The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-14
o go after your hrother JOG and eel aim

to go after your brother Joe and get him
to come home again for my sake"
With cry you leap to your feet. You
shake the dying woman's hand off your
forehead. "What-go for that drunken
brute whole cruel heel has given you
never [ will see him in jail We, or in the
Internal regions-first. Then your mother
begins to plead. She says: Harry, YOU
have suffered ON account OF Joe but have
not l suffered? Have not | given my life
for him? And. oh. Harry, | cannot die
happy unless We save your brother Joe. .
Once there was n time when You wanted
to save your brother Joe for his own
sake. Now there comes a greater In
SEPARATION into your life. You want to
save him because you can make your
mother happy who is dying on account
of Joes sins Is not this the figure Of
Gods love? The Christian orator Is in
spired with a desire to save sinful man
from eternal death for himself. But
more than that-aye. far more than that
he is inspired with .he transcendent
hope of pleading for man to return from
sin and be saved in order to satisfy the
desire of a divine Father for the return
of his prodigals. He does it now for
Christs sake-for Chrlsts sake. For
God so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten Son that whosoever be-
lieveth on him should not perish, but have
everlasting life" Oh, the mighty inspira-
ton which makes a gospel orator not
only plead to save men for the sake of the
divine Fathers forgiving love!
Power of the Holy Spirit.
Thus, while the sublime oratory of the
gospel speaker may be awakened by many
different inspirations, its mightiest factor
is due to the power or the Holy Spirit
10
fore the Jewish people to speak. his hear
ers intutively felt there was a strange
a superhuman and a divine power about
him. When the true Christian orator
arises to speak, then also this strange in
fluence Is felt. The same divine influence
that Christ had over an audience you and
/ may have in degree If we will only let
the Holy Spirit work in us and through
us. for Christ distinctly says that the
very works he did we may do If we will
only let the Holy Spirit live in us.
"A Christian orator." some one says
what does that mean? If l truly give
myself up to the Holy Spirit. can l be-
come a great speaker and address great
audiences? Why. l have not the voice.
l have not the physical strength. In one
sense l have not the education. l could
not stand before multitude of people IL
| tried" No, not that. l do not believe
God will ever call you to be a Sturgeon.
a Guthrie a Beecher or a Mason. Not
that | do not believe, week in and week
out you will be called upon to fill an
auditorium with a formal sermon. But
you can be great orator for Christ new
ertheless. Did you ever stop to think
that public speaking is only public con-
versaton on a big scale?
The other day | was talking to an old
man who used to be a student of the great
DIR. Eliphalet Mott of Union college. One
day in the oritorlcal-class student arose
to speak. He began to let out his voice
in rotund style He drama tically lifted
his arms and twitched his eyebrows when
DR.. Mott stopped him and said: MY
son, that is not oratory. If you have
something to say just tell it to us as
you would if there were only three of
us alone in a room. Public speaking Is
only public conversation Oh a big SCALE"
Don't you grasp the truth? BY the law
of Christian oratory you may never be
called upon to address a large audience
at once, but you can address two or three
hearers for Christ at the breakfast table.
You can address a neighbor for Christ in
the street car going down to business.
You can speak for Christ in the prayer
meeting and in the Sunday school You
can become an exponent of the sublimest
oratory of the world the gospel oratory,
by which the Holy Spirit works in you
and through you in conversation. VIII
you consecrate an eloquent tongue to the
divine Master?
Just tell it," says Dr. Mott. If you
have anything to say for Christ by the
Holy Spirit power. will you not Just tell