The Indianapolis journal., 1903-09-14
EvANGELIsTIC SERVICE.



What Friend We Have in Jesus" was
the soul-stirring hymn that opened the
evangelistic service at Meridian-street
Church last night Dr. Stansfield asked
that il be sung, and the great audience
made the building ring with the words of
the old-time revival hymn. Had Francis
Murphy stepped into the meeting his heart
must. have bounded with enthusiasm, for
many of the old songs were sung with
degree of earnestness that marked the in
terest that is being taken in these con-
ference meetings. Francis Murphy's favor
ite hymn is Rescue the Perishing. They
didn't sing that last night, but they did
sing with a vim such old favorites Come,
Thou Fount of Every Blessing Jesus,
Lover of My Soul and others.
DIR. Stansfield asked that eight ministers
who had been most deeply interested in the
pentecostal service come forward. Every
body wondered what the doctor was driv-
ing at and soon found il was a clever ruse
to get contribution of money. He wanted
the eight interested ministers TO collect the
fund, which. he explained, was for DIR.
costal services at in the afternoon. and
who was the chief exhorter at last nights
service. Before the collection was taken
not M Andrew % nS Smith ntsr sang sbe M ,
sang ''The Wonderful Story" with a very
wonderful voice.
BISHOP JOYCE TALKED.
Bishop Joyce was in the meeting, and
while the collection was being taken he
talked of how glorious it is to give. II like
to talk when L have something to say" the
bishop remarked by way of introducing his
topic. This has been remarkable con-
ference" he went on to say, land it will
wind UP tomorrow night with more glori-
Gus victory. If we go through tonight
and tomorrow night with what we have
planned. we will wind up at the end of the
year with five thousand conversions to
Christ during the year. There ought TO be
one hundred fires kiDdled i'm this confer
ence." The bishop urged that the brethren
give all they could to the collection that
was going on. I'm poor. thank God, and L
said he Il want 500 in this collection, and
everybody who believes I'm right say
Amen" There were plenty of ''Amens"
hundred" The bishop said he had seen a
paragraph in newspaper to the effect
that he was born in Indiana. Il wasn't
he said, but did the next best thing and
The sermon of the evening. which was
listened to with remarkable interest by the
large audience, was preached by DR.. Morri-
son. The lesson in the sermon was the
danger of allowing earthly riches to inter-
fere with ones plans for salvation and eter-
nal life in the world beyond the skies. The
young man who was unsatsfied with him
self and went to Christ and said What
must / do to inherit eternal life?" His
query was met with the words, Go sell all
thy cross and follow me and thou shalt
have treasures in heaven"
"'It struck him like a trip hammer in the
face said the evangelist. 'and he walked
away. Rather than give up his possessions
he would let eternal life go. The supreme
test that comes to any moral man that
re q fa lon
down upon the earth and tell him to give
away what he has When that young man
turned his back on eternal life. II you
stand at the front doorstep of heaven and
your possessions are too good to give to
Jesus you will never enter"
A CINCINNATI GIRL.
Toward the close of his discourse Dr.
Morrison with dramatic eloouence told the
story of young Cincinnati girl whose life
was wrecked. She had strayed across the
Rhine too frequently. One night long after
ward, when she had become depraved
thing of the streets. she stole back TO her
home just to the old place again before
plunging into the Ohio river Accidentally
she stumbled into her good mothers arms.
who had not forgotten the daughter, and
she was reclaimed And do you know. -
said DR.. Morrison. in telling the story.
that the wretch that blackened her
| laughed over it, and do you know that you
invited him into your parlors and danced
with him-God pity you" The evangelist
| told the story to illustrate the boundless
| love of the Master and to show that He is
| willing to take the wanderer back Mann
| mas baby has had an awful dream, but it's
| all over now the consoling mother said TO
her sin-blackened daughter as she held her
in her arms That's just like Cod ex-
| claimed the evangelist. .Oh. you'll soon
| come back TO your fathers home. The door
| is open and the light is shining there" The
evangelist took his audience on an imag-
| mary trip to hell and then to heaven In
| heaven they saw and talked to a man and
| a woman. One was the thief who had died
| with Christ on the cross and the other was
| the fallen woman who had bathed the feet
of Jesus with her tears The lesson was
| plain and it made a deep impression on the
audience. The sermon closed with song
altar.