,,the ,,way ,,to ,,god ,,and ,,how ,,to ,,find ,,it ,by ,d4 ,l4 ,,moody ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company ,chicago ,new ,york ,toronto ,publishers of ,evangelical ,literature ,entered according to act of ,congress1 in the year #ahhd1 ,by ,f4 ,h4 ,,revell1 ,in the office of the ,librarian of ,congress at ,washington4 ,,to ,,the ,,reader ,in this small volume ,i have endeavored to point out the ,way to ,god4 ,i have embodied in the little book a considerable part of several addresses which have been delivered in different cities1 both of ,great ,britain and my own country4 ,god has graciously owned them when spoken from the pulpit1 and ,i trust will none the less add his blessing now they have been put into the printed page with additional matter4 ,i have called attention first to the ,love of ,god1 the source of all ,gifts of ,grace2 have then endeavored to present truths to meet the special needs of representative classes1 answering the question1 ,how man can be just with ,god1 hoping thereby to lead souls to ,him who is the ,way1 the ,truth and the ,life4 ,the last chapter is specially addressed to ,backsliders--a class1 alas1 far too numerous amongst us4 ,with the earnest prayer and hope that by the blessing of ,god on these pages the reader may be strengthened1 established and settled in the faith of ,christ1 ,i am1 yours in ,his service1 ,d4 ,l4 ,moody ,,contents4 ,chapter ,i4 ,love that passeth ,knowledge ,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,gateway into the ,kingdom ,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,two ,classes ,chapter ,,iv4 ,words of ,counsel ,chapter ,v4 ,a ,divine ,saviour ,chapter ,,vi4 ,repentance and ,restitution ,chapter ,,vii4 ,assurance of ,salvation ,chapter ,,viii4 ,christ ,all and in ,all ,chapter ,,ix4 ,backsliding ,,the ,,way ,,to ,,god4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,love ,,that ,,passeth ,,knowledge4 ,to know the love of ,christ which passeth knowledge4 7,ephesians iii4 #ai47 ,if ,i could only make men understand the real meaning of the words of the apostle ,john--,god is love1 ,i would take that single text1 and would go up and down the world proclaiming this glorious truth4 ,if you can convince a man that you love him you have won his heart4 ,if we really make people believe that ,god loves them1 how we should find them crowding into the kingdom of heaven6 ,the trouble is that men think ,god hates them2 and so they are all the time running away from ,him4 ,we built a church in ,chicago some years ago2 and were very anxious to teach the people the love of ,god4 ,we thought if we could not preach it into their hearts we would try and burn it in2 so we put right over the pulpit in gas-jets these words--,god is ,love4 ,a man going along the streets one night glanced through the door1 and saw the text4 ,he was a poor prodigal4 ,as he passed on he thought to himself1 ,god is ,love6 ,no6 ,he does not love me2 for ,i am a poor miserable sinner4 ,he tried to get rid of the text2 but it seemed to stand out right before him in letters of fire4 ,he went on a little further2 then turned round1 went back1 and went into the meeting4 ,he did not hear the sermon2 but the words of that short text had got deeply lodged in his heart1 and that was enough4 ,it is of little account what men say if the ,word of ,god only gets an entrance into the sinner's heart4 ,he staid after the first meeting was over2 and ,i found him there weeping like a child4 ,as ,i unfolded the ,scriptures and told him how ,god had loved him all the time1 although he had wandered so far away1 and how ,god was waiting to receive him and forgive him1 the light of the ,gospel broke into his mind1 and he went away rejoicing4 ,there is nothing in this world that men prize so much us they do ,love4 ,show me a person who has no one to care for or love him1 and ,i will show you one of the most wretched beings on the face of the earth4 ,why do people commit suicide8 ,very often it is because this thought steals in upon them--that no one loves them2 and they would rather die than live4 ,i know of no truth in the whole ,bible that ought to come home to us with such power and tenderness as that of the ,love of ,god2 and there is no truth in the ,bible that ,satan would so much like to blot out4 ,for more than six thousand years he has been trying to persuade men that ,god does not love them4 ,he succeeded in making our first parents believe this lie2 and he too often succeeds with their children4 ,the idea that ,god does not love us often comes from false teaching4 ,mothers make a mistake in teaching children that ,god does not love them when they do wrong2 but only when they do right4 ,that is not taught in ,scripture4 ,you do not teach your children that when they do wrong you hate them4 ,their wrong-doing does not change your love to hate2 if it did1 you would change your love a great many times4 ,because your child is fretful1 or has committed some act of disobedience1 you do not cast him out as though he did not belong to you6 ,no6 he is still your child2 and you love him4 ,and if men have gone astray from ,god it does not follow that ,he hates them4 ,it is the sin that ,he hates4 ,i believe the reason why a great many people think ,god does not love them is because they are measuring ,god by their own small rule1 from their own standpoint4 ,we love men as long as we consider them worthy of our love2 when they are not we cast them off4 ,it is not so with ,god4 ,there is a vast difference between human love and ,divine love4 ,in ,ephesians iii4 #ah1 we are told of the breadth1 and length1 and depth1 and height1 of ,god's love4 ,many of us think we know something of ,god's love2 but centuries hence we shall admit we have never found out much about it4 ,columbus discovered ,america2 but what did he know about its great lakes1 rivers1 forests1 and the ,mississippi ,valley8 ,he died1 without knowing much about what he had discovered4 ,so1 many of us have discovered something of the love of ,god2 but there are heights1 depths and lengths of it we do not know4 ,that ,love is a great ocean2 and we require to plunge into it before we really know anything of it4 ,it is said of a ,roman ,catholic ,archbishop of ,paris1 that when he was thrown into prison and condemned to be shot1 a little while before he was led out to die1 he saw a window in his cell in the shape of a cross4 ,upon the top of the cross he wrote height1 at the bottom depth1 and at the end of each arm length4 ,he had experienced the truth conveyed in the hymn-- ,when ,i survey the wondrous ,cross1 ,on which the ,prince of ,glory died4 ,when we wish to know the love of ,god we should go to ,calvary4 ,can we look upon that scene1 and say ,god did not love us8 ,that cross speaks of the love of ,god4 ,greater love never has been taught than that which the cross teaches4 ,what prompted ,god to give up ,christ8--what prompted ,christ to die8--if it were not love8 ,greater love hath no man than this1 that a man lay down his life for his friends4 ,christ laid down ,his life for ,his enemies2 ,christ laid down ,his life for ,his murderers2 ,christ laid down ,his life for them that hated ,him2 and the spirit of the cross1 the spirit of ,calvary1 is love4 ,when they were mocking ,him and deriding ,him1 what did ,he say8 ,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4 ,that is love4 ,he did not call down fire from heaven to consume them2 there was nothing but love in ,his heart4 ,if you study the ,bible you will find that the love of ,god is unchangeable4 ,many who loved you at one time have perhaps grown cold in their affection1 and turned away from you3 it may be that their love is changed to hatred4 ,it is not so with ,god4 ,it is recorded of ,jesus ,christ1 just when ,he was about to be parted from ,his disciples and led away to ,calvary1 that3 having loved ,his own which were in the world1 ,he loved them unto the end 7,john xiii4 #a74 ,he knew that one of ,his disciples would betray ,him2 yet ,he loved ,judas4 ,he knew that another disciple would deny ,him1 and swear that he never knew ,him2 and yet ,he loved ,peter4 ,it was the love which ,christ had for ,peter that broke his heart1 and brought him back in penitence to the feet of his ,lord4 ,for three years ,jesus had been with the disciples trying to teach them ,his love1 not only by ,his life and words1 but by ,his works4 ,and1 on the night of ,his betrayal1 ,he takes a basin of water1 girds ,himself with a towel1 and taking the place of a servant1 washes their feet2 ,he wanted to convince them of ,his unchanging love4 ,there is no portion of ,scripture ,i read so often as ,john xiv2 and there is none that is more sweet to me4 ,i never tire of reading it4 ,hear what our ,lord says1 as ,he pours out ,his heart to ,his ,disciples3 ,at that day ye shall know that ,i am in ,my ,father1 and ye in ,me1 and ,i in you4 ,he that hath ,my commandments1 and keepeth them1 he it is that loveth ,me3 and he that loveth ,me shall be loved by ,my ,father 7xiv4 #bj1ba74 ,think of the great ,god who created heaven and earth loving you and me6 4 4 4 ,if a man love ,me1 he will keep ,my words2 and ,my ,father will love him2 and ,we will come unto him1 and make ,our abode with him 7v4 #bc74 ,would to ,god that our puny minds could grasp this great truth1 that the ,father and the ,son so love us that ,they desire to come and abide with us4 ,not to tarry for a night1 but to come and abide in our hearts4 ,we have another passage more wonderful still in ,john xvii4 #bc4 ,i in them1 and thou in ,me1 that they may be made perfect in one2 and that the world may know that ,thou hast sent ,me1 and hast loved them as ,thou hast loved ,me4 ,i think that is one of the most remarkable sayings that ever fell from the lips of ,jesus ,christ4 ,there is no reason why the ,father should not love him4 ,he was obedient unto death2 ,he never transgressed the ,father's law1 or turned aside from the path of perfect obedience by one hair's breadth4 ,it is very different with us2 and yet1 notwithstanding all our rebellion and foolishness1 ,he says that if we are trusting in ,christ1 the ,father loves us as ,he loves the ,son4 ,marvellous love6 ,wonderful love6 ,that ,god can possibly love us as ,he loves ,his own ,son seems too good to be true4 ,yet that is the teaching of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is hard to make a sinner believe in this unchangeable love of ,god4 ,when a man has wandered away from ,god he thinks that ,god hates him4 ,we must make a distinction between sin and the sinner4 ,god loves the sinner2 but ,he hates the sin4 ,he hates sin1 because it mars human life4 ,it is just because ,god loves the sinner that ,he hates sin4 ,god's love is not only unchangeable1 but unfailing4 ,in ,isaiah xlix4 #ae1 #af we read3 ,can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb8 yea1 they may forget2 yet will ,i not forget thee4 ,behold ,i have graven thee upon the palms of ,my hands2 thy walls are continually before ,me4 ,now the strongest human love that we know of is a mother's love4 ,many things will separate a man from his wife4 ,a father may turn his back on his child2 brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies2 husbands may desert their wives2 wives1 their husbands4 ,but a mother's love endures through all4 ,in good repute1 in bad repute1 in the face of the world's condemnation1 a mother loves on1 and hopes that her child may turn from his evil ways and repent4 ,she remembers the infant smiles1 the merry laugh of childhood1 the promise of youth2 and she can never be brought to think him unworthy4 ,death cannot quench a mother's love2 it is stronger than death4 ,you have seen a mother watching over her sick child4 ,how willingly she would take the disease into her own body if she could thus relieve her child6 ,week after week she will keep watch2 she will let no one else take care of that sick child4 ,a friend of mine1 some time ago1 was visiting in a beautiful home where he met a number of friends4 ,after they had all gone away1 having left something behind1 he went back to get it4 ,there he found the lady of the house1 a wealthy lady1 sitting behind a poor fellow who looked like a tramp4 ,he was her own son4 ,like the prodigal1 he had wandered far away3 yet the mother said1 ,this is my boy2 ,i love him still4 ,take a mother with nine or ten children1 if one goes astray1 she seems to love that one more than any of the rest4 ,a leading minister in the state of ,new ,york once told me of a father who was a very bad character4 ,the mother did all she could to prevent the contamination of the boy2 but the influence of the father was stronger1 and he led his son into all kinds of sin until the lad became one of the worst of criminals4 ,he committed murder1 and was put on his trial4 ,all through the trial1 the widowed mother 7for the father had died7 sat in the court4 ,when the witnesses testified against the boy it seemed to hurt the mother much more than the son4 ,when he was found guilty and sentenced to die1 every one else feeling the justice of the verdict1 seemed satisfied at the result4 ,but the mother's love never faltered4 ,she begged for a reprieve2 but that was denied4 ,after the execution she craved for the body2 and this also was refused4 ,according to custom1 it was buried in the prison yard4 ,a little while afterwards the mother herself died2 but1 before she was taken away1 she expressed a desire to be buried by the side of her boy4 ,she was not ashamed of being known as the mother of a murderer4 ,the story is told of a young woman in ,scotland1 who left her home1 and became an outcast in ,glasgow4 ,her mother sought her far and wide1 but in vain4 ,at last1 she caused her picture to be hung upon the walls of the ,midnight ,mission rooms1 where abandoned women resorted4 ,many gave the picture a passing glance4 ,one lingered by the picture4 ,it is the same dear face that looked down upon her in her childhood4 ,she has not forgotten nor cast off her sinning child2 or her picture would never have been hung upon those walls4 ,the lips seemed to open1 and whisper1 ,come home2 ,i forgive you1 and love you still4 ,the poor girl sank down overwhelmed with her feelings4 ,she was the prodigal daughter4 ,the sight of her mother's face had broken her heart4 ,she became truly penitent for her sins1 and with a heart full of sorrow and shame1 returned to her forsaken home2 and mother and daughter were once more united4 ,but let me tell you that no mother's love is to be compared with the love of ,god2 it does not measure the height of the depth of ,god's love4 ,no mother in this world ever loved her child as ,god loves you and me4 ,think of the love that ,god must have had when ,he gave ,his ,son to die for the world4 ,i used to think a good deal more of ,christ than ,i did of the ,father4 ,somehow or other ,i had the idea that ,god was a stern judge2 that ,christ came between me and ,god1 and appeased the anger of ,god4 ,but after ,i became a father1 and for years had an only son1 as ,i looked at my boy ,i thought of the ,father giving ,his ,son to die2 and it seemed to me as if it required more love for the ,father to give ,his ,son than for the ,son to die4 ,oh1 the love that ,god must have had for the world when ,he gave ,his ,son to die for it6 ,god so loved the world1 that ,he gave ,his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have everlasting life 7,john iii4 #af74 ,i have never been able to preach from that text4 ,i have often thought ,i would2 but it is so high that ,i can never climb to its height2 ,i have just quoted it and passed on4 ,who can fathom the depth of those words3 ,god so loved the world8 ,we can never scale the heights of ,his love or fathom its depths4 ,paul prayed that he might know the height1 the depth1 the length1 and the breadth1 of the love of ,god2 but it was past his finding out4 ,it passeth knowledge 7,eph4 iii4 #ai74 ,nothing speaks to us of the love of ,god1 like the cross of ,christ4 ,come with me to ,calvary1 and look upon the ,son of ,god as ,he hangs there4 ,can you hear that piercing cry from ,his dying lips3 ,father1 forgive them2 for they know not what they do6 and say that ,he does not love you8 ,greater love hath no man than this1 that a man lay down his life for his friends 7,john xv4 #ac74 ,but ,jesus ,christ laid down ,his life for his enemies4 ,another thought is this3 ,he loved us long before we ever thought of ,him4 ,the idea that he does not love us until we first love ,him is not to be found in ,scripture4 ,in #a ,john iv4 #aj1 it is written3 ,herein is love1 not that we loved ,god1 but that ,he loved us1 and sent ,his ,son to be the propitiation for our sins4 ,he loved us before we ever thought of loving ,him4 ,you loved your children before they knew anything about your love4 ,and so1 long before we ever thought of ,god1 we were in ,his thoughts4 ,what brought the prodigal home8 ,it was the thought that his father loved him4 ,suppose the news had reached him that he was cast off1 and that his father did not care for him any more1 would he have gone back8 ,never6 ,but the thought dawned upon him that his father loved him still3 so he rose up1 and went back to his home4 ,dear reader1 the love of the ,father ought to bring us back to ,him4 ,it was ,adam's calamity and sin that revealed ,god's love4 ,when ,adam fell ,god came down and dealt in mercy with him4 ,if any one is lost it will not be because ,god does not love him3 it will be because he has resisted the love of ,god4 ,what will make ,heaven attractive8 ,is it the pearly gates or the golden streets8 ,no4 ,heaven will be attractive1 because there we shall behold ,him who loved us so much as to give ,his only-begotten ,son to die for us4 ,what makes home attractive8 ,is it the beautiful furniture and stately rooms8 ,no2 some homes with all these are like whited sepulchres4 ,in ,brooklyn a mother was dying2 and it was necessary to take her child from her1 because the little child could not understand the nature of the sickness1 and disturbed her mother4 ,every night the child sobbed herself to sleep in a neighbor's house1 because she wanted to go back to her mother's2 but the mother grew worse1 and they could not take the child home4 ,at last the mother died2 and after her death they thought it best not to let the child see her dead mother in her coffin4 ,after the burial the child ran into one room crying ,mamma6 mamma6 and then into another crying ,mamma6 mamma6 and so went over the whole house3 and when the little creature failed to find that loved one she cried to be taken back to the neighbors4 ,so what makes heaven attractive is the thought that we shall see ,christ who has loved us and given ,himself for us4 ,if you ask me why ,god should love us1 ,i cannot tell4 ,i suppose it is because ,he is a true ,father4 ,it is ,his nature to love2 just as it is the nature of the sun to shine4 ,he wants you to share in that love4 ,do not let unbelief keep you away from ,him4 ,do not think that1 because you are a sinner1 ,god does not love you1 or care for you4 ,he does6 ,he wants to save you and bless you4 ,when we were yet without strength1 in due time ,christ died for the ungodly 7,rom4 v4 #f74 ,is that not enough to convince you that ,he loves you8 ,he would not have died for you if ,he had not loved you4 ,is your heart so hard that you can brace yourself up against ,his love1 and spurn and despise it8 ,you can do it2 but it will be at your peril4 ,i can imagine some saying to themselves1 ,yes1 we believe that ,god loves us1 if we love ,him2 we believe that ,god loves the pure and the holy4 ,let me say1 my friend1 not only does ,god love the pure and the holy3 ,he also loves the ungodly4 ,god commendeth ,his love toward us1 in that1 while we were yet sinners1 ,christ died for us 7,rom4 v4 #h74 ,god sent him to die for the sins of the whole world4 ,if you belong to the world1 then you have part and lot in this love that has been exhibited in the cross of ,christ4 ,there is a passage in ,revelation 7i4 #e47 which ,i think a great deal of--,unto ,him that loved us1 and washed us4 ,it might be thought that ,god would first wash us1 and then love us4 ,but no1 ,he first loved us4 ,about eight years ago the whole country was intensely excited about ,charlie ,ross1 a child of four years old1 who was stolen4 ,two men in a gig asked him and an elder brother if they wanted some candy4 ,they then drove away with the younger boy1 leaving the elder one4 ,for many years a search has been made in every ,state and territory4 ,men have been over to ,great ,britain1 ,france1 and ,germany1 and have hunted in vain for the child4 ,the mother still lives in the hope that she will see her long lost ,charlie4 ,i never remember the whole country to have been so much agitated about any event unless it was the assassination of ,president ,garfield4 ,well1 suppose the mother of ,charlie ,ross were in some meeting2 and that while the preacher was speaking1 she happened to look down amongst the audience and see her long lost son4 ,suppose that he was poor1 dirty and ragged1 shoeless and coatless1 what would she do8 ,would she wait till he was washed and decently clothed before she would acknowledge him8 ,no1 she would get off the platform at once1 rush towards him and take him in her arms4 ,after that she would cleanse and clothe him4 ,so it is with ,god4 ,he loved us1 and washed us4 ,i can imagine one saying1 ,if ,god loves me1 why does ,he not make me good8 ,god wants sons and daughters in heaven2 ,he does not want machines or slaves4 ,he could break our stubborn hearts1 but ,he wants to draw us towards ,himself by the cords of love4 ,he wanted you to sit down with ,him at the marriage supper of the ,lamb2 to wash you1 and make you whiter than snow4 ,he wants you to walk with ,him the crystal pavement of yonder blissful world4 ,he wants to adopt you into ,his family2 and to make you a son or a daughter of heaven4 ,will you trample ,his love under your feet8 or will you1 this hour1 give yourself to ,him8 ,when our terrible civil war was going on1 a mother received the news that her boy had been wounded in the battle of the ,wilderness4 ,she took the first train1 and started for her boy1 although the order had gone forth from the ,war ,department that no more women should be admitted within the lines4 ,but a mother's love knows nothing about orders so she managed by tears and entreaties to get through the lines to the ,wilderness4 ,at last she found the hospital where her boy was4 ,then she went to the doctor and she said3 ,will you let me go to the ward and nurse my boy8 ,the doctor said3 ,i have just got your boy to sleep2 he is in a very critical state2 and ,i am afraid if you wake him up the excitement will be so great that it will carry him off4 ,you had better wait awhile1 and remain without until ,i tell him that you have come1 and break the news gradually to him4 ,the mother looked into the doctor's face and said3 ,doctor1 supposing my boy does not wake up1 and ,i should never see him alive6 ,let me go and sit down by his side2 ,i won't speak to him4 ,if you will not speak to him you may do so1 said the doctor4 ,she crept to the cot and looked into the face of her boy4 ,how she had longed to look at him6 ,how her eyes seemed to be feasting as she gazed upon his countenance6 ,when she got near enough she could not keep her hands off2 she laid that tender1 loving hand upon his brow4 ,the moment the hand touched the forehead of her boy1 he1 without opening his eyes1 cried out3 ,mother1 you have come6 ,he knew the touch of that loving hand4 ,there was love and sympathy in it4 ,ah1 sinner1 if you feel the loving touch of ,jesus you will recognize it2 it is so full of tenderness4 ,the world may treat you unkindly2 but ,christ never will4 ,you will never have a better ,friend in this world4 ,what you need is--to come today to ,him4 ,let ,his loving arm be underneath you2 let ,his loving hand be about you2 and ,he will hold you with mighty power4 ,he will keep you1 and fill that heart of yours with ,his tenderness and love4 ,i can imagine some of you saying1 ,how shall ,i go to ,him8 ,why1 just as you would go to your mother4 ,have you done your mother a great injury and a great wrong8 ,if so1 you go to her and you say1 ,mother1 ,i want you to forgive me4 ,treat ,christ in the same way4 ,go to ,him to-day and tell ,him that you have not loved ,him1 that you have not treated ,him right2 confess you sins1 and see how quickly ,he will bless you4 ,i am reminded of another incident--that of a boy who had been tried by court-martial and ordered to be shot4 ,the hearts of the father and mother were broken when they heard the news4 ,in that home was a little girl4 ,she had read the life of ,abraham ,lincoln1 and she said3 ,now1 if ,abraham ,lincoln knew how my father and mother loved their boy1 he would not let my brother be shot4 ,she wanted her father to go to ,washington to plead for his boy4 ,but the father said3 ,no2 there is no use2 the law must take its course4 ,they have refused to pardon one or two who have been sentenced by that court-martial1 and an order has gone forth that the ,president is not going to interfere again2 if a man has been sentenced by court-martial he must suffer the consequences4 ,that father and mother had not faith to believe that their boy might be pardoned4 ,but the little girl was strong in hope2 she got on the train away up in ,vermont1 and started off to ,washington4 ,when she reached the ,white ,house the soldiers refused to let her in2 but she told her pitiful story1 and they allowed her to pass4 ,when she got to the ,secretary's room1 where the ,president's private secretary was1 he refused to allow her to enter the private office of the ,president4 ,but the little girl told her story1 and it touched the heart of the private secretary2 so he passed her in4 ,as she went into ,abraham ,lincoln's room1 there were ,united ,states senators1 generals1 governors and leading politicians1 who were there about important business about the war2 but the ,president happened to see that child standing at his door4 ,he wanted to know what she wanted1 and she went right to him and told her story in her own language4 ,he was a father1 and the great tears trickled down ,abraham ,lincoln's cheeks4 ,he wrote a dispatch ard sent it to the army to have that boy sent to ,washington at once4 ,when he arrived1 the ,president pardoned him1 gave him thirty days furlough1 and sent him home with the little girl to cheer the hearts of the father and mother4 ,do you want to know how to go to ,christ8 ,go just as that little girl went to ,abraham ,lincoln4 ,it may be possible that you have a dark story to tell4 ,tell it all out2 keep nothing back4 ,if ,abraham ,lincoln had compassion on that little girl1 heard her petition and answered it1 do you think the ,lord ,jesus will not hear your prayer8 ,do you think that ,abraham ,lincoln1 or any man that ever lived on earth1 had as much compassion as ,christ8 ,no6 ,he will be touched when no one else will2 ,he will have mercy when no one else will2 ,he will have pity when no one else will4 ,if you will go right to ,him1 confessing your sin and your need1 ,he will save you4 ,a few years ago a man left ,england and went to ,america4 ,he was an ,englishman2 but he was naturalized1 and so became an ,american citizen4 ,after a few years he felt restless and dissatisfied1 and went to ,cuba2 and after he had been in ,cuba a little while civil war broke out there2 it was in #ahfg2 and this man was arrested by the ,spanish government as a spy4 ,he was tried by court-martial1 found guilty and ordered to be shot4 ,the whole trial was conducted in the ,spanish language1 and the poor man did not know what was going on4 ,when they told him the verdict1 that he was found guilty and had been condemned to be shot1 he sent to the ,american ,consul and the ,english ,consul1 and laid the whole case before them1 proving his innocence and claiming protection4 ,they examined the case1 and found that this man whom the ,spanish officers had condemned to be shot was perfectly innocent2 they went to the ,spanish ,general and said1 ,look here1 this man whom you have condemned to death is an innocent man2 he is not guilty4 ,but the ,spanish ,general said1 ,he has been tried by our law2 he has been found guilty2 he must die4 ,there was no electric cable2 and these men could not consult with their governments4 ,the morning came on which the man was to be executed4 ,he was brought out sitting on his coffin in a cart1 and drawn to the place where he was to be executed4 ,a grave was dug4 ,they took the coffin out of the cart1 placed the young man upon it1 took the black cap1 and were just pulling it down over his face4 ,the ,spanish soldiers awaited the order to fire4 ,but just then the ,american and ,english ,consuls rode up4 ,the ,english ,consul sprang out of the carriage and took the union jack1 the ,british flag1 and wrapped it around the man1 and the ,american ,consul wrapped around him the star-spangled banner1 and then turning to the ,spanish officers they said3 ,fire upon those flags if you dare4 ,they did not dare to fire upon the flags4 ,there were two great governments behind those flags4 ,that was the secret of it4 ,he brought me to the banqueting house1 and ,his banner over me was love4 4 4 4 ,his left hand is under my head1 and ,his right hand doth embrace me 7,song ,sol4 ii4 #d1 #f74 ,thank ,god we can come under the banner to-day if we will4 ,any poor sinner can come under that banner to-day4 ,his banner of love is over us4 ,blessed ,gospel2 blessed1 precious1 news4 ,believe it to-day2 receive it into your heart2 and enter into a new life4 ,let the love of ,god be shed abroad in your heart by the ,holy ,ghost to-day3 it will drive away darkness2 it will drive away gloom2 it will drive away sin2 and peace and joy shall be yours4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,gateway ,,into ,,the ,,kingdom4 ,except a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of ,god4 7,john iii4 #c47 ,there is no portion of the ,word of ,god1 perhaps1 with which we are more familiar than this passage4 ,i suppose if ,i were to ask those in any audience if they believed that ,jesus ,christ taught the doctrine of the ,new ,birth1 nine tenths of them would say3 ,yes1 ,i believe ,he did4 ,now if the words of this text are true they embody one of the most solemn questions that can come before us4 ,we can afford to be deceived about many things rather than about this one thing4 ,christ makes it very plain4 ,he says1 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the ,kingdom of ,god--much less inherit it4 ,this doctrine of the ,new ,birth is therefore the foundation of all our hopes for the world to come4 ,it is really the ,a ,b ,c of the ,christian religion4 ,my experience has been this--that if a man is unsound on this doctrine he will be unsound on almost every other fundamental doctrine in the ,bible4 ,a true understanding of this subject will help a man to solve a thousand difficulties that he may meet with in the ,word of ,god4 ,things that before seemed very dark and mysterious will become very plain4 ,the doctrine of the ,new ,birth upsets all false religion--all false views about the ,bible and about ,god4 ,a friend of mine once told me that in one of his after-meetings1 a man came to him with a long list of questions written out for him to answer4 ,he said3 ,if you can answer these questions satisfactorily1 ,i have made up my mind to be a ,christian4 ,do you not think1 said my friend1 that you had better come to ,christ first8 ,then you can look into these questions4 ,the man thought that perhaps he had better do so4 ,after he had received ,christ1 he looked again at his list of questions2 but then it seemed to him as if they had all been answered4 ,nicodemus came with his troubled mind1 and ,christ said to him1 ,ye must be born again4 ,he was treated altogether differently from what he expected2 but ,i venture to say that was the most blessed night in all his life4 ,to be born again is the greatest blessing that will ever come to us in this world4 ,notice how the ,scripture puts it4 ,except a man be born again1 born from above1,note3 ,john iii4 #c4 ,marginal reading born of the ,spirit4 ,from amongst a number of other passages where we find this word except1 ,i would just name three4 ,except ye repent1 ye shall all likewise perish4 7,luke xiii4 #c1 #e47 ,except ye be converted1 and become as little children1 ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven4 7,matt4 xviii4 #c47 ,except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven4 7,matt4 v4 #bj47 ,they all really mean the same thing4 ,i am so thankful that our ,lord spoke of the ,new ,birth to this ruler of the ,jews1 this doctor of the law1 rather than to the woman at the well of ,samaria1 or to ,matthew the publican1 or to ,zaccheus4 ,if ,he had reserved his teaching on this great matter for these three1 or such as these1 people would have said3 ,oh yes1 these publicans and harlots need to be converted3 but ,i am an upright man2 ,i do not need to be converted4 ,i suppose ,nicodemus was one of the best specimens of the people of ,jerusalem3 there was nothing on record against him4 ,i think it is scarcely necessary for me to prove that we need to be born again before we are meet for heaven4 ,i venture to say that there is no candid man but would say he is not fit for the kingdom of ,god1 until he is born of another ,spirit4 ,the ,bible teaches us that man by nature is lost and guilty1 and our experience confirms this4 ,we know also that the best and holiest man1 if he turn away from ,god1 will very soon fall into sin4 ,now1 let me say what ,regeneration is not4 ,it is not going to church4 ,very often ,i see people1 and ask them if they are ,christians4 ,yes1 of course ,i am2 at least1 ,i think ,i am3 ,i go to church every ,sunday4 ,ah1 but this is not ,regeneration4 ,others say1 ,i am trying to do what is right--am ,i not a ,christian8 ,is not that a new birth8 ,no4 ,what has that to do with being born again8 ,there is yet another class--those who have turned over a new leaf1 and think they are regenerated4 ,no2 forming a new resolution is not being born again4 ,nor will being baptized do you any good4 ,yet you hear people say1 ,why1 ,i have been baptized2 and ,i was born again when ,i was baptized4 ,they believe that because they were baptized into the church1 they were baptized into the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,i tell you that it is utterly impossible4 ,you may be baptized into the church1 and yet not be baptized into the ,son of ,god4 ,baptism is all right in its place4 ,god forbid that ,i should say anything against it4 ,but if you put that in the place of ,regeneration--in the place of the ,new ,birth--it is a terrible mistake4 ,you cannot be baptized into the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,if any one reading this rests his hopes on anything else--on any other foundation--,i pray that ,god may sweep it away4 ,another class say1 ,i go to the ,lord's ,supper2 ,i partake uniformly of the ,sacrament4 ,blessed ordinance6 ,jesus hath said that as often as ye do it ye commemorate ,his death4 ,yet1 that is not being born again2 that is not passing from death unto life4 ,jesus says plainly--and so plainly that there need not be any mistake about it--,except a man be born of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,what has a sacrament to do with that8 ,what has going to church to do with being born again8 ,another man comes up and says1 ,i say my prayers regularly4 ,still ,i say that is not being born of the ,spirit4 ,it is a very solemn question1 then1 that comes up before us2 and oh6 that every reader would ask himself earnestly and faithfully3 ,have ,i been born again8 ,have ,i been born of the ,spirit8 ,have ,i passed from death unto life8 ,there is a class of men who say that special religious meetings are very good for a certain class of people4 ,they would be very good if you could get the drunkard there1 or get the gambler there1 or get other vicious people there--that would do a great deal of good4 ,but we do not need to be converted4 ,to whom did ,christ utter these words of wisdom8 ,to ,nicodemus4 ,who was ,nicodemus8 ,was he a drunkard1 a gambler1 or a thief8 ,no6 ,no doubt he was one of the very best men in ,jerusalem4 ,he was an honorable ,councillor2 he belonged to the ,sanhedrim2 he held a very high position2 he was an orthodox man2 he was one of the very soundest men4 ,and yet what did ,christ say to him8 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4 ,but ,i can imagine some one saying1 ,what am ,i to do8 ,i cannot create life4 ,i certainly cannot save myself4 ,you certainly cannot2 and we do not claim that you can4 ,we tell you it is utterly impossible to make a man better without ,christ2 but that is what men are trying to do4 ,they are trying to patch up this old ,adam nature4 ,there must be a new creation4 ,regeneration is a new creation2 and if it is a new creation it must be the work of ,god4 ,in the first chapter of ,genesis man does not appear4 ,there is no one there but ,god4 ,man is not there to take part4 ,when ,god created the earth ,he was alone4 ,when ,christ redeemed the world ,he was alone4 ,that which is born of the flesh is flesh2 and that which is born of the ,spirit is spirit4 7,john iii4 #f47 ,the ,ethiopian cannot change his skin1 and the leopard cannot change his spots4 ,you might as well try to make yourselves pure and holy without the help of ,god4 ,it would be just as easy for you to do that as for the black man to wash himself white4 ,a man might just as well try to leap over the moon as to serve ,god in the flesh4 ,therefore1 that which is born of the flesh is flesh2 and that which is born of the ,spirit is spirit4 ,now ,god tells us in this chapter how we are to get into ,his kingdom4 ,we are not to work our way in--not but that salvation is worth working for4 ,we admit all that4 ,if there were rivers and mountains in the way1 it would be well worth while to swim those rivers1 and climb those mountains4 ,there is no doubt that salvation is worth all that effort2 but we do not obtain it by our works4 ,it is to him that worketh not1 but believeth 7,rom4 iv4 #e74 ,we work because we are saved2 we do not work to be saved4 ,we work from the cross2 but not towards it4 ,it is written1 ,work out your own salvation with fear and trembling 7,phil4 ii4 #ab74 ,why1 you must have your salvation before you can work it out4 ,suppose ,i say to my little boy1 ,i want you to spend that hundred dollars carefully4 ,well1 he says1 let me have the hundred dollars2 and ,i will be careful how ,i spend it4 ,i remember when ,i first left home and went to ,boston2 ,i had spent all my money1 and ,i went to the post-office three times a day4 ,i knew there was only one mail a day from home2 but ,i thought by some possibility there might be a letter for me4 ,at last ,i received a letter from my little sister2 and oh1 how glad ,i was to get it4 ,she had heard that there were a great many pick-pockets in ,boston1 and a large part of that letter was to urge me to be very careful not to let anybody pick my pocket4 ,now ,i required to have something in my pocket before ,i could have it picked4 ,so you must have salvation before you can work it out4 ,when ,christ cried out on ,calvary1 ,it is finished6 ,he meant what ,he said4 ,all that men have to do now is just to accept of the work of ,jesus ,christ4 ,there is no hope for man or woman so long as they are trying to work out salvation for themselves4 ,i can imagine there are some people who will say1 as ,nicodemus possibly did1 ,this is a very mysterious thing4 ,i see the scowl on that ,pharisee's brow as he says1 ,how can these things be8 ,it sounds very strange to his ear4 ,born again2 born of the ,spirit6 ,how can these things be8 ,a great many people say1 ,you must reason it out2 but if you do not reason it out1 do not ask us to believe it4 ,i can imagine a great many people saying that4 ,when you ask me to reason it out1 ,i tell you frankly ,i cannot do it4 ,the wind bloweth where it listeth1 and thou hearest the sound thereof1 but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth3 so is every one that is born of the ,spirit4 7,john #h47 ,i do not understand everything about the wind4 ,you ask me to reason it out4 ,i cannot4 ,it may blow due north here1 and a hundred miles away due south4 ,i may go up a few hundred feet1 and find it blowing in an entirely opposite direction from what it is down here4 ,you ask me to explain these currents of wind2 but suppose that1 because ,i cannot explain them1 and do not understand them1 ,i were to take my stand and assert1 ,oh1 there is no such thing as wind4 ,i can imagine some little girl saying1 ,i know more about it than that man does2 often have ,i heard the wind1 and felt it blowing against my face2 and she might say1 ,did not the wind blow my umbrella out of my hands the other day8 and did ,i not see it blow a man's hat off in the street8 ,have ,i not seen it blow the trees in the forest1 and the growing corn in the country8 ,you might just as well tell me that there is no such thing as wind1 as tell me there is no such thing as a man being born of the ,spirit4 ,i have felt the spirit of ,god working in my heart1 just as really and as truly as ,i have felt the wind blowing in my face4 ,i cannot reason it out4 ,there are a great many things ,i cannot reason out1 but which ,i believe4 ,i never could reason out the creation4 ,i can see the world1 but ,i cannot tell how ,god made it out of nothing4 ,but almost every man will admit there was a creative power4 ,there are a great many things that ,i cannot explain and cannot reason out1 and yet that ,i believe4 ,i heard a commercial traveler say that he had heard that the ministry and religion of ,jesus ,christ were matters of revelation and not of investigation4 ,when it pleased ,god to reveal ,his ,son in ,me1 says ,paul 7,gal4 i1 #ae1 #af74 ,there was a party of young men together1 going up the country2 and on their journey they made up their minds not to believe anything they could not reason out4 ,an old man heard them2 and presently he said1 ,i heard you say you would not believe anything you could not reason out4 ,yes1 they said1 that is so4 ,well1 he said1 coming down on the train to-day1 ,i noticed some geese1 some sheep1 some swine1 and some cattle all eating grass4 ,can you tell me by what process that same grass was turned into hair1 feathers1 bristles and wool8 ,do you believe it is a fact8 ,oh yes1 they said1 we cannot help believing that1 though we fail to understand it4 ,well1 said the old man1 ,i cannot help believing in ,jesus ,christ4 ,and ,i cannot help believing in the regeneration of man1 when ,i see men who have been reclaimed1 when ,i see men who have been reformed4 ,have not some of the very worst men been regenerated--been picked up out of the pit1 and had their feet set upon the ,rock1 and a new song put in their mouths8 ,their tongues were cursing and blaspheming2 and now are occupied in praising ,god4 ,old things have passed away1 and all things have become new4 ,they are not reformed only1 but regenerated--new men in ,christ ,jesus4 ,down there in the dark alleys of one of our great cities is a poor drunkard4 ,i think if you want to get near hell1 you should go to a poor drunkard's home4 ,go to the house of that poor miserable drunkard4 ,is there anything more like hell on earth8 ,see the want and distress that reign there4 ,but hark6 ,a footstep is heard at the door1 and the children run and hide themselves4 ,the patient wife waits to meet the man4 ,he has been her torment4 ,many a time she has borne about the marks of his blows for weeks4 ,many a time that strong right hand has been brought down on her defenseless head4 ,and now she waits expecting to hear his oaths and suffer his brutal treatment4 ,he comes in and says to her3 ,i have been to the meeting2 and ,i heard there that if ,i will ,i can be converted4 ,i believe that ,god is able to save me4 ,go down to that house again in a few weeks3 and what a change6 ,as you approach you hear some one singing4 ,it is not the song of a reveller1 but the strains of that good old hymn1 ,rock of ,ages4 ,the children are no longer afraid of the man1 but cluster around his knee4 ,his wife is near him1 her face lit up with a happy glow4 ,is not that a picture of ,regeneration8 ,i can take you to many such homes1 made happy by the regenerating power of the religion of ,christ4 ,what men want is the power to overcome temptation1 the power to lead a right life4 ,the only way to get into the kingdom of ,god is to be born into it4 ,the law of this country requires that the ,president should be born in the country4 ,when foreigners come to our shores they have no right to complain against such a law1 which forbids them from ever becoming ,presidents4 ,now1 has not ,god a right to make a law that all those who become heirs of eternal life must be born into ,his kingdom8 ,an unregenerated man would rather be in hell than in heaven4 ,take a man whose heart is full of corruption and wickedness1 and place him in heaven among the pure1 the holy and the redeemed2 and he would not want to stay there4 ,certainly1 if we are to be happy in heaven we must begin to make a heaven here on earth4 ,heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people4 ,if a gambler or a blasphemer were taken out of the streets of ,new ,york and placed on the crystal pavement of heaven and under the shadow of the tree of life1 he would say1 ,i do not want to stay here4 ,if men were taken to heaven just as they are by nature1 without having their hearts regenerated1 there would be another rebellion in heaven4 ,heaven is filled with a company of those who have been twice born4 ,in the #adth and #aeth verses of this chapter we read ,as ,moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness1 even so must the ,son of ,man be lifted up2 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have eternal life4 ,,whosoever4 ,mark that6 ,let me tell you who are unsaved what ,god has done for you4 ,he has done everything that ,he could do toward your salvation4 ,you need not wait for ,god to do anything more4 ,in one place he asks the question1 what more could he have done 7,isaiah v4 #d74 ,he sent ,his prophets1 and they killed them2 then ,he sent ,his beloved ,son1 and they murdered ,him4 ,now ,he has sent the ,holy ,spirit to convince us of sin1 and to show how we are to be saved4 ,in this chapter we are told how men are to be saved1 namely1 by ,him who was lifted up on the cross4 ,just as ,moses lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness1 so must the ,son of ,man be lifted up1 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have eternal life4 ,some men complain and say that it is very unreasonable that they should be held responsible for the sin of a man six thousand years ago4 ,it was not long ago that a man was talking to me about this injustice1 as he called it4 ,if a man thinks he is going to answer ,god in that way1 ,i tell you it will not do him any good4 ,if you are lost1 it will not be on account of ,adam's sin4 ,let me illustrate this2 and perhaps you will be better able to understand it4 ,suppose ,i am dying of consumption1 which ,i inherited from my father or mother4 ,i did not get the disease by any fault of my own1 by any neglect of my health2 ,i inherited it1 let us suppose4 ,a friend happens to come along3 he looks at me1 and says3 ,moody1 you are in a consumption4 ,i reply1 ,i know it very well2 ,i do not want any one to tell me that4 ,but1 he says1 there is a remedy4 ,but1 sir1 ,i do not believe it4 ,i have tried the leading physicians in this country and in ,europe2 and they tell me there is no hope4 ,but you know me1 ,moody2 you have known me for years4 ,yes1 sir4 ,do you think1 then1 ,i would tell you a falsehood8 ,no4 ,well1 ten years ago ,i was as far gone4 ,i was given up by the physicians to die2 but ,i took this medicine and it cured me4 ,i am perfectly well3 look at me4 ,i say that it is a very strange case4 ,yes1 it may be strange2 but it is a fact4 ,this medicine cured me3 take this medicine1 and it will cure you4 ,although it has cost me a great deal1 it shall not cost you anything4 ,do not make light of it1 ,i beg of you4 ,well1 ,i say1 ,i should like to believe you2 but this is contrary to my reason4 ,hearing this1 my friend goes away and returns with another friend1 and that one testifies to the same thing4 ,i am still disbelieving2 so he goes away1 and brings in another friend1 and another1 and another1 and another2 and they all testify to the same thing4 ,they say they were as bad as myself2 that they took the same medicine that has been offered to me2 and that it has cured them4 ,my friend then hands me the medicine4 ,i dash it to the ground2 ,i do not believe in its saving power2 ,i die4 ,the reason is then that ,i spurned the remedy4 ,so1 if you perish1 it will not be because ,adam fell2 but because you spurned the remedy offered to save you4 ,you will choose darkness rather than light4 ,how then shall ye escape1 if ye neglect so great salvation8 ,there is no hope for you if you neglect the remedy4 ,it does no good to look at the wound4 ,if we had been in the ,israelitish camp and had been bitten by one of the fiery serpents1 it would have done us no good to look at the wound4 ,looking at the wound will never save any one4 ,what you must do is to look at the ,remedy--look away to ,him who hath power to save you from your sin4 ,behold the camp of the ,israelites2 look at the scene that is pictured to your eyes6 ,many are dying because they neglect the remedy that is offered4 ,in that arid desert is many a short and tiny grave2 many a child has been bitten by the fiery serpents4 ,fathers and mothers are bearing away their children4 ,over yonder they are just burying a mother2 a loved mother is about to be laid in the earth4 ,all the family1 weeping1 gather around the beloved form4 ,you hear the mournful cries2 you see the bitter tears4 ,the father is being borne away to his last resting place4 ,there is wailing going up all over the camp4 ,tears are pouring down for thousands who have passed away2 thousands more are dying2 and the plague is raging from one end of the camp to the other4 ,i see in one tent an ,israelitish mother bending over the form of a beloved boy just coming into the bloom of life1 just budding into manhood4 ,she is wiping away the sweat of death that is gathering upon his brow4 ,yet a little while1 and his eyes are fixed and glassy1 for life is ebbing fast away4 ,the mother's heart-strings are torn and bleeding4 ,all at once she hears a noise in the camp4 ,a great shout goes up4 ,what does it mean8 ,she goes to the door of the tent4 ,what is the noise in the camp8 she asks those passing by4 ,and some one says3 ,why1 my good woman1 have you not heard the good news that has come into the camp8 ,no1 says the woman1 ,good news6 ,what is it8 ,why1 have you not heard about it8 ,god has provided a remedy4 ,what6 for the bitten ,israelites8 ,oh1 tell me what the remedy is6 ,why1 ,god has instructed ,moses to make a brazen serpent1 and to put it on a pole in the middle of the camp2 and ,he has declared that whosoever looks upon it shall live4 ,the shout that you hear is the shout of the people when they see the serpent lifted up4 ,the mother goes back into the tent1 and she says3 ,my boy1 ,i have good news to tell you4 ,you need not die6 ,my boy1 my boy1 ,i have come with good tidings2 you can live6 ,he is already getting stupefied2 he is so weak he cannot walk to the door of the tent4 ,she puts her strong arms under him and lifts him up4 ,look yonder2 look right there under the hill6 ,but the boy does not see anything2 he says--,i do not see anything2 what is it1 mother8 ,and she says3 ,keep looking1 and you will see it4 ,at last he catches a glimpse of the glistening serpent2 and lo1 he is well6 ,and thus it is with many a young convert4 ,some men say1 ,oh1 we do not believe in sudden conversions4 ,how long did it take to cure that boy8 ,how long did it take to cure those serpent-bitten ,israelites8 ,it was just a look2 and they were well4 ,that ,hebrew boy is a young convert4 ,i can fancy that ,i see him now calling on all those who were with him to praise ,god4 ,he sees another young man bitten as he was2 and he runs up to him and tells him1 ,you1 need not die4 ,oh1 the young man replies1 ,i cannot live2 it is not possible4 ,there is not a physician in ,israel who can cure me4 ,he does not know that he need not die4 ,why1 have you not heard the news8 ,god has provided a remedy4 ,what remedy8 ,why1 ,god has told ,moses to lift up a brazen serpent1 and has said that none of those who look upon that serpent shall die4 ,i can just imagine the young man4 ,he may be what you call an intellectual young man4 ,he says to the young convert ,you do not think ,i am going to believe anything like that8 ,if the physicians in ,israel cannot cure me1 how do you think that an old brass serpent on a pole is going to cure me8 ,why1 sir1 ,i was as bad as yourself6 ,you do not say so6 ,yes1 ,i do4 ,that is the most astonishing thing ,i ever heard1 says the young man3 ,i wish you would explain the philosophy of it4 ,i cannot4 ,i only know that ,i looked at that serpent1 and ,i was cured3 that did it4 ,i just looked2 that is all4 ,my mother told me the reports that were being heard through the camp2 and ,i just believed what my mother said1 and ,i am perfectly well4 ,well1 ,i do not believe you were bitten as badly as ,i have been4 ,the young man pulls up his sleeve4 ,look there6 ,that mark shows where ,i was bitten2 and ,i tell you ,i was worse than you are4 ,well1 if ,i understood the philosophy of it ,i would look and get well4 ,let your philosophy go3 look and live4 ,but1 sir1 you ask me to do an unreasonable thing4 ,if ,god had said1 ,take the brass and rub it into the wound1 there might be something in the brass that would cure the bite4 ,young man1 explain the philosophy of it4 ,i have often seen people before me who have talked in that way4 ,but the young man calls in another1 and takes him into the tent1 and says3 ,just tell him how the ,lord saved you2 and he tells just the same story2 and he calls in others1 and they all say the same thing4 ,the young man says it is a very strange thing4 ,if the ,lord had told ,moses to go and get some herbs1 or roots1 and stew them1 and take the decoction as a medicine1 there would be something in that4 ,but it is so contrary to nature to do such a thing as look at the serpent1 that ,i cannot do it4 ,at length his mother1 who has been out in the camp1 comes in1 and she says1 ,my boy1 ,i have just the best news in the world for you4 ,i was in the camp1 and ,i saw hundreds who were very far gone1 and they are all perfectly well now4 ,the young man says3 ,i should like to get well2 it is a very painful thought to die2 ,i want to go into the promised land1 and it is terrible to die here in this wilderness2 but the fact is--,i do not understand the remedy4 ,it does not appeal to my reason4 ,i cannot believe that ,i can get well in a moment4 ,and the young man dies in consequence of his own unbelief4 ,god provided a remedy for this bitten ,israelite--,look and live6 ,and there is eternal life for every poor sinner4 ,look1 and you can be saved1 my reader1 this very hour4 ,god has provided a remedy2 and it is offered to all4 ,the trouble is1 a great many people are looking at the pole4 ,do not look at the pole2 that is the church4 ,you need not look at the church2 the church is all right1 but the church cannot save you4 ,look beyond the pole4 ,look at the ,crucified ,one4 ,look to ,calvary4 ,bear in mind1 sinner1 that ,jesus died for all4 ,you need not look at ministers2 they are just ,god's chosen instruments to hold up the ,remedy1 to hold up ,christ4 ,and so1 my friends1 take your eyes off from men2 take your eyes off from the church4 ,lift them up to ,jesus2 who took away the sin of the world1 and there will be life for you from this hour4 ,thank ,god1 we do not require an education to teach us how to look4 ,that little girl1 that little boy1 only four years old1 who cannot read1 can look4 ,when the father is coming home1 the mother says to her little boy1 ,look6 look6 look6 and the little child learns to look long before he is a year old4 ,and that is the way to be saved4 ,it is to look at the ,lamb of ,god who taketh away the sin of the world2 and there is life this moment for every one who is willing to look4 ,some men say1 ,i wish ,i knew how to be saved4 ,just take ,god at ,his word and trust ,his ,son this very day--this very hour--this very moment4 ,he will save you1 if you will trust ,him4 ,i imagine ,i hear some one saying1 ,i do not feel the bite as much as ,i wish ,i did4 ,i know ,i am a sinner1 and all that2 but ,i do not feel the bite enough4 ,how much does ,god want you to feel it8 ,when ,i was in ,belfast ,i knew a doctor who had a friend1 a leading surgeon there2 and he told me that the surgeon's custom was1 before performing any operation1 to say to the patient1 ,take a good look at the wound1 and then fix your eyes on me2 and do not take them off till ,i get through4 ,i thought at the time that was a good illustration4 ,sinner1 take a good look at your wound2 and then fix your eyes on ,christ1 and do not take them off4 ,it is better to look at the ,remedy than at the wound4 ,see what a poor wretched sinner you are2 and then look at the ,lamb of ,god who taketh away the sin of the world4 ,he died for the ungodly and the sinner4 ,say ,i will take ,him6 ,and may ,god help you to lift your eye to the ,man on ,calvary4 ,and as the ,israelites looked upon the serpent and were healed1 so may you look and live4 ,after the battle of ,pittsburgh ,landing ,i was in a hospital at ,murfreesbro4 ,in the middle of the night ,i was aroused and told that a man in one of the wards wanted to see me4 ,i went to him and he called me chaplain--,i was not the chaplain--and said he wanted me to help him die4 ,and ,i said1 ,i would take you right up in my arms and carry you into the kingdom of ,god if ,i could2 but ,i cannot do it3 ,i cannot help you die6 ,and he said1 ,who can8 ,i said1 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ can--,he came for that purpose4 ,he shook his head1 and said1 ,he cannot save me2 ,i have sinned all my life4 ,and ,i said1 ,but ,he came to save sinners4 ,i thought of his mother in the north1 and ,i was sure that she was anxious that he should die in peace2 so ,i resolved ,i would stay with him4 ,i prayed two or three times1 and repeated all the promises ,i could2 for it was evident that in a few hours he would be gone4 ,i said ,i wanted to read him a conversation that ,christ had with a man who was anxious about his soul4 ,i turned to the third chapter of ,john4 ,his eyes were riveted on me2 and when ,i came to the #adth and #aeth verses--the passage before us--he caught up the words1 ,as ,moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness1 even so must the ,son of ,man be lifted up2 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have eternal life4 ,he stopped me and said1 ,is that there8 ,i said ,yes4 ,he asked me to read it again2 and ,i did so4 ,he leant his elbows on the cot and clasping his hands together1 said1 ,that's good2 won't you read it again8 ,i read it the third time2 and then went on with the rest of the chapter4 ,when ,i had finished1 his eyes were closed1 his hands were folded1 and there was a smile on his face4 ,oh1 how it was lit up6 ,what change had come over it6 ,i saw his lips quivering1 and leaning over him ,i heard in a faint whisper1 ,as ,moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness1 even so must the ,son of ,man be lifted up2 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have eternal life4 ,he opened his eyes and said1 ,that's enough2 don't read any more4 ,he lingered a few hours1 pillowing his head on those two verses2 and then went up in one of ,christ's chariots1 to take his seat in the kingdom of ,god4 ,christ said to ,nicodemus3 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4 ,you may see many countries2 but there is one country--the land of ,beulah1 which ,john ,bunyan saw in vision--you shall never behold1 unless you are born again--regenerated by ,christ4 ,you can look abroad and see many beautiful trees2 but the tree of life1 you shall never behold1 unless your eyes are made clear by faith in the ,saviour4 ,you may see the beautiful rivers of the earth--you may ride upon their bosoms2 but bear in mind that your eye will never rest upon the river which bursts out from the ,throne of ,god and flows through the upper ,kingdom1 unless you are born again4 ,god has said it2 and not man4 ,you will never see the kingdom of ,god except you are born again4 ,you may see the kings and lords of the earth2 but the ,king of kings and ,lord of lords you will never see except you are born again4 ,when you are in ,london you may go to the ,tower and see the crown of ,england1 which is worth thousands of dollars1 and is guarded there by soldiers2 but bear in mind that your eye will never rest upon the crown of life except you are born again4 ,you may hear the songs of ,zion which are sung here2 but one song--that of ,moses and the ,lamb--the uncircumcised ear shall never hear2 its melody will only gladden the ear of those who have been born again4 ,you may look upon the beautiful mansions of earth1 but bear in mind the mansions which ,christ has gone to prepare you shall never see unless you are born again4 ,it is ,god who says it4 ,you may see ten thousand beautiful things in this world2 but the city that ,abraham caught a glimpse of--and from that time became a pilgrim and sojourner--you shall never see unless you are born again 7,heb4 xi4 #h1 #aj-af74 ,you may often be invited to marriage feasts here2 but you will never attend the marriage supper of the ,lamb except you are born again4 ,it is ,god who says it1 dear friend4 ,you may be looking on the face of your sainted mother to-night1 and feel that she is praying for you2 but the time will come when you shall never see her more unless you are born again4 ,the reader may be a young man or a young lady who has recently stood by the bedside of a dying mother2 and she may have said1 ,be sure and meet me in heaven1 and you made the promise4 ,ah6 you shall never see her more1 except you are born again4 ,i believe ,jesus of ,nazareth1 sooner than those infidels who say you do not need to be born again4 ,parents1 if you hope to see your children who have gone before1 you must be born of the ,spirit4 ,possibly you are a father or a mother who has recently borne a loved one to the grave2 and how dark your home seems6 ,never more will you see your child1 unless you are born again4 ,if you wish to be re-united to your loved one1 you must be born again4 ,i may be addressing a father or a mother who has a loved one up yonder4 ,if you could hear that loved one's voice1 it would say1 ,come this way4 ,have you a sainted friend up yonder8 ,young man or young lady1 have you not a mother in the world of light8 ,if you could hear her speak1 would not she say1 ,come this way1 my son1--,come this way1 my daughter8 ,if you would ever see her more you must be born again4 ,we all have an ,elder ,brother there4 ,nearly nineteen hundred years ago ,he crossed over1 and from the heavenly shores ,he is calling you to heaven4 ,let us turn our backs upon the world4 ,let us give a deaf ear to the world4 ,let us look to ,jesus on the ,cross and be saved4 ,then we shall one day see the ,king in ,his beauty1 and we shall go no more out4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,two ,,classes4 ,two men went up into the temple to pray4--,luke xvii4 #aj4 ,i now want to speak of two classes3 ,first1 those who do not feel their need of a ,saviour who have not been convinced of sin by the ,spirit2 and ,second1 those who are convinced of sin and cry1 ,what must ,i do to be saved8 ,all inquirers can be ranged under two heads3 they have either the spirit of the ,pharisee1 or the spirit of the publican4 ,if a man having the spirit of the ,pharisee comes into an after-meeting1 ,i know of no better portion of ,scripture to meet his case than ,romans iii4 #aj3 ,as it is written1 ,there is none righteous1 no1 not one3 there is none that understandeth2 there is none that seeketh after ,god4 ,paul is here speaking of the natural man4 ,they are all gone out of the way1 they are together become unprofitable2 there is none that doeth good1 no1 not one4 ,and in the #agth verse and those which follow1 we have ,and the way of peace have they not known2 there is no fear of ,god before their eyes4 ,now we know what things soever the law saith1 it saith to them who are under the law2 that every mouth may be stopped1 and all the world may become guilty before ,god4 ,then observe the last clause of verse #bb3 ,for there is no difference2 for all have sinned1 and come short of the glory of ,god4 ,not part of the human family--but all--have sinned1 and come short of the glory of ,god4 ,another verse which has been very much used to convict men of their sin is #a ,john i4 #h3 ,if we say that we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves1 and the truth is not in us4 ,i remember that on one occasion we were holding meetings in an eastern city of forty thousand inhabitants2 and a lady came and asked us to pray for her husband1 whom she purposed bringing into the after meeting4 ,i have traveled a good deal and met many pharisaical men2 but this man was so clad in self-righteousness that you could not get the point of the needle of conviction in anywhere4 ,i said to his wife3 ,i am glad to see your faith2 but we cannot get near him2 he is the most self-righteous man ,i ever saw4 ,she said3 ,you must6 ,my heart will break if these meetings end without his conversion4 ,she persisted in bringing him2 and ,i got almost tired of the sight of him4 ,but towards the close of our meetings of thirty days1 he came up to me and put his trembling hand on my shoulder4 ,the place in which the meetings were held was rather cold1 and there was an adjoining room in which only the gas had been lighted2 and he said to me1 ,can't you come in here for a few minutes8 ,i thought that he was shaking from cold1 and ,i did not particularly wish to go where it was colder4 ,but he said3 ,i am the worst man in the ,state of ,vermont4 ,i want you to pray for me4 ,i thought he had committed a murder1 or some other awful crime2 and ,i asked3 ,is there any one sin that particularly troubles you8 ,and he said3 ,my whole life has been a sin4 ,i have been a conceited1 self-righteous ,pharisee4 ,i want you to pray for me4 ,he was under deep conviction4 ,man could not have produced this result2 but the ,spirit had4 ,about two o'clock in the morning light broke in upon his soul3 and he went up and down the business street of the city and told what ,god had done for him2 and has been a most active ,christian ever since4 ,there are four other passages in dealing with inquirers1 which were used by ,christ ,himself4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4 7,john iii4 #c47 ,in ,luke xiii4 #c1 we read3 ,except ye repent1 ye shall all likewise perish4 ,in ,matthew xviii41 when the disciples came to ,jesus to know who was to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven1 we are told that ,he took a little child and set him in the midst and said1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,except ye be converted1 and become as little children1 ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven 7xviii4 #a-c74 ,there is another important ,except in ,matthew v4 #bj3 ,except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven4 ,a man must be made meet before he will want to go into the kingdom of ,god4 ,i would rather go into the kingdom with the younger brother than stay outside with the elder4 ,heaven would be hell to such an one4 ,an elder brother who could not rejoice at his younger brother's return would not be fit for the kingdom of ,god4 ,it is a solemn thing to contemplate2 but the curtain drops and leaves him outside1 and the younger brother within4 ,to him the language of the ,saviour under other circumstances seems appropriate3 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of ,god before you 7,matt4 xxi4 #ca74 ,a lady once came to me and wanted a favor for her daughter4 ,she said3 ,you must remember ,i do not sympathize with you in your doctrine4 ,i asked3 ,what is your trouble8 ,she said3 ,i think your abuse of the elder brother is horrible4 ,i think he is a noble character4 ,i said that ,i was willing to hear her defend him2 but that it was a solemn thing to take up such a position2 and that the elder brother needed to be converted as much as the younger4 ,when people talk of being moral it is well to get them to take a good look at the old man pleading with his boy who would not go in4 ,but we will pass on now to the other class with which we have to deal4 ,it is composed of those who are convinced of sin and from whom the cry comes as from the ,philippian jailer1 ,what must ,i do to be saved8 ,to those who utter this penitential cry there is no necessity to administer the law4 ,it is well to bring them straight to the ,scripture3 ,believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and thou shalt be saved4 7,acts xvi4 #ca74 ,many will meet you with a scowl and say1 ,i don't know what it is to believe2 and though it is the law of heaven that they must believe1 in order to be saved--yet they ask for something besides that4 ,we are to tell them what1 and where1 and how1 to believe4 ,in ,john iii4 #ce and #cf we read3 ,the ,father loveth the ,son1 and hath given all things into ,his hand4 ,he that believeth on the ,son hath everlasting life2 and he that believeth not the ,son shall not see life2 but the wrath of ,god abideth on him4 ,now this looks reasonable4 ,man lost life by unbelief--by not believing ,god's word2 and we got life back again by believing--by taking ,god at ,his word4 ,in other words we get up where ,adam fell down4 ,he stumbled and fell over the stone of unbelief2 and we are lifted up and stand upright by believing4 ,when people say they cannot believe1 show them chapter and verse1 and hold them right to this one thing3 ,has ,god ever broken ,his promise for these six thousand years8 ,the devil and men have been trying all the time and have not succeeded in showing that ,he has broken a single promise2 and there would be a jubilee in hell to-day if one word that ,he has spoken could be broken4 ,if a man says that he cannot believe it is well to press him on that one thing4 ,i can believe ,god better to-day than ,i can my own heart4 ,the heart is deceitful above all things1 and desperately wicked3 who can know it8 7,jer4 xxii4 #i74 ,i can believe ,god better than ,i can myself4 ,if you want to know the way of ,life1 believe that ,jesus ,christ is a personal ,saviour2 cut away from all doctrines and creeds1 and come right to the heart of the ,son of ,god4 ,if you have been feeding on dry doctrine there is not much growth on that kind of food4 ,doctrines are to the soul what the streets which lead to the house of a friend who has invited me to dinner are to the body4 ,they will lead me there if ,i take the right one2 but if ,i remain in the streets my hunger will never be satisfied4 ,feeding on doctrines is like trying to live on dry husks2 and lean indeed must the soul remain which partakes not of the ,bread sent down from heaven4 ,some ask3 ,how am ,i to get my heart warmed8 ,it is by believing4 ,you do not get power to love and serve ,god until you believe4 ,the apostle ,john says ,if we receive the witness of men1 the witness of ,god is greater3 for this is the witness of ,god which ,he hath testified of ,his ,son4 ,he that believeth on the ,son of ,god hath the witness in himself3 he that believeth not ,god hath made ,him a liar2 because he believeth not the record that ,god gave of ,his ,son4 ,and this is the record1 that ,god hath given to us eternal life1 and this life is in ,his ,son4 ,he that hath the ,son hath life2 and he that hath not the ,son of ,god hath not life 7#a ,john v4 #i74 ,human affairs would come to a standstill if we did not take the testimony of men4 ,how should we get on in the ordinary intercourse of life1 and how would commerce get on1 if we disregarded men's testimony8 ,things social and commercial would come to a dead-lock within forty-eight hours6 ,this is the drift of the apostle's argument here4 ,if we receive the witness of men1 the witness of ,god is greater4 ,god has borne witness to ,jesus ,christ4 ,and if man can believe his fellow men who are frequently telling untruths and whom we are constantly finding unfaithful1 why should we not take ,god at ,his word and believe ,his testimony8 ,faith is a belief in testimony4 ,it is not a leap in the dark1 as some tell us4 ,that would be no faith at all4 ,god does not ask any man to believe without giving him something to believe4 ,you might as well ask a man to see without eyes2 to hear without ears2 and to walk without feet--as to bid him believe without giving him something to believe4 ,when ,i started for ,california ,i procured a guide-book4 ,this told me1 that after leaving the ,state of ,illinois1 ,i should cross the ,mississippi1 and then the ,missouri2 get into ,nebraska2 then over the ,rocky ,mountains to the ,mormon settlement at ,salt ,lake ,city1 and by the way of the ,sierra ,nevada into ,san ,francisco4 ,i found the guide book all right as ,i went along2 and ,i should have been a miserable sceptic if1 having proved it to be correct three-fourths of the way1 ,i had said that ,i would not believe it for the remainder of the journey4 ,suppose a man1 in directing me to the ,post ,office1 gives me ten landmarks2 and that1 in my progress there1 ,i find nine of them to be as he told me2 ,i should have good reason to believe that ,i was coming to the ,post ,office4 ,and if1 by believing1 ,i get a new life1 and a hope1 a peace1 a joy1 and a rest to my soul1 that ,i never had before2 if ,i get self-control1 and find that ,i have a power to resist evil and to do good1 ,i have pretty good proof that ,i am in the right road to the city which hath foundations1 whose builder and maker is ,god4 ,and if things have taken place1 and are now taking place1 as recorded in ,god's ,word1 ,i have good reason to conclude that what yet remains will be fulfilled4 ,and yet people talk of doubting4 ,there can be no true faith where there is fear4 ,faith is to take ,god at ,his word1 unconditionally4 ,there cannot be true peace where there is fear4 ,perfect love casteth out fear4 ,how wretched a wife would be if she doubted her husband6 and how miserable a mother would feel if after her boy had gone away from home she had reason1 from his neglect1 to question that son's devotion6 ,true love never has a doubt4 ,there are three things indispensable to faith--knowledge1 assent1 and appropriation4 ,we must know ,god4 ,and this is life eternal1 that they might know ,thee1 the only true ,god1 and ,jesus ,christ whom ,thou hast sent 7,john xvii4 #c74 ,then we must not only give our assent to what we know2 but we must lay hold of the truth4 ,if a man simply give his assent to the plan of salvation1 it will not save him3 he must accept ,christ as his ,saviour4 ,he must receive and appropriate ,him4 ,some say they cannot tell how a man's life can be affected by his belief4 ,but let some one cry out that some building in which we happen to be sitting1 is on fire2 and see how soon we should act on our belief and get out4 ,we are all the time influenced by what we believe4 ,we cannot help it4 ,and let a man believe the record that ,god has given of ,christ1 and it will very quickly affect his whole life4 ,take ,john v4 #bd4 ,there is enough truth in that one verse for every soul to rest upon for salvation4 ,it does not admit the shadow of a doubt4 ,verily1 verily--which means truly1 truly--,i say unto you1 ,he that heareth ,my word1 and believeth on ,him that sent ,me1 hath--hath--everlasting life1 and shall not come into condemnation2 but is passed from death unto life4 ,now if a person really hears the word of ,jesus and believes with the heart on ,god who sent the ,son to be the ,saviour of the world1 and lays hold of and appropriates this great salvation1 there is no fear of judgment4 ,he will not be looking forward with dread to the ,great ,white ,throne2 for we read in #a ,john iv4 #ag3 ,herein is our love made perfect1 that we may have boldness in the day of judgment3 because as ,he is1 so are we in this world4 ,if we believe1 there is for us no condemnation1 no judgment4 ,that is behind us1 and passed2 and we shall have boldness in the day of judgment4 ,i remember reading of a man who was on trial for his life4 ,he had friends with influence2 and they procured a pardon for him from the king on condition that he was to go through the trial1 and be condemned4 ,he went into court with the pardon in his pocket4 ,the feeling ran very high against him1 and the judge said that the court was shocked that he was so much unconcerned4 ,but1 when the sentence was pronounced1 he pulled out the pardon1 presented it1 and walked out a free man4 ,he has been pardoned2 and so have we4 ,then let death come1 we have nought to fear4 ,all the grave-diggers in the world cannot dig a grave large enough and deep enough to hold eternal life2 all the coffin makers in the world cannot make a coffin large enough and tight enough to hold eternal life4 ,death has had his hand on ,christ once1 but never again4 ,jesus said3 ,i am the ,resurrection1 and the ,life3 he that believeth in ,me1 though he were dead1 yet shall he live3 and whosoever liveth and believeth in ,me shall never die 7,john xi4 #be1 #bf74 ,and in the ,apocalypse we read that the risen ,saviour said to ,john1 ,i am ,he that liveth1 and was dead2 and1 behold1 ,i am alive for evermore 7,rev i4 #ah74 ,death cannot touch ,him again4 ,we get life by believing4 ,in fact we get more than ,adam lost2 for the redeemed child of ,god is heir to a richer and more glorious inheritance than ,adam in ,paradise could ever have conceived2 yea1 and that inheritance endures forever--it is inalienable4 ,i would much rather have my life hid with ,christ in ,god than have lived in ,paradise2 for ,adam might have sinned and fallen after being there ten thousand years4 ,but the believer is safer1 if these things become real to him4 ,let us make them a fact1 and not a fiction4 ,god has said it2 and that is enough4 ,let us trust ,him even where we cannot trace ,him4 ,let the same confidence animate us that was in little ,maggie as related in the following simple but touching incident which ,i read in the ,bible ,treasury3-- ,i had been absent from home for some days1 and was wondering1 as ,i again draw near the homestead1 if my little ,maggie1 just able to sit alone1 would remember me4 ,to test her memory1 ,i stationed myself where ,i could see her1 but could not be seen by her1 and called her name in the familiar tone1 ',maggie6' ,she dropped her playthings1 glanced around the room1 and then looked down upon her toys4 ,again ,i repeated her name1 ',maggie6' when she once more surveyed the room2 but1 not seeing her father's face1 she looked very sad1 and slowly resumed her employment4 ,once more ,i called1 ',maggie6' when1 dropping her playthings1 and bursting into tears1 she stretched out her arms in the direction whence the sound proceeded1 knowing that1 though she could not see him1 her father must be there1 for she knew his voice4 ,now1 we have power to see and to hear1 and we have power to believe4 ,it is all folly for the inquirers to take the ground that they cannot believe4 ,they can1 if they will4 ,but the trouble with most people is that they have connected feeling with believing4 ,now ,feeling has nothing whatever to do with ,believing4 ,the ,bible does not say--,he that feeleth1 or he that feeleth and believeth1 hath everlasting life4 ,nothing of the kind4 ,i cannot control my feelings4 ,if ,i could1 ,i should never feel ill1 or have a headache or toothache4 ,i should be well all the while4 ,but ,i can believe ,god2 and if we get our feet on that rock1 let doubts and fears come and the waves surge around us1 the anchor will hold4 ,some people are all the time looking at their faith4 ,faith is the hand that takes the blessing4 ,i heard this illustration of a beggar4 ,suppose you were to meet a man in the street whom you had known for years as being accustomed to beg2 and you offered him some money1 and he were to say to you3 ,i thank you2 ,i don't want your money3 ,i am not a beggar4 ,how is that8 ,last night a man put a thousand dollars into my hands4 ,he did6 ,how did you know it was good money8 ,i took it to the bank and deposited it and have got a bank book4 ,how did you get this gift8 ,i asked for alms2 and after the gentleman talked with me he took out a thousand dollars in money and put it in my hand4 ,how do you know that he put it in the right hand8 ,what do ,i care about which hand2 so that ,i have got the money4 ,many people are always thinking whether the faith by which they lay hold of ,christ is the right kind--but what is far more essential is to see that we have the right kind of ,christ4 ,faith is the eye of the soul2 and who would ever think of taking out an eye to see if it were the right kind so long as the sight was perfect8 ,it is not my taste1 but it is what ,i taste1 that satisfies my appetite4 ,so1 dear friends1 it is taking ,god at ,his ,word that is the means of our salvation4 ,the truth cannot be made too simple4 ,there is a man living in the city of ,new ,york who has a home on the ,hudson ,river4 ,his daughter and her family went to spend the winter with him3 and in the course of the season the scarlet fever broke out4 ,one little girl was put in quarantine1 to be kept separate from the rest4 ,every morning the old grandfather used to go and bid his grandchild1 ,goodbye1 before going to his business4 ,on one of these occasions the little thing took the old man by the hand1 and1 leading him to a corner of the room1 without saying a word she pointed to the floor where she had arranged some small crackers so they would spell out1 ,grandpa1 ,i want a box of paints4 ,he said nothing4 ,on his return home he hung up his overcoat and went to the room as usual3 when his little grandchild1 without looking to see if her wish had been complied with1 took him into the same corner1 where he saw spelled out in the same way1 ,grandpa1 ,i thank you for the box of paints4 ,the old man would not have missed gratifying the child for anything4 ,that was faith4 ,faith is taking ,god at ,his ,word2 and those people who want some token are always getting into trouble4 ,we want to come to this3 ,god says it--let us believe it4 ,but some say1 ,faith is the gift of ,god4 ,so is the air2 but you have to breathe it4 ,so is bread2 but you have to eat it4 ,so is water2 but you have to drink it4 ,some are wanting a miraculous kind of feeling4 ,that is not faith4 ,faith cometh by hearing1 and hearing by the ,word of ,god 7,rom4 x4 #ag74 ,that is whence faith comes4 ,it is not for me to sit down and wait for faith to come stealing over me with a strange sensation2 but it is for me to take ,god at ,his ,word4 ,and you cannot believe1 unless you have something to believe4 ,so take the ,word as it is written1 and appropriate it1 and lay hold of it4 ,in ,john vi4 #dg1 #dh we read3 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,he that believeth on ,me hath everlasting life4 ,i am that ,bread of life4 ,there is the bread right at hand4 ,partake of it4 ,i might have thousands of loaves within my home1 and as many hungry men in waiting4 ,they might assent to the fact that the bread was there2 but unless they each took a loaf and commenced eating1 their hunger would not be satisfied4 ,so ,christ is the ,bread of heaven2 and as the body feeds on natural food1 so the soul must feed on ,christ4 ,if a drowning man sees a rope thrown out to rescue him he must lay hold of it2 and in order to do so he must let go everything else4 ,if a man is sick he must take the medicine--for simply looking at it will not cure him4 ,a knowledge of ,christ will not help the inquirer1 unless he believes in ,him1 and takes hold of ,him1 as his only hope4 ,the bitten ,israelites might have believed that the serpent was lifted up2 but unless they had looked they would not have lived 7,num4 xxi4 #f-i74 ,i believe that a certain line of steamers will convey me across the ocean1 because ,i have tried it3 but this will not help another man who may want to go1 unless he acts upon my knowledge4 ,so a knowledge of ,christ does not help us unless we act upon it4 ,that is what it is to believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is to act on what we believe4 ,as a man steps on board a steamer to cross the ,atlantic1 so we must take ,christ and make a commitment of our souls to ,him2 and ,he has promised to keep all who put their trust in ,him4 ,to believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 is simply to take ,him at ,his word4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,words ,,of ,,counsel4 ,a bruised reed shall ,he not break4--,isaiah xlii4 #c2 ,matt4 xii4 #bj4 ,it is dangerous for those who are seeking salvation to lean upon the experience of other people4 ,many are waiting for a repetition of the experience of their grandfather or grandmother4 ,i had a friend who was converted in a field2 and he thinks the whole town ought to go down into that meadow and be converted4 ,another was converted under a bridge2 and he thinks that if any enquirer were to go there he would find the ,lord4 ,the best thing for the anxious is to go right to the ,word of ,god4 ,if there are any persons in the world to whom the ,word ought to be very precious it is those who are asking how to be saved4 ,for instance a man may say1 ,i have no strength4 ,let him turn to ,romans v4 #f4 ,for when we were yet without strength1 in due time ,christ died for the ungodly4 ,it is because we have no strength that we need ,christ4 ,he has come to give strength to the weak4 ,another may say1 ,i cannot see4 ,christ says1 ,i am the ,light of the world 7,john viii4 #ab74 ,he came1 not only to give light1 but to open the blind eyes 7,isa4 xlii4 #g74 ,another may say1 ,i do not think a man can be saved all at once4 ,a person holding that view was in the ,enquiry-room one night2 and ,i drew his attention to ,romans vi4 #bc4 ,the wages of sin is death2 but the gift of ,god is eternal life through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,how long does it take to accept a gift8 ,there must be a moment when you have it not1 and another when you have it--a moment when it is another's1 and the next when it is yours4 ,it does not take six months to get eternal life4 ,it may however in some cases be like the mustard seed1 very small at the commencement4 ,some people are converted so gradually that1 like the morning light1 it is impossible to tell when the dawn began2 while1 with others1 it is like the flashing of a meteor1 and the truth bursts upon them suddenly4 ,i would not go across the street to prove when ,i was converted2 but what is important is for me to know that ,i really have been4 ,it may be that a child has been so carefully trained that it is impossible to tell when the new birth began2 but there must have been a moment when the change took place1 and when he became a partaker of the ,divine nature4 ,some people do not believe in sudden conversion4 ,but ,i will challenge any one to show a conversion in the ,new ,testament that was not instantaneous4 ,as ,jesus passed by ,he saw ,levi1 the son of ,alpheus1 sitting at the receipt of custom1 and said unto him1 ',follow ,me'3 and he arose and followed ,him 7,matt4 ix4 #i74 ,nothing could be more sudden than that4 ,zaccheus1 the publican1 sought to see ,jesus2 and because he was little of stature he climbed up a tree4 ,when ,jesus came to the place ,he looked up and saw him1 and said1 ,zaccheus1 make haste1 and come down 7,luke xix4 #e74 ,his conversion must have taken place somewhere between the branch and the ground4 ,we are told that he received ,jesus joyfully1 and said1 ,behold1 ,lord1 the half of my goods ,i give to the poor2 and if ,i have taken anything from any man by false accusation1 ,i restore him fourfold 7,luke xix4 #h74 ,very few in these days could say that in proof of their conversion4 ,the whole house of ,cornelius was converted suddenly2 for so ,peter preached ,christ to him and his company the ,holy ,ghost fell on them1 and they were baptized4 7,acts x47 ,on the day of ,pentecost three thousand gladly received the ,word4 ,they were not only converted1 but they were baptized the same day4 7,acts ii47 ,and when ,philip talked to the eunuch1 as they went on their way1 the eunuch said to ,philip1 ,see1 here is water3 what doth hinder me to be baptized8 ,nothing hindered4 ,and ,philip said1 ,if thou believest with all thine heart1 thou mayest4 ,and they both went down into the water2 and the man of great authority under ,candace1 the queen of the ,ethiopians1 was baptized1 and went on his way rejoicing4 7,acts viii4 #bf-ch47 ,you will find all through ,scripture that conversions were sudden and instantaneous4 ,a man has been in the habit of stealing money from his employer4 ,suppose he has taken #a1jjj in twelve months2 should we tell him to take #ejj the next year1 and less the next year1 and the next1 until in five years the sum taken would be only #ej8 ,that would be upon the same principle as gradual conversion4 ,if such a person were brought before the court and pardoned1 because he could not change his mode of life all at once1 it would be considered a very strange proceeding4 ,but the ,bible says1 ,let him that stole steal no more 7,eph4 iv4 #bh74 ,it is right about face6 ,suppose a person is in the habit of cursing one hundred times a day3 should we advise him not to utter more than ninety oaths the following day1 and eighty the next day2 so that in the course of time he would get rid of the habit8 ,the ,saviour says1 ,swear not at all4 7,matt4 v4 #cd47 ,suppose another man is in the habit of getting drunk and beating his wife twice a month2 if he only did so once a month1 and then only once in six months1 that would be1 upon the same ground1 as reasonable as gradual conversion4 ,suppose ,ananias had been sent to ,paul1 when he was on his way to ,damascus breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples1 and casting them into prison1 to tell him not to kill so many as he intended2 and to let enmity die out of his heart gradually1 but not all at once4 ,suppose he had been told that it would not do to stop breathing out threatenings and slaughter1 and to commence preaching ,christ all at once1 because the philosophers would say that the change was so sudden it would not hold out2 this would be the same kind of reasoning as is used by those who do not believe in instantaneous conversion4 ,then another class say that they are afraid that they will not hold out4 ,this is a numerous and very hopeful class4 ,i like to see a man distrust himself4 ,it is a good thing to get such to look to ,god1 and to remember that it is not he who holds ,god1 but that it is ,god who holds him4 ,some want to get hold of ,christ2 but the thing is to get ,christ to take hold of you in answer to prayer4 ,let such read ,psalm cxxi42 ,i will lift up mine eyes unto the hills1 from whence cometh my help4 ,my help cometh from the ,lord1 which made heaven and earth4 ,he will not suffer thy foot to be moved3 ,he that keepeth thee will not slumber4 ,behold1 ,he that keepeth ,israel shall neither slumber nor sleep4 ,the ,lord is thy keeper2 the ,lord is thy shade upon thy right hand4 ,the sun shall not smite thee by day1 nor the moon by night4 ,the ,lord shall preserve thee from all evil3 ,he shall preserve thy soul4 ,the ,lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in1 from this time forth1 and even for evermore4 ,some one calls that the traveler's psalm4 ,it is a beautiful psalm for those of us who are pilgrims through this world2 and one with which we should be well acquainted4 ,god can do what ,he has done before4 ,he kept ,joseph in ,egypt2 ,moses before ,pharaoh2 ,daniel in ,babylon2 and enabled ,elijah to stand before ,ahab in that dark day4 ,and ,i am so thankful that these ,i have mentioned were men of like passions with ourselves4 ,it was ,god who made them so great4 ,what man wants is to look to ,god4 ,real true faith is man's weakness leaning on ,god's strength4 ,when man has no strength1 if he leans on ,god he becomes powerful4 ,the trouble is that we have too much strength and confidence in ourselves4 ,again in ,hebrews vi4 #ag1 #ah3 ,wherein ,god1 willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of ,his counsel1 confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things1 in which it was impossible for ,god to lie1 we might have a strong consolation1 who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us3 which hope we have as an anchor of the soul1 both sure and steadfast1 and which entereth into that within the vail2 whither the ,forerunner is for us entered1 even ,jesus1 made an high priest for ever after the order of ,melchisedec4 ,now these are precious verses to those who are afraid of falling1 who fear that they will not hold out4 ,it is ,god's work to hold4 ,it is the ,shepherd's business to keep the sheep4 ,who ever heard of the sheep going to bring back the shepherd8 ,people have an idea that they have to keep themselves and ,christ too4 ,it is a false idea4 ,it is the work of the ,shepherd to look after them1 and to take care of those who trust ,him4 ,and ,he has promised to do it4 ,i once heard that when a sea captain was dying he said1 ,glory to ,god2 the anchor holds4 ,he trusted in ,christ4 ,his anchor had taken hold of the solid rock4 ,an ,irishman said1 on one occasion1 that he trembled2 but the ,rock never did4 ,we want to get sure footing4 ,in #b ,timothy i4 #ab ,paul says3 ,i know whom ,i have believed1 and am persuaded that ,he is able to keep that which ,i have committed unto ,him against that day4 ,that was ,paul's persuasion4 ,during the late war of the rebellion1 one of the chaplains1 going through the hospitals1 came to a man who was dying4 ,finding that he was a ,christian1 he asked to what persuasion he belonged1 and was told ,paul's persuasion4 ,is he a ,methodist8 he asked2 for the ,methodists all claim ,paul4 ,no4 ,is he a ,presbyterian8 for the ,presbyterians lay special claim to ,paul4 ,no1 was the answer4 ,does he belong to the ,episcopal ,church8 for all the ,episcopalian brethren contend that they have a claim to the ,chief ,apostle4 ,no1 he was not an ,episcopalian4 ,then1 to what persuasion does he belong8 ,i am persuaded that ,he is able to keep that which ,i have committed unto ,him against that day4 ,it is a grand persuasion2 and it gave the dying soldier rest in a dying hour4 ,let those who fear that they will not hold out turn to the #bdth verse of the ,epistle of ,jude3 ,now unto ,him that is able to keep you from falling1 and to present you faultless before the presence of ,his glory with exceeding joy4 ,then look at ,isaiah xli4 #aj3 ,fear thou not2 for ,i am with thee3 be not dismayed2 for ,i am thy ,god3 ,i will strengthen thee2 yea1 ,i will help thee2 yea1 ,i will uphold thee with the right hand of ,my righteousness4 ,then see verse #ac3 ,for ,i the ,lord thy ,god will hold thy right hand1 saying unto thee1 ,fear not2 ,i will help thee4 ,now if ,god has got hold of my right hand in ,his1 cannot ,he hold me and keep me8 ,has not ,god the power to keep8 ,the great ,god who made heaven and earth can keep a poor sinner like you and like me if we trust ,him4 ,to refrain from feeling confidence in ,god for fear of falling--would be like a man who refused a pardon1 for fear that he should get into prison again2 or a drowning man who refused to be rescued1 for fear of falling into the water again4 ,many men look forth at the ,christian life1 and fear that they will not have sufficient strength to hold out to the end4 ,they forget the promise that as thy days1 thy strength 7,deut4 xxxiii4 #be74 ,it reminds me of the pendulum to the clock which grew disheartened at the thought of having to travel so many thousands of miles2 but when it reflected that the distance was to be accomplished by tick1 tick1 tick1 it took fresh courage to go its daily journey4 ,so it is the special privilege of the ,christian to commit himself to the keeping of his heavenly ,father and to trust ,him day by day4 ,it is a comforting thing to know that the ,lord will not begin the good work without also finishing it4 ,there are two kinds of sceptics--one class with honest difficulties2 and another class who delight only in discussion4 ,i used to think that this latter class would always be a thorn in my flesh2 but they do not prick me now4 ,i expect to find them right along the journey4 ,men of this stamp used to hang around ,christ to entangle ,him in ,his talk4 ,they come into our meetings to hold a discussion4 ,to all such ,i would commend ,paul's advice to ,timothy3 ,but foolish and unlearned questions avoid2 knowing that they do gender strifes4 7#b ,tim4 ii4 #bc47 ,unlearned questions6 ,many young converts make a woful mistake4 ,they think they are to defend the whole ,bible4 ,i knew very little of the ,bible when ,i was first converted2 and ,i thought that ,i had to defend it from beginning to end against all comers2 but a ,boston infidel got hold of me1 floored all my arguments at once1 and discouraged me4 ,but ,i have got over that now4 ,there are many things in the ,word of ,god that ,i do not profess to understand4 ,when ,i am asked what ,i do with them4 ,i say1 ,i don't do anything4 ,how do you explain them8 ,i don't explain them4 ,what do you do with them8 ,why1 ,i believe them4 ,and when ,i am told1 ,i would not believe anything that ,i do not understand1 ,i simply reply that ,i do4 ,there are many things which were dark and mysterious five years ago1 on which ,i have since had a flood of light2 and ,i expect to be finding out something fresh about ,god throughout eternity4 ,i make a point of not discussing disputed passages of ,scripture4 ,an old divine has said that some people1 if they want to eat fish1 commence by picking the bones4 ,i leave such things till ,i have light on them4 ,i am not bound to explain what ,i do not comprehend4 ,the secret things belong unto the ,lord our ,god3 but those things which are revealed belong unto us1 and to our children1 for ever 7,deut4 xxix4 #bi72 and these ,i take1 and eat1 and feed upon1 in order to get spiritual strength4 ,then there is a little sound advice in ,titus iii4 #i4 ,but avoid foolish questions1 and genealogies1 and contentions1 and strivings about the law2 for they are unprofitable and vain4 ,but now here comes an honest sceptic4 ,with him ,i would deal as tenderly as a mother with her sick child4 ,i have no sympathy with those people who1 because a man is sceptical1 cast him off and will have nothing to do with him4 ,i was in an ,inquiry-meeting1 some time ago1 and ,i handed over to a ,christian lady1 whom ,i had known some time1 one who was sceptical4 ,on looking round soon after ,i noticed the enquirer marching out of the hall4 ,i asked1 ,why have you let her go8 ,oh1 she is a sceptic6 was the reply4 ,i ran to the door and got her to stop1 and introduced her to another ,christian worker who spent over an hour in conversation and prayer with her4 ,he visited her and her husband2 and1 in the course of a week1 that intelligent lady cast off her scepticism and came out an active ,christian4 ,it took time1 tact1 and prayer2 but if a person of this class is honest we ought to deal with such an one as the ,master would have us4 ,here are a few passages for doubting enquirers3 ,if any man will do ,his will1 he shall know of the doctrine1 whether it be of ,god1 or whether ,i speak of myself 7,john vii4 #ag74 ,if a man is not willing to do the will of ,god he will not know the doctrine4 ,there is no class of sceptics who are ignorant of the fact that ,god desires them to give up sin2 and if a man is willing to turn from sin and take the light and thank ,him for what ,he does give1 and not expect to have light on the whole ,bible all at once1 he will get more light day by day2 make progress step by step2 and be led right out of darkness into the clear light of heaven4 ,in ,daniel xii4 #aj we are told3 ,many shall be purified1 and made white1 and tried3 but the wicked shall do wickedly2 and none of the wicked shall understand2 but the wise shall understand4 ,now ,god will never reveal ,his secrets to ,his enemies4 ,never6 ,and if a man persists in living in sin he will not know the doctrines of ,god4 ,the secret of the ,lord is with them that fear ,him2 and ,he will show them ,his covenant 7,ps4 xxv4 #ad74 ,and in ,john xv4 #ae we read3 ,henceforth ,i call you not servants2 for the servant knoweth not what his ,lord doeth3 but ,i have called you friends2 for all things that ,i have heard of my ,father ,i have made known unto you4 ,when you become friends of ,christ you will know ,his secrets4 ,the ,lord said1 ,shall ,i hide from ,abraham the things which ,i do8 7,gen4 xviii4 #ag74 ,now those who resemble ,god are the most likely to understand ,god4 ,if a man is not willing to turn from sin he will not know ,god's will1 nor will ,god reveal ,his secrets to him4 ,but if a man is willing to turn from sin he will be surprised to see how the light will come in6 ,i remember one night when the ,bible was the driest and darkest book in the universe to me4 ,the next day it became entirely different4 ,i thought ,i had the key to it4 ,i had been born of the ,spirit4 ,but before ,i knew anything of the mind of ,god ,i had to give up my sin4 ,i believe ,god meets every soul on the spot of self-surrender2 and when they are willing to let ,him guide and lead4 ,the trouble with many sceptics is their self-conceit4 ,they know more than the ,almighty6 and they do not come in a teachable spirit4 ,but the moment a man comes in a receptive spirit he is blessed2 for ,if any of you lack wisdom1 let him ask of ,god1 that giveth to all men liberally1 and upbraideth not2 and it shall be given him 7,james i4 #e74 ,,chapter ,v4 ,a ,,divine ,,saviour4 ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god4 7,matthew xvi4 #a2 ,john vi4 #fi47 ,we meet with a certain class of ,enquirers who do not believe in the ,divinity of ,christ4 ,there are many passages that will give light on this subject4 ,in #a ,corinthians xv4 #dg1 we are told3 ,the first man is of the earth earthy3 the second man is the ,lord from heaven4 ,in #a ,john v4 #bj3 ,we know that the ,son of ,god is come1 and hath given us an understanding1 that we may know ,him that is true2 and we are in ,him that is true1 even in ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ4 ,this is the true ,god1 and eternal life4 ,again in ,john xvii4 #c3 ,and this is life eternal1 that they might know ,thee1 the only true ,god2 and ,jesus ,christ1 whom ,thou hast sent4 ,and then1 in ,mark xiv4 #fj3 ,the high priest stood up in the midst1 and asked ,jesus1 saying1 ,answerest ,thou nothing8 ,what is it which these witness against thee8 ,but ,he held ,his peace1 and answered nothing4 ,again the high priest asked ,him1 and said unto ,him1 ,art ,thou the ,christ1 the ,son of the ,blessed8 ,and ,jesus said1 ,i am3 and ye shall see the ,son of ,man sitting on the right hand of power1 and coming in the clouds of heaven4 ,then the high priest rent his clothes1 and saith1 ,what need we any further witnesses8 ,ye have heard the blasphemy3 what think ye8 ,and they all condemned ,him to be guilty of death4 ,now what brought me to believe in the ,divinity of ,christ was this3 ,i did not know where to place ,christ1 or what to do with ,him1 if ,he were not divine4 ,when ,i was a boy ,i thought that ,he was a good man like ,moses1 ,joseph1 or ,abraham4 ,i even thought that ,he was the best man who had ever lived on the earth4 ,but ,i found that ,christ had a higher claim4 ,he claimed to be ,god-,man1 to be divine2 to have come from heaven4 ,he said3 ,before ,abraham was ,i am 7,john viii4 #eh74 ,i could not understand this2 and ,i was driven to the conclusion--and ,i challenge any candid man to deny the inference1 or meet the argument--that ,jesus ,christ is either an impostor or deceiver1 or ,he is the ,god-,man--,god manifest in the flesh4 ,and for these reasons4 ,the first commandment is1 ,thou shalt have no other gods before ,me 7,exod4 xx4 #b74 ,look at the millions throughout ,christendom who worship ,jesus ,christ as ,god4 ,if ,christ be not ,god this is idolatry4 ,we are all guilty of breaking the first commandment if ,jesus ,christ were mere man--if ,he were a created being1 and not what ,he claims to be4 ,some people1 who do not admit ,his divinity1 say that ,he was the best man who ever lived2 but if ,he were not ,divine1 for that very reason ,he ought not to be reckoned a good man1 for ,he laid claim to an honor and dignity to which these very people declare ,he had no right or title4 ,that would rank ,him as a deceiver4 ,others say that ,he thought ,he was divine1 but that ,he was deceived4 ,as if ,jesus ,christ were carried away by a delusion and deception1 and thought that ,he was more than ,he was6 ,i could not conceive of a lower idea of ,jesus ,christ than that4 ,this would not only make ,him out an impostor2 but that ,he was out of ,his mind1 and that ,he did not know who ,he was1 or where ,he came from4 ,now if ,jesus ,christ was not what ,he claimed to be1 the ,saviour of the world2 and if ,he did not come from heaven1 ,he was a gross deceiver4 ,but how can any one read the life of ,jesus ,christ and make ,him out a deceiver8 ,a man has generally some motive for being an impostor4 ,what was ,christ's motive8 ,he knew that the course ,he was pursuing would conduct ,him to the cross2 that ,his name would be cast out as vile2 and that many of ,his followers would be called upon to lay down their lives for ,his sake4 ,nearly every one of the apostles were martyrs2 and they were considered as off-scouring and refuse in the midst of the people4 ,if a man is an impostor1 he has a motive at the back of his hypocrisy4 ,but what was ,christ's object8 ,the record is that ,he went about doing good4 ,this is not the work of an impostor4 ,do not let the enemy of your soul deceive you4 ,in ,john v4 #ba we read3 ,for as the ,father raiseth up the dead1 and quickeneth them2 even so the ,son quickeneth whom ,he will4 ,for the ,father judgeth no man1 but hath committed all judgment unto the ,son3 that all men should honor the ,son1 even as they honor the ,father4 ,he that honoureth not the ,son1 honoureth not the ,father which hath sent ,him4 ,now notice3 by the ,jewish law if a man were a blasphemer he was to be put to death2 and supposing ,christ to be merely human if this be not blasphemy ,i do not know where you will find it4 ,he that honoureth not the ,son1 honoureth not the ,father4 ,that is downright blasphemy if ,christ be not divine4 ,if ,moses1 or ,elijah1 or ,elisha1 or any other mortal had said1 ,you must honour me as you honor ,god2 and had put himself on a level with ,god1 it would have been downright blasphemy4 ,the ,jews put ,christ to death because they said that ,he was not what ,he claimed to be4 ,it was on that testimony ,he was put under oath4 ,the high priest said3 ,i adjure ,thee by the living ,god1 that ,thou tell us whether ,thou be the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god 7,matt4 xxvi4 #fc74 ,and when the ,jews came round ,him and said1 ,how long dost ,thou make us to doubt8 ,if ,thou be the ,christ tell us plainly4 ,jesus said1 ,i and ,my ,father are one4 ,then the ,jews took up stones again to stone ,him4 7,john x4 #bd-cc47 ,they said they did not want to hear more1 for that was blasphemy4 ,it was for declaring ,himself to be the ,son of ,god that ,he was condemned and put to death4 7,matt4 xxvi4 #fc-ff74 ,now if ,jesus ,christ were mere man the ,jews did right1 according to their law1 in putting ,him to death4 ,in ,leviticus xxiv4 #af1 we read3 ,and he that blasphemeth the name of the ,lord1 he shall surely be put to death1 and all the congregation shall certainly stone him3 as well the stranger1 as he that is born in the land1 when he blasphemeth the name of the ,lord1 shall be put to death4 ,this law obliged them to put to death every one who blasphemed4 ,it was making the statement that ,he was divine that cost ,him ,his life2 and by the ,mosaic law ,he ought to have suffered the death penalty4 ,in ,john xvi4 #ae1 ,christ says1 ,all things that the ,father hath are ,mine3 therefore said ,i1 that ,he shall take of ,mine1 and shall show it unto you4 ,how could ,he be merely a good man and use language as that8 ,no doubt has ever entered my mind on the point since ,i was converted4 ,a notorious sinner was once asked how he could prove the divinity of ,christ4 ,his answer was1 ,why1 ,he has saved me2 and that is a pretty good proof1 is it not8 ,an infidel on one occasion said to me1 ,i have been studying the life of ,john the ,baptist1 ,mr4 ,moody4 ,why don't you preach him8 ,he was a greater character than ,christ4 ,you would do a greater work4 ,i said to him1 ,my friend1 you preach ,john the ,baptist2 and ,i will follow you and preach ,christ3 and we will see who will do the most good4 ,you will do the most good1 he said1 because the people are so superstitious4 ,ah6 ,john was beheaded2 and his disciples begged his body and buried it3 but ,christ has risen from the dead2 ,he has ascended on high2 ,he has led captivity captive2 and received gifts for men4 7,ps4 lxviii4 #ah47 ,our ,christ lives4 ,many people have not found out that ,christ has risen from the grave4 ,they worship a dead ,saviour1 like ,mary1 who said1 ,they have taken away my ,lord2 and ,i know not where they have laid ,him4 7,john xx4 #ac47 ,that is the trouble with those who doubt the divinity of our ,lord4 ,then look at ,matthew xviii4 #bj4 ,where two or three are gathered together in ,my name1 there am ,i in the midst of them4 ,there am ,i4 ,well now1 if ,he is a mere man1 how can ,he be there8 ,all these are strong passages4 ,again in ,matthew xxviii4 #ah4 ,and ,jesus came and spake unto them1 saying1 ,all power is given unto ,me in heaven and in earth4 ,could ,he be a mere man and talk in that way8 ,all power is given unto ,me in heaven and in earth6 ,then again in ,matthew xxviii4 #bj4 ,teaching them to observe all things whatsoever ,i have commanded you2 and1 lo1 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world4 ,if ,he were mere man1 how could ,he be with us8 ,yet ,he says1 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world6 ,then again in ,mark ii4 #g4 ,why doth this ,man thus speak blasphemies8 who can forgive sins but ,god only8 ,and immediately when ,jesus perceived in ,his ,spirit that they reasoned within themselves1 ,he said unto them1 ,why reason ye these things in your hearts8 ,whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy1 ,thy sins be forgiven thee1 or to say1 ,arise and take up thy bed and walk8 ,some men will meet you and say1 ,did not ,elisha also raise the dead8 ,notice that in the rare instances in which men have raised the dead1 they did it by the power of ,god4 ,they called on ,god to do it4 ,but when ,christ was on earth ,he did not call upon the ,father to bring the dead to life4 ,when ,he went to the house of ,jairus ,he said1 ,damsel1 ,i say unto thee1 ,arise4 7,mark v4 #da47 ,he had power to impart life4 ,when they were carrying the young man out of ,nain ,he had compassion on the widowed mother and came and touched the bier and said1 ,young man1 ,i say unto thee1 ,arise4 7,luke vii4 #ad47 ,he spake2 and the dead arose4 ,and when ,he raised ,lazarus ,he called with a loud voice1 ,lazarus1 come forth6 7,john xi4 #dc47 ,and ,lazarus heard1 and came forth4 ,some one has said1 ,it was a good thing that ,lazarus was mentioned by name1 or all the dead within the sound of ,christ's voice would immediately have risen4 ,in ,john v4 #be1 ,jesus says3 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,the hour is coming1 and now is1 when the dead shall hear the voice of the ,son of ,god2 and they that hear shall live4 ,what blasphemy would this have been1 had ,he not been divine6 ,the proof is overwhelming1 if you will but examine the ,word of ,god4 ,and then another thing--no good man except ,jesus ,christ has ever allowed anybody to worship him4 ,when this was done ,he never rebuked the worshiper4 ,in ,john ix4 #ch1 we read that when the blind man was found by ,christ he said1 ,lord1 ,i believe4 ,and he worshiped ,him4 ,the ,lord did not rebuke him4 ,then again1 ,revelation xxii4 #f1 runs thus3 ,and he said unto me1 ,these things are faithful and true2 and the ,lord ,god of the holy prophets sent ,his angel to show unto ,his servants the things which must shortly be done4 ,behold1 ,i come quickly3 blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book4 ,and ,i ,john saw these things and heard them4 ,and when ,i had heard and seen1 ,i fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things4 ,then saith ,he unto me1 ,see thou do it not2 for ,i am thy fellow-servant and of thy brethren the prophets1 and of them which keep the sayings of this book1 worship ,god4 ,we see here that even that angel would not allow ,john to worship him4 ,even an angel from heaven6 ,and if ,gabriel came down here from the presence of ,god it would be a sin to worship him1 or any seraph1 or any cherub1 or ,michael1 or any archangel4 ,worship ,god6 ,and if ,jesus ,christ were not ,god manifest in the flesh we are guilty of idolatry in worshiping ,him4 ,in ,matthew xiv4 #cc1 we read3 ,then they that were in the ship came and worshiped ,him1 saying1 ,of a truth ,thou art the ,son of ,god4 ,he did not rebuke them4 ,and in ,matthew viii4 #b1 we also read3 ,and1 behold1 there came a leper and worshiped ,him1 saying1 ,lord1 if ,thou wilt1 ,thou canst make me clean4 ,in ,matthew xv4 #be3 ,then came she1 and worshiped ,him1 saying1 ,lord1 help me6 ,there are many other passages2 but ,i give these as sufficient in my opinion to prove beyond any doubt the ,divinity of our ,lord4 ,in the #adth chapter of ,acts we are told the heathen at ,lystra came with garlands and would have done sacrifice to ,paul and ,barnabas because they had cured an impotent man2 but the evangelists rent their clothes and told these ,lystrans that they were but men1 and not to be worshipped2 as if it were a great sin4 ,and if ,jesus ,christ is a mere man1 we are all guilty of a great sin in worshipping ,him4 ,but if ,he is1 as we believe1 the only-begotten and well-beloved ,son of ,god1 let us yield to ,his claims upon us2 let us rest on ,his all-atoning work1 and go forth to serve ,him all the days of our life4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,repentance ,,and ,,restitution4 ,god commandeth all men everywhere to repent4--,acts xvii4 #cj4 ,repentance is one of the fundamental doctrines of the ,bible4 ,yet ,i believe it is one of those truths that many people little understand at the present day4 ,there are more people to-day in the mist and darkness about ,repentance1 ,regeneration1 the ,atonement1 and such-like fundamental truths1 than perhaps on any other doctrines4 ,yet from our earliest years we have heard about them4 ,if ,i were to ask for a definition of ,repentance1 a great many would give a very strange and false idea of it4 ,a man is not prepared to believe or to receive the ,gospel1 unless he is ready to repent of his sins and turn from them4 ,until ,john the ,baptist met ,christ1 he had but one text1 ,repent ye2 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand 7,matt4 iii4 #b74 ,but if he had continued to say this1 and had stopped there without pointing the people to ,christ the ,lamb of ,god1 he would not have accomplished much4 ,when ,christ came1 ,he took up the same wilderness cry1 ,repent2 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand 7,matt4 iv4 #ag74 ,and when our ,lord sent out ,his disciples1 it was with the same message1 that men should repent 7,mark vi4 #ab74 ,after ,he had been glorified1 and when the ,holy ,ghost came down1 we find ,peter on the day of ,pentecost raising the same cry1 ,repent6 ,it was this preaching--,repent1 and believe the ,gospel--that wrought such marvellous results then4 7,acts ii4 #ch-dg74 ,and we find that1 when ,paul went to ,athens1 he uttered the same cry1 ,now ,god commandeth all men1 everywhere1 to repent 7,acts xvii4 #cj74 ,before ,i speak of what ,repentance is1 let me briefly say what it is not4 ,repentance is not fear4 ,many people have confounded the two4 ,they think they have to be alarmed and terrified2 and they are waiting for some kind of fear to come down upon them4 ,but multitudes become alarmed who do not really repent4 ,you have heard of men at sea during a terrible storm4 ,perhaps they have been very profane men2 but when the danger came they suddenly grew quiet1 and began to cry to ,god for mercy4 ,yet you would not say they repented4 ,when the storm had passed away1 they went on swearing the same as before4 ,you might think that the king of ,egypt repented when ,god sent the terrible plagues upon him and his land4 ,but it was not repentance at all4 ,the moment ,god's hand was removed ,pharaoh's heart was harder than ever4 ,he did not turn from a single sin2 he was the same man4 ,so that there was no true repentance there4 ,often1 when death comes into a family1 it looks as if the event would be sanctified to the conversion of all who are in the house4 ,yet in six months' time all may be forgotten4 ,some who read this have perhaps passed through that experience4 ,when ,god's hand was heavy upon them it looked as if they were going to repent2 but the trial has been removed--and lo and behold1 the impression has all gone4 ,then again1 ,repentance is not feeling4 ,i find a great many people are waiting for a certain kind of feeling to come4 ,they would like to turn to ,god2 but think they cannot do it until this feeling comes4 ,when ,i was in ,baltimore ,i used to preach every ,sunday in the ,penitentiary to nine hundred convicts4 ,there was hardly a man there who did not feel miserable enough3 they had plenty of feeling4 ,for the first week or ten days of their imprisonment many of them cried half the time4 ,yet1 when they were released1 most of them would go right back to their old ways4 ,the truth was1 that they felt very bad because they had got caught2 that was all4 ,so you have seen a man in the time of trial show a good deal of feeling3 but very often it is only because he has got into trouble2 not because he has committed sin1 or because his conscience tells him he has done evil in the sight of ,god4 ,it seems as if the trial were going to result in true repentance2 but the feeling too often passes away4 ,once again1 ,repentance is not fasting and afflicting the body4 ,a man may fast for weeks and months and years1 and yet not repent of one sin4 ,neither is it remorse4 ,judas had terrible remorse--enough to make him go and hang himself2 but that was not repentance4 ,i believe if he had gone to his ,lord1 fallen on his face1 and confessed his sin1 he would have been forgiven4 ,instead of this he went to the priests1 and then put an end to his life4 ,a man may do all sorts of penance--but there is no true repentance in that4 ,put that down in your mind4 ,you cannot meet the claims of ,god by offering the fruit of your body for the sin of your soul4 ,away with such a delusion6 ,repentance is not conviction of sin4 ,that may sound strange to some4 ,i have seen men under such deep conviction of sin that they could not sleep at night2 they could not enjoy a single meal4 ,they went on for months in this state2 and yet they were not converted2 they did not truly repent4 ,do not confound conviction of sin with ,repentance4 ,neither is praying--,repentance4 ,that too may sound strange4 ,many people1 when they become anxious about their soul's salvation1 say1 ,i will pray1 and read the ,bible2 and they think that will bring about the desired effect4 ,but it will not do it4 ,you may read the ,bible and cry to ,god a great deal1 and yet never repent4 ,many people cry loudly to ,god1 and yet do not repent4 ,another thing3 it is not breaking off some one sin4 ,a great many people make that mistake4 ,a man who has been a drunkard signs the pledge1 and stops drinking4 ,breaking off one sin is not ,repentance4 ,forsaking one vice is like breaking off one limb of a tree1 when the whole tree has to come down4 ,a profane man stops swearing2 very good3 but if he does not break off from every sin it is not ,repentance--it is not the work of ,god in the soul4 ,when ,god works ,he hews down the whole tree4 ,he wants to have a man turn from every sin4 ,supposing ,i am in a vessel out at sea1 and ,i find the ship leaks in three or four places4 ,i may go and stop up one hole2 yet down goes the vessel4 ,or suppose ,i am wounded in three or four places1 and ,i get a remedy for one wound3 if the other two or three wounds are neglected1 my life will soon be gone4 ,true ,repentance is not merely breaking off this or that particular sin4 ,well then1 you will ask1 what is ,repentance8 ,i will give you a good definition3 it is right about face6 ,in the ,irish language the word ,repentance means even more than right about face6 ,it implies that a man who has been walking in one direction has not only faced about1 but is actually walking in an exactly contrary direction4 ,turn ye1 turn ye2 for why will ye die8 ,a man may have little feeling or much feeling2 but if he does not turn away from sin1 ,god will not have mercy on him4 ,repentance has also been described as a change of mind4 ,for instance1 there is the parable told by ,christ3 ,a certain man had two sons2 and he came to the first1 and said1 ,son1 go work to-day in my vineyard4 ,he answered and said1 ,i will not 7,matt4 xxi4 #bh1 #bi74 ,after he had said ,i will not he thought over it1 and changed his mind4 ,perhaps he may have said to himself1 ,i did not speak very respectfully to my father4 ,he asked me to go and work1 and ,i told him ,i would not go4 ,i think ,i was wrong4 ,but suppose he had only said this1 and still had not gone1 he would not have repented4 ,he was not only convinced that he was wrong2 but he went off into the fields1 hoeing1 or mowing or whatever it was4 ,that is ,christ's definition of repentance4 ,if a man says1 ,by the grace of ,god ,i will forsake my sin1 and do ,his will1 that is ,repentance--a turning right about4 ,some one has said1 man is born with his face turned away from ,god4 ,when he truly repents he is turned right around towards ,god2 he leaves his old life4 ,can a man at once repent8 ,certainly he can4 ,it does not take a long while to turn around4 ,it does not take a man six months to change his mind4 ,there was a vessel that went down some time ago on the ,newfoundland coast4 ,as she was bearing towards the shore1 there was a moment when the captain could have given orders to reverse the engines and turn back4 ,if the engines had been reversed then1 the ship would have been saved4 ,but there was a moment when it was too late4 ,so there is a moment1 ,i believe1 in every man's life when he can halt and say1 ,by the grace of ,god ,i will go no further towards death and ruin4 ,i repent of my sins and turn from them4 ,you may say you have not got feeling enough2 but if you are convinced that you are on the wrong road1 turn right about1 and say1 ,i will no longer go on in the way of rebellion and sin as ,i have done4 ,just then1 when you are willing to turn towards ,god1 salvation may be yours4 ,i find that every case of conversion recorded in the ,bible was instantaneous4 ,repentance and faith came very suddenly4 ,the moment a man made up his mind1 ,god gave him the power4 ,god does not ask any man to do what he has not the power to do4 ,he would not command all men everywhere to repent 7,acts xvii4 #cj7 if they were not able to do so4 ,man has no one to blame but himself if he does not repent and believe the ,gospel4 ,one of the leading ministers of the ,gospel in ,ohio wrote me a letter some time ago describing his conversion2 it very forcibly illustrates this point of instantaneous decision4 ,he said3 ,i was nineteen years old1 and was reading law with a ,christian lawyer in ,vermont4 ,one afternoon when he was away from home1 his good wife said to me as ,i came into the house1 ',i want you to go to class-meeting with me to-night and become a ,christian1 so that you can conduct family worship while my husband is away4' ',well1 ,i'll do it1' ,i said1 without any thought4 ,when ,i came into the house again she asked me if ,i was honest in what ,i had said4 ,i replied1 ',yes1 so far as going to meeting with you is concerned2 that is only courteous4' ,i went with her to the class-meeting1 as ,i had often done before4 ,about a dozen persons were present in a little school-house4 ,the leader had spoken to all in the room but myself and two others4 ,he was speaking to the person next me1 when the thought occurred to me3 he will ask me if ,i have anything to say4 ,i said to myself3 ,i have decided to be a ,christian sometime2 why not begin now8 ,in less time than a minute after these thoughts had passed through my mind he said1 speaking to me familiarly--for he knew me very well--',brother ,charles1 have you anything to say8' ,i replied1 with perfect coolness1 ',yes1 sir4 ,i have just decided1 within the last thirty seconds1 that ,i will begin a ,christian life1 and would like to have you pray for me4' ,my coolness staggered him2 ,i think he almost doubted my sincerity4 ,he said very little1 but passed on and spoke to the other two4 ,after a few general remarks1 he turned to me and said1 ',brother ,charles1 will you close the meeting with prayer8' ,he knew ,i had never prayed in public4 ,up to this moment ,i had no feeling4 ,it was purely a business transaction4 ,my first thought was3 ,i cannot pray1 and ,i will ask him to excuse me4 ,my second was3 ,i have said ,i will begin a ,christian life2 and this is a part of it4 ,so ,i said1 ',let us pray4' ,and somewhere between the time ,i started to kneel and the time my knees struck the floor the ,lord converted my soul4 ,the first words ,i said were1 ',glory to ,god6' ,what ,i said after that ,i do not know1 and it does not matter1 for my soul was too full to say much but ,glory6 ,from that hour the devil has never dared to challenge my conversion4 ,to ,christ be all the praise4 ,many people are waiting1 they cannot exactly tell for what1 but for some sort of miraculous feeling to come stealing over them--some mysterious kind of faith4 ,i was speaking to a man some years ago1 and he always had one answer to give me4 ,for five years ,i tried to win him to ,christ1 and every year he said1 ,it has not 'struck me' yet4 ,man1 what do you mean8 ,what has not struck you8 ,well1 he said1 ,i am not going to become a ,christian until it strikes me2 and it has not struck me yet4 ,i do not see it in the way you see it4 ,but don't you know you are a sinner8 ,yes1 ,i know ,i am a sinner4 ,well1 don't you know that ,god wants to have mercy on you--that there is forgiveness with ,god8 ,he wants you to repent and come to ,him4 ,yes1 ,i know that2 but--it has not struck me yet4 ,he always fell back on that4 ,poor man6 he went down to his grave in a state of indecision4 ,sixty long years ,god gave him to repent2 and all he had to say at the end of those years was that it had not struck him yet4 ,is any reader waiting for some strange feeling--you do not know what8 ,nowhere in the ,bible is a man told to wait2 ,god is commanding you now to repent4 ,do you think ,god can forgive a man when he does not want to be forgiven8 ,would he be happy if ,god forgave him in this state of mind8 ,why1 if a man went into the kingdom of ,god without repentance1 heaven would be hell to him4 ,heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people4 ,if your boy has done wrong1 and will not repent1 you cannot forgive him4 ,you would be doing him an injustice4 ,suppose he goes to your desk1 and steals #aj1 and squanders it4 ,when you come home your servant tells you what your boy has done4 ,you ask if it is true1 and he denies it4 ,but at last you have certain proof4 ,even when he finds he cannot deny it any longer1 he will not confess the sin1 but says he will do it again the first chance he gets4 ,would you say to him1 ,well1 ,i forgive you1 and leave the matter there8 ,no6 ,yet people say that ,god is going to save all men1 whether they repent or not--drunkards1 thieves1 harlots1 whoremongers1 it makes no difference4 ,god is so merciful1 they say4 ,dear friend1 do not be deceived by the god of this world4 ,where there is true repentance and a turning from sin unto ,god1 ,he will meet and bless you2 but ,he never blesses until there is sincere repentance4 ,david made a woful mistake in this respect with his rebellious son1 ,absalom4 ,he could not have done his son a greater injustice than to forgive him when his heart was unchanged4 ,there could be no true reconciliation between them when there was no repentance4 ,but ,god does not make these mistakes4 ,david got into trouble on account of his error of judgment4 ,his son soon drove his father from the throne4 ,speaking on repentance1 ,dr4 ,brooks1 of ,st4 ,louis1 well remarks3 ,repentance1 strictly speaking1 means a 'change of mind or purpose2' consequently it is the judgment which the sinner pronounces upon himself1 in view of the love of ,god displayed in the death of ,christ1 connected with the abandonment of all confidence in himself and with trust in the only ,saviour of sinners4 ,saving repentance and saving faith always go together2 and you need not be worried about repentance if you will believe4 ,some people are not sure that they have 'repented enough4' ,if you mean by this that you must repent in order to incline ,god to be merciful to you1 the sooner you give over such repentance the better4 ,god is already merciful1 as ,he has fully shown at the ,cross of ,calvary2 and it is a grievous dishonor to ,his heart of love if you think that your tears and anguish will move ,him1 not knowing that 'the goodness of ,god leadeth thee to repentance4' ,it is not your badness1 therefore1 but ,his goodness that leads to repentance2 hence the true way to repent is to believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 'who was delivered for our offences1 and was raised again for our justification4' ,another thing4 ,if there is true repentance it will bring forth fruit4 ,if we have done wrong to any one we should never ask ,god to forgive us1 until we are willing to make restitution4 ,if ,i have done any man a great injustice and can make it good1 ,i need not ask ,god to forgive me until ,i am willing to make it good4 ,suppose ,i have taken something that does not belong to me4 ,i have no right to expect forgiveness until ,i make restitution4 ,i remember preaching in one of our large cities1 when a fine-looking man came up to me at the close4 ,he was in great distress of mind4 ,the fact is1 he said1 ,i am a defaulter4 ,i have taken money that belonged to my employers4 ,how can ,i become a ,christian without restoring it8 ,have you got the money8 ,he told me he had not got it all4 ,he had taken about #a1ejj1 and he still had about #ijj4 ,he said ,could ,i not take that money and go into business1 and make enough to pay them back8 ,i told him that was a delusion of ,satan2 that he could not expect to prosper on stolen money2 that he should restore all he had1 and go and ask his employers to have mercy upon him and forgive him4 ,but they will put me in prison1 he said3 cannot you give me any help8 ,no1 you must restore the money before you can expect to get any help from ,god4 ,it is pretty hard1 he said4 ,yes4 it is hard2 but the great mistake was in doing the wrong at first4 ,his burden became so heavy that it got to be insupportable4 ,he handed me the money--#iej dollars and some cents--and asked me to take it back to his employers4 ,the next evening the two employers and myself met in a side room of the church4 ,i laid the money down1 and informed them it was from one of their employes4 ,i told them the story1 and said he wanted mercy from them1 not justice4 ,the tears trickled down the cheeks of these two men1 and they said1 ,forgive him6 ,yes1 we will be glad to forgive him4 ,i went down stairs and brought him up4 ,after he had confessed his guilt and been forgiven1 we all got down on our knees and had a blessed prayer-meeting4 ,god met us and blessed us there4 ,there was a friend of mine who some time ago had come to ,christ and wished to consecrate himself and his wealth to ,god4 ,he had formerly had transactions with the government1 and had taken advantage of them4 ,this thing came up when he was converted1 and his conscience troubled him4 ,he said1 ,i want to consecrate my wealth1 but it seems as if ,god will not take it4 ,he had a terrible struggle2 his conscience kept rising up and smiting him4 ,at last he drew a check for #a1ejj and sent it to the ,united ,states ,treasury4 ,he told me he received such a blessing when he had done it4 ,that was bringing forth fruits meet for repentance4 ,i believe a great many men are crying to ,god for light2 and they are not getting it because they are not honest4 ,i was once preaching1 and a man came to me who was only thirty-two years old1 but whose hair was very grey4 ,he said1 ,i want you to notice that my hair is grey1 and ,i am only thirty-two years old4 ,for twelve years ,i have carried a great burden4 ,well1 ,i said1 what is it8 ,he looked around as if afraid some one would hear him4 ,well1 he answered1 my father died and left my mother with the county newspaper1 and left her only that3 that was all she had4 ,after he died the paper begun to waste away2 and ,i saw my mother was fast sinking into a state of need4 ,the building and the paper were insured for a thousand dollars1 and when ,i was twenty years old ,i set fire to the building1 and obtained the thousand dollars1 and gave it to my mother4 ,for twelve years that sin has been haunting me4 ,i have tried to drown it by indulgence in pleasure and sin2 ,i have cursed ,god2 ,i have gone into infidelity2 ,i have tried to make out that the ,bible is not true2 ,i have done everything ,i could3 but all these years ,i have been tormented4 ,i said1 ,there is a way out of that4 ,he inquired ,how8 ,i said1 ,make restitution4 ,let us sit down and calculate the interest1 and then you pay the ,company the money4 ,it would have done you good to see that man's face light up when he found there was mercy for him4 ,he said he would be glad to pay back the money and interest if he could only be forgiven4 ,there are men to-day who are in darkness and bondage because they are not willing to turn from their sins and confess them2 and ,i do not know how a man can hope to be forgiven if he is not willing to confess his sins4 ,bear in mind that now is the only day of mercy you will ever have4 ,you can repent now1 and have the awful record blotted out4 ,god waits to forgive you2 ,he is seeking to bring you to ,himself4 ,but ,i think the ,bible teaches clearly that there is no repentance after this life4 ,there are some who tell you of the possibility of repentance in the grave2 but ,i do not find that in ,scripture4 ,i have looked my ,bible over very carefully1 and ,i cannot find that a man will have another opportunity of being saved4 ,why should he ask for any more time8 ,you have time enough to repent now4 ,you can turn from your sins this moment if you will4 ,god says3 ,i have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth2 wherefore turn1 and live ye 7,ezek4 xviii4 #cb74 ,christ said1 ,he came not to call the righteous1 but sinners to repentance4 ,are you a sinner8 ,then the call to repent is addressed to you4 ,take your place in the dust at the ,saviour's feet1 and acknowledge your guilt4 ,say1 like the publican of old1 ,god be merciful to me a sinner6 and see how quickly ,he will pardon and bless you4 ,he will even justify you and reckon you as righteous1 by virtue of the righteousness of ,him who bore your sins in ,his own body on the ,cross4 ,there are some perhaps who think themselves righteous2 and that1 therefore1 there is no need for them to repent and believe the ,gospel4 ,they are like the ,pharisee in the parable1 who thanked ,god that he was not as other men--extortioners1 unjust1 adulterers1 or even as this publican2 and who went on to say1 ,i fast twice a week2 ,i give tithes of all ,i possess4 ,what is the judgment about such self-righteous persons8 ,i tell you this man the poor1 contrite1 repenting publican went down to his house justified rather than the other 7,luke xviii4 #aa-ad74 ,there is none righteous2 no1 not one4 ,all have sinned1 and come short of the glory of ,god 7,rom4 iii4 #aj1 #bc74 ,let no one say he does not need to repent4 ,let each one take his true place--that of a sinner2 then ,god will lift him up to the place of forgiveness and justification4 ,whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased3 and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted 7,luke xiv4 #aa74 ,wherever ,god sees true repentance in the heart ,he meets that soul4 ,i was in ,colorado1 preaching the gospel some time ago1 and ,i heard something that touched my heart very much4 ,the governor of the ,state was passing through the prison1 and in one cell he found a boy who had his window full of flowers1 that seemed to have been watched with very tender care4 ,the governor looked at the prisoner1 and then at the flowers1 and asked whose they were1 ,these are my flowers1 said the poor convict4 ,are you fond of flowers8 ,yes1 sir4 ,how long have you been here8 ,he told him so many years3 he was in for a long sentence4 ,the governor was surprised to find him so fond of the flowers1 and he said1 ,can you tell me why you like these flowers so much8 ,with much emotion he replied1 ,while my mother was alive she thought a good deal of flowers2 and when ,i came here ,i thought if ,i had these they would remind me of mother4 ,the governor was so pleased that he said1 ,well1 young man1 if you think so much of your mother ,i think you will appreciate your liberty1 and he pardoned him then and there4 ,when ,god finds that beautiful flower of true repentance springing up in a man's heart1 then salvation comes to that man4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,assurance ,,of ,,salvation4 ,these things have ,i written unto you that believe on the name of the ,son of ,god2 that ye may know that ye have eternal life1 and that ye may believe on the name of the ,son of ,god4 7#a ,john v4 #ac4 7 ,there are two classes who ought not to have ,assurance4 ,first3 those who are in the ,church1 but who are not converted1 having never been born of the ,spirit4 ,second3 those not willing to do ,god's will2 who are not ready to take the place that ,god has mapped out for them1 but want to fill some other place4 ,some one will ask ,have all ,god's people ,assurance8 ,no2 ,i think a good many of ,god's dear people have no ,assurance2 but it is the privilege of every child of ,god to have beyond doubt a knowledge of his own salvation4 ,no man is fit for ,god's service who is filled with doubts4 ,if a man is not sure of his own salvation1 how can he help any one else into the kingdom of ,god8 ,if ,i seem in danger of drowning and do not know whether ,i shall ever reach the shore1 ,i cannot assist another4 ,i must first get on the solid rock myself2 and then ,i can lend my brother a helping hand4 ,if being myself blind ,i were to tell another blind man how to get sight1 he might reply1 ,first get healed yourself2 and then you can tell me4 ,i recently met with a young man who was a ,christian3 but he had not attained to victory over sin4 ,he was in terrible darkness4 ,such an one is not fit to work for ,god1 because he has besetting sins2 and he has not the victory over his doubts1 because he has not the victory over his sins4 ,none will have time or heart to work for ,god1 who are not assured as to their own salvation4 ,they have as much as they can attend to2 and being themselves burdened with doubts1 they cannot help others to carry their burdens4 ,there is no rest1 joy1 or peace--no liberty1 nor power--where doubts and uncertainty exist4 ,now it seems as if there are three wiles of ,satan against which we ought to be on our guard4 ,in the first place he moves all his kingdom to keep us away from ,christ2 then he devotes himself to get us into ,doubting ,castle3 but if we have1 in spite of him1 a clear ringing witness for the ,son of ,god1 he will do all he can to blacken our characters and belie our testimony4 ,some seem to think that it is presumption not to have doubts2 but doubt is very dishonoring to ,god4 ,if any one were to say that they had known a person for thirty years and yet doubted him1 it would not be very creditable2 and when we have known ,god for ten1 twenty or thirty years does it not reflect on ,his veracity to doubt ,him4 ,could ,paul and the early ,christians and martyrs have gone through what they did if they had been filled with doubts1 and had not known whether they were going to heaven or to perdition after they had been burned at the stake8 ,they must have had ,assurance4 ,mr4 ,spurgeon says3 ,i never heard of a stork that when it met with a fir tree demurred as to its right to build its nest there2 and ,i never heard of a coney yet that questioned whether it had a permit to run into the rock4 ,why1 these creatures would soon perish if they were always doubting and fearing as to whether they had a right to use providential provisions4 ,the stork says to himself1 ',ah1 here is a fir tree3' he consults with his mate1 ',will this do for the nest in which we may rear our young8' ',aye1' says she2 and they gather the materials1 and arrange them4 ,there is never any deliberation1 ',may we build here8' but they bring their sticks and make their nest4 ,the wild goat on the crag does not say1 ',have ,i a right here8' ,no1 he must be somewhere3 and there is a crag which exactly suits him2 and he springs upon it4 ,yet1 though these dumb creatures know the provision of their ,god1 the sinner does not recognize the provision of his ,saviour4 ,he quibbles and questions1 ',may ,i8' and ',i am afraid it is not for me2' and ',i think it cannot be meant for me2' and ',i am afraid it is too good to be true4' ,and yet nobody ever said to the stork1 ',whosoever buildeth on this fir tree shall never have his nest pulled down4' ,no inspired word has ever said to the coney1 ',whosoever runs into this rock cleft shall never be driven out of it4' ,if it had been so it would make assurance doubly sure4 ,and yet here is ,christ provided for sinners1 just the sort of a ,saviour sinners need2 and the encouragement is added1 ',him that cometh unto ,me ,i will in no wise cast out2' ',whosoever will1 let him take the water of life freely4' ,now let us come to the ,word4 ,john tells us in his ,gospel what ,christ did for us on earth4 ,in his ,epistle ,he tells us what ,he is doing for us in heaven as our ,advocate4 ,in his ,gospel there are only two chapters in which the word believe does not occur4 ,with these two exceptions1 every chapter in ,john is ,believe6 ,believe66 ,believe666 ,he tells us in xx4 #ca1 ,but these are written1 that ye might believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the son of ,god1 and that1 believing1 ye might have life through ,his name4 ,that is the purpose for which he wrote the ,gospel--that we might believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god3 and that1 believing1 we might have life through ,his name 7,john xx4 #ca74 ,turn to #a ,john v4 #ac1 he there tells us why he wrote this ,epistle3 ,these things have ,i written unto you that believe on the name of the ,son of ,god4 ,notice to whom he writes it ,you that believe on the name of the ,son of ,god2 that ye may know that ye have eternal life1 and that ye may believe on the name of the ,son of ,god4 ,there are only five short chapters in this first ,epistle1 and the word know occurs over forty times4 ,it is ,know6 ,know66 ,,know666 ,the ,key to it is ,know6 and all through the ,epistle there rings out the refrain--that we might know that we have eternal life4 ,i went twelve hundred miles down the ,mississippi in the spring some years ago2 and every evening1 just as the sun went down1 you might have seen men1 and sometimes women1 riding up to the banks of the river on either side on mules or horses1 and sometimes coming on foot1 for the purpose of lighting up the ,government lights2 and all down that mighty river there were landmarks which guided the pilots in their dangerous navigation4 ,now ,god has given us lights or landmarks to tell us whether we are ,his children or not2 and what we need to do is to examine the tokens ,he has given us4 ,in the third chapter of ,john's first ,epistle there are five things worth knowing4 ,in the fifth verse we read the first3 ,and ye know that ,he was manifested to take away our sins2 and in ,him is no sin4 ,not what ,i have done1 but what ,,he has done4 ,has ,he failed in ,his mission8 ,is ,he not able to do what ,he came for8 ,did ever any heaven-sent man fail yet8 and could ,god's own ,son fail8 ,he was manifested to take away our sins4 ,again1 in the nineteenth verse1 the second thing worth knowing3 ,and hereby we know that we are of the truth1 and shall assure our hearts before ,him4 ,we know that we are of the truth4 ,and if the truth make us free1 we shall be free indeed4 ,if the ,son therefore shall make you free1 ye shall be free indeed4 7,john viii4 #cf47 ,the third thing worth knowing is in the fourteenth verse1 ,we know that we have passed from death unto life1 because we love the brethren4 ,the natural man does not like godly people1 nor does he care to be in their company4 ,he that loveth not his brother abideth in death4 ,he has no spiritual life4 ,the fourth thing worth knowing we find in verse twenty-four3 ,and he that keepeth ,his commandments dwelleth in ,him1 and ,he in him4 ,and hereby we know that ,he abideth in us1 by the ,spirit which ,he hath given us4 ,we can tell what kind of ,spirit we have if we possess the ,spirit of ,christ--a ,christ-like spirit--not the same in degree1 but the same in kind4 ,if ,i am meek1 gentle1 and forgiving2 if ,i have a spirit filled with peace and joy2 if ,i am long-suffering and gentle1 like the ,son of ,god--that is a test3 and in that way we are to tell whether we have eternal life or not4 ,the fifth thing worth knowing1 and the best of all1 is ,beloved1 now4 ,notice the word ,now4 ,it does not say when you come to die4 ,beloved1 now are we the sons of ,god2 and it doth not yet appear what we shall be3 but we know that1 when ,he shall appear2 we shall be like ,him2 for we shall see ,him as ,he is 7v4 #b74 ,but some will say1 ,well1 ,i believe all that2 but then ,i have sinned since ,i became a ,christian4 ,is there a man or a woman on the face of the earth who has not sinned since becoming a ,christian8 ,not one6 ,there never has been1 and never will be1 a soul on this earth who has not sinned1 or who will not sin1 at some time of their ,christian experience4 ,but ,god has made provision for believers' sins4 ,we are not to make provision for them2 but ,god has4 ,bear that in mind4 ,turn to #a ,john ii4 #a3 ,my little children1 these things write ,i unto you1 that ye sin not4 ,and if any man sin1 we have an ,advocate with the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ the righteous4 ,he is here writing to the righteous4 ,if any man sin1 we--,john put himself in--we have an ,advocate with the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ the righteous4 ,what an ,advocate6 ,he attends to our interests at the very best place--the throne of ,god4 ,he said1 ,nevertheless1 ,i tell you the truth2 it is expedient for you that ,i go away 7,john xvi4 #g74 ,he went away to become our ,high ,priest1 and also our ,advocate4 ,he has had some hard cases to plead2 but he has never lost one3 and if you entrust your immortal interests to ,him1 ,he will present you faultless before the presence of ,his glory with exceeding joy 7,jude #bd74 ,the past sins of ,christians are all forgiven as soon as they are confessed2 and they are never to be mentioned4 ,that is a question which is not to be opened up again4 ,if our sins have been put away1 that is the end of them4 ,they are not to be remembered2 and ,god will not mention them any more4 ,this is very plain4 ,suppose ,i have a son who1 while ,i am from home1 does wrong4 ,when ,i go home he throws his arms around my neck and says1 ,papa1 ,i did what you told me not to do4 ,i am very sorry4 ,do forgive me4 ,i say3 ,yes1 my son1 and kiss him4 ,he wipes away his tears1 and goes off rejoicing4 ,but the next day he says3 ,papa1 ,i wish you would forgive me for the wrong ,i did yesterday4 ,i should say3 ,why1 my son1 that thing is settled2 and ,i don't want it mentioned again4 ,but ,i wish you would forgive me3 it would help me to hear you say1 ',i forgive you4' ,would that be honoring me8 ,would it not grieve me to have my boy doubt me8 ,but to gratify him ,i say again1 ,i forgive you1 my son4 ,and if1 the next day1 he were again to bring up that old sin1 and ask forgiveness1 would not that grieve me to the heart8 ,and so1 my dear reader1 if ,god has forgiven us1 never let us mention the past4 ,let us forget those things which are behind1 and reach forth unto those which are before1 and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 ,let the sins of the past go2 for ,if we confess our sins1 ,he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins1 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 7#a ,john i4 #i74 ,and let me say that this principle is recognized in courts of justice4 ,a case came up in the courts of a country--,i won't say where--in which a man had had trouble with his wife2 but he forgave her1 and then afterwards brought her into court4 ,and1 when it was known that he had forgiven her1 the judge said that the thing was settled4 ,the judge recognized the soundness of the principle1 that if a sin were once forgiven there was an end of it4 ,and do you think the ,judge of all the earth will forgive you and me1 and open the question again8 ,our sins are gone for time and eternity1 if ,god forgives3 and what we have to do is to confess and forsake our sins4 ,again in #b ,corinthians xiii4 #e3 ,examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith2 prove your own selves4 ,know ye not your own selves1 how that ,jesus ,christ is in you1 except ye be reprobates8 ,now examine yourselves4 ,try your religion4 ,put it to the test4 ,can you forgive an enemy8 ,that is a good way to know if you are a child of ,god4 ,can you forgive an injury1 or take an affront1 as ,christ did8 ,can you be censured for doing well1 and not murmur8 ,can you be misjudged and misrepresented1 and yet keep a ,christ-like spirit8 ,another good test is to read ,galatians v41 and notice the fruits of the ,spirit2 and see if you have them4 ,the fruit of the ,spirit is love1 joy1 peace1 long suffering1 gentleness1 goodness1 faith1 meekness1 temperance3 against such there is no law4 ,if ,i have the fruits of the ,spirit ,i must have the ,spirit4 ,i could not have the fruits without the ,spirit any more than there could be an orange without the tree4 ,and ,christ says ,ye shall know them by their fruits2 for the tree is known by his fruits4 ,make the tree good1 and the fruit will be good4 ,the only way to get the fruit is to have the ,spirit4 ,that is the way to examine ourselves whether we are the children of ,god4 ,then there is another very striking passage4 ,in ,romans viii4 #i1 ,paul says3 ,now1 if any man have not the ,spirit of ,christ1 he is none of ,his4 ,that ought to settle the question1 even though one may have gone through all the external forms that are considered necessary by some to constitute a member of a ,church4 ,read ,paul's life1 and put yours alongside of it4 ,if your life resembles his1 it is a proof that you are born again--that you are a new creature in ,christ ,jesus4 ,but although you may be born again1 it will require time to become a full-grown ,christian4 ,justification is instantaneous2 but sanctification is a life-work4 ,we are to grow in wisdom4 ,peter says ,grow in grace1 and in the knowledge of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ 7#b ,pet4 iii4 #ah72 and in the first chapter of his ,second ,epistle1 ,add to your faith virtue2 and to virtue knowledge2 and to knowledge temperance2 and to temperance patience2 and to patience godliness2 and to godliness brotherly kindness2 and to brotherly kindness charity4 ,for if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,so that we are to add grace to grace4 ,a tree may be perfect in its first year of growth2 but it does not attain its maturity4 ,so with the ,christian3 he may be a true child of ,god1 but not a matured ,christian4 ,the eighth of ,romans is very important1 and we should be very familiar with it4 ,in the fourteenth verse the apostle says3 ,for as many as are led by the ,spirit of ,god they are the sons of ,god4 ,just as the soldier is led by his captain1 the pupil by his teacher1 or the traveller by his guide2 so the ,holy ,spirit will be the guide of every true child of ,god4 ,then let me call your attention to another fact4 ,all ,paul's teaching in nearly every ,epistle rings out the doctrine of assurance4 ,he says in #b ,corinthians v4 #a3 ,for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved1 we have a building of ,god1 a house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens4 ,he had a title to the mansions above1 and he says--,i know it4 ,he was not living in uncertainty4 ,he said3 ,i have a desire to depart and be with ,christ 7,phil4 i4 #bc72 and if he had been uncertain he would not have said that4 ,then in ,colossians iii4 #d1 he says3 ,when ,christ1 who is our life1 shall appear1 then shall ye also appear with ,him in glory4 ,i am told that ,dr4 ,watts' tombstone bears this same passage of ,scripture4 ,there is no doubt there4 ,then turn to ,colossians i4 #ab3 ,giving thanks unto the ,father1 which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light2 who hath delivered us from the power of darkness1 and hath translated us into the kingdom of ,his dear ,son4 ,three haths3 hath made us meet2 hath delivered us2 and hath translated us4 ,it does not say that ,he is going to make us meet2 that ,he is going to deliver2 that ,he is going to translate4 ,then again in verse #adth3 ,in whom we have redemption through ,his blood1 even the forgiveness of sins4 ,we are either forgiven or we are not1 we should not give ourselves any rest until we get into the kingdom of ,god2 nor until we can each look up and say1 ,i know that if my earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved1 ,i have a building of ,god1 a house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens 7#b ,cor4 v4 #a74 ,look at ,romans viii4 #cb3 ,he that spared not ,his own ,son1 but delivered ,him up for us all1 how shall ,he not with ,him also freely give us all things8 ,if ,he gave us ,his ,son1 will ,he not give us the certainty that ,he is ours4 ,i have heard this illustration4 ,there was a man who owed #aj1jjj1 and would have been made a bankrupt1 but a friend came forward and paid the sum4 ,it was found afterwards that he owed a few dollars more2 but he did not for a moment entertain a doubt that1 as his friend had paid the larger amount1 he would also pay the smaller4 ,and we have high warrant for saying that if ,god has given us ,his ,son ,he will with ,him also freely give us all things2 and if we want to realize our salvation beyond controversy ,he will not leave us in darkness4 ,again in the #cc;d verse3 ,who shall lay anything to the charge of ,god's elect8 ,it is ,god that justifieth4 ,who is he that condemneth8 ,it is ,christ that died1 yea rather1 that is risen again1 who is even at the right hand of ,god1 who also maketh intercession for us4 ,who shall separate us from the love of ,christ8 shall tribulation1 or distress1 or persecution1 or famine1 or nakedness1 or peril1 or sword8 ,as it is written1 ,for ,thy sake we are killed all the day long2 we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter4 ,nay1 in all these things we are more than conquerors through ,him that loved us4 ,for ,i am persuaded that neither death1 nor life1 nor angels1 nor principalities1 nor powers1 nor things present1 nor things to come1 nor height1 nor depth1 nor any other creature1 shall be able to separate us from the love of ,god1 which is in ,christ ,jesus our ,lord4 ,that has the right ring in it4 ,there is ,assurance for you4 ,i ,know4 ,do you think that the ,god who has justified me will condemn me8 ,that is quite an absurdity4 ,god is going to save us so that neither men1 angels1 nor devils1 can bring any charge against us or ,him4 ,he will have the work complete4 ,job lived in a darker day than we do2 but we read in ,job xix4 #be3 ,i know that my ,redeemer liveth1 and that ,he shall stand in the latter day upon the earth4 ,the same confidence breathes through ,paul's last words to ,timothy3 ,for the which cause ,i also suffer these things3 nevertheless ,i am not ashamed2 for ,i know whom ,i have believed1 and am persuaded that ,he is able to keep that which ,i have committed unto ,him against that day4 ,it is not a matter of doubt1 but of knowledge4 ,i know4 ,i am persuaded4 ,the word ,hope1 is not used in the ,scripture to express doubt4 ,it is used in regard to the second coming of ,christ1 or to the resurrection of the body4 ,we do not say that we hope we are ,christians4 ,i do not say that ,i hope ,i am an ,american1 or that ,i hope ,i am a married man4 ,these are settled things4 ,i may say that ,i hope to go back to my home1 or ,i hope to attend such a meeting4 ,i do not say that ,i hope to come to this country1 for ,i am here4 ,and so1 if we are born of ,god we know it2 and ,he will not leave us in darkness if we search the ,scriptures4 ,christ taught this doctrine to ,his seventy disciples when they returned elated with their success1 saying1 ,lord1 even the devils are subject unto us through ,thy name4 ,the ,lord seemed to check them1 and said that ,he would give them something to rejoice in4 ,notwithstanding in this rejoice not1 that the spirits are subject unto you2 but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven4 7,luke x4 #bj47 ,it is the privilege of every one of us to know1 beyond a doubt1 that our salvation is sure4 ,then we can work for others4 ,but if we are doubtful of our own salvation1 we are not fit for the service of ,god4 ,another passage is ,john v4 #bd3 ,verily1 verily ,i say unto you3 ,he that heareth my word1 and believeth on ,him that sent ,me1 hath everlasting life1 and shall not come into 'judgment1' 7the new translation has it so71 but is passed from death unto life4 ,some people say that you never can tell till you are before the great white throne of ,judgment whether you are saved or not4 ,why1 my dear friend1 if your life is hid with ,christ in ,god1 you are not coming into judgment for your sins4 ,we may come into judgment for reward4 ,this is clearly taught where the lord reckoned with the servant to whom five talents had been given1 and who brought other five talents saying1 ,lord1 thou deliveredst unto me five talents2 behold1 ,i have gained beside them five talents more4 ,his lord said unto him1 ,well done1 thou good and faithful servant3 thou hast been faithful over a few things2 ,i will make thee ruler over many things2 enter thou into the joy of thy lord4 7,matt4 xxv4 #bj1 #ba47 ,we shall be judged for our stewardship4 ,that is one thing2 but salvation--eternal life--is another4 ,will ,god demand payment twice of the debt which ,christ has paid for us8 ,if ,christ bear my sins in ,his own body on the tree1 am ,i to answer for them as well8 ,isaiah tells us that1 ,he was wounded for our transgressions2 ,he was bruised for our iniquities2 the chastisement of our peace was upon ,him3 and with ,his stripes we are healed4 ,in ,romans iv4 #be1 we read3 ,he was delivered for our offences1 and was raised again for our justification4 ,let us believe1 and get the benefit of ,his finished work4 ,then again in ,john x4 #i3 ,i am the door3 by ,me if any man enter in he shall be saved1 and shall go in and out1 and find pasture4 ,that is the promise4 ,then the #bgth verse1 ,my sheep hear my voice2 and ,i know them1 and they follow ,me4 ,and ,i give unto them eternal life2 and they shall never perish1 neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand4 ,my father which gave them is greater than all2 and no man is able to pluck them out of my ,father's hand4 ,think of that6 ,the ,father1 the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost1 are pledged to keep us4 ,you see that it is not only the ,father1 not only the ,son1 but the three persons of the ,triune ,god4 ,now1 a great many people want some token outside of ,god's word4 ,that habit always brings doubt4 ,if ,i made a promise to meet a man at a certain hour and place to-morrow1 and he were to ask me for my watch as a token of my sincerity1 it would be a slur on my truthfulness4 ,we must not question what ,god has said3 ,he has made statement after statement1 and multiplied figure upon figure4 ,christ says3 ,i am the door2 by ,me if any man enter in he shall be saved4 ,i am the ,good ,shepherd1 and know ,my sheep1 and am known of ,mine4 ,i am the light of the world2 he that followeth ,me shall not walk in darkness1 but shall have the light of life4 ,i am the truth2 receive ,me1 and you will have the truth2 for ,i am the embodiment of truth4 ,do you want to know the way8 ,i am the way3 follow ,me1 and ,i will lead you into the kingdom4 ,are you hungering after righteousness8 ,i am the ,bread of life3 if you eat of ,me you shall never hunger4 ,i am the ,water of life3 if you drink of this water it shall be within you a well of water springing up unto everlasting life4 ,i am the resurrection and the life3 he that believeth in ,me1 though he were dead1 yet shall he live2 and whosoever liveth and believeth in ,me shall never die4 7,john xi4 #be1 #bf47 ,let me remind you where our doubts come from4 ,a good many of ,god's dear people never get beyond knowing themselves servants4 ,he calls us friends4 ,if you go into a house you will soon see the difference between the servant and the son4 ,the son walks at perfect liberty all over the house2 he is at home4 ,but the servant takes a subordinate place4 ,what we want is to get beyond servants4 ,we ought to realize our standing with ,god as sons and daughters4 ,he will not un-child ,his children4 ,god has not only adopted us1 but we are ,his by birth3 we have been born into ,his kingdom4 ,my little boy was as much mine when he was a day old as now that he is fourteen4 ,he was my son2 although it did not appear what he would be when he attained manhood4 ,he is mine2 although he may have to undergo probation under tutors and governors4 ,the children of ,god are not perfect2 but we are perfectly ,his children4 ,another origin of doubts is looking at ourselves4 ,if you want to be wretched and miserable1 filled with doubts from morning till night1 look at yourselves4 ,thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on ,thee4 7,isa4 xxvi4 #c47 ,many of ,god's dear children are robbed of joy because they keep looking at themselves4 ,some one has said3 ,there are three ways to look4 ,if you want to be wretched1 look within2 if you wish to be distracted1 look around2 but if you would have peace1 look up4 ,peter looked away from ,christ1 and he immediately began to sink4 ,the ,master said to him3 ,o thou of little faith6 ,wherefore didst thou doubt8 7,matt4 xiv4 #ca47 ,he had ,god's eternal word1 which was sure footing1 and better than either marble1 granite or iron2 but the moment he took his eyes off ,christ down he went4 ,those who look around cannot see how unstable and dishonoring is their walk4 ,we want to look straight at the ,author and ,finisher of our faith4 ,when ,i was a boy ,i could only make a straight track in the snow1 by keeping my eyes fixed upon a tree or some object before me4 ,the moment ,i took my eye off the mark set in front of me1 ,i walked crooked4 ,it is only when we look fixedly on ,christ that we find perfect peace4 ,after ,he rose from the dead ,he showed ,his disciples ,his hands and ,his feet4 7,luke xxiv4 #dj47 ,that was the ground of their peace4 ,if you want to scatter your doubts1 look at the blood2 and if you want to increase your doubts1 look at yourself4 ,you will get doubts enough for years by being occupied with yourself for a few days4 ,then again3 look at what ,he is1 and at what ,he has done2 not at what you are1 and what you have done4 ,that is the way to get peace and rest4 ,abraham ,lincoln issued a proclamation declaring the emancipation of three millions of slaves4 ,on a certain day their chains were to fall off1 and they were to be free4 ,the proclamation was put up on the trees and fences wherever the ,northern ,army marched4 ,a good many slaves could not read3 but others read the proclamation1 and most of them believed it2 and on a certain day a glad shout went up1 ,we are free6 ,some did not believe it1 and stayed with their old masters2 but it did not alter the fact that they were free4 ,christ1 the ,captain of our salvation1 has proclaimed freedom to all who have faith in ,him4 ,let us take ,him at ,his word4 ,their feelings would not have made the slaves free4 ,the power must come from the outside4 ,looking at ourselves will not make us free1 but it is looking to ,christ with the eye of faith4 ,bishop ,ryle has strikingly said3 ,faith is the root1 and ,assurance the flower4 ,doubtless you can never have the flower without the root2 but it is no less certain you may have the root1 and not the flower4 ,faith is that poor trembling woman who came behind ,jesus in the press1 and touched the hem of ,his garment4 7,mark v4 #bg47 ,assurance is ,stephen standing calmly in the midst of his murderers1 and saying1 ',i see the heavens opened1 and the ,son of ,man standing on the right hand of ,god' 7,acts vii4 #ef74 ,faith is the penitent thief1 crying1 ',lord1 remember me' 7,luke xxiii4 #db74 ,assurance is ,job sitting in the dust1 covered with sores1 and saying1 ',i know that my ,redeemer liveth2' ',though ,he slay me1 yet will ,i trust in ,him' 7,job xix4 #be2 xiii4 #ae74 ,faith is ,peter's drowning cry1 as he began to sink1 ',lord1 save me6' 7,matt4 xiv4 #cj74 ,assurance is that same ,peter declaring before the ,council1 in after-times1 ',this is the stone which was set at nought of you builders1 which is become the head of the corner3 neither is there salvation in any other2 for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved' 7,acts iv4 #aa1 #ab74 ,faith is the anxious1 trembling voice1 ',lord1 ,i believe2 help ,thou mine unbelief6' 7,mark ix4 #bd74 ,assurance is the confident challenge1 ',who shall lay anything to the charge of ,god's elect8 ,who is he that condemneth8' 7,rom4 viii4 #cc1 #cd74 ,faith is ,saul praying in the house of ,judas at ,damascus1 sorrowful1 blind1 and alone4 7,acts ix4 #aa47 ,assurance is ,paul1 the aged prisoner1 looking calmly into the grave1 and saying1 ',i know whom ,i have believed4' ',there is a crown laid up for me' 7#b ,tim4 i4 #ab2 iv4 #h74 ,faith is ,life4 ,how great the blessing6 ,who can tell the gulf between life and death8 ,and yet life may be weak1 sickly1 unhealthy1 painful1 trying1 anxious1 worn1 burdensome1 joyless1 smileless1 to the very end4 ,assurance is more than life4 ,it is health1 strength1 power1 vigor1 activity1 energy1 manliness1 beauty4 ,a minister once pronounced the benediction in this way3 ,the heart of ,god to make us welcome2 the blood of ,christ to make us clean1 and the ,holy ,spirit to make us certain4 ,the security of the believer is the result of the operation of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,another writer says3 ,i have seen shrubs and trees grow out of the rocks1 and overhang fearful precipices1 roaring cataracts1 and deep running waters2 but they maintained their position1 and threw out their foliage and branches as much as if they had been in the midst of a dense forest4 ,it was their hold on the rock that made them secure2 and the influences of nature that sustained their life4 ,so believers are oftentimes exposed to the most horrible dangers in their journey to heaven2 but1 so long as they are rooted and grounded in the ,rock of ,ages1 they are perfectly secure4 ,their hold of ,him is their guarantee2 and the blessings of ,his grace give them life and sustain them in life4 ,and as the tree must die1 or the rock fall1 before a dissolution can be effected between them1 so either the believer must lose his spiritual life1 or the ,rock must crumble1 ere their union can be dissolved4 ,speaking of the ,lord ,jesus1 ,isaiah says3 ,i will fasten ,him as a nail in a sure place2 and ,he shall be for a glorious throne to ,his ,father's house3 and they shall hang upon ,him all the glory of ,his father's house1 the offspring and the issue1 all vessels of small quantity1 from the vessels of cups1 even to all the vessels of flagons 7xxii4 #bc1 #bd74 ,there is one nail1 fastened in a sure place2 and on it hang all the flagons and all the cups4 ,oh1 says one little cup1 ,i am so small and so black1 suppose ,i were to drop6 ,oh1 says a flagon1 there is no fear of you2 but ,i am so heavy1 so very weighty1 suppose ,i were to drop6 ,and a little cup says1 ,oh1 if ,i were only like the gold cup there1 ,i should never fear falling4 ,but the gold cup answers1 ,it is not because ,i am a gold cup that ,i keep up2 but because ,i hang upon the nail4 ,if the nail gives way we all come down1 gold cups1 china cups1 pewter cups1 and all2 but as long as the nail keeps up1 all that hang on ,him hang safely4 ,i once read these words on a tombstone3 ,born1 died1 kept4 ,let us pray ,god to keep us in perfect peace1 and assured of salvation4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,christ ,,all ,,and ,,in ,,all4 7,colossians iii4 #aa47 ,christ is all to us that we make ,him to be4 ,i want to emphasize that word all4 ,some men make ,him to be a root out of a dry ground1 without form or comeliness4 ,he is nothing to them2 they do not want ,him4 ,some ,christians have a very small ,saviour1 for they are not willing to receive ,him fully1 and let ,him do great and mighty things for them4 ,others have a mighty ,saviour1 because they make ,him to be great and mighty4 ,if we would know what ,christ wants to be to us1 we must first of all know ,him as our ,saviour from sin4 ,when the angel came down from heaven to proclaim that ,he was to be born into the world1 you remember he gave ,his name1 ,he shall be called ,jesus1 for ,he shall save ,his people from their sins4 ,have we been delivered from sin8 ,he did not come to save us in our sins1 but from our sins4 ,now1 there are three ways of knowing a man4 ,some men you know only by hearsay2 others you merely know by having been once introduced to them1 you know them very slightly2 others again you know by having been acquainted with them for years1 you know them intimately4 ,so ,i believe there are three classes of people to-day in the ,christian ,church and out of it3 those who know ,christ only by reading or by hearsay1 those who have a historical ,christ2 those who have a slight personal acquaintance with ,him2 and1 those who thirst1 as ,paul did1 to know ,him and the power of ,his resurrection4 ,the more we know of ,christ the more we shall love ,him1 and the better we shall serve ,him4 ,let us look at ,him as ,he hangs upon the ,cross1 and see how ,he has put away sin4 ,he was manifested that ,he might take away our sins2 and if we really know ,him we must first of all see ,him as our ,saviour from sin4 ,you remember how the angels said to the shepherds on the plains of ,bethlehem1 ,behold1 ,i bring you good tidings of great joy1 which shall be to all people3 for unto you is born this day1 in the city of ,david1 a ,saviour1 which is ,christ the ,lord4 7,luke ii4 #aj1 #aa47 ,then if you go clear back to ,isaiah1 seven hundred years before ,christ's birth1 you will find these words3 ,i1 even ,i1 am the ,lord2 and beside me there is no ,saviour 7xliii4 #aa74 ,again1 in the ,first ,epistle of ,john 7iv4 #ad7 we read3 ,we have seen1 and do testify1 that the ,father sent the ,son to be the ,saviour of the world4 ,all the heathen religions1 we read1 teach men to work their way up to ,god2 but the religion of ,jesus ,christ is ,god coming down to men to save them1 to lift them up out of the pit of sin4 ,in ,luke xix4 #aj1 we read that ,christ ,himself told the people what ,he had come for3 ,the ,son of ,man is come to seek and to save that which was lost4 ,so we start from the ,cross1 not from the cradle4 ,christ has opened up a new and living way to the ,father2 ,he has taken all the stumbling-blocks out of the way1 so that every man who accepts of ,christ as his ,saviour can have salvation4 ,but ,christ is not only a ,saviour4 ,i might save a man from drowning and rescue him from an untimely grave2 but ,i might probably not be able to do any more for him4 ,christ is something more than a ,saviour4 ,when the children of ,israel were placed behind the blood1 that blood was their salvation2 but they would still have heard the crack of the slave-driver's whip if they had not been delivered from the ,egyptian yoke of bondage3 then it was that ,god delivered them from the hand of the king of ,egypt4 ,i have little sympathy with the idea that ,god comes down to save us1 and then leaves us in prison1 the slaves of our besetting sins4 ,no2 ,he has come to deliver us1 and to give us victory over our evil tempers1 our passions1 and our lusts4 ,are you a professed ,christian but one who is a slave to some besetting sin8 ,if you want to get victory over that temper or that lust1 go on to know ,christ more intimately4 ,he brings deliverance for the past1 the present1 and the future4 ,who delivered2 who doth deliver2 who will yet deliver4 7#b ,cor4 i4 #aj47 ,how often1 like the children of ,israel when they came to the ,red ,sea1 have we become discouraged because everything looked dark before us1 behind us1 and around us1 and we knew not which way to turn4 ,like ,peter we have said1 ,to whom shall we go8 ,but ,god has appeared for our deliverance4 ,he has brought us through the ,red ,sea right out into the wilderness1 and opened up the way into the ,promised ,land4 ,but ,christ is not only our ,deliverer2 ,he is our ,redeemer4 ,that is something more than being our ,saviour4 ,he has brought us back4 ,ye have sold yourselves for nought2 and ye shall be redeemed without money4 7,isaiah lii4 #c47 ,we were not redeemed with corruptible things1 as silver and gold4 7#a ,peter i4 #ah47 ,if gold could have redeemed us1 could ,he not have created ten thousand worlds full of gold8 ,when ,god had redeemed the children of ,israel from the bondage of ,egypt1 and brought them through the ,red ,sea1 they struck out for the wilderness2 and then ,god became to them their ,way4 ,i am so thankful the ,lord has not left us in darkness as to the right way4 ,there is no living man who has been groping in the darkness but may know the way4 ,i am the ,way1 says ,christ4 ,if we follow ,christ we shall be in the right way1 and have the right doctrine4 ,who could lead the children of ,israel through the wilderness like the ,almighty ,god ,himself8 ,he knew the pitfalls and dangers of the way1 and guided the people through all their wilderness journey right into the promised land4 ,it is true that if it had not been for their accursed unbelief they might have crossed into the land at ,kadesh ,barnea1 and taken possession of it1 but they desired something besides ,god's word2 so they were turned back1 and had to wander in the desert for forty years4 ,i believe there are thousands of ,god's children wandering in the wilderness still4 ,the ,lord has delivered them from the hand of the ,egyptian1 and would at once take them through the wilderness right into the ,promised ,land1 if they were only willing to follow ,christ4 ,christ has been down here1 and has made the rough places smooth1 and the dark places light1 and the crooked places straight4 ,if we will only be led by ,him1 and will follow ,him1 all will be peace1 and joy1 and rest4 ,in the frontier1 when a man goes out hunting he takes a hatchet with him1 and cuts off pieces from the bark of the trees as he goes along through the forest3 this is called blazing the way4 ,he does it that he may know the way back1 as there is no pathway through these thick forests4 ,christ has come down to this earth2 ,he has blazed the ,way3 and now that ,he has gone up on high1 if we will but follow him1 we shall be kept in the right path4 ,i will tell you how you may know if you are following ,christ or not4 ,if some one has slandered you1 or misjudged you1 do you treat them as your master would have done8 ,if you do not bear these things in a loving and forgiving spirit1 all the churches and ministers in the world cannot make you right4 ,if any man have not the ,spirit of ,christ1 he is none of ,his4 7,romans viii4 #i47 ,if any man be in ,christ ,jesus he is a new creature3 old things are passed away2 behold1 all things are become new4 7#b ,cor4 v4 #ag47 ,christ is not only our way2 ,he is the ,light upon the way4 ,he says1 ,i am the ,light of the world4 7,john viii4 #ab2 ix4 #e2 xii4 #df47 ,he goes on to say1 ,he that followeth ,me shall not walk in darkness1 but shall have the light of life4 ,it is impossible for any man or woman who is following ,christ to walk in darkness4 ,if your soul is in the darkness1 groping around in the fog and mist of earth1 let me tell you it is because you have got away from the true light4 ,there is nothing but light that will dispel darkness4 ,so let those who are walking in spiritual darkness admit ,christ into their hearts3 ,he is the ,light4 ,i call to mind a picture of which ,i used at one time to think a good deal2 but now ,i have come to look more closely1 ,i would not put it up in my house except ,i turned the face to the wall4 ,it represents ,christ as standing at a door1 knocking1 and having a big lantern in ,his hand4 ,why1 you might as well hang up a lantern to the sun as put one into ,christ's hand4 ,he is the ,sun of ,righteousness2 and it is our privilege to walk in the light of an unclouded sun4 ,many people are hunting after light1 and peace1 and joy4 ,we are nowhere told to seek after these things4 ,if we admit ,christ into our hearts these will all come of themselves4 ,i remember1 when a boy1 ,i used to try in vain to catch my shadow4 ,one day ,i was walking with my face to the sun2 and as ,i happened to look around ,i saw that my shadow was following me4 ,the faster ,i went the faster my shadow followed2 ,i could not get away from it4 ,so when our faces are directed to the ,sun of ,righteousness1 the peace and joy are sure to come4 ,a man said to me some time ago1 ,moody1 how do you feel8 ,it was so long since ,i had thought about my feelings ,i had to stop and consider awhile1 in order to find out4 ,some ,christians are all the time thinking about their feelings2 and because they do not feel just right they think their joy is all gone4 ,if we keep our faces towards ,christ1 and are occupied with ,him1 we shall be lifted out of the darkness and the trouble that may have gathered round our path4 ,i remember being in a meeting after the war of the great rebellion broke out4 ,the war had been going on for about six months4 ,the army of the ,north had been defeated at ,bull ,run1 in fact1 we had nothing but defeat1 and it looked as though the republic was going to pieces4 ,so we were much cast down and discouraged4 ,at this meeting every speaker for awhile seemed as if he had hung his harp upon the willow2 and it was one of the gloomiest meetings ,i ever attended4 ,finally an old man with beautiful white hair got up to speak1 and his face literally shone4 ,young men1 he said you do not talk like sons of the ,king4 ,though it is dark just here1 remember it is light somewhere else4 ,then he went on to say that if it were dark all over the world1 it was light up around the ,throne4 ,he told us he had come from the east1 where a friend had described to him how he had been up a mountain to spend the night and see the sun rise4 ,as the party were climbing up the mountain1 and before they had reached the summit1 a storm came on4 ,this friend said to the guide1 ,i will give this up2 take me back4 ,the guide smiled1 and replied1 ,i think we shall get above the storm soon4 ,on they went2 and it was not long before they got up to where it was as calm as any summer evening4 ,down in the valley a terrible storm raged2 they could hear the thunder rolling1 and see the lightning's flash2 but all was serene on the mountain top4 ,and so1 my young friends1 continued the old man1 though all is dark around you1 come a little higher and the darkness will flee away4 ,often when ,i have been inclined to get discouraged1 ,i have thought of what he said4 ,now if you are down in the valley amidst the thick fog and the darkness1 get a little higher2 get nearer to ,christ1 and know more of ,him4 ,you remember the ,bible says1 that when ,christ expired on the cross1 the light of the world was put out4 ,god sent ,his ,son to be the light of the world2 but men did not love the light because it reproved them of their sins4 ,when they were about to put out this light1 what did ,christ say to ,his disciples8 ,ye shall be witnesses unto ,me4 7,acts i4 #h47 ,he has gone up yonder to intercede for us2 but ,he wants us to shine for ,him down here4 ,ye are the light of the world4 7,matt4 v4 #ad47 ,so our work is to shine2 not to blow our own trumpet so that people may look at us4 ,what we want to do is to show forth ,christ4 ,if we have any light at all it is borrowed light4 ,some one said to a young ,christian3 ,converted6 it is all moonshine6 ,said he3 ,i thank you for the illustration2 the moon borrows its light from the sun2 and we borrow ours from the ,sun of ,righteousness4 ,if we are ,christ's1 we are here to shine for ,him3 by and by he will call us home to our reward4 ,i remember hearing of a blind man who sat by the wayside with a lantern near him4 ,when he was asked what he had a lantern for1 as he could not see the light1 he said it was that people should not stumble over him4 ,i believe more people stumble over the inconsistencies of professed ,christians than from any other cause4 ,what is doing more harm to the cause of ,christ than all the scepticism in the world is this cold1 dead formalism1 this conformity to the world1 this professing what we do not possess4 ,the eyes of the world are upon us4 ,i think it was ,george ,fox who said every ,quaker ought to light up the country for ten miles around him4 ,if we were all brightly shining for the ,master1 those about us would soon be reached1 and there would be a shout of praise going to heaven4 ,people say3 ,i want to know what is the truth4 ,listen3 ,i am the truth1 says ,christ4 7,john xiv4 #e47 ,if you want to know what the truth is1 get acquainted with ,christ4 ,people also complain that they have not life4 ,many are trying to give themselves spiritual life4 ,you may galvanize yourselves and put electricity into yourselves1 so to speak2 but the effect will not last very long4 ,christ alone is the author of life4 ,if you would have real spiritual life1 get to know ,christ4 ,many try to stir up spiritual life by going to meetings4 ,that may be well enough2 but it will be of no use1 unless they get into contact with the living ,christ4 ,then their spiritual life will not be a spasmodic thing1 but will be perpetual2 flowing on and on1 and bringing forth fruit to ,god4 ,then ,christ is our ,keeper4 ,a great many young disciples are afraid they will not hold out4 ,he that keepeth ,israel shall neither slumber nor sleep4 7,psalm cxxi4 #d47 ,it is the work of ,christ to keep us2 and if ,he keeps us there will be no danger of our falling4 ,i suppose if ,queen ,victoria had to take care of the ,crown of ,england1 some thief might attempt to get access to it2 but it is put away in the ,tower of ,london1 and guarded night and day by soldiers4 ,the whole ,english army would1 if necessary1 be called out to protect it4 ,and we have no strength in ourselves4 ,we are no match for ,satan2 he has had six thousand years' experience4 ,but then we remember that the ,one who neither slumbers nor sleeps is our keeper4 ,in ,isaiah xli4 #aj1 we read1 ,fear thou not1 for ,i am with thee2 be not dismayed1 for ,i am thy ,god2 ,i will strengthen thee2 yea1 ,i will help thee2 yea1 ,i will uphold thee with the right hand of ,my righteousness4 ,in ,jude also1 verse #bd1 we are told that ,he is able to keep us from falling4 ,we have an ,advocate with the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ the righteous4 7#a ,john ii4 #a47 ,but ,christ is something more4 ,he is our ,shepherd4 ,it is the work of the shepherd to care for the sheep1 to feed them and protect them4 ,i am the ,good ,shepherd2 ,my sheep hear ,my voice4 ,i lay down ,my life for the sheep4 ,in that wonderful tenth chapter of ,john1 ,christ uses the personal pronoun no less than twenty-eight times1 in declaring what ,he is and what ,he will do4 ,in verse #bh ,he says1 ,they shall never perish2 neither shall any man pluck them out of ,my hand4 ,but notice the word man is in italics4 ,see how the verse really reads3 ,neither shall any pluck them out of ,my hand--no devil or man shall be able to do it4 ,in another place the ,scripture declares1 ,your life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 7,col4 iii4 #c47 ,how safe and how secure6 ,christ says1 ,my sheep hear ,my voice 4 4 4 and they follow ,me4 7,john x4 #bg47 ,a gentleman in the ,east heard of a shepherd who could call all his sheep to him by name4 ,he went and asked if this was true4 ,the shepherd took him to the pasture where they were1 and called one of them by some name4 ,one sheep looked up and answered the call1 while the others went on feeding and paid no attention4 ,in the same way he called about a dozen of the sheep around him4 ,the stranger said1 ,how do you know one from the other8 ,they all look perfectly alike4 ,well1 said he1 you see that sheep toes in a little2 that other one has a squint2 one has a little piece of wool off2 another has a black spot2 and another has a piece out of its ear4 ,the man knew all his sheep by their failings1 for he had not a perfect one in the whole flock4 ,i suppose our ,shepherd knows us in the same way4 ,an ,eastern shepherd was once telling a gentleman that his sheep knew his voice1 and that no stranger could deceive them4 ,the gentleman thought he would like to put the statement to the test4 ,so he put on the shepherd's frock and turban1 and took his staff and went to the flock4 ,he disguised his voice1 and tried to speak as much like the shepherd as he could2 but he could not get a single sheep in the flock to follow him4 ,he asked the shepherd if his sheep never followed a stranger4 ,he was obliged to admit that if a sheep got sickly it would follow any one4 ,so it is with a good many professed ,christians2 when they get sickly and weak in the faith1 they will follow any teacher that comes along2 but when the soul is in health1 a man will not be carried away by errors and heresies4 ,he will know whether the voice speaks the truth or not4 ,he can soon tell that1 if he is really in communion with ,god4 ,when ,god sends a true messenger his words will find a ready response in the ,christian heart4 ,christ is a tender ,shepherd4 ,you may some time think ,he has not been a very tender ,shepherd to you2 you are passing under the rod4 ,it is written1 ,whom the ,lord loveth ,he chasteneth1 and scourgeth every son whom ,he receiveth4 7,heb4 xii4 #f47 ,that you are passing under the rod is no proof that ,christ does not love you4 ,a friend of mine lost all his children4 ,no man could ever have loved his family more2 but the scarlet fever took one by one away2 and so the whole four or five1 one after another1 died4 ,the poor stricken parents went over to great ,britain1 and wandered from one place to another1 there and on the continent4 ,at length they found their way to ,syria4 ,one day they saw an ,eastern shepherd come down to a stream1 and call his flock to cross4 ,the sheep came down to the brink1 and looked at the water2 but they seemed to shrink from it1 and he could not get them to respond to his call4 ,he then took a little lamb1 put it under one arm2 he took another lamb and put it under the other arm1 and thus passed into the stream4 ,the old sheep no longer stood looking at the water3 they plunged in after the shepherd2 and in a few minutes the whole flock was on the other side2 and he led them away to newer and fresher pastures4 ,the bereaved father and mother1 as they looked on the scene1 felt that it taught them a lesson4 ,they no longer murmured because the ,great ,shepherd had taken their lambs one by one into yonder world2 and they began to look up and look forward to the time when they would follow the loved ones they had lost4 ,if you have loved ones gone before1 remember that your ,shepherd is calling you to set your affection on things above4 7,col4 iii4 #b47 ,let us be faithful to ,him1 and follow ,him1 while we remain in this world4 ,and if you have not taken ,him for your ,shepherd1 do so this very day4 ,christ is not only all these things that ,i have mentioned3 ,he is also our ,mediator1 our ,sanctifier1 our ,justifier2 in fact1 it would take volumes to tell what ,he desires to be to every individual soul4 ,while looking through some papers ,i once read this wonderful description of ,christ4 ,i do not know where it originally came from2 but it was so fresh to my soul that ,i should like to give it to you3-- ,christ is our ,way2 we walk in ,him4 ,he is our ,truth2 we embrace ,him4 ,he is our ,life2 we live in ,him4 ,he is our ,lord2 we choose ,him to rule over us4 ,he is our ,master2 we serve ,him4 ,he is our ,teacher1 instructing us in the way of salvation4 ,he is our ,prophet1 pointing out the future4 ,he is our ,priest1 having atoned for us4 ,he is our ,advocate1 ever living to make intercession for us4 ,he is our ,saviour1 saving to the uttermost4 ,he is our ,root2 we grow from ,him4 ,he is our ,bread2 we feed upon ,him4 ,he is our ,shepherd1 leading us into green pastures4 ,he is our true ,vine2 we abide in ,him4 ,he is the ,water of ,life2 we slake our thirst from ,him4 ,he is the fairest among ten thousand3 we admire ,him above all others4 ,he is 'the brightness of the ,father's glory1 and the express image of ,his person2' we strive to reflect ,his likeness4 ,he is the upholder of all things2 we rest upon ,him4 ,he is our wisdom2 we are guided by ,him4 ,he is our ,righteousness2 we cast all our imperfections upon ,him4 ,he is our ,sanctification2 we draw all our power for holy life from ,him4 ,he is our ,redemption1 redeeming us from all iniquity4 ,he is our ,healer1 curing all our diseases4 ,he is our ,friend1 relieving us in all our necessities4 ,he is our ,brother1 cheering us in our difficulties4 ,here is another beautiful extract3 it is from ,gotthold3 ,for my part1 my soul is like a hungry and thirsty child2 and ,i need ,his love and consolation for my refreshment4 ,i am a wandering and lost sheep2 and ,i need ,him as a good and faithful shepherd4 ,my soul is like a frightened dove pursued by the hawk2 and ,i need ,his wounds for a refuge4 ,i am a feeble vine2 and ,i need ,his cross to lay hold of1 and to wind myself about4 ,i am a sinner2 and ,i need ,his righteousness4 ,i am naked and bare2 and ,i need ,his holiness and innocence for a covering4 ,i am ignorant2 and ,i need ,his teaching3 simple and foolish2 and ,i need the guidance of ,his ,holy ,spirit4 ,in no situation1 and at no time1 can ,i do without ,him4 ,do ,i pray8 ,he must prompt1 and intercede for me4 ,am ,i arraigned by ,satan at the ,divine tribunal8 ,he must be my ,advocate4 ,am ,i in affliction8 ,he must be my ,helper4 ,am ,i persecuted by the world8 ,he must defend me4 ,when ,i am forsaken1 ,he must be my ,support2 when ,i am dying1 my life3 when mouldering in the grave1 my ,resurrection4 ,well1 then1 ,i will rather part with all the world1 and all that it contains1 than with ,thee1 my ,saviour4 ,and1 ,god be thanked6 ,i know that ,thou1 too1 art neither able nor willing to do without me4 ,thou art rich2 and ,i am poor4 ,thou hast abundance2 and ,i am needy4 ,thou hast righteousness2 and ,i sins4 ,thou hast wine and oil2 and ,i wounds4 ,thou hast cordials and refreshments2 and ,i hunger and thirst4 ,use me then1 my ,saviour1 for whatever purpose1 and in whatever way1 ,thou mayest require4 ,here is my poor heart1 an empty vessel2 fill it with ,thy grace4 ,here is my sinful and troubled soul2 quicken and refresh it with ,thy love4 ,take my heart for ,thine abode2 my mouth to spread the glory of ,thy name2 my love and all my powers1 for the advancement of ,thy believing people2 and never suffer the steadfastness and confidence of my faith to abate--that so at all times ,i may be enabled from the heart to say4 ',jesus needs me1 and ,i ,him2 and so we suit each other4' ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,backsliding4 ,i will heal their backsliding2 ,i will love them freely3 for ,mine anger is turned away4--,hosea xiv4 #d4 ,there are two kinds of backsliders4 ,some have never been converted3 they have gone through the form of joining a ,christian community and claim to be backsliders2 but they never have1 if ,i may use the expression1 slid forward4 ,they may talk of backsliding2 but they have never really been born again4 ,they need to be treated differently from real back-sliders--those who have been born of the incorruptible seed1 but who have turned aside4 ,we want to bring the latter back the same road by which they left their first love4 ,turn to ,psalm lxxxv4 #e4 ,there you read3 ,wilt ,thou be angry with us for ever8 wilt ,thou draw out ,thine anger to all generations8 wilt ,thou not revive us again3 that ,thy people may rejoice in ,thee8 ,show us ,thy mercy1 ,o ,lord2 and grant us ,thy salvation4 ,now look again3 ,i will hear what ,god the ,lord will speak3 for ,he will speak peace unto ,his people1 and to ,his saints2 but let them not turn again to folly 7verse #h74 ,there is nothing that will do back-sliders so much good as to come in contact with the ,word of ,god2 and for them the ,old ,testament is as full of help as the ,new4 ,the book of ,jeremiah has some wonderful passages for wanderers4 ,what we want to do is to get back-sliders to hear what ,god the ,lord will say4 ,look for a moment at ,jeremiah vi4 #aj4 ,to whom shall ,i speak1 and give warning1 that they may hear8 behold1 their ear is uncircumcised1 and they cannot hearken3 behold1 the word of the ,lord is unto them a reproach2 they have no delight in it4 ,that is the condition of back-sliders4 ,they have no delight whatever in the word of ,god4 ,but we want to bring them back1 and let ,god get their ear4 ,read from the #adth verse3 ,they have healed also the hurt of the daughter of ,my people slightly1 saying1 ,peace1 peace2 when there is no peace4 ,were they ashamed when they had committed abomination8 nay1 they were not at all ashamed1 neither could they blush3 therefore they shall fall among them that fall3 at the time that ,i visit them they shall be cast down1 saith the ,lord4 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,stand ye in the ways1 and see1 and ask for the old paths1 where is the good way1 and walk therein2 and ye shall find rest for your souls4 ,but they said1 ,we will not walk therein4 ,also ,i set watchmen over you1 saying1 ,hearken to the sound of the trumpet4 ,but they said1 ,we will not hearken4 ,that was the condition of the ,jews when they had backslidden4 ,they had turned away from the old paths4 ,and that is the condition of backsliders4 ,they have got away from the good old book4 ,adam and ,eve fell by not hearkening to the word of ,god4 ,they did not believe ,god's word2 but they believed the tempter4 ,that is the way backsliders fall--by turning away from the word of ,god4 ,in ,jeremiah ii4 we find ,god pleading with them as a father would plead with a son4 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,what iniquity have your fathers found in ,me1 that they are gone from ,me1 and have walked after vanity1 and are become vain8 4 4 4 ,wherefore ,i will yet plead with you1 saith the ,lord2 and with your children's children will ,i plead 4 4 4 ,for my people have committed two evils3 they have forsaken ,me1 the ,fountain of living waters1 and hewed them out cisterns1 broken cisterns1 that can hold no water4 ,now there is one thing to which we wish to call the attention of backsliders2 and that is1 that the ,lord never forsook them2 but that they forsook ,him6 ,the ,lord never left them2 but they left ,him6 ,and this1 too1 without any cause6 ,he says1 ,what iniquity have your fathers found in ,me1 that they are gone far from ,me8 ,is not ,god the same to-day as when you came to ,him first8 ,has ,god changed8 ,men are apt to think that ,god has changed2 but the fault is with them4 ,backslider1 ,i would ask you1 ,what iniquity is there in ,god1 that you have left ,him and gone far from ,him8 ,you have1 ,he says1 hewed out to yourselves broken cisterns that hold no water4 ,the world cannot satisfy the new nature4 ,no earthly well can satisfy the soul that has become a partaker of the heavenly nature4 ,honor1 wealth and the pleasures of this world will not satisfy those who1 having tasted the water of life1 have gone astray1 seeking refreshment at the world's fountains4 ,earthly wells will get dry4 ,they cannot quench spiritual thirst4 ,again in the #cb;d verse3 ,can a maid forget her ornaments1 or a bride her attire8 yet ,my people have forgotten ,me1 days without number4 ,that is the charge which ,god brings against the backslider4 ,they have forgotten ,me1 days without number4 ,i have often startled young ladies when ,i have said to them1 ,my friend1 you think more of your ear-rings than of the ,lord4 ,the reply has been1 ,no1 ,i do not4 ,but when ,i have asked1 ,would you not be troubled if you lost one2 and would you not set about seeking for it8 the answer has been1 ,well1 yes1 ,i think ,i should4 ,but though they had turned from the ,lord1 it did not give them any trouble2 nor did they seek after ,him that they might find ,him4 ,how many once in fellowship and in daily communion with the ,lord now think more of their dresses and ornaments than of their precious souls6 ,love does not like to be forgotten4 ,mothers would have broken hearts if their children left them and never wrote a word or sent any memento of their affection2 and ,god pleads over backsliders as a parent over loved ones who have gone astray4 ,he tries to woo them back4 ,he asks3 ,what have ,i done that you should have forsaken ,me8 ,the most tender and loving words to be found in the whole of the ,bible are from ,jehovah to those who have left ,him without a cause4 ,jer4 ii4 #ai4 ,hear how ,he argues with such3 7,jer4 ii4 #ai47 ,thine own wickedness shall correct thee1 and thy backslidings shall reprove thee2 know1 therefore1 and see1 that it is an evil thing and bitter1 that thou hast forsaken the ,lord thy ,god1 and that ,my fear is not in thee1 saith the ,lord ,god of hosts4 ,i do not exaggerate when ,i say that ,i have seen hundreds of backsliders come back2 and ,i have asked them if they have not found it an evil and a bitter thing to leave the ,lord4 ,you cannot find a real backslider1 who has known the ,lord1 but will admit that it is an evil and a bitter thing to turn away from ,him2 and ,i do not know of any one verse more used to bring back wanderers than that very one4 ,may it bring you back if you have wandered into the far country4 ,look at ,lot4 ,did not he find it an evil and a bitter thing8 ,he was twenty years in ,sodom1 and never made a convert4 ,he got on well in the sight of the world4 ,men would have told you that he was one of the most influential and worthy men in all ,sodom4 ,but alas6 alas6 he ruined his family4 ,and it is a pitiful sight to see that old backslider going through the streets of ,sodom at midnight1 after he has warned his children1 and they have turned a deaf ear4 ,i have never known a man and his wife backslide1 without its proving utter ruin to their children4 ,they will make a mockery of religion and will deride their parents3 ,thine own wickedness shall correct thee2 and thy backsliding shall reprove thee6 ,did not ,david find it so8 ,mark him1 crying1 ,o my son ,absalom1 my son1 my son ,absalom6 would ,god ,i had died for thee2 ,o ,absalom1 my son1 my son6 ,i think it was the ruin1 rather than the death of his son that caused this anguish4 ,i remember being engaged in conversation some years ago1 till past midnight1 with an old man4 ,he had been for years wandering on the barren mountains of sin4 ,that night he wanted to get back4 ,we prayed1 and prayed1 and prayed1 till light broke in upon him2 and he went away rejoicing4 ,the next night he sat in front of me when ,i was preaching1 and ,i think that ,i never saw any one look so sad and wretched in all my life4 ,he followed me into the enquiry-room4 ,what is the trouble8 ,i asked4 ,is your eye off the ,saviour8 ,have your doubts come back8 ,no2 it is not that1 he said4 ,i did not go to business1 but spent all this day in visiting my children4 ,they are all married and in this city4 ,i went from house to house1 but there was not one but mocked me4 ,it is the darkest day of my life4 ,i have awoke up to what ,i have done4 ,i have taken my children into the world2 and now ,i cannot get them out4 ,the ,lord had restored unto him the joy of ,his salvation2 yet there was the bitter consequence of his transgression4 ,you can run through your experience2 and you can find just such instances repeated again and again4 ,many who came to your city years ago serving ,god1 in their prosperity have forgotten ,him3 and where are their sons and daughters8 ,show me the father and mother who have deserted the ,lord and gone back to the beggarly elements of the world2 and ,i am mistaken if their children are not on the high road to ruin4 ,as we desire to be faithful we warn these backsliders4 ,it is a sign of love to warn of danger4 ,we may be looked upon as enemies for a while2 but the truest friends are those who lift up the voice of warning4 ,israel had no truer friend than ,moses4 ,in ,jeremiah ,god gave ,his people a weeping prophet to bring them back to ,him2 but they cast off ,god4 ,they forgot the ,god who brought them out of ,egypt1 and who led them through the desert into the promised land4 ,in their prosperity they forget ,him and turned away4 ,the ,lord had told them what would happen4 7,deut4 xxviii47 ,and see what did happen4 ,the king who made light of the word of ,god was taken captive by ,nebuchadnezzar1 and his children brought up in front of him and every one slain3 his eyes were put out of his head2 and he was bound in fetters of brass and cast into a dungeon in ,babylon4 7#b ,kings xxv4 #g47 ,that is the way he reaped what he had sown4 ,surely it is an evil and a bitter thing to backslide1 but the ,lord would win you back with the message of ,his ,work4 ,in ,jeremiah viii4 #e1 we read3 ,why then is this people of ,jerusalem slidden by a perpetual backsliding8 ,they hold fast deceit2 ,they refuse to return4 ,that is what the ,lord brings against them4 ,they refuse to return4 ,i hearkened and heard2 but they spake not aright3 no man repented him of his wickedness1 saying1 ,what have ,i done8 ,every one turned to his course1 as the horse rusheth into the battle4 ,yea1 the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times2 and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming2 but ,my people know not the judgment of the ,lord4 ,now look3 ,i hearkened and heard2 but they spake not aright4 ,no family altar6 ,no reading the ,bible6 ,no closet devotion6 ,god stoops to hear2 but ,his people have turned away6 ,if there be a penitent backslider1 one who is anxious for pardon and restoration1 you will find no words more tender than are to be found in ,jeremiah iii4 #ab3 ,go1 and proclaim these words toward the north1 and say1 ,return1 thou backsliding ,israel1 saith the ,lord2 and ,i will not cause ,mine anger to fall upon you3 for ,i am merciful1 saith the ,lord1 and ,i will not keep anger forever4 ,now notice3 ,only acknowledge thine iniquity1 that thou hast transgressed against the ,lord thy ,god1 and hast scattered thy ways to the stranger under every green tree1 and ye have not obeyed ,my voice1 saith the ,lord4 ,turn1 ,o backsliding children1 saith the ,lord2 for ,i am married unto you--think of ,god coming and saying1 ,i am married unto you6--and ,i will take you one of a city1 and two of a family1 and ,i will bring you to ,zion4 ,only acknowledge thine iniquity4 ,how many times have ,i held that passage up to a backslider6 ,acknowledge it2 and ,god says ,i will forgive you4 ,i remember a man asking1 ,who said that8 ,is that there8 ,and ,i held up to him the passage1 ,only acknowledge thine iniquity2 and the man went down on his knees1 and cried1 ,my ,god1 ,i have sinned2 and the ,lord restored him there and then4 ,if you have wandered1 ,he wants you to come back4 ,he says in another place1 ,o ,ephraim1 what shall ,i do unto thee8 ,o ,judah1 what shall ,i do unto thee8 for your goodness is as a morning cloud1 and as the early dew it goeth away 7,hosea vi4 #d74 ,his compassion and ,his love is wonderful6 ,in ,jeremiah iii4 #bb2 ,return1 ye backsliding children1 and ,i will heal your backslidings4 ,behold1 we come unto ,thee2 ,thou art the ,lord our ,god4 ,he just puts words into the mouth of the backslider4 ,only come2 and1 if you will come1 ,he will receive you graciously and love you freely4 ,in ,hosea xiv4 #a1 #b1 #d3 ,o ,israel1 return unto the ,lord thy ,god2 for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity4 ,take with you words1 and turn to the ,lord 7,he puts words into your mouth73 say unto ,him1 ,take away all iniquity1 and receive us graciously2 so will we render the calves of our lips 4 4 4 ,i will heal their backsliding1 ,i will love them freely1 for ,mine anger is turned away from him4 ,just observe that1 ,turn6 ,turn66 ,turn666 rings all through these passages4 ,now1 if you have wandered1 remember that you left ,him1 and not ,he you4 ,you have to get out of the backslider's pit just in the same way you got in4 ,and if you take the same road as when you left the ,master you will find ,him now1 just where you are4 ,if we were to treat ,christ as any earthly friend we should never leave ,him2 and there would never be a backslider4 ,if ,i were in a town for a single week ,i should not think of going away without shaking hands with the friends ,i had made1 and saying ,good bye to them4 ,i should be justly blamed if ,i took the train and left without saying a word to any one4 ,the cry would be1 ,what's the matter8 ,but did you ever hear of a backslider bidding the ,lord ,jesus ,christ ,good bye2 going into his closet and saying ,lord ,jesus1 ,i have known ,thee ten1 twenty1 or thirty years3 but ,i am tired of ,thy service2 ,thy yoke is not easy1 nor ,thy burden light2 so ,i am going back to the world1 to the flesh-pots of ,egypt4 ,good bye1 ,lord ,jesus6 ,farewell8 ,did you ever hear that8 ,no2 you never did1 and you never will4 ,i tell you1 if you get into the closet and shut out the world and hold communion with the ,master you cannot leave ,him4 ,the language of your heart will be1 ,to whom shall we go1 but unto ,thee8 ,thou hast the words of eternal life 7,john vi4 #fh74 ,you could not go back to the world if you treated ,him in that way4 ,but you left ,him and ran away4 ,you have forgotten ,him days without number4 ,come back to-day2 just as you are6 ,make up your mind that you will not rest until ,god has restored unto you the joy of ,his salvation4 ,a gentleman in ,cornwall once met a ,christian in the street whom he knew to be a backslider4 ,he went up to him1 and said3 ,tell me1 is there not some estrangement between you and the ,lord ,jesus8 ,the man hung his head1 and said1 ,yes4 ,well1 said the gentleman1 what has ,he done to you8 ,the answer to which was a flood of tears4 ,in ,revelation ii4 #d1 #e1 we read3 ,nevertheless ,i have somewhat against thee1 because thou hast left the first love4 ,remember therefore from whence thou art fallen2 and repent1 and do the first works3 or else ,i will come unto thee quickly1 and will remove thy candlestick out of his place1 except thou repent4 ,i want to guard you against a mistake which some people make with regard to doing the first works4 ,many think that they are to have the same experience over again4 ,that has kept thousands for months without peace2 because they have been waiting for a renewal of their first experience4 ,you will never have the same experience as when you first came to the ,lord4 ,god never repeats himself4 ,no two people of all earth's millions look alike or think alike4 ,you may say that you cannot tell two people apart2 but when you get well acquainted with them you can very quickly distinguish differences4 ,so1 no one person will have the same experience a second time4 ,if ,god will restore ,his joy to your soul let ,him do it in ,his way4 ,do not mark out a way for ,god to bless you4 ,do not expect the same experience that you had two or twenty years ago4 ,you will have a fresh experience1 and ,god will deal with you in ,his own way4 ,if you confess your sins and tell ,him that you have wandered from the path of ,his commandments ,he will restore unto you the joy of ,his salvation4 ,i want to call your attention to the manner in which ,peter fell2 and ,i think that nearly all fall pretty much in the same way4 ,i want to lift up a warning note to those who have not fallen4 ,let him that thinketh he standeth1 take heed lest he fall 7#a ,cor4 x4 #ab74 ,twenty-five years ago--and for the first five years after ,i was converted--,i used to think that if ,i were able to stand for twenty years ,i need fear no fall4 ,but the nearer you get to the ,cross the fiercer the battle4 ,satan aims high4 ,he went amongst the twelve2 and singled out the ,treasurer--,judas ,iscariot1 and the ,chief ,apostle--,peter4 ,most men who have fallen have done so on the strongest side of their character4 ,i am told that the only side upon which ,edinburgh ,castle was successfully assailed was where the rocks were steepest1 and where the garrison thought themselves secure4 ,if any man thinks that he is strong enough to resist the devil at any one point he needs special watch there1 for the tempter comes that way4 ,abraham stands1 as it were1 at the head of the family of faith2 and the children of faith may be said to trace their descent to ,abraham3 and yet down in ,egypt he denied his wife4 7,gen4 xii47 ,moses was noted for his meekness2 and yet he was kept out of the promised land because of one hasty act and speech1 when he was told by the ,lord to speak to the rock so that the congregation and their beasts should have water to drink4 ,hear now1 ye rebels2 must we fetch you water out of this rock8 7,num4 xx4 #aj74 ,elijah was remarkable for his boldness3 and yet he went off a day's journey into the wilderness like a coward and hid himself under a juniper tree1 requesting for himself that he might die1 because of a message he received from a woman4 7#a ,kings xix47 ,let us be careful4 ,no matter who the man is--he may be in the pulpit--but if he gets self-conceited he will be sure to fall4 ,we who are followers of ,christ need constantly to pray to be made humble1 and kept humble4 ,god made ,moses' face so to shine that other men could see it2 but ,moses himself wist not that his face shone1 and the more holy in heart a man is the more manifest to the outer world will be his daily life and conversation4 ,some people talk of how humble they are2 but if they have true humility there will be no necessity for them to publish it4 ,it is not needful4 ,a lighthouse does not have a drum beaten or a trumpet blown in order to proclaim the proximity of a lighthouse3 it is its own witness4 ,and so if we have the true light in us it will show itself4 ,it is not those who make the most noise who have the most piety4 ,there is a brook1 or a little burn as the ,scotch call it1 not far from where ,i live2 and after a heavy rain you can hear the rush of its waters a long way off3 but let there come a few days of pleasant weather1 and the brook becomes almost silent4 ,but there is a river near my house1 the flow of which ,i never heard in my life1 as it pours on in its deep and majestic course the year round4 ,we should have so much of the love of ,god within us that its presence shall be evident without our loud proclamation of the fact4 ,the first step in ,peter's downfall was his self-confidence4 ,the ,lord warned him4 ,the ,lord said3 ,simon1 ,simon1 behold1 ,satan hath desired to have you1 that he may sift you as wheat3 but ,i have prayed for thee1 that thy faith fail not 7,luke xxii4 #ca1 #cb74 ,but ,peter said3 ,i am ready to go with ,thee1 both into prison and to death4 ,though all shall be offended because of ,thee1 yet will ,i never be offended4 7,matt4 xxvi4 #bc47 ,james and ,john1 and the others1 may leave ,you2 but ,you can count on me6 ,but the ,lord warned him3 ,i tell thee1 ,peter1 the cock shall not crow this day1 before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest ,me4 7,luke xxii4 #cd47 ,though the ,lord rebuked him1 ,peter said he was ready to follow ,him to death4 ,that boasting is too often a forerunner of downfall4 ,let us walk humbly and softly4 ,we have a great tempter2 and1 in an unguarded hour1 we may stumble and fall and bring a scandal on ,christ4 ,the next step in ,peter's downfall was that he went to sleep4 ,if ,satan can rock the ,church to sleep he does his work through ,god's own people4 ,instead of ,peter watching one short hour in ,gethsemane1 he fell asleep1 and the ,lord asked him1 ,what1 could ye not watch with ,me one hour8 7,matt4 xxvi4 #dj47 ,the next thing was that he fought in the energy of the flesh4 ,the ,lord rebuked him again and said1 ,they that take the sword shall perish with the sword4 7,matt4 xxvi4 #eb47 ,jesus had to undo what ,peter had done4 ,the next thing1 he followed afar off4 ,step by step he gets away4 ,it is a sad thing when a child of ,god follows afar off4 ,when you see him associating with worldly friends1 and throwing his influence on the wrong side1 he is following afar off2 and it will not be long before disgrace will be brought upon the old family name1 and ,jesus ,christ will be wounded in the house of his friends4 ,the man1 by his example1 will cause others to stumble and fall4 ,the next thing--,peter is familiar and friendly with the enemies of ,christ4 ,a damsel says to this bold ,peter3 ,thou also wast with this ,jesus of ,galilee4 ,but he denied before them all1 saying1 ,i know not what thou sayest4 ,and when he was gone out into the porch another maid saw him and said unto them that were there1 ,this fellow was also with ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,and again he denied with an oath4 ,i do not know the ,man4 ,another hour passed2 and yet he did not realize his position2 when another confidently affirmed that he was a ,galilean1 for his speech betrayed him4 ,and he was angry and began to curse and to swear1 and again denied his ,master3 and the cock crew4 7,matt4 xxvi4 #fi-gd47 ,he commences away up on the pinacle of self-conceit1 and goes down step by step until he breaks out into cursing1 and swears that he never knew his ,lord4 ,the ,master might have turned and said to him1 ,is it true1 ,peter1 that you have forgotten ,me so soon8 ,do you not remember when your wife's mother lay sick of a fever that ,i rebuked the disease and it left her8 ,do you not call to mind your astonishment at the draught of fishes so that you exclaimed1 ',depart from me2 for ,i am a sinful man1 ,o ,lord8' ,do you remember when in answer to your cry1 ',lord1 save me1 or ,i perish1' ,i stretched out ,my hand and kept you from drowning in the water8 ,have you forgotten when1 on the ,mount of ,transfiguration1 with ,james and ,john1 you said to ,me1 ',lord1 it is good to be here3 let us make three tabernacles8' ,have you forgotten being with ,me at the supper-table1 and in ,gethsemane8 ,is it true that you have forgotten ,me so soon8 ,the ,lord might have upbraided him with questions such as these3 but ,he did nothing of the kind4 ,he cast one look on ,peter3 and there was so much love in it that it broke that bold disciple's heart3 and he went out and wept bitterly4 ,and after ,christ rose from the dead see how tenderly ,he dealt with the erring disciple4 ,the angel at the sepulchre says1 ,tell ,his disciples1 and ,peter4 7,mark xvi4 #g47 ,the ,lord did not forget ,peter1 though ,peter had denied ,him thrice2 so ,he caused this kindly special message to be conveyed to the repentant disciple4 ,what a tender and loving ,saviour we have6 ,friend1 if you are one of the wanderers1 let the loving look of the ,master win you back2 and let ,him restore you to the joy of ,his salvation4 ,before closing1 let me say that ,i trust ,god will restore some backslider reading these pages1 who may in the future become a useful member of society and a bright ornament of the ,church4 ,we should never have had the thirty-second ,psalm if ,david had not been restored3 ,blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven1 whose sin is covered2 or that beautiful fifty-first ,psalm which was written by the restored backslider4 ,nor should we have had that wonderful sermon on the day of ,pentecost when three thousand were converted--preached by another restored backslider4 ,may ,god restore other backsliders and make them a thousand times more used for ,his glory than they ever were before4