Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-29

II next day he threw the cane way and
the next day he could walk pretty good,
on the ninth day there was a quiet we'd .
ding in the annex of the hospital. You
laugh, but listen. This old world Is like
a hospital. Here are the wards for the
libertines. Here are the wards for the
drunkards. Here are the wards for the
b%lasphemers. Everywhere I look / see
Scared humanity.
Nineteen hundred years ago God look
ed over the battlements OF heaven and
he picked a basket of flowers, and then
one day He dropped a baby into the man
ger at Bethlehem. and when the wise
men saw Him they read. For God so
loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son that whatsoever believeth on
Him should not perish, but have ever
lasting life What more can He do2
But God didn't spare Him. They cru
cited Him, but He burst the bands OF
death and the Holy Spirit came down.
They banished John to the Isle of Pat
mos and there he wrote the words of my
text, Behold | stand at the door ana
knock; If any man hear my voice and
open the door I shall come tn to him
and sup with him, and he with me-
Jesus said. Give that to the world. :
o. A glorious truth. lie sent me to
Pittsburgh with His message.
When ! quit baseball I went into in
door work and II didn't agree with me.
I used TO lust hit the quick lunch coun-
ter and get q sinker or a piece of pie and
a cup of coffee. SO | had to resign
and go up to Lake Geneva. in Wisconsin,
for my health. While there one morning
| walked out, and looking into the clear
water ] saw something which glistened
like a pearl. ! asked John Hensel, who
was with me, what II was aud he said
that every year when the sun was at
THIS point YOU could see the object rlis-
tening and many had tried to get II, but
no one succeeded as vet. I told him I
used to be some diver when | was at
home in Iowa, but he laughed. told
him to come on and try,
so half n dozen OF us went and rot
bathing suits, and I was to AXE first try.
I stood there and took a big brcath-oh.
| can swell her out 3a inches, boys
and then down went head first, with my
eyes open to see and my hands ready
to grasp. I plunged down and down.
and the object seemed to say, Come on
down. Not deep enough I felt tho
pressure of the water above and felt the
GOODNESS of the spring below me and [
said. IN try again and down went
until I felt my breath giving out, and
| reached, but couldn5t touch the object
! turned and whirled out of he water,
and as my head popped out my friends
I yelled Did you get her. "Bil?'' Nope,
TOO Deep sputtered as l spit out the
water.
"Ive heard lots OF people tell about the
love OF God. T~wenty-eight years ago l
tried to fathom Gods love. | plunged,
out 1t is too deep. %Innitely too deep
Understand? No! Believe? Yes. And |
never expect to understand it until Jesus
vines the fog from my eyes. Then I'll
understand.
II pray God to fold in His heart old
Philadelphia and put His arms around
her. He has knocked through sermon.
He has knocked through song. He has
knocked through His word. Let Him
come in.
GOD SIMPLY KNOCKS"
BEHOLD, I stand at the door and
knock Jesus! Knock louder! Knock
louder! Your will is the llfeboat and God
VIII not push you against yourself to get
you in. God won't force you. and when
He used this figure Oknocking) He used
the one best known 20 all the world.
Tn polite thing to do is to knock, If
you bolt in you're a burglar. Some of
you have been kind enough to invite
me to go home with YOU for a meal. l
don't go much, not that I'm fastidlous or
cranky, but | can't stand 1t. Your hos
pitality would kill me, You expect ma
to ak and entertain you, and / nave to
do as much work as preaching a sermon.
Then | can't eat all the good things YOU
would set before me, so you would get
mad and say / didn't like your cooking.
l have to deny myself a good many
" hVNp llSStlI III pHySlCal shape
for preaching.
"Supposing l hadn't accepted an invita-
ton and I'd walk up to your home and
never ring the bell, just walk In, hang
up my coat and hat and pick up a paper
and start to reading. You would come
III and say; Why, how do you do, Mr..
Sunday" I'd say, Very well; Just
came UP to eat Inner with YOU You'd
say: oh, I'm delighted and you'd know
you were lying all the time. Was the
door unlocked?' oh, no, | just walked
in Why, by the way, did 1 ask you
today or did you tell me you were COM
ing" oh. no; | just came and | want
some dinner You know how welcome
I'd be.
II see a good many houses around In
the city. You've got some of the most
beautiful homes | ever saw. Surprising
l should see a nice house and I'd take
a notion to stay there and I'D go up to
the party inland tell them 10 pack up,
that we were going to move and we'd
get the express and move our trunks and
drive up to the house and go up the
steps. And I'd say I'll take that front
room' 1t looks nice and light, and about
that time the owner would come in and
say: What are you doing here?' 'Oh,
We're going TO say here the rest of the
time And who are your oh, you
haven't been to the meetings. Why, I'm
Mr., Sunday and this is my party, and
we re going TO say mere LOT the time
were In Philadelphia.
FOR YOU TO OPEN.
Surprising we did that. We would be
no more welcome than God would be
II lie forced His way in. lie says: II
you invite me in I'll come. but If you
don't | Won't
Jesus says; I'll knock and you can
let me in He'll never break in against
your will. Behold! l stand at the door
and knock
There are several things some of you
have done since these meetings began.
First. some Of you nave opened the door
and let Him in. Thank God, Second.
some of you have your hand on the
latch, but you are afraid to open It.
Some ave turned a deaf ear to the
devil, but some rave turned a listening
ear to the world. Some have said, i
will not let Him in,'
Others ave let him In. but He's up in
the spare room. Ever see a spare room?
It's usually up in the northwest corner,
two blocks away from any fire. It's
where you put the preachers and the pre-
siding elders when they come to visit
you, I'd just as soon sleep between two
cakes of ice as In a spare room. ia just
as soon sleep In a sepulchre as in a
spare room. We used to have one when
L lived down on the farm, II was a little
room. If you Walke In you had TO back
100. A. Il -. H. 49, 49,.