Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-20

pent The first thing that JOhn the
Baptist preached was 'Rerent ye for the
Kingdom Of God Is at hand The first
thing that Jesus Christ preached was the
message Repent The first thing that
the apostles preached was Repent"
You sc dom hear a sermon on repent
ance. There are plenty Of preachers who
never In the course of a long ministry
preach sermon on repentance. Every
thing else, but give repentance wide
berth. Maybe their reason Is something
like that OF the old colored preacher who
never preached a sermon against chicken
stealing, because II threw a coolness over
the meeting. There are lots of times
when II minister breaches repentance
he stlrs UP lot Of snakes. There would
be more preaching OF repentance II min
listers weren't SO anxious to keep their
jobs and TO have their salaries raised.
We hate anything that shows Us our
faults and blemshes. so he preached what
they liked TO hear
mo man could make living as a pho
tographer II his pictures showed people
exactly as they are. He's got TO retouch
them IL he's going to get along In bust
ness. He's got to take out the wrinkles
on n mans forehead and take ont that
pink wart on the woman's nose, and he
must make the woman who squints look
just as good as II she didn't IL is said
that an elephant will never drink from
a stream of clear water, for as soon as
he looks into 1t and catches one sight
of his ugly face he flies into rage and
lashes the water with his trunk and gets
II all muddy There must be big streak
OF human nature i'm the elephant. There
are lots Of people like the elephant. They
don't like the Bible. They don't like to
have a preacher show them to them
selves as they are in all their ugliness.
The reason some people don't like my
preaching is because ! preach the truth.
They want TO preach sermons that please
them. They want a 'ticlde-me-and-I'll-
tickle-you' brand of preaching and
preacher that will Nsay things that will
make you feel like n boy with mouth
full of butterscotch. You make man
feel as though God is stuck on him They
like you all right but you are not saving
them from hell.
John the Baptist wasn't that kind of
a preacher Jesus Christ wasn't that
kind Of preacher. The apostles weren't
that kind Of preaChers-eXcept old Judas.
John the Baptist opened the Bible right
in the middle and preached the word of
God just as he found 1t, and he didn't
care whether the people liked IL or not.
That wasn't his business. I'll tell you
John the Baptist stirred UP the devil. He
took dead aim at the old sinners on the
front seats. If any minister doesn't be-
lieve in personal devil it's because he
has never preached a sermon on repent
nnce, or he'd have heard him roar. Yes,
SIR lf there's anything that will make
the devil roar 1t is a sermon on repent
Rnce.
FACING WRONG WAY.
Some people say that | am too severe.
y man said to me, Mr.. Sunday, you rub
the fur the wrong way said, No, sir.
Let the cats turn around Il stroke it
the right way. The trouble is with the
people who are turned in the wrong di-
rection.
Il can imagine John the Baptist. see
ing Herod approaching in his chariot,
and saying: Here comes that old adul-
terer! Lord help me to hit him right !
between the eyes He used words that
cut like a Damascus blade, and they
hat woman lolling beside him. He used |
plain words-he didn't mince matters, |
He told Herod just what he was in the |
sight of God. I believe that half of all |
The vice in the world would be removed J
Il we called it by its right name. Most |
people who die by poison do so because |
he bottles are not labeled right. Label |
sins by their right names and there are /
very few who will have anything to do |
With them. Adultery, seduction, rape, |
hlevery are the right names for the sins.
rhe devil wouldn't have much influence !
,round here If he were to appear as he |
s. You'd turn in horror and disgust and |
The devil appears as an angel !
" light, or he wouldn't last long. 1t |
sn't a good thing to have synonyms for
H. 81. lie. gr. s-p wrrl.a
ellis a falsehood about n neighbor is
lar. He who breaks his marriage vows
$ an aduterer The Bible doesn't say
.nything about affinities, There isn't any
uch commandment as Thou shalt not !
commit affinity
"God will give light to the man who
wants to be saved in Gods way.
Conversion through fear usually lasts
ust about as long as the scare lasts.
Iany man will make God a promise
when he is sick and has a vision of the
rave You can't scare a man into re-
,entance any more than you can drive
,oison out of a rattlesnake by putting a
on his tail. ~
81 haven't that much faith in these So
allied deathbed repentances. | don't say
hat none of them are genuine, but 1 do .
ay that if you have served the devil all ,
he years of your health and strength, /
nd then when you are dying send for
he preacher to pray over your old car
ass you're mighty mean and low down.
here is only one case OF dcathbed re-
entance In the Bible and that was of
he thief on the cross. 1t was his first /
very first chance he had
yer had to accept the gospel of Jesus
'hrist, and he accepted IL. Some of you
Id cronies have been hearing invitations
or years. Understand me- now-I don't
ay that man cannot be saved on his
eathbed, but that's mighty poor time
or repentance
mo, Jesus didn't try to scare men into
epentance. lie said nothing to the
roman of Samaria about being damned,
Or to Matthew nor TO the woman taken
n adultery. lie never mentioned 1t. If
ear were necessary to repentance. I'm
frald l would never have been saved. 1
wasn't afraid. My conscience told me /
-~.H.s -,~ D,n -,