A Sermon by John Elias

John Elias was preaching at an open air meeting in Holyhead when some drunkards joined the throng, attempting to disrupt his sermon. This was John Elias' response -

"Then a moment of silence followed. "Congregationalists, will you take them? ‘What? Us! Many years ago we left the Church of England because of its corruption. No! We will not take them.’" Silence again.

Then, with his arm stretched out, he shouted again, "Baptists, will you take them? ‘Us! We immerse all our people in water to show that only the clean are acceptable to us. No! We will not take them.’" Silence again. "Wesleyans, will you take them? ‘What Us! Good works are an issue of life with us; we do not wish to have them.’"

Then stretching his hand out as though he were holding them in it, and casting a glance over the crowd, he shouted at the very highest volume of his voice, "Who will take them? Who will take them? Who will take them?"

…He turned his face towards the left, and in a rather low voice, and yet distinct enough for the whole congregation to hear, he said, "I rather thought I heard the Devil at my elbow saying, Knock them down to me; I will take them.’" Then, he raised his eyes, and with a grave, extremely serious look on his face, he searched the congregation with his eyes and for about a quarter of a minute, he never said a word.

…and then [he] shouted with tremendous force until his voice echoed thought the town, "I was going to say, Satan, that you could have them: but…"

and he raised his eyes towards heaven, and with a victorious, yet tender voice, he cried, "I hear Jesus shouting, ‘I will take them; I will take them; to wash them of their filth, to sober them in their drunkenness; to purify them of all their uncleanness in my own blood.’"

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"Are there drunkards here? I’m afraid there are: May I make an appeal to you? Will you just for today try to control yourselves? …What shall we do with them brothers? ...I feel a desire," he said, as he became more agitated, "to put them up for auction to anyone who will take them, so that they will never bother us any more." Then stretching forth his arm as though he were holding them in his hand, he shouted at the top of his voice, "Who’ll take them? Who’ll take them? Anglicans, will you take them? ‘Us!! In our baptism we profess to reject the devil and all his works. No, we will not take them.’"

Are there drunkards here? I’m afraid there are: May I make an appeal to you? Will you just for today try to control yourselves? …What shall we do with them brothers? ...I feel a desire," he said, as he became more agitated, "to put them up for auction to anyone who will take them, so that they will never bother us any more." Then stretching forth his arm as though he were holding them in his hand, he shouted at the top of his voice, "Who’ll take them? Who’ll take them? Anglicans, will you take them? ‘Us!! In our baptism we profess to reject the devil and all his works. No, we will not take them.’"