Arizona republican., 1916-01-17
DR. RAY |. HARKE DELIVERS
 INSPIRING SER M0N LAST NIGHT

Rev. Ray Harker, of the First Methodist church, delivered one of the most appreciated sermons that ever has been heard in this city, last evening Taking for his text, Acts ll:30, God commandeth all men everywhere to repent" and Mark 6:12, They went out and preached that men should repent he said in part as follows:
 It has been said that the photoS- rapher that would not take the squint out of mans eyes and the wart off his nose would not be very popular. We are told that an elephant will not drink out of clear water. When he sees his ugly face reflected in it, he IS so aroused to fury and lashes the water into foam. So when l announce that 1 am going to speak on Repentance to- night, I know that it is not popular, for people do not care 10 see them selves as they are.
 Repentance is so often enforced in Gods word in the New Testament, that that book has been called "the hand book of repentance" John the Bap- tist said, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" When Jesus came down from Galilee he said, Re bent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand His first sermon to the world was on repentance. At another time he said, Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish" Peter said on the day of the Peutacost, Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" The disciples who were commissioned of Christ went out and preached that men should repent. Paul preached to the Gentiles to do works meet for repentance.' Again Paul said in one text, God command eth all men everywhere to repent. Over sixty times is repentance en- forced in the New Testamnt.
 What Precedes Repentance Conviction of sins must precede re- pentance We hear it said that if d man does his best all will be well with 1 him. When Isaiah got a true glimpse of his heart he aaw that his best apart
 from God was filthy rags When Daniel had his heart laid bare and saw his best he cried. Woe IS me" JoI
 had the scales fall from his eyes and got vision of his best and said. T an vile" This thought that if a-man does
 his best all is well as it is generally in
 tended, is rightly called "one of the 1 latest lies of hell"
 | Conviction for sin comes from the
 Spirit of God It may come in some silent hour and as gently as the lieh
 falls on the petals of the rose. It may come amid the tumult and the tenn lpest when the shafts of death are fly- ing. It may come amid the rush of tht wind amid the shocks of the earth quake, or in the gentleness of the stil
 small voice
 The instrument used to arouse con
 viction may be treasured sentenc
 from the Word of God that has beel hidden away in the brain and is sud
 denly brought vividly before the sou
 l. may be the awakened memory of
 sainted memory, it maE be the remem
 bered plea of d friend or teacher. Bu
 the conviction comes without our con
 sent. But when it comes we must aC
 or it will die. Nothing can be saddle than for d soul to disregard this con
 viction for sin. Better take dagge and plunge it into your heart than |
 smother the spirits conviction whic
 tells you that you ought to repent an
 come to God.
 You must act upon your convictio
 or the conviction is worthless. Gyps
 Smith says Tt is one thing to awak,
 it is another thing to get up" Go
 must arise and go unto your Father
 Two persons sit in the same sea ' One follows the conviction that come to him, bows in repentance. is fol