Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1901-11-07
The STAR OF FAITH.
RELIGION SHOULD Be OUR GUIDE.

kELIGlUN SnUULD BIZ JUN UUlDE.
DIR. Ta,mage breaches a Powerful Ser
mon on the Persuasiveness Of the
Word of God.
copyright. 1901
WASHINGTON. D. C.-In this discourse
DR.. Taimage calls all people to gladness
and opens all the doors of expectancy;
texts, Genesis vi. Is, "Come;" Revelation
xxi, II, Come"
Imperial tender and all persuasive is
the word Come" Six hundred and sew
enty-eight times Is it found in the Scrip
lures. It stands at the front gate of the
asans p in into Ndah ted sr ntas ana It stands
at the other gate of the Bible. as in my
second text, inviting the postdiluvians of
all later ages into the ark of Saviour's
mercy. Come is only word of four
letters, but it is the queen of words, and
nearly the entire nation Of English vo
cabulary bows to its sceptre. It is an
ocean into which empties ten thousand
rivers. of meaning. Other words drive,
but this beckons All moods Of feeling
hath that word 'Scome." Sometimes It
weeps and sometimes it laughs Some
tlraes 1t prays,, sometimes it tempts and
sometimes it destroys. It sounds from
the door of the church and from the Sc
raglios of sin, from the gates Of heaven
and the gates of hell. It. is conhuent
and accrescent of all power. It is the
heiress of most of the future "ComeY'
You may pronounce it so that all the
heavens will be heard in it's cadences or
pronounce it so that all the woes of time
syllable: It is on the lip of saint and
prohigate. 1t is the mightiest of all So
icitants either for good or bad
To-day | weigh anchor and haul in the
planl1s and set sail on that great word,
| although [ am sure I will not be able to
reach the farther shore. I will let down
the fathonling line into this sea and try
| together al the cables and cordage I have
| on board | will not be able to touch bot
| tom. All the power of the Christian reli-
gio1 is in that word Come The dicta-
| torial and comrlendatory in religion are
Of no avail. The imperative mood is not
the appropriate mood when we would
| have people saving,y impressed They
may be coaxed, but they cannot be driv-
| en-. Our hearts are like our homes-at a
friendly knock the door will be opened.
but an attempt to force open our door
| would land the assailant in prison. Our
| men three wears in their curriculum be-
! fore launching them into the ministry
| will do well if in so short a time they can
| teach the candidates for the holy Office
how to say with great emphasis and into
nation and power that one word scome." :"
| That man who has such efficiency in
Christian work, and that woman who has
/ s-1ch power to persuade people to quit
the wrong and begin the right went
| through a series of losses, bereavements,
prosecutions and the trials of twenty or
thirty years before they could make it a
triumph Of grace every time they uttered
the word come"
|
our "come" has mightier "come" to
conquer before it has any effect at all.
just give me the accurate census. the sta
| tistlcs of how many are Gown in fraud, in
drunkenness, in gambling. in in1parity or
| in vice of any sort, and l will give you
the accurate census or statistics of how
many have Eeen s-ain by the word
"come." "Come and click wine glasses
with me at this ivory barr s:Come and
see what we can win at this gaming ta-
ble.'' Come, erter with me this doubt
full speculation. 'Come with me and
read those inidel tracts on Christianity. .
"Comee. with me to place of bad amuse,
through the underground life of the
city" If in this city there are 10000 who
arc Gown in moral cllara cter, then 0.O0C
fell under the power of the word sscoue. y
/ was reading of wife whose husband
had been overtnrown by strong drink
|
ruined, and she said. s'Give me back my
husband" And the bartender, pointing
to G maudlin and battered man browsing
in the corner Of the barroom, said:
''Therc he is. Jim, wa--e up. Here
your wife come for YOU" And the WON:
What have yo, been doing with him.. Is
that the many brow, Is that the cieal
eye. is that the noble heart that I mar
ried? What vile drug have you given
him that has turned him into fend
Take your tiger claws off of him. Uncoi
those serpent folds of evil habit that ara
crushing him. Give me back my hus
me-" Victim was he, as millions of 9th
er5 have been, Of the T~crd "cone."
} Nov, we wen. all tie world over tx
harness this word for good as other!
have harnessed it for evil. and it vii
draw the five continents and the seas be
earth back to the God from whom it ha'
wandered. Il is that wooing and persua
sive word that will lead men to give VI
, | their sins. Was sxepticism ever brough
into love of the truth by an ebullition o
hot words against infdehty;? Was eve
dae denuneation n.aaRnae Of blasphemy p9 Was ever
drunkard weaned from his cups by tn
| temperance lecturers mir11cry of stag
gering step end hiccough? No. It was
"Come with nae to church to-day AM
; hear our singing" "Co-ne and let me in
? troduce you to Christian man whom
you will be sure to adr1ire;' "Come wit
!. nc into associations that are cheerful an
good and inspiring" "Come with me int
JOY such as you never before expe
\ rienced."
, With that word which mas done s
! rarch for Others approach you to-day
Are you all right with Cod? NO" yo
;. say. "I think not. l am sometime
alarmed when [ think of Him. fear
. will not be ready to meet Hin in the las
day. Nv heart is not right with God
Come, then, and have it made right
e Through the Christ who died to save Vol
come! What is the use in waiting? Th
, longer you wait the farther off you ar
: and the deeper you are down. Strike ou
l. FOR heaven! You remember that fe1
q years ago steamer called the Princes
:. aboard. sank in the Thames, and ther
Y was an awful sacrifice of life. A boatma
q from the shore put out for the rescue, an
he had big boat, and he got it SO full ]
e would not hold another person, and as
II laid hold of the oars to pull for the shor'
e leaving hundreds HELPLESS and drowning
!. he cried out "Oh. that I had a bigge
C<,d T am rot TINS lin