The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-05-24
IL LSULPlI.
4 SFitL!AVT SUNDAY SERMON By Or.
1Cn2-T. TIE GREAT hEviVALiST.
SuLiect: On. M'S-r Worse Than Twelve
Nh.,.y cien>...

tie yreat reviva !iSI. Oil Sunday Geliv-
ere,i \ compelling sermon entitled One
Miser Worse Than Twelve Whisky
FienGS." His tsx1 was Acts xii. IL:
And now. way larr:eSt ttiv. Arise
aud be baptized, washing away thy
sinS. calling Oil the name Of the Lord
why L; rrieSt thou 1t was God
who :,sEe,; that question OF Saul of
TaESuS, who. rs you will remember.
was Il mos1 bitter enemy Of Christ: |
doubt if Jesus Christ ever had Il more
bitter enemy. l more determined. more
relentless enemy than Saul OF TarSuS.
Saul Of TarSuS sincerely believed that
Jesus Christ was an imnoster. that His
claim 10 be the Son OF God was false
claim. and he haired Him with all the
intensity of sincere soul. There
were times When the thought would
come stealing into Saul's soul, Per
haps lie is the Son OF God" Espe-
cially when Saul stood and saw
Stephen stoned to death and heard
Stephens dying testimony. Il see the
Heavens opened and the Son of Man
stands on the right hand of God" the
thought came to Saul, Does he really
see Hin: Is Jesus really the Son Of
God:" But Saul would not listen to
these suggestions.
He kicked against the goal and be-
came all the more bitter against Christ
in his enmity, because there was a
lurking suspicion that he was wrong.
He 5reathed an atmosphere of threat
ening slaughter. He went down into
the streets of Jerusalem, going from
house to house, dragging from their
homes men, women and children, SPAR
ing neither age nor sex, all those who
professed belief in Christ; he dragged
them to be tried and punished. to be
put to death. and il anyone was to be
killed he always voted for their death.
until at last he had exhausted all his
opportunities for persecution of the
Christian people Of Jerusalem, but he
Lad not exhausted his hate Of Christ.
He heard that 130 miles away from
Jerusalem at Damascus there were
other Christians, and his heart went
out in bitter hatred toward those Chris
tianS he had never seen. So lie went
to the High Priest and asked the au-
thorities to allow him to go to the city
OF Damascus and to do what he had
done in Jerusalem. They were only
too pleased to allow him to go, so he
started or the long, weary way to Da-
mascus. hurrying there. neither stop
ping for tie intense MONDAY heat, but
pressing eagerly cn. SO intensely did he
hate the Son of God.
.A3G now he has almost reached Da-
mascus; he stands on the last focthill
and stands looking down into the val
ley at Damascus. Damascus was a
city noted throughout the ancient
there locking at the beautiful city Saul
did not think of it's beauty. but Of the
thousands of Christians there whom he
wished to drag from their homes to
death.
AS he was standing there. there sud-
denly shone around him light
brighter than the sun. and in the midst
cf that light the brightest and most
wonderful face and form that Saul had
ever seen appeared. 1t was Jesus.
With cry Saul fell on his face to the
ground. and out of the cloud came 4
voice saying. Saul, Saul. why perse-
cutest thou Me-
From humbled man came back -
answer. "Who art Thou, Lord?" Back
comes the crashing response. II an
Jesus. whom thou persecutest."
And now from thoroughly humb!ed
man came the answer, What would
you have ne to do:" "Arise; get on
thy feet and go into Damascus, and
there thou shalt be told what thou
shalt Co." He arose. and found him
self totally blind, and thus be entered
the city where he had expected to come
as a conQueror, blind. helpless as
cripple, where he spent three days ard
three nights fasting and praying. But
still lie did not accept Christ.
Christ sent certain disciple to Saul
with the question, "Why tarriest thou?
What are you waiting for? You know
am the Son of God; why don't you
arise and be baptized in your accept
ance of Me:'
an3 going to ask that question OF
every man and woman in the building
tonight. why tarriest thou?'
There are great many in this build
ing tonight who in their secret hearts
believe in Christ but have never onen-
" profesSed that faith in Him. Why
Earliest thou? What are YOU waiting
for? Why don't you accept Christ TO-
niglt? Why don't YOU publicly con-
fess your acceptance Of Christ tonight?
/ wish it were possible for me to de-
scend from this pulpit tonight and
go from seat to seat. from man to man.
woman to woman who h:s not publicly
accepted Christ and put to them the
question. 'Why tarriest thou:"
believe that if could do so that
almost every man and woman who is
out of Christ in this great building
would be brought to Him tonight: But
that is impossible. so the next best
thing TO do is for you to forget that
am speaking to i great congregation
here. and JUST think you and I are hay
ing a personal talk together, and that
I am asking the question.
And while I am asking that question
I want everybody to draw near in
prayer for few moments. at the end
of which time shall have your honest
answer. Let us have 4 few moments
of perfect silence. Why tarTiest thou?
Perfect silence fer few moments
I know what the answer OF some Of