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diff --git a/33520-8.txt b/33520-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..54edc8c --- /dev/null +++ b/33520-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5376 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wondrous Love, by Dwight Moody + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Wondrous Love + and other Gospel addresses + +Author: Dwight Moody + +Release Date: August 23, 2010 [EBook #33520] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WONDROUS LOVE *** + + + + +Produced by Keith G. Richardson + + + + + + + + + +WONDROUS LOVE + +AND OTHER GOSPEL ADDRESSES + +BY + +D. L. MOODY + +AUTHOR OF + +"PREVAILING PRAYER" "SOVEREIGN GRACE" ETC. + +DELIVERED DURING MESSRS. MOODY AND SANKEY'S + +FIRST CAMPAIGN IN ENGLAND + +PICKERING & INGLIS + +14 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, E.C. 4 + +229 BOTHWELL STREET, GLASGOW, C. 2 + +29 GEORGE IV. BRIDGE, EDINBURGH + + + +_THE WORLD-WIDE LIBRARY_ + +THE SEEKING SAVIOUR + +By Dr. W. P. Mackay + +Author of "Grace and Truth" + +HOW AND WHEN + +Do we Become Children of God? + +50 Answers by Well-Known Men + +THE GOOD SHEPHERD + +By H. Forbes Witherby + +ABUNDANT GRACE + +By DR. W. P. MACKAY + +Author of "Grace and Truth" + +FORGIVENESS, LIFE AND GLORY + +By Sir S. Arthur Blackwood + +WONDROUS LOVE: Original Addresses + +By D. L. Moody + +First issued in 1876 + +Made and Printed in Great Britain + + + +CONTENTS + +Christ's Boundless Compassion + +The New Birth + +The Blood (Two Addresses) + +Christ All in All + +Naaman the Syrian + +One Word--"Gospel" + +The Way of Salvation + +Eight "I wills" of Christ + +The Right Kind of Faith + +The Dying Thief + + + +WONDROUS LOVE + + God loved the world of sinners lost + And ruined by the fall; + Salvation full, at highest cost, + He offers free to all. + Oh, 'twas love, 'twas wondrous love, + The love of God to me; + It brought my Saviour from above, + To die on Calvary! + E'en now by faith I claim Him mine, + The risen Son of God; + Redemption by His death I find, + And cleansing through the blood. + Love brings the glorious fulness in, + And to His saints makes known + The blessed rest from inbred sin, + Through faith in Christ alone. + Believing souls, rejoicing go; + There shall to you be given + A glorious foretaste, here below, + Of endless life in heaven. + Of victory now o'er Satan's power + Let all the ransomed sing, + And triumph in the dying hour + Through Christ, the Lord, our King. + + + +WONDROUS LOVE + +_Addresses by_ D. L. Moody + +CHRIST'S BOUNDLESS COMPASSION + +"And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with +compassion toward them, and He healed their sick."--Matthew xiv. 14. + +It is often recorded in Scripture that Jesus was moved by compassion; +and we are told in this verse that after the disciples of John had +come to Him and told Him that their master had been beheaded, that he +had been put to a cruel death, He went out into a desert place, and +the multitude followed Him, and that when He saw the multitude He had +"compassion" on them, and healed their sick. If He were here to-night +in person, standing in my place, His heart would be moved as He looked +down into your faces, because He could also look into your hearts, and +could read the burdens and troubles and sorrows you have to bear. They +are hidden from my eye, but He knows all about them, and so when the +multitude gathered round about Him, He knew how many weary, broken, +and aching hearts there were there. But He is here to-night, although +we cannot see Him with the bodily eye, and there is not a sorrow, or +trouble, or affliction which any of you are enduring but He knows all +about it; and He is the same to-night as He was when here upon +earth--the same Jesus, the same Man of compassion. + +When He saw that multitude He had compassion on it, and healed their +sick; and I hope He will heal a great many sin-sick souls here, and +will bind up a great many broken hearts. And let me say, in the +opening of this sermon, that there is no heart so bruised and broken +but the Son of God will have compassion upon you, if you will let Him. +"He will not break a bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax." He +came into the world to bring mercy, and joy, and compassion, and love. + +If I were an artist I should like to draw some pictures to-night, and +put before you that great multitude on which He had compassion. And +then I would draw another painting of that man coming to Him full of +leprosy, full of it from head to foot. There he was, banished from his +home, banished from his friends, and he comes to Jesus with his sad +and miserable story. And now, my friends, let us make + +THE BIBLE STORIES REAL, + +for that is what they are. Think of that man. Think how much he had +suffered. I don't know how many years he had been away from his wife +and children and home; but there he was. He had put on a strange and +particular garb, so that anybody coming near him might know that he +was unclean. And when he saw any one approaching him he had to raise +the warning cry, "Unclean! unclean! unclean!" Aye, and if the wife of +his bosom were to come out to tell him that a beloved child was sick +and dying, he durst not come near her, he was obliged to fly. He might +hear her voice at a distance, but he could not be there to see his +child in its last dying moments. He was, as it were, in a living +sepulchre; it was worse than death. There he was, dying by inches, an +outcast from everybody and everything, and not a hand put out to +relieve him. Oh, what a terrible life! Then think of him coming to +Christ, and when Christ saw him, it says He was moved with compassion. +He had a heart that beat in sympathy with the poor leper, He had +compassion on him, and the man came to Him and said, "Lord, if Thou +wilt, Thou cant make me clean." He knew there was no one to do it but +the Son of God Himself, and + +THE GREAT HEART OF CHRIST + +was moved with compassion towards him. Hear the gracious words that +fell from His lips--"I will; be thou clean!" and the leprosy fled, and +the man was made whole immediately. Look at him now on his way back +home to his wife and children and friends! No longer an outcast, no +longer a loathsome thing, no longer cursed with that terrible leprous +disease, but going back to his friends rejoicing. Now, my friends, you +may say you pity a man who was so badly off, but did it ever strike +you that you are a thousand times worse off? The leprosy of the soul +is far worse than the leprosy of the body. I would rather a thousand +times have the body full of leprosy than go down to hell with the soul +full of sin. A good deal better that this right hand of mine were +lopped off, that this right foot should decay, and that I should go +halt and lame and blind all the days of my life, than be banished from +God by the leprosy of sin. Hear the wailing and the agony and the woe +that is going up from this earth caused by sin! If there is one poor +sin-sick soul filled with leprosy here to-night, if you come to Christ +He will have compassion on you, and say, as He did to that man, "I +will; be thou clean." + +THE DEAD RAISED. + +Well, now we come to the next picture that represents Him as moved +with compassion. Look into that little home. There is a poor widow +sitting there. Perhaps a few months before she had buried her husband, +and now she has an only son. How she dotes upon him! She looks to him +to be her stay and her support and friend in her old age. She loves +him far better than her own life-blood. But see, at last sickness +enters the dwelling, and death comes with it, and lays his ice-cold +hand upon the young man. You can see that widowed mother watching over +him day and night; but at last those eyes are closed, and that loved +voice is hushed, she thinks, for ever. She will never see or hear him +more after he is buried out of her sight. And so the hour comes for +his burial. Many of you have been in the house of mourning, and have +been with your friends when they have gone to the grave and looked at +the loved one for the last time. There is not one here, I dare say, +who has not lost some beloved one. I never went to a funeral and saw a +mother take the last look of her child but it has pierced my heart, +and I could not keep back the tears at such a sight. Well, the mother +kisses her only son on that poor, icy forehead; it is her last kiss, +her last look, and now the body is covered up, and they put him on the +bier and start for the place of burial. She had a great many friends, +The little town of Nain was moved at the sight of the widow's only son +being borne away. I see that great crowd as they come pushing out of +the gates; but over yonder are thirteen men, weary, and dusty, and +tired, and they have to stand by the wayside to let this great crowd +pass by, and the Son of God is in this group, and the others with Him +are His disciples. And He looked upon that scene and saw the mother +with her broken heart; He saw it bleeding, crushed, and wounded, and +it touched His heart. Yes, the great heart of the Son of God was moved +with compassion, and He came up and touched the bier, and said, + +"YOUNG MAN, ARISE!" + +and the young man came forth. I can see the multitude startled and +astonished; I can see the widowed mother going back rejoicing with the +morning rays of the resurrection shining in her heart. Yes, He had +indeed compassion on her. And there is not a widow in this hall but +Christ's voice will respond to your trouble and give you peace. Oh, +dear friends, let me say to you whose hearts are aching, you need a +friend like Jesus. He is just the friend the widow needs; He is just +the friend every poor bleeding heart needs; He will have compassion on +you and will bind up your wounded, bleeding heart if you will only +come to Him just as you are. He will receive you, without upbraiding +or chastising, to His loving bosom, and say, "Peace, be still," and +you can walk in the unclouded sunlight of His love from this night. +Christ will be worth more to you than all the world besides. He is +just the friend that all of you need; and I pray God you may every one +of you know Him from this hour as your Saviour and friend. + +THE MAN WHO WAS ROBBED AND SPOILED. + +The next picture which I shall show you to illustrate Christ's +compassion is the man that was going down to Jericho and fell among +thieves. They had taken away his coat, aye, and if he had a watch they +would have taken that as well. However, they took his money, and +stripped him, and left him half dead. Look at him wounded, bleeding, +dying; and now comes down the road a priest, and he looks upon the +scene. His heart might have been touched, but he was not moved with +compassion enough to help the poor man. He might have said, "Poor +fellow"; but he passed by on the other side and left him. After him +came down a Levite, and he said, "Poor man"; but he was not moved with +compassion to help him. Ah, there are a good many like the priest and +Levite! Perhaps some of you coming down to this hall meet a drunkard +reeling in the street, and just say, "Poor fellow," or it may be you +laugh because he stammers out some foolish thing. We are very unlike +the Son of God. At last a Samaritan came down that way, and he looked +down on the man and had compassion on him. He got off his beast, and +took oil and poured it into his wounds, and bound them up, and took +him out of the ditch, helpless as he was, and placed him on his own +beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. That good +Samaritan represents your Christ and mine. He came into the world to +seek and to save + +THAT WHICH WAS LOST. + +Young man, have you come to London, and fallen in with bad companions? +Have they taken you to theatres and vicious places, and left you +bleeding and wounded? Oh, come to-night to the Son of God, and He will +have compassion on you, and take you off from the dunghill, and +transform you, and lift you up into His kingdom, and into the heights +of His glory, if you will only let Him! I do not care who you are; I +do not care what your past life may have been. As He said to the poor +woman caught in adultery, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no +more." He had compassion upon her, and He will have compassion on you. +That man coming down from Jerusalem to Jericho represents thousands in +London, and that good Samaritan represents the Son of God. Young man, +Jesus Christ has set His heart on saving you. Will you receive His +love and compassion? Do not have such hard thoughts about the Son of +God. Do not think He has come to condemn you. He has come to save you. + +THE PRODIGAL. + +But I should like to draw another picture, another scene--that young +man going away from his home that we read of in the fifteenth chapter +of Luke; an ungrateful man, an ungrateful wretch as ever one saw. He +could not wait for his inheritance till his father was dead, he wanted +his share at once; and so he said to his father, "Give me the goods +that belong to me," and his good old father gives him the goods, and +away he goes. I can see him now as he starts on his journey, full of +pride, boastful and arrogant, going out to see life, off in grand +style to some foreign country--say, going down to London. How many +have come down to London, that being the far country to them, +squandering all their money. Yes, he was a popular man as long as he +had money. His friends last as long as his money lasts; a very popular +young man in London, "hail-fellow-well-met" greets him everywhere. He +always paid the liquor bill and cigars. Yes, he had plenty of friends +in London. What grand folly! But when his money was gone, where were +his friends? Oh, you that serve the devil, you have a hard master! +Well, when the prodigal's money was all gone, of course they laughed +at him, and called him a fool; and so he was. What a blind, misguided +young man he was! Just see what he lost. He lost his father's home, +his table and food, and testimony, and every comfort, and lost his +work, except what he got down there while feeding those swine. He was +in an unlawful business. And that's just what + +THE BACKSLIDER + +is doing; he is in the devil's pay. You are losing your time and +testimony. No one has any confidence in a backslider; for even the +world despises such a character. This young man lost his testimony. +Look at him amongst the swine. At last one in that far country comes +along, and, taking stock of him, says, "Look at that miserable, +wretched, dirty, barefooted fellow taking care of swine." "Ah," says +the prodigal, "don't talk to me like that. Why, my father's a rich +man, and has got servants better dressed than you are." "Don't tell me +that," says the other. "If you had such a father as that, I know very +well he wouldn't own you." And no one would believe him. + +HE HAD LOST HIS TESTIMONY. + +No one believes a backslider. Let him talk about his enjoyment with +God, nobody believes it. Oh, poor backslider, I pity you! You had +better come home again. Well, at last the poor prodigal comes to +himself, and he says, "I will arise and go to my father," and now he +starts. Look at him as he goes along, pale and hungry, with his head +down; his strength is exhausted, and perhaps disease in his frame, and +so shattered that no one would know him but his father. Love is keen +to detect its object. The old man has often been longing for his +return. I can see him many a night up on the house-top looking out to +catch a glimpse of him. Many a long night he has wrestled with God +that his prodigal son might come back. Everything he had heard from +that far country told him his boy was going to ruin as fast as he +could go. The old man spent much time in prayer for him, and at last +faith begins to arise, and he says, "I believe God will send back my +boy"; and one day the old man sees afar off that long-lost boy. He +does not know him by his dress, but he detected the gait of him, and +he says to himself, "Yes, that's my boy." I see him now pass down the +stairs; he rushes along the highway; he is running. Ah! that is just +like God. Many a time in the Bible God is represented as running; He +is in great haste to meet the backslider. Yes, the old man is running; +he sees him afar off, and he has compassion on him. The boy wanted to +tell him his story what he had done, and where he had been, but the +old man could not wait to hear him; his heart was filled with +compassion, and he took him to his loving bosom. The boy wanted to go +down into the kitchen, but the old man would not let him. No, but he +bade the servants put shoes on his feet, and a ring on his finger, and +kill the fatted calf, and make merry. The prodigal has come home, the +wanderer has returned, and the old man rejoices over the backslider's +return. Oh, backslider, come home, and there will be joy in your heart +and in the heart of God. May God bring the backsliders back +to-night--this very hour. Say as the poor prodigal did, "I will arise +and go to my father," and on the authority of God I tell you God will +receive you; He will blot out your sins, and restore you to His love, +and you shall walk again in the light of His reconciled countenance. + +CHRIST WEEPS OVER JERUSALEM. + +But look again. He comes to mount Olivet. He is under the shadow of +the cross. The city bursts upon Him. Yonder is the Temple; He sees it +in all its grandeur and glory. The people are shouting, Hosanna to the +Son of David! They are breaking off the palm branches, and taking off +their garments, and spreading them before Him, still shouting, Hosanna +to the Son of David! and bowing down before Him. But He forgets it +all. Yes, even Calvary with all its sorrow He forgets. Gethsemane lay +there at the foot of the hill; He forgot it too. As He looked upon the +city which He loved, the great heart of the Son of God was moved with +compassion, and He cried aloud, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that +killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how +often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen +gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" + +My friends, look at Him there weeping over Jerusalem. What a wonderful +city it might have been. How exalted to heaven it was. Oh, if they had +only known the day of their visitation, and had received instead of +rejected their king, what a blessing He would have been to them! Oh, +poor backslider, behold the Lamb of God weeping over you, and crying +to you to come to Him, and receive shelter and refuge from the storm +which has yet to sweep over this earth! + +LOOK AT POOR PETER, + +See what he does. He denied the Lord, and swore he never knew Him. If +ever He needed sympathy, if ever He needed His disciples round Him, it +was that night, when they were bringing false witnesses against Him, +that He might be condemned to death; and there was Peter, one of His +foremost disciples, swearing he never knew Him. He might have turned +on Peter and said, "Peter, is it true you don't know me? Is it true +you have forgotten how I cured and healed your wife's mother when she +lay at the point of death? Is it true you have forgotten how I raised +you up when you were sinking in the sea? Is it true, Peter, you forgot +how you were with me on the mount of transfiguration, when heaven and +earth came together, and you heard the voice speaking from the clouds? +Is it true you have forgotten that mountain scene when you wanted to +build the three tabernacles? Is it true, Peter, you have forgotten +me?" Yes, thus He might have taunted poor Peter; but instead of that +He just gave him one look of compassion that broke his heart, and he +went out and wept bitterly. + +THE PERSECUTING SAUL. + +Again, look at that bold blasphemer and persecutor who was going to +stamp out the early Church, and was breathing out threatenings and +slaughter, when Christ met him on his way to Damascus. It is the same +Jesus still. Listen, and hear what He says--"Saul, Saul, why +persecutest thou Me?" Why, He could have smitten him to the earth with +a look or a breath; but instead of that, the heart of the Son of God +was moved with compassion, and He cries out, "Saul, Saul, why +persecutest thou Me?" If there is a persecutor here to-night, I would +ask you, "Why persecute Jesus?" He loves you, sinner; He loves you, +persecutor. You never received anything but goodness and kindness and +love from Him. And Saul cried out, "Who art thou?" And He answered, "I +am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against +the pricks." It is hard to fight against such a loving friend, to +contend against one who loves you as I do; and down comes the proud, +persecuting Saul, down upon his face, and he cried out, "Lord, what +wouldst Thou have me to do?" And the Lord told him, and he went and +did it. May the Lord have compassion upon the infidel, and sceptic, +and persecutor. Let me ask you, my friend, Is there any reason why you +should hate Christ, or why your heart should be turned against Him? + +I remember a story about a teacher telling the scholars all to follow +Jesus, and how they might all be missionaries, and go out to work for +others. And one day one of the smallest came to her and said, "I asked +such and such a one to come with me, and they said they would like to +come, but their father was an infidel." + +"WHY DON'T YOU LOVE JESUS?" + +And the young child wanted to know what an infidel was, and the +teacher went on to explain to her. And one day, when she was on her +way to school, this infidel was coming out of the post office with his +letters in his hand, when the child ran up to him, and said, "Why +don't you love Jesus?" He thought at first to push her aside, but the +child pressed it home again, "Why don't you love Jesus?" If it had +been a man, the infidel would have resented it; but he did not know +what to do with the child, and with tears in her eyes she asked him +again, "Oh! please, tell me, why don't you love Jesus?" He went on to +his office, but he felt as if every letter he opened read, "Why don't +you love Jesus?" He attempted to write, with the same result; every +letter seemed to ask him, "Why don't you love Jesus?" and he threw +down his pen in despair, and went out of his office, but he could not +get rid of the question; it was asked by a still small voice within, +and as he walked along it seemed as if the very ground and the very +heavens whispered to him, "Why don't you love Jesus?" At last he went +home, and there it seemed as if his own children asked him the +question, so he said to his wife, "I will go to bed early to-night," +thinking to sleep it away; but when he laid his head on the pillow it +seemed as if the pillow whispered it to him. So he got up about +midnight, and said, "I can find out where Christ contradicts Himself, +and I'll search it out and prove Him a liar." Well, the man got up, +and turned to the Gospel of John, and read on from the beginning until +he came to the words, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only +begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but +have everlasting life." What love! he thought; and at last the old +infidel's heart was stirred. He could find no reason for not loving +Jesus, and down he went on his knees and prayed, and before the sun +rose the old infidel was in the kingdom of God. + +I will challenge any one on the face of the earth to find any reason +for not loving Christ. It is only here on earth men think they have a +reason for not doing so. In heaven they know Him, and they shout, +"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." Oh, sinner, if you knew Him you +would have no wish to find a reason for not loving Him. He is "the +chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely." I can imagine a +good many saying, "I should like very much to become a Christian, and +I should like to know how I can come to Him, and be saved." + +COME TO HIM AS A PERSONAL FRIEND. + +For twenty years I have made this a rule. Christ is just as habitually +near, as personally present to me as any other person living; and when +I have any troubles, trials, and afflictions, I go to Him with them. +When I want counsel I go to Him, just as if I could talk face to face +with Him. Twenty years ago God met me one night and took me to His +bosom, and I would sooner give up my life to-night than give up +Christ, or that I should leave Him, or that He should leave me, and +that I should have no one to bear my burdens, or tell my sorrows to. +Why, He is worth more than all the world beside; and to-night He will +have compassion upon you as He had upon me. I tried for weeks to find +a way to Him, and I just went and laid my burden upon Him, and then He +revealed Himself to me, and I have ever since found Him a true and +sympathizing friend, just the friend you need. Go right straight to +Him. You need not go to this man or that man, to this church or that +church. "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." + +There is no name so dear to the Americans as that of + +ABRAHAM LINCOLN, + +and in an audience like this in America you would see the tears +trickle down many a cheek at his name: he is very dear to us +Americans. Do you want to know the reason why? I will tell you. He was +a man of compassion; he was very gentle, and was noted for his heart +of sympathy for the down-trodden and the poor. No one went to him with +a tale of sympathy but he had compassion on them, no matter how far +down they were in the scale of society. He always took an interest in +the poor. There was a time in our history when we thought he had too +much compassion. Many of our soldiers did not understand army +discipline, and a great many were not true to the army regulations. +They intended to be, but they did not understand them. Many a man +consequently went wrong, and they were court-martialed and condemned +to be shot; but Abraham Lincoln would always pardon them; and at +length the nation rose up against him, and said that he was to +merciful, and ultimately they got him to give out that if a man was +court-martialed he must be shot, that there would be no more +reprieves. + +THE SLEEPING SENTINEL. + +A few weeks after this, news came that a young soldier had been +sleeping at his post. He was court-martialed, and condemned to be +shot. The boy wrote to his mother, "I do not want you to think I do +not love my country, but it came about in this way: My comrade was +sick, and I went out on picket for him; and the next night he ought to +have come, but still being sick I went out for him again, and without +intending it I fell asleep. I did not intend to be disloyal." + +It was a very touching letter, and the mother and father said there is +no chance, there will be no more reprieves. But there was a little +girl in that home, and she knew that Abraham Lincoln had a little boy, +and how he loved that little boy; and she said if Abraham Lincoln knew +how my father and mother loved my brother he would never allow him to +be shot, and she took the train to go and plead for her brother; and +when she got to the President's mansion the difficulty arose how was +she to get past the sentinel. So she told him her story, and the tears +ran down his cheeks, and he let her pass. But the next trouble was how +to get past the secretary and the other officials. However, she +succeeded in getting, unobstructed, into his private room, and there +were the senators and ministers busy with State affairs. The President +saw the child, and called her to him, and said, "My child, what can I +do for you?" and she told him her story. The big tears rolled down his +cheeks. He was a father, and his heart was full; he could not stand +it. He treated the girl with kindness, and then having reprieved the +boy, gave him thirty days furlough, and sent him home to see his +mother. His heart was full of compassion. + +And, let me tell you, Christ's heart is more full of compassion than +any man's. You are condemned to die for your sins; but if you come to +Him He will say, "Loose him, and let him go" (John xi.). He will +rebuke Satan, and the dead shall live. Go to Him as that little girl +went to the President, and tell Him all; keep nothing from Him, and He +will say, "Go in peace." + +THE TOUCH OF COMPASSION. + +Let me ask the poor backslider, Did you ever feel the touch of the +hand of Jesus? If so, you will know it again, for there is love in it. +There is a story told in connection with our war of a mother who +received a despatch that her boy was mortally wounded. She went down +to the front, as she knew that those soldiers told to watch the sick +and wounded could not watch her boy as she would. So she went to the +doctor, and said, "Would you like me to take care of my boy?" The +doctor said, "We have just let him go to sleep, and if you go to him +the surprise will be so great it might be dangerous to him. He is in a +very critical state. I will break the news to him gradually." "But," +said the mother, "he may never wake up. I should so dearly like to see +him." Oh, how she longed to see him! and finally the doctor said, "You +can see him, but if you wake him up and he dies, it will be your +fault." "Well," she said, "I will not wake him up if I may only go by +his dying cot and see him." Well, she went to the side of the cot. Her +eyes had longed to see him; and as she gazed upon him she could not +keep her hand off that pallid forehead, and she laid it gently there. +There was love and sympathy in that hand, and the moment the +slumbering boy felt it, he said, "Oh, mother, have you come?" He knew +there was sympathy and affection in the touch of that hand. And if +you, oh, sinner, will let Jesus reach out His hand and touch your +heart, you, too, will find there is sympathy and love in it. That +every lost soul here may be saved, and come to the arms of our blessed +Saviour, is the prayer of my heart! + + Jesus, my Saviour, to Bethlehem come, + Born in a manger to sorrow and shame; + Oh it was wonderful blest be His name, + Seeking for me, for me. + Jesus, my Saviour, on Calvary's tree, + Paid my great debt, and my soul He set free; + Oh, it was wonderful, how could it be! + Dying for me, for me. + + + +THE NEW BIRTH + +"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."--John +iii. 3 + +Much less inherit it. He can't even get a glimpse of the kingdom of +God except he be born again. I believe this is the most important +subject that will ever come before us in this world. I don't believe +there is any truth in the whole Bible so important as the truth +brought out in the third chapter of the Gospel of John. + +It is the A B C of God's alphabet. If a man is unsound on +regeneration, he is unsound on everything. That is really the +foundation-stone; and he must get the foundation right. If he don't, +what is the good of trying to build a house? Now, Christ says plainly, +"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." But +although regeneration or the new birth is taught so plainly in the +third chapter of John, I don't believe there is any truth in the whole +Bible that there is such great darkness about as this great truth. +There are a great many like the man that saw men as trees walking. +Many Christians do not seem to be clear about this new birth. + +BORN A CHRISTIAN. + +Only this afternoon, as I was in the inquiry-room, a person came in, +and I said, "Are you a Christian?" "Why," she says, "of course I am." +"Well," I said, "how long have you been one?" "Oh, sir, I was born +one!" "Oh! indeed, then I am very glad to take you by the hand; I +congratulate you; you are the first woman I ever met who was born a +Christian; you are more fortunate than others; they are born children +of Adam." She hesitated a little, and then tried to make out that, +because she was born in England, she was a Christian. There are many +who have the idea, that because they are born in a Christian country, +they have been born of the Spirit. Now, in this third chapter of John, +the new birth is brought out so plain, that if any one will read it +carefully and prayerfully, I think his eyes will soon be opened. That +which is born of the flesh is flesh; it remains flesh; and that which +is born of the Spirit is spirit, and remains spirit. So, when a man is +born of God, he has God's nature. When a man is born of his parents, +he receives their nature, and they received the nature of their +parents, and you can trace it back to Adam. But when a man is born of +God, or born from above, or born of the Spirit--that is the way the +Holy Ghost puts it in that third verse--he receives God's nature, and +then it is he leaves the life of the flesh for the life of the spirit. + +Before I go on I want to say one thing, and that is, what this new +birth, or being born of the Spirit, is not. A great many think they +have been born again because they go to church. A great many say, "Oh, +yes, I am a Christian; I go to church every Sabbath!" Let me say here +that there is no one that goes to church so regularly in all London as +Satan. He is always there before the minister, and he is the last one +out of the church. There is not a church in London, or a chapel, but +that he is a regular attendant of it. The idea that he is only down in +the slums and lanes and alleys of London is a false idea. He is +wherever the Word is preached; it is his business to be there, and +catch away the seed. He is here to-night. Some of you may go to sleep, +but he won't. Some of you may not listen to the sermon, but he will. +He will be watching, and when the seed is just entering into some +heart he will go and catch it away. + +A CHRISTIAN BECAUSE BAPTIZED. + +Another class say, "Oh, yes, I am a Christian, because I was +baptized." Now, I want to say here that baptism is one thing, and +being born again is another. Because a person is baptized, you cannot +say that that is the new birth. Would you call that being born from +above? You cannot baptize a man into the kingdom of God. Now, bear +that in mind. If I could save men by baptizing them, you would not +catch me preaching. I would get water and baptize them; that would be +the quickest way. It would be no use to be praying and pleading for +men to flee from the wrath of God. But you can never get them into the +kingdom of God by baptism. Baptism is all right in its place. I am not +here crying down church ordinances; I am talking about the new birth: +and there are a great many, I believe, being deceived on this one +point, that because they have been baptized at some time in their life +they have become Christians. But that is not the new birth; that is +not being born from above and of the Spirit. Do not let Satan deceive +you, my friends, on that point, for it is a very important truth; and +we want to have every one here to understand, and I hope the Spirit of +God will make plain the difference between baptism and regeneration, +or being born of the Spirit. + +JOINING THE CHURCH. + +There is another class that say, "Oh, yes, I became a Christian when I +joined the church." That is not being born again. What has that to do +with the new birth, being united with the church on earth? There are a +great many united with the church who are on their way to death and +ruin. A great many have no hope of eternal life who are church +members. One of the twelve Christ chose to follow Him turned out a +hypocrite and a traitor; he was not loyal to Christ at heart. My +friends, don't build your hope of heaven upon some profession of your +faith, but bear in mind you must be born of God. Now just let me stop +a minute, and you think, and ask yourselves this question, "Have I +been born again?" It is the most solemn question that will ever come +before you down here, "Have I been born from above? Have I been born +of the Spirit?" It is not making some new resolutions. You have made +enough of them. I never met any one who had not made some good +resolutions in their life. It is not trying to do good. A great many +say, "I try to do the best I can, and I think it will come out all +right." What is that to do with the new birth and the new creation? +God does not promise salvation to him that tries to do the best he +can, but to him that believeth, or that is born of the Spirit; for +"except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." + +THE NEW BIRTH INSTANTANEOUS. + +Now, I believe this new birth is instantaneous. I have met a great +many people who cannot tell the day or the hour of their conversion; +but there must have been a time when they passed from death unto +life--when they were born of the Spirit. There must have been a time +when their names were written in the Book of Life. They may not be +conscious of the day, or the hour, or the week, or the month, or the +year; but, my friends, I beg of you to be sure that you have been born +of the Spirit. Don't be deceived upon this one truth, because Christ +Himself says, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom +of God." + +THE FLESH CANNOT SERVE GOD. + +As I said before, when I was born of my parents I received their +nature, I received the nature of the flesh; and I cannot serve God in +the flesh. "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship +Him in spirit and in truth." And before a man can worship God he must +be born of God; he must be born of the Spirit. Then with this new +birth, with this new life, he can serve God; then the yoke is easy, +and the burden is light. A man may as well try to fly to the moon as +to serve God before he has been born of the Spirit; it is utterly +impossible. The natural man is at enmity against God; his natural +heart is at war with God; it always has been, and it always will be. +And not only that, but you cannot make it better. God never mends, He +creates anew; therefore don't be trying to patch up that old Adam +nature. God says, "It shall never come into my presence." Therefore +God has just set it aside. But He tells us how we are to come into His +presence, and how we are to get into His kingdom. This is worthy to be +borne in mind. You cannot educate men into it. That is what the world +is trying to do. But he that climbeth up by some other way than the +Lord's way, the same is a thief and a robber. You had better be born +into it in God's way. + +We have a law in America that no man shall be President of the United +States that has not been born on American soil. We have a great many +Englishmen come to America, and a great many men from all parts of the +world, and yet I have never heard one complain of that law. They say +America has the right to say who shall be President. I come here to +your country, and I do not complain because you have a Queen to reign +over you. What right have I to complain? Has not England a right to +say who shall rule it, and who shall be its Queen? Foreigners have no +right to interfere. And I would like to ask you this question, Has not +God a right to say who shall come into His kingdom, and how we shall +come? Now, my friend, God tells us here we are to come into His +kingdom by the new birth. We must be born from above, born of the +Spirit, and then we get a nature that goes out towards God. If you +take a drunken man, and put him on the very pavement of heaven, he +will not be happy there. The drunkard doesn't want heaven. What is he +to do there? He has no whisky to drink there, and he has none of his +old companions. What is he to do? He would say, "This is hell to me. I +don't want to stay here." A man that cannot spend one Sabbath on earth +among God's people, what is he to do with that eternal Sabbath, with +those that have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of +the Lamb? A man must have a spiritual nature before he wants to go to +heaven. Heaven cannot have any attractions to a man until he is born +of the Spirit. + +THE MORAL NEED THE NEW BIRTH. + +Now let us go back to the man to whom Christ said these words. I often +rejoice He didn't say this to the woman at the well, nor to Mary +Magdalene. If He had said it to them, people would have said, "Oh, +that poor woman needs to be converted; but I am a moralist; I don't +need to be converted. Regeneration will do for harlots, thieves, and +drunkards, but we moralists do not need it." But who did Christ say it +to? He said it to Nicodemus. Who was he? He belonged to the house of +bishops. Nicodemus stood very high; he was one of the church +dignitaries; he stood as high as any man in Jerusalem, except the high +priest himself. He belonged to the seventy rulers of the Jews; he was +a doctor of divinity, and taught the law. There is not one word of +Scripture against him; he was a man that stood out before the whole +nation as of pure and spotless character. What does Christ say to him? +"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." I can +see a scowl on his forehead. He says, "What do you mean by being born +again--born from above, born of the Spirit? Now I am old, can I a +second time enter my mother's womb, and be born again?" Jesus saith, +"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of +the Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God." He didn't take back +what He had said, but He repeated it. I can imagine Nicodemus was like +tens of thousands of men in London to-day. The moment you talk to them +about regeneration or conversion, there is a scowl on their forehead. +They say, "I don't understand it." Of course, the natural man doesn't +understand spiritual things. It is a matter of revelation. A great +many men try to investigate and find out God. Suppose you spend a +little of your time in asking God to reveal Himself to you. + +REASON CANNOT UNDERSTAND THIS NEW BIRTH. + +I heard some time ago of some commercial travellers who went to hear a +man preach. They came back to the hotel, and were sitting in the +smoking-room talking, and they said the minister did not appeal to +their reason, and they would not believe anything they could not +reason out. There was an old man sitting there listening, and he said +to them, "You say you won't believe anything you can't reason out?" +"No, we won't." The old man said, "As I was coming in the train +yesterday, I noticed some sheep, and cattle, and swine, and geese, all +eating grass. Now, can you tell me by what process that same grass was +turned into feathers, hair, bristles, and wool?" "Well, no, we can't +just tell you that." "Do you believe it is a fact?" "Oh, yes, it is a +fact." "I thought you said you would not believe anything you could +not reason out?" "Well, we can't help believing that; that is a fact +we see before our eyes." "Well," said the old man, "I can't help but +believe in regeneration and a man being converted, although I cannot +explain how God converted him." + +CHRIST'S ILLUSTRATION. + +Now, the illustration which Christ used to Nicodemus was the wind. +"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound +thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth." +Now, you cannot see the Spirit of God work in this audience; but I +hope and pray He may be working now in the hearts of many, convincing +them of sin! Do you believe more than ever that you are a sinner? +Well, that is the work of the Holy Ghost. The devil never told you you +are a sinner; he tries to make you believe that you are good enough. +If you believe to-night that you have sinned against God, that is the +work of the Holy Ghost. He is here at work. We cannot see Him, but +there are a great many who know He is here. Suppose I should say, "I +don't believe in the wind, and that it must be all imagination; I have +lived thirty-seven years, and have never seen the wind. It is folly +for men to talk about the wind." I can just imagine that boy there +saying, "Why, I know more than that man; I know there is wind, for it +blew my hat off this very day into the mud, and I have often felt it +blowing in my face." My friends, you have never felt the wind more +than I have felt the Spirit of God. You have never seen the effects of +the wind more than I have seen the effects of the Spirit of God, and +of the working of the Holy Ghost, and there are hundreds of witnesses +here who would testify the same thing. Yet this invisible power does +its work in creation, and the mighty invisible power of God does its +work effectively in the spiritual sphere. + +New life in Christ means the breaking of old fetters. + +GOD CAN CHANGE THE DRUNKARD. + +It may be that I am talking now to some poor drunkard here. When he +comes into his house his children listen, and hear by the footfall +that their father is coming home drunk, and the little things run away +and hide from him as if he was some horrid demon. His wife begins to +tremble. Many a time has that great, strong arm been brought down on +her weak, defenceless body. Many a day has she carried about marks +from that man's violence. He ought to be her protector, support, and +stay; but he has become her tormentor. His home is like hell upon +earth; there is no joy there. There may be one such here to-night who +hears the good news that he can be born again, and receive a nature +from heaven, and receive the Spirit of God. God can give him power to +hurl the infernal cup from him. God will give him grace to trample +Satan under his feet, and the drunkard will then become a sober man. +Go to that house three months hence, and you find it neat and clean. +As you draw near that home you hear singing; not the song of the +drunkard, that is gone, all things have become new. He has been born +of God, and is singing one of the songs of Zion: + + "Rock of Ages, cleft for me, + Let me hide myself in Thee." + +Or perhaps he is singing that good old hymn that his mother taught him +when he was a little boy: + + "There is a fountain filled with blood, + Drawn from Immanuel's veins; + And sinners plunged beneath that flood + Lose all their guilty stains." + +He has become a child of God, an heir of heaven. His children are +climbing up his knee, and he has his arms round their necks. That dark +home is now changed into a little Bethel on earth. God dwells there +now. Yes; God has done all that, and that is regeneration. + +THE WORTH OF GOOD RESOLVES. + +Then some of you may have been saying, "I wish Mr. Moody would tell us +how we are to become Christians, for he says that we cannot be +Christians by trying to do good and by making new resolutions." Many a +time you have been at a meeting like this, and have resolved to turn +over a new leaf, and you may now form another good resolution. If you +do, you will break it. What are you going to do? If it is a new birth +you are to have, you cannot create life. Can you bring life to the +dead? All the wise men in London cannot do it. God alone is the author +of life; and if you have the new birth, it must be God's work. When +the Jubilee Singers were in the North of England my family went to see +them, and my little boy asked why they didn't wash the black off their +faces. I told him it was because they were born black. The Ethiopian +cannot change his skin, nor the leopard his spots. You cannot save +yourself. There is a man dying--can you put new life into him? Or can +you raise up a dead body by saying, "Young man, arise"? That is the +work of God. Your souls are dead in trespasses and sins, and only the +Lord Jesus Christ can speak life. + +THE BEGGAR AND THE PRINCE. + +I imagine some of you will say, "Haven't I anything to do?" Well, you +haven't. Salvation has been worked out for you by another. Many go all +round the world in search of honour or possessions. Salvation is worth +thousands of times more than any thing earth can produce; but you +don't get it that way. God has but one price for salvation. Do you +want to know what it is? It is without money and without price. +Rowland Hill said that most auctioneers found they had hard work to +get people up to their price, but that he had hard work to get people +down to his. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is +eternal life." Who will have it now? I say to you, young man, will you +have this gift? Suppose I was going over London Bridge, and saw a poor +miserable beggar, bare-footed, coatless, hatless, with no rags hardly +to cover his nakedness, and right behind him, only a few yards, there +was the Prince of Wales with a bag of gold, and the poor beggar was +running away from him as if he was running away from a demon, and the +Prince of Wales was hallooing after him, "Oh, beggar, here is a bag of +gold!" Why, we should say the beggar had gone mad to be running away +from the Prince of Wales with the bag of gold. Sinner, that is your +condition. The Prince of Heaven wants to give you eternal life, and +you are running away from Him. + +THE DYING SOLDIER. + +Then you say, "If it is not by working in earnest, how am I to be +saved?" I will tell you; Scripture will tell you--that is better. Take +the illustration Christ used to Nicodemus; you could not have a +better. He took him to the remedy: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in +the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that +whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" +(John iii. 14, 15). Now there is the remedy. How am I to be saved? By +looking to Christ; just by looking. It's very cheap, isn't it? Very +simple, isn't it? Just look away to the Lamb of God now and be saved. +What says the great wilderness preacher? "Behold the Lamb of God, +which taketh away the sin of the world." You might say the whole plan +of salvation is in two words--Giving; Receiving. God gives; I receive. + +I remember, after one of the terrible battles in the American Civil +War--I was in the army, tending soldiers--and I had just laid down one +night, past midnight, to get a little rest, when a man came and told +me that a wounded soldier wanted to see me. I went to the dying man. +He said, "I wish you to help me to die." I said, "I would help you to +die if I could. I would take you on my shoulders and carry you into +the kingdom of God if I could; but I cannot. I can tell you of One who +can." And I told him of Christ being willing to save him; and how +Christ left heaven and came into the world to seek and to save that +which was lost. I just quoted promise after promise, but all was dark, +and it almost seemed as if the shades of eternal death were gathering +around his soul. I could not leave him, and at last I thought of this +third chapter of John, and I said to him, "Look here, I am going to +read to you now a conversation that Christ had with a man that went to +Him when he was in your state of mind, and inquired what he was to do +to be saved." I just read that conversation to the dying man, and he +lay there with his eves rivetted upon me, and every word seemed to be +going home to his heart, which was open to receive the truth. When I +came to the verse where it says, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in +the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that +whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal +life"--the dying man cried, "Stop, sir. Is that there?" "Yes, it is +all here." Then he said, "Won't you please read it to me again?" I +read it the second time. The dying man brought his hands together, and +he said, "Bless God for that. Won't you please read it to me again?" I +read through the whole chapter, but long before the end of it he had +closed his eyes. He seemed to lose all interest in the rest of the +chapter, and when I got through it his arms were folded on his breast, +he had a sweet smile on his face; remorse and despair had fled away. +His lips were quivering, and I leant over him, and heard him faintly +whisper from his dying lips, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the +wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever +believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." He opened +his eyes, and fixed his calm, deathly look on me, and he said, "Oh, +that is enough; that is all I want"; and in a few hours he pillowed +his dying head upon the truth of those two verses, and rode away on +one of the Saviour's chariots, and took his seat in the kingdom of +God. + +Oh, sinner, you can be saved now if you will! Look and live. May God +help every lost one here to look on the Lamb of God, which taketh away +the sin of the world. + + + +THE BLOOD + +"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without +the shedding of blood is no remission."--Heb. ix. 22. + +No man can give a satisfactory reason for the hope that is in him if +he is a stranger to the "Blood." At the very commencement of the Bible +we find reference made to the subject in Genesis iii. 21: "Unto Adam +also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed +them." In this verse we get the first glimpse of blood. Certainly God +could not have clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of beasts unless He +had shed blood. Here, then, we have the innocent suffering for the +guilty--the doctrine of substitution in the garden of Eden. God dealt +with Adam in grace before He dealt in judgment. Death came by sin. +Adam had sinned, and the Lord came down to make the way of escape. God +came to him as a loving friend, and not to hurl him from the earth. +Adam could have said to Eve, "Though the Lord has driven us out of the +garden of Eden, He loves us," for this coat is a token of love. + +God put a lamp of promise into Adam's hand before He drove him out; +for He said, "The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head." +Did you ever think what a terrible state of things it would be if man +was allowed to live for ever in his lost, ruined state? It was from +love to Adam that God drove him out of Eden, that he should not live +for ever. God put the cherubim with a flaming sword there. But now +Christ has taken the sword out of his hand, and opened wide the gate, +so that we can come in and eat. Adam might have been in Eden ten +thousand years, and then be led astray by Satan; but now "our life is +hid with Christ in God." Man is safer with the second Adam out of Eden +than with the first Adam in Eden. + +Let us next turn to Genesis iv. 4: "And Abel, he also brought of the +firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had +respect unto Abel and to his offering." Cain and Abel were brought up +outside of Eden, and had the same parents, and both received the same +instruction as to how they were to draw near to God; but + +CAIN CAME IN HIS OWN WAY, + +while Abel came in the way God commanded. Cain said to himself, "I am +not going to bring a bleeding lamb. Here is the grain and the +beautiful fruit that I have raised by my industry; and I'm sure it +looks better than blood, and I'm not going to bring blood." Now it was +not that there was any difference between these two men, but it was +the offering which each brought. One came in the way God had marked +out, and the other in a way of his own. Now there are a great many +just like that at the present day. They prefer what is agreeable to +the eye, as Cain did his beautiful corn and fruit, and they do not +like the doctrine of + +THE BLOOD OF ATONEMENT. + +But any religion that makes light of the Blood is the work of the +devil, even if an angel from heaven came down to preach salvation +through any other means. + +Undoubtedly on the morning of creation God marked out the way a man +might come to Him; and Abel walked in God's way, and Cain in his own. +Perhaps Cain could not bear the sight of blood, and so he took that +which God had cursed and laid it upon the altar. + +THERE ARE MANY CAINITES IN THE CHURCH + +even now; and some have got into the pulpit, and they preach against +the doctrine of the Blood, and that we can get to heaven without the +Blood. From the time Adam went out of Eden there have been Abelites +and Cainites. The Abelites come by the way of the Blood--the way God +had marked out for them. The Cainites come by their own way. They +repudiate the doctrine of the Blood, and say it does not atone for +sin. But it is better to take God's word than man's opinion. + +Again, turn to Genesis viii. 20: "And Noah builded an altar unto the +Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and +offered burnt-offerings on the altar." We have thus passed over the +first two thousand years, and have come to the second dispensation. +The thought I want to call your attention to is this: The first thing +Noah did when he got out of the ark was to build an altar and slay the +animals, thus putting blood between him and his sin. The second +dispensation is founded upon blood; and these animals were taken +through the flood in the ark that they might illustrate the +indispensable necessity of the shedding of blood. + +ABRAHAM OFFERING UP ISAAC. + +Again, in Genesis xxii. 13, it is written: "And Abraham lifted up his +eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by +his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a +burnt-offering in the stead of his son." The ram was typical, and was +offered up in the place of Abraham's son. God loved Abraham so much +that He spared his son; but He so loved the world that He would not +spare His own Son, but gave Him up freely for us all. It may be that +from the top of the mountain Abraham saw a glorious sight. He saw +Christ going up Calvary carrying His cross. He saw that mountain peak +sprinkled with blood; and he saw that sacrifices were to go on until +the true Isaac made His appearance and offered Himself for us all. +Abraham had the altar built, and he was ordered to take his only son, +and to bind him, and to slay him; and he bound that boy, and +everything was ready. He took the knife, and was about to slay him, +because it was the will and command of God. He did not know what it +meant; but he obeyed. + +Would that there were more men like him now, ready to obey God in the +dark without asking the reason why! The old man took his son, and he +told him the secret that he had hid from him all the journey--that God +had told him to offer him up as a sacrifice. And he bound the boy hand +and foot, and laid him all ready on the altar; and just when he was +about to stretch forth his hand and slay him, he heard a voice from +heaven calling to him: "Abraham, Abraham, spare thy son." God was more +merciful to the son of Abraham than to His own, for He gave Him up +freely for us all. He opened up to him the curtain of time, and showed +him Christ coming in the future; and Abraham saw his sins laid on +Christ and was glad. + +THE PASSOVER. + +In Exodus xii. 13 we read: "And the blood shall be to you for a token +on the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over +you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you." God did not +say, When I see your good deeds; when I see how you have prayed, and +wept, and cried. No; but "When I see the blood I will pass over you. +The blood shall be a token." What was it saved those men? Was it their +good resolutions or their works? It was the blood. "When I see the +blood I will pass over you." Very likely when some of the lords, and +dukes, and great men rode through Goshen, and saw the Israelites +sprinkling their dwellings, they said they never saw such foolishness, +and that they were spoiling their houses. They were to sprinkle the +door-posts and lintels of their houses with the blood, but not the +threshold. God would not have + +THE BLOOD TRAMPLED UPON, + +but that is what the world at the present day is doing. + +Some preachers speak not of the death of Christ, but His life, because +it is more pleasing to the natural ear; but the life of Christ may be +preached for ever and it will not save any man, if His death is left +out. A live lamb could not have kept death out of the houses of +Goshen. God did not say that He wanted a live lamb at every door, but +to have the lintels and door-posts sprinkled with the blood of the +lamb. People sometimes say, "If I was as good as that minister, that +preached the gospel for fifty years"; or, "If I was as good as that +mother, who did so and so for her children"; but if we are behind the +blood of God's Son, we are just as safe as any Christian that has ever +walked the face of the earth. + +It is not a long life of usefulness that makes men and women +acceptable to God. We must work for Christ; but we get salvation as a +gift, and then begin to work because we cannot help it. All the work a +person does before he becomes converted goes for nothing. + +The little child down in Goshen behind the blood of the lamb was just +as safe as Joshua, or any man in the whole town. The angel of death +passed by when he saw the blood. The little tiny fly was as safe in +the ark with Noah as the elephant. It was equally the ark that saved +the fly and the elephant, and it is + +THE BLOOD THAT SAVES + +the weakest and the strongest. When death came that night with his +sword, he entered the palace of the prince, and went into the houses +of the great and mighty, and they all had to pay tribute to death; for +the first-born in Egypt was smitten down that night. The only thing +that kept death out was death itself. The only way that death can be +met is by death. I have sinned, and must die; or get some one to die +for me. The great question is--Have you got the token? If death should +come after any one of us to-night, are we sheltered behind the blood? +that is the point. It is the blood that atones. Not my good +resolutions, or prayers, or position in society, or what I have done, +but what has been done by another. God looks for the token. + +Take another illustration. Suppose a man wanted to go from London to +Liverpool, and he got into a railway carriage, he would soon hear the +guard running along the platform crying out for tickets. A man might +be rich or he might be poor, black or white, he might be learned or +unlearned, that was not what the guard wanted to know--he wanted to +see the tickets; for the ticket was the token, and if you have got a +ticket you pass. + +NO DEATH WHERE THE BLOOD WAS. + +The Egyptians looked at the Israelites killing a lamb and sprinkling +the blood on the door-posts no doubt as a very foolish proceeding, but +not one house in the city, upon the doorposts and lintels of which the +blood was not sprinkled, escaped; no matter who were the inhabitants, +rich or poor, that night there was no difference. There was a wail +heard in every habitation, from the palace to the meanest hovel where +the blood _had not_ been sprinkled, but where it _had_ been sprinkled +death was kept out. That showed clearly the truth, that without the +shedding of blood there is no remission. Let no man or woman be guilty +of laughing at this doctrine, that "the blood of Jesus Christ, His +Son, cleanseth us from all sin." + +In the eleventh verse of the same chapter we read, "And thus shall ye +eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your +staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's +passover." Why you have not got more power is because you don't feed +on the Lamb; and this is why there are so many weak Christians. The +Lamb not only atones for our sins, but we are to feed upon the Lamb. +We have got a wilderness journey before us, as the children of Israel +had. After we are saved we are to feed upon Christ; He is the true +bread from heaven. If I don't feed my soul with the true bread from +heaven I am sickly, and have not power to go and work for Christ; and +that is the reason, I believe, why so few in the Church have power. +Some people think if they get one glimpse of Christ that is enough. + +Some think much of their dinner; why should not God's children think a +good deal of + +THEIR SPIRITUAL FOOD? + +We should no more think of laying in spiritual food to last for ten +years than we should bodily food. A good many people are living on +stale manna. A man in Ireland said to his boy, "I want you to eat two +breakfasts. Do you know why?" The boy said he understood one was for +his body and the other for his soul. All Christians should similarly +take two breakfasts, for the soul and for the body. + +The Passover was to be to the Jews the beginning of months. "This +month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first +month of the year to you" (Exodus xii. 2). All the 400 years that they +had been in bondage went for naught, because this was the first month +of the year to them. And in like manner throughout all the years that +we have served the devil, and all the time that we have been in Egypt, +whatever good we may have done in this world is to be reckoned as +naught. Everything dates back to the Passover night--to the time the +blood was put upon the door-posts. All the time we are serving the +world goes for naught. If you have not come to Calvary you are losing +time. Everything you do on the wrong side of the cross counts for +naught; the first thing is to be saved by faith in Christ, and then we +commence our pilgrimage to heaven. We don't start, as some people +suppose, from the cradle to heaven. We start from the cross. We have +got a fallen nature that is taking us hellward. We must be born of the +Spirit, and + +SHELTERED BY THE BLOOD, + +and then we become pilgrims for heaven. + +Each man was to take a lamb for his house. "And if the household be +too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house +take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to +his eating shall make your count for the lamb." The lamb was not too +little for a household, but the household might be too little for the +lamb. Christ was enough for every household, enough and to spare, and +we ought to pray that salvation may come to every member of our +households. + +Let us next turn to Exodus xxix. 16: "And thou shalt slay the ram, and +thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the +altar." Even Aaron could not come to God until he sprinkled blood +round about the altar; and when the high priest went into the holy of +holies, he had to take blood with him. From the time when Adam fell +there has been no other way by which a man can approach God than by +the blood. You cannot have an audience of God until you come by that +appointed way. So it has been for 6000 years. When Adam fell in Eden +he broke the golden chain that linked humanity to the throne of God, +but Christ came and made atonement for that fall. + +Again, observe in Leviticus viii. 23: "And he slew it; and Moses took +of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and +upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right +foot." I used to read a passage like this, and say it seemed absurd. I +think I understand it now. The blood _upon the ear_ means that we are +to hear the voice of God. The unconverted man does not understand the +voice of God; and we are told that when the voice of God was heard, +the uncircumcised said that it thundered. They did not know the +difference between God's voice and thunder. Without the blood we +cannot hear the voice of God and understand it. A man must be +sheltered behind the blood before he can hear God's voice. + +The blood _upon the hand_ signifies that a man may + +WORK FOR GOD. + +You cannot work for God until you are sheltered behind the blood; and +until you are sheltered it all stands for naught. You may build +churches, endow colleges, pay ministers and missionaries; but it all +goes for naught until you are sheltered behind the blood. Don't let +any one deceive you on this point. Don't let Satan deceive you by +telling you that you can get to heaven by some other way. They asked +Christ, "What must we do that we may work the works of God?" Perhaps +these men had got their pockets full of money, and were ready and +willing to build churches. Christ told them that the work of God was +that they should believe in His Son. But they were not willing to do +such a small thing; they would rather do some greater thing; but that +was not what was wanted. You cannot do anything to please God until +you believe. + +"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." People may work day and +night, and even work themselves to death; but they never will do right +until they do what God requires them to do. + +The blood _on the toe_ of the right foot was to show that Aaron was to +walk with God. When Adam fell, communion with God was broken. Before +he had walked with God; but the moment he sinned he fell out of +communion with Him; and from that time to this God has been trying to +get man back into communion. God is full of truth and justice. His +justice must be met; and after that has been met He is satisfied. God +never walked with men until He put them behind the blood at Goshen. +What could stand before them then? They passed through the Red Sea, +and God said to Joshua, "Take this country, and no man shall be able +to stand before you all the days of your life." In the days of Joshua +there were whole regiments of giants; but one stripling from the +Lord's hosts defeated the giant of Gath. If God is with us, the giants +will be like grasshoppers; but if God is not with us, it will be +different. I would rather have ten men separated from the world than +ten thousand nominal Christians who go to the prayer-meeting to-night +and the ball to-morrow. + +In Leviticus xvi. 14 it is said: "He shall take of the blood of the +bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat eastward; +and before the mercy-seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his +finger seven times." It seems as if God originally gave Adam a life by +which he held communion with Him; but on the day that he broke the +command he lost that communion. And ever since God has been trying to +get men back into communion with Himself. But how could God be just +and the justifier of sinners? That is done through the Blood of +Christ. "The life of the flesh is in the blood." God demands blood to +atone for sin. + +MAN'S LIFE WAS FORFEITED, + +and he had to die, or pay the wages of death. He could not pay the +penalty and live; so he wanted a substitute. Every man had sinned, and +could not be a substitute for his fellow; but Christ was sinless, and +could become the substitute for man; and He has become that +substitute, because He has died in the room and stead of man to +satisfy the law. Then the question for each and every one to answer +is, whether they will love Him and serve Him who has died to redeem +them by His precious Blood. + +In Leviticus xvii. 11, we read: "For the life of the flesh is in the +blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement +for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the +soul." There may be some who are saying, Why does God demand blood? +Some one said to me: "I detest your God; He demands blood. I don't +believe in such a God; for my God is merciful to all." I want to say, +My God is full of mercy! But don't be so blind as to believe that God +is not just, and that He has not got a government. Suppose Queen +Victoria didn't like any man to be deprived of his liberty, and she +threw all her prisons open, and was so merciful that she could not +bear any one to suffer for guilt, how long would she hold the sceptre? +how long would she rule this empire? Not twenty-four hours. Those very +men who cry out about God being merciful would say: "We don't want +such a Queen." + +GOD IS JUST. + +God is merciful, but He will not take an unredeemed sinner into +heaven. If He did, the redeemed would plant the banner of indignant +remonstrance round the throne, and there would be a revolt in heaven. +God said to Adam, On the day thou sinnest thou shalt surely die. Sin +entered, and brought death into the world. God's word must be kept. I +must either die, or get somebody to die for me; and in the fulness of +time Christ comes forward to die for the sinner. He was without sin; +but if He had committed one sin, He would have had to die for His own +sin. The life of the flesh is in the blood; and it is not blood He +demands really; it is life, and life has been forfeited. We have +sinned, and death must come, or justice must take its course. Glory to +God in the highest because He sent His Son, born of a woman, to take +our nature and die in our stead, tasting death for every man. You take +this blood out of this body of mine, and life is gone. + +GOD DEMANDS BLOOD. + +He demands life. Man has sinned; therefore life must be forfeited, and +I must die, or find somebody to die for me. My friends, I have only +just touched this subject. If you read your Bibles carefully you will +find the scarlet thread running through the Bible. It commenced in +Eden and flows on to Revelation. I cannot find anything to tell me the +way to heaven + +BUT BY THE BLOOD. + +This book (holding up the Bible) wouldn't be worth carrying home if +you take the scarlet thread out of it; and it doesn't teach anything +else; for the blood commences in Genesis, and goes on to Revelation. +That is what this book is written for. It tells its own story; and if +a man should come and preach another gospel, don't you believe him. If +an angel should come and preach anything else, don't believe it. Don't +trifle with the subject of the Blood. In your dying hour you would +give more to be sheltered behind this Blood than for all the world. + +A MOTHER'S LOVE. + +In the time of the Californian gold fever a man went to the diggings, +and left his wife to follow him some time afterwards. While on her +voyage with her little boy, the vessel caught fire; and as there was a +powder-magazine on board, the captain knew when the flames reached it +the ship would be blown up. The fire could not be got under, so they +took to the life-boats; but there was not room for all. As the last +boat pushed off, the mother and boy stood on the deck. One of the +sailors said there was room for another. What did the mother do? She +decided to perish herself in order to save her boy. She dropped him +into the boat, and with a mother's last look, said: "If you should +live to see your father, tell him that I died in your place." Do you +think when that boy grew up he could fail to love that mother who died +to save him? My friends, this is a faint type of what Christ has done +for you and me. He died for our sins. He left heaven for that purpose. +Will you go away saying, I see no beauty in Him. May God break every +heart here! You will need Him when you come to cross the swelling of +Jordan. You will need Him when you go up to the bar of God. God forbid +that when death comes it should find you without Christ, and without +God, and without hope! + +Not only is the vitally important subject of the "Blood of Christ" +referred to frequently in the Old Testament, but likewise in many +places in the New Testament. + +Let us turn to the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and +verses 22-26, "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and +foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have +crucified and slain." What is this but the bloodshedding and death of +Christ? Read also Acts iv. 10; v. 28; vii. 52; viii. 32; x. 39; xvii. +3; xviii. 21; Hebrews ix. 22; 1 Peter i. 19; and many other passages +will be found if the word _Blood_ is referred to in a Concordance. + +REDEMPTION. + +A friend of mine was in Ireland, and saw a little Irish boy who had +caught a sparrow, and the poor little bird was trembling and panting +in his hand, from which it wanted to get away. It was evidently very +much affrighted. The gentleman told the boy to let it go, as the bird +could not do him any good; but the boy said he would not let it +escape, for he had been chasing it for three hours before he could +catch it. The gentleman then offered to buy the bird, and the boy +agreed to a price, which was paid. He took the poor bird and held it +out on his palm, where it sat for a time, scarcely able to realise the +fact that it had got its liberty; but at last it flew away, chirping, +as if to say to the gentleman, "You have redeemed me." + +That is an illustration of what is meant by redemption. Satan is +stronger than any man upon earth, and there is no match for him but +Christ. The lion of Calvary--the lion of the tribe of Judah--He is +stronger than the lion of hell. When Christ on Calvary said, "It is +finished!" it was the shout of the conqueror. He came to redeem the +world by His death. + +Once when I was re-visiting my native village I was going to a +neighbouring town to preach, and saw a young man coming from a house +in a carriage, in which was seated an old woman. I felt interested in +them, and asked my companion who they were. I was told to look at the +adjoining meadow and pasture, and great barns that were on the farm, +as well as a good house. "Well," said my companion, "that young man's +father drank that all up, and left his wife in the poorhouse. The +young man went away and worked until he had got money enough to redeem +that farm, and now it is his own, and he is taking his mother to +church." That is another illustration of redemption. + +In the first Adam we have lost all, but the second Adam has redeemed +everything by His death. A friend of mine who was in Paris went to a +great meeting of Jews, at which one of the leading men presided, and +that man said the Jews had the honour of killing the Christian's God; +and those Jews stamped and applauded at the statement. They were proud +of the act, and cried out, "His blood be upon us, and upon our +children," and that imprecation has been literally fulfilled in their +history. Now His blood either cries for our peace and salvation or for +our condemnation. + +PEACE. + +In Colossians i. 20 it is written, "Having made peace through the +blood of the cross, by Him to reconcile all things to Himself; by Him, +I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." That is +what the blood of the cross does, it brings peace. In Romans v. it is +written, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God +through our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom also we have access by faith +into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of +God." In this three things are stated: there is _justification_ for +the past as well as peace. As the believer looks back to Calvary, the +blood speaks peace and pardon for guilt. Then there is _grace_ for the +present, and _glory_ for the future. + +In John xix. 34 it is written, "But one of the soldiers with a spear +pierced His side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water." There +is a striking fact intimated in this verse. The spear that went into +the side of the Son of God was the crowning act of sin, the +culminating crime of earth and hell. I don't see how they could have +done a more cruel thing than that. What act could have been more black +and hellish? And the blood came out and covered the spear, and a +fountain was thus opened in the house of David for sin. The blood +touched the Roman spear, and it was not long before the Roman +government became at least nominally Christian. The blood ran down +from His side upon the earth, and this earth has been redeemed by Him; +for He will have the world by and by. He is + +THE TRUE SOVEREIGN, + +and He will ere long cast out the prince of darkness, and sway His +sceptre from end to end of this earth. A little longer, and He will +personally return and set up His millennial kingdom and reign over +this earth. He has redeemed the earth by His blood, and He will have +all He has redeemed. + +ONENESS IN CHRIST. + +Has the Blood touched you? The blood of Christ makes us one, brings us +into the family of God, and enables us to cry, "Abba, Father." At the +time of the American war, during the days of slavery in America, when +there was much political strife and strong prejudice against the black +men, especially by Irishmen, I heard a preacher say, that when he came +to the cross for salvation he seemed to find a poor negro on one side +and an Irishman on the other side, and the blood came trickling down +upon them and made them one. There may be strife in the world, but +those whom Christ has redeemed He has made one family. We are blood +relatives. + +When I go before an audience, there is hardly a person I have seen +before; but as I begin to talk about the King their eyes light up, and +I see they are kinsmen, they are blood relatives, and in a short time +I become attached to them. A man may go into a town a perfect +stranger, but as soon as he finds out those who love God, they will be +one. I wish Christians had more of this oneness. I hope the time will +soon come when sectarian walls will be broken down, and people will +not want to ask whether you belong to the Established, Wesleyan, or +Baptist Churches. If washed in the blood, we are blood relatives. I +believe + +GOD WILL JUDGE THE WORLD BY THE BLOOD. + +"What have you done with that blood?" will be the great question in +that day. If we make light of it, and send back an insulting message, +saying we don't stand in need of it, we shall stand speechless before +God's tribunal. If we make light of that blood, what is going to +become of our souls? + +JUSTIFICATION. + +The only way a man can be brought within the family of God is by the +blood, as it is said in Romans iii. 24, "Being justified freely by His +grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"; and again in +Romans v. 9, "Much more then, being now _justified by His blood_, we +shall be saved from wrath through Him." Justified from all things from +which we could not be by the law of Moses. When God looks into His +ledger, there is nothing found against the man who is washed in the +blood. One plunge in the crimson fountain, and the sinner is justified +in the sight of God. Christ was raised from the grave for the +justification of all who put their trust in Him, and such are not only +pardoned men but justified men. Justification is more than pardon. It +is said of an emperor of Russia that he sent on one occasion for two +noblemen who were charged with some conspiracy, and one he found to be +perfectly innocent, so he sent him home justified; but the other was +proved guilty, but was pardoned. They both returned home, but ever +afterwards would stand very differently in the estimation of their +sovereign and neighbours. From that may be seen the difference between +pardon and justification. + +CONFIDENCE. + +When a man is justified he can go through the world with his head +erect. Satan may come to him, and say, "You are a sinner"; but the +reply would be, "I know that, but God has forgiven me through Christ"; +as it is written in Revelation i. 5, "And from Jesus Christ, who is +the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the +prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed +us in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God the +Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever." + +Many people try to come to Christ, but think they cannot come unless +they first become good. But He loves all Christians even before their +sins are washed away. He loves them, and then washes them in His own +blood. It is wonderful love! To think that He loves them first and +then washes them in His blood from their sins! There is no devil in +hell that can pluck them out of His hand. They are perfectly safe; for +they are washed in the blood of the Lamb. + +NO REMISSION WITHOUT BLOOD. + +It is said in Hebrews ix. 22, "And almost all things are by the law +purged with blood; and without shedding of blood there is no +remission." It is utterly impossible that a man can be saved who makes +light of the blood. There is no other name under heaven whereby we can +be saved than the name of Christ Jesus. Are we willing to receive what +Christ has already done? The salvation of those who trust in Him was +already worked out when He said upon the cross, "It is finished." + +In Matthew xxvi. 28 we get the words of Christ Himself: "For this is +my blood of the New Testament, which was shed for many for the +remission of sins." That was what Christ Himself said about the blood. +He could have saved His life, but He loved the human family so much +that He shed His blood for their redemption. He opened that fountain +referred to in the lines: + + "There is a fountain filled with blood, + Drawn from Emmanuel's veins." + +That hymn will last as long as the Church, and so will others like: + + "Rock of ages, cleft for me, + Let me hide myself in Thee." + +There is a great deal about the blood in these hymns, and they will +all live. Every hymn into which the scarlet thread is woven will live. +There is another sweet hymn that will last through all ages: + + "Just as I am, without one plea, + But that Thy blood was shed for me." + +In Hebrews x. 19 we read, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to +enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, +which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, +His flesh." When Christ's work was done, the veil of the temple was +rent from the top to the bottom. God came out of the holy of holies, +and man can now go in. He makes all His people in this dispensation +kings and priests. Every one can come right into the presence of God +Himself. In the Jewish dispensation none but the high priests could +enter into the holy of holies; but the veil being rent, God came out +and man can go in through the veil of His flesh. "Let us draw near +with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts +sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure +water." Let us hold fast the profession of our faith. The new and +living way has been opened by His blood. The only thing that Christ +left down here was His blood. When He ascended to heaven, He took with +Him His flesh and His bones, but His shed blood was left on this +earth. + +THE BLOOD HAS TWO CRIES. + +It either cries for my damnation, or for my salvation. If I make light +of the blood, and trample it under my feet, then it cries out for +God's condemnation; but if I am sheltered behind the blood, there is +no condemnation for me. God dealt in judgment with Cain; and when +Pilate wanted to know what to do with Christ, he washed his hands and +said he was innocent. The Jews said, "Let His blood be upon us and our +children, not to save us, but to condemn us." Would that they had +said, "Let His blood be upon us to save us and protect us." Nearly +1900 years have rolled away, and the Jews are wanderers on the face of +the earth without a king. Their having been scattered all these years, +what a proof it is the word of God is true! May our prayer be to-day, +His blood be upon us and our children, not to condemn us, but to save +us. Let that be our prayer, that we may know what it is to be +sheltered behind the blood of God's dear Son. The blood of the cross +speaks peace. If I am sheltered behind the blood, there is peace, but +there is no peace until my sin is covered. If you had committed sin +against a man, you would get no peace until that was forgiven. Men are +running after peace; and if it could be bought in the market, many +would give hundreds of thousands of pounds to secure it. The blood of +Christ speaks peace, and it will bring peace to every guilty +conscience and aching heart to-day if you only seek it. + +In Hebrews x. 28, 29, we read: "He that despised Moses' law died +without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer +punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden +under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, +wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite +unto the Spirit of grace?" To me these are very solemn verses. I don't +see how any one can sit here and hear these verses read and be content +to remain unsaved. "They died without mercy"; but how much more sore +will be the punishment of those who live in this age with an open +Bible, which tells how Christ died to redeem us, and make us heirs of +heaven. + +In Revelation xii. 11, we read: "And they overcame him by the blood of +the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their +lives unto the death." They overcame by the blood. I don't believe +there is a word in the Bible Satan is fearing more than the word +"blood." Judging from past experience, I shall probably receive many +letters to-morrow attacking me for what I have said to-day. These +letters will say it is heathenish to stand up and preach what would +only do for an unenlightened age. May God forgive those who dare to +say such things. If you will read your Bible in the light of Calvary, +you will find there is no other way of coming to heaven but by the +blood. The devil does not fear ten thousand preachers who preach a +bloodless religion. A man who preaches a bloodless religion is doing +the devil's work, and I don't care who he is. + +VICTORY THROUGH THE BLOOD. + +It is said of old Dr. Alexander, of Princeton Seminary, that when he +parted with the students who were going to preach the gospel, he would +take them by the hand, and say, "Young man, make much of the +blood--make much of the blood." + +As I have travelled up and down Christendom I have found out that a +minister who gives a clear sound upon this doctrine is successful. A +man who covers up the cross, though he may be an intellectual man, and +draw large crowds, cannot touch the heart and conscience. There will +be no life there, and his church will be like a gilded sepulchre. +Those men who preach the doctrine of the cross, holding up Christ as +the sinner's only hope of heaven, and as the sinner's only substitute, +and make much of the blood, God honours, and souls are always saved +where that truth is preached. + +I would say, + +MAKE MUCH OF THE BLOOD. + +May God help us to make much of the blood of His Son. It cost God so +much to give us this blood, and shall we try to keep it from the world +which is perishing from the want of it? The world can get along +without us, but not without Christ. Let us preach Christ in season and +out of season. Let us go to the sick and dying, and hold up the +Saviour who came to seek and save them, and died to redeem them. + +CHRIST WILL CONQUER. + +It is said of Julian the Apostate in Rome, that when he was trying to +stamp out Christianity he was pierced in the side by an arrow. He +pulled the arrow out, and taking a handful of blood as it flowed from +the wound, threw it into the air, shouting, "THOU GALILÆAN, THOU HAST +CONQUERED!" Yes, this Galilæan is going to conquer. May God help us to +give no uncertain sound on this doctrine. + +I would rather give up my life than give up this doctrine. Take that +away, and what is my hope in heaven? Am I to depend upon my works? +Away with them when it comes to the question of salvation. I must get +salvation distinct and separate from works, for it is "to him that +worketh not, but believeth on Christ." None will walk the celestial +pavement of heaven but those washed in the blood. The first man that +went up from this earth was probably Abel. You can see Abel putting +his little lamb upon the altar, thus placing blood between him and his +sin. Abel sang a song the angels could not join in. There must have +been one solo song of redemption in heaven, because Abel had no one to +join him. But there is a great chorus now, for the redeemed have been +going up for six thousand years, and they sing of Him who is worthy to +receive honour because He died to save us from condemnation. + +ROBES MADE WHITE THROUGH THE BLOOD. + +In Revelation vii. 14, we read: "And I said unto him, Sir, thou +knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great +tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the +blood of the Lamb." Sinner, how are you going to get your robes clean +if you don't get them washed in the blood of the Lamb? How are you +going to wash them? Can you by yourself make them clean? Oh, may we +all reach that paradise above! There they are singing the sweet song +of redemption, and may it be the happy lot of each of us to join them. +It may be only a short time, at the longest, before we shall be there, +and shout the song of redemption, and sing the sweet song of Moses and +the Lamb. There "they hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither +shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in +the midst of the throne shall feed them, and lead them to living +fountains of water: and God shall wipe away all tears from their +eyes." At that day sceptics and scoffers will pray for the rocks and +mountains to fall on them, and cover them from the wrath of God. If +you die without Christ, without hope, and without God, where will you +be? Sinner, be wise! don't make light of the blood! + +THE DYING SAINT. + +An aged minister of the gospel, when dying, said, "Bring me the +Bible." Putting his finger upon the verse, "The blood of Jesus Christ +His Son cleanseth us from all sin," he said, "I die in the hope of +this verse." It wasn't his fifty years' preaching, nor his long life +in the Lord's service, but the blood of Christ, upon which he relied. +When we stand before God's tribunal we shall be pure, even as He is +pure, if we are washed in the blood of the Lamb. + +THE PRECIOUS BLOOD. + +During the American war a doctor heard a man saying, "Blood, blood, +blood!" The doctor thought this was because he had seen so much blood +shed upon battlefields, and endeavoured to soothe his mind. The man +smiled, and said, "I wasn't thinking of the blood upon the +battlefield, but I was thinking how precious the blood of Christ is to +me as I am dying." As he died his lips quivered, "Blood, blood, +blood!" and he was gone. Oh, it will indeed be precious when we come +to our dying bed! it will then be worth more to us than all the world! +One sin is enough to exclude us from heaven, but one drop of Christ's +blood is sufficient to cover all our sins. + +Beware how you treat the gospel message of redemption through the +blood. + +THE DOWN GRADE. + +A stage-driver away on the Pacific coast--as I was told when I was +there about three years ago--while lying on his dying bed, kept moving +one of his feet up and down, saying, "I am on the down grade, and +cannot reach the brake." As they told me of it, I thought how many +were on the down grade, and could not reach the brake, and were dying +without God and without hope. I plead with you as a fellow-traveller; +don't go out of this hall without saying, "Heaven is my home, and God +is my Father." Don't let the scoffers laugh you into hell; they cannot +laugh you out of it. The Blood is upon the mercy-seat, and while it is +upon the mercy-seat you can enter into the kingdom. God says, "There +is the Blood; it is all I have to give. As long as it is there, there +is hope for you. I am satisfied with the finished work of my Son, and +will you be satisfied?" Don't leave this meeting until you can claim +this as yours. + +How dark and sad it is to go to the bedside of a dying infidel or +atheist, or one who is dying without the light of the resurrection +morn. But if we trust to Christ, death has lost its sting, and the +grave its victory. + +An eminent minister in America, Alfred Cookman, the Robert McCheyne of +his day, was dying, and when his friends were gathered round his +couch, waiting to see him depart to be with Christ, his face lit up, +and with a shout of triumph he said, "I am sweeping through the gates, +washed in the blood of the Lamb!" And this echoes and re-echoes +through America to-day: "I am sweeping through the gates, washed in +the blood of the Lamb!" May these be our last words, and may an +abundant entrance be granted us into the gates of the heavenly city! + + Who, who are these, beside the chilly wave, + Just on the borders of the silent grave; + Shouting Jesus power to save, + Washed in the blood of the Lamb. + Sweeping through the gates of the new Jerusalem + Washed in the blood of the Lamb. + + + +CHRIST ALL IN ALL + +Read Colossians iii. 11. + +Christ is all in all to every one who has truly found Him. He is our +Saviour, Redeemer, Deliverer, Shepherd, Teacher, and also sustains +toward us many more offices, to which I desire to call your attention. + +1. If we turn to Luke ii. 10, 11, we find Christ is there announced as +our + +SAVIOUR: + +"Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all +people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David _a +Saviour_, which is Christ the Lord." We learn to know Christ as our +Saviour, to meet Him on Mount Calvary, to look on Him as the bleeding +Lamb of God, before we know Him as our Redeemer, Deliverer, and +Shepherd. Now, looking round upon this vast assembly, I, who do not +know the hearts of the people, cannot know whether you can say that +Christ is your Saviour. There are many, I trust, who can say this, and +who rejoice in His salvation; while, without being uncharitable, I am +afraid there are many who know nothing personally of Jesus as their +Saviour. + +He is offered to every one of you to-day as a Saviour; "God gave Him +up freely for us all," that we all through Him might be saved. If you +are belonging to this world, I can prove that you have a Saviour. If +you belonged to some other planet, such as the moon or any of the +stars, then I could not say a Saviour was offered to you; for it is +not revealed whether the people of these distant worlds, even if they +are inhabited, require salvation or not. But this I know, that every +man on this globe has a Saviour offered him. + +SALVATION FREE TO ALL. + +I have no sympathy with those men who try to limit God's salvation to +a certain few. I believe that Christ died for all who will come. I +have received many letters finding fault with me, and saying I surely +don't believe the doctrine of election. I do believe in election; but +I have no business to preach that doctrine to the world at large. The +world has nothing to do with election; it has only to do with the +invitation, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." +That is the message for the sinner. I am sent to preach the gospel to +all. + +After you have received salvation, we can talk about election. It's a +doctrine for Christians, for the Church, not for the unconverted +world. Our message is "good tidings, which shall be to all people; for +unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." All +people, this Saviour is proffered to you. Accept Him, and God will +accept you; reject Him, and God will reject you. Your eternal destiny +depends on your refusal or otherwise to accept the proffered Saviour. +The case is simply one of giving and taking. God gives; I receive. We +must, then, first of all know Christ as our Saviour. + +2. But He is still more: He is our + +REDEEMER. + +Supposing I saw a man tumble into a river, and I were to jump in and +rescue him, I should be a saviour to him--I should have saved him. But +when I brought the man ashore, I should probably leave him, and do +nothing further. + +But the Lord does more. He not only saves us, but He redeems us--that +is, buys us back. He ransoms us from the power of sin, as if I should +promise to watch over that rescued man for ever, and see that he did +not again fall into the water. The Lord not only saves us from +spiritual death, but He redeems us for ever that death can never touch +us. + +LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES. + +When I was at Richmond, U.S., the coloured people were going to have a +meeting. It was the first day of their freedom. I went to the African +church, and never before or since heard such bursts of native +eloquence. "Mother," said one, "rejoice to-day. Your little child has +been sold from you for the last time; your posterity are for ever +free. Glory to God in the highest! Young men, you have heard the +driver's whip for the last time; you are free to-day! Young maidens, +you have been put up on the auction-block for the last time!" They +spoke right out, they shouted for joy; their prayers had been +answered, it was the gospel to them. In like manner Jesus Christ +proclaims liberty to the captives. Some have accepted it; some, like +the poor negroes, scarcely believe the good tidings; but it is none +the less true. Christ has come to redeem us from the slavery of sin. +Now, who will accept of that redemption? There was one coloured woman, +a servant in an inn in the Southern States, who could not believe she +was free. "Be's I free, or be I not?" she asked of a visitor. Her +master told her she was not, her coloured brethren told her she was. +For two years she had been free without knowing it. She represents a +great many in the Church of God to-day. They can have liberty, and yet +they don't know it. + +3. Again, Christ is our + +DELIVERER. + +The children of Israel were not only saved and redeemed from the +bondage of the Egyptians, but they were also _delivered_, that they +should not be led back again into bondage. Many are afraid; they think +they are not able to hold on, and therefore shrink from making a +profession. But Christ is able to keep you from falling; He is able to +deliver you in the dark hour of trial and temptation, from every evil +device of Satan, and from the snare of the fowler. + +In Isaiah xlix. 24, we read: "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, +or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the Lord, Even the +captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the +terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that +contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children." I will save him; +I will deliver him. The children of Israel were _saved_ from the cruel +bondage of Egypt, they were led out of the land of Goschen; but still +they were not fully _delivered_. The great host of the Egyptians was +thundering behind them. It was not till they had passed safely through +the Red Sea, which closing behind them, swallowed up the host of the +enemy--it was not till then that they were free, that they were +delivered. + +And similarly in our times of danger we shall find it to be true of +Christ, "He delivered my soul"; and again in Job xxxiii. 24, "Then He +is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the +pit: I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: +he shall return to the days of his youth! he shall pray unto God, and +He will be favourable unto him: and he shall see His face with joy: +for He will render unto man His righteousness. He will deliver his +soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light." + +Here we have the saving, the redeeming, the deliverance from the pit. +Man is fallen into the deep pit, he is kept there a lawful captive by +one who is mighty. If he is to be brought back from the darkness of +the pit to see the light, then we must have a ransom. Here God comes +forward, and says, "I have found a ransom." Christ is the ransom, and +He will deliver us. Sound out the cry, "Christ is our deliverer." He +is mighty to save, He is able to deliver. + +A LEADER. + +4. But now we need something more. Look back again to the children of +Israel; when they had marched gloriously through the Red Sea, they had +been saved, redeemed, and delivered; but was that all they required? +No; they had been brought into the wilderness. What now do they need? +They must have a way to go in the pathless desert. They required a +leader. Then Christ is the way and the leader. Are we in difficulties, +in doubt, or in perplexity? Christ is our way. "I am the way, the +truth, and the life" (John x.). + +I have heard some say, "Well, if I am converted, and become religious, +I don't know what church I would go to. There are so many different +churches and denominations. I really don't know which is the right +one." Hence some people are bewildered, and do not know which is the +true way. Well, I would say to such, Look only to Him who says, + +"I AM THE WAY." + +He is the only true way, and if you want to reach the kingdom you have +only to follow Him. We may be in darkness, but He is able to lead us +in the right path. He is the Shepherd of His flock. He will go before +us and lead us. He is calling upon us to arise and follow Him, and He +will lead us by a way we know not; He will guide us to the green +pastures if we only look to Him. + +THE PILLAR OF CLOUD. + +All that the children of Israel had to do was to follow the cloud. If +the cloud rested, they rested; if the cloud moved forward, then they +moved. I can imagine that the first thing Moses did, when the grey +dawn of morning broke, was to look up and see if the cloud was still +over the camp. By night it was a pillar of fire, lighting up the camp, +and filling them with a sense of God's protecting care; by day it was +a cloud shielding them from the fierce heat of the sun's rays, and +sheltering them from the sight of their enemies. + +Israel's Shepherd could lead them through the pathless desert. Why? +Because He made it. He knew every grain of sand in it. They could not +have a better leader through the wilderness than its Creator. + +And, sinner, can you, in all your difficulties or doubts and fears, +have a better leader than Jehovah? Oh, I do like that good old hymn: + + "Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, + Pilgrim through this barren land; + I am weak, but Thou art mighty, + Hold me with Thy powerful hand. + Bread of heaven, + Feed me till I want no more." + +Yes, that is the true prayer of the bewildered sinner, God is _able_, +and still more, He is _willing_, to lead us, and to feed us. "Thou +gayest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth +water for them out of the rock for their thirst" (Nehemiah ix. 15). He +is still as able to lead any of us as He was four thousand years ago +to lead the children of Israel, "For I am the Lord; I change not." To +every one of us He says, "Fear not, I will lead thee; I will help +thee." Wonderful thing, is it not, to have God to help us on our way? + +In our Western countries, when men go out hunting into the dense +backwoods, where there are no roads or paths of any kind, they take +their hatchet and cut a little chip out of the bark of the trees as +they go along, and then they easily find their way by these "blazes." +They call it "blazing the way." And so, if you will allow me the +expression, Christ has "blazed the way." He has travelled the road +Himself, and knowing the way, He tells us to follow Him, and He will +lead us safe on high. + +5. Now we have seen Christ is our Saviour, Redeemer, Deliverer, +Leader, or Way. But He is more than all that; + +HE IS OUR LIGHT. + +"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in +darkness, but shall have the light of life." He shall have the very +"light of life." Yes, it is the privilege of every Christian to walk +in an unclouded sky. + +But do we walk thus in an unclouded sky? No, most Christians are often +in darkness. If I were to ask this congregation if they were all +walking in the light, I believe there is scarcely one, if he spoke the +true feeling of his heart, but would reply, "No, I am often in +darkness." Why is that? It is because we are not following Christ, and +keeping close to Him. We are much in darkness when we might be in the +light. + +Suppose the windows of this building were all closed, and we were +complaining of the darkness, what would any one say to us? Why, they +would say, "Admit the light; open the windows all round, and you'll +soon have plenty of light." Similarly we must let in Christ, who is +the light, and open our minds to receive Him, and we shall soon walk +in light. There is a great deal of darkness at the present time, even +in the hearts of God's own people. But follow Him, and then you will +have plenty of light. Then Christ will show to each of us that He is +"The Light"; and He will do more, He will set us on fire with His +light, that we also may shine as lights in this dark world. + +May God help His own people to + +SHINE BRIGHTLY, + +to flash out of darkness, that men may take knowledge of us that we +have been with Jesus. But remember, the world hates the light. Christ +was the light of the world, and the world sought to extinguish it at +Calvary. Now He has left His people to shine. "Ye are the light of the +world." He has left us here to shine. He means us to be "living +epistles, known and read of all men." The world is certain to watch, +and to read you and me. If we are inconsistent, then you may be sure +the world will take occasion to stumble at us. + +The world finds plenty of difficulties on the way; let us see that we +Christians do not add more stumbling-blocks by our un-Christlike walk. +God help us to keep our lights burning clear and brilliant! Out West a +friend of mine was walking along one of the streets one dark night, +and saw approaching him a man with a lantern. As he came up close to +him he noticed by the bright light that the man had got no eyes. He +went past, but the thought struck him, "Surely that man is blind." He +turned round, and said, "My friend, are you not blind?" "Yes." "Then +what have you got the lantern for?" "I carry the lantern that people +may not stumble over me, of course," said the blind man. Let us take a +lesson from that blind man, and hold up our light, burning with the +clear radiance of heaven, that men may not stumble over us. + +6. Objectors have said that it's all moonshine about Christ's people +being lights on the way. Well, that's just what we believe; we reflect +the light of Christ. + +REFLECTED LIGHT. + +Just like the moonshine, our light is borrowed light. When we are +living in the light of our Saviour we shine with His light: somewhat +like the face of Moses, which shone after he had been in the mount +with God. Let us live in an atmosphere of heaven, and we cannot help +shining. But whenever we get downcast and weak in faith, then we are +sure to lose our light. + +I remember during the American war I was in a prayer meeting. We were +all very dark and gloomy. Things had been going against us for some +time. At last an old man got up, and said, "What is the matter with +us, that we are downhearted and sad? It is simply our lack of faith." +Moses, Joshua, and David were men strong in faith. They believed, and +therefore God honoured them. Whence comes our want of faith? God is +not dead. He is as powerful, as willing, to help to-day as ever +He was. Why, then, are we not full of faith in Him? It is +God-dishonouring to forget that He still has power, although our +armies are defeated, and all seems dark and gloomy. + +GET ABOVE THE CLOUDS. + +I will tell you what happened to me some time ago when I was out West. +I wanted to reach the summit of one of the Western mountains. I had +been told that sunrise was very beautiful when seen from the summit. +We got up to the half-way house one afternoon, where we were to rest +till midnight, and then set out for the top. Soon a little party of us +started with a good guide. Before a great while it began to rain, and +then it became a regular storm of thunder and lightning. I thought +there was little use in going on, and said to the guide, "Guess we'd +better turn back; we won't see anything this morning, with all these +clouds." "Oh," said the guide, "I expect we'll soon get through these +clouds, and get above them, and then we'll have a glorious view." So +we went on, whilst the thunders were rumbling right about our ears. +But soon we began to get above the thunder-cloud; the air was quite +clear, and when the sun rose we had a splendid view of his rays as +they tinged the hilltops; and then, as the glorious sunshine began to +break on where we stood, we could see the dark cloud far beneath our +mountain height. That's what God's people want--to get into the clear +air above the stormy clouds, and to + +CLIMB HIGHER + +away up to the mountain peak. There you'll catch the first rays from +the Sun of Righteousness far above the clouds and mists. Some of you +may be in great darkness and gloom; but fear not, climb higher, get +nearer to the Master, and soon you'll catch His bright rays on your +own soul, and they will sparkle back upon others. + +KEEP THE LOWER LIGHTS BURNING. + +We must live as children of the light, not as children of the +darkness. If we are dark and sorrowful, how is the world to know that +we are children of peace, and joy, and gladness? Our determination +must be to keep our lights burning. A few years ago, at the mouth of +Cleveland harbour there were two lights, one at each side of the bay, +called the upper and lower lights; and, to enter the harbour safely by +night, vessels must sight both of these lights. These Western lakes +are more dangerous sometimes than the great ocean. One wild, stormy +night a steamer was trying to make her way into the harbour. The +captain and the pilot were anxiously watching for the lights. By and +by the pilot was heard to say, "Do you see the lower lights?" "No," +was the reply; "but I fear we have passed them." "Ah, there are the +lights," said the pilot! "and they must be, from the bluff on which +they stand, the upper lights. We have passed the lower lights, and +have lost our chance of getting into the harbour." What was to be +done? They looked back, and saw the dim outline of the lower +lighthouse against the sky. The lights had gone out. "Can't you turn +her head round?" "No; the night is too wild for that. She won't answer +her helm." The storm was so fearful that they could do nothing. They +tried again to make for the harbour, but they went crash against the +rocks, and sank to the bottom. Very few escaped; the great majority +found a watery grave. Why? Simply because the lower lights had gone +out. + +And with us the upper lights are all right. Christ Himself is the +upper light, and we are the lower lights, and the cry to us is, _keep +the lower lights burning_, that is what we have to do. In the place +God has put us He expects us to shine, to be living witnesses, to be a +bright and shining light. While we are here our work is to shine for +Him, and He will lead us safe to the sunlit shore of Canaan, where +there is no more night. + +7. But Christ is more than our Light on the way; for He is + +OUR TEACHER. + +What a wonderful thing to have a teacher sent from heaven. "If any man +lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and +upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James i. 5). + +"If any lack wisdom": I am afraid there are a great many of us who +lack wisdom, and even the best of us at times will be in perplexity. +There are moments in the life of us all when we seem in a fix; we just +stand still, and say, "What shall I do? I don't know what is the best +way." Oh, leave it with God, He will Himself be our teacher! + +"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give +you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and _learn of me_." Here is a +wonderful teacher. He has had a school for many thousand years; He has +had the best men in His school; but still there's room for another +scholar there. His college is not too full yet, and the teacher is the +One sent from heaven. Any one, every one in this assembly may join +this school. Jesus will welcome you there. Are you in doubt about +anything? ask Jesus; He will tell you. + +Anxious sinner, seek the good teacher, as Nicodemus did: "Master, we +know thou art a teacher sent from God." If you seek Him thus He will +direct you. He will keep you, and lead you into green pastures and by +the still waters. I met a woman the other day who was full of infidel +doubts and fancies. She could not believe. Reading for some time +infidel works had thrown a dark and gloomy pall over her mind. It made +me sad to see her in such a case. Some of you may be like her. I wish +you would take Christ as your teacher, and then all darkness would +flee away. + +Christ is able to teach us. See how He taught the disciples. He never +wearied of their learning from Him. So He will teach us if we will +only listen to Him. + +THE OLD JUDGE CONVERTED. + +I remember, as I was coming out of the daily prayer meeting in one of +our American cities a few years ago, a lady said she wished to speak +to me; her voice trembled with emotion, and I saw at once that she was +heavily burdened by something or other. She said she had long been +praying for her husband, and she wanted to know if I would go to see +him; she thought it might do him some good. What is his name? +"Judge---," and she mentioned one of the most eminent politicians in +the State. "I have heard of him," I said; "I am afraid I need not go, +he is a booked infidel; I cannot argue with him." "That is not what he +wants," said the lady. "He has had too much argument already. Go and +speak to him about his soul." I said I would, although I was not very +hopeful. I went to his house, was admitted to his room, and introduced +myself as having come to speak to him about salvation. "Then you have +come on a very foolish errand," said he; "there's no use in attacking +me, I tell you that. I am proof against all these things, I don't +believe in them." + +Well, I saw it was no use arguing with him; so I said, "I'll pray for +you, and I want you to promise me that when you are converted you'll +let me know." "Oh, yes, I'll let you know," he said in a tone of +sarcasm. "Oh, yes, I'll let you know when I'm converted!" I left him, +but I continued to pray for him. Some time subsequently I heard that +the old judge was converted. I was again preaching in that city a +while after that, and when I had done talking the judge himself came +to me, and said: "I promised I'd let you know when I was converted; I +have come to tell you of it. Have you not heard of it?" "Yes; but I +would like to hear from you how it happened." + +"Well," said the judge, "one night, some time after you called on me, +my wife had gone to the meeting; there was no one in the house but the +servants. I sat by the drawing-room fire, and I began to think: +Suppose my wife is right, that there is a heaven and a hell; and +suppose she is on the right way to heaven, where am I going? I just +dismissed the thought. But a second thought came: Surely He who +created me is able to teach me. Yes, I thought, that is so. Then why +not ask Him? I struggled against it, but at last, though I was too +proud to get down on my knees, I just said, 'Father, all is dark; Thou +who created me canst teach me.' + +Somehow, the more I prayed the worse I felt. I was very sad. I did not +wish my wife to come home and find me thus, so I slipped away to bed, +and when she came into the room I pretended to be asleep. She got down +on her knees and prayed. I knew she was praying for me, and that for +many long years she had been doing so. I felt as if I could have +jumped up and knelt beside her; but no, my proud heart would not let +me, so I lay still, pretending to be asleep. But I didn't sleep that +night. I soon changed my prayer; it was now, 'O God, save me; take +away this terrible burden.' + +I didn't believe in Christ even yet. I thought I'd go right straight +to the Father Himself. But the more I prayed I only became the more +miserable; my burden grew heavier. The next morning I did not wish to +see my wife, so I said 'I was not well, and wouldn't wait for +breakfast.' I went to the office, and when the boy came I sent him +home for a holiday. When the clerks came I told them they might go for +the day. I closed the office doors: I wanted to be alone with God. I +was almost frantic in my agony of heart. I cried to God to take away +this load of sin. At last I fell on my knees, and cried, 'For Jesus +Christ's sake take away this load of sin.' At length I went to my +wife's pastor, who had been praying with her for my conversion for +years, and the same minister who had prayed with my mother before she +died. As I walked down the street the verse that my mother had taught +me came into my mind, 'Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, +believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.' Well, I +thought, I have asked God, and here I am going to ask a man. I won't +go. I believe I am a Christian. I turned and went home. I met my wife +in the hall as I entered. I caught her hand, and said, 'I am a +Christian now.' She turned quite pale; she had been praying for +twenty-one years for me, and yet she could not believe the answer had +come. We went into our room, and knelt down by the very bedside where +she had so often knelt to pray for her husband. There we erected our +family altar; and for the first time our voices mingled in prayer. And +I can only say that the last three months have been the happiest +months ever I spent in my life." + +Since then that judge has lived a consistent Christian life; and all +because he came to God, asking for guidance. + +If there is one here to-day whose mind is filled with such infidel +thoughts, go honestly to God, and He will teach you the right way +through the dark wilderness of infidelity. He won't leave you in +darkness or doubt. It is the devil's own work to lead men into such +doubts; well he knows if he once gets them there he has them pretty +safe. + +It is Satan's work to keep you in ignorance or doubt. It is God's work +to teach you. The teacher is Christ; He is appointed by God for this +work. God help us all to accept Him as our teacher. + +8. Now we have seen Christ as our Saviour, Redeemer, Deliverer, +Leader, Light, and Teacher. But He is still more; He is also + +OUR SHEPHERD. + +A very sweet thought it is to me, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall +not want." + +There is not one here, except the very babes, who does not understand +the work of a shepherd. He watches over his flock, protects them from +danger, feeds them, leads them into the best pastures. In fact, the +23rd Psalm is just a statement of the duties of a good shepherd: "The +Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want," etc. + +You want to be fed; are you going to wander about seeking something to +satisfy the cravings of your soul? Then, I tell you, you never will +find anything to satisfy the longings of your heart. The world cannot, +and never could, satisfy a hungry soul. The Lord Jesus can--He is the +true Shepherd. He is seeking to restore your soul, to lead you back to +the paths of righteousness. Even to death will He lead you, and safely +through its shadow guide you to a better land. Mother, father, will +you claim Him as your Shepherd? + +Young man, young woman, will you have Him as your Shepherd? + +My little child, will you have Jesus as your Shepherd? He will lead +safely and softly. + +You can, all of you, if you will. For "God gave Him up freely for us +all," that He might have us for His flock. He will lead us through +life, down to the banks of the Jordan; He will lead us across the dark +river into His kingdom. He is a tender, loving Shepherd. + +I sometimes meet people in the anxious inquiry-room who are nourishing +hard, bitter feelings against God, generally because they have been +afflicted. A mother said to me the other day, "Ah, Mr. Moody, God has +been unjust to me; He has come and taken away my child." Dear +afflicted mothers, has God not removed your children to a pure and +happy life? You may not understand it now, but you will by and by. He +wants to lead you up there. + +THE EASTERN SHEPHERD. + +A friend of mine, who had been in eastern lands, told me he saw a +shepherd who wanted his flock to cross a river. He went into the water +himself and called them; but no, they would not follow him into the +water. What did he do? Why, he girded up his loins and lifted a little +lamb under each arm, and plunged right into the stream, and crossed it +without even looking back. Whenever he lifted the lambs, the old sheep +looked up into his face and began to bleat for them; but when he +plunged into the water the dams plunged after him, and then the whole +flock followed. When they got to the other side he put down the lambs, +and they were quickly joined by their mothers, and there was a happy +meeting. + +My friend says he noticed the pastures on the other side were much +better and the fields greener; and on this account the shepherd was +leading them across. Our great Palestine Shepherd does that. That +child which He has taken from the earth is but removed to green +pastures of Canaan, and the Shepherd means to draw your hearts after +it, to teach you to "set your affections on things above." When He has +taken your little Mary, Edith, or Julia, accept it as a call to look +upward and beyond. You, mother, are you weeping bitter tears for your +little one? Do not weep! Your child has gone to the place where there +is neither weeping nor sorrow. Would you have it return? Surely never. + +Christ is our Shepherd--faithful and loving. Though sickness, or +trouble, or even death itself, should come to our house, and claim our +dearest ones, still they are not lost, but only gone before. God help +each one of us to have Him as our Shepherd. + +If time permitted, I should like to take up the subject of Christ as +our Justification, our Wisdom, our Righteousness, the Friend that +sticketh closer than a brother; but it would take a whole eternity to +tell what Christ is to His people, and what He does for them. + +I remember when I was preaching on this subject in Scotland, after I +had done, I said to a man that "I was sorry I could not finish the +subject for want of time." "Finish the subject," said the Scotchman, +"why, that would require all eternity, and even then it would not be +complete; it will be the occupation of heaven." + +9. Once more, let us look at Christ as + +OUR BURDEN-BEARER. + +Oh, I love to think of Him as the bearer of our burdens as well as our +sin-bearer. He carries our sins, although they are more numerous than +the hairs of our heads. Great and terrible as these burdens are, God +has laid them all on Jesus. + + "O Christ, what burdens bowed Thy head! + Our load was laid on Thee." + +That aspect of His burden-bearing we have already looked at in His +work as Saviour and Redeemer. I wish now to take up the sweet thought, +which has been a great comfort to me. + +"Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." Glorious, +is it not, to know we have such a Saviour? Can you feel that He has +lifted your burden off your shoulders on to His own shoulder? Then you +will feel light in heart. + +A LIGHT HEART. + +On one occasion, after I had been talking this way, a woman came +forward, and said, "Oh, Mr. Moody, it's all very well for you to talk +like that, about a _light heart_. But you are a young man, and if you +had a heavy burden like me you would talk differently. I could not +talk in that way, my burden is too great." I replied, "But it's not +too great for Jesus." "Oh," she said, "I cannot cast it on Him." "Why +not? surely it is not too great for Him. It is not that He is feeble. +But it is because you will not leave it to Him. You're like many +others. They will not leave it with Him. They go about hugging their +burden, and yet crying out against it. What the Lord wants is, you to +leave it with Him, to let Him carry it for you. Then you will have a +light heart, sorrow will flee away, and there will be no more sighing. +What is your burden, my friend, that you cannot leave with Christ?" +She replied, "I have a son who is a wanderer on the face of the earth. +None but God knows where he is." "Cannot Christ find him, and bring +him back?" "I suppose He can." "Then go and tell Jesus, and ask Him to +forgive you for doubting His power and willingness; you have no right +to mistrust Him." She went away much comforted, and I believe she +ultimately had her wandering boy restored to her! + +A MOTHER'S PRAYER ANSWERED. + +This circumstance reminds me of a pious father and mother in our +country, whose eldest son had gone to Chicago to a situation. A +neighbour of theirs was in the city on some business, and he met the +young man reeling along the streets drunk. He thought, "How am I to +tell his parents?" When he returned to his village, he went and called +out the father, and told him. It was a terrible blow to that father, +but he said nothing to the mother till the little ones had all gone to +rest; the servants had retired, and all was quiet in that little farm +on the Western prairies. They drew up their chairs to the little +drawing-room table, and then he told her the sad news. "Our boy has +been seen drunk on the streets of Chicago--drunk." Ah, that mother was +sorely hurt; they did not sleep much that night, but spent the hours +in fervent prayers for their boy. About daybreak the mother felt an +inward conviction that all would be well. She told the father "she had +cast it on the Lord, had left her son with Jesus, and she felt He +would save him." One week from that time the young man left Chicago, +took a journey of three hundred miles into the country; and when he +reached his home, he walked in, and said, "Mother, I've come home to +ask you to pray for me." Ah, her prayer had reached heaven; she had +cast her burden on Jesus, and He had borne it for her. He took the +burden, presented her prayer sprinkled with the atoning blood, and got +it answered. In two days that young man returned to Chicago rejoicing +in the Saviour. What a wonderful thing it is to have Christ as our +burden-bearer! How easy, how light do our cares become when cast upon +Him! + +Do you say Christ is nothing to you? If so, it is only because you +won't have Him. He is to all who will accept Him a Saviour from death, +a Redeemer from the power of sin, a Deliverer from our enemies, a +Leader through the wilderness; He is the way Himself, He is Light in +the darkness, He is a Teacher to His people, He is the Shepherd of His +flock, our Justification, Wisdom, Righteousness, Elder Brother, +Burden-bearer. He is in fact "Our all in all." + + Then come to Christ; oh, come to-day, + The Father, Son, and Spirit say, + The Bride repeats the call, + For He will cleanse your guilty stains, + His love will soothe your weary pains, + For Christ is All in All. + + + +NAAMAN THE SYRIAN + +Read 2 Kings v. + +I wish to call your attention to a man rather than to a text; to one +who was a great man in his own country, and very honourable; one whom +the king delighted to honour. He stood high in position; he was +captain of the host of the king of Syria; but he was a leper, and that +threw a blight over his whole life. + +Now, you cannot have a better type of a sinner than Naaman was. I +don't care who nor what he is, nor what position he holds--all men +alike have sinned, and all have to bear the same burden of death. "All +have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." All men must stand +in judgment before God; what a gloom that throws over our whole life! +_But he was a leper_. There was + +NO PHYSICIAN + +to help him in Syria. None of the eminent doctors in Damascus could do +him any good. Neither could any in Jerusalem. There was no balm in +Gilead. If he was to get rid of the leprosy, the power must come from +on high. It must be some one unknown to Naaman, for he did not know +God. + +THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. + +But I will tell you what they had in Syria--they had one of God's +children there, and she was a little girl, a simple captive maid. +Naaman knew nothing about her, though she was one of his household. He +knew nothing about this little Israelite. I can imagine her one day as +she said to Mrs. Naaman, her mistress, that there was a prophet in her +country that could cure her master of his leprosy. "Would to God," the +maid said, "my lord were with the prophet in Samaria! for he would +recover him of his leprosy." There's faith for you! "Why," says the +mistress, "what are you talking about? Did you ever hear of anybody +being cured of leprosy?" "Ah," said the little girl, "it is true, I +can assure you; we have got physicians down there that can cure any +one." + +So at last some one told the king about what the little maid of Israel +had said. Now, Naaman stood high in the king's favour, for he had +recently won a great victory. He was called a lord, perhaps he was a +prince, a sort of Syrian Prince Bismarck, who stood near the throne. +So the king said, "You had better go down to Samaria, and see if there +is anything in it, and I will give you letters of introduction to the +king of Israel." + +MONEY WILL NOT BUY SALVATION. + +Yes, he would give Naaman letters of introduction to the king. That's +just man's idea. The notion was, that if anybody could help him, it +was the king, and that the king had power both with God and man. Oh, +my friends, it is a good deal better to know a man that knows God! A +man acquainted with God has more power than any earthly potentate. +Gold can't do everything. + +Well, away goes Naaman down to Samaria with his kingly introduction, +and he takes with him a lot of gold and silver. That is man's idea +again; he is going to pay for a great doctor, and he took about +£100,000 sterling, as far as I can make it out, to pay for the +doctor's bill. There are a good many men who would willingly pay that +sum if with it they could buy the favour of God, and get rid of the +curse of sin. Yes, if money could do it, how many would buy salvation! +But, thank God, it is not in the market for sale. You must buy it at +God's price, and that is "without money and without price." Naaman +found that out. + +And now, my dear friends, did you ever ask yourselves, Which is the +worst--the leprosy of sin, or the leprosy of the body? Why, for my own +part, I would a thousand times sooner have the leprosy of the body +eating my eyes out, and feet, and arms! I would rather be loathsome in +the sight of my fellow-men, than die with the leprosy of sin in my +soul, and be banished from God for ever! The leprosy of the body is +bad, but the leprosy of sin is a thousand times worse. It has cast +angels out of heaven, it has ruined the best and strongest men that +ever lived in the world. Oh, how it has pulled men down! The leprosy +of the body could not do that. + +But to proceed. There is one thing about Naaman that I like, and that +is his earnestness of purpose. + +HE WAS THOROUGHLY IN EARNEST. + +He was quite willing to go one hundred and fifty miles, and to take +the advice of this little maid. A good many people say, "Oh, I don't +like such and such a minister; I should like to know where he comes +from, and what he has done, and whether any bishop has laid his hands +on his head." My dear friends, never mind the minister, it is the +message you want. Why, if some one were to send me a telegraph +message, and the news were important, I shouldn't stop to ask about +the messenger who brought it. I should want to read the news; I should +look at the message, and not at the boy who brought it. + +And so it is with God's message. The good news is everything, the +minister nothing. The Syrians looked down with contempt on the +Israelites, and yet this great man was willing to take the good news +at the hands of this little maiden, and listened to the words that +fell from her lips. Why, if I got lost in London, I should be willing +to ask anybody which way to go, even if it were only a shoeblack boy; +and, in point of fact, a boy's word in such a case is often better +than a man's. It is the way I want, not the person who directs me. + +HUMAN PRIDE BROUGHT LOW. + +But there was one drawback in Naaman's case. Though he was willing to +take the advice of the little girl, he was not willing to take the +remedy. The stumbling-block of pride stood in his way. The remedy the +prophet offered him was a terrible blow to his pride. I have no doubt +he expected a grand reception from the king of Israel, to whom he +brought letters of introduction. He had been victorious on many a +field of battle, and held high rank in the army; perhaps we may call +him Major-General Naaman of Syria, or he might have been higher in +rank even than that; and bearing with him kingly credentials, he +expected no doubt a distinguished reception. But instead of the king +rushing out to meet him, he, when he heard of Naaman's arrival, and +his object, simply rent his mantle, and said, "Am I God, to kill and +to make alive?" + +But at last the king bethinks himself of Elisha the prophet, and he +says, "There is a subject in my kingdom who may be able to help you +and cure your leprosy." And I can imagine Naaman's pride reasoning +thus: "Surely the prophet will feel very much exalted and flattered +that I, the great Syrian general, should come and call upon him." And +so, probably, full of those proud thoughts, he drives up to the +prophet's humble dwelling with his chariot, four-in-hand, and his +splendid retinue. Yes, Naaman drove up in grand style to the prophet's +abode, and as nobody seemed to be coming out to greet him, he sent in +his message: "Tell the prophet Major-General Naaman of Syria has +arrived, and wishes to see him." + +THE PROPHET'S MESSAGE. + +Elisha takes it very coolly. He does not come out to see him, but as +soon as he learns his errand he sends his servant to tell him to dip +seven times in the river Jordan, and he shall be clean. Now that was a +terrible blow to his pride. I can imagine him saying to his servant, +"What did you say? Did I understand you aright? Dip seven times in +Jordan! Why, we call the river Jordan a _ditch_ in our country." But +the only answer he got was, "The prophet says, Go and dip seven times +in the Jordan, and thy flesh shall become like the flesh of a little +child." I can fancy Naaman's indignation as he asks, "Are not Abana +and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? +may I not wash in them, and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a +rage. + +The fact was, the Jordan never had any great reputation as a river. It +flowed into the Dead Sea, and that sea never had a harbour to it, and +its banks were not half so beautiful as those of the rivers of +Damascus; for Damascus was one of the most beautiful cities in the +world, and it is said that when Mahomet beheld it he turned his head +aside for fear it should divert his thoughts from heaven. + +Naaman turned away in a rage. "Ah," he said, "here am I, a great +conqueror, a successful general on the battlefield, holding the very +highest rank in the army, and yet this prophet does not even come out +to meet me; he simply sends a message. Why, I thought he would surely +come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, +and strike his hand over the place and recover the leper." + +I THOUGHT. + +There it is; I never knew a man yet who, when talked to about his +sins, didn't always say, "Yes, but I _thought_ so and so." "Mr. +Moody," they say, "I will tell you what _I think_; I will tell you _my +opinion_." In the fifty-fifth chapter of Isaiah it says, "God's +thoughts are not our thoughts, nor His ways our ways." And so it was +with Naaman. In the first place he thought a good big doctor's fee +would do it all, and settle everything up. And besides that there was +another thing he thought; he thought going to the king with his +letters of introduction would do it. Yes, those were Naaman's first +thoughts. + +_I thought_. Exactly so. He turned away in rage and disappointment. He +thought the prophet would have come out to him very humble and very +subservient, and bid him do some great things. Instead of that Elisha, +who was very likely busy writing, did not even come to the door or the +window; he merely sent out the message, "Tell him to dip seven times +in the Jordan." And away went Naaman, saying, _I thought, I thought, I +thought_. I have heard that tale so often that I am tired of it. I +will tell you just what I think about it, and what I advise you to +do--"Give it up," and take God's words, God's thoughts, God's ways. I +never yet knew a man converted just in the time and manner he expected +to be. Now there is a class of people in our country who have been +looked down upon there, just as they have been in yours; I mean the +Methodists. And I have heard people say, "Well, if ever I am +converted, it won't be in a Methodist church; you won't catch me +there." Now, I never knew a man say that but, at last, if converted at +all, it was in a Methodist church. + +A man to be converted has to give up his will, his ways, and his +thoughts. And I have noticed this, that when a man says, "Well, if +ever I am converted, it will be in this way or that," God leads him in +quite a contrary direction. And so Naaman, after his anger had abated +and cooled down a little, took a second thought, which proved the +best, although his pride had been so dreadfully humbled. + +THE SIMPLE REMEDY. + +Whilst Naaman was thus wavering in his mind, and thinking on what was +best to be done, one of his servants drew near and made a very +sensible remark: "My lord, if the prophet had bid thee do some great +thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he +saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?" Yes, and there is a great deal of +truth in that. + +Why, if Elisha had said to him, "Go back to Syria on your hands and +knees," he would most likely have done it. If he had said, "Go back +all the way on one foot," he would have tried to do it. Or if he had +said, "Give ten thousand pieces of gold for the medicine I shall offer +thee, and thou shalt be cleansed," no doubt he would have done it. But +to tell him merely to dip in the river Jordan seven times, why, it +seemed absurd on the face of it. Well, this servant suggested to him +that he had better go down to the Jordan and try the remedy, as it was +a very simple one. + +I can fancy Naaman, still reluctant to believe in it, saying, "Why, if +there is such cleansing power in the waters of Jordan, would not every +leper in Israel go down and dip in them, and be healed?" "Well, but +you know," urges the servant, "now that you have come a hundred and +fifty miles, don't you think you had better do what he tells you; for +after all you can but try it; and he sends word distinctly, my lord, +that your flesh shall come again as that of a little child." And so +Naaman accepts this word in season. His anger is cooling down; he has +got over the first flush of his indignation, and he says, "Well, I +think I might as well try it." That was the starting-point of his +faith, although still he thought it a foolish thing, and could not +bring himself to believe that the result would be what the prophet had +said. + +How many men have told me right to my face they did not believe a man +could be saved by simply obeying God. Faith, they thought, was not +enough, they must do something. They will have it that there must be a +little asking, and reasoning, and striving, and wrestling with God, +before they can get the blessing. + +FOOLISH QUESTIONS. + +I recollect once praying with a man for his conversion, and just when +I thought conviction had been brought home to him, he turned round and +said, "Who do you think Melchisedek was, Mr. Moody?" And then I have +had others who, when I have been praying with them that their sins +might be taken away, would turn round and ask me, "Do you believe in +infant baptism, Mr. Moody?" My friends, you need not trouble +yourselves about those questions, but, if you wish to be saved, just +do as the Bible tells you. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou +shalt be saved (Acts xvii. 31). + +The salvation of God requires from the sinner an + +UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER. + +Well, at last Naaman's will was conquered, and subdued, and broken; +and he had faith, and he surrendered. I recollect when General Grant +was besieging a town which was the stronghold of the Southern +Confederacy, some of the officers sent word that they would leave the +city if he would let them go with their men. But General Grant sent +word, "No, nothing but an unconditional surrender!" Then they sent +word that they would go if he would let them take their flag with +them. But the answer was, "No, an unconditional surrender." At last +the beleaguered walls were broken down, and the city entered, and then +the enemy made a complete and unconditional surrender. Well, it was so +with Naaman, he got to that point when he was willing to obey, and the +Scripture tells us, "To obey is better than to sacrifice." + +OBEDIENCE. + +So he goes down to the river and takes the first dip, and as he comes +up, I can imagine him looking at himself, and saying to his servant, +"There, there I am, no better than I was when I went in. If +one-seventh of the leprosy was gone, I should be content." Well, down +he goes a second time, and he comes up puffing and blowing as much a +leper as ever; and so he goes down again and again, the third, fourth, +fifth, and sixth time, with the same result, as much a leper as ever. +And the people standing on the banks of the river probably said, as +they certainly would in our day, "Why, that man has gone clean out of +his mind." So when he comes up the sixth time, he looks at himself, +and says, "Ah, no better. What a fool I have made of myself. How they +will all laugh at me. I wouldn't have the generals and aristocracy of +Damascus know that I have been dipping in this way in Jordan for all +the world. However, as I have gone so far, I'll make the seventh +plunge." He has not altogether lost faith, and down he goes the +seventh time, and comes up again. He looks at himself, and shouts +aloud for joy. "Lo, I am well! My leprosy is all gone, all gone! My +flesh has come again as that of a little child. I never knew such a +thing. I never felt so happy in all my life. I thought I was a great +and a happy man when I accomplished that victory; but, thank God, +praise God, I am the happiest man alive!" + +So he comes up out of Jordan and puts on his clothes, and goes back to +the prophet, and wants to pay him. That's just the old story, Naaman +wants to give money for his cure. How many people want to do the same +nowadays? Why, it would have spoiled the story of grace if the prophet +had taken anything. You may give a thank-offering to God's cause, not +to purchase salvation, but because you are saved. + +The prophet Elisha refused to take anything, and I can imagine no one +felt more rejoiced than he did. So Naaman starts back to Damascus a +very different man than he was when he left it. The dark cloud has +gone from his mind; he is no longer a leper, in fear of dying from a +loathsome disease. He lost the leprosy in Jordan when he did what the +man of God told him; and if you obey the voice of God, even while I am +speaking to you, the burden of your sins will fall from off you, and +you shall be cleansed. It is all done by the power of faith. + +Well, you may be sure when he got home there was no small stir in +Naaman's house. I can just see his wife, Mrs. Naaman, when he gets +back; she has been watching and looking out of the window for him with +a great burden on her heart. And when she asks him, "Well, husband, +how is it?" I can see the tears running down his cheeks as he says, +"Thank God, I am well"; and then they embrace each other, and pour out +mutual expressions of rejoicing and gladness; and the servants are +just as glad as their master and mistress, as they have been waiting +eagerly for the news; and there never was a happier household than +Naaman's now that he has got rid of the leprosy. And so, my friends, +it will be with your own households if you will only get rid of the +leprosy of sin to-day. Not only will there be joy in your own hearts +and at home, but there will also be joy among the saints in heaven. + +Another thought is suggested to us by this history of Naaman in the +fifteenth verse of the chapter; and which shows what Naaman's faith +led him to believe. "And he returned to the man of God, he and all his +company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I +know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now +therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant." Now what I +want particularly to call your attention to is the words, + +I KNOW. + +There is no hesitation about it, no qualifying the expression. Naaman +doesn't now say, "I think"; no, he says, "I know there is a God who +has power to forgive sins and to cleanse the leprosy." + +Then there is another thought. Naaman left only one thing in Samaria, +and that was his sin, his leprosy; and the only thing God wishes you +to leave with Him is your sin. And yet it is the only thing you seem +not to care about giving up. "Oh," you say, "I love leprosy, it is so +delightful, I can't give it up; I know God wants it, that He may make +me clean. But I can't give it up." Why, what downright madness it is +for you to love leprosy; and yet that is your condition. "Ah, but," +says some one, "I don't believe in sudden conversions." Don't you? +Well, how long did it take Naaman to be cured? The seventh time he +went down, away went the leprosy. Read the great conversions recorded +in the Bible. Saul of Tarsus, Zacchæus, and a host of others; how long +did it take the Lord to bring them about? Why, they were effected in a +minute. We are born in iniquity, shapen in it, dead in trespasses and +sin; but when spiritual life comes it comes in a moment, and we are +free both from sin and death. + +The other day, as I was walking down the street, I heard some people +laughing and talking aloud, and one of them said, "Well, there will be +no difference, it will be all the same a hundred years hence." And the +thought flashed across my mind, "Will there be no difference? + +WHERE WILL YOU BE A HUNDRED YEARS HENCE?" + +Young man, just ask yourself the question, "Where shall I be?" Some of +you who are getting on in years may be in eternity ten years hence. +Where will you be, on the left or the right hand of God? I cannot tell +your feelings, but I can my own. + +A hundred years hence all this vast audience will be gone. Some will +probably be gone in less than a week, in less than a month or a year, +and at the best we shall all be gone in a few more years. I ask you +once again, "Where will you spend eternity? Where will you be a +hundred years hence?" + +THE CONVERTED NOBLEMAN. + +I heard the other day of a man who came a few years ago from the +Continent, and brought letters with him to eminent physicians from the +Emperor. And the letters said, "This man is a personal friend of mine, +and we are afraid he is going to lose his reason; do all you can for +him." So the doctor asked him if he had lost any dear friend in his +own country, or any position of importance, or what it was that was +weighing on his mind. And the young man said, "No; but my father and +grandfather and myself were brought up infidels, and for the last two +or three years this thought has been haunting me, 'Where shall I spend +eternity?' And the thought of it follows me day and night." + +The doctor said, "You have come to the wrong physician, but I will +tell you of one who can cure you"; and he told him of Christ, and read +to him the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, "With His stripes we are +healed." And the young man said, "Doctor, do you believe that?" The +doctor told him he did, and prayed and wrestled with him, and at last +the dear light of Calvary shone on his soul, and a few years ago he +was writing to this self-same doctor as only one Christian can to +another. He had settled the question in his own mind at last where he +would spend eternity; and I ask you sinners to settle it before you +leave this hall to-night. It is for you to decide. Shall it be with +the saints, and martyrs, and prophets, or in the dark caverns of hell, +amidst blackness and darkness for ever? Make haste to be wise; for +"how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" + +DECIDE NOW. + +At our church in Chicago I was closing the meeting one day, when a +young soldier got up and entreated the people to decide for Christ at +once. He said he had just come from a dark scene. A comrade of his, he +said, who had enlisted with him, had a father who was always +entreating him to become a Christian, and in reply he always said he +would when the war was over. At last he was wounded, and was put into +the hospital, but got worse and was gradually sinking. One day, a few +hours before he died, a letter came from his sister, but he was too +bad to read it. Oh, it was such an earnest letter! The comrade read it +to him, but he did not seem to understand it, he was so weak, till it +came to the last sentence, which said, "Oh, my dear brother, when you +get this letter, will you not accept your sister's Saviour?" The dying +man sprang up from his cot, and said, "What do you say? What do you +say?" and then, falling back on his pillow, feebly exclaimed, "_It is +too late! It is too late!_" + +My dear friends, thank God it is not _too late_ for you to-day. The +Master is still calling you. Are you going to let present opportunity +pass without coming to Christ? Are you going to let these solemn +moments come to an end without entering the ark? Let every one of us, +young and old, rich and poor, come to Christ at once, and He will put +all our sins away. + + Only a step to Jesus, + O why not come, and say, + Gladly to Thee, my + Saviour, I give myself away. + + + +ONE WORD--"GOSPEL" + +Read 1 Cor. xv. 1 + +I shall take for my text the one word "gospel." I do not think there +is a word in the English language that is so little understood in this +Christian land of England as this very word "gospel." We have heard it +from our earliest childhood up. There is not a day, and with many of +us not an hour during the day, but that we hear the word "gospel." And +yet, I say, a partaker of the gospel is a long time before he really +knows the meaning of the word. It means "good tidings." I think it +would do us good sometimes to get a dictionary and hunt up the meaning +of some of the words we use so often; some of those Bible words, such +as "gospel" and "Christ." I think it would change our ideas. I think +this would be a very joyful meeting to-night, if every one really +believed that the gospel is good news. Let a man or a boy bring a +despatch into this audience and hand it to any one here, and if that +brings good news you can see it immediately in the man's face; his +face lights up when he opens the despatch. You can see he really +believes it. And if it is really good news, if it brings him the +tidings of a long-lost boy coming home, why, if his wife is sitting +next to him, he passes the despatch to her; he wants her to have +knowledge of it too. He does not wait for her to ask for it; he does +not wait till they get home. So when I preach, those who really +believe the gospel, if I am near enough to look into their eyes, I see +their faces light up and they look remarkably sharp; but those who do +not believe it put on a long face, and look as if you had brought them +a death-warrant, or invited them to attend a funeral. + +THE BEST NEWS IN THE WORLD. + +No better news ever came out of heaven than the gospel. No better news +ever fell upon the ears of the family of man than the gospel. Hark! +hear those shepherds talking to one another after the angels had gone +away. They believed the message, and they were full of joy. You can +see them on the way now to Bethlehem. They said, "Let us go and see +what has taken place." And what was the message that the angels +brought to those shepherds? "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great +joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in +the city of David a Saviour." Now, if those shepherds had been like a +good many people at the present time, they would have said, "We do not +believe it is good news. It is all excitement. Those angels want to +get up a revival. Those angels are trying to excite us. Don't you +believe them." That is what Satan is saying now. "Don't you believe +the gospel is good news." Because he knows the moment a man believes +good news, he just receives it. I never saw a man in all my life that +did not like good news. And every man and woman that is under the +power of the devil does not believe the gospel is good news. The +moment you are out from under his power and influence then you believe +it. May God grant that the gospel may sink deep into your hearts, and +that you may believe it and be saved. + +It is the best news that ever came to this sin-cursed world. It means +"Good spell," or, in other words, "God's spell." We are dead in +trespasses and sin, and God wants us to be reconciled. It is a gospel +of reconciliation, and God is shouting from the heights of glory, "Oh, +ye men, I am reconciled, now be ye reconciled!" We have glorious news +to tell you--God is reconciled and beseeches his subjects to be +reconciled. The great apostle says, "We beseech you in Christ's stead, +be ye reconciled to God." The moment a man believes the gospel, down +goes his arm of rebellion, and the unequal controversy is over. A +light from Calvary crosses his path, and he can walk in unclouded sun, +if he will. It is the privilege of every man and woman in this vast +assembly from this hour to walk in unclouded sun if they will. What +has brought darkness into the world? Darkness came because of sin, and +the man who does not believe the gospel is blinded by the god of this +world. Now I want to tell you why I like the gospel. It is because it +has been the very best news I have ever heard. That is just the reason +I like to preach it. Because it has done me so much good. I do not +think a man can preach the gospel until he believes it himself. A man +must know it down deep in his own heart before he can tell it out; and +then he tells it out but very poorly at the best. + +POOR AMBASSADORS. + +We are very poor ambassadors and messengers; but never mind the +messenger, take hold of the message--that is what you want. If a boy +brought me good news to-night, I would not care about the look of the +boy; I would not care whether he was black or white, learned or +unlearned. The message is what would do me good. A great many look at +the messenger instead of the message. Never mind the messenger. My +friends, get hold of the message to-night. The gospel is what saves, +and what I want now is that you may believe the gospel now. + +CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS. + +Paul says in this fifteenth chapter of the 1st of Corinthians what the +gospel is. He says, "I declare unto you the gospel." And the first +thing he states in the declaration to these Corinthians is this: +"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." That was the +old-fashioned gospel. I hope we never will get away from it. I don't +want anything but that old, old story. Some people have itching ears +for something new. Bear in mind there is no new gospel. Christ died +for our sins. If He did not, how are we going to get rid of them? +Would you insult the Almighty by offering the fruits of this frail +body to atone for sin? If Christ did not die for our sins, what is +going to become of our souls? And then he goes on to tell that Christ +was buried, and that Christ rose again. + +CHRIST RISEN. + +He burst asunder the bands of death. Death could not hold Him. I can +imagine, when they laid Him in Joseph's sepulchre, if our eyes could +have been there, we should have seen Death sitting over that +sepulchre, saying, "I have Him; He is my victim. He said He was the +resurrection and the life. Now I have hold of Him in my cold embrace. +Look at Him. There He is; He has had to pay tribute to me. Some +thought He was never going to die. Some thought I would not get Him. +But He is mine." But look again. The glorious morning comes, and the +Son of man bursts asunder the bands of death, and came out of the +sepulchre. We do not worship a dead God, but a Saviour who still +lives. Yes, He rose from the grave; and then they saw Him ascend. That +is what Paul calls the gospel. Not only Christ's death and burial, but +His ascension into heaven. He went up and took His seat at the right +hand of God, and He will come back again. The gospel consists of five +things: Christ's death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and coming +again; for "I will come again," said He. Thanks be to God, He is +coming back by and by. He will come and take the kingdom; He will sway +His sceptre from the rivers to the ends of the earth. A little while +and He shall rule and reign. Let us lift up our heads and rejoice that +the time of our redemption draweth near. + +Let us get back to the simple gospel--Christ died for our sins. We +must know Christ at Calvary first, as + +OUR SUBSTITUTE, + +as our Redeemer; and the moment we accept of Him as our Saviour and +our Redeemer, then it is that we become partakers of the gospel. The +moment I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as my substitute, as my +Saviour, that moment I get light and peace. I know some people say, +"Oh, it is not Christ's death, it is Christ's life. Do not be +preaching so much about the death of Christ, preach about His life." +My friends, that never will save any one. Paul says, "I declare unto +you the gospel. Christ died"--not Christ lived--"Christ died for our +sins," "who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree." +Now, when I accept of Christ as my Saviour, as my Substitute, then I +am justified from all things which I could not be by the law of Moses. + +PERSONAL REMINISCENCES. + +The reason I like the gospel is, that it has taken out of my path the +worst enemies I ever had. My mind rolls back to twenty years ago, +before I was converted, and I think very often how dark it used to +seem at times as I thought of the future. There was death--what a +terrible enemy it seemed! I was brought up in a little village in New +England. It was the custom there when a person was buried to toll out +the age of the man at his funeral. I used to count the strokes of the +bell. Death never entered that village and tore away one of the +inhabitants but I always used to count the tolling of the bell. +Sometimes it would be away up to seventy, or between seventy and +eighty; beyond the life allotted to man, when man seemed living on +borrowed time when cut off. Sometimes it would be clear down in the +teens, and childhood, and death would take away one of my own age. It +used to make a solemn impression on me; I used to be a great coward. +When it comes to death, some men say, "I do not fear it." I feared it, +and felt terribly afraid when I thought of the cold hand of death +feeling for the cords of life, and being launched out to eternity, to +go to an unknown world. I used to have terrible thoughts of God; but +they are all gone now. Death has lost its sting. And as I go on +through the world I can shout now, when the bell is tolling, "O death, +where is thy sting?" And I hear a voice come rolling down from +Calvary, "Buried in the bosom of the Son of God." He robbed death of +its sting; He took the sting of death into His own bosom. If you take +a wasp, and just take the sting out of that wasp, you will not be +afraid of it any more than you would of a little fly. The sting has +been taken out. And you need not be afraid of death if you are in +Christ. Christ died for your sin. The penalty, the wages of sin is +death. Christ received the wages on Calvary, and therefore there is no +condemnation. All that death can get now is this old Adam. I do not +care how quickly I get rid of it. I will get a better body, a +resurrected body, a glorified body, a body much better than this. Yes, +my friends, "To die," says the apostle, "is gain." + +THE FEAR OF DEATH. + +If a man is in Christ, let death come. Suppose death should come +stealing up into this pulpit, and should lay his cold, icy hand upon +my heart, and it should cease to throb; I should rise to another +world, and should be present with the King. I should be absent from +the body, but present with the Lord. That is not bad news. There is no +use in trying to conceal it, death is an enemy to a man's rest. What a +glorious thought to think that when you die you will sink into the +arms of Jesus, and that He will carry you away to yon world of light. +A little while longer here, a few more tears, and then you can gain an +unbroken rest in yon world of light. The gospel turns that enemy into +a friend, and you even shout for death. Well, then, I used to go and +look into the cold, silent grave, and I used to think of that terrible +hour when I would have to be laid down in the grave, and this body +would be eaten up with the worm. But now the grave has lost its terror +and gloom; I can go and look down into the grave and shout over it, +and cry out, "O grave, where is thy victory?" And I hear a shout +coming up from the grave; it is the shout of the Conqueror, of Him who +has been down and measured the depth of it, of my Lord and Saviour: +"Because I live, ye shall live also." Yes, the grave has lost its +victory. The grave has no terror to the man in Christ Jesus. The +gospel takes that enemy out of the way. + +SIN PUT AWAY. + +Again, I thought all my sins would be blazed out before the great +white throne; that every sin committed in childhood and in secret, and +every secret thought, and every evil desire, would be blazed out +before the assembled universe; that every thing done in the dark would +be brought to light. But, thanks be to God, the gospel tells me my +sins are all put away in Christ. Out of love to my soul, He has taken +all my sins and cast them behind His back. That is a safe place to +have sin, behind God's back. God never turns back; He always marches +on. He will never see your sins if they are behind His back. That is +one of His own illustrations. Out of love to my soul, He has taken all +my sins upon Him; not a part. He takes them all out of the way. There +is no condemnation to him that is in Christ Jesus. You may just pile +up your sins till they rise up like a dark mountain, and then multiply +them by ten thousand for those you cannot think of; and after you have +tried to enumerate all the sins you have ever committed, just let me +bring one verse in, and then that mountain will melt away--"The blood +of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." The blood covers +the sin. + +WHAT GOD CANNOT DO. + +In Ireland, some time ago, a teacher asked a little boy if there was +anything that God could not do, and the little fellow said, "Yes; He +cannot see my sins through the blood of Christ." That is just what He +cannot do. The blood covers them. + +Is it not good news to get rid of your sin? You come here a sinner, +and if you believe the gospel your sins are taken away. "Believe on +the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." You shall be +justified from all things, which you could not be by the law of Moses. +By believing, or by receiving the gospel, Christ becomes yours. Only +think, young man, you are invited to accept of the gospel, you are +invited to make an exchange--to get rid of all your sins, and to take +Christ in the place of them. Is not that wonderful? What a foolish +young man you will be not to make the bargain. The Lord says, "I will +take your sins, and give you Myself in the place of them." But a great +many say, "No"; and just hug the sin to their bosom. May God help you +to come up, sinner, to-night, and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as +your way, your truth, and your life. + +There is another name which used to haunt me a good deal-- + +THE GREAT JUDGMENT-DAY. + +I used to think that was a terrible day when I should be summoned +before God, and could not tell till then whether I should have a seat +on His right hand or on His left. Until I stood before the great white +throne of judgment I could not tell whether I should hear the voice of +God saying, "Depart from Me, ye cursed," or whether God would say, +"Enter thou into the joy of the Lord." But the gospel tells me that +question is already settled--"There is now no condemnation to them +that are in Christ Jesus." Listen to this verse--"Verily, verily"--and +when you see that word "Verily, verily" in Scripture, you may know +there is something very important coming; it means, "Mind what I tell +you," or, "Truly, truly"--"Truly, truly, I say unto you, He that +heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath [h-a-t-h, +hath] everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [that +means, into judgment]; but is passed from death unto life." Well, now, +I am not coming into judgment for sin. The question has been settled, +because Christ was judged for me, and died in my stead, and I go free. +Is not that good news? + +I heard of a man praying the other day that I might lay hold of +eternal life. I could not have said Amen to that. I laid hold of +eternal life twenty years ago when I was converted. What is the gift +of God if it is not eternal life? And that is what God wants to give +to every one in this hall to-night, and it is the greatest gift that +can be bestowed on any one down here in this dark world. If an angel +came straight from the throne of God on to this platform, and +proclaimed to this vast assembly that God had sent him here to offer +to this audience any one thing they might ask, that each one should +have his own petition granted, what would be the cry in this audience? +There would be but one cry coming up from you, and the shout would +make heaven ring--"Eternal life! eternal life!" Everything would float +away into the dim past. There is not anything a man values more than +his life. Let a man worth a million sterling be on a wrecked vessel, +and if he could just save his life for six months by giving that +million, he would give it in an instant. The gift of God is eternal +life; and is it not one of the greatest marvels that we have to stand +and plead, and pray men to take this gift. May God help you to take it +now. Do not listen to Satan any longer. Reach out the hand of faith +and take it now. Young man, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and +thou shalt be saved." Trust Him to save you now, and then there will +be no condemnation. Death will have lost his sting, the grave and its +victory will be safe out of the way, and the judgment will be past for +you. Believe the gospel. Lay hold of eternal life while God is +offering it to you. Be reconciled to-night. Take your stand hard by +the cross, and you are saved for time and eternity. I am told that at +Rome, if you go up a few steps on your hands and knees, that is nine +years out of purgatory. If you take one step now you are out of +purgatory for time and eternity. You used to have two steps into +glory--out of self into Christ, out of Christ into glory. But there is +a shorter way now with only one step--out of self into glory, and you +are saved. May God help you to take the step now! Flee, my friends, +to-night to Calvary, and get under the shadow of the cross. + +THE FIRE ON THE PRAIRIE. + +Out in our western country, in the autumn, when men go hunting, and +there has not been for months any rain, sometimes the prairie grass +catches fire, and there comes up a very strong wind, and the flames +just roll along twenty feet high over that western desert, and go at +the rate of thirty or forty miles an hour, consuming man and beast. +When the hunters see it coming, what do they do? They know they cannot +run as fast as the fire can run. Not the fleetest horse can escape +from that fire. They just take a match and light the grass around +them, and let the flames sweep, and then they get into the burnt +district and stand safe. They hear the flames roar as they come along, +they see death coming towards them, but they do not fear, they do not +tremble, because the fire has swept over the place where they are, and +there is no danger. There is nothing for the fire to burn. There is +one mountain peak that the wrath of God has swept over--that is, Mount +Calvary, and that fire spent its fury upon the bosom of the Son of +God. Take your stand here by the cross, and you will be safe for time +and eternity. Escape for your life; flee to yon mountain, and you are +saved this very minute. Oh, may God bring you to Calvary under the +shadow of the cross now! Then let death and the grave come. You will +shout, "Glory to God in the highest." We will laugh at death and glory +in the grave, and just know this, that we are safe, sheltered by the +precious blood of the Lamb. There is no condemnation to him that is in +Christ Jesus. + +God is coming down and beseeching you to take the pardon. Every man +and woman here has broken the law, and he that has broken the least of +the laws is guilty of all. I am sure I am not talking to one man or +woman in this audience to-night who can say they have not broken the +law. + +"NOW AND TO-MORROW." + +You have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, but God comes, +and says, "I will pardon you. Come now, and let us reason together." +"Now" is one of the words of the Bible the devil is afraid of. He +says, "Do not be in a hurry; there is plenty of time; do not be saved +now." He knows the influence of that word "now." "To-morrow" is the +devil's word. The Lord's word is "now." God says, "Come now, and let +us reason together: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as +white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as +wool." Scarlet and crimson are two fast colours; you cannot get the +colour out without destroying the garment. God says, "Though your sins +be as scarlet and crimson, I will make them as wool and snow. I will +do it." That is the way God reasons. He puts the pardon in the face of +the sinner the first thing. That is a queer way of reasoning, but +God's thoughts are not our thoughts; and so, my friends, if you want +to be saved, the Lord says He will pardon you. + +THE GOVERNOR IN THE CONDEMNED CELL. + +A few years ago, when Pennsylvania had a Christian governor, there was +a young man down in one of the counties who was arrested for murder. +He was brought before the court, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to +death. His friends thought there would be no trouble in getting a +reprieve or pardon. Because the governor was a Christian man, they +thought he would not sign the death-warrant. But he signed it. They +called on the governor, and begged of him to pardon the young man. But +the governor said, "No, the law must take its course, and the man must +die." I think the mother of the young man called on the governor and +pleaded with him, but the governor stood firm, and said, "No, the man +must die." A few days before the man was executed, the governor took +the train to the county where the man was imprisoned. He went to the +sheriff of the county, and said to him, "I wish you to take me to that +man's cell, and leave me alone with him a little while, and do not +tell him who I am till I am gone." The governor went to the prison, +and talked to the young man about his soul, and told him that although +he was condemned by man to be executed, God would have mercy upon him +and save him, if he would accept pardon from God. He preached Christ, +and told him how Christ came to seek and to save sinners; and having +explained as he best knew how the plan of salvation, he got down and +prayed, and after praying he shook hands with him and bade him +farewell. Some time after the sheriff passed by the condemned man's +cell, and he called him to the door of the cell, and said, "Who was +that man that talked and prayed with me so kindly?" The sheriff said, +"That was Governor Pollock." The man turned deathly pale, and he threw +up both his hands, and said, "Was that Governor Pollock? was that +kind-hearted man the governor? Oh, sheriff, why did you not tell me? +If I had known that was the governor, I would have fallen at his feet +and asked for pardon; I would have pleaded for pardon and for my life. +Oh, sir, the governor has been here, and I did not know it." + +RECONCILIATION. + +Sinner, I have got good news to tell you. There is one greater than +the governor here to-night, and He wants to pardon every one. He does +not want you to go away condemned. He wants to bring you from under +condemnation; to pardon every soul. Will you have the pardon, or will +you despise the gift of God? Will you despise the mercy of God? Oh, +this night, while God is beseeching you to be reconciled, let me join +with your praying mother, with your praying father, with your godly +minister, with your Sabbath-school teacher, and all your praying +friends; let me join my voice with theirs to plead with you to-night +to be reconciled. Make up your mind now, while I am speaking, that you +will not cross your threshold until you are reconciled, and there will +be joy in heaven to-night over your decision. Oh, may God bring +hundreds to a decision to-night! + +An Englishman told me some time ago a little story of reconciliation, +which illustrates this truth. We want to preach the gospel of +reconciliation; the good news that God is reconciled. God does not say +He can do, but that He has done it. You must accept what He has done. +The story is this: There was an Englishman who had an only son; and +only sons are often petted, and humoured, and ruined. This boy became +very headstrong, and very often he and his father had trouble. One day +they had a quarrel, and the father was very angry, and so was the son; +and the father said he wished the boy would leave home and never come +back. The boy said he would go, and would not come into his father's +house again till he sent for him. The father said he would never send +for him. Well, away went the boy. But when a father gives up a boy, a +mother does not. You mothers will understand that, but the fathers may +not. You know there is no love on earth so strong as a mother's love. +A great many things may separate a man and his wife; a great many +things may separate a father from a son; but there is nothing in the +wide world that can ever separate a true mother from her child. To be +sure, there are some mothers that have drunk so much liquor that they +have drunk up all their affection. But I am talking about a true +mother; and she would not cast off her boy. + +A MOTHER'S AFFECTION. + +Well, this mother began to write and plead to the boy to write to his +father first, and his father would forgive him; but the boy said, "I +will never go home till father asks me." She pleaded with the father, +but the father said, "No, I will never ask him." + +At last the mother was brought down to her sickbed, broken-hearted, +and when she was given up by the physicians to die, the husband, +anxious to gratify her last wish, wanted to know if there was not +anything he could do for her before she died. The mother gave him a +look; he well knew what it meant. Then she said, "Yes, there is one +thing you can do, you can send for my boy. That is the only wish on +earth you can gratify. If you do not pity him and love him when I am +dead and gone, who will?" "Well," said the father, "I will send word +to him that you want to see him." "No," she says, "you know he will +not come for me. If ever I see him you must send for him." At last the +father went to his office and wrote a despatch in his own name, asking +the boy to come home. As soon as he got the invitation from his +father, he started off to see his dying mother. When he opened the +door to go in he found his mother dying and his father by the bedside. +The father heard the door open, and saw the boy, but instead of going +to meet him he went to another part of the room, and refused to speak +to him. His mother seized his hand--how she had longed to press it! +She kissed him, and then said, "Now, my son, just speak to your +father. You speak first, and it will all be over." But the boy said, +"No, mother, I will not speak to him until he speaks to me." She took +her husband's hand in one hand and the boy's in the other, and spent +her dying moments and strength in trying to bring about a +reconciliation. Just as she was expiring she could not speak, so she +put the hand of the wayward boy into the hand of the father, and +passed away. The boy looked at the mother, and the father at the wife; +and at last the father's heart broke, and he opened his arms, and took +that boy to his bosom, and by that body they were reconciled. Sinner, +that is only a faint type, a poor illustration, because God is not +angry with you. God gives you Christ, and I bring you to-night to the +dead body of Christ. I ask you to look at the wounds in His hands and +feet, and the wound in His side. My friends, gaze upon His five +wounds. And I ask you, "Will you not be reconciled?" When He left +heaven, He went clear down to the manger that He might get hold of the +vilest sinner, and put the hand of the wayward prodigal into that of +the Father, and He died that you and I might be reconciled. If you +take my advice, you will not go out of this hall to-night until you +are reconciled. "Be ye reconciled." Oh, this gospel of reconciliation! +My friends, come home to-night. Your Father wants you to come. Say as +the prodigal did of old, "I will arise and go to my father," and there +will be joy in heaven. + + + +THE WAY OF SALVATION + +Read Acts xvi. 23, 40 + +I shall not preach a sermon; I have just one thought, and that is, to +tell every anxious soul what they must do "to be saved." That is the +first question of every one who is honestly and really inquiring "the +way of salvation," and, God helping me, I will try to-night to make it +plain to all. + +BELIEVING. + +If I say to you, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ," you will reply, +"Oh, believe! I have heard that word till I am sick and tired of it. +Scarcely a week but I hear it in the church, or at a prayer-meeting, +or at some drawing-room meeting." You have all heard it over and over +again; I don't suppose there is a child here over five years of age +but can repeat that text. What you want is, to know how to +believe--what it is to believe. + +Some of you say, "We all believe that Christ came into the world to +seek and to save the lost; and that he that believeth shall be saved." +But the devils believe, and are not saved. Ay, they believe and +tremble! You must believe _on_ the Lord Jesus Christ, and not merely +_about_ Him, and then you will know what _salvation_ is. + +RECEIVING. + +Well, we'll take another word which means the same thing; perhaps +you'll get hold of it better. "He came unto His own, and His own +received Him not. But as many as _received_ Him, to them gave He power +to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." +Bear in mind, "received _Him_." That's it; not receiving a doctrine or +a belief, but receiving _Him_. It is a person we must receive. + +Now, my experience of the last few years is, that we all want to have +the _power_ before we receive Christ. That is, we want to _feel_ we +are in Christ before we will receive Him. But we cannot love God and +feel His presence until we have received Him into our hearts. It is +just like a boy with a ball; he throws it to you. Well, you must catch +it before you throw it back again. That is the real meaning of +"believe"--it is "receive"--receive Christ as yours. I don't know any +verse in the Bible that God has blessed to more souls than John i. 12: +"To as many as received Him, to them gave He power." + +I don't know any better illustration I could have than matrimony; for +every other one doesn't hold good in some points; but I think this is +one of the best I could use. Some of you smile at this illustration, +but the Bible uses it, and if God uses it in His word, why should not +I? + +In the Old Testament He uses it--"I am married unto you" (Jer. iii. +14). Jesus Himself uses it, when He speaks of the bride in John iii. +29. Paul uses it in his epistles, as in Romans vii. 4, as an +illustration of the union between Christ and His church. + +Now, it is an illustration you can all understand; there is no one +here but knows what it means. When a man offers himself, the woman +must do either of two things--either receive or reject him. So every +soul in this hall must do one of these two things--"receive" or +"reject" Christ. Well, if you receive Him, that is all you have to do, +He has promised power. + +THE RICH HUSBAND. + +There was a shop-girl in Chicago, a few years ago; one day she could +not have bought a pound's worth of anything; the next day she could go +and buy a thousand pounds' worth of whatever she wanted. What made the +difference? Why, she had married a rich husband; that was all. She had +received him, and of course all he had became hers. And so we can have +power, if you only receive Christ. Remember, you can have no power +without Him; you will fail, fail constantly, until you receive Him +into your heart; and I have Scripture authority to say that Christ +will receive every soul that will only come to Him. + +SEEKING A WIFE. + +You know that Abraham sent his servant Eliezer a long journey to get a +wife for his son Isaac. When Eliezer had got Rebekah, he wanted to be +up and off with the young bride; but her mother and brother said, "No, +she shall wait awhile." When Eliezer was determined to go, they said, +"We will inquire of the damsel." And when Rebekah appeared, they said +to her, "Wilt thou go with this man?" That was a crisis in her life. +She could not have said "No." Undoubtedly it cost her an effort; it +would, of course, be a struggle. She had to give up her parents, home, +companions, all that she loved, and go with this stranger. But look at +her reply; she said, "I will go." + +I have come to-night to get a bride for my Master. "Wilt thou go with +this man?" I can tell you one thing that Eliezer could not tell +Rebekah; he could not say, "Isaac loves you." Isaac had never seen his +bride. But I can say, "My Master loves you!" + +HE GAVE HIMSELF FOR YOU. + +Ah, that is love! But bear in mind, my friends, that the moment +Rebekah made up her mind to accept Isaac he became everything to her, +so that she did not feel she was giving up anything for him. Ah, what +a mistake some people make! They say, "I'd like to become a Christian +if I hadn't to give up so much." Just turn round and look at the other +side. You don't have to give up anything--you have simply to receive; +and when you have received Christ, everything else vanishes away +pretty quick. Christ fills you, so that you don't feel these things to +be worth a thought. + +When a bride marries a man, it is generally love that prompts her. If +any one is here that really loves a man, is she thinking of how much +she will have to give up? No; that wouldn't be love. Love doesn't feed +upon itself, it feeds upon the person who is loved. So, my friends, it +is not by looking at what you will have to give up, but by looking at +what you will receive, that you will be enabled to accept the Saviour. + +WHAT IS CHRIST TO YOU? + +What is He willing to be to you, if you will have Him? Won't you be +made heirs of heaven, joint-heirs with Christ--to reign with Him for +ever and ever--to be His--to be with Him where He is--to be what He +is? Think, then, of what He is, and of what He gives. You don't need +to trouble yourselves at present about what you have to give up. +Receive Him, and all these things will appear utterly insignificant. + +I used to think of what I would have to give up. I dearly loved many +of the pleasures of this earth; but now I'd as soon go out into your +streets and eat the dirt as do those things. God doesn't say, "Give up +this and that." He says, "Here is the Son of my bosom--receive Him." +When you do receive Him, everything else goes. Stop that talk about +giving up; let Christ save you, and all these things will go for +nothing. + +Mark the words, "To as many as received Him, to them gave He power." +Now, my friends, will you go with this man? You have often heard about +Christ; you know as much about Him as any one on this platform +perhaps; but did you ever know a man or woman who regretted receiving +Him? + +No man ever regretted receiving Christ; but I have heard of thousands +who have been followers of the devil, and have regretted it bitterly. +And I notice that it is always the most faithful followers of the +devil who are regretting it most. + +TAKE JESUS. + +My friends, accept my advice, and take Jesus with you when you leave +this hall. Remember, He is the gift of God offered to _whosoever_. You +belong to that class, don't you? Just take _Him_; that's the first +thing you have to do. When you go to cut down a tree, you don't take +the axe and commence to hew down the branches. No, you begin right +down at the root. So here, you must take Christ, and then you will get +power to resist the world, the flesh, and the devil. + +RUTH AND ORPAH. + +Now, another case--Ruth and Orpah. Many are like these two young +widows. A crisis had come in their lives; they had lost their +husbands, and had been living up there in the mountains of Moab. Often +had they visited the graves of their dear ones, and perhaps planted a +few flowers there, and watered them with their tears. Now, Naomi is +about to return to her native land, and they think they will go a bit +of the road with her. It is a sad parting; but now the crisis comes. +Down in the valley they embrace each other, and give the parting kiss. +Then they both say they will go with Naomi, but she warns them of the +difficulties and the trials which might await them. So Orpah says, "I +will go back to my people"; but Ruth cannot leave her mother, and says +she will go with her. + +Orpah turns back alone, and I can see her on the top of the hill; she +stops, and turns round for a last look. And Naomi says to Ruth, +"Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back to her people, and unto her +gods; return thou after thy sister-in-law." What does Ruth say? +"Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; +for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will +lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." Her choice +was made. Poverty here or suffering and want yonder, she would share +Naomi's lot. + +A BLESSED DECISION. + +Orpah loved Naomi, but not enough to leave all for her; while Ruth +loved her mother so much, that the leaving of her people seemed +nothing to her. Oh, may God draw out all your hearts, so that you may +leave _all_ and follow Him! We never hear any more of Orpah; the +curtain falls upon her life. Perhaps she died away up in the mountains +of Moab, without God and without hope. But how different with Ruth! +She becomes famous in history; she is one of the few women whose names +have come along down the roll of ages; and she is brought into the +royal line of heaven. I have an idea that God blessed her for that +decision. And He will bless you if you decide in a like manner. Who +will say to-night, as Ruth did, "I will follow thee; and thy God shall +be my God"? Will any one take up the language of Ruth? Is there not a +Ruth here? If there is, the Master is calling. + +I'll take another word. I have been speaking of "receive"; the next +word I want your attention to is, + +TRUSTING. + +Many get hold of that when they cannot get hold of "believe" or +"receive." You all know what it is to trust. If it were not for trust, +there would be a terrible commotion in this building to-night. + +If you could not trust that the roof was firmly put up, you would get +out pretty quick; and if you could not trust these chairs to support +you, how long would you sit on them? Why, you wouldn't have come here +at all if you didn't trust our word that there would be an address. +Now, it is just the same trust that God wants. It is no miraculous +trust or faith, but just the same kind, only the object is different. +Instead of trusting in these earthly things, or in an arm of flesh, +you are asked to trust in the Son of God. + +THE DUBLIN MERCHANT. + +In Dublin I was speaking to a lady in the inquiry-room, when I noticed +a gentleman walking up and down before the door. I went forward and +said, "Are you a Christian?" He was very angry, and turned on his heel +and left me. The following Sunday night I was preaching about +"receiving," and I put the question, "Who'll receive Him now?" That +young man was present, and the question sank into his heart. The next +day he called upon me--he was a merchant in that city--and said, "Do +you remember me?" "No, I don't." "Do you remember the young man who +answered you so roughly the other night?" "Yes, I do." "Well, I've +come to tell you I am saved." "How did it happen?" "Why, I was +listening to your sermon last night, and when you asked, 'Who'll +receive Him now?' God put it into my heart to say, 'I will'; and He +has opened my eyes to see His Son now." I don't know why thousands +should not do that here to-night. If you are ever to be saved, why not +now? + +But another point you must remember-- + +SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT, + +and it is a free gift _for us_. Can you buy it? It is a free gift, +presented to "whosoever." Suppose I were to say, I will give this +Bible to "whosoever"; what have you got to do? Why, nothing but take +it. But a man comes forward, and says, "I'd like that Bible very +much." "Well, didn't I say 'whosoever'?" "Yes; but I'd like to have +you say my name." "Well, here it is." Still he keeps eyeing the Bible, +and saying, "I'd like to have that Bible; but I'd like to give you +something for it. I don't like to take it for nothing." "Well, I am +not here to sell Bibles; take it, if you want it." "Well, I want it; +but I'd like to give you something for it. Let me give you a penny for +it; though, to be sure, it's worth twenty or thirty shillings." Well, +suppose I took the penny; the man takes up the Bible, and marches away +home with it. His wife says, "Where did you get that Bible?" "Oh, I +bought it." Mark the point; when he gives the penny it ceases to be a +gift. So with salvation. If you were to pay ever so little, it would +not be a gift. + +THE USELESSNESS OF TRYING. + +Man is always trying to do something. This miserable word "try" is +keeping thousands out of heaven. When I hear men speak of "trying," I +generally tell them it is the way down to death and hell. I believe +more souls are lost through "trying" than any other way. You have +often tried, and as often failed; and as long as you keep trying you +will fail. Drop that word, then, and take as your sure foothold for +eternity, "trust." "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" I that is +the right kind of trust. Would to God that you would all say, "I will +trust Him now, to-night." Did you ever hear of any one going down to +hell trusting in Jesus? I never did. This very night, if you commit +yourself to Him, the battle will be over. + +You are complaining you don't _feel_ better. Well, remember, the child +must be born before it can be taught. So we cannot learn of God until +we receive Him. We must be born--born again--_i.e._ the new birth, ere +we can feel. Christ must be in us the hope of glory. How can He be in +us if we don't receive Him and trust Him? + +PRESENT SALVATION. + +Another verse that has been used a great deal during the past two +years, and I feel that I rest my own salvation on it, is John v. 24. I +trust God will write it on your hearts, and burn it down into your +souls. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and +believeth on Him that sent Me, _hath_ everlasting life." Thank God for +that "hath." + +I had a few men in the inquiry-room the other night who could not find +peace. I said, "Do you believe the Bible?" "Yes, sir." "I think I will +prove you don't. Turn up John v. 24." They turned it up. "Read the +verse." "'He that heareth My Word--'" "You believe that?" "Yes, sir." +"'And believeth on Him that sent me--'" "You believe God sent Jesus?" +"Yes." "Well, read on." "'Hath everlasting life.'" "You believe you +_have_ everlasting life?" "No, we don't." "Oh, I thought you didn't +believe in the Bible!" What right have you to cut a verse in two, and +say you believe the one half, but not the other? It plainly says, that +he who believes "hath everlasting life, and shall not come into +condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." Why, if you believe +God's words, you can say, "I have passed from darkness into light." +Just by resting on that one little word in the present tense we may +have "assurance" now. We don't need to wait till we die, and till the +great day of judgment, to find it out. + +"TAKE, TAKE!" + +A lady in Glasgow came to me, and said, "Mr. Moody, you are always +saying 'Take, take!' Is there any place in the Bible where it says +'Take,' or is it only a word you use? I have been looking in the Bible +for it, but cannot see it." "Why," I said, "the Bible is sealed with +it; it is almost the last word in the Bible. 'And the Spirit and the +bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that +is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him _take_ the water of life +freely.'" "Well," she said, "I never saw that before. Is that all I +have to do?" "Yes, the Bible says so." And she took it, just there. +God says, "Let him take"; who can stop us if God says it? All the +devils in hell cannot hinder a poor soul from taking, if God says +"Take." My friends, are you going to "Take" to-night? Are you going to +let these precious meetings pass without getting Christ--without being +able to look up and say, "Christ is my Saviour, God is my Father, +heaven is my home"? + +AN ANXIOUS INQUIRER. + +A lady came to my house the other night, anxious about her soul; but +after some conversation she left, without finding peace. She came +again, and I asked, "What is the trouble?" "I haven't got peace." I +took her to this verse, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting +life" (John iii. 36). I just held up that little word "hath" to her, +and turned to John v. 24, and vi. 47. There these words were spoken by +Jesus, and they are all linked on to believing on the Son. After we +had talked for some time, she looked in my face earnestly, and said, +"I have got it!" and went away rejoicing in the Saviour's love. + +If you seek life you can have it now, as you sit upon your seat. The +word "hath" occurs again in Isa. liii. 6: "All we like sheep have gone +astray;... and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Our +iniquity has been laid upon Christ, and the Lord is not going to +demand payment twice. "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body +on the tree." + +THE DEBT PAID. + +Suppose I owed Mr. Wanamaker a thousand pounds, and I became a +bankrupt; I would have nothing to pay, so he might send me to prison. +But suppose Mr. Stone heard of it, and says, "I don't want to see +Moody taken to prison." So he pays the debt for me, and gets the +receipt. When I see the receipt, I know that I am free. But Mr. +Wanamaker finds out that I didn't pay it, and gets me hauled off to +court. He says he must have me pay it myself, or I must go to prison. +I show the receipt. "Why," says the judge, "the debt is paid." + +Mr. Wanamaker says, "Moody didn't pay it." Would any judge in the land +support him? No; it is paid, and cannot be demanded again. Well, if +man do not ask payment twice, will God? No, certainly not! The case is +this: the debt has been paid, our sins have been atoned for. Christ +Himself has redeemed us, not with corruptible things, such as silver +and gold, but with His precious blood; therefore we are free. + +But remember, although salvation is so free for us, it cost God a +great deal to redeem us. He had an only Son, and He gave Him up freely +for us. What a wonderful gift! If you make light of so great a +salvation, how can you escape the damnation of hell? + +THE GREAT QUESTION. + +Now, one question: What are you going to do with Christ? You have got +to settle that question. You may get angry, like a man a short time +ago, who marched out of a church, saying, "What right has that +American to make such a statement?" But it is true; you must settle +it. Pilate wanted to shirk the responsibility, and sent Jesus to +Herod; but he was forced to a decision. When the Jews forced him to +decide, he washed his hands, and said he "was innocent of this just +man's blood." But did that take away his guilt? No. + +An angel may be here, hovering over this audience, and he is listening +to what is said. Some one may say, "I will receive Him; I will delay +no longer." Immediately the angel will wing his way right up to the +pearly gates, and tell the news that another sinner has been saved. +There will be a new song ringing through the courts of heaven over +sinners repenting. God will issue the command to write down their +names in the book of life, and to get rooms ready for them in the new +Jerusalem, where we all will soon be. + +GUILTY, BUT SAFE. + +A man was once being tried for a crime, the punishment of which was +death. The witnesses came in one by one, and testified to his guilt; +but there he stood, quite calm and unmoved. The judge and the jury +were quite surprised at his indifference; they could not understand +how he could take such a serious matter so calmly. When the jury +retired, it did not take them many minutes to decide on the verdict +"guilty"; and when the judge was passing the sentence of death upon +the criminal, he told him how surprised he was that he could be so +unmoved in the prospect of death. + +When the judge had finished, the man put his hand in his bosom, pulled +out a document, and walked out of the dock a free man. Ah, that was +how he could be so calm; it was a free pardon from his king, which he +had in his pocket all the time. The king had instructed him to allow +the trial to proceed, and to produce the pardon only when he was +condemned. No wonder, then, that he was indifferent as to the result +of the trial. Now, that is just what will make us joyful in the great +day of judgment; we have got a pardon from the Great King, and it is +sealed with the blood of His Son. + +THE CHICAGO FIRE. + +After the Chicago fire took place, a great many things were sent to us +from all parts of the world. The boxes they came in were labelled "For +the people who were burned out," and all a man had to do was to prove +that he had been burned out, and he got a share. So here, you have but +to prove that you are poor, miserable sinners, and there's help for +you. If every man who is ruined and lost will cling to "try," there is +no hope; but if he give it all up as a bad job, then Christ will save +him. The law condemns us, but Christ saves us. + +THE LOST SCHOLAR. + +The superintendent of a Sabbath school in Edinburgh was walking down +the street one day, when he met a policeman leading a little boy by +the hand, who was crying bitterly. He stopped, and asked the policeman +what was the matter with the boy. "Oh," said the officer, "he has got +lost." The superintendent asked to look at him. They went to a lamp, +and held up the little fellow. Why, in a moment the boy knew his +superintendent, and flew to his arms. The gentleman took him from the +policeman, and the boy was comforted. The law has got us, but let us +flee into Jesus' arms, and we are safe. + +A friend of mine in the North told me of a poor Scottish lassie, who +was very anxious about her soul. He told her to read Isaiah liii. She +replied, "I canna read, and I canna pray; Jesus, take me as I am!" +That was the true way; and Jesus just took her as she was. Let Him +take you this night, just as you are, and He will receive you to His +arms. + +THREE YEARS SEEKING JESUS. + +One night, when preaching in Philadelphia, right down by the side of +the pulpit there was a young lady, whose eyes were riveted on me as if +she were drinking in every word. It is precious to preach to people +like that; they generally get good, even if the sermon be poor. + +I got interested in her, and after I had done talking, I went and +spoke to her. "Are you a Christian?" "No, I wish I was; I have been +seeking Jesus for three years." I said, "There must be some mistake." +She looked strangely at me, and said, "Don't you believe me?" "Well, +no doubt you thought you were seeking Jesus; but it don't take an +anxious sinner three years to meet an anxious Saviour." "What am I to +do, then?" "The matter is, you are trying to _do_ something; you must +just believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." + +"Oh, I am sick and tired of the word, 'Believe, believe, believe!' I +don't know what it is." "Well," I said, "we'll change the word; take +'trust.'" "If I say, I'll trust Him, will He save me?" "No, I don't +say that; you may _say_ a thousand things, but if you _do_ trust Him." +"Well," she said, "I do trust Him; but," she added in the same breath, +"I don't feel any better." "Ah, I've got it now! You've been looking +for feelings for three years, instead of for Jesus. Faith is up above, +not down here." + +People are always looking for feelings. You are getting up a new +translation of the Bible here, and if the men who are translating it +would only put in _feelings_ instead of _faith_, what a rush there +would be for that Bible. But if you look from Genesis to Revelation, +you cannot find feelings attached to salvation. We must rise above +feelings. So I said to this lady, "You cannot control your feelings; +if you could, what a time you'd have! I know I would never have the +toothache or the headache." + +FEELINGS, THE DEVIL'S STRATAGEM. + +"Feelings" is the last plank the devil sticks out, just as your feet +are getting on the "Rock of Ages." He sees the poor trembling sinner +just finding his way to the Saviour, when he shoves out this plank, +and the poor sinner thinks he's "all right now." Some sermon you have +heard arouses you, but then you feel all right when you get on this +plank. Six months after, perhaps, you are dying, and the devil comes +along when you think you're quite safe. "Ah," he tells you, "that was +my work; I made you feel good." And where are you then? Oh, take your +stand on God's word, then you cannot fail. His word has been tried for +six thousand years, and it has not failed. + +So I said to the lady, "Have no more to do with feelings; but, like +Job, say, 'Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.'" She looked at +me a few minutes, and then, putting her hand to take mine, she said, +"Mr. Moody, I trust the Lord Jesus Christ to save my soul to-night." +Then she went to the elders and said the same words. As she passed out +she met one of the church officers, and, shaking his hand, said again, +"I trust the Lord Jesus to save my soul." + +Next night she was right before me again. I shall never forget her +beaming face; the light of eternity was shining in her eyeballs! She +went into the inquiry-room. I wondered what she was going there for; +but when I got there, I found her with her arms round a lady friend, +saying, "It's only to trust Him. I have found it so." From that night +she was one of the best workers in the inquiry-room, and whenever I +met a difficult case, I got her to speak to the person, and she was +sure to help them. + +"WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTATION." + +Surely you can trust God to-night. You must have a very poor opinion +of God if you cannot trust Him. You have only to come to Him +thus--receive Him, trust Him. What more can you do, and what less can +you do than trust Him? Is He not worthy of it? Now, let us be +perfectly still a moment, and while the voice of man is hushed, let us +think of one passage of Scripture "Behold, I stand at the door and +knock." That is Christ standing at the door of your heart, knocking; +and He says, "If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come +into him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." Will any one +to-night pull back the bolts, and say, "Enter, thou welcome, thrice +welcome One. Blessed Saviour, come in." God grant that all here may do +this! + + + +EIGHT "I WILLS" OF CHRIST + +Read Matt. xi. 28, 29 + +I wish to call your attention to eight "I wills" of Christ. + +1. The first one you will find in Matthew xi. 28: "Come unto Me, all +ye that labour and are heavy laden, and + +I WILL GIVE YOU REST. + +Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in +heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, +and My burden is light." + +Now I never met a person that did not want rest. That man or woman is +not living on the face of the earth that doesn't want rest. We read of +the rich man that was going to pull down his barns and build larger, +saying to his soul, "Take thine ease, there is plenty laid up in +store, so now take thy rest." Merchants toil day and night to amass +money, in order that they may get rest. Men leave their families and +friends and go round the world to earn money, in the hope that they +may get rest. Sailors plough the sea, and are away from home for +months to get money, in order that it may bring them rest. In fact, if +rest could be bought in the market, there are many hundreds in London +who would be paying a very high price for it; but though money can't +buy it, nevertheless by believing the word of God you can get it +without money and without price. "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and +are heavy-laden, and _I will give you rest_." Now when _we_ say "we +will," it doesn't mean much very often. Perhaps we don't intend to +keep our word when we say we will do a thing; or if we do mean to keep +it, we very often fail for want of ability to make our promise good. +But bear in mind, God never breaks His promise; He never makes a +mistake; He never fails to fulfil His word. And the words I have read +may be relied on; for they are not the words of man, but of the Son of +God--"Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will +give you rest." + +This tells us of the only place where we can find rest. There is no +other place where a man can by any possibility find rest for his soul. +Bear this in mind: it is not coming to some creed, it is not coming to +some particular church, or to some particular doctrine, but to Christ. +"Come unto _Me_." It is the coming to a personal Christ that alone +gives peace and rest to the soul. + +PEACE. + +Now, in John xiv. 27, there is a promise which is very precious to me. +Christ says, "Peace I leave with you"; I am going away, but I am not +going to take away My peace from you; that I leave behind Me. "My +peace I give unto you." Mark that little expression "My _peace_"--"My +peace I give unto you." A good many people look for their peace from +worldly sources, but when they do find it they don't get much out of +it, for the devil can play on men's feelings as men play on a harp, +and can delude them into almost anything. But if we go to Christ for +it, we do get what we want, we get rest for the soul, and until we do +go to Him we shall never get it. + +There are a good many things which disturb our peace; but nothing can +disturb the peace of God. You might take this little island, and throw +it right into the Atlantic, and it would make a great stir and +commotion in this world, but I don't think that God would be moved on +His eternal throne by it; it would not disturb Him in the heavens, +high and lifted up above all the earth. Let us have the peace of God, +and then we shall have rest. + +Again He says, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might +remain in you." Christ's joy, not our own joy. When we come to a +personal Christ, and our souls are stayed on Him, then we get rest, +and peace, and joy. That is a rest that nothing can disturb; that is +peace that flows on like a river; that is joy for evermore. + +2. Now, the next "I will" is in John vi. 37. I can imagine some of you +people saying, "Ah, if I were only good enough to come, I would come, +and get this rest, and peace, and joy." But if you will read the verse +I am speaking of, you will find it says, "Him that cometh to Me + +I WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT." + +Surely that is broad enough--is it not? I don't care who the man or +woman is; I don't care what your trials, what your troubles, what your +sorrows, or what your sins are, if you will only come straight to the +Master, He will not cast you out. Come then, poor sinner; come just as +you are, and take Him at His word. + +There was a wild and prodigal young man who came into one of our +meetings. He was running a headlong career to ruin, but the Spirit of +God got hold of him. Whilst I was conversing with him, and +endeavouring to bring him to Christ, I quoted this verse to him. I +held it right up to him, and led his mind right up to it, for some +time, and at last light seemed to break in upon him, and he seemed to +find comfort from it, so I told him to stick to that verse. Well, +after he had left, on his way home the devil met him. Why, I don't +believe that any man ever starts to go to Christ but the devil strives +somehow or other to meet him and trip him up. And even after he has +come to Christ the devil comes, and tries to assail him with doubts, +and make him believe there is something wrong in it. And so this young +man was met by Satan, who whispered to him, "How do you know that is a +right translation?" So that brought him for a while to a standstill, +and threw him into darkness again. But he remembered my telling him to +stick to that text, and there he was, after Satan had put that into +his mind, holding on to it, but he did not find peace till two +o'clock. He then said to himself, "I will stick to it anyhow, and if +it is not the right translation, when I get to the bar of God I will +tell Him I didn't know it was wrong, because I didn't understand +anything about Greek and Latin." "Him that cometh to Me I will in +nowise cast out." If you will only come to Him, I have got good +authority to tell you that Christ will receive you to-day--yea, this +very hour. + +The kings and princes of this world, when they issue invitations, call +round them the rich, the mighty and powerful, the honourable and the +wise; but the Lord, when He was on earth, called round Him the vilest +of the vile. "This man," they said, "receiveth sinners, and eateth +with them." Publicans, sinners, and harlots pressed into the kingdom +of God in His days. + +THIS MAN RECEIVETH SINNERS. + +Here in London there is no society that would have such a man as John +Bunyan once was in their company; yet the Lord saved him, and welcomed +him into His kingdom. Here is some poor miserable drunkard cast out by +his father and mother, and deserted by all his friends, but the Lord +has received him. I have known some of the most miserable outcasts +that were ever seen, cast out and despised by everybody, and yet the +Lord has received them. Take Him then at His word to-day, and accept +His invitation, "Him that cometh to Me I will in nowise cast out." + +But you say I must just get rid of my sins first, and then I will come +to Him. Why, that's just like a man dying of the scarlet fever saying, +"Oh, I'll wait till I get rid of the fever before I send for a +doctor!" Why, it is just because you are a sinner, and cannot get rid +of your sins, that you need a Saviour. If I was dying for want of +bread, it would be just as reasonable for me to say, "When I have got +rid of this hunger, then I will begin to eat." It is because I am +hungry that I need to eat, and it is because we are sinners that we +need Christ. It is because a man is sick that he needs a physician, +and Christ is the Physician of the soul. + +3. In Luke v. we read of the leper coming to Christ, and the Lord said +unto him, + +"I WILL: BE THOU CLEAN." + +And immediately the leprosy left him. That's another _I will_ I want +to call your attention to. Now, if there is any man or woman here full +of the leprosy of sin, if you will but go to the Master and tell all +your case to Him, He will speak to you as He did to that poor leper, +and say, "I will: be thou clean," and the leprosy of your sins will +flee away from you. It is the Lord, and the Lord alone, that can +forgive sins. There is His word, just look it right over, "I will: be +thou clean," and then put that with the other verse, "Him that cometh +to Me I will in nowise cast out." + +THE DEVIL'S CASTAWAYS. + +One day when Whitfield was preaching, he said the Lord was so anxious +to save souls that He would take in the devil's castaways. Lady +Huntingdon remonstrated with him, and said he ought not to make such +statements. A little while after, however, there came to his preaching +a poor fallen woman, an outcast from society. She was labouring under +deep conviction of sin, and before long she found peace in her +Saviour, and was received right into the kingdom of God. Now if there +is a poor sinner here, let him take this one verse, and then keep in +his mind that poor leper coming to Christ. The law forbade him to +come, but Christ is above the law. "The law came by Moses, but grace +and truth by Jesus Christ." + +Now, you can make a wonderful exchange to-day. You can have health in +the place of sickness; you can get rid of everything that is vile and +hateful in the sight of God. The Son of God comes down, and says, "I +will take away your leprosy, and give you health in its stead. I will +take away that terrible disease that is ruining your body and soul, +and give you my righteousness in its stead. I will clothe you with the +garments of salvation." Is it not a wonderful thing? That's what He +means when He says _I will_. Oh, lay hold of this "I will!" + +4. Now turn to Matthew x. 32: "Whosoever therefore shall confess Me +before men, him will I also confess before My Father which is in +heaven." There's the + +"I WILL" OF CONFESSION. + +Now, that's the next thing that takes place after a man is saved. We +have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and the next thing is to +get our mouths opened. We have to confess Christ here in this dark +world, and tell His love to others. We are not to be ashamed of the +Son of God. + +A man thinks it a great honour when he has achieved a victory that +causes his name to be mentioned in Parliament, or in the presence of +the Queen and her court. A very great honour. And in China, we read, +the highest ambition of the successful soldier is to have his name +written in the palace or temple of Confucius. But just think of having +your name mentioned in the kingdom of heaven by the Prince of Glory, +by the Son of God, because you confess Him here on earth. You confess +Him here; He will confess you yonder. If you wish to be brought into +the clear light of liberty, you must take your stand on Christ's side. +I have known many Christians go groping about in darkness, and never +get into the clear light of the kingdom, because they were ashamed to +confess the Son of God. Don't be ashamed, Christians, to let your +friends, and even your enemies, know that you are on God's side. + +5. The next _I will_ is the + +"I WILL" OF SERVICE. + +There are a good many Christians here, I believe, that have been +quickened and aroused to say, "I want to do some service for Christ." +Well, Christ says, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." +There is no Christian who cannot help to bring some one to the +Saviour. Christ says, "And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men +unto Me"; and our business is just to lift up Christ, and live to Him. +You may go on preaching like the angel Gabriel; but if you live like a +devil, your preaching goes for nothing. I do not care how eloquent you +are, and what beautiful language you use, your preaching goes for +nothing. It is no good following this man or that man; follow Christ, +and Him only. He says, I will make you fishers of men. + +PETER HAD A GOOD HAUL ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST. + +I doubt if he ever caught so many fish in one day as he did men on +that day of Pentecost. Why, it would have broken every net they had on +board, if they had had to drag up three thousand fishes. + +Our Lord said, "Follow Me, Peter, and I will make you a fisher of +men"; and Peter simply obeyed Him, and there, on that day of +Pentecost, we see the result. + +But there is one reason, and a great reason, why so many do not +succeed. I have been asked by a great many good men, "Why is it we +don't have any results? We work hard, pray hard, and preach hard, and +yet the success does not come." I will tell you. It is because a good +many people spend all their time mending their nets. No wonder they +never catch anything. + +INQUIRY MEETINGS. + +But the great matter is to _hold inquiry meetings_, and thus pull the +net in, and see if you have caught anything. If you are always mending +and setting the net, you won't catch many fish. Whoever heard of a man +going out to fish, and setting his net, and then letting it stop +there, and never pulling it in? Why, everybody would laugh at the +man's folly. + +There was a minister in Manchester who came to me one day, and said, +"I wish you would tell me why we ministers don't succeed better than +we do." So I brought before him this idea of pulling in the net, and I +said, You ought to pull in your nets. I said there are many ministers +in Manchester who can preach much better than I can, but then I pull +in the net. Many people have objections to inquiry meetings, but I +urged upon him the importance of them, and the minister said, "I never +did pull in the net; I will try next Sunday." He did so, and eight +persons, anxious inquirers, went into his study. The next Sunday he +came down to see me, and said he had never had such a Sunday in his +life. He had met with marvellous blessing. The next time he drew the +net there were forty, and when he came to see me at the Opera House +the other day, he said to me joyfully, "Moody, I have had eight +hundred conversions this last year! It is a great mistake I did not +begin earlier to pull in the net." So, my friends, if you want to +catch men, + +JUST PULL IN THE NET. + +If you only catch one, it will be something. It may be a little child, +but I have known a little child convert a whole family. Why, you don't +know what's in that little dull-headed boy in the inquiry-room; he may +become a Martin Luther, a reformer that shall make the world +tremble--you cannot tell. God uses the weak things of this world to +confound the mighty. God's promise is as good as a Bank of England +note--"I promise to pay So-and-so," and here is one of Christ's +promissory notes--"If you will follow Me, I will make you fishers of +men." Will you not lay hold of the promise, and trust it, and follow +Him now? + +But then, if you wish to catch men, you must use a little--what shall +I say?-- + +COMMON SENSE. + +That's the plain English of it. If a man preaches the gospel, and +preaches it faithfully, he ought to expect results then and there. But +after he has proclaimed the glad tidings, let him have an inquiry +meeting, and, if necessary, a second meeting, and go to the people's +houses and talk and pray with them, and in that way hundreds will be +brought to God. I believe it is the privilege of God's children to +reap the fruit of their labour three hundred and sixty-five days in +the year. + +"Well, but," say some, "is there not a sowing time as well as +harvest?" Yes, it is true, there is; but then, you can sow with one +hand, and reap with the other. What would you think of a farmer who +went on sowing all the year round, and never thought of reaping? I +repeat it, we want to sow with one hand, and reap with the other; and +if we look for the fruit of our labours, we shall see it. "If I be +lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me." We must lift Christ up, and +then seek men out, and bring them to Him. Then, again, you must use +the right kind of bait. A good many people don't do this, and then +they wonder they are not successful. You see them getting up all kinds +of entertainments with which to try and catch men. They go the wrong +way to work. I will tell you what this perishing world wants: it wants + +CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED. + +There's a void in every man's bosom that wants filling up, and if we +only approach them with the right kind of bait we shall catch them. +This poor world needs a Saviour; and if we are going to be successful +in catching men, we must preach Christ crucified--_not His life only, +but His death_. And if we are only faithful in doing this we shall +succeed. And why? Because there is His promise: "If you follow Me, I +will make you fishers of men." And that promise holds just as good to +you and me as it did to His disciples, and is as true now as it was in +their time. "They that are wise shall shine like the sun in the +firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness like the stars for +ever and ever." Think then of the exalted privilege of turning one +soul to Christ. You set a stream in motion that shall go on running +for ages after you are gone. "Blessed are they that die in the Lord; +for they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them." + +PAUL AND HIS WRITINGS. + +Think of Paul up yonder. Why people are going up every day and every +hour, the men and women that have been brought to Christ through his +writings. He set streams in motion that have flowed on for more than a +thousand years. I can imagine men going up there and saying, "Paul, I +thank thee for writing that letter to the Ephesians; I found Christ in +that." "Paul, I thank thee for writing that epistle to the +Corinthians." "Paul, I found Christ in that epistle to the +Philippians." "I thank thee, Paul, for that epistle to the Galatians; +I found Christ in that." And so, I suppose, they are going up still, +thanking Paul all the while for what he had done. Ah, when Paul was +put in prison he did not fold his hands and sit down in idleness. No, +he began to write; and his epistles have come down through the long +ages of time, and brought thousands on thousands to a knowledge of +Christ crucified. Yes, Christ said to Paul, "I will make thee a fisher +of men if thou wilt follow Me," and he has been fishing for souls ever +since. The devil thought he had done a very wise thing when he got +Paul into prison, but he was very much mistaken; he overdid it for +once. I have no doubt Paul has thanked God ever since for that +Philippian gaol, and his stripes and imprisonment there. I am sure the +world has made more by it than we shall ever know till we get to +heaven. + +6. We find the next "I will" is in John xiv. 18: + +"I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU COMFORTLESS." + +To me it is a sweet thought, that Christ has not left us alone in this +dark wilderness here below. Although He has gone up on high, and taken +His seat by the Father's throne, He has not left us. The better +translation is, "I will not leave you orphans." He did not leave +Joseph when they cast him into prison. "God was with him." When Daniel +was cast into the den of lions, they had to put the Almighty in with +him. They were so bound together that they could not be separated, and +so God went down into the den of lions with Daniel. + +NO SEPARATION. + +If we have got Christ with us we can do all things. Do not let us be +thinking how weak we are. Let us lift up our eyes to Him, and think of +Him as our Elder Brother, who has all power given to Him in heaven and +on earth. He says: "Lo, I am with you, even to the end of the world." +Some of our children and friends leave us, and it is a very sad hour +when some member of our family goes to a distant country--perhaps to +Australia. But, thank God, the believer and Christ shall never be +separated. He is with us here, and we shall be with Him in person by +and by. We shall be with Him, and see Him in His beauty by and by. But +not only is He with us, but He has sent us the Holy Ghost, who will +tell us all things. Let us honour the Holy Ghost by acknowledging that +He is here in our midst. He has got power to give sight to the blind, +liberty to the captive, and to open the ears of the deaf that they may +hear the glorious words of the gospel. + +7. Then there is another _I will_ in John vi. 40; it occurs four times +in the chapter: "I will raise him up at the last day." + +THE "I WILL" OF RESURRECTION. + +To me it is a very sweet thought to think that I have a Saviour who +has power over death. My blessed Master holds the keys of death and +hell. I pity the poor unbeliever and the poor infidel. They have no +hope in resurrection. But every child of God can open that chapter and +read the promise, and his heart ought to leap within him for joy as he +reads it. You know the tradesman generally puts the best specimen of +his wares in the window to show us the quality of his stock. And so, +when Christ was down here, He gave us a specimen of what He could do. +He just raised three from the dead, that we might know what power He +had. There was (1) Jairus's daughter, (2) the widow's son, and (3) +Lazarus of Bethany. He raised all three of them, so that every doubt +might be swept away from our hearts. How dark and gloomy this world +would be if we had no hope in the resurrection; but now, when we lay +our little children down in the grave, although it is in sorrow, it is +not without hope. We have seen them pass away, we have seen them in +the terrible struggle with death; but there has been one star to +illumine the darkness and gloom--the thought, that though the happy +circle has been broken on earth, it shall be completed again in yon +world of heavenly light. You that have lost a loved one rejoice as you +read that "I will." Those that have died in Christ shall come forth +again by and by. The darkness shall flee away, and the morning light +of the resurrection shall dawn upon us. It is only a little while, and +He that has said it shall come, His voice shall be heard in the +grave--"I will raise him up at the last day." Precious promise! +precious _I will!_ + +8. Now, the next _I will_ is in John xvii. 24: "Father, I will that +they also, whom thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am." + +THE "I WILL" OF GLORY. + +That was in His last prayer in the guest-chamber, on the last night +before He was crucified and died that terrible death on Calvary. I see +some here whose countenances begin to light up at the thought that +they shall be with the King in His beauty by and by. Yes; there is a +glorious day before us in the future. Some think that on the first day +they are converted they have got everything. To be sure, we get +salvation for the past, and peace for the present; but then there is +the glory for the future. That's what kept Paul rejoicing. He said, +"These light afflictions, these few stripes, these few brickbats and +stones that they throw at me--why, the glory that is beyond excels +them so much that I count them as nothing, nothing at all, so that I +may win Christ." And so, when things go against us, let us cheer up; +let us remember that the night will soon pass away, and the morning +dawn upon us. + +DEATH NEVER COMES THERE. + +It is banished from that heavenly land. Sickness, and pain, and sorrow +come not there to mar that grand and glorious home where we shall be +by and by with the Master. God's family will be all together there. +Glorious future, my friends! Yes, glorious day! and it may be a great +deal nearer than many of us think. During these few dark days we are +here, let us stand steadfast and firm, and by and by we shall be in +the unbroken circle in yon world of light, and have the King in our +midst. + +THE SINNER'S "I WILL." + +And now there is just one _I will_ that I want you to say, and that is +the _I will_ of the sinner. You have got the eight "I wills" of +Christ: (1) He will give us rest; (2) He will not cast out the vilest, +but will receive all that come; (3) He will make us clean; (4) He will +confess us as His; (5) He will make us successful winners of souls; +(6) He will not leave us comfortless; (7) He will raise us up at the +last day; and (8) He wills that we be with Him in glory. + +And now I want sinners to say, + +"I WILL ARISE, AND GO TO MY FATHER." + +Who will say it this afternoon? Who will come to God as the poor +prodigal did? I can see him now. Perhaps he is looking over those blue +hills; and away in the distance he can see the home he has left, and +he knows that there's a loving father, a grey-headed man there; and he +says, I perish here in a foreign land, while there is bread enough and +to spare in that home which I have left; "I will arise, and go to my +father." That was the turning-point in his life. That was a glorious +thing to do, was it not, sinner? + +When Mr. Spurgeon preached the other day in the West End, he summed up +the things his audience had got over. Some of you, he said, have got +over the prayers of faithful Sabbath-school teachers who used to weep +over you, and come to the house and talk to you. You resisted all +their entreaties, and got over their influence. And you have got over +your mother's tears and prayers, and she, perhaps, sleeps in the grave +to-day; you have got over the tears and prayers of your father and of +your minister, who has prayed with you and wept with you, a godly, +faithful minister. There was a time when his sermons got right hold of +you, but you have got over them now, and his sermons make no +impression on you; you have been through special meetings, and they +have made no impression on you, they have not touched you. Still, you +say, you are getting on. Well, so you are; but bear in mind, you are +getting on as fast as you can to hell, and there is not one man in ten +thousand who can hope to be saved after he has grown so hard-hearted. + +Oh, my friends, say I will arise to-day! Let there be joy in heaven +to-day over your return. We read in Luke xv., "There is joy in heaven +over one sinner that repenteth." May many return now, and live. + + I am lost, and yet I know, + Earth can never heal my woe + I will rise at once and go, + Jesus died for me. + + + +THE RIGHT KIND OF FAITH + +"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"--Acts xvi. 30. + +I do not know of any more important truth to bring out than the answer +to this question, because that is the beginning of everything with +regard to the divine life. A man must know he is saved before there is +any peace, or joy, or comfort. The answer to the question is, "Believe +on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved"; and the question +that comes right after that from almost every one is, "What is it to +believe?" I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; I believe +that He came into the world to save sinners. Well, and so do the +devils. The devils not only believe, but they tremble. I can believe +intellectually that Jesus Christ is able and willing to save, and yet +be as far from the kingdom of God as any man who never heard about +Jesus Christ. To believe that He can and is willing to save you, won't +save you. I will now take up the word "faith," which means believing. + +THE BIBLE DEFINITION OF FAITH. + +People say, "What is faith?" Now the Bible definition of faith is +perhaps as good as any one that we know of. We are told in Hebrews +xi., "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of +things not seen." Now faith is--what? The substance, or, as you have +it in the margin, "ground" or "confidence." In other words, faith is +dependence upon the veracity of another. Why, all business is carried +on on this principle of faith. Let men lose confidence one in another, +and see how quick business could cease here in London. Let men +withdraw their confidence, and see what would take place in the +commercial world to-morrow. It was faith that brought you here. If you +had not faith to believe that there would be a meeting in this hall, +you would not have come. Somebody said there are three things about +faith--knowledge, assent, and laying hold, and it is the last clause +that is safe. Not the knowledge. A great many people say, "I believe +Christ is able to save." They give their assent, and say, "I believe" +but that does not save. It is the last clause, the laying hold, that +saves, and that is what we want to press upon you. + +Faith has an outward look, not an inward one. Hundreds of people spend +time in looking at their own hearts, but + +FAITH IS AN OUTWARD LOOK. + +We are to have faith in God, and not in man. A great many people place +their faith in men, and they pin their faith to other people's +doctrines and creeds. Not long ago I heard of a man who was asked what +he believed. He said he believed what his church believed. "What does +your church believe?" "The church believes what I believe." And that +was all they could get out of him. There are a great many in that same +state of mind. They believe what the church believes, but they do not +know what the church believes. If their church teaches it, they +believe it. All the churches in the world can't save a soul. It is not +to have faith in this church or that church, this doctrine or that +doctrine, this man or that man, but it is to have faith in the man +Christ Jesus at the right hand of God. That is the only faith that +will ever save a soul. + +PUT NO CONFIDENCE IN MAN. + +Let me call your attention to a few verses where God has warned us not +to put faith in man: Jeremiah xvii. 5: "Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be +the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose +heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the +desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the +parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. +Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord +is." You will find some men have not faith in God; they are like a +tree that is withered and blasted. And there is a man perhaps right +along next to them who has strong faith in God; "he is like a tree +planted by the rivers of water; his leaf also shall not wither." Why? +He trusts in the living God. "Happy is the man that hath the God of +Jacob for his help." Cursed is the man that leaneth upon an arm of +flesh, and trusteth in man. The same thought is brought out in Isaiah +xxx.: "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take +counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my +Spirit, that they may add sin to sin: that walk to go down into Egypt, +and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the +strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore +shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the +shadow of Egypt your confusion." In one place He says, "Woe," and in +another place He says, "Cursed be the man." It is a terrible thing for +man to put faith in man. Then Psalm cxlvi. 3: "Put not your trust in +princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath +goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts +perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose +hope is in the Lord his God." Now here we are told very plainly by God +that we are not to put our trust in this man or that man--not to lean +upon an arm of flesh. All the ministers in the world and all the +potentates in the church put together cannot save one soul. It is +thoroughly impossible. It is the Lord that can save, and the Lord +alone; therefore we want to get our eyes away from man, from the +church, and right straight up to the man Christ Jesus. We read in Mark +xi. 22 whom we are to believe in. Christ says--and how sweet it +sounds--"Have faith in God." I never saw a man or woman in my life +that had faith in God who was confounded, I do not care what their +troubles or trials were. Have faith in God, and not in man. + +THE GREAT DELUSION OF OUR DAY. + +We are living in very strange days. Some people tell us it does not +make any difference what a man believes if he is only sincere. One +church is just as good as another if you are only sincere. I do not +believe any greater delusion ever came out of the pit of hell than +that. It is ruining more souls at the present time than anything else. +I never read of any men more sincere or more earnest than those men at +Mount Carmel, those false prophets. They were terribly in earnest. +Some people say, "Why, if these men are holding, as you say, error, +why should they be so in earnest?" Those prophets of Baal were the +most earnest men I ever read of. You do not read of men getting so in +earnest now that they take knives and cut themselves. Look at them +leaping upon their altars; hear their cry, "O Baal! O Baal!" We never +heard that kind of prayer on this platform. They acted like madmen. +They were terribly in earnest, yet did God hear their cry? They were +all slain. "I believe one religion is just as good as another, if you +are only sincere in what you believe." It is one of the devil's lies. + +HAVE FAITH IN GOD, + +not in man. I don't care how good a man is, don't you put your faith +in him. His breath departs from him, he dies, and where is your help? +Our God never dies, our God never will disappoint us if we put our +faith in Him. "Have faith in God," says Christ. + +I saw some time ago some men arranging to go up in a balloon fastened +to the car. They had one rope fastened, and by some mistake that rope +got untied, and instead of seizing hold of the car they seized hold of +the rope. One of them let go; the other just hung on, and he was swept +away in the heavens and lost. "It did not make any difference; if he +had hung on to the car it would have been just the same," you say, "if +he was only sincere." Why, that man was very sincere when he seized +hold of that rope, yet he was lost--perished in his earnestness. My +friends, bear in mind if you do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ +you must perish. It is God that says it--not man. Some people say, "He +is such a good man, I cannot help but believe him; it is all right +because he is such a good man, and he holds that doctrine." Paul says, +"If a man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, +let him be accursed." And if Gabriel should come right down here +to-night, and commence to proclaim a different gospel from this +platform, I would get out of the hall, and would not listen to him. + +DECEIVERS AND DARK DAYS. + +Deceivers are going out into the world who would deceive even the very +elect if they could. I believe we are living in dark days. Error is +coming in on all sides, and it is a time when we must maintain the +faith. "I have kept the faith," says Paul. The good old doctrine of +our forefathers, and of the Puritans, is a good deal better than your +new doctrine at the present time, that is just doing away with Christ, +with hell, and even with heaven. Let us cling to the word of God, and +have faith in God. + +There was a young man God sent down to Bethel, and told him to +prophesy against it. He was not to eat and drink in the place, nor to +go back by the same way as he went. Down the young man went. The king +asked him to go to his palace, but he refused. No, God had told him to +go and prophesy, not to eat and drink. But there was an old prophet, +and he sent out word to tell him an angel had told him to invite him, +and the young man obeyed the voice of the angel rather than God, and +then he started home another way, and a lion met him and slew him. We +are not to put our faith in this man or that man, not even in a +prophet if it is contrary to the word of God; not to believe the best +man living if it is contrary to the word of God. If God says it, let +us take our stand upon it. God's word will stand when these men and +their names have been swept away and forgotten. There have always been +false teachers, men trying to teach us it does not make any difference +what a man believes if he is only sincere. My friends, let us have +faith in the living God, and then it will be light where it is +darkness now. + +HOW TO GET FAITH. + +Now, just turn to John xx. I can imagine some of you saying, "I would +like to have faith in God, but I do not know how to get it; I have +been praying a long time for faith." I used to pray, "O God, give me +faith," and at the same time I was all the time neglecting the Bible. +Here it stands; see how we are to get faith: "But these are written +that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and +that believing ye might have life through His name." Now John took up +his pen and wrote the gospel for one express purpose. What was it? +That men might believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Every +chapter but two in John speaks of believing, and if you run through +the gospel and mark out the word "believe," you would find what that +gospel is written for. It is, "Believe, believe, believe, believe," +and it keeps right on to that one thing. He took up his pen and wrote +that gospel that we might believe, and by believing we get life. Then +turn to Romans x. 15: "How shall they preach, except they be sent? as +it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the +gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have +not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed +our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word +of God." Do you want to know how to get faith? It is to get acquainted +with God. Jehovah says, "Acquaint now thyself with me, and be at +peace." We find the people that are best acquainted with God have the +most peace. It is the people that do not know God that do not trust +Him. The people that know God put their trust in Him. I never knew a +man to be well acquainted with God who did not trust Him. The more you +know of a true man the more you trust him. I met a man ten years ago +for the first time; I had not much faith in him, because I did not +know much about him. In the course of a year I got well acquainted +with him, and found him to be a true man; then I had more faith in +him; the second year I had still more; and this year I have more faith +in him than ever, because I know him well now. If you know God you +cannot help trusting Him. + +LITTLE WILLIE. + +I wanted to teach my little boy what faith was some time ago, and so I +put him on a table. He was a little fellow two years old. I stood back +three or four feet, and said, "Willie, jump." The little fellow said, +"Pa, I'se afraid." I said, "Willie, I will catch you; just look right +at me, and jump"; and the little fellow got all ready to jump, and +then looked down again, and says, "I'se afraid." "Willie, didn't I +tell you I would catch you? Will Pa deceive you? Now, Willie, look me +right in the eye, and jump, and I will catch you"; and the little +fellow got all ready the third time to jump, but he looked on the +floor, and said, "I'se afraid." "Didn't I tell you I would catch you?" +"Yes." At last I said, "Willie, don't take your eyes off me," and I +held the little fellow's eyes, and I said, "Now jump; don't look at +the floor"; and he leaped into my arms. Then he said to me, "Let me +jump again." I put him back, and, the moment he got on the table he +jumped, and after that, when he was on the table, and I was standing +five or six feet away, I heard him cry, "Pa, I'se coming," and had +just time to rush and catch him. He seemed to put too much confidence +in me. But you cannot put too much confidence in God. Now faith never +looks down; it looks right up. God says, "Trust me," and God will +bring us through all our difficulties, if we will only trust Him. Who +will trust Him to-night? Who will have faith in Him to-night? +"Whatsoever He saith unto thee, do it," is what the mother of Christ +said at the wedding; and whatsoever God speaks to you, do it. If God +tells you to run, run. If God says, "Believe," believe, and you will +always be safe in doing just what God tells you to do. + +UNBELIEF THE GREATEST ENEMY. + +I have a great admiration for the old coloured woman who said, if God +told her to jump through a stone wall she would jump; getting through +the wall was God's work, not hers, and she would do whatever God told +her to do. The greatest enemy God and man have got is unbelief. Christ +found it on both sides of the cross. It was the very thing that put +Him to death. The Jews did not believe Him; they did not believe God +had sent Him; they took Him to Calvary and murdered Him; and the first +thing we find after He got up out of the grave was unbelief again. +Thomas, one of His own disciples, did not believe He had risen. He +said, Thomas, feel these wounds; and Thomas did, and believed, and +said "My Lord and my God." Now those Christians here that have learnt +to trust God in past years will bear me out in this, that the more +they know of God, the more they can trust Him. Why? They have found +God to be true. When man has failed, God never has failed; and when +every one else has disappointed them, God has proved true. Now, you +that never trusted Him, won't you just leap right into His arms +to-night? Won't you just take Him at His word, and believe on Him now? + +THE GREATEST INSULT TO GOD. + +It is considered you cannot offer a man a greater insult than to tell +him he is a liar. Unbelief is telling God He is a liar. Why, suppose a +man said, "Mr. Moody, I have no faith in you whatever," don't you +think it would grieve me? There is not anything that would wound a man +much more than to be told that you do not have any faith in him. A +great many men say, "Oh, I have profound reverence and respect for +God." Yes, profound respect, but not faith. Why, it is a downright +insult! Suppose a man says, "Mr. Moody, I have profound respect for +you, profound admiration for you, but I do not believe a word you +say." I wouldn't give much for his respect or admiration; I wouldn't +give much for his friendship. God wants us to put our faith in Him. +How it would wound a mother's feelings to hear her children say, "I do +love mamma so much, but I don't believe what she says." How it would +grieve that mother. And that is about the way a great many of God's +professed children talk. Some men seem to think it is a great +misfortune that they do not have faith. Bear in mind it is not a +misfortune, but it is the damning sin of the world. + +GOD'S WORD IS ALWAYS KEPT. + +Is there any reason why you should not have faith in God? Has God ever +broken His word? I will defy any infidel to come forward and put his +finger on any promise God has ever made to man that He has not kept. I +can show you for 6000 years how the devil has lied, and how he has +broken every promise he has made. What a lie he told Adam and Eve; and +yet I can find a thousand men that will believe one of the devil's +lies quicker than I can find one man that believes God's truth. Men +will believe lies; but when it gets to real truth, then how few will +believe the word of God. Why should not every man and woman in this +house have faith in God? Why should not every one put confidence in +Him now, and trust God to save them? And let me say, if you are ever +saved, you will have to come to this one point of trusting to God for +salvation. You never will be saved until you put your trust and +confidence in God. + +SETTING THE SEAL. + +Look at John iii. 33: "He that hath received his testimony hath set to +his seal that God is true." In those days men used to wear a signet +ring, with their initials, and instead of signing their names, they +used to take the ring and seal the document. That was setting to their +seal; that was an endorsement. And now God comes down into this +unbelieving world, and says, "Who will set to his seal that I am +true?" And so I want to ask the friends in this hall, Who will set to +his seal or her seal that God is true? It is a great deal better for +us to make ourselves liars and God true than to try and make ourselves +out true and God a liar. That is what many men will do. Who will set +to his seal that God is true? Unbelief says, "I won't." Faith says, "I +will set to my seal." Oh, may God help many now to say, "I will set to +my seal that God is true" this very hour; and, my friends, the moment +you do set your seal that God is true, and put your faith in God, then +comes the peace, the happiness you have been looking for so long! + +NO PEACE WITHOUT TRUST. + +A great many people go looking for peace and happiness before they +trust. There will be no peace, no happiness, no joy, until you put +your trust in God. The joy that flows through the Christian's heart is +the result of trusting God. Suppose I meet a man to-night leaping for +joy, laughing at the top of his voice. I say, "My friend, what makes +you so happy?" "Oh, I don't know; I am so happy I cannot contain my +feelings!" What would you say? Why, you would say the man had gone +mad. But suppose I meet a man whom I have seen out here night after +night begging, and I say to him, "Hullo, beggar, is that you?" "Don't +call me a beggar; I am no longer a beggar." "Are not you the man who +has been begging here every night?" "Yes." "Where did you get your +good clothes? How is this you are not a beggar?" "No, I am no beggar; +I am worth a thousand pounds." "How is that?" "Well, sir, last night I +was here begging, and a man came along and put a thousand pounds in my +hand." "How did you know it was good money?" "I took it to the Bank of +England, and they gave me gold for it." "How was it done?" "Well, I +just held out my hand, and he came and put a cheque right into it, and +I took it to the bank and got gold for it." "Did you really get it in +that way?" "Yes." "How do you know it was the right kind of hand?" +"Why," says the beggar, "what do I care about the hand, I have got the +money." Faith is the hand that reaches out and takes the blessing. Any +faith that brings me to Christ is the right kind of faith, and instead +of looking at your faith look to Christ. Some one has said, faith sees +a thing in God's hand, and says, "I will have it." Unbelief sees it +there, and says, "God won't give it me." Look to God by faith to-night +and have salvation. + +WHO WILL HAVE IT? + +Every man and woman may have it if they will but put their trust in +God. Is not God worthy of our confidence? Is not God worthy of our +trust? You must have a poor opinion of God if you cannot trust Him. We +consider we have a poor opinion of a man if we cannot trust him. If a +man should tell me something, and I did not believe a word he said, I +would have a very poor opinion of the man. Faith is putting confidence +in God's word. Take hold of His word to-night. He will save all that +will come--not only that, but He will save you when you do come. Away +with everything but Christ, and take Him now. Who will take God at His +word to-night? Some one has said, "Faith is saying yes to God." Who +will say yes to-night, and take it? Now, is it too much to ask or to +expect that every person in this hall should put their faith in God? +If God does not save us, who will? Men cannot, the church cannot, +creeds and doctrines cannot; the sacraments cannot save; baptism +cannot save. You must have a living personal Christ, and God presents +Him to the world. Who will take Him? Who will have Christ--who will +trust Him? Faith says, I will. Is it not the very best thing you can +do? Can you do a better thing than trust to God for salvation? "What +must I do to be saved?" Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, or trust the +Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and trust Him now. + +STORY OF A CONDEMNED MAN. + +Away back some years ago it is recorded in history of a man that was +condemned to be put to death, that when he came to lay his head on the +block the prince asked him if there was any one petition that he could +grant him, and all that the condemned man asked for was a glass of +water. They went and got him a tumbler of water, and when he got it +his hand trembled so that he could not get it to his mouth. The prince +said to him, "Your life is safe until you drink that water." He took +the prince at his word, and dashed the water to the ground. They could +not gather it up, and so he saved his life. My friends, you can be +saved to-night by taking God at His word. The water of life is offered +to "whosoever will." Take it now, and live. Faith cometh by hearing, +and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. x. 17). + + Faith is not what we see or feel, + It is a simple trust; + In what a God of love has said + Of Jesus as the Just. + + + +THE DYING THIEF + +Read Luke xxiii. 39-43 + +I am going to take as my text a man who was the last one saved before +Christ went to heaven, or before He died on the cross, and the story +of his conversion ought to give hope to every man. We have got an +account of the conversion of all classes of people in the Bible. There +is not one class left out. There is the richest and the poorest; the +greatest and the smallest; all classes of men, and all classes of +women. + +There are so many people nowadays talking against sudden conversions, +that I think the very best thing we can do is to see what the +Scripture says about it--to see how long it takes God to convert a +soul. If I read my Bible correctly, there were eight thousand +converted in two days. That was a good number in a short time, was it +not? We have not got to that yet; I wish we had. But I feel sure, if +the church of God would only wake up, we should see something like it. + +NEVER TOO LATE. + +Well, this man was not only a thief, but a reviler of God, right upon +the threshold of eternity, a most depraved and abandoned wretch. +Matthew tells us: "And the two thieves cast the same in His teeth." +You would have thought they would have been doing something better +than that, coming so near death and the grave; and that their thoughts +would have been made very solemn in the face of not only death, but +after death the judgment. Instead of that, they were reviling Christ, +and casting accusations in His teeth a few hours before their death. +Well, I do not think this thief could have sunk any further, until he +sunk into hell. Though so far off Jesus found him. Matthew and Mark +both tell us that these two thieves reviled Him. John says nothing +about their reviling; in fact, he does not tell us about one of them +being converted. The first we get of it is in Luke xxiii. 40, where we +find him saying to the other thief, "Dost not thou fear God?" Solomon, +the wise man, says, "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God." Now, +there we have the beginning of wisdom in this thief. He began to +_fear_ God. I hope there will be hundreds in this building who will +fear Him; for that is the true beginning of wisdom. + +CONVICTION OF SIN. + +Now, the next thing was, the man was convicted. No man is likely to be +converted until he is first convicted of sin. This thief was +convicted. And what convicted him? He heard no sermon from Christ. The +rulers were then deriding Him. The chief men of His own country had +found Him guilty of blasphemy, and had condemned Him to die the death +of the cross. The chief men of the realm were there wagging their +heads and mocking Him. What was it then that convicted this poor +thief? He had seen Christ perform no miracles; he had heard no +wonderful words fall from His lips; he saw no glittering crown upon +His brow. True, it was written over His cross, "Jesus, the King of the +Jews"; but where was His kingdom? He saw nothing of the Jews paying +homage to Him. The Jews were putting Him to death. There was no +sceptre in His hand. True, He had been crowned a little while before, +but only with thorns, and yet amidst it all this poor thief was +convicted after fear fell upon him. + +THE POWER OF LOVE. + +What convicted him? I will tell what I think convicted him, though I +could not teach it dogmatically but I think it was the Saviour's +prayer. When the Lord Jesus cried out from the very depths of His +soul, "Father, forgive them," conviction flashed into his heart. He +must have said, "Why, this is more than a man; He has got a very +different spirit from me. I could not ask God to forgive them. I would +call down fire from heaven to consume them, and I would call upon God +to smite them with blindness as Elijah did, and I would sweep them +from this mountain if I had the power." That's what he must have +thought as he heard the piercing cry go up, "Father, forgive them, for +they know not what they do." Ah, it was love that broke his heart. In +those days, when they crucified a man, they used to scourge him. This +poor man had been taken into the court, and tried and condemned by the +judge; but that had not broken his heart. He had been led forth and +scourged; but that had not broken his heart. And now they had nailed +him to the cross; but even that had not broken his heart. There he is +reviling his God. But when he saw that loving Saviour, he got a +glimpse of His love, and that one glimpse broke his heart. + +I heard of a young man once who was very hardhearted. His father loved +him as he loved his own life. He had tried everything he could to win +that prodigal boy back. When his father was dying, they sent for him; +but he refused to come. But after his father's death, he returned home +to attend the funeral; but not a tear fell from his eyes. He followed +that father to his resting-place, and never dropped a tear over his +grave. But when they got home, and the will was read, they found that +father had not forgotten his prodigal boy, but had remembered him +kindly in his will; and that proof of the father's love just broke his +heart. And so I think it must have been with the thief when he heard +the Saviour crying, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they +do"; it pierced like an arrow down into his heart, and he was +convicted. + +CONFESSION FOLLOWS CONVICTION. + +Well, then, the next point in this man was, he confessed his sin. He +says to his brother thief, "We are suffering justly; we deserve it." I +never knew a man saved till he took his stand as a sinner. Cain never +confessed his sin. Judas never confessed his sin to God, though he +went and confessed it to man. + +Now, I want to say that I am not come here to urge you to confess your +sins to any man, unless you have done some sin against him and he is +stumbling over it; if so, go and confess that certainly. We must not +confess our sins to any but God. I have not much sympathy with the +class of people that are always running to this man and that man to +confess their sins. There is no priest on earth that can forgive sins. +I have got a high priest who is "a priest for ever after the order of +Melchizedek." The only man we have a record of in Scripture who +confessed his sins to man was Judas, and he went right out and hung +himself. + +FAITH IN CHRIST. + +The next thing about this thief was his faith in Christ Jesus. We talk +about the faith of Abraham and Moses; why, this thief had the most +remarkable faith of any man on record. He took his stand at the very +head of the class, passing by many who had wonderful faith. He heard +no sermon, saw no sceptre in Christ's hand, no crown on His brow, nor +witnessed any marvellous works, yet he had wondrous faith. Why, God +was twenty-five years toning up Abraham's faith. God met Moses in the +burning bush, and went up into the mountains and talked with him; and +Isaiah saw God lifted up on His throne; but not so with this thief. +There were many who had met Christ and seen wonderful things. His +disciples had heard Him discourse, and had seen Him raise the dead, +and yet they had forsaken and left Him. Yet here amidst the darkness +and gloom this poor thief had faith in Him; for although the Jews had +nailed his hands and feet to the cross, they did not nail his eyes, +and he could look at Him. They did not nail his heart to the cross, +and it is with the heart man believeth, as we read in Romans, and with +his heart _he believed_. There's faith for you. + +NOT ASHAMED OF CHRIST. + +Then the next thing is, he confessed Christ at that dark period. It +was the darkest hour of Christ's pilgrimage down here. We will never +see another dark hour like that. The sin of the world was on Him; +heaven was closed against Him--locked, bolted, and barred. He was now +hanging on the tree bearing our sins; and it is written, "Cursed is +every one that hangeth on a tree." And even God had to hide His face +from Him, for He could not look on sin, and Christ was then bearing +the sin of all the world. I believe that's what Christ meant in the +garden of Gethsemane, when He prayed that the cup might pass from Him. +Up to that time He saw His Father's face, and He knew He was blessed +of Him, and from time to time a voice came from heaven, "This is my +beloved Son." But now He was taking our place before God as a sinner, +and God had to hide His face from Him. Yes, it was breaking the +Saviour's heart; and now, when darkness is coming over creation, and +the moon is to be turned into blood, and the sun is about to veil its +face because it cannot look upon the terrible scene, and Peter, one of +His most conspicuous disciples, had denied Him with a curse, and swore +that he never knew Him, and Judas, one of His own disciples, had gone +out and sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, and the chief men of the +nation were mocking Him, saying, "He saved others, let Him save +Himself, if He be the Christ"--amidst all this darkness and gloom, out +comes this signal faith of the thief, "Lord, remember me," He called +Him Lord there and then; and he said to the other thief, "This man +hath done nothing amiss." Thank God for that confession. There's faith +and confession for you. If you want to be saved, you must have faith +in Christ, and be ready to confess Him before all men. + +"LORD, REMEMBER ME." + +Look at the prayer of the thief. People say, "Oh, pray for salvation, +and you will get it!" Yes, but bear in mind you must have faith in +Christ before you can pray. He had got faith in Christ, and now he +calls Him "Lord." It was the sound of a young convert's voice, "Lord, +remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." It was not a very long +prayer, but it was a prayer red-hot, one right out of his heart. Some +people tell you they cannot pray without a prayer-book. But the poor +thief had no prayer-book; and if there had been any prayer-books then, +there was nobody to give him one. He wanted salvation, he simply +wanted to be saved, and he cried from his heart, "Lord, remember me!" +and a more eloquent prayer never was heard or printed on earth. But +not only that, he got more than he asked, for he only asked to be +remembered. We always get more than we ask when we come to the Lord. + +THE WORLD'S LAST LOOK AT CHRIST. + +Now, when a great man dies, people are very anxious to get his last +words and acts. It is sweet to get the last words of the Son of God. +The last sight the world had of Christ was on the cross. They have +never seen Him since. We have no record that any uncircumcised eye +beheld Christ after He rose from the dead. The last glimpse the world +had of Christ was saving a poor sinner as he hung upon the cross, +saving him from the very jaws of hell, and the grasp of Satan. Christ +snatched him out of the very grasp of the devil, and said unto him, +"This day shalt thou be with me in paradise." The lion of the tribe of +Judah conquered the lion of hell, when He snatched the dying thief as +a lamb out of Satan's grasp. "This day shalt thou be with me in +paradise." That's the glorious gospel. Free from the law. There is no +condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. + +FREE! FREE! + +In the days of Wilberforce, when slavery was abolished, and it was +said that no slave could live under the Union Jack, because a bill had +been passed declaring every man free, the news had got abroad, and +when the captain of a ship was going to a distant island in the slave +dominions, the negroes were on the watch to get the news and make sure +if it were true. They were anxious to know if the bill had passed that +they were really free. And when the captain came in sight of the +little island, there they were waiting to get the tidings, and the +captain put his trumpet up to his mouth, and shouted across the +island, "Free! Free!" And the cry was taken up and echoed through the +island, "Free! Free!" And they shouted for joy, because they were +slaves no longer. I bring you good news. The Son of God will speak the +word, "Free." He spoke the words on the cross, and the poor thief was +a free man, and Satan could not hold him. + +Then think of the contrast! In the morning led out a poor condemned +man, cursing and reviling the Son of God Himself; in the evening +singing the new song of redemption. That evening I see him hard by the +throne, singing the sweet song of Moses and the Lamb. In the morning +cursing, in the evening singing, "Glory to God in the highest." Was it +not a change? What a contrast! Think of it, O sinner. Condemned in the +morning by man, cast out as too vile for earth; in the evening good +enough for heaven; in the evening washed in the blood of the Lamb, and +Christ ready to receive him into the kingdom of heaven. Christ was not +ashamed to walk down the crystal pavement of heaven with him. He heard +the shout on the cross when Christ called out, "It is finished!" How +his soul must have thrilled with joy at that shout! He said, "My +salvation is completed now." He saw the spear thrust into that side +and the blood flow out, and I can see the sparkle on his face lit up +with glory. "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission." It +was a sad sight, but glorious. + +THE BEST THING TO DO. + +Now, young man, do you want Him to save you? Are you ready to confess +Him as your Lord and Saviour, and take your stand by the Master, and +say from this hour, I will serve the Lord Jesus? If so, it will be the +best night in your life up to this time. The best thing you can do is +to yield to Christ at once. Every true Christian would give you that +advice, and if I could shout clear up to the throne, and ask the +Saviour what He would have you to do, I should hear a voice rolling +down from heaven, and saying, "Tell him to seek salvation." When the +poor thief was converted, it was probably the first time he had ever +heard of the Lord Jesus Christ, or had been invited. But it is surely +not so with you. How many people keep putting salvation off and off, +until it is one day too late! There are so many that live in the +future. It is better you should be wise, and enter into the kingdom of +God now. Let your prayer, like that of the poor thief, go up from your +heart, "Lord, remember me," and you will not ask in vain. + +A TIMELY CONVERSION. + +A minister in Edinburgh tells a story of the conversion of a young man +who was working in one of the mining districts. When the meeting at +one of the churches was over on a particular evening, he saw him +standing by a pillar in the church, the rest having gone out, all but +two or three, and they asked this man if he was not going home. He +said, "I have made up my mind that I will not leave this church till I +become a Christian"; so they stopped and talked and prayed with him. +It was the best thing he could do. I would like every man here to do +the same thing. Make up your minds that you won't leave till you have +settled about your soul for eternity. Well, the next day, while this +young man was working in the mine, the coal fell in upon him, and +before he died, he had just strength enough left to say to his +companions, "It's a good thing that I settled it last night--a very +good thing." Young man, I will leave you to answer the question, Was +it not a good thing he settled it that night? + +A young man, who was in the army during the Civil war, told me that +when he heard that his brother, from whom he had never been separated, +had joined a certain regiment, he went right away and put his name +down under his brother's. They messed together, marched together, and +fought shoulder to shoulder. At last his brother was struck with a +Minnie ball, and he fell mortally wounded by his side. He saw too +plainly that he must die, and as the battle was raging, and he could +do nothing to save him, he put his brother's knapsack under his head, +and made him as comfortable as he could, and bending over him, kissed +him, bade him good-bye, and left him to die. As he was going away, his +brother said, "Charlie, come back, and let me kiss you upon your +lips." "As I bent over him," said the young soldier who told me the +story, "he kissed me on my lips, and said, 'Take that home to mother, +and tell her that I died praying for her'; and as I turned away from +him, I could hear him say, 'This is glory,' and as he lay weltering in +his blood, and I wondered what he meant, I asked him what was glory. +He said, 'Charlie, it's glorious to die looking up--I see Christ in +heaven.'" + +DYING LOOKING UP. + +If you want to die looking up and seeing Christ, seek the kingdom of +God. You may never hear the call again. Do not leave this place +without making up your mind to settle the solemn question of eternity +at once. + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Wondrous Love, by Dwight Moody + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WONDROUS LOVE *** + +***** This file should be named 33520-8.txt or 33520-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/3/5/2/33520/ + +Produced by Keith G. Richardson + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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