Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-25
THE .WAGE=EARNERS' PULPIT,
TEXT: "God is Love. 81 John 4:s,
]. Harrison Allen.

Last week, in the columns OF the Eve
ming News there appeared my first ser.
mon to the wase-earners Of Richmond
| Ihls week we turn our attention to the
same text, God is Love" In the noon.
day shop meetings it has been my pleas.
ure to tell you Of the love OF the Heav.
emily Father. An old artist of Italy
painted a picture Of his only daughter q
pretty girl Of 10. He worked from sun.
rise to sunset. for many days; and when
| at last the painting was finished, he In.
Vited his friends to visit his studio to In
| spect the work. When they had all as.
sembled the artist tore away the covering
and revealed his work: His friends were
lost in admiration, his rivals stirred with
envy. Seeing that they approved his ef-
forts, Roma turned to them and said
| Good friends. you may think the paint
Ing of my daughter excellent, but real
iZe its weakness. could never put on
canvas picture Of one so pure and good
AS the aged artist realized his inability
to depict the true beauty of his daughter
so I realize my inability to tell the won
drous story of Gods love. Human mind
can never grasp its greatness this side OF
eternity. Even the highest angel Of God
could never do justice to divine goodness
and mercy.
oHS VI tue gS"eeteSC. &dnIHeINSE Oh heaven
will be of the love Of the Infinite. Yea,
even now there are mutitudes Of the re-
deemed who have taken up the first
strains OF the hymn that shall swell and
roll throughout the endless ages of eter-
nifty. Souls that suffered here and were
under the common blight, have left the
transient burdens Of earth and now Join
In the chorus. "God Is Love-
And to the Christian workers would
give the advice that they exalt above all
else the goodness and mercy Of God. II
It Is your desire to bring poor wandering
prodiga Is home to God. you can never
be more successful than when you carry
to them a message Of love Some carry
to the poor sinner the news that God is
Just waiting. to cast him into pit of$fire
and birthstone. where they shall shrek
and groan IN agony forever and forever.
You will do more good. however. if you
tell them thai Christ has paid the price OF
their atonement. and waits to gracIously
and freely pardon all who turn to him.
Love- Love, Redeeming Love- should
be our song in heaven. Why not take up
the first notes of It here? God knows the
can brighten It,
Some time ago the government made a
test of cannon balls, to find their power
Of penetration. There were two kinds
5used-one with hard. steel point. well;
tempered. and the other with. a soft point.
They were fired at a wall of Pinch steel.
Strange as 1t may seem, the soft-po1nted
prcjectile sank deeper into the obstruc-s
ton than the hard-nosed missile. And so
you may use a cold message of Judgment
and eternal torment on sinner. and
perhaps help him. but the soft,I sWeeter
story of Gods love will sink deeper into.
sin hardened heart
It was in mission in the Sums Of
Philadelphia that this fact was clearly
illustrated; and to the writer's mind es-
tablished as something more than mere
theory One stormy winters night. many
fallen ones Of both sexes sought shelter:
In the mission. They were hardened. sin
full. and destitute men and women. An
old minister was the speaker OF the night
He told Of Judgment and hell. and used
all his power to show his hearers that
they were standing where they could smell
the brIms tone II they but sa used their
power Of smell The sermon $ effect on!
the degra ded assembly peculiar. Some
were lulled to sleep by the warmth Of the
room and the warmth OF the place the
nrea cher mentioned seemed to have no ef-8
feet. q Others we're Whispering and yet
other. turning Idly the pages OF the
hymn books One poor drunkar1 leaned
tovard his comps Mon and 3 said In g
aoarses whisper: we.ysE hopoed
Il toesthet for . long tim ys've sen
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