,,sowing ,,and ,,reaping   ,,by   ,d4   
,l4 ,,moody4   ',whatsoever a man       
soweth1 that shall he also reap4'  ,gal4
 vi3 #g4   ,chicago3 ,new ,york3        
,toronto  ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company 
,publishers of ,evangelical ,literature 
,copyright #ahif by  ,fleming ,h4       
,revell ,company4    ,,contents   ,chap4
   ,i4 ,sowing and ,reaping  ,,ii4 ,be  
,not ,deceived3 ,god ,is ,not ,mocked   
,,iii4 ,when a ,man ,sows1 ,he ,expects 
to ,reap  ,,iv4 ,a ,man ,reaps the ,same
 ,kind as ,he ,sows  ,v4 ,a ,man ,reaps 
,more than ,he ,sows  ,,vi4 ,ignorance  
of the ,seed ,makes ,no ,difference     
,,vii4 ,forgiveness and ,retribution    
,,viii4 ,warning    ,,sowing ,,and      
,,reaping    ,,sowing ,,and ,,reaping4  
,,chapter ,i4   ,be not deceived2 ,god  
is not mocked3 for whatsoever a man     
soweth1 that shall he also reap4 ,for he
 that soweth to his flesh shall of the  
flesh reap corruption2 but he that      
soweth to the ,spirit shall of the      
,spirit reap life everlasting4          

,galatians vi3 #g1 #h4  ,i think this   
passage contains truths that no infidel 
or sceptic will dare to deny4 ,there are
 some passages in the ,word of ,god that
 need no other proof than that which we 
can easily find in our daily experience4
 ,this is one of them4 ,if the ,bible   
were to be blotted out of existence1 the
 words ,i have quoted would be          
abundantly verified by what is          
constantly happening around us4 ,we have
 only to take up the daily papers to see
 them being fulfilled before our eyes4  
,i remember giving out this text once   
when a man stood right up in the        
audience and said3  ,i don't believe it4
  ,i said1 ,my friend1 that doesn't     
change the fact4 ,truth is truth whether
 you believe it or not1 and a lie is a  
lie whether you believe it or not4  ,he 
didn't want to believe it4 ,when the    
meeting broke up1 an officer was at the 
door to arrest him4 ,he was tried and   
sent to the penitentiary for twelve     
months for stealing4 ,i really believe  

that when he got into his cell1 he      
believed that he had to reap what he    
sowed4  ,we might as well try to blot   
the sun out of the heavens as to blot   
this truth out of the ,word of ,god4 ,it
 is heaven's eternal decree4 ,the law   
has been enforced for six thousand      
years4 ,did not ,god make ,adam reap    
even before he left ,eden8 ,had not     
,cain to reap outside of ,eden8 ,a king 
on the throne1 like ,david1 or a priest 
behind the altar1 like ,eli2 priest and 
prophet1 preacher and hearer1 every man 
must reap what he sows4 ,i believed it  
ten years ago1 but ,i believe it a      
hundred times more to-day4  ,my text    
applies to the individual1 whether he be
 saint or sinner or hypocrite who thinks
 he is a saint2 it applies to the       
family2 it applies to society2 it       
applies to nations4 ,i say the law that 
the result of actions must be reaped is 
as true for nations as for individuals2 
indeed1 some one has said that as       
nations have no future existence1 the   

present world is the only place to      
punish them as nations4 ,see how ,god   
has dealt with them4 ,see if they have  
not reaped what they sowed4 ,take       
,amalek3 ,remember what ,amalek did unto
 thee by the way1 when ye were come     
forth out of ,egypt2 how he met thee1 by
 the way1 and smote the hindmost of     
thee1 even all that were feeble behind  
thee1 when thou wast faint and weary2   
and he feared not ,god4 ,what was to be 
the result of this attack8 ,was it to go
 unpunished8 ,god ordained that ,amalek 
should reap as they sowed1 and the      
nation was all but wiped out of         
existence under ,king ,saul4  ,what has 
become of the monarchies and empires of 
the world8 ,what brought ruin on        
,babylon8 ,her king and people would not
 obey ,god1 and ruin came upon them4    
,what has become of ,greece and all her 
power8 ,she once ruled the world4 ,what 
has become of ,rome and all her         
greatness8 ,when their cup of iniquity  
was full1 it was dashed to the ground4  

,what has become of the ,jews8 ,they    
rejected salvation1 persecuted ,god's   
messengers1 and crucified their         
,redeemer2 and we find that eleven      
hundred thousand of them perished at one
 time4 ,look at the history of this     
country4 ,with an open ,bible1 our      
forefathers planted slavery2 but        
judgment came at last4 ,there was not a 
family ,north or ,south that had not to 
mourn over some one taken from them4    
,take the case of ,france4 ,it is said  
that a century ago men were spending    
millions every year in ,france in the   
publication and distribution of infidel 
literature4 ,what has been the harvest8 
,has ,france not reaped8 ,mark the      
result3 ,the ,bible was suppressed4 ,god
 was denied4 ,hell broke loose4 ,half   
the children born in ,paris were        
bastards4 ,more than a million of       
persons were beheaded1 shot1 drowned1   
outraged1 and done to death between     
,september1 #agib1 and ,december1 #agie4
 ,since that time ,france has had       

thirteen revolutions in eighty years2   
and in the republic there has been an   
overturn on an average once in nine     
months4 ,one-third of the births in     
,paris are illegitimate2 ten thousand   
new-born infants have been fished out at
 the outlet of the city sewers in a     
single year2 the native population of   
,france is decreasing2 the percentage of
 suicides is greater in ,paris than in  
any city in ,christendom2 and since the 
,french ,revolution there have been     
enough ,french men and women slaughtered
 in the streets of ,paris in the various
 insurrections1 to average more than two
 thousand five hundred each year6  ,the 
principle was not new in ,scripture or  
in history when ,paul enunciated it in  
his letter to the ,galatians4 ,paul     
clothes it in language derived from the 
farm1 but in other dress the ,law of    
,sowing and ,reaping may be seen in the 
,law of ,cause and ,effect1 the ,law of 
,retribution or ,retaliation1 the ,law  
of ,compensation4 ,it is not to my      

purpose to enter now into a             
philosophical discussion of the law as  
it appears under any of these names4 ,we
 see that it exists4 ,it is beyond      
reasonable dispute4 ,whatever else      
sceptics may carp at and criticise in   
the ,bible1 they must acknowledge the   
truth of this4 ,it does not depend upon 
revelation for its support2 philosophers
 are agreed upon it as much as they are 
agreed upon any thing4   ,the ,supremacy
 of ,law4  ,the objection may be made1  
however1 that while its application may 
be admitted in the physical world1 it is
 not so certain in the spiritual sphere4
 ,it is just here that modern research  
steps in4 ,the laws of the spiritual    
world have been largely identified as   
the same laws that exist in the natural 
world4 ,indeed1 it is claimed that the  
spiritual existed first1 that the       
natural came after1 and that when ,god  
proceeded to frame the universe1 ,he    
went upon lines already laid down4 ,in  
short1 that ,god projected the higher   

laws downward1 so that the natural world
 became an incarnation1 a visible       
representation1 a working model of the  
supernatural4 ,in the spiritual world   
the same wheels work--without the iron4 
,our whole life is thus bounded and     
governed by laws ordained and           
established by ,god1 and that a man     
reaps what he sows is a law that can be 
easily observed and verified1 whether we
 regard sowing to the flesh or sowing to
 the ,spirit4 ,the evil harvest of sin  
and the good harvest of righteousness   
are as sure to follow the sowing as the 
harvest of wheat and barley4 ,life is   
not casual1 but causal4  ,we shall see1 
as we proceed1 that the working of the  
law is evident in the earliest periods  
of ,bible history4 ,job's three friends 
reasoned that he must be a great sinner1
 because they took it for granted that  
the calamities that overtook him must be
 the results of his wickedness4         
,remember1 ,i pray thee1 said one of    
them1 who ever perished1 being innocent8

 or where were the righteous cut off8   
,even as ,i have seen1 they that plough 
iniquity1 and sow wickedness1 reap the  
same4  ,in the book of ,proverbs we find
 it written3 ,the wicked worketh a      
deceitful work3 but to him that soweth  
righteousness shall be a sure reward4   
,and again3 ,he that soweth iniquity    
shall reap vanity4  ,in ,isaiah we find 
these words3 ,say ye to the righteous   
that it shall be well with him2 for they
 shall eat the fruit of their doings4   
,woe unto the wicked6 it shall be ill   
with him3 for the reward of his hands   
shall be given him4  ,hosea prophesied  
regarding ,israel3 ,they have sown the  
wind1 and they shall reap the whirlwind4
 ,sow to yourselves in righteousness1 he
 advised them1 reap in mercy4           
,teaching from ,analogy4  ,the ,bible is
 full of analogies drawn from nature4   
,when ,christ was on earth1 it was ,his 
favorite mode of teaching to convey     
heavenly truths in earthly dress4       
,truths came forth from ,his lips1 wrote

 one1 not stated simply on authority1   
but based on the analogy of the         
universe4 ,his human mind1 in perfect   
harmony with the ,divine mind with which
 it was united1 discerned the connection
 of things1 and read the eternal will in
 the simplest laws of nature4 ,for      
instance1 if it were a question whether 
,god would give ,his ,spirit to them    
that asked1 it was not replied to by a  
truth revealed on ,his authority3 the   
answer was derived from facts lying open
 to all men's observation4 ',behold the 
fowls of the air'2 'behold the lilies of
 the field'--learn from them the answer 
to your question4 ,a principle was      
there4 ,god supplies the wants ,he has  
created4 ,he feeds the ravens--,he      
clothes the lilies--,he will feed with  
,his ,spirit the craving spirits of ,his
 children4  ,this is the style of       
teaching that ,paul adopts in the text4 
,he takes the simple process of sowing  
and reaping1 a process familiar to all1 
and reads in it a deeply spiritual and  

moral meaning4 ,it is as if he said that
 every man as he journeys through life  
is scattering seed at every step4 ,the  
seed consists of his thoughts1 his      
words1 his actions4 ,they pass from him1
 and by and by 7it may be sooner or     
later71 they spring up and bear fruit1  
and the reaping time comes4   ,life a   
,seed-,time4  ,the analogy contains some
 solemn lessons4 ,life is to be regarded
 as a seed-time4 ,every one has his     
field to sow1 to cultivate1 and finally1
 to reap4 ,by our habits1 by our        
intercourse with friends and companions1
 by exposing ourselves to good or bad   
influences1 we are cultivating the seed 
for the coming harvest4 ,we cannot see  
the seed as it grows and develops1 but  
time will reveal it4  ,just as the      
full-grown harvest is potentially       
contained in the seed1 so the full      
results of sin or holiness are          
potentially contained in the sinful or  
holy deed4 ,when lust hath conceived1 it
 bringeth forth sin1 and sin1 when it is

 finished1 bringeth forth death4  ,just 
as we cannot reap a good harvest unless 
we have sown good seed1 so we cannot    
reap eternal life unless we have sown to
 the ,spirit4 ,weeds are easy to grow4  
,they grow without the planting4 ,and   
sin springs up naturally in the human   
heart4 ,ever since our first parents    
broke away from ,god1 the human heart   
has of itself been thoroughly vile1 and 
all its fruits have been evil4 ,the     
heart of the sons of men is fully set in
 them to do evil4 ,do you doubt it8 ,if 
you do1 ask yourself what would become  
of a child if it was left to itself--no 
training1 no guidance1 no education4 ,in
 spite of all that is done for children1
 the evil too often gets the upper hand4
 ,the good seed must be planted and     
cared for1 often with toil and trouble3 
but the harvest will be sure4  ,do we   
desire the love of our fellows in our   
seasons of trial8 ,then we must love    
them when they need its cheering        
influence most4 ,do we long for sympathy

 in our sorrow and pain8 ,then we shall 
have it if we have also wept with those 
who weep4 ,are we hoping to reap eternal
 life8 ,then we must not sow to the     
flesh1 or we shall reap corruption1 but 
to the ,spirit1 then the promise is that
 we shall reap its immortal fruits4     
,dr4 ,chalmers has drawn attention to   
the difference between the act of sowing
 and the act of reaping4 ,let it be     
observed1 he says1 that the act of      
indulging in the desires of the flesh is
 one thing and the act of providing for 
the indulgence of them is another4 ,when
 a man1 on the impulse of sudden        
provocation1 wreaks his resentful       
feelings upon the neighbor who has      
offended him1 he is not at that time    
preparing for the indulgence of a carnal
 feeling1 but actually indulging it4 ,he
 is not at that time sowing1 but reaping
 7such as it is7 a harvest of           
gratification4 ,this distinction may    
serve to assist our judgment in         
estimating the ungodliness of certain   

characters4 ,the rambling voluptuary who
 is carried along by every impulse1 and 
all whose powers of mental discipline   
are so enfeebled that he has become the 
slave of every propensity1 lives in the 
perpetual harvest of criminal           
gratification4 ,a daughter whose sole   
delight is in her rapid transitions from
 one scene of expensive brilliancy to   
another1 who dissipates every care and  
fills every hour among the frivolities  
and fascinations of her volatile        
society1--she leads a life than which   
nothing can be imagined more opposite to
 a life of preparation for the coming   
judgment or the coming eternity4 ,yet   
she reaps rather than sows4 ,it lies    
with another to gather the money which  
purchaseth all things1 and with her to  
taste the fruits of the purchase4 ,it is
 the father who sows4 ,it is he who sits
 in busy and brooding anxiety over his  
speculations1 wrinkled1 perhaps1 by     
care1 and sobered by years into an utter
 distaste for the splendors and         

insignificancies of fashionable life4   
,the father sows1 and he reaps in his   
daughter's life4   ,painting for        
,eternity4  ,a famous painter was well  
known for the careful manner in which he
 went about his work4 ,when some one    
asked him why he took such pains1 he    
replied3  ,because ,i am painting for   
eternity4  ,it is a solemn thing to     
think that the future will be the       
harvest of the present--that my         
condition in my dying hour may depend   
upon my actions to-day6 ,belief in a    
future life and in a coming judgment    
magnifies the importance of the present4
 ,eternal issues depend upon it4 ,the   
opportunity for sowing will not last    
forever2 it is slipping through our     
fingers moment by moment2 and the future
 can only reveal the harvest of the seed
 sown now4  ,a sculptor once showed a   
visitor his studio4 ,it was full of     
statues of gods4 ,one was very curious4 
,the face was concealed by being covered
 with hair1 and there were wings on each

 foot4  ,what is his name8 said the     
visitor4  ,opportunity1 was the reply4  
,why is his face hidden8  ,because men  
seldom know him when he comes to them4  
,why has he wings on his feet8  ,because
 he is soon gone1 and once gone can     
never be overtaken4  ,it becomes us1    
then1 to make the most of the           
opportunities ,god has given us4 ,it    
depends a good deal on ourselves what   
our future shall be4 ,we can sow for a  
good harvest1 or we can do like the     
,sioux ,indians1 who once1 when the     
,united ,states ,commissioner of ,indian
 ,affairs sent them a supply of grain   
for sowing1 ate it up4 ,men are         
constantly sacrificing their eternal    
future to the passing enjoyment of the  
present moment2 they fail or neglect to 
recognize the dependence of the future  
upon the present4   ,nothing ,trifling4 
,from this we may learn that there is no
 such thing as a trifle on earth4 ,when 
we realize that every thought and word  
and act has an eternal influence1 and   

will come back to us in the same way as 
the seed returns in the harvest1 we must
 perceive their responsibility1 however 
trifling they may seem4 ,we are apt to  
overlook the results that hinge on small
 things4 ,the law of gravitation was    
suggested by the fall of an apple4 ,it  
is said that some years ago a ,harvard  
professor brought some gypsy-moths to   
this country in the hope that they could
 with advantage be crossed with         
silkworms4 ,the moths accidentally got  
away1 and multiplied so enormously that 
the ,commonwealth of ,massachusetts has 
had to spend hundreds of thousands of   
dollars trying to exterminate them4     
,when ,h4 ,m4 ,stanley was pressing his 
way through the forests of ,darkest     
,africa1 the most formidable foes that  
he encountered1 those that caused most  
loss of life to his caravan and came the
 nearest to entirely defeating his      
expedition1 were the little ,wambutti   
dwarfs4 ,so annoying were they that very
 slow progress could be made through    

their dwelling places4  ,these little   
men had only little bows and little     
arrows that looked like children's      
playthings1 but upon these tiny arrows  
there was a small drop of poison which  
would kill an elephant or a man as      
quickly and as surely as a ,winchester  
rifle4 ,their defense was by means of   
poison and traps4 ,they would steal     
through the darkness of the forest and1 
waiting in ambush1 let fly their deadly 
arrows before they could be discovered4 
,they dug ditches and carefully covered 
them over with leaves4 ,they fixed      
spikes in the ground and tipped them    
with the most deadly poison1 and then   
covered them4 ,into these ditches and on
 these spikes man and beast would fall  
or step to their death4  ,a lady once   
writing to a young man in the navy who  
was almost a stranger1 thought ,shall ,i
 close this as anybody would1 or shall  
,i say a word for my ,master8 and1      
lifting up her heart for a moment1 she  
wrote1 telling him that his constant    

change of scene and place was an apt    
illustration of the word1 ,here we have 
no continuing city1 and asked if he     
could say3 ,i seek one to come4         
,tremblingly she folded it and sent it  
off4  ,back came the answer4 ,thank you 
so much for those kind words6 ,i am an  
orphan1 and no one has spoken to me like
 that since my mother died1 long years  
ago4 ,the arrow shot at venture hit     
home1 and the young man shortly after   
rejoiced in the fulness of the blessing 
of the gospel of peace4  ,an obscure man
 preached one ,sunday to a few persons  
in a ,methodist chapel in the ,south of 
,england4 ,a boy of fifteen years of age
 was in the audience1 driven into the   
chapel by a snowstorm4 ,the man took as 
his text the words1 ,look unto me and be
 ye saved1 and as he stumbled along as  
best he could1 the light of heaven      
flashed into that boy's heart4 ,he went 
out of the chapel saved1 and soon became
 known as ,c4 ,h4 ,spurgeon1 the        
boy-preacher4  ,the parsonage at        

,epworth1 ,england1 caught fire one     
night1 and all the inmates were rescued 
except one son4 ,the boy came to a      
window1 and was brought safely to the   
ground by two farm-hands1 one standing  
on the shoulder of the other4 ,the boy  
was ,john ,wesley4 ,if you would realize
 the responsibility of that incident1 if
 you would measure the consequences of  
that rescue1 ask the millions of        
,methodists who look back to ,john      
,wesley as the founder of their         
denomination4    ,,be ,,not ,,deceived2 
,,god ,,is ,,not ,,mocked4   ,let no man
 deceive you4--,eph4 v3 #f4  ,as one man
 mocketh another1 do ye so mock         
,him8--,job xiii3 #i4   ,,chapter ,,ii4 
,be ,not ,deceived3 ,god ,is ,not       
,mocked4   ,we have all lived long      
enough to know what it is to be         
deceived4 ,we have been deceived by our 
friends1 by our enemies1 our neighbors1 
our relatives4 ,ungodly companions have 
deceived us4 ,at every turn of life we  
have been imposed upon in one way or    

another4  ,false teachers have crossed  
our path1 and under pretence of doing us
 good1 have poisoned our mind with      
error4 ,they have held out hopes to us  
that have proved false2 apples of       
,sodom1 fair without1 but full of ashes 
within4 ,they have told us that there is
 no ,god1 no future life1 no judgment to
 come2 or they have said that all men   
will be saved1 that there is ample time 
to repent1 that we may be saved by doing
 the best we can4  ,sin has deceived us4
 ,every sinner is under a delusion4 ,sin
 meets him smilingly1 and holds out to  
him pleasures and delights that are not 
pure and lasting4  ,during our meetings 
in ,boston a young man came into the    
,tabernacle4 ,he looked around1 and he  
thought to himself the people that came 
there were great fools--those who had   
business1 and comfortable homes1 and    
good clothes4 ,he had nothing in the    
world--he was a tramp1 and went in there
 to keep himself warm4 ,but to think    
that people who had homes would come and

 spend their time in listening to such  
stuff as ,i preached was more than he   
could understand4  ,one night after he  
had been coming there for two weeks1 ,i 
happened to point right down where he   
was sitting1 and ,i said1 ,young man1 be
 not deceived6 ,god used that as an     
arrow4 ,he began to think about himself4
 ,his mind went back to the time when he
 had a good situation in ,boston2 when  
he was a young man getting a good       
salary2 when he was in good society1 and
 had a great many friends4  ,then he    
looked at his present condition4 ,his   
friends were all gone1 his clothes were 
gone1 his money was gone2 and there he  
was1 an outcast in that city4 ,he said  
to himself1 ,i have been deceived1 and  
that very hour ,god waked him4 ,he      
wanted to get friends to pray for him2  
but as he was not able to buy a piece of
 paper1 or pay for a postage stamp1 he  
got an old piece of soiled paper1 stood 
up in the street1 and wrote a request to
 be read in the ,tabernacle1 that if    

,god would save a poor1 lost man like   
him1 he wanted to be saved4 ,that prayer
 was answered4 ,as in the case of       
,nebuchadnezzar1 his friends gathered   
around him again1 and the ,lord restored
 him to position and to society4 ,his   
eyes were opened to see how he had been 
deceived4   ,satan4  ,how many men all  
over the world are being deceived by the
 god of this world6 ,it has been        
asserted that during the late           
,franco-,german war1 ,german drummers   
and trumpeters used to give the ,french 
beats and calls in order to deceive     
their enemies4 ,the command to halt1 or 
cease firing1 was often given by the    
,germans1 it has been said1 and the     
,french soldiers were thus placed in    
positions where they could be shot down 
like cattle4  ,satan is the arch-enemy  
of our souls1 and he has often blinded  
our reason and deceived our conscience  
by his falsehoods4 ,he has often come as
 an angel of light1 concealing his      
hideousness under a borrowed cloak4 ,he 

says to a young man3 ,sow your wild     
oats4 ,time enough to be religious when 
you grow old4 ,the young man yields     
himself to a life of extravagance and   
excess1 under the false hope that he    
will obtain solid satisfaction2 and it  
is well if he awakens to the deception  
before his appetites become tyrants1    
dragging him down into depths of want   
and woe4 ,satan promises great things to
 his victims in the indulgence of their 
lusts1 but they never realize the       
promises4 ,the promised pleasure turns  
out to be pain1 the promised heaven a   
hell4  ,beware lest ,satan deceive you  
as he deceived ,eve in the beginning4   
,there is no truth in him4 ,when he     
speaketh a lie1 he speaketh of his own1 
for he is a liar1 and the father of it4 
,our ,heart4  ,but we have been deceived
 by our own heart most of all4 ,who has 
not proved the truth of the ,scripture3 
,the heart is deceitful above all things
 and desperately wicked2 who can know   
it8 ,how many times we have said that we

 never would do a certain thing again1  
and then have done it within twenty-four
 hours6 ,a man may think he has fathomed
 its depths1 but he finds there are     
further depths he has not reached4 ,what
 gross self-deception is due to it6 ,he 
that trusteth in his own heart is a     
fool1 said ,solomon4 ,luther once said  
he feared his own heart more than the   
,pope and all the cardinals4  ,many a   
weeping wife has come to me about her   
husband1 saying3 ,he is good at heart4  
,the truth is--that is the worst spot in
 him4 ,if the heart was good1 all else  
would be right4 ,out of the heart are   
the issues of life4 ,christ said3 ,from 
within1 out of the heart of men1 proceed
 evil thoughts1 adulteries1             
fornications1 murders1 thefts1          
covetousness1 wickedness1 deceit1       
lasciviousness1 an evil eye1 blasphemy1 
pride1 foolishness4 ,that is ,christ's  
own statement regarding the unregenerate
 heart4  ,some years ago a remarkable   
picture was exhibited in ,london4 ,as   

you looked at it from a distance1 you   
seemed to see a monk engaged in prayer1 
his hands clasped1 his head bowed4 ,as  
you came nearer1 however1 and examined  
the painting more closely1 you saw that 
in reality he was squeezing a lemon into
 a punchbowl6  ,what a picture that is  
of the human heart6 ,superficially      
examined1 it is thought to be the seat  
of all that is good and noble and       
pleasing in a man2 whereas in reality1  
until regenerated by the ,holy ,ghost1  
it is the seat of all corruption4 ,this 
is the condemnation1 that light is come 
into the world1 and men loved darkness  
rather than light4  ,a ,jewish rabbi    
once asked his scholars what was the    
best thing a man could have in order to 
keep him in the straight path4 ,one said
 a good disposition2 another1 a good    
companion2 another said wisdom was the  
best thing he could desire4 ,at last a  
scholar replied that he thought a good  
heart was best of all4  ,true1 said the 
rabbi1 you have comprehended all that   

the others have said4 ,for he that hath 
a good heart will be of a good          
disposition1 and a good companion1 and a
 wise man4 ,let every one1 therefore1   
cultivate a sincerity and uprightness of
 heart at all times1 and it will save   
him an abundance of sorrow4 ,we need to 
make the prayer of ,david--,create in me
 a clean heart1 ,o ,god1 and renew a    
right spirit within me6   ,god ,is ,not 
,mocked4  ,bear in mind1 the ,god of the
 ,bible has never deceived anyone1 and  
never can1 and never will2 that is the  
difference between the ,god of the      
,bible and the god of this world4 ,he   
beholds the ways of men2 ,he looks into 
their hearts2 ,he knows their secret    
ways2 they need not tell ,him or try to 
conceal anything from ,him4  ,however   
successfully we may deceive or be       
deceived by ourselves or others1 we     
cannot deceive ,him4 ,adam and ,eve     
tried it in ,eden when they hid         
themselves from the presence of ,jehovah
 amongst the trees of the garden4 ,saul 

tried it when he spared the best of the 
sheep and oxen of the ,amalekites under 
the pretence of sacrificing them to     
,god4 ,ananias and ,sapphira tried it   
when they kept back part of the price of
 the land they sold4 ,why hath ,satan   
filled thine heart to lie unto 7deceive7
 the ,holy ,ghost8 99 99 99 ,thou hast  
not lied unto men1 but unto ,god4  ,men 
try it every day4 ,they have got it into
 their heads that ,god can be mocked4   
,because they can deceive their pastor1 
and their employer1 and their friends1  
they think they can deceive ,god4 ,they 
put on false appearances1 they use empty
 words1 they perform unreal service1    
they make idle excuses1 they indulge in 
all kinds of hypocrisy4 ,but it is of no
 avail4 ,god cannot be imposed upon4 ,he
 sees the corruption inside the whited  
sepulchre4   ,warning to ,christians4   
,it is worth noticing that this warning 
was given by ,paul to ,christian        
men--converts in the ,galatian church4  
,after all1 a man is not all the time   

deceived about the grosser sins4 ,the   
drunkard realizes in his sober moments  
what must be the end of a course of     
intemperance4 ,loss of self-respect and 
of the esteem of friends1 the marks he  
soon begins to bear in his              
body--unsteady hands and discolored     
features--these things are the quick    
harvest of drunkenness1 and may easily  
be detected as they ripen4 ,the         
licentious man1 also1 reaps the early   
fruit of his sin in diseases of the     
body1 which are often effective warnings
 against continuing in such a dangerous 
path4 ,but with respectable sins it is  
different4 ,a man may be sowing for     
years1 and not even realize it himself4 
,you remember that in the parable of the
 sower some seeds fell among thorns1 and
 the thorns sprung up and choked them4  
,our ,master1 expounding this parable1  
said3 ,he that received seed among the  
thorns is he that heareth the word3 but 
the care of this world and the          
deceitfulness of riches choke the word1 

and he becometh unfruitful4 ,who would  
have expected this result of the world  
or of riches8 ,but it has been said that
 ,christ never spoke of riches except in
 words of warning4 ,we are not apt to   
regard them in that light to-day4 ,men  
are trampling each other down in the    
pursuit of wealth4 ,be not deceived4 ,he
 who sets his heart upon money is sowing
 to the flesh1 and shall of the flesh   
reap corruption4 ,adversity hath slain  
her thousands1 but prosperity her tens  
of thousands4  ,what is the value of    
this estate8 said a gentleman to        
another1 as they passed a fine mansion  
surrounded by fair and fertile fields4  
,i don't know what it is valued at2 ,i  
know what it cost its late possessor4   
,how much8  ,his soul4  ,an ,english    
clergyman was called to the death-bed of
 a wealthy parishioner4 ,kneeling beside
 the dying man the pastor asked him to  
take his hand as he prayed for his      
upholding in that solemn hour1 but he   
declined to give it4 ,after the end had 

come1 and they turned down the coverlet1
 the rigid hands were found holding the 
safe-key in their death-grip4 ,heart and
 hand1 to the last1 clinging to his     
possessions1 but he could not take them 
with him4  ,a man may be proud1 and his 
very sin reckoned a virtue4 ,hear what  
the ,word of ,god says3 ,haughtiness of 
eyes and a proud heart is sin2 every one
 that is proud in heart is an           
abomination to the ,lord4  ,these are   
the mistakes men make4 ,they are leading
 respectable lives1 and they think that 
all is well4 ,they do not recognize the 
taint of corruption upon many of the    
most cherished objects of their hearts4 
,christian professors1 most of all1 need
 to beware lest they are being deceived4
   ,neglect4  ,how watchful men should  
be of their thoughts1 their practices1  
their feelings6 ,the reason of deception
 is1 for the most part1 neglect4 ,men do
 not stop to examine themselves1 to lay 
their hearts and minds bare as in the   
sight of ,god1 and judge themselves by  

,his most holy will4 ,a man need not    
shoot himself in order to commit        
suicide3 he need only neglect the proper
 means of sustenance1 and he will soon  
die4 ,where an enemy is strong and      
aggressive1 an army is doomed to sure   
defeat and capture unless a sharp       
look-out is kept1 every man wide awake  
at his post of duty4  ,it has been      
noticed that there are more accidents in
 ,switzerland in fine seasons than in   
stormy ones4 ,people are apt to         
undertake expeditions that they would   
not take under less favorable           
conditions1 and they are less careful in
 their conduct4 ,and so it is that moral
 and spiritual disaster usually         
overtakes men when they are off their   
guard1 careless against temptation4     
,they become proud and self-reliant in  
seasons of prosperity1 whereas adversity
 drives them to the living ,god for     
guidance and comfort4  ,dr4 ,johnson    
once said that it is more from          
carelessness regarding the truth than   

from intentional lying that there is so 
much falsehood in the world4  ,hence the
 necessity of continual watchfulness4   
,the ,persians had an annual festival   
when they slew all the serpents and     
venomous creatures they could find2 but 
they allowed them to swarm as fast and  
freely as ever until the festival came  
round once more4 ,it was poor policy4   
,sins1 like serpents1 breed quickly1 and
 need to be constantly watched4  ,and we
 ought to watch on every side4 ,many a  
man has fallen at the very point where  
he thought he was safest4 ,the meekness 
of ,moses has passed into a proverb4    
,yet he lost the ,promised ,land1       
because he allowed the children of      
,israel to provoke him1 and he spake    
unadvisedly with his lips4 ,peter was   
the most zealous and defiant of the     
disciples1 bold and outspoken2 yet he   
degenerated for a short time into a     
lying1 swearing1 sneaking coward1 afraid
 of a maid4  ,there is an old fable that
 a doe that had but one eye used to     

graze near the sea2 and in order to be  
safe1 she kept her blind eye toward the 
water1 from which side she expected no  
danger1 while with the good eye she     
watched the country4 ,some men1         
perceiving this1 took a boat and came   
upon her from the sea and shot her4     
,with her dying breath1 she said3  ,oh6 
hard fate6 that ,i should receive my    
death-wound from that side whence ,i    
expected no harm1 and be safe in the    
part where ,i looked for most danger4   
,let danger and need drive you closer to
 ,god4 ,he never slumbers or sleeps1 and
 in ,his keeping you will be safe4      
,seize hold of ,him in prayer4 ,watch   
and pray4   ,christianity ,not          
,responsible4  ,christianity is not     
responsible for the deception that      
exists among its professing disciples4  
,the illustration has been used before  
that you might just as reasonably hold  
the ,cunard company responsible for the 
suicide of a passenger who jumps        
overboard one of their vessels at sea4  

,had the person remained on the vessel1 
he would have been safe2 and had the    
disciple remained true to his           
principles1 he would never have turned  
out a hypocrite4 ,was anybody ever more 
severe in denouncing hypocrisy than     
,christ8 ,do you want to know the reason
 why1 every now and then1 the church is 
scandalized by the exposure of some     
leading church member or ,sabbath school
 superintendent8 ,it is not his         
,christianity1 but his lack of it4 ,some
 secret sin has been eating at the heart
 of the tree1 and in a critical moment  
it is blown down and its rottenness     
revealed4   ,the ,deception ,can ,not   
,last ,forever4  ,it is impossible for  
the deception to last forever4 ,lincoln 
had a saying that you may be able to    
deceive all the people some of the time1
 and some of the people all of the time1
 but you will not be able to deceive all
 the people all of the time4 ,death will
 uncover the deception1 if it has not   
been detected sooner2 and the           

unfortunate victim will stand1          
undeceived1 in the presence of a ,god   
who cannot be mocked4    ,,when ,a ,,man
 ,,sows1 ,,he ,,expects ,,to ,,reap4    
,behold1 the husbandman waiteth for the 
precious fruit of the earth1 and hath   
long patience for it1 until he receive  
the early and latter rain4--,james v3   
#g4   ,,chapter ,,iii4   ,when a ,man   
,sows1 ,he ,expects to ,reap4   ,notice 
these four things about sowing and      
reaping3 ,a man expects to reap when he 
sows2 he expects to reap the same kind  
of seed that he sows2 he expects to reap
 more2 and ignorance of the kind of seed
 makes no difference4  ,first3 ,when a  
man sows1 he expects to reap4  ,if a    
farmer went on sowing1 spring after     
spring1 and never reaping in the autumn1
 you would say he was a fit subject for 
the lunatic asylum4 ,no2 he is always   
looking forward to the time when he will
 reap the reward of his toil4 ,he never 
expects that the seed he has sown will  
be lost4  ,a young man serves a long    

apprenticeship to some trade or         
profession2 but he expects by and by to 
reap the fruit of all those years of    
patient industry4 ,ask an engineer why  
he works so hard for five1 six1 or seven
 years in the endeavor to learn his     
profession4 ,he replies that he is      
looking forward to the reaping time1    
when his fortune and reputation will be 
made4 ,the lawyer studies long and hard2
 but he1 too1 anticipates the time when 
his clients will be numerous1 and he    
will be repaid for his toil4 ,a great   
many medical students have a hard time  
trying to support themselves while they 
are at college4 ,as soon as they get    
their diploma and become doctors they   
expect that the reaping time is coming2 
that is what they have been working for4
  ,some harvests ripen almost           
immediately1 but as a rule we find it   
true in the natural world that there is 
delay before the seed comes to maturity4
 ,it is growing all the time1 however2  
first the little green shoot breaking   

through the soil1 then the blade1 then  
the ear1 then the full corn in the ear4 
,the farmer is not disappointed because 
all his crops do not spring up in a     
night like mushrooms4 ,he looks forward 
with patience1 knowing that the reaping 
time will come in due season4  ,so with 
the harvest of our actions4 ,few men1 if
 any1 would indulge in sin unless they  
expected pleasure out of it4 ,a drunkard
 does not drink for the mere sake of    
drinking1 but in the hope of present    
enjoyment4 ,a thief does not steal for  
the mere sake of stealing1 but for the  
sake of gain4 ,and similarly with the   
good man4 ,he does not make sacrifices  
merely for the sake of sacrifice1 but   
because thereby he hopes and expects to 
do good1 and help others4 ,all these    
things are means to ends3 there is      
always expectation of a harvest4   ,the 
,certainty of the ,reaping4  ,the text  
bids us look forward to the certainty of
 the reaping3 ,whatsoever a man soweth1 
that shall he also reap4  ,we know what 

it is to have a failure of the crops1   
but in the spiritual world no such      
failure is possible4 ,wet soil may rot  
the seed1 or frost may nip the early    
buds1 or the weather may prove too wet  
or too dry to bring the crops to        
maturity1 but none of these things occur
 to prevent the harvest of one's        
actions4 ,the ,bible tells us that ,god 
will render to every man according to   
his deeds4 ,to them who by patient      
continuance in well-doing seek for glory
 and honor and immortality1 eternal     
life3 but unto them that are            
contentious1 and do not obey the truth1 
but obey unrighteousness1 indignation   
and wrath1 tribulation and anguish upon 
every soul of man that doeth evil4 ,how 
careful we should be of our actions in  
all departments of our being1 physical1 
moral1 intellectual6 ,the deeds we do1  
the words we speak1 the thoughts we     
harbor1 are all recorded1 and shall meet
 their just reward1 for ,god is no      
respecter of persons4  ,and it must not 

be overlooked that the harvest comes as 
a necessary consequence of the sowing4  
,it has been said that ,god is not a    
sort of a moral despot1 as ,he is so    
frequently regarded4 ,he does not sit on
 a throne1 attaching penalties to       
particular actions as they come up for  
judgment4 ,he has laid down certain     
laws1 of which the law of sowing and    
reaping is one1 and punishment is the   
natural outcome of sin4 ,there is no    
escape4 ,it must be borne2 and though   
others may have to reap with you1 no one
 can reap for you4  ,the text teaches1  
further1 that the harvest is one or     
other of two kinds4 ,there are two1 and 
only two1 directions in which the law   
leads3 ,sowing to the flesh1 and a      
harvest of corruption--sowing to the    
,spirit1 and a harvest of everlasting   
life4   ,sowing to the ,flesh4  ,sowing 
to the flesh does not mean simply taking
 due care of the body4 ,the body was    
made in the image of ,god1 and the body 
of a believer is a temple of the ,holy  

,ghost1 and we may be sure that due care
 for the image is well-pleasing to ,god4
 ,the expression refers rather to       
pandering to the lusts of the body1     
pampering it1 providing gratification   
for its unlawful desires at the expense 
of the higher part of a man1 indulging  
the animal propensities which in their  
excess are sinful4 ,sowing to the flesh 
is scattering the seeds of selfishness1 
which always must yield a harvest of    
corruption4  ,when we were in the flesh1
 the motions of sins did work in our    
members to bring forth fruit unto death4
 ,and what does ,paul say are the works 
of the flesh8 ,adultery1 fornication1   
uncleanness1 lasciviousness1 idolatry1  
witchcraft1 hatred1 variance1           
emulations1 wrath1 strife1 seditions1   
heresies1 envyings1 murders1            
drunkenness1 revellings1 and such like4 
,i was at the ,paris exhibition in      
#ahfg1 and ,i noticed there a little oil
 painting1 only about a foot square1 and
 the face was the most hideous ,i have  

ever seen4 ,on the paper attached to the
 painting were the words ,sowing the    
tares1 and the face looked more like a  
demon's than a man's4 ,as he sowed these
 tares1 up came serpents and reptiles1  
and they were crawling up on his body1  
and all around were woods with wolves   
and animals prowling in them4 ,i have   
seen that picture many times since4 ,ah6
 the reaping time is coming4 ,if you sow
 to the flesh you must reap the flesh4  
,if you sow to the wind you must reap   
the whirlwind4  ,and yet it must not be 
thought that indulgence in the grosser  
vices is the only way of sowing to the  
flesh4 ,every desire1 every action that 
has not ,god for its end and object is  
seed sown to the flesh4 ,if a man is    
sowing for a harvest of money or        
ambition1 he is sowing to the flesh1 and
 will reap corruption1 just as surely as
 the liar and adulterer4 ,no matter how 
polite and refined and respectable the  
seed may be1 no matter how closely it   
resembles the good seed1 its true nature

 will out1 the blight of corruption will
 be upon it4  ,how foolish are the      
strivings of men in view of this        
judgment6 ,many a man will sacrifice    
time1 health--even his character--for   
money4 ,what does he gain8 ,corruption2 
something that is not eternal1 that has 
not the qualities of everlasting life4  
,john said1 ,the world passeth away1 and
 the lust thereof4 ,peter said1 ,all    
flesh is as grass1 and all the glory of 
man as the flower of grass4 ,the grass  
withereth1 and the flower thereof       
falleth away4 ,none of these fleshly    
things have their roots in the eternal4 
,you may even outlive them in your own  
short life4   ,no ,bridge ,between4     
,now1 men make this mistake--they sow to
 the flesh1 and they think they will    
reap the harvest of the spirit2 and on  
the other hand1 they sow to the spirit  
and are disappointed when they do not   
reap a temporal harvest4  ,a teacher had
 been relating to his class the parable 
of the rich man and ,lazarus1 and he    

asked3  ,now1 which would you rather be1
 boys1 the rich man or ,lazarus8  ,one  
boy answered1 ,i would rather be the    
rich man while ,i live1 and ,lazarus    
when ,i die4  ,that cannot be3 it is    
flesh and corruption1 or1 ,spirit and   
everlasting life4 ,there is no bridge   
from one to the other4  ,seed which is  
sown for a spiritual harvest has no     
tendency whatever to procure temporal   
well-being4 ,christ declared1 ',blessed 
are the pure in heart2 for they shall   
see ,god2 blessed are they that hunger  
and thirst after righteousness1 for they
 shall be filled' 7with righteousness72 
'blessed are they that mourn1 for they  
shall be comforted4' ,you observe the   
beatific vision of the                  
,almighty--fulness of                   
righteousness--divine comfort4 ,there is
 nothing earthly here1 it is spiritual  
results for spiritual labor4 ,it is not 
said that the pure in heart shall be    
made rich2 or that they who hunger and  
thirst after righteousness shall be     

filled with bread1 or that they who     
mourn shall rise in life1 and obtain    
distinction4 ,each department has its   
own appropriate harvest1 reserved       
exclusively to its own method of sowing4
  ,everything reaps its own harvest1    
every act has its own reward4 ,and      
before you covet the enjoyment which    
another possesses1 you must first       
calculate the cost at which it was      
procured4  ,for instance1 the religious 
tradesman complains that his honesty is 
a hindrance to his success2 that the    
tide of custom pours into the doors of  
his less scrupulous neighbor in the same
 street1 while he himself waits for     
hours idle4 ,my brother1 do you think   
that ,god is going to reward honor1     
integrity1 high-mindedness1 with this   
world's coin8 ,do you fancy that ,he    
will pay spiritual excellence with      
plenty of custom8 ,now consider the     
price that man has paid for his success4
 ,perhaps mental degradation and inward 
dishonor4 ,his advertisements are all   

deceptive1 his treatment of his workmen 
tyrannical1 his cheap prices made       
possible by inferior articles4 ,sow that
 man's seed1 and you will reap that     
man's harvest4 ,cheat1 lie1 be          
unscrupulous in your assertions1 and    
custom will come to you4 ,but if the    
price be too high1 let him have his     
harvest1 and you take yours --a clear   
conscience1 a pure mind1 rectitude      
within and without4 ,will you part with 
that for his harvest8   ,sowing to the  
,spirit4  ,sowing to the ,spirit implies
 self-denial1 resistance of evil1       
obedience to the ,spirit1 walking in the
 ,spirit1 living in the ,spirit1        
guidance by the ,spirit4 ,we sow to the 
,spirit when we use our abilities and   
means to advance ,spiritual things2 when
 we support and encourage those who are 
extending the influence of the ,spirit4 
,we sow to the ,spirit when we crucify  
the flesh and all its lusts1 when we    
yield ourselves to ,him as we once      
yielded ourselves to the flesh4 ,a      

,jewish rabbi once said3 ,there are in  
every man two impulses1 good and evil4  
,he who offers ,god his evil impulses   
offers the best sacrifice4  ,the fruit  
of such sowing is love1 joy1 peace1     
longsuffering1 gentleness1 goodness1    
faith1 meekness1 temperance4  ,in this  
world the harvest is growth of          
character1 deeper respect1 increasing   
usefulness to others2 in the next world1
 acceptance with ,god1 everlasting life4
  ,among the last recorded words of     
,henry ,lloyd ,garrison in his public   
speeches in ,england were these ,i began
 my advocacy of the anti -slavery cause 
in the ,northern ,states of ,america1 in
 the midst of brickbats and rotten eggs2
 and ,i ended it on the soil of ,south  
,carolina almost literally buried       
beneath the wreaths of flowers which    
were heaped upon me by her liberated    
bondmen4  ,a young man was employed by a
 large commission firm in ,new ,york    
,city during the late civil war1 to     
negotiate with a certain party for a lot

 of damaged beans4 ,the beans were      
purchased1 delivered1 and spread out    
upon the upper floor of the building    
occupied by the firm4  ,men were        
employed to turn them over and over1 and
 to sprinkle them with a solution of    
soda1 so as to improve their appearance 
and render them more salable4 ,a large  
lot of the first quality of beans was   
then purchased2 some of the good beans  
were first put into barrels1 then the   
barrels were nearly filled with the poor
 ones2 after this the good ones were    
again put on the top and the barrels    
headed up for sale4  ,the employer      
marked the barrels1 ,beans--,a #a4 ,the 
clerk seeing this1 said3 ,do you think1 
sir1 that it is right to mark those     
beans ,a #a8  ,the employer retorted    
sharply3 ,are you head of the firm8     
,the clerk said no more4 ,the barreling 
and heading went on4 ,when all was      
ready1 the beans 7many hundreds of      
barrels7 were put on the market for     
sale4 ,specimens of the best quality    

were shown in the office to buyers4  ,at
 length a shrewd purchaser came in 7no  
man is so sharp in business but he will 
often meet his equal71 examined the     
samples in the office1 inquired the     
price1 and then wished to see the stock 
in bulk4 ,the clerk was ordered to go   
with the buyer to the upper loft and    
show him the stock4 ,an open barrel was 
shown apparently of the same quality of 
the sample4 ,the buyer then said to the 
clerk3  ,young man1 the samples of beans
 shown me are of the first quality1 and 
it is impossible to purchase beans      
anywhere in the market for the price at 
which you offer them2 there is something
 wrong here4 ,tell me1 are these beans  
the same quality throughout the entire  
barrel as they appear on the top8  ,the 
clerk now found himself in a strange    
position4 ,he thought1 ,shall ,i lie for
 my employer1 as he undoubtedly means ,i
 shall2 or shall ,i tell the truth1 come
 what will8 ,he decided for the truth1  
and said3  ,no1 sir1 they are not4      

,then1 said the customer4 ,i do not want
 them2 and he left4  ,the clerk enterers
 the office4 ,the employer said to him3 
,did you sell that man those beans8  ,he
 said1 ,no1 sir4  ,why not8  ,well1 sir1
 the man asked me if those beans were of
 the same quality through the entire    
barrel as they appeared on the top4 ,i  
told him they were not4 ,he then said3  
',i do not want them1' and left4  ,go to
 the cashier1 said the employer1 and get
 your wages2 we want you no longer4  ,he
 received his pay and left the office1  
rejoicing that he had not lied for the  
purposes of abetting a sordid           
avariciousness1 and benefiting an       
unprincipled employer4  ,three weeks    
after this the firm sent after the young
 clerk1 entreated him to come back again
 into their employ1 and offered him     
three hundred dollars salary more per   
year than they had ever before given    
him4  ,and thus was his honesty and     
truthfulness rewarded4 ,the firm knew   
and felt that the man was right1        

although apparently they had lost       
largely by his honesty4 ,they wished to 
have him again in their employ1 because 
they knew that they could trust him1 and
 never suffer through fraud and         
deception4 ,they knew that their        
financial interests would be safe in his
 custody4 ,they respected and honored   
that young man4   ,the ,lesson of       
,patience4  ,let us learn the lesson of 
patience4 ,behold the husbandman waiteth
 for the precious fruit of the earth1   
and hath long patience for it1 until he 
receive the early and latter rain4      
,delay does not mean denial4 ,too often 
one generation sows and another has to  
reap4 ,god is a jealous ,god1 visiting  
the iniquity of the fathers upon the    
children unto the third and fourth      
generation of them that hate ,him4  ,in 
the early years of ,israel's existence  
as a separate people1 ,god commanded    
them to give the land of ,canaan rest   
every seventh year4  ,six years thou    
shalt sow thy land1 and shalt gather in 

the fruits thereof3 but the seventh year
 thou shalt let it rest and lie still2  
that the poor of thy people may eat1 and
 what they leave the beasts of the field
 shall eat4 ,in like manner thou shalt  
deal with thy vineyard1 and with thy    
olive yard4 ,from the anointing of ,saul
 to be king this law was not observed4  
,after four hundred and ninety years    
,god gave the nation into captivity for 
seventy years4 ,during this period the  
land had rest2 seventy sabbath years to 
compensate for the sabbath years of     
which it had been deprived4 ,those      
,israelites sowed the bitter seed of    
disobedience1 and their descendants had 
to reap the harvest in exile and        
captivity4  ,a leading surgeon performed
 a critical operation before his class  
one day4 ,the operation was successful1 
as far as his part was concerned4 ,but  
he turned to the class and said3 ,six   
years ago a wise way of living might    
have prevented this disease4 ,two years 
ago a safe and simple operation might   

have cured it4 ,we have done our best   
to-day as the case now stands1 but      
,nature will have her word to say4 ,she 
does not always repeal her capital      
sentences4 ,next day the patient died1  
reaping the fruit of his excesses4      
,paul says3 ,let us not be weary in     
well-doing2 in due season we shall reap 
if we faint not4  ,in a recent chat with
 an interviewer1 ,mr4 ,edison quite     
unconsciously preached a most powerful  
sermon on perseverance and patience4    
,he described his repeated efforts to   
make the phonograph reproduce the       
aspirated sound1 and added3 ,from       
eighteen to twenty hours a day for the  
last seven months ,i have worked on this
 single word 'specia4' ,i said into the 
phonograph1 'specia1 specia1 specia1'   
but the instrument responded1 'pecia1   
pecia1 pecia4' ,it was enough to drive  
one mad6 ,but ,i held firm1 and ,i have 
succeeded4  ,an insurance case was      
brought to ,daniel ,webster when he was 
a young lawyer in ,portsmouth4 ,only a  

small amount was involved1 and a        
twenty-dollar fee was all that was      
promised4 ,he saw that to do his client 
full justice1 a journey to ,boston would
 be desirable1 in order to consult the  
law library4 ,he would be out of pocket 
by the expedition1 and for the time he  
would receive no adequate compensation4 
,but he determined to do his best1 cost 
what it might4 ,he accordingly went to  
,boston and looked up the authorities1  
and gained the case4  ,years after1     
,webster1 who had meanwhile become      
famous1 was passing through ,new ,york4 
,an important insurance case was to be  
tried that day1 and one of the counsel  
had suddenly been taken ill4 ,money was 
no object1 and ,webster was begged to   
name his terms and conduct the case4  ,i
 told them1 said ,mr4 ,webster1 that it 
was preposterous to expect me to prepare
 a legal argument at a few hours notice4
 ,they insisted1 however1 that ,i should
 look at the papers2 and this ,i finally
 consented to do4 ,it was my old        

twenty-dollar case over again2 and as ,i
 never forget anything1 ,i had all the  
authorities at my fingers' ends4 ,the   
court knew that ,i had no time to       
prepare1 and were astonished at the     
range of my acquirements4 ,so you see1  
,i was handsomely repaid both in fame   
and money for that journey to ,boston2  
and the moral is that good work is      
rewarded in the end4  ,two men were     
digging in ,california for gold4 ,they  
worked a good deal and got nothing4 ,at 
last one of them threw down his tools   
and said3  ,i will leave here before we 
starve2 and he left4  ,the next day his 
comrade's patience was rewarded by      
finding a nugget that supported him     
until he made a fortune4  ,because      
sentence against an evil work is not    
executed speedily1 therefore the heart  
of the sons of men is fully set in them 
to do evil4 ,though a sinner do evil an 
hundred times1 and his days be          
prolonged1 yet surely ,i know that it   
shall be well with them that fear ,god1 

which fear before ,him2 but it shall not
 be well with the wicked1 neither shall 
he prolong his days1 which are as a     
shadow2 because he feareth not before   
,god4  ,the idea that because a person  
does a thing in the dark it will never  
be brought to light1 is fatal--,god says
 it shall be brought to light4 ,it is   
folly for a man who has covered his sins
 to think there shall be no resurrection
 of them and no final adjudication4     
,look at the sons of ,jacob4 ,they sold 
,joseph and deceived their father4      
,twenty long years rolled away1 and away
 down to ,egypt their sin followed them2
 for they said3 ,we are guilty of the   
blood of our brother4 ,the reaping time 
had come at last1 for those ten boys who
 sold their brother4  ,i was once       
preaching in ,chicago1 and a woman who  
was nearly out of her mind came to me4  
,you know there are some people who mock
 at religions meetings1 and say that    
religion drives people mad4 ,it is sin  
that drives people mad4 ,it is the want 

of ,christ that sinks people into       
despair4 ,this was the woman's story3   
,she had a family of children4 ,one of  
her neighbors had died1 and her husband 
had brought home a little child4 ,she   
said1 ,i don't want the child1 but her  
husband said1 ,you must take it and look
 after it4 ,she said she had enough to  
do with her own1 and she told her       
husband to take that child away4 ,but he
 would not4 ,she confessed that she     
tried to starve the child2 but it       
lingered on4 ,one night it cried all    
night2 ,i suppose it wanted food4 ,at   
last she took the clothes and threw them
 over the child1 and smothered it4 ,no  
one saw her2 no one knew anything about 
it4 ,the child was buried4 ,years had   
passed away2 and she said1 ,i hear the  
voice of that child day and night4 ,it  
has driven me nearly mad4 ,no one saw   
the act2 but ,god had seen it1 and this 
retribution followed it4 ,history is    
full of these things4 ,you need not go  
to the ,bible to find it out4    ,a     

,,man ,,expects ,,to ,,reap ,,the ,,same
 ,,kind ,,as ,,he ,,sows4   ,herb       
yielding seed after his kind1 and the   
tree yielding fruit 4 4 4 after his     
kind4--,gen4 i3 #ab4  ,do men gather    
grapes of thorns1 or figs of            
thistles8--,matt4 vii3 #af4  ,for if ye 
live after the flesh1 ye shall die3 but 
if ye through the ,spirit do mortify the
 deeds of the body1 ye shall live4      
--,romans viii3 #ac4   ,,chapter ,,iv4  
,a ,man ,expects to ,reap the ,same     
,kind as ,he ,sows4   ,if ,i should tell
 you that ,i sowed ten acres of wheat   
last year and that watermelons came up1 
or that ,i sowed cucumbers and gathered 
turnips1 you wouldn't believe it4 ,it is
 a fixed law that you reap the same kind
 of seed you sow4 ,plant wheat and you  
reap wheat1 plant an acorn and there    
comes up an oak1 plant a little elm and 
in time you have a big elm4  ,one day1  
the master of ,lukman1 an ,eastern      
fabulist1 said to him1 ,go into such a  
field1 and sow barley4 ,lukman sowed    

oats instead4 ,at the time of harvest   
his master went to the place1 and1      
seeing the green oats springing up1     
asked him3  ,did ,i not tell you to sow 
barley here8 ,why1 then1 have you sown  
oats8  ,he answered1 ,i sowed oats in   
the hope that barley would grow up4     
,his master said1 ,what foolish idea is 
this8 ,have you ever heard of the like8 
,lukman replied1 ,you yourself are      
constantly sowing in the field of the   
world the seeds of evil1 and yet expect 
to reap in the resurrection day the     
fruits of virtue4 ,therefore ,i thought1
 also1 ,i might get barley by sowing    
oats4  ,the master was abashed at the   
reply and set ,lukman free4  ,like      
produces like in vegetation1 and like   
produces like in labor4 ,if a man has   
learnt the trade of a carpenter1 he does
 not expect to excel as a watchmaker4   
,if he has toiled hard to acquire a     
knowledge of the law1 he does not expect
 to practice medicine for a livelihood4 
,men expect to reap in the same line as 

they have learned4  ,this law is just as
 true in ,god's kingdom as in man's     
kingdom2 just as true in the spiritual  
world as in the natural world4 ,if ,i   
sow tares1 ,i am going to reap tares2 if
 ,i sow a lie1 ,i am going to reap lies2
 if ,i sow adultery4 ,i am going to reap
 adulterers2 if ,i sow whisky1 ,i am    
going to reap drunkards4 ,you cannot    
blot this law out1 it is in force4 ,no  
other truth in the ,bible is more       
solemn4  ,suppose that a neighbor1 whom 
,i don't want to see1 comes to my house 
and ,i tell my son to tell him1 if he   
asks for me1 that ,i am out of town4 ,he
 goes to the door and lies to my        
neighbor2 it will not be six months     
before that boy will lie to me2 ,i will 
reap that lie4  ,a man said to me some  
time ago1 ,why is it that we can not get
 honest clerks now8  ,i replied1 ,i     
don't know1 but perhaps ,i can imagine a
 reason4 ,when merchants teach clerks to
 say that goods are all wool when they  
are half cotton1 and to adulterate      

groceries and say they are pure1 when   
they grind up white marble and put it   
into pulverized sugar1 and the clerk    
knows it1 you will not have honest      
clerks4  ,as long as merchants teach    
their clerks to lie and to misrepresent1
 to put a ,french or an ,english tag on 
domestic goods and sell them for        
imported goods1 so long they will have  
dishonest clerks4 ,dishonest merchants  
make dishonest clerks4 ,i am not talking
 fiction1 ,i am talking truth4 ,it is   
not poetry1 but solemn prose that a man 
must reap the same kind of seed that he 
sows4  ,this is a tremendous argument   
against selling liquor4 ,leaving out the
 temperance and religious aspects of the
 question1 no man on earth can afford to
 sell strong drink4 ,if ,i sell liquor  
to your son and make a drunkard of him1 
some man will sell liquor to my son and 
make a drunkard of him4 ,every man who  
sells liquor has a drunken son or a     
drunken brother or some drunken         
relative4 ,where are the sons of liquor 

dealers8 ,to whom are their daughters   
married8 ,look around and see if you can
 find a man who has been in that        
business twenty years who has not a     
skeleton in his own family4  ,i threw   
that challenge down once1 and a man said
 to me the next day1 ,i wasn't at your  
meeting last night1 but ,i understand   
you made the astounding statement that  
no man had been in the liquor business  
twenty years who hadn't the curse in his
 own family4  ,yes1 ,i said1 ,i did4    
,it isn't true1 he said1 and ,i want you
 to take it back4 ,my father was a      
rumseller1 and ,i am a rumseller1 and   
the curse has never come into my        
father's family or into mine4  ,i said1 
,what6 two generations selling that     
infernal stuff1 and the curse has never 
come into the family6 ,i will           
investigate it1 and if ,i find ,i am    
wrong ,i will make the retraction just  
as publicly as ,i did the statement4    
,there were two prominent citizens of   
the town in the room1 on whose faces ,i 

noticed a peculiar expression as the man
 was talking4 ,after he left1 one of    
them said3  ,do you know1 ,mr4 ,moody1  
that man's own brother was a drunkard   
and committed suicide a few weeks ago   
and left a widow with seven children2   
they are under his roof now6 ,he was a  
terrible drunkard himself until the     
shock of his brother's suicide cured    
him4  ,i don't know how you can account 
for it unless he thought his brother    
wasn't a relative4 ,perhaps he was a    
sort of a ,cainite1 saying1 ,am ,i my   
brother's keeper8  ,when ,i was a pastor
 of a church in ,chicago we were trying 
to get hold of the working-men4 ,they   
used to say3  ,come down to the factory 
at dinner-time and we will give you a   
chance to speak4  ,i would ask them1    
,why won't you come to the church8  ,oh1
 they would say1 you have it all your   
own way there1 and we can't answer back2
 but come to the factory and we will put
 a few questions to you4  ,so ,i went   
down1 and they made it pretty hot for me

 sometimes4 ,one of the favorite        
characters that they brought up was     
,jacob4 ,many a time ,i have had men    
say1 ,you think ,jacob was a saint1     
don't you8 ,he was a big rascal4 ,many  
have said they thought ,jacob wasn't as 
good as ,esau4 ,notice this fact4 ,you  
read in the ,bible1 ,i will punish      
,jacob according to his doings4 ,this   
law of retribution runs through his     
,life2 although he was a friend of ,god1
 a kinsman of ,abraham1 and was third in
 the line of the covenant1 yet ,god made
 ,jacob reap the same kind of seed he   
sowed4 ,some one has said that ,jacob's 
misfortunes were uniformly calculated to
 bring back to his recollection the     
picture as well as the punishment of his
 faults4  ,when ,isaac in his old age   
wanted some venison1 and sent ,esau out 
to get it1 ,jacob slipped out and took a
 kid from his father's flock1 and       
,rebekah1 his mother1 cooked it2 he     
brought it to his old blind father and  
said he was ,esau4 ,the old man         

recognized his voice1 but he had very   
cunningly put the skin of the kid on his
 hands and neck2 so that the old man    
felt him and said2  ,the voice is       
,jacob's voice1 but the hands are the   
hands of ,esau4  ,by this lie he got his
 brother's birthright blessing1 but he  
paid ten thousand times more for it than
 it was worth4 ,who steals my purse     
steals trash4 ,a man who steals my      
pocketbook is the chief sufferer1 not   
,i4 ,when ,jacob had grown to be an old 
man1 he lived in continual suspicion    
that his sons were deceiving him4 ,the  
sin of deceiving his own father bore    
fruit4  ,jacob was the great loser in   
this transaction4 ,when ,esau returned  
he had to flee for his life4 ,then ,god 
met him at ,bethel4 ,and behold1 the    
,lord stood above it and said1 ,i am the
 ,lord ,god of ,abraham thy father1 and 
the ,god of ,isaac3 the land whereon    
thou liest1 to thee will ,i give it1 and
 to thy seed3 and thy seed shall be as  
the dust of the earth3 and thou shalt   

spread abroad to the west and to the    
east and to the north and to the south1 
and in thee and in thy seed shall all   
the families of the earth be blessed4   
,and1 behold1 ,i am with thee1 and will 
keep thee in all places whither thou    
goest1 and will bring thee again unto   
this land1 for ,i will not leave thee1  
until ,i have done that which ,i have   
spoken to thee of4  ,men will read that 
far in the life of ,jacob and say1 ,i   
don't want anything more to do with a   
,god who will deal in grace with a man  
who had done so mean a thing4 ,my       
friend1 hold on4 ,follow him to         
,padanaram4 ,he was there twenty years1 
and during that time his wages were     
changed ten times4 ,he worked seven     
years for the lovely ,rachel1 and then  
had another woman put upon him4 ,jacob  
had by deception obtained the blessing  
of the first-born son1 but ,laban       
sarcastically reminded him1 ,it must not
 be so done in my country to give the   
younger before the first-born4 ,he found

 that ,laban could drive as sharp a     
bargain as he4 ,wherever you find a     
sharp1 shrewd man1 you will always find 
that he draws just such men around him1 
and that he who cheats will himself be  
cheated4 ,birds of a feather flock      
together2 blasphemers get together1 and 
sharp1 shrewd men get together4 ,jacob  
found in ,laban just such a man as      
himself4 ,it was diamond cut diamond4   
,look a little further4 ,jacob had      
twelve sons1 but he loved ,joseph and   
,benjamin more than the others because  
they were the sons of his beloved       
,rachel4 ,he was partial to ,joseph1 and
 had a coat made of many colors for him4
 ,partiality will raise the old ,adam in
 any family4  ,one morning ,joseph1 in  
the innocence of his heart1 tells a     
dream in which his father and all his   
brothers had bowed down to him4 ,then   
his brothers began to plan to get him   
out of the way1 and when his father sent
 him to find them when they were tending
 the flocks1 they said3  ,now we have   

him2 let us slay him and cast him into a
 pit1 and say that some beast has       
devoured him4  ,later they sold him1 and
 took his coat of many colors and dipped
 it in the blood of a kid1 and1 taking  
it to their father1 said3 ,this have we 
found2 know now whether it be thy son's 
coat or no4 ,and he knew it and said1   
,it is my son's coat2 an evil beast hath
 devoured him4  ,now notice3 ,jacob     
deceived his father with the skin of a  
kid1 and his sons deceived him with the 
blood of a kid4 ,jacob lied to his      
father1 and his sons lied to him4 ,the  
lie came home4 ,every lie is bound to   
come back to you4 ,you cannot dig a     
grave so deep but that it will have a   
resurrection4 ,tramp1 tramp1 your sins  
will all come back4  ,be sure your sin  
will find you out4 ,you may think you   
are very shrewd and far-sighted1 and can
 plan and cover up1 but it is the decree
 of high heaven that no sin shall be    
covered2 ,god will uncover it4 ,you     
cannot deceive the ,almighty4 ,jacob    

found that out4 ,he had to reap what he 
sowed4  ,again1 look at ,david4 ,a man  
said to me some years ago3  ,don't you  
think ,david fell as low as ,saul8      
,yes1 he fell lower1 because ,god had   
lifted him higher4 ,the difference is   
that when ,saul fell there was no sign  
of repentance1 but when ,david fell1 a  
wail went up from his broken heart2     
there was true repentance4 ,no man in   
all the ,scripture record rose so high  
and fell so low as ,david4 ,god took him
 from the sheepfold and placed him on   
the throne4 ,he gave him riches and     
lands in abundance4 ,he was on a        
pinnacle of glory1 and was loved and    
honored among men4 ,but one day1 you    
remember1 ,david was walking upon the   
roof of the king's house1 and he saw    
,bathsheba1 and lusted after her1 and   
committed the awful sin of adultery2 and
 then1 to cover up that sin1 he made    
,bathsheba's husband drunk1 and had him 
murdered4 ,the decree came3 ,i will     
raise up evil in thy family and the     

sword shall never leave thy house4      
,amnon1 ,david's son1 commits adultery  
with ,david's own daughter4 ,absalom    
makes a feast for ,amnon and has him    
murdered4 ,not long after he comes with 
an army to drive ,david1 his father1    
from the throne1 and publicly commits   
adultery with ,david's concubines on the
 roof of the king's house2 if ,god had  
not been overruling1 he would have      
killed his father4  ,david sowed        
adultery and reaped it in his own       
family4 ,he sowed murder and reaped it  
in his own family4 ,i believe that what 
brought the bitter wail from that       
father's heart when he said1 ,oh1 my son
 ,absalom1 my son1 my son ,absalom6     
,would ,god ,i had died for thee1 was   
the fact that these were the wages of   
his own sin4 ,from the time he fell into
 that sin with ,uriah's wife until he   
went down to his grave1 it was one      
billow after another rolling over him4  
,if ,god did not spare ,david1 do you   
think ,he will spare us if we fall into 

sin and do not confess and turn from our
 sins8 ,if ever a man had an opportunity
 to cover his sins1 ,david had4 ,no     
judge or jury dared to pronounce        
judgment against him4 ,the thing was    
done in the dark1 but his sin found him 
out4 ,nathan was sent across his path1  
and1 young man1 ,nathan will appear to  
you some day4 ,some messenger will smite
 you in the way if you do not repent and
 turn from your sins4 ,my friend1 why   
not call on ,god now as ,david did when 
he came to himself8 make the same       
prayer--how thankful we should be that  
we have the prayer6 why not make it on  
your knees now8   ,david's ,prayer for  
,forgiveness4  ,have mercy upon me1 ,o  
,god1 according to thy loving kindness3 
according unto the multitude of thy     
tender mercies blot out my              
transgressions4  ,wash me thoroughly    
from mine iniquity1 and cleanse me from 
my sin4 ,for ,i acknowledge my          
transgressions2 and my sin is ever      
before me4  ,against thee1 thee only1   

have ,i sinned1 and done this evil in   
thy sight2 that thou mightest be        
justified when thou speakest1 and be    
clear when thou judgest4  ,behold1 ,i   
was shapen in iniquity2 and in sin did  
my mother conceive me4  ,behold1 thou   
desirest truth in the inward parts2 and 
in the hidden part thou shalt make me to
 know wisdom4  ,purge me with hyssop1   
and ,i shall be clean2 wash me1 and ,i  
shall be whiter than snow4  ,make me to 
hear joy and gladness2 that the bones   
which thou hast broken may rejoice4     
,hide thy face from my sins1 and blot   
out all mine iniquities4  ,create in me 
a clean heart1 ,o ,god1 and renew a     
right spirit within me4  ,cast me not   
away from thy presence2 and take not thy
 ,holy ,spirit from me4  ,restore unto  
me the joy of thy salvation2 and uphold 
me with thy free ,spirit4  ,then will ,i
 teach transgressors thy ways2 and      
sinners shall be converted unto thee4   
,deliver me from bloodguiltiness1 ,o    
,god1 thou ,god of my salvation2 and my 

tongue shall sing aloud of thy          
righteousness4  ,o ,lord1 open thou my  
lips2 and my mouth shall shew forth thy 
praise4  ,for thou desirest not         
sacrifice2 else would ,i give it2 thou  
delightest not in burnt offering4 ,the  
sacrifices of ,god are a broken spirit3 
a broken and a contrite heart1 ,o ,god1 
thou wilt not despise4   ,examples ,from
 ,history4  ,but you say you don't      
believe in the ,bible4 ,then look at    
history1 and see if this law is not     
true4 ,maxentine built a false bridge to
 drown ,constantine1 but was drowned    
himself4 ,bajazet was carried about by  
,tamerlane in an iron cage which he     
intended for ,tamerlane4 ,maximinus put 
out the eyes of thousands of            
,christians2 soon after a fearful       
disease of the eyes broke out among his 
people1 of which he himself died in     
great agony4 ,valens caused about eighty
 ,christians to be sent to sea in a ship
 and burnt alive3 he was defeated by the
 ,goths and fled to a cottage1 where he 

was burnt alive4  ,alexander ,,vi4 was  
poisoned by wine he had prepared for    
another4 ,henry ,,iii4 of ,france was   
stabbed in the same chamber where he had
 helped to contrive the cruel massacre  
of ,french ,protestants4 ,marie         
,antoinette1 riding to ,notre ,dame     
,cathedral for her bridal1 bade the     
soldiers command all beggars1 cripples1 
and ragged people to leave the line of  
the procession4 ,she could not endure   
the sight of these miserable ones4 ,soon
 after1 bound in the executioner's cart1
 she was riding toward the place of     
execution amidst crowds who gazed on her
 with hearts as cold as ice and hard as 
granite4 ,when ,foulon was asked how the
 starving populace was to live1 he said3
 ,let them eat grass4 ,afterward1 the   
mob1 maddened with rage1 caught him in  
the streets of ,paris1 hung him1 stuck  
his head upon a pike and filled his     
mouth with grass4    ,a ,,man ,,reaps   
,,more ,,than ,,he ,,sows4   ,but other 
fell into good ground1 and brought forth

 fruit1 some a hundredfold1 some        
sixtyfold1 some thirtyfold4--,matt4     
xiii3 #h4   ,,chapter ,v4   ,a ,man     
,reaps ,more ,than ,he ,sows4   ,if ,i  
sow a bushel1 ,i expect to reap ten or  
twenty bushels4 ,i can sow in one day   
what will take ten men to reap4 ,the    
,spaniards have this proverb3 ,sow a    
thought and reap an act4 ,sow an act1   
and reap a habit4 ,sow a habit1 and reap
 a character4 ,sow a character and reap 
a destiny4 ,and it takes a longer time  
to reap than to sow4 ,i have heard of a 
certain kind of bean that reproduces    
itself a thousand fold4 ,one            
thistle-down which blew from the deck of
 a vessel is said to have covered with  
thistles the entire surface of a ,south 
,sea island4 ,the oak springs from an   
acorn1 the mighty ,mississippi from a   
little spring4  ,one glass of whisky may
 lead to a drunkard's death4 ,one lie   
may ruin a man's career4 ,one error in  
youth may follow a man all through life4
 ,some one has said that many a         

,christian spends half his time trying  
to keep down the sprouts of seed sown in
 his young days4 ,unless it is held in  
check1 the desire to have a drink will  
become a consuming thirst2 the desire to
 play a game of cards an irresistible   
gambler's passion4  ,abraham gave up his
 only son at ,god's bidding1 and as the 
fruit of that act of obedience ,god gave
 him seed as numerous as the stars of   
the heaven and as the sands upon the    
seashore4  ,jacob told one lie1 and his 
ten sons came back with his lie         
multiplied tenfold4 ,for twenty years   
,jacob mourned for ,joseph1 supposing   
that he was dead4 ,i have no doubt that 
night after night he wept for ,joseph1  
and in his dreams saw the boy torn to   
pieces1 and heard his cries for help4   
,it took him a long time to reap the    
harvest4  ,israel murmured against ,god 
because of the report of the land of    
,canaan brought back by the spies4 ,had 
they not to reap a multiplied harvest8  
,listen3 ,after the number of the days  

in which ye searched the land1 even     
forty days1 each day for a year1 shall  
ye bear your iniquities1 even forty     
years1 and ye shall know my breach of   
promise4  ,when ,i made the remark in a 
meeting once that a man had to reap more
 than he sowed1 a man in front of me    
dropped his head and sobbed aloud4      
,after the meeting1 a friend stepped up 
to him and said3  ,what is your trouble8
  ,pointing to me he said1 ,every word  
that man has been saying is true4 ,four 
years ago ,i was the confidential clerk 
of a firm in this city4 ,i have reason  
to believe that if ,i had continued as  
,i began1 ,i should have been in the    
firm now4 ,but one night in a saloon    
under the influence of drink ,i         
committed a crime1 and ,i was sent to   
the penitentiary1 where ,i repented in  
sackcloth and ashes4 ,to-day ,i came    
back for the first time1 and went to the
 old house1 and they ordered me out4 ,i 
went to other business-houses ,i was    
acquainted with1 and received the same  

treatment4 ,i met men on the street whom
 ,i once knew1 who had held inferior    
places to me1 and ,i lifted my hat1 but 
no one returned the bow4  ,the man wrung
 his hands in agony and said1 ,it is all
 true1 it takes a longer time to reap   
than to sow4  ,do you not believe it8   
,ask your neighbor who has drank up his 
character and reputation and home1 and  
has brought a blight on his family4 ,it 
takes a long time to build up a         
character1 but you can blast it in a    
single hour4  ,a man died in the        
,columbus penitentiary some years ago   
who had spent over thirty years in his  
cell4 ,he was one of the millionaires of
 ,ohio4 ,fifty years ago when they were 
trying to get a trunk road from ,chicago
 to ,new ,york1 they wanted to lay the  
line through his farm near ,cleveland4  
,he did not want his farm divided by the
 railroad1 so the case went into court1 
where commissioners were appointed to   
pay the damages and to allow the road to
 be built4 ,one dark night after the    

tracks were laid1 a train was thrown off
 the track1 and several were killed4    
,this man was suspected1 was tried and  
found guilty1 and was sent to the       
penitentiary for life4 ,the farm was    
soon cut up into city lots1 and the man 
became a millionaire1 but he got no     
benefit from it4 ,before he died1 the   
chaplain told me that he became a child 
of ,god4 ,it may not have taken him more
 than an hour to lay the obstruction on 
the railroad1 but he was over thirty    
years reaping the result of that one    
act6  ,in the history of ,france we read
 that a certain king wanted some new    
instrument to torture his prisoners     
with4 ,one of his favorites suggested   
that he should build a cage1 not long   
enough to lie down in1 and not high     
enough to stand up in4 ,the king        
accepted the suggestion2 but the first  
one put into the cage was the very man  
who suggested it1 and he was kept in it 
for fourteen years4 ,it did not take him
 more than a few minutes1 perhaps1 to   

suggest that cruel device2 but he was   
fourteen long years reaping the fruit of
 what he had sown4  ,if a man could do  
his reaping alone1 it would not be so   
hard2 but it is terrible when he has to 
make that godly father1 and that mother 
who loves him1 or that wife and family1 
reap along with him4 ,does not the      
drunkard make his wife and children reap
 a bitter harvest8 ,does not the gambler
 make his relatives reap8 ,does not the 
harlot make her parents reap agony and  
shame8 ,what a bitter enemy is sin6 ,may
 ,god help each one of us to turn from  
it at once6  ,whenever ,i hear a young  
man talking in a flippant way about     
sowing his wild oats1 ,i don't laugh4 ,i
 feel more like crying1 because ,i know 
he is going to make his gray-haired     
mother reap in tears2 he is going to    
make his wife reap in shame2 he is going
 to make his old father and his innocent
 children reap with him4 ,only ten or   
fifteen or twenty years will pass before
 he will have to reap his wild oats2 no 

man has ever sowed them without having  
to reap them4 ,sow the wind and you reap
 the whirlwind4  ,we cannot control our 
influence4 ,if ,i plant thistles in my  
field1 the wind will take the           
thistle-down when it is ready1 and blow 
it away beyond the fence2 and my        
neighbors will have to reap with me4 ,so
 my example may be copied by my children
 or my neighbors1 and my actions        
reproduced indefinitely through them1   
whether for good or evil4 ,how many have
 gone to ruin because of the sins of    
such men as ,jacob and ,david and ,lot6 
,nothing ,but ,leaves4     ,nothing but 
leaves6 ,the ,spirit grieves            
,o'er years of wasted life6    ,o'er    
sins indulged while conscience slept1   
,o'er vows and promises unkept1         
,and reap from years of strife--        
,nothing but leaves6 ,nothing but       
leaves6     ,nothing but leaves6 ,no    
gathered sheaves         ,of life's fair
 ripening grain2    ,we sow our seeds2  
lo6 tares and weeds--    ,words1 idle   

words1 for earnest deeds--         ,then
 reap1 with toil and pain1    ,nothing  
but leaves6 ,nothing but leaves6        
,nothing but leaves6 ,sad memory weaves 
,no veil to hide the past2    ,and as we
 trace our weary way1    ,and count each
 lost and misspent day1         ,we     
sadly find at last--    ,nothing but    
leaves6 ,nothing but leaves6     ,ah1   
who shall thus the ,master meet1        
,and bring but withered leaves8    ,ah1 
who shall1 at the ,saviour's feet1      
,before the awful judgment-seat1        
,lay down1 for golden sheaves1          
,nothing but leaves6 ,nothing but       
leaves8     --,l4 ,e4 ,ackerman4        
,,ignorance ,,of ,,the ,,seed ,,makes   
,,no ,,difference4   ,marvel not at     
this3 for the hour is coming1 in the    
which all that are in the graves shall  
hear his voice1 and shall come forth1   
they that have done good2 unto the      
resurrection of life2 and they that have
 done evil1 unto the resurrection of    
damnation4--,john v3 #bh1 #bi4          

,,chapter ,,vi4   ,ignorance of the     
,seed ,makes no ,difference4   ,now1    
notice again3 ,ignorance of the kind of 
seed makes no difference4 ,if ,i think  
,i am sowing good seed and it happens to
 be bad1 ,i shall have a bad harvest2   
therefore1 it becomes me to see what    
kind of seed ,i am sowing4  ,suppose ,i 
meet a man who is sowing seed1 and say3 
,hello1 stranger1 what are you sowing8  
,seed4  ,what kind of seed8  ,i don't   
know4  ,don't you know whether it is    
good or bad8  ,no1 ,i can't tell2 but it
 is seed1 that is all ,i want to know1  
and ,i am sowing it4  ,you would say    
that he was a first-class lunatic1      
wouldn't you8 ,but he wouldn't be half  
so mad as the man who goes on sowing for
 time and eternity1 and never asks      
himself what he is sowing or what the   
harvest will be4  ,father1 what seed are
 you sowing in your family8 ,are you    
setting your children a good or a bad   
example8 ,do you spend your time at the 
saloon or the club1 until you have      

become almost a stranger to them8 or are
 you training them for ,god and         
righteousness8  ,the story is told that 
a man once said he would not talk to his
 son about religion2 the boy should make
 his own choice when he grew up1        
unprejudiced by him4 ,the boy broke his 
arm1 and when the doctor was setting it1
 he cursed and swore the whole time4    
,ah1 said the doctor1 you were afraid to
 prejudice the boy in the right way1 but
 the devil had no such prejudice4 ,he   
has led your son the other way4 ,the    
idea that a father is to let his        
children run wild6 ,nature alone never  
brings forth anything but weeds4  ,one  
of ,coleridge's friends once objected to
 prejudicing the minds of the young by  
selecting the things they should be     
taught4 ,the philosopher-poet invited   
him to take a look at his garden1 and   
took him to where a luxuriant growth of 
ugly and infragrant weeds spread        
themselves over beds and walks alike4   
,you don't call that a garden6 said his 

friend4  ,what6 said ,coleridge1 would  
you have me prejudice the ground in     
favor of roses and lilies8  ,have you   
never noticed the same thing about the  
mind and the heart8 ,let a child be     
idle1 and ,satan will soon lead him into
 mischief4 ,he must be looked after4    
,those things that will help to develop 
character must be selected for him1 and 
hurtful things must be kept out1 just as
 industriously as the farmer cultivates 
the useful products of the soil1 but    
wages continual war on weeds and all    
unwholesome growths4  ,a murderer was to
 suffer the penalty of his crime4       
,speaking of his reckless career1 he    
said3  ,how could it be otherwise1 when 
,i had such bad training8 ,i was taught 
these things from my youth4 ,when only  
four years old my mother poured whisky  
down my throat to see how ,i would act4 
,on the morning of his execution1 the   
wretched mother bade good-bye to the son
 whom her influence had helped to that  
shameful end4  ,a father started for his

 office early one morning1 after a light
 fall of snow4 ,turning1 he saw his two 
year-old boy endeavoring to put his tiny
 feet in his own great footprints4 ,the 
little fellow shouted3 ,go on1 ,i'se    
comin'1 papa1 ,i'se comin' right in ure 
tracks4  ,he caught the boy in his arms 
and carried him to his mother1 and      
started again for his office4  ,his     
habit had been to stop on the way at a  
saloon for a glass of liquor4 ,as he    
stood upon the threshold that morning he
 seemed to hear a sweet voice say3 ,go  
on1 ,i'se comin'1 papa1 ,i'se comin'    
right in ure tracks4  ,he stopped1 he   
hesitated1 he looked the future squarely
 in the face4  ,i cannot afford to make 
any tracks ,i would be ashamed or sorry 
to have my boy walk in1 he said         
decidedly1 and turned away4  ,father1   
mother1 neighbor1 are your tracks true8 
,are they straight8 ,can you turn to any
 walking behind you and say3 ,follow me 
as ,i follow ,christ8 ,are you leading  
the little ones safe to the ,great      

,shepherd8  ,the best time to sow the   
good seed is before ,satan has scattered
 the tares4 ,god has given numerous     
warnings and instructions to do it4     
,seek ye first the ,kingdom of ,god and 
his righteousness4 ,train up a child in 
the way he should go4 ,provoke not your 
children to wrath1 but bring them up in 
the nurture and admonition of the ,lord4
 ,if a farmer neglects to plant in the  
spring-time1 he can never recover the   
lost opportunity3 no more can you1 if   
you neglect yours4 ,youth is a          
seed-time1 and if it is allowed to pass 
without good seed being sowed1 weeds    
will spring up and choke the soil4 ,it  
will take bitter toil to uproot them4   
,an old divine said that when a good    
farmer sees a weed in his field he has  
it pulled up4 ,if it is taken early     
enough1 the blank is soon filled in1 and
 the crop waves over the whole field4   
,but if allowed to run too late1 the    
bald patch remains4 ,it would have been 
better if the weed had never been       

allowed to get root4  ,young man1 are   
you letting some secret sin get the     
mastery over you1 binding you hand and  
foot8 ,it is growing4 ,every sin grows4 
,when ,i was speaking to five thousand  
children in ,glasgow some years ago1 ,i 
took a spool of thread and said to one  
of the largest boys3  ,do you believe ,i
 can bind you with that thread8  ,he    
laughed at the idea4 ,i wound the thread
 around him a few times1 and he broke it
 with a single jerk4 ,then ,i wound the 
thread around and around1 and by and by 
,i said3  ,now get free if you can4  ,he
 couldn't move hand or foot4 ,if you are
 slave to some vile habit1 you must     
either slay that habit or it will slay  
you4  ,my friend1 what kind of seed are 
you sowing8 ,let your mind sweep over   
your record for the past year4 ,have you
 been living a double life8 ,have you   
been making a profession without        
possessing what you profess8 ,if there  
is anything you detest it is hypocrisy4 
,do you tell me ,god doesn't detest it  

also8 ,if it is a right eye that        
offends1 make up your mind that you will
 pluck it out2 or if it is a right hand 
or a right foot1 cut it off4 ,whatever  
the sin is1 make up your mind that you  
will gain the victory over it without   
further delay4  ,what kind of seed are  
you sowing1 my friend1 good seed or bad 
seed8 ,there will be a harvest1 and you 
are bound to reap1 whether you want to  
or not4 ,tell me1 how do you spend your 
spare time8 ,telling vile stories1      
polluting the minds of others1 while    
your own mind is also polluted8 ,do you 
read any literature that makes your     
thoughts impure8 ,how do you spend the  
,sabbath8 ,boating1 fishing1 hunting1 or
 on excursions8 ,do you think ministers 
are old fogies--that the ,bible belongs 
to the dark ages8 ,tell me bow you treat
 your parents1 and ,i will tell you how 
your children will treat you4 ,a man was
 making preparations to send his old    
father to the poorhouse1 when his little
 child came up and said3  ,papa1 when   

you are old shall ,i have to take you to
 the poorhouse8  ,do you never write    
home to your parents8 ,they clothed you 
and educated you1 and now do you spend  
your nights in gambling8 ,you say to    
your godless companions that your father
 crammed religion down your throat when 
you were a boy4 ,i have a great contempt
 for a man who says that of his father  
or mother4 ,they may have made a        
mistake2 but it was of the head1 not of 
the heart4 ,if a telegram was sent to   
them that you were down with smallpox1  
they would take the first train to come 
to you4 ,they would willingly take the  
disease into their own bodies and die   
for you4 ,if you scoff and sneer at your
 father and mother you will have a hard 
harvest2 you will reap in agony4 ,it is 
only a question of time4 ,there is a    
saying--     ,the mills of ,god grind   
slowly1    ,but they grind exceeding    
small4  ,the ,lord ,jesus said1 ,with   
what measure ye mete1 it shall be       
measured to you again4  ,a man told me  

when ,i was last in ,london that        
,england had the advantage of ,america  
in one respect4 ,i asked how4 ,he said3 
,we have more respect for our laws in   
,england than you do in ,america4 ,you  
don't hang half your murderers1 but all 
our murderers are hanged if they can be 
proved guilty4  ,i said3 ,neither       
country hangs its worst murderers4 ,if  
my son wants to murder me1 ,i would     
rather have him kill me outright than to
 take five years to do it4 ,a young man 
who goes home late night after night1   
and when his mother remonstrates1 curses
 her gray hairs1 and kills her by       
inches1 is the worst sort of a murderer4
  ,that is being done all over the      
country4 ,you may not be guilty of a sin
 as black and as foul as this1 but ,i   
tell you1 every sin grows1 and if you   
have sin in your heart you cannot tell  
where it will land you4 ,nothing        
separates a son from his mother or a man
 from his wife like sin4 ,the grace of  
,god binds men together1 but sin tears  

them apart and separates them4  ,come1  
my friend1 what kind of seed are you    
sowing8 ,what will the harvest be8 ,will
 it be a black harvest1 or are you going
 to have a joyful harvest8 ,if you think
 that1 when you have sown tares1 wheat  
will come up1 you are greatly mistaken4 
,if you think you can give a loose rein 
to your passions and lusts1 and yet have
 eternal life1 you are being deceived4  
,for ,god says1 ,he that soweth to his  
flesh shall of the flesh reap           
corruption2 but he that soweth to the   
,spirit shall of the ,spirit reap life  
everlasting4   ,choose ,carefully4  ,i  
beg of you to choose carefully your     
path4 ,the farmer is careful in the     
choice of seed4 ,he does not want bad   
seed or inferior seed1 because he knows 
that such will give a poor crop4 ,he    
looks for the best seed he can buy4 ,if 
you choose to sow to the flesh1 you will
 have a corrupted harvest4 ,if you      
commit a sinful deed1 it may land you   
into a dishonored grave4  ,choice is a  

solemn thing4 ,you can make this moment 
a turning-point in your life4 ,once     
during the conquest of ,peru1 ,pizzaro's
 followers threatened to desert him4    
,they gathered on the shore to embark   
for home4 ,drawing his sword1 he traced 
a line with it in the sand from east to 
west4 ,then turning toward the south he 
said3  ,friends and comrades1 on that   
side are toil1 hunger1 nakedness1 the   
drenching storm1 and death2 on this     
side1 ease and pleasure4 ,there lies    
,peru with all its riches2 here ,panama 
and its poverty4 ,choose each man as    
becomes a brave ,castilian4 ,for my     
part1 ,i go south4  ,so saying1 he      
stepped across the line1 and one after  
another his comrades followed him1 and  
the destiny of ,south ,america was      
decided4  ,napoleon was once offered a  
position as officer in the ,turkish     
artillery4 ,he declined it2 but had he  
chosen to accept it1 the history of     
,europe would have been different4  ,on 
your choice in spiritual things depends 

your eternity4 ,on the one side there is
 ,christ2 on the other1 the world4      
,between them you must choose4 ,do not  
wish to grow both wheat and tares4 ,oh1 
choose ,christ6 ,let there be no        
half-heartedness4 ,give ,him your whole 
heart4 ,he died to redeem you from the  
curse of sin1 and ,he lives to save you 
from the power of sin4  ,no man can     
serve two masters4 ,you can not belong  
to two kingdoms at once4 ,lord ,brougham
 grew to be so fond of ,cannes that he  
sought to be naturalized as a           
,frenchman1 but found it was impossible 
to be both a peer of ,england and a     
citizen of a ,french town2 he must      
renounce the one to become the other4   
,now this is where the will comes in ,it
 is easy to follow other people's lead1 
to swim with the tide2 but it requires  
character1 moral back-bone1 to stand    
against the current of popular opinion  
and practice4 ,during the late war a    
deserter came into the ,federal lines   
before ,pittsburg4 ,he was asked3  ,what

 did you go into secession for8  ,his   
answer was3 ,because they all did4      
,that reason will account for many a    
man's action4 ,he will act according to 
the saying3 ,while you are in ,rome1 do 
as the ,romans do1 neglecting to        
investigate and determine whether or not
 the ,romans do right4 ,if they do      
wrong1 a man should stand against a     
whole nation1 if need be1 like another  
,daniel4  ,almighty ,god set two sides  
before the children of ,israel1 and ,i  
set them now before you4 ,remember1 as  
you choose1 that your eternity is in the
 balance4  ,see1 ,i have set before thee
 this day life and good1 and death and  
evil2 in that ,i command thee this day  
to love the ,lord thy ,god1 to walk in  
,his ways1 and to keep ,his             
commandments1 and ,his statutes1 and    
,his judgments1 that thou mayest live   
and multiply2 and the ,lord thy ,god    
shall bless thee in the land whither    
thou goest to possess it4  ,but if thine
 heart turn away1 so that thou wilt not 

hear1 but shalt be drawn away1 and      
worship other gods1 and serve them3 ,i  
denounce unto you this day that ye shall
 surely perish1 and that ye shall not   
prolong your days upon the land whither 
thou passest over ,jordan to go to      
possess it4  ,i call heaven and earth to
 record this day against you1 that ,i   
have set before you life and death1     
blessing and cursing3 therefore ,,choose
 ,,life that both thou and thy seed may 
live3 that thou mayest love the ,lord   
thy ,god1 and that thou mayest obey ,his
 voice1 and that thou mayest cleave unto
 ,him3 for ,he is thy life and the      
length of thy days4    ,,forgiveness    
,,and ,,retribution4   ,thou renderest  
to every man according to his           
work4--,psalms lxii3 #ab4  ,for we must 
all appear before the judgment seat of  
,christ2 that every one may receive the 
things done in his body1 according to   
that he hath done1 whether it be good or
 bad4--,,ii ,cor4 v3 #aj4   ,,chapter   
,,vii4   ,forgiveness and ,retribution4 

,i can imagine some one saying1 ,i      
attend church1 and have heard that if we
 confess our sin1 ,god will forgive us2 
now ,i hear that ,i must reap the same  
kind of seed that ,i have sown4 ,how can
 ,i harmonize the doctrine of           
forgiveness with the doctrine of        
retribution8 ',all we like sheep have   
gone astray2 we have turned every one to
 his own way2 and the ,lord hath laid on
 him the iniquity of us all4' ,and yet  
you say that ,i must reap what ,i have  
sown4  ,suppose ,i send my hired man to 
sow wheat4 ,when it grows up1 there are 
thistles mixed with the wheat4 ,there   
wasn't a thistle a year ago4 ,i say to  
my man3  ,do you know anything about the
 thistles in the field8  ,he says3 ,yes1
 ,i do2 you sent me to sow that wheat1  
and ,i was angry and mixed some thistles
 with the wheat4 ,but you promised me   
that if ,i ever did wrong and confessed 
it1 you would forgive me2 now ,i hold   
you to that promise1 and expect you to  
forgive me4  ,yes1 ,i say1 you are quite

 right2 ,i forgive you for sowing the   
thistles2 but ,i will tell you what you 
must do--you must reap the thistles     
along with the wheat when harvest time  
comes4  ,many a ,christian man is       
reaping thistles with his wheat4 ,twenty
 years ago you sowed thistles with the  
wheat and are reaping them now4 ,perhaps
 it was an obscene story1 the memory of 
which keeps coming back to distress you1
 even at the most solemn moments4       
,perhaps some hasty word or deed that   
you have never been able to recall4  ,i 
heard ,john ,b4 ,gough say that he would
 rather cut off his hand than have      
committed a certain sin4 ,he didn't say 
what it was1 but ,i have always supposed
 it was the way he treated his mother4  
,he was a wretched1 drunken sot in the  
gutter when his mother died2 the poor   
woman couldn't stand it1 and died of a  
broken heart4 ,god had forgiven him1 but
 he never forgave himself4 ,a great many
 have done things that they will never  
forgive themselves for to their dying   

day4 ,at this moment1 said one1 from    
many a harlot's dishonored grave there  
arises a mute appeal for righteous      
retribution4 ,from many a drunkard's    
miserable home1 from heartbroken wife1  
from starving children1 there rings up a
 terrible appeal into the ears of ,god4 
,i believe that ,god forgives sin fully 
and freely for ,christ's sake2 but ,he  
allows certain penalties to remain4 ,if 
a man has wasted years in riotous       
living1 he can never hope to live them  
over again4 ,if he has violated his     
conscience1 the scars will remain       
through life4 ,if he has soiled his     
reputation1 the effect of it can never  
be washed away4 ,if he shatters his body
 through indulgence and vice1 he must   
suffer until death4 ,as ,talmage says1  
,the grace of ,god gives a new heart1   
but not a new body4  ,john1 said a      
father to his son1 ,i wish you would get
 me the hammer4  ,yes1 sir4  ,now a nail
 and a piece of pine board4  ,here they 
are1 sir4  ,will you drive the nail into

 the board8  ,it was done4  ,please pull
 it out again4  ,that's easy1 sir4      
,now1 ,john1 and the father's voice     
dropped to a lower key1 pull out the    
nail hole4  ,every wrong act leaves a   
scar4 ,even if the board be a living    
tree the scar remains4  ,for our worst  
sins there is plenteous redemption4 ,my 
sin may become white as snow1 and pass  
away altogether1 in so far as it has    
power to disturb or sadden my relation  
to ,god4 ,yet our least sins leave in   
our lives1 in our characters1 in our    
memories1 in our consciences1 sometimes 
in our weakness1 often in our worldly   
position1 in our reputation1 in our     
success1 in our health1 in a thousand   
ways leave their traces and             
consequences4 ,god will not put out ,his
 little finger to remove these1 but lets
 them stop4  ,let no man fancy that the 
,gospel which proclaims forgiveness can 
be vulgarized into a mere proclamation  
of impunity4 ,not so4 ,it was to        
,christian men that ,paul said1 ',be not

 deceived1 ,god is not mocked3          
whatsoever a man soweth1 that shall he  
also reap4' ,god loves us too well not  
to punish ,his children when they sin1  
and ,he loves us too well to annihilate 
7were it possible7 the secondary        
consequences of our transgressions4 ,the
 two sides of the truth must be         
recognized--that the deeper and 7as we  
call them7 the primary penalties of our 
evil1 which are separation from ,god and
 the painful consciousness of guilt1 are
 swept away2 and also that other results
 are allowed to remain1 which1 being    
allowed1 may be blessed and salutary for
 the transgressors4  ,mac,laren says1   
,if you waste your youth1 no repentance 
will send the shadow back upon the dial1
 or recover the ground lost by idleness1
 or restore the constitution shattered  
by dissipation1 or give back the        
resources wasted upon vice1 or bring    
back the fleeting opportunities4 ,the   
wounds can all be healed1 for the ,good 
,physician1 blessed be ,his name6 has   

lancets and bandages1 and balm and      
anodynes for the deadliest2 but scars   
remain even when the gash is closed4    
,god forgave ,moses and ,aaron for their
 sins1 but both suffered the penalty4   
,neither one was permitted to enter the 
promised land4 ,jacob became a prince of
 ,god at the ford of ,jabbok1 but to the
 end of his days he carried in his body 
the mark of the struggle4 ,paul's thorn 
in the flesh was not removed1 even after
 most earnest and repeated prayer4 ,it  
lost its sting1 however1 and became a   
means of grace4  ,perhaps that is one   
reason why ,god does not remove these   
penalties of sin4 ,he may intend them to
 be used as tokens of ,his chastening4  
,whom the ,lord loveth ,he chasteneth4  
,and if the temporal consequences were  
completely removed we would be liable to
 fall back again into sin4 ,the penalty 
is a continual reminder of our weakness1
 and of the need of caution and         
dependence upon ,god4  ,one night in    
,chicago at the close of a meeting in   

the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 rooms1 a young man  
sprang to his feet and said3 ,mr4       
,moody1 would you let me speak a few    
words8  ,i said1 ,certainly4  ,then for 
about five minutes he pleaded with those
 men to break from sin4 ,he said3  ,if  
you have anyone who takes any interest  
in your spiritual welfare1 treat them   
kindly1 for they are the best friends   
you have4 ,i was an only child1 and my  
mother and father took great interest in
 me4 ,every morning at the family altar 
father used to pray for me1 and every   
night he would commend me to ,god4 ,i   
was wild and reckless and didn't like   
the restraint of home4 ,when my father  
died my mother took up the family       
worship4 ,many a time she came to me and
 said1 ,oh1 my boy1 if you would stay to
 family worship ,i should be the        
happiest mother on earth2 but when ,i   
pray1 you don't even stay in the house4 
,sometimes ,i would go in at midnight   
from a night of dissipation and hear my 
mother praying for me4 ,sometimes in the

 small hours of morning ,i heard her    
voice pleading for me4 ,at last ,i felt 
that ,i must either become a ,christian 
or leave home1 and one day ,i gathered a
 few things together and stole away from
 home without letting my mother know4   
,some time after ,i heard indirectly    
that my mother was ill4 ,ah1 ,i thought1
 it is my conduct that is making her    
ill6 ,my first impulse was to go home   
and cheer her last days2 but the thought
 came that if ,i did ,i should have to  
become a ,christian4 ,my proud heart    
revolted and ,i said3 ',no1 ,i will not 
become a ,christian4'  ,months rolled   
by1 and at last he heard again that his 
mother was worse4 ,then he thought3  ,if
 my mother should not live ,i would     
never forgive myself4  ,that thought    
took him home4 ,he reached the old      
village about dark1 and started on foot 
for the home1 which was about a mile and
 a half distant4 ,on the way he passed  
the graveyard1 and thought he would go  
to his father's grave to see if there   

was a newly-made grave beside it4 ,as he
 drew near the spot1 his heart began to 
beat faster1 and when he came near      
enough1 the light of the moon shone on a
 newly -made grave4 ,with a great deal  
of emotion he said3  ,young men1 for the
 first time in my life this question    
came over me--who is going to pray for  
my lost soul now8 ,father is gone1 and  
mother is gone1 and they are the only   
two who ever cared for me4 ,if ,i could 
have called my mother back that night   
and heard her breathe my name in prayer1
 ,i would have given the world if it had
 been mine to give4 ,i spent all that   
night by her grave1 and ,god for        
,christ's sake heard my mother's        
prayers1 and ,i became a child ot ,god4 
,but ,i never forgave myself for the way
 ,i treated my mother1 and never will4  
,where is my wandering boy to-night--   
,the boy of my tenderest care1    ,the  
boy that was once my joy and light4     
,the child of my love and prayer8       
,once he was pure as morning dew1       

,as he knelt at his mother's knee2      
,no face was so bright1 no heart more   
true1       ,and none was so sweet as   
he4     ,o1 could ,i see you now1 my    
boy1       ,as fair as in olden time1   
,when prattle and smile made home a joy1
       ,and life was a merry chime4     
,go for my wandering boy to-night1      
,go1 search for him where you will2     
,but bring him to me with all his       
blight1       ,and tell him ,i love him 
still4  ,my dear friends1 ,god may      
forgive you1 but the consequences of    
your sin are going to be bitter even if 
you are forgiven4  ,a few years ago ,i  
was preaching in ,chicago on that text1 
,arise1 go up to ,bethel and dwell      
there4 ,after the meeting a man asked to
 see me alone4 ,i went into a private   
room4 ,the perspiration stood in beads  
on his forehead4 ,i said3  ,what is it8 
,he replied3 ,i am a fugitive from      
justice4 ,i am in exile1 in disguise4   
,the government of my state has offered 
a reward for me4 ,i have been hidden    

here for months4 ,they tell me there is 
no hell1 but it seems as though ,i have 
been in hell for months4  ,he had been a
 business man1 and having1 as he        
thought1 plenty of money1 he forged some
 bonds1 thinking that he could give his 
check any time and call them in1 but he 
got beyond his depth and fell4  ,he     
said1 ,i have been here for six months4 
,i have a wife and three children1 but  
,i cannot write to them or hear from    
them4 ,the poor man was in terrible     
mental agony4  ,i said1 ,why don't you  
go back and give yourself up and face   
the law1 and ask ,god to forgive you8   
,he said1 ,i would take the first train 
to-morrow and give myself up1 except for
 one thing4 ,i have a wife and three    
children2 how can ,i bring the disgrace 
upon them8  ,i1 too1 have a wife and    
three children1 and when he said that1  
the thing looked very different4  ,ah6  
if we could do our own reaping1 it would
 not be so bitter1 but when we make our 
little children or the wife of our      

bosom1 or our old gray-haired mother1 or
 our old father reap with us1 isn't the 
reaping pretty bitter8 ,i don't fear any
 pestilence or any disease as much as ,i
 fear sin4 ,if ,god will only keep sin  
out of thy family1 ,i will praise ,him  
in time and in eternity4 ,the worst     
enemy that ever crossed a man's path is 
sin4  ,if a man comes to me for advice  
,i always try to put myself in the place
 of the one to whom ,i am talking1 and  
then to give the best advice ,i can4 ,i 
said to this man1  ,i don't know what to
 say1 but it is safe to pray4  ,after ,i
 had prayed1 ,i urged him to pray2 but  
he said3  ,if ,i do1 it means the       
penitentiary4  ,i asked him to come the 
next day at twelve4 ,he met me at the   
appointed hour1 and said3  ,it is all   
settled2 if ,i ever meet the ,god of    
,bethel ,i must go through the prison to
 meet ,him1 and ,god helping me1 ,i will
 give myself up4 ,i am going back1 and  
,i should like to have you keep quiet   
until ,i give myself over into the hands

 of the law2 then you may hold me up as 
a warning4 ,little did ,i think when ,i 
started out in life that ,i was coming  
to this6 ,little did ,i think when ,i   
married a girl from one of the first    
families in the state that ,i should    
bring such disgrace on her4  ,at four   
o'clock that afternoon he went back to  
,missouri4 ,he reached home a little    
past midnight1 and spent a week with his
 family4 ,in a letter he said that he   
didn't dare let his children know he was
 there1 lest they should tell the       
neighbor's children4 ,at night he would 
creep out and look at his children1 but 
he couldn't take them in his arms or    
kiss them4 ,oh1 there is the result of  
sin6 ,would to ,god we could every one  
of us just turn from sin to-day6  ,one  
day1 when this man was in hiding1 he    
heard his little boy say3  ,mamma1      
doesn't papa love us any more8  ,yes1   
his mother replied4 ,why do you ask8    
,why1 the little fellow said1 he has    
been gone so long and he never writes us

 any letters and never comes to see us4 
,the last night he came out from hiding 
and took a long look at those innocent1 
sleeping children2 then he took his wife
 and kissed her again and again1 and    
leaving that once happy home he gave    
himself up to the sheriff4 ,the next    
morning he pleaded guilty1 and was sent 
to the penitentiary for nineteen years4 
,i believe that ,god had forgiven him1  
but he couldn't forgive himself1 and he 
had to reap what he sowed4 ,i pleaded   
with the governor for mercy1 and the man
 was pardoned4  ,some time ago ,i was   
telling this story1 and some one doubted
 it1 but the governor who pardoned him  
happened to be in the meeting1 and rose 
and said1 ,i pardoned that man myself4  
,the governor pardoned him1 and he lived
 a few years1 but from the time he      
committed that sin he had to reap4 ,oh1 
reader1 ,i plead with you1 overcome your
 besetting sin1 whatever it is4         
,future ,punishment4  ,i can imagine    
some one saying1 ,i am glad ,mr4 ,moody 

hasn't tried to scare us about the      
future state4 ,i agree with him that we 
shall receive all our reward and        
punishment in this life4  ,if you think 
,i believe that1 you are greatly        
mistaken4 ,one sentence from the lips of
 the ,son of ,god in regard to the      
future state has forever settled it in  
my mind4 ,if ye die in your sins1 where 
,i am1 there ye cannot go4 ,if a man has
 not given up his drunkenness1 his      
profanity1 his licentiousness1 his      
covetousness1 heaven would be hell to   
him4 ,heaven is a prepared place for    
prepared people4 ,what would a man do in
 heaven who cannot bear to be in the    
society of the pure and holy down here8 
,it is not true that all reward and     
punishment is reaped in this life4 ,look
 how many crimes are committed1 and the 
perpetrators are never caught4 ,it often
 happens that the worst criminal uses   
his experience to escape detection1     
while a more innocent hand is captured4 
,a man ruins a girl4 ,does he always    

reap punishment here8 ,no4 ,he holds his
 head as high as ever in society1 while 
the unfortunate victim of his lust1 who1
 perhaps1 was innocently beguiled into  
sin by him1 becomes an outcast4 ,his    
punishment1 however is1 at the latest1  
only adjourned to another world4        
,eternity6     ,oh1 the clanging bells  
of ,time6       ,night and day they     
never cease2    ,we are wearied with    
their chime1       ,for they do not     
bring us peace4    ,and we hush our     
breath to hear1       ,and we strain our
 eyes to see    ,if thy shores are      
drawing near--          ,eternity6      
,eternity6     ,oh1 the clanging bells  
of ,time6       ,how their changes rise 
and fall1    ,but in undertone sublime1 
,sounding clearly through them all1     
,is a voice that must be heard1         
,as our moments onward flee1    ,and it 
speaketh aye one word--                 
,eternity6 ,eternity6     ,oh1 the      
clanging bells of ,time6       ,to their
 voices loud and low1    ,in a long1    

unresting line       ,we are marching to
 and fro2    ,and we yearn for sight or 
sound1       ,of the life that is to be1
    ,for thy breath doth wrap us round--
          ,eternity6 ,eternity6     ,oh1
 the clanging bells of ,time6           
,soon their notes will all be dumb1     
,and in joy and peace sublime       ,we 
shall feel the silence come2    ,and our
 souls their thirst will slake1         
,and our eyes the ,king will see1       
,when thy glorious morn shall break--   
,eternity6 ,eternity6     --,ellen ,m4  
,h4 ,gates    ,,warning4   ,take heed   
that no man deceive you4--,matt4 xxiv3  
#d4  ,christ in you1 the hope of glory1 
whom we preach1 warning every man1 and  
teaching every man in all wisdom2 that  
we may present every man perfect in     
,christ ,jesus4--,col4 i3 #bg1 #bh4     
,,chapter ,,viii4   ,,warning4   ,to    
give a warning is a sign of love4 ,who  
warns like a mother1 and who loves like 
a mother8 ,your mother1 perhaps1 is     
gone1 and your father is gone4 ,let me  

take the place of those who have        
departed1 and lift up a warning voice4  
,with ,paul ,i would say3 ,i write not  
these things to shame you1 but as my    
beloved sons ,i warn you4  ,a pilot     
guiding a steamer down the ,cumberland  
saw a light1 apparently from a small    
craft1 in the middle of the narrow      
channel4 ,his impulse was to disregard  
the signal and run down the boat4 ,as he
 came near1 a voice shouted3 ,keep off1 
keep off4  ,in great anger he cursed    
what he supposed to be a boatman in his 
way4 ,on arriving at his next landing he
 learned that a huge rock had fallen    
from the mountain into the bed of the   
stream1 and that a signal was placed    
there to warn the coming boats of the   
unknown danger4 ,alas6 many regard      
,god's warnings in the same way1 and are
 angry with any who tell them of the    
rocks in their course4 ,they will       
understand better at the end4  ,the     
children of ,israel had no truer friend 
than ,moses4 ,they never went astray but

 he warned them2 and trouble never came 
upon them except when his warnings were 
unheeded4 ,elijah was the best friend   
,ahab had4  ,i wish ,i could warn as    
,jesus ,christ did4 ,as he went up      
,mount ,olivet1 ,his heart seemed to be 
greatly moved and ,he cried1 ,oh1       
,jerusalem1 ,jerusalem1 thou that       
killest the prophets1 and stonest them  
which are sent unto thee1 how often     
would ,i have gathered thy children     
together1 even as a hen gathereth her   
chickens under her wings1 and ye would  
not6 ,did ,he not warn8  ,if a friend of
 mine were about to invest in a         
worthless silver-mine1 do you think ,i  
would be true to him if ,i did not      
caution him against it8 ,and do ,i show 
less love for him because ,i warn him   
against actions that will bring a       
harvest of misery and despair8          
,whosoever heareth the sound of the     
trumpet1 and taketh not warning2 if the 
sword come1 and take him away1 his blood
 shall be upon his own head2 he heard   

the sound of the trumpet1 and took not  
warning2 his blood shall be upon him4   
,but he that taketh warning shall       
deliver his soul4  ,be sure that the    
seed you are sowing is good seed4 ,sow  
to the flesh1 and a good harvest will be
 impossible4 ,good seed and bad seed    
cannot both succeed if allowed to grow  
together4 ,one prospers at the expense  
of the other2 and the likelihood is that
 the bad will get the upper hand4 ,weeds
 always seem to grow and spread more    
rapidly than good seed4  ,the longer    
they live1 the firmer hold the weeds are
 gaining4 ,delay is dangerous4 ,in the  
year #afia1 a proclamation was sent     
through the ,highlands of ,scotland1    
that every one who had been guilty of   
rebellion against the constituted       
government would be pardoned1 if1 before
 the last day of the year1 he laid down 
his arms and promised to cease his      
rebellion4 ,many did so2 but one chief  
named ,maclan put off submission from   
week to week1 always intending to submit

 before it was too late4 ,but when1 at  
last1 he started to accept pardon1 he   
was hindered by a great storm and did   
not arrive until the time had expired4  
,the day of pardon had passed and the   
day of vengeance had come2 ,maclan and  
his men were put to death4  ,hence1 it  
is wise to exterminate the weeds at     
once4 ,and beware of remaining longer in
 sin4 ,the deeper you sink1 the more    
bitter will be your restoration4 ,why   
continue to sear you conscience1 and sow
 the seeds of keener remorse8 ,no matter
 how painful it may be1 break with sin  
at once4 ,severe operations are often   
necessary1 for the skilful surgeon knows
 that the disease cannot be cured by    
surface applications4 ,the farmer takes 
his hoe and his spade and his axe1 and  
he cuts away the obnoxious growths1 and 
burns the roots out of the ground with  
fire4  ,if thy right eye offend thee1   
pluck it out1 and cast it from thee3 for
 it is profitable for thee that one of  
thy members should perish1 and not that 

thy whole body should be cast into hell4
 ,and if thy right hand offend thee1 cut
 it off1 and cast it from thee3 for it  
is profitable for thee that one of thy  
members should perish1 and not that thy 
whole body should be cast into hell4    
,remember that the tares and the wheat  
will be separated at the judgment day1  
if not before4 ,sowing to the flesh and 
sowing to the spirit inevitably lead in 
diverging paths4 ,the axe will be laid  
at the root of the trees1 and every tree
 that bringeth not forth good fruit will
 be hewn down and cast into the fire4   
,the threshing-floor will be thoroughly 
purged1 and the wheat will be gathered  
into the garner1 while the chaff will be
 burned with unquenchable fire4  ,beware
 of your habits4 ,a recent writer has   
said3 ,could the young but realize how  
soon they will become mere walking      
bundles of habits1 they would give more 
heed to their conduct while in the      
plastic state4 ,we are spinning our own 
fates1 good or evil1 and never to be    

undone4 ,every smallest stroke of virtue
 or of vice leaves its never so little  
scar4 ,the drunken ,rip ,van ,winkle1 in
 ,jefferson's play1 excuses himself for 
every fresh dereliction by saying1 ',i  
won't count this time4' ,well1 he may   
not count it1 and a kind heaven may not 
count it1 but it is being counted none  
the less4 ,down among his nerve cells   
and fibres the molecules are counting   
it1 registering and storing it up1 to be
 used against him when the next         
temptation comes4 ,nothing we ever do   
is1 in strict scientific literalness1   
wiped out4 ,of course1 this has its good
 side as well as its bad one4 ,as we    
become permanent drunkards by so many   
separate drinks1 so we become saints in 
the moral sphere1 and authorities and   
experts in the practical and scientific 
spheres1 by so many separate acts and   
hours of work4  ,beware of temptations4 
,lead us not into temptation1 our ,lord 
taught us to pray3 and again he said1   
,watch and pray1 lest ye enter into     

temptation4 ,we are weak and sinful by  
nature1 and it is a good deal better for
 us to pray for deliverance rather than 
for strength to resist when temptation  
has overtaken us4 ,prevention is better 
than cure4 ,hidden under the soil may be
 seeds of passion and wickedness that   
only wait for a favorable opportunity to
 shoot up4  ,young men pretend that it  
is necessary to see both sides of life4 
,what foolishness6 ,i am not called upon
 to put my hand in the fire to see if it
 will burn4  ,a steamboat was stranded  
on the ,mississippi river1 and the      
captain could not get her off4          
,eventually a hard-looking fellow came  
on board and said3  ,captain1 ,i        
understand you want a pilot to take you 
out of this difficulty8  ,the captain   
said1 ,are you a pilot8  ,well1 they    
call me one4  ,do you know where the    
snags and sand-bars are8  ,no sir1      
,well1 how do you expect to take me out 
of here if you don't know where the     
snags and sand-bars are8  ,i know where 

they ain't6 was the reply4  ,begin to   
sow the good seed while the children are
 young1 and thus prevent the weeds      
getting a start4 ,satan does not wait   
till they grow up1 and no more should   
we4  ,there are many fishing nets so    
constructed as to allow none but full   
grown fish to be caught1 the immature   
escaping4 ,satan has none such4 ,he     
catches the weakest and youngest4  ,we  
must care for our boys or the devil     
will1 said a young ,sabbath ,school     
teacher4  ,the devil will care for them 
anyway1 answered the old superintendent3
 ,the devil will not neglect them even  
though we do4  ,it is a master-piece of 
the devil to make us believe that       
children can not understand religion4   
,would ,christ have made a child the    
standard of faith if ,he had known that 
it was not capable of understanding ,his
 words8 ,it is far easier for children  
to love and trust than for grown-up     
persons1 and so we should set ,christ   
before them as the supreme object of    

their choice4  ,do not neglect          
opportunities4 ,napoleon used to say3   
,there is a crisis in every battle--ten 
or fifteen minutes--on which the issue  
of the battle depends4 ,to gain this is 
victory2 to lose it is defeat4  ,beware 
of sin4 ,its wages are ,death1 and 7as  
has been said7 the wages have never been
 reduced4 ,it deceives men as to the    
satisfaction to be found in it1 the     
excuses to be made for it1 and the      
certainty of the punishment that must   
follow4 ,if it was not deceitful1 it    
would never be delightful4 ,it comes in 
innocent guise1 and saps the life blood1
 depriving one of the moral capacity to 
do good4 ,canon ,wilberforce walking in 
the ,isle of ,skye1 saw a magnificent   
eagle soaring upward4 ,he halted and    
watched its flight4 ,soon he observed   
something was wrong4 ,it began to fall1 
and presently lay dead at his feet4     
,eager to know the reason of its death1 
he examined it and found no trace of    
gunshot wound2 but he saw in its talons 

a small weazel1 which1 in its flight1   
drawn near its body1 had sucked the life
 blood from the eagle's-breast4 ,such is
 the end of every one who persistently  
clings to sin4  ,do not be deceived by  
the attractiveness of this world4 ,it   
will cheat you and destroy you4 ,the    
,redoubtable was the name of a ,french  
ship that ,lord ,nelson spared twice    
from destruction2 and it was from the   
rigging of that very ship that the fatal
 ball that killed him was fired4 ,the   
devil administers many a sin in honey2  
but there is poison mixed with it4 ,the 
truest pleasures spring from the good   
seed of righteousness--none else are    
profitable4  ,beware of ignorance and   
indifference4 ,you cannot afford to     
neglect your soul4 ,there is too much at
 stake4 ,i never knew an idle man to be 
converted4 ,until he wakes up and       
realizes his lost and hopeless          
condition1 ,god ,almighty will not reach
 down and take him by the hand4 ,a ship 
was once in great danger at sea1 and all

 but one man were on their knees4 ,they 
called to him to come and join them in  
prayer1 but he replied3  ,not ,i2 it's  
your business to look after the ship4   
,i'm only a passenger4  ,remember that  
mere knowledge is not enough4 ,many a   
man knows the gospel precepts and       
promises by heart who is not touched by 
saving grace4 ,knowledge is often       
useless or positively harmful1 and what 
we want is to know ,god's will and      
observe it4 ,even good resolutions are  
not enough4 ,no doubt they are helpful  
in their way1 but the ,bible does not   
lead us to believe that they can save a 
man4 ,it does not say3 ,as many as      
resolved to receive ,him1 to them gave  
,he power to become the sons of ,god1   
even to them that resolve to believe on 
,his name2 it says3 ,as many as received
 ,him 99 99 99 believe on ,his name4    
,be watchful6 ,there is constant need to
 be on guard lest we fall into sin4 ,set
 a double guard upon that point         
to-night1 was the command of a prudent  

officer when an attack was expected4 ,at
 the best there will be some tares among
 the wheat4 ,we1 all of us1 carry around
 with us material that ,satan can work  
on4 ,paul said3  ,for ,i know that in me
 7that is1 in my flesh7 dwelleth no good
 thing3 for to will is present with me2 
but how to perform that which is good ,i
 find not4 ,for the good that ,i would1 
,i do not3 but the evil which ,i would  
not1 that ,i do4 ,now if ,i do that ,i  
would not1 it is no more ,i that do it1 
but sin that dwelleth in me4 ,i find    
then a law1 that1 when ,i would do good1
 evil is present with me4 ,for ,i       
delight in the law of ,god after the    
inward man3 but ,i see another law in my
 members1 warring against the law of my 
mind1 and bringing me into captivity to 
the law of sin which is in my members4  
,o wretched man that ,i am6 who shall   
deliver me from the body of this death8 
,blessed be ,god1 he could add3 ,i thank
 ,god through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 
,the issue that ,god has placed before  

us is clear-cut3 ,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 ,there is no middle course--he  
that believeth--he that believeth not4  
,he leaves us to choose1 and the        
responsibility rests upon ourselves4    
,it may cost you many a sacrifice1 and  
wrench many a heart-string to choose    
aright1 but ,i plead with you to take   
the decisive step now4 ,the salvation of
 your soul outweighs all other          
considerations4 ,will you imperil your  
eternity for the sake of some present   
gain or pleasure8 ,bow your head and    
say3 ,heavenly ,father1 ,i now choose to
 come unto ,thee as a poor1 suppliant   
sinner4 ,i believe on ,thy ,son1 whom   
,thou didst send to be my ,savior2 and  
trusting in the merits of ,his blood1   
which was shed as a propitiation for my 
sins1 ,i rest in the assurance of sins  
forgiven4  ,there is hope for the vilest
 sinner4 ,wherever weeds grow1 there is 

the possibility of good seed growing4   
,the greater your need1 the more welcome
 will you be to ,jesus4 ,the proud and  
the self-confident ,he knoweth afar off1
 but the faintest whisper of the        
contrite sinner commands ,his attention4
  ,our ,lord gave us a simple test to   
help us in our choice4 ,he said1 ,every 
tree is known by its fruit4 ,a good tree
 bringeth not forth corrupt fruit1      
neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth 
good fruit4 ,many of us have not the    
time or ability to unravel intricate    
arguments1 or grasp profound doctrines4 
,certain phases of truth are often      
inaccessible to the ordinary mind4 ,but 
the test ,christ gave is short and      
practical1 and within the reach of any  
one of us4  ,have you ever heard the    
gospel8 asked a missionary of a         
,chinaman1 whom he had not seen in his  
mission before4  ,no1 he replied1 but ,i
 have seen it4 ,i know a man who used to
 be the terror of his neighborhood4 ,he 
was a bad opium smoker and dangerous as 

a wild beast2 but he became wholly      
changed4 ,he is now gentle and good and 
has left off opium4  ,apply this test to
 infidelity4 ,what are its fruits8      
,crime follows in its track4 ,society   
becomes disorganized4 ,chastity1 honesty
 and the other virtues are undermined4  
,the whole life is blighted4  ,the      
following brief extract from a letter   
written in an english prison1 is a      
tremendous arraignment of that system of
 belief which does not acknowledge ,god3
  ,i am one of thirteen infidels4 ,where
 are my friends8 ,four have been hanged4
 ,one became a ,christian4 ,six have    
been sentenced to various terms of      
imprisonment1 and one is now confined in
 a cell just over my head1 sentenced to 
imprisonment for life4  ,with all       
reverence we may apply this text to our 
,lord ,himself4 ,we have ,his own       
authority for it4 ,on one occasion when 
the jews cavilled at ,his actions1 ,he  
said3 ,the works which the ,father hath 
given me to finish1 the same works that 

,i do1 bear witness of me1 that the     
,father hath sent me4 ,on another       
occasion they gathered round ,him and   
asked1 ,how long dost thou hold us in   
suspense8 ,if thou be the ,christ1 tell 
us plainly4 ,jesus answered3 ,i told    
you1 and ye believed not4 ,the works    
that ,i do in my ,father's name1 they   
bear witness of me4 99 99 99 ,if ,i do  
not the works of my ,father1 believe me 
not4 ,but if ,i do1 though you believe  
not me1 believe the works3 that ye may  
know and believe that the ,father is in 
me1 and ,i in ,him4 ,well might the     
ruler ,nicodemus say1 ,rabbi1 we know   
that thou art a teacher come from ,god3 
for no man can do these miracles that   
thou doest1 except ,god be with him4    
,and ,peter3 ,ye men of ,israel1 hear   
these words3 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 a man 
approved of ,god among you by miracles  
and wonders and signs1 which ,god did by
 ,him in the midst of you1 as ye        
yourselves know4  ,what are the fruits  
of extravagance1 of pride1 of           

covetousness8 ,and on the other hand1 of
 prayer1 of fearing ,god and doing ,his 
commandments8 ,what are the fruits of   
heathenism8 ,look at ,africa and ,china 
and ,india and the islands of the seas  
with their gods of wood and stone4 ,what
 must be the intelligence and moral     
sense of people who will worship such   
things8  ,even the best of              
non-,christian religions must always    
prove a failure4 ,it cannot be denied   
that many of the highest virtues are    
enjoined in the writings of heathen     
philosophers4 ,how could it be          
otherwise8 ,morality is universal as    
humanity1 and it is only to be expected 
that here and there some thinker should 
pierce beyond the average and read      
deeper into the foundation-truths of    
ethics4 ,this fact only proves1 in my   
mind1 the intimate connection between   
the human and the divine4 ,christianity 
never claimed to introduce a brand-new  
system of morality4  ,referring to      
another matter1 ,christ said3 ,think not

 that ,i am come to destroy the law and 
the prophets3 ,i am not come to destroy1
 but to fulfill4 ,and so the fulness and
 perfection of ,his own system could not
 fail to embrace many principles that   
had already appeared in heathen         
morality4 ,but in the hands of our      
,savior they became broader and brighter
 and fuller of power and meaning4  ,will
 these non-,christian religions bear the
 test8 ,stoicism was perhaps the noblest
 of the ,greek philosophies1 but it     
rapidly developed into utter cynicism1  
and culminated in the asserted          
impossibility of attaining to virtue4   
,epicureanism started out fairly well1  
but its founder was not dead before it  
earned for itself the opprobrious       
epithet that it was a doctrine worthy   
only of swine4 ,look at ,buddhism1 with 
its filthy ceremonies and cruel         
tortures4 ,all these systems exhibit a  
conflict between theory and practice4   
,they failed in their object1 because   
they approached the difficulty on the   

wrong side4 ,they trimmed away at the   
branch1 not recognizing that the tree   
was rotten at heart4  ,christianity     
alone will stand the test of raising man
 out of the pit4 ,and how does it       
propose to do it8 ,not by minimizing the
 danger and need4 ,it says3 ,the whole  
head is sick1 and the whole heart faint4
 ,from the sole of the foot even unto   
the head there is no soundness in it2   
but wounds and bruises and putrefying   
sores4 ,it demands as the first         
necessity a new birth1 regeneration by  
the ,holy ,spirit4 ,ye must be born     
again4 ,it does not place sanctification
 before justification1 but having first 
imparted life from above1 it throws     
around the redeemed sinner the love of  
,christ and the fellowship and guidance 
of the ,holy ,spirit4  ,a converted     
,chinaman once said3 ,i was down in a   
deep pit1 half sunk in the mire1 crying 
for some one to help me out4 ,as ,i     
looked up ,i saw a venerable1 grayhaired
 man looking down at me4  ',my son1' he 

said1 'this is a dreadful place4'       
',yes1' ,i answered1 ',i fell into it2  
can't you help me out8'  ',my son1' was 
his reply1 ',i am ,confucius4 ,if you   
had read my books and followed what they
 taught1 you would never have been      
here4'  ',yes1 father1' ,i said1 'but   
can't you help me out8'  ,as ,i looked  
he was gone4 ,soon ,i saw another form  
approaching1 and another man bent over  
me1 this time with closed eyes and      
folded arms4 ,he seemed to be looking to
 some far-off place4  ',my son1' ,buddha
 said1 'just close your eyes and fold   
your arms1 and forget all about         
yourself4 ,get into a state of rest4    
,don't think about anything that can    
disturb4 ,get so still that nothing can 
move you4 ,then1 my child1 you will be  
in such delicious rest as ,i am4'       
',yes1 father1' ,i answered1 ',i will   
when ,i am above ground4 ,can't you help
 me out8' ,but ,buddha1 too1 was gone4  
,i was just beginning to sink into      
despair when ,i saw another figure above

 me1 different from the others4 ,there  
were marks of suffering on ,his face4 ,i
 cried out to ,him3  ',o1 ,father6 can  
you help me8'  ',my child1' ,he said1   
'what is the matter8'  ,before ,i could 
answer ,him1 ,he was down in the mire by
 my side4 ,he folded ,his arms about me 
and lifted me up2 then ,he fed me and   
rested me4 ,when ,i was well ,he did not
 say3 ,now1 don't do that again1 but ,he
 said3 ',we will walk on together now'2 
and we have been walking together until 
this day4  ,this was a poor ,chinaman's 
way of telling of the compassionate love
 and help of the ,lord ,jesus4  ,i was  
reading1 some time ago1 of a young man  
who had just come out of a saloon1 and  
had mounted his horse4 ,as a certain    
deacon passed on his way to church1 he  
followed and said1  ,deacon1 can you    
tell me how far it is to hell8  ,the    
deacon's heart was pained to think that 
a young man like that should talk so    
lightly2 he passed on and said nothing4 
,when he came round the corner to the   

church1 he found that the horse had     
thrown that young man1 and he was dead4 
,so you may be nearer the ,judgment than
 you think4  ,when ,i was in            
,switzerland many years ago1 ,i learned 
some solemn lessons about the suddenness
 with which death may overtake us4 ,i   
saw several places where land-slides had
 occurred1 completely destroying whole  
villages2 or where avalanches had swept 
down the mountain sides1 leaving        
destruction in their wake4 ,a terrible  
calamity happened in the year #ahjf to a
 village1 called ,goldau1 situated in a 
fertile valley at the foot of the       
,rossberg mountain4 ,the season had been
 unusually wet1 and this had made the   
crops all the more abundant4  ,early one
 morning a young peasant1 passing the   
cottage of an old man whom he knew1 saw 
him sitting at the door in the full rays
 of the sun4  ,good morning1 neighbor1  
said he2 we are likely to have a fine   
day4  ,time we should have a fine day1  
growled the old man2 it has been wet    

enough lately4  ,have you heard the     
report8 said the other4 ,those who were 
up the earliest this morning declare    
they saw the top of old ,rossberg move4 
,indeed6 like enough1 said the old man4 
,mark my words1 and ,i have often said  
it before2 ,i shan't live to see it1 but
 those who are now young will not live  
to be as old as ,i am before the top of 
yonder mountain lies at its foot4  ,i   
hope it will not be in my day1 said the 
young man2 and he passed on1 little     
thinking how near the prediction was to 
a fulfilment1 and that the ripening     
fields of corn and the abundant clusters
 of luscious grapes would never be      
gathered2 but so it was4  ,the springs  
of water in the mountain had been       
overcharged by the excessive rains1 and 
these1 in forcing their way to the      
surface and toward the valley below1 had
 loosened the masses of rounded rock    
which had been cemented together by a   
kind of clay1 of which material the     
upper part of the mountain was formed4  

,these huge masses at length gave way   
and fell headlong into the valley1      
burying the entire village and about    
eight hundred of its inhabitants beneath
 their weight4  ,but what became of the 
old man8 ,alas6 he did not escape4 ,he  
believed the mountain would fall1 but he
 did not think the fall was so near4 ,he
 was sitting in his cottage1 composedly 
smoking his pipe1 when the young man    
came hastily back1 and crying out3  ,the
 mountain is falling6  ,the old man     
composedly rose from his seat1 looked   
out at his door1 and saying3  ,i shall  
have time to fill my pipe again1 went   
back into his house4  ,the young man was
 saved4 ,the old man perished before he 
had left his cottage1 it and its owner  
were crushed1 and swept to the bottom of
 the valley4  ,i was in the north of    
,england1 in #ahha1 when a fearful storm
 swept over that part of the country4 ,a
 friend of mine1 who was a minister at  
,eyemouth1 had a great many of the      
fishermen of the place in his           

congregation4 ,it had been very stormy  
weather1 and the fishermen had been     
detained in the harbor for a week4 ,one 
day1 however1 the sun shone out in a    
clear blue sky2 it seemed as if the     
storm had passed away1 and the boats    
started out for the fishing-ground4     
,forty-one boats left the harbor that   
day4 ,before they started1 the harbor   
-master hoisted the storm signal1 and   
warned them of the coming tempest4 ,he  
begged of them not to go2 but they      
disregarded his warning1 and away they  
went4 ,they saw no sign of the coming   
storm4 ,in a few hours1 however1 it     
swept down on that coast1 and very few  
of those fishermen returned4 ,there were
 five or six men in each boat1 and      
nearly all were lost in that dreadful   
gale4 ,in the church of which my friend 
was pastor1 ,i believe there were three 
male members left4  ,those men were     
ushered into eternity because they did  
not give heed to the warning4 ,i lift up
 the storm-signal now1 and warn you to  

escape from the coming judgment6  ,there
 was a man living near one of the great 
trunk roads a number of years ago1 who  
one night saw that a landside had       
obstructed the track4 ,he saw by the    
clock that he hadn't time to reach the  
telegraph office to stop the night      
express1 so he caught up a lantern and  
started up the track1 thinking he might 
be in time to stop the train4 ,as he ran
 he fell and put out his light4 ,he     
hadn't another match1 and he could hear 
the train coming in the distance4 ,he   
didn't know what to do4 ,as a last      
resort he stood on the bank1 and the    
moment the train come abreast of him he 
hurled the lantern with all his might at
 the engineer4 ,the engineer saw that   
something must be wrong1 took the       
warning1 whistled down the brakes1 and  
stopped the train within a few yards of 
the obstruction4  ,i throw the broken   
lantern at your feet now6 ,i beg you to 
take warning1 make a clear work of sin1 
cost what it may4 ,take warning6 ,you   

must either give up sin1 or give up the 
hope of heaven4 ,put yourself in the way
 of being blessed4 ,make up your mind   
now that by the grace of ,god you will  
obtain the mastery4  ,let the wicked    
forsake his way1 and the unrighteous man
 his thoughts3 and let him return unto  
the ,lord1 and ,he will have mercy upon 
him2 and to our ,god1 for he will       
abundantly pardon4