,,the ,,personal ,,touch  ,,by  ,j4     
,,wilbur ,,chapman1 ,d4,d4              
,,contents         ,,foreword     ,i4 ,a
 ,,testimony    ,,ii4 ,a ,,general      
,,principle   ,,iii4 ,a ,,polished      
,,shaft    ,,iv4 ,,starting ,,right     
,v4 ,,no ,,man ,,cared ,,for ,,my ,,soul
    ,,vi4 ,,winning ,,the ,,young       
,,vii4 ,,winning ,,and ,,holding        
,,viii4 ,a ,,practical ,,illustration   
,,ix4 ,,whosoever ,,will     ,x4        
,,conversion ,,is ,a ,,miracle    ,,xi4 
,a ,,final ,,word     ,,foreword   ,,if 
,if to be a ,christian is worth while1  
then the most ordinary interest in those
 with whom we come in contact should    
prompt us to speak to them of ,christ4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,if the ,new ,testament be true--and we 
know that it is--who has given us the   
right to place the responsibility for   
soul-winning on other shoulders than our
 own8         99       99       99      
99       99  ,if they who reject ,christ
 are in danger1 is it not strange that  

we1 who are so sympathetic when the     
difficulties are physical or temporal1  
should apparently be so devoid of       
interest as to allow our friends and    
neighbours and kindred to come into our 
lives and pass out again without a word 
of invitation to accept ,christ1 to say 
nothing of sounding a note of warning   
because of their peril8         99      
99       99       99       99  ,if      
to-day is the day of salvation1 if      
to-morrow may never come1 and if life is
 equally uncertain1 how can we eat1     
drink1 and be merry when those who live 
with us1 work with us1 walk with us1 and
 love us are unprepared for eternity    
because they are unprepared for time8   
99       99       99       99       99  
,if ,jesus called ,his disciples to be  
fishers of men1 who gave us the right to
 be satisfied with making fishing tackle
 or pointing the way to the fishing     
banks instead of going ourselves to cast
 out the net until it be filled8        
99       99       99       99       99  

,if ,jesus ,himself went seeking the    
lost1 if ,paul the ,apostle was in agony
 because his kinsmen1 according to the  
flesh1 knew not ,christ1 why should we  
not consider it worth while to go out   
after the lost until they are found8    
99       99       99       99       99  
,if ,i am to stand at the judgment seat 
of ,christ to render an account for the 
deeds done in the body1 what shall ,i   
say to ,him if my children are missing1 
my friends not saved1 or if my employer 
or employee should miss the way because 
,i have been faithless8         99      
99       99       99       99  ,if ,i   
wish to be approved at the last1 then   
let me remember that no intellectual    
superiority1 no eloquence in preaching1 
no absorption in business1 no shrinking 
temperament1 no spirit of timidity can  
take the place of or be an excuse for my
 not making an honest1 sincere1         
prayerful effort to win others to       
,christ by means of the ,personal       
,touch4     ,,chapter ,i  ,a ,testimony 

,i have the very best of reasons for    
believing in the power of the personal  
touch in ,christian work1 especially as 
it may be used in the winning of others 
to ,christ4  ,my boyhood's home was in  
the city of ,richmond1 in the ,state of 
,indiana1 my mother was a devout member 
of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1   
and in the first years of my life in    
company with my father and the other    
children of the household1 ,i attended  
the church of my mother4 ,when she was  
just a little more than thirty-five     
years of age she was called home4 ,my   
father in his youth had been trained as 
a ,presbyterian2 many of his ancestors  
having belonged to that denomination2   
therefore it was quite natural that he  
should return to the ,church of his     
fathers when my mother had gone home4   
,it was thus ,i became a member of the  
,presbyterian ,church1 and my ,church   
training as a boy after fifteen years of
 age was in that denomination4 ,because 
of this special interest in both the    

,church of my father and my mother1 ,i  
attended two ,sunday ,schools4 ,in the  
morning ,i was in a class in the        
,presbyterian school and in the         
afternoon was a member of a class in the
 ,grace ,methodist ,sunday ,school1 my  
teacher in the afternoon school being   
,mrs ,c4,c4 ,binckley1 a godly woman1   
the wife of ,senator ,binckley of       
,indiana1 through all her life from     
girlhood1 a devout follower of ,christ  
and a faithful teacher in the ,sunday   
,school4 ,not so very long ago ,i heard 
that she was still teaching in the same 
school1 and ,i am sure1 as in the olden 
days1 winning boys to ,christ4  ,i fear 
that ,i was a thoughtless boy1 and yet  
the impressions made upon my life in    
those days by the death of my mother1   
the teaching of my father1 and the      
influence of my ,sunday ,school teacher1
 were such that ,i have never been able 
to get away from them4  ,one ,sunday    
afternoon a stranger came to address our
 school--his name ,i have never learned2

 ,i would give much to find it out4 ,at 
the close of his address he made an     
appeal to the scholars to stand and     
confess ,christ4 ,i think every boy in  
my class rose to his feet with the      
exception of myself4 ,i found myself    
reasoning thus3 ,why should ,i rise1 my 
mother was a saint2 my father is one of 
the truest men ,i know2 my home teaching
 has been all that a boy could have2 ,i 
know about ,christ and think ,i realise 
,his power to save4  ,while ,i was thus 
reasoning1 my ,sunday ,school teacher1  
with tears in her eyes1 leaned around   
back of the other boys and looking      
straight at me1 as ,i turned towards her
 she said1 ,would it not be best for you
 to rise8 ,and when she saw that ,i     
still hesitated1 she put her hand under 
my elbow and lifted me just a little    
bit1 and ,i stood upon my feet4 ,i can  
never describe my emotions4 ,i do not   
know that that was the time of my       
conversion1 but ,i do know that it was  
the day when one of the most profound   

impressions of my life was made upon me4
 ,through all these years ,i have never 
forgotten it1 and it was my ,sunday     
,school teacher who influenced me thus  
to take the stand--it was her personal  
touch that gave me courage to rise      
before the school and confess my        
,saviour4  ,in the good providence of   
,god1 during my student days1 as well as
 during the first years of my ministry1 
,i was thrown in contact with men who   
knew ,god1 who were being marvellously  
used by ,him1 and who seemed ready and  
willing to give assistance to one who   
was just beginning the journey of life  
with all its struggles and conflicts    
ahead of him4  ,when ,i was a student   
attending ,lake ,forest ,university1 not
 far from ,chicago1 ,i was very greatly 
troubled about the matter of assurance4 
,i heard that ,mr ,moody was to be in   
,chicago1 and in company with a friend  
,i went in from ,lake ,forest to hear   
him4 ,five times in a single day ,i sat 
at his feet and drank in the words which

 fell from his lips4 ,he thrilled me    
through and through4 ,i heard him preach
 his great sermon on ,sowing and        
,reaping1 when old ,farwell ,hall was   
crowded with young men many of whom were
 students like myself4  ,the impression 
that ,mr ,moody made upon me as a       
,christian young man1 was that ,i myself
 was not absolutely sure ,i was saved4  
,i analysed my experience and found that
 sometimes ,i was more than sure and at 
other times dwelt in ,doubting ,castle4 
,when the great evangelist called for an
 after-meeting1 ,i was one of the first 
to enter the room where he had indicated
 he would meet those who were           
interested1 and to my great joy he came 
and sat down beside me4 ,he asked me my 
difficulty and ,i told him ,i was not   
quite sure that ,i was saved4 ,he asked 
me to read ,john v4 #bd1 and trembling  
with emotion ,i read3 ,verily1 verily1  
,i say unto you1 ,he that heareth my    
word1 and believeth on ,him that sent   
me1 hath everlasting life1 and shall not

 come into condemnation2 but is passed  
from death unto life4  ,he said to me1  
,do you believe this8 ,i said1          
,certainly4 ,he said1 ,are you a        
,christian8 and ,i replied1 ,sometimes  
,i think ,i am1 and again ,i am fearful4
 ,then he said1 ,read it again4 ,and ,i 
read it once more4 ,his question was    
again repeated1 and ,i answered it in   
the same manner as before4 ,then he     
seemed to lose his patience1 and the    
only time ,i can remember ,mr ,moody    
being sharp with me was when he turned  
upon me and said1 ,whom are you         
doubting8 ,and suddenly it dawned upon  
me that ,i was doubting ,him who said ,i
 was possessed of everlasting life      
because ,i believed on the ,son and on  
the ,father who had sent ,him1 and in   
spite of this possession and ,his sure  
,word of promise concerning it1 ,i was  
sceptical4 ,but as ,i sat there beside  
him ,i saw it all4 ,then he said1 ,read 
it again4 ,and ,i read it the third     
time1 and talking to me as gently as a  

mother would to her child he said1 ,do  
you believe this8 ,i said1 ,yes1 indeed 
,i do4 ,then he said1 ,are you a        
,christian8 ,and ,i answered1 ,yes1 ,mr 
,moody1 ,i am4 ,from that day to this ,i
 have never questioned my acceptance    
with ,god4  ,for some reason ,mr ,moody 
always seemed to keep me in mind4 ,he   
came into my church in the early days of
 my ministry1 told me where he thought  
,i was wrong and suggested how ,i might 
be more greatly used of ,god4 ,he       
advised me to give my time wholly to    
evangelistic work1 and when ,i said to  
him one day that ,i was going to take up
 the pastorate after three years of     
experience in general evangelism1 he    
seemed disturbed4 ,to him more than to  
any other man1 ,i owe the greatest      
blessing that ever came into my life4   
,through ,mr ,moody ,i met the ,rev     
,f4,b4 ,meyer1 and one sentence which he
 used at ,northfield changed my         
ministry4 ,he said1 ,if you are not     
willing to give up everything for       

,christ1 are you willing to be made     
willing8 ,that seemed like a new star in
 the sky of my life1 and one day acting 
upon his suggestion1 after having       
carefully studied the passages in the   
,new ,testament which relate to         
surrender and to consecration1 ,i gave  
myself anew to ,christ and ,i shall     
never be able to express in words my    
appreciation of what this man of ,god to
 whom ,i have referred1 did for me by   
personal influence4  ,all along the way 
,i have been brought in contact with men
 whom ,god has signally blessed1 and ,i 
am persuaded that there are many to-day 
whose hearts are hungering for a        
blessing1 who are waiting as ,i was     
myself1 for someone to speak to them    
personally1 and help them out of        
darkness into light2 out of a certain   
kind of bondage into a glorious freedom4
 ,the personal touch in ,christian work1
 to me1 means everything4     ,,chapter 
,,ii  ,a ,general ,principle   ,i have  
been amazed in my study of the          

biographies of men and women who have   
been specially used of ,god1 to see how 
almost universal is the rule that they  
have come to ,christ1 or to an          
experience of power1 through the        
personal influence of a friend or       
acquaintance4 ,preaching is not enough1 
it is sometimes too general2 the        
impressions of a song may soon be       
effaced1 but the personal touch1 the    
tear in the eye1 the pathos in the      
voice1 the concern which is manifested  
in the very expression of one's         
countenance2 these are used with great  
effect1 and thousands of people are     
to-day in the ,kingdom of ,god1 or in   
special service1 because of such        
influences being brought to bear upon   
their lives4  ,john ,wesley is a notable
 illustration of the influence of the   
personal touch4 ,peter ,bohler of the   
,moravian ,church1 came into his life   
when he was in sore need of just such   
assistance as he seemed able to give4   
,dr ,w4 ,h4 ,fitchett of ,australia1    

writes3--  ,the ,moravians of ,savannah 
taught him exactly what ,peter ,bohler  
taught him afterwards in ,london1 but   
the teaching at the moment left his life
 unaffected4 ,wesley's own explanation  
is1 ',i understood it not2 ,i was too   
learned and too wise1 so that it seemed 
foolishness unto me2 and ,i continued   
preaching1 and following after1 and     
trusting in that righteousness whereby  
no flesh can be justified4'  ,the truth 
is that ,peter ,bohler himself1 had he  
met ,wesley in ,savannah1 would have    
taught him in vain4 ,the stubborn       
,sacramentarian and ,high ,churchman had
 to be scourged1 by the sharp discipline
 of failure1 out of that subtlest and   
deadliest form of pride1 the pride that 
imagines that the secret of salvation   
lies1 or can lie1 within the circle of  
purely human effort4 ,wesley later      
describes ,peter ,bohler as ',one whom  
,god prepared for me4' ,but ,god in the 
toilsome and humiliating experiences of 
,georgia1 was preparing ,wesley for     

,peter ,bohler4  ,bohler described      
,wesley as a man of good principles1 who
 did not properly believe on the        
,saviour1 and was willing to be taught4 
,later on1 in the city of ,london1 where
 ,wesley had been intimately associated 
with ,peter ,bohler and had come        
directly under his influence1 he one    
night attended a religious service in   
,aldersgate ,street1 where the one      
conducting the service was reading      
,luther's preface to the ,epistle to the
 ,romans4 ,the effect of that service   
upon ,wesley is best told in his own    
words4  ,about a quarter before nine1   
while he was describing the change which
 ,god works in the heart through faith  
in ,christ1 ,i felt my heart strangely  
warmed4 ,i felt ,i did trust in ,christ1
 ,christ alone1 for my salvation2 and an
 assurance was given me that ,he had    
taken away my sins1 even mine1 and saved
 me from the law of sin and death4 ,i   
began to pray with all my might for     
those who had in a more special manner  

despitefully used me and persecuted me4 
,i then testified openly to all there   
what ,i now first felt in my heart4 ,but
 it was not long before the enemy       
suggested1 ',this cannot be faith2 for  
where is thy joy8' ,then was ,i taught  
that peace and victory over sin are     
essential to faith in the ,captain of   
our salvation2 but that1 as to the      
transports of joy that usually attend   
the beginning of it1 especially in those
 who have mourned deeply1 ,god sometimes
 giveth1 sometimes withholdeth1 them    
according to the counsels of ,his own   
will4  ,charles ,haddon ,spurgeon1 in   
speaking of his own early experiences1  
writes thus3 ,when ,i was a young child 
staying with my grandfather1 there came 
to preach in the village ,mr ,knill1 who
 had been a missionary at ,st           
,petersburgh1 and a mighty preacher of  
the gospel4 ,he came to preach for the  
,london ,missionary ,society1 and       
arrived on the ,saturday at the manse4  
,he was a great soul winner1 and he soon

 spied out the boy4 ,he said to me1     
'where do you sleep8 for ,i want to call
 you up in the morning4' ,i showed him  
my little room4 ,at six o'clock he      
called me up1 and we went into the      
arbour4 ,there1 in the sweetest way1 he 
told me of the love of ,jesus and of the
 blessedness of trusting in ,him and    
loving ,him in our childhood4 ,with many
 a story he preached ,christ to me1 and 
told me how good ,god had been to him1  
and then he prayed that ,i might know   
the ,lord and serve ,him4  ,he knelt    
down in the arbour and prayed for me    
with his arms about my neck4 ,he did not
 seem content unless ,i kept with him in
 the interval between the services1 and 
he heard my childish talk with patient  
love4 ,on ,monday morning he did as on  
the ,sabbath1 and again on ,tuesday4    
,three times he taught me and prayed    
with me1 and before he had to leave1 my 
grandfather had come back from the place
 where he had gone to preach1 and all   
the family were gathered to morning     

prayer4 ,then1 in the presence of them  
all1 ,mr ,knill took me on his knee and 
said1 ',this child will one day preach  
the gospel1 and he will preach it to    
great multitudes4 ,i am persuaded that  
he will preach in the chapel of ,rowland
 ,hill1 where 7,i think he said7 ,i am  
now the minister4' ,he spoke very       
solemnly1 and called upon all present to
 witness what he said4  ,d4,l4 ,moody   
was thus won to ,christ4 ,his ,sunday   
,school teacher in ,boston was ,mr      
,e4,d4 ,kimball4 ,he was not one of the 
ordinary type of ,sunday ,school        
teachers4 ,mere literal instruction on  
,sunday did not satisfy his ideal of the
 teacher's duty4 ,he knew his boys1 and 
if he knew them1 it was because he      
studied them1 because he became         
acquainted with their occupations and   
aims1 visiting them during the week4 ,it
 was his custom1 moreover1 to find      
opportunity to give to his boys an      
opportunity to use his experience in    
seeking the better things of the        

,spirit4 ,the day came when he resolved 
to speak to young ,moody about ,christ1 
and about his soul4  ,i started down to 
,holton's shoe store1 says ,mr ,kimball4
 ,when ,i was nearly there1 ,i began to 
wonder whether ,i ought to go just then1
 during business hours4 ,and ,i thought 
maybe my mission might embarrass the    
boy1 that when ,i went away the other   
clerks might ask who ,i was1 and when   
they learned might taunt ,moody and ask 
if ,i was trying to make a good boy out 
of him4 ,while ,i was pondering over it 
all1 ,i passed the store without        
noticing it4 ,then when ,i found ,i had 
gone by the door1 ,i determined to make 
a dash for it and have it over at once4 
,i found ,moody in the back part of the 
store wrapping up shoes in paper and    
putting them on shelves4 ,i went up to  
him and put my hand on his shoulder1 and
 as ,i leaned over ,i placed my foot    
upon a shoe box4 ,then ,i made my plea1 
and ,i feel that it was really a very   
weak one4 ,i don't know just what words 

,i used1 nor could ,mr ,moody tell4 ,i  
simply told him of ,christ's love for   
him and the love ,christ wanted in      
return4 ,that was all there was of it4  
,i think ,mr ,moody said afterwards that
 there were tears in my eyes4 ,it seemed
 that the young man was just ready for  
the light that then broke upon him1 for 
there at once in the back of that shoe  
store in ,boston the future great       
evangelist gave himself and his life to 
,christ4  ,many years afterward ,mr     
,moody himself told the story of that   
day4 ,when ,i was in ,boston1 he said1  
,i used to attend a ,sunday ,school     
class1 and one day1 ,i recollect1 my    
teacher came around behind the counter  
of the shop ,i was at work in1 and put  
his hand upon my shoulder1 and talked to
 me about ,christ and my soul4 ,i had   
not felt that ,i had a soul till then4  
,i said to myself4 ,this is a very      
strange thing4 ,here is a man who never 
saw me till lately1 and he is weeping   
over my sins1 and ,i never shed a tear  

about them4 ,but1 ,i understand it now1 
and know what it is to have a passion   
for men's souls and weep over their     
sins4 ,i don't remember what he said1   
but ,i can feel the power of that man's 
hand on my shoulder to-night4 ,it was   
not long after that ,i was brought into 
the ,kingdom of ,god4  ,the personal    
touch is necessary4 ,it is not so much  
what we say1 as the way we say it1 and  
indeed1 it is not so much what we say   
and the way we say it1 as what we are1  
that counts in personal work4 ,we cannot
 delegate this work to others4 ,god has 
called the evangelist to a certain      
mission in soul winning4 ,he has given  
ministers the privilege of winning many 
to ,christ4 ,mission workers1 generally1
 are charged with the responsibility for
 this special work4 ,but this fact      
cannot relieve the parents1 the         
children1 the husband1 the wife1 the    
friends1 the business man1 the toiler in
 the shop1 from personal responsibility 
in the matter of attempting to win      

others to the ,saviour4     ,,chapter   
,,iii  ,a ,polished ,shaft   ,he hath   
made me a polished shaft2 in his quiver 
hath he hid me1 ,isaiah xlix4 #b4a      
,personal preparation is essential to   
the best success in personal work4 ,no  
familiarity with the methods of other   
workers2 no distinction among men       
because of past favours of either ,god  
or men2 no past success in the line of  
special effort2 no amount of            
intellectual equipment and no reputation
 for cleverness in the estimation of    
your fellowmen will take the place of   
individual soul culture1 if you are to  
be used of ,god4  ,footnote #a3         
,suggested by ,dr ,charles ,cuthbert    
,hall4    ,thou must be true thyself1   
,if thou the truth would teach2   ,it   
takes the overflow of heart   ,to give  
the lips full speech4  ,the words of    
,isaiah the ,prophet literally refer to 
,him who was the servant of ,jehovah4   
,he was ,god's prepared blessing to a   
waiting and needy people4 ,he came from 

the bosom of the ,father that ,he might 
lift a lost and ruined race to ,god4    
,and swifter than an arrow speeds from  
the hand of the archer when the string  
of the bow is drawn back1 ,he came to do
 the will of ,god4 ,in the ,epistle to  
the ,hebrews we find ,him saying1 ,lo ,i
 come1 in the volume of the ,book it is 
written of me ,i delight to do thy will4
 ,this was the spirit of all ,his       
earthly life4 ,when ,he was hungry and  
sent ,his disciples to buy meat1 ,he    
found it unnecessary to partake of the  
food they brought to ,him1 saying1 ,my  
meat is to do the will of him that sent 
me4 ,and when ,he came to the garden of 
,gethsemane1 well on to the climax of   
,his sacrificial life1 we hear ,him     
saying again1 ,not my will1 but ,thine  
be done4 ,in such a completely          
surrendered life we have a perfect      
representation of the prepared          
,christian worker4  ,in the expression  
of ,isaiah we have also the thought of  
,his anguish4 ,he was made a polished   

shaft4 ,in these days when there is a   
disposition to place ,jesus upon the    
level with others who have wrought for  
the good of humanity1 it is well to     
remember that ,he is the ,lamb slain    
from the foundation of the world4 ,there
 is also the thought of the beauty of   
,his character1 for ,he is a polished   
shaft1 chiefest among ten thousand1 and 
the ,one altogether lovely4 ,he is the  
lily of the valley for fragrance1 and   
the rose of ,sharon for beauty1 and thus
 prepared ,he stands before us beckoning
 us on to a work which is indescribable 
in its fascination4 ,calling ,his       
disciples ,he said1 ,i will make you    
fishers of men4 ,the same promise is    
made to us4 ,working ,his miracles ,he  
said to those about ,him1 ,greater works
 than these shall ye do4 ,we have only  
to follow in ,his footsteps and walk    
sufficiently near to hear ,his faintest 
whisper when ,he directs us to be1 in   
the truest sense of the word1 successful
 personal workers4  ,it is a great      

encouragement to hear ,him say1 ,as the 
,father hath sent me1 even so send ,i   
you4 ,the shaft mentioned by ,isaiah is 
an arrow prepared with all care4 ,the   
quiver in which this arrow is placed is 
carried on the left side of the archer1 
placed upon the string of the bow1 the  
archer drawing back the string adds to  
the elasticity of bow and string his own
 strength1 and the shaft is off to do   
the archer's will4 ,there is in this    
story an illustration for all ,christian
 workers4 ,fitness for service lies     
first of all in divine endowment4 ,god  
has given to each one of us special and 
peculiar qualifications4 ,if we live as 
we ought to live1 exercising the gift   
that is in us2 the painter may paint for
 ,his glory2 the poet may sing and speak
 of ,him2 the preacher may preach and   
declare ,his righteousness1 and should  
we live in less conspicuous spheres than
 these1 we have only to do our best with
 that with which ,he has endowed us and 
our lives will be pleasing to ,him4  ,it

 lies also in the divine call4 ,the     
shaft was made for a special purpose4   
,we have been created to do ,his will4  
,the possession of power is not enough2 
talents unused will rise at the         
,judgment ,seat to rebuke us4 ,god gives
 us ability and then calls us forth into
 the field that we may exercise it4     
,fitness for service also lies in the   
response to ,god's will4 ,the possession
 of power and the call of ,god may both 
be realised and we may still fail4 ,it  
is when we say ,i will1 to ,god that    
human weakness is linked to divine      
strength and then a great service is    
possible4  ,life is not drudgery1 it is 
an inspiration4    ,let me but do my    
work from day to day1   ,in field or    
forest1 at desk or loom2   ,when vagrant
 wishes beckon me away1   ,let me but   
find it in my heart to say1   ,this is  
my work1 my blessing not my doom2   ,of 
all who live ,i am the only one by whom 
,this work can best be done4  ,the word 
of the ,prophet ,isaiah is a picture of 

the child of ,god1 as well as of ,him   
who is our inspiration for service4     
,there is the thought of definiteness of
 use in the shaft4 ,other articles may  
be created for a variety of purposes4   
,this shaft is made to go at the owner's
 will4 ,there is only one way to live in
 this world and that is according to the
 will of ,god and for ,his glory4    ,it
 matters little where ,i was born1      
,or if my parents were rich or poor2    
,whether they shrank from the cold      
world's scorn1     ,or walked in the    
pride of wealth secure2   ,but whether  
,i live a surrendered man1     ,and hold
 my integrity firm in my clutch1   ,i   
tell you1 my brother1 as plain as ,i    
can1          ,it matters much6     ,it 
matters little where be my grave1       
,or on the land or on the sea4   ,by    
purling brook1 or 'neath stormy wave1   
,it matters little or nought to me2     
,but whether the angel of death comes   
down     ,and marks my brow with his    
loving touch1   ,and one that shall wear

 the victor's crown1          ,it       
matters much6  ,there is also in this   
picture of the shaft the thought of     
directed motion4 ,the aim is everything4
 ,the arrow cannot aim itself4 ,there is
 no such thing as an aimless life4 ,our 
energies are either being directed for  
,christ or against ,him2 in the         
interests of humanity or contrary to    
them4 ,every child of ,god must reach   
the place where he will say1 ,not my    
will1 but ,thine1 ,o ,god1 be done2 not 
my path but ,thine1 ,o ,christ1 be      
travelled2 not my ambitions realized but
 ,thine own purposes in me fulfilled1 my
 ,heavenly ,father4 ,the progress of    
such a life is peace1 the consummation  
of it the most perfect victory4    ,when
 ,i am dying how glad ,i shall be       
,that the lamp of my life has been      
blazed out for ,thee4   ,i shall be glad
 in whatever ,i gave1   ,labour1 or     
money1 one sinner to save2    ,i shall  
not mind that the path has been rough1  
,that ,thy dear feet led the way is     

enough4   ,when ,i am dying how glad ,i 
shall be1   ,that the lamp of my life   
has been blazed out for ,thee4  ,in the 
picture of the archer and his arrow1    
there is an illustration of derived     
energy4 ,the arrow placed upon the      
string and drawn back by the archer     
speeds away to do the master's will4 ,it
 has no power in itself2 it flies       
forward in the master's strength4 ,god  
is always seeking an outlet for ,his    
power along the line of service4 ,it is 
when our lives are surrendered to ,him  
that victory is possible4 ,a friend of  
mine took for his year text the         
expression ,i believe1 and ,i belong4   
,we might well add1 ,i live and ,i love1
 and because ,i do both ,i will obey4   
,ole ,bull once played his violin in the
 presence of a company of ,university   
students4 ,he charmed them1 they knew at
 once that they were in the presence of 
a master4 ,when he was finished playing1
 one who was present said to him1 ,what 
is the secret of your power1 have you a 

special bow1 or is it in the instrument 
you use8 ,ole ,bull responded1 ,i think 
it is in neither1 but it has always     
seemed to me that ,i had power in       
playing because ,i waited to play until 
,i had an inspiration1 when my soul was 
overflowing with music and ,i could not 
stay the torrent that was back of me2 it
 is then that ,i take my violin and the 
music flows forth4 ,if we were always   
passive in the hands of the ,master ,he 
would show forth in and through us ,his 
marvellous grace and power4  ,the       
polishing of the shaft is always        
necessary4 ,god uses all our experiences
 to equip us for life4 ,parental        
influence2 the power of prayer as       
offered in our behalf by others2 the    
education given us in the schools2 the  
disappointments of life which seem      
almost to crush us2 the sorrows which   
are indescribable2 all these are like   
the touch of a master's hand1 and forth 
from such a school and such a training  
we ought to come prepared to do the will

 of ,god4  ,the arrow was carried in the
 quiver and the quiver was near to the  
master's side4 ,nearness to ,god is     
essential if we are to be used of ,god4 
,he chooses the vessel nearest ,his     
hand4 ,this has always been true4 ,the  
apostles1 martyrs1 missionaries1 and    
saints who have finished their work and 
have gone on before1 as well as those   
who live to-day1 prove the statement    
that we must be in closest relationship 
with ,christ if we are to be entrusted  
with the gift of power4 ,it is when we  
are in the secret place of the ,most    
,high that we learn ,god's will         
concerning us4 ,many people do not know 
,god's will because they live too much  
in the bustle and confusion of life4    
,god speaks ,his best messages to us in 
whispers1 not in thunder tones1 and we  
must be still to know that ,he is ,god  
and study to be quiet that we may go    
forth from quietness to conquer4 ,the   
practice of the quiet hour is the secret
 of many a soul's victorious service4   

,shut in with ,god alone1   ,i spend the
 quiet hour2   ,his mercy and ,his love 
,i own1   ,and seek ,his saving power   
,shut in with ,god alone2   ,in         
meditation sweet1   ,my spirit waits    
before the throne1   ,bowed low at      
,jesus' feet4    ,shut in with ,god     
alone2   ,i praise ,his holy name1      
,who gave the ,saviour to atone   ,for  
all my sin and shame4    ,shut in with  
,god alone2   ,and yet ,i have no fear1 
,i rest beneath the cleansing blood1    
,and perfect love is here4     ,,chapter
 ,,iv  ,starting ,right   ,every one    
over against his house1 ,nehemiah iii4  
#bh4 ,the first part of the ,book of    
,nehemiah gives us a striking picture of
 destruction1 and as we look about us we
 see a city in ruins3 the walls are     
down2 the homes have been destroyed2 the
 people are in despair1 so great is the 
desolation that even the temple has been
 defaced4 ,when the tidings concerning  
the havoc which has been wrought in the 
city of ,jerusalem reached ,nehemiah he 

was well nigh heart-broken4 ,speaking   
about the story that had been brought to
 him he said1 ,and they said unto me1   
,the remnant that are left of the       
captivity there in the province are in  
great affliction and reproach2 the wall 
of ,jerusalem also is broken down1 and  
the gates thereof are burned with fire1 
,nehemiah i4 #c4 ,when he reaches the   
city of ,jerusalem he goes about to view
 the ruins1 and he thus describes his   
journey3 ,so ,i came to ,jerusalem and  
was there three days4 ,then ,i told them
 of the hand of my ,god which was good  
upon me2 as also the king's words that  
,he had spoken unto me4 ,and they said1 
,let us rise up and build4 ,so they     
strengthened their hands for this good  
work1 ,nehemiah ii4 #aa and #ah4  ,this 
picture of despair as seen in the olden 
days in ,jerusalem is almost if not     
altogether being repeated to-day4 ,the  
case is really desperate4 ,the need of  
,divine help in the re-construction of  
human lives has never been greater4     

,hosts of men find the following        
testimony a description of their own    
experience4 ,it is a young university   
man who is speaking1 and before a great 
crowd of people he says3--  ,probably   
nine out of every ten of you men        
standing in front of me know who ,i am  
and know my family well4 ,you will no   
doubt be surprised to hear of the awful 
experiences through which ,i have gone  
during the past six months4 ,just six   
months ago1 as most of you know1 ,i was 
an active ,christian worker1 and there  
are many of you in front of me who as   
recently as last ,july sat and heard me 
preach4 ,during the last six months     
trouble came upon me1 and in a weak     
moment1 losing faith in ,god1 ,i took to
 drink1 and sank as low as it is        
possible for any man to sink4 ,not even 
the prodigal in the parable could have  
fallen lower than ,i did4 ,disowned by  
my mother2 cast aside by my brother and 
sisters2 despised by the members and    
officers of the church to which ,i      

belonged and in which ,i preached1 ,i   
was in every respect an outcast4 ,just  
before ,christmas1 whilst tramping on   
the road1 ,i actually took the shirt off
 my back to sell it for drink1 so       
miserable was ,i4 ,my nights ,i spent in
 the open fields1 waking in the morning 
covered with frost4 ,something seemed to
 compel me to attend the meetings in    
this city4 ,i attended night after      
night1 and although the singing and the 
address had a wonderful effect upon me1 
,i kept struggling against the working  
of the ,spirit1 until the singing of the
 chorus ,i am ,included1 brought home to
 me as never before1 the fact that even 
,i1 wretched outcast that ,i was1 had   
not gone too far4 ,i then and there made
 up my mind to accept the promise of    
,john iii4 #af4 ,from that time ,i have 
realized1 as never before1 that ,christ 
went to ,calvary not so much for the    
world1 as ,he did for me4 ,and ,i intend
 to devote the rest of my life to       
winning souls for ,him4  ,there is      

surely cause for great alarm because of 
the present condition of affairs1 and   
for the following reasons3 ,home life is
 not what it used to be4 ,in the olden  
times the home was a harbour into which 
tempest-tossed souls came day after day1
 and thus protected1 had time to regain 
lost strength and go forth again to     
battle with the storm4 ,it was once true
 that fathers were priests in their own 
households and mothers were saints4 ,the
 best memory that some of us have is    
that which centres in a home where love 
ruled and reigned2 where ,christ was    
honoured2 where the ,bible was read1    
explained and loved1 and where the very 
atmosphere was like heaven4 ,in many    
instances to-day this is missing and he 
is to be pitied who has not such a      
memory as this1 and such an influence   
for good in his life4 ,the family altar 
in too many households has been broken  
down or given up4 ,what led you to      
,christ8 was the question asked of a    
distinguished ,christian worker4 ,and   

the answer quickly given was1 ,my       
father's prayers at the family altar4   
,they followed me through my manhood and
 compelled me eventually to accept      
,christ4 ,when the family altar is gone 
from a home1 it is like the taking away 
of a strong foundation from a building  
or depriving the arch of its keystone4  
,better sacrifice everything than this  
spirit and practice of prayer in the    
home4  ,it is barely possible that      
because of conditions family prayers may
 not be conducted to-day as in other    
days1 but there is at least time for a  
verse of scripture and a prayer out of a
 full heart1 and the influence of even  
so brief a service will keep the members
 of the household from many a failure4  
,church attendance is not what it once  
was4 ,the old-fashioned family pew is a 
thing of the past in too many cases4 ,in
 other days the father1 the mother1 and 
the children attended divine worship in 
the house of ,god4 ,they sang the hymns 
of the church together2 they worshipped 

,god with the same spirit of devotion2  
they listened to the minister's         
preaching and they came forth from such 
a service clothed with a power that made
 them able to stand against the         
mightiest influences for evil4 ,because 
the family pew is out of date many boys 
are wandering1 and many girls have gone 
astray4  ,with the beginning of the     
fourth chapter of ,nehemiah there is a  
change in the story as told by the      
,prophet4 ,there is a ring of triumph   
when he announces3 ,so built we the     
wall2 and all the wall was joined       
together unto the half thereof2 for the 
people had a mind to work1 ,nehemiah iv4
 #f4 ,and the completeness of his work  
is described when he says3 ,now it came 
to pass when the wall was built1 and ,i 
had set up the doors1 and the porters   
and the singers and the ,levites were   
appointed 444 ,nehemiah vii4 #a4 ,i am  
sure it is quite true that out from all 
the despair which sometimes appals us1  
we shall come into the same complete    

victory4 ,but if we are to win others to
 ,christ and if our work is to be a work
 of prevention1 so that our children    
shall not go astray and our friends may 
not wander1 then it will be essential   
that we should1 like ,nehemiah of old1  
begin to build everyone over against his
 own house4 ,it is a sad thing to find  
so many people in the world who are a   
public success and a private failure4   
,great superintendents of ,sunday       
,schools1 and poor fathers2 experienced 
,sunday ,school teachers1 and           
inconsistent in their own homes2        
eloquent preachers and poor             
illustrations of the spirit of ,jesus2  
famed for piety as revealed to the      
public eye and quite as famed for lack  
of piety1 when living out of the lime   
light1 in the common round of daily     
duties with those who know us best and  
ought to speak of us most highly4  ,if  
our work is to be as ,god would have it 
where shall it begin8 ,by all means let 
it begin with ourselves4 ,there is a    

text of ,scripture which every          
,christian must say over and over4 ,he  
might begin the day with it and it might
 not be amiss for him to say it over    
before he closes his eyes in sleep4     
,search me1 ,o ,god1 and know my heart2 
try me and know my thoughts2 and see if 
there be any wicked way in me1 ,psalm   
cxxxix4 #bc1 #bd4 ,it is quite          
unnecessary to study the methods of men 
if we cannot bear the test of ,god's    
searching eye4  ,we must be right in our
 own homes4 ,in a meeting conducted     
recently in ,wales a gentleman rose to  
say3 ,i came to the meeting on ,friday  
afternoon and made a covenant with ,god 
that ,i would speak to someone about    
,christ4 ,it laid so hold of my heart   
that ,i went home and spoke to my little
 girl4 ,i asked her if she loved the    
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and she said1     
',yes1 ,i do4' ,i said1 ',will you      
accept ,jesus as your personal          
,saviour8' ',yes1 ,i am willing to' she 
said4 ,i went to the steel works1 and   

had been praying that ,god would use me4
 ,i asked the young man with whom ,i was
 working if he were a ,christian4 ,he   
looked black at me1 but ,i asked him to 
be honest before ,god4 ,in a moment his 
face changed as he said without         
hesitation1 ',i will accept ,jesus as my
 ,saviour now4'  ,i was working during  
the night1 and it came to food time1 so 
,i asked several of the men if they     
would come into the smith shop and have 
a word of prayer4 ,there was a young man
 there whose little boy ,i had spoken   
to4 ,this young man came to me at three 
o'clock in the morning to tell me that  
he would accept ,jesus as his personal  
,saviour4 ,i asked some of the men if   
they would come up to my house and have 
a little prayer meeting after work1 at  
six o'clock in the morning4 ,they came  
up and ,i spoke to them1 quoting the    
texts ,john iii4 #af and ,john v4 #bd4  
,some of the men present were not saved4
 ,i asked them if they really understood
 the ,scriptures1 and they told me they 

did4 ',now1' ,i said1 'will you not     
accept ,jesus as your personal          
,saviour8' and one who was in the smith 
shop told me that he had definitely     
given himself to ,god at three o'clock  
that morning4 ,then ,i asked a boy of   
fifteen if he understood the words4     
',yes1' he said1 so ,i asked him if he  
would not accept ,christ4 ',yes' he     
replied1 ',i will4' ,the following night
 ,i spoke to another in the works1      
concerning his soul1 and asked him if he
 had fully surrendered1 because ,i knew 
he was in trouble4 ,about one o'clock ,i
 spoke to him and said1 ',will you give 
yourself to the ,lord now8' ',no1' he   
said1 'not now4' ',well1' ,i said1 'come
 to the smith shop at food time and have
 a word of prayer4' ,after food time he 
came out1 and started again at his work4
 ,presently he came across to me4       
',well1' ,i said1 'have you fully       
surrendered8' ',yes1 ,tom1' he said1 ',i
 have given myself to ,christ1 now4'    
,beginning in the home it is quite easy 

to go out into a wider circle and serve4
 ,the tendency1 however1 is to begin in 
some public place1 and oftentimes       
because of this we fail to win those who
 work by our side1 who sit with us at   
our own table and who live with us day  
after day and for whom we are specially 
responsible4 ,it will also be necessary 
for us to enlarge the circle and reach  
the people in our own places of         
business4 ,two business men journeyed   
into a ,new ,england city together for  
twenty years4 ,one of them was a        
,christian1 the other was not4 ,they    
were both dying the same day1 and the   
man who was not a ,christian when he    
heard that his friend was dying1 had a  
right to say to his wife1 as he did1 ,it
 is a strange thing that my friend and  
,i have known each other so well1 and   
love each other so dearly1 that he has  
allowed me to come to this day without a
 warning4  ,a business man rose in a    
meeting to say1 ,i have been greatly    
concerned about one young man who works 

in my office4 ,i asked him if he would  
not come to the office a little earlier 
this morning4 ,when he came and we were 
alone ,i asked him if he knew why ,i had
 got him to come a little earlier4 ,when
 he told me that he did not1 ,i said to 
him ',i am a ,christian1 ,i have never  
spoken to you about ,christ and ,i have 
asked you to come this morning that ,i  
might explain the way to you and urge   
you to take your stand for ,him4' ,that 
morning ,i had the great joy of leading 
my employee to ,christ4 ,i gave him a   
little pocket ,testament in which ,i    
wrote his name1 and under his name ,i   
wrote this ,scripture1 ',thou art my    
son1 this day have ,i begotten thee1'   
and after that ,i signed my name4 ,three
 days later1 said the business man1 the 
young man of whom ,i speak1 led three   
others to ,christ1 one of them was the  
head book-keeper in my office4  ,if we  
are to be successful soul winners it is 
essential not only that we should get   
right with ,god but that we should keep 

right with ,him4 ,there must be a quick 
confession of sin and a quick turning   
away from all that would work against   
,christ4 ,our friends with whom we live 
and labour are keen critics1 and as a   
rule1 just ones4 ,they know when we are 
wrong and nothing so hinders a testimony
 as to allow a wrong to go unrighted4   
,when before our own households and with
 those who know us best1 and by whose   
side we toil1 in shop1 or store1 or     
office1 or with those whom we employ1 we
 keep ourselves unspotted from the      
world1 we have an unanswerable argument 
for ,christ and a testimony as regards  
the value of following ,him which cannot
 be gainsayed4     ,,chapter ,v  ,no    
,man cared for my ,soul   ,no man cared 
for my soul1 ,psalm cxlii4 #d4 ,all     
about us people are saying these words1 
and they really think we do not care4 ,i
 believe there has never been a story of
 a man in which was found more contrast 
than in this account of the man who sobs
 out the words1 ,no man cared for my    

soul4 ,he is a shepherd boy1 then a     
king1 a saint1 writing the twenty-third 
,psalm1 then suddenly turned into a     
sinner blackening the pages of the ,old 
,testament with the story of his        
transgressions4 ,the world has not had  
better poetry than that which came from 
the heart and brain of this marvellous  
man4 ,in addition to all this1 he is a  
musician1 and all through the ,psalms he
 is keeping time to heaven's music      
until1 when he comes to the close of the
 ,psalter1 he stands like the leader of 
a mighty chorus1 and calls upon every   
living breathing being to praise the    
,lord4 ,he is a pursuer of men1 and the 
hosts of the enemy run and cry and flee 
before him4  ,suddenly the scene is     
changed4 ,he is himself pursued4 ,he is 
in the cave of ,engedi4 ,the cave is    
dark1 and it is in the gloom that we    
hear him crying out1 ,i looked upon my  
right hand and beheld1 but there was no 
man that would know me3 refuge failed   
me4 ,and as he said this ,i think he    

must have said1 with a sob1 ,no man     
cared for my soul4 ,but it is not my    
intention so much to tell the story of  
this man whose life was so filled with  
contrasts1 but rather to speak of those 
who live to-day1 and who think they have
 a right to use the same words as the   
,psalmist1 ,no man cared for my soul4   
,they walk on the streets of our cities2
 they live in our homes2 they meet us in
 our places of business2 they are       
members of our circle of friends2 they  
know that we are ,christians1 and they  
are often thinking or saying1 ,no man   
cared for my soul4 ,it is strange that  
we should permit this1 because we read  
in the ,bible1 ,he that believeth not is
 condemned already4 ,he that hath not   
the ,son of ,god hath not life1 but the 
wrath of ,god abideth on him4 ,it seems 
strange that one could say he believes  
the ,bible to be true2 that he accepts  
these statements concerning the one who 
is not a ,christian1 and yet lives and  
works and associates with him and never 

speaks to him about the salvation of his
 soul4  ,it would seem as if they at    
least had a right to say1 ,no man seems 
to care4 ,but some may say1 ,they have  
the ,church1 and the doors are wide     
open2 they have the minister1 and his   
message is faithful4 ,yet1 the average  
man who sits in church and listens to   
the most impassioned appeal of the      
preacher1 rarely considers the sermon   
personal4 ,he finds himself saying1     
sometimes against his will1 that the    
preacher is professional1 that his plea 
is perfunctory1 and so he goes out of   
church and says again1 ,no man seems to 
care for my soul4  ,there came into my  
church in an ,eastern city a man who    
worshipped with us for a time4 ,his     
family were in the mountains4 ,i made it
 a rule never to allow one to attend the
 church that ,i did not speak to him    
personally4 ,one day ,i called on this  
business man4 ,he took me into his      
private office4 ,when ,i took him by the
 hand ,i said1 ,i have come to ask you  

to be a ,christian4 ,he looked at me in 
amazement2 and ,i said1 ,i am not asking
 you to join my church1 that may not be 
the church of your choice1 but ,i am    
asking you to be a ,christian4 ,he drew 
his hand out of mine1 walked away to the
 window1 and stood looking down upon the
 busy street for fully five minutes4 ,i 
thought ,i had offended him4 ,then he   
came back1 and1 brushing the tears out  
of his eyes1 he took my hand again and  
said1 ,it is the first invitation to be 
a ,christian ,i have ever had in all my 
life4 ,nobody ever asked me before4 ,my 
mother never asked me2 my wife has never
 asked me2 no minister has ever asked   
me4 ,then1 sinking back into the chair  
by his table1 he used the words which   
are almost identical with the words of  
,david1 ,i thought no one cared4  ,such 
men are all around us2 men in deepest   
need2 men with sore aching hearts4      
,there was a man in an ,american city   
who occupied a high position among men4 
,he took his own life4 ,under the stress

 of political excitement he             
misappropriated the funds of the bank1  
thinking he could repay them1 and in his
 beautiful home he put the revolver to  
his temple and shot himself4 ,the       
saddest letter ,i have ever seen was    
written by that man4 ,he wrote to his   
wife asking her forgiveness4 ,he told   
her to pray for the children whom he had
 dishonoured4 ,then he concluded his    
farewell letter with this statement3    
,through all the months ,i have been    
wishing somebody would speak to me about
 becoming a ,christian4 ,in the light of
 such facts ,i believe that what we need
 in these days is not so much1 more men 
to preach--although that would be a     
great blessing--as people in the church 
who will be absolutely consistent4 ,if  
they say they believe ,god's ,word to be
 true1 they must speak to those over    
whom they have an influence1 about the  
personal acceptance of ,christ4  ,i was 
waiting one day outside the office of   
the ,governor of one the ,western       

,states1 and while ,i waited1 the       
,lieutenant-,governor spoke to me4 ,he  
said1 ,i was in your service last night1
 and ,i want to take issue with you on  
what you said4 ,you told your hearers to
 go up and down the streets asking the  
people to become ,christians4 ,i think  
if anyone should come into my office and
 ask me to become a ,christian ,i should
 tell him to go about his business4 ,you
 surely misunderstood me1 ,i said2 what 
,i told them was this1 that if a        
business man was not a ,christian1 his  
friend who is a ,christian ought to     
speak to him kindly about his soul4 ,i  
had been introduced to the              
,lieutenant-,governor by one of the     
great politicians of the ,state1 who was
 a sincere ,christian1 and ,i said1     
,suppose our mutual friend here should  
come to you and say1 ',i am a           
,christian4 ,i think it is the best     
thing for a man to be a ,christian4 ,i  
am not always what ,i would like to be  
myself1 but ,i should like to invite you

 to become a ,christian4' ,then suppose 
he should tell you what a strength and  
help it had been to him1 what would you 
say to him8 ,he looked at me for a      
moment1 and said1 ,i think ,i should say
 ',thank you4' ,i am sure thousands     
could be won to ,jesus ,christ if the   
members of the ,church were consistent  
in the matter of living in ,christ and  
giving an invitation to people to become
 acquainted with ,him4  ,it is not fair 
to charge the minister with being       
professional1 nor to say that in his    
appeal he is perfunctory4 ,nor is it    
always just to criticize those who are  
in the church1 for not speaking to the  
unsaved1 for there may be an            
explanation4 ,sometimes we feel a sense 
of our own unworthiness4 ,there are     
business men who know that if they      
should speak to their employees1 the    
first speech would have to be a         
confession of failure4 ,there are women 
who know that if they should go to their
 husbands or children1 and ask them to  

come to ,christ1 they would have first  
of all to say1 ,you must forgive my     
inconsistency4 ,there are fathers who   
know that they could not go to their    
homes and call their children around    
them1 and bid them come to ,christ      
without first saying1 ,you must forgive 
your father4 ,but if a confession is    
necessary1 then make it4 ,it is         
sometimes a sense of unworthiness that  
seals one's lips1 but remember if you   
have a friend who is not a ,christian1  
and to whom you have never spoken of    
,christ1 your friend counts you         
inconsistent because of your failure4   
,i said to the officers in my church one
 evening1 ,how many of you have ever led
 a soul to ,christ8 ,about half of them 
said they never had4 ,one officer said1 
,that is a sharp question for me4 ,if   
you will excuse me ,i will go home and  
speak to my children1 to-night4 ,he did 
so1 and ,i received two of his sons into
 the church shortly after4  ,again1 we  
seem to have failed to warn our friends 

because we have such a slight conception
 of the meaning of the word ,lost4 ,a   
mother in ,chicago one day carried her  
little baby over to the doctor1 and     
said1 ,doctor1 look into this baby's    
eyes1 something has gone wrong with     
them4 ,the doctor took the little child 
and held it in his arms so that the     
light would strike its face1 ,he gazed  
at it only for a moment1 then1 putting  
it back into its mother's arms1 he shook
 his head1 and the mother said quickly1 
,doctor1 what is it8 ,and he said1      
,madam1 your baby is going blind4 ,there
 is no power in this world that can make
 him see4 ,she held the baby in her arms
 close up against her heart4 ,then with 
a cry she fell to the floor in a swoon1 
saying as she fell1 ,my ,god--blind6 ,i 
think any parent must know how she felt4
 ,but ,jesus said1 ,better to be maimed1
 and halt1 and blind than to be lost4   
,if you believe the ,bible you cannot be
 indifferent4 ,but you say1 some would  
not like to have you speak to them4 ,i  

have been twenty-seven years a minister1
 and have spoken to all classes and     
conditions of men and women1 and only in
 one single instance have ,i ever been  
rebuked4 ,i was once asked to speak to  
the president of a bank4 ,i went into   
his office1 and was introduced to him by
 the pastor with whom ,i was staying4 ,i
 said1 ,my friend is very interested in 
you1 and ,i wish ,i could lead you to   
,christ4 ,he looked at me in perfect    
amazement4 ,then1 rising from the chair1
 he took me by the hand1 and said1      
,thank you1 sir4 ,i saw him that night1 
make his way down the crowded aisle of  
the church1 give the minister his hand1 
and say1 ,i will4  ,but ,i had a sad    
experience at college4 ,i roomed with a 
man when ,i was a student for the       
ministry1 and never spoke to him about  
his soul4 ,when the day of my graduation
 came1 and ,i was bidding him good-bye1 
he said1 ,by the way1 why have you never
 spoken to me about becoming a          
,christian8 ,i would rather he had      

struck me4 ,i said1 ,because ,i thought 
you did not care4 ,care6 he said4 ,there
 has never been a day that ,i did not   
want you to speak2 there has never been 
a night that ,i did not hope you would  
speak4 ,i lost an opportunity4 ,i fear  
some day1 ,i must answer for it4  ,you  
had an idea that you had no influence1  
but you must remember that when you     
speak in the name of ,jesus ,christ1    
,god stands back of you2 that when you  
plead for the salvation of a person1 all
 the power of heaven is working through 
you4 ,some may ask1 ,what is the best   
time to speak to my friends about       
,christ8 ,i should say1 speak to them   
when they are in trouble1 seek them out 
when others are being saved1 but1 best  
of all1 go to them when the ,spirit of  
,god says go1 that is the best time4    
,whenever ,god says ,go1 ,he is always  
making ready the heart for our coming4  
,i was one day walking down the streets 
of an ,american city with a ,methodist  
minister1 when he said to me1 ,what     

would you do if you were impressed that 
you should speak to a man8 ,i said1     
,speak to him4 ,he said1 ,but this man  
has not been in church for thirteen     
years4 ,nevertheless1 ,i said1 speak to 
him4 ,he turned and made his way to the 
great house where this business man     
lived4 ,he rang the bell1 and the door  
was opened by the gentleman himself1 who
 said1 ,doctor1 ,i am glad to see you4  
,i have been in all day thinking you    
might come4 ,and in a very few minutes  
he was kneeling in the library with this
 gentleman whom he quickly led to       
,christ4  ,a year later ,i was passing  
through the city of ,chicago1 when1     
picking up a newspaper1 ,i noticed that 
this man whom the minister had won to   
,christ1 had died suddenly4 ,i got a    
letter from the minister not long       
afterwards1 and he said1 ,i was with him
 when he died4 ,he sent a messenger for 
me to come and see him1 and when ,i     
arrived he turned his face towards mine 
and said1 ,dr ----1 thank you for coming

 that day1 for if you had missed that   
day1 ,i might have missed this4 ,then he
 began to sing as best he could4 ,he    
raised himself on his pillow1 with his  
arms outreaching1 and said1 ,jesus      
,lover of ,my soul1 and passed away4    
,the minister's letter was marked with  
tears1 and down at the foot of it was   
written this sentence2 ,god helping me1 
,i will never hesitate again4 ,they are 
all about us1 men with aching hearts1   
men caught by the power of sin1 young   
people and older people as well4 ,they  
are waiting4 ,preaching may not win     
them2 singing may not touch them4 ,but  
personal effort will4  ,i might change  
the text and make it read3 ,the world   
does not care for your soul1 ,you may   
win it1 and it will mock you4 ,satan    
does not care for your soul4 ,he will   
fascinate you and snare you1 and when   
you say1 ,oh1 wretched man that ,i am6  
who shall deliver me from the body of   
this death8 there will be no            
deliverance4 ,but ,god cares4 ,christ   

cares4 ,the minister cares1 and         
thousands of others care4 ,some are     
saying1 ,what must ,i do to be a        
,christian8 ,a gentleman once said to   
me1 ,i do not love ,god4 ,another person
 once said1 ,you talk about love for    
,christ2 is it like love for my mother1 
because if it is ,i have not got it4    
,no1 it is not like that4 ,that is not  
the first step in the way4 ,tell them   
,god does not say1 ,love me1 and ,i will
 save you4 ,god says1 ,trust me4 ,accept
 my conditions1 believe on my ,son and  
follow ,him4  ,there was a great man in 
a ,western city who had a little girl   
who was deaf and dumb4 ,he loved his    
child so much that he would not allow   
anybody to teach her4 ,she had a kind of
 sign language which they both          
understood1 but nobody else was allowed 
to teach her4 ,this gentleman at one    
time had occasion to leave home and go  
abroad4 ,he could not take his daughter 
with him1 so his minister persuaded him 
to send her over to an institution where

 she could be taught to use the sign    
language of the deaf and dumb4 ,he took 
her over himself1 never for a moment    
imagining that she would learn to speak 
with her lips1 as she did4 ,the months  
passed by1 and when the father returned1
 the minister went with him to see his  
child in the institution4 ,the little   
girl had been told that he was coming1  
and looking out of the window she saw   
her father coming through the gate4 ,she
 sprang to the door1 and ran down the   
steps1 and along the walk until she     
reached her father4 ,then she climbed up
 into his arms1 and1 putting her lips up
 against his ear1 she said1 ,father1 ,i 
love you1 ,i love you4 ,the great man   
held her out at arm's length1 looked    
into her face1 then pressed her more    
closely to his heart and fell in a      
faint--when he recovered consciousness  
he was sobbing4 ,all the day he kept    
saying1 ,i have heard her speak1 and she
 loves me1 she loves me4 ,so tell the   
people very plainly that ,god does not  

say1 ,love me4 ,he says1 ,believe on me2
 trust me2 follow me4 ,then ask them1   
,will you do it8 ,and if they will      
follow ,him1 having accepted ,his ,son  
as their ,saviour1 and with his help    
having turned from sin1 then if they    
will obey ,him1 they will come to love  
,him with all their hearts4             
,,chapter ,,vi  ,winning the ,young     
,there is a lad here1 ,john vi4 #i4     
,jesus had just crossed over the sea of 
,galilee and1 attracted by the miracles 
which he had wrought1 great multitudes  
had followed after ,him4 ,in order that 
,he might escape the throng1 ,he went up
 into a mountain and there ,he sat with 
,his disciples4 ,when the ,master saw   
the great company stretching out on     
every side of ,him ,he said unto        
,philip1 ,whence shall we buy bread that
 these may eat4 ,philip was so amazed at
 the crowd that he answered ,him1 ,two  
hundred pennyworth of bread is not      
sufficient for them1 that every one of  
them may take a little4 ,then one of    

,his disciples1 ,andrew1 ,simon ,peter's
 brother1 said unto ,him1 ,there is a   
lad here which hath five barley loaves  
and two small fishes4 ,then ,jesus made 
the multitude sit down1 and took the    
loaves and gave to the disciples1 and   
the disciples to them that were seated1 
and likewise of the fishes as much as   
they would1 and when they were filled1  
the fragments that remained filled      
twelve baskets4  ,the presence of this  
lad and the service which he rendered to
 ,jesus1 as well as the use which the   
,master made of him1 all help us to     
teach our lesson4 ,youth is the time to 
turn to ,christ4 ,the wise man knew this
 when he said1 ,remember now thy        
,creator in the days of thy youth2 while
 the evil days come not1 nor the years  
draw nigh2 when thou shalt say1 ,i have 
no pleasure in them4 ,sin has not so    
strong a hold upon a life in the time of
 youth1 therefore it is the easiest time
 to turn to ,christ4  ,i once heard a   
man tell the story of his special work  

among outcast men and women1 and when ,i
 asked him he told me how he himself was
 converted4 ,he said that as a boy in   
,london1 he was left one day in charge  
of the private office4 ,he said ,i      
wanted to write a letter and ,i took the
 firm's note-paper2 ,i used one of their
 envelopes1 and when ,i wanted postage  
,i opened the private drawer of the     
safe1 the door of which was swinging    
open1 and took out one postage stamp1   
and when ,i put this stamp upon my      
letter and dropped it into the post-box 
,i felt as if ,i had dropped my         
character with it4 ,that was the        
beginning1 and the end was a prison     
cell1 for ,i went from one form of      
thieving to another until ,i was obliged
 to pay the penalty4 ,i found ,christ   
while ,i was in prison1 but ,i feel as  
if the mark of my early sin would never 
leave me4 ,i would urge every boy to    
accept ,christ1 he said1 before the     
cords of sin bind him too securely4     
,when one reaches the age of eighteen he

 finds it extremely difficult to turn   
away from the sins that are mastering   
him1 and when he passes beyond twenty   
years of age1 the tide against him is   
extremely heavy4 ,the critical time in  
the life of boys and girls is from      
twelve to twenty4 ,if they do not accept
 ,christ during these years1 it is      
wellnigh impossible to win them4 ,if    
this is true then we must make the most 
of the opportunities of influencing the 
youth whom ,god is ever bringing before 
us4  ,the ,scripture used in connection 
with this feeding of the multitude is a 
good illustration4 ,it is a lad who     
confronts us1 and this is1 as has been  
said1 the favourable time for bringing  
,christian influence to bear upon him4  
,there is a time in the life of every   
boy when it is comparatively easy to win
 him to ,christ4 ,parents surely know   
this1 and ,sunday school teachers may   
easily discover it4 ,how did you come to
 ,christ8 said a ,new ,york minister to 
a little boy4 ,his reply was1 ,my       

,sunday school teacher took me last     
,sunday out into the park4 ,she drew me 
away from the crowd and took her seat   
beside me4 ,she asked me if ,i would    
become a ,christian4 ,i felt that ,i    
ought to do so1 and because her         
invitation was so definite1 and she     
seemed so interested1 ,i told her ,i    
would do so1 and because ,i am a        
,christian ,i went to join the ,church4 
,too much cannot be said in favour of   
reaching the young while they are in the
 days of their youth4 ,recently in an   
audience of #dejj people ,i found that  
at least #djj of the audience came to   
,christ under #aj years of age2 between 
#aj and #ab1 #fjj2 between #ab and #ad1 
#fjj2 between #ad and #af1 about #ajjj2 
between #af and #bj1 fully one half1 and
 in the entire audience not more than   
#be people came to ,christ after they   
were #cj years of age4 ,five hundred    
ministers were in the same audience4    
,the majority of them were converted    
before they were #af years of age2 #dj  

of them between #af and #bj2 and only   
#ae out of the #ejj ministers were      
converted after they were #bj4 ,this in 
itself is an unanswerable argument in   
favour of personal work for the young4  
,the lad is here now before us1 but he  
will soon be gone4 ,boys quickly grow   
into manhood4 ,as a rule religious      
influence weakens as they pass on1 while
 the power of sin increases4 ,many young
 men would turn to ,christ if they      
thought they could1 but it seems to them
 that the attraction towards evil is    
almost1 if not quite irresistible4 ,i   
recently heard a ,christian gentleman   
speaking before a great audience in     
,london4 ,he was telling of his going   
over the ,alps in the care of a trusted 
guide4 ,as they came to one of the most 
dangerous places in the journey his     
guide stopped him1 and said1 ,do you see
 those footprints off here to the right8
 ,the gentleman said he did1 plainly4   
,do you notice1 said the guide1 how they
 get farther and farther apart8 ,and    

when asked to give an explanation he    
said that a week before a young         
telegraph operator had attempted to     
cross the mountains without a guide1    
that just at the place where they were  
standing his hat blew off1 and1 without 
thinking1 he reached out after it1 lost 
his balance and started to fall4 ,in    
trying to recover himself he started    
down the mountain to the right4 ,the way
 was all covered with snow2 when once he
 started he could not stop2 farther and 
farther apart were his footprints until 
at last they were lost on the edge of a 
great abyss4 ,he had gone over to his   
death4 ,it is thus that young men go to 
destruction4 ,because they do1 we ought 
to be instant in season and out of      
season in seeking to arrest their       
downward progress4  ,when ,jesus took   
the loaves and fishes in the possession 
of the lad and brought to bear upon them
 his own marvellous power1 the results  
were great4 ,no one realises what is    
being accomplished when he assists or   

influences a boy4 ,i am wondering what  
that minister1 who led ,spurgeon to     
,christ1 thinks of his work now that he 
sees it from the heavenly standpoint1   
and ,i have many times thought ,i should
 like to ask the business man who spoke 
to ,d4,l4 ,moody about his soul1 what   
estimate he puts upon the importance of 
the work he did that day4 ,to win a boy 
to ,christ may be to turn towards the   
,master one who may one day move the    
world for ,christ4  ,a great number of  
,chinese young men have come from their 
native land to study in the educational 
institutions of the ,united ,states4    
,some of them have found ,christ in     
these institutions1 others have passed  
through their course of study and       
returned to their native land without a 
hope in the ,saviour4 ,what a marvellous
 work might have been accomplished if   
the ,christian students in these        
educational institutions had set        
themselves to win these ,chinese boys4  
,the students in ,china are to have an  

increasing influence in the ,government1
 and if the majority of them had been   
led to ,christ1 the whole ,chinese      
,government might have been powerfully  
affected4 ,some years ago there came to 
the ,united ,states a little ,chinese   
boy4 ,he was sent to a ,new ,england    
educational institution1 and made his   
home in the house of a very humble      
woman4 ,she knew ,christ and loved ,him1
 and she recognised the presence of this
 little boy as presenting an opportunity
 for service4 ,she treated him as if he 
were her own child4 ,she mothered him   
and grew to love him4 ,she taught him   
how to read the ,bible and she told him 
the story of ,jesus and ,his love4 ,that
 little boy came to ,christ4 ,he passed 
through the educational institution1    
went back to ,china to exercise his     
strongest influence for righteousness1  
and has recently been entrusted with the
 commission of bringing to the ,united  
,states a number of other ,chinese boys1
 all of whom1 it is said1 he will place 

in institutions that are ,christian4    
,the poor woman in ,new ,england did not
 realise that when she led one boy to   
,christ that she was touching forty     
others4 ,this is the fascination of     
,christian work4  ,some of the noblest  
men and women the ,church has ever known
 came to ,christ in youth4 ,polycarp1   
,matthew ,henry1 ,jonathan ,edwards1 the
 immortal ,watts1 ,john ,hall1 and a    
countless host of others who have served
 conspicuously in the advancement of the
 ,kingdom of ,god1 came to ,christ      
before they were fifteen years of age1  
some of them coming as early as seven4  
,the lad is here1 it will be a pity if  
we allow him to grow to manhood without 
a hope in ,christ all because we do not 
seek to win him4     ,,chapter ,,vii    
,winning and ,holding   ,from a child   
thou hast known the ,holy ,scriptures1  
which are able to make thee wise unto   
salvation through faith which is in     
,christ ,jesus1 #b ,timothy iii4 #ae4   
,timothy's inheritance was invaluable4  

,his equipment was superb1 and his      
experience from the day of his birth    
until the end of his life upon earth1   
ideal4 ,he had a good grandmother4      
,evidently she influenced him           
profoundly4 ,i am quite sure that his   
parents too must have fulfilled their   
obligations to their child1 and in      
addition to his own immediate ancestry1 
he had ,paul1 the ,apostle1 who looked  
upon him as a son in the ,gospel1 and   
honoured him by sending him his last    
message when he said1 ,i have fought a  
good fight1 ,i have finished my course1 
,i have kept the faith2 henceforth there
 is laid up for me a crown of           
righteousness1 which the ,lord1 the     
righteous ,judge1 shall give me at that 
day1 and not to me only1 but to all them
 also that love ,his appearing4 ,do thy 
diligence to come shortly unto me #b    
,timothy iv4 #g-i4  ,it is a great loss 
to any child to be deprived of what     
,timothy had4 ,we may not all be rich1  
and we certainly cannot all be great1   

but we may all be true and faithful as  
parents1 and when a child has such an   
inheritance he is well started in life4 
,it is because children do not have this
 that many of them drift4 ,given a good 
ancestry it is comparatively easy to    
draw children to ,christ1 and even to   
draw them back when once they have      
wandered4 ,it is the testimony of rescue
 mission workers that when they have the
 privilege of appealing to lost and     
ruined men in the name of a mother who  
was saintly and a father who was true to
 ,christ1 they have a hold upon an      
almost irresistible force1 to bring the 
wanderer back to the faith of his father
 and the teaching of his mother4  ,there
 is the sorest need to-day of a special 
and continued interest in behalf of our 
young people4 ,david ,starr ,jordan is  
authority for the statement that        
one-third of the young men of ,america  
are wasting themselves through          
intemperate habits and accompanying     
vices1 the conditions in other lands are

 also very serious4 ,the secretary of   
the ,college ,association of ,north     
,america has been quoted as saying that 
there are twelve thousand college men in
 ,new ,york ,city alone who are down and
 out through vice4 ,talk of the ravages 
of war4 ,the ravages of war1 pestilence 
and disease combined are as nothing     
compared with the awful moral ravages   
wrought in the teen period4 ,the shores 
are strewn thick with the wasted lives  
of those who have been wrecked in youth4
  ,we have been seeking results too far 
afield and overlooking great            
opportunities near at hand4 ,if you take
 a census of a ,christian congregation  
and ask those who were converted before 
their eighteenth birthday to rise1      
five-sixths of your congregation will   
stand4 ,this means that five-sixths of  
all the people who give themselves to   
,christ do it on the under side of the  
eighteenth year4 ,put beside this the   
fact that we have more than #ab1jjj1jjj 
children and youth in the ,protestant   

,sunday ,schools of ,america under      
eighteen years of age and you will see  
that our great evangelistic opportunity 
does not lie outside of the ,church1 but
 inside1 in the ,sunday ,school         
department4 ,here we have a vast army1  
ready and waiting for the ,christian    
call4#a  ,footnote #a3 ,rev ,edgar      
,blake4  ,it is one thing to lead souls 
to ,christ1 it is quite another thing to
 hold them when once they have been won4
 ,the serious time for drifting is      
between the ages of twelve and twenty4  
,if we could but safeguard these years  
we would hold for the ,church many who  
drift out upon the sea of life1 make    
shipwreck of their hopes and break the  
hearts of those who are interested in   
them4  ,an investigation in the         
,wesleyan ,church of ,england showed    
that only ten per cent of the ,sunday   
,school were held in active membership  
in the ,church4 ,ten per cent4 were held
 in a merely nominal relationship4      
,eighty per cent4 were lost entirely4   

,this is a fair statement of the        
situation in many churches4 ,we have    
lost multitudes of our youth who might  
have been saved if they had been        
properly cared for4  ,at the very time  
the ,church loses its grip upon the boys
 and girls the public school loses its  
grip also4 ,the exodus begins about the 
fifth grade1 and at the eighth grade    
fifty per cent4 of the scholars have    
departed4 ,at the twelfth grade1 near   
the middle teens1 ninety per cent4 of   
the scholars have gone out from the     
public schools4 ,thus these two most    
powerful forces in the creation of      
character1 the ,church and the ,school1 
lose their hold upon youth at the same  
time4  ,the home also loses its hold at 
this period4 ,up to his middle teens    
your youth accepts everything on the    
authority of others1 but midway of the  
critical teen period there comes an     
awakening4 ,the consciousness of his own
 personality1 his right to make         
decisions for himself comes to him for  

the first time4 ,sometimes              
spontaneously1 sometimes gradually1 but 
always he breaks with authority4 ,he    
insists upon deciding matters for       
himself4 ,parents may counsel1 but they 
cannot determine#a4  ,footnote #a3 ,rev 
,edgar ,blake4  ,a gentleman came to a  
friend of mine at the close of an       
address which he had delivered and said 
to him1 ',i was much interested in what 
you said about the boys we lose4 ,i     
teach a class of the finished product4' 
',where do you teach8' said ,i4 ',in the
 ,state prison' he said4 ,a few years   
ago seventy-five per cent4 of the       
inmates of the ,minnesota ,state prison 
were boys who had once been in ,sunday  
,school and had been permitted to drift 
away4 ,the later teen age1 sixteen to   
twenty1 is the criminal period4 ,it is  
an appalling thing that #ab1jjj children
 were brought before the courts of ,new 
,york in #aiji1 and in the same year    
more than #ae1jjj boys and girls        
suffered arrest in ,chicago4 ,our       

criminal ranks are added to1 at the rate
 of #cjj1jjj a year1 and in the vast    
majority of cases the criminal course is
 begun in the teen age4 ,is it          
necessary8 ,is this awful waste--this   
moral havoc--unavoidable8 ,i believe    
not4 ,recently a young man in his teens 
was convicted of theft in the court of  
,milwaukee4 ,when the judge asked him if
 he had anything to say before sentence 
was pronounced upon him1 the young man  
arose1 pale with excitement and said1   
',your honour1 my father and mother died
 when ,i was three years old4 ,i never  
had anyone who loved or cared for me4 ,i
 have been kicked about all my life4    
,judge1 ,i never would have been a thief
 if ,i had had a chance4' ,this is the  
pitiful plea of thousands who have been 
wrecked around us4 ,they were not       
shepherded and they went astray4  ,there
 is a way to hold the majority of those 
whom we may win to the ,saviour4 ,a     
friend of mine led to ,christ a young   
man who had gone to the very depths of  

sin and shame4 ,he was a drunkard2 he   
had disgraced his father's name2 had    
broken his wife's heart1 and when his   
little boy died he did not have enough  
money to bury the child decently2 when  
the mother put the child in the grave   
the father was wild with drink1 and he  
was buried without his father being     
present4 ,but my friend won this man to 
,christ4 ,after he was saved1 every day 
for three weeks he went to sit by his   
side and talk with him2 he guarded him  
at the critical time2 he kept him from  
growing discouraged2 he hindered him    
from drinking4 ,to-day this man is      
himself one of the most noted rescue    
mission workers in the world1 and is    
being used of ,god to save multitudes of
 men who like himself had gone down     
through drink4  ,it is what we are      
ourselves that largely counts in the    
holding of our friends for ,christ4     
,paul wrote to ,titus saying1 ,in all   
things showing thyself a pattern of good
 works 444 that he that is of the       

contrary part may be ashamed1 having no 
evil thing to say of you1 which is only 
another way of saying that a ,christian 
life is an unanswerable argument in     
favour of ,christ4 ,when our lives are  
right with ,god2 when we keep ourselves 
unspotted from the world2 when we       
quickly confess our own failure or      
wrongdoing2 when we have a concern not  
only that others should be saved1 but   
that they might do something for ,christ
 after their salvation1 it is           
comparatively easy to hold them1 and to 
keep from drifting those who have just  
started along the way4  ,when my friend 
,s4,h4 ,hadley1 the great rescue        
missionary1 was lying in his coffin1 a  
timid knock was heard at the door of the
 room where the body was resting4 ,when 
the one who had knocked entered the room
 it was found that he was a drunkard1 he
 had fallen from a high position to the 
very depths of despair1 and as he stood 
timidly in the presence of the sorrowing
 friends of the great man1 he said1 ,i  

thought ,i would like to come and look  
into his face and if ,i might be        
permitted to do so ,i would like to     
touch his hand4 ,he did his best to win 
me while he was living and now that he  
is dead ,i cannot let his body be placed
 in the grave without coming here by the
 side of his casket to yield myself to  
,christ4 ,all that he has said has      
followed me and ,i cannot get away from 
it4  ,timothy knew the ,scriptures1 and 
a familiarity with ,god's ,word is one  
of the best preventives in the case of  
drifting4 ,one verse of ,scripture      
committed to memory each day would help 
us to overcome the tempter2 would keep  
us in loving touch with ,jesus ,christ2 
would inspire us to higher and holier   
living2 and these suggestions made to   
those whom we win to ,christ would keep 
them from wandering4 ,it is the man who 
does not know his ,bible who finds      
himself an easy prey to the wicked one4 
,the ability to pray is also a          
,god-given force which keeps us from    

drifting4 ,when we read the ,bible ,god 
talks to us2 when we pray we talk to    
,him4 ,we cannot always speak plainly of
 our condition to those about us1 but we
 may tell ,him what we are and what we  
wish we might have been4 ,and while it  
is true that ,he knows before we speak1 
it is also true that in the telling we  
draw nearer to ,him1 and drawing nearer 
we absorb a little bit more of ,his     
spirit1 and in that spirit we stand4    
,service is also one of the surest      
preventives from wandering4 ,it is when 
the brain is idle that evil thoughts    
master it2 when the heart is given up to
 impure imaginations that we find it    
easy to fall4 ,and it is when we are    
busy lifting others' burdens2 making the
 way easier for others to travel2       
comforting those who are in distress2   
speaking a word of cheer to the         
cheerless1 and above all1 when we are   
seeking to lead others to ,christ1 that 
we ourselves grow in grace and in the   
knowledge of our ,lord and ,saviour     

,jesus ,christ4 ,if these things are    
true1 and we know they are1 then it is  
the duty of every ,christian not only to
 seek to win another to ,christ1 but by 
all means to seek to hold him when once 
he is won1 and that which we know holds 
us will keep others from stumbling4     
,the suggestions made above are for the 
young as well as the more mature4 ,young
 people will be interested in spiritual 
things if we have sufficient interest in
 them ourselves to make them attractive4
  ,if we would show as great interest in
 helping to keep those whom we may have 
won for ,christ1 as we revealed when we 
were seeking them1 fewer of them would  
drift4     ,,chapter ,,viii  ,a         
,practical ,illustration   ,it will be a
 great day when the ,church is aroused  
to the responsibility and privilege of  
personal work4  ,in ,swansea1 ,wales1   
with ,mr ,charles ,m4 ,alexander1 ,i had
 the satisfaction of conducting a       
mission in which ,i preached for an     
entire week on ,soul ,winning4 ,i then  

urged the people to go forth and labour1
 and asked them to come back with their 
reports4 ,these reports were thrilling4 
,often ten or twelve people would be    
standing at the one time waiting to     
speak4 ,the following are only a few    
testimonies taken from the many3--  ,a  
minister said3 ,i spoke to a bright     
young fellow1 under the influence of    
drink1 as ,i was going home in the car  
last night4 ,he got off the car when ,i 
did1 so ,i stood at the street corner   
and talked with him for a few minutes4  
,he told me that he had been a follower 
of the ,lord ,jesus many years ago1 but 
had fallen away through bad company4 ,i 
asked him to pray for himself4 ,he said 
he could not1 but asked me to pray for  
him4 ,and there on that street corner ,i
 put my arm around his shoulder and we  
prayed together1 and he has promised to 
come to the meeting to-night4  ,about   
three years ago1 said another1 ,i came  
in touch with a man who has been the    
biggest and most hardened scoffer ,i    

have had to contend with4 ,he had such a
 sarcastic way of ridiculing the ,lord  
,jesus ,christ4 ,but this last fortnight
 ,i have seen a distinct change in that 
young man's life4 ,last week1 as we were
 working near to one another1 ,i spoke  
to him and his eyes filled with tears4  
,he said1 ',i have decided to come out  
and accept ,christ4' ,i could hardly    
credit it1 but it has proved to be real1
 and when ,i see ,god moving in such a  
hard case as this1 ,i have hope for     
every sinner in this city4  ,another    
said1 ,i came to the ,lord three years  
ago1 one of the worst drunkards in      
,swansea4 ,since the ,saviour found me1 
,i have spoken to men on their          
death-beds4 ,i have spoken to drunkards 
all over ,swansea1 but ,i neglected my  
own charge that ,god had given to me4   
,dr ,chapman woke me up to approach my  
own household and children4 ,it was the 
greatest struggle in all my life4 ,i    
went to my two boys and put my hands on 
their shoulders saying1 ',i want you to 

do something for ,jesus and for your    
father4' ,they said1 ',father1 we will  
do it4' ,two of my boys came to the     
,albert ,hall yesterday and gave their  
hearts to ,jesus4 ,this has been one of 
the most blessed weeks ,i have had since
 ,i was saved three years ago4  ,on     
,thursday night ,i had been asking the  
,lord to lead me to the right one to    
speak to4 ,he led me to a young man of  
sixteen years of age who was under      
tremendous conviction4 ,he said1 ',i    
think ,i will make a clean breast of it4
 ,i have done something1' and he told me
 his story4 ,this young lad1 in his     
employer's service for four years1 last 
week1 for the first time1 began to      
steal4 ,he turned out his pocket and    
showed me what he had4 ,he said1 ',what 
shall ,i do8 ,i go to bed at night and  
,i cannot sleep1 it is haunting me4' ,i 
said1 ',look here1 laddie1 do this4 ,go 
to your master to-morrow morning1 and   
make a clean breast of it and get the   
victory4' ',what about my situation8'   

said the boy4 ',i will pray for you1' ,i
 said4 ',if your master is so unkind as 
to dismiss you1 come to me and ,i will  
see what ,i can do4' ,it was a long time
 before he gave in1 but eventually he   
said1 ',i will4' ,i prayed for him1 and 
last night ,i got this letter3          
',victorious6 ,devil conquered2         
overjoyed4 ,i cannot very well explain  
what ,i experienced so will be pleased  
to meet you on ,thursday next in the    
mission at ,albert ,hall4'  ,a week     
later this gentleman said3 ,i have a lot
 to thank ,god for these last ten days4 
,i have had a glorious blessing4 ,i can 
say with all humility1 ,i have been on  
fire for ,jesus4 ,i had a letter        
yesterday from the young man whom ,i was
 talking about last ,sunday4 ,he says1  
',dear ,friend1 ,my only regret now is  
that ,i did not accept ,jesus as my     
,saviour years ago4 ,it would have saved
 me so much trouble4 ,i explained       
everything to my master and handed him  
the article back4 ,then he gave me      

two-thirds of this particular article   
and burned the letter4 ,so that is what 
,i got for owning up4'  ,another said3  
,i do thank and praise ,god this morning
 for the great things ,he has done in my
 home4 ,he has brought my children to   
trust in the ,saviour4 ,i have great    
pleasure in reporting that a brother at 
the works1 to whom ,i spoke a week ago1 
has decided for ,christ4 ,one of the    
workers presented me with a ,testament  
to give to that brother1 who was in very
 poor circumstances1 and he received it 
with joy4 ,the following day he came to 
tell me that he had read a chapter to   
his wife4 ,his wife is travelling the   
wrong way4 ,they have five little       
children1 and on ,thursday ,i took them 
to the meeting4 ,on ,friday morning he  
came to thank me for taking them there1 
and told me that during his absence from
 the house1 his eldest boy1 of about ten
 years of age1 had got into a ,bible    
,reading ,circle1 led by a ,christian   
boy1 and he asked his father if he could

 spare sixpence for him to buy a        
,testament4 ,what joy filled my heart   
and soul from the fact that ,i could    
present that little lad with a          
,testament1 and ,i sent my own lad back 
a mile1 yesterday1 with it4  ,i spoke to
 a dear ,christian brother last night at
 the works4 ,i asked him if his         
household were saved4 ',i have one boy  
of sixteen not saved1' he said          
',brother1 will you promise me to speak 
to him when you go home8' ,he went home 
and put his hand on the shoulder of the 
lad and gave him the invitation4 ,the   
boy gladly promised to accept ,jesus4   
,continuing with the reports1 one said3 
,last night1 in one of our public houses
 ,i spoke to a woman about ,jesus4      
,years ago she had lost her husband and 
instead of going to ,god for comfort she
 had turned to drink4 ,she became a     
drunkard and had separated from her     
children4 ,when ,i spoke to her she     
said1 ',i know ,i am a sinner4 ,i am the
 worst woman in ,swansea1 but ,i want to

 be good4' ',will you decide now8' we   
asked her4 ',yes1' she said4 ,she came  
out into the cold biting wind and knelt 
in the open air1 and there she sent up  
this simple prayer3 ',oh1 ,god1 although
 ,i am a bad woman1 please make me good1
 for ,jesus' sake4' ,later she arose in 
a crowded meeting and told her story1   
concluding with this remark1 ',by ,god's
 help ,i am going to be a child of      
,god4'  ,another said3 ,on the second   
night of the mission ,i was led to speak
 to a dear brother who was a            
back-slider4 ,i plead with him that     
evening to turn to ,christ1 but he did  
not come to a decision4 ,the next night 
,i went in and talked with him4 ,i asked
 him again at the close of the meeting  
would he come back to the ,lord ,jesus  
,christ4 ,he told me he could not come  
back that night4 ,on the following night
 ,i went up and spoke to him again4     
,when we got outside the building ,i    
said1 ',i may not ever have the         
privilege of speaking to you again4     

,will you kindly give me your name8 ,i  
will give you a guarantee that no one   
but ,god shall know about it4 ,i want   
your name that ,i may pray for you4' ,on
 ,tuesday night in the minor hall at the
 after meeting ,i searched for him4 ,i  
had been praying continually every night
 and morning1 and sometimes during the  
day4 ,when ,i found him that night ,i   
said1 ',you have withstood the ,spirit  
of ,god long enough4 ,make a definite   
decision to-night to return to the      
,lord4 ,if you do not care about coming 
to the front1 fill out this card1 but   
make up your mind to give yourself to   
,christ4' ,he took the card and filled  
it out4 ,then ,i said1 ',you know the   
way of salvation because you have been  
that way before4 ,when you get home     
tonight1 will you kindly make a definite
 decision at your bedside8' ,and he told
 me he would4  ,another gentleman rose  
to give his testimony and said3 ,i      
belong1 as you know1 to another city1   
but ,i want to speak a word to the glory

 of ,god1 and for the encouragement of  
those who have taken up personal work   
for ,him4 ,some two years ago in our    
city ,i spoke to one who was an         
inspector in the ,police ,force1 but who
 is to-day the ,chief ,inspector of our 
,police1 about the claims of ,christ4   
,he told me that ,i was the first one   
who had ever spoken to him as to how he 
stood in relation to these matters for a
 period of fifteen years4 ,having once  
broken the ice and spoken to him1 ,i    
never gave him up4  ,about two months   
ago ,i had occasion to go to the ,police
 ,court to ask his assistance on behalf 
of a woman who wanted an ejectment      
notice against another woman who was    
living in the same house4 ,when he heard
 the name of the woman who wished to    
obtain the notice he refused to have    
anything to do with the matter4 ,she had
 been a bad character4 ,he said1 ',i    
tell you candidly1 she ought to be      
drowned for her cruelty to her          
children4' ,i said1 ',you knew her once1

 but you do not know her now4 ,how long 
is it since you saw her8' ',about nine  
weeks' he replied4 ',well1' ,i said1    
'nine weeks ago she and her husband both
 came to ,christ in our mission hall4   
,for the first time in thirteen years   
they entered a place of worship4 ,she   
had a black eye that covered over half  
her face1 but both her husband and she  
are now ,christians1 and are faithfully 
following ,christ to-day4 ,and yet you  
call her a lost soul4' ,he said1        
',certainly ,i do4 ,if there is a lost  
soul she is one4' ',then ,sir1' ,i said1
 striking him on the shoulder1 ',jesus  
came to seek and to save that which was 
lost4 ,jesus has saved that woman4 ,when
 she comes on ,monday night1 ,inspector1
 just look at her and see what ,christ  
has wrought4 ,i ask you to grant her    
request4' ,he shook himself free4 ',wait
 a moment1 ,inspector1' ,i said1 ',i    
have never given up praying for you4    
,you have risen to the position of      
,chief ,inspector1 but ,i want you not  

to forget ,christ4'  ,on the ,thursday  
of the following week he came to my     
home4 ,when ,i saw him there ,i was     
glad1 for he had kept away from me for a
 long time4 ,i said1 ',i am glad to see 
you in my home4' ,he said1 ',you will be
 more glad when you know why ,i have    
come4 ,in my room the other night ,i    
knelt down and gave myself to ,jesus    
,christ1 and asked the ,lord to save    
me4' ,i would ask those of you who are  
working for souls not to get            
disheartened and discouraged4 ,when the 
mission ceases do not give up taking a  
personal interest in those for whom you 
are concerned4  ,some months ago ,i was 
sitting in the ,assize ,court in your   
city4 ,i sat next to our ,chief         
,inspector4 ,the case that was being    
tried was one of attempted murder4 ,as  
,i sat there following the case this    
,chief ,inspector turned to me and said1
 ',why didn't they know ,him on the road
 to ,emmaus8' ,i said1 ',i suppose      
because their eyes were holden4' ,he    

said1 ',how did they know ,him when they
 got to the home8' ,i said1 ',probably  
in the breaking of the bread4' ',don't  
you think1' said he1 'that in the       
breaking of the bread they saw for the  
first time the marks of the wounds in   
,his hands and knew ,him by them8' ,what
 a difference ,christ had made in the   
life of that ,chief ,inspector4  ,a man 
employed in the steel works rose in one 
of our meetings to say3 ,i made my      
covenant with ,god last ,saturday4 ,the 
burden was laid heavy on my heart on    
behalf of two souls4 ,one of them was my
 own little girl4 ,i spoke to her about 
,jesus1 and she told me she would accept
 ,him as her ,saviour4 ,i have been     
working this week on a shift that ran   
from ten o'clock at night to six o'clock
 in the morning4 ,on ,tuesday night ,i  
asked the ,lord to pour out ,his        
blessing on our workmen4 ,about one     
o'clock in the morning ,i had an        
opportunity of speaking to a young man4 
,i asked him if he had accepted ,jesus  

as his ,saviour1 and he said he had not4
 ,then ,i asked him to be honest before 
,god1 and ,i said1 ',will you accept    
,him now8' ,with a smile he looked up at
 me and said1 ',tom1 ,i will accept     
,jesus as my ,saviour now4' ,i have     
brought some of my mates with me here   
to-day and ,i thank ,god for what ,he   
has done4  ,down at the works the other 
day there was a young man who came on   
duty at three o'clock in the morning4 ,i
 knew he was troubled about his soul1   
and ,i spoke to him4 ,i said1 ',are you 
in trouble about your soul8' ,he said1  
',yes1 ,i am4' ',well1' ,i said1 ',jesus
 has died to save you4 ,will you accept 
,him now8' ,he said to me1 ',but1 ,tom1 
,i have done this and that1' ',well1' ,i
 said1 ',jesus has died for you1 will   
you accept ,him8' ,as he looked me      
straight in the face he said1 ',yes1 ,i 
will4'  ,i asked these men who had      
accepted ,jesus and one or two others1  
to come up to my home at six o'clock    
when we finished work4 ,as we went      

through the yard there was a boy about  
fifteen years of age standing there and 
we got him to come along with us4 ,in my
 home we had a small meeting4 ,i asked  
,god to pour down ,his blessing upon us4
 ,i asked one friend who was drifting1  
if he had ever accepted ,christ1 and he 
said at one time during a revival4 ,i   
said1 ',praise ,god for that4 ,he is    
willing to receive you back4 ,will you  
come8' and he said1 ',at three o'clock  
this very morning1 ,i came back to the  
,lord ,jesus4' ,and then ,i turned to   
the boy of fifteen and said1 ',are you  
willing to accept the ,saviour8' ,and he
 said he didn't think he was ready4 ,i  
said1 ',well1 my boy1 if you don't1 what
 will become of you8' ,he said1 ',i will
 go to hell1 ,i suppose4' ,not long     
afterwards he accepted the ,saviour4#a  
,footnote #a3 ,this man worked at night 
and slept during the day4  ,yesterday ,i
 could not sleep4 ,i went home from my  
work4 ,i was up in the morning with a   
burden on my heart because of the poor  

souls who were going to eternity without
 a ,saviour4 ,a young woman came to our 
house and started to sing ',lord save   
,swansea1' and the words kept ringing in
 my ears4 ,i went back to bed but could 
not sleep4 ,i had no peace4 ,i said1    
',well1 ,lord1 ,i believe ,thou hast    
surely started the work4' ,i went to the
 works last night4 ,i did not feel very 
well as ,i had been up all day4 ,i asked
 some of the men if they would come to a
 prayer meeting for the mission4 ,we did
 not have much time before work         
commenced1 but we went in and ,i asked  
one of the young fellows if he would    
accept ,jesus4 ,he replied1 ',i must    
have time to think of it4' ,the next    
night ,i said to him1 ',johnnie1 have   
you thought of what we spoke on last    
night8' and he said1 ',i have been in   
trouble about my soul4' ,before we had  
tea ,i asked him if he would accept     
,christ now4 ,he said1 ',i cannot do it 
now4' ,i said1 ',god will give you      
strength4' ,we went into a little shop  

and ,i prayed for him4 ,at three o'clock
 this morning ,i spoke to him again4    
',johnnie1' ,i said1 'can you see the   
way clear8' ',yes1' he said1 ',i can see
 the way clear now4 ,i will accept      
,jesus as my personal ,saviour4'        
,,chapter ,,ix  ,whosoever ,will   ,all 
classes of persons may do personal work 
if they will4 ,a prominent business man 
in a ,welsh city began to do this work  
and one morning spoke to eighteen people
 before breakfast4 ,several1 to whom he 
spoke1 accepted ,christ4 ,making a      
further report of his work1 he said4 ,an
 old man1 about seventy years of age1   
whose face was white and who appeared to
 be very ill1 was leaning against the   
wall of a building near where ,i have my
 office4 ,i said to him1 ',have you been
 to the mission8' ',no1' he said1 ',i   
have not4' ,i then asked him if he had  
accepted ,christ4 ',well1' he said1 ',i 
have been a believer all my life4' ,i   
said1 ',are you saved8' ',i cannot say  
that1' he replied4 ',why8' ,i asked2    

',god says1 ,he that believeth on the   
,son hath everlasting life4 ,do you     
believe that8' ,he stood staring me in  
the face for a few minutes1 when he     
said1 ',i never saw it in that light    
before4' ,i said1 ',will you take him at
 ,his word now8' ,and he replied1 ',yes1
 ,i will4'  ,an old woman1 an office    
cleaner1 was making her way up the steps
 of a building4 ,as ,i came up ,i       
recognised her1 and said1 ',mrs ,bell1  
,i have been constrained to ask you if  
you have accepted ,jesus ,christ as your
 personal ,saviour4' ,she looked at me1 
then setting down her broom she said1   
',i want to1 but no one has ever asked  
me1' ',well1' ,i said1 ',i ask you now4 
,will you accept ,him just here8 ,will  
you say1 ,lord ,jesus ,i accept ,thee as
 my personal ,saviour8' ,but she could  
not see the way4 ,after some            
conversation ,i asked her if she would  
come to the hall and hear ,dr ,chapman  
and ,mr ,alexander1 and she said she    
would go that evening4 ,i was unable to 

go to the service myself that night and 
did not see her until the following     
,saturday morning4 ,she came to my      
office and said1 ',since you spoke to me
 a few days ago ,i have had no peace4 ,i
 am in an awful state1 and unless ,i    
take ,jesus ,i shall die4 ,i am sure ,i 
shall because ,i cannot live like this4'
 ,and right there in the office she     
knelt down and accepted ,christ as her  
,saviour and had the joy that always    
comes with this acceptance4  ,this      
morning1 the very first man ,i met1 ,i  
was constrained to speak to about       
,jesus4 ,i introduced myself by asking  
him if he had been to the mission4 ,he  
said1 ',yes1 ,i was at the ,grand       
,theatre last ,sunday afternoon4'       
',well1' ,i said1 'did you give your    
heart to the ,lord8' ',no1' he replied1 
',i did not4' ,i said ',why8' ',because 
,i missed my opportunity1' was his      
answer4 ,i said to ,him1 ',will you do  
it now8' ',do it now6' he exclaimed4    
',listen1' ,i said1 ',god says in ,his  

,word4 ,as many as received ,him to them
 gave ,he power to become the sons of   
,god4 ,will you receive ,him8 ,it is    
either one thing or the other--receive  
or reject4 ,your sins have been atoned  
for by ,his precious blood4 ,will you   
take ,jesus now8' ,and suddenly1 taking 
me by the hand1 he said1 ',i will4'     
,from time to time ,i have been speaking
 to a young man belonging to a          
respectable family4 ,at one time he was 
being brought up for the ministry1 but  
he got into sin and sank very low4 ,i   
persuaded him to attend one of the      
mission meetings4 ,when ,dr ,chapman    
requested all those who wished prayer   
offered for themselves or for their     
loved ones1 this poor fellow got up in  
the balcony and said1 ',pray for me4'   
,prayer was offered for him1 and there1 
that night1 he experienced the joy of   
salvation4 ,he came to me the other day 
and said that he had definitely taken   
,jesus ,christ as his ,saviour4  ,one   
would not expect a police officer to be 

a personal worker1 but many of them are1
 and notably so in ,great ,britain4     
,ex-,sergeant ,wheeler of ,oldham came  
to attend one of our meetings1 and being
 asked to speak1 he said3 ,though an    
,ex-,sergeant1 ,i am not an             
,ex-,christian4 ,there are a large      
number of people who look upon a        
policeman from many standpoints1 but it 
is very seldom that they see him in the 
position in which ,i am placed to-night4
 ,they have an idea that a policeman    
does not exist to preach the ,gospel or 
to tell them about ,jesus ,christ1 and  
it is ,christian people who get that    
idea sometimes4  ,i know a police       
sergeant in ,london who is a particular 
friend of mine and a great ,christian   
worker4 ,a lady went to one of our      
,provincial ,police ,conferences in     
connection with the ,police ,association
 and saw this big man who was so        
enthusiastic in connection with the work
 that the lady doubted his genuineness1 
and to satisfy her curiosity she        

ascertained his private address1        
travelled by rail from ,london1 visited 
his home during his absence1 and asked  
his wife what sort of a man he was4     
,that is the way to find a man out4 ,but
 she found that he was even a better man
 in the home than he was out of it4 ,if 
you want to find what a man's character 
is1 you do not ask about it on special  
occasions when he is on his guard1 you  
ask what it is when he is at home1 it is
 there that he unconsciously reveals it1
 and this revelation just because of its
 unconsciousness1 proves invariably     
correct4  ,when the ,lord ,jesus brought
 me out of darkness into the light1 when
 ,he broke the fetters and snapped the  
chains eleven years ago1 ,i went home   
and said to my wife1 ',i am going to    
live for ,jesus1 and we will start here1
 at home4 ,we will have family          
prayers--we were not a large family1    
only nine of us1 and for the first time 
in their lives1 my children heard their 
father pray2 and there on my knees in   

all humility ,i pledged myself before   
,god that ,i would do anything1 make any
 sacrifice1 if by so doing ,i could help
 a weaker brother and lift him out of   
the gutter4 ,that is the way ,i started4
 ,i am not what ,i ought to be1 ,i am   
not what ,i hope to be1 but1 thank ,god1
 by ,his grace and love1 ,i am what ,i  
am and not what ,i once was4 ,the ,lord 
changed my desires when he put a new    
heart within me4 ,when ,i see a drunken 
man in the streets ,i do not pass him   
like ,i used to4 ,my heart goes out to  
him and ,i look beyond the man in the   
streets to the life in the home he comes
 from1 and see the misery there2 but ,i 
thank ,god that ,he put the desire in my
 heart to try to help that brother4 ,and
 how often opportunities present        
themselves4  ,on one occasion at five   
o'clock on a ,sunday morning in the     
month of ,august1 a policeman and ,i    
were going along the street4 ,there was 
a man standing at a gate near the       
corner4 ,as we approached he said to me1

 ',sergeant1 can you get me a drink of  
whisky8' ,i said1 ',that is rather a    
strange thing to ask a ,sergeant of     
,police1' ',well1' he said1 ',i have    
plenty of bottled ale in my home1 but it
 sticks in my throat4' ,i said1 ',do you
 take whisky when you are thirsty8'     
',yes1' he replied4 ,i got into         
conversation with him and after a while 
,i said to him1 ',do you ever go to a   
place of worship8' ',no1' he said1 ',i  
don't1 ,i pay a sovereign for a         
sitting4' ',that won't get you to       
heaven1' ,i said1 and after a little    
further talk with him he remarked1      
',sergeant1 ,i am all right financially1
 but wrong here1 in my heart4' ,and then
 he said1 ',will you come to my home and
 pray for me8' ',yes1' ,i replied1 und  
we went4 ,it was not far away1 a fine   
home1 a palace to mine1 ,i thought1 as  
,i walked across the velvet carpet into 
the drawing-room4 ,he brought a ,bible  
and said1 ',read me something out of    
that4' ,and he sat down like a little   

child1 to listen4 ,i turned to ,isaiah  
liii4 #f1 and read1 ',all we like sheep 
have gone astray2 we have turned        
everyone to his own way2 and the ,lord  
hath laid on ,him the iniquity of us    
all4' ',now1' ,i said1 'it starts with  
,all and finishes with ,all1 so we are  
both included4' ,then ,i took him to    
,john iii4 #af1 and then to the last    
chapter in the ,book of ,revelation1    
verse #ag3 ',and the ,spirit and the    
,bride say1 ,come4 ,and let him that    
heareth say1 ,come4 ,and let him that is
 athirst--,i stopped at that--and       
whosoever 444' ',now1' ,i said1 'we will
 read it again4 ,and after we had read  
it again we knelt down1 and there in    
that large home ,i poured out my soul to
 ,god over that man4 ,i plead for him1  
and while ,i prayed he said1 ',lord1 if 
,i am not too bad1 save me4' ,i said1   
',amen4' ,and the ,lord heard his       
prayer1 and before ,i left the house he 
was a changed man4 ,when ,i was leaving 
he came to the door and said1 ',i never 

bargained for this1 this morning1       
,sergeant4' ,the man who wanted whisky  
got ,christ4 ,he drank of something     
different1 he drank of the living water 
which ,christ spoke about at the well of
 ,samaria when ,he said1 ',whosoever    
drinketh of the water that ,i shall give
 him shall never thirst2 but the water  
that ,i shall give him shall be in him a
 well of water springing up into        
everlasting life4'  ,i left him and went
 back the following day4 ,i rang the    
bell and he answered the door himself4  
,i asked him how he was1 and he said1   
',grand1 ,i have had no whisky4' ,i went
 back a month later and he told me he   
was never so happy in all his life4 ,he 
said1 ',do you remember me telling you  
,i paid a sovereign for my sitting in   
church8 ,well1 ,i occupy that pew myself
 now4' ,and that day he gave me a       
donation for the ,christian ,police     
,association and told me to call again  
at any time4 ,that is what the ,lord    
does when he changes a man's heart4     

,there are many men to-day who may be   
all right financially2 they may have a  
seat in ,god's ,house2 they may be      
members of a ,church and yet not be     
right at heart4 ,i urge upon you1 get   
right with ,god and you will have1 not  
the peace of this world1 but the peace  
that passeth all understanding4         
,something like seven years ago ,i went 
to some services in ,manchester that    
were being conducted by ,dr ,torrey and 
,mr ,alexander4 ,at the close of these  
services ,i went to the front and took  
some ,gospel literature that was there  
for distribution4 ,when ,i got home and 
commenced my duties ,i began to give    
this literature to the policemen4 ,i    
thought the policemen stood as much in  
need of it as anybody else4 ,if he is a 
peacemaker1 sometimes he is a           
peacebreaker1 and with all due respect  
to him he is not always a law-abiding   
man4  ,there were two booklets in which 
,i was specially interested4 ,one which 
was called ',god's ,sure ,promise1'     

asked several questions at the close1   
and then requested the reader to sign   
his name4 ,the other was1 ',get ,right  
with ,god4' ,i gave the latter to       
policemen on their beats1 and asked them
 to read them carefully4 ,i went on with
 my praying4 ,one man received the book 
with great scorn4 ,about a week after ,i
 visited this particular man1 and with a
 smile upon his face he said1 ',you     
remember those two booklets you gave    
me8' ',yes1' ,i said4 ',well1' he said1 
'the one called ,god's ,sure ,promise ,i
 tore up and put into the fire1 the     
other ,i tore up and threw over the     
wall1 but not before ,i read them both4 
,now1 ,i have never got away from that1 
and about half an hour ago ,i came to   
the climax4 ,i got down on my knees in  
the street1 and now ,i can honestly say 
that ,god for ,christ's sake has        
pardoned all my sins4' ,i felt overjoyed
 with his testimony1 for he was the most
 scornful and bitter man in the         
division4 ,i was so overjoyed that ,i   

walked round his beat with him1 talking 
with him1 and giving him words of       
encouragement4 ,i can never forget that 
night4 ,from ten o'clock until six in   
the morning it was one continual        
downpour of rain4 ,we were soaked       
through4 ,as we walked round ,i said1   
',we will have a word of prayer4' ,we   
took off our helmets1 knelt down on the 
pavement and there we had a little      
prayer meeting just about two o'clock in
 the morning4 ,the showers of rain were 
nothing compared to the showers of      
blessing we had4 ,i was so delighted    
when we went off duty that morning that 
,i could not sleep4  ,i came to         
,manchester when ,dr ,torrey was holding
 a meeting1 and during the meeting ,i   
sent a note up to ,dr ,torrey saying    
that a policeman wanted to say          
something4 ,however1 the opportunity did
 not present itself that night4 ,a week 
after that another policeman came to me 
and said1 ',sergeant1 do you remember   
that booklet you gave me1 ,god's ,sure  

,promise8' ,i said1 ',yes4' ',well1' he 
said1 'here it is signed4' ,seven years 
have passed away since that time1 and   
those two policeman and ,i have stood   
together on the platform many and many a
 time telling the story of ,jesus and   
,his love4 ,we have had some meetings   
together and ,i have seen them speaking 
to hundreds of men and the ,lord has    
blessed them both4 ,if the ,lord ,jesus 
,christ can save a policeman1 ,he can   
save anybody4  ,i found that we existed 
for something more than locking up      
people4 ,i wanted to arrest people in   
their sin1 and going along the street   
one night in company with another       
constable we were called into a little  
house4 ,the kind people there had taken 
in a woman off the street4 ,she was     
lying on the floor in a very drunken    
condition1 unconscious of everything    
around her4 ,i knew this woman1 she was 
about twenty-seven years of age4 ,i made
 her acquaintance when ,i used to be on 
night duty4 ,every ,saturday night or in

 the early hours of ,sunday morning ,i  
used to find her door open--her home was
 in a little side street1 that kind of  
people generally live in a side street4 
,it was about three o'clock on ,sunday  
morning when ,i walked in and saw the   
man lying on the floor and the wife who 
was also drunk1 lying on a sofa4 ,the   
next time ,i was on night duty ,i found 
the same door open1 and this time the   
wife was lying on the floor and the man 
on the sofa1 and both were drunk4       
,these kind people that ,i spoke of1    
consented to keep the woman there while 
,i went to see the husband4 ,i got to   
the house but found that he had removed 
to a little room in a little back       
street4 ,there he was lying on a bit of 
a shake-down4 ,i roused him up and told 
him where he would find his wife4 ,he   
said1 ',what time is it8' ,i said1      
',three o'clock in the afternoon4' ,he  
had one shilling left and he took a cab 
and went and brought his wife home4  ,a 
few days afterwards ,i got them both to 

sign the pledge4 ,the man was about the 
same age as his wife4 ,he told me he did
 not know the taste of tea and coffee1  
he drank nothing but beer4 ,he only had 
the clothes he stood up in4 ,four months
 passed after he signed the pledge4 ,i  
met him one night and he had on a black 
suit of clothes and a watch and guard in
 his pocket4 ,i was delighted to see    
him4 ,some time after that ,i went to   
address a very large temperance meeting4
 ,the hall was packed1 and when ,i went 
on to the platform who should be there  
but this young fellow occupying the     
chair4 ,what a sight it was to me6 ,he  
pointed out to me his wife in the       
audience4 ,there she sat1 all smiling   
and well dressed4 ,time went on and ,i  
was the means not only of keeping them  
to the pledge but of bringing them to   
,christ2 the ,christ of the ,gospel2 the
 ,christ that has bridged the gulf      
between ,god and the gutter2 between the
 saint and the sot2 between the pew and 
the slum4  ,oh1 what a pleasure it has  

been to see how that man works for      
,jesus4 ,i went to his house some time  
after that4 ,it was not in the back     
streets1 although he worked there and   
got some people to sign the pledge4 ,but
 he came out into the front street1 and 
there was a knocker on his door4 ,when  
,i knocked1 his wife admitted me into   
the sitting room4 ,she told me that     
,sunday morning that her husband was out
 visiting the sick4 ,i know that he     
brought many men to the ,sunday morning 
,bible ,class4 ,he told me this story4  
',do you know1' he said1 ',when ,i used 
to spend all my money in the public     
house1 oftentimes on the holidays ,i    
would take the landlord's luggage to the
 station for the price of a pint of     
beer4 ,not long ago we had our holiday1 
and instead of taking the landlord's    
luggage to the station ,i had a man to  
carry mine1 and as we were going up the 
street with this man walking in front of
 us we passed one of the public houses  
where ,i had often spent my wages4 ,the 

landlord was standing at the door4 ,when
 he saw me passing he said1 ',what does 
this mean8' ,i said1 ',it means that ,i 
am going to ,ireland instead of thee4'  
,that man is being used to-day in ,god's
 service4 ,the blood of ,jesus ,christ  
cannot only save but it can keep4       
,,chapter ,x  ,conversion ,is a ,miracle
   ,when one turns from sin to ,christ  
and thus becomes a new creature1 it is  
entirely the work of ,god4 ,he must feel
 a sense of his need and appreciate the 
power of the ,saviour1 but it is the    
power of the ,holy ,spirit of ,god that 
transforms him4 ,the stories of men and 
women who have been brought to ,christ  
are always thrilling4  ,every ,christian
 ought to be a soul winner1 and however 
many other obligations may rest upon    
him1 the obligation of introducing      
others to ,jesus ,christ is of the first
 importance4 ,if our lives are right2 if
 we are wholly submitted to ,him2 if we 
are quick to do ,his bidding2 if we have
 a familiarity with the ,scriptures2 if 

we have a confidence in the willingness 
of ,god to save2 then we are emboldened 
to seek the lost and turn to those who  
are furthest away from ,christ4  ,to    
know that others have been won to ,him  
is always an inspiration4 ,recently in  
one of our meetings in ,new ,york1 the  
,salvation ,army forces came to assist  
us1 and they brought with them some men 
and women whose stories of conversion   
were truly remarkable4 ,in quick        
succession they appeared before an      
audience of several thousand4  ,the     
first speaker modestly began by saying3 
,what ,i am this afternoon1 ,i am by the
 grace of ,god4 ,for years and years ,i 
had been nothing but an every-day       
drunkard4 ,not far from where the       
,salvation ,army held their open air    
meetings was an old lamp post4 ,one     
,sunday afternoon ,i heard their music  
and their singing1 and ,i made my way to
 this lamp post4 ,if it had not been    
there ,i believe ,i would never have    
been saved1 for ,i was so intoxicated ,i

 could not stand4  ,after the meeting   
was over one of the sisters came to me  
and said1 ',my brother1 wont you come   
along to the meeting8 ,you need         
salvation4' ',yes1' ,i said1 ',i need   
something better than what ,i have got4'
 ,at the same time ,i did not go--,i    
finished up the day in the saloon4 ,i   
came out into the open air again and the
 devil said1 ',you cannot mix with these
 people they are too far above you4' ,by
 and by there came a man who said he had
 been every bit as bad as ,i was1 and he
 told me how his life had been changed4 
,and my eyes were opened then and there1
 and ,i kept going to the meetings and  
,i got some decent clothes1 and a home  
of my own--though ,i had been working   
every day ,i had not a home to go       
to--but when ,i was converted all became
 changed4 ,and now ,i am perfectly      
happy4 ,my life is completely made over4
 ,i never think of drink and have no    
desire for it4 ,i have a happy home and 
a little lump of glory for a wife4      

,when ,i first became a ,christian the  
devil said to me1 ',you cannot stay     
there with those people1 there is a     
whisky bill you have not yet paid4      
,suppose you are out in one of those    
open air meetings and the saloon keeper 
should see you and say1 ',why1 he owes  
me six dollars1' what could you say     
then8' ,i went to that saloon keeper and
 said to him1 ',how much do ,i owe you8'
 ,and he said1 ',six dollars4' ',well1' 
,i said1 ',i want to pay it4' ,i did pay
 it then and there1 and glory to ,god   
,he has kept me from then to this day4  
,the next testimony was that of a former
 anarchist4 ,before he was converted he 
did not have a shirt to his back4 ,he is
 now a business man in ,new ,york ,city1
 and prosperous4  ,it was about eighteen
 years ago that ,i was with a group of  
men in a back street attending a meeting
 of anarchists1 when the police came    
along and broke up the meeting4 ,i made 
off as fast as ,i could1 but ,i did not 
get away fast enough1 for the police    

officer caught me by the arm and took me
 away to prison4 ,while ,i was there the
 ,salvation ,army came to preach to us4 
,thank ,god for that night6 ,it was the 
first time ,i had heard salvation       
preached1 for ,i come from the stock of 
,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob4 ,when ,i  
got out of goal ,i went to the          
,salvation ,army4 ,there stood on the   
platform that night two girls4 ,they    
told me about ,jesus4 ,they spoke of    
salvation for the drunkard1 but that did
 not appeal to me2 they spoke of        
salvation for the unbeliever1 but that  
did not appeal to me2 and when they     
spoke of salvation for the thief1       
neither did that appeal to me4 ,then one
 night they said salvation is for the   
,jew4 ,i said to myself1 ',that means   
me4' ,i came forward that night and got 
rid of my wretchedness and my misery2 ,i
 came for salvation1 and the ,jew got   
salvation4'  ,i moved away from the     
,bowery1 for that was where ,i spent    
most of my time4 ,i have walked down the

 ,bowery many a night with not a place  
to lie down in1 with not fifteen cents  
to pay for a bed1 and not a shirt to my 
back4 ,thank ,god1 ,i moved away from   
the ,bowery4 ,i started in business     
myself4 ,to-day ,i have a splendid      
business connected with twenty houses on
 ,broadway4 ,hallelujah6 ,godlessness1  
sin1 vice1 takes a man off ,broadway and
 puts him on the ,bowery2 salvation     
takes a man from the ,bowery and puts   
him on ,broadway4  ,in the year #ahhj1  
the second convert in the ,salvation    
,army in the ,united ,states was made1  
and after years of testing he came      
before us to speak as follows3 ,i       
started to drink when about thirteen    
years of age1 and ,i kept drinking till 
the ,salvation ,army came to ,new ,york 
in #ahhj4 ,i read in the papers about   
seven sisters coming over to open up the
 forces in the ,united ,states4 ,there  
used to be an old lady who came to our  
house to see my mother4 ,she was a      
,methodist1 and my mother was also a    

,methodist4 ,she used to come there like
 an old grandmother and darn stockings4 
,one day she said she would like to go  
to the ,salvation ,army1 and asked me to
 take her4 ,i was leading such a        
dissipated and drunken life1 that ,i had
 no money to pay the car fare1 but she  
slipped ten cents into my hand and we   
went to the ,salvation ,army that night4
 ,she was very deaf and got me away up  
to the front4 ,the ,spirit of ,god took 
hold of me1 and the ,salvation ,army    
people1 in the way they have1 got after 
me4 ,one of the officers came up and    
said1 ',are you saved8' ,i said1 ',no1  
,i could not be saved4' ,i managed to   
get out of the meeting that night       
without giving my heart to ,god4 ,but   
all the time there was something taking 
hold of me4 ,i tried to drown it in     
drink4 ,on ,sunday night with the old   
lady ,i was back at the ,army again4 ,on
 ,monday night ,i was drunk again4 ,on  
,tuesday night ,i knelt down and gave my
 heart to ,jesus1 and a ,salvationist   

said1 ',now brother1 if you want the    
,lord to do anything1 you just tell     
,him4'  ,before that time ,i had served 
two terms in the penitentiary4          
,sometimes twice a week ,i would be     
brought into the ,police ,court for     
drunkenness4 ,every time ,i went out and
 got drunk ,i would get arrested4 ,i    
tried to get away from this life and    
went out ,west4 ,i thought if ,i got out
 there and got into new surroundings    
things would be different4 ,i got as far
 as ,hornsville1 ,new ,york1 and got    
arrested there4 ,i got a little further 
,west and was arrested again4 ,but ,i   
never got rid of the kind of life ,i    
used to live until ,i came to the ,lord 
,jesus ,christ4 ,that was thirty years  
ago4 ,the ,lord is not only able to save
 a man but1 thank ,god1 ,he is able to  
keep him4  ,this is the story of an     
,english baronet4 ,he went wrong in     
,england1 came to ,america as a cow boy1
 was wild and reckless1 but was soundly 
converted4 ,he said3 ,i will not say    

much about myself4 ,perhaps you already 
know something about me4 ,you may have  
seen my picture in the papers1 telling  
of my past life1 but ,i want to try to  
tell you1 to the glory of ,god1 how ,i  
was born again4  ,when ,i succeeded my  
father to one of the oldest titles in   
,england1 in the year #aijg1 ,i was wild
 and reckless4 ,i came over to ,america4
 ,to escape from a wild scrape ,i beat  
the sheriff in ,colorado into ,utah4    
,then ,i went home to ,england in #aijh 
and took over the title of the estate1  
and ,i made the occasion simply one     
drunken spree4 ,i was out for all the   
devilment ,i could get into4 ,i hated   
the ,church4 ,i hated religion4 ,i hated
 anything good4 ,when ,i went down to   
the old church which is in the grounds  
of the estate1 they said to me1 ',what  
will you do about the minister8' ,i     
said1 ',i would kick the fool out1 but  
the law would make me put in another4'  
,if anybody mentioned the ,salvation    
,army to me1 ,i would refer to them as  

thieves and liars4  ,i came back to     
,america and immediately got involved in
 some more sprees1 such as driving      
horses into saloons1 and other          
devilment4 ,then ,i crossed again to    
,london and started a wild-west show of 
my own in the ,london ,hippodrome4 ,i   
came back to ,america deeper in sin than
 ever4 ,one day ,i was sitting in a     
saloon planning a fresh escapade when a 
,salvation ,army sister came in with her
 tambourine and some ',war ,cries4' ,she
 looked at me and said1 ',are you a     
,christian8' ,i said1 ',no4' ,she gave  
me the address of the ,headquarters and 
asked me to come up4 ,the bar-tender    
turned round and said1 ',go up and rope 
somebody4' ,i said1 ',i will go up4'    
,there was something different about me4
 ,i did not know what was wrong with    
myself ,i went up to the open-air       
meeting and was as quiet as a mouse4    
,for five or six days ,i could not keep 
away from the ,headquarters4 ,i did not 
know what was wrong4 ,i went out to see 

some moving pictures to see if ,i could 
see myself amongst them2 then ,i went   
and had another drink2 but back to the  
,salvation ,army ,headquarters ,i had to
 go4 ,i was getting almost crazy4 ,i    
reached the point when ,i had either to 
give in or kill myself4  ,i locked the  
door of my room and then got down on my 
knees and asked ,god to forgive me4 ,do 
you know1 it seemed as if hell was      
turned loose around me4 ,everything     
said1 ',you have gone too far2 you are  
too big a sinner1' ,i said1 ',but ,jesus
 died for me4' ,i prayed and prayed1 and
 ,i heard that voice come and say1 ',go 
and sin no more1' ,it was just as if a  
finger had touched my soul4 ,my prayer  
turned from one of supplication to one  
of thankfulness for what ,god had done  
for me4 ,i was born again4 ,i rose up   
with the old life gone1 and my two      
greatest blessings are that all that old
 life is blotted out for ever1 and that 
,i have the knowledge that the ,spirit  
of ,jesus my ,saviour is in me1 and ,i  

dwell in ,him4 ,the union between us is 
perfect4 ,i thank ,god for that4  ,the  
following story was told by a man who   
had been a successful lawyer4 ,he had   
gone down into the depths of sin and by 
the power of ,god's grace had been      
redeemed4 ,he began by saying3--        
,must ,jesus bear the ,cross alone1     
,and all the world go free8   ,no1      
there's a cross for you to bear1   ,and 
there's a cross for me4  ,it is a cross 
for me to come here and relate my       
experience1 but ,i am glad to be here   
inasmuch as something ,i say may gladden
 someone who is discouraged4 ,i was     
brought up in a ,christian home4 ,my    
mother was a good woman and my father   
was a clergyman4 ,i went through college
 and the lower school before ,i took a  
single drop of strong drink4 ,but when  
,i took my first drink--,i remember it  
well--it seemed to be something ,i had  
been looking for all my life and had    
never found before4 ,from that time on  
,i drank periodically4 ,i had a lovely  

family and an honoured name1 but ,i     
dragged it and my family into the dust4 
,i struggled through my own strength to 
redeem myself1 but ,i could not1 nor can
 any man4 ,i took cures1 but they       
availed me not4 ,i was in the hospital  
fourteen times1 struggling up all the   
time1 but falling down again4 ,i seemed 
too hopeless4 ,the light seemed to be   
fading for ever from the horizon1 and   
darkness was coming over me4 ,i was     
without hope4 ,i would rather have      
fallen asleep in death1 away from my    
companions1 away from my loved ones1 and
 never have been seen again1 than to    
have lived the way ,i was4 ,but through 
the providence of ,god1 and through a   
kind wife and sister1 ,i am able to     
stand here to-day4 ,god bless the wives 
of the drunkards and drinking men1 for  
if any will have a crown in heaven1 it  
will be the wife of the drunkard who    
stands by him through thick and thin and
 who never gives him up4  ,i went away  
to a certain town and while there ,i    

noticed the title of a book called      
',twice ,born ,men4' ,it aroused my     
curiosity1 and ,i picked it up and      
commenced to read it4 ,i came to the    
story of the puncher1 a man who was     
formerly a prize fighter1 and who had   
descended to the lowest scale of        
humanity4 ,he had become a drunkard of  
the worst type and had gone one night   
into a saloon with murder in his heart4 
,he was going home to kill his wife1    
when there flashed in upon him some     
strange influence1 some mighty          
influence1 some compelling              
influence--the power of the             
,almighty--and drove him into the       
,salvation ,army barracks1 and there he 
knelt at the ,penitent form and ,god    
took the load from his back4 ,when he   
rose up there was a new light in his    
eyes1 a new heart in his breast1 and he 
arose a new born man4 ,he began to work 
for ,christ4  ,as ,i read that story ,i 
said1 ',if there is hope for the        
puncher1 there is hope for me4' ,i had  

been brought up a ,christian1 and during
 my drinking days ,i had attended       
church1 and ,i had fought as every poor 
drunkard fights to redeem himself4 ,but 
through my own strength ,i failed1 and  
,i want to say to you here1 there is no 
man who suffers pangs of bitter         
conscience or from a broken heart more  
than a poor drunkard who cannot tear the
 chains from himself4 ,have pity on him4
 ,and ,i read about this man going out  
to save those who were lost1 and then ,i
 read on further about ,danny1 a        
drunkard1 who while in prison was       
visited by the puncher1 who sought him  
out1 and said1 ',there is a better life 
for you4' ,he took him to his home1 and 
it was a new and happy home he took him 
to1 with a happy wife and children1 and 
he laboured with them4 ,danny the thief2
 ,danny the drunkard2 ,danny the        
murderer4 ,when the day had passed      
,danny went back to prison4 ,but the    
power of ,god came over ,danny in       
prison1 and he said to himself1 ',if    

,god can save the puncher1 ,god can save
 me4' ,and then there came into his     
heart a light2 and ,i said1 ',if ,god   
can save the puncher2 if ,god can save  
,danny--,he can save me4' ,and ,he did  
save me1 and ,he has kept me1 and from  
that day to this ,i have never desired a
 drop of alcohol4  ,i have gone through 
physical sufferings that are attendant  
upon it1 but thanks be unto ,god through
 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,he gave me  
the victory1 and ,i stand here to-day an
 example of the keeping power of ,god4  
,oh1 my friends1 what a new life it     
opened up for me4 ,i thought ,i was a   
,christian once2 but until ,i was thrown
 down1 until ,i was crucified twice     
over1 not until then could ,i be        
convinced that ,god could save me from  
this terrible curse4 ,and ,i want to say
 that no ,christian man ever came to me 
and told me that ,god could save me from
 wrong4 ,oh1 what a duty rests upon     
,christians to speak to the drinking    
men6 ,when ,god took me by the hand ,i  

had a new life and ,i wanted to go out  
and save drunkards1 and ,i have been    
trying to save them since4 ,i went to   
the ,salvation ,army ,barracks in       
,jersey ,city1 and if it was not for the
 ,salvation ,army1 ,i do not know       
whether ,i could have held out or not1  
but when ,i felt distressed those       
brothers prayed and stood round me1 and 
if there is anyone here who is          
discouraged1 and who is away from ,god1 
and who goes round the corner to see his
 little children going to school because
 he cannot go home1 if there is anyone  
who has left a broken-hearted mother or 
wife at home2 get up and go home to them
 and give your heart to the ,lord4  ,the
 last story told at the meeting has to  
do with the complete transformation of a
 woman's life4 ,it is a modern miracle4 
,the one who tells the story is growing 
old and feeble1 but all are thrilled as 
they listen to her4  ,this woman was    
educated in a young ladies' seminary1   
and had a fairly good start in life     

among some of the leading people in     
,western ,new ,york4 ,she married a man 
who became an habitual drunkard4 ,she   
was sorely disappointed in him1 and1    
little by little1 she started to drink1 
till there came the time when she and   
her husband were possibly two of the    
worst drunkards the ,state had ever     
known4 ,she had been in prison two      
hundred or more times4 ,but now1 up in  
the little town of ,canandaigua where   
she lives1 she is treasurer of the      
,salvation ,army1 and has been for      
fifteen years4 ,she is respected by all 
who know her4 ,not only the people in   
the army1 but the well-to-do people of  
the town all love and respect ,mary     
,law4  ,her husband was not converted   
until recently4 ,she had been praying   
fifteen years for him1 and one night she
 prayed specially for him1 the last half
 hour of the meeting passed1 the last   
twenty minutes1 and then ,charlie came4 
,i thank ,god for what ,he did for me1  
she said4 ,before the ,salvation ,army  

got hold of me1 ,i was one of the worst 
drunkards in the state of ,new ,york4   
,the first night they came ,i wanted to 
know what the ,salvation ,army was like4
 ,just like any other old drunken sot1  
,i wanted to know what the ,salvation   
,army was going to be4 ,so ,i walked out
 as far as the ,police ,station1 and ,i 
said1 ',where is the ,salvation ,army   
going to be to-night8' ',well1' said the
 police officer1 'it is going to be up  
at the ,presbyterian ,church1 but ,i    
want to tell you one thing4 ,if you go  
up there you will get run in1' ,i       
thought to myself for a moment1 if ,i   
stay out ,i will get run in1 so ,i might
 just as well go up there and get run   
in4 ,i went up1 and ,i suppose ,i was a 
terrible-looking object4 ,i got into a  
corner near the door1 so that if        
anything turned up ,i could get out4 ,i 
had just one quarter in my purse when   
they came to take up the collection1 and
 ,i put that quarter in4 ,i believe if  
,i had been outside ,i would have been  

run in4 ,when ,i got outside ,i wanted  
that quarter for a bottle of whisky4 ,i 
then went up to the ,police ,station4   
,when the ,police ,justice saw me coming
 in he said1 ',where have you been      
to-night8' ,i said1 ',up to the         
,salvation ,army meeting4' ',well1' he  
said1 'let me give you a little bit of  
advice4 ,keep right on going4'  ,the    
first night they had their meeting in   
the hall ,i went to the penitent form1  
and the next night ,i got saved4 ,that  
was over fifteen years ago4 ,i have     
neither tasted nor handled one drop of  
intoxicating liquor from that day to    
this4 ,i did not have a home fit for a  
dog to live in4 ,i hardly ever knew what
 it was to be without a black eye4 ,i   
have been pounded until ,i did not know 
where ,i was2 until ,i was dazed4 ,and  
when ,i came to1 and saw where ,i was1  
,i was lying on the floor and ,charlie  
was lying on the bed with his dirty old 
clothes on1 and if anybody has gone     
through hell1 it is ,i4 ,but ,i thank   

,god to-day ,i have got just as good a  
husband as there is in the state of ,new
 ,york4 ,i have just as comfortable a   
home as anybody could wish1 and every   
dollar of it is paid for4 ,before that  
the saloons got the money1 but ,i thank 
,god to-day the saloons don't get any of
 my money4  ,charlie would get arrested1
 and when ,i saw him locked up1 ,i would
 do something that would get me locked  
up too4 ,we went in together and we came
 out together1 ,we would not be out for 
long when back we would go again4 ,if   
one went to the lock-up1 the other went1
 and that is the way we carried on      
through life4  ,an election campaign was
 being held many years ago1 and ,charlie
 went up the street to vote4 ,he came   
home drunk4 ,i suppose it was election  
whisky1 but he brought some home1 and we
 had a drink together4 ,we went to bed  
on ,tuesday night1 and woke up intending
 to go to work the next day4 ,i asked   
one of the neighbours what time it was1 
and she said it is almost night now1 but

 where have you been for the last two or
 three days8 ,we had gone to sleep on   
,tuesday night and did not wake up till 
,thursday night4 ,i went back1 and we   
took another drink that night1 and did  
not wake up till ,saturday night4 ,if my
 life1 sixteen years ago1 was not hell  
upon earth1 ,i do not know what you call
 hell4  ,just about the time when ,i    
first started out to serve ,god in      
,canandaigua1 ,i was an outcast4 ,nobody
 cared for me4 ,nobody would notice me4 
,when they saw me they would go out of  
their way to avoid me4 ,nobody wanted to
 come near me4 ,but when ,i was drunk ,i
 thought ,i was about as good as they   
were1 and sometimes ,i gave them a      
little of my mind1 and that was the way 
,i often got arrested4 ,but to-day those
 very folks1 who were my very worst     
enemies1 who tried to hurt me and who   
did everything they could to injure me1 
are my very best friends4 ,i have       
friends among the rich1 and friends     
among the poor4 ,they do not shun my    

home1 they come and see me1 and if ,i am
 sick some of the wealthy people come to
 see how ,i am getting along1 and if ,i 
have everything ,i want4 ,for all this  
,i have to thank ,god and the ,salvation
 ,army4  ,i have been kicked and knocked
 and pounded until ,i have been almost  
dead4 ,charlie did the kicking and the  
pounding1 but ,i was as much to blame as
 he was4 ,i was drunk and so was he1 but
 ,i was never the one to go to the      
police officer and get a warrant out for
 my husband4 ,if he pounded me until ,i 
could hardly breathe1 and he happened to
 get arrested for it1 ,i managed to get 
arrested too4 ,i cannot tell you how    
many times we have been in jail in the  
little village of ,elgin1 and in the    
penitentiary too4 ,but ,i would rather  
go back to the penitentiary to-day and  
spend my days there than to live again  
the life that ,i lived before ,i was    
converted4 ,i thank ,god and the        
,salvation ,army to-night that ,i do not
 have to carry black eyes1 and that ,i  

can go home in peace4  ,i have a nice   
comfortable home1 and it is all paid    
for1 and if it had not been for the     
,salvation ,army coming to ,canandaigua1
 ,i would have been in a drunkard's hell
 to-day4 ,when the ,army first came     
there1 ,i was like a great many others4 
,i wanted to see what the ,salvation    
,army was like1 and out of curiosity ,i 
went to a meeting4 ,but ,i was too drunk
 to understand anything about it4 ,the  
next night ,i went there quite sober1   
and ,i gave my heart to the ,lord4 ,that
 was seventeen years ago1 and ,i thank  
,god that since then ,i have tried to do
 my utmost to serve ,him to the best of 
my ability4 ,and it is my determination1
 as long as ,he gives me breath1 to do  
for ,him all ,i can1 to spread ,his     
,kingdom on earth4     ,,chapter ,,xi   
,a ,final ,word   ,as has been          
suggested1 it is necessary1 if one is to
 be a successful personal worker1 to    
know well the ,scriptures4 ,the         
incorruptible seed1 which is the ,word  

of ,god1 when it is received into the   
human heart as good and honest ground1  
will1 without question1 produce a       
satisfactory harvest4 ,if you should    
attempt to win one to ,christ1 who      
insists that he is out of the ,kingdom  
because of his doubts1 tell him to come 
with his doubts1 and ,christ will set   
him free4 ,my doubts are round about me 
like a chain1 said one in the audience1 
with whom one of our personal workers   
was labouring1 and the worker said      
quickly1 ,come1 chains and all4 ,the    
doubter hesitated a second1 then said1  
,i will1 and as he rose to move forward1
 he testified that the chains were      
snapped1 and he was free4  ,if the one  
you are seeking to introduce to ,christ 
says that he is such a great sinner1 and
 because of this he cannot come1 then   
tell him to come with his sins4 ,he     
wants him just as he is1 and stands     
ready to set him free from the sins that
 have enslaved him and blinded his eyes 
so that he could not see ,christ as he  

stood waiting to save him4  ,it is a    
good thing to start by giving the       
assurance to the unsaved that ,god is   
,love1 and that ,his love is boundless4 
,this may be easily proved by the       
,scriptures4 ,tell him also that ,christ
 is not only able1 but ready and willing
 to save4 ,there are abundant evidences 
of this in the ,new ,testament4 ,tell   
him that no one is too sinful2 none too 
far from ,god2 none too depraved by sin 
to be saved4 ,there are evidences on    
every side of us of many such seeking   
and finding pardon4  ,it is well to     
start with such a declaration as is     
found in ,john i4 #ab1 ,but as many as  
received ,him1 to them gave ,he power to
 become the sons of ,god1 even to them  
that believe on ,his name4 ,insist upon 
it that ,christ has laid down the       
conditions1 and that if we are to be    
saved1 we must honestly and sincerely1  
with all our doubts and sins1 receive   
,him as a personal ,saviour4  ,make it  
very plain to the one with whom you are 

dealing that when one comes into the    
,kingdom he is born into it4 ,there is  
no other way than this1 for ,jesus said1
 ,john iii4 #c1 ,except a man be born   
again he cannot see the ,kingdom of     
,god4 ,if the joy of regeneration is to 
be experienced1 it is necessary that the
 acceptance of ,jesus as a ,saviour     
should be definite1 and that there      
should be sufficient confidence in      
,god's ,word to lead us to believe that 
when we have fulfilled our part of the  
contract the ,saviour will keep ,his4   
,if we are born into the ,kingdom then  
we start as babes in ,christ4 ,we are   
expected to grow4 ,if we are to grow1 we
 must have proper food2 this is found in
 the ,word of ,god4 ,we must be faithful
 in prayer4 ,we must have proper light  
and air2 this is found by walking in    
fellowship with ,christ1 and learning   
,his will as we study the ,scripture1 we
 seek with joy to do it4 ,we may stumble
 as little children do1 but ,he will    
help us1 and if at times we seem to     

fail1 ,he will hold us fast4  ,as little
 babes in ,christ it will not be strange
 that at times we grow discouraged and  
faint-hearted1 but if we press on to    
know the ,lord we shall find our        
strength increasing and our temptations 
decreasing until at last we may enter   
into a continuous and joyous ,christian 
experience4  ,tell the one with whom you
 are dealing that the assurance of      
salvation is possible4 ,jesus said1 ,he 
that heareth my word1 and believeth on  
,him that sent ,me1 hath everlasting    
life1 and shall not come into           
condemnation1 but is passed from death  
unto life 7,john v4 #bd74 ,and the      
,apostle ,john wrote1 ,these things have
 ,i written unto you that believe on the
 name of the ,son of ,god2 that ye may  
know that ye have eternal life and that 
ye may believe on the name of the ,son  
of ,god 7#a ,john v4 #ac74  ,state very 
plainly the fact that we are saved by   
faith and not by feeling1 and being thus
 saved we are kept by ,divine ,power4   

,when we have passed through the        
darkness of doubt into the light of our 
conscious acceptance of ,christ1 and    
when on the authority of ,god's ,word we
 have the assurance of salvation1 then  
let it ever be remembered that we must  
seek to bring others to ,him4 ,and as we
 labour day by day our own faith will   
grow stronger1 our hope will be         
brighter1 and our consciousness of the  
presence of ,christ will be more marked4
 ,day by day we may walk with ,him and  
talk with ,him until at last we shall   
see ,him as ,he is and then we may hear 
,him say1 ,well done1 good and faithful 
servant 444 enter thou into the joy of  
thy ,lord4