Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-10

stand ali about electricity before you
can turn or the light when you
go home. You don't have to under
stand a thing. You turn the button
and the light comes. All right.
Eut this fellow says: If ever I'm
bitten l don't propose to look at that
brass serpent on he pole" He is
bitten and becomes poisoned. The
pupils of his eyes dilate. his body be-
J gins to swell. his tongue thickens and
he says: What am l going to do?'}
Do? There il only n thing TO do,
look or die. But he says, y won't
look" Then die. II, says Then
III die. His hodx begins to swell and
h" can hardly walk. Ills tongue lois
from his mouth. He says: What
will ] do Doc | was farther gone
| than you. saws q fellow, couldn't even
walk. aud some fellow carried me out
to where 7 could look. and I looked at
the brass sefpent on a pole. ! don't
understand bow it is. BY going down
ard accerting Jesus Christ l am
saved. and you don't Understand it..
Never mind 30 what God tells You to
do. No. WI viii say. for the SAKE Of
argument. that the fellow goes up,
grasps tho SERPENT thrusts it beneath
his feet and tramulss 1t in the dirt.
Now. God SAYS your sins are unparH-
onahla. YOU reject the only conformity
Thad. the brass serpent on the pole.
and the man that turns his back or
Jesus Christ IS e sinner or God lies.
and God can't SAVE a man that re-
jects Jesus Christ. Turn your BACK on
Jesus Christ and God himself can't
save YOU.
A Word of Comfort.
| bring YOU two words in closing.
one 9. word OF comfort. II YOU arc
here tonight and have q desire to be
q Christian, let me congratulate YOU.
That's an evidence that the Spirit has
not left you, Second, a word of warm
ing, II you are here tonight and have,
a desire to be a Christian, ] beg of
YOU to encourage it. for it may be your
last. Encourage It.
You haven't had To use your hand
kcrchiefs much since I've been here.
I haven't pictured deatlbed scenes; l
have tried to appeal to your reason,
to show % that 1t is only reasonable
to be a Christian. You never did g
more reasonable thing in all your life;
nor a more unreasonable thing than to
refuse to be Gods own.
/ feel in closing this meeting that
I am in q position somewhat, anala-
gcus to that of a nurse during the
war. at the close of the battle. of
Franklin. A soldier had his arm shat
tered by a cannon ball and it nsces-
Stated amputation. The operation
was successfully performed and the
surgeon said to the nurse. a kind
hearted fellow, II nope that soldier
boy pulls through. for he made a mag
nifcent fight. never a nnur1nur. l hope
that artery doesn't bleed. If the vein
should burst I think 7 could fix that,
but not the artery, for he is so weak.
I hope he will pull through" Presently
the wound began to bleed. The nurse
put his thumb on the spot and sent Tor
| the c1Jr-aon yPh l,nS ~ rac4 TJG
ans and his practiced eye told him
he could stop it. He said, That's the
vein; I can take that up, hut I hope
the artery doesn't bleed. for I couldn't
take that UP. If 7 am needed send for
nser"' The surgeon threw himself on a
stalrted to bleed again. The nurse
prtssed his thumb on the spot and
set5t for the surgeon. He said, stop
itAfquick." The nurse kept his thumb
org it n said: II can't reach it, The
doctor said to the fellow: when the
nurse removes his thumb, in three
minutes you will be dead I know
such position as I fell myself in To-
night. 1t will not be long until tins
series of meetings will have become a
matter Of history. The doctor said to
him: "In three minutes, when the
nurse takes his thumb off, you will
DS uedu. / SSilLure i've SAID 10 IOu
fifty times since I've stood on this
platform listening to the song service,
God, I wonder if / will have my
thumb on the artery Of any man or
woman's.soul? I wonder if this series
Of meetings will determine where they
will spend their eternity"
The soldier boy said. Don't worry
about me. Put your hand under my
pillow The nurse did SO and pulled
out the Bible and the boy said: DO
you see where the bullet cut the cor
ner? My mother gave me that. Pm
trusting in its promises" The nurse
removed his thumb, turned away, bur
led his face in his hands, and in a few
minutes the soldier boy was no more.
] wonder l say. if I'm standing here
tonight with my thumb on the artery
of your soul? ] wonder if tonight
/ will determine what you are going to
do? I wonder if this is the last call? |
haven't appealed to your sympathy or
your tears. I have tried to shcw YOU
the reasonableness of it. I want every
mar and woman in this tabernacle,
whether YOU are a-.Chfistian or not,
/ want every one of you to. promise to
cultivate a desire TO serve Goo Some
of you may have been Christians for
20 years or for so years. Will you keep
on encouraging that desire? If you
have a desire. will YOU in some way
courage it? If you have no desire, if
you care nothing about it please Just
keep you seat, but if you have a de-
sire, Will you encourage that desire?
l have been a Christian for 90 years.
l still have the desire and I encourage
1t every day by prayer and reading
the Bible, Have YOU a desire and do
Won wan to encourage it? If you do,
I want every mar and woman in this
. ! audience to stand. But I don't want
anybody to bear false testimony. If
you care nothing about it, just keep
your seat. If you do care | want
every one that has a desire, to stand
to their feet and bow your head with
, me in silent prayer.