Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-15
CLOSING SUNDAY is FITTING
CLIMAX TO EVANCELIST'S FIVE
WEEKS SERVICES IN OTTUNWA

Wy 1. L. ENG Gssss D
have held meetings in hundreds of
cities and have been backed by thou
sands of men; but nowhere in my life
have / met a man that has made 4
deeper impression on me than Nj.
Foster has. He is one of the whitest
men on Gods dirt have lived in his
home now for the past two weeks, and
I was never in a place more Ike
heaven. If there were more men in
ottunawa lice Thomas D Foster the
history OF this city would have to be
rewritten from this time on"
oming to the lateness Of the hour,
Mr. Sunday cut his sermon Of the aft.
ernoon very short. His text was,
"Choose We this dav whom We will
serve" taken from Joshua 24:15. His
sermon was to men and strictly for
men. He appealed to the reason Of
his audience and asserted that he had
nerer found 3. single individual, who
could give reason for not becoming
Christian Excuses, he said were
numerous. but the nearest semblance
to reason given, Mr. Sunday assert
ed was that men lacked the courage
and manhood needed to become fol.
lowers of Jesus Christ One of the
strongest arguments presented prov
ing that the church needed men was
the citing OF statistics showing that 81
the total number of people in the
church seventy-two per cent of them
we're women while on the other hand
the haunts of hell were packed ami
choked with the male element
In response to his earnest plea for
the men to decide there and then
which side they would enlist on, 201
crowded to the front and took their,
stand for Christianity.
Suggests Remonstranoe Petition.
In the afternoon, during his sermon
Mr.. Sunday asked how many men in
the audience would sign and encour-
age a remonstrance petition to put the
saloons in the city out Of business If
such move was inaugurated. The
audience rose ennaasse and the
cheers and applause lasted for sew
eral minutes.
Z In the evening the evangelist
made the announcement that the sug-
gestion OF a remonstrance petition
made in the afternoon met with 2
unanimous Endorsement Of the six
such petitions would be circulated all
over the city, through the factories
and business houses. He urged the
people to sign the paper and for the
yves to urge their husbands to take
advantage OF this opportunity to strike
e blow at the saloon evil.
Following this announcement Mr.,
Sunday called S. L. Vest, cashier of
the First National bank to the front
and handed him a. check for $500 to
be deposited in the bank for the Min.
isteriai association, whether or not
thar dozen men come through with
their $500" Again the applause was
long and loud. III the afternoon when
Mr.. Sunday announced that he was
going to take such a step, T. w Sim.
mons arose and offered to be one Of
five men to pay Mr.. Sundays $500.
but the evangelist gratefully declined
the offer.
The sermon of the evening was IN
tbs form Of an unanswerable question,
How shall We escape if ye neglect SO
great a salvation p It. was Of unusual
power and force, though BRIEF and at
its close the record breaking number
OF 20S men and women came to tbs
front and grasped the evangelists
hand The sermon. void Of it's I'M.
mense fund Of incidents and stories,
follows:
Copyright. 1908, by William Ashley
sunday.l
My text tonight assumes the form
Of q question, and It is unanswerable,
thought that may seem paradox.
Il should go to your leading rner-
chant, and he would describe to me
the principles necessary to pursue in
order to carry business to a sue
fsssful issue, would thank him for
the information, then ask him the
question Of my text and would turn
away without an answer.
II should GO to your leading law
yer, and although he might be able to
quote the laws OF the state and in.
terpret them for the supreme court,
and he would explain to me many
things about organic and constitution.
al law and codes with which am not
familiar, would thank him for the
information thus CLEANED then should
ask him the question of my text +
would turn and leave him without rs.
eeiving an answer.
How shall we escape If we neglect
SO great salvation?'' Hebrews, 2:3.
Our first thought about salvation is
that we are saved from hell Yes.
that's true, but you only begin to
live. No man begins to live until he
is a Christian. Christianity was in
tended to produce and promote the
hiehest possible decree Of human han.
ainess in the world. God knew best
He knew you needed air for your
lungs and he gave it. God knew YOU
needed sound for your ears and he
save you sound. He knew you need
ed food for. your body, and he gave
.-ou food. He knew you needed the
salvation Of Jesus Christ for your soul
5r3d he gave YOU that Show lust as
7'Nch sense in accepting what God
5 provided for your soul as YOU did
If 9ccepting what God provided for
"lr physical needs. God knew the
thing for you # ANYTHING else
b been better Cod would have given
II nd Q, despiee and abhor the man
IA woman who hoe ~ .Tdo.;+xx l..