The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-05-25

day afternoon and the men to whom
he preached Sunday evening, the I'M
alleged JOY and whole souled happi- |
ness Of a Christian life.
Both sermons were practically the
same neither was a TRADE against
human frailties and sins, nor a pass
ienate plea for reformation, they We're
both simple but powerful.
Neither sermon was a series Of eli
makes; Dr.. Torrey seldom rose TO any
heights of oratOry; but his preaching
was more potent, more powerful, more
moving than any of the addresses he
has made since coming to Atlanta.
Fully 5000 women were gathered in
TO the auditorium on Peachtree street
in the afternoon, the greatest cOncourse
OF women that ever assembled in A.
lanta, and when the call for converts
came, weeping with an emotion they
could not suppress, a great number
fOcked forward to attest their accep-
lance of Christ and Christianity.
The meeting Sunday evening was as
successful as that held in the after
noon, n when the last echo Of Tell
Mother I'll Be There" sung by 5000
male voices, had died away, there was
no need TO ask for converts; with the
tears flowing down their cheeks man
after man came forward, and grasping
DR.. TOrrey by the hand publicly voiced
acceptance of Christ.
Before the preaching commenced
Sunday evening Governor Northen,
who read the announcements, stated
that the collections so far had been q
disappointment. He enumerated many
of the expenses that the Business
Mems Gospel union has undergone in
preparing for the Torrey-Alexander
meeting and requested the people to
be more liberal in their giving.
He announced that a series of meet
ings for business men will be COM
menced Tuesday at DON in the bali
room Of the Kimball house. These
meetings will be over before 1 o'clock,
and he earnestly requested every man
in the city to attend them.
DR.. TOrrey's sermon to men only as
Ftenographically reported under the
direction of George T. B. Davis, fol-
lows:
l was speaking some years ago n
night to a gay young society woman
in the city of New Haven, Conn, when
she stopped me and suddenly said,
Don't ak that way DR.. Torrey; it
makes me think; and | hate to think"
The world is full of men and women
who hate to think. Now tonight |
am going to ask you to do some think
ing-some good, hard, honest, earnest,
serious thinking; and what l am 60
ing to ask you to think about is What
Ut cost to be a Christian" what II
costs to live and die without Jesus
Christ. And if when | get through
you are willing to pay the price OF a
Christless. life and Christless death,
| have nothing more to say but II
YOU conclude that it costs too much
to live and die without Christ
am going to ask you to do the only
manly thing there is to do in the
premises, that is to stand night Up
here tonight, like men and publicly
avow your acceptance of Jesus Christ
What does it cost not to be a Chris
tian? First of all, what is a Chris
tan? By a Christian l understand any
man who comes to God as a lost sinner
takes Jesus Christ as his personal Saw
ior. surrenders to Him as his Lord and
Master. confesses Him publicly as
such before the world, and strives 70
live to please Him in everything day
by day. What does it cost not to do
it?
WHAT IT COSTS.
First of all, not to be a Christian
costs the sacrifice of peace OF con-
science and peace of heart. A CHRIS
tan has peace, as we read In Romans
5:1-"Being justified by faith we nave
peace with cd through our Lord Jesus
Christ" n having peace with God
of course we have peace in our hearts.
But no man out of Christ has peace
There is no peace for the wicked,
saidth my God"
Some years ago in Chicago at the
close of a meeting like this, Went
down the aisle to speak to people. l
dropped into a seat back OF a gentle
man of about 35, leaned over, and SAID,
My friend, VIII yare you not a ChIls-
tan oh" he said with a shrug of his
shoulders, Il am very we'll satisfied as
am" | said, You haven't peace
How do o know that" l salo,
Because God says so; There is no
e for the wicked, saith my oGd"
He dropped his head, and said, You're
right, sir; l haven't peace And there
isn't "a man out of Christ who has
peace. You may have pleasure, merrl-
ment, or fun sometimes, but you have
MT peace, and you never will nave
till you accept Jesus Christ.
COST JOY.
In the second place, not to be a
Christian costs the sacrifice of JOY, as
we read in | Peter 1:S, In whom,
though now We see him not, yet be-
Heving, We rejoice with joy unspeak-
able and full of glory" A Christian
has JOY ~unspeakable and full OF glory,
and nobody else has. You say, on,
| know Christians who have o JOY
u~nspeakable and full of glory" Are
they real ones? You know they are
two kinds. They are the people who