,,the ,,overcoming ,,life ,,and ,,other ,,sermons ,by ,d4 ,l4 ,,moody4 ,this is the victory that overcometh the1 world1 even our faith4 ,,fleming ,h4 ,,revell ,,company ,new ,york ,chicago ,toronto ,publishers of ,evangelical ,literature ,,copyrighted #ahif1 ,,by ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company4 ,,contents4 ,,the ,,overcoming ,,life ,,part ,i4 ,,the ,,christian',s ,,warfare ,,part ,,ii4 ,,internal ,,foes ,,part ,,iii4 ,,external ,,foes ,,results ,,of ,,true ,,repentance ,,true ,,wisdom ,,come ,,thou ,,and ,,all ,,thy ,,house ,,into ,,the ,,ark ,,humility ,,rest ,,seven ,i ,,wills ,,of ,,christ ,,the ,,overcoming ,,life4 ,,part ,i4 ,,the ,,christian',s ,,warfare4 ,i would like to have you open your ,bible at the first epistle of ,john1 fifth chapter1 fourth and fifth verses3 ,whatsoever is born of ,god overcometh the world3 and this is the victory that overcometh the world1 even our faith4 ,who is he that overcometh the world1 but he that believeth that ,jesus is the ,son of ,god8 ,when a battle is fought1 all are anxious to know who are the victors4 ,in these verses we are told who is to gain the victory in life4 ,when ,i was converted ,i made this mistake3 ,i thought the battle was already mine1 the victory already won1 the crown already in my grasp4 ,i thought that old things had passed away1 that all things had become new2 that my old corrupt nature1 the ,adam life1 was gone4 ,but ,i found out1 after serving ,christ for a few months1 that conversion was only like enlisting in the army1 that there was a battle on hand1 and that if ,i was to get a crown1 ,i had to work for it and fight for it4 ,salvation is a gift1 as free as the air we breathe4 ,it is to be obtained1 like any other gift1 without money and without price3 there are no other terms4 ,to him that worketh not1 but believeth4 ,but on the other hand1 if we are to gain a crown1 we must work for it4 ,let me quote a few verses in ,first ,corinthians3 ,for other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid1 which is ,jesus ,christ4 ,but if any man buildeth on the foundation gold1 silver1 costly stones1 wood1 hay1 stubble2 each man's work shall be made manifest3 for the day shall declare it1 because it is revealed in fire3 and the fire itself shall prove each man's work1 of what sort it is4 ,if any man's work shall abide1 which he built thereon1 he shall receive a reward4 ,if any man's work shall be burned1 he shall suffer loss3 but he himself shall be saved2 yet so as through fire4 ,we see clearly from this that we may be saved1 but all our works burned up4 ,i may have a wretched1 miserable voyage through life1 with no victory1 and no reward at the end2 saved1 yet so as by fire1 or as ,job puts it1 with the skin of my teeth4 ,i believe that a great many men will barely get to heaven as ,lot got out of ,sodom1 burned out1 nothing left1 works and everything else destroyed4 ,it is like this3 when a man enters the army1 he is a member of the army the moment he enlists2 he is just as much a member as a man who has been in the army ten or twenty years4 ,but enlisting is one thing1 and participating in a battle another4 ,young converts are like those just enlisted4 ,it is folly for any man to attempt to fight in his own strength4 ,the world1 the flesh and the devil are too much for any man4 ,but if we are linked to ,christ by faith1 and ,he is formed in us the hope of glory1 then we shall get the victory over every enemy4 ,it is believers who are the overcomers4 ,thanks be unto ,god1 which always causeth us to triumph in ,christ4 ,through ,him we shall be more than conquerors4 ,i wouldn't think of talking to unconverted men about overcoming the world1 for it is utterly impossible4 ,they might as well try to cut down the ,american forest with their penknives4 ,but a good many ,christian people make this mistake3 they think the battle is already fought and won4 ,they have an idea that all they have to do is to put the oars down in the bottom of the boat1 and the current will drift them into the ocean of ,god's eternal love4 ,but we have to cross the current4 ,we have to learn how to watch and fight1 and how to overcome4 ,the battle is only just commenced4 ,the ,christian life is a conflict and a warfare1 and the quicker we find it out the better4 ,there is not a blessing in this world that ,god has not linked ,himself to4 ,all the great and higher blessings ,god associates with ,himself4 ,when ,god and man work together1 then it is that there is going to be victory4 ,we are coworkers with ,him4 ,you might take a mill1 and put it forty feet above a river1 and there isn't capital enough in the ,states to make that river turn the mill2 but get it down about forty feet1 and away it works4 ,we want to keep in mind that if we are going to overcome the world1 we have got to work with ,god4 ,it is ,his power that makes all the means of grace effectual4 ,the story is told that ,frederick ,douglas1 the great slave orator1 once said in a mournful speech when things looked dark for his race3-- ,the white man is against us1 governments are against us1 the spirit of the times is against us4 ,i see no hope for the colored race4 ,i am full of sadness4 ,just then a poor old colored woman rose in the audience1 and said4-- ,frederick1 is ,god dead8 ,my friend1 it makes a difference when you count ,god in4 ,now many a young believer is discouraged and disheartened when he realizes this warfare4 ,he begins to think that ,god has forsaken him1 that ,christianity is not all that it professes to be4 ,but he should rather regard it as an encouraging sign4 ,no sooner has a soul escaped from his snare than the great ,adversary takes steps to ensnare it again4 ,he puts forth all his power to recapture his lost prey4 ,the fiercest attacks are made on the strongest forts1 and the fiercer the battle the young believer is called on to wage1 the surer evidence it is of the work of the ,holy ,spirit in his heart4 ,god will not desert him in his time of need1 any more than ,he deserted ,his people of old when they were hard pressed by their foes4 ,the ,only ,complete ,victor4 ,this brings me to the fourth verse of the fourth chapter of the same epistle3 ,ye are of ,god1 little children1 and have overcome them3 because greater is ,he that is in you than he that is in the world4 ,the only man that ever conquered this world--was complete victor--was ,jesus ,christ4 ,when ,he shouted on the cross1 ,it is finished6 it was the shout of a conqueror4 ,he had overcome every enemy4 ,he had met sin and death4 ,he had met every foe that you and ,i have got to meet1 and had come off victor4 ,now if ,i have got the spirit of ,christ1 if ,i have got that same life in me1 then it is that ,i have got a power that is greater than any power in the world1 and with that same power ,i overcome the world4 ,notice that everything human in this world fails4 ,every man1 the moment he takes his eye off ,god1 has failed4 ,every man has been a failure at some period of his life4 ,abraham failed4 ,moses failed4 ,elijah failed4 ,take the men that have become so famous and that were so mighty--the moment they got their eye off ,god1 they were weak like other men2 and it is a very singular thing that those men failed on the strongest point in their character4 ,i suppose it was because they were not on the watch4 ,abraham was noted for his faith1 and he failed right there--he denied his wife4 ,moses was noted for his meekness and humility1 and he failed right there--he got angry4 ,god kept him out of the promised land because he lost his temper4 ,i know he was called the servant of ,god1 and that he was a mighty man1 and had power with ,god1 but humanly speaking1 he failed1 and was kept out of the promised land4 ,elijah was noted for his power in prayer and for his courage1 yet he became a coward4 ,he was the boldest man of his day1 and stood before ,ahab1 and the royal court1 and all the prophets of ,baal2 yet when he heard that ,jezebel had threatened his life1 he ran away to the desert1 and under a juniper tree prayed that he might die4 ,peter was noted for his boldness1 and a little maid scared him nearly out of his wits4 ,as soon as she spoke to him1 he began to tremble1 and he swore that he didn't know ,christ4 ,i have often said to myself that ,i'd like to have been there on the day of ,pentecost alongside of that maid when she saw ,peter preaching4 ,why1 ,i suppose she said1 what has come over that man8 ,he was afraid of me only a few weeks ago1 and now he stands up before all ,jerusalem and charges these very ,jews with the murder of ,jesus4 ,the moment he got his eye off the ,master he failed2 and every man1 ,i don't care who he is--even the strongest--every man that hasn't ,christ in him1 is a failure4 ,john1 the beloved disciple1 was noted for his meekness2 and yet we hear of him wanting to call fire down from heaven on a little town because it had refused the common hospitalities4 ,triumphs of ,faith4 ,now1 how are we to get the victory over all our enemies8 ,turn to ,galatians1 second chapter1 verse twenty3 ,i am crucified with ,christ2 nevertheless ,i live2 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me3 and the life which ,i now live in the flesh1 ,i live by the faith of the ,son of ,god1 who loved me and gave ,himself for me4 ,we live by faith4 ,we get this life by faith1 and become linked to ,immanuel--,god with us4 ,if ,i have ,god for me1 ,i am going to overcome4 ,how do we gain this mighty power8 ,by faith4 ,the next passage ,i want to call your attention to is ,romans1 chapter eleven1 verse twenty3 ,because of unbelief they were broken off2 and thou standest by faith4 ,the ,jews were cut off on account of their unbelief3 we were grafted in on account of our belief4 ,so notice3 ,we live by faith1 and we stand by faith4 ,next3 ,we walk by faith4 ,second ,corinthians1 chapter five1 verse seven3 ,for we walk by faith1 not by sight4 ,the most faulty ,christians ,i know are those who want to walk by sight4 ,they want to see the end--how a thing is going to come out4 ,that isn't walking by faith at all--that is walking by sight4 ,i think the characters that best represent this difference are ,joseph and ,jacob4 ,jacob was a man who walked with ,god by sight4 ,you remember his vow at ,bethel3--,if ,god will be with me1 and will keep me in this way that ,i go1 and will give me bread to eat1 and raiment to put on1 so that ,i come again to my father's house in peace2 then shall the ,lord be my ,god4 ,and you remember how his heart revived when he saw the wagons ,joseph sent him from ,egypt4 ,he sought after signs4 ,he never could have gone through the temptations and trials that his son ,joseph did4 ,joseph represents a higher type of ,christian4 ,he could walk in the dark4 ,he could survive thirteen years of misfortune1 in spite of his dreams1 and then ascribe it all to the goodness and providence of ,god4 ,lot and ,abraham are a good illustration ,lot turned away from ,abraham and tented on the plains of ,sodom4 ,he got a good stretch of pasture land1 but he had bad neighbors4 ,he was a weak character and he should have kept with ,abraham in order to get strong4 ,a good many men are just like that4 ,as long as their mothers are living1 or they are bolstered up by some godly person1 they get along very well2 but they can't stand alone4 ,lot walked by sight2 but ,abraham walked by faith2 he went out in the footsteps of ,god4 ,by faith ,abraham1 when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance1 obeyed2 and he went out1 not knowing whither he went4 ,by faith he sojourned in the land of promise1 as in a strange country1 dwelling in tabernacles with ,isaac and ,jacob1 the heirs with him of the same promise3 for he looked for a city which hath foundations1 whose builder and maker is ,god4 ,and again3 ,we fight by faith4 ,ephesians1 sixth chapter1 verse sixteen3 ,above all1 taking the shield of faith1 wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked4 ,every dart ,satan can fire at us we can quench by faith1 ,by faith we can overcome the ,evil ,one4 ,to fear is to have more faith in your antagonist than in ,christ4 ,some of the older people can remember when our war broke out4 ,secretary ,seward1 who was ,lincoln's ,secretary of ,state--a long-headed and shrewd politician--prophesied that the war would be over in ninety days2 and young men in thousands and hundreds of thousands came forward and volunteered to go down to ,dixie and whip the ,south4 ,they thought they would be back in ninety days2 but the war lasted four years1 and cost about half a million of lives4 ,what was the matter8 ,why1 the ,south was a good deal stronger than the ,north supposed4 ,its strength was underestimated4 ,jesus ,christ makes no mistake of that kind4 ,when ,he enlists a man in ,his service1 ,he shows him the dark side2 ,he lets him know that he must live a life of self-denial4 ,if a man is not willing to go to heaven by the way of ,calvary1 he cannot go at all4 ,many men want a religion in which there is no cross1 but they cannot enter heaven that way4 ,if we are to be disciples of ,jesus ,christ1 we must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow ,him4 ,so let us sit down and count the cost4 ,do not think that you will have no battles if you follow the ,nazarene1 because many battles are before you4 ,yet if ,i had ten thousand lives1 ,jesus ,christ should have every one of them4 ,men do not object to a battle if they are confident that they will have victory1 and1 thank ,god1 every one of us may have the victory if we will4 ,the reason why so many ,christians fail all through life is just this--they under-estimate the strength of the enemy4 ,my dear friend2 you and ,i have got a terrible enemy to contend with4 ,don't let ,satan deceive you4 ,unless you are spiritually dead1 it means warfare4 ,nearly everything around tends to draw us away from ,god4 ,we do not step clear out of ,egypt on to the throne of ,god4 ,there is the wilderness journey1 and there are enemies in the land4 ,don't let any man or woman think all he or she has to do is to join the church4 ,that will not save you4 ,the question is1 are you overcoming the world1 or is the world overcoming you8 ,are you more patient than you were five years ago8 ,are you more amiable8 ,if you are not1 the world is overcoming you1 even if you are a church member4 ,that epistle that ,paul wrote to ,titus says that we are to be sound in patience1 faith and charity4 ,we have got ,christians1 a good many of them1 that are good in spots1 but mighty poor in other spots4 ,just a little bit of them seems to be saved1 you know4 ,they are not rounded out in their characters4 ,it is just because they haven't been taught that they have a terrible foe to overcome4 ,if ,i wanted to find out whether a ,man was a ,christian1 ,i wouldn't go to his minister4 ,i would go and ask his wife4 ,i tell you1 we want more home piety just now4 ,if a man doesn't treat his wife right1 ,i don't want to hear him talk about ,christianity4 ,what is the use of his talking about salvation for the next life1 if he has no salvation for this8 ,we want a ,christianity that goes into our homes and everyday lives4 ,some men's religion just repels me4 ,they put on a whining voice and a sort of a religious tone1 and talk so sanctimoniously on ,sunday that you would think they were wonderful saints4 ,but on ,monday they are quite different4 ,they put their religion away with their clothes1 and you don't see any more of it until the next ,sunday4 ,you laugh1 but let us look out that we don't belong to that class4 ,my friend1 we have got to have a higher type of ,christianity1 or the ,church is gone4 ,it is wrong for a man or woman to profess what they don't possess4 ,if you are not overcoming temptations1 the world is overcoming you4 ,just get on your knees and ask ,god to help you4 ,my dear friends1 let us go to ,god and ask ,him to search us4 ,let us ask ,him to wake us up1 and let us not think that just because we are church members we are all right4 ,we are all wrong if we are not getting victory over sin4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,,internal ,,foes4 ,now if we are going to overcome1 we must begin inside4 ,god always begins there4 ,an enemy inside the fort is far more dangerous than one outside4 ,scripture teaches that in every believer there are two natures warring against each other4 ,paul says in his epistle to the ,romans3--,for we know that the law is spiritual3 but ,i am carnal1 sold under sin4 ,for that which ,i do ,i allow not3 for what ,i would1 that do ,i not2 but what ,i hate1 that do ,i4 ,if then ,i do that which ,i would not1 ,i consent unto the law that it is good4 ,now then it is no more ,i that do it1 but sin that dwelleth in me4 ,for ,i know that in me 7that is1 in my flesh17 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 would ,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 that 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 ,again1 in the ,epistle to the ,galatians1 he says3 ,for the flesh lusteth against the ,spirit1 and the ,spirit against the flesh3 and these are contrary the one to the other3 so that ye cannot do the things that ye would4 ,when we are born of ,god1 we get ,his nature1 but ,he does not immediately take away all the old nature4 ,each species of animal and bird is true to its nature4 ,you can tell the nature of the dove or canary bird4 ,the horse is true to his nature1 the cow is true to hers4 ,but a man has two natures1 and do not let the world or ,satan make you think that the old nature is extinct1 because it is not4 ,reckon ye yourselves dead2 but if you were dead1 you wouldn't need to reckon yourselves dead1 would you8 ,the dead self would be dropped out of the reckoning4 ,i keep my body under2 if it were dead1 ,paul wouldn't have needed to keep it under4 ,i am judicially dead1 but the old nature is alive1 and therefore if ,i don't keep my body under and crucify the flesh with its affections1 this lower nature will gain the advantage1 and ,i shall be in bondage4 ,many men live all their lives in bondage to the old nature1 when they might have liberty if they would only live this overcoming life4 ,the old ,adam never dies4 ,it remains corrupt4 ,from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it2 but wounds1 and bruises1 and putrifying sores3 they have not been closed1 neither bound up1 neither mollified with ointment4 ,a gentleman in ,india once got a tiger-cub1 and tamed it so that it became a pet4 ,one day when it had grown up1 it tasted blood1 and the old tiger-nature flashed out1 and it had to be killed4 ,so with the old nature in the believer4 ,it never dies1 though it is subdued3 and unless he is watchful and prayerful1 it will gain the upper hand1 and rush him into sin4 ,someone has pointed out that ,i is the centre of ,s-,i-,n4 ,it is the medium through which ,satan acts4 ,and so the worst enemy you have to overcome1 after all1 is yourself4 ,when ,capt4 ,t-- became converted in ,london1 he was a great society man4 ,after he had been a ,christian some months1 he was asked2 ,what have you found to be your greatest enemy since you began to be a ,christian8 ,after a few minutes of deep thought he said1 ,well1 ,i think it is myself4 ,ah6 said the lady1 the ,king has taken you into ,his presence1 for it is only in ,his presence that we are taught these truths4 ,i have had more trouble with ,d4 ,l4 ,moody than with any other man who has crossed my path4 ,if ,i can only keep him right1 ,i don't have any trouble with other people4 ,a good many have trouble with servants4 ,did you ever think that the trouble lies with you instead of the servants8 ,if one member of the family is constantly snapping1 he will have the whole family snapping4 ,it is true whether you believe it or not4 ,you speak quickly and snappishly to people and they will do the same to you4 ,appetite4 ,now take appetite4 ,that is an enemy inside4 ,how many young men are ruined by the appetite for strong drink6 ,many a young man has grown up to be a curse to his father and mother1 instead of a blessing4 ,not long ago the body of a young suicide was discovered in one of our large cities4 ,in his pocket was found a paper on which he had written3 ,i have done this myself4 ,don't tell anyone4 ,it is all through drink4 ,an intimation of these facts in the public press drew two hundred and forty six letters from two hundred and forty six families1 each of whom had a prodigal son who1 it was feared1 might be the suicide4 ,strong drink is an enemy1 both to body and soul4 ,it is reported that ,sir ,andrew ,clarke1 the celebrated ,london physician1 once made the following statement3 ,now let me say that ,i am speaking solemnly and carefully when ,i tell you that ,i am considerably within the mark in saying that within the rounds of my hospital wards today1 seven out of every ten that lie there in their beds owe their ill health to alcohol4 ,i do not say that seventy in every hundred are drunkards2 ,i do not know that one of them is2 but they use alcohol4 ,so soon as a man begins to take one drop1 then the desire begotten in him becomes a part of his nature1 and that nature1 formed by his acts1 inflicts curses inexpressible when handed down to the generations that are to follow him as part and parcel of their being4 ,when ,i think of this ,i am disposed to give up my profession--to give up everything--and to go forth upon a holy crusade to preach to all men1 ',beware of this enemy of the race6' ,it is the most destructive agency in the world today4 ,it kills more than the bloodiest wars4 ,it is the fruitful parent of crime and idleness and poverty and disease4 ,it spoils a man for this world1 and damns him for the next4 ,the ,word of ,god has declared it3 ,be not deceived3 neither fornicators1 nor idolaters1 nor adulterers1 4 4 4 nor drunkards 4 4 4 shall inherit the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,how can we overcome this enemy8 ,bitter experience proves that man is not powerful enough in his own strength4 ,the only cure for the accursed appetite is regeneration--a new life--the power of the risen ,christ within us4 ,let a man that is given to strong drink look to ,god for help1 and ,he will give him victory over his appetite4 ,jesus ,christ came to destroy the works of the devil1 and ,he will take away that appetite if you will let ,him4 ,temper4 ,then there is temper4 ,i wouldn't give much for a man that hasn't temper4 ,steel isn't good for anything if it hasn't got temper4 ,but when temper gets the mastery over me ,i am its slave1 and it is a source of weakness4 ,it may be made a great power for good all through my life1 and help me2 or it may become my greatest enemy from within1 and rob me of power4 ,the current in some rivers is so strong as to make them useless for navigation4 ,someone has said that a preacher will never miss the people when he speaks of temper4 ,it is astonishing how little mastery even professing ,christians have over it4 ,a friend of mine in ,england was out visiting1 and while sitting in the parlor1 heard an awful noise in the hall4 ,he asked what it meant1 and was told that it was only the doctor throwing his boots downstairs because they were not properly blacked4 ,many ,christians1 said an old divine1 who bore the loss of a child or of all their property with the most heroic ,christian fortitude1 are entirely vanquished by the breaking of a dish or the blunders of a servant4 ,i have had people say to me1 ,mr4 ,moody1 how can ,i get control of my temper8 ,if you really want to get control1 ,i will tell you how1 but you won't like the medicine4 ,treat it as a sin and confess it4 ,people look upon it as a sort of a misfortune1 and one lady told me she inherited it from her father and mother4 ,supposing she did4 ,that is no excuse for her4 ,when you get angry again and speak unkindly to a person1 and when you realize it1 go and ask that person to forgive you4 ,you won't get mad with that person for the next twenty-four hours4 ,you might do it in about forty eight hours1 but go the second time1 and after you have done it about half-a-dozen times1 you will get out of the business1 because it makes the old flesh burn4 ,a lady said to me once1 ,i have got so in the habit of exaggerating that my friends accuse me of exaggerating so that they don't understand me4 ,she said1 ,can you help me8 ,what can ,i do to overcome it8 ,well1 ,i said1 the next time you catch yourself lying1 go right to that party and say you have lied1 and tell him you are sorry4 ,say it is a lie2 stamp it out1 root and branch2 that is what you want to do4 ,oh1 she said1 ,i wouldn't like to call it lying4 ,but that is what it was4 ,christianity isn't worth a snap of your finger if it doesn't straighten out your character4 ,i have got tired of all mere gush and sentiment4 ,if people can't tell when you are telling the truth1 there is something radically wrong1 and you had better straighten it out right away4 ,now1 are you ready to do it8 ,bring yourself to it whether you want to or not4 ,do you find someone who has been offended by something you have done8 ,go right to them and tell them you are sorry4 ,you say you are not to blame4 ,never mind1 go right to them1 and tell them you are sorry4 ,i have had to do it a good many times4 ,an impulsive man like myself has to do it often1 but ,i sleep all the sweeter at night when ,i get things straightened out4 ,confession never fails to bring a blessing4 ,i have sometimes had to get off the platform and go down and ask a man's forgiveness before ,i could go on preaching4 ,a ,christian man ought to be a gentleman every time2 but if he is not1 and he finds he has wounded or hurt someone1 he ought to go and straighten it out at once4 ,you know there are a great many people who want just ,christianity enough to make them respectable4 ,they don't think about this overcoming life that gets the victory all the time4 ,they have their blue days and their cross days1 and the children say1 ,mother is cross to-day1 and you will have to be very careful4 ,we don't want any of these touchy blue days2 these ups and downs4 ,if we are overcoming1 that is the effect our life is going to have on others1 they will have confidence in our ,christianity4 ,the reason that many a man has no power1 is that there is some cursed sin covered up4 ,there will not be a drop of dew until that sin is brought to light4 ,get right inside4 ,then we can go out like giants and conquer the world if everything is right within4 ,paul says that we are to be sound in faith1 in patience1 and in love4 ,if a man is unsound in his faith1 the clergy take the ecclesiastical sword and cut him off at once4 ,but he may be ever so unsound in charity1 in patience1 and nothing is said about that4 ,we must be sound in faith1 in love1 and in patience if we are to be true to ,god4 ,how delightful it is to meet a man who can control his temper6 ,it is said of ,wilberforce that a friend once found him in the greatest agitation1 looking for a dispatch he had mislaid1 for which one of the royal family was waiting4 ,just then1 as if to make it still more trying1 a disturbance was heard in the nursery4 ,now1 thought the friend1 surely his temper will give way4 ,the thought had hardly passed through his mind when ,wilberforce turned to him and said3 ,what a blessing it is to hear those dear children6 ,only think what a relief1 among other hurries1 to hear their voices and know they are well4 ,covetousness4 ,take the sin of covetousness4 ,there is more said in the ,bible against it than against drunkenness4 ,i must get it out of me--destroy it1 root and branch--and not let it have dominion over me4 ,we think that a man who gets drunk is a horrid monster1 but a covetous man will often be received into the church1 and put into office1 who is as vile and black in the sight of ,god as any drunkard4 ,the most dangerous thing about this sin is that it is not generally regarded as very heinous4 ,of course we all have a contempt for misers1 but all covetous men are not misers4 ,another thing to be noted about it is that it fastens upon the old rather than upon the young4 ,let us see what the ,bible says about covetousness3-- ,mortify therefore your members 4 4 4 covetousness1 which is idolatry4 ,no covetous man hath any inheritance in the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,they that will be 7that is1 desire to be7 rich fall into temptation and a snare1 and into many foolish and hurtful lusts1 which drown men in destruction and perdition4 ,for the love of money is the root of all evil3 which while some coveted after1 they have erred from the faith1 and pierced themselves through with many sorrows4 ,the wicked blesseth the covetous1 whom the ,lord abhorreth4 ,covetousness enticed ,lot into ,sodom4 ,it caused the destruction of ,achan and all his house4 ,it was the iniquity of ,balaam4 ,it was the sin of ,samuel's sons4 ,it left ,gehazi a leper4 ,it sent the rich young ruler away sorrowful4 ,it led ,judas to sell his ,master and ,lord4 ,it brought about the death of ,ananias and ,sapphira4 ,it was the blot in the character of ,felix4 ,what victims it has had in all ages6 ,do you say3 ,how am ,i going to check covetousness8 ,well1--,i don't think there is any difficulty about that4 ,if you find yourself getting very covetous--very miserly--wanting to get everything you can into your possession--just begin to scatter4 ,just say to covetousness that you will strangle it1 and rid it out of your disposition4 ,a wealthy farmer in ,new ,york state1 who had been a noted miser1 a very selfish man1 was converted4 ,soon after his conversion a poor man came to him one day to ask for help4 ,he had been burned out1 and had no provisions4 ,this young convert thought he would be liberal and give him a ham from his smoke house4 ,he started toward the smoke-house1 and on the way the tempter said1 ,give him the smallest one you have4 ,he struggled all the way as to whether he would give a large or a small one4 ,in order to overcome his selfishness1 he took down the biggest ham and gave it to the man4 ,the tempter said1 ,you are a fool4 ,but he replied1 ,if you don't keep still1 ,i will give him every ham ,i have in the smoke-house4 ,if you find that you are selfish1 give something4 ,determine to overcome that spirit of selfishness1 and to keep your body under1 no matter what it may cost4 ,mr4 ,durant told me he was engaged by ,goodyear to defend the rubber patent1 and he was to have half of the money that came from the patent1 if he succeeded4 ,one day he woke up to find that he was a rich man1 and he said that the greatest struggle of his life then took place as to whether he would let money be his master1 or he be master of money1 whether he would be its slave1 or make it a slave to him4 ,at last he got the victory1 and that is how ,wellesley ,college was built4 ,are ,you ,jealous1 ,envious8 ,go and do a good turn for that person of whom you are jealous4 ,that is the way to cure jealousy2 it will kill it4 ,jealousy is a devil1 it is a horrid monster4 ,the poets imagined that ,envy dwelt in a dark cave1 being pale and thin1 looking asquint1 never rejoicing except in the misfortune of others1 and hurting himself continually4 ,there is a fable of an eagle which could outfly another1 and the other didn't like it4 ,the latter saw a sportsman one day1 and said to him1 ,i wish you would bring down that eagle4 ,the sportsman replied that he would if he only had some feathers to put into the arrow4 ,so the eagle pulled one out of his wing4 ,the arrow was shot1 but didn't quite reach the rival eagle2 it was flying too high4 ,the envious eagle pulled out more feathers1 and kept pulling them out until he lost so many that he couldn't fly1 and then the sportsman turned around and killed him4 ,my friend1 if you are jealous1 the only man you can hurt is yourself4 ,there were two business men--merchants--and there was great rivalry between them1 a great deal of bitter feeling4 ,one of them was converted4 ,he went to his minister and said1 ,i am still jealous of that man1 and ,i do not know how to overcome it4 ,well1 he said1 if a man comes into your store to buy goods1 and you cannot supply him1 just send him over to your neighbor4 ,he said he wouldn't like to do that4 ,well1 the minister said1 you do it and you will kill jealousy4 ,he said he would1 and when a customer came into his store for goods which he did not have1 he would tell him to go across the street to his neighbor's4 ,by and by the other began to send his customers over to this man's store1 and the breach was healed4 ,pride4 ,then there is pride4 ,this is another of those sins which the ,bible so strongly condemns1 but which the world hardly reckons as a sin at all4 ,an high look and a proud heart is sin4 ,everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the ,lord2 though hand join in hand1 he shall not be unpunished4 ,christ included pride among those evil things which1 proceeding out of the heart of a man1 defile him4 ,people have an idea that it is just the wealthy who are proud4 ,but go down on some of the back streets1 and you will find that some of the very poorest are as proud as the richest4 ,it is the heart1 you know4 ,people that haven't any money are just as proud as those that have4 ,we have got to crush it out4 ,it is an enemy4 ,you needn't be proud of your face1 for there is not one but that after ten days in the grave the worms would be eating your body4 ,there is nothing to be proud of--is there8 ,let us ask ,god to deliver us from pride4 ,you can't fold your arms and say1 ,lord1 take it out of me2 but just go and work with ,him4 ,mortify your pride by cultivating humility4 ,put on1 therefore1 says ,paul1 as the elect of ,god1 holy and beloved1 4 4 4 humbleness of mind4 ,be clothed with humility1 says ,peter4 ,blessed are the poor in spirit4 ,,part ,,iii4 ,,external ,,foes4 ,what are our enemies without8 ,what does ,james say8 ,know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with ,god8 whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of ,god4 ,and ,john8 ,love not the world1 neither the things that are in the world4 ,if any man love the world1 the love of the ,father is not in him4 ,now1 people want to know what is the world4 ,when you talk with them they say3 ,well1 when you say 'the world1' what do you mean8 ,here we have the answer in the next verse3 ,for all that is in the world1 the lust of the flesh1 and the lust of the eyes1 and the pride of life1 is not of the ,father1 but is of the world4 ,and the world passeth away1 and the lust thereof3 but he that doeth the will of ,god abideth forever4 ,the world does not mean nature around us4 ,god nowhere tells us that the material world is an enemy to be overcome4 ,on the contrary1 we read3 ,the earth is the ,lord's1 and the fulness thereof2 the world1 and they that dwell therein4 ,the heavens declare the glory of ,god2 and the firmament sheweth ,his handywork4 ,it means human life and society as far as alienated from ,god1 through being centered on material aims and objects1 and thus opposed to ,god's ,spirit and kingdom4 ,christ said3 ,if the world hate you1 ye know that it hated ,me before it hated you 4 4 4 the world hath hated them because they are not of the world1 even as ,i am not of the world4 ,love of the world means the forgetfulness of the eternal future by reason of love for passing things4 ,how can the world be overcome8 ,not by education1 not by experience2 only by faith4 ,this is the victory that overcometh the world1 even our faith4 ,who is he that overcometh the world1 but he that believeth that ,jesus is the ,son of ,god8 ,worldly ,habits and ,fashions4 ,for one thing we must fight worldly habits and fashions4 ,we must often go against the customs of the world4 ,i have great respect for a man who can stand up for what he believes is right against all the world4 ,he who can stand alone is a hero4 ,suppose it is the custom for young men to do certain things you wouldn't like your mother to know of--things that your mother taught you are wrong4 ,you may have to stand up alone among all your companions4 ,they will say3 ,you can't get away from your mother1 eh8 ,tied to your mother's apron strings6 ,but just you say3 ,yes6 ,i have some respect for my mother4 ,she taught me what is right1 and she is the best friend ,i have4 ,i believe that is wrong1 and ,i am going to stand for the right4 ,if you have to stand alone1 stand4 ,enoch did it1 and ,joseph1 and ,elisha1 and ,paul4 ,god has kept such men in all ages4 ,someone says3 ,i move in society where they have wine parties4 ,i know it is rather a dangerous thing because my son is apt to follow me4 ,but ,i can stop just where ,i want to2 perhaps my son hasn't got the same power as ,i have1 and he may go over the dam4 ,but it is the custom in the society where ,i move4 ,once ,i got into a place where ,i had to get up and leave4 ,i was invited into a home1 and they had a late supper1 and there were seven kinds of liquor on the table4 ,i am ashamed to say they were ,christian people4 ,a deacon urged a young lady to drink until her face flushed4 ,i rose from the table and went out2 ,i felt that it was no place for me4 ,they considered me very rude4 ,that was going against custom2 that was entering a protest against such an infernal thing4 ,let us go against custom1 when it leads astray4 ,i was told in a southern college1 some years ago1 that no man was considered a first class gentleman who did not drink4 ,of course it is not so now4 ,pleasure4 ,another enemy is worldly pleasure4 ,a great many people are just drowned in pleasure4 ,they have no time for any meditation at all4 ,many a man has been lost to society1 and lost to his family1 by giving himself up to the god of pleasure4 ,god wants ,his children to be happy1 but in a way that will help and not hinder them4 ,a lady came to me once and said3 ,mr4 ,moody1 ,i wish you would tell me how ,i can become a ,christian4 ,the tears were rolling down her cheeks1 and she was in a very favorable mood2 but1 she said1 ,i don't want to be one of your kind4 ,well1 ,i asked1 have ,i got any peculiar kind8 ,what is the matter with my ,christianity8 ,well1 she said1 my father was a doctor1 and had a large practice1 and he used to get so tired that he used to take us to the theater4 ,there was a large family of girls1 and we had tickets for the theaters three or four times a week4 ,i suppose we were there a good deal oftener than we were in church4 ,i am married to a lawyer1 and he has a large practice4 ,he gets so tired that he takes us out to the theater1 and she said1 ,i am far better acquainted with the theater and theater people than with the church and church people1 and ,i don't want to give up the theater4 ,well1 ,i said1 did you ever hear me say anything about theaters8 ,there have been reporters here every day for all the different papers1 and they are giving my sermons verbatim in one paper4 ,have you ever seen anything in the sermons against the theaters8 ,she said1 ,no4 ,well1 ,i said1 ,i have seen you in the audience every afternoon for several weeks and have you heard me say anything against theaters8 ,no1 she hadn't4 ,well1 ,i said1 what made you bring them up8 ,why1 ,i supposed you didn't believe in theaters4 ,what made you think that8 ,why1 she said1 ,do you ever go8 ,no4 ,why don't you go8 ,because ,i have got something better4 ,i would sooner go out into the street and eat dirt than do some of the things ,i used to do before ,i became a ,christian4 ,why6 she said1 ,i don't understand4 ,never mind1 ,i said4 ,when ,jesus ,christ has the pre-eminence1 you will understand it all4 ,he didn't come down here and say we shouldn't go here and we shouldn't go there1 and lay down a lot of rules2 but ,he laid down great principles4 ,now1 ,he says if you love ,him you will take delight in pleasing ,him4 ,and ,i began to preach ,christ to her4 ,the tears started again4 ,she said3 ,i tell you1 ,mr4 ,moody1 that sermon on the indwelling ,christ yesterday afternoon just broke my heart4 ,i admire ,him1 and ,i want to be a ,christian1 but ,i don't want to give up the theaters4 ,i said1 ,please don't mention them again4 ,i don't want to talk about theaters4 ,i want to talk to you about ,christ4 ,so ,i took my ,bible1 and ,i read to her about ,christ4 ,but she said again1 ,mr4 ,moody1 can ,i go to the theater if ,i become a ,christian8 ,yes1 ,i said1 you can go to the theater just as much as you like if you are a real1 true ,christian1 and can go with ,his blessing4 ,well1 she said1 ,i am glad you are not so narrow-minded as some4 ,she felt quite relieved to think that she could go to the theaters and be a ,christian4 ,but ,i said1 ,if you can go to the theater for the glory of ,god1 keep on going2 only be sure that you go for the glory of ,god4 ,if you are a ,christian you will be glad to do whatever will please ,him4 ,i really think she became a ,christian that day4 ,the burden had gone1 there was joy2 but just as she was leaving me at the door1 she said1 ,i am not going to give up the theater4 ,in a few days she came back to me and said1 ,mr4 ,moody1 ,i understand all about that theater business now4 ,i went the other night4 ,there was a large party at our house1 and my husband wanted us to go1 and we went2 but when the curtain lifted1 everything looked so different4 ,i said to my husband1 ',this is no place for me2 this is horrible4 ,i am not going to stay here1 ,i am going home4' ,he said1 ',don't make a fool of yourself4 ,everyone has heard that you have been converted in the ,moody meetings1 and if you go out1 it will be all through fashionable society1 ,i beg of you don't make a fool of yourself by getting up and going out4' ,but ,i said1 ',i have been making a fool of myself all of my life4' ,now1 the theater hadn't changed1 but she had got something better and she was going to overcome the world4 ,they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh2 but they that are after the ,spirit the things of the ,spirit4 ,when ,christ has the first place in your heart you are going to get victory4 ,just do whatever you know will please ,him4 ,the great objection ,i have to these things is that they get the mastery1 and become a hindrance to spiritual growth4 ,business4 ,it may be that we have got to overcome in business4 ,perhaps it is business morning1 noon and night1 and ,sundays1 too4 ,when a man will drive like ,jehu all the week and like a snail on ,sunday1 isn't there something wrong with him8 ,now1 business is legitimate2 and a man is not1 ,i think1 a good citizen that will not go out and earn his bread by the sweat of his brow2 and he ought to be a good business man1 and whatever he does1 do thoroughly4 ,at the same time1 if he lays his whole heart on his business1 and makes a god of it1 and thinks more of it than anything else1 then the world has come in4 ,it may be very legitimate in its place--like fire1 which1 in its place1 is one of the best friends of man2 out of place1 is one of the worst enemies of man2--like water1 which we cannot live without2 and yet1 when not in place1 it becomes an enemy4 ,so my friends1 that is the question for you and me to settle4 ,now look at yourself4 ,are you getting the victory8 ,are you growing more even in your disposition8 are you getting mastery over the world and the flesh8 ,and bear this in mind3 ,every temptation you overcome makes you stronger to overcome others1 while every temptation that defeats you makes you weaker4 ,you can become weaker and weaker1 or you can become stronger and stronger4 ,sin takes the pith out of your sinews1 but virtue makes you stronger4 ,how many men have been overcome by some little thing6 ,turn a moment to the ,song of ,solomon1 the second chapter1 fifteenth verse3 ,take us the foxes1 the little foxes that spoil the vines3 for our vines have tender grapes4 ,a great many people seem to think these little things--getting out of patience1 using little deceits1 telling white lies 7as they call them71 and when somebody calls on you sending word by the servant you are not at home--all these are little things4 ,sometimes you can brace yourself up against a great temptation2 and almost before you know it you fall before some little thing4 ,a great many men are overcome by a little persecution4 ,persecution4 ,do you know1 ,i don't think we have enough persecution now-a-days4 ,some people say we have persecution that is just as hard to bear as in the ,dark ,ages4 ,anyway1 ,i think it would be a good thing if we had a little of the old fashioned kind just now4 ,it would bring out the strongest characters1 and make us all healthier4 ,i have heard men get up in prayer-meeting1 and say they were going to make a few remarks1 and then keep on till you would think they were going to talk all week4 ,if we had a little persecution1 people of that kind wouldn't talk so much4 ,spurgeon used to say some ,christians would make good martyrs2 they would burn well1 they are so dry4 ,if there were a few stakes for burning ,christians1 ,i think it would take all the piety out of some men4 ,i admit they haven't got much2 but then if they are not willing to suffer a little persecution for ,christ1 they are not fit to be ,his disciples4 ,we are told3 ,all that will live godly in ,christ ,jesus shall suffer persecution4 ,make up your mind to this3 ,if the world has nothing to say against you1 ,jesus ,christ will have nothing to say for you4 ,the most glorious triumphs of the ,church have been won in times of persecution4 ,the early church was persecuted for about three hundred years after the crucifixion1 and they were years of growth and progress4 ,but then1 as ,saint ,augustine has said1 the cross passed from the scene of public executions to the diadem of the ,caesars1 and the down-grade movement began4 ,when the ,church has joined hands with the ,state1 it has invariably retrograded in spirituality and effectiveness2 but the opposition of the ,state has only served to purify it of all dross4 ,it was persecution that gave ,scotland to ,presbyterianism4 ,it was persecution that gave this country to civil and religious freedom4 ,how are we to overcome in time of persecution8 ,hear the words of ,christ3 ,in the world ye shall have tribulation3 but be of good cheer3 ,i have overcome the world4 ,paul could testify that though persecuted1 he was never forsaken2 that the ,lord stood by him1 and strengthened him1 and delivered him out of all his persecutions and afflictions4 ,a great many shrink from the ,christian life because they will be sneered at4 ,and then1 sometimes when persecution won't bring a man down1 flattery will4 ,foolish persons often come up to a man after he has preached and flatter him4 ,sometimes ladies do that4 ,perhaps they will say to some worker in the church3 ,you talk a great deal better than so-and-so2 and he becomes proud1 and begins to strut around as if he was the most important person in the town4 ,i tell you1 we have a wily devil to contend with4 ,if he can't overcome you with opposition1 he will try flattery or ambition2 and if that doesn't serve his purpose1 perhaps there will come some affliction or disappointment1 and he will overcome in way4 ,but remember that anyone that has got ,christ to help him can overcome every foe1 and overcome them singly or collectively4 ,let them come4 ,if we have got ,christ within us1 we will overthrow them all4 ,remember what ,christ is able to do4 ,in all the ages men have stood in greater temptations than you and ,i will ever have to meet4 ,now1 there is one more thing on this line3 ,i have either got to overcome the world1 or the world is going to overcome me4 ,i have either got to conquer sin in me--or sin about me--and get it under my feet1 or it is going to conquer me4 ,a good many people are satisfied with one or two victories1 and think that is all4 ,i tell you1 my dear friends1 we have got to do something more than that4 ,it is a battle all the time4 ,we have this to encourage us3 we are assured of victory at the end4 ,we are promised a glorious triumph4 ,eight ,overcomes4 ,let me give you the eight overcomes of ,revelation4 ,the first is3 ,to him that overcometh will ,i give to eat of the tree of life4 ,he shall have a right to the tree of life4 ,when ,adam fell1 he lost that right4 ,god turned him out of ,eden lest he should eat of the tree of life and live as he was forever4 ,perhaps ,he just took that tree and transplanted it to the ,garden above2 and through the second ,adam we are to have the right to eat of it4 ,second3 ,he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death4 ,death has no terrors for him1 it cannot touch him4 ,why8 ,because ,christ tasted death for every man4 ,hence he is on resurrection ground4 ,death may take this body1 but that is all4 ,this is only the house ,i live in4 ,we need have no fear of death if we overcome4 ,third3 ,to him that overcometh will ,i give to eat of the hidden manna1 and will give him a white stone1 and in the stone a new name written1 which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it4 ,if ,i overcome ,god will feed me with bread that the world knows nothing about1 and give me a new name4 ,fourth3 ,he that overcometh1 and keepeth ,my works unto the end1 to him will ,i give power over the nations4 ,think of it6 ,what a thing to have2 power over the nations6 ,a man that is able to rule himself is the man that ,god can trust with power4 ,only a man who can govern himself is fit to govern other men4 ,i have an idea that we are down here in training1 that ,god is just polishing us for some higher service4 ,i don't know where the kingdoms are1 but it we are to be kings and priests we must have kingdoms to reign over4 ,fifth3 ,he that overcometh1 the same shall be clothed in white raiment2 and ,i will not blot out his name out of the book of life1 but ,i will confess his name before ,my ,father1 and before ,his angels4 ,he shall present us to the ,father in white garments1 without spot or wrinkle4 ,every fault and stain shall be taken out1 and we be made perfect4 ,he that overcomes will not be a stranger in heaven4 ,sixth3 ,him that overcometh will ,i make a pillar in the temple of ,my ,god2 and he shall go no more out2 and ,i will write upon him the name of ,my ,god and the name of the city of ,my ,god1 which is ,new ,jerusalem1 which cometh down out of heaven from ,my ,god3 and ,i will write upon him ,my new name4 ,think of it6 ,no more backsliding1 no more wanderings over the dark mountains of sin1 but forever with the ,king1 and ,he says1 ,i will write upon him the name of ,my ,god4 ,he is going to put ,his name upon us4 ,isn't it grand8 ,isn't it worth fighting for8 ,it is said when ,mahomet came in sight of ,damascus and found that they had all left the city1 he said3 ,if they won't fight for this city what will they fight for8 ,if men won't fight here for all this reward1 what will they fight for8 ,seventh3 ,to him that overcometh will ,i grant to sit with ,me in ,my throne1 even as ,i also overcame1 and am set down with ,my ,father in ,his throne4 ,my heart has often melted as ,i have looked at that4 ,the ,lord of ,glory coming down and saying3 ,i will grant to you to sit on ,my throne1 even as ,i sit on ,my ,father's throne1 if you will just overcome4 ,isn't it worth a struggle8 ,how many will fight for a crown that is going to fade away6 ,yet we are to be placed above the angels1 above the archangels1 above the seraphim1 above the cherubim1 away up1 upon the throne with ,himself1 and there we shall be forever with ,him4 ,may ,god put strength into every one of us to fight the battle of life1 so that we may sit with ,him on ,his throne4 ,when ,frederick of ,germany was dying1 his own son would not have been allowed to sit with him on the throne1 nor to have let anyone else sit there with him4 ,yet we are told that we are joint heirs with ,jesus ,christ1 and that we are to sit with ,him in glory6 ,and now1 the last ,i like best of all3 ,he that overcometh shall inherit all things2 and ,i will be his ,god1 and he shall be ,my son4 ,my dear friends1 isn't that a high calling8 ,i used to have my ,sabbath-school children sing--,i want to be an angel3 but ,i have not done so for years4 ,we shall be above angels3 we shall be sons of ,god4 ,just see what a kingdom we shall come into3 we shall inherit all things6 ,do you ask me how much ,i am worth8 ,i don't know4 ,the ,rothschilds cannot compute their wealth4 ,they don't know how many millions they own4 ,that is my condition--,i haven't the slightest idea how much ,i am worth4 ,god has no poor children4 ,if we overcome we shall inherit all things4 ,oh1 my dear friends1 what an inheritance6 ,let us then get the victory1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord and ,master4 ,,results ,,of ,,true ,,repentance4 ,i want to call your attention to what true repentance leads to4 ,i am not addressing the unconverted only1 because ,i am one of those who believe that there is a good deal of repentance to be done by the ,church before much good will be accomplished in the world4 ,i firmly believe that the low standard of ,christian living is keeping a good many in the world and in their sins4 ,when the ungodly see that ,christian people do not repent1 you cannot expect them to repent and turn away from their sins4 ,i have repented ten thousand times more since ,i knew ,christ than ever before2 and ,i think most ,christians have some things to repent of4 ,so now ,i want to preach to ,christians as well as to the unconverted2 to myself as well as to one who has never accepted ,christ as his ,savior4 ,there are five things that flow out of true repentance3 #a4 ,conviction4 #b4 ,contrition4 #c4 ,confession of sin4 #d4 ,conversion4 #e4 ,confession of ,jesus ,christ before the world4 #a4 ,conviction4 ,when a man is not deeply convicted of sin1 it is a pretty sure sign that he has not truly repented4 ,experience has taught me that men who have very slight conviction of sin1 sooner or later lapse back into their old life4 ,for the last few years ,i have been a good deal more anxious for a deep and true work in professing converts than ,i have for great numbers4 ,if a man professes to be converted without realizing the heinousness of his sins1 he is likely to be one of those stony ground hearers who don't amount to anything4 ,the first breath of opposition1 the first wave of persecution or ridicule1 will suck them back into the world again4 ,i believe we are making a woeful mistake in taking so many people into the ,church who have never been truly convicted of sin4 ,sin is just as black in a man's heart to-day as it ever was4 ,i sometimes think it is blacker4 ,for the more light a man has1 the greater his responsibility1 and therefore the greater need of deep conviction4 ,william ,dawson once told this story to illustrate how humble the soul must be before it can find peace4 ,he said that at a revival meeting1 a little lad who was used to ,methodist ways1 went home to his mother and said1 ,mother1 ,john ,so-and-so is under conviction and seeking for peace1 but he will not find it to-night1 mother4 ,why1 ,william8 said she4 ,because he is only down on one knee1 mother1 and he will never get peace until he is down on both knees4 ,until conviction of sin brings us down on both knees1 until we are completely humbled1 until we have no hope in ourselves left1 we cannot find the ,savior4 ,there are three things that lead to conviction3 7#a7 ,conscience2 7#b7 the ,word of ,god2 7#c7 the ,holy ,spirit4 ,all three are used by ,god4 ,long before we had any ,word1 ,god dealt with men through the conscience4 ,that is what made ,adam and ,eve hide themselves from the presence of the ,lord ,god amongst the trees of the ,garden of ,eden4 ,that is what convicted ,joseph's brethren when they said3 ,we are verily guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us and we would not hear4 ,therefore1 said they 7and remember1 over twenty years had passed away since they had sold him into captivity71 therefore is this distress come upon us4 ,that is what we must use with our children before they are old enough to understand about the ,word and the ,spirit of ,god4 ,this is what accuses or excuses the heathen4 ,conscience is a divinely implanted faculty in man1 telling him that he ought to do right4 ,someone has said that it was born when ,adam and ,eve ate of the forbidden fruit1 when their eyes were opened and they knew good and evil4 ,it passes judgment1 without being invited1 upon our thoughts1 words1 and actions1 approving or condemning according as it judges them to be right or wrong4 ,a man cannot violate his conscience without being self-condemned4 ,but conscience is not a safe guide1 because very often it will not tell you a thing is wrong until you have done it4 ,it needs illuminating by ,god because it partakes of our fallen nature4 ,many a person does things that are wrong without being condemned by conscience4 ,paul said3 ,i verily thought with myself that ,i ought to do many things contrary to the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,conscience itself needs to be educated4 ,again1 conscience is too often like an alarm clock1 which awakens and arouses at first1 but after a time the man becomes used to it1 and it loses its effect4 ,conscience can be smothered4 ,i think we make a mistake in not preaching more to the conscience4 ,hence1 in due time1 conscience was superseded by the law of ,god1 which in time was fulfilled in ,christ4 ,in this ,christian land1 where men have ,bibles1 these are the agency by which ,god produces conviction4 ,the old ,book tells you what is right and wrong before you commit sin1 and what you need is to learn and appropriate its teachings1 under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,conscience compared with the ,bible is as a rushlight compared with the sun in the heavens4 ,see how the truth convicted those ,jews on the day of ,pentecost4 ,peter1 filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 preached that ,god hath made this same ,jesus1 whom ye have crucified1 both ,lord and ,christ4 ,now when they heard this1 they were pricked in their heart1 and said unto ,peter and to the rest of the apostles1 ,men and brethren1 what shall we do8 ,then1 thirdly1 the ,holy ,ghost convicts4 ,i once heard the late ,dr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,gordon expound that passage--,and when ,he 7the ,comforter7 is come1 ,he will reprove the world of sin1 of righteousness1 and of judgment2 of sin because they believe not on ,me1--as follows3-- ,some commentators say there was no real conviction of sin in the world until the ,holy ,ghost came4 ,i think that foreign missionaries will say that that is not true1 that a heathen who never heard of ,christ may have a tremendous conviction of sin4 ,for notice that ,god gave conscience first1 and gave the ,comforter afterward4 ,conscience bears witness to the law1 the ,comforter bears witness to ,christ4 ,conscience brings legal conviction1 the ,comforter brings evangelical conviction4 ,conscience brings conviction unto condemnation1 and the ,comforter brings conviction unto justification4 ',he shall convince the world of sin1 because they believe not on ,me4' ,that is the sin about which ,he convinces4 ,it does not say that ,he convinces men of sin1 because they have stolen or lied or committed adultery2 but the ,holy ,ghost is to convince men of sin because they have not believed on ,jesus ,christ4 ,the coming of ,jesus ,christ into the world made a sin possible that was not possible before4 ,light reveals darkness2 it takes whiteness to bring conviction concerning blackness4 ,there are negroes in ,central ,africa who never dreamed that they were black until they saw the face of a white man2 and there are a great many people in this world that never knew they were sinful until they saw the face of ,jesus ,christ in all its purity4 ,jesus ,christ now stands between us and the law4 ,he has fulfilled the law for us4 ,he has settled all claims of the law1 and now whatever claim it had upon us has been transferred to ,him1 so that it is no longer the sin question1 but the ,son question1 that confronts us4 ,and1 therefore1 you notice that the first thing ,peter does when he begins to preach after the ,holy ,ghost has been sent down is about ,christ3 ',him being delivered by the determinate counsel of ,god1 ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain4' ,it doesn't say a word about any other kind of sin4 ,that is the sin that runs all through ,peter's teaching1 and as he preached1 the ,holy ,ghost came down and convicted them1 and they cried out1 ',what shall we do to be saved8' ,well1 but we had no part in crucifying ,christ2 therefore1 what is our sin8 ,it is the same sin in another form4 ,they were convicted of crucifying ,christ2 we are convicted because we have not believed on ,christ crucified4 ,they were convicted because they had despised and rejected ,god's ,son4 ,the ,holy ,ghost convicts us because we have not believed in the ,despised and ,rejected ,one4 ,it is really the same sin in both cases--the sin of unbelief in ,christ4 ,some of the most powerful meetings ,i have ever been in were those in which there came a sort of hush over the people1 and it seemed as if an unseen power gripped their consciences4 ,i remember a man coming to one meeting1 and the moment he entered1 he felt that ,god was there4 ,there came an awe upon him1 and that very hour he was convicted and converted4 #b4 ,contrition4 ,the next thing is contrition1 deep ,godly sorrow and humiliation of heart because of sin4 ,if there is not true contrition1 a man will turn right back into the old sin4 ,that is the trouble with many ,christians4 ,a man may get angry1 and if there is not much contrition1 the next day he will get angry again4 ,a daughter may say mean1 cutting things to her mother1 and then her conscience troubles her1 and she says3 ,mother1 ,i am sorry3 forgive me4 ,but soon there is another outburst of temper1 because the contrition is not deep and real4 ,a husband speaks sharp words to his wife1 and then to ease his conscience1 he goes and buys her a bouquet of flowers4 ,he will not go like a man and say he has done wrong4 ,what ,god wants is contrition1 and if there is not contrition1 there is not full repentance4 ,the ,lord is nigh to the broken of heart1 and saveth such as be contrite of spirit4 ,a broken and a contrite heart1 ,o ,god1 ,thou wilt not despise4 ,many sinners are sorry for their sins1 sorry that they cannot continue in sin2 but they repent only with hearts that are not broken4 ,i don't think we know how to repent now-a-days4 ,we need some ,john the ,baptist1 wandering through the land1 crying3 ,repent6 repent6 #c4 ,confession of ,sin4 ,if we have true contrition1 that will lead us to confess our sins4 ,i believe that nine-tenths of the trouble in our ,christian life comes from failing to do this4 ,we try to hide and cover up our sins2 there is very little confession of them4 ,someone has said3 ,unconfessed sin in the soul is like a bullet in the body4 ,if you have no power1 it may be there is some sin that needs to be confessed1 something in your life that needs straightening out4 ,there is no amount of psalm-singing1 no amount of attending religious meetings1 no amount of praying or reading your ,bible that is going to cover up anything of that kind4 ,it must be confessed1 and if ,i am too proud to confess1 ,i need expect no mercy from ,god and no answers to my prayers4 ,the ,bible says3 ,he that covereth his sins shall not prosper4 ,he may be a man in the pulpit1 a priest behind the altar1 a king on the throne2 ,i don't care who he is4 ,man has been trying it for six thousand years4 ,adam tried it1 and failed4 ,moses tried it when he buried the ,egyptian whom he killed1 but he failed4 ,be sure your sin will find you out4 ,you cannot bury your sin so deep but it will have a resurrection by and by1 if it has not been blotted out by the ,son of ,god4 ,what man has failed to do for six thousand years1 you and ,i had better give up trying to do4 ,there are three ways of confessing sin4 ,all sin is against ,god1 and must be confessed to ,him4 ,there are some sins ,i need never confess to anyone on earth4 ,if the sin has been between myself and ,god1 ,i may confess it alone in my closet3 ,i need not whisper it in the ear of any mortal4 ,father1 ,i have sinned against heaven1 and before ,thee4 ,against ,thee1 ,thee only1 have ,i sinned1 and done this evil in ,thy sight4 ,but if ,i have done some man a wrong1 and he knows that ,i have wronged him1 ,i must confess that sin not only to ,god but also to that man4 ,if ,i have too much pride to confess it to him1 ,i need not come to ,god4 ,i may pray1 and ,i may weep1 but it will do no good4 ,first confess to that man1 and then go to ,god and see how quickly ,he will hear you1 and send peace4 ,if thou bring thy gift to the altar1 and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee2 leave there thy gift before the altar1 and go thy ways4 ,first be reconciled to thy brother1 and then come and offer thy gift4 ,that is the ,scripture way4 ,then there is another class of sins that must be confessed publicly4 ,suppose ,i have been known as a blasphemer1 a drunkard1 or a reprobate4 ,if ,i repent of my sins1 ,i owe the public a confession4 ,the confession should be as public as the transgression4 ,many a person will say some mean thing about another in the presence of others1 and then try to patch it up by going to that person alone4 ,the confession should be made so that all who heard the transgression can hear it4 ,we are good at confessing other people's sins1 but if it is true repentance1 we shall have as much as we can do to look after our own4 ,when a man or woman gets a good look into ,god's looking glass1 he is not finding fault with other people3 he has as much as he can do at home4 ,if we confess our sins1 ,he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins1 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness4 ,thank ,god for the ,gospel6 ,church member1 if there is any sin in your life1 make up your mind that you will confess it1 and be forgiven4 ,do not have any cloud between you and ,god4 ,be able to read your title clear to the mansion ,christ has gone to prepare for you4 #d4 ,conversion4 ,confession leads to true conversion1 and there is no conversion at all until these three steps have been taken4 ,now the word conversion means two things4 ,we say a man is converted when he is born again4 ,but it also has a different meaning in the ,bible4 ,peter said3 ,repent1 and be converted4 ,the ,revised ,version reads3 ,repent1 and turn4 ,paul said that he was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision1 but began to preach to ,jews and ,gentiles that they should repent and turn to ,god4 ,some old divine has said3 ,every man is born with his back to ,god4 ,repentance is a change of one's course4 ,it is right about face4 ,sin is a turning away from ,god4 ,as someone has said1 it is aversion from ,god and conversion to the world3 and true repentance means conversion to ,god and aversion from the world4 ,when there is true contrition1 the heart is broken for sin2 when there is true conversion1 the heart is broken from sin4 ,we leave the old life1 we are translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light4 ,wonderful1 isn't it8 ,unless our repentance includes this conversion1 it is not worth much4 ,if a man continues in sin1 it is proof of an idle profession4 ,it is like pumping away continually at the ship's pumps1 without stopping the leaks4 ,solomon said3--,if they pray1 and confess thy name1 and turn from their sin 4 4 4 ,prayer and confession would be of no avail while they continued in sin4 ,let us heed ,god's call2 let us forsake the old wicked way2 let us return unto the ,lord1 and ,he will have mercy upon us2 and to our ,god1 for ,he will abundantly pardon4 ,if you have never turned to ,god1 turn now4 ,i have no sympathy with the idea that it takes six months1 or six weeks1 or six hours to be converted4 ,it doesn't take you very long to turn around1 does it8 ,if you know you are wrong1 then turn right about4 #e4 ,confession of ,christ4 ,if you are converted1 the next step is confess it openly4 ,listen3 ,if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and shalt believe in thine heart that ,god hath raised ,him from the dead1 thou shalt be saved4 ,for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness1 and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation4 ,confession of ,christ is the culmination of the work of true repentance4 ,we owe it to the world1 to our fellow-,christians1 to ourselves4 ,he died to redeem us1 and shall we be ashamed or afraid to confess ,him8 ,religion as an abstraction1 as a doctrine1 has little interest for the world1 but what people can say from personal experience always has weight4 ,i remember some meetings being held in a locality where the tide did not rise very quickly1 and bitter and reproachful things were being said about the work4 ,but one day1 one of the most prominent men in the place rose and said3 ,i want it to be known that ,i am a disciple of ,jesus ,christ2 and if there is any odium to be cast on ,his cause1 ,i am prepared to take my share of it4 ,it went through the meeting like an electric current1 and a blessing came at once to his own soul and to the souls of others4 ,men come to me and say3 ,do you mean to affirm1 ,mr4 ,moody1 that ,i've got to make a public confession when ,i accept ,christ2 do you mean to say ,i've got to confess ,him in my place of business1 and in my family8 ,am ,i to let the whole world know that ,i am on ,his side8 ,that is precisely what ,i mean4 ,a great many are willing to accept ,christ1 but they are not willing to publish it1 to confess it4 ,a great many are looking at the lions and the bears in the way4 ,now1 my friends1 the devil's mountains are only made of smoke4 ,he can throw a straw into your path and make a mountain of it4 ,he says to you3 ,you cannot confess and pray to your family2 why1 you'll break down6 ,you cannot tell it to your shopmate2 he will laugh at you4 ,but when you accept ,christ1 you will have power to confess ,him4 ,there was a young man in the ,west--it was the ,west in those days--who had been more or less interested about his soul's salvation4 ,one afternoon1 in his office1 he said3 ,i will accept ,jesus ,christ as my ,lord and ,savior4 ,he went home and told his wife 7who was a nominal professor of religion7 that he had made up his mind to serve ,christ2 and he added3 ,after supper to-night ,i am going to take the company into the drawing-room1 and erect the family altar4 ,well1 said his wife1 you know some of the gentlemen who are coming to tea are sceptics1 and they are older than you are1 and don't you think you had better wait until after they have gone1 or else go out in the kitchen and have your first prayer with the servants8 ,the young man thought for a few moments1 and then he said3 ,i have asked ,jesus ,christ into my house for the first time1 and ,i shall take ,him into the best room1 not into the kitchen4 ,so he called his friends into the drawing room4 ,there was a little sneering1 but he read and prayed4 ,that man afterwards became ,chief ,justice of the ,united ,states ,court4 ,never be ashamed of the ,gospel of ,christ3 it is the power of ,god unto salvation4 ,a young man enlisted1 and was sent to his regiment4 ,the first night he was in the barracks with about fifteen other young men who passed the time playing cards and gambling4 ,before retiring1 he fell on his knees and prayed1 and they began to curse him and jeer at him and throw boots at him4 ,so it went on the next night and the next1 and finally the young man went and told the chaplain what had taken place1 and asked what he should do4 ,well1 said the chaplain1 you are not at home now1 and the other men have just as much right in the barracks as you have4 ,it makes them mad to hear you pray1 and the ,lord will hear you just as well if you say your prayers in bed and don't provoke them4 ,for weeks after the chaplain did not see the young man again1 but one day he met him1 and asked-- ,by the way1 did you take my advice8 ,i did1 for two or three nights4 ,how did it work8 ,well1 said the young man1 ,i felt like a whipped hound1 and the third night ,i got out of bed1 knelt down and prayed4 ,well1 asked the chaplain1 how did that work8 ,the young soldier answered3 ,we have a prayer-meeting there now every night1 and three have been converted1 and we are praying for the rest4 ,oh1 friends1 ,i am so tired of weak ,christianity4 ,let us be out and out for ,christ2 let us give no uncertain sound4 ,if the world wants to call us fools1 let them do it4 ,it is only a little while2 the crowning day is coming4 ,thank ,god for the privilege we have of confessing ,christ4 ,,true ,,wisdom4 ,they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament2 and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever4 ,dan4 #ab3c4 ,that is the testimony of an old man1 and one who had the richest and deepest experience of any man living on the face of the earth at the time4 ,he was taken down to ,babylon when a young man2 some ,bible students think he was not more than twenty years of age4 ,if anyone had said1 when this young ,hebrew was carried away into captivity1 that he would outrank all the mighty men of that day--that all the generals who had been victorious in almost every nation at that time were to be eclipsed by this young slave--probably no one would have believed it4 ,yet for five hundred years no man whose life is recorded in history shone as did this man4 ,he outshone ,nebuchadnezzar1 ,belshazzar1 ,cyrus1 ,darius1 and all the princes and mighty monarchs of his day4 ,we are not told when he was converted to a knowledge of the true ,god1 but ,i think we have good reason to believe that he had been brought under the influence of ,jeremiah the prophet4 ,evidently some earnest1 godly man1 and no worldly professor1 had made a deep impression upon him4 ,someone had at any rate taught him how he was to serve ,god4 ,we hear people nowadays talking about the hardness of the field where they labor2 they say their position is a very peculiar one4 ,think of the field in which ,daniel had to work4 ,he was not only a slave1 but he was held captive by a nation that detested the ,hebrews4 ,the language was unknown to him4 ,there he was among idolaters2 yet he commenced at once to shine4 ,he took his stand for ,god from the very first1 and so he went on through his whole life4 ,he gave the dew of his youth to ,god1 and he continued faithful right on till his pilgrimage was ended4 ,notice that all those who have made a deep impression on the world1 and have shone most brightly have been men who lived in a dark day4 ,look at ,joseph2 he was sold as a slave into ,egypt by the ,ishmaelites2 yet he took his ,god with him into captivity1 as ,daniel afterwards did4 ,and he remained true to the last2 he did not give up his faith because he had been taken away from home and placed among idolaters4 ,he stood firm1 and ,god stood by him4 ,look at ,moses who turned his back upon the gilded palaces of ,egypt1 and identified himself with his despised and down-trodden nation4 ,if a man ever had a hard field it was ,moses2 yet he shone brightly1 and never proved unfaithful to his ,god4 ,elijah lived in a far darker day than we do4 ,the whole nation was going over to idolatry4 ,ahab and his queen1 and all the royal court were throwing their influence against the worship of the true ,god4 ,yet ,elijah stood firm1 and shone brightly in that dark and evil day4 ,how his name stands out on the page of history6 ,look at ,john the ,baptist4 ,i used to think ,i would like to live in the days of the prophets2 but ,i have given up that idea4 ,you may be sure that when a prophet appears on the scene1 everything is dark1 and the professing ,church of ,god has gone over to the service of the god of this world4 ,so it was when ,john the ,baptist made his appearance4 ,see how his name shines out to-day6 ,eighteen centuries have rolled away1 and yet the fame of that wilderness preacher shines brighter than ever4 ,he was looked down upon in his day and generation1 but he has outlived all his enemies2 his name will be revered and his work remembered as long as the ,church is on the earth4 ,talk about your field being a hard one6 ,see how ,paul shone for ,god as he went out1 the first missionary to the heathen1 telling them of the ,god whom he served1 and who had sent ,his ,son to die a cruel death in order to save the world4 ,men reviled him and his teachings2 they laughed him to scorn when he spoke of the crucified ,one4 ,but he went on preaching the ,gospel of the ,son of ,god4 ,he was regarded as a poor tent-maker by the great and mighty ones of his day2 but no one can now tell the name of any of his persecutors1 or of those who lived at that time1 unless their names happen to be associated with his1 and they were brought into contact with him4 ,now the fact is1 all men like to shine4 ,we may as well acknowledge it at once4 ,go into business circles1 and see how men struggle to get into the front rank4 ,everyone wants to outshine his neighbor and to stand at the head of his profession4 ,go into the political world1 and see how there is a struggle going on as to who shall be the greatest4 ,if you go into a school1 you find that there is a rivalry among the boys and girls4 ,they all want to stand at the top of the class4 ,when a boy does reach this position and outranks all the rest1 the mother is very proud of it4 ,she will manage to tell all the neighbors how ,johnnie has got on1 and what a number of prizes he has gained4 ,go into the army and you find the same thing--one trying to outstrip the other2 everyone is very anxious to shine and rise above his comrades4 ,go among the young men in their games1 and see how anxious the one is to outdo the other4 ,so we have all that desire in us2 we like to shine above our fellows4 ,and yet there are very few who can really shine in the world4 ,once in a while one man will outstrip all his competitors4 ,every four years what a struggle goes on throughout our country as to who shall be the ,president of the ,united ,states1 the battle raging for six months or a year4 ,yet only one man can get the prize4 ,there are a good many struggling to get the place1 but many are disappointed1 because only one can attain the coveted prize4 ,but in the kingdom of ,god the very least and the very weakest may shine if they will4 ,not only can one obtain the prize1 but all may have it if they will4 ,it does not say in this passage that the statesmen are going to shine as the brightness of the firmament4 ,the statesmen of ,babylon are gone2 their very names are forgotten4 ,it does not say that the nobility are going to shine4 ,earth's nobility are soon forgotten4 ,john ,bunyan1 the ,bedford tinker1 has outlived the whole crowd of those who were the nobility in his day4 ,they lived for self1 and their memory is blotted out4 ,he lived for ,god and for souls1 and his name is as fragrant as ever it was4 ,we are not told that the merchants are going to shine4 ,who can tell the name of any of the millionaires of ,daniel's day8 ,they were all buried in oblivion a few years after their death4 ,who were the mighty conquerors of that day8 ,but few can tell4 ,it is true that we hear of ,nebuchadnezzar1 but probably we should not have known very much about him but of his relations to the prophet ,daniel4 ,how different with this faithful prophet of the ,lord6 ,twenty five centuries have passed away1 and his name shines on1 and on1 and on1 brighter and brighter4 ,and it is going to shine while the ,church of ,god exists4 ,they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament2 and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever4 ,how quickly the glory of this world fades away6 ,eighty years ago the great ,napoleon almost made the earth to tremble4 ,how he blazed and shone as an earthly warrior for a little while6 ,a few years passed and a little island held that once proud and mighty conqueror2 he died a poor broken-hearted prisoner4 ,where is he to-day8 ,almost forgotten4 ,who in all the world will say that ,napoleon lives in their heart's affections8 ,but look at this despised and hated ,hebrew prophet4 ,they wanted to put him into the lions' den because he was too sanctimonious and too religious ,yet see how green his memory is to-day6 ,how his name is loved and honored for his faithfulness to his ,god4 ,many years ago ,i was in ,paris1 at the time of the ,great ,exhibition4 ,napoleon the ,third was then in his glory4 ,cheer after cheer would rise as he drove along the streets of the city4 ,a few short years1 and he fell from his lofty estate4 ,he died an exile from his country and his throne1 and where is his name today8 ,very few think about him at all1 and if his name is mentioned it is not with love and esteem4 ,how empty and short lived are the glory and the pride of this world6 ,if we are wise1 we will live for ,god and eternity2 we will get outside of ourselves1 and will care nothing for the honor and glory of this world4 ,in ,proverbs we read3 ,he that winneth souls is wise4 ,if any man1 woman1 or child by a ,godly life and example can win one soul to ,god1 their life will not have been a failure4 ,they will have outshone all the mighty men of their day1 because they will have set a stream in motion that will flow on and on forever and ever4 ,god has left us down here to shine4 ,we are not here to buy and sell and get gain1 to accumulate wealth1 to acquire worldly position4 ,this earth1 if we are ,christians1 is not our home2 it is up yonder4 ,god has sent us into the world to shine for ,him--to light up this dark world4 ,christ came to be the ,light of the world1 but men put out that light4 ,they took it to ,calvary1 and blew it out4 ,before ,christ went up on high1 ,he said to ,his disciples3 ,ye are the light of the world4 ,ye are my witnesses4 ,go forth and carry the ,gospel to the perishing nations of the earth4 ,so ,god has called us to shine1 just as much as ,daniel was sent into ,babylon to shine4 ,let no man or woman say that they cannot shine because they have not so much influence as some others may have4 ,what ,god wants you to do is to use the influence you have4 ,daniel probably did not have much influence down in ,babylon at first1 but ,god soon gave him more1 because he was faithful and used what he had4 ,remember a small light will do a good deal when it is in a very dark place4 ,put one little tallow candle in the middle of a large hall1 and it will give a good deal of light4 ,away out in the prairie regions1 when meetings are held at night in the log schoolhouses1 the announcement of the meeting is given out in this way3 ,a meeting will be held by early candlelight4 ,the first man who comes brings a tallowdip with him4 ,it is perhaps all he has2 but he brings it1 and sets it on the desk4 ,it does not light the building much2 but it is better than nothing at all4 ,the next man brings his candle2 and the next family bring theirs4 ,by the time the house is full1 there is plenty of light4 ,so if we all shine a little1 there will be a good deal of light4 ,that is what ,god wants us to do4 ,if we cannot all be lighthouses1 any one of us can at any rate be a tallow candle4 ,a little light will sometimes do a great deal4 ,the city of ,chicago was set on fire by a cow kicking over a lamp1 and a hundred thousand people were burnt out of house and home4 ,do not let ,satan get the advantage of you1 and make you think that because you cannot do any great thing you cannot do anything at all4 ,then we must remember that we are to let our light shine4 ,it does not say1 ,make your light shine4 ,you do not have to make light to shine2 all you have to do is to let it shine4 ,i remember hearing of a man at sea who was very seasick4 ,if there is a time when a man feels that he cannot do any work for the ,lord it is then--in my opinion4 ,while this man was sick1 he heard that someone had fallen overboard4 ,he was wondering if he could do anything to help to save the man4 ,he laid hold of a light1 and held it up to the port-hole4 ,the drowning man was saved4 ,when this man got over his attack of sickness1 he went on deck one day and was talking with the man who was rescued4 ,the saved man gave this testimony4 ,he said he had gone down the second time1 and was just going down again for the last time1 when he put out his hand4 ,just then1 he said1 someone held a light at the port-hole1 and the light fell on it4 ,a sailor caught him by the hand and pulled him into the lifeboat4 ,it seemed a small thing to do to hold up the light2 yet it saved the man's life4 ,if you cannot do some great thing you can hold the light for some poor1 perishing drunkard1 who may be won to ,christ and delivered from destruction4 ,let us take the torch of salvation and go into the dark homes1 and hold up ,christ to the people as the ,savior of the world4 ,if the perishing masses are to be reached1 we must lay our lives right alongside theirs1 and pray with them and labor for them4 ,i would not give much for a man's ,christianity if he is saved himself and is not willing to try and save others4 ,it seems to me the basest ingratitude if we do not reach out the hand to others who are down in the same pit from which we were delivered4 ,who is able to reach and help drinking men like those who have themselves been slaves to the intoxicating cup8 ,will you not go out this very day and seek to rescue these men8 ,if we were all to do what we can1 we should soon empty the drinking saloons4 ,i remember reading of a blind man who was found sitting at the corner of a street in a great city with a lantern beside him4 ,someone went up to him and asked what he had the lantern there for1 seeing that he was blind1 and the light was the same to him as the darkness4 ,the blind man replied3 ,i have it so that no one may stumble over me4 ,dear friends1 let us think of that4 ,where one man reads the ,bible1 a hundred read you and me4 ,that is what ,paul meant when he said we were to be living epistles of ,christ1 known and read of all men4 ,i would not give much for all that can be done by sermons1 if we do not preach ,christ by our lives4 ,if we do not commend the ,gospel to people by our holy walk and conversation1 we shall not win them to ,christ4 ,some little act of kindness will perhaps do more to influence them than any number of long sermons4 ,a vessel was caught in a storm on ,lake ,erie1 and they were trying to make for the harbor of ,cleveland4 ,at the entrance of that port they had what are called the upper lights and the lower lights4 ,away back on the bluffs were the upper lights burning brightly enough2 but when they came near the harbor they could not see the lights showing the entrance to it4 ,the pilot said he thought they had better get back on the lake again4 ,the ,captain said he was sure they would go down if they went back1 and he urged the pilot to do what he could to gain the harbor4 ,the pilot said there was very little hope of making the harbor1 as he had nothing to guide him as to how he should steer the ship4 ,they tried all they could to get her in4 ,she rode on the top of the waves1 and then into the trough of the sea1 and at last they found themselves stranded on the beach1 where the vessel was dashed to pieces4 ,someone had neglected the lower lights1 and they had gone out4 ,let us take warning4 ,god keeps the upper lights burning as brightly as ever1 but ,he has left us down here to keep the lower lights burning4 ,we are to represent ,him here1 as ,christ represents us up yonder4 ,i sometimes think if we had as poor a representative in the courts above as ,god has down here on earth1 we would have a pretty poor chance of heaven4 ,let us have our loins girt and our lights brightly burning1 so that others may see the way and not walk in darkness4 ,speaking of a lighthouse reminds me of what ,i heard about a man in the ,state of ,minnesota1 who1 some years ago1 was caught in a fearful storm4 ,that ,state is cursed with storms which come sweeping down so suddenly in the winter time that escape is difficult4 ,the snow will fall and the wind will beat it into the face of the traveler so that he cannot see two feet ahead4 ,many a man has been lost on the prairies when he has got caught in one of those storms4 ,this man was caught and was almost on the point of giving up1 when he saw a little light in a log house4 ,he managed to get there1 and found a shelter from the fury of the tempest4 ,he is now a wealthy man4 ,as soon as he was able1 he bought the farm1 and built a beautiful house on the spot where the log building stood4 ,on the top of a tower he put a revolving light1 and every night when there comes a storm he lights it up in the hope that it may be the means of saving someone else4 ,that is true gratitude1 and that is what ,god wants us to do4 ,if ,he has rescued us and brought us up out of the horrible pit1 let us be always looking to see if there is not someone else whom we can help to save4 ,i remember hearing of two men who had charge of a revolving light in a lighthouse on a rock-bound and stormy coast4 ,somehow the machinery went wrong1 and the light did not revolve4 ,they were so afraid that those at sea should mistake it for some other light1 that they worked all the night through to keep the light moving round4 ,let us keep our lights in the proper place1 so that the world may see that the religion of ,christ is not a sham but a reality4 ,it is said that in the ,grecian sports they had one game where the men ran with lights4 ,they lit a torch at the altar1 and ran a certain distance2 sometimes they were on horseback4 ,if a man came in with his light still burning1 he received a prize2 if his light had gone out1 he lost the prize4 ,how many there are who1 in their old age1 have lost their light and their joy6 ,they were once burning and shining lights in the family1 in the ,sunday-school1 and in the ,church4 ,but something has come in between them and ,god--the world or self--and their light has gone out4 ,reader1 if you are one who has had this experience1 may ,god help you to come back to the altar of the ,savior's love and light up your torch anew1 so that you can go out into the lanes and alleys1 and let the light of the ,gospel shine in these dark homes4 ,as ,i have already said1 if we only lead one soul to ,jesus ,christ we may set a stream in motion that will flow on when we are dead and gone4 ,away up the mountain side there is a little spring2 it seems so small that an ox might drink it up at a draught4 ,by and by it becomes a rivulet2 other rivulets run into it4 ,before long it is a large brook1 and then it becomes a broad river sweeping onward to the sea4 ,on its banks are cities1 towns and villages1 where many thousands live4 ,vegetation flourishes on every side1 and commerce is carried down its stately bosom to distant lands4 ,so if you turn one to ,christ1 that one may turn a hundred2 they may turn a thousand1 and so the stream1 small at first1 goes on broadening and deepening as it rolls toward eternity4 ,in the book of ,revelation we read3 ,i heard a voice from heaven saying unto me1 ,write1 ,blessed are the dead which die in the ,lord from henceforth3 yea1 saith the ,spirit1 that they may rest from their labors2 and their works do follow them4 ,there are many mentioned in the ,scriptures of whom we read that they lived so many years and then they died4 ,the cradle and the grave are brought close together2 they lived and they died1 and that is all we know about them4 ,so in these days you could write on the tombstone of a great many professing ,christians that they were born on such a day and they died on such a day2 there is nothing whatever between4 ,but there is one thing you cannot bury with a good man2 his influence still lives4 ,they have not buried ,daniel yet3 his influence is as great today as it ever was4 ,do you tell me that ,joseph is dead8 ,his influence still lives and will continue to live on and on4 ,you may bury the frail tenement of clay that a good man lives in1 but you cannot get rid of his influence and example4 ,paul was never more powerful than he is to-day4 ,do you tell me that ,john ,howard1 who went into so many of the dark prisons in ,europe1 is dead8 ,is ,henry ,martyn1 or ,wilberforce1 or ,john ,bunyan dead8 ,go into the ,southern ,states1 and there you will find millions of men and women who once were slaves4 ,mention to any of them the name of ,wilberforce1 and see how quickly the eye will light up4 ,he lived for something else besides himself1 and his memory will never die out of the hearts of those for whom he lived and labored4 ,is ,wesley or ,whitefield dead8 ,the names of those great evangelists were never more honored than they are now4 ,is ,john ,knox dead8 ,you can go to any part of ,scotland today1 and feel the power of his influence4 ,i will tell you who are dead4 ,the enemies of these servants of ,god--those who persecuted them and told lies about them4 ,but the men themselves have outlived all the lies that were uttered concerning them4 ,not only that2 they will shine in another world4 ,how true are the words of the old ,book3 ,they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament2 and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever4 ,let us go on turning as many as we can to righteousness4 ,let us be dead to the world1 to its lies1 its pleasures1 and its ambitions4 ,let us live for ,god1 continually going forth to win souls for ,him4 ,let me quote a few words by ,dr4 ,chalmers3 ,thousands of men breathe1 move and live1 pass off the stage of life1 and are heard no more--,why8 ,they do not partake of good in the world1 and none were blessed by them2 none could point to them as the means of their redemption2 not a line they wrote1 not a word they spoke could be recalled2 and so they perished2 their light went out in darkness1 and they were not remembered more than insects of yesterday4 ,will you thus live and die1 ,o man immortal8 ,live for something4 ,do good1 and leave behind you a monument of virtue that the storms of time can never destroy4 ,write your name in kindness1 love and mercy1 on the hearts of the thousands you come in contact with year by year2 you will never be forgotten4 ,no1 your name1 your deeds will be as legible on the hearts you leave behind as the stars on the brow of evening4 ,good deeds will shine as the stars of heaven4 ,,come ,,thou ,,and ,,all ,,thy ,,house ,,into ,,the ,,ark4 ,i want to call your attention to a text that you will find in the seventh chapter of ,genesis1 first verse4 ,when ,god speaks1 you and ,i can afford to listen4 ,it is not man speaking now1 but it is ,god4 ,the ,lord said unto ,noah1 ,come thou and all thy house into the ark4 ,perhaps some sceptic is reading this1 and perhaps some church member will join with him and say1 ,i hope ,mr4 ,moody is not going to preach about the ark4 ,i thought that was given up by all intelligent people4 ,but ,i want to say that ,i haven't given it up4 ,when ,i do1 ,i am going to give up the whole ,bible4 ,there is hardly any portion of the ,old ,testament ,scripture but that the ,son of ,god set ,his seal to it when ,he was down here in the world4 ,men say1 ,i don't believe in the story of the flood4 ,christ connected ,his own return to this world with that flood3 ,and as it was in the days of ,noah1 so shall it be also in the days of the ,son of man4 ,they did eat1 they drank1 they married wives1 they were given in marriage1 until the day that ,noah entered into the ark1 and the flood came1 and destroyed them all4 ,i believe the story of the flood just as much as ,i do the third chapter of ,john4 ,i pity any man that is picking the old ,book to pieces4 ,the moment that we give up any one of these things1 we touch the deity of the ,son of ,god4 ,i have noticed that when a man does begin to pick the ,bible to pieces1 it doesn't take him long to tear it all to pieces4 ,what is the use of being five years about what you can do in five minutes8 ,a ,solemn ,message4 ,one hundred and twenty years before ,god spake the words of my text1 ,noah had received the most awful communication that ever came from heaven to earth4 ,no man up to that time1 and ,i think no man since1 has ever received such a communication4 ,god said that on account of the wickedness of the world ,he was going to destroy the world by water4 ,we can have no idea of the extent and character of that antediluvian wickedness4 ,the ,bible piles one expression on another1 in its effort to emphasize it4 ,god saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth1 and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually4 ,and it repented the ,lord that ,he had made man on the earth1 and it grieved him at ,his heart4 4 4 4 ,the earth also was corrupt before ,god1 and the earth was filled with violence4 ,and ,god looked upon the earth1 and1 behold1 it was corrupt2 for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth4 ,men lived five hundred years and more then1 and they had time to mature in their sins4 ,how the ,message was ,received4 ,for one hundred and twenty years ,god strove with those antediluvians4 ,he never smites without warning1 and they had their warning4 ,every time ,noah drove a nail into the ark it was a warning to them4 ,every sound of the hammer echoed1 ,i believe in ,god4 ,if they had repented and cried as they did at ,nineveh1 ,i believe ,god would have heard their cry and spared them4 ,but there was no cry for mercy4 ,i have no doubt but that they ridiculed the idea that ,god was going to destroy the world4 ,i have no doubt but that there were atheists who said there was not any ,god anyhow4 ,i got hold of one of them some time ago4 ,i said1 ,how do you account for the formation of the world8 ,oh6 force and matter work together1 and by chance the world was created4 ,i said1 ,it is a singular thing that your tongue isn't on the top of your head if force and matter just threw it together in that manner4 ,if ,i should take out my watch and say that force and matter worked together1 and out came the watch1 you would say ,i was a lunatic of the first order4 ,wouldn't you8 ,and yet they say that this old world was made by chance6 ,it threw itself together6 ,i met a man in ,scotland1 and he took the ground that there was no ,god4 ,i asked him1 ,how do you account for creation1 for all these rocks8 7,they have a great many rocks in ,scotland47 ,why6 he said1 any school boy could account for that4 ,well1 how was the first rock made8 ,out of sand4 ,how was the first sand made8 ,out of rock4 ,you see he had it all arranged so nicely4 ,sand and rock1 rock and sand4 ,i have no doubt but that ,noah had these men to contend with4 ,then there was a class called agnostics1 and there are a good many of their grandchildren1 alive to-day4 ,then there was another class who said they believed there was a ,god2 they couldn't make themselves believe that the world happened by chance2 but ,god was too merciful to punish sin4 ,he was so full of compassion and love that ,he couldn't punish sin4 ,the drunkard1 the harlot1 the gambler1 the murderer1 the thief and the libertine would all share alike with the saints at the end4 ,supposing the governor of your state was so tender-hearted that he could not bear to have a man suffer1 could not bear to see a man put in jail1 and he should go and set all the prisoners free4 ,how long would he be governor8 ,you would have him out of office before the sun set4 ,these very men that talk about ,god's mercy1 would be the first to raise a cry against a governor who would not have a man put in prison when he had done wrong4 ,then another class took the ground that ,god could not destroy the world anyway4 ,they might have a great flood which would rise up to the meadowlands and lowlands1 but all it would be necessary to do would be to go up on the hills and mountains4 ,that would be a hundred times better than ,noah's ark4 ,or if it should come to that1 they could build rafts1 which would be a good deal better than that ark4 ,they had never seen such an ugly looking thing4 ,it was about five hundred feet long1 and about eighty feet wide1 and fifty feet high4 ,it had three stories1 and only one small window4 ,and then1 ,i suppose there was a large class who took the ground that ,noah must be wrong because he was in such a minority4 ,that is a great argument now1 you know4 ,noah was greatly in the minority4 ,but he went on working4 ,if they had saloons then1 and ,i don't doubt but that they had1 for we read that there was violence in the land1 and wherever you have alcohol you have violence4 ,we read also that ,noah planted a vineyard and fell into the sin of intemperance4 ,he was a righteous man1 and if he did that1 what must the others have done8 ,well1 if they had saloons1 no doubt they sang ribald songs about ,noah and his ark1 and if they had theaters they likely acted it out1 and mothers took their children to see it4 ,and if they had the press in those days1 every now and then there would appear a skit about ,noah and his folly4 ,reporters would come and interview him1 and if they had an ,associated ,press1 every few days a dispatch would be sent out telling how the work on the ark was progressing4 ,and perhaps they had excursions1 and offered as an inducement that people could go through the ark4 ,and if ,noah happened to be around they would nudge each other and say3 ,that's ,noah4 ,don't you think there is a strange look in his eye8 ,as a ,scotchman would say1 they thought him a little daft4 ,thank ,god a man can afford to be mad4 ,a mad man thinks everyone else mad but himself ,a drunkard does not call himself mad when he is drinking up all his means4 ,those men who stand and deal out death and damnation to men are not called mad2 but a man is called mad when he gets into the ark1 and is saved for time and eternity4 ,and ,i expect if the word crank was in use1 they called ,noah an old crank4 ,and so all manner of sport was made of ,noah and his ark4 ,and the business men went on buying and selling1 while ,noah went on preaching and toiling4 ,they perhaps had some astronomers1 and they were gazing up at the stars1 and saying1 ,don't you be concerned4 ,there is no sign of a coming storm in the heavens4 ,we are very wise men1 and if there was a storm coming1 we should read it in the heavens4 ,and they had geologists digging away1 and they said1 ,there is no sign in the earth4 ,even the carpenters who helped build the ark might have made fun of him1 but they were like lots of people at the present day1 who will help build a church1 and perhaps give money for its support1 but will never enter it themselves4 ,well1 things went on as usual4 ,little lambs skipped on the hillsides each spring4 ,men sought after wealth1 and if they had leases1 ,i expect they ran for longer periods than ours do4 ,we think ninety-nine years a long time1 but ,i don't doubt but that theirs ran for nine hundred and ninety nine years4 ,and when they came to sign a lease they would say with a twinkle in their eyes3 ,why1 this old ,noah says the world is coming to an end in one hundred and twenty years1 and it's twenty years since he started the story4 ,but ,i guess ,i will sign the lease and risk it4 ,someone has said that ,noah must have been deaf1 or he could not have stood the jeers and sneers of his countrymen4 ,but if he was deaf to the voice of men1 he heard the voice of ,god when ,he told him to build the ark4 ,i can imagine one hundred years have rolled away1 and the work on the ark ceases4 ,men say1 ,what has he stopped work for8 ,he has gone on a preaching tour1 to tell the people of the coming storm--that ,god is going to sweep every man from the face of the earth unless he is in the ark4 ,but he cannot get a man to believe him except his own family4 ,some of the old men have passed away1 and they died saying3 ,noah is wrong4 ,poor ,noah6 ,he must have had a hard time of it4 ,i don't think ,i should have had the grace to work for one hundred and twenty years without a convert4 ,but he just toiled on1 believing the word of ,god4 ,and now the hundred and twenty years are up4 ,in the spring of the year ,noah did not plant anything1 for he knew the flood was coming1 and the people say3 ,every year before he has planted1 but this year he thinks the world is going to be destroyed1 and he hasn't planted anything4 ,moving in4 ,but ,i can imagine one beautiful morning1 not a cloud to be seen1 ,noah has got his communication4 ,he has heard the voice that he heard one hundred and twenty years before--the same old voice4 ,perhaps there had been silence for one hundred and twenty years4 ,but the voice rang through his soul once again1 ,noah1 come thou and all thy house into the ark4 ,the word come occurs about nineteen hundred times in the ,bible1 it is said1 and this is the first time4 ,it meant salvation4 ,you can see ,noah and all his family moving into the ark4 ,they are bringing the household furniture4 ,some of his neighbors say1 ,noah1 what is your hurry8 you will have plenty of time to get into that old ark4 ,what is your hurry8 ,there are no windows and you cannot look out to see when the storm is coming4 ,but he heard the voice and obeyed4 ,some of his relatives might have said1 ,what are you going to do with the old homestead8 ,noah says1 ,i don't want it4 ,the storm is coming4 ,he tells them the day of grace is closing1 that worldly wealth is of no value1 and that the ark is the only place of safety4 ,we must bear in mind that these railroads that we think so much of1 will soon go down2 they only run for time1 not for eternity4 ,the heavens will be on fire1 and then what will property1 honor1 and position in society be worth8 ,the first thing that alarms them is1 they rise one morning1 and lo6 the heavens are filled with the fowls of the air4 ,they are flying into the ark1 two by two4 ,they come from the desert2 they come from the mountain2 they come from all parts of the world4 ,they are going into the ark4 ,it must have been a strange sight4 ,i can hear the people cry1 ,great ,god6 what is the meaning of this8 ,and they look down on the earth2 and1 with great alarm and surprise1 they see little insects creeping up two by two1 coming from all parts of the world4 ,then behold6 there come cattle and beasts1 two by two4 ,the neighbors cry out1 ,what does this mean8 ,they run to their statesmen and wise men1 who have told them there was no sign of a coming storm1 and ask them why it is that those birds1 animals1 and creeping things go toward the ark1 as if guided by some unseen hand4 ,well1 the statesmen and wise men say1 ,we cannot explain it2 but give yourselves no trouble2 ,god is not going to destroy the world4 ,business was never better than it is now4 ,do you think if ,god was going to destroy the world1 ,he would let us go on so prosperously as ,he has8 ,there is no sign of a coming storm4 ,what has made these creeping insects and these wild beasts of the forest go into the ark1 we do not know4 ,we cannot understand it2 it is very strange4 ,but there is no sign of anything going to happen4 ,the stars are bright1 and the sun shines as bright as ever it did4 ,everything moves on as it has been moving for all time past4 ,you can hear the children playing in the street4 ,you can hear the voice of the bride and bridegroom in the land1 and all is merry as ever4 ,i imagine the alarm passed away1 and they fell into their regular courses4 ,noah comes out and says3 ,the door is going to be shut4 ,come in4 ,god is going to destroy the world4 ,see the animals1 how they have come up4 ,the communication has come to them direct from heaven4 ,but the people only mocked on4 ,do you know1 when the hundred and twenty years were up1 ,god gave the world seven days' grace8 ,did you ever notice that8 ,if there had been a cry during those seven days1 ,i believe it would have been heard4 ,but there was none4 ,at length the last day had come1 the last hour1 the last minute1 ay6 the last second4 ,god ,almighty came down and shut the door of that ark4 ,no angel1 no man1 but ,god ,himself shut that door1 and when once the master of the house has risen and shut to the door1 the doom of the world is sealed2 and the doom of that old world was forever sealed4 ,the sun had gone down upon the glory of that old world for the last time4 ,you can hear away off in the distance the mutterings of the storm4 ,you can hear the thunder rolling4 ,the lightning begins to flash1 and the old world reels4 ,the storm bursts upon them1 and that old ark of ,noah's would have been worth more than the whole world to them4 ,i want to say to any scoffer who reads this1 that you can laugh at the ,bible1 you can scoff at your mother's ,god1 you can laugh at ministers and ,christians1 but the hour is coming when one promise in that old ,book will be worth more to you than ten thousand worlds like this4 ,the windows of heaven are opened and the fountains of the great deep are broken up4 ,the waters come bubbling up1 and the sea bursts its bounds and leaps over its walls4 ,the rivers begin to swell4 ,the people living in the lowlands flee to the mountains and highlands4 ,they flee up the hillsides4 ,and there is a wail going up3 ,noah6 ,noah6 ,noah6 ,let us in4 ,they leave their homes and come to the ark now4 ,they pound on the ark4 ,hear them cry3 ,noah6 ,let us in4 ,noah6 ,have mercy on us4 ,i am your nephew4 ,i am your niece4 ,i am your uncle4 ,ah1 there is a voice inside1 saying3 ,i would like to let you in2 but ,god has shut the door1 and ,i cannot open it6 ,god shut that door6 ,when the door is shut1 there is no hope4 ,their cry for mercy was too late2 their day of grace was closed4 ,their last hour had come4 ,god had plead with them2 ,god had invited them to come in2 but they had mocked at the invitation4 ,they scoffed and ridiculed the idea of a deluge4 ,now it is too late4 ,god did not permit anyone to survive to tell us how they perished4 ,when ,job lost his family1 there came a messenger to him3 but there came no messenger from the antediluvians2 not even ,noah himself could see the world perish4 ,if he could1 he would have seen men and women and children dashing against that ark2 the waves rising higher and higher1 while those outside were perishing1 dying in unbelief4 ,some think to escape by climbing the trees1 and think the storm will soon go down2 but it rains on1 day and night1 for forty days and forty nights1 and they are swept away as the waves dash against them4 ,the statesmen and astronomers and great men call for mercy2 but it is too late4 ,they had disobeyed the ,god of mercy4 ,he had called1 and they refused4 ,he had plead with them1 but they had laughed and mocked4 ,but now the time is come for judgment instead of mercy4 ,judgment4 ,the time is coming again when ,god will deal in judgment with the world4 ,it is but a little while2 we know not when1 but it is sure to come4 ,god's word has gone forth that this world shall be rolled together like a scroll1 and shall be on fire4 ,what then will become of your soul8 ,it is a loving call1 ,now come1 thou and all thy house1 into the ark4 ,twenty four hours before the rain began to fall1 ,noah's ark1 if it had been sold at auction1 would not have brought as much as it would be worth for kindling wood4 ,but twenty four hours after the rain began to fall1 ,noah's ark was worth more than all the world4 ,there was not then a man living but would have given all he was worth for a seat in the ark4 ,you may turn away and laugh4 ,i believe in ,christ6 you say2 ,i would rather be without ,him than have ,him4 ,but bear in mind1 the time is coming when ,christ will be worth more to you than ten thousand worlds like this4 ,bear in mind that ,he is offered to you now4 ,this is a day of grace2 it is a day of mercy4 ,you will find1 if you read your ,bible carefully1 that ,god always precedes judgment with grace4 ,grace is a forerunner of judgment4 ,he called these men in the days of ,noah in love4 ,they would have been saved if they had repented in those one hundred and twenty years4 ,when ,christ came to plead with the people in ,jerusalem1 it was their day of grace2 but they mocked and laughed at ,him4 ,he said3 ,o ,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 ,forty years afterward1 thousands of the people begged that their lives might be spared2 and eleven hundred thousand perished in that city4 ,in #aheg a revival swept over this country in the east and on to the western cities1 clear over to the ,pacific coast4 ,it was ,god calling the nation to ,himself4 ,half a million people united with the ,church at that time4 ,then the war broke out4 ,we were baptized with the ,holy ,ghost in #aheg1 and in #ahfa we were baptized in blood4 ,it was a call of mercy1 preceding judgment4 ,are ,your ,children ,safe8 ,the text which ,i have selected has a special application to ,christian people and to parents4 ,this command of the ,scripture was given to ,noah not only for his own safety1 but that of his household1 and the question which ,i put to each father and mother is this3 ,are your children in the ark of ,god8 ,you may scoff at it1 but it is a very important question4 ,are all your children in8 ,are all your grandchildren in8 ,don't rest day or night until you get your children in4 ,i believe my children have fifty temptations where ,i had one4 ,i am one of those who believe that in the great cities there is a snare set upon the corner of every street for our sons and daughters2 and ,i don't believe it is our business to spend our time in accumulating bonds and stocks4 ,have ,i done all ,i can to get my children in8 ,that is it4 ,now1 let me ask another question3 ,what would have been ,noah's feelings if1 when ,god called him into the ark1 his children would not have gone with him8 ,if he had lived such a false life that his children had no faith in his word1 what would have been his feelings8 ,he would have said3 ,there is my poor boy on the mountain4 ,would to ,god ,i had died in his place6 ,i would rather have perished than had him perish4 ,david cried over his son3 ,oh1 my son ,absalom1 my son1 my son ,absalom1 would ,god ,i had died for thee6 ,noah loved his children1 and they had confidence in him4 ,someone sent me a paper a number of years ago1 containing an article that was marked4 ,its title was3 ,are all the children in8 ,an old wife lay dying4 ,she was nearly one hundred years of age1 and the husband who had taken the journey with her1 sat by her side4 ,she was just breathing faintly1 but suddenly she revived1 opened her eyes1 and said3 ,why6 it is dark4 ,yes1 ,janet1 it is dark4 ,is it night8 ,oh1 yes6 it is midnight4 ,are all the children in8 ,there was that old mother living life over again4 ,her youngest child had been in the grave twenty years1 but she was traveling back into the old days1 and she fell asleep in ,christ asking1 ,are all the children in8 ,dear friend1 are they all in8 ,put the question to yourself now4 ,is ,john in8 ,is ,james in8 ,or is he immersed in business and pleasure8 ,is he living a double and dishonest life8 ,say6 where is your boy1 mother8 ,where is your son1 your daughter8 ,is it well with your children8 ,can you say it is8 ,after being superintendent of a ,sunday school in ,chicago for a number of years1 a school of over a thousand members1 children that came from godless homes1 having mothers and fathers working against me1 taking the children off on excursions on ,sunday1 and doing all they could to break up the work ,i was trying to do1 ,i used to think that if ,i should ever stand before an audience ,i would speak to no one but parents2 that would be my chief business4 ,it is an old saying--,get the lamb1 and you will get the sheep4 ,i gave that up years ago4 ,give me the sheep1 and then ,i will have someone to nurse the lamb2 but get a lamb and convert him1 and if he has a godless father and mother1 you will have little chance with that child4 ,what we want is godly homes4 ,the home was established long before the ,church4 ,i have no sympathy with the idea that our children have to grow up before they are converted4 ,once ,i saw a lady with three daughters at her side1 and ,i stepped up to her and asked her if she was a ,christian4 ,yes1 sir4 ,then ,i asked the oldest daughter if she was a ,christian4 ,the chin began to quiver1 and the tears came into her eyes1 and she said1 ,i wish ,i was4 ,the mother looked very angrily at me and said1 ,i don't want you to speak to my children on that subject4 ,they don't understand4 ,and in great rage she took them all away from me4 ,one daughter was fourteen years old1 one twelve1 and the other ten1 but they were not old enough to be talked to about religion4 ,let them drift into the world and plunge into worldly amusements1 and then see how hard it is to reach them4 ,many a mother is mourning to-day because her boy has gone beyond her reach1 and will not allow her to pray with him4 ,she may pray for him1 but he will not let her pray or talk with him4 ,in those early days when his mind was tender and young1 she might have led him to ,christ4 ,bring them in4 ,suffer the little children to come unto ,me4 ,is there a prayerless father reading this8 ,may ,god let the arrow go down into your soul6 ,make up your mind that1 ,god helping you1 you will get the children in4 ,god's order is to the father first1 but if he isn't true to his duty1 then the mother should be true1 and save the children from the wreck4 ,now is the time to do it while you have them under your roof4 ,exert your parental influence over them4 ,i never speak to parents but ,i think of two fathers1 one of whom lived on the banks of the ,mississippi1 the other in ,new ,york4 ,the first one devoted all his time to amassing wealth4 ,he had a son to whom he was much attached1 and one day the boy was brought home badly injured4 ,the father was informed that the boy could live but a short time1 and he broke the news to his son as gently as possible4 ,you say ,i cannot live1 father8 ,o6 then pray for my soul1 said the boy4 ,in all those years that father had never said a prayer for that boy1 and he told him he couldn't4 ,shortly after1 the boy died4 ,that father has said since that he would give all that he possessed if he could call that boy back only to offer one short prayer for him4 ,the other father had a boy who had been sick some time1 and he came home one day and found his wife weeping4 ,she said3 ,i cannot help but believe that this is going to prove fatal4 ,the man started1 and said3 ,if you think so1 ,i wish you would tell him4 ,but the mother could not tell her boy4 ,the father went to the sick room1 and he saw that death was feeling for the cords of life1 and he said3 ,my son1 do you know you are not going to live8 ,the little fellow looked up and said3 ,no2 is this death that ,i feel stealing over me8 ,will ,i die to-day8 ,yes1 my son1 you cannot live the day out4 ,and the little fellow smiled and said3 ,well1 father1 ,i shall be with ,jesus tonight1 shan't ,i8 ,yes1 you will spend the night with the ,lord1 and the father broke down and wept4 ,the little fellow saw the tears1 and said3 ,don't weep for me4 ,i will go to ,jesus and tell ,him that ever since ,i can remember you have prayed for me4 ,i have three children1 and if ,god should take them from me1 ,i would rather have them take such a message home to ,him than to have the wealth of the whole world4 ,oh6 would to ,god ,i could say something to stir you1 fathers and mothers1 to get your children into the ark4 ,,humility4 ,learn of me1 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart4--,matthew #aa3bi4 ,there is no harder lesson to learn than the lesson of humility4 ,it is not taught in the schools of men1 only in the school of ,christ4 ,it is the rarest of all the gifts4 ,very rarely do we find a man or woman who is following closely the footsteps of the ,master in meekness and in humility4 ,i believe that it is the hardest lesson which ,jesus ,christ had to teach ,his disciples while ,he was here upon earth4 ,it almost looked at first as though ,he had failed to teach it to the twelve men who had been with ,him almost constantly for three years4 ,i believe that if we are humble enough we shall be sure to get a great blessing4 ,after all1 ,i think that more depends upon us than upon the ,lord1 because ,he is always ready to give a blessing and give it freely1 but we are not always in a position to receive it4 ,he always blesses the humble1 and1 if we can get down in the dust before ,him1 no one will go away disappointed4 ,it was ,mary at the feet of ,jesus1 who had chosen the better part4 ,did you ever notice the reason ,christ gave for learning of ,him8 ,he might have said3 ,learn of me1 because ,i am the most advanced thinker of the age4 ,i have performed miracles that no man else has performed4 ,i have shown my supernatural power in a thousand ways4 ,but no3 the reason ,he gave was that ,he was meek1 and lowly in heart4 ,we read of the three men in ,scripture whose faces shone1 and all three were noted for their meekness and humility4 ,we are told that the face of ,christ shone at ,his transfiguration2 ,moses1 after he had been in the mount for forty days1 came down from his communion with ,god with a shining face2 and when ,stephen stood before the ,sanhedrim on the day of his death1 his face was lighted up with glory4 ,if our faces are to shine we must get into the valley of humility2 we must go down in the dust before ,god4 ,bunyan says that it is hard to get down into the valley of humiliation1 the descent into it is steep and rugged2 but that it is very fruitful and fertile and beautiful when once we get there4 ,i think that no one will dispute that2 almost every man1 even the ungodly1 admires meekness4 ,someone asked ,augustine1 what was the first of the religious graces1 and he said1 ,humility4 ,they asked him what was the second1 and he replied1 ,humility4 ,they asked him the third1 and he said1 ,humility4 ,i think that if we are humble1 we have all the graces4 ,some years ago ,i saw what is called a sensitive plant4 ,i happened to breathe on it1 and suddenly it drooped its head2 ,i touched it1 and it withered away4 ,humility is as sensitive as that2 it cannot safely be brought out on exhibition4 ,a man who is flattering himself that he is humble and is walking close to the ,master1 is self-deceived4 ,it consists not in thinking meanly of ourselves1 but in not thinking of ourselves at all4 ,moses wist not that his face shone4 ,if humility speaks of itself1 it is gone4 ,someone has said that the grass is an illustration of this lowly grace4 ,it was created for the lowliest service4 ,cut it1 and it springs up again4 ,the cattle feed upon it1 and yet how beautiful it is4 ,the showers fall upon the mountain peaks1 and very often leave them barren because they rush down into the meadows and valleys and make the lowly places fertile4 ,if a man is proud and lifted up1 rivers of grace may flow over him and yet leave him barren and unfruitful1 while they bring blessing to the man who has been brought low by the grace of ,god4 ,a man can counterfeit love1 he can counterfeit faith1 he can counterfeit hope and all the other graces1 but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility4 ,you soon detect mock humility4 ,they have a saying in the ,east among the ,arabs1 that as the tares and the wheat grow they show which ,god has blessed4 ,the ears that ,god has blessed bow their heads and acknowledge every grain1 and the more fruitful they are the lower their heads are bowed4 ,the tares which ,god has sent as a curse1 lift up their heads erect1 high above the wheat1 but they are only fruitful of evil4 ,i have a pear tree on my farm which is very beautiful2 it appears to be one of the most beautiful trees on my place4 ,every branch seems to be reaching up to the light and stands almost like a wax candle1 but ,i never get any fruit from it4 ,i have another tree1 which was so full of fruit last year that the branches almost touched the ground4 ,if we only get down low enough1 my friends1 ,god will use every one of us to ,his glory4 ,as the lark that soars the highest builds her nest the lowest2 as the nightingale that sings so sweetly1 sings in the shade when all things rest2 as the branches that are most laden with fruit1 bend lowest2 as the ship most laden1 sinks deepest in the water2--so the holiest ,christians are the humblest4 ,the ,london ,times some years ago told the story of a petition that was being circulated for signatures4 ,it was a time of great excitement1 and this petition was intended to have great influence in the ,house of ,lords2 but there was one word left out4 ,instead of reading1 ,we humbly beseech thee1 it read1 ,we beseech thee4 ,so it was ruled out4 ,my friends1 if we want to make an appeal to the ,god of ,heaven1 we must humble ourselves2 and if we do humble ourselves before the ,lord1 we shall not be disappointed4 ,as ,i have been studying some ,bible characters that illustrate humility1 ,i have been ashamed of myself4 ,if you have any regard for me1 pray that ,i may have humility4 ,when ,i put my life beside the life of some of these men1 ,i say1 ,shame on the ,christianity of the present day4 ,if you want to get a good idea of yourself1 look at some of the ,bible characters that have been clothed with meekness and humility1 and see what a contrast is your position before ,god and man4 ,one of the meekest characters in history was ,john the ,baptist4 ,you remember when they sent a deputation to him and asked if he was ,elias1 or this prophet1 or that prophet1 he said1 ,no4 ,now he might have said some very flattering things of himself4 ,he might have said3 ,i am the son of the old priest ,zacharias4 ,haven't you heard of my fame as a preacher8 ,i have baptized more people probably1 than any man living4 ,the world has never seen a preacher like myself4 ,i honestly believe that in the present day most men standing in his position would do that4 ,on the railroad train1 some time ago1 ,i heard a man talking so loud that all the people in the car could hear him4 ,he said that he had baptized more people than any man in his denomination4 ,he told how many thousand miles he had traveled1 how many sermons he had preached1 how many open-air services he had held1 and this and that1 until ,i was so ashamed that ,i had to hide my head4 ,this is the age of boasting4 ,it is the day of the great ,i4 ,my attention was recently called to the fact that in all the ,psalms you cannot find any place where ,david refers to his victory over the giant1 ,goliath4 ,if it had been in the present day1 there would have been a volume written about it at once2 ,i don't know how many poems there would be telling of the great things that this man had done4 ,he would have been in demand as a lecturer1 and would have added a title to his name3 ,g4 ,g4 ,k41--,great ,giant ,killer4 ,that is how it is to-day3 great evangelists1 great preachers1 great theologians1 great bishops4 ,john1 they asked1 who are you8 ,i am nobody4 ,i am to be heard1 not to be seen4 ,i am only a voice4 ,he hadn't a word to say about himself4 ,i once heard a little bird faintly singing close by me1--at last it got clear out of sight1 and then its notes were still sweeter4 ,the higher it flew the sweeter sounded its notes4 ,if we can only get self out of sight and learn of ,him who was meek and lowly in heart we shall be lifted up into heavenly places4 ,mark tells us1 in the first chapter and seventh verse1 that ,john came and preached saying1 ,there cometh one mightier than ,i after me1 the latchet of whose shoes ,i am not worthy to stoop down and unloose4 ,think of that2 and bear in mind that ,christ was looked upon as a deceiver1 a village carpenter1 and yet here is ,john1 the son of the old priest1 who had a much higher position in the sight of men than that of ,jesus4 ,great crowds were coming to hear him1 and even ,herod attended his meetings4 ,when his disciples came and told ,john that ,christ was beginning to draw crowds1 he nobly answered3 ,a man can receive nothing1 except it be given him from heaven4 ,ye yourselves bear me witness that ,i said1 ,i am not the ,christ1 but that ,i am sent before ,him4 ,he that hath the bride is the bridegroom3 but the friend of the bridegroom1 which standeth and heareth him1 rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice3 this my joy therefore is fulfilled4 ,he must increase1 but ,i must decrease4 ,it is easy to read that1 but it is hard for us to live in the power of it4 ,it is very hard for us to be ready to decrease1 to grow smaller and smaller1 that ,christ may increase4 ,the morning star fades away when the sun rises4 ,he that cometh from above is above all3 he that is of the earth is earthly1 and speaketh of the earth3 ,he that cometh from heaven is above all1 and what ,he hath seen and heard1 that ,he testifieth2 and no man receiveth ,his testimony4 ,he that hath received ,his testimony hath set to his seal that ,god is true4 ,for ,he whom ,god hath sent speaketh the words of ,god3 for ,god giveth not the ,spirit by measure unto ,him4 ,let us now turn the light upon ourselves4 ,have we been decreasing of late8 ,do we think less of ourselves and of our position than we did a year ago8 ,are we seeking to obtain some position of dignity8 ,are we wanting to hold on to some title1 and are we offended because we are not treated with the courtesy that we think is due us8 ,some time ago ,i heard a man in the pulpit say that he should take offence if he was not addressed by his title4 ,my dear friend1 are you going to take that position that you must have a title1 and that you must have every letter addressed with that title or you will be offended8 ,john did not want any title1 and when we are right with ,god1 we shall not be caring about titles4 ,in one of his early epistles ,paul calls himself the least of all the apostles4 ,later on he claims to be less than the least of all saints1 and again1 just before his death1 humbly declares that he is the chief of sinners4 ,notice how he seems to have grown smaller and smaller in his own estimation4 ,so it was with ,john4 ,and ,i do hope and pray that as the days go by we may feel like hiding ourselves1 and let ,god have all the honor and glory4 ,when ,i look back upon my own religious experience1 says ,andrew ,murray1 or round upon the ,church of ,christ in the world1 ,i stand amazed at the thought of how little humility is sought after as the distinguishing feature of the discipleship of ,jesus4 ,in preaching and living1 in the daily intercourse of the home and social life1 in the more special fellowship with ,christians1 in the direction and performance of work for ,christ--alas6 how much proof there is that humility is not esteemed the cardinal virtue1 the only root from which the graces can grow1 the one indispensable condition of true fellowship with ,jesus4 ,see what ,christ says about ,john4 ,he was a burning and shining light4 ,christ gave him the honor that belonged to him4 ,if you take a humble position1 ,christ will see it4 ,if you want ,god to help you1 then take a low position4 ,i am afraid that if we had been in ,john's place1 many of us would have said3 ,what did ,christ say1--,i am a burning and shining light8 ,then we would have had that recommendation put in the newspapers1 and would have sent them to our friends1 with that part marked in blue pencil4 ,sometimes ,i get a letter just full of clippings from the newspapers1 stating that this man is more eloquent than ,gough1 etc4 ,and the man wants me to get him some church4 ,do you think that a man who has such eloquence would be looking for a church8 ,no1 they would all be looking for him4 ,my dear friends1 isn't it humiliating8 ,sometimes ,i think it is a wonder that any man is converted these days4 ,let another praise you4 ,don't be around praising yourself4 ,if we want ,god to lift us up1 let us get down4 ,the lower we get1 the higher ,god will lift us4 ,it is ,christ's eulogy of ,john1 ,greater than any man born of woman4 ,there is a story told of ,carey1 the great missionary1 that he was invited by the ,governor-general of ,india to go to a dinner party at which were some military officers belonging to the aristocracy1 and who looked down upon missionaries with scorn and contempt4 ,one of these officers said at the table3 ,i believe that ,carey was a shoemaker1 wasn't he1 before he took up the profession of a missionary8 ,mr4 ,carey spoke up and said3 ,oh no1 ,i was only a cobbler4 ,i could mend shoes1 and wasn't ashamed of it4 ,the one prominent virtue of ,christ1 next to ,his obedience1 is ,his humility2 and even ,his obedience grew out of ,his humility4 ,being in the form of ,god1 ,he counted it not a thing to be grasped to be on an equality with ,god1 but ,he emptied ,himself1 taking the form of a bond-servant1 and was made in the likeness of men4 ,and being found in fashion as a man1 ,he humbled ,himself1 and became obedient unto death1 yea1 the death of the cross4 ,in ,his lowly birth1 ,his submission to ,his earthly parents1 ,his seclusion during thirty years1 ,his consorting with the poor and despised1 ,his entire submission and dependence upon ,his ,father1 this virtue that was consummated in ,his death on the cross1 shines out4 ,one day ,jesus was on ,his way to ,capernaum1 and was talking about ,his coming death and suffering1 and about ,his resurrection1 and ,he heard quite a heated discussion going on behind ,him4 ,when ,he came into the house at ,capernaum1 ,he turned to ,his disciples1 and said3 ,what was all that discussion about8 ,i see ,john look at ,james1 and ,peter at ,andrew1--and they all looked ashamed4 ,who shall be the greater8 ,that discussion has wrecked party after party1 one society after another--,who shall be the greatest8 ,the way ,christ took to teach them humility was by putting a little child in their midst and saying3 ,if you want to be great1 take that little child for an example1 and he who wants to be the greatest1 let him be servant of all4 ,to me1 one of the saddest things in all the life of ,jesus ,christ was the fact that just before ,his crucifixion1 ,his disciples should have been striving to see who should be the greatest1 that night ,he instituted the ,supper1 and they ate the ,passover together4 ,it was ,his last night on earth1 and they never saw ,him so sorrowful before4 ,he knew ,judas was going to sell ,him for thirty pieces of silver4 ,he knew that ,peter would deny ,him4 ,and yet1 in addition to this1 when going into the very shadow of the cross1 there arose this strife as to who should be the greatest4 ,he took a towel and girded ,himself like a slave1 and ,he took a basin of water and stooped and washed their feet4 ,that was another object lesson of humility4 ,he said1 ,ye call me ,lord1 and ye do well4 ,if you want to be great in my ,kingdom1 be servant of all4 ,if you serve1 you shall be great4 ,when the ,holy ,ghost came1 and those men were filled1 from that time on mark the difference3 ,matthew takes up his pen to write1 and he keeps ,matthew out of sight4 ,he tells what ,peter and ,andrew did1 but he calls himself ,matthew the publican4 ,he tells how they left all to follow ,christ1 but does not mention the feast he gave4 ,jerome says that ,mark's gospel is to be regarded as memoirs of ,peter's discourses1 and to have been published by his authority4 ,yet here we constantly find that damaging things are mentioned about ,peter1 and things to his credit are not referred to4 ,mark's gospel omits all allusion to ,peter's faith in venturing on the sea1 but goes into detail about the story of his fall and denial of our ,lord4 ,peter put himself down1 and lifted others up4 ,if the ,gospel of ,luke had been written to-day1 it would be signed by the great ,dr4 ,luke1 and you would have his photograph as a frontispiece4 ,but you can't find ,luke's name2 he keeps out of sight4 ,he wrote two books1 and his name is not to be found in either4 ,john covers himself always under the expression--the disciple whom ,jesus loved4 ,none of the four men whom history and tradition assert to be the authors of the gospels1 lay claim to the authorship in their writings4 ,dear man of ,god1 ,i would that ,i had the same spirit1 that ,i could just get out of sight1--hide myself4 ,my dear friends1 ,i believe our only hope is to be filled with the ,spirit of ,christ4 ,may ,god fill us1 so that we shall be filled with meekness and humility4 ,let us take the hymn1 ,o1 to be nothing1 nothing1 and make it the language of our hearts4 ,it breathes the spirit of ,him who said3 ,the ,son can do nothing of ,himself6 ,oh to be nothing1 nothing6 ,only to lie at ,his feet1 ,a broken and emptied vessel1 ,for the ,master's use made meet4 ,emptied1 that ,he might fill me ,as forth to ,his service ,i go2 ,broken1 that so unhindered1 ,his life through me might flow4 ,,rest4 ,some years ago a gentleman came to me and asked me which ,i thought was the most precious promise of all those that ,christ left4 ,i took some time to look them over1 but ,i gave it up4 ,i found that ,i could not answer the question4 ,it is like a man with a large family of children1 he cannot tell which he likes best2 he loves them all4 ,but if not the best1 this is one of the sweetest promises of all3 ,come unto ,me1 all ye that labor and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,take my yoke upon you1 and learn of ,me1 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart3 and ye shall find rest unto your souls4 ,for my yoke is easy1 and ,my burden is light4 ,there are a good many people who think the promises are not going to be fulfilled4 ,there are some that you do see fulfilled1 and you cannot help but believe they are true4 ,now remember that all the promises are not given without conditions4 ,some are given with1 and others without1 conditions attached to them4 ,for instance1 it says1 ,if ,i regard iniquity in my heart1 the ,lord will not hear me4 ,now1 ,i need not pray as long as ,i am cherishing some known sin4 ,he will not hear me1 much less answer me4 ,the ,lord says in the eighty fourth ,psalm1 ,no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly4 ,if ,i am not walking uprightly ,i have no claims under the promise4 ,again1 some of the promises were made to certain individuals or nations4 ,for instance1 ,god said that ,he would make ,abraham's seed to multiply as the stars of heaven3 but that is not a promise for you or me4 ,some promises were made to the ,jews1 and do not apply to the ,gentiles4 ,then there are promises without conditions4 ,he promised ,adam and ,eve that the world should have a ,savior1 and there was no power in earth or perdition that could keep ,christ from coming at the appointed time4 ,when ,christ left the world1 ,he said ,he would send us the ,holy ,ghost4 ,he had only been gone ten days when the ,holy ,ghost came4 ,and so you can run right through the ,scriptures1 and you will find that some of the promises are with1 and some without1 conditions2 and if we don't comply with the conditions we cannot expect them to be fulfilled4 ,i believe it will be the experience of every man and woman on the face of the earth1 ,i believe that everyone will be obliged to testify in the evening of life1 that if they have complied with the condition1 the ,lord has fulfilled ,his word to the letter4 ,joshua1 the old ,hebrew hero1 was an illustration4 ,after having tested ,god forty years in the ,egyptian brick-kilns1 forty years in the desert1 and thirty years in the ,promised ,land1 his dying testimony was3 ,not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the ,lord promised4 ,i believe you could heave the ocean easier than break one of ,god's promises4 ,so when we come to a promise like the one we have before us now1 ,i want you to bear in mind that there is no discount upon it4 ,come unto ,me1 all ye that labor and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,perhaps you say3 ,i hope ,mr4 ,moody is not going to preach on this old text4 ,yes3 ,i am4 ,when ,i take up an album1 it does not interest me if all the photographs are new2 but if ,i know any of the faces4 ,i stop at once4 ,so with these old1 well-known texts4 ,they have quenched our thirst before1 but the water is still bubbling up--we cannot drink it dry4 ,if you probe the human heart1 you will find a want1 and that want is rest4 ,the cry of the world to day is1 ,where can rest be found8 ,why are theaters and places of amusement crowded at night8 ,what is the secret of ,sunday driving1 of the saloons and brothels8 ,some think they are going to get it in pleasure1 others think they are going to get it in wealth1 and others in literature4 ,they are seeking and finding no rest4 ,where ,can ,rest be ,found8 ,if ,i wanted to find a person who had rest ,i would not go among the very wealthy4 ,the man that we read of in the twelfth chapter of ,luke1 thought he was going to get rest by multiplying his goods1 but he was disappointed4 ,soul1 take thine ease4 ,i venture to say that there is not a person in this wide world who has tried to find rest in that way and found it4 ,money cannot buy it4 ,many a millionaire would gladly give millions if he could purchase it as he does his stocks and shares4 ,god has made the soul a little too large for this world4 ,roll the whole world in1 and still there is room4 ,there is care in getting wealth1 and more care in keeping it4 ,nor would ,i go among the pleasure seekers4 ,they have a few hours' enjoyment1 but the next day there is enough sorrow to counterbalance it4 ,they may drink the cup of pleasure to-day1 but the cup of pain comes on to-morrow4 ,to find rest ,i would never go among the politicians1 or among the so-called great4 ,congress is the last place on earth that ,i would go4 ,in the ,lower ,house they want to go to the ,senate2 in the ,senate they want to go to the ,cabinet2 and then they want to go to the ,white ,house2 and rest has never been found there4 ,nor would ,i go among the halls of learning4 ,much study is a weariness to the flesh4 ,i would not go among the upper ten1 the bon-ton1 for they are constantly chasing after fashion4 ,have you not noticed their troubled faces on our streets8 ,and the face is index to the soul4 ,they have no hopeful look4 ,their worship of pleasure is slavery4 ,solomon tried pleasure1 and found bitter disappointment1 and down the ages has come the bitter cry1 ,all is vanity4 ,now1 there is no rest in sin4 ,the wicked know nothing about it4 ,the ,scriptures tell us the wicked are like the troubled sea that cannot rest4 ,you have1 perhaps been on the sea when there is a calm1 when the water is as clear as crystal1 and it seemed as if the sea were at rest4 ,but if you looked you would see that the waves came in1 and that the calm was only on the surface4 ,man1 like the sea1 has no rest4 ,he has had no rest since ,adam fell1 and there is none for him until he returns to ,god again1 and the light of ,christ shines into his heart4 ,rest cannot be found in the world1 and thank ,god the world cannot take it from the believing heart6 ,sin is the cause of all this unrest4 ,it brought toil and labor and misery into the world4 ,now for something positive4 ,i would go successfully to someone who has heard the sweet voice of ,jesus1 and has laid his burden down at the cross4 ,there is rest1 sweet rest4 ,thousands could certify to this blessed fact4 ,they could say1 and truthfully3 ,i heard the voice of ,jesus say1 ,come unto me and rest4 ,lay down1 thou weary one1 lay down1 ,thy head upon my breast4 ,i came to ,jesus as ,i was1 ,weary and worn and sad4 ,i found in ,him a resting-place1 ,and ,he hath made me glad4 ,among all his writings ,st4 ,augustine has nothing sweeter than this3 ,thou hast made us for ,thyself1 ,o ,god1 and our heart is restless till it rests in ,thee4 ,do you know that for four thousand years no prophet or priest or patriarch ever stood up and uttered a text like this8 ,it would be blasphemy for ,moses to have uttered a text like it4 ,do you think he had rest when he was teasing the ,lord to let him go into the ,promised ,land8 ,do you think ,elijah could have uttered such a text as this1 when1 under the juniper-tree1 he prayed that he might die8 ,and this is one of the strongest proofs that ,jesus ,christ was not only man1 but ,god4 ,he was ,god-,man1 and this is ,heaven's proclamation1 ,come unto ,me1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,he brought it down from heaven with ,him4 ,now1 if this text was not true1 don't you think it would have been found out by this time8 ,i believe it as much as ,i believe in my existence4 ,why8 ,because ,i not only find it in the ,book1 but in my own experience4 ,the ,i wills of ,christ have never been broken1 and never can be4 ,i thank ,god for the word give in that passage4 ,he doesn't sell it4 ,some of us are so poor that we could not buy it if it was for sale4 ,thank ,god1 we can get it for nothing4 ,i like to have a text like this1 because it takes us all in4 ,come unto me all ye that labor4 ,that doesn't mean a select few--refined ladies and cultured men4 ,it doesn't mean good people only4 ,it applies to saint and sinner4 ,hospitals are for the sick1 not for healthy people4 ,do you think that ,christ would shut the door in anyone's face1 and say1 ,i did not mean all2 ,i only meant certain ones8 ,if you cannot come as a saint1 come as a sinner4 ,only come6 ,a lady told me once that she was so hard-hearted she couldn't come4 ,well1 ,i said1 my good woman1 it doesn't say all ye soft-hearted people come4 ,black hearts1 vile hearts1 hard hearts1 soft hearts1 all hearts come4 ,who can soften your hard heart but ,himself8 ,the harder the heart1 the more need you have to come4 ,if my watch stops ,i don't take it to a drug store or to a blacksmith's shop1 but to the watchmaker's1 to have it repaired4 ,so if the heart gets out of order take it to its keeper1 ,christ1 to have it set right4 ,if you can prove that you are a sinner1 you are entitled to the promise4 ,get all the benefit you can out of it4 ,now1 there are a good many believers who think this text applies only to sinners2 ,it is just the thing for them too4 ,what do we see to-day8 ,the ,church1 ,christian people1 all loaded down with cares and troubles4 ,come unto me all ye that labor4 ,all6 ,i believe that includes the ,christian whose heart is burdened with some great sorrow4 ,the ,lord wants you to come4 ,christ the ,burden-,bearer4 ,it says in another place1 ,casting all your care upon ,him1 for ,he careth for you4 ,we would have a victorious ,church if we could get ,christian people to realize that4 ,but they have never made the discovery4 ,they agree that ,christ is the sin-bearer1 but they do not realize that ,he is also the burden-bearer4 ,surely ,he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows4 ,it is the privilege of every child of ,god to walk in unclouded sunlight4 ,some people go back into the past and rake up all the troubles they ever had1 and then they look into the future and anticipate that they will have still more trouble1 and they go reeling and staggering all through life4 ,they give you the cold chills every time they meet you4 ,they put on a whining voice1 and tell you what a hard time they have had4 ,i believe they embalm them1 and bring out the mummy on every opportunity4 ,the ,lord says1 ,cast all your care on ,me4 ,i want to carry your burdens and your troubles4 ,what we want is a joyful ,church1 and we are not going to convert the world until we have it4 ,we want to get this long-faced ,christianity off the face of the earth4 ,take these people that have some great burden1 and let them come into a meeting4 ,if you can get their attention upon the singing or preaching1 they will say1 ,oh1 wasn't it grand6 ,i forgot all my cares4 ,and they just drop their bundle at the end of the pew4 ,but the moment the benediction is pronounced they grab the bundle again4 ,you laugh1 but you do it yourself4 ,cast your care on ,him4 ,sometimes they go into their closet and close their door1 and they get so carried away and lifted up that they forget their trouble2 but they just take it up again the moment they get off their knees4 ,leave your sorrow now2 cast all your care upon ,him4 ,if you cannot come to ,christ as a saint1 come as a sinner4 ,but if you are a saint with some trouble or care1 bring it to ,him4 ,saint and sinner1 come6 ,he wants you all4 ,don't let ,satan deceive you into believing that you cannot come if you will4 ,christ says1 ,ye will not come unto ,me4 ,with the command comes the power4 ,a man in one of our meetings in ,europe said he would like to come1 but he was chained1 and couldn't come4 ,a ,scotchman said to him1 ,ay1 man1 why don't you come chain and all8 ,he said1 ,i never thought of that4 ,are you cross and peevish1 and do you make things unpleasant at home8 ,my friend1 come to ,christ and ask ,him to help you4 ,whatever the sin is1 bring it to ,him4 ,what ,does it ,mean to ,come8 ,perhaps you say1 ,mr4 ,moody1 ,i wish you would tell us what it is to come4 ,i have given up trying to explain it4 ,i always feel like the colored minister who said he was going to confound1 instead of expound1 the chapter4 ,the best definition is just--come4 ,the more you try to explain it1 the more you are mystified4 ,about the first thing a mother teaches her child is to look4 ,she takes the baby to the window1 and says1 ,look1 baby1 papa is coming6 ,then she teaches the child to come4 ,she props it up against a chair1 and says1 ,come6 and by and by the little thing pushes the chair along towards mamma4 ,that's coming4 ,you don't need to go to college to learn how4 ,you don't need any minister to tell you what it is4 ,now will you come to ,christ8 ,he said1 ,him that cometh unto ,me1 ,i will in no wise cast out4 ,when we have such a promise as this1 let us cling to it1 and never give it up4 ,christ is not mocking us4 ,he wants us to come with all our sins and backslidings1 and throw ourselves upon ,his bosom4 ,it is our sins ,god wants1 not our tears only4 ,they alone do no good4 ,and we cannot come through resolutions4 ,action is necessary4 ,how many times at church have we said1 ,i will turn over a new leaf1 but the ,monday leaf is worse than the ,saturday leaf4 ,the way to heaven is straight as a rule1 but it is the way of the cross4 ,don't try to get around it4 ,shall ,i tell you what the yoke referred to in the text is8 ,it is the cross which ,christians must bear4 ,the only way by which you can find rest in this dark world is by taking up the yoke of ,christ4 ,i do not know what it may include in your case1 beyond taking up your ,christian duties1 acknowledging ,christ and acting as becomes one of ,his disciples4 ,perhaps it may be to erect a gamily altar2 or to tell a godless husband that you have made up your mind to serve ,god2 or to tell your parents that you want to be a ,christian4 ,follow the will of ,god1 and happiness and peace and rest will come4 ,the way of obedience is always the way of blessing4 ,i was preaching in ,chicago to a hall full of women one ,sunday afternoon1 and after the meeting was over a lady came to me and said she wanted to talk to me4 ,she said she would accept ,christ1 and after some conversation she went home4 ,i looked for her for a whole week1 but didn't see her until the following ,sunday afternoon4 ,she came and sat down right in front of me1 and her face had such a sad expression4 ,she seemed to have entered into the misery1 instead of the joy1 of the ,lord4 ,after the meeting was over ,i went to her and asked her what the trouble was4 ,she said3 ,oh1 ,mr4 ,moody1 this has been the most miserable week of my life4 ,i asked her if there was anyone with whom she had had trouble and whom she could not forgive4 ,she said3 ,no1 not that ,i know of4 ,well1 did you tell your friends about having found the ,savior8 ,indeed ,i didn't1 ,i have been all the week trying to keep it from them4 ,well1 ,i said1 that is the reason why you have no peace4 ,she wanted to take the crown1 but did not want the cross4 ,my friends1 you must go by the way of ,calvary4 ,if you ever get rest1 you must get it at the foot of the cross4 ,why1 she said1 if ,i should go home and tell my infidel husband that ,i had found ,christ ,i don't know what he would do4 ,i think he would turn me out4 ,well1 ,i said1 go out4 ,she went away1 promising that she would tell him1 timid and pale1 but she did not want another wretched week4 ,she was bound to have peace4 ,the next night ,i gave a lecture to men only1 and in the hall there were eight thousand men and one solitary woman4 ,when ,i got through and went into the inquiry meeting1 ,i found this lady with her husband4 ,she introduced him to me 7he was a doctor1 and a very influential man7 and said3 ,he wants to become a ,christian4 ,i took my ,bible and told him all about ,christ1 and he accepted ,him4 ,i said to her after it was all over3 ,it turned out quite differently from what you expected1 didn't it8 ,yes1 she replied1 ,i was never so scared in my life4 ,i expected he would do something dreadful1 but it has turned out so well4 ,she took ,god's way1 and got rest4 ,i want to say to young ladies1 perhaps you have a godless father or mother1 a sceptical brother1 who is going down through drink1 and perhaps there is no one who can reach them but you4 ,how many times a godly1 pure young lady has taken the light into some darkened home6 ,many a home might be lit up with the ,gospel if the mothers and daughters would only speak the word4 ,the last time ,mr4 ,sankey and myself were in ,edinburgh1 there were a father1 two sisters and a brother1 who used every morning to take the morning paper and pick my sermon to pieces4 ,they were indignant to think that the ,edinburgh people should be carried away with such preaching4 ,one day one of the sisters was going by the hall1 and she thought she would drop in and see what class of people went there4 ,she happened to take a seat by a godly lady1 who said to her3 ,i hope you are interested in this work4 ,she tossed her head and said3 ,indeed ,i am not4 ,i am disgusted with everything ,i have seen and heard4 ,well1 said the lady1 perhaps you came prejudiced4 ,yes1 and the meeting has not removed any of it1 but has rather increased it4 ,i have received a great deal of good from them4 ,there is nothing here for me4 ,i don't see how an intellectual person can be interested4 ,to make a long story short1 she got the lady to promise to come back4 ,when the meeting broke up1 just a little of the prejudice had worn away4 ,she promised to come back again the next day1 and then she attended three or four more meetings1 and became quite interested4 ,she said nothing to her family1 until finally the burden became too heavy1 and she told them4 ,they laughed at her1 and made her the butt of their ridicule4 ,one day the two sisters were together1 and the other said3 ,now what have you got at those meetings that you didn't have in the first place8 ,i have a peace that ,i never knew of before4 ,i am at peace with ,god1 myself and all the world4 ,did you ever have a little war of your own with your neighbors1 in your own family8 ,and she said3 ,i have self-control4 ,you know1 sister1 if you had said half the mean things before ,i was converted that you have said since1 ,i would have been angry and answered back1 but if you remember correctly1 ,i haven't answered once since ,i have been converted4 ,the sister said3 ,you certainly have something that ,i have not4 ,the other told her it was for her too1 and she brought the sister to the meetings1 where she found peace4 ,like ,martha and ,mary1 they had a brother1 but he was a member of the ,university of ,edinburgh4 ,he be converted8 ,he go to these meetings8 ,it might do for women1 but not for him4 ,one night they came home and told him that a chum of his own1 a member of the ,university1 had stood up and confessed ,christ1 and when he sat down his brother got up and confessed2 and so with the third one4 ,when the young man heard it1 he said3 ,do you mean to tell me that he has been converted8 ,yes4 ,well1 he said1 there must be something in it4 ,he put on his hat1 and coat1 and went to see his friend ,black4 ,black got him down to the meetings1 and he was converted4 ,we went through to ,glasgow1 and had not been there six weeks when news came that that young man had been stricken down and died4 ,when he was dying he called his father to his bedside and said3 ,wasn't it a good thing that my sisters went to those meetings8 ,won't you meet me in heaven1 father8 ,yes1 my son1 ,i am so glad you are a ,christian2 that is the only comfort that ,i have in losing you4 ,i will become a ,christian1 and will meet you again4 ,i tell this to encourage some sister to go home and carry the message of salvation4 ,it may be that your brother may be taken away in a few months4 ,my dear friends1 are we not living in solemn days8 ,isn't it time for us to get our friends into the ,kingdom of ,god8 ,come1 wife1 won't you tell your husband8 ,come1 sister1 won't you tell your brother8 ,won't you take up your cross now8 ,the blessing of ,god will rest on your soul if you will4 ,i was in ,wales once1 and a lady told me this little story3 ,an ,english friend of hers1 a mother1 had a child that was sick4 ,at first they considered there was no danger1 until one day the doctor came in and said that the symptoms were very unfavorable4 ,he took the mother out of the room1 and told her that the child could not live4 ,it came like a thunderbolt4 ,after the doctor had gone the mother went into the room where the child lay and began to talk to the child and tried to divert its mind4 ,darling1 do you know you will soon hear the music of heaven8 ,you will hear a sweeter song than you have ever heard on earth4 ,you will hear them sing the song of ,moses and the ,lamb4 ,you are very fond of music4 ,won't it be sweet1 darling8 ,and the little tired1 sick child turned its head away1 and said1 ,oh mamma1 ,i am so tired and so sick that ,i think it would make me worse to hear all that music4 ,well1 the mother said1 you will soon see ,jesus1 ,you will see the seraphim and cherubim and the streets all paved with gold2 and she went on picturing heaven as it is described in ,revelation4 ,the little tired child again turned its head away1 and said1 ,oh mamma1 ,i am so tired that ,i think it would make me worse to see all those beautiful things6 ,at last the mother took the child up in her arms1 and pressed her to her loving heart4 ,and the little sick one whispered3 ,oh mamma1 that is what ,i want4 ,if ,jesus will only take me in ,his arms and let me rest6 ,dear friend1 are you not tired and weary of sin8 ,are you not weary of the turmoil of life8 ,you can end rest on the bosom of the ,son of ,god4 ,,seven ,i ,,wills ,,of ,,christ4 ,a man when he says ,i will1 may not mean much4 ,we very often say ,i will1 when we don't mean to fulfil what we say2 but when we come to the ,i will of ,christ1 ,he means to fulfil it4 ,everything ,he has promised to do1 ,he is able and willing to accomplish2 and ,he is going to do it4 ,i cannot find any passage in ,scripture in which ,he says ,i will do this1 or ,i will do that1 but it will be done4 #a4 ,the ,i ,will of ,salvation4 ,the first ,i will to which ,i want to direct your attention1 is to be found in ,john's gospel1 sixth chapter and thirty-seventh verse3 ,him that cometh unto ,me ,i will in no wise cast out4 ,i imagine someone will say1 ,well1 if ,i was what ,i ought to be1 ,i would come2 but when my mind goes over the past record of my life1 it is too dark4 ,i am not fit to come4 ,you must bear in mind that ,jesus ,christ came to save not good people1 not the upright and just1 but sinners like you and me1 who have gone astray1 and sinned and come short of the glory of ,god4 ,listen to this ,i will--it goes right into the heart--,him that cometh unto ,me1 ,i will in no wise cast out4 ,surely that is broad enough--is it not8 ,i don't care who the man or woman is2 ,i don't care what their trials1 what their troubles1 what their sorrows1 or what their sins are1 if they will only come straight to the ,master1 ,he will not cast them out4 ,come then1 poor sinner2 come just as you are1 and take ,him at ,his word4 ,he is so anxious to save sinners1 ,he will take everyone who comes4 ,he will take those who are so full of sin that they are despised by all who know them1 who have been rejected by their fathers and mothers1 who have been cast off by the wives of their bosoms4 ,he will take those who have sunk so low that upon them no eye of pity is cast4 ,his occupation is to hear and save4 ,that is what ,he left heaven and came into the world for2 that is what ,he left the throne of ,god for--to save sinners4 ,the ,son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost4 ,he did not come to condemn the world but that the world through ,him might be saved4 ,a wild and prodigal young man1 who was running a headlong career to ruin came into one of our meetings in ,chicago4 ,the ,spirit of ,god got hold of him4 ,whilst ,i was conversing with him1 and endeavoring to bring him to ,christ1 ,i quoted this verse to him4 ,i asked him3 ,do you believe ,christ said that8 ,i suppose ,he did4 ,suppose ,he did6 do you believe it8 ,i hope so4 ,hope so6 do you believe it8 ,you do your work1 and the ,lord will do ,his4 ,just come as you are1 and throw yourself upon ,his bosom1 and ,he will not cast you out4 ,this man thought it was too simple and easy4 ,at last light seemed to break in upon him1 and he seemed to find comfort from it4 ,it was past midnight before he got down on his knees1 but down he went1 and was converted4 ,i said3 ,now1 don't think you are going to get out of the devil's territory without trouble4 ,the devil will come to you to-morrow morning1 and say it was all feeling2 that you only imagined you were accepted by ,god4 ,when he does1 don't fight him with your own opinions1 but fight him with ,john #f3cg3 ',him that cometh to ,me ,i will in no wise cast out4' ,let that be the 'sword of the ,spirit4' ,i don't believe that any man ever starts to go to ,christ1 but the devil strives somehow or other to meet him and trip him up4 ,and even after he has come to ,christ1 the devil tries to assail him with doubts1 and make him believe there is something wrong in it4 ,the struggle came sooner than ,i thought in this man's case4 ,when he was on his way home the devil assailed him4 ,he used this text1 but the devil put this thought into his mind3 ,how do you know ,christ ever said that after all8 ,perhaps the translators made a mistake4 ,into darkness he went again4 ,he was in trouble till about two in the morning4 ,at last he came to this conclusion4 ,said he3 ,i will believe it anyway2 and when ,i get to heaven1 if it isn't true1 ,i will just tell the ,lord ,i didn't make the mistake--the translators made it4 ,the kings and princes of this world1 when they issue invitations1 call round them the rich1 the mighty and powerful1 the honorable and the wise2 but the ,lord1 when ,he was on earth2 called round ,him the vilest of the vile4 ,that was the principal fault the people found with ,him4 ,those self-righteous ,pharisees were not going to associate with harlots and publicans4 ,the principal charge against ,him was3 ,this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them4 ,who would have such a man around him as ,john ,bunyan in his time8 ,he1 a ,bedford tinker1 couldn't get inside one of the princely castles4 ,i was very much amused when ,i was over on the other side4 ,they had erected a monument to ,john ,bunyan1 and it was unveiled by lords and dukes and great men4 ,while he was on earth1 they would not have allowed him inside the walls of their castles4 ,yet he was made one of the mightiest instruments in the spread of the ,gospel4 ,no book that has ever been written comes so near the ,bible as ,john ,bunyan's ,pilgrim's ,progress4 ,and he was a poor ,bedford tinker4 ,so it is with ,god4 ,he picks up some poor1 lost tramp1 and makes him an instrument to turn hundreds and thousands to ,christ4 ,george ,whitefield1 standing in his tabernacle in ,london1 and with a multitude gathered about him1 cried out3 ,the ,lord ,jesus will save the devil's castaways6 ,two poor abandoned wretches standing outside in the street1 heard him1 as his silvery voice rang out on the air4 ,looking into each other's faces1 they said3 ,that must mean you and me4 ,they wept and rejoiced4 ,they drew near and looked in at the door1 at the face of the earnest messenger1 the tears streaming from his eyes as he plead with the people to give their hearts to ,god4 ,one of them wrote him a little note and sent it to him4 ,later that day1 as he sat at the table of ,lady ,huntington1 who was his special friend1 someone present said3 ,mr4 ,whitefield1 did you not go a little too far to-day when you said that the ,lord would save the devil's castaways8 ,taking the note from his pocket he gave it to the lady1 and said3 ,will you read that note aloud8 ,she read3 ,mr4 ,whitefield3 ,two poor lost women stood outside your tabernacle to-day1 and heard you say that the ,lord would save the devil's castaways4 ,we seized upon that as our last hope1 and we write you this to tell you that we rejoice now in believing in ,him1 and from this good hour we shall endeavor to serve ,him1 who has done so much for us4 #b4 ,the ,i ,will of ,cleansing4 ,the next ,i will is found in ,luke1 fifth chapter4 ,we read of a leper who came to ,christ1 and said3 ,lord1 if ,thou wilt1 ,thou canst make me clean4 ,the ,lord touched him1 saying1 ,i will3 be thou clean2 and immediately the leprosy left him4 ,now if any man or woman full of the leprosy of sin read this1 if you will but go to the ,master and tell all your case to ,him1 ,he will speak to you as ,he did to that poor leper and say4 ,i will3 be thou clean1 and the leprosy of your sins will flee away from you4 ,it is the ,lord1 and the ,lord alone1 who can forgive sins4 ,if you say to ,him1 ,lord1 ,i am full of sin2 ,thou canst make me clean2 ,lord1 ,i have a terrible temper2 ,thou canst make me clean2 ,lord1 ,i have a deceitful heart4 ,cleanse me1 ,o ,lord2 give me a new heart4 ,o ,lord1 give me the power to overcome the flesh1 and the snares of the devil62 ,lord1 ,i am full of unclean habits2 if you come to ,him with a sincere spirit1 you will hear the voice1 ,i will2 be thou clean4 ,it will be done4 ,do you think that the ,god who created the world out of nothing1 who by a breath put life into the world--do you think that if ,he says1 ,thou shalt be clean1 you will not8 ,now1 you can make a wonderful exchange to-day4 ,you can have health in the place of sickness2 you can get rid of everything that is vile and hateful in the sight of ,god4 ,the ,son of ,god comes down1 and says1 ,i will take away your leprosy1 and give you health in its stead4 ,i will take away that terrible disease that is ruining your body and soul1 and give you my righteousness in its stead4 ,i will clothe you with the garments of salvation4 ,is it not wonderful8 ,that's what ,he means when ,he says--,i will4 ,oh1 lay hold of this ,i will6 #c4 ,the ,i ,will of ,confession4 ,now turn to ,matthew1 tenth chapter1 thirty-second verse3 ,whosoever therefore shall confess ,me before men1 him will ,i confess also before my ,father which is in heaven4 ,there's the ,i will of confession4 ,now1 that's the next thing that takes place after a man is saved4 ,when we have been washed in the blood of the ,lamb1 the next thing is to get our mouths opened4 ,we have to confess ,christ here in this dark world1 and tell ,his love to others4 ,we are not to be ashamed of the ,son of ,god4 ,a man thinks it a great honor when he has achieved a victory that causes his name to be mentioned in the ,english ,parliament1 or in the presence of the ,queen and her court4 ,how excited we used to be during the war1 when some general did something extraordinary1 and someone got up in ,congress to confess his exploits2 how the papers used to talk about it6 ,in ,china1 we read1 the highest ambition of the successful soldier is to have his name written in the palace or temple of ,confucius4 ,but just think of having your name mentioned in the kingdom of heaven by the ,prince of ,glory1 by the ,son of ,god1 because you confess ,him here on earth6 ,you confess ,him here2 ,he will confess you yonder4 ,if you wish to be brought into the clear light of liberty1 you must take your stand on ,christ's side4 ,i have known many ,christians go groping about in darkness1 and never get into the clear light of the kingdom1 because they were ashamed to confess the ,son of ,god4 ,we are living in a day when men want a religion without the cross4 ,they want the crown1 but not the cross4 ,but if we are to be disciples of ,jesus ,christ1 we have to take up our crosses daily--not once a year1 or on the ,sabbath1 but daily4 ,and if we take up our crosses and follow ,him1 we shall be blessed in the very act4 ,i remember a man in ,new ,york who used to come and pray with me4 ,he had his cross4 ,he was afraid to confess ,christ4 ,it seemed that down at the bottom of his trunk he had a ,bible4 ,he wanted to get it out and read it to the companion with whom he lived1 but he was ashamed to do it4 ,for a whole week that was his cross2 and after he had carried the burden that long1 and after a terrible struggle1 he made up his mind4 ,he said1 ,i will take my ,bible out tonight and read it4 ,he took it out1 and soon he heard the footsteps of his mate coming upstairs4 ,his first impulse was to put it away again1 but then he thought he would not--he would face his companion with it4 ,his mate came in1 and seeing him at his ,bible1 said1 ,john1 are you interested in these things8 ,yes1 he replied4 ,how long has this been1 then8 asked his companion4 ,exactly a week1 he answered2 for a whole week ,i have tried to get out my ,bible to read to you1 but ,i have never done so till now4 ,well1 said his friend1 it is a strange thing4 ,i was converted on the some night1 and ,i too was ashamed to take my ,bible out4 ,you are ashamed to take your ,bible out and say1 ,i have lived a godless life for all these years1 but ,i will commence now to live a life of righteousness4 ,you are ashamed to open your ,bible and read that blessed ,psalm1 ,the ,lord is my ,shepherd1 ,i shall not want4 ,you are ashamed to be seen on your knees4 ,no man can be a disciple of ,jesus ,christ without bearing ,his cross4 ,a great many people want to know how it is ,jesus ,christ has so few disciples1 whilst ,mahomet has so many4 ,the reason is that ,mahomet gives no cross to bear4 ,there are so few men who will come out to take their stand4 ,i was struck during the ,american war with the fact that there were so many men who could go to the cannon's mouth without trembling1 but who had not courage to take up their ,bibles to read them at night4 ,they were ashamed of the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 which is the power of ,god unto salvation4 ,whosoever therefore shall confess me before men1 him will ,i confess also before ,my ,father which is in heaven4 ,but whosoever shall deny ,me before men1 him will ,i also deny before ,my ,father which is in heaven4 #d4 ,the ,i ,will of ,service4 ,the next ,i will is the ,i will of service4 ,there are a good many ,christians who have been quickened and aroused to say1 ,i want to do some service for ,christ4 ,well1 ,christ says1 ,follow ,me1 and ,i will make you fishers of men4 ,there is no ,christian who cannot help to bring someone to the ,savior4 ,christ says1 ,and ,i1 if ,i be lifted up1 will draw all men unto ,me2 and our business is just to lift up ,christ4 ,our ,lord said1 ,follow ,me1 ,peter1 and ,i will make you a fisher of men2 and ,peter simply obeyed ,him1 and there1 on that day of ,pentecost1 we see the result4 ,peter had a good haul on the day of ,pentecost4 ,i doubt if he ever caught so many fish in one day as he did men on that day4 ,it would have broken every net they had on board1 if they had had to drag up three thousand fishes4 ,i read some time ago of a man who took passage in a stage coach4 ,there were first1 second and third-class passengers4 ,but when he looked into the coach1 he saw all the passengers sitting together without distinction4 ,he could not understand it till by-and-by they came to a hill1 and the coach stopped1 and the driver called out1 ,first-class passengers keep their seats1 second-class passengers get out and walk1 third class passengers get behind and push4 ,now in the ,church we have no room for first-class passengers--people who think that salvation means an easy ride all the way to heaven4 ,we have no room for second class passengers--people who are carried most of the time1 and who1 when they must work out their own salvation1 go trudging on giving never a thought to helping their fellows along4 ,all church members ought to be third class passengers--ready to dismount and push all together1 and push with a will4 ,that was ,john ,wesley's definition of a church--,all at it1 and always at it4 ,every ,christian ought to be a worker4 ,he need not be a preacher1 he need not be an evangelist1 to be useful4 ,he may be useful in business4 ,see what power an employer has1 if he likes6 ,how he could labor with his employees1 and in his business relations6 ,often a man can be far more useful in a business sphere than he could in another4 ,there is one reason1 and a great reason1 why so many do not succeed4 ,i have been asked by a great many good men1 ,why is it we don't have any results8 ,we work hard1 pray hard1 and preach hard1 and yet the success does not come4 ,i will tell you4 ,it is because they spend all their time mending their nets4 ,no wonder they never catch anything4 ,the great matter is to hold inquiry meetings1 and thus pull the net in1 and see if you have caught anything4 ,if you are always mending and setting the net1 you won't catch many fish4 ,whoever heard of a man going out to fish1 and setting his net1 and then letting it stop there1 and never pulling it in8 ,everybody would laugh at the man's folly4 ,a minister in ,england came to me one day1 and said1 ,i wish you would tell me why we ministers don't succeed better than we do4 ,i brought before him this idea of pulling in the net1 and ,i said1 ,you ought to pull in your nets4 ,there are many ministers in ,manchester who can preach much better than ,i can1 but ,i pull in the net4 ,many people have objections to inquiry meetings1 but ,i urged upon him the importance of them1 and the minister said1 ,i never did pull in my net1 but ,i will try next ,sunday4 ,he did so1 and eight persons1 anxious inquirers1 went into his study4 ,the next ,sunday he came down to see me1 and said he had never had such a ,sunday in his life4 ,he had met with marvelous blessing4 ,the next time he drew the net there were forty1 and when he came to see me later1 he said to me joyfully1 ,moody1 ,i have had eight hundred conversions this last year6 ,it is a great mistake ,i did not begin earlier to pull in the net4 ,so1 my friends1 if you want to catch men1 just pull in the net4 ,if you only catch one1 it will be something4 ,it may be a little child1 but ,i have known a little child to convert a whole family4 ,you don't know what is in that little dull-headed boy in the inquiry-room2 he may become a ,martin ,luther1 a reformer that shall make the world tremble--you cannot tell4 ,god uses the weak things of this world to confound the mighty4 ,god's promise is as good as a bank note--,i promise to pay ,so-and-,so1 and here is one of ,christ's promissory notes--,if you follow ,me1 ,i will make you fishers of men4 ,will you not lay hold of the promise1 and trust it1 and follow ,him now8 ,if a man preaches the ,gospel1 and preaches it faithfully1 he ought to expect results then and there4 ,i believe it is the privilege of ,god's children to reap the fruit of their labor three hundred and sixty five days in the year4 ,well1 but1 say some1 is there not a sowing time as well as harvest8 ,yes1 it is true1 there is2 but then1 you can sow with one hand1 and reap with the other4 ,what would you think of a farmer who went on sowing all the year round1 and never thought of reaping8 ,i repeat it1 we want to sow with one hand1 and reap with the other2 and if we look for the fruit of our labors1 we shall see it4 ,i1 if ,i be lifted up1 will draw all men unto ,me4 ,we must lift ,christ up1 and then seek men out1 and bring them to ,him4 ,you must use the right kind of bait4 ,a good many don't do this1 and then they wonder they are not successful4 ,you see them getting up all kinds of entertainments with which to try and catch men4 ,they go the wrong way to work4 ,this perishing world wants ,christ1 and ,him crucified4 ,there's a void in every man's bosom that wants filling up1 and if we only approach him with the right kind of bait1 we shall catch him4 ,this poor world needs a ,savior2 and if we are going to be successful in catching men1 we must preach ,christ crucified--not ,his life only but ,his death4 ,and if we are only faithful in doing this1 we shall succeed4 ,and why8 ,because there is ,his promise3 ,if you follow ,me1 ,i will make you fishers of men4 ,that promise holds just as good to you and me as it did to ,his disciples1 and is as true now as it was in their time4 ,think of ,paul up yonder4 ,people are going up every day and every hour1 men and women who have been brought to ,christ through his writings4 ,he set streams in motion that have flowed on for more than a thousand years4 ,i can imagine men going up there1 and saying1 ,paul1 ,i thank you for writing that letter to the ,ephesians2 ,i found ,christ in that4 ,paul1 ,i thank you for writing that epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,paul1 ,i found ,christ in that epistle to the ,philippians4 ,i thank you1 ,paul1 for that epistle to the ,galatians2 ,i found ,christ in that4 ,and so1 ,i suppose1 they are going up still1 thanking ,paul all the while for what he had done4 ,ah1 when ,paul was put in prison he did not fold his hands and sit down in idleness6 ,no1 he began to write2 and his epistles have come down through the long ages of time1 and brought thousands on thousands to a knowledge of ,christ crucified4 ,yes1 ,christ said to ,paul1 ,i will make you a fisher of men if you will follow ,me1 and he has been fishing for souls ever since4 ,the devil thought he had done a very wise thing when he got ,paul into prison1 but he was very much mistaken2 he overdid it for once4 ,i have no doubt ,paul has thanked ,god ever since for that ,philippian gaol1 and his stripes and imprisonment there4 ,i am sure the world has made more by it than we shall ever know till we get to heaven4 #e4 ,the ,i ,will of ,comfort4 ,the next ,i will is in ,john1 fourteenth chapter1 verse eighteen3 ,i will not leave you comfortless4 ,to me it is a sweet thought that ,christ has not left us alone in this dark wilderness here below4 ,although ,he has gone up on high1 and taken ,his seat by the ,father's throne1 ,he has not left us comfortless4 ,the better translation is1 ,i will not leave you orphans4 ,he did not leave ,joseph when they cast him into prison4 ,god was with him4 ,when ,daniel was cast into the den of lions1 they had to put the ,almighty in with him4 ,they were so bound together that they could not be separated1 and so ,god went down into the den of lions with ,daniel4 ,if we have got ,christ with us1 we can do all things4 ,do not let us be thinking how weak we are4 ,let us lift up our eyes to ,him1 and think of ,him as our ,elder ,brother1 who has all power given to ,him in heaven and on earth4 ,he says3 ,lo1 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world4 ,some of our children and friends leave us1 and it is a very sad hour4 ,but1 thank ,god1 the believer and ,christ shall never be separated6 ,he is with us here1 and we shall be with ,him in person by and by1 and shall see ,him in ,his beauty4 ,but not only is ,he with us1 but ,he has sent us the ,holy ,ghost4 ,let us honor the ,holy ,ghost by acknowledging that ,he is here in our midst4 ,he has power to give sight to the blind1 liberty to the captive1 and to open the ears of the deaf that they may hear the glorious words of the ,gospel4 #f4 ,the ,i ,will of ,resurrection4 ,then there is another ,i will in ,john1 sixth chapter1 verse forty2 it occurs four times in the chapter3 ,i will raise him up at the last day4 ,i rejoice to think that ,i have a ,savior who has power over death4 ,my blessed ,master holds the keys him1 and ,i got more comfort out of that promise ,i will raise him up at the last day1 than anything else in the ,bible4 ,how it cheered me6 ,how it lighted up my path6 ,and as ,i went into the room and looked upon the lovely face of that brother1 how that passage ran through my soul3 ,thy brother shall rise again4 ,i said1 ,thank ,god for that promise4 ,it was worth more than the world to me4 ,when we laid him in the grave1 it seemed as if ,i could hear the voice of ,jesus ,christ saying1 ,thy brother shall rise again4 ,blessed promise of the resurrection6 ,blessed ,i will6 ,i will raise him up at the last day4 #g4 ,the ,i ,will of ,glory4 ,now the next ,i will is in ,john1 seventeenth chapter1 twenty-fourth verse3 ,father1 ,i will that they also1 whom ,thou hast given ,me1 be with ,me where ,i am4 ,this was in ,his last prayer in the guest-chamber1 on the last night before ,he was crucified and died that terrible death on ,calvary4 ,many a believer's countenance begins to light up at the thought that he shall see the ,king in ,his beauty by and by4 ,yes2 there is a glorious day before us in the future4 ,some think that on the first day we are converted we have got everything4 ,to be sure1 we get salvation for the past and peace for the present2 but then there is the glory for the future in store4 ,that's what kept ,paul rejoicing4 ,he said1 ,these light afflictions1 these few stripes1 these few brickbats and stones that they throw at me--why1 the glory that is beyond excels them so much that ,i count them as nothing1 nothing at all1 so that ,i may win ,christ4 ,and so1 when things go against us1 let us cheer up2 let us remember that the night will soon pass away1 and the morning dawn upon us4 ,death never comes there4 ,it is banished from that heavenly land4 ,sickness1 and pain1 and sorrow1 come not there to mar that grand and glorious home where we shall be by and by with the ,master4 ,god's family will be all together there4 ,glorious future1 my friends6 ,yes1 glorious day6 and it may be a great deal nearer than many of us think4 ,during these few days we are here let us stand steadfast and firm1 and by and by we shall be in the unbroken circle in yon world of light1 and have the ,king in our midst4 ,,the ,,red ,,library #af,,mo1 ,,cloth1 ,,each ,,net4 #cj ,,cts4 ,weighed and ,wanting4 ,men of the ,bible4 ,bible ,characters4 ,select ,sermons4 ,moody's ,anecdotes4 ,the ,overcoming ,life4 ,the ,way to ,god4 ,thoughts for the ,quiet ,hour4 ,moody's ,latest ,sermons ,short ,talks by ,d4 ,l4 ,moody4 ,pleasure and ,profit in ,bible ,study4 ,sowing and ,reaping4 ,heaven4 ,moody's ,stories4 ,to the ,work6 ,sovereign ,grace4 ,prevailing ,prayer4 ,secret ,power4 ,the above eighteen volumes are all by ,d4 ,l4 ,moody1 and are published as ,the ,moody ,library1 in boxed set1 net1 #e4dj4 ,the ,true ,estimate of ,life4 ,by ,g4 ,campbell ,morgan4 ,all of ,grace4 ,by ,c4 ,h4 ,spurgeon4 ,according to ,promise4 ,,by ,c4 ,h4 ,spurgeon4 ,john ,ploughman's ,talks4 ,by ,c4 ,h4 ,spurgeon4 ,john ,ploughman's ,pictures4 ,by ,c4 ,h4 ,spurgeon4 ,good ,tidings4 ,recitation ,poems4 ,the ,way of ,life4 ,tales of ,adventure from the ,old ,book4 ,resurrection4 ,select ,poems for the ,silent ,hour4 ,up from ,sin4 ,the ,revival of a ,dead ,church4 ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company ,,chicago ,,new ,,york ,,toronto ,,publishers ,,of ,,evangelical ,,literature