Rock Island Argus., 1919-11-03

Jesus Christ.
Placing Responsibility.
Every Sunday school teacher and
ofhcer, every member of the church
have received a commission to do
your part. Now I know what some
people think about revivals. l
know what some people think
about revivalists and particularly
about me. But you are entitled to
your opinion, have no fuss or
quarrel with you, if you can sleep
better after spewing out your male
dictions, all right, it don't hurt me
at all.
know what some people would
sneeringly say II some man or
woman who has professed faith in
these meetings should tumble and
fall tomorrow, "Ah! Ha! Just as
I expected to see."
Take tip from me. the new con-
verts will be just as good as the
old and they will be just like the
old. You might as we'll bring a
baby into this world and bind its
hand and foot, throw it into a
snowdrift and expect it to live and
thrive and develop physically as to
expect a man or woman would
make any progress in spiritual de-
velopment by creeping into some of
these great, big icehouses known
as churches, with cakes of ice on
the top of them.
And when / pronounce the ben
ediction, absolutely refuse to as
sumo any responsibility or allow
anybody on earth to offer me any
carping criticism for what l have
! done. have done by duty. l am
through when pronounce the ben
ediction. It's up to you. I'm
through.
What bread and meat is to your
body, what milk is to the baby. the
bible is to a new convert. When a
baby is born, what do you do with
it, put it in a refrigerator? That's
a good place for dead chickens. and
meat and butter and milk. What
do you give baby to eat when il
is born? Gristle and meat and
bone? You give a baby milk-as
newborn babies desire the sincere
milk of the word-that it may grow
and the bible will be to you spir.
itually what food is to you physi'
cally. Read it. Pray! Attend the
church services, Join the church
not meeting house, join the
church, not simply the prayer.
melting, not simply the Sunday
morning service, join the church
Give your means and God will won
derfully bless you.
Bottle.Fed Church.
One of the most prolific sources
of backsliding is bottle-fet
church. Many preacher remind:
me of a great, big nursing bottle
with five hundred or a thousand
rubber tubes running out into tht
audience and with five hundred o.
I, a thousand great, big 150 pound
babies in Christ with nipples il
their mouth, sitting there nursing
and sucking from the preacher ant
so the preacher has to be we
nurse to the whole crowd.
| And say, when 1 have preache'
my last sermon, when have gon
to the last city. when l have givel
the last invitation and my eyes t,
earth's glories grow dim, and l an
preparing to drift out with TIL
tide, and l at last burst througl
the gates into, the city and receiv
the, reward whatever God thinks
have earned in my life of labor ant
service, l shall feel like taking i
from off my brow and throwing i
at the feet of Jesus and saying
20, Master, it is reward enougl
for me to look into Your face an,
to know that the pearly gates hav
closed upon their jeweled hinges
), and that I shall go in and out n
more forever: but every time I lif
my eyes L shall catch a vision Q
your face and l will hear the an
; gels sing"
! And my hope and prayer is tha
each morn may greet you with tn
glad consciousness of His pres
ence and that each step of you
way may be taken with a full as
surance of His guidance, and ma
each experience that may come t
Jyou. whether it be. bitter or sweet
! make you still surer of His unfail
ing mercy and goodness.
i And may each day close in tn
sweet sleep, in the unclouded Ger
tainty that you are His and tina
He is yours through Jesus Chris
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