that
bn Co Arm in
worth that number of policemen for
keeping good order in the city Be
faithful to your pastor. You remem-
ber how Lot and his wife were warned
of the destruction to come upon Sodom
by the servants of the Lord, that they
had received Hospitality. The Bible is
full of rewards for Christian hospital
ity
THE second division is The Official
Member of the Church of Christ.
Everywhere consecrated minister of
the church of Christ goes, the dignity
of the church must go with him. | am
very proud of being a Methodist
preacher. l shall never forget the day
when | was licensed to preach, at the
age of nineteen. Isn't it an awful
thing for an official of the church of
Christ to go where he ought not to
90? Your wife and children cannot go
anywhere without carrying the dig
nifty of the robes of your office with
them. Keep thyself pure and thy fam
lily straight The cleanest and the
best people in the community ought
to be the Sunday school Superinten-
dent and the teachers in the Sunday
school | would just as soon have a
nurse with smallpox take care Oh my
children as send them to Sunday
school teacher who plays cards.
dances, or drinks wine. If the child
took smallpox, it would die in body
and would see it again some day; but
it it took worldiness from the teacher
it would die soul and body. You never
have appreciated the Sunday school
anyhow. Why don't you go to Sunday
school yourself? What we need is for
the father and mother to take hold of
every church institution.
THE third head is The Average
Church Member. The church VOW is
one people never have appreciated. |
don't try to pull people through the
fences into the church. but to get them
TO lay down the world the flesh and
the devil, and then they will 90 into
the churches. Half of your church
members don't amount to ANYTHING.
You give up at the first fall. | once
bought a fiddle to learn to play on il,
but gave it up before | got home. NV
brother Ambrose bought it from me-
and by patient persistence learned to
play five tunes on the one string it
possessed. The praise my father gave
him was one of the best lessons | ever
had in my life. My first sermon in
my native town, when | was nineteen
years old. was a failure. [ forgot
everything / had intended to say. But
by my mothers advice | kept at if.
God never forsakes a man who makes
the most of what stock he has got. Go
to work. you church members. and do
something. Some of YOU have oot chill
dren, and you are about to lose them
too. / would not give one cent for
member of a Christian church who
don't go to prayer meeting Go to
PRAYER meeting, you church members.
MY fourth topic is Young Converts
who have not joined the church yet
] would not give the snap of my fin
ger for a fellow who makes up his
mind to do right and does not join
the church TO try by yourself means
that the devil is going to try you.
There are a lot of bushwhackers who
don't belong to any army at all; and
then there are lot of mem
bers, just come in from the country
and looking for the church that will
treat them best. Take your church
letter with you when you move, and
present it without delay. Some say
they are afraid they won't hold out.
You may not hold out till you get
home tonight, for that matter Sam
Jones used to say when he started out,
the first rough place in the road one
OF his wheels broke down and he was
in great distress. but he saw wagon
shop with benign wheelwright. who
called him over and mended his wheel
,..;tI.,,1t Oh ,..riI,.r. him .nIt hut ad-