The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-03-30
AN AWFUL PRAYER
Subject Of Sermon by Rev. Ralph
Gillian Last Night.
AN INTERESTING APPLICATION
The Methodist Church Crowded Last
Night and Two Services Were Held,
Showing That the Interest in the Re.
vival Meetings Is Increasing.


last evening and increasing interest
was manifest in the meeting. Several
selections were sung by the large choir
and audience, Rev. Herbert II. Brown
offered an invocation ani Mrs, Wat
kins sang solo. Rev. Ralph Gillian
announced as his text part Of the 18th
verse Of the l4th chapter of St. Luke
Il pray Thee have me excused"
1t seems thing increditahle, almost
impossible to make us believe that any
man or woman would offer up such n
terrible prayer, There are people in
this audience tonight saying to God
| pray Thee have me excused. Preach,
ers are constantly telling their hearers
that If they pray to God He will an.
swer their prayers. If men and wo
ment pray TO be excused God will cer>
tainly answer their prayer. and excus,
them,
We are living in a day of dishonesty
on the part of men and women, when
speaking Of the religious life and men
out of doing their duty toward God.
1t seems to be very easy matter on
the part Of large majority of the peo-
pie to make an excuse when called up,
on TO perform some service for Jesus
Christ. There is a tendency among
some people to cling to what is wrong
rather than to follow what is right.
The first excuse ever offered in this
world happened in the garden of Eden
When the Lord asked Adam what he
had done he offered the excuse when
he said: The woman she did it," And
Eve offered an excuse when she said:
~The serpent did it," People in the
churches are not unlike the people in
the garden of Eden in making excuses.
How many times have people asked
to be excused when they have been
asked to accept Christ Some people |
make the excuse, am afraid / can't |
hold out. I have yet to meet that \
man who relied upon his own strength |
that ever succeeded. Those that put /
their trust In God make a success OF
the Christian life. II you quit falsify-
ing, If you quit your foolishness anJ
become Gods property. God will take
care Of His own. The blessings you
think you have been deprived Of is be-
cause you have been excused from ac-
cepting them. The Jewish people Of
fered an excuse when they brought
their king Jesus before Pontius PLATE
and demanded that he be crucified.
When PLATE asked them if they
wanted to cruelty their king, they an
swerej: I'VE have no king but Caesar.
That excuse has followed this race
from that day TO this. They have been
driven out of Jerusalem they have
been driven into exile in Russia; they d
are followed on the streets and taunt-
ed Of their nationality, and all be-
cause they prayed to be excused from !
accepting Jesus as their king What
shall it profit man If he gain the
whole world and lose his own soul.
There are men and women in this aud
ience tonight that take this awful
chance. Where is the profit? Excuse
making always proves fatal. For ! l
say unto you, that none of these men
that were hidden win taste of my sup
per, If your chairs are empty after
this service tonight, you can't say that
you were not invited. It is the invi-
tation of the great God that is sent
down to you. If you refuse the invita-
tion l shall go right on preaching just l
the same. The three excuses were:
First-'I have bought a piece OF {
land" No man ever bought piece c
of land without first going and seeing '
it.
Second have bought five yoke or
oxen and go to prove them" No man
ever bought one yoke Of oxen without
first having seen them.
Third-"T have married wife and
therefore / can't come" God pity the
woman that has to exc out a miser-
able existence with such a man. And
all Of that kind Of men are not dead
yet The best excuse you ever manu-
factured was not whit better than
the three offered. 1t would be no joke
if God would take you at your word
and excuse you. pray Thee, have me
excused
Rev. Gillian announced that at the
meeting this afternoon his subject
would be Questionable Amusements."
Tonight the subject will be, "The I'm
Question" Friday after
noon there will be a special service for
women, and on Friday evening the
subject viii be "skepticism"