Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-11-14
SIXTY MEN AND
WOMEN RESPOND
SUNDAYS CALL FOR CONVERTS
ACCEPTED BY OLD AND
YOUNG.
(BY GORDON LATHRoP)

Des Moines, Nov. 13-Lord, is it ?"
was the text used by Rev. Sunday In
his first Des Moines sermon, at the
close of which he asked converts to
| come forward and take his hand,
promising to accept Jesus Christ as
their savior.
| Sixty men and women responded. Old
| men and old women, bent and gray,
mingled with those in the prime of life
and boys and girls scarcely out of their
teens, on this first night. Some came
alteringly, others walked straight and
18th uplifted head. Some were softly
rying, their heads bent upon their
,reasts, others looked fixedly ahead and
1p. their features resOlutely set and
heir eyes searching the evangelists
ace as if they feared their strength
would wane unless they drew from him.
Sunday seemed worn and tired at the
close of the sermon, though his voice
was as strong and his gestures as Wig
orous as at the beginning. His face
alone reveals the nervous strain he I'M
dergoeS when preaching a sermon like
this one. Lines and creases appear in
his face that are scarcely discernable
when he first appears on the rOStrum.
The chapter of the bible from which
the text is taken, Matthew the 18th
verse affords him wonderful oppor-
tunity to bring into play all of his pow
ers Of dramatic scriptural interpreta-
ton. He pictured Christ at Gethsemane
after the feast of the passover, visual
izing the fateful setting of the be-
trayal. Declaring that in this, our own
day, the grouping Of Christians and So
called Christians bears the same sig
niicance as the grouping in that ter
ribly tragic scene, he wildly por-
trayed the respective positions of the
disciples John, James and Peter, the
first group, then of the eight disciples
forming the second group and finally OF
Judas and the mob clamoring for his
life. the third group. He told how
Jesus had said to those in the first
group: my soul is exceeding sorrow
full even unto death; abide We here and
watch with me- and to the second
group: "Sit We here while I go yonder
and pray" but to the third group he
said nothing. 1T is as this in our day."
the evangelist cried, 1.-The farther you
get away from Christ, the greater the
group"
In this sermon, Sunday talked Of his
boyhood days, Of the sad days when he
was sent to the Glendale orphan asy-
lum. He told about his little brother
and himself kissing his mother good
bye for the last time and wondering
why her eyes were red and her hair
uncombed as if she had wept and pray
ed all night. They didn't know at that
time why she had cried and prayed but
she knew and in after years they knew
but at that time, being just tired little
boys they light heartedly boarded the
train and went to sleep.
Il like to think" said Sunday that
the three favority disciples didn't know
what Jesus meant when he asked them
to wait and watch with him but instead
slept like to think they didn't know
but Jesus knew, just as my mother |
knew why she cried and prayed the day
we boys told her goodbye"
Sundaysms.
Away with the damnable idea that in
order to succeed one has to be tricky. |!
It's the preachers business to preach
Gods truth the people and if the
people don't like it they can go to the
devil
I'm not waiting until I get ready to
die to be saved. I'm saved noW-and I'm
making no provision for a. relapse.
A bowl of soup if it is paid for is
more honorable than steak if it is
not; patches are more honorable than
pawn tickets.
Is Christian life and Ideally toward
which man may yearn and stretch forth
his hands but never attain? No, Christ
ianity can be attained now, this very
minute.
The seven scriptural answers to the
query: What is sin? are:
-Transgression of the law is sin.
.eWhatsoever is not of faith IS sin.
ITO him that knowing to do good
and doeth it not to him it is sin.
<Tf you have respect Of persons you
sin.
.'The thought Of foolishness is sin.
"a high look proud heart is sin.
*All unrighteousness is SIM