Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-11-17
MERC|Es Of GOD
ARE COUNTLESS.
EVANGELIST SUNDAY CALLS Tc
MIND BLESSING BESTOWED
ON MANKIND.
tBY GORDON LArHROP.l

1
with all ones mind, heart and
strength. epitomizes the burden OF
Billy Sundays sermon from the text
found in the first verse of the twelfth
chapter of Romans: 81 beseech you.
therefore, brethren, by the mercies OF
GOD. to present your bodies a living
sacr1hce. holy. acceptable to God"
quoted the evangelist and that his in.
! depreciation of this text did not fail
lin producing the desired result is at
tested by the fact that one hundred
and fifty new converts were added to
the $50 registered at the close of the
two preceding meetings at which hs
extended invitations to chit the saw
dust trail"
| The first part of his sermon con
cerned itself with the mercies of God
You might as we'll try to count tbs
office seekers after an election AS to
count his mercies, he said He called
to mind the great gifts that most of III
have or experience: reason. sight
hearing, taste, breathing without pain
hospitals. doctors and nurses, food
and family. He didn't mention fresh
air but he referred to it when ones
he stopped in the middle of sentence
to direct an usher to close one OF the
roof ventilators through which sew
eral of his auditors seemed to feel an
Uncomfortable draft. The usher in
charge of that section failed to locate
the offending window as quickly as
the evangelist desired and the latter
impatiently pointed to the rope con-
trolling it.. exclaiming: There it is.
Close the window, Where there's
rope. there's window"
Having convinced everyone that
they had much to be thankful for he
launched into discussion Of the
things that God wished from lis in
return. No halfway stand, no lip ser.
vice alone. no confession of faith with
provision for relapse would be accept.
able; no clock watching. time killing.
Rip Van Winkelling converts were
wanted. TO the church he said. Lis.
ten church. If there's better way
Of doing the work of God than the
way we're doing it today, let's do 1t
the best way
Efficiency that's the thing, accord.
ing to the highly efficient Billy. Ha
proposes a business administration oil
the church He pointed that all
around us men and women were
pouring their brains, hearts and
strength into this. that or the other
thing, without reservation and with
full realization of the progress of the
times but that orthodox religion still
shoots with a flint lock, plows with
forked stick and lights with tallow
dip.
/ Away, way away. with the church
member who wears face long enough
to use for fire escape, = relegates the
evangelist. The devil will bank his
fires just to go TO church to hear a
testimonial from him he declared
A happy, smiley religion. and of con.
verts a living sacrifice. their own
body, consecrated in every atom TO
do Gods will and live according to h.s
book is what Vim. A. Sunday pleads
for And while the choir sang salty
and Billy, from his knees pleaded for
more and still more, ono hundred and
fifty stepped forward shook the evan.
gelists's hand and promised to pre-
sent their bodies, living sacrifice.
holy, acceptable to God"
sundayisms.
/ It's on the basis Of love, not fear,
that God makes his appeal to you.
I Did you thank God for the bread
you ate tonight while Belgium starves
| I'll not sit down and sing: 'T'll go
where you want me to 60 dear Lord
and then 60 TO bed.
One of the curses Of the church
nowadays is that there is seemingly
a sign strung along the walls read
ing: "Wanted-to do work by proxy"
Some people do all their work with
their mouths. God wants that which
is on the ground, not up in the air. He
wants your feet headed in the right
direction.
! I don't know what the church would
have done if God hadn't made nickels
and pennies.
/ If you get religion and then lie
down and take Rip Van Wrinkle nan,
then your joints will stiffen and you'll
never win Gods marathon.
We have a better chance than the
angels. Angels can claim they love
God We can show him.
If Washington's mother had been
like Happy Hooligan's mother
Washington would have been Happy
Hooligan.
You tell your boy to keep ont OF
bad company. Sometimes when he
walks down the street with his faith
er, he's in the worst company in town.
!
Up to and including Thursday night,
the total attendance at the Sunday
meetings has been $4,000 The CON
tributions during this same period
amount to approximately $4,000.
i'd. A. JAY PRESIDENT
| OF BIG FOUR FAIR