<TITLE>14. Par 50-52</TITLE>L-50 Now, one time there was a man going down to the seashore. He was tired. He said, "I'm going down to take a little rest. I've never seen the sea."
And on his road down, he met a man coming back, an old salt, an old sailor. And he said, "Where goest thou, my good man?"
He said, "I'm going down to the seashore. I long to see the great briny waves leap. I want to smell the salty air. I want to hear the sea gulls as they scream. I want to see the heavens reflected into the salty water."
The old sailor said, "I was borned on the sea. I've been there for forty years. There isn't nothing thrilling about it that I can see." That was it. He'd seen it so much, till it become common to him.
That's what's the matter with the church tonight. You've seen God's blessings, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and those things, which has been going for years in the church, till it's become a common thing to you. Your fathers and mothers rejoiced when God begin to pour out His Spirit upon the church.

L-51 What about you Church of God? What about you Assemblies of God? Why, you stood on the corner, a little tambourines and everything else, and would've died for the cause. And now you won't walk across the street for the cause. Amen. What's happened? You did run well, what hindered you? It's become so common to you. You believe it all, sure, but it doesn't thrill you any more. It's so common. God's so good to you, and you don't realize it.
Down here, in the south, an old colored preacher friend of mine, he told me a little story. And he said, one time he had an old colored man there. His name was--we called him "Gabe." His name was Gabriel, but we called him Gabe just for short. And he tried his best to get old Gabe to come to church, and he wouldn't do it. His wife prayed for him. He done everything, but old Gabe just wouldn't go to church. And he wouldn't get right with God. And the preacher liked to hunt and so did old Gabe.
And they went hunting. And Gabe was a poor shot; he couldn't hit nothing, but he liked to hunt just the same. So one day when he was out hunting--both of them--on the road coming back, when the sun was setting, both of them loaded so full of game they could hardly walk. Oh, it'd been a real field day for them. They had birds, and rabbits, and squirrels, and all that they could pack, just loaded down.

L-52 And the sun was going down. They was coming along a little old familiar pathway, and the preacher walking in front, just with all the game that he could pack. Old Gabe, behind him, cripping along, all he could pack. After while, the preacher felt a hand on his shoulder patting him. And as he looked around, old Gabe was looking him right in the face and the tears running down his black cheeks. He said, "Parson, you see that sun setting yonder?"
Said, "Yes, Gabe. I see the sun setting."
He said, "That's the way the sun's setting in my life." He said, "Parson, in the morning (which was Sunday morning) you're going to find me down at the mourners bench. And as soon as I can straighten up there with God, I'm going right back and get myself a seat, and I'm going to remain in the church until death sets me free."


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