The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-15
GAVE THEM GOSPEL
SENSATIoNALIsM No FEATURE OF
SAM JONES' SERMON.
TABERNACLE AGAIN FILLED.
WHILE THE OVERFLOW STOOD ALL
AROUND THE BUILDING.

I
Platform to Grasp the Hand of Mr..
Jones and MIR. Stuart-Mr. Jones
Declares He Is Not Preaching for
Joney-Win Give Savannah Free
| Gospel if 1t Is Wanted-Greatly
Pleased With the Success of the
Meetings Thus Far.
Again Rev. Sam Jones filled the Park
! Tabernacle. Not only, as on the night
! before, was the great building thronged,
| but crowds stood all around it. That Sa-
vannah is stirred by the meetings cannot
| be doubted. for the people are turning
out for them in crowds that seldom
appear for any gathering.
Mr.. Jones did not localize his gospel
to any great extent last night. He
preached straight religion, seldom branch
| ing off into incident anecdote or jest.
| What he said was effectual, for it resulted
in hundreds going up to the platform, at
| the preachers invitation, to grasp the
hand of Mr.. Jones and Mr.. Stuart.
| The results of the meeting seemed ev-
| erything that the evangelists and the
| Savannah ministers, who have iden-
tilted with the meetings, could have wish
| ed. The earnestness of Mr.. Jones had
| gone to many hearts, and they felt NOV
ed by the spirit of which he told them
and drifted in streams to the platform,
| upheld in their determination by the
| strength that was newly theirs.
| Lights poured their steady stream upon
the congregation last night and the dis
| turbing and disconcerting threats they
made of disappearing the night before
were not repeated Turbulent smallboys,
too, were held in better check, and they
did not get in with their dabs of tar and
! their pins. Two or three of the ministers
were upon the scene early and took steps
to prevent the urchns from being quite
| so much in disagreeable evidence.
Pleased With the Start.
Mr.. Jones began his remarks by ex-
pressing the pleasure it had given him to
| see the meetings start off so successfully.
| Never he said, had he seen a work begin
| with greater evidence that the spirit of
God is abroad among the people. Great
success for the meetings was predicted,
the preacher saying that he hoped and be-
lieved that they would be the means of
bringing many of the unregenerate in Sa-
vannah into a profession of their faith in
the Lord.
II can make from $50 to 500 a night
on the lecture platform" said Mr.. Jones'
| 81 am not preaching for money. II that
were my policy it would have been only
| necessary for me to glance at the hats
/ hat l..
| ton last night to have made me take the
first train out of Savannah. 1 wouldn't
be in the preaching business if 1 were
| looking for the best way to make money
l might become a lawyer. like the
| preacher who, when asked for his rea-
son for having given up the pulpit for
the bar, declared that people were willing
| to give more to save their necks than
| to save their souls Money won't be
mentioned by me during these meetings
If Savannah wants free gospel, why,
am the man to give it."
The Lord Has Called.
Mr.. Jones took his text from Proverbs
| 1926, Because l have called and We
refused; I have stretchd out my hand
and no man regarded; but yet have set at
naught all my counsel, and would none Of
| my reproof."
when you feel the spirit Of God stir
ring within you during these meetings"
| Mr.. Jones eXhorted his hearers, give
! heed to it. Do not refuse it. Do not ig-
more the outstretched hand. Here in this
| book of God you see on every page an
! invitation to come to the Lord. Do not
refuse it. Don't turn your back on the
| book. No safer guide for human action
| and human conduct can be found. 1
| have never had a pang of conscience,
! but it has come from some violation of
the injunctions that are set forth in this
book. 1 thank God for the Bible.
commend 1t to the man in his trials, to
the woman in her sorrows, and to the
boy and to the girl in their weaknesses.
And 1 thank God for the preachers.
| have heard hundreds of them. l have
heard them in this country, preaching
from the finest churches of the finest
cities, and from the pulpits of the most
| humble little places of worship; l have
heard them in Mexico, and 1 have heard
| them among the Indians, but never yet
Nave 1 heard one preach who has not
| told enough of the great truth of saliva
ton to save thousands of sinners. There
is no conflict between the evangelist and
the pastor. The pastor sows and the evan
gelist helps in the reaplng. Year after
| year the pastor spends in planting
the seeds and then the evangelist comes
to help him in the glorious harvest. Then
the SoWer and the reaper rejoice togeth-
er, and God send that they may so rejoice
over thousands of souls saved in Savan-
| nah
IF one preacher should take his stand
to lift his voice and give the Word Of the
Lord to all who might hear him. If an
other should stand so that he might be
| heard by those beyond the range of the
voice of the first: If yet another shout
take his stand beyond the second, and so
on, there would be a string of preachers
| reaching all around the earth. There are
enough preachers in the world for this.
and they might so preach to all the peo-
pie OF the world. And l believe that the
day will come when all the people will
be reached by the Word and that they
| VIII accept the truth and be saved oh.
! what a great privilege / would esteem It
TO be the preacher to speak the words To
save the last sinner. Thank God for re-
| ligion, and may it appeal TO every ruined
character and spoiled life In Savannah.
Preached I'm an Engine Cab.
| years ago I was preaching to great
crowds in Nashville. When 1 was leaving
the city l was approached by the con-
ductor of the train, who asked me to go
upon the engine and see the engineer, who
wanted 10 talk to me. / said l would go,
and / climbed on the engine. The engin-
| eer told me that he had been touched by
my talk that l had got mighty close to
! him when i spoke OF the power for good