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[Illustration: GEORGE L. HERR AND WIFE]
THE
NATION BEHIND PRISON BARS
BY
GEORGE L. HERR, Prison Evangelist
"_I was in prison, and ye came unto me_"
PUBLISHED BY
THE CARTER PRINTING COMPANY
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
COPYRIGHT 1913
BY
GEORGE L. HERR, LOUISVILLE, KY.
To My Wife
WHOSE CONSTANT HELP AND
ENCOURAGEMENT
MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO DO THE WORK
TO WHICH
God
HAS CALLED ME, THIS VOLUME IS
INSCRIBED WITH THE
PRAYER THAT
God
WILL USE IT TO SAVE MANY SOULS
The Nation Behind Prison Bars
BY
GEORGE L. HERR, Prison Evangelist
Author of "Light in Dark Places," "You Are My Prisoner," "The
Life Line," "Man's Worst Enemy," "Nothing Better," "The
Missionary," "The Bethel," "Lost and Is Found," and "A Glorious
Rescue."
THE WORLD OF PRISONERS UNKNOWN TO MANY BROUGHT FORWARD IN
DESCRIPTIVE SPEECH AND VIVID PICTURES
There are enough people in prison in these United States to furnish a
citizenship to a considerable territory, or to populate a good-sized
city. For the psychological student, they form the most interesting of
all objects of study. For the philanthropist, and for the Christian
missionary, they constitute a wonderful field of activity. How to lift
them out of the criminal strata is the question to which Mr. Herr is
devoting his life, in an effort to answer. In a good measure he is
answering it. Many prisoners to whom the grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation, will rise to call him blessed.--Rev. Jno. Paul,
Mississippi.
[Illustration: MY DEVOTED FATHER
THE LATE HON. RICHARD S. HERR
"And their works do follow them."]
[Illustration: MY PRECIOUS MOTHER
The Late Mrs. RICHARD S. HERR
"Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in
the gates."]
Foreword
Gathered within these pages are recitals of scenes and incidents in a
field of existence fortunately unfamiliar to the majority of our
readers. The subject has been handled without any attempt to embellish
the hard facts or gloss over the cruel details--the paramount desire
upon the part of the author being an endeavor to show the crying
necessity for a constant, earnest labor among the unfortunates who are
shut away from God's sunshine; whom God still loves, despite their sins
of omission and commission. If the perusal of this volume brings to the
reader a belief that the cause is worthy, that labor in this field
brings a reward which amply compensates for the time and effort
expended, the author will rest in the knowledge of a duty well
performed. There has been no effort at exaggeration in presenting these
sketches of daily experiences among the outcasts of society, no
straining for effect, no striving to paint word pictures that may touch
the heart. It is simply the story of everyday life in the field of the
prison missionary's labor, and is given to the public with a fervent
prayer that God, in His infinite wisdom, will instill in the hearts of
our readers a feeling of charity toward those whose burden is almost
greater than they can bear.
Faithfully,
G. L. H.
Contents
Title i
Copyright ii
Dedication iii
Advertisement iv
Foreword v
Contents vii
Illustrations ix
Commendations from Louisville Ministers x
Story of the Life of Geo. L. Herr xiii
Subscription Card xvi
Chapter First--Life of Geo. L. Herr 1
Chapter Second--"Lost, and Is Found" 10
Chapter Third--"Political Peril," Sermon by Dr. E. L. Powell 23
Chapter Fourth--"Christ the Interpreter," Sermon by Dr. Hawes 34
Chapter Fifth--Throwing Out the Life Line 41
Chapter Sixth--Reformation of Criminals 46
Visit to Nashville Prison 52
Chapter Seven--Does Prison Work Pay? 54
The Work of a Prison Evangelist 57
Youtsey, Kentucky's Famous Prisoner 66
Practical Religious Work in County Jail 67
Praise for Prison Evangelist 69
Sermon in State Prison 70
Revival Stirs Up Inmates 72
Chapter Eight--A Man of Honor 74
Chapter Nine--Jim O'Brien, the Modern Miracle 76
Jim O'Brien Passes Away 83
Chapter Ten--Columbus Ohio Prison 85
The Big Ohio "Pen" Week by Week 88
Chapel Services 89
Chapter Eleven--Incontestable Proof 92
Prison Evangelist's Good Work 97
A Grand Work Highly Commended--John R. Pflanz 98
"Worked Wonders" 100
Strong Endorsement 101
Speaks to Prisoners 102
Sad and Pitiful Story 103
Resolution Never Broken 104
What is a Friend? 106
"Another Chance I Crave" 108
Letter from Col. Will S. Hays 110
Letter from Capt. Scheider 111
Profanity Shows Mental Deficiency 112
Cincinnati Work House 115
Extermination of Habitual Criminals 116
Criminal Becomes Minister 120
Poem to Brother Herr 122
Success of Reform Criminals--Wm. A. Pinkerton 124
Letter from Editor Star of Hope 137
Lost and is Found 138
Christmas at the Frankfort Prison 139
Hundreds of Letters 144
A Tribute from Jos. M. O'Hara 145
Fishing for Men 147
Branch Library in the Jail 149
Change comes in Curt Jett 151
Christian Endeavor at Frankfort Prison 158
Capital Punishment 165
Indiana Reformatory 168
Indiana Reformatory Chapel Services 169
Clinging to the Bible 172
Tree of Life and Knowledge 173
The World Dying for Love 174
George L. Herr's New Book 176
Illustrations
Geo. L. Herr and Wife--Frontispiece i
The Late Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Herr iv
Rev. Chas. R. Hemphill, D.D. xv
Rev. Steve P. Holcombe 6
The Late Mr. George Gaulbert 8
Rev. Carter Helm Jones 9
The Late Rev. E. A. Ferguson 10
Rev. E. L. Powell 22
First Christian Church and Presbyterian Theological
Seminary 28
Rev. T. M. Hawes, D.D. 34
Rev. Henry Clay Morrison, D.D. 40
Rev. John Paul 46
Dwight L. Moody 48
Valentine Burke 50
The Late Col. Mat. Ragland 54
Jefferson County Jail 58
The Late Hon. J. C. Bohart 60
Hon. John R. Pflanz 64
Rev. C. S. Hanley 92
Hon. Chas. F. Grainger 106
Judge Aaron Kohn 108
Rt. Rev. Chas. E. Woodcock, D.D. 112
The Hon. and Mrs. John L. Whitman 116
Gospel Service at the County Jail, Chicago, Ill 118
Wm. A. Pinkerton 124
Louisville Free Public Library 149
Curtis Jett 151
Henry E. Youtsey 158
Commendation from Louisville Ministers
Louisville, Ky., Jan. 27, 1910.
To His Honor Judge Muir Weissinger,
Judge of the County Court,
Jefferson County, Ky.
Dear Sir:
The undersigned Ministers of the Gospel in the city of Louisville, being
members of the Ministerial Association, do hereby recommend to your
Honor the appointment of the Rev. George L. Herr, a regular ordained
minister of the gospel, as Chaplain of the Jefferson County Jail, in
accordance with Part 9, Sections 627-632 Russell Statutes, 1909,
inclusive.
The Rev. Mr. Herr is thoroughly well qualified to fill the position of
Chaplain at the County Jail, he having for seven years previous to the
enactment of the present law given up his time and money in this noble
work, without compensation from any source whatever, either state,
county or city, as the present Jailer of Jefferson County and many other
will testify.
R. D. SMART,
Pastor Broadway Methodist Church.
CHARLES R. HEMPHILL,
Professor Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
W. N. BRINEY,
Pastor Broadway Christian Church.
W. J. CLARKE,
Minister Clifton Church.
A. R. KASEY,
Pastor Clifton Crescent Hill Methodist Church.
S. G. SHELLEY,
Pastor Jefferson St. Methodist Church.
THAD. S. TINSLEY,
Pastor Third Christian Church.
W. F. IRWIN,
4th Ave. Presbyterian Church.
E. B. PATTERSON,
Pastor Trinity Church.
W. R. HENDRIX,
Pastor Methodist Temple.
J. T. RUSHING,
Pastor Virginia Ave. M. E. Church, South.
D. B. GREGORY,
Pastor Woodland Pres. Church U. S.
G. W. NUTTER,
Pastor Parkland Christian Church.
B. F. ATKINSON,
Pastor Rivers Memorial M. E. Church, South.
C. F. WIMBERTY,
Marcus Lindsay Memorial.
CHAS. A. HUMPHREY,
Pastor Portland M. E. Church, South.
J. D. SIGLER
E. L. POWELL,
Pastor First Christian Church.
S. H. LOVELACE,
Pastor Oakdale Methodist Church.
C. R. CROWE,
Pastor Highland Park and Hill Street.
T. R. KENDALL,
Lander Memorial Church.
T. L. CRANDELL,
Dumesnil M. E. Church.
C. E. CARTER,
Asbury M. E. Church.
ARTHUR W. BROOK,
M. E. Church, South.
W. B. BEAUCHAMP,
Pastor Fourth Ave. M. E. Church, South.
J. R. McAFEE,
West Broadway M. E. Church, South.
Story of the Life of Geo. L. Herr
The Rev. George L. Herr, prison evangelist, has received from Chicago
his book entitled "The Story of His Life," by Edward De Alma. Mr. Herr
distributed 100 copies yesterday in the Jefferson County jail, and the
men received them with great eagerness. Mr. Herr will place the story in
all penal institutions. A letter from the Rev. James M. Taylor,
complimenting the book, says: "I have read with soul-stirring interest
the sad, heart-rending experience of Brother Herr, and the miraculous
deliverance by the grace of God; how, by a life of sin, he squandered a
fortune; how God found him and gave him deliverance; the romantic way in
which his God-given companion entered his life and how they are being
used, perhaps, as no other persons to-day in helping those behind the
bars. This story will warn the reckless, encourage the 'outcast,' and
put a desire in the hearts of thousands to lead better lives."
--_Louisville Courier-Journal_
The Rev. Paul, of Meridian, Miss., says: "The story of Brother Herr's
life, 'Redeemed from the depths of sin to the mountain top of
salvation,' is a thrilling narrative, published as a warning to the
fallen."
The Rev. J. B. Foote, chaplain of the Onondaga county penitentiary, in
New York, acknowledging receipt of the life story of Mr. Herr and
thanking him for it, states in his letter that he will use the book in
his preaching in prison.
When asked if prison work paid, Mr. Herr said: "Who will ever know the
vast number that will attribute their first impulse to a better life,
formed while in the seclusion of a prison cell, while reading this book.
The world will never know how many, when sitting in judgment upon
themselves, have learned the great secret, that it takes an omnipotent
power to change the current of their lives and give them deliverance
from the power of sin, and enabling them to go forth, not to live a new
purpose, but a new life."
In 1909 Mr. Herr published 150,000 sermons, books and tracts.
The Rev. George L. Herr, whose address delivered in our chapel last
Sunday morning was charmingly refreshing, is a man whose vicissitudes of
life lead through a labyrinth that would require a half century of years
to make its journey at an ordinary pace.--Rev. D. J. Starr, D.D., Ohio
Penitentiary.
Bro. Herr knows the prison work as few men do. He is a man of large
sympathy, and having had an experience of fifteen years as an
evangelist, knows how to reach the hearts of the men. He has the entire
confidence of both prisoners and officials and is always given a most
hearty welcome by all.--Jos. Severance, Chaplain.
"The large number who have been helped by hearing your message will be
still further benefited by reading your book."--Rev. Albert J. Steelman,
Ph.D., Chaplain, Illinois State Penitentiary.
Get Rev. Herr's book for your good, but chiefly for the good of others.
Rev. C. R. Hemphill, D.D., Louisville, Ky.: "I believe Rev. George L.
Herr especially equipped for the difficult work of an evangelist to
those in prison and to the neglected."
Rev. Wm. Edmond Foster: "His love for lost souls and his zeal knows no
bounds. I bespeak for him a life of great usefulness to his fellowmen
without hope and without God."
[Illustration: REV. CHAS. R. HEMPHILL, D.D.
President Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky. One of the
South's greatest scholars and teachers; whose heart is full of sympathy
for and helpfulness of the unfortunate.]
Rev. Horace G. Ogden, D.D., New York: "I have been placed where I have
known intimately his work as prison evangelist. I can say he has made a
superb record. He has taken an enlarged field of work, and I have every
confidence in his increased usefulness. His book merits a large
circulation."
Rev. Ed. Ferguson: "For years he, with his most estimable wife, have
given their time and talent to the uplifting of the down-trodden of this
great metropolis and they have the respect and hearty co-operation of
the best people in Louisville."
Rev. James M. Taylor: "The story will warn the reckless, encourage the
'outcast,' and put desire in the hearts of thousands to lead better
lives."
Rev. T. T. Taliaferro, Chaplain Kentucky State Prison: "Your sermons are
blessed of God to the furtherance of the works of grace in our midst.
May God bless you in your noble work."
Rev. W. O. Vreeland, Chaplain Kentucky State Prison: "You are worthy of
the highest commendation."
Men's Bible Class, James Lee Memorial Presbyterian Church: "Rev. George
L. Herr's talk at last Sunday's session was a treat."
Rev. George L. Herr, 195 Coral Avenue, Louisville, Ky.: "Who will ever
know the vast number that will attribute their first impulse to a better
life, formed while in seclusion of a prison cell while reading this
book."
The Rev. George L. Herr is bringing out a book on prison life which is
abundantly capable of two effects, namely: Enlisting the attention of
readers, like a romance, and benefitting the class of whom he writes. It
is a two-hundred page book, illustrated with pictures of prisons, and
scenes behind the bars.
DEAR FRIEND:
We know you will rejoice with us in the work being accomplished behind
prison bars. Many thousands we are preaching the gospel to every year.
There are converts all over the United States that we hear from. The
outlook of the work was never more encouraging. May we submit to you our
plan to secure auxiliary memberships at $10.00 each?
Will you be one?
GEO. L. HERR AND WIFE,
Prison Evangelists.
DEPARTMENTS OF WORK.
Distribution of thousands of papers, tracts, and other religious
reading.
Visiting the sick and poor.
Street work in the slums.
Evangelistic work in the different penitentiaries a specialty.
CHAPTER FIRST
LIFE OF GEORGE L. HERR
BY EDWARD DE ALMA
A BRAND PLUCKED FROM THE BURNING.
"As we sow so shall we reap."
Born in the city of Louisville, of an old Kentucky family, whose
escutcheon had never been shadowed by smirch or breath of shame or
ignominy, it might truthfully be said of George L. Herr that he had been
ushered into this world with the proverbial "gold spoon in his mouth,"
his father, the late Richard S. Herr, being a prominent and highly
esteemed and wealthy citizen of the grand old state of Kentucky. Though
surrounded by the luxuries of life, by environments unusually favorable
for the development of a strong, healthy, vigorous and clean life, yet
Brother Herr's life from his youth up to the period of this writing,
presents an aspect checkered with the lights and shadows of temptation,
sin, remorse, repentance, redemption and restful peace of heart in
salvation through Jesus.
--------
Give us help from trouble; for vain is the help of man.--Ps.
108:12.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble.--Ps. 46:1.
--------
At the age of three months, the death of his precious mother caused him
to be given into the keeping of his aunt, a noble Christian woman, and
it was due to her teachings that the seeds of reverence for God, belief
in his dearly beloved Son and faith in the promise of a life of
everlasting happiness were planted deep in the recesses of George Herr's
heart, while his father, a Christian gentleman, spared no efforts in his
endeavor to bring up his son in the way he should go.
At the age of eighteen years, through the death of his father, he came
into the possession of a large estate, but lacking the experience which
usually comes with maturity, he developed a spirit of independence which
soon brought in its train of attendant evils.
--------
Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak; O Lord, heal me.--Ps.
6:2.
My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect
in weakness.--2 Cor. 12:9.
--------
The story of George Herr's experience is the recital of a man's gradual
surrender to the power of drink, until the enormity of his fall can but
be depicted by contrasting his condition with that as it was a few years
before. Then he was a well known young man of Louisville's elite
society, wealthy, respected, esteemed and sought after. Friends without
number, well wishers innumerable, the door of any refined home in the
city would have swung wide open in welcome at his knock. Now the other
picture: A drunken outcast, a prey to the buffetings of every chance
wind of fate, deprived of friends, stripped of wealth, position and
reputation; exposed to every form of evil, subject to the cruelty of
every character of temptation that assails human nature. Ostracized from
society, barred from contact with any self-respecting acquaintance of
former days, can you imagine a more potent example of the victory of
Satan through the agency of his chief field marshal, Drink? God grant
that this may come as a warning to some one of the thousands of young
men who, with prospects as bright or even more flattering than were
those of George Herr at the age of eighteen, are at this moment entering
upon the path which will lead them, as it has countless thousands, into
the abyss of eternal destruction! God grant that the moral to be drawn
from this picture will burn itself in indelible letters of fire upon the
very soul of each young man who reads this.
--------
I am poor and needy; make haste unto me, O God.--Ps. 70:5.
My God shall supply all your need, according to his riches in
glory by Christ Jesus.--Phil. 4:19.
--------
These were indeed dark days, the past a record of sin, the present a
nightmare of misery and shame, the future black with the darkness of
despair, with not the faintest gleam of hope to pierce the gloom. "Poor
fellow," you say, "only one of a multitude." Yes, only the prototype of
one of the thousands who are traveling the same broad thoroughfare at
this moment.
It was at this critical juncture, when reputation was blasted, hope
departed and the future barren of promises, that a remnant of respect
for his home and the associates of better days awakened the residuum of
pride remaining and brought the determination to remove his unwelcome
presence from the scenes of former pleasures. He went West, but his
hopes were blasted, and penniless, homeless, wretched, obliged to accept
any kind of menial work in order to eke out a bare living, he wandered
about until an overwhelming homesickness brought him back to Kentucky.
There was, perhaps, a flickering intention to do better, to cut loose
from the bands that bound him, but good resolutions were made only to be
broken, and the cords of sin drawn tighter than ever.
--------
Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?--Acts 9:6.
Follow thou me.--John 21:22.
--------
None but God can realize the extreme bitterness of that bondage, the
depths of that dark and unrelieved despair. Without light, without hope,
without rest, and worst of all, without Christ? With not one friendly
hand held out to greet him, with not one word of encouragement, but
rather the cold glance of scorn, the bitter sneer of contempt, it is not
strange that there stretched out before him apparently nothing but a
drunkard's life, a drunkard's death and an endless eternity in a
drunkard's hell.
Then the fearful temptation of suicide met him; but God, in his infinite
mercy, destined him to pass through even this fearful ordeal unharmed
and spared him that he might carry the gospel of a Savior's love to a
lost and ruined world. Then a helping hand was extended. A lifelong
friend, meeting him one day, and overcome with pity, gave him one more
chance to make a man of himself, fitted him out with clothes, gave him a
railroad ticket and money, advising him to leave Louisville and start
life afresh elsewhere. But the fetters of sin were riveted so strongly
that the well-meant advice of his boyhood friend was unheeded, and a few
hours found him in as fearful a plight as ever. Then there came into
this, the darkest hour in all his life, the experience of the prodigal
son. A determination came into his life to sever forever all ties
binding him to the life of degradation he was then living and to take
the first step back into the narrow path of righteousness.
--------
Show me thy ways, O Lord.--Ps. 25:4.
--------
It was then that the Rev. Steve P. Holcombe of Louisville, Ky., took him
to the Union Gospel Mission.
At this critical period there came within the radius of his sphere of
existence a noble, devout woman, who proved to be the one thing needful
to round out the life now worth living. In spite of all remonstrances on
the part of her friends, she was greatly interested in the welfare of
this man and prayed earnestly that God would make him a strong Christian
man.
Her tireless energies, endless prayers and earnest teachings were ever
present to hold him up and help him onward in the new life. God placed
her in the sphere of George Herr's experience at a critical stage, using
her as a medium for cementing his faith and determining his purpose to
devote his remaining years to the work of redeeming unfortunates sunk in
the darkness of sin. Their destinies were welded together by mutual
interest in the work of saving lost men and the affinity of feeling
between them developed into a bond of love, each seeing within the other
those qualities necessary to happiness in wedded life, and on the 14th
of April, 1898, George L. Herr and Miss Lillie M. Joyce, the woman
who was such an essential portion of his existence, were joined in the
holy bonds of matrimony by the Rev. Carter Helm Jones, D.D., pastor of
the Broadway Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.
--------
The meek will he teach his way.--Ps. 25:9.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit
from me.--Ps. 51:11.
--------
[Illustration: REV. STEVE P. HOLCOMBE
The founder of the Holcombe Mission of Louisville, Ky.]
George Herr says that the old life, with its bondage in sin and its
darkness of evil, is a thing of the eliminated past. Finding happiness
in his new life, he has consecrated his time, energy, ability and
talents to continuous devotion to the task of spreading the gospel among
the fallen. Into the gloomiest recesses of penitentiaries, workhouses
and jails, beyond portals where visitors are excluded, he has carried
the message of Christ's saving grace into the darkness of despairing
men's and women's lives.
God has blessed George L. Herr in many ways, giving him daily recompense
for the days of misery, shame and degradation, giving him a happy home,
glorified by the presence of a loving, devoted wife and the precious
daughter, and this story is sent forth with the earnest prayer that God
may use it, with its message of hope and cheer, for the salvation of
many despairing, discouraged ones who are bound by the awful fetters of
sin as he once was.
--------
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.--John 6:37.
--------
One of the greatest privileges accorded man is to be a messenger for
Christ. George Herr has tasted the sweets of liberty in Christ and he
loves to tell those in the terrible bondage of sin that there is an
avenue of escape. In his rescue work he has been able to take a great
number of homeless, friendless and hopeless men and women by the hand.
Does it pay? The results of George Herr's labors among the unfortunates
are a satisfactory answer to this question. It pays a hundredfold in the
feeling of duty well done, in the knowledge of many useful lives saved.
It pays in words of gratitude feelingly uttered by noble men and women,
who, formerly sunk in the quicksands of despair, are now restored to a
world of happiness and peace.
--------
Jesus own words are: "They that be whole need not a physician,
but they that are sick, for I am not come to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance."--Matt. 9:12, 13.
--------
It is our earnest prayer to the Father of all good, that this story of
George Herr's redemption from the clutches of sin may, through his
unfailing love for all suffering ones, carry its message of hope, its
promise of salvation from eternal despair, into the hearts of many who
are despondent, discouraged, despairing. May it instill into the hearts
of the unfortunate a desire to come back into the fold of the Father's
unending love, bringing with it the sweet conviction that no matter how
far we have wandered from within the radius of his love, we are still
his children, the erring ones for whose redemption he gave his Son to be
offered upon the altar of human sacrifice that we, through the atonement
of his innocent blood, should inherit the kingdom of heaven.
--------
Hold up my goings in thy path, that my footsteps slip not.--Ps.
17:6.
--------
[Illustration: THE LATE MR. GEORGE GAULBERT
One of my best friends. Many heart-to-heart talks I have had with this
grand and wealthy merchant]
CHAPTER TWO
"LOST AND IS FOUND"
Jesus said, "A man had two sons; and the younger one of them said to his
father, 'Father, give me my share of the inheritance!' so the father
divided the property between them. A few days later the younger son got
together all that he had and went away into a distant land; and there he
squandered his inheritance by leading a dissolute life. After he had
spent all that he had, there was a severe famine through all that
country, and he began to be in actual want. So he went and engaged
himself to one of the people of that country, who sent him into his
field to tend pigs. He even longed to satisfy his hunger with the bean
pods on which the pigs were feeding; and no one gave him anything. But
when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants
have more bread than they can eat, while here am I starving to death; I
will get up and go to my father and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned
against Heaven and against you; I am no longer fit to be called your
son; make me as one of your hired servants.' And he got up and went
to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him
and was deeply moved; he ran and threw his arms around his neck and
kissed him. 'Father,' the son said, 'I sinned against Heaven and against
you; I am no longer fit to be called your son; make me one of your hired
servants.' But the father turned to his servants and said, 'Be quick and
bring a robe, the very best, and put it on him; give him a ring for his
finger and sandals for his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it,
and let us eat and make merry; for here is my son who was dead, and is
alive again, was lost and is found."
--------
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace.--Isa. 9:6.
--------
[Illustration: REV. CARTER HELM JONES, D.D.
The late Pastor Broadway Baptist Church Louisville, Ky.]
This younger son thought he was wiser than his father and wanted to
manage his own affairs. So it is with men who think they can manage
their own affairs without God.
--------
He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all
thy ways.--Ps. 91:11.
--------
A case in hand: An acquaintance of mine in Louisville, a young man of
handsome face and fine physique, with all the advantages wealth,
education and social position could give him, started out at the age of
twenty-one with unfaltering prospects of a prosperous, useful and happy
life, but, like the young man in our lesson, thought he could manage his
own affairs without God; in other words, he refused to give his heart
and life to Jesus Christ, and not having Christ to protect, shield,
restrain, and assist him, in a time of temptation he was led along
little by little, almost without knowing it, until he was ready to
commit any crime. One day in a house of ill repute he shot and killed a
young man; for this crime he was arrested, tried and convicted, but the
wealth and influence of his family secured him a pardon. Even this
bitter experience failed to teach him that he had made a mistake in
thinking he could manage his own affairs, for, after regaining his
liberty, he plunged deeper and deeper into sin, ending in himself being
murdered.
As the prodigal in the parable wanted to get as far from his father's
presence as possible, "into a far country," so the man when he
determines to give himself up to others. He does not want to hear about
God or even think about him. Reader, was not this so with you? The
father did not compel the son to stay at home; he allowed him to choose
what he preferred. So it is with God; he does not compel us to
obedience. For my part I wish he did. "He wasted his substance in
riotous living;" and so it is with the sinner, in the service of sin;
he wastes and destroys his property, his health, his reputation, his
intellect, his conscience.
--------
Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy
name; thou art mine.--Is. 43:1.
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[Illustration: THE LATE REV. E. A. FERGUSON One of the Author's best
friends]
There is nothing in this world valuable enough to recompense such a
loss, or balance the misery of a tormenting conscience. If you violate
it for the sake of a gratification of the body it will remember the
injury many years after. Gen. 42:21; Job 13:26. It will not only retain
the memory of what you did, but it will accuse you for it. Matt. 27:4.
It will not fear to tell you that plainly, which others dare not
whisper. It will not only accuse, but it will also condemn you for what
you have done. This condemning voice of conscience is a terrible voice.
You may see the horror of it in Cain, the vigor of it in Judas, the
doleful effects of it in Saphira. It will produce shame, fear, and
despair, if God give not repentance to life. The shame it works will so
confound you, that you will not be able to look up. Job. 31:14; Psa.
1:5. The fear it works will make you wish for a hole in the rock to hide
you. Isa. 2:9, 10, 15, 19. And its despair is a death pang.
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"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."--Is. 1:18.
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Young man, consider the nature of your present actions; they are seeds
sown for eternity, and will spring up again in suitable effects, rewards
and punishments, when you that did them are turned to dust. What a man
sows, that shall he reap. Gal. 6:7. And as sure as the harvest follows
the seedtime, so shall shame, fear, and horror follow sin. Dan. 12:2.
What Zeuxis, the famous painter, said of his work, may much more truly
be said of ours: "I paint for eternity." Ah! how bitter will these
things be in the day of reckoning, which were pleasant in the acting! It
is true our actions, physically considered, are transient. How soon is a
word or action spoken or done, and there is an end of it! But morally
considered, they are permanent, being entered upon God's book of action.
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I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and,
as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed
thee.--Isa. 44:22.
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Let me illustrate: Some time ago a young man, son of a nobleman of
Germany, came to our home poorly clad, without money, without friends,
realizing to some extent the depth to which he had fallen, filled with
remorse on account of disgrace he had brought upon himself and his
family, and like the prodigal in the parable he said, "I will arise and
go to my father." He left our home for his home in New Orleans, La.
After his arrival there we received the following letter:
My Dear Brother Herr: My letter to you from San Antonio told of the
happiness which had come to me as a result of the reunion of my wife and
little ones. Can you realize how full those days were spent in the sweet
companionship of those who are so dear to me? I would have wished to
have remained with them until Christmas, but my obligations to business
intervened, and I was compelled to leave in order to attend to matters
here.
My thoughts are with you so much that I often feel as though I could
reach out and grasp your hand; and so often during the day there goes up
a whispered prayer from my heart that our Father will bless you in just
proportion as you have been a sweet, helpful blessing to others.
My route includes Louisville, and while I may not be in there on this
trip, it will not be many days before I will have an opportunity to
greet you in person. May God bless Sister Herr and yourself if only in
recompense for your kindness to me.
EDWARD.
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Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy
God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.--Isa.
44:10.
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Does not the life of this man preach a more eloquent sermon, and tell a
more powerful tale, and teach a more eloquent lesson than I or any other
preacher could do? Reader, you cannot ignore, disregard, or shut your
eyes to the lesson which this man's life teaches, impresses and enforces
of the awful danger and the deadly and destructive effects of sin.
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Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from
before mine eyes; cease to do evil.--Isa. 1:16.
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Here is a lesson in life that appeals to us and bids us stop in our mad
way. This parable of the prodigal son shows that we can have our own way
if we determine to do it; father and mother can't keep us from it, and
God by force will not keep us from it; but we will certainly pay for it,
and pay the price of tears and sorrow, remorse and ruin. This nobleman's
son, by refusing to heed God's warning, was brought to want. No matter
whose son it is, if he determines to have his own way and give himself
up to self-indulgence and riotous living, he will come to want, shame,
bitterness, and many are the men who tried to master themselves but
failed. Some evil habit had fastened itself upon him, and realizing
himself a slave, tries to shake it off, but, alas! the will has been
paralyzed, and it does not respond in warding off the fearful habit.
Defeat after defeat occurs until the poor fellow, discouraged,
broken-hearted, gives up and goes down to utter ruin. Man is no match
for the devil. How hopeless would be the outlook for the great army of
men whom we labor with were it not for a Deliverer. "The cross held his
body; the sun hid his face for shame, and the bowels of the earth were
moved in compassion, when Jesus expired on Calvary's rugged tree, thus
purchasing redemption for every man from the curse of sin. It is
possible through Christ for every man to be a Christian."
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"Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."--John 6:37.
What a wonderful invitation--these words of the Savior!
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And now here are some of the ways God has taken to tell you of his love:
Psalm 103:13: "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord
pitieth them that fear him." Isaiah 49:15: "Can a woman forget her
suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her
womb? yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee." Luke 11:13: "If
ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how
much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that
ask him?" Luke 18:13-14: "And the publican, standing afar off, would not
lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast,
saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you this man went down
to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that
exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be
exalted." Luke 15:7: "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in
heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine
just persons, which need no repentance." Luke 15:10: "Likewise I say
unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one
sinner that repenteth." Luke 7:36-50: "And one of the Pharisees desired
him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house,
and sat down to meat. And behold a woman in the city, which was a
sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house,
brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him
weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with
the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the
ointment.
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Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise
her in the gates.--Prov. 31:31.
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"Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within
himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who
and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him; for she is a sinner.
And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto
thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which
had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me,
therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I
suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast
rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest
thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for
my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the
hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman, since the
time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou
didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
Wherefore I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for
she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
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And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying,
Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.--Matt. 8:2.
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"And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who
is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith
hath saved thee; go in peace."
A father whose son had gone away to California, and was a gambler in San
Francisco, sent him word by a friend: "Your father loves you still." And
it made him ashamed; it broke his heart; he repented, returned home and
was saved. "God, your heavenly Father, loves you still." Will you not
believe it and come to him for safety? He will not abuse you for your
sins. He will save you from your sins, and make you happy.
"And he began to be in want."
That is what sin brings a man to--want.
And it was this which brought him to his senses--"he came to himself"
(verse 17).
And when he does come to himself he can think of only one place where he
can hope to find relief, and he bravely determines to go straight to the
very father he had so shamefully abandoned, and to make a full
confession and throw himself on that father's mercy with the hope of
being taken back as a hired servant. He is willing to take the humblest
and meanest place if he can only get back to that home he was, a short
time before, so eager to leave. Nor does he offer any excuse; he calls
his sin by the right name and confesses it without trying to excuse it
or justify it.
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And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will;
be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.--Matt.
8:3.
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And how did his father receive him? Why, he did not wait till his poor,
ragged, worn and wasted boy got in and made his confession; but he saw
him a great way off (verse 20) and he knew what had passed in the boy's
heart and life, and moved with compassion toward him, he ran and fell on
his neck and kissed him a glad welcome back to his heart and home. But
the son goes on to make his confession and his offer to be a hired
servant anyhow, and yet the father says, "No! no! bring forth the best
robe and put it on him."
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"And their works do follow them."--Rev. 14:13.
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A man married a young widow with a small son. Her former husband had
left her $10,000 in his will. The man said: "I will take care of you and
we will lay away that $10,000 for your boy." Two other sons were born to
them. The stepson was educated and taught habits of business. At
twenty-one years of age he asked for the money his father had left. He
was told that instead of being $10,000, it had been invested for him and
was now $50,000. He was asked to let the money stay in the business and
to become a partner with his stepfather. The young man refused, took his
$50,000, fell into bad habits and lost it all and came home in rags, a
tramp. His stepfather met him at the train, took him to the barbershop
and clothier and presented him to his mother at the house as a
gentleman. The nicest room in the house was assigned him and he was told
that it was his permanent home. He was also told by his stepfather that
he was to be taken into the business firm composed of the father and the
two half-brothers. This was more than he could stand. He began to weep
at his ingratitude and at the love which had been lavished upon him. He
devoted himself to business, was devoted to his stepfather, and was as
loyal to his interests as his own sons. This picture, though it seems
overdrawn, is one of real life. The stepfather had a good disposition
naturally, but his magnanimous treatment of the prodigal was out of his
sincere affection for his wife. There were few ties of love that bound
him to the bad boy, only the love of his faithful wife. He loved the boy
for the sake of his mother. Our Father loves his children and receives
the prodigals returning to him for their own sake and the sake of his
Son who died for them, and treats them, in his affection, as though they
had never sinned against him.
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The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and
the good.--Prov, 15:3.
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[Illustration: DR. E. L. POWELL
Pastor First Christian Church, Louisville. One of the ablest ministers
of the Christian Church who has done a wonderful work among the
masses.]
CHAPTER THREE
POLITICAL PERIL
Sermon by Dr. E. L. Powell, on "The Need of Prophets in a Time
of Political Peril," delivered at the First Christian Church,
Louisville, Ky.
"And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear,
(for they are a rebellious house,) shall know that there hath
been a prophet among them."--Ezekiel 2:5.
He thought it would not be questioned by thinking persons that we are
living in a time of political peril. He did not mean that revolution was
at our door; he did not mean that we are threatened with a reign of
terror; he did not mean that there was any prospect of immediate
bloodshed.
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I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I
have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have
declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not
concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great
congregation.--Psalm 40:9, 10.
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Our perils spring from our state--the state of our own souls. They are
lacking in moral sensibility--we are in danger. We are told on every
hand our country was never more prosperous--that is unquestionably so.
The same might be said of Rome when that colossal empire was tottering
to its fall. There were persons then who paid from $200,000 to $400,000
for a single feast. It is recorded of one man that, after spending
several millions of dollars in luxurious living, he committed suicide
because he had only $400,000 between him and starvation. National
bankruptcy does not stare us in the face. Fortunes grow up in a
generation--the dollar smiles upon us as a beneficent sun. Yet our moral
condition is such as to call forth from thinking men serious and earnest
fear. We are as a man living in a luxuriously appointed house, and yet,
on account of invalidism, unable to appreciate his splendid home and
environments.
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Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me.
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He had called the attention of the congregation last Sunday night to
what was the fundamental source of our political corruption--the
unnatural separation of religion and politics. He did not mean
separation of Church and State; that was right and proper; but he did
mean that we need the reign of truth, purity and righteousness, because
of the ills to which attention was called last Sunday night. His lecture
tonight would be on "The Need of Prophets in a Time of Political Peril."
He did not wish to call attention to the peculiarly inspired Bible
prophet. So far as he was concerned he was a man apart, who could not be
our example--he constituted an order of his own; but we mortals can to
some extent, recognizing our limitations, reproduce the power of the
prophets, and it is not limited by arbitrary metes and bounds, as God
sends his teachers to every age and every clime. If there ever was a
time when we stood in need of moral leadership it is now. We want men
who come like the prophets of old, who shall come before us as genuine
leaders to take us out of this wilderness in which we find ourselves. A
fine moral leadership is the exception rather than the rule. Unless the
standard be lifted up the hosts will not rally. Truth will not win its
way on its own merits. Let the call come from the lips that speak not
lies, but the truth, and there is that in the humblest of men that will
give back an amen. And when our leaders come we shall recognize them. We
are not likely to mistake the rumble of cart-wheels for thunder. The
leader carries his credentials. When a community is visited by a prophet
it is known by that community that a prophet has been among them. You do
not mistake genuine fire. You are never deceived by a genuine voice. It
has been true in all ages of the world that wisdom is recognized by its
people. Deep down in the hearts of the people are the instincts of
truth. When we find men willing to pay the price of leadership we shall
have leaders. It is as true today as it was in the days of prophecy that
such leaders as we have have taught us to err. We need men with
political consciences--men who recognize that there are such things as
truth, purity and righteousness in the world.
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What must I do to be saved?--Acts 16:30.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.--Acts
16:31.
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In speaking of moral leadership the all-inclusive qualification is
inspiration. He did not mean the exceptional inspiration that applies to
the Bible prophets. He meant that inspiration which kindles the powers
we already have into life. When he spoke of inspiration he meant the
enlivening, the stirring up of the powers we already have as opposed to
the shallow indifference of one who draws about him the robes of his
silken selfishness and says, "Let well enough alone"--a man whose
inspiration glows and glows intensely. The inspired man feels the
degradation of his country as a personal infliction. Those who dishonor
her are his own foes, and insults flung in the face of political liberty
are felt by him as an affront to himself. Our prophets must be men who
feel the woes that they oppose, men who feel the humiliation before they
can strike with the right arm clothed with power. Indifference to the
public weal on the part of the average political leader is one of the
most distressing features of our political situation. These people do
not seem capable of feeling righteous indignation in the presence of the
moral infamy by which they are confronted, and hence their words do not
come forth as thunderbolts, but as spent balls. Beware of the man whose
heart has not been pierced by the woes of his country. The sting is the
needed spur to effort. The sleeping lion is not dangerous; but let him
be wounded and his roar shall ring as the trumpet of doom in the ears of
his enemies. We must seek our leaders among those who can feel the woes
of humanity--men of profound feeling--as those are the best prophets.
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Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from
the hand of the enemy;
And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the
west, from the north and from the south.--Psalm 107:2, 3.
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He believed that we must strike at the evil of social indifferentism.
Who does not feel profound shame that the law against carrying concealed
and deadly weapons is not strictly enforced, which made possible
tragedies such as that at Frankfort, which has disgraced the fair name
and fame of our State. The leaders' voices should ring throughout our
land until we are bowed to the earth in shame in view of the infamies
which disgrace us.