The Washington times., 1917-02-18
GYPSY SMITH, JR.,
TO SPEAK TO MEN
will Preach Special Sermon on
Life of Jacob at Tabernacle
This Afternoon.

gypsy Smitn, Jr., VIII speak 10 men
only at o'clock this afternoon at the
tabernacle at Sixteenth and v streets
northwest. He will take as his sub
ject the life OF Jacob, and liken the
present-day Christian to Jacob.
Special music has been arranged
for the afternoon, led by Prof. For
rest Cole. At the last meeting for
men a large number of men went for
ward at the call of the evangelist.
The sermon this afternoon will
trace the whole career OF Jacob from
his youthful sin OF supplanting his
brother Esau by fraud, through his
subsequent trials in slavery, until he
came out victorious in his struggle
with the angel and was renamed
Israel and called a prince with God
and men thereafter.
Like Rip Van winkIe.
Excoriating those churchgoers who
''are SNUG and satisfied with their re-
ligion though only meeting Christ
half way" Gypsy Smith, in one Of the
most forceful sermons he has de-
livered since starting the revival
last night hkened this class of Chris
tians to so many Rip Van Wrinkles.
Accompanying each of his clear-cut
sentences with q characteristic ges-
ture, the evangelist, who was in his
best voice, drove his words home to
his hearers. Many +Amens" Of
approval were whispered during the
sermon. More than a dozen respond
ed to the clergyman's plea to "come
and meet Christ and give your all to
Him."
awake. Thou That sIeepest.-
The evangelist took his text from
the NTH chapter of the Ephesians,
Awake, thou that sleepest and Christ
will give thee light"
What is the saddest sight that
God looks down upon from the stars
tonight?" asked the evangelist, shak-
ing his fist forcefully at those who
crowded the long tiers of seats in
front Of him. mot the man who Is
wasting his life away, probably In
the gutter. through indulgence in al
cohol. No.
Those Snug ad self-satisned.
Nor is 1t the woman who is walk
ng the streets and selling her virtue
for money. These are sad sight to
the Almighty, yes. but they are not
the saddest. The saddest sight that
God has to look down upon is right
here in this tabernacle.
"It the sight Of those who are
Snug and self-satisfed with their re-
ligion, those who are meeting Christ
onnyl halfway. who are Indifferent
to His teachings and refuse to re-
ceive Him in His entirety.
Those Who Are Asleep.
There are those so-called Christ
ians who are asleep. who ded OF the
sleeping sickness. In a spiritual
sense. There are also those who. be-
ing awakened by hearing the Word
OF God, do not get up.
Sinners OF this kind are like the
man who Is aroused from slumber
by the remote soundings of a fire
alarm and. thinking that the fife in
no way will harm him. goes back to
sleep and is suffOcated by the smoke
from the blaze below his bedroom.
Message to BacksIider.
o THE first part OF the text describes
the sinner and the blsckslider. To the
backslider must be said the same
word that first brought him into light
from darkness. II you are living out
of Christ you are asleep. The Bible
doesn't compliment the fellow who
sins; it is never complimentary to
the sinner.
kind OF sinner l have no message for
N+nU oNn-o =
Christ you are superior to no one.
You are just as much asleep spiritual
ly as the vilest sinner in tn world.
You say l oYerdo this thing. First,
call you a leper, then a paralytic.
then say you're blind. and now
come with the assertion that you are
snoring. No. l am not OVERRIDING this
thing. You're asleep.
Spiritual Possibilities Foremost. .
"You remember the story OF Rip
Van Wrinkle, they used to tell us
when we were kids. You know he
went out into the mountain and slept
for twenty years. When he came back
he didn't see a face he recognized; he
didn't see a child he knew. The grave
yard was the only place he was famil-
lar with, for there were the markers
over the graves OF his former friends.
"If you're out OF Christ, you're moth
ing but a Rip Van Wrinkle. For
thirty, forty, fifty. yea even sixty
years you've let your spiritual pos
sibilitieS lie dormant: you're asleep
to your spiritual condition.
.why Don't You Get Upf"
The next portion of our text Is
Arise There's a lot OF difference
between waking and getting up. You
have been awakened during these
why don't you get up?"
Here the evangelist gave an Illus
tration of the difference between wax
ing and getting up.
You'll know when you've gotten up.
! knew, that night as | stood in a
church in New York and gave my
heart to God. that I hadgotten up.
The Danger of "SIeepinE."
THE third part OF the text is the
promise. And Christ will give, thee
life II has been my privilege to be
on the west coast of Africa several
times. There they have a dreadful
disease known as the sleeping sick !
ness Natives can go to sleep lean |
ing against a door and die in their |
sleeps. That Is true of the spiritual |
world. You may die In your sleep, in !
your spiritual sleep. ! warn you OF a |
great danger.
Some OF you have been living for |
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