Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-12-05
TELLS STORY OF
The PUBLICAN
BILLY SUNDAY CHANGES EN-
TiRELY CHARACTER OF HIS
WORDS.
BY GORDON LATHRop.

Des Moines, Dec 3.-In the sermon
For the Son Of Man is come to seek
and save that which was lost" Evan
gelist Sunday abruptly changed the
character of his words which in the
two evening sermons preceding had
been nothing if not denunciatory.
Booze received diatribe and
skeptics were ridiculed but in this
sermon Preacher Bill seemed just to
fraternize with the eight thousand
there while he told them of the Christ
in whom he believed; the Christ who
had power because He was the Son
of God and who had sympathy because
He was the son of man."
He told of the rich young ruler who
had power, position and wealth but
had not that which Jesus possessed;
how the ruler coveted the peace of
the Christ who coveted nothing the
ruler possessed This lesson could be
taken by those OF today, Sunday said,
who have everything but religion.
The story of Zacheus, the publican,
was told. The telling of the story Of
the Short, rich, fat Jew who Skinned
up tree to see Jesus pass lost moth
ing in effectiveness by it's lack of
scriptural style. Sunday admitted that
there was no mention of Mrs. "Zack''
in the Bible but there should have
been a wife and family to adorn the
home wherein Jesus spent night. SO
Sunday unblushingly introduced Mrs
lack and the children whom he had
greeting Christ and the disciples In
this manner: Mr. lack: This is Je-
sus and the disciples, ma. Mrs. FAC.
heus and the children, Jesus.
Mrs lack: 'Why how do You do,
Jesus. lack, why didn't you tell me
you were going to bring company
/, home?' And SO on, according to the
manner in the best families. That
which Sunday brought out, however,
was that the publican forsook his ly,
ing, cheating and money grabbing
| life and accepted Christ, not on pro-
baton, but fundamentally and at
once
That was the theme of the sermon.
EDO it now might have been hung on
the pulpit as special reminder as a
spiritual reminder and it would have
expressed the burden Of Sunday
text
Sunday digressed at one point to
,, show the regular attendants that he
had a brand new expression. He had
been talking about motives in respect
to those which brought people to the
tabernacle. eff thought was doing
no more here in Des Moines than
gratifying curiosity, SO help me God,
I'd pack my grip and leave tonight
he had said. This led to subject up.
on which Sunday has frequently ex.
pressed himself strongly SO frequently
that it would be excusable If he re-
peated his sentences but Billy doesn't
believe in that while there is a verbal
twist or contortion in any way pos.
sible. He sprung this: "Any man
that hasn't manhood enough himself
to give his heart to Christ and that
sneers and mocks those who do is SO
low. why, If he was as low in stature
as he is in principle he could kiss
rat without dropping to his knees. =
about face and meet Jesus Christ,
he ordered toward the close of the
sermon. The Christ he told about
was a seeking" Christ; one who tried
and tried to enter the hearts Of men
who coldly turned away. Sunday told
of the great violinist Ole Bull and his
boyhood friend John Erickson, the
builder of the Monitor; how the one
begged his unyielding friend to allow
him to play for him but Erickson
would say, mo. | care nothing for mu