Norwich bulletin., 1919-12-01
RESPONSES ARE MANY TO
 EVAMGELiST,s INVITATION


 Sunday night at the Central Baptist church before congregation of about 1000. Gypsy Smith, Jr., the evangelist, gave the invitation for those who wished to live Christian lives to come forward and something over 30 re- sponded. There had been a large re- sponse to the invitation at meeting held in the afternoon for Sunday school pupils, the first time that the evangelist has given the invitation during this series of meeting, now en- tering the third week.
 The church was filled for the after noon meeting. delegations from each of the various Sunday schools com ing to the church in a body. MT. Smith made his appeal from the text in Hebrews, Laying aside every weight and the sin that does so cas- fly beset us.'
 Mr Smith took his subject Sunday evening from the old story of Zac- chaeus. and his text was, fAfd Jesus entered and passed through Jerecho." ]" It was wonderful moment in kthe 1 city of Jericho when the Son of God paid a special visit; far more wonder | full than any of the citizens eyer l dreampt of. If they had only been awake to the opportunities of the mo- i ment, we should have had different i reading in this nineteenth chapter of ] the gospel according to St. Luke, but Jerecho was fast asleep.
 If President Wilson were to visit
 Norwich tmeFrow morning. Norwich would turn out ermasse to welcome | him. It would not matter what yoy thought of the politics, you would dc
 him honor as the chief executive oi l this great nation, and there would bs with him members of the Associated
 Press who would record all his do. ings in Norwich. They would takt
 down his address. if he made any
 where he was entertained. and the1
 your friends in Frisco and mine il
 Maine would pick up their papers tn, following morning and read of wfa President Wilson had done and sait
 in the city of Norwich.
 , But there was the Son of God Wh,
 entered the city and passed ttreugl ) single thing recorded. All we hay is And Jesus entered and passe, l through Jericho"
 l Why, because Jerecho was asleeF
 She was asleep to her opportunities , to the stupendous possibilities of sue : Q wonderful moment in her city's his , tory. And this moment now is just as stu pendous and just as full of possibili
 ties as that moment was in Jerieh,
 for the Son of God visits cities todas
 just as He did two thousand year } ago. He has not thrown humanit
 out in the wilderness to die, and be , cause He cares we are here. And som 7 of these men in your city who start ! ed this movement with myself beiiey u that ho ,5 with the arrangements of these meet Q ings, that because God cares, we al $ here. He loves us: He means our CT
 noblement; He wants to save us frel II the things that mar and spoil us; an u He has willed that you should hes l. this message from my lips; and if yo y cannot see God in this movement, it r because the God of this world hs t blinded your eyes. If you had a visio 0 you would see Him. for He is f;
 closer than the one who sits by yo, = side, far nearer than the hanEkerciai - with which you wiped away that tei
 just now, far nearer. than the iiyp;
 book from which you sang a moInel
 age, and your eWn cry of mercy Eeu M open up the eyes of your soul, al N you would see your Master ar 'f Saviour waiting to save you.
 ,- <A'h~ oO <1dSci1SuS IIItue up ms mn # he was going to see Jesus. Every SC n mon that I ever read on Zacche, u made him out to be the embodinle ,s of curiosity. I hardly think we a him justice when we say that, f II somehow, I cannot think that Chri Id would have gone out of His way ju ,e to have an interview with Zacce, IS who only wanted to satisfy his cul o. osity. How de we know that z le cheps had not heard John the Ba d tist? How de we know he had II
 heard John the Baptist say, "Behe
 the Lamb of God that taketh away t
 sin of the world" do know this, tn
 Zaecheus acted like . man who h
 thought the whole thing through, a. i'd when the opportunity came, did T es hesitate one moment, but was req at t open his heart to Jesus Christ. [. wonder if you viii be as wise l. Zaeeieus when the opportunity com h. Oh, but hear you say Zaceheus h at no obstacles to keep him from seei VI Jesus while I have. No you, are VITO Ie there, There are two great 0 It. taeles thata tried to prevent Zaeehs pr. from seeing Christ, and th same C 1d staeles have kent you all these wes rp from seeing Him They did not Ike
 Zaecheus, but tsey have kept Y, r. from seeing Christ. First, the eror ke and Jesus, bet he got around fl, !
 great crowd stood hetween Zacehe
 you haven't, and the fear Of the efe,
 today is keeping you from Jes .fe-$ / tan 4,. {.