Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-04


tabernacle delivered a most beauti-
full discourse and a true gospel ser
mon speaking on the subject 1.-The
Heavenly Visitor" taking his text
from Revelations 1913 Behold l
stand at the door and knock; if
any man hear my voice. and open
the door, will come in to him, and
will sup with him. and he with
me-" His sermon abounded in per-
tinent illustrations and beautiful
stories. He said in part:
Behold, l stand at the door and
knock" That is a part of the mes
sage of Jesus, through the Holy
Spirit and the Apostle John to the
back-slidden church.
There are many who enjoyed the
exalted privileges that are not
ours. They had seen Jesus face
to face and heard him speak, and
caught the influence which came
from associating with him.
They had heard him speak the
words, and disease would flee away
and the storm would still. He
showed his power over disease,
death and devils, and notwith-
standing all that, they had drifted
into a comatose state spiritually,
which occasioned the necessity for
the present book, of which my text
is a part.
Notwithstanding there are many
things that are discouraging today,
see many signs that are encour-
aging, splendid signs. The mission
airy zeal which is sweeping
throughout the length and breadth
of the land. The minds and hearts
in men and women in nations wher-
ever they have been immune to ap-
peaIs are now open, and with out
stretched arms they are looking
across the mountains and the seas
for us to come with the glad It'd
ings of the message of salvation
through Jesus Christ.
Churches are arising and mem
berships are increasing, and the re-
ligious wave that started at the
close of the 18th century under
the preaching of Wesley and Whit
field has not yet lost its force. Yet
there seems to be something lack
ing.
We are increased in goodness, in
culture and wealth, and we seem to
be disposed and forsaken. And. l
believe that Jesus Christ stands at
the door of the church life, and
there is no music and there is no
ritual.
There is no progress in material
matters that has a feathers weight
with God. We admit philosophy
and God would not rebuke. We ad-
NIT ethics and God would not say
nay. We admit education, society
and these things which are a lit
eral part of our nature and which
God does not deny us. He wants
US to enjoy them to the fullest, but
we compel Jesus Christ to stay
without
If you'd let him come in, out
would go suspicion, ack-biting.
wrath, malice, lies, vilifcation,
SANDER. and all that turns night in
to a troubled insomnia and the day
into a mirage. Your hopes are as
sassinated and your ambitions for
noble things are electrocuted, and
there you stand, my friends, a
grinning skeleton, bearing upon
you an epitaph of what you might
have been if you had only yielded
to God or his influence surround
ing you to help you do his will.
Religion isn't in your handker-
chief, religion is in your will. If
your will is not in conformity to
the revealed will of God, you are
not religious.
God a Friend.
Some say it is hard to get &C
quainted with God. Wrongi Wrong
1t is easy! 1t is the easiest thing
in the world! If God has never
come into your life, it is because
you don't want him to come into
you life.
How am to know If God comes
into my life? 1 will answer your
question by asking you one. If you
knew that God wanted to come into
your life, are you decent enough 20
let him? If you knew that God
wanted you to go to heaven, are
you man enough and woman
enough to do it? If you knew that
God wanted you to pray, are you
decent enough TO do it?
Over in Egypt not long ago, they
dug up a mummy and when they
it, they found by the
that it was buried
400 years ago. Around that
mummy were some kernels of
wheat They took those kernels Of
wheat and, formulated by the rays
Of the sun and moisture. they germ
mated, harvested, replanted, until
they have got a new species of
wheat. Although these kernels had
been lying about that mummy for
8 400 years. they hadn't lost their
power of productiUeness. When
they came in contact with their nat
ural elements, the soil, sunshine,
and the rain, they terminated and
came forth.
These words came from the lips
Of Jesus Christ 1000 years ago and
they have yet the power to make a
thief steal no more, to make a
pray. to make liber-
tine pure. to make a Cursing man
who beats his wife and damns her
into a respectable man.
They have the power TO do that
yet and they will never lose that
power.
He said, Behold, stand a: the
door and knock" The Christian
is not a dogma, it is not a
doctrine, it isn't a creed. Oh,
It centers about a personal Christ.
I can preach Buddhism without old