Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1902-11-21
Loyalty TO 90.

loyalty TO 90.
The gospel invitation should be pre-
scented by the church members to their
friends and to the strangers wherever
they may be found, because the vast
majority of sinners never enter the
church at all. Therefore, If they do
not have Christ presented to them on
the street, in the office, in the railroad
trains and even in the kitchen, they
will never be invited at all. Mr.. Beech
er once powerfully said The longer
live the more confidence l have in
those sermons preached where one man
Is minister and one man is the con-
gregatiOn, where there is no question
as to who is meant when the preacher
says, Thou art the man." l believe
Mr.. Beecher was right when he made
that statement, but l believe he was
right even in a larger sense. The lon
ger live the more confidence l have in
those sermons that are preached where
one man is a minister and one man is
a congregation, because such a gospel
service can be held everywhere. 1t can
use the mechanics bench for pulpit;
it can have the iceman's cart for a
| moving tabernacle; it can carry the
Bread Of Life to the sinner who would
otherwise never be willing to receive
that bread over the pulpit desk. Be
sides, the minister in such case does
not have to be an ordained theological
student, but need be simply an earnest
cOnsecrated layman pleading for Christ
with the sinner who is standing by his
side in the village store.
Saving n Sinful World.
If all church members were to be
come earnest and cOnsecrated evangel-
lists, it would not take very long for
this whole sinful world to see the sun
rise burst of the miIlennial dawn. Sure
ly 1t would not be too much to expect
that one such evangelist as Mr.. Beech
er described should at least win one
soul year for Christ, yet Dr. William
Morley PunshOn, the great English
Methodist, once made the startling
|, statement: IF every disciple today
were to call only one person to Chris
each year and that one were to cal
|, one other, how swiftly the world would
be wholly converted! There are tOda!
, millions of true believers in the world
But if there were only 100 see how
> quickly the work would grow In les
than twenty-five years the world wOul'
be converted, for this would double tn
number Of disciples each year" Afte
:. such an impressive statement. will an
: one say that the gospel invitation
: which can be given daily by the churc
members, would amount to but littl
In the salvation of a sinful world?
To show the Importance of Chris
y tan layman's work | cannot do bette
: in closing this sermon than quote tw
y illustrations from the personal eXper
! ence of II. Clay Trumbull, the we
known editor of the Sunday Schot
e Times. Mr.. Trumbulrs early life wa
6 spent in StOningtOn, Conn. There
le great revival swept the town. an
II many Of the companions Of his yOut
" Joined the church, among whom was
u young man who was one of his mo
he intimate friends. For many yea
" these two as boys and young men live
e. near each other but his Christia
III friend never spoke to him about re
10 giOn. After awhile they separate
Ae Mr.. Trumbull became an engineer
ke Hartford: his Christian friend went
SO Yale, but during his last year at CO
II lege he sent letter to his old chu
M pleading with him to become Chr
tn tian That letter was the means
on saving H. Clay Trumbulps soul.
a his engine room, upon the receipt Of
lc- he then and there gave his heart
list God.
lg, He Immediately said to himself,
ch the personal work of layman can
ay SO much in the salvation of an hmm
lat tai soul, I will never make the mista
III my friend made with me by pOstp'
IS. ing for so long a personal invitati
lal to another" So, the same night
m, which he was converted, Mr.. Tru
Dir- bull went to one of his fellow wO
IN, men and told him he had been C
lily verified. He urged his friend also
BILE accept Christ. This friend turned
the him and said: "Trumbull, your wO
Of cut me to the heart. You little KIN
ing how they rebuke me. have Il
"a. been a prOfessed follower Of Chr
pir- and you have never suspected t
be- although we've been in close asso,
rich ton in house and office for years. n
ing God forgive me for my lack of IA
spell fulness." Aye, may God today fOrg
Who us all, ministers and laymen alike
rid we have shown the same neglige
of as these two young men who ca
)me into II. Clay TrumbulPs life.
the God teach us, one and all, the pc
en- of personal testimony for Christ.
port may we one and all be willing to m
lght the resolution d. L. Moody mad