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32t

]

PBOTOOIUraU) BT § ,

1 y&^

HuNTift tt Co., Toronto.

RAINSFORD'S

SERMON'S

AND

BIBLE READIJSTGS.

TORONTO :
BELFORD BR'OTHERS,

MDCCCLXXVII.

■f^^

PHINTED ANn BOUND
BY

HuNTBB, Rose & Co.,

TOBONTO.

../^"^•V.>

COJS'TEKTS.

Biographical Sketcli (From Evangelical anr,

The Power of Faith

Rest on Christ

The Opportunity of Salv ition

A Prevalent Form of Indecision

The Sin of Selfishness

Justification before God

The Wheat and the Tares

Reconciliation

What is Holiness i

(continued)

Christian Work,

Living by Faith

The Fight of Faith

Farewell Words

Easter Sunday

What Shall I do to be Saved ?.
Prayer

chman).

PAOR.

.... 11
.. 25

... 40
... 51
... 63
... 77
.. 94
.. 105
.. 191
. 133
. 150
. 155
. 163
. 168
. 174

179

194

SERMONS

AND

BIBLE READINGS.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

all parts of the Dominion for information respecting nn„
who h„s recently accomplished so marvclious'a wofk •„
London and Toronto, we present toourreade.. thilsklh

especially commend the peru,sal of these lines t.n
young men, .s furnishing a bright example ZZ Z
young man devoted to the Master's aertice fuH t.f T
Holy Ghost and of power, can accomplish Alth . 1 I ?

ber, I80O God has blessed his lal«„„ „,ore abnndantt
than in the case of many who have spent a lon^Hf" „ the
pulpit and the parish. This is donbtl„o ,

sure dne to the complete slLttS^Th """
oh fict of bi" 1-fi. M • ' "iniseit to the one

^ J- .-ni. Me^.he winning of souls to Christ V.
one can be an bom. ,•«!,• '^"nst. jNq

can be an hour in his company without perceiving

SERMONS AND BIBLE UKADINOS.

that which stands out pre-eminent in his life — the single
eye to tlio glory of God. Out of the abundance of a heart
prepared by the Holy Spirit there is poured out the story
which is ever new, and which ever soothes and delights.
The face, lit u}) with a winning smile, but faintly pictures
the glorious influence of the Blessed Spirit, which enlight-
ens and warms the speaker, from whom, in language power-
ful and persuasive, sounds forth, with apostolic power, the
message which, as of old, convinces the reason, breaks the
hard heart, and leads to the loving Saviour. Standing
over six feet in height, with a splendid phyaiqiie, and a
voice given to rivet attention, he one moment, in a manner
so impressive as to command a hearing, denounces the
formalist and the open sinner, and the next moment he
beautifully pictures the love of God, and woos in tender
accents the hearer to turn, even as he listens, to the call
of the loving and so long neglected Father.

He does not stoop to any of the tricks of the orator or
the sensational preacher, but permeated, as it were, with
the Spirit of God and with His Word he lays before his
audience verse after verae with such aptness and vigour
that we need not wonder at the Word thus spoken being
effective. It is almost needless to add that he is a man
much given to prayer. He ever earnestly appeals to
those before him to bear in mind that the work is God's,
and that morning, noon, and night they should diligently
seek him for the pouring down of His blessing on the
word spoken. Mr. Rainsford is an Irishman, bom in
Dublin, where he lived until he was thirteen years of age,

;he single
>f a heart
the story
delights.
J pictures
1 enlight-
^e power-
>ower, the
reaks the
Standing
!i€, and a
a manner
inces the
)ment he
in tender
the call

orator or
Bre, with
lefore his
id vigour
:en being
is a man
ppeals to

is God's,
liligently
ig on the

bom in
rs of age,

BIOORAPHrOAL RKETPH. 5

when ho wont c.vor to England. Ffis fatl.or, tl.o Rev
Marcus Rainsford, is tho incu.nbor.fc of a ol.apol of oaso in
Halkott Street. Belgravo S(,uare. London. Tho son wa.s
«ent to school at Wellington, Shropshiro. whoro ho re-
mained but a year, when he was sont to tho C.\)ntinont in
order to recruit his health, which had givon way Aftor
an absence of two years he rotumod to Lon.lon

Becoming interested in tho emigration movomont ho
Identified himself with it. an<l in tho year 1868. in con-
junction with his friend. Mr. Herbort Watnoy, he came
over to Quebec in advance of about seven hundred emi-
grants who were about to settle in Canada. Tho two
young gentlemen interested themselves on behalf of the
colonists, and ,w;companied them up the country t.3 vari-
ous points of settlement. Tho next seven or eight months
were spent by them in a shooting expedition through the
valiey of the Saskatchewan, and thence across tho continent
Ihe greater part of the journey beyond St. Pa.l wa.s made
on horseback, and an account of the adventure, they met
wi h on their route would make an interesting volume
After returning to London, Mr. Rainsford laboured there
forsometime as an Evangelist, and feelinghimself specially
called to the ministry he soon abandoned a notion which
he had entertained of a military life. In 1870. in order

St. Johns College, Cambridge, where in due time he gra-
duated. His ordination took place in 1874. During his
•stay at college he eng.age.I in a regular course of athletics
whereby he built up his constitution to a state of robust-

SERMONS AND lUHLE READINGS.

nuas. Th(5 iuiv.rc'm'H thon l.orrini have n(!vor .sine, Ikjoh
wholly laid a.siao. an<l to thin cause is to bo in a meat
niea^ure attrihuted his ability to get through an amount
of work under which a less judiciously-managed constitu-
tion would break down.

fmniediately after his ordination he began his clerical
labours as curate of the Church of St. Giles. Norwich
The spiritual destitution in that ancient city was great,
and he at once began a series of evangelistic services in a
large building known as 8t. Andrew's Hall. These minis-
trations soon began to attract attention, and after the close
of the services for the day it was no unusual thing to find
gathered together a congregation numbering upwards of
three thousand. The " mission" movement, which ha^ since
assumed such large proportions in England, was then in pro-
gress, and received a decided impulse from the workaccom-
plished in Norwich. Mr. Rainsfor 1 seeing the very great
success which attended his efforts, felt more and more
firmly persuaded that God desired to use him in that spe-
cial sphere. He remained in Norwich until June, 1876,
when, in consequence of a pressing request from the Rev'
Stephen Tyng, Jr., of Holy X««||r Church, New York,
he once more crossed the Atlantic, and took charge of Mr'
Tyng's Church and Gospel Tent during that gentleman's
absence for the remaining summer months. Many of the
regular members of the congregation absented themselves
from service during this time, but both church and tent
were always filled by anxious worshippers desirous of
hsteningto the simple Gospel story so lovingly and pei-sua-

I a gi'eat
I amount
constitu-

« clorical
Norwich,
as great,
^ices in a
so minis-
the close
g to find
kvards of
has since
n in pro-
le accom-
ry great
id more
hat spe-
le, 1876,
the Rev.
w York,
e of Mr.
Neman's
f of the
mselves
nd tent
irous of
persua-

HIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 7

Hively recounte<l for their edification. Karly i„ Sept.n.-
JH3r. without any preparation <m the part of those amon..
who,n lu. was to labour, and without nuu-h apparent pros'^
pect of success, he went to Baltimore, where his ministra-
tions proved as effective as they had ,lone in New York
and m Norwich. Eager crowds pressed to listen to the
heart-stirnng appeals of the young Evangelist, whose soul
wa.s on us lips, and who spoke after a fashion so different
troni what they wore accuston.ed to hear. Re(,uests f,»r
services K.gan to pour in up<m him from all parts of the
Umu.d States. The next scene of his labours was Phila-
dolphia, where he made the ae.,uaintance of the Rev. W
1,^: ''^ ^^'"' ^^"•^''•^1 Church. London. Ont^vno. Mr
liJley, who was attemling the annual missionary meetin.^s'

saw and heard Mr. Rainsford.and prevailed upon him to vi.:;it
his country. Before coming to Cana<la. Mr. Rainsfor<l
attende.] the Church Congress held in Boston in Novem-
ber last, ami after spemling a .short time in that city he
visited successively Louisville. Kentucky, and Samlusky
Ohio, in both <,f which cities his labours were crownc!i
wth the most marke.l success. He then paid another
bnef vis, to Philadelphia, where he ministered in the
Church of the Epiphany, of which the Well-known Dr
Newton is rector. His long-expected visit to Lomlon
took place a few weeks ago. an<l the result of his labours
there was as equally gratifying as any of his previous
experiences. From London he came to Toronto, and took
charge of St. James' Cathedral, where his ministration^
liave attracted a cla^s of persons not commonly identified
in the public mind with evangelistic movements

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

It w wen to observe some of the characteristics of this
work as taught by Mr. Rainsford, so that those at a dis-
tance from the scene of these labours may be enabled to
comprehend the mode in which it is carried on, and may
be enabled to commence some such undertaking in their
midst. First, let the people assemble together for the
week preceding the movement, and earnestly and prayer-
fully wait on God for a blessing on the approaching ser-
vices. Let reliance be placed on the Word of God brought
home to the heart by the Holy Spirit, and to this end let
there be on the afternoon of each day a Bible reading and
exposifaon, coupled with an exhortation to the diligent
perusal of the Word as the sworf of the Spirit which is
to pierce the hard heart. In the evening let the sermon
be pomted-one in which application is not omitted ; let
the services be short, and let the hymn be sung to well-
known music in which all can heartily join. After the
Bible reading, and the evening service, let an invitation
be given to all those who desire assistance, who f.re an-
xious about their soul.,, who have objections and difficul-
ties they want removed to remain after the services, and
let them be met by earnest Christians, who, Bible in hand,
will point them to God's message, and the manner in
which It dispels their doubt«. Let these enquirers be
urged at once to join a church. Take down the names
of aJl, and furnish them and their addresses to some
clergyman whom they desire to be their pastor. As they
are able to take it, at once give them some work for
Christ. Do not lose sight of them. Get them to join

let

sh(

tha

pre

tari

wh(

teac

evei

vice

beer

sens.

the I

save

felt,

ingt

The]

we uj

grega

have

comm

crease

have 1

Ins

Sunda

been s

itics of this
ne at a dis-
enabled to
a, and may
ig in their
er for the
nd prayer-
iching ser-
)d brought
lis end let
sading and
le diligent
t which is
he sermon
litted ; let
g to well-
After the
invitation
10 E.re an-
i difficul-
ices, and
i in hand,
inner in
lirers be
le names
to some
As they
i^ork for
I to join

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. ()

confirmation cla.sse.sand other services of the Church and

etth i Christians seek by all .n.J:Ti:^;^

oftheolt'."^';""' encourage the weaker members

stould be f ^. "^'^''^^ "^^^' «^ eminently that which

Uhe Foul7\''^^'^^^^ *'^ attention of the follower.

precedent, it is^to^ be^i^^ ^^^^^^^^
^nesoW Church, who, in the Lir of thtled^al
where enquirers assemble after these revival services

e::it " T '""^ ^'^^^ *^^^^^ -^-»^ -ke ;: Zr

been noldr~^^^^ ^" ^^"^^'^ ^^^ Toronto have

senLion Th" " '' '" "^'"^ excitement and

smsation They answer simply, and in Bible language
t^ great demand of the soul: '< What must I do^Tj

telt andHis gracious answer is visible in many a reioic
mgton h,,, e^^j^.^^^ ., ,^^^ found thrcS'^

3 n« --^^^ in Toronto and London are such t^at
we may well thank God, and take courage. In one con
gregationin London it is calculated that three hundTa
have been quickened. In Toronto, at the last events

ras~ ;: ''; '-''''''' ''^ --^- of paHaker;:'

created to 700. In some instances the awakeninc^ that
have taken place have astonished many ^

In several of our churches the number of applicants as

Sunday-school teach*^r« ^^^ r„, ., . ."-PP^cartts as

- -.aL.i^..,, ana lui other simiiar work has

been so great that it has been i„.p..ib,e to find t„ "

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

thing for all to do. The confirmation classes have been
very much enlarged, and a general revival and quickening
has been displayed. With such results, we may well
consider whether much benefit would not result from re-
viving the office of Evangelist in our Church, and in esta-
blishing a body of men apt to preach, and who would go
forth from parish to parish stirring up its members and
awakening the careless and indiflferent.

Mr. Rainsford is to be with the people of Toronto un-
til the month of June next. We most earnestly hope
that he may be enabled to revisit Canada next Septem-
ber, and that then he will make an extended tour through
all our principal towns. Notwithstanding the prolonged
stay o^* Mr. Rainsford, there is no diminution in the inte-
rest and attendance on his services. The feeling that has
been aroused is not a mere passing interest, arising from
some novelty in the preacher or his address, but is
founded on that which will make it lasting. Many souls
have reason to bless God that in His goodness He sent
His servant amongst them at this time. Pray much for
him, that great grace may be abundantly poured down
upon him, and that he may be preserved to deliver to
many hun Try souls the refreshing tidings which he has
spread abioad in our midst, and that God may mercifully
spare hiii, to revisit our Dominion, and, with a double
portion of the Holy Spirit, to ring out the same Gospel
message.

es have been
id quickening
i^e may well
suit from re-
, and in esta-
ho would ero
nembers and

Toronto uur
rnestly hope
ext Septem-
tour through
he prolonged

in the inte-
ling that has
a-rising from
ress, but is
Many souls
less He sent
ly much for
aured down
3 deliver to
hich he has
Y mercifully
ith a double
jame Gospel

THE POWER OF FAITH.

tho,.d„„Mr"-Matlwl31 '"■«•' ""-,.,« didst

Si tr'."' 'r'' "^""^ *<' "-"".stances un'der
wh,ch the words of my text were spoken. The disciples

w th the „,ght came the stonn from the top of the moun

ctl :: T *"" '"''' *^ P^"^- ''-- »- the dis-

c^Ies.„the,r futile struggle against the tempest, and in

he fourth watch of the night He came to them, ;alki^"

cried LTtW *^ ^*"™- "'"' ^h-^y. boholding Himt
cned out with fear. Peter said, " Lord, if it be Thou

Chnst. But you will remember, when he saw the wind

w n^ ;r ^"^ '^^""'"»" '» -'""^ •>« ^^^

ru save me. Then comes my textr-"And immed!
ate y Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught hTmi'd
-.d unto him, - Oh thou of little faith, wherefore ;,l!
thou doubt ? ' " Was nof H>ot . • ""'^re'ofe clidst

come? IT "^^' ""* ™* a ™"o"3 way for Christ to

Zl and ; "T' V "'"• "^-'o™- « mantle about

H.m and comes to H,s disciples in its midst. And dear

»ds, I don. think that Christ has yet stopped coml^

ar Zv t r T """ ■"•" '"""y-I '™«*ther:
are many to-mght_who can thank God f„r th, 4orm

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

that brought Jesus to them in its mid.t. Once the soul
knows the sweet presence of Christ it blesses God for the
storm or for the calm. The truth of the matter is just
this, that some of us won't receive Christ in any other
tashion. He let us have calm long enough ; He let the
current of our lives .a^s on without a ripple ; things went
smoothly ; friends seemed true, and earth was but a scene
of pleasure. But there wa^ no Christ there; He had
spoken ; He waited ;~the asking, the speaking, the wait-
ing, had been in vain, and Christ was not yet received, so
He came in the storm. I think God ha.s been coming to
some of you lately like that. You cannot exactly tell
the reason, but there has been a strange feeling of in-
quietude in your hearts ; your rest has not been so undis-
turbed, your nights have not been so good as they used
to be Why is that ? Ah ! brother, sister, take heed that
ne who IS approaching your little boat in the storm be
not permitted unsolicited to pass by.

Now, will you look at Peter's question. "Lord, if it
DC mou. It was a queer question to put. Of course he
knew It was the Lord. Do you think if this superstitious
Galilean had thought it was a ghost he would have put
any such question ? He knew it was the Lord, but his
knowledge had a little out-run his feeling He did not
quite feel it wa. the Lord, and it makes me think there
are a great many in the same fix. Why, a good lady came
to me to speak to me the other night, and I think before

teel .uuux, rnirty times. I said, " Stop, not so fa^t,"

"GS.

Once the soul
sses God for the
B matter is just
st in any other
igh ; He let the
e ; things went
;v^as but a scene
there; He had
king, the wait-
'^et received, so
)een coming to
3t exactly tell
feeling of in-
been so undis-
i as they used
bake heed that
I the storm be

"Lord, if it
Of course he
superstitious
uld have put
Lord, but his
He did not
3 think there
3d lady came
think before
ed the word
not so fast,"

THE POWER OF FAITH.

and explained to her that the word was not used in the
abk except once where it is said, "Jesus can be touched
w. h he feehng of our infirmities." Just as it was with
feter .t ,s with us-the least awakening desire to get
nearer and cbser-if I may say to con/to closer te^s
with H.m who not unknown, still stands in the midst of
the storm that has awakened the soul from its lethargy-
the lea^t desire is from God. If there is some poor foul
to-night that has not got farther than Peter, brother I
would oheer you, you have not got pa^t the fisherman's
ques ion-"If it be Jesus." "If it is true." If the message
.snot too good; if "the salvation is not too greatjlf
hese hings are so-if it is so, Lorf, I want to inow it

come to Thee on the water." Are not some of us like
that ? Blessed be God for all such. The vision of Chri,t

hope to thase poor sinners. Yes, He will come; you ^
ready to receive Him. ^

May 1 try for a moment to paint the scene :_Peter looks

rr T\ ""' '''^ *"'' '^ "f Christ sto^i
on the liquid ,»thway of the se^ He gets up from Z

^:r 7, : "" '^''" ™^' heLes'up to 1
gunwale and looks over, and says, " Lord, if it te Thou

M me come to Thee on the wator." Above the Jto™

h^re«,meba<=k the accents of Jesus calHng. " Petor.t^

JotheiTth; tT\TJr.^'' Z-^—

him nZ . iu °*^"'' *° ^°°^ about

h'm. He sees the waves ; he didn't know how high they

SERMONS AND BIBLE BEADINOS.

were before. He heam the wind whistle by ; he n^ver
thought .t wa« so rough. 1 have sometimes thought that
perhaps Peter now wished himself well out of the trans-
action^ He would say to himself, " It was rather a foolish
thing for me to say that, now." There waa no stopping,
for the voice of Christ comes in command-" Come " So
Feter gets to the edge of the boat, there I see him-he lets
himself down-not a jump, not a rush, fori can see the
man letting himself down, his back towards the boat, and
his fa^e towards Christ. There, he gets down, down, and
then he comes to the point where a man eamiot hold any
longer. That is just the point men come to, when it won't
do to go back, and they don't want to go forward Thev
are tossed hither and thither. There is something bids
them go forward, other influences hold them back The
voice of Christ comes, calling: so he ha« to go forward.
Hejustputsoutonefoot. It touches the »avea ; itis thefoot
ot faith, the wave is solid, he is walking on the wat«r to go
to Jesus ! Ah, dear friends that is what we long to do-we
would give anything to be able to help you on that path.
Well can we look back, and remember how it ha« been with
ourselves. One man cannot go through that for another.
Each one has got to come down-that is it-down, <to^
out of the ship. Oh, be you never so satisfied with your-
selves, has your life been never so smooth, have the billows
of inquietude and the gusts of discontent never vexed
your soul-my friend, if you will be saved you have got
to come, to come right down out of that ship of « self "
It IS not easy work, Looking back into one's own ex-

as.

e by ; he never
es thought that
it of the trans-
rather a foolish
IS no stopping,
-"Come." So
Be him — he lets
>r I can see the
8 the boat, and
wn, down, and
-nnot hold any
when it won't
nvard. They
omething bids
m back. The
o go forward.
i; it is the foot
iie water to go
ng to do — we
on that path,
has been with
t for another,
-down, cUnvn
d withyour-
'^e the billows
never vexed
70U have got
ip of " self"
oe's own ex-

THE POWER OF FAITH. 15

Zt^l "^rf '"" ''*^"^*^^«' no man Who speaks
he truth would be found to say it is easy work. \t is

just hke an emigrant : he goes out from his house he gets

«;'^ ^'" -^^* --^^' ^^^ ^-; of Th!
bXhh/"'.r;^ the screw goes round, and inch

.ft fui T ^ r' '' '" ^^^^^ ^"-' - *^^ «hore,
get further off He looks towards the west, and beyond

Its honzon there rises up to him a land of hope, new ex-

T^St^^'T-'''''^''' -^^^ purpose o/hearthe
sets h,s face towards it, but it is none the less sad; the

eMn^ A d tT ""' ^'"'' '^^^^'^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^- ^ef
turn . . "'"' '^ ' "" *" ^^ '^^'"^^ I have got to
turn my back on everything that would drag do^ my

soul I have got to turn my back on everything that

a nght hand or precious as a right eye, may God cut off
the haiid and pluck out the eye, rather than let me lose
on account of my eye or my hand, my immortality in'
heaven. That is it. All we can do, God knows we wa^t

come. Therefore, all we can say is summed up in this •
brethren, hear the voice of Christ, and come down. Thou-
sands are coming; the rich are coming : tn. poor coming;
the w,se coming; the simple coming. I have seen men
and women m every station of life coming out of the
Ship. Sometimes it wa« a gilded ship, beautiful but vain
Sometimes It wa^ a battered ship, for the storms of sin-'
ful passion had weU-nigh already wrecked it. Sometimes
It wa^ a wreck. It is not easy for any man to come down

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

What a sweet thought it is to-night as I sta^d to ad-
dress you-that there are men whom I now speak to, who
a. I apeak are speaking to God, and saying, " Ah Jesus, I
want to come ; If at be Thou, bid me, even me, come to
Thee on the water." And Jesus says " Come." From
EngW commg, from Europe coming, from America com-
ing ! from the .slands of the sea coming - Africa and India,
Chma, aU coming! Yes, thank Go.^ there is but one cry
They meet the Lord, and I never heard the voice of dis-
^pomtment ri* from them. Ah. no, friends, they aU
»y, It'stte Lord, and we are glad we came," If you
find me out a man in Toronto who will tell me that five
years ago he came to Christ, and for one minute of those
fiv. years smce then he has been sorry he ever came-one
mrnute out of the five year« been sony he ever came, he
IS the first man I ever heard of who has said that. Oh
brethren, hsten to God's voice. He spoke to you h«t
week, he spoke to you laat night, and once agran he speaks
You may as weU come, for, friend, the old ship wiU go
down underneath you, at last, if you do not. I ha^
^metimes thought that may have had something to do

Zt f T'"^ '^°^- ^'- P*''"'I«' thought when
he saw the violence of the storm, " The best thL; I can

do IS to get as near to Jesus of Nazareth a« I nmy I

thmk that may have a great deal to do with a gr^t many's

commg. I know it had with mine. I was sTsad, misL

mmg; coming

I stand to ad-
speak to, who
" Ah Jesus, I
1 me, come to
'ome." From
A.merica com-
ica and India,
I but one cry
! voice of dis-
snds, they all
me." If you
me that five
ute of those
r came — one
ver came, he
i that. Oh,
to you last
tn he speaks,
ship will go
ot. I have
jthing to do
)ught, when
thing I can
I I may. I
reat many's
sad, miser-

THE POWER OF FAITH. j^

able, sick at heart, that I said - I will .n , t

-e if He cannot make me bette'r." ' '" ''""^' ^'^^

found ,n H,™ a resti„g.pl,ee, and He has madL „,o glad "
So you will say, if, hearing his voice to rnVhf

find them within c^, ,""' ^"'""^' y°" ^i" "ot

the hard heart worn IV" T" ""'"■ "'"' ^"" '"'^
m aero, wh J^^f ^rorS'l '" ' """ ^^^ "
were, deep water w,^. v ^ "^ '^''™- "^ it

storms of Lit and . "" ' '''"' ^"«P* t-^' the

they are tdlJ^C;: Ah' -nr^f '"^^ ^''-'^
not find any reaaons iHj past Jfe fl "'""" ' ''"'"
Within I see mv m,* .,vu ^ """""^ ^^ Ch™t.

fears • I seTthe ^r ,'*" ''"'' "•''""^»' ''""''te and

low me 1 I ZJ "r f : "'""^ "'^ ""^^ ^ -bl-
ooming to^hi^Xtr-i'to'" "'" ;--'»"^ ^-

Wds you, that is why ^T L. "T' ^""'^ ^""^

your Creator bids yo^ Altrt"^ T' ^"""^^

that n J I ■ ' yo" oould see, brother

that God has got your happiness at heart ■ that Go7h u
your joy as dear as His own ■ tUi rS T '''''

iite a beautiful flower bloZ™ , ^'^*^ *" '^<'y«»

immortal glory andn„t „ T^ ""'^"'^ *^ ^^^ "^ His
S^"iy, ana not a crushed and sin —^--^ n •

o"ly a leprous spot to be cut out of God': unirr^ ^"^^^

B '

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

do think God loves you, each one, and listen to Hira as
He says, " Come, Come, COME."

Now I must fia.y another word. I want to try and fol-
low you, each one, up to-night. I want to do it just as
personally as if I could go and lay my hand on the shoul-
der of each one here, and follow out his difficulty. You
say to-night— you actually say this—" I want to come to
Christ, sir, but I cannot. I want to come to Christ, but
I have not strength." Is not that it, dear young man ?
Haven't you thought that thought since you came into
the church ?— " I want to come to Christ, but I can't ; I
have tried, but I cannot." Oh, friends, you will not call
me your enemy because I tell you the truth. Satan has
deceived you ; it is not true. Just as truly as the cross
of Christ gives you your right to come, just as truly has
the Spirit of God come to give you power. Don't you
see the terrible accusation you bring against your God ?
God bids you come ; God commands you to come. God
tells me my only hope is to come ; and God does not give
me the power. Oh, that mortal man should so give the
lie to his God. I tell you, think of it. ShaU I speak
strong words— for this is a strong truth, and needs to be
put strongly. What does it mean ?— what does it come
to ? It comes to this. I, a poor mortal, the thing of a
day, the creature of an hour, am bid by the Almighty
God to accept God's salvation on pain of eternal banish-
ment from Him. I am bid not to neglect God's salvation
on pain of eternal banishment from God. I have neglected
it, but God has not given me power to accept it, and He

ben to Him as

try and fol-
► do it just as
on the shoui-
ficulty. You
nt to come to
to Christ, but
young man ?
ou came into
mt I can't ; I

will not call
. Satan has
T as the cross
i as truly has
Don't you
it your God ?

come. God
ioes not give

1 so give the
ball I speak
I needs to be
does it come
B thing of a
le Almighty
mal banish-
i's salvation
ve neglected
t it, and He

THE POWER op FAITH.

L 1'

againstGod. If that was tn.'e T \ '' ^■™ ^"^'^'^
this statement a.s .1^^'^^^"'" ^"'^'" "^ "■"''''
God. and I would snendTh > * ^''-^ ^''^''^ »<> ^

Ha« given n.e to Ife 1 itrf^'';^ "'-^^ «od
of heaven and earth and ^ ' "*" *'*^' " ^'<^ God
come and bow at t'; .iTnd " "" ""^ '^ ^ ^'<^ -'
could not be saved 1 Z::!^^'^' '?"' "'^''«°". ^
^ye n.e strength U.^Z^l^ Z'''2V'\''' ""'
■t is Your fault." I assek to ^^ . '^ *"" '«'• '^''d

that, I would burn „Xe ft, 7'""^' '' ' '""^^^^
'- Oon'tdaretosayGodhi:;'" "''"•«''-"3
come, for He has. (Oh speak O r / T ^'"' P"'^^"' ^^
™en.) He is here, He i's p e^^ ""h '"" '=°--- *ese
wi", let Mm take of the VZ\, S^l "' ^'r^'
I wonder you degrade yourself in J 7v- ' °''' "'"''
-M„es, or theUts'har fe.'°^r ;"^«^f ^ *"-
bows over you a«d beckons vnn . ""^ "^ 'o^«

- that blind your .r^Zl^Z uZ't T" " ''«

and looked at the water mi T^ *■""" •^«™''.

He sank. Now, like TLT^tj'^. '\ -"-O-nce ?'

--. -meofusk;owwer:re;:4i-i»

MONS AND BIBl.r READINGS.

and have sunk un / ,. wa^ . Let me speak* word to you
now. Will you follow me, if possible, with your whole
attention, for a moment ? He made a mistake, and he
knew it, and he corrected it. What did he do ? He did
not wait until the water had got up to his ankles, to his
knees, to his waist, his shoulders, his chin, but the moment
he began to sink, right lustily he cried, " Lord, save me."
He didn't go and say, " I haven't strength to cry." He
did not say, " In the midst of the storm Jesus won't hear
me." He cried, and Jesus saved him immediately. Ah,
' Jove^ will y9u take a leaf out of the Apostle's book to-
night '. Some of you are beginning to sink in unbelief.
You a.o beginning to sink in doubt, brother, cry. You
are beginning to sink in trouble, sister, cry. You are be-
ginning to sink in fear — oh, cry, backslider. Some of you
are not beginning to sink, you are sunk — deep, it may be
up to the very chin ; the waters of death seem almost to
lap over, and choke the very soul. Cry, cry, cry. It is
not too late. Jesua will do with you what He did with
Peter. Ah, but I hear one say, " We don't want that sort
of thing." There are some people who, when they see a
man beginning to be anxious about his soul, cry out
" Methodist." I tell you if a man sees he is lost he will be
excited. I wish you could have been with me in New
York, and have seen ''*ie banking men yelling like born
fiends on the ExchaLg* , ' yx)vh a few dollars ; but when
it comes to be a quest' j a c Cm: salvation of an immortal
soul, oh dear me, I havo go to blush, and talk low, and
smooth the thing ; that is the proper thing to do. Oh,

I word to you
h your whole
Htake, and he
do ? He did
ankles, to his
t the moment
)rd, save me."
to cry." He
us won't hear
diately. Ah,
tie's book to-
k in unbelief,
er, cry. You
You are be-
Some of you
ep, it may be
em almost to
y, cry. It is
He did with
ant that sort
m they see a
oul, cry out
st he will be
me in New
Qg like bom
:^ ; but when
an immortal
alk low, and
to do. Oh,

THE POWER OF FAITH.

Chri'st r.h^ """' '' "^ "•^' '''''' '' - - -n-«.

down tl :T' '"' ^'^ '^"^ '' ^-^ '^^ «^-tched

the ebck mark sixty ..eonus more, but now, across the

Let m r "^ "^ '^'"'^" ^^" ^^"^ ^«^' -^ ^ Him.
Let Hun hear y ur voice ! Cry, and God will hear you »

Ah blessed be God that He has allowed n.e, a youn. man

to stand up and pronounce this truth in Toronto

i st""" P T ""^"^— '^-"^ eaught him. He did
not say Peter, you ungrateful fellow, what right had

diutely Jesus caught him. I love that picture-" Jesus
caught h.r„." Not. if I may say. with the calm, majl
d.^.ty of the God. but with the quick impetuosity of th

Chnst .s not changed. As truly He remains the same
.., <*nay. to-d.,. and for ever; so to-night will the hand
i ' ". . ,t close upon you if you cry to Him

abour^l' T- ''"1 ^"'' * """"'°' "P™ y"»-- '■'"■^« idea
about salvation^ I want you to see it was Christ caught

Peter, and not Peter caught Christ. I want you to see if

vlu and*" '; ^""^ 'r'^""' " '^ ^<='''""-- O''"^* etches
you. and not you catch Him. I remember hearing a short

t.me ago of a poor fellow who fell overboa.J from . ship

The sea swanned with sharks ; the captain, who perceived

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

Ill
'ii I

his fall, with presence of mind threw a rope to him, which
he succeeded in catching with one hand. If any one here
has ever been overboard from a yacht, he will know what
a terrible strain there is on a man's hand under such cir-
cumstances; it is a fearful strain. This poor fellow
grasped the rope with one hand, and they just pulled him
out, and when they got him on the deck they found he
had grasped the rope so firmly that the very strands of it
had eaten into his hand. This is a true symbol of the
Idea some of you have of salvation. You are struggling
m the sea of life, near you is the shark of death and the
devil. You think, " If I hold on tight enough there is no
telling but that I may be saved in the end." Ah, I would
not have come all the way from London to Toronto to tell
you of a salvation whereby you "might be saved in the
end. A httle girl, belonging to a dear friend of mine in
London, had got it better. Her father came into my
father's drawing-room one afternoon, and said, « I cannot
tell you anything till I tell you about my little girls "
The two had been to Sunday-school in the afternoon, and
they had heard the lesson taught by the teacher of the
Oood Shepherd, who gathereth the lambs with His arms
and folds them in His bosom. He overheard these two
httle women talking about the lesson, and one said, "Isn't
It a very nice thing to know that Jesus lets us take Hia
hand, and then leads us. We hold Him by the hand, and
He leads us all through life." The other little woman did
not say anything for a minute, then she a.sked « What
would vou do if ft devil came to chop or cut your hand

THE POWER OF FAITH.

to him, which
f any one here
11 know what
ider such cir-
poor fellow
3t pulled him
hey found he
strands of it
rmbol of the
re struggling
eath and the
h there is no
Ah, I would
)ronto to tell
saved in the
i of mine in
lie into my
1, " I cannot
little girls."
iemoon, and
cher of the
'h His arms
i these two
said, "Isn't
IS take Hia
! hand, and
woman did
ed. " What
your hand

off . The other little one wa^ entirely non-plussed. At
^t she said, « What was it that our teacher said to-day ?
l^idnt he say Jesus gathered the lambs in His arms, and
holds themm His bosom? Now, if instead of my holding
Jesus hand Jesus holds me in His arms, no devil can cut
His arms oT' Ah, blessed be God I Be it lisped by babe
o thundered by apostle, it is the eternal truth of the
eternal God. It is not that I hold Christ, but that Christ
holds me. Ah, it was the hand of Jesus closed on the
drownmg fishermen that night. If I am here to-night as
a saved maii, His shall be the gloiy ! There is naught
between my soul and hell to-night, but the hand of Christ.
No Chnstian wants anything else. If He lets go we sink
If He lets us drop we die. If He leaves us but an instant
we shall be gone~but the hand of Christ holds us saf e~
He holds us safe, safe, SAFE, for "immediately Jesus

Tkf o r. J 1"'^ '"" *'" congregation to-night, and
I know that the hand of God Himself hovers over each

r t ^^^ ^'''''^ ^^"' *'^"^^^' I ^^'^'^^ know your
doubts or difficulties, I know not your fears nor yourLs,
but I know the hand of Christ can hold you safe. Do
you think If somebody had questioned Peter at that time

he would have been at a loss to explain what saved him?
Maybe, Peter, it wa^ you held Christ." «' I don't believe

anything about that."
"May be, Peter, it was you who clutched Christ ?" I

don t read anything about that. I read it wa^ Christ who

caught him.

Ah, the Lord Jesus does not walk over the stormy seas

SERMONS AND BIBI,E READINGS.

Of time with poor sinners clinging, as it were, to the skirts

tL!" ^TT- '' " "^ '^' ""'-^ ^" ""^^^ H«= ^rs
them on H.s breast, not clinging to His garmente, to be

wa.W off by the cruel waves of this world. No; under!
thl "' """'"'' **""'' """^ ""^ '^'"^ *=*" '»•«*'' 'h^-gh

thmk of the value of the soul ; think of the readiness of
the Saviour ; think of the immediateness of the salvation
and ask youi^elf the question, " Am I saved ?" Are we
saved? Are we saved? ^"e we

What good is this mission work if we are not saved »
It IS but a mill-stone hung round our necks to sink us
deeper into condemnation. It will be said of us " These
had power and opportunity to be saved, but they did not
want to be saved, and so were lost."

My time is gone ; I close with an incident that came
withm my own experience. Some time ago, on a wild
night off the coa^t of Cornwall, a ship struck the sand far
away from any town. There wa, no life boat near It
wa.s an awful night. Anybody who has seen the seas run
on the west coa^t of England knows what they are There
"'as no life-boat near, but there was a pilot-boat, and
brave fellows pushed out and went to the rescue. Thev
forced her on with their .strong arms against wind and
wave until they got under the lee of the perishing ship
and then with all their might they held her there, while
man after man was lowered from the deck. At last
they were almost all gone ; they were all gone except one

>, to the skirts
d. He bears
rments, to be
No; under-
reak through

of the ship ;

readiness of

he salvation,

?" Are we

not saved ?
5 to sink us

us, " These
hey did not

> that came
on a wild
fie sand, far
t near. It
he seas run
are. There'
-boat, and
ue. They
wind and
ihing ship,
lere, while
At last
sxcept one

REST ON CHRIST.

brave, fine young fellow, who had been working to save
^n the others~a splendid man-and a wave rolled in
rom the west, hit the ship and made her heel over, caught
the hfe-boat and hurled it a hundred feet back, and a
grea abyss yawned between the ship and the boat. As
the boat canted back, an old man, with his grey hair
streammg from his face, said, " Oh, captain, that is my boy
save h.m:" Strong arms sought to force the boat bL to'
her place agam, ^,ut they dare not, for they saw a mighty
wave hftmg up .ts might enormous to crush them The
young man turned, and, gathering up all his force, right
n he teeth of the tempest, his voice rang in answer to his

came. Never mmd, father, thank God I am saved"

of Its God. That IS what a man can say-that is the

For immediately Jesus caught him," caught him, Lght
hnn ; and that same Jesus will catch you. God bless you •
C^odhelpryou to-night to come down out of the ship and

:::::, ^ ^^^ -^- «^ ^^^ ^ovmg one who saith " c

REST ON CHRIST.

i^ynTr T""^ ''™" *°"''^'^ " -='<>- the so-
ZnZ ^r ""■"" ^'"""- I ■'''- thought I
Scrintoe r"""^"" t"-n'gl.t from any set portion of
scripture. I hope you won't think me egotistical if J

SERMONS AND BIBLE BEADINOS.

tiy to put before you my own grounds for saying, I know

you^ ^ r "T """' ' "" """^ ■""- ^°-»"y t»

ZheL 7 ""'"« ■"*" *° P'"^^ the Gospel
who as saved) sends us not men,ly a« heralds of the
taUh we beWe but a, witnesses to the truth which we
have received, and therefore, if a man cannot stand as a
wrtne s of the truth he proclaims, his truth will be inef-
feoual, and he himself will be found faulty before God.

and witnesses. To come at once to the point, I suppose

STn Id ' "?r^ *'"* ' ''"°" ''"'' ^y -« - fo-

given, and myself saved, because I believe on Jesus.
Yes, you say, "but what do you mean by believing
on Jesus Chnst ? I We striven, waited, hoped, agon
.zed and yet I cannot say I am forgiven." May I preface
«hat I have got to say to you to-night by askL^u to
-ember one thing .-and I think it Lurs to y^

Ta Zur" : r. '' 'r *^ """^' yo" -" «-1 i' 'he™
at a future day. There, I have written down in my Bible

i" Zt'^r^ ' S '""''" *^^ "^ ^-^-^^^ '^^'^ *-«-

gxn witn 1. There is one, "Try" Ther^ i« *K^

the first, but let us keep it in its right pW, and let us
have plenty of the second all the time, and we shall b

1-3 ^„u „«,^ pa^ tiy belore "trust."

*ying» I know
appeals most
e forcibly to
ds, because I
ch the Gospel
is everybody
eralds of the
ith which we
ot stand as a
will be inef-
before God.
be ministers
at, I suppose
words of the
sins are for-
3 on Jesus.
y believing
loped, agon-
ay I preface
king you to
irs to your
ind it there
n my Bible
ey both be-
ere is the
plenty of
and let us
^e shall be
re "trust."

REST ON CHRIST.

Wb'T,^' '"^"'^''^^^ *^« struggle amiss-thou
let 1 tr ^'T^' '' *'^ ^'^^^ -^- I* - - -e ;
W ir ; r ''"' ""' ^^""^ ''' --f-^ -til you
have begun to trust. Alter the order-put " trust " Lt

manval y'Z' '"^ '^^'' "^" ^^'^'^ successfully
Yes thTlr. '' '"' '""^^'^ ^^-^ ^«^^-«^ y- -rely
Itles nol' «-t thing that believing in Christ means.
It does not mean nry" but it does mean « trusV I

hTd'Hv!dT '' ' "'' "^"* "^ '^^ ^"«^-<^' ^t^r they
had hved for some year, together, and said, "I am

ITy^r^! """ ' ^"'^ "^^^' ^^^""«^ ^«^ -11 *h-e years I

eve 'bJ t "' "^^-d««bt« on the question than
the h! r . ^"' " "^ ^^"^ ^ ^^- *1^« I^-d Jesus,

teat br^^^^ ^"^ ^" *"^*' ^^^-- ^ «-<! - Him
Is^tX'f^'::: ' — thing finn, a rock upon which
to stand. With this certainty under my feet, with this
unchangeability of God as my platform, the^T try ^
hi 7:. ""'"-""^ ' ''y '' ^- '^- hundredth tfme

thaH J^^"' '^'^ ' '^P^ ^ ^^ --d' hut I put forth
that effort because I know, by trust, that I am saved

Chnst IS. Well now, let me try,and I will ask you to just
tt! " r ' 'T *^ P^^' ^^^-^^ I calf them my

th J t. "" 'P'^''^ *" '"^ «^"1- I^-t «^e try and put

hem before you as God put them before me-not com fl
rem myself but from God, for my own soul. I th ^^^

I could show you this old Bible of mine you could see black

rU;'!

, J

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

"^arks at the corner of eaeh one ofthe^e vei^es, where
many scores of souls have read out fr«m these very

What ,s th.s beheving on Christ ? First of all. does not
rt stand to reason I must accept God's statement of what
Ctast has done, a«d this divides itself into three. Let
me fir^t see-What God has done forsin. I cannotfearcon-
tradzcfon when I say the first question that suggests it- ■

fo i tr"*™ '""^ ■' *^ ''•'<^«°" "f ^i". i» one

swT a\T T ^ """'' '"'^* '^^ •»•"«»«"" of ^in an-
swered before I can really rest on Christ, I must g™sp

I hold above everything else that God's plan of sal-
ItrZn 7f rV'" '"'^'""* statement L demon-

Le?3' ^r ""'" *"' "<"°'^° "- -^-T igno^nt of it.
l-et me read you one ven^e. I will take one you all
know better than any other in the Bible. " But He w^
wounaed for our tra.sg,.ssions. He was bruised Sri"

nd Sh r"^^-™* "' ^'''p*- -uponn;:

and with H.S stnpes we are healed. All we like sheeo

way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the inin„if„ ^t
aU " (IsaiaJi liii. 5 and 6) Now iZ w T ^ "'
here d^r fw. j i, ,.' ^^"Y- J^^t notice these words

1 am nght here, I cannot be right at aU. You will bear
me witness, that till I am conven^ant with sin I am^
ma position to rejoice in my delivemnce from it tZul
Christ, and here is the answer to the question of S

verses, where
m these very
aany a heart,
f all, does not
ment of what
bo three. Let
mnotfearcon-
it suggests it- ■
•f sin, in one
on of sin an-
I must grasp

plan of sal-
and demon-
and simple
:norant of it.
)ne you all
But He was
ised for our
I upon Him,
3 like sheep
to his own
quity of us
hese words
)e said : till
u will bear
I I am not
it through
1 of what

REST ON CHRIST.

Ood ha.s done with sin. " He was wounded :"-I will put
It m question and answer to myself-" He was wounded
for our transgressions." He had none of His own, then
how could He be wounded ? Our transgressions are
iiere spoken of. I answer, as deserving punishment,
under the figure of wounds inflicted by a just God on
guilty man, and 1 read " He was wounded."- that means
that God, m Christ, steps in and takes the wouikI that
my transgressions deserve. Mark that, so far " He
wa^ bruised for our iniquities." Had he any iniquities
ofh,sown? No. How could the Prince of Life then be
bnnsed? All the crushing weight of wmth which our
iniquities deserved fell on the Prince of Life. He was
bruised with my bruise and I go free. "The chastise-
ment of our peace wa^ upon Him." Did He deserve to
be chastised ? No ; but the rebel race of man had wan-
dered far in rebellion from God, and their rebellion must
receive Its just meed of chastisement. God in Christ
takes the blow, and the rebel, man, escapes-Christ takes
the rebels pmiishment, and gives the rebels peace-
with His stripes we aio healed." Now notice the next
verse " AH we like sheep have gone astray." Yes we
say, that is true ; it is true of me. " We have turned
everyone to his own way ; " not a bad way may be, but
^oouro^ way. Is not that true ? Yes, it is true.
And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us
all. Is God going to do it ? No. Has God laid

part on Him ? ISTr* W;ii n. j -1 ., .« T ' -

TT- c T.T ""' " do it u I believe on

Him? No. Mark the word, and may it bring peace

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

^M hlfr your soul a, it did to ™i„e: "The

Ura hath-HATH laid on Hi.n the iniquities of us

pardon me a moment; I glance at the top of my Bible
^aJ W '7.*^ ""^ this chapter waT written 712

wLLt,; "■''"''^ '"''' "" «'"'' » Christ?

y^ lee tie " '"t *° "' '''^' P'«" °f -'™«<'n- Don't

ontte ir^ ^ b«e„ erected, and lay his head down
onthesufficency of God's sacrifice, just as truly as you
a^d I. n-neteen centuries after His cross has been erecC

-HesaStrii'iiro^tr'-T" '^'
Onlv God *««„K ' '""^ '* 'he point.

rSfoTth rT °' '*™' '^^'^ ^'^-^ - the cen-
w!^^ .i "'=''*°-'^S''t,just so really does God

y:r BewV'™'*''''''™*^^ a personal pLrt^^
you. Belojed sinner, time is nothing to God Be

js th.s-I charge you t« remember it-that fhe cr«
of Chnst IS enoueh for Him n j , .

was met ther. • rJ "^ ^^^ *'"** y<»^ debt

was met there : God says your sins were bruised there •

God says yourguUt was crushed there: God says th!t

^re as justice was satisfied, and on accountTwha

has been done, He is satisfied to nrn..aim ,„ „o„ . - .

mine: "The
iquities of us
Christ. Now,
p of my Bible,
I written 712

meaning of
712 years be-
^ on Christ?
nner, to corn-
nation. Don't
•turies before
is head down
truly as you
been erected,
Jacrifice. To

to you and
is the point,
e this — that
I in the cen-
r does God
wer to save

God. Be-
■night God
it the cross
i your debt
ised there ;

says that
it of what
•u to-night

REST ON CHRIST.

What? "Through this man is preached unto you the
forgiveness of sins." That is the whole thing. That is
what I believe on the warmnt of God's holy Word. That is
what God ha^ done with my sin. I look within, God
know3 what sin is there. I look into the pa.t, God knows
what sm I see there; but I look to the cross of Christ,
and I hear God say. '< For thy pa^st, present, and for thy
future a full, sufficient, and perfect sacrifice and atone-
ment has been made. Go. a^d since you have got health,
strength and inteUect, work. Tell men-teU men that
the Lord ha^ laid on Him the iniquities of us all " Yes
and by the gra^e of God to-night, I say to each one, that
Chnst IS enough for you-enough for me. There wa^ a
dear friend of mine in the ea.t of England who had
been t^ing to make this truth plain to some of the her-
ring fishermen on the ea^t coa^t, and aft^r he had done,
he said to one he knew, " Jack, will you tiy and give it
me in your own words ? " and the poor fellow said, with
the tears streaming down his weather-beaten cheeks,
Ah, sir, He swapped with me." That is just it. Ah
that wa^ a swap ! He took the curse that I might have'
the blessing; He took the blow that I might have the
Face ; He took the cross that I might have the glory ;
He took the tears that I might have the joy ; He took
the dark that I might have the light; and He tZ^^e
tomb, the thorn, the scourge, the death that I might
have the crown. That is what God ha^ done to si;
now let me point out the next thing to you.

SERMONS AND BIBLE REAMNOS.

dlcT ':"•'"«''/"• "'« '" •'""w to-night Gel ha.s par-
doned a,^ „„,_th,, -^ „„^ ^^ P

court for a ce,tam cnme: he is not convicted, he is par-

i on th T r '"' ^'"' """'^ -^- y- --t that
man on the sti-eet you nudge your friend and say, " There

« a rnan who was in the court the other day : h got ff

ou iT' '"7 """""^'"^ "•-"* •"■»■" The man wen
out of court pardoned, but there is a stigma remaining on

tell you, fnends the salvation of God is not son.ething

« IS not that. It ,s something that takes the poor lost
beggar off the dunghiU, and never lets him go until i se"

du,gmg to h,s brow-the best robe, the ring, the sandals
the wa.t.ngservant-all_the old home back again • pZe

his son which was lost is found-this is God's salvation
xt .s not the sort of thing which says, " I forgive you teke

Z '::T "" " T-" ^O' " '« t"^. ■■ I wm ml'

yousitrs'.r .'" " '^"' "'" y»"'" !>-■*

ness. Beloved fnends, look at another verse for a moment
It. something which gives me righteousness. "

*o.d I utter, please, because I want you to catch the
grave meaning of the passage (I John v. 10) • He tW
beheveth on the Son of God hath the witnes! in hl^^jS)

t God has par-
me put ic to
>^our country's
eil, he is par-
you meet that
d say, " There
y : he got off,
rhe man v/ent
remaining on
it with us. I
ot something
ent I deserve,
he poor, lost

until it sees
hers kiss yet
, the sandals,
igain ; peace,
iher that this
's salvation,
ve you, take

1 will make
u?" Don't
J righteous-
r a moment.
5. (Turn-
nark every
) catch the

"He that
m xiimself ;

REST ON CHRIST.

he ihat beheveth not God hath made Him a liar, because
he beheveth not the record that God gave of His Son"
If a man does not believe God he makes Him-what ? A
har, because he believes not the record that God gave of
His Son How does man make God a liar ? By not be-

rT w "' ^' '^'' ^^^" "^'^^ «-• Wiiat is the
record^what is it ? The next verse tells us : " And this

IS the rocord, that God hath given to us" eternal life and

this hfe IS in His Son." What is the record? This-

eternal life. And the man that does not believe that
makes God a what? Makes God a liar! I say again,
God IS not content simply to pardon sin, but He gives a
man hfe. Blessed be His name I life coterminous with
^V '^a . f '" '"'^'' ^''^ "^^ '^' ^^^ '^^' does not

^r^tZT'^Z' '''''■ ^-^-^ you another
verse. ^ Even the nghteousness of God without the law

IS manuested, being witnessed by the law and the pro- '
phets. .Even the righteousness of God which is by
faith of Jesus Christ unto aU and upon all them that
believe: for there is no difference " (Romans iii. 21, 22)
Please notice this-" even the righteousness of God"
God does not simply offer me pardon, give me life; God
gives me the best robe, a robe not woven in an earthly
loom. No--even the righteousness of God-the « right-
eousness of God which is by faith." How is it given ?
So simply. By faith-by faith in Jesus Christ. Here is
the way to get it. Unto how many is it offered ? Unto
all. i^verybodymayhaveitthenj Yes, in God's name ;

I-/

.aiii

84 sek:*ions and bible readings.

every sinner, I trust, to-night. Surely if it is offered to
all a 1 will have it. No, it is upon those that believe.
What keeps a man back from having this best robe-this
righteousness of God? One thing-his sin ?-his past
We ? No. His present wickedness ? No. Oh ' hear
It, heaven and earth : nothing keeps a man back but his
daring to tell God He does not tell truth-his unbelief
Now, to believe on Jesus Christ, my dear friends-I want
to be simple-is to believe what Gud has done with sin
to believe the gift of God's righteousness which is offered'
and to believe that God offers us life in Christ Sin'
nghteousness, life-is it not beautiful ? Ah, what can I
lack then ? Sin pardoned, righteousness mine, and life
-the life of God mine-that is what it is to believe in
Christ.

Let me pass on to the third part; and here comes the
diftculty. There are some to-night who would be willing
to believe all that, and yet not be saved. They would
like to know their sins were pardoned, they would like to
know that they had got righteousness, and that God had
also given them the gift of life, and yet they are not
saved. Why ? Because Christ, who comes to them is a
personal Saviour, and offers to them the gift of Himself-
that is the reason. It is because they don't want to take'
the giver, though they do want to take the gift. Oh the
awful meanness of the thought ! They want to get the 'gift
and yet they refuse the giver. It won't do. The salva-
tion I speak of to-night is brought by a personal Saviour
—a Saviour who hates sin. A man can go on living in

t is offered to
) that believe.
)est robe — this
in ? — his past
0. Oh ! hear
back but his
-his unbelief,
ends — I want
one with sin,
lich is offered,
Christ. Sin,
, what can I
line, and life
bo believe in

'e comes the
lid be willing
They would
tvould like to
lat God had
hey are not
them, is a
of Himself;
i^ant to take
ft. Oh, the
get the gift,
The salva-
nal Saviour

REST ON CHRIST

n 1

living m M

f " ™yi"g. c«n I have life for believing „n Chri.t ^ C»n
will frr^ ar^A ± ii J ^^ nnished it ud I

sr.^^:i:,rr:iir^^^^

house won't appear so dull wh Hfc "' !, 'T' " ""
the dregs. That is the way me" lose thl T"' T^'P'
friends, tell you that won' d? iod off 7 ' '""^''
xonal salvation. He sav! ■■ T„. T^r 7 ^ ^"^ " ^'-
sin. trust Him who ofc ri Jht "'° '" '""■'^""«''

gives life. Trust Me "I ^^7"^- '™^' ^^ ->>»
fanatical enough to think th- T '""^ '* '« "^ »^e
will save a ral. ToT^ZZ"'' IT'"' "" " "'««"
deg«.ding supe.tition^M7brete: U "T '^'^'' "'
church and saying. -I bewt g;^^^"'*'^
mighty Makprof ).«o i ' ® ^^ather Al-

t^^^y, maKer ot heaven and earth " thaf r^iu

- one of my fSl^rj:: tl T^" ^^^ '

ini^you can." G^ si; ^^^ ^:X: tj'"' 'f^r^
«r^^ Haven't you ha^ eno^'of thl 'Z Z\T"l
Haven t you gone on long enough? Take uT.
own Savinni. " cj ^ ° ^® ^® as your

he^fs—e onX rvetVidT ~^ ""^
"ho con.e.s and sits by me. cook my brow, and pi me

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

,|il i

through. I am on the very point of death, and this fel-
low just saves my life. I wake up at last from uncon-
sciousness—wake up with the beginning of new life.
Weeks pass by, he keeps me from relapse, looks after me
amuses me, and takes care of me. IgetweU. I can work
again, and look forward to it with joy. Some of you
come to see me, and you say, " What good medicine it was
pulled you through." I am sure the medicine was very
good, but I feel more for the man. I say, " Don't talk to
me about the medicine. It was the man who pulled me
through. I believe in the medicine, but I do love the
man. I love him : he saved my life." And cannot you
say that to Jesus ? Yes, we believe in the glorious Gospel ;
thanks be to His name, we are willing to live and die for
it, but we do love Him who gave it birth. We believe in
the salvation, and ask for strength to proclaim it, but we
do rejoice in the Saviour.

Now, may I say one word in conclusion. I know what
is troubling some of you. God has spoken to you lately,
and there is just one great question which, like a cloud,'
has cast its dark shadow into the future. You say, « It
is all well enough, but I am afraid just as soon as these
meetings stop, and Mr, Rainsford goes away, I shall never
be able to live up to it." Isn't that about it ? Ah, poor
soul, that is the way we all were once, but blessed be
God ! A dear fellow said to me the other night, " I felt
at first I could not do without you : I think now I can »
I said, « That was the best thing I have heard for a long
time." I tell you, when a soul sees the. Saviour it doos

ij!

and this fel-
from uncon-
of new life.
>oks after me,
. I can work
Some of you
edicine it was
ne was very
Don't talk to
10 pulled me
do love the
cannot you
rious Gospel ;
e and die for
Ve believe in
m it, but we

[ know what
) you lately,
ike a cloud,
ou say, " It
on as these
[ shall never
? Ah, poor
I blessed be
?ht, « I felt
low I can."
i for a long
our it does

REST ON CHRIST.

I am^.f ZT'^f'^' "'^'^ *'^* ^^^* ^**^r^d H- name.
I am thankful to be the voice, but God knows I want
you to rely on the Saviour.

I cannot help thinking you are very illogical. Pardon
me dl use an illustration which may provoke a smile • I
wan tobnng the thing to you from a grave, practice
pomt of view May I suppose that I have got a little
child here this evening, who, though only six^weeks S
can understand what I have got to say. " Oh, if you are

want to think very carefully whether you will be able to

much to be gone through, so many difficulties to be met

Tho set ^ 1 """""' '""^ ^'"' '^ '' ^^"^^ b^ broken.

Tha bTl r^' '^' ^''" '^ ""^ "^^^^ b^-^ them.
That breath of yours-that heart of yours, let it stop

beatmgfor one minute and you are gone. Then there

are^diseases-wait, and I will give a list as long as my

arm. Then you are so constituted that you require food

Z^ tTrT V "'" ^'^P '^^^"^ ^-^ ^-*^ you will
.7\ t\ . . '^"^ understand the child's saying, "I
hmk I had better die at once ; I am sure I couH n ve
ive up to It." Pardon me, I do want you to grasp Z
truth of God. God takes care of the physicalTf^^ and
He can keep the spiritual life of which He is part. Vhv
does th.s hand of mine not wear out ? If it were of s Jl

has got life. Why is it I don't think nf h^^^ t „u„n ,
my breath in ten minutes . m^.u;Z:t;t!Z

bERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

!
Ill I

ten minutes ahead of time I should be always in a state
of semi-asphyxia. Brethren, brethren, brethren, you can-
not borrow to-morrow's grace, then why borrow to-
morrow's care ? Jesus, a personal Saviour, will be by thy
side. Yes, though fever oppress thee, and sleep leave
thee, it is very sweet— sweet to wake in the night, and
even then to catch sight of the outlines of Him who has
brought us to this point with His blood— His blood-His
blood. He will carry y(m through— carry you through,
young man. Jh, brethren, brethren, do trust in Christ,'
and do cut out of your vocabulary for ever the words " I
cannot live up to it." No, you cannot, but have you not
a personal Saviour ?— and having a personal Saviour you
cannot fail.

And now I close by reading to you the last veree of the
third chapter of St. John's Gospel :—

" He that beUeveth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see Hfe, but the wrath of God
abideth in him."

Oh God, that verse just divides us to-night. On which
side do you find yourself? "He that believeth on the
Son,"— believes what God has done about sin— believes
what he has done about righteousness— believes what He
has done about life ; he that looks away from the medi-
cine and looks to the physician— hath— he that believeth
hath everlasting life— hath, hath, hath everlasting life.
And he that in spite of God's offer believes not God's
messenger— he that believes not shall not, a thousand

REST ON CHRIST.

t verse of the

years hence-shall not an eternity hence-shall not see
ife. The life of God he shall never see. Ah, dear friends
that divides us, does that verse ; and I put it to you this
way: I draw a great line to-night, and I ask you on
which side do you place yourself? Are you vacillating ?
—neither on one side nor the other ? " He that believeth
hath "—" He that believeth not shall not see." I will put
my name there, William Rainsf ord. " He that believeth
hath everlasting life." There is room for your name there
too. Write it down, child of God, and ask Jesus to look
at It. But who will put his name on the other column—
" He that believeth not ? " Put your name there ; be
honest. He shall not see, slmll not see, shall not see 'life.

I was wounded and weary, when my Saviour came unto me,
For the ways f sin grew dreary, and the world had ceased to woo
me,

And I thought I heard Him saying as He came along His way,

Sinful soul, ah, do come near Me,

My sheep need never fear Me.

I am the Shepherd true.
At first I would not hearken, and put off till to-morrow.
But life began to darken, and I was sick with sorrow,
And I thought I heard Him saying as He came along' His way.
Ah, sinful soul, come near Me,
My sheep need never fear Me,

I am the Shepherd true.
He took me on His shoulder, and tenderly He kissed me.
He bade my love grow bolder, and said that He had missed me,
And I thought I heard Him saying as He came along His way,
Ah, wanderer, come near Me,
My sheep need never fear Me

I am the Shepherd true.

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

Butif f r. iT ""'"^^ "'"'''"' ^ "^^'^ •^"^ «>^'« He knew m,,
But .t bumeth hke a beacon, and its heat and light go through me
And I never hear Hun saying, as He comes along His way
Ah, wanderers, come near Me,
My sheep need never fear Me,

I am the Shepherd true.
Let us whisper His name and He will save us.

THE OPPORTUNITY OF SALVATION.

Wh»t shall 1 do toLe saved?" is an hour he never
never forgets, tnends. Is it an hour when a man feek
I^e IS a smne- ■ Oh " vou s»v " T 1,.,,^ t u t ""."<''«
rrfro„" ' "1. you say, I have felt I am a sinner

onen . a., very glad to hear it, but you must aUow

mght I dont say you do not believe you are a simier
but there is a great difference between saying, " I Meve'
I ««■ a sinner," and " I feel I am a sinner," f knowril

be burnt; Ibeheveitwould bnrti; but that is a very
different thmg to putting my finger into the flame aad
feeling it bum. Just the same difference as betwtTn
knowmg, as a truth that has never affected my life, that
I am a sinner-saying it because everybody says it and
feehng the burden of sin. And now, I addL'you eS
one to-night, and before I go a step further, I want to

) He knew m^,
;o through me,
8 way,

Shepherd true,
U9.

ON.

) question,
• he never,
<■ tarn feels
m a sinner
nust allow
stances to-
e a sinner,
'* I believe
:now right
■e it would
is a very
Same and

hetween

life, that

rs it, and

you each

want to

THE OPPOBTOTITY OP SALVATION. 41

eve^ heart-have you ever felt yourself lost ? " When
He has c^me,' says the apostle of the Holy Spirit, " He
will convince the worid of sin and of righteousness " Oh
my dear brethren, God's fi„t dealing L got toL ^'h
you to convince you of sin. Let that hour pass as quickly
2 't may It must come, for until you feel the we^ht of
sin, you wil never care to ask the Burden-bearer to stop
by your soul and relieve you of the burden that is crush
mg you down to the pit. Do you know, my dear friends
I do not want to preach a sermon to you to-night, but I

quesZ o1'' n" ^"^ ^""^ P'"" "^'"^ '*>-' *»-
question of sin. Do you know what I am convinced is

iTth ir"'* ''"' ^ '""^ ^^^"^"-^ o^--^

man of the world's coming to this solemn conclusion-
going down, shaU I caU it, into the depths of his own
spintua being, and being confronted by the fact of^
responsibility as a lost sinner ? I think that which kel
men back moi. than anything else is the confusion that

God and\h T"" °' ''""""* ^'-- *•>- d"'y to
God and their duty to their neighbour-the confusion of
my duty to my God and my duty to my neighbour I
make bold to think to-night, if you honoui^d me with
your confidence, some of you, as I passed from pew tl^w
and asked you the stato of your soul before' Gch^.C
would toll me. " I cannot think I am so bad ; I don^; Z
heve I have ever taken money wrongfully from any one;
my life has been, mmnorofH-l^' c--^i • , '

<»flxr T Ko . Z — ^"^^"^^^-0 spuaking, pure— that is to

say I have not hurt others by my sins, my name is re^

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

spectability itself." Let me sum that all up in one word-.
It IS a negative thing. You have not done anything
bad to your neighbour; that is all well enough, but it does
not go far enough. God does not speak to-night of your
duty to your neighbour, but reminds you you owe a duty
to your Maker. It does not take the Spirit of God to con-
vince me of everything that perUins to my duty to God
or to my neighbour. Civilization does that, in part^nur-
ture education, training, nature itself, as the apostle says
IS a law to us in this respect. If this wa^ able to produce
all the conviction of sin that was necessary. God the Holy
(.host would never have come to abide in our thoughtless
world. It IS not so. Ah, men and brethren, God does
not demand a conviction of sin which can be wrought by
civihzation-that can be wrought by education or nature
He demands a conviction of sin that the soul bows under
when It sees. Oh, resist not the touch of the Spirit of
(^od. I believe to-night, a^ I seek to speak these simple
things to you, the hand of the Spirit of God will be laid
on the consciences of some of the most moral I address I
make bold to think that there are hundreds and hundreds
of young men and women here to-night, 'pure in life and
conversation, who have made that very purity to cover up
and to kill the thought of their duty to their God That
IS not enough. Oh ! let the Spii-it of God come to your
heart to night and teach you, and as I seek to open this
Book to your eyes, and try to point to you what God's
truth IS, may you, brethren, think what God says about
It. He says that you and I must, as naked souls, stand be-

one word—
B anything
, but it does
?ht of your
owe a duty
jrod to con-
uty to God
part— nur-
30stle says,
to produce
i the Holy
houghtless

God does
rought by
or nature.
>ws under

Spirit of
3se simple
ill be laid
.ddress. I
hundreds
a life and
' cover up
d. That
e to your
)pen this
at God's
ys about
itand be-

THE OPPORTUNITY OF SALVATION. 43

fore the judg„-.ent-seat. confronted by one text ; judged bv
one standard from whinh +1. • J"'^feea oy

thi. Rnnl. fnTr ^""^ '^ ""^ weal, and that is

this Book of God, for God says, " the words which I have
joken unto you the same shall judge you in the last da^ "

Chit iTr 7" *'' ^'""' '' '""'^ statement';>f

7 .rL ^^ ^""^^ ^^" "^^" ^^d ^onien will look

into the Word of God and see what it does say Y ^

have been saying, «I thought my morality was Lugh

absit 7 ^^^P^^*^^"^^^ -- --gh; I thought!;
abstaining from sm was enough." Allow me to tell you
r pectf,!^ .t does not matter what a man does think'^Tf
his thoughts run contrary t^ the thoughts of God. Wha
does It matter what the prisoner thinks, if the jury and

what use IS it for you or me to contradict the Creator
who, instead of leaving us in our purblindness to d etal'

f ZTodT' T' *^"*' ^^^^^^ '"^ ^^« -^ ^'-r

worS^^^f ' "^^ "' "'"^^ '''' sin^remember those

Im^^uTT T ^' '^"^ '^■"^^^*' -^ - - kittle

itedl^ ' ""'''' *'" prayer^" Lord, if I have

ived godly in my own sight, but if I have never yetcome

:f si!:i:;' ^''"' ^^^^'^ '^ ^'^ ^^-^ ---- -
ooZn w ir : ""He""^ ^^~ ^^ ""•" ^^- ^-

viaceoiein? He convinces of sin by looking- to
H. law. Let n.e tell you a man's histo^ I thisX

years old. He was a smnrt lod o«j i.

a i3ui,,i I. icia, anu lie sfrew un inf n a

smart youth, and a s„.arter man. HepuSedhwTyon-

SEBMONS AND BIBLE BEADINOS.

hegot hM chance; he availed himself of it, and money
began to come in. At a comparatively early age he w^
wealthy-possessed of a large fortune. Then he began to
look about, and he heard men say it was " the thing " for
a nch man to have religion, and belong to a church, just
aa much as it was for a man to keep his carriage and
horees and so-you know it does not do to make comfort-
able churches too hot for rich men-so they took him into
the church. He grew up there, and had religion because
It w^ the right thing to have. He had a pew on-l a
church, because they were right things to have He
made money for pleasure, and gave money on principle.
At last, one day a strange voice read to him the Word of
Ood and sitting in his comfortable pew, in his well-cush-
ioned place, without a thought of annoyance, he heard the
words ring out which somehow seemed to cut his soul
with a new edge-he heard the words, " Thou shaJt love
the Lord thy God." Somehow, although he had heard
them a hundred times before, they seemed new to him.
He sauJ, ■ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God." Impossi-
ble ridicJous ! I love God ?-nonsense, absurd ! I can-
not love God. I have been living for myself. Love God
whom I haven't seen-heard-known ! I cannot love
Uod^ Inexorably the words came again-" Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God." He went home and opened his Bible
-for the first time for many years_at the words, " Thou
hast been weary of Me." Again the arrow sank deep, and
he said. That is true-true enough. I have often been
weary in the service, in the pmyer, and in the sermon I

, and money
T age he was
he began to
B thing " for
church, just
arriage and
>ke comfort-
ok him into
ion because
pew miA a
haw. He
n principle.
lie Word of
well-cush-
J heard the
it his soul
shalt love
had heard
w to him.
Impossi-
d ! I can-
Love God
imot love
shalt love
I his Bible
ds, " Thou
deep, and
ften been
lermon. I

THE OPPORTUNI'IY OP SALVATION. 45

Where is My honour ? " He said, " I have never though
of honouring God." Again the voice of God was heard,
fl,? ^wtT°' ^^**^^^«**^n Me." « True enough," he
is '^^:^^^*- Him." Again, and yef more
tartingly came the words, " The God in whom thy breath
^and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified."
And just as really as the words made the loins of
Betar tremble, so they smote the conscience of that

thnn t I "'""^^' "^^ ^' ''^^' " ^^^ •' ^^' I have never
thought about glorifying God." One other charge did
God n, ke. He said, " At infinite cost, with infinite love
and patience, I have worked out for thee a salvation, and

nS . M ' "' '"' '"^''^"* P^^^^°' h-* *hou hast
neglected My great salvation." At la.t-the obstinacy of

the man broken down by the guilt of conscious sin-he

If . I'T T' ^^^ '^'" ^ • «"^h ^ <^^y ^^ never

fno't X '. !^—^d -Aether I speL a parable

ornot; I have depicted the experience of many and many

pitTme^^'^R"^'! '"" "**"'^ *'"' cry-" Jesus save,
pity me ? Ha. it ever gone up from the voice of the

A^: Z 1 ""^ '''"'''' '^' ^^^^-" '^^^^^ «a^e' pity me ?"
Ah ! brother, when He ha. come-and He comes to you

Mtle chi^d, to utter that prayer with sobs and teai., a^d
He will heal the wound His hand ha. made
There is another way in which God waate to convince

you of sm. He Hopp if l>v cU :„„ 1. , , ,

- '" -> onuwmg now completely man

comes short of God-s design. WiU you give me your at-
tention as I read God's simple statement on this subject.

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINOS.

God^V •'■ """"^- ""'• """"' '^°'">f the glory „f
;Now, It IS a very easy thing to say, « I believe that " but
• AuUr T"*. *"'"« '» ''PP'^''-'' ■' - * heart

sTv T do Vr ""'"'"''' ■"" "'^ ""'« S"' I -«=^ heL
know I f *. "". "' ^""^ ■" g-"<J-"other, but you
know I am better than sister." I do think there is a
Twistf of that sort of thing in our Christia!!;:^!
bettTrtb T T ^"^ ■" *•"** "''"'• l-"' y- know I am

?od t b "r :" '""'* "»"'* "^"^^ y- " hit with
U04 The charge. God makes against eveiybody in :,his
coiigregation to-nieht ia "ill i,„, • , ■' '" ''"^
,hn^ ■■ T * ' ' have smned and come

short. I care not whether you have come short byTn
men or a unit. « All have sinned and come short " Vh

tS which r'^'^'r' *^* *"^"' '^ *" --'-hend th.'
truth wh^ch brings the soul with bowed head before God

to seek H,s pardon for sin. I wonder how many are tWe'

cuTylZ""::""'."'''' ''•"■«™"* Positioitheyl

m r r r"""*""° "' S"'"> -<• *» «od's esti-
mation. God says aU have sinned and come shor^iust

and by th.s I was to be hung over a precipice That
s^ fo ."^ ''"°^ '^ °"* •'"■''l^^'i spiders' weL it

He i™ 7 .^ '^"'^ *"•* '^^ ""«* have these-but
He says it is not enough, all have sinned and come short

he glory of
come short,
that," but
the heart,
ome people
once heard
5r, but you
there is a
anity — '•!
enow I am
a bit with
dy in :his
md come
ort by an
rt." Ah,
3hend tho
jfore God,
are there
1 they oc-
rod's esti-
ort — just
a thread,
9. That
ght, and
webs, it
> against
demand
5se— but
le short

THE OPPORTUNITY OF SALVATION. 47

Of the glory of God. Mark you, friends, " come short."
Men may say, "we won't come short," and a foolish blind-
ness may teach us to believe we are all right, but I do ask
each one of you to think for a moment of God's solemn
statement-" There is no difference, for all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God." Let me remind you
of a verse we have already read together to-night. Let me
read rt to you. "So these servants went out into the
highways and gathered together all, a^ ,„any as they
found, both bad and good, and the wedding was furnished
with guests, and when the kin^ came in to see the guests
he saw there a man which had not on a wedding gar^nent.''
The man was bidden, that was not the fault ; the man wa^
welcome that was not the mistake. He c^me in, the
porter didnt see anything the matter with him, the ser-
vants drdn t see anything the matter with him, the friend
drd not see anything the matter with him, but when the
king came in he saw there a man not having a wedding
garment. If Christ were to visit this church to-night I
wonder how many disguises his eye would penetrate a^d
of how many it would be said, " These have no wedding
garment. The minister didn't see, the servant didn't see
the mother didn't see, the friend didn't see, but when the'
king came in, he saw there a man not having on a wedding
garment. With all the energy I have got to-night, I ask
you to answer the question. Have you got that wedding
garment ? Where is the earthly loom can weave it^
Where is the righteousness spotless enough to make it ?
Oh, It IS God's own. All have sinned and come shoit of

* tlM l M l il » i .M# 4««>,Mt|^

SERMONS AND BIBLE BEADINOS.

the glop, of Ood, and ^ My a. God is Truth, if you go
.n the?^t r " V "^'"-— of yo« own, you Ju.
Spiri o7n rr'r '* " '"-^ '•"*■ *>« -""'''^d by the
v^l ?. "'^'" "' *»"'<* now convict youfthat

I wou d Hw" """"■• " ' """" ''^^"^'^ ^ough'to-night.
I wou d i:ko to cry out, so that it might echo in the ea

^ZlT *.^^ '"'"" "* -If-righteousness may cling
■ ZTt ''^*- ^ ""^y <=*"y it «" death, but whef

tou ITVT'" '"' ^' ^" ^««- ^''' '^"^^ frionds. I ask
you has God ever quickened your soul to doubt the fact
that you are all right.

asiTr.''"""/" ^°" ""' '-"' thought, it is this:

!^iet?-f P ^ r''" '" y°"^ ^"•" °"« «F-* of con-
science, zf God's Spirit, speaking in the heart even in a

voice small and still, bids you look within, and see if

h^r.'^J^'''- ''""'' 1"-* that voi e to-nigL
hush It not Bid it not depart. Do not say. " I wilf 1

voice, one smgle spark, quench it not. It is God's work

bpmt of God may come to convict you of sin to-morrow.

bl?h , . .^''' °™''** ""^"^ "^d we feel its gentle
breath,and It IS gone-^one past, never to come b«k. so
the Spirit of God blows on the hearts of men. You ^Z

remembier Christ's words "tk„ ™-_j ,, _ ' ? ""."

j^ii^ -.viiiu uiovveth where it

b, if you go
Ti, you will,
cted by the
Bt you, that
?h to-night,
• in the ear
ginned and
may cling
I, but when
ends, I ask
bt the fact

, it is this :
rk of con-
even in a
and see if
to-night ;
I will let
[ will let
ay passes,
^our own
)ne feeble
'd's work,
k not the
•-morrow.
ts gentle
( back, so
You will
where it

THE OPPORTUNITY OF SALVATION. 40

listeth, and thou heareat the sound thereof, but canst not
tell whence it coraeth and whither it goeth ; so is every
one that is born of the Spirit." Oh, I feel in my heart
and soul to-night that there are some here, who if they
just now but stop the small promptings of the Spirit of
God, and put back the hand of God that touches— it may
be the last tender spot in their consciences— God may
speak no more to them. Do you ;emember that scene
when Christ stood over the doomed city. Jerusalem— that
scene without a parallel in the Word of God— when He
gazed on the city He came to save, tears flowed from the
eyes of Emmanuel. He said, " If thou hadst known, even
thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong
unto thy peace— but now they are hid from thine eyes."
He pronounced the doom of the city. Do yon remem^
ber why ? Because Jerusalem had slain the prophets ? No.
Was it because Jerusalem had rejected Himself? No. Was
it because they had heaped mountains of transgressions
upon transgressions ? No. " Because thou knowest not
the time of thy visitation." That was the reason. God
came ; God spoke ; God fled ; and Emmanuel wept, and
Israel did not know it. I tell you friends it is real. A
young man lets his day pass and does not know it ; a
young woman resists the Spirit of God and does not
know it, and the epitaph over the lost soul is traced
" He resisted the Spirit of God, and did not know the day
of His visitation." I tell you there is not a single man
but the Spirit of God has made overtures to him «t -no
time or another, and beUeve me, God makes overtures t<.

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

some of you to-night, and He would convince you of sin
You may pass away—pass beyond all I can say; turn a,
deaf ear and a careless heart to the pleadings of man, and
just pass away from the congregation to-night, and talk,
and laugh, and joke about the service, but you don't know
how near Jesus has come to you ; you don't know how
closely the Saviour ha^ bent over you. This night of our
mission service may be the last night of your visitation,
and you may be like the man who entered the dark cave
m the west. He took a baU of twine of great length and
a lamp. He fastened the twine outside the cave's mouth
and, taking the lamp in his hand, he unwound the ball of
twme, so providing a guide to lead him to the light again.
He passed deep into the bowels of the earth, far into the
mountain, and at last entered into a spacious cavern,
where beautiful and rare crystals hung from the roof. He'
put down the ball of twine for a moment; somethingtouched
the lamp, and it toppled over in the darkness, and then
carelessly he began a hasty search for the lamp and the
cord, thinking he would find both at once. He groped in
the darkness, first in this, and then in that direction
Moments passed, hours passed-he groped on, despair
chilling his soul. A day passed, and he crawled more
weakly first in this and then in that direction, longing
but for a spark of light, but for the touch of the thread
that might guide him back to light, and life, and hope
again. Years afterwards he was found— dead. So it is
with many a soul. In youth God put the thread of His
word into your hand, and cast the rays of His light on

> you of sin.
say ; turn a
of man, and
t, and talk„
don't know
know how-
light of our
' visitation,,
! dark cave
length and
ve'a mouth,,
the ball of
ight again.
a,r into the
us cavern,
J roof. He
agtouched
, and then
p and the
groped in
direction.
1, despair
'^led more
I, longing
he thread
and hope
So it is
a-d of His
light on

A PREVAL ENT FORM OF INDECISION. 51

utter the cry jl? "" ^°'"^'' *"-"'g''* ^^^ ^i"

.,, I '"^- "^«™« «ave, pity me, a lost sinner " but H»

May God bless you, each one, for Jesus' sake. ^

A PREVALENT FORM OF INDECISION.
" How long halt ye between two „pi„i„n,."-I King,, ..;« „

o^„„._P ,, , 4"«»i'ion IS, How are you froin«- to

"Ho.ex Gods appeal ? So it wa^ with Israel H.^!
see one man rieht and r«o« ^^'^^ ^®

n rigut, and many men wrong. Here we see

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

one man for God, and many men opposed to God. Here
we see, one man God's messenger, and 450 mes.sengers of
false doctrine ;-but I have not time to dwell very long
on this part of the story. Our time is limited. Halting
between two thoughts, such wa« Israel's position, and
such IS the position of hundreds of those I address to-
night. There cannot be a question as to two opinions
It was not so in Israel's day. I don't take it that the
difficulty suggesting itself tft the Jewishmind was whether
the false god Baal was r*tlly to take the place of that
Bemg to whose existence their national history bore tes-
timony. There was no question about the Lord being
God : Egypt said that the very drought on which they
looked out said that, Elijah himself wa« proof of that. Had
not the rain ceased to descend at His Word ? They could
not doubt whether Baal or whether JehcvaJi was really
God ; but they were halting between two thoughts. The
truth was this : by this time the worship of Boal had be-
come easy, fashionable, and common, and the worship of
Jehovah was anything but fashionable, rather expensive,
and anything but popular. Between two thoughts they
halted, and just as long as men shaU be gathered together
to hear the message of the Living God, one of the things
which draws them will be that they come in an unsettled
state of mind. Unsettled— may I tell you why ? Not,
I beg leave to think, because you really are in difficulty
to determine whether Jesus Clirist be God or not; nor
do I think that there are many I address to-night' who
are in difficulty to determine whether conversion is a

j^od. Here
ssengers of
1 very long
1. Halting
sition, and
iddress to-
o opinions.
it that the
9/8 whether
tee of* that
Y bore tes-
(Ord being
hich they
that. Had
'hey could
VBS really
fhts. The
il had be-
orship of
sxpensive,
jhts they
^ together
le things
unsettled
M Not,
difficulty
not; nor
ight who
ion is a

A PREVALENT FORM OP INDECISION. 53

reality or not. As I have already tried to say to you, I
believe that such is the manifestation of God's power in
these last days, that the man who shucs his eyes, and says
there IS no such thing as conversion, manifests himself at
lea^t to be pitifully blind to the facts. Men cannot doubt
the mighty presence of the Spirit of God, lea^t of all
should you doubt it. It is a wonderful thing to me : men
won't even crowd outside the theatre as hungry souls are
found here, waiting to receive the Bread of Life. Thanks
be to His name, the Gospel has not lost its power, the
Spirit of God has not yet lo . £Tis love ; and though for
centuries he has come seett -'^ on many a fruitless mis-
sion. His wing is not tired with the lapse of time, and
God has not left off' speaking to some of you to-night-
not yet, as you sit before me, halting between two
thoughts. Ah, friends, I want to strike right home by
God's help, to-night. I don't want to begin to prove ' the
Bible is the Word of God ; I think there are things in the
Bible which must manifest to every thinking man that
they stand, alone, absolutely incomparable. I don't want
to stand before you to-night and argue about the abstract
possibility of a man's being converted ; it is not neces-
sary ; you have seen your friends converted— members of
your family converted ; you have seen people converted
-turned right round. I want to reach out from this
pulpit a loving hand, and say, I want you to stop this
thirteen days' halting between two thoughts, coming at

the end of ipnnfhq if Tr">T' t — -^ "

i-..,.!i,f.f?, IX, Ya^y ^ yj years, or opportunity I

may say, of God's dealing with your souls. Now God has

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS,

between t ..J,,, w::;:^?^^? H^:;

on a tour and preach convei-sion lectures ; people would
have us enter into long arguments to pro;e thf truTh of
the Scriptures. I j^^.^ y^^^^^ .^ ^h of

though ^t IS good in its place. So long as the heart 5
man remams the same, there are things fn this booTthif

mg foUow h,s heart, just so long will men turn, when sick
and sad and sore with earth, so long will thevtr™ tn
Ood, and find in Him satisfaction for allTh i^^Ted" I
o^ shall the Gospel of the Lord Jesus clrist su^vivt^

^'Jizzr-"' " ''-'' " -y - ^•*'"»'^'' -

paT'bv ITh'f. ""* "" '"* '" "^^ °^^'=""^ *'«y-<' = they
fn'ltheTnde ;". opportunities gone-pass by still halt"^
■ng the undecided becoming more undecided, the doubt-

i came at
e anxious,
ween two
gs within
)ower but
36 inward
d, and no
f life can
at unrest
Grod, and
•t to halt
this old
Jtart out
[e would
truth of
f thing,
leart of
ok, this
So long
nd cry-
en sick
;urn to
is. So
urvive,
^h men

; they
1 halt-
ioubt-

A PREVALENT FORM OF INDECISION. 55

ing doubting still more and more, till all is doubt ; the
worldly more and more worldly, till it is all the world. It
is dangerous work this which you are entered upon, this
halting between two thoughts. Like that great multitude
that day, methinks to-nigirt I see us on the slope of this
great mountain which overlooks the sea. Some of us are
high up on the summit ; we have got twenty-five or thirty
years before us— we are strong, we are gay, and life's little
boat dances merrily on the sea. Youth spreads its sail to
the breeze— yes, we seem to be high on the mountain, but
God only knows how near the base we are. We are all
coming down, and before us there stretches the sea.
Sooner or later must all come to that awful margin and
take the step. Have you ever thought what a solemn
thing it is to die ? I don't suppose it comes over a man
more than once or twice in his life— that solemn feeling,
when the earth seems like a great ball just rolling away
from beneath his feet— to die, all alone. It is well to
to think about it sometimes. It is well to think it ha^
got to come, unless Christ comes first. It is well to re-
member that this time ha.s got to be spent, and it is well
to take a look at the things of time in the light of that
moment. There is a world of false sentiment surround-
ing the popular idea of death. People talk about hope on
the death-bed,and look back with hope to gapping prayers
■^d at the end of a godless life. As the man lives, so shall
he die ; as the tree fails, so must it lie. I am not here to
aaae_ .. ..„at now and then God does not save some on the
death-bed, but every minister of God will bear out the

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

tt^ ,s a temble fallacy. Let me go down to that sea
mth sm on me. and I am lost, for sin in death is sin in

InZfl {^l^''""-^ I P'^ through this part of my
subject t„.„,ght, to press each one, especially the younger
portion of thas congregation, to remember that now, when

apt to be obhv,o»s of the fact that the herd will push us

2J n t ^^ """" '" '^"^ ''•'P ^« ^-^ g°' to step
lor J : '°"''^ ":*■ ' '^-'* -- *- sP^ak of thi!
ong, but I do say, my brethren, if you cannot look at these
thm^ to-mght and say, " I have got Christ," it is time to
«top haltmg between two thoughts, for when that hour
comes you ^ need Christ. Seek Him now, and you shall
find Hun. How long halt ye between two thoughts ?

What causes men to halt between two thoughts ? There
are two Gods, and that is the reason. You find it wa^ so
here ; there was a false, and there was a true God. Just
so .t :s ,„ these days. Now, I haven't time to-night to
define what these are, but God tells us that the conscience
of man ,s a sta^dmg witness that every single soul stiU
resisting the g^ce of God does so because that soul has
given the pl^e of its-shall I say shrine ?-to a false
god. borne of us have got small, beautiful, precious, grace-
ful sorts of gods. Another man is fool enough to debase
himself poor wretch, before the vile, vile god of drink or
lust. We are not all seemingly such fools as that. The
young man who is pure in a«t has got his god ; the yomig
rr^^^c.^ i,ure m .bought ha^ got her god ; and every soul

ven me that
to that sea
ith is sin in
part of my
bhe younger
' now, when
wd, we are
n\i push us
?ot to step
iak of this
ok at these
t is time to
that hour
i you shall
>ughts ?
ts? There
I it was so

rod. Just

)-night to
Jonscience

soul still

soul has
o a false
us, grace-
io debase
drink or
at. The
le young
ery soul

A PREVALENT FORM OF INDECISION. 57

that has not received Jesus Christ-God help us to-night
to see it^has got its god. At a time like this one comes
to see how vain are some of the things which people make
their gods, and how desperate the hold, I suppose I speak
to men and women tempted in a hundred different ways
-a hundred different temptations-a hundred different
Idols. I want to-night to hold up befor. you the true
Cod. Whatsoever your difficulty, poor sin-laden, sinning
soul, the hardest of it to bear is your own doing. Some
of you have had some light, and in spite of the prickings
of conscience you have taken steps you knew to be wrong
1 see godly men and women so bound in this way they
cannot break the chains that bind them. To-night the
Mighty One has come on the scene, and He says, " How
long w 11 you halt between two thoughts ? "

The time I have to speak to you now is limited almost
to five minutes. God help me to speak to poor souls this
la^t time. Friend, I do not ask you to give up your
thoughts Young man, I don't ask you to give up that
thing which you know holds you back-it may be an
affection. I don't ask you, men, to give up your false
gods ; that IS not my appeal, but I take up the Word of
God to-night, and lay it before you, and ask you, in the
name of common sense, to stop halting between two
Gods. If this thing is a lie and we are liars, if peace and
purity are myths, and if conversion is untrue, then, men
don't you come and fill these seats, that is all. Do be'
out and out. If your false god is your true God, then
serve Him, but you must see you cannot serve the world

SBRMOHS AND BIBLE READINOS.

for the first twenty-five ye^r. of your life-deliberately
choose rt-a„d then t«ke God. You must see you cannol
put on your religion with your Sunday coat or dress, and

say Thy Icmgdom come " in solemn mockery on Sunday
and go and cheat your neighbour behind your counter on
Monday^ You must see you cannot play religion for one
day m the week and live only to please self the rest of the
time. It cannot be done. If there be God_if that lust
IS worth your damnation-if that maa. is worth your
destruction-if that womaa is worth the priceless yalue
of your immortaJ soul-then let go the thought of he yen
let go the thought of conversion, and be out-and-out to'
your god. Take him. What is the good of a god ? I
want a God when I am sick. Baal will be that god when
I am sick. I want a God when I am sad. Baal, my
false god, will be my god then. When I come to die!
then this BaaJ which I have chosen to be my god shall
be my god then. When I come to the brink of etertiit
and take that long leap in the dark, then Baal will stretch
ou to meet me his everlasting ar™s, and I shall have a
piUow upon which to rest my sc .1 to aJl eternity. Oh
my riends ,s that what my fals god can do ? Is that
what my false, false god can do ?_or shall I pr.,ve him
false then ? It is a bad thing to have a faJse friend. If
I have got some one I tove better than myself, and he cuts
me and gx-ows untrue-but will you think for a moment
what It mus be to be deluded by afalse god. That meaas
io». for eternity; that means ruin for eternity; that

ieliberately
you cannot
r dress, and
you cannot
on Sunday-
counter on
ion for one
rest of the
f that lust
^orth your
iless value
of he ven,
md-out to
a god ? I
god when
Baal, my
ae to die,
god shall
■ eternity,
ill stretch
11 have a
ity. Oh,
Is that
'ove him
lend. If
d he cuts
moment
Eit means
fcy; that

A PREVALENT FORM OF INDECISION. 59

means death to the soul. How long, how long do you
hal between two thought ? If you have got something
that IS worth our religion; if you have got something
ha IS woHh our Christ; if you have got a world thaf
IB better than our God ; if you have got something that
will last you when we are poverty-stricken, then give
up Jesus and take it. What I put before you in a
plam, common-sense light is this-we cannot have this
shilly-shallying We cannot have one hand for God and

tho'ugUs '^'''''* ^^^' '^'" ^''^'^^ ^^*^^^^ *^^

Now let me say a word on the other side. The true God
ha. presented Himself to you this week. I am afraid--
i know-that I sometimes long that God would teach
poor weak men how to speak more fittingly of His love.
His pity, and His power. But I suppose if He allowed
us to speak any better than we do we should get too con-
ceited. I only ask that, through the feebleness of men
the reality of the great love and power of God may be'
snown. How can men describe the indescribable ? How
can men search the unsearchable ? Then might men
speak of Jesus ; but all we can say to you to-night is. He
IS our true God. We have been unthankful, but He has
not left us. We have been sinful, but He has not turned
us back. We have been back-sliding, but He ha. not
turned us off. We have been forgetful, but He has not
forgotten us. We have wandered, but He has found us
We have d^one despite to His gra^e, He has pardoned us '.
and to-night hundreds of us are pleading before Almighty'

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

im.

God that our Jesus may be your Jesus too. For you we
pray. We know that our Jesus who saved us, who koeps
poor weak men like us, and saves us from our sins, saves
us from self, saves us from Satan-that He can keep and
save you, young man. Why shoukl your friend be saved
and you left out ? Oh why should that girl you are en-
gaged to be saved and you left out ? Oh sister, why
should your brother be saved and you left out ? Oh
brother, why should your sister be saved and you left
out ? Is not her, or his, Jesus good enough for you ?
Oh, It IS true, God knows we do speak the truth when we
say-if It is true, if God be God, if in these last days God
has spoken by His Son, if He is God, if there is a tone of
suicerity in our voices, if there is a bitter reality in our
hearts, if we are not all a parcel of frauds and shams-
oh man, if there is such a thing a^ glory, if there is such
a thing a^ eternity, if there is such a thing as hell, how
long halt you between two thoughts ?

I hear you to-night, in spite of all that ha^ been said to
you, say " You ask too much." You ask me to put myself
down, and trample on myself, you ask mr to trample on
my amusements, you ask me to trample on my pleasures,
on all I enjoy, on every passion and lust, and I can't do it
These things are too strong for me. Like great fountains
casting up mire and filth they vomit uncleanness. My
dnnk I cannot give up; my sin I cannot cast off. My
brother I don't ask you to do it ; God knows you can^
do It ; but I ask you to do this : I a^k you to let your
^^aitihg ^ou come in that He may do it. God taught

A PREVALENT FORM OF INDECISION.

For you we
IS, who keeps
ir sins, saves
:an keep and
ind be saved
you are en-
sister, why
b out? Oh
lid you left
h for you ?
th when we
st days God
is a tone of
ility in our
id shams —
ere is such
s hell, how

)een said to
put myself
irample on

pleasures,
can't do it,
i fountains
ness. My
fc off. My

you can't
• let your
od taught

mo once, God taught me when I was saying ju.st as you
say now. I just said, I declare I think it is too much for
a young man to give up to be a Christian ; at any rate,
at leMt till he is over thirty. Then, you know, if, after
all, a man goes back he looks such a fool. How Satan
whispers his cursed insinuations into the too ready ear !
But then I saw God said it was as impossible for me to
keep myself for one hour, as for one thousand years ; I
saw that was true. Then I saw something else ; I saw it
was as easy for God to keep me for one thousand years as
for one hour. There is not a Christian but realizes that
glorious blessed truth. My brother, dear child of prayer,
God pleads with you to-night, and wants to know what
answer you are going to give to Him that sent me. I
bring a message of God to you, what answer are you go-
ing to give ? Will you tell God you are going to throw
up all this shame, and henceforth be His child ? Do it.
Let Him hear your voice, " Lord God, I have vaccillated
long enough, from this day I am going to be a follower of
the Living God." There is a picture I saw in one of your
streets, a picture of a poor woman clinging to the rough-
hewn arms of a solid cross, that raises itself above the
raging waves, and one solitary ray of light from the riven
clouds streams in on her poor wearied figure, and we are
told to think that that is like God's salvation. I have
not come to Toronto to preach such a salvation as that— a
cold cross to which I am to cUng, and from which the
waves may wash me ! A cold, indifferent, slipper^^ isolated,
lonely thing, aU by itself in a waste of waters ! Is that

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

hnf a Q • ' ^ * ""*" ' "o^ a salvation onlv

but a Saviour : and he mf r>h«a *u ^'

and lo.f in w *^^ P^^^ <^"es drowning

and lost n His arms, and holding them above the turmod
ot the wdd waves refuses Av«r f ^ i^^ ^u t-urmoii

decide f„.. this S.rCrZKo'T'"- . '^""''^•""
-y to the One who sent I 'ZTZ 1 1' T ^^
long do you halt between two thou^L ^ °*'"'' '""

home to yot hit I T^ "^ 'r'' ' -'^"' '* »" §»

to believe there are anm. v T^ '^''°' y»»

enough, too long Toobn^Ir .^ *"" ''"""^' '«"«
rounlan.ong Afnirmet '"t"" '"''"^'''"S
..an for Ch^Jor ^t wo!fd1"Xr ot' T '"'*

V wer wnich IS holding some of the best of vou bark V„,
are saying, " I will wait and see what th„ T 7''';,7°"
to me more." There von ,,» - r , ^"^ """ '«y

I 0"Sht tocomeo^aX deforChTf rr'-' '"°-
to confess C!hrist but I w,^ * ? '' ^ '"'"^ ^ »"«''*
«ay more T ^n ""*/, ''*'* ""'' '"'^ -"-hat He will

friend, you a.. tLlg to tl tiro r^'" °''

a«d He ha. said all He 2 al r .? n "" '"^ '"°™'

speak for yn„.=e>* ^- -T ^' ^"' ^'"' y°" "^ *»

J-— .«^,...^usayuomore. He says, "Obey

THE SIN OF SELFISHNESS.

ther day, it ia
> voice of (}od

And Jesus
Ivation only,
es drowning
e the turmoil

Won't you
^hat I am to
)rother, how

Grod knows
i^ant it to go
top halting,
t want you
lalting long
been going
?irl or that
ut. Leave
le terrible
back. You
'd will say
ih, I know
w I ought
tt He will
wait for
sxt." Oh,
say more,
you are to
^s, " Obey

what I have said." Don't act the hypocrite. Don't keep
halting to squeeze something else out of the Word of God,
but obey God's voice now. The Lord knows we want to
see you all brought in in one hour. Ah, how shall we do
it ? Oh, we cannot, we can only speak— God the Father,
Son, and Spirit, teach us how to speak. We can ^-nly live
—God the Father, Son, and Spirit, teach us how u, live.
We can stop halting between two thougl t.s -God the
Father, Son and Spirit, teach us how to livt for Jesus,
since He has come, and show our disbelief in aught else.'
When in our English House of Commons men have
discussed a question long enough— the time for talking
past— the time for arguing gone— the time for debate
worn out— another man rises to speak, he is met by loud
cries of " Divide," " Divide," " Divide," and the Speaker
rises up and says all strangers must leave, the House is
going to divide. We have had talking enough, argument,
enough, now let us divide. Let us go to action ; it is
time to act. So God speaks to some of you now, " Let
us divide." And God sees the division, and here we
divide to-night. God knows on which side He sees each
one of us.

THE SIN OF SELFISHNESS.

** And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the
aflaicted soul, then shall thy Ught rise in obscurity, and thy darkness
be as the noonday.

" And the Lord shaU guide thee continuaUy, and satisfy thy soul

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

S-1° * '""^ °' "*"'• """" ™"'^» '^ "ot."-I«>iah

I WISH, before at all seeking to explain the beautiful sen-
tence, of which these two verses are composed, to say a
few words about the general principle which they incul-
^1- IT *'"'* "^^ds, as long as the human heart

boTs selfishness. I have not time to look at the wider
fie d m wh ch this subject might be treated-selfehness

mulTf . i ^" *"" ""' '" *'^ """^^ judgment

must first b^n at the house of God, and therefore I wish

address what I have got to say to you this morning on

the subject chiefly to those who have already taken on

you the open profession of the name of Christ. Now there

are several ways in which, from the Christian's point of

^ w. this horrible sin of selfishness must become appar-

vou hi" T ^J ™°'""""' " '^"'^ ^'■y'- Sometimes
you hear this objection brought against Bible Christians,
You are always talking about your own salvation. Now
I for my part take a nobler viewthan that, I call that ex-'
cessive egotism; selfishness." There could not be a

tZ"" "!^/ "'^r^^P""" of the state of th. case than
this. What God tells us is this, and let me once again
repeat it : that from the God-word point of view, if I Lv

tatTifif^r'^.7'"' deliberately fields himself to God,
but fulfils the obligation which God says the fact of his
existence-the fact of his redempti„n-the fact that God
oa. appea,ea to him by his Spirit-renders it his duty he

ike a watered
lot."— Isaiah

Lutiful sen-
J, to say a
bhey inciil-
man heart
God ab-

the wider
selfishness
judgment
ore I wish
oming on

taken on
^ow there
I point of
Qe appar-
Dmetimes
iristians,
)n. Now,

that ex-
Lot be a
ase than
ce again
if I may

to God,
5t of his
hat God
duty he

THE SIN OF SELFISHNESS. (;5

Should fulfil Let me take a simple illustration. One
of your children obeys the just command of his parent ■ it
would not be considered as an act of selfishness because
the other children saw fit to disobey The soldier keep-
ing his guard watchfully and faithfully would not be
spoken of a. selfish because the rest of the guard slept
A debtor would not be considered by the community at
large selfish because he manfully struggled to fulfil an
obligation which others ignored. This is just a case in

definite acknowledgment of the fact that we are, through
Chnsts work and intercession, saved men and women
we don t God forbid we should-occupy a position iso-'
kted m xte selfishness, but we simply pay a debt which
God ha^ declared is incumbent upon us. Oh, dissipate the
bought God who is the witness of His people, knows
the last thing that will actuate a man influenced by the
Spirit of God IS selfishness in his religion-he would

sWn-tep ^"^^ '^''' ^'' ''^'^''" '' ''''^^''^ "^''^ '^""
Let us pass to another point. There is another way in

think It IS, the first verse of the tenth chapter of Hosea-
you can look it out at your leisure-" Israel is an empty
vme, he bnngeth forth fruit unto himself" Nov^ the
very first obligation of the Christian life is not to bring
forth frui to self . I have tried to point out that tZ
Christianity ha. got nothing in the world to do with
selfishness, and the thought that says " In my arms I can

6()

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

wrap my own happiness now. I am forgiven and saved,
it does not matter what comes "—oh, it is abominable to
foist such thoughts on the religion of Christ !

There is another way in which this comes. I hear
some one say, " Oh, I am a Christian, but I want to be a
great Christian. I want that my name should appear in
Christian periodicals. I want that the beauty of my
prayers, and the eloquence of my preaching-the alms
that I give-that these things (which may be right
enough in themselves) should be knoM n to men." Be-
loved friends, I tell you the truth this morning when I
say that there is ka great temptation— to many a child of
God to be great in a wrong sense of the word great-
great shows-in the world of Christianity as in the world
they have left. It is a real temptation-a temptation to
which It is no want of charity to sa- many painfully
yield. -^

But there is another way more deceitful than either of
the two I have mentioned ; there is the Christian who
brings forth fruit, and looks up and says, with folded
hands: "Well, I think of the Christian virtues the
supremest is humility." Now, I am not here to seek to
discourage the virtue of humility, but true humility is
this, the utter ignoring of self. If you mean by humility
the fact that you are to sit down and do nothing while
the world is going to the devil, you deliberately revei-se
the judgment of God. Trie humility is the ignoring of
self; true humility says, " I will do what God tells me to
do, because I believe God is able to give me strength to

THE SIN OP SELFISHNESS. 67

do it Let men laugh or let men cheer ; let men frown
or let ,„„„ ba.sk in the fitful sunshine of hun.an «„,iles, i
will do It because it is God'.s command. I think not of
self at all. Let me, God, be nothing more than Thy voice
to whisper, if it only be a whisper, or shout, if it be Thy
will, the story of Thy love, and the urgency of Thy warn-
ing, m the sjumbering ear of unconscious men God
g^t us, each one, in this way to ba-nish abominable
selfishness, whether of humility, or desire to be first in
the kingdom of heaven-banish it from our Christian
life.

There is one other way-and this may be new to some
of you-m which selfishness in our Christian life appears,
1 find It m.our prayers. You will remember that over
and over a^ain in our dear Lord's ministrations He
pressed upon His disciples the fact that if two or three
agreed together concerning anything they should ask. it
should be done. I was recently reading my Bible, and
companng the two accounts in Matthew and Mark of
James and John coming to our Lord, and asking Him for
seats on the right and left hand of His throne, in His
kmgdom. Of course the request was made in ignorance
Jf you look in Matthew at your leisure you will find just
before that request was made) the Lord had said to His
disciples, " If two of you shall agree on earth a^ touching
anything they shall ask, it shall be done for them " What
happiness ! James and John go away, and put their

heads toorfifb^r nnH ««»" "T^^^

5 • -■' -v ^itwu agree concermng any-

thing they shall a^k, it shall be done. Let us, now, agree

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

;'i I

about this, and let us go and ask that we shall sit at the
right and the left hand of the Throne, and be great and
first in the kingdom of heaven." Our Saviour rebuked
the prayer, and I believe that the secret of the unanswered
prayers that many of us wot of is to be found here — that
self lies at the bottom of them. I believe that many
prayers for blessings have been unanswered, because we
want the blessing in order to be great — prayers for the
Spirit of God, that instead of being the light of a candle,
we might be a bonfire — prayers for strength, because we
want the strength to exalt self, instead of Christ.

With this small divergency (which is nevertheless to
the point), let me ask you to look at the verses we hav3
read. Turn with me, please : "And if thou draw out thy
soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted, then shall
thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the
noonday." Here is God's' condition. Let me illustrate
this from my own experience. When I was leaving the
last place God called me to work in in England, we had
had very blessed times of refreshing from God the
Father's presence there, and it was with a very sore heart
I came away. Among several mementoes presented to
me on leaving, I found on one these words traced, the
words of the 11th verse of this chapter : " The Lord shall
guide thee continually." I was going out ; they didn't
know where, and I did not know ; therefore the promise
came to my soul with infinite depth of refreshing in it, a
sweet promise for saints. Having my attention called to
this verse — I had not much noticed it before — I took up

THE SIN OF SELFISHNESS.

ill sit at the
be great and
3ur rebuked
unanswered
i here — that
that many
, because we
yers for the
. of a candle,
, because we
hrist.

srertheless to
rses we hav3
[raw out thy
I, then shall
8s be as the
me illustrate
i leaving the
land, we had
►m God the
[•y sore heart
presented to
1 traced, the
le Lord shall
they didn't
the promise
jhing in it, a
ion called to
I — I took up

my Bible and read it, and I found, although I had traced
the words, " the Lord shall guide thee continually," many
times I had never noticed before that with them— I beg
your attention— with them is implied a condition. Let
us never claim a promise without giving due weight to
the condition. If, now, this promise is true to each one,
I can go to the strongest or the weakest saint this morn-
ing, and I can say to him, " My friend, for eternity God
will take the guidance of your life in its detail as well as
in great things into His hands this afternoon," if— there
is one condition. Let us read it together, and may God
the Holy Ghost impress it on each heart, thoughtless or
thoughtful— "if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in
obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday ; and the
Lord shall guide thee continually." I tell you,dear friends,
God abhors that religion which, having got all it can get
—having received God's salvation gratis— having learnt
its creed, and, as it were, chosen its niche in the great
temple, folds its hands, and looks up to God, and says,
" Bless the Lord, my soul, for all His benefits," and shuts
its eyes and stops its ears to the great appeal of a lost
world and perishing men. There is no promise for such.
" But if thou draw out thy soul "—some people seem to
be . tretching out their souls when they sing the hymn,

" Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small."

Lustily their voices sing it, but when it comes to .stretch-

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINCy.

III

ing forth the hand with aomething in it — my friends,
there is little there. Will you think me hard this morn-
ing, when I say I fear I cannot address a congregation so
large as this without fearing I address some among yon
who never once in all your lives gave up any one thing to
supply the wants of lost men, body and soul ? It is pos-
sible that I addresf! -ouie thiM iiK^rning that for the love
of Christ— and if not for His ,.< tent love, for the love of
men — have never denied themseh yt^ i. ao single thing in all
their lives ? Oh, my brethren, yv->u eanm t take the pro-
mise to yourselves. May God teach you your sin this
morning.

ITriends, what I want to do during the few opportuni-
ties wo have got of speaking of these things together is to
have this trutii of God verjr practically applied to my
own soul as well as to yours. I would ask you to remem-
ber, as we turn tho New Testament, that though the"
Christians in early days ranked among the poorest of men,
again and again apostolic teaching pressed upon them the
need of definitely setting apart as much of their income
as they could for aiding the progress of Christ's cause ; and
I would have you remember that by the ignoring of these
common-sense directions for our daily life the mission
cause at home and abroad is crippled, and our own souls
are weakened by our sin. Look at what the apostle says:
" Let each one of you lay aside as much as he can on the
first day of the week until I come." Ni 7 we see men and
women who never think of laying i- ile anything for
God. What I would earnestly beg is this — and I would

1'ifi,X

JHE SIN OF SELFISHNESS.

my friendi&,

this morii-

rregation so

among yea

:me thing to

It is pos-

'or the love

the love of

thing in all

.ke the pro-

)ur sin this

opportuni-
>gether is to
lied to my
I to remera-
hough the
[•est of men,
•n them the
eir income
cause ; and
ng of these
tie mission

own souls
postle says :
can on the
ie men and
vthinj? for

I.' c?

id I would

pr&y the young especially to heed what I say— I claim
iome nght to 1. heard at least by the younger portion of
tLo congregation before me, to whom I have been helpful
—I would have you at least set apart every year a defi-
nite part of V7hat you have got to give to God. If you
hnve only got an allowance, set apart a part ; if you can
give more, give it. Methinks if the Jew could give his
tenth, we under the Gospel could give that. See if what
I say— I speak to you for the love of Christ— see if it be
my thought, or the plain direction of the Word of God.

" And if thou draw put thy soul to the hungry, and sat-
isfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in obscurity
and thy darkness be as the noonday." Let us remember
this : if we have within us the flesh to overcome (and
few troubles are more real to youth than this), if we find
many things which cause us deeply to groan, let us rer
member God would have our own wounds healed and our
own souls strengthened by our spending and being spent
m healing the afflictions of others. It is not the great
afilictions of life that bear people down. See a man sud-
denly smitten with a stroke of any kind ; all the energies
of his manhood rise up against it, to help him to bear it,
I believe it is the mosquitoes of life that wear these lives
of ours. It is the Uttle things that weary, and bite, and
s^i/Ag, What we want is to seek to soothe, with the
I' ^ mce and the love that is in Jesus, the irritable soul.

Look briefly with me at the promise, lastly— the prom-

..io I hope each one may take to himself— "And the Lord

ball guide thee continually." Not to-day when every-

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

1^1

thing is bright ; not to-morrow, when some of us may
have gone hence, and friends may have proved untrue,
and Heaven seems so far away, and sin so near and bitter;
not only to-day and to-morrow— the Lord shall guide thee
continually. Friends, we dare not quit each other ; I
could not think of leaving those to whom God has blessed
me anywhere, if it were not for this blessed thought-
God will guide us each continually. By different paths
we go; broad and narrow paths, some smooth, some
seemingly rough ; all are guided continually until we
stand within the heavenly Jerusalem. How sweet the
promise ! I shall be guided continually, if— never forget
the condition—" If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted soul."

And the Lord shall satisly thy soul in drought. In pass-
ing I would commend this thought. God says, " Here is
a soul guided— how often— how long, and yet this soul
finds itself in drought." What a remarkable thing. God
guides me, and yet under the direct influence of God I find
myself in a land of drought. We don't think of this.
How often you and I have felt, when we suddenly found
ourselves in the desert, like the Israelites we have read
about this morning. We say, "Surely there must be
something wrong, or I had never come here. Ah, it is
only God leading us into the wilderness that He may
speak comfortably to us. Dear soul, in trouble or doubt
thou mayest lean on the promise of the unchangeable
God that into the drought has led thee. He has only led
thee there that He might satisfy thee— satisfy thy soul
in drought,

THE SIN OF SELFISHNESS.

)f US may
3(1 untrue,
md bitter;
^uide thee

other ; I
as blessed
ihought —
ent paths
Dth, some

until we
sweet the
7er forget
e hungry,

. Inpass-

" Here is

this soul

ng. God

Jod I find

: of this.

ily found

ave read

must be

Ah, it is

He may

)r doubt

angeable
onlv led

thy soul

Notice the last two clauses of the verse : " Thou shalt
be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water
whose waters fail not." Some of you may have been in
the East, and if so the truth the Lord would convey by
this beautiful simile will suggest itself at once. What is
a garden ? It is not a man's farm. Behold the hills
round where he d^rells ; these are his farm. There the
vineyards bloom, and the fruit trees yield their fruit.
But stop, come with me. Let us go down to the house ;
there you find drawn round the house a little patchy about
half-an-acre — that is his garden. He may hire men to do
the work of his farm, but here he loves to train his own
plants. Here he talks with his children; siis with his
wife ; enjoys his home. Oh, friends, it is a very restful
thought to know that earth is God's great farm, and that
the fields all bloom under His eye, and in the great ex-
panse of His creation not a single sparrow can fall un-
noticed, but it is a sweeter thought to know the Church
is His garden. In the East you will see that the gardener,
when spring comes, opens up the little channels through
which flows water, and at evening-timo bucket after
bucket of the precious life-giving fluid is poured into
these canals and flows down to the garden. You may
have seen these eastern gardens marked out into squares
no bigger than a billiard table by these canals, to keep
the plants fresh. So I read God's people — hungry — dis-
tressed — shall be as a garden. Moio than that, as a watered
garden. Oh, methinks if this be so, and we are the
peculiar treasure of the great God, the least we may do is
to sti'etch forth our soul to the 1; ungry.

SERMONS AND BlIiLE READINO^

^ Now, let lis notice man's responsibility. I .icv er find in
God's Word promises such as this br<>n>rht before us with-
out the thought of man's responsibility. Notice the la^t
clause of the verse, " And like a spring of water, ,who«o
waters fail not." Being watered yourself you become a
spring ; being blessed yourself you become a blessing,
ihou Shalt be a spring whoso waters fa%»ot. If you look
in the margin you will find '^ Waters that lic^ or deceive
not." Ah, sweet thought ! i^ I be God's own child, it fol-
lows as a certain fact 1 must be, and you must be, a
spring of water, and a spring that fails not. I find, again
and again, and again, in the teachings of the Apost'es'
how they pressed home this truth. Paul says, " As we
have received mercy, we shrink not back." It is true of
the Christian, whatever be his position ; in the desert if
you like, surrounded by foes, but there he stands He
stands confronted by the first great enemy, seK He
stands and before him there stretch the tremendous hosts
ot Gods foes. He stands beset with dou^ troubled w* h
fears but he doth say, "As we have received mercy we
shrink not back." Jnst so long a^ God is abl. f^ give me
strength, I will stand ; ju.sc as long a. God's grace is
enough, I stand ; and when the supply begins to fall
short, and the grace is not enough-when He do. lot
water my soul with His dew, then it will b. time ei. .gl
for me to think of giving in Beloved friends, tii-s is
how God wantsus to st^uvJ. Waters that lie not ; a well
not full to-day and dry to-morrow, but all the time filled
„„-! ,.(..,.. oicooix.^, being Hupphed irom God's reservoir,

THE SIN OF SELFISHNESS.

or find in
us with-
i the last
sr, (wha<io
become a
blessing,
you look
• deceive
d, it fol-
ist 1(0, a
i, again,
A-post'es
" As we
true of
lesert if
is. He
If. He
as hos+s
ed w' h
5rcy we
five n^e
race is
to fall

3t lot
)1. ig]

tins is
a well,
^ filled
eryoir,

receiving of f Jod's fulness. You are only God's channels
to man, after all — God's voice to men, and heing this, we
cannot shrink back.

There is one other thought, "Waters that don't deceive,"

God is our witness we would not deceive our fellow men;

we don't speak words of deception. When wo seek with

stammering lip and uncertain tongue to tell of the Lord

Jesus, the words may be feeble but they are tr .e. When

we toll of the love of God, speech may fail us, but what

we do say is true. \Ve would not deceive. We love God ;

we love the souls of men dearly, but, brother, as we love

your soul, as we plead on knee, as we plead with voice,

witii you, we cann. t deceive you. We tell you that by

the grace of God have made up our minds to follow

Christ ; we tell you tl> f. by the help of Gotl, nothing can

divorce us from foil ; wing <^'hrist; we tell you that just

as soon as death breaks th shackles which bind these

bodies down, we shall away to be with Christ, for God is

our witness that the soul cannot bo satisfied until it sees

Him. Thou art the One we long for most. Heaven itself

will be fair, fair, in its glorious comph^tenoss, chiefly her

cause Thou art there.

Beloved brethren, I do feel this morning as if the souls
of many ( f us were being stretched out to you, the hun-
gry. I think some must be hungry. 1 think there must
->e the first prickings of hunger in the inmost recesses of
some souls. God is our witness, we would not deceive.
It is not when wt stand full face with all wt- .have done
below, and the soul is about to wing its way into the

7fi

SKBMONS AND IllMLE IIKAIMNGH.

1,^::

otornal; ,t ,« not tLen, with .lyin« li,«, w„ w.,„l,| .pe»k
of Jesu. As Wl,itfi„ia «ai... .'By the l.el,, .f U„d we live
«o an to leave nothing to be .sai,l, <lea,l " No it i, no

No, God l<„oweth .t is not selfishness, when wo say wc

to you. W II y„„ take Christ? We have a .Saviour, ^ht
« pload.ng ■„ gl„ry_a true, living Saviour. Now ho

•8 watching i„ tenderness, all. Oh that n,v S,„;
trr»,». y • i ' ""^ '"y oaviour were

youi Saviour too, an,l yet I fear me-I know, why should
I xay I fear ?_some of you are adrift still

A short tiu.o ago the Bishop of Ripon was cro..sing in
the J rsey hoat to the island. Late at night his eye
caugh what the wateh did not .see-a white .s^peck IZ

It was a hfe-boat, in which men in the last stage of ex-
Wtion we,, mechanically raising and letting ?al, thdr

tZ let?h '' . '"''" "" *'=''■ "P«''*'-» -"h toil ■•

TmtT -r' """' '"'"^ •>'''"*' <«<J -" they
could for them. At last the strongest of them woke up

a«d said, ,„ a voice almost more faint than a whisper

Where is the other boat ? We started two," Ah where

was the other boat! God Almighty knows th;re ^

sandsofn " l.'r'''' '■'"•^ '^ ■:"'"" --gh ^^^ t^ou.

sands of new worlds as great as this in God's love it is

C ™i;:" 7.- ■^'^"'- P™y f"'- brothe,., and brother
...ster.s ; fnenus, wo love you truly, and would say we

JUSTIFICATION BEFORE (lOD.

M speak
we live,
it is not
)aration.
say we
I<)njL,'ing
>ur, who
Vow, he
ur Were
T should

^sing in
his eye
c risinijr
noticed
; of ex-
11 their
bh toil ;
11 they
'ko up,
hisper,
where
ire are
'V own

thour

It is
md it
others
ay we

would stretch out our luarts to you this morning. Lord,
guide US continually, and teach us how to banish sellish-
nesM forever, and live but for Thee and Jesus.

JUSTIFICATION BEFORE GOD.

Let us turn together to the Epistle to the Romans, fifth
chapter, where we left off last Thursday night. You will
remember we paused at the first verse of the fifth chapter,
and I would say before I begin, that next Thursday oven-
ing—I cannot devote more time to this chapter than this
evening-next Thurday evening, I hope to speak— to
have a Bible reading on the subject of prayer. Look up
that subject in your Bibles, and come with a few thoughts
of your own, next Thursday evening, and we will, I may
almost say, compare notes in this way. It is a very
interesting subject. There is enough in it for two or three
Bible readings, but next Thursday evening I want to
spend one.

" Therefore being justified by faith," saith the apostle,
" let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ." You will remember I pointed out to you the
word there is " let us have peace." Since God has done
His part, it remains for man to accept what God has done,
and having done so he has peace. The apostle exhorts
him to this : " Therefore have peace with God." It seems
to me that the apostle now passes over to rather a new

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

line of teaching. Up k, this opening verse of the fifth
chapter the apostle had been dealing with those thinirs
pertammg to Chmt's work, His life on earth, and His
death He now brings before those to whom he writes
the noblest and most important considerations that follow
from Christ's life in heaven, and in these days, although
we plamly hear the gospel of Christ's death set forth it
•s not so often we hear important emphasis laid on the
gospe of Christ's life in hea.en. You see our connection
with the Lord Jesus Christ is not severed ; it does not
ceaae at the cross. No, the cross but erects a platform,
on which platform the sinner stands, and on which plat-
form God can deal in grace with that sinner. When a
man gets clearly hold of this idea, it is a wonderful thing
what an amount of misconception it will clear up I will
ask you then to go with me to what I think is the ne.tt
most sahent point in this chapter, the 10th verae-" Let
us have peace," says the apostle.

Now let us read this : " For if when we were enemies
(aliens) we were reconciled to God by the death of His
bon much more being reconciled-being reconciled by
His death-we shall be saved by His life." Docs not this
stnke at the very root of a great deal that troubles a
gi-eat many of us ? We say, " I do see the death of the
Urd Jesus Christ in its completeness. I think I do see
jlTff "^ «""*-*« P™"sion of the substitute, and
1 think I do catch that wor.derfnl statement more clearly
than everbefore-that wonderf-ul statement, 'It is finished '
ro..mg uown into my soul and begetting eternal peace

JUSTIFICATION BEFORE OOD.

the fifth
se things
and His
le writes
at follow
although

forth, it
i on the
nnection
ioes not
)latform,
ich plat-
When a
ul thing
I will
he next
5—" Let

anemies
of His

iled by

lot this

ubles a
of the
do see

te, and

clearly

lished,'
peace,

but that alone does not give me rest. What about this
life so pregnant with difficulties ; this life in which such
forces are ever contending ; what about this present life?'*
Ah, friends, what the Bible tells me is this — let me grasp
it clearly : my life is provided for by the life of Christ as
much as my condemnation has been for ever settled by
His death — by the condemnation of Christ. My life finds
its full provision to-night in the fact that Christ is alive,
as much as my sins have met their full and complete
punishment in the fact that Christ has died. Do you see
how the two run together ? Christ's death meets for ever
the question of punishment ; Christ's life presents me once
for all with a solution of the problem of how I am to meet
the question of evil and overcome it. " Much more then,
being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from
wrath through Him." "For if when we were enemies
we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much
more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.'
Let me emphasise there that apostolic " much more."
What the apostle says is this : " If in the hour of Christ's
extreme weakness ; if in the hour when the Son of God-
be it spoken with reverence — was at His very extremity
of weakness; if in utter weakness Christ could do so
much, then, says the apostle, much more shall not He do
now that He is exalted to the right hand of power, re-
ceived into glory, with everything under His feet ? This
is one thing the apostle teaches ; but there is another.
-.-*€»/ me empiiasise the next ** much incre." Look at tlie
verse, and see. ** For if when we were enemies we were

SEllMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more
being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life '^ Don't
you see what the apostle dwelt on ? If when you were
the enemies of God, He saw fit to pour forth the treasure
ot Christ s life to save your life, after that sacrifice has
gamed its end, after the expenditure of this tremendous
treasure, after, by the sacrifice of Christ's life, you have
been reconciled to God, is it not God's own interest-let
me speak it thus-is it not God's own interest to continue
to keep that which he has purchased with so dear a price ?
It 1 give fifty guineas for a watch, it is my interest to
keep that watch in repair by the expenditure of a trifle
And if-and I bow my head in adoration at the thought
j-the blood of the Son of God wa^ expended for the re-
demption of guilty man, much more, oh, guilty man, is it
thy privilege to know that thou shalt be kept by His life
Ihis IS the argument glorious in its simplicity. Let me
realize my value, let me estimate the price that God has
paid for niy immortality ; then I .hall be in a position to

hater of God, God in His infinite love ,saw fit to pay such

a price for my reconciliation, :us it not to His own interest

to keep me now by His side, whom He ha^ bought with

so costly a price ^ I wish that each one of us, going forth

into life, as many of us must, and being constantly beset

with doubts and difiiculties, as we all are, might have the

abiding sense of this sweet security. 1 am dear to God •

I am precious to God ; I am purchased to God ; and shall

man wh^^ «rUK _ i-,

'■ ' "^^" -Apunuicure ol trouble buys something,

inch Trior e
e." Don't

you were
le treasure
orifice has
'emendous

you have
;erest — let
) continue
ir a price ?
nterest to
>f a trifle.
ti thought
or the re-
man, is it
' His life.
Let me

God has
>sition to
1 alien, a
pay such

interest
fht with
iug forth
bly beset
bavo the
to God ;
nd shall
uething,

JUSTIFICATION BEFORE GOD. 81

gets something to himself, and holds it precious, shall
man slave and toil to keep that near to himself which he
calls dear, and shall not God ? Ah, dear friends, it is
when our hearts are laden with care, and our bosoms
are shaken with doubt, when we are taken out of the
sentiment of the hour, and lifted above the fitful changes
of feeling, we are taught by God to just rest these weary
souls of ours upon the solidity of the Gospel. As I was
telling a dear friend of mine this afternoon, when time
after time one meets with cases of young men and women
coming to Christ, troubled with the same doubts and diffi-
culties (I had met several in the morning), I said to my
friend, " One gets almost tired of hearing that sort of
thing said, till, when you have been reading some one a
long lecture, you find yourself without a moment's warn-
ing in the same box yourself ; it is then we are taught to
sympathise one with another," and it is then that God
teaches us to come and lay our heads down, just as really
as John laid his head on the bosom of Emanuel ; so again
to lift our parched souls to God and say, " Teach me,''my
God, the truth that stuns human thought, that I am so
dear to Thee that it is Thine own interest to keep close
to Thee that which Thou hast purchased with so costly a
price." Yes, beloved friends, if when we were enemies
we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much
more being reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.

We must pass on. Now we turn to the Gth chapter,
which brings before us another difterent phase of truth]
and such an important one. You see, what the apostle says'
F

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

IS this : He has been bringing to our minds one thought
above any other, and you will all recognise the truth of
what I say when I say it is the freeness of God's salva-
tion. We have all along seen this truth repeated, and
again and again urged— that salvation is to him who
works not-not to him that works, but to him that
believes on God, who justifies the ungodly. Now we
come to the Gth chapter, which takes up a totally differ-
ent phase of the Christian's life. Somebody comes to the
apostle and says, what a good many have said to us •
" That is all very well, Paul, for a man to preach this kind
of doctrine, that it is i)ossible for a man to be saved by
givmg up working and accepting the work of another
Don't you see what you do, Paul ; you tell a man, even if
he be the very worst sinner, he can be saved by looking
at the crucified One. See what you do, a man would
accept that and go on in his sin." Don't we hear that
difficulty brought up every day ? We may truly answer
that objection with the words, " Brethren, you err not
knowing the Scriptures." The apostle says, " What shall
we say then ? Shall we continue in sin that grace may
abound ? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to
sin live any longer therein ? Know ye not that so many
of us as were baptized unto Jesus Christ were baptized
unto His death ? " Now, it would be impossible for me
to enter on the fulness of these beautiful verses, beginning
with those I have read, and followed out by those which
follow. There is. howfivpr on*» +»*nfV i^^-"-!-^ i-

-. — -j^,, -.^ai/ii j_'iviuj^n5/ wiy (lis-

tinctly before us ; it is that the man who argues that the

JUSTIFICATION HEFORE GOD.

3ne thought
ihe truth of
Grod'.s salva-
peated, and
him who
) him that
Now we
bally ditfer-
Diiies to the
aid to us :
h this kind
e saved by
)f another,
an, even if
by looking
lan would

hear that
ily answer
u err, not
Vhat shall
^race may
e dead to
b so many

baptized
lie for me
beginning
)se which
'very dis-

that the

Christian may go on and sin as he likes, because he be-
lieves God will continue to pardon his sin for Christ's
sake, is absolutely contradicting what he says. This is the
apostle's argument— he does not say it would be a horri-
ble thing for him to continue in sin ; he does not say it
would be an ungrateful thing ; he does not say it would
be an unnp+ural thing ; he says more than that— he says
it is an imi)ossible thing. He says it is a.s impossible for
a man who has received the righteousness of the living
God to go back into sin with that argument on his lips
as it is for a dead man to speak thus. He says it is not
simply that you may not, or you ought not, but you can-
Twt. " Don't you know ? Have I got to argue with you ?
Don't you understand that as many of you as were bap-
tized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death ? "
Now at once there arises the question — What does the
apostle mean by being baptized into Christ's death ? Let
me first point out what the death of Christ means. It
means the complete identification of the sinner with the
Lord Jesus Christ. It means that God regards the sinner
that trusts the Lord Jesus as having been nailed to the
cross when Christ was nailed there— as having hung on
the cross when Christ hung there. He regards the sinner
a^ having died when Christ gasped or it Uh soul to God ;
as having been buried when Christ was buried, and raised
when Christ was raised. There is this si >)pendous thought
which the Bible, God's message to us, convoys. God says
that the men who have accepted Christ have become iden-
tified with Him, and God counts Christ's punishnxent a.y

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

II:

liJ

what do you ...ean by what follows ? " " So many of us
^were baptised unto Jesus Christ were baptized into
His death, etc. Now, some people think that those words
give veiy strong positions to those who take a very hich
view of the sacraniental efficacy of baptism. What the
apostle says is this-that every single man who has been
baptized ,nto Jesus Christ has been baptized into His
death. I beg most solemnly to a^ert that this verse ha«
no reference whatever to the outward form, but to the
real thing signified in baptism. Let us look at one ve«e
Let us turn to I. Cor. xii. 13. Please mark this verse-
*or by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body
whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or
free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."
Oh, beloved friends, here is the truth of God's word
Show me a man to-night who has come in simple chUd -

orbi /" 1: ''"'' '''"'■ ^"-^ *°^'"'l *'>«'* I should

forbid water that man should be baptized : but mark

you. If he be God'schild, he hasalready'been'baptLr:-

CM?" ""T"" ^'^- " " ^"^ ""'™ '^' ">« -" -th
Otast It ..s the participation of the Spirit with Christ ;

It IS the fellow-feehng with God that evidences this

change. Let none think it is a childish thought that the

ou ward act can ™le the mighty inward principle. Nay

but by one Spirit we are all-yes, of all churches, of ^

c^eds all who love the Lord Jesu.s-by one Spirit ba^

the Loids Wy .,pnu has received the testimony of God

it goes, bufe
[lany of us
>tized into
lose words
very high

What the
) havS been

into His
verse has
ut to the
3ne verse.
s verse —
3ne body,
e bond or
! Spirit."
I's word.
)le chiJd-
I should
it mark
tized by
)ul with
Christ ;
3es this
ihat the
• Nay,
i, of all
rit bap-
eceived
of God

JUSTIFICATION BEFORE OOI). 85

to the fact that He and Christ are one ; one in death, and
shall yet l)e one in eternal life for ever.

But we must hurry on. It is not simply of death with
Christ that the apostle would speak : " Therefore we are
buried with Him by baptism into death "—the outward
baptism beautifully pointing out-thank God for the
figure— the old life dead, the new life begun—" that like
as Christ is raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life "
Here is a man says, « I may continue in sin that grace
may abound." " Stop," says Paul, " there are two things
would put a stop to that. Your old nature is become a
dead thing, and besides • that, you are now a man who
walks in newness of life." I would not make any sad
about this, whom God would not have sad, therefore just
look down to the 11th verse : " Likewise," says the apostle,
" reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin
but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." If
you will look at the two verses before that you will see
what the apostle refers to by the " likewise." He is refer-
ring distinctly to the Lord Jesus Christ. He says what
we have got to do is this-we have to reckon ourselves to
be dead to sin, a^ Christ died. How did Christ die ? " He
died," says the apostle, " one for all." (I must ask you
just to read this chapter at your leisure, when you cro
home, and then you will see the links that connect these
two truths.) " Reckon yourselves," says the apostle " to
-• -..c^. xxow c AS CnnsL died ; once for all ; m sin-
ner, reckon yourself to be dead, once for all. " Oh," you

8(j

SERMONS AND BIRLE READINGS.

A
f

say, « but I am not." No. the apostle didn't say yoi, were,
But, says tl.e apostle, reckon yourself. If you were dead
It would not be neces.sary to ask you to reckon yourselves
dead unto sin. If I was dead, sin could never assail me
through my eyes, through my senses, through my passions
--what would be the sense of asking me to reckon myself
dead ? God tells me, " When Christ, my Son, bore your
sins on the cross, I regarded your guilt as being punished
there." When, young man— my brother— you are tempted
to sm— worldliness or any of the hundred sins that trouble
us all— when I am tempted, when each one is tempted'
what should we do,? Don't parley with it. Don't argue it;
but say, " Lord God, teach me to consider myself dead to'
it, DEAD TO IT, DEAD TO IT." Let me put it in this way:
There is an election in your city ; there is a great compe-
tition, every one wants to score as many votes as he can.
Up comes a man, say his name is James Blank. The man
says, " I want to vote." The officer looks at his records,
and says, " James Blank died a year ago. He has got no
vote." Reckon yourselves to be dead ; that is what the
apostle says. When I say, " I want to vote on this ques-
tion, I want to work my own will, I want to have my
own lust." " Stop," says the apostle, " reckon yourself-
you, William Rainsford ; you, this man who want your
own will— reckon yourself to bo dead, dead, DEAD."
Likewise, as Christ died, once for all, reckon yourselves
to be dead unto sin. It is the only way to get on. If
you^are going to parley with sin, if you are going to argue
With hIb, you a»i I will be beaten. The apostle says.

JUSTIFICATION BEFORE GOt).

^ yon were,
wore dead
yourselves
assail me,
ly passions
con myself
bore your
\ punished
e tempted
lat trouble

tempted'
t argue it;
If dead to
this way:
at compe-
as he can.

The man
3 records,
as got no
what the
:his ques-
have my
ourself —
ant your
DEAD."
ourselves
b on. If
to argue
tie says,

" Stop its mouth by saying, ' I am dead to it.' " I cannot
dwell on this longer. I must ask God to make thesi
truths plain. I feel I am only scraping their surface.
We must pass rapidly on.

What follows ? The practical duty. " Let not sin
therefore reign in your mortal body that ye should obey
it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as
instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield your-
selves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead."
See you not the force of the illustration ? Those that are
alive from the dead yield their instruments of righteous-
ness unto God. Here is the promise. You say, " I can-
not help sin reigning." You say, " I cannot yield my
members unto God, as those alive from the dead." Listen
before you say that to God's promise to thee. " Sin shall
not have dominion ovei- thee." Mark that word — "shxill
not " — the promise of the unchanging God — " shall not
have dominion over thee." " Oh," you say, " it vexes me
sore." The Lord does not say it shall not vex you. " Oh,"
you say, " it harasses me." The Lord does not say, it
shall not harass you. "Oh," you say, "it pains me."
The Lord does not say it shall not pain you. My
friends, if you and I were not harassed, and vexed, and
pained, I know right well we should never come to the
good Lord. He does not say it shall not harass, vex, or
pain, but he does say that it shall not have dominion. It
shall not have dominion ; behind that promise there looms
up the almightiness of God. You are not under the law,
but under grace. Does it vex you badly ? Surely it di<l

HKRMONS AND RIBLE READINOfi.

I ;, !

vou m f ";; 7' """""''^ '«''"'^'' -'-■ »"- i^ -use
you pam and tearn, and earnest pmyer-longings of your
W go.ng out to God . God knows-onfe the Jw^
none of these thing.,. Blessed be Gods name, the promise
.sbcng already fulfilled, sin already is being beaten back
and sm .sha 1 not have the don.inion. The day is comW
-hen .ts y„ke shall be for ever broken, and the boTn?

One other voiy practical application of the truth the

toGod ''"'7''""; '^"7 howl „, to yield my members
to God. Do I want to know how ! a,„ to evidence God's
regenerating power ? ■• I speak atter the manner of men ■■
»ys the apostle, " because oi he infirmity of your flesh

ness, and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield

TWeTtl^irof TStTT- '^"""'-"

e wnoie ot It. What does the apostle sav i
He says ,t is very simple how to do it-yield you J^
to God now as ,n the past you yielded yoursLes unto
^a How d,d I yxeld then ? I yielded myself to sin just
aa the temptation arose. I did not get up in the mom-

ZLtr\"'j'' *^" ' ''^ before%rerkfa.t, cheira
o t_ ..n, t>ut as the soiicitation to sin came we

JUSTIFICATION BEFORE GOD.

>^ou and sin
oes it cause
igs of your

there was
he promise
aten back,

is coming
B body, no
ammels of
These are

truth the
at I must
ineteenth
members
ice God's
of men/'
)ur flesh,
unclean-
w yield
oliness."
tie say ?
urselves
'es unto
sin just
3 mom-
cheat a
ible be-
Lme we

obeyed it. Tempted, we fell. Now, says the apostle, as
in times past you yielded your meinbors to sin as the
temptation arose, so now, when the still, small voice of
God is heard— as the thought inspired by the Spirit of
God wakes in the conscience — so now yield yourselves to
God. A man may go on yielding himself to God through-
out the business transactions of the day ; a woman or a
servant may go on yielding herself to God as she does her
domestic work. I remember hearing of a servant in the
north of Ireland, who lived in a family somewhere near
our own : some one asked her what were her reasons for
thinking herself a converted woman. She said, " Since I
was converted I dust under the mats." It was about as
good an answer as she could give. There is a great deal
in dusting under the mats. Just remember as in times
past we yielded ourselves to the solicitation of self and
sin, so now we should yield ourselves to the solicitations
of God. You see we have seen in this wondei-ful sixth
chapter of Romans how I may overcome the strength of
the sinful body. That is the sixth of Romans— it is a
Christian man asking himself the practical question, and
having the question answered by God—" How am I to
overcome daily sin, to break its neck, and subdue its
power ? " The seventh chapter of Romans is, I know, a
difficult one ; it would take me a week to explain its
teachings, but there is one salient point to my mind, that
brings out its truth as a whole more than any other chapter,
and that you find at its very close, in the 24th verse.
The apostle has been speaking, I say, of the power of

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SKHMONS AND HIBLE READINGS.

I) '

11
If

Hin ,n the sixtl, chapter, and in the seventh chapter \v
speaks of that of which every child of God must know
«o,nething-the weary, wearing pain-the consciousness
of the presence of sin. Ah. dear friend, if you be the chiJd
of God you .vill know something of Paul's experience
when he cries out, "Oh, wretched man that I am. who
shall deliver me fron. this dead body ? This is the mean-
ing of the verse. We all know something alK,ut it-who
shall deliver me from the deml body. He has .seen its
powc.r broken ; he has felt the love of God ImMing him
awake tc» new life, but there is the old body. See the
illu.stration here. They had. in the old days, a terrible
punLshment. of linking a living man to a co,p.se. They
tied hand to hand, limb to limb, face to face, and the living
was left, attached to the dead. It .seems to me that in
lauls Idea, when he cries, " Oh. wretched man that I am
who .shall deliver me from this dead lx)dy ? " This thin-
which dwells, in .spite of me. in n.y «e.sh ; hand to hand^
'ip to hp, I am forced into connection with sin in .spite of
iny.self-who .shall deliver me from this dead body ? And
1 am bold to .say, every one of you. if you have known
he power of God s love in your .soul, can echo the cry
If It wa„s not for this, we should not long for the tinie
when we shall be unclothed, and receive our new IkxIv
and see Christ, and be like Him, and bid good-bye to sin
tor ever. Nay. .says the apostle, the whole creation gioans
and we jom m groaning for every child of God, \yo he weak
an,l feeble as he nmy. does he long to be absent for ever
irom sin.

JUST rFICATION HEFORE OOD.

1)1

chapter lie
iiusfc know
isciousness
e the chiJd
oxperience
I am, who
the mean-
it it — who
us seen its
Ming him
See the
a terrible
se. They
the living
ne that in
hat I am,
'his thing
i to hand,
n spite of
ly ? And
known
) the cry.
the time
ew Inxly,
ye to sin
n gioans,
he weak
for ever

Who shall deliver me fnmi this «lead Ixxly ^ Thank
Oo«l the answer comes (juickly. " I thank (nxl, through
Jesus Christ, our Lord." Our English version obscures
it a little ; what he says is, " I thank (Jod I shall l>e de-
livered, through Jesus Christ our Lord," Ke does not
speak of a future deliverance, nut he does speak of the
Lord Jesus so filling him with His life, that though he be
attache*! to the dead body, he is taught to keep it always,
as it were, a thing outside him — not something inside, but
a thing outside, «lea<l, and to wait patiently for the time
when the bontls that connect them shall be cut, and the
dead shall be gone, and the soul .shall taste (Jod's full
salvation.

Lastly, just see how the apostle sums up these glorious
truths in this part of his epistle. See how this eighth
chapter liegins, and also please .see how it ends. " There
is therefore, now, no condenmation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit." No ! Though I am ccmscious of sin, though I
groan and cry " Who will deliver me from this dead Inxly ? "
the groan is the proof I am God's child, or I had never
groaned ; the longing is proof I am His, or I had never
longed. The word is this : " There is no judgment with
condenmation ; " th(^ Greek word is " no judgment with
condemnation to those in Chri.st Jesus." If I was to ask
this congregation to-night — why ? I wonder how many
woukJ quickly give me the answin-, " Because I have been
condemned in the person of my substitute." That is the
answer ; there is no condenmation to those who are in
Christ Jesus.

SKRMONS AND ItlltLE READINOS.

""""f th" "1. ™nt. they calld hectics lon« afjo put

h.8 country chargcl with believing this docfinc-a
doctr.no men sealed with their Mood-that when a man
come, to the f.rd Jesu.s Christ, he can stand and .say,
there IS no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus." And
the rude in,,ui»itor stoppe,! his mouth with a blow and
said, Vou are an heretic, and you will be da.nne<l." And
he quotel the old English translation of the ve,-so, which
ha« ,t thus and said, " There is no danmation to them that
are m Chr,st Jesus." That is ju.st the meaning of the

Ttion /\r " f •'' """^ """■'"' ''• "^'"^^^ - "O <!»-"-
nataon to those who are in Chri.st Je.su.,, and n.anifest the

fact by walkmg-mark ifr-not acconling to the flesh, but
according to the Spirit.

clolf '" F""r*' "'''""' "'""'' "■" y- -" •'o-it
Closes. For I am pereuaded that neither death nor life

nor angel, nor principalities, nor powe.., nor things pre-

^nt, nor things U, come, nor height, nor depth, nor any

o her creatu. shall be able to se,.rate us fiL the lovl

of God which IS m Chri.st Jesus our Lord." Oh blessed

tmth ! It logins with no condemnation and it ends with

nosepa™,„„. No condemnation-thank God for that-'

His ams. He has come so far-if His death had pur-

w^th .saying there IS no condemnation. He seems to cii-cle
her m the arms of His eternity, and savs, "Yea the!
Shall 1. no separation eithe. "_n,, separa'ti^i any ,„o;

JUSTIFICATION BEFORE GOD.

mf,' a^'o put
ti'ilmnal of
loctrine — a
hen a man
id and say,
3.SUS." And
I blow and
ned." And
I'so, which
them that
ing of the
s no dam-
mifest the
flesh, but

ie how it
» nor life,
infjs pre-
, nor any
the love
I, blessed
nds with
for that •
bride in
bad pur-
content
to circle
?a, there
ly more

than condonmation. And see, how beautifully runs the
Hong. Trace it up from the first chapti^-, whore we saw
ourselves utterly lost ; through the second chapter, where
we saw all man's efforts at religion an utter failure. Trace
it through the third chapter, where we saw all have sinned
and come short; trace it through the fourth chapter,
where God says "I come in, and do the work man has
failed in, and now righteousness is not to him that works,
but to him that works not ; " trace it through the fifth
chapter, where it takes up the song— we being justified
by faith, it says let us have peace with God ; through the
sixth chapter, where it says we are saved by His death,
saved by His life, and conquer by His life, as well ; trace'
it to the eighth chapter, and you have got no condem-
nation, and God steps down into the blood-stained arena,
and seems to catch us in His arms, and says, " And no
^paration either." Oh, may God bless these few simple
thoughts to your souLs.

1 remember hearing, when I was in this country years
ago, from one who had been on many of the battle-fields
of the great war, that he was once in one of the hospitals
and had passed through, and thought he had seen all, when
in a far dark corner of the hut, on a lump or damp straw,
he saw something that looked like the form of a man ;
lying there, under an old tattered blanket, was a southerner.
He went up to him, and lifted the blanket gently, and he
saw the poor fellow stretched there— he seemed almost

dead. And this man didn't know very much then he

knows better now— he bent over and he said, " What per-

1>.

SKKMONS AND IlIULE UEADINOS.

Huasion are yon, my dear fnon<l ? " " What «li«l you say ?
Do you say persuaded ? '" was the reply. " I am persuaded
that neither death nor life, nor an^^els, nor principalities,
nor flowers, nor thin«rs present nor tliin<,^s to come, nor
hei^dit nor (U?ptlj, nor any otlier creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of (Jod that is in (^irist Jesus,
my Lord " Yes, tlie straw might be damp with his blood,
and the light might bedim, but it«lid not matter; lie was
in the arms of Christ— he liad one foot in glory aheady.
And so, some of us may never meet again on another
Tliursday evening, but shall not we each say " I am per-
suaded." Beloved friends, nothing less than the persua-
sion will do, nothing less than the persuasion will stand
the shock of death— will stand the day of judgment.

fi^

THE WHEAT AND THE TARES.

" Aad His disciples caiuo unto Him ssvying, Declare unto us the
parable of the tares of the Held. He answered and said unto them :
Ho that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the
world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom ; but the tares
are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them is
the devil, the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are
the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the
tire, so shall it bo at the end of this world. The Son of Man shall
send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom
all things that offend, and them which do iniquity ; and shall cast
then. int.. a fnrnaco of fir«: thero shall be wailing and Knashing of
teeth. Thou shall tlie righteous shine forth as tlio sun in the king-

THE WHKAT AND THE TAKES.

f)5

«1 you say ?
ri pei-Huaded
ineipalitieM,
3 como, nor
1 bu able to
bri.st Jesus,
li liis blood,
er; lie was
►ly alreatly.
on another
" I am pei-
bhe j)ersua-
i will stand
jjnient.

untu lis the
I unto thtiin :
le fluid is the
but the tares
jwed them is
3 reapers are
unied iu the
)f Man shall
ilis kingdom
iid shall cast

gitashing of
in the king-

dom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear let him hear."— Mat-
thew xiii. lHi43.

The Lord brin<r.s before us, in this place first of all, I
consider, a very solemn fact— that there are, in His pro-
fessinf,^ Church, and will be till the day wlum from that
professin^r (jhurcli the ri^diteous shall shine forth as the
sun, those whonj He calls tares. And as 1 study the Word
of God, and seek to know something more about this
solemn truth, I find that these tares are described in many
ditterent ways. They are thus defined in another place:
"This is the condenmation, that light is come into the
world and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds are evil." Dear friends, in this day, when I
suppose man knows more of the history of man than ever
before, we are least of all in a position to deny the solemn
fact that when 1 am against light, I lose sensitiveness to
that light. It is a terribly solenni thought, when we come
to weigh what it means: if 1 sin to-day against light, to-
morrow I shall not have the same sensitiveness to that
light.

Shortly before Dean Swift's death he wtis walkin**- in
a l)eautiful place belonging to one of his friends, and they
noticed that the crown of a giant oak was rapidly falling
into decay, and the poor Dean, in sadly prophetic spirit
said, "Ah, it is like me; beginning to go a-top, beginning
to go a-top."

It is true in these days of hurry and excitement, when
men and women seem like insects that bu// fiom fiowor
t-o fiower without searching the depths of one— it is true

SEIIMONS AND BIDLE UEADINOS.

"" I »..,.,»,,« it has novur l«en true l«.fo,e that men are
fc'".n«a-t,.,>. But there is an„ther truth which lies lower
down ; that the tree cannot yo a-top till it ha« gone within.
Uear fnen.ls, we minister, of the Gospel, and all of us
who call on the „an,e of Christ, a,,; called in these days
no longer to n,eet the inditference of the indifferent but
the unhehef of the unbelieving; and mark you this in
nine cases out of ten where u„l»lief erects itself against
thesnuplicity of the GospcJ to-day, it is the oak going
a-top because there are already signs of death within
Light havnig reached, has been resisted, and has lost its
clearness for the soul, and the tare is becon.e developed-
m sp.te mark you, of Go-l's will. Let no man think that
the wdl of God is not engaged on His side. I read in this
book the free gift of God comes upon all men; I read in
this book th«t the grace of God which brings salvation
has appearc ^ unto all men. I read in this book that God
says He will ,^.ceive all who come to Him-that is to sav
He wants all men to be saved, and to come to a know-
edge of the Truth. But in spite of the repeated defini-
tions of Gods will, in spite of the incontrovertible fact
that hght has come into the world, we have to recognise
the o her side of the truth-that men love darkness rather
than light because their deeds are evil. It is a terrible
thing to say,but it is a thing no one who speaks the truth
of God can refrain from saying; in Jesus Christ's day
there were tares in the small field, and in this nineteenth
centuiy their number is on the increase in the large one.
Who are they? I suppose if we were to talk personally

THE WHEAT AND THE TARES.

that men are
icli lies lowur
I gone within.
mJ all of us
n these days
iifferent, but

you this, in
itself against
e oak going
)ath within.

has lost its
Jeveloped —
fi think that
read in this
i; I read in
?s salvation
>k that God
at is to say,
to a know-
ated defini-
ertible fact
recognise
ness rather
8 a terrible
3 the truth
hrist's day
nineteenth
> large one.
personally,

any one of the congregation and myself together, most of

you would admit, "Of coui-se, we all know there arc tares,

those things which grow among the tnie wheat, and are

like it though they are not wheat." But dear friends, it

is well to remember, as we want to apply this truth of

God to our own souls, that the tares are those which are

not known to be such. Many of you, I am afraid, this

morning, were we to tax you with the point, would say.

"We don't make any profession of religion." Such are not

the tares spoken of here ; these are the thorns— anybody

can see a thorn; these are the thistles— anybody can tell a

thistle; but the tares are so like the wheat nobody can sec

the difference. There is an outward reception of Christ,

and an inward rtyection. Christ says, " Not everyone that

saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of

heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father which is

in heaven." They say they have gifts; they say they

have professions; they say they have generosity; and there

is a great deal of generosity mixed like an alloy in the lives

of many such, but, as we were trying to see on Sunday night,

there is no real sympathy of the soul with the Lord Jesus

Christ; that is the point. But we shall see them more clearly

and distinctly, I think, if we look for a few moments at their

effect on others. What do they do? Here I come at once

to the point, they hurt the wheat, these tares do. When

young souls— I speak not now of age, but of experience

when a soul first learns its first sweet lesson of faith, and
sees before it the easiness and immediate possibilitv of
salvation, and casts itself for the first time on the Lord,
G

SEKMONS AND BIBLE HEADINOS.

■1

like a child, drinking in and receiving the sweetness of
HiH promises, Jis a rule the heart and conscience of that
soul heat true. There conies to nie then the sure, certain
knowledge of what I have been. The veil is gone which
seemed to be drawn across my proi)er sight, and I now see
my life in the past; it may not be marked with black marks
of guilt, but I see it has been one successful plan to waste
the talent God has given, and waking up to this fact, I say,
" Lord God, teach me henceforth that life is no mere
amusement." The time must be redeemed. I see from this
time souls are to be won; I see from the very time that
there is work to be done; I even begin to catch at odd times
some glances of the reality of the things beyond. Yes, I
do say when the heart first learns of Jesus, nine times out
of ten the conscience beats true, and following the dic-
tates of what you believe to be right, you will be doing
God's will. But here your tares come in. Our tare, having
never really leant on Christ, says, " What is the heart ?
Now, you young Christian, you are going too fast; who
ever heard of anyone becoming a full-blown Christian in
one day ? I do this thing, and / am a Christian, there is
no harm in it; I say this; I do that; I go here; I go there;
there is no harm in it. I am a Christian. See how like I
am." My friends the breath of an iceberg is not more
deadly to the orange tree than such advice as this to the
young Christian. Would to God we could separate them,
for they work cruel mischief to those who have leant on
the Lord Jesus. But more than this. It is not simply
that your tare does harm to those who have taken on them

THE WHEAT AND THB TARES.

tlie name and profe.sHion .,f Olnint, but he doen terrible
harm to those who are Htill without Christ. Your tare-
beloved friends. I am speakiufer the truth this morning as
m God s presence-your tare has been known to come to
the Lords table on Sunday, and not find it veiy difficult
at a dinner party on Monday with some young men. and
some old ones who ought Uy be l>etter. U, laugh at some
lewd story, or, it may be. tell some objectionable one him-
self. They have been known to do such things The
very blast of death and destruction is around them Thev
meet a young nmn, one of their set, one who thinks they
are better than he is. and they find out in some way that
this yonng man is beginning to contract that habit which
destroys body and soul-beginning now and then to drink
at odd times during the day. and if they were Gods
children they would put a hand on either shoulder, and
beg and pray him to break off the habit a.s they would
pluck a brand from the burning or draw a child from the
well. But no, they "chaff" him mildly, and talk lightly
about It, and the fellow thinks "it is not so wr .. after
all." Your hand mignt have saved him, but iAul hand
was never stretched out, and he goes on and dies

Another case. A young man brought up in a home
where father and mother have prayed with him, and where
every influence has been for good, pays his first visit to a
house of sin, and it comes to the ear of your professing
Chnstian who is a tare, and instead of wrestling with him
he IS not above laughing at what he calls the "little slip."
- I.UH a.e ... - -xo vxxagguci down. Tne man whose conscience

100

8KRMON8 AND BIBLE nEADIVGS.

is not altogether hardened yet knows something of that
first awakening when first he sees something of the ab-
ominahle guilt he has committed, how he hns trampled the
eftigy of the living God in the very dust of damnation it-
self. A hand nught have stopped hin) ; youi-s might have
been the hand, hut you did not know (lod's j)ower your-
self, so you did not stop him. Then? are men whose lives
—he it spoken a.M God's truth— are altogether for bad,
who have never yet influenced one soul so as to lift it one
inch nearer heaven. But see the tare, it grows in the field,
the Sim shines on it, the .soil fructifies it, but see what take
place. The nature of that plant tums sunshine, and dew,
and rain, and soil — what into?— into a tare. And the
wheat glowing beside it, receiving the same sunshine, the
same dew, and growing in the same soil, tums out wheat.
My dear friends, again I would ask you, as I have done
before, let no man call another his enemy because he tells
him the truth— and is it not a most tenible truth wehave
before us this morning, that some are receiving the mani-
fold gifts of God and turning them into a cui-se, as much
as others turn them into blessings ? Shall there not he
some amongst us who will say, "If there are those around
us whose influence is evil, by the grace of God I will live,
and by His help— leaning, oh my God, on naught but Thine
own almightiness— my own life shall diffuse an influence
as holy as others (or it may be my own life in time past)
diffuse an influence hurtful.

I want now to draw your attention to another thing.
See whatis to be done to the tare,.. I will read you a verse

THE WHEAT AND THE TARES. 101

which riescribea their position: "Therefore judge nothing
»»efore the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring
to light the hicMen things of darkness and will makeman-
ifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every
man have praise of God." Mark that. He will bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest
the counsels of the hearts. Yes, it cannot be done now.
The disciple would gladly go into the field if he might,
and seek to separate the tares from the wheat; but the
Lord at once puts down his hand, asit were, and says " No "
I am thankful to God He never let us do it. I feel the
utter inadequacy of man to attempt such a ta.sk. I am
well assured if one of us wa.s in live to this congregation
It might be for twenty years, and know all its members
mtimately, he might be found to have often let go many
an impudent tare and pulled up many a weakly wheat-
seed. But mark you, friends, the day is coming when
there shall be no mistake. Methinks now there must Ik)
•some amongst us this morning whom Gabriel himself
could not find out, they are so like Christians. But then
there shall be no mistake. Then every man's works shall
be manifest— the secret sin shall be manifested. God will
lift up the cover of the whited sepulchre and let us look
withm. I gaze over this large congregation this morning,
and what are your faces? They are just ma.sks to cover
the soul. My face is the same— a mask that may tell a
lie or speak the truth. But mark you, my friends, the

fafiA will fVion ^'O n" /»n»-f"^- -- -• 1 (J 1 ■ - 1 .

~ " "-^ ^"^ certain an intiex of what is within as

the dial of that watch is. There wilj be ijo deception

102

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

then; the mask will be gone, and the true spirit — thb
true being— the true life of the man will shine out. We
must all be manifested before the judgment seat of
Christ.

In the old days, a rough-hearted preacher, speaking
before a congregation of the richest and most fashionable
in the land, came into the pulpit with his serge garments
on him, and in the midst of his discourse he pulled from
beneath its ample folds a skull, and, holding it up,
said: "Though thou didst paint thee an inch thick, yet
to this complexion shalt thou yet come, and though thou
hast painted thy hypocrisy an inch thick, and added year
to year of empty professionism, yet to the nakedness of
death, when all frauds and shams are stripped aside, all
men must come." Oh, friends, I do speak to you this
morning under an awful sense of the truth of God's Word
on this point. If in the early times, when persecution and
death were very often the certain meed of profession of
faith in Jesus Christ, if then it was necessary for the
Lord God to preach this sermon about tares, let me ask
you, do you think the necessity is diminished when thepio-
fession of Jesus Christ is become "the thing"? If, in the
early days, in spite of impending persecutions, waked up
by the sound of His glorious voice and the living Word of
God falling from the lips of man, men could cry, " Hosan-
nah to the King," but when the prospect of the kingdom
wasgone, and spiritual things were seen to clash with tem-
poral things, and J esus Christ's popularity had died, and
days of trouble were seen coming up, if then those men who

THE WHEAT AND THE TARES.

103

le spirit — ^thb
tiine out. We
ment seat of

her, speaking
st fashionable
3rge garments
e pulled from
olding it up,
Lch thick) yet
i though thou
id added year
nakedness of
»ped aside, all
: to you this
.f God's Word
rsecution and
profession of
jsarv for the
es, let me ask
when thepio-
"? If, in the
ns, waked up
vmg Word of
cry, "Hosan-
the kingdom
ish with tem-
lad died, and
lose men who

cried " Hosannah" were seen to slink away and be dumb
— only tares— do you think the truth is less necessary to
be spoken to-day ? If, when listening to His words who
spake as " never man spake," man's cold heart warmed, and
disgusted with the life he had been living, he waked sud-
denly to resolution and said, " Lord God, I will follow
Thee wheresoever Thou goest," and when he saw that He
had to bid good-bye to His home, and this or that little
thing had to be given up, and that the Son of Man had
not where to lay his head, and the things of this \ Id
did not seem so prosperous, he looked back— only a tare
—do you think the admonition is not necessary now?.
Men, if under the eye of God it was possible for men to
act thus, it is for you; if it was easy to be hypocrite when
Jesus was standing by, or when an apostle gifted with the
discerning of spirits was speaking, do you think the race
has died out yet? Oh, I wish my words to go straight
home to many a heart this morning, for I know there are
some such present— only tares-^only half-hearted pro*
feasors, or it may be, men so long persistent in their hy-
pocrisy that they at last have succeeded in deceiving their
ovm selves. I have seen at night a star suddenly spring
to birth and flame across the sky from the east to the
west. It came in a second, and in less than a second was
gone. And so I read there are wandering stars — bright
hopes— bright beliefs bright beginnings; but oh, only
wandering stars, for whom is reserved the blackness of
darkness for ever. They may shine with an uncertain
light for a moment ; they may shine with a light they know

104

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

to be false for years; but their end is nothing but the
blackness of darkness for ever. May God search out this
morning what I cannot— the tares who listen to my voice.
Mark you, I speak to many before me— it is not mine
to single you out and call you by name; but as I close
I ask you, for your own soul's sake, oh man, to consider
that the day is coming when the mask that successfully
hides you to this moment shall be gone, and you will be seen
as a waster of time, it may be ; a lover of fashion more
than a lover of God, it may be; as one who has done
nothing but help the devil in his soul-destroying work,
it may be; or it may be as nothing but a wandering star.
And now, as I close, I think I hear some one say, "You
have thus described what I believe the position is to a
nicety ; and, Mr. Rainsford, as I am afraid of becoming a
tare, because I am afraid of falling back, I never climb
up." To such I would say, this bright Sunday morning,
would you do this about earthly things ? " Oh, sir, houses
have been burnt and people inside them, sometimes, and
so, because houses have been burnt, I suppose you will
never build a house or rent one?" Such reasoning signi-
fies that your conscience is dying ; becoming like india-
rubber, to be twisted backward and forward by every silly
whim that offers a momenta:/ excuse for disobeying God's
command.

It may be, friends, there are some of you have been
wicked tares for forty years, but let me tell you, if your
nature up to this day ha.s changed God's blessings into a
curse, and you have withered the lives of scores, let me

\i'

RECONCILIATION.

105

tell you the God of glory halts by your side to day, and
if you were to live for forty years more, and for every
week, of every month of those forty years were to pray
to God to change your wicked heart, He would not be
more willing to do it than He is this morning. Oh tare,
thou are not yet beyond His power. Oh wasteful world-
ing, thou are not beyond His grace. He would fain de-
liver thee from thyself ; for; mark you, as truly as you
sit there, and I stand to speak this morning, the Son of
God will send forth His angels, and they shall gather out
of His kingdom aU things that offend, and do iniquity.
The Lord grant that then we may be banded together in
the bundle of life to be for ever with the Lord.

RECONCILIATION.

I WISH to speak to you to-night upon the grounds of God's
reconciliation to man. I shall read to you two passages
which bear on the subject: the first I shall choose from
Colossians, 1st chapter and 21st verse, and the second from
the Epistle to the Corinthians.

" And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled."

Now turn to 2nd Corinthians, 5th chapter, 18th verse :

" And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by
Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation."

To wit, that God >vas -in Christ reconciling the world

106

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

unto Himself, nofc imputing their trespasses unto them,
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God
did beseech you by us, vre pray you, in Christ's stead, be
ye reconciled to God. "For He had made Him to be sin for
us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteous-
ness of God in Him."

The first verse which I read speaks certainly rather
more of the aspect of the soul towards God. It says, you
were once alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked
works, but now God had reconciled you to Himself. I bless
God that many to-night could fitly take that verse upon
their lips, for I believe a great company of those present
could say, " Yea, we who were once alienated and enemies
in our minds by wicked works now hath He reconciled."
But even though a large number could say that, I cannot
but be aware that there are a great many present to-night,
who, if I was to put the plain question to them, and ask
them if they were truly reconciled to God, if they under-
stood what I meant, would have to give me an honest
negative. As I find, dear friends, that the grounds of
God's reconciliation to man are again and again, and again
subject to constant misstatement by the children of God
—as I find that they are very commonly mistaken by
people who ought to know better, I think it will be of
advantage to us all to-night, if we just for a few moments
seek to consider God's position towards sinners in this
matter of reconciliation. I have not time t^ enter upon
the Qther side so much-man's position towar<ls God.' I

RECONCILUTION.

107

must content myself with just defining this as I pass on.
You will notice, then, briefly in the first verse which I read
in the Epistle to the Colossians, that man's position is
spoken of in two ways; we are spokon of as having been
at one time alienated and enemies in our minds. The very
word reconciliation presupposes that, does it not? There
is something very beautiful in the word, and yet there is
something very sad underlying its meaning. Who are the
two parties here spoken of ?— God and man. And what is
there that comes between these two words ? — Sin. We have
got three words now, and if you please, we will put them all
together. God and man and one other that comes between ;
very small, but a more deadly word does not exist— "sin."
Here, then, "God"— "sin"— "man." God and man separ-
ated by that word, so small and yet meaning so much —
"sin," and that explains what my text says, " And you
that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind
by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled." Will you
notice with me, dear friends, the double position which
man is spoken of as taking here? Let us, who really want
to make it a life-purpose to help immortal souls towards
God — if we would help them, I say, let us first of all clearly
apprehend their position. Here it is. There may be much
about a man to please ; there is much about many to
admire, but the Word of God traces man's position in these
two words — "alienated," and " enemies." " Alienated,"
there has been a quarrel between you and me, we will say,
words have arisen, it is about trifles, but there is some-
thing between us now, and the friendship that was wont

108

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

to be SO Close and brotherly is broken. We are alienated.
Time goes by, and other things rise up to ruffle, one thing
and another seems to open a gap between us, and in time
unfortunately, our alienation passes into the position of
hostility. Here is what God says is precisely man's posi-
tion; the heart of man is not simply alienated from God
but hostile to God. Alienated at first, that alienation has
grown into hostility. I see this man who is hostile to me
commg along the street and I turn round a corner- we
don't care to meet face to face. My friends, this is proof
of the alienation of man from God, then comes to be an
unnatural shrinking of the soul from God, a shrinking
which I fearlessly affirm to be true of every unregenerate
soul I address to-night. You know, dear friends, I cannot
give you anything better than a simple test you can your-
selves apply to your own consciences. Is there not a
shrinking on your part from God? "Alienated," and an
"enemy m your mind," is what God describes 3/ ou as You
hold back Trom Him, and instead of meeting God face to
face with joy, the thought would bring you keen distress
to-night. You are " alienated and enemies in your mind »
The ground of your hostility is this : it is not that God's
salvation would be objectionable to you-pardon me if in
seeking to bring God's truth to your minds, I go over old
ground-you see I can only present to you the truth as
It IS brought torcibly to my own soul. What keeps us from
God IS not unwillingness in one sen.se to accept God's
salvation out of unwillingness to accept God's gift, but it
js fe^r of the consequences of such an act. Jt is shrinking

RECONCILIATION.

100

not from tho gift but from the giver. It is this one impas-
sable barrier which I tried, freely, last Sunday night, to
speak about, and which I told you could only be removed
by the entire renewing of the nature— this hostility of the
inmost being of man to the God that made him. When, I
think it was the father of Frederic the Great was dying,
his noblest and most devout chaplain, long neglected, was
called in to see him, and he found the dying king in a
great fright about his soul ; and at that time there had
been great agitation in Germany about simple justification
by faith. Men had run wild and they forgot very often
that a man justified by faith must manifest his justifica-
tion by his life of holiness, and the king, grasping the
wrong idea, said to the chaplain :* " Thank God there is
salvation for me at the last ; even now I can be justified
by faith." The man of God with keen insight saw what
was behind the mask in the king's mind. He said, " Sire,
it seems to me you would fain avail yourself of God's sal-
vation without God the Saviour." He said, "There are two
things necessary to salvation,"— Yes, dear friends, there
are two things necessary. " There is the complete accept-
ance of the living Son of God, as the Saviour, and the com-
plete, equally complete, acceptance of the Son of God, as
the God of the soul He has saved." To-night, indeed, I
would hold out my hands to you and say, 'Brother, do you
know this Loving One, not simply as a misty Saviour in
the future but as the living God of your life in the pre-
sent?" If not, you don't know at all. This is what keeps
man back from reconciliation to God. Now comes the

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

M f

message. Having briefly .sketched man's position, I now
point out that occupied by God. What are the words I
have read, " We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God
did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead be ye
reconciled to God." Will you see the picture drawn heie^
Ihere are twoarmies about to join in terrible battle; there
are two forces about to engage in a struggle which means
anmhdationofoneortheother. It is God and man. An
avvfVd fight ha^ begun, in which man, utterly lost, seeks to
evade the just claim of his Creator. And now we know
something of the hush, the pause, the momentous hour of
waiting before the great forces join. You must sometimes
have felt the strange calm which falls on the earth before
a storm breaks amon^the high mountains, and men who
have engaged in great battles tell us that just before the
hght commences there comes this great hush. Oh men
and brethren, it reminds me of this. I tiy to stand here
to-night and tell you this day of grace, this day of oppor-
tunity, this day in which God calls you-what is it? Noth-
ing but a pause-a day of waiting before the great pa^t
meets the great future. Think you God is going to allow
hght tomix with darkness and bad with good much longer?
Think you God will turn a heedless ear to creations groan-
ingand the saints who echo the cry. "How long, Oh
Lord holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our
blood on them that dwell on the earth ? " W^hy friends it
IS this that should wing the words, and quicken the life'of
every child of God; it is this that should stir up every
single one that knows aught of the spirit of GhrLst-we

RECONCILIATION,

111

have ^rot an hour's hush, we have got a day of opportunity
—how short— and God says he has appointed a day in
which He will judge the world by that Man whom He has
ordained, A day fixed, a day appointed, a moment set, and
see what God does now. Forth from his host there flies
ambassador after ambassador, herald after herald, and
what do they repeat ? It is the same story " We as am-
bassadors for Christ beseech you to be reconciled to God."
He might crush the rebel host. He might kill the sinner,
or let him die as the reward of his own sin ; but it is be-
cause it is the day of Grace, because the time is short,
because destruction is imminent; it is this that wants to
send us forward with urgency on our lips and the love of
God a.s our motive power, to beg— not content with one
refusal— to beg men to be reconciled to God who suffered
so much in order that they might be reconciled.

Now, let me try and point out how this reconciliation
is to be effected. There are few things, I say, which men
sometimes more completely misunderstand than the ques-
tion of reconciliation. First of all, when God sends His
messenger to man, man meets God's message with a ready
excuse, I cannot help thinking that very often these
excuses are made— I have not time to designate them to-
night as I wish— these excuses are made because man
does not comprehend his position before God, I do not
think that men understand how the thing really is, or
they would not be so ready to meet God's overtures with
excuses. We will suppose you and I have quarreUed, and
1 am utterly in the wrong. Is it according to any single

^Jr

112

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINOS.

rule of justice or human obligation that you who have
been wronged should eome to me who have wronged you
and say, " Look here, you have wronged me in life you
have wronged me in position, you have wronged me in
home, you have wronged me in heart, but I do beg of you
to be reconciled to me." I never heard of a man who
Bpoke hke that ; it is contrary to all rules of human order
and aflection. Oh, blessed be God, it is not contrary to
Divme order. If it was contrary to Divine order and
Dmne love, I .should have no gospel to preach to you to-
night. 1 his Is what God has done. I tell you the recon-
eihation of the Bible is this; it is not the man seeking
God, but God seeking the man. It is not the simier ga-
thenng up all his moral force, and seeking to cast himself
somewhere near the throne of his Creator, so near that
the voice of his prayer may enter into His ear ; but across
the great gap that sin has widened out between God and
this congregation; it is the great arm of God stretched
down to guilty men; the arm of the wronged to the
wrong-doer ; the arm of the God to the creature, and with
a prayer-^ prayer-He says, "I beseech you be recon-
«led-be reconciled to God." God praying! I know, no
matter what words man may caU to his help, he can give
no Idea of the awful truth that underUes this-God pL-
mg. The King who meets the rebel army, which in jus-
tice-nay, for the good of His creation-He must crush,
shall I say It, humbles Himself to pray. God praying to
smne,. ! Not that He is weak. Oh, that men should
wrong Him thus. I tell you what some foolishly think is

RECONCILIATION. 113

that God is a weak being without moral virtue ; that He
18 one who can be swayed backward and foi-ward by
every prayer; that God is a being in whom love perfect
exists to the detriment of justice perfect. Why, men, see
He would not be God. God is the union of every single'
attribute that man, even in blindness, bows to. Ah men
It IS because we want an excuse for our sins that we' thus'
think of God, and fashion an image of Him to suit our
own Ideas, but I tell you the God of the unconverted
man, who is a being without will, and all mercy is as
much unlike Him a« the fish-god of the Philistines was
Now listen to God's plan a.s plainly as a poor man can
put It before you. I will bring it before you in this way.
I stand before you as a foreigner. What do I mean ? As
an ambassador of a foreigner. I might call scores to wit-
ness m this church that we want to live before you and
speak to you as foreigners, as ambassadors for Christ our
king beyond, our God beyond, our treasure beyond the
ruling power of our lives beyond-ambassadors ' for
Christ, only careful to ask one thing, that the mistiness
ot human utterance may not cloud the love of God's mes-
sage to men. « God was in Christ reconciling the world
to Himself." My friends, how comes it that I, a man
can stand before you to-night and beg you in God's name'
here and now, to be reconciled to a God who is reconciled
to you ? How is it that I can come to you, some of you
who have hardened your hearts against God's message
for the la^t month or two, and say, " Brother, sister, as
the messenger of God, as the accredited messenger of the

114

IONS AND lilBLK R • INGS.

/,', *

' i

Lord Ahnighl^, I beg you be reconciled to God." How is
It? Here is th^. Answer. " God wmi in Ch nst, recon-
cMJing the world to Hi»a. if." Vou say, " That i« .simple."
Not so simple as it looks. I heard some one ask the
question-l had a la<ly say to me in one of your <lrawing-
rooms-'^ Will you explain to me how it is that a just
God could punish an innocent man for the sins of "the
gui ty." and I said-what 1 am content to stand upon-
'That question is put just a.s ignorantly as men put a
question long ago, to which (Jhrist answered, ' Ye err, not
knowing the Scriptures or the power of God.' " I have
heard this reconciliation put in this way : I have heard
a li. .i get .p before a whole lot of children, and say there
was once a little boy in a school who did something
wrong, something he ought not to do, and there was ano-
ther little boy in the same cla^s. who loved him very
much. The bad boy deserved to be punished, but the
good boy never deserved punishment. The latter came
to the master and said, " I love that boy and will be pu-
nished instead of him." What an illustration of God's
work ! I say that t}; 3 master who punished that boy is
not fit for his position. I have heard it put this way—
I hope tlie story is not true— a soldier deserves to be shot
for desertion, and as the sentence is about to be executed,
a comrade steps forth from the ranks and says, " I havj
got no wife or children, and he has a wife and five or six
children dependent on hi I will undergo his punish-
ment.''^ And this man is •.:, ■ aad Jie deserter goes free.
Now, I think any man of or aoa sense v ould caU that

UECONCILIATION.

115

nothing short of simple murder. "Now I come to my
point. If I am to he toKl to-night that the eternal (Joel
took the sins of the human race, an.l iai.l those, sins on
the holiest, purest, most si^oMess an.l heneHcent heing
that ever took the f.rm of man. ami - th.n stan.pe.l and
cruHhe,l tliat n.an innocent, for me guilty, J am not afraid
to say under th. >ye of the G(,d of justice, to-night, that
I would turn from Him as the very incarnation of loath-
some tyi-anny. There is nothing to warrant the thought
in the Word of God. Hear it, " God was in (Christ recon-
ciling the world to Himself." Oh, I would like to sound
the words in the ear of every douhter upon eaith ; let no
"lan presume to say that the innocent suffere.l for the
guilty ; such an exhibition of tyranny is loathsome even
to our semi-conscious ideas of what is right. A^rain I
say men err, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of
God Ah no, it was God in Christ reconciling the world
to rlimself.

There i., a woman ; she leaves her home and joins her
tate to that of a man unworthy of her, and he sinks lower
and lower and lower. You go with n,c to visit that poor
v,n,man a few vears hence, and I point out to you a
»'.".„.„ oated iu a sea^tily-furnishod roo„,, her Hnger,
worn almost to the bone in t.ying to keep her three or
four children and her good-for-nothing husband ; walking
before h.m a.s a godly woman should, and seeking to
.^end her whole life and strength for the good of others
Wha^, do you call it ? I call it one of the most beautiful
exhibitions of God on earth. And yet that wnn.an is

116

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

unjust to herself. What do we reckon the greatest gloiy
of our history ? We look back to the time when a few
men met many, and actuated by thoughts of home and
love of country, these men rolled back a whole host of
enemies. We look back to that time and say, " Long ago
these men met great odds," and we call them heroes. Yet
these men were unjust to themselves. When the plague
wa^ desolating Europe years ago, some Moravian mis-
sionaries went to the pest-houses and asked to be allowed
to enter. The porter at the door said *' No." They went
in a deputation to the officer who had charge of these
places, and said, " May we go into the pest-houses and
mmister to the dying ? " and he said, " If you go in you
must never come out, for to come out would be to breed
the death afresh in the land." The men said, " We are
willing to go in and never come out." And they went in,
grand men as they were, and stood, and ministered, and
prayed, until they too were smitten, and lay down by the
side of the plague-stricken, for the love of Christ, to die
What were they ? Heroes is not a strong enough word
for them. Yet they were unjust to themselves.

I look to the cross, I see there God unjust to himself.
I see God taking my blow, I see God crushed with my
blow, I see God weighed down with my guilt, and I bow
my head and say, " Lord I think I understand more, now
what It means— God was in Christ reconciling the world
to Himself." The King came to bear the punishment of
the rebel, that—his law vindicated, his justice sustained-
He might take the men that cursed Him into the very

RECONCILIATION.

117

bosom of His love. Have I not made myself plain ?
Have I, friends ? I want to, I want every man who
leaves this church to-night to go away conscious of the
fact that if he refuses to be reconciled to God he commits
the most tremendous sin, one that even the devils in hell
cannot commit; for God kneels to him, bows to him,
holds out to him His wounded hands, tells him of the
death-thirst that parched His soul; speaks of the thorns
that tore His brow; speaks of the sad, lonely, forsaken
agony of the cross; tells him there was no one to stand
by and no multitude to cheer when Jesus Christ went
out all alone into the pest-house of humanity and said,
" I will not come forth except I come forth as the com-
plete Saviour of the rebel race." Ah, God was uDJust to
Himself that he might be more than just to you and me.
A dear friend of mine told me of an instance which
happened to a friend of his lately in Scotland. This man
was called by circumstances to be one of the magistrates
of his county. One day, when on the bench, there was
brought before him a batch of prisonera arraigned for
various crimes, and among the rest who should stand
there but an old school-fellow. He was clearly guilty,
and the line was, I think, five pounds or twenty days
imprisonment. The others were all sentenced, and in
regular order sentence was passed on him, but just as the
officer was removing him, the magistrate came down off
the bench, and walking over to his old school companion,
v/hom he had not seen for yeai-s, with tears in his eyes
said, "Will, you are not able to pay, and the law has

118

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

\m«^.

justly sentenced you to pay £5 or undergo twenty days'
imprisonment, but " he said, « I can pay, and as long as I
have got one sovereign you shall not go to prison." He
paid the fine and took his old friend home. There was
nothmg unjust there. Oh, poor shadow of what Jesus
has done. He speaks to you and says, " As long a^ there
was a drop of blood in my body, I determined you should
be saved and won't you be reconciled to me after aU
that ?" Is all the sad agony of the cross to be in vain ?
Is this cross to be in vain ? Are the prayers you have
heard to be in vain ? Are the opportunities you have
enjoyed to be in vain ? Are all the prayers of God's
servants to be in vain ? Is the love of God to be in vain ?
Is my pleading to be in vain ? " We, then, beseech you,"
says St. Paul, "as workers together with Him that you
receive not the grace of God in vain." " Now then," I
take up his word to-night and I say "As though God did
beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye
reconciled to God." ''Now then," Life with its short
fleeting day repeats. " Now then," Death adds. " Now
then," the Saviour would cry to everyone here to-night.
" Now then," and methinks if from that dread land of
the lost which Jesus Christ depicted, a voice could be
heard to-night, with fearful fervency it would echo
through this church, « Now then, as though God did be-
seech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye re-
conciled to God." Brother, put away the obduracy of
the past. Oh my brethren, we are in earnest to-night ;
God praying men, men denying God. As though God

WHAT IS HOLINESS ?

119

did beseech you by us, we beg you not to receive the grace
of God in vain.

WHAT IS HOLINESS ?

'' Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man
shall see the Lord ."—Hebrews xii. 14,

I HAVE been tanking that maybe it would be much easier
to make plain v/hat holiness is to all— of course many
know all about it already— but to make it plain to all by
first touching briefly on what holiness certainly is not.
Here you see, dear friends, is the requisite demanded by
God. We all know that to stand before God clothed in
the imperfect garments of an earthly life means, if this
Book be the revelation of God, to court our own condem-
nation ; but I think that this truth, although equally
important, is not always present in our minds—" without
holiness no man shall see the Lord." It is the part of a
minister who wants to be faithful, not simply to build up,
but also to pull down ; not simply to give life, but to kill
false hope. The subject this morning is a searching one.
Oh, may God grant that each one now here may not have
previously armed himself with any certain determination,
but that each one of us may say, " Lord God, I am willing

tW,?'''''''"^'.^*^^^*]''^'^ *"" ^^^"'' ^^^* *his holiness,
..-a... .hou dost demand of all without exception, is."

First then, we see that holiness is not believinfr on the

120

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

Lord Jesus Christ. It is a very common thing when God's
children are seeking in fulfilment of Christ's command,
which bids them be witnesses to men of what they have
Been, and known, and realized-it is a very common thing
-many will bear witness to the truth of what I say-
when we seek, in love, to bring home as really and as
plainly as we can, God's simple command to believe on
the Lord Jesus, and the necessity of a personal faith in
Him, to be met by this objection, "Dear me, I always have
believed in Jesus Christ, I always have tmsted Jesus
Christ, I always have looked to Him ; I am not such a
bad sinner as all that. Really, you take me to ?3e much
worse than I am. I have never doubted that." Dear
friends, such words are very common, and if they be in
your heart, if not on your lips, this morning,aUow me then,
as your friend, to doubt for you. Believing in these things
--in the Lord Jesus Christ-is not holiness. Believing
m the truth of His mission, believing in the verity of
His person, belief of the doctrines of His grace-these
are not holiness, nor necessarily signs of holiness either ;
but not only so, but how constantly you hear people speak
in something of this sort of way. They say, " I beHeve
that Jesus Christ loves me." Believing that Jesus Christ
loves me, is not holiness. How often you find people who
tancy— It is a very common excuse— that the morality
which circumstances make it possible for them to live in
which they are not tempted to break, as other men have'
been tempted-that the character which they very pro-
perly respect, and other men respect in them— that these

, WHAT IS HOLINESS ? 121

things are holiness. Nothing of the sort. But if I say
another thing ; if I go a little farther, and say forgiveness
01 sms is not holiness, perhaps I may surprise some of
yon. Yet it is true. Forgiveness of sins is not holiness.
May I Illustrate this truth to you from the Lord's own
words You are all conversan' with that parable Jesus
amself uttered of the two debtors. He spoke of a man
who owed his king the enormous sum-which, of course,
he was utterly unable to pay~of ten thousand talents.
And when he had nothing to pay, he fell down before his
lord and begged to be forgiven, with tears and cries, and
his lord had compassion on him, and forgave him the debt.
Hut he had scarcely gone out, when he meets his fellow-
servant, a man with a large family and a wife, who owes
him the pitiful pittance of a hundred pence, and he takes
him by the throat, saying, « Pay me that thou owest."
And the poor fellow falls down before him, with the very
prayer which a moment before was successful on his own
lips " Have patience with me and I will pay thee all:"
but he won't listen, and he hurries him off to prison. See
the charge here. Here is a man distinctly forgiven, yet ut-
terly unholy. Was that man fit for God's presence ? Don't
misunderstand what I say ; I don't believe for a moment
tha our Lord ever intended us to suppose that a man
could be forgiven by God, and then go and act so, but
there wa^ one tremendous truth which Jesus Christ sought
always to bring home with cutting force and condemning
„ r „. .fte xnmd« ui men— tliat without holiness no man
shall see the Lord- that let a man's belief be what it may,

122

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

I iji ^2

and he himself assured that his sins have been forgiven
as that man wa^, if he manifests such an unchristlikJ^
spirit as he did, his whole profession, and belief, and for-
giveness are not worth a cent. This is a solemn truth
wrapped in parable-the same truth as is comprised in
the words I have read, "holiness"- God speaks to each one
here this morning, and says, " Without holiness no man
can see the Lord."

I don't think it necessary for me to dwell this morning
on another point, and say holiness is not mere empty
shallow profession, neither is it necessary for me to speak
of the holiness which some men think is begun at the
font, and continued at the Lord's table. My friends I
don't know whether the thought ever came home to you,
but I know it did to me very solemnly the other day
Christ pronounced in His life of blessing one solitary
curse, a curse all the more peculiar because it was
His onl3. one, and that curse was against a life that had
plenty of leaf and no fruit. God teach us to take it to
heart.

Let me go one step farther, anc^ I stop here. Leaving
sin is not holiness. Dear friends, our time is short, and I
want not a single one who listens to my voice this morn-
ing to go away in doubt so as to be able to charge me at
the day when I have got to render my account, Ind you
yours, and I did not tell you as a minister of the gospel
what God's word was. I tell you on the warrant of this
Book that forgiveness is not holiness. I tell you some-
thing follows from that— to drop sin is not holiness. I

WHAT IS HOLINBBS ? 123

have heard scores of men and women too. when under
strong „„presrion.s of sin, come to a conviction it would be
well for them to turn over a now loaf, and lead a new life ;
but the Bible informs me that is not holiness! There is
a verse which ha« puzzled many of us ; I wiU read it to you •
It IS only too plain when taken in connection with this
subject, then it is easy. " For if they have escaped the
pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the
lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled
herein and overcome, the latter end is wor«e with them
than the l^ginning "-solemn words, mark you. these-
*or It had been better for them not to have known the
way of righteousness that after they had known it t« turn
trom the holy commandment delivered unto them For
1 ha^ happened unto them, according to the true proverb,
the dog ,s turned to his own vomit again, and the sow
that waa washed to her wallowing in the mire." I have
had poor souls coming to me, time after time, in deep dis-
tress, quoting these words. "If after they have escaped the
pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled
therein, etc.. etK=. Oh, --hen you see the context of the
verse the meaning is plain; God is not speaking to his
true child at all. but he is again unmasjcing the hypocrite
who thmks without holiness he can please God Mark
you the difference, " the dog ha^ turned to his own vomit
again." He forsook his food ; he forsook for a time

his habit. This man forsook his drink ; (■- i. >..■ -

cleanness; forsook his Ivimr : forsook

lying

that the

124

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

world, or that I, as a man of the world, could lay my
finger on. But God's eye sinks more deeply than the
outside shell of human purpose, and written in His
JRook is' His definition, the dog will yet return to
his own vomit, and the sow which was washed to her
wallowing in the mire. Why ? the dog wa^ a dog all the
time ; the sow was washed but her nature was not
changed. The nature remained the same, and though
thou take thee ever so much mire and wash thee ever so
much, thy nature cannot be changed by such procedure.
Dear friends, these verses are very plain. They bring
before us this morning that there may be some who have
forsaken sin, and yet have not got that holiness without
which no man can see the Lord.

I have tried to make plain whatholiness is not; allow me
to point out what holiness is. Allow me to go back for
a moment. There comes a crisis, and we call that
crisis birth. Now, after birth, life springs, and of course-
it is absurd—no one would think of supposing life is with-
out a beginning. Apply this to spiritual things. I find run-
ning as red threads,all through the Bible-I find two gieat
truths. I think I have adverted to them before— the new
birth and the new life. Of course you cannot have the new
life beforethe new birth,andyou cannot have the newbirth
without the consequent of new life. God teaches me this;
He not only brings these two truths before me in a man-
ner so plain that there is no possibility of mistake, if we are
willing to learn, but he embodies these two truths in two
beautiful figures. As long as the Church of Christ remains

WHAT IS HOLINESS?

125

the Church of Christ, until she becomes Hi., bride, we
may clearly apprehend that God makes two great things
necessary-the new birth and the new life. I will try to
make lus plain, just a« I pass-I say holineas is the
birth of the new life. Holiness is a. much the evidence
I have got the new life as the palpitation of the bre,«t
this mormng, and the breath we draw is distinct evidence
we have got earthly life. Will you bear this in mind for

a tZCf J ™^ '''"" ""^ ^"^ ^""^ Ch.^st deals with
a truth of the very last importance-makes it so plain
no one can misunderstand it-can we do better than use
his own ,1 ustration. I say the new birth is to be clearly

down r t ^ ''I ^™""'"' "■''* «<^ ^ handed
down to H.S Church for all time. Let us look at it in

this light for a moment-this new birth. We will eo
back into the apostolic day, and see how the thing began
A man comes to the apostle under conviction of sin. The
Spirit of God, moving over the face of the crowd, listen-
ing to the apostle's afternoon discourse, has smitten his
heart. He comes convinced and affected. He comes to
the apostle and says, " Sir, sir"-the oft-repeated cry-" I
would be a Christian." The apostle asks him, " What do
you believe ? Do you believe on Jesus Christ » " The
man says, ' I do, and I desire to know more about Him "
The apostle goes on to tell him-" Christ died, and His
death was sufficient to put away aU this guilt which has
polluted your life and soul, and the Lord Jesus rose in
^--.. .»„t V.UU accepted His sacrifice. He is now in
glory, hvmg there as your representative and advocate, tg

126

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

cleanse away your daily guilt ; and once agaia the Lord
has appointed a day in which He will judge the workl by
this Man, whom he has ordained in righteousnesH. Dost
thou believe He is the Son of God ? " The man says,
" Sir, I do." The apostle says, " What proof would you
give me of your belief ? " The man says, " I desire, sir,
to be baptised." " Dost thou know what this means ?
Hast thou considered what follows from this?" "I
have." '■■ It means," then the apostle will go on to de-
scribe what putting his hand to the plough means—" it
means, that from this time, thou dost take Christ to be
thine own Saviour, and pledge thyself, by Christ's
strength, not to look back. It means that thou, oh man,
ii" it may be necessary, give up thy home ; bid good-by
to thy children ; leave thy wife. It means to forsake
the world. It means that thou must leave the crowd,
and come and join our band, few in numbers, and des-
pised in degree. It means that for good and bad, for life
or death, for time or for eternity, thou shalt cast in thy
lot with Jesus Christ. Are you willing ? " And the
man would come forward and say, " Before this crowd,
sir, I am." Then the apostle would take him down int(i
the water, and there submerge him in the flood, saying,
" I baptise thee into the name of the Father, and th^'e'
Son, and the Holy Ghost. Thou dost descend into this
water a Jew, Gentile, or a Scythian, or a Roman
or a Greek— such as the case may be; thou risest
up no longer Jew, Gentile, or barbarian, bond or free, but
before and above them all, a new man in Christ Jesus.

^ WHAT IS HOLINESS? 127

The old lifo is gone, buried, buried in Christ, and the new
-rising m union with its Divine Head-is to live for-
ever. ' Do you see liow forcible was the illustration ?
Do you see how impossible for a man to misunderstand
the eleai-ness of the severance which now. forever, divided
him from the old life, and the old sin.

Now. we have done with the past, and I come right
down to you, my dear friends, this morning. As our time
grows very short together, and I n.ust account to God for
my message, and you must account to God for your recen-
ion of that message, I a.k you a question. I ask you. in
the sight of God. has that mighty change been wrought
m you ? I don't ask you, this moiling, whether you
have had impressions. I know many of you have had
impi-essions I have seen your faces enough to know that.
Ah. God, I know more-I know some of you have killed
your impressions. You are not so much impressed now
a^ you were a month ago. When this mission which I
began here, in God's strength, first struck your soul you
were well frightened-now you are not half so much im-
pressed, for the impression is killed. I don't ask you if
you have had impressions. There are some of you who
are wasting your life in alternate fierce wrestling and
struggling with the sin that crushes you down " What
waste, sir; do you call that waste ? " I do I will tell
you what follows it. There follows a long, lethargic, dead,
selfash, feehngless interval, when I sink down down
down, away from impressions, and then, again, sin makes'
new inroads on my soul, and I wake up, and say, " Thi^

128

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

is horrible, this sin vvrill crush me, this temptation will
damn me." Life, I say, is wasted. Why? Because thou
art seeking to deal with the branches of thy life, when
God would deal vith its root. I mean it must have its
commencement, this life of holiness ; it must have its
beginning. Poor, doubtful soul, thrown backwards and
forwards, and bent hither and thither, like the reed by
the brook side, every j)assing influence sways thee. I
come along, you are swayed by my word ; a worldly man
comes along— there you go, bent by his breath. Ah,
waxen hearts, subject to every impression. God speaks
to you, and says, " Holiness— without holiness no man of
you can see the Lord." Ah, that is not the way to get
it ? Man, bring to Christ thy nature, root and branch ;
bring to Christ this life and heart ; put these in His
hand ; it is thy only chance.

Briefly, in conclusion, what is this holiness ? I think I
have tried to make it pretty plain ; it is the breath, it is
the life, it is the consequent flowing from this— it is the
thing that comes most natural to me after I have received
the Lord Jesus Christ. To put it into one word, it is just
this God who sees me, knows, although there are many
things that are necessary to me— though there are many
things which in the natural course of affairs I love dearly
—He who sees our hearts knows that Jesus Christ is
infinitely more necessary than one of His gifts, or all of
His gifts put together ; and so I ask thee this morning
not whether thine attainment in holiness is great— not
whether thine attainment in holiness is long— it may

WHAT IS HOLINESS ?

129

iptation will
BecauHo thou
y life, when
lust have its
ist have its
;k wards and
the reed by
lya thee. I
vorldly man
)reath. Ah,
God speaks
s no man of
! way to get
iid branch ;
lese in His

I think I
jreath, it is
8 — it is the
ve received
d, it is just
i are many
e are many
love dearly
is Christ is
ts, or all of
is morning
great — not
g— it may

have begun but an hour back, but dear child of God, I
would put to thee a loving question, and say— Can you
join hands with us ; do you know Jesus Christ is neces-
sary to you? Very reverently I would remind you
that the Bible describes this new life under the illustra-
tion of a woman passing into a new life as she gives her
heart and hand to her husband. I tell you that this
beginning of the new life is the giving up of the heart to
Christ to be the husband of the soul, and reverently the
lines may be quoted as describing the relation of the
Church to Christ ;

" On her husband's arm she leant,

And round her waist she felt it fold ;
And far across the hills they went,
In that new world which is the old."

Ah, God knows, how new, and yet how old— all thingg
new, and yet the old just the same. No one knows it but
the heart that has listened to the whisper of the Saviour's
love, and leaning on His arm has faced life with new
strength, new joy, new power, for Jesus Christ is the
centre and its sun. Dear friends, when this holiness is
begun, Jesus will tend its tender shoots. I don't ask
whether the tree ha^ budded into life— has yet brought
forth much fruit— we cannot have the fruit before the
blossom, but this is holiness, and Jesus Christ, who gave
the tender shoot life will train and tend it for Himself.
And now, briefly, I must ask you, dear friends, to ask

vourselves anr»fh*»r nnoo+iVn WKo* « xv _ • i _

^ -i _.- — i„_i — 1 '|.iv.juitrii. vv nau aiu tut; eviaences of

this life ? If this holiness which God demands is mine,

|^<jk8k

)tn^^i4K!;>%,pfc,^^

130

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

what ai-e its evidences ? I say, first of all, fixity of pur-
pose IS its evidence. The most rapturous sensations, the
most fervid spiritual experiences, the most lusty prayers
and hymns-all these things are not necessary evidences
of holmess. If I am holy, they will be there, but what a
holy man must be, is a man of fixed purpose ; a man not
singmg a psalm to-day and a dirge to-morrow, but a man
who, whether the sun shines or not, whether the wind
blows cold or warm, or whether the dogs of earth bark at
his heels-a man who goes forward ; a man or woman who
wiU catch up the apostle Paul's words and say " Lord
God I am thine, and Thy work is the one thing that I
wish to do."

There is another evidence, and a necessary one, that is
self-denial. I tell you the man who goes on living for
himself-who makes self the centre round which all the
Lots of the twenty.four hours of the day and the twelve
months of the year revolve-is not a holy man, and can-
not see life. Dear young friends, let us trample down at
the very beginning the rank weeds of self-love, for with-
out this self-denial men cannot be holy.

A tender conscience is evidence of holiness. I have
had people come to me and say, " I am afraid, sir, I can-
not be growing in grace." I say " Why ?" They say
" Bec^iuse I think I am worse than I was last year " If
I could bring light into this room-if I could bring a
stream of sunshine through the western windows, I ven-
ture to say you would see more dust floating through the

air S/^ H- ia TVs'- -t'-i t i « .

inu moiM X know oi am, my conscience

flir

WHAT IS HOLINESS V

131

Will become the more tender. Sin that before I could
commit with impunity is now hateful to me. Mark you
hese are not my ideas; I give them to you ^ God's
irutn. •

There is one thing more, holiness is reverent. Do you
say perfect love ca,teth out fear ? It is true; but friends
we Uve in days where there is a great deal too much fa-
nuhanty taken with the name of God. I don't like to
hear people add words like " dear » to the Saviour's name
1 dont hke to hear people talk with a laugh, or smile'
about those who have believed on the name of the Son of
Ood Why, man, it is an mmiortal aet-uothing to talk
hghtly aboui Yes, Oldand New Testament join in one.
Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to an-
other, and the Lord hearkened, andhea.-d it, and a book
of remembrance was written before Him, for them that
feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And
they shaU be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in (hat day
when I make up jewels, and I will spare them as a man
spareth hu, own son that serveth him." We want more
holy fear, we want more of that which prompted John
when he beheld Him on whose breast he was wont to lean
his head-when he saw Him clothed in the majesty of the
Eternal he fell at His feet as dead. We want more of
that. Yes that holy, reveimtfear, coupled, asitmustbe
with true love, is one of the best evidences of the ..rowth
of the soul in holiness. ''

lastly, I think if we are growing thi.s fI.o ]■.== ^~a i-,,
and less can we trust ourselves. Oh, for more of this holy

132

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

I
}

self-distrusfc— a. distrust that seeks not to be occupied with
self at all, but leans on the infinite trustfulness of its Lord.
I ask you to apply these words to your own hearts. Dear
friends, I have done my best by u^ing plain Scripture texts
to force you into a very corner this morning ; I demand
from you an answer. Have you got that holiness with-
out which God says no man can see the Lord. I am afraid
in spite of all that I can say, or do, or pray, some of you
will stiU avoid the question. May God the Holy Ghost,
this morning, from His quiver, drive arrows into the heart

and rankle them in the conscience of every unholy in

this sense— soul, and give you no rest until you know the
budding beauty of this life. Mark you— don't go away
misunderstanding me— a man is not holy in order that he
may be born again ; a man is not holy in order that he
may be saved. He is holy because he is born again ; he is
holy because he is saved, and I utterly and entirely refuse
for a moment to believe that any man can for an hour
trust Christ, and not feel it. A man who knows the quick-
ening power of the new birth shall know and evince to
others the transforming power of the new life.

Oh, dear friends, is Jesus necessary to you? Is Jesus
necessary to you ? Answer the question to Him, and may
God bless you for His sake.

It '%.
If r

WHAT IS HOUNESS ? 133

WHAT IS HOUNESa-CoNTiNCED.

iTz ^ Mr^"* *^ "^^ ^"-"^^^ ^ '^^ I "»>«' throw.

ifyou w,li aUow me, more or less into a Bible reading
I waat to treat this subject from two or three poTntrf

fn a ZtrT^ ,!^" ' " " *''^-^ '^l' J-' -I-^t i'
Th^s hohness wh.ch is not simply a desirable thing, but

has Its beg.nn.ng m eveiy child of God, in the transform-
at.on whach G.d calls the new birth. Now pr vZ
Sunday evenings we have talked together about the si
ect of righteousness, and before I say anything about
th.s subject of holiness, I would say a word or tto to
guard agamst the views of these two things ve.y X
taken by people who think righteousness and 1^1
a. necessarily the same thing. I think I can ma^:!
plam to you m one word. Righteousness is, of course
he perfect covering with which Jesus Chri t provide!'

Z'Ztrr *** '™^*^''-.*e righteou'nelf
Ood unto all and upon all that believe. Holiness unon

;: !^ 5ri' ' 'ir-'-' °^ •^-^-^ '^- ">'^-

.o» If I nave that righteousness of Jesus Christ
without me, I know I havegot the Spirit of God wHhL

134

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

Im^

me, and just as really as the righteousness of Jesus covers
my deformities, just so really does the Spirit of God con-
quer my disease ; just so really does this mastering power
of life within, move, dwell in, change and command the
man. Will you look with me, now, carrying these few
thoughts in your minds, to 2 Corinthians, 6th chapter.
This sixth chapter deals most practically with the ques-
tion of holiness, and if, in your Bible, when you have got
leisure, you draw a line at the end of the first verse of the
seventh chapter, you will have the division where it
ought to be made ; it is a great mistake to cut off the
first verse of the seventh chapter from the last of the
sixth; ' We then as workers together with Him, beseech
you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."
Now, Paul is not here at all speaking of the work in
which v/e hope to stand eternally complete before God ;
^hat is def=onbed in the latter verses of the chapter pre-
vious. He has described how Jesus Christ has already
reconciled God to us, but he says, on the reception of this
truth, there begins at once another sense of responsibility,
putting it this way— just so soon as my responsibility ai^
a culprit to God's law ends, just so soon my responsibility
to God as a son begins. My friends, this is holiness.
Holiness is— just let me repeat it again, for the sake of
clearness, as far as I can make it plain ; it is this— Holi-
ness is the natural consequent of a man's being a worker
with God. Holiness must follow where the life of God
exists in the soul ; just as really as if life be in this body,
the breath must come backwards and forwards and the

WHAT IS HOLINESS ?

135

lungs heave. The one proves I live physically ; the other
proves that Christ's life within me is a spiritual reality
J3ut the Apostle here at once brings us to look at this
subject in a very practical way. « We then as workers
together with Him." Ah, friends, he reminds us that
the holiness of God is a practical power, he reminds us
just so soon a^ a man apprehends his position as a saved
soul, he also sees that there lies stretched before him the
plane of a great life work. Turn with me for a moment
-we must be very rapid here-to the latter part of the
same chapter, the sixteenth verse, and read these well-
known words. "And what agreement hath the temple of
W with Idols, for you are the temple of the living God
83 God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them'
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people "
See now the power-I beg you to notice it-see the
power which God says exists in the soul of every man
who IS a fellow-worker with God. You say, « That is all
Gods work-there is nothing about a fellow-worker
there. A fellow-worker carries with it the idea of two'
worker.; of work done yoke and yoke." You say,
That has all got to do with God," etc., etc. If you ask
how we are to do the work, if we are not fools and blind
we will put our hands on our breasts, and say we have'
got one single hope of doing it; listen to it: Our God
hath said, '' I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and
I will be their God, and they shall be my people." But
18 that all? Mav wp fliAn li« H'%'— » ^- i i-> " ^

T^ 1 XXI. n " ^^^ ''" «iotnrui ease.

Look at the first verse of the seventh chapter, " Having

136

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

fj •

therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, per-
fecting holiness in the fear of God." Don't you see fel-
low-working here ? If God's grace dwells in me, and has
saved me from damnation, every bit of manhood in me—
every bit of honesty in me — every bit of moral power at
once asserts itself on the side of Christ. Christ quickens
the being, before dead, and having this promise, the glory
of which bums brighter and brighter as I gaze, I think—
I say I will cleanse myself "from all filthiness of the
flesh and the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of
God." Do you see what this means ? It does not mean
God leaves us to struggle on constantly, beaten down by
repeated failures. It means the man comprehends he
has got all the treasure of God to back him up in the
speculation ; when he is called to confront the powers of
sin within and without, he is backed up by the almighty-
ness of God. Do you remember what Paul says ?— I was
speaking to a friend of mine the other day about Paul's
relation to his body. He says, " I keep under my body
and bring it into subjection," and when you look into the
original there, the language used is, I was almost going
to say grotesque in its forcefulness. The word is this,—
" I beat my body black and blue." It is the idea of a
man with an iron ceatus, such as they used to fight with,
beating his adversary, and that his own body. There is
an enemy to be met and to be beaten, and I make bold
to say if a man does not beat his body, his body will
beat him, and therefore as a fellow-worker with God he

WHAT IS HOLINESS ? 137

cleanses himself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfectmg hohness in the fear of God

anif 'V"' ^"^ "* '""■''"^ "* ■' ' ^ """^t °°^ P'^ to
another. Turn to the Epistle to the Ephesians iv., twenty-

second and twenty-fourth verses. I leave you to consider

this passage at your leisure ; you can get a great deal

more out of it than I can bring before you to-nijht. Hei

« the process, if I might so call it. of holiness described.

That you put ofl^ concerning the former conversation, the

old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts

and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you

put on the new man which after God is created in righte-

rrh Tpk'™:. '""'"""" ^»" '"• ^- *«- **? the

growth of Chnstian holiness is described in two ways -I
have been thinking of words to express it and I camiot
find any better than these, " vivification " and "mortifi-
^tion A double act is here spoken of. Says the apos-
tles, I put ofi-," and " 1 put on." I was walking out in the
coimtiy last Saturday, on a beautiful road near Toronto
and I thought I saw an apt illustration of this. I think
the leaves in the autumn in this country are almost incom-
p«able m their beauty, but as soon as spring time comes,
I don t think on all nature's face there is anything more
unsightly than an old leaf, adhering to the bmnch of a
tree that ought to be clothing itself ite young green. How
olten you see that. You see a tree beginning to send out
Its tender shoots, and yet on the topmost branches, there
are these old withered leaves. The snows have fallen •
the frosts have nipped ; but aU the extraneous powers of

Ids

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

nature have not been able to tear off these leaves. How
do they go ? I bring you into the forest two months hence,
and I defy you to show me an old leaf. What has hap-
pened to them ? Has a mighty tempest laid bare the
tree ? Ah, no, but there has been a quiet power at work,
mark you, and though it has been quiet it has been irre-
sistible. There is the power,— the new life has run up
the veins of the tree, and under the new influence of the
spring-tide it has put forth the bud, the tiny twig, and
then the leaf, until on all the great oak I defy you to
show me one unsightly leaf. Don't you see, my frientls,
the new life presses out the old ; don't you see that you
put off ;— and how, my God, shall I put off? Only by
putting on. That is the reason. Men ask how man can
be holy ;— here is the answer : Let the Lord Jesus work
His holy will. Men ask, « how can I get rid of these ur-
sightly sins that have deformed my life, and eaten into
my very being ? " Man, put on Jepus Christ, and trust to
the glorious vitality of the eternal life to press off the old
leaves of sin, I tell you He will do it. Thus only can His
people grow in holiness.

There are two ways in which sin is spoken of in the
Word of God, clearly It is spoken of as a matter of guilt,
and a matter of disease. Now the blood and righteousness
of Jesus, have got to do, don't you see, with the guiltiness
of sin, and the spirit of Jesus Christ has got to do with
the disease of sin. May I make this as plain a^ I can, in
this way. We will suppose that in this City of Toronto,
a man is condemned to death for murder. His case is so

WHAT IS HOLINESS ? 139

absolutely bad that a reprieve is out of the question I
»ake my way into hi., cell with a friend of mine, a doctor
W \ T,°"""' " "^"verous expre.,aion on the man's

narrt Halloa, I say, •■ there is something wrong here
-■thrn," My friend examines the man and sayste h^'
not s« months to live, he is dying of consumptio":. Sup

p« It wa. possible for any exercise of me«,/to gain th!t
man s hfe fr„„ the hangman's rope, I should feel it wa« a

hopeJ„c.se of power in one way ; I should feel I
was work ng agamst an irresistible power-let me save

iy mv ; t:' ™^" '"^ '•'^- " ' ^'' *» *"''* ■»- -d

«ay, my poor fellow, you are going to die in six months

prescnbe for yon, we want to make you better. •' Whv

We.'-'*^'; "^°" "^ '"'^"""^ ^ »-» condemned to te
taged m a fortnight. Why if yo„ heal my disease, you
wont save mv npck" Tt ;„ -n . > j""

hpnHn„ *!, T *" nonsense to talk about

healing the disease of a man's sin. untU his life is saved
Blessed be God we live and die,-living and dying pro
claiming this fact, that the blood of Jesus Christ God's
Son. and death of Jesus Christ, our substitute befor; God
saves the sinner's neck once and forever. But he also
^ Is you, aa truly as Christ saves a man's neck. He heals
his disease. Doyou think He would leave the man in the
dun^on. whose life He has saved at the sacrifice of Hil
own J I remember well hearing, on the east coast of Eng-
lana. a dear rnn" />* ^-r! —,- - t - °

1 . ,/" ^'^ """^ "^y •— "^ was forty-two years

leammg three things ; firat of all that I could^o nothTng

140

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

for my own salvation, next that God didn't want me to
do anythmg for my own salvation,-that was number
two ; and the third thing that brought me peace, was this,
Jesus Christ has done everything for my salvation. Every-
thmg, thank God. But, you say " Wait, I must not simply
know.-I must not simply understand that this guiltiness
ot mine has been met once and forever, but I must know
sir, how I am to have these daily defilements washed
away. I cannot be holy until I see this. I hate sin God
knows-I loathe it, God is my witness, but then I cannot
help It. With every breath I draw ; before I know it my
eyes have sinned; my tongue has sinned; my thought
ha. .mned." Let me then point out to you this simple
truth-we have not dwelt on it very much together-God
has made a distinct provision for the daily cleansing of
His people's guilt a. He has made for their eternal delive-
rance from impending judgment. I wiU ask you, a. I said
we were going to have a Bible reading to-night, to turn
rapidly to a paragraph in tlie thirteenth chapter of John
which brings this truth beautifully before us. I will read
the Imes : " Now before the Feast of the Passover, when
Jesus knew that His hour was come, that He should depart
out of this world unto the Father,"-notice the beautiful
description of death, that is what our death shall be to
depart out of this world unto the Father-" having loved
His own He loved them unto the end. And supper being
ended the de.il having now put it into the heart of
Judas Iscariot, Simoa's son, to betray Him. Jesus know-
^ -a_ .!„, . a„n^r had given all tnmgs into His hands.

WHAT IS HOLINESS ?. j^j

just see what He did with those hands -"and th^f H«
come frnm H^ 1 i ""ua, anci that He was

™® nom Cfod, and went to God. He risoth fr^,«

wmch God had given everything-" and to wipe them
w.th the towel, wherewith He was girded. Then coleth

Z.\^Zy til t ''*^' ""'" """' «""■ ^-^^^
what Tl *r , "^''"^ '"'''^^«<' '^'"1 »'<! «nto him

myZT T ''"'■ ^"^ "»*» Him, Thou shalt never wash
my leet. Jesus answered him if t t. ^i

H-nopartinMe."M:krh;:;irvVriLt!;:

fett; h t " ?"""" ^^'^^ -^'^ -*« Him. wd n„r:;

his fee but '' '''"''' "^''''* "»' ^'^^ to ^"^h

dear af 7.! l ^""' *'"* '""''^^ *"^ *™* J-' as

ttle vel The T ;r "^ ''"' '"'"^ '^^'^ "t
tnese verses The Lord Jesus Christ wants to teach His

d.sc.ples the lesson that is contained in these words "h!

that as washed, needeth not save to wash his feet butll

dean every whit" The eastern illustration at nee ^

wit iitoTh'Tf. '" *' '^'' "''^" "- l-fed, they
nTess^ f;^'^-'->m ; there they took an entire bat{
necessary, of course, more especiaUy in the east. Then
the man came out of the bath-room back again into the
robu.g-room, and you wiU see aknn.« i„ .w "- V
Climate in the pa^e from th^ ^ Wall; rZ

142

SEIUCONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

where he was robed, his feet would contract defilement,
and the consequence was, in the room where they were
robed, there was basin and water and towel, to wash the
feet. Before the Passover the Jews always washed, and
the disciples had probably, that day, each had the cus-
tomary bath, and now the Lord Jesus comes to them and
says, " They that are washed don't need to have the head
or hands washed again, but are clean, every whit, but they
do need to have their feet washed. Now, friends, we sit
together to-night, in two classes, — ^as those who have been
plunged in the fountain of Christ's ])lood, once for all, and
become new creatures in Christ Jesus, or as old and resist-
ing the appeal of God. Don't you see the direct bearing of
this passage on our present statement ; it's just there. If
God has washed us from our sins in Christ's blood, if that
fathomless fountain of His love has covered up all the
guiltiness, known and unknown of the past, what do we
need ? Ah, in taking the journey from that bath towards
the place vvhere we shall be robed in His glory you will
bear me witness the feet often get defiled. Like pilgrims
we journey into meadows where we have no right to bt ,
howbeit the feet get dusty and soiled. God says that just
as tifty times in the day the Jewish priest of old had to
go to the laver, and there dip his feet and remove the
assoilment of service, just so has Jesus provided means
whereby we may have our feet washed. I know I want
mine washed — we all want ours. Let us think then of
the girded Saviour, waiting every day, waiting every
hour, waiting to vvash the aoouiliuent of earth Ixoiu off M

WHAT 18 HOLINESS ? 143

Zwd M. T" *" "" ^"■"'e'''' It is in this way
fl W f T- "' '*' '"'"'''' '"■""^ fr"-" "' the daily de^

wiU, the conscouBness of sin unconfessed upon him And

hi'! , I '■" f^y^-ti""^' comes, but lift up your

as ejaculatorv prayer to God is not consistent with your

■ ^r *1 ""^ '° " '•'e'-' '*^*- ^ith God i you arc far

yZm^"'' "' "'^^^''P- ^-' "•; 'holing: ^

out the . : *'^- ^ '' '^ ™""«'' f» »■« to breathe
out the Wish of my soul in ejaculatory p^yer to God
ju.t so soon as I am conscious of sin. I LLi .ht S
but not so near that He will not draw .ue nearer So
He comes and oijers Himself to us. to-aigh, to Z^ Z

^h m! ? • . ^ """''' "^ ^^"^ *^ ^-* Thy feet
M^h h^W tears, and wipe Them with the hairs of my

oeaa , dost Ihou wash mv fef^t, ? " r «rv, xi

1.1- I -^ '^ • ^ s-tti sure therp a 10

denied fhee, this day I have forgotten Thee." I am sure
he e are others would say. "Lord God, this holy temp
of hme m which Thou dost condescend to dwell I have
dehled. I have defiled the temple of the Holy Ghost by
vie s,n. dost Thou wa«h my feet ? " And methinks the,^
are some othe.. who say, "Pans,, yet again, good Sr^'

Look at my feet, they are not the' feet

of youth, I have

fi'J

144

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

spent the best years of my life in self-service, and Lord,
these feet of mine are now worn out with age, wilt Thou
take and wash such feet as these ; such feet with little
more strength or power ? " And the Lord says to each
one — Oh, brethren dear, I would have you hear His voice
—the solemn words, " If I wash thee not, thou hast no
part with Me." Oh, I am convinced to-night that in each
one of our consciences there is this certainty— that there
is in each one of us something low. Let me describe it as
illustrated here by the feet—the lowest part of the man .
—who does not know there is something low, something
bad, something vile above the common vileness, deep
down in his being. I am conscious of some temptation
that drags me down, some terrible sin that already again
and again and again has led me captive. Bring that to
Christ to-night, it is thy foot. Christ will wash this
lowest part of thee. But, oh, I do feel— God is my wit-
ness I feel the urgency of Christ's word., To-night has He
said, " If I wash not that lowest part of thee, thou hast
no part with Me." Young man, keep back no comer of
your heart from God. Oh, soul, keep back no single in-
terest of thy life from God, for down in the depths of thy
being Jesus Christ demands to be allowed to wash thee.
After a time of great trial, Luther tells us he was
seeking rest in sleep, and he saw, as sleep came to him, in
his dream, he saw Satan standing at the foot of his bed.
And Satan jeeringly said to him, " Martin, thou art a
pretty Christian. Hast thou got the impudence to as-
sume that thou art a Christian ? " " Yes," said Martin

WHAT IS HOLINESS ?

145

" I am a Christian, Satan, because Christ has allowed me,
as any sinner may, to come to Him." " What," said Satan,'
" thou a Christian ? Thou art a pretty Christian, Martin,
see what thou hast done !" And Satan took a roll, and
began to unroll it, and there, at its head, Martin Luther
saw some sins set down that had passed away into the
dim distance of childhood; he had forgotten them.
Martin shrank as it struck his sight, but the roll was un-
rolled, leaf after leaf, foot after foot, and to his horror he
saw sin after sin he never knew anything about at all,
written down there, complete in every detail, an awful
list, and in his dreams, he says, the sweat of mortal
agony stood on his brow. He thought, « In truth, Satan
has got right on his side— can such a sinner as this be
just with God ? " He said, « Unroll it, unroll it," and
Satan jeeringly unrolled it, and Luther thought it would
never end. At last he came nearly to the end, and in
desperation he cried, "Let us see the end." But as the
last foot of the paper rolled out he caught sight of some
writing, red as blood, at the foot, and his eye caught the
words, "The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleansed us
from all sin," and the vision of Satan floated away, and
Luther says he went to sleep. Ah, yes, dear friends, that
is it— the Saviour ever deigns to wash away even the
unknown defilements of His child's soul— the blood of
Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.
I have kept you nearly long enough, but if you will

suffer me for a mnnnfinf nv i.wn rn'^rp qo T par'•^'^^ '-

refer to the subject. What is it that keeps us back from
J

146

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

holiness ? Big things, many ; smaller things, more. If I
was to go round, and take a census of this congregatioii
to-night, while I should find probably some scores of
young men, and a score of young women, who have been
kept back from Christ by open sin, I should find hun-
dreds who have been kept back from Jesus Christ by little
sms. I should find hundreds of Christians whose useful-
ness is completely destroyed, not by great vilenesses, but
by little sins. Let me address one word to you, and for-
give me if I raise a smile. I remember being very much
amused in Philadelphia, by hearing a little fellow, who
was speaking to his mother about these things. She was
reading to him, in some chapter of the Bible, about Satan,
and the little fellow said, " Mother, I think if I saw the
big devil I should be airaid, but if I saw a little devil I
would knock the stuflSng out of him." Pardon me, I
have got a point, it is this— there are large sins which we
all see the need of conquering, but there are small sins
which we turn careless ear to, because we think we can
conquer them whenever we choose. White ants will eat
a carcase clean sooner than a lion. I tell you it is these
small sins that eat away the very heart of our Christian
life. Beware of these little inconsistencies ; these small,
white lies, these little trifling acts, these little words
spoken almost before we know — ah, dear friends, it is
these little things that kill others, and kill ourselves. I
pray you think no sin too little to come in very humble
confession to Jesus Christ about, for, mark you, this holi-
ness is something which if a man has not got, he cannot

WHAT IS HOLINESS ?

9, more. If I
congregatioii
•me scores of
ho have been
lid find hun-
hrist by little
vhose useful-
ilenesses, but
you, and for-
g very much
fellow, who
»s. She was
about Satan,
if I saw the
little devil I
ardon me, I
ns which we
e small sins
hink we can
mts will eat
u it is these
iir Christian
these small,
little words
riends, it is
urselves. I
ery humble
u, this holi-
^, he cannot

147

iW ? ^"'^ ^ ^' ""^^y ^*^ *^« '^'^Sht solemnly
impressed upon your minds-he cannot see the Lord It
- proof he is not God's child, if he i. not holy It' is a
proof he ha. not known the new birth, if hi do not
evmce.t bythenewHfe. We want this holiness ts^Tk
or Chnst. I beg and pray you go home and think, "Has
there been holiness in my drawing-room on tha day
when my v.sito. called." Is there "Holiness to the

thetalkT r''^'^^^"^ I don't ask whethe

the talk there is about Christ; I don't a.sk whether the

question there is whether high n. ,^ ehurcht most de
sirable Idon't ask whethe talk runs about what

good this or that minister has done>-I tell you peopllge
sick of hearing that repeated; it is just as senses I
whos engaged to who. Let us see traced in your d"Iw
mg-rooms, " HoUness to the Lord."

Is the holiness of your life seen in your family is it
seen in your stores, behind your counter ? I asktLf
your home now You come here aad make a great pro
fession. I want to a.k you this^o you think Tf tho"
young people under your charge, as Christ regards men
Have you a Christ-like spirit towards them ? I TaJ

thing ,3 just useless; we want to do what Christ did-

W ' Jl"'."' '^'^ ^"^ *^^^ -^ ^- -ul through his
body Why, ,, i3 , ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^ ^^^^ gh his

andstaiid here every Sunday morning, I have 5ot t^
speak to scores of vmjr.,. j^^^ L. ^ ^' _^® ^^^ ^

^ --j.,g m^x. and women, and I have got

148

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

opposed to my words the lif^-long, the week-long incon-
sistencies of their employer^, who are members of this
church, and deacons of that. You may be a religious
man, but your religion does not appear in your business.
Why, I have known men who would give fifty thousand
dollars to a church, and yet these very men have re-
fused to give the young people in their stores seats to sit
down, and kept girls standing up behind their counters
from nine in the morning till ten at night because they
thought they were a little smarter by it. It is time to
recognise such glaring inconsistencies in the lives of pro-
fessing Christians. What do you expect ? You take
young men or young women ; you keep them six days
out of the seven at the counter from eight in the morning
till nine or ten at night, and then you lift up holy hands
in pious horror because they go to the devil on Sunday.
What do you call that? Is that the way Christ took
care of people's souls ? Such things are a shame. Let
us commend the religion of Jesus Christ, if we have got
nothing of it, to others, then, by a consistent life.

Sister, you commend the religion of Jesus Christ to
your brother at home, who thinks religion is only fit for
women and girls ; you prove to him it can change a girl.
And mothers, prove to your husbands and children at
home the reality of your religion; prove it to your
friends, who think there is a certain twang of profession-
alism about all we say, and who think we preach and
pray E<t so many dollars an hour — -though with a great
deal of truth, I am obliged to confess, for, to its shame be

WHAT IS HOLINESS ?

149

it said, there is an awful amount of professionalism in the
preaching of the gospel— may God keep us from it. I
confess, to-night, there are loads and loads and loads of
us ministers who dare to stand in the pulpit, and God
only knows the terrible retribution of eternity that shall
descend on those men who have not holiness themselves.
And even if our hearts burst from our lips as we speak,
God knows there is many a crack in the church bell.
There is the high sound, the low sound, and the broad
sound. Our brother, the Wesleyan, has one bell he is
very fond of; the Baptist has another he is very partial
to, and sometimes, I think, we in the church fancy we
have got the whole chime. I am not sure we are all of
us right always, but I know this, that the holy, steady,
consistent walk of the Christian life there is no gain-
saying. Let a man see the woman he loves, or the child
he loves, walking before him, and by every act and every
word saying, " Jesus saves me all the time— oh, that my
Saviour were your Saviour too "—there is no getting
away from that. May God, who searches the hearts of
men, search out the depths of these souls of ours to-night,
and Lord, hear us, as we yield ourselves to Thee, and
work in us that holiness without which no man shall see
Thee.

its shame be

150

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

CHRISTIAN WORK.

" The Christian's work in the world is described by three figures
—light, seed, salt."

His use as the light is that he may expel darkness, not
that he may mix satisfactorily with it. We hear now-a-
days of the Church coming down to the world, and the
world coming up to the Church ; but God teaches the
Christian tc live in holy opposition to the world. Do not
misunderstand me ; a man is not to run his head against
every stone wall he can find ! Find out what God's divine
principles are, and then ask God to teach us how to allow
these divine principles to work divinely in us. Oui in-
fluence is not in our being like the world around us, but
in our being wnlike it.

As a law of life, the Christian should ask himself tt ree
questions.

The first question is this — is it lawful ? Turn to 2 Cor.
vi. 14, also vii. 1. Here we have a practical command :
" Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers."
In the light of this command ask, Is it lawful ? This
command is generally referred to marriage, and undoubt-
edly itdoesfirst speakof that. A Christian man has no right
to maiTy an unconverted woman, and a converted woman
has no right to marry an unconverted man. As Spurgeon,
in his own telling way, puts it : " If a woman takes a po-
sition above her husband, if she even stands on the top
of two steps, and reaching out her hands tries to pull him
up, is not the inevitable result that he, being the stronger

three figures

-rkness, not
lear now-a-
Id, and the
teaches the
Id. Do not
ead against
Tod's divine
3w to allow
s. Oui in-
md us, but

mself tt ree

m to 2 C jr.
command :
ihelievers."
ful? This
d undoubt-
las no right
ted woman
} Spurgeon,
iakes a po-
on the top
<o pull him
le stronger

CHRISTIAN WORK.

161

of the two, will pull her down ? " Oh, the miseries of
home where unconverted sons and daughters are thorns
in their parents' sides, and how much of this misery can
be traced back to twenty years ago, when the parents
disobeyed the command of God and were unequally yoked
together.

Marriage is the primary thought, but it is not the only
one ; a Christian has no right to ally himself with an un-
believer in business, in pleasure, in anything where the
union may prove detrimental to his living to God's glory.
Let each man apply this command to his own special case.
The worid only recognises two states— in Christ or out of
Christ ; in Christ and safe, out of Christ and in danger ;
possessed of the Spirit or having noi. the Spirit, and there-
fore nt^ne of Christ's.

Let us look at the things we indulge in, and in the light
of God's word is it lawful? People say they can go to
the theatre and get no harm ; can they sit and look at
the impure plots brought out there, and not be defiled ?
Oh, Christian, would you like the Saviour to come and find
you in such a place ? You have your bright happy home
to return to, and it Trmy he you are not injured by going ;
but there are numbers of young men in this city who have
no home. Your example leads them to the theatre, and
to them it is death and hell ! Can you be guiltless while
you thus lead others astray ? Are you not your brother'^
keeper ? Lord, teach us to do in Thy sight only what is

lawful. The second question for a Christian to ask, is

Does it become a saint ? A saint means a separated one.

152

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

f II

Read Phil, i. 27 : " Only let your conversation be as it be-
cometh the Gospel of Christ." The word " conversation"
suggests the idea of one who is a member of a corporate
body. It is better translated "citizenship." Paul at
Philippi claimed his rights as a Roman citizen, and re-
fused to come out of prison until the magistrates sent and
brought him out. Now he says to these very Philips "ans,
" I walked worthy of a Roman citizen." Remember that
you are citizens of a heavenly country. As such you have
duties and privileges,— won't you try to walk worthy of
them ? Look back to the twenty-first verse of this chap-
ter, and you will find the key-note of a Christian life.
How shall I walk worthy of such a citizenship ? When
you say with Paul, " to me to live is Christ." Come with
me to Philippi. Standing by the port is a merchant; many
of those ships belong to him, and he is taking account of
his goods ; and as he reckons up his vast profits, he says,
" For me to live is gold." Then there passes by a senator,
and gathering up his flowing robes, he casts a contempt-
uous glance on the sordid votary of lucre, as he says, " To
me to live is fame." A young and gallant soldier next
draws near, and feeling himself superior to both, he
proudly says, " To me to live is glory," Then there draws
near, in costly robes, an epicurean, and smiling pitifully
upon these poor toilers, wearing out life, he says, " To me
to live is pleasure." Look at yet another figure, — a poor
old man, with seamed forehead and worn out frame, and
as he gazes upward, a radiant smile lights up the worn
face, and he says, " To me to live is Christ;" aye, and he

CHRISTIAN WORK.

153

be as it be-
iversation"
a corporate
' Paul at
:en, and re-
es sent and
^hilipj 'ans,
ember that
h you have
worthy of
F this chap-
istian life.
p ? vV^hen
Come with
lant; many
account of
ts, he says,
' a senator,
contempt-
says, " To
»ldier next
both, he
bere draws
y pitifully
s, " To me
e. — a poor
frame, and

IriiC w \jTJ1

ye, and he

goes a step further, and adds, "to die is gain." Till a man
knows that he can't walk worthy of his heavenly citizen-
ship. " Only let your conversation be as it becometh the
Gospel of Christ." Friends may go, health may go self
may go, time may go, all may go, only this shan't go !
Only ! There is a time in eveiy man's life when the soul
goes out to something higher; but how often' these desires
are stifled. You say a man must live ! Yes, but he must
die too, and after death comes the judgment. I'd like to
walk worthy, says some one ; and I would be if I were in
any other position than the one I'm in ; but there are so
many difficulties in my way, I can't. Take care, friend,
what you say : you are making God the author of your
sin. Only walk worthy of God's call, let everything else
go. But then, says another, I am just like wax. You
can break flint, you can snap steel ; but I just take the
impression of any one I meet. I am like smoke, blown
by the wind in any direction it pleases. Well, yours is a
bad case, and it may be strengthened by habit. But it is
not too bad for Christ to cure ; look to Him, He can save
you. "He giveth power to the faint, and to them that
hath no might he increaseth strength." « Only let your
conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ."
But I, says another, have done all I can,— I've fought, I've
striven, and I can't walk worthy. My brother, my sister,
are you sure that you have received Christ's life into your
soul at all? First you must breathe Christ's life, then
you can walk to conquer. Very humbly, yet very surely,
I must know that Christ is my life, then, only let my
" conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ."

154

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

' if

13
I if

* 1 1

One poor fellow says, Ah, you don't understand my
case. I am like a cork tossed upon the billows of temp-
tations to which r have made myself a slave so long that
I can't resist the yoke of guilt I have taken upon myself.
I have ruined myself by habit. Poor fellow ! Christ " is
able to save to the uttermost," and that word reaches even
us far away,' as you have let yourself go.

Many lives are like the broken pillars we see in our
cemeteries, fair pedestals, but broken shafts; a fair be-
ginning but a broken end. Only walk as saints. Remem-
ber that to live is not gold, not pleasure, not fame, not
sin, but— Christ. Lord teach us to be willing to be taught
only to walk worthy of Thee.

One step further let us go, as we read Gal. vi. 14;
Crucified with Christ, what does that mean ? Earthly
love no longer dearest, earthly praise no longer sweet,
earthly hopes no longer brightest. We can understand
what it means to have our citizenship in Heaven ; we
know what it is to have Christ our life; but what does
being crucified to the world mean ? Think how a cruci-
fied man, how the Crucified One gazed upon the world.
Outside Jerusalem a cross was erected— Christ was raised
there. The sobs, the groans, the jeers, the curses from
below, come up to His ears, how far away they seem !
The city swims before His gaze. His heart fails ; all
earthly things fade, and earth seems to roll away from
beneath His feet. The thorns press into His brow, the
bl(K)d streams down His face; He gazes at the world
through mista of blood. We, His foUowers, are to look

LIVING BY FAITH.

erstand my
vs of temp-
io long that
pon myself.
Christ " is
eaclies even

I see in our
a fair be-
i. Remem-
. fame, not
be taught

al. vi. 14;
? Earthly
ger sweet,
mderstand
eaven; we
what does
w a cruci-
the world,
(vas raised
iirses from
tiey seem !
fails; all
way from
brow, the
ihe world
re to look

165

at the world through Christ's blood. We look up and
we say, our crown, our hope, our life, our Head, our Lord,
is— there ! Earthly life is infinitely second, and heavenly
life is infinitely first.

Oh reader, it is a personal matter ; has He thus drawn
you to Himself? Have you accep. .d Christ, not simply
as a Saviour, the One who puts away your sin, but as
One who dwells in your heart ? Let us turn to one more
passage— 1 John, iv. 4 and v. 4. Don't make resolves in
your own strength, for if you have received Christ,
"greater is He that is in you than he that is in the'
world." That little girl, the only Christian in an uncon-
verted house, haa within her a power bound to live and
bound to overcome the world. Within the sin-stained
temples of our bodies One has come to dwell, whose power
is greater than any opposing force either in us or in the
world. This is what makes it possible for Christians to
live unworldly. Lord Jesus, my Saviour, I will put my
hand in Thine and trust Thee to teach me to walk wor-
thy of Thy call.

LIVING BY FAITH.

Two buckets were heard discoursing one day. The one
said, " WeU, I call it rather hard that, no matter how full
I come up, I always go back empty." " Oh, I don't look
at it that wa^ at all," said the other bucket; "I find thjit,

156

SERMONS AND BIBLE BEADINOS.

t I

no matter how empty I go down, I always come up fuU."
Ihese are examples of two great divisions among men.
ihe first IS represr .ted by those who constantly allow
themselves to be ruled by the feelings of the moment.
The second subordinate the feelings of the moment to a
sense of duty. Suppose a business man were to say-
" Well, I've had my lunch, and I don't feel like going ba!ck
to work ; I'll just sit down and idle over the newspapers "
how would his business prosper ? Yet many think that
in Christian work they are only to do what they feel in-
clined for. Turn once more to Rom. iii., and read the 22nd
verse It is not my fault if you do not see this verse
clearly. Here, the transaction which transfers the righ-
teousness of God to the unclean sinner is spoken of, and
there is no mention of feeling in the matter. Rom iv
seeks to combat the idea that the righteousness of God
can be given to the man who seek, it in a double way
that IS, partly by works and partly by faith. The apostle
Illustrates the 5th verse of chapter iv. by the exauiple of
Abraham in verse 19. He considered not his own body
If he had steered by feeling he would have said, I am old
and feeble, and useless ; but he considered not his own
body, he only considered God's promise. He did not con-
sider his own weakness, and therefore he did not stagger
at the promise. I am not to consider my own feelings
good, bad, or indifferent, but to launch out upon the pro-'
nuses of God, leaving self behind.

Do you remember' that God promises us a weight-&n
eternal weight of glory ? I recollect being at a place in

Qe up full."
inong men.
mtly allow
e moment,
jment to a

to say, —
?oing back
wspapors,"
think that
ey feel in-
i the 22nd
this verse
3 the righ-
sn of, and

Rom. iv.
!ss of God
ubie way,
he apostle
sample of
)wn body.

1 am old,
his own

I not con-

)t stagger

feelings,

the pro-

iight — ^an
I place in

LIVING BY FAITH.

157

the West where the children were trained to carry weights
which were gradually increased, so that young men, not
as strong as I am, could carry burdens for miles with ease,
which I could only carry a few steps. They had been
trained to it. If you've a little burden to bear now, don't
be moaning over it ; your Father is only putting on a few
pounds now in order that you may be able ',o OtHr the
weight of glory by-and-by.

Now turn again to verses 20 and 21. Ah, ':^vk you my,
" Abraham was strong in faith, and I'm not.' What is
faith ? It is the simple trust of God's child, that what
He has promised He is able to perform. I am sift-e that
is not much. I hear one say, "Ah, sir, you don't under-
stand my case. I've not got the keen feelings about sin
that I ought to have." I am quite sure you have not. God
keep you from it ! for no man feels as he ought to feel
about sin, out of hell.

Don't try to get up a feeling of contrition for sin. You
go to bed at night, feeling as you think you ought to feel,
and when you get up next morning your feelings are all
gone. Thank God, our blessed Lord has not changed
over night. The present state of our feelings has nothing
whatever to do with the ability of our Saviour. Another
says, " But I've not that trust in God which I ought to
have." I'm quite certain of that. During a storm at sea
a lady came to the captain and asked if they were in dan-
ger. " You must trust in Providence, ma'am, there is

B WJ--.V ti/iif. Aiicii wcic aii. iuSi; J iiow many

think like that, if they do not say it so plainly ! This kind

158

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

of feeling makes what ought to be the great vital verte-
braB of the Christian nothing at aU. We are not to meas-
ure the blessing we expect to receive by the strength of
our trust : tht extent of our need is the measure God
uses.

Look, now, at Rom. x. 3. The righteousness of faith is
different from the righteousness which Moses describes.
Many are kept back from the pardon of past guilt and
from the righteousness which covers all our defilement,
because, while this righteousness of God is close by, they
are waiting to hear more about works which they can do.
When the soul casts its burden upon Christ, and sees Him
descend into the tomb, leaving its guilt behind, and then
sees Him rise again to be his continual advocate, very
gladly do the lips confess what the heart believes (verses
7-9). What is there about feeling there ? You don't be-
lieve that the righteousness of God lies &a reaUy at your
door, as near to you, as the books on the board before you.
You've not yet submitted to the righteousness of God.
You want to feel before you believe. If you acted in this
way about earthly things, you would be your own laugh-
ing-stock. If I tell you that you will find $50 under your
door mat, if you believe me you will go to pick them up ;
if you don't believe me, you won't— it is a matter of faith,'
not of feeling. God's righteousness is nigh you, on your
very lips. God teach you to stop looking for anything, but
to trust in it at once. Life comes by faith, not by feeling.
Such warped ideas about God's ^Ivation as some men
have ! Suppose I meet a young man, and I say to him,

dtal verte-
>t to meas-
itrength of
Eisure God

of faith is
describes,
guilt and
iefilement,
3 by, they
jy caD do.
sees Him
and then
sate, very
js (verses
don't be-
T at your
fore you.
I of God.
}d in this
m laugh-
ider your
ihem up ;
of faith,
on your
ling, but
' feeling,
me men
to him,

LIVING BY FAITH.

159

" You've a good Father ; He prays for you, He watches
over you, and lives for you, indeed His whole being is
wrapped up in you." " Oh !" replies the youth, " I think
the only good of a father is to pay a man's debts." Many
think of God like that.

The Word of God gathers the light from many parts,
and causes all truths to focus on one point, which is, that
a saved man enters into the relation of a child with God.
Very reverently, and very humbly, I say tnat it is my
Father's business to lead me, my Father's business to feed
me, to teach me, to guide me, to command me. My bus-
iness is to obey, to learn, to be guided by Him. Am I to
say that all my Father is to do for me is to forgive me ?
It is a blessed thing to know that iniquity is covered, and
that sins are forgiven; but it is far better to look up and
say, heaven and earth may pass away, but God's Word
shall never fail ; and I can look into my Father's face and
say. He has forgiven me, I know ; but more than that. He
keeps me and does everything for me. I am saved, not
because I feel I am God's child, but because I believe it ;
not because I love Him, but because He first loved me.
Feeling or no feeling, God says to those that believe, now
are ye the sons of God. In the daily needs of our spiri-
tual life, God keeps us dependent on Himself. In the
cxxi. Psalm, God uses the word keep five times. Read
Psalm cxx. 1. David did not feel very well there, for he
wanted help badly ; but in the time of distress he lifted up
— ^.j^y:, uiiiK/ uHu iiuiix — iiiK u^uH <JUiy> noD nis neart, that
may have felt like lead or stone. In Psalm cxxii. 2, see the

160

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

language of faith; when our feet stand there we shall go
out no more, and we shall need keeping then. I trust God
for my soul's salvation, not because I feel, but because
God is worthy of trust ; I trust Him for my daily salva-
tion, not because I feel, but because I am His child.

But I am so sinful, some one says ; I yield to sin so often.
Your boy is your boy still, even if he is disobedient, is he
not ? Sin in a son is far more grievous than in your ser-
vant, of course, and it is very sad to grieve our Father ;
but even sin itself can't separate us from Him.

We have seen, first, that life is by faith and not by
feeling ; second, thjat the sustenance of life is by faith and
not by feeling. Now look at the practical side of the
matter, 2 Cor. v. 7 ; " Walk by faith and not by sight,"
or appearance. Walk ! Ah, with many the feet are not in
good order. They have clear heads, and waim hearts
too, but where are the ready feet ? J' is easy to sit and
hear, and to kneel and pray on Thursday night, but
surely you ought to walk worthy of it on Friday morn-
ing. Walk worthy of Christ at home, walk worthy of
Christ abroad. Taking in is all very well, but there
ought to be going out also.

Don't talk about the preacher; don't discuss other
people's failings ; go and let the Hght shine yourself, and
then you'll find out how the gusts cause the feeble flame
to flicker. Life should be a continuous march. Some
seem always to want two or three people to prop them
up and let them lean upon them. Ah, friends, learn to
lean upon the great source of strength which neither ebbs

we shall go
I trust God
ut because
laily salva-
jhild.

in so often,
dient, is he
n your ser-
ur Father ;

•

-nd not by
T faith and
nde of the
by sight,"
are not in
im hearts
to sit and
night, but
day morn-
worthy of
but there

suss other
irself, and
eble flame
jh. Some
prop them
s, learn to
ither ebbs

LIVING BY FAITH.

161

nor flows. Your feelings are here to-day and gone to-
morrow, but there is just as much strength and faithful-
ness in Jesus in the dark days as there is in the bright
ones. °

We are not only to walk, but to work by faith. Turn
with me to a page in our blessed Lord's life. Chorazin
and Bethsaida, where so many mighty works had been
done, had only brought His doom upon themselves
John, who had cried, "Behold the Lamb" would cry
" Behold the Lamb " no more ; the fearless voice of a fear-
less man was hushed in death. His own had turned
against their Lord. Jesus saw all His teachings abso-
lutely futile ; yet He can say " I thank thee, Father," and
m the parallel passage in Luke x. 21 ; it is put more
strongly: "Jesus rejoiced in spirit." His eyes took a
wider flight and saw beyond a great future of glorious
fulfilment. Our Lord Jesus Christ worked by faith and
not by sight.

Look at Maik xi. II ; ■' When Jesus had looked round
about Vi.on aU things." Compare this with John ii 14
16. That was just one year before, and now when he
comes into the Temple He finds just the same sordid
crew as He did a year before. Now all his work is
nearly over; His hfe is nearly spent-what is there to
show for it ? Twelve men. who in twelve hours would
turn their backs on Christ. What utter desolation must
have swept over the soul of Christ when he looked rn„nH
aua cried, "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would

162

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

n 1

Kit

n r:

I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings, but ye would not."

Turn again with me to Mark xi., and read verse 22.
Let Israel go wrong, let Chorazin be thrust down, let the
quenchless soul of the Baptist be sent to God, let the dis-
ciples fail to follow, yet from the ^ips of Emmanuel we
hear ; " Have faith in God." Not in meetings, not in a
preacher, not in prayers, not in feelings, not even in your
conversion, bvt have faith in Ood. I have all the ground
for a life-long repose in this one word of Christ. Lord
teach us to have faith in God ; this will carry us safely
through every trouble. Are you cast down about your
life work ? Oh look at these pages in our Lord's life and
go forward bravely. I remember having a little piece of
ground given to me in the old garden at home and plant-
ing a row of peas ; but I grew so impatient about their
coming up that I turned up the earth to see if they were
growing, and it did not improve them. So many are
always looking to see how their feelings are getting on,
and it does not improve their growth.

" I could do grand things," says one, " if only I felt up
to it." How few of God'j servants did feel up to the
work God gave them to do. Moses didn't feel up to it
when God sent him to rescue his people from bondage.
Gideon did not feel up to it when sent to deliver Israel,
but God gave him strength Jonah felt so little up to it
that he ran away, but, thank God, he was sent back.
Look at Gethsemane, and hear our blessed Saviour say,
■ xi ill uu puasiuio io6 luio yju.^ p»3d Hum lutj. <;eBUS oia

THE FIGHT OF FAITH.

gathereth
t."

[ verse 22.
v^n, let the
et the dis-
Qanuel we
s, not in a
in in your
he ground
ist. Lord
us safely
bout your
's life and
ie piece of
Lnd plant-
)out their
bhey were
many are
etting on,

' I felt up
up to the
1 up to it
bondage.
rer Israel,
e up to it
ent back,
(dour say,
Jesus did

163

not feel up to it, very reverently I say it, and yet He
drank it for you and for me. Have faith in God.

All earth's great men have lived by faith and not by
feelmg. Columbus said. "I believe there is another
world ; I cannot say I see it." And he sailed out beyond
the settmg sun and reached the unseen land. I believe
there is a world which I cannot see, a fairer world than
this, and therefore I wiU not be content to grind on arid
on in earth's weary treadmill, but I w'U set sail for the
new world where so many true men have gone before

Look to Christ in simple child-lik^ faith, hold up your
hand for Jesus.

THE FIGHT OF FAITH.

" Work while it is day."— John ix. 4.

The unbelieving Jews had just taken up stones to stone
Christ, and, a^ He thinks of the need of souls that could
act m such away. He says, I must work while it is day.
There is a necessity. Angels would not have dared to
say " Thou must " to the Son of God ; we would not have
ventured to use the word, but Jesus says " I must " This
necegsity strikes at the root of one of the greatest curses
of this nmeteenth century, and that is moderation in the
vntng place. Moderation in the right place and towards
the right people is well, but there is a ^eat deal of l,n^_
tul moderation. A man says I am moderate in my

164

SERMONS AND ^IBLE READINGS.

I^H«l

pleasures, I am moderate in my business (not many can
say that), I am moderate in my appetite, and, therefore, I
have a right to be moderate in my religion. No, friend,
you aie wrong in your reasoning. Pleasure, business, ap-
petite, last only a moderate time ; they yieM only a
moderate reward, and can be obtained by moderate toii.
If you saw one you loved standing on the brink of ruin,
would you not make ioir>ro than a modera te effort to save
them, and if saved you woulc:? sperienee more than a
moderate joy, would you not ? Bonir lost for eternity,
souls are in awful danger, souls c.^r-.>i be easily won,'
and so Christ says, " I must vvork. Let us rise a step
higivcF as we look at this subject. If moderation had
ruled in tlie councils of the Most High, would He have
given His only begotten Son up to the death for us ? And
if He had spartf! Him where- would have been the Gos-
pel which we prejich to-day ? Had moderation guided
the conduct of those who first preached that Gospel-
men whose chamber of ease was the dungeon, who en-
dured cruel mockings, who wandered about destitute, af-
flicted, tormented ; who sacrificed everything in order
that, in spite of spite, they might save men from self and
hell— had they been governed by moderation, where
would the Church of Christ be to-day ? God asked for
iuore than moderate service when Jesus says " I must
work." Beware lest this moderation course of yours end
in a;n immoderate sleep and an immoderate spirit of laa-
ness. Give up for ever the idea of moderafion in Christ's
service. The hearts of men are more t . t moderately

many can
lerefore, I
o, friend,
dness, ap-
d only a
Jiate toil,
k of ruin,
i. to save
e than a
eternity,
ily won,
ie a step
tion had
He have
IS ? And
the Gos-
i guided
jospel —
who en-
tute, af-
in order
self and
where
iked for
I must
urs end
of lazi-
Christ's
lerately

THE FIGHT OF FAITH.

165

W The era of sin are more than modemtely great
I iie dai.^w la .olved is more than moderately reaj The
reward promised is more than moderately glorious. The
rest that remaineth is more than moderately long
tt aven ha. nothing moderate about it, and hell is not
even mode rately comfortable, if the words of Jesus Christ
are the truth.

Look at the cros,s of Christ from what standpoint you
may, there is nothing moderate about it ; and look at sin
from any point you like, there is nothing moderate about
It. And the time is short, oh, so short, therefore I m«s<
work Looking up into God's face say. Lord, teach me
that /must work. There can be no substitution in this
warfare An odd guinea given to the missions won't do
my work for me. I, with my own hand, my own brain,
with my own heart, with the purpose of the immortal will
with which Thou hast endowed me, will work while I
tZ T "°\'"«'-^ly''° ""'^rd fight, it has to be waged
within also. My weapons must be dii^cted against this
vile flesh a« weli as against the mighty powers which con-
verge against the Church of Christ. In view of this stu-
pendous conflict. I fear that men who expect to step out
of their uxurious chambers of ea.e and meet the King's
smue. will find, ^hen too late, that they have deceived
themselves.

We have spoken of the necessity for work thus far, now

;^^«s look at the time when it is to be accomplished.

Whde It IS day." And do you call this day ? I hear

some one ask. It seems more like a dim twilight. These

166

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

II' I

III!

mingled lights and shades, these sobs which interrupt our
songs— surely the minor keys of earth predominate in the
great chorus which goes up to God. Still, earth must
know a darker time yet. It is always through dark to
light, through pain to life. Many relieve their con-
sciences by saying, I can't do anything ; what am I among
so many ? A Christian who speaks or acts like that fitly
carries out the devil's plans. Others say they are so sen-
sitive, that hinders them from working. Have you not
prayed for more of Christ's love in your heart ? God
answers this prayer by giving you some little touches of
the pain that shot through the heart of Christ. We are
not sent into the world to dance, like a butterfly down a
sunbeam. As Christ is, so are we in this world. The
Christian is to take up Christ's position and Christ's work.
The sob of sin which greets our ears must cause sorrow.
The mighty scene of sin and responsibility around us
presses us on, not with fitful starts— a run to-day and a
crawl to-morrow— but on and on, and up and up, till our
feet stand within the gates of the New Jerusalejn. Time
is short— only a day. Did Christ say so ? His being was
from all eternity, and yet He pressed on, because the time
was so short ; and we, who have only a day to work in,
what shall we say ? We want men and women to take
up work for Christ and make it the object of their life, to
carry it into their business and into their pleasures. We
don't want amateur Christians, mere triflers. We must
make Christ's work the great fact of life. God has given
me a work to do, and if I am not quick it won't be done.

THE FIGHT OF FAITH.

167

BiTupt our
ate in the
irth must
h dark to
heir con-
1 1 among
that fitly
-re 80 sen-
you not
rt? God
3uches of
We are
y down a
dd. The
gt's work.
3 sorrow,
round us
ay and a
), till our
n. Time
•eing was
! the time
work in,
L to take
ir life, to
'es. We
V^e must
as given
be done.

What sort of work does God demand ? First let me tell
you that if you are to succeed you must make up your
mind to subordinate yourself to your work. Myself and
my feelings must give in before the work of God. Jesus
did this when He endured the cross, despising the shame.
I sometimes hear excuses such as these : " I don't like to
speak to people about the value of their souls, because
they may not like it." and " I'm not sure that I'd like
it myself." So many Christians clothe themselves in an
impenetrable armour, not of God, but of self-made pru-
dence. They don't get hurt themselves, and they
never spoil the devil's plans. Am I to wrap myself up
with care as il' I were the most precious jewel ? Souls
I may be lost, but I must not be inconvenienced. In God's

holy sight, a man must be willing to make himself a fool
for Christ's sake, if by any means he can save a soul. If
we desire to know the reality of the sweet power of
CLnst's constraining love, we must count all things else
but loss for the excellency of such knowledge. I asked
an officer who had taken part in the charge at Balaklava,
how did you know where to lead your men. amid such a
scene ? « I marked," he replied, « a gun a i.xle off, and I
led my men straight for the flash ! " Is there not some-
thing within or without us which flashes destruction on
the cause of Christ ? Whatever it is, ride straight for
that ! Trust God to provide your armour, and only fol-
low His commands ; be ready t^. d> God's bidding, and
put self down.

Dear reader, I wonder how you feel as you come to the

..•vt.

168

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

end of one most imperfect account of tl^ . ^f.i irinu ..ermon ?
We only wish-oh, how we wish!-.ve couid impart to
the written words some of the pov.>r that accompanied
them when spoken. We know that we left the church
feehng that by God's help from that Sunday morning -^
too must work the works of Him who has graciously con-
descended to send even us on His messages. We hope
now to move about the world, however quiet a comer of
It God may have put us in, oaly and eveiy where in the
character of ambassadors for Christ. Dear reader, it is a
great honour; but if you are a Christian, we ask you to
share in it. May the dear Lord help us to walk worthy
ot our high vocation. 1

FAREWELL WORDS.

If my dear friend and brother, Mr. TiUey, found it so aard
to greet you, dear friends, how much h der i^ast I ,' ,d
It to bid you good-bye.

I can only say that from the day in which, ^uch to mv
astonishment, your dear brother-and I thi:,k I may call
him mmealso-the Dean, very eamestlyasked me to take
his place here for three months, I have never cea. i to
thank God that He so led me to do. I fed that, M
miey has said, my coming was Ood's plan. It cen.inlv
was not my own, for wi.en I came to London, I had no

idea OT onmittrr 4-f>. 'v^^. z- tti .1 . _

" " "'° "-^ ^<>^-"to. j^ or mis reason, 1 say, my stay

P4BEWE1I, WORDS.

It' j^erinon ?

169

here for three month, h^, been God's plan, and not mine,
ftmll do thank H.m. and would give Him all the glory
that so many „f us are hero to night, to praise Him that
He ha^ chosen to speak to us by a man's voiee. I go away
with this source of comfort and rest. I know, that as far
as man can arrange it, you are in good hands. It is poor
work for one man io seek to .say things of another that he
does not fully fed, and I do not add a word of this to

Tdley, that I believe, in my heart of hearts, he is Gods
servant, God s ambassador in the right place, and I believe
It in His great mercy, my Lord should allow me .some time
henee, to see you af^ain, you will be as willing to confirm
the .-uttement as I a. now to make U. As far a^ anyone
can rest in leaving tK , who in the bonds of the Gospel
are dear to him, in the b -ds of those who are fit to look
after them, I do, knowi .g that Mr. Tilley will come here
and be your permanent minis,

I asked to be aUowed to speak lasi to-night, not that I
was afraid my good friend Mr. Gamble would contradict
what I , aid-but it is pleasant to have the last word, and
I would just again lay stress on what your future minister
ha, said. If Paul, as we read together not long a^o, saw fit
to ca i on the young and ignorant Christians of a weak
church, tK. pr..y for him that hi. message might be uttered
with great plainness of speech, an.l great boldness of heart
oh don't we need to cast ourselves on your prayers too'

Dear iriends. rprnprnhoT. a^^A 1,0,. .-^

. ...^^, ^^aa givexi you « work fo

cany on m Toronto- nloase do not talk about my work,

170

8EIIM0NS AND BIBLE READINGS,

(III
1.1 '

I ''

1 !

or any other man's work, but remember God has given us '
all a work to do, in which work each une has a part, and
as Mr, Tilley has said, your work is this, to pray to God
constantly — bearing up your minister's hands — that with
more plainness of speech, more wisdom, more love, and
more carelessness of man's approval or disapproval, he
may preach the Gospel as he has received it from his God,
Then you will find that my dear brother'H ministry among
you will be blessed and fruitful ; but oh, friends, remem-
ber — remember how weak we men are ; remember that
the Spirit of God comes as the wind, and as the wind
passes away, and therefore it behoves us, each one to bear
his brother up, day after day, before the Lord in prayer.
I believe most heartily it is because thousands have been
praying for us at this time, that we have received the great
blessing we have had. As far as I know I have preached
somewhat the same truth in other places, and have not
seen anything like the same results. It is just because
more of God's people have been praying for God's blessing.
Then, let us now pray as He has been so good to us in the
past, to prove Him, and, as it were, use the child's argu-
ment that comes to its mother and says : " Mother, give
me what I want to-day, because you gave me what I
wanted yesterday." Do let us plead with our God, for you
know, the work of Christ must not cease.

Now I press my next point : you must not think the
work of Christ ceases because its erojcth sometimes varies.
It would not be good for us to go on having the crowds
we had last ni ht, or have had on Thursday eveninij[s. It

FAREWKLL W0RD8.

171

s given us

part, and

ay to Qod

-thai with

love, and

Droval, he

n his God.

iry among

s, remem-

mber that

the wind

ne to bear

in prayer.

Iiave been

the great

preached

have not

it because

J blessing.

) us in the

Id's argu-

ther, give

le what I

d, for you

bhink the
les varies.-
le crowds
Qings. It

would not be well for some souls were anybody to step in
and try to carry on those Thursday evening meetings.
What we want is to get right down to God's word, and
there, from the fountain head itself, each day i*eceive our
supply. God will bless us through other channels. As
we thank Him for what He has done in the past, let us
not forget God may work with different means in the
future, and relying on His promise, our life motto should
ever be this — Have 1 got joy to-day? God is able to
give me more joy to-morrow. Have I got Christ's peace
to-day ? God is able to deepen that peace to-morrow.
Have I got the sense of Christ's presence to-night ? Next
day may see me yet more conscious of His presence.

And now my dear friends, I want to say one word to
the elderly Christians here. You have got work to do ;
a work, the responsibility of which you may not quite
recognise. You have got now to take the weak lambs of
God's flock by the hand, and by your more sufficient wis-
dom, and by what ought to be in you — a large measure
of God's flock by the hand, and by your more sufficient
wisdom, and by what ought to be in you — a larger
measure of God's spirit — ^you have got to lead them
on. Remember this — if people have reason to say that
many, many of these young people go back, it will be
because the old people did not look after them as they
ought to have done. If there is a large proportion of

— — — "— ..—*»- ............. ^^ , ...v.^_. 1....... T ^/^t vriv^ .tjv"»'^ vn^»,^^?C?, tt xiv

don't bring forth much fruit for Him, the fault is to be
laid on those who have sought to pass over their respon-

172

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

I; :]

r»!:*i.^P^i

A . '^j^

sibilities to others, and have not done the work which.
God has given them to do. Oh, let us help each other
along. Oh, dear friends, you cannot tell, as you may seek
to speak a word for Jesus, how it may help some other
young man or woman, near by, who knew he ought to
have spoken ; you cannot tell how, when tiying to lift
some poor soul out of difficulty, your example may impel
another mere witness of the effort to go and do likewise ;
you cannot tell how we are bound together now, members
of one another. One thought I feel God would have pre-
sent in your mind, it is this— let us endeavour to keep
the unity of the Spirit in all things. There is a closeness,
there is a real union in our loving one Lord, and being
filled by one spirit— the meeting to-night is a witness of
it. I am quite sure there are scores of young people —
and som-^ old people too, who would not have cared four
or five months ago to attend a meeting like this.

Let us prove to the world that the unity of God's spirit
is not a sham : that we feel an interest in all who love
the Lord Jesus Christ, and will make it ours to help
them on.

I have tried to say what I ought to say to you from
the pulpit, and now, my dear friends, I must say one
word about the very great— the deep pleasure— the deep
joy and happiness God has given me, in working among
you. God knows I speak the truth when I say I cannot
express how very, very deeply I have felt the unmerited
kindness of many of you. Have you been conscious that
there has been a great deal of self in any act ?— you have

FAREWELL WORDS.

173

-^ork which
each other
11 may seek
5ome other
3 ought to
ying to lift
may impel
► likewise ;
r, members
i have pre-
ir to keep
I closeness,
and being
witness of
J people —
cared four
s.

rod's spirit

who love

's to help

you from
b say one
-the deep
ig among
I cannot
inmerited
jious that
you have

condoned it--you have forgiven what wa^ bad, and accep -
ted .diat has been good. I bend before God, thank Him
that He has condescended to use such a humble instru-
ment. But, dear friends, I feel that before some of you
there may have been acts of inconsistency. There may
have been much that I myself am not aware of, and I do
ask you, for the Lord Jesus' sake, to put down all that
has been wrong to me— and what has been of Christ
thank God for it and not me. Dear friends, anything
that I may have said hastily, or anything I may have
said untruly, you will pardon ;,but what has been accord-
ing to God's holy word, I ask God the Holy Ghost to
cause you to remember. Your own personal kindness,
and the kind tribute speaking of it which I received to-
day, I cannot speak about. I thank you with all my
heart. It did not require those names in the Bible, or the
portraits of those very dear to me in the album, to make
me remember their faces, for those I would never forget.
All I would do is once again to thank you for all your
kindness, and ask you-nay, I do not think it necessaiy
to ask you to do for me what I should do for you—
remember me before the throne.

I am more and more convinced that the time may be
near at hand when we shall all stand before the judgment
seat of Christ; God teach us each one to live with that
day before our eyes, and meantime let us remember:

" Jesus on Thee our hope depends
To lead us on to Thine abode,

amends

For all the trials of the road.

174

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

They are not great, and if some of us think they are
great — dear friends, remember God is able to give you a
ton of glory for an ounce of trial. God teach us to be
open. I have tried to get people to speak out ope;nly for
Christ. Every day I feel more and more the need, nay
the vital importance, of outspokenness for Jesus Christ ;
therefore, once again, for the last time among you, I would
beg and pray every young Christian to burn the bridge
behind him, by openly confessing faith in Jesus Christ
crucified. I tell you friends, you cannot lock hands with
the world and with Christ at the same time. Then let
us do as He bids us, and yield ourselves to Him.

EASTER SUNDAY.

Easter morn arose, not as we love to think of it, bright
and sunny, the t3rpe of the gladness in the heart of every
Christian. It was rather a gloomj'^ morning ; but come
with us to the Cathedral and hear the words we heard,
and you will say as we did, truly the Sun of Righteous-
ness has risen, with light and healing and joy to shine
upon us. In Eph. v. 23, we read, " Christ is the Head of
the Church and He is the Saviour of the body." The last
clause means that he is the Saviour of the Church, the
true concourse of all true believers, all who are marked
with Christ's blood, and indwelt by the Spirit of Christ.
I do not intend to prove the truth of the Resurrection this

EASTER SUNDAY.

175

ak they are
give you a
ich us to be
t ope;rily for
le need, nay
esus Christ ;
you, I would
L the bridge
Fes us Christ
hands with
e. Then let
im.

of it, bright
)art of every
r ; but come
ds we heard,
E Righteous-
joy to shine
the Head of
y." The last
Church, the
are marked
it of Christ,
irrection this

morning, though 'twere easily done, and though if we let
go the Resurrection we knock the key-stone out of the
Gospel arch. I will rather pass on and speak of the
glorious lessons the Resurrection teaches us. Christ is
the Head of the Church. God has stooped to ally Himself
with man, the creature of a day. It is not only that
Christ says to us, " I give you commands," " I give you
counsel," " I give you help." Not simply that the God-
man makes overtures to men. No, it is higher than this.
He bows from out of the heights of glory, not only to
whisper words of comfort, but to ally Himself with men.
It is like the general coming down from his vantage-
grounl and throwing himself into the fore-front of the
ranks, putting his hands upon his fellow-soldier's shoul-
ders, and saying, " I come to fight, to live, to conquer, or,
if it must be so, to lie dead on the field beside you. Not
to help, not to encourage, not to strengthen, but to be one
with you. If ye fail, I fail with you ; if I rise, ye rise
with me;' The very Christ comes into just such an inti-
mate position with men. Yea, more than this, Christ is
the Head. My head and my hand are not more closely
related to each other than Christ and the sinner.

Let us look at two points. First, if Christ be the Head,
as the head He is dependent on the members. Second, the
dependence of the members on Christ the Head,

What a wondrous draught of living water is borne to
my thirsty soul from the distant country of heaven by
such thoughts ! Christ is dependent upon us. From the
iips of simple fishermen tiows broad and full the glorious

176

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

river of God's truth. Man's life and God's life meet in one
tremendo'\8 Head, — the God-man. Ye who doubt whether
the Bible is the word of God or not, stand by the side of
the mighty flow of the truth of the eternal God, and tell
me could this be forged by a few fishermen ?

Christ the Head depends upon the Church, which His
members form. He is the Head of the harvest, the first-
fruits of the harvest. Do you remember the simple cere-
mony of the feast of first-fruits ? The High Priest goes
into the holy place, and taking in his hand the first few
ears of grain, he waves them before God. It was only
one sheaf, yet it spoke to God and men of the great harvest
smiling over the land. On the first Easter morning,
Christ as the first-fruits of the harvest, went into God,
saying, "I am come back from the message on which Thou
didst send me ; behold in my hands, my feet, my side, the
marks of the wounds with which I was wounded in the
house of my friends. I come back not as I went, — I
return as the representative of the race of lost men."
Christ bears to the harvest the same relation as the few
ears which Aaron took in his hand, bore to the great
harvest waving all over the fertile land of Canaan. What
will God's harvest be ? Would you be left out of it ? If
the first sheaf was so glorious as John in the Revelation
describes it to be, what shall the harvest be ? We are
God's great harvest-field. Tlie seed sown are the dead.
Oh, hearts, heavy with the sin and sorrow of self, and the
sin and cares of others, look up as you think the earth is
His field, the dead are His seed, and Jesus is the first-

EASTER SUNDAY.

177

oaeet in one
bt whether
the aide of
)d, and tell

which His
i, the first-
Lmple cere-
Priest goes
le first few
) was only
iat harvest
morning,

into God,
'^hich Thou
ly side, the
ded in the
[ went, — I
lost men."
as the few

the great

an. What

of it ? If

!levelation

We are

the dead.
If, and the
le earth is

the first-

fruits. Tell me, would a farmer be content to sow his
fields and reap half-an-acre ? Would he be satisfied to
reap from such seed one grain ? And shall God be satis-
fied with less than man would be satisfied with ? He will
have a crop. Having begun the good work, even on the
soul. He will carry it on ; and God can't have a first-fruit
and not a harvest. A harvest such as shall satisfy the
heart of Ch ist for His untold agony must be an abundant
one.

We are fellow-workers with this triumphant Jehovah.
He bids us carry on the work. At one time it seemed to
me such an awful thing to think of the thousands of
souls passing on to eternity, I felt I dare not undertake
th^ responsibility of putting myself in the position of a
minister. The words, " He shall see of the travail of His
soul, and shall be satisfied" came to my mind, and I
thought, the harvest that will satisfy Jesus for sowing
in blood, and tears, and agony, will more than satisfy me.
Jesus stands in heaven now only m one sheaf, the earnest
of the mighty harvest, when He will not be all alone, but
surrounded by that glorious gathered crop. More than
the Head of the harvest, Christ is the Head of the body.
Many a storm we may have to breast, and the stormy
waves of this troublesome world may catch our trembling
barks in her dripping fingers and toss m radely, but we
can't drown as long as our heads are alov e the water.
Far aloft, in the calm, safe heaven, thert r Unds our Head,
and God won t rest till every member is there also. When
the head is above the storm, how can the body go down ?
L

178

SEEMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

|i '"

And though, like Paul, we may be tossed up and down in
Adria, and for many days neither sun nor stars appear,
yet every one of Christ's ships shall surely weather the
storm and reach the port. As long as the Head is there,
if I am only a little finger, I shall be there too, for God
won't have in glory a mutilated Christ. Now let us look
at the dependence of the members of the Head. If the
storms be true, if the rocks be dangerous and the flesh so
weak, then life ia no child's play, no toy to trifle with for
an hour. Life is earnest, life is real, and we are pilgrims
— pilgrims, remember it, — with many weary steps before
we reach our land. If the Head need me, I need the
Head. I need Him to guide me, to teach me, to make
me feel my nothingness and His greatness. Who thinks
for the body ? The Head. Who gives commands ? The
Head. As the hand obeys the volition of the head, so
should I obey Christ. God has only to wish ; I carry
oi.it those wishes.

Weak, sinful, foolish, with faith waxing faint, yet how
can we fail when so bound to Christ, our Head ? He
stoops to us this Easter morning, and says, 1 know thee
and all thy weakness, and there is my table spread to
satisfy your hunger. We, your ministers, are not priests
at an altar, but servants to wait at the table. Jesus says
to you this morning, " Remember Me," and in so saying.
He tells us that it is possible for the members to forget
the Head, possible to forget what He has done for them.

oj- .- - ■*• »-v,,.^cCV»lrt ! T+ ia .-w.i-\/->/^ +r» v'inn ckTvi Vior TYiTra<ilr

OtrUiigC, }'CV jrv>-=Oi;^-iv : iv ic j^w.-. Iv l^..;-^- -...--v j

sometimes, my sins, my weaknesses, my vows ; my pre-

ad down in
iars appear,
v^eather the
ad is there.
00, for God
let us look
sad. If the
the flesh so
fle with for
ire pilgrims
steps before
I need the
Qe, to make
Who thinks
ands? The
he head, so
sh ; I carry

nt, yet how
Head ? He
[ know thee
le spread to
J not priests
Jesus says
n so saying,
jrs to forget
Qe for them.

Ts; my pre-

WHAT SHALL 1 DO TO BE SAVED ? 179

sent with its duties and its dangers ; my past, the sin for
which He saved me, the slough from which He dragged
me ; my future, the day on which from the glory I shall
look back on the things of earth, and see how infinitely
small they were; but to-day, Jesus says, ''Remember
Me. Not my doctrines-oh! how many come to remem-
ber that— but Jesus says, " Remember Me." Let every
miserable thought of sin and self be swallowed up in the
remembrance of Christ himself How many cle for-
ward to His table without one thought of Him. If a
Ritualist do but bend his knee in some unwonted way
If the preacher do but vary in the slighest way from the
usual form, they will remember that ; but of Christ there
is no remembrance at all. What a mockery of God 1

On this Easter morning take up with glad new hearts
our songs of praise, and say to Christ, since Thou didst
come so far to be my Head, Thy love and Thy life which
triumphed over the dead shall triumph over me, and
gladly will I now remember Thee my Head.

WHAT SHALL I DO TO BE SAVED ?

" There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus
a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by ni^ht'
and said Babbi, we know that Thou art a teacher come
from God, for no man can do these miracles that T),.„
aoest except God be with him " (John iii. 1 and 2) How
many make the mistake Nicodemus made. You come to

180

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

Christ, and you say, " Lord, I want to have you as my
Teacher." I cannot tell how it is that all classes of per-
sons make just the same mistake. I go, and I meet in
one place a rich person, in another place a poor person,
in another a wise person, in another an ignorant person,
and I find the same mistake expressed in almost the same
words by one and all, " Will you tell me what I have got
to do — how I have got to feel — in order to be saved ? "
This question is based on a wrong idea of the position
which the sinner occupies in regard to God. Now Christ
does not oflfer himself to me as a teacher, primarily. It
is altogether a mistaken view which accepts Christ as a
teacher in the first instance. There is a large number of
our friends to-day, who seek to erect a certain standard,
at which they aim, would have us believe the life of Christ
to be an ideal life, and that man is to hinge his hopes of
salvation on the amount of conformity which exists in
him to this ideal life. He is to be like Christ ; in other
words, it is a religion of life and works ; a repetition of
the statement of Nicodemus, repeated dogmatically too.
" Thou art a teacher come from God, to teach me what to
do." Ah, men, it is the old mistake, " What shall we do
to work the works of God ? " and all down the ages the
voice of Christ is sounding, " Nothing. This is the work
of God, that you believe on Me, whom He has sent." I
spoke on this subject last night. It is a touchy subject,
that subject of righteousness.

XT )L 1 r..: J_ T-^iT it in w,-r, fniiT-l- n-n -nni-

i aUIi^ iSJiOW, lllUUUo, VVliCuiiCl Ih iB ••^Hj ioiiiiu Vi ixui:,

but whenever I try to speak on this subject of righteous-

WHAT SHALL I DO TO BE SAV^

181

'ou as my
ises of per-
[ I meet in
Dor person,
mt person,
it the same
I have got
Q saved ? "
he position
Jow Christ
narily. It
;;)hrist as a
number of
1 standard,
fe of Christ
is hopes of
h exists in
b; in other
petition of
itically too.
me what to
ahall we do
ae ages the
IS the work
,s sent.*' I
shy subject,

f righteous-

ness, T find several people coming to speak to me next
day, who have managed to misunderstand what I have
said. I want to be as plain as I can. You say to Christ,
" Teach me what I am to do." I want to show you how
the Lord God just shivers that idea ; by the grace of God
I want that idea to be shivered in your minds. I took
last night the two instances which stand out, as it were,
in striking relief from the pages of this book, two of the
most complete instances that history gives us of man's
ability to reach towards a righteousness of his own. I
tried to describe to you last night the righteousness of
the Pharisee. We saw the Word of God— not my words-
put it down as this :— A man pure in life— consistent in
act— such as Nicodemus, such as Paul. We look a step
further. I brought you into the private closet of a Roman
gentleman, and there you saw a man, in the midst of the
temptations surrounding a military life, bowed in his
closet before God, and the odour of his honest religion
spreading itself over his home. We saw Cornelius, a de-
vout man— you will remember the words of the verse,
" one that feared God, with all his house, which gave much
alms to the people, and prayed to God alway," and yet
we saw a messenger, heaven-sent, come to that man and
say, " Cornelius, though thine alms have gone up to God,
though thy prayers have not been forgotten by God,
yet I have a message to bring to you, Cornelius, by which
you and your house shall be saved " Before the thou-
sands God has laid the responsibility and honour upon
me to address, I wish to stand up and sa^, " Brethren,

182

SERMONS AND HIBLE READINGS.

you see the righteousness of the Pharisee — of the devout
man — was not good enough, so you have got to be better;
you see Cornelius was not good enough, you have got to be
better. I trust you will go home and do your best to
remember God wants not a negative but a positive righte-
ousness." If I said, " Go home, dc your best, and so buy
your salvation in the end," I doubt if so many would
honour me with their attention. I would rather
break stones on the road than mock the cravings of im-
mortal men with such a painted lie as that. Blessed be
God, the almighty arm of His Omnipotence is stretched
down to me, and He says, " Everlasting life is the gift of
God ; take it, O man. Take th righteousness not of the
Pharisee, take the righteousnesi^ not of Cornelius, but of
God. Take Christ, and go out to work, go out to live, go
out to labour ; yea, and when the time comes lie down to
die, and not a cloud shall come to trouble thy peace, for
Christ's righteousness covers up thy fears ; Christ's cross
has atoned for thy sins, and Christ's own purity is given
freely to you. Go and work, because you have got it;
don't you see the duty ? I come not to Christ to-night
and say, " Rabbi, I know you are a teacher come from
God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest
except God be with him ; " but I come to a personal Savi-
our, I come to a salvation now, which enables me to
stand here, and which will enable you to sit there before
you leave this building, saved nn n, and saved women.
This is the truth. See the light coming into Cornelius*
mind ; he has been praying, his prayer has not given him

WHAT SHALL I DO TO BE SAVED?

188

the devout
o be better;
ve got to be
^our best to
itive righte-

and so buy
lany would
)uld rather
ings of im-

Blessed be
is stretched
8 the gift of
3s not of the
slius, but of
it to live, go

lie down to
y peace, for
Ihrist's Cross
'ity is given
iiave got it;
'ist to-night

come from
b thou doest
rsonal Savi-
ables me to
there before
ved women.
,0 Cornelius'
)t given him

peace ; he has been devout, his devotion has not brought
him rest ; he has given alms, but he he^ not got satisfac-
tion ; he still waits on God. And a messenger comes and
says, " Cornelius, your alms, your prayers, your devotion,
arc not enough, but One came down whoae devotion was
perfect ; One came down who gave Himself as alms ;
One came down whose prayer has availed for all sin— His
name is called Jesus, for he shall save His people from
their sins. Christ has effected the salvation which you
aio trying to work out, Cornelius, I speak to you words
wereby thou and thy house may be saved." Mother, or
father, God speaks to you words to-night which shall so
cause your own poor sin-shrivelled heart to expand and
blooii. into an eternity of joy, that you will gather your
children in your arms, and bring them to Jesus too. Yes,
joy to you, and joy to your house too. Not in coming to
Christ, and finding in Him a personal Saviour. Oh, don't
make this mistake again. Please -on't think that you
have got to go home and say your prayers, do your alms,
and spread abroad your devotions to save your soul. Ac-
cept the fact, God has done that. Accept the fact that
Christ has lived, and living as you cannot live, has
wrought out a righteousness you cannot purchase, and
died a death which has atoned for your sins, and all this
living and dying God offers you for nothing. FREE,
J^OW, this present moment, and then asks you to go, as
the servant goes, to His work. See the mistake Nico-
demus made — Thou art a teacher come from God. Is that
the Gospel ? No. The Saviour came down, not to teach

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184

SERMONS AND BIBLE REiDINOS.

"i-

me how I may be saved, but to save me first, and then
teach me afterwards. My friends, it does seem a wonder-
2vl\ thing that one should have to heg and pray and ex-
plain these matters, but to look back into one's own life,
one sees how necessary it once was there. How incongru-
ous it would be for me to go to a man under sentence of
death, and say to him, " You are going to be hanged ;
there is no chance of a reprieve, but then, you know, you
had better improve the time you have got by learning
French." He would say, " Assure me first of pardon, and
life, and then, sir, I am willing to study any language you
like, or do anything you wish for." And I must thought-
fully say to my God who made and saved me, " Lord, first
let me know I am saved, and then I will do anything you
want," and God does not ask me to say aught else. God
wants you to know you are saved now, and then He says,
" I will trust you to do what I want."

Nicodemus, thou didst make a sad mistake. Not as a
teacher, but as a Saviour did that Nazarene stand that
night and teach thee. •

I will read the next verse, and go on to see what
Christ says — He cuts Nicodemus very short — " Jesus an-
swered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee,
except a man be bom again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God." If ever there was a sudden, I might almost say
" shut-up " for a man, Nicodemus got it that night. He
comes and pays Christ what he supposes to be a compli-
ment. Christ just says, " Look here, Nicodemus, verily,
verily, I say unto you, except you are bom again, you

It, and then
tn a wonder-
ray and ex-
e's own life,
►w incongru-
sentence of
be hanged ;
1 know, you
by learning
pardon, and
mguage you
jst thought-
" Lord, first
lything you
b else. God
len He says,

i. Not as a
) stand that

o see what
-"Jesus an-
y unto thee,
tie kingdom
-> almost say
night. He
be a compli-
mus, verily,
again, you

WHAT SHALL I DO TO BE SAVED ? 185

cannot see the kingdom of heaven." You think I come
to teach you ; here is the first lesson you must learn, you
have got to leem to be bom.

Nicodemus says, " How, what is this? How can that
be ? " Methinks I see some people asking pretty much
that same question to-night. " How can these things be ?"
Mark you, you are just in Nicodemus' position You
have been thinking that your learning, your morality, the
fulfilment of your whole duty, the fact that vou have
been a good daughter, father, mother, or husband, mer-
chant or friend, put you in a fair way to enter heaven,
but God assures me, if I am not bom again I shall be an
exile from glory. If a man once sees the truth of this, he
wonders how he ever could have been such a fool a^ to
doubt It. If I do not receive from God His own heaven-
ly life, I should be an exile in the kingdom of heaven, if
I got there. There were other visitors came to Christ
There was the poor woman who came and poured the'
hot flood of her grief on the dusty feet of Jesus. She wa^
a sinner ; a member of that class which our modern civi-
lization makes, and then so barbarously treats ; to whom
those who bear the name of Christ are so hard. He did
not tum round to her and say, " Woman, you have got
to be bom again." The publican came and said, " Lord
God, though others tum me out, though I have been
what they say, I feel within me new the pricking, and
stinging, and working of the new life." He did not say

to him. " You have cmt fr> hp. hr^t^ »/y«?n " P-^^ — i - iv

o- — -..X «^m. ijuL vviiuii the

upright man came, trusting to his uprightness— the pray-

. 186

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

ing man came, trusting to his prayers — the working man
in his works — the moral man in his morality — the Bible
student trusting in his Bible — the Son of God plainly
tella them, " You have got to be born again." Thy soul
has got to bow down before the feet of its Creator, and
admit the fact that from head to heel it is naught but a
mass of leprous sin.

Oh, pardon the earnestness with which I seek to drive
t'lese truths home. Have you ever come to God ? Think
not you do a good work by coming to hear me. Man, if
you come and listen to this truth, and reject it, you are
putting a blacker seal to your condemnation. If you
come — come casting aside that miserable pride and cut-
ting away that abominable shame which keeps us dov/n,
and say, " Oh, Lord God, I am not born again, I have not
undergone this change, I want to serve Thee, I will not
take Thee as my teacher, but I bow to Thee as my Sa-
viour, oh, my God ! "

I pass on rapidly now to the close of the chapter, and
here a most remarkable thing takes place. Dear friends,
I confess to you I never understood the meaning of this
third chapter of John till I grasped the thought I want
now to bring clearly before you. Remember that up to
the end of the 13th verse, Christ talks to Nicodemus as
plainly as He can, but Nicodemus misapprehends the
drift of the Lord's discourse. Then what does Christ do ?
What we try to do — He chooses on illustration. The
biassed Lord recalls the shadows of the past to illustrate
the realities of the present. He says— Nicodemus, you

I working man
ity — the Bible
f God plainly
n." Thy soul
8 Creator, and
naught but a

seek to drive
.God? Think
r me. Man, if
ect it, you are
ition. If you
pride and cut-
ceeps us dov/n,
ain, I have not
hiee, I will not
[lee as my Sa-
le chapter, and

Dear friends,
Leaning of this
bought I want
ber that up to

Nicodemus as
pprehenda the
loes Christ do ?
istration. The
ist to illustrate
Nicodemus, you

WHAT SHALL I DO TO BE SAVED?

187

don't understand what I say, you know not what this
new birth is ; you don't know what this new life is ; and
don't comprehend that it is for you, as a lost sinner, to
bow before me whom you call " Rabbi." I will illustrate
this to you. Do you remember an incident which took
place in the history of our nation ? You will remember that
the camp of the Israelites was scourged with fiery serpents
in the wilderness. You will remember that all hope'fled,
and that death and despair seemed to reign unchecked in
the camp of rebellious Israel. Men were bitten and men
were dying on all sides ; men old and young, small and
great, rich and poor, child and parent, smitten with the
drctad scourge of death. Now mark this— I force home
this illustration to-night with the very greatest earnest-
ness for this reason— it is Christ's own illustration. I
have P. right to, because it is Christ's. I cannot make a
mist^ for Christ gives it to us. Here I have got Jod's
own word for saying that th\j position of Nicodemus was
exactly illustrated by this old story of the fiery serpents,
and God gives me this message as His own word to my
soul. I have got this warrant to-night for declaring that
Christ himself says that the old story of the serpent in
the wilderness is the exact picture of the work Christ
wrought on the true cross— Christ's own illustration!
Christ says, " Nicodemus, I want to show you the reality
of the cross and the mystery of my life ; I want to show
you the mystery of my death. You cannot understand
I my words, so I give you an illustration." So all the truth
of the third chapter of John is fitly set forth hy the illu^-

188

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

tration Christ Himself has chosen. Mark what follows.
Do you mean to tell me that all of us here are one in this
matter ? Do you mean to tell us as really as Israel was
bitten by the serpents, so are we now bitten by sin, which
has its parallel in the serpent's bite ? Christ says, " Even
so." Do you mean to tell me that I am in as real danger
as was the Israelite when he was bitten by the serpent 1
Christ says, ' Even so." More than that, I ask the ques-
tion—do you mean to tell me that as the Israelite was
saved I may be saved ? and I hear the voice of God say-
ing, " Even so." Do you tell me as quickly as the Israe-
lite was saved I may be saved ? Even so. As freely —
without paying anything, doing anything, working any-
thing ? Even so. Oh, Lord God, teach us to see Thy
salvation to-night. Let me look for a moment, let me try
to gmsp the reality of this. Oh, immortal men, let us look
at that brazen serpent, long thousands of years back, with
the eye of the dying Israelite. He looks — nay, he scarcely
sees, for the mists of death are already hanging their dark
clouds across his eyes. Life has flown ; death is coming
on. Oh, sad thing ; he has got to die alone in the wilder-
ness, under the scourge of God, and bid good-bye to his
wife and children, and leave them to struggle on through
those burning sands, through the weary years that are to
come ere their feet shall stand in the promised land.
Dying, the pulse burning and throbbing with the fever
heat of the bite — dying under the curse of God. What
then — stop, there is a cry raising from the c^mp. It is
caught up by the evening air and swells louder and louder.

WHAT SHALL I DO TO BE SAVED?

189

what follows,
ire one in this
as Israel was
by sin, which
it says, " Even
as real danger

the serpent ?
ask the ques-

Israelite was
e of God say-
T as the Israe-

As freely —
working any-
is to see Thy
snt, let me try
len, let us look
ars back, with
ay, he scarcely
ing their dark
jath is coming
in the wilder-
ood-bye to his
jle on through
ars that are to
iromised land,
v^ith the fever
I God. What
e camp. Tt is
ier and louder.

There is a cry, " There is hope ? " and across the clear air
of the desert they see a distant speck raised up along the
sky line. They see the man of God stand behind this
pole, and on it now the sharper eyes can see the twined
form of a serpent. They raise up the dying man's head ;
they bid him look, and I can just see across the shade of
death his eyes catch an indistinct vision of that marvel-
lous thing. How, what does he see, what is that ? " Why,
that is the thing that bit me." Here is a serpent ; there
IS a serpent on a pole. Some years ago, when infidelity
was rampant in Manchester under the teaching of Robert
Holland, a man I know something of went into one of the
Manchester hospitals and found there a poor fellow racked
almost to death with inflammatory rheumatism. The
man turned on being addressed, and said to my friend,
'• My body is in torment, but my soul is in worse. I have
tried to believe there was no heaven and no hell ; I tried
to believe there was no God, but I could not do it. Now
when I come to face death, I feel lonely and lost." The
man woke up seemingly still more, and turned to this
good man and said, " I have heard men talk and tell
stories of men who said that they would be content to lie
on coals of fire for years, if they thought that by so lying
they might avoid the wrath of God. I thought those
stories were only told to frighten women and children.
Will you believe, now, sir, a man who thinks he is dying "
—the man who heard it said he never could forget the
earnestness of the speaker — " I tell you if by Xjin^ on
those coals for a hundred years I should know I had

190

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINQS.

borne to the utmost tlie due punishment of my sin, I
should be glad to begin to-day." This was so shocking,
my friend tried to comfort him, but his words seemed as
words cast against a hurricane. He took out his Bible,
and, at last, in gheer despair he said, " I will leave this
Bible with you, for it is God's message of comfort to your
soul." Next day, or a day or two after, he came back,
and saw the poor fellow had taken the Bible and pinned
it against the foot of his bed (he could not hold it to
read,) and when this man came in he met him with an
awful look and said, "Go away." "Why so?" "You
said God loved m^rcy, and I have believed it might be so,
and that His mercy could come unto me." He said,
" Look here," and read the third chapter of Galatians,
tenth verse, " For as many as are of the works of the
law are under the curse, for it is written, cursed is every
one that continueth not in all things that are written in
the Book of the Law to do them." " What is the mean-
ing of your coming to mock a dying man when such
things are written in the Book of God ? — ' Cursed is every
one that continueth not in all things that are written in
the Book of the Law.' Why," said he, "I have con-
tinued in none of them, I am cursed ; you may go away."
The good man saw his chance. He said, "I won't
leave you my friend ; you cannot put me out, and by the
help of God I will never leave your bedside while you
have breath, until you allow me to read the thirteenth
and next verses down." He read : " Christ has redeemed
us from the curse of the law." Once again, " Christ

of my sin, I
so shocking,
*ds seemed as
out his Bible,
^ill leave this
mfort to your
le came back,
[e and pinned
lot hold it to
I him with an

rso?" "You

t might be so,
e." He said,
of Qalatians,
works of the
iirsed is every
aie written in
b is the mean-
n when such
'ursed is every
Eire written in
"I have con-
ttay go away."
id, "I won't
at, and by the
lide while you
the thirteenth
has redeemed
gain, " Christ

WHAT SHALL I DO IX) BE SAVED? 191

hM redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us." " What," said the poor fellow, " is that
it-~that He stepped in and took my curse that I might
have the blessing ?» " Yes," said the man, " that's just
it." He said in all his experience as a missionary of
the Gospel he never saw the flood of glory so suffuse a
soul, and shine through the eye, as he did in the case of
that poor man ; and for ten years he lived to preach the
Gospel. Oh God, I would pass to-night the gap of nine-
teen centuries to that mighty cross, and see there— what?
That which bites me— sin ; what kills me— sin ; what
darkens my soul-it is sin. What do 1 see there ? I see
sin, cursed— the curse of the just God coming down on
sm. God in Christ bearing my blow.' I charge you look
at the cross to-night, if you have never looked at it before.
Think not these words are the words of man's excite-
ment. They are the sober words of God, which must
comfort your soul if you are to be saved from hell or go
to heaven. Look at the cross, and there you see God's
dealing with your sin, and hear the echo of the praises
of multitudes of voices thanking Him. " This is enough."
God says, "It is enough." The saints say, "It is
enough." We preachers of the Gospel say, as long as we
have strength and life— If I was never t« be allowed to
utter another voice on the earth until I stand before the
bar of my Creator, I would cry with all my strength to
every man in the congregation, " Brother, stop working
and accept God's gift of life, for the cross of Christ is
enough— is enough for all the earth— is enough for you."

192

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINQS.

Where are you going to meet your God ? Do you ever
think of that ? Where are you young people brought up
in Christian homes going to meet God — God that speaks
to you by your fathc" and mother — meet that God who
has spoken with you to-night — where are you going to
meet God ? Am I putting off that meeting until the Day
of Judgment, when the trumpet calls all the dead forth
from the grave — when the throne of the universe shall be
His seat — when with a mighty sceptre He shall break in
pieces, as the potter breaks the vessel he rejects, in His
wrath, all His enemies, and the great white throne is set,
and the dead, greia.t and small, stand before the Judge ?
Am I then going to draw round me the spotted garment
of an earthly righteousness, and begin to talk to God
about doing my best when the lie will choke me ? Is that
the time I am going to meet my God ? God help the man
that puts off meeting God to-day ! No, brother, God sends
you a message the last service night of this week — this
Friday night, in Toronto. God sends you a message and
says, " Meet me at the cross of Christ. There, not hard
to meet, a Man is dying, a Man that loves you, and gave
up all for you ; meet me at the cross." It is not hard to
meet God there. At the cross there is room — room for
all. And yet I address hundreds here to-night refusing
to meet God at the cross, hundreds who have never
thanked God for the cross — ^who have never yet praised
God for the crpss of Christ.

Will you allow me, as I close to-night, to tell you an in-
cident I shall never forget, which happened in my own

WHAT SHALL I DO TO BE SAVED?

193

life some years ago. It wan my lot to take some largo
meetings in the City of Dublin. When I had finished I
took the Irish mail boat the night before the great hoi-se
race of the Derby to go across to Holyhead. As I step-
ped on the deck of the vessel I found quite a number of
my old friends, some young men I had not seen for yeai-s
—men since meeting whom my life had been considerably
altered. A.s the night wore on I got into conversation
with many of them about matters pertaining to reli<rion
and etomity. I don't mean going up to a man and slap-
ping him on the back and saying, " Arc you saved ? " I
mean going up to a man and showing him that you love
him, and trying to lead him to Jesus. I was, at last, going
below to get a few hours' sleep, when something drew my
attention to the mate of the vessel. We got into conver-
sation about these things, and after a time he quite opened
up his thoughts to me, and said, "To tell you the truth,
sir, I have been anxious about my soul for seven long
years. I think I may say I have gone down every ni'-ht
to my little cabin below the 'deck, and, sir, I have pn y^id
God with all my heart to give me the right faith " I said
" Is that all ? If this is the difficulty, T think by the grace'
of God He has sent me here to-night to make that plain
He gives you the right faith. Now," I said, " I have
never met you, my friend, until to-night, but allow me to
make a statement. I venture to say that not once, in all
those seven years, have you gone down to your little cabin
and thanked God, with all your heart, that he sent Jesus
Christ to do a work you could not do, and that He has

194

SERM0N8 AND BIBLE READINGS.

sent you a messaga telling you that the work of Christ
haH satisfied Him for your sin, and that He, the Judge,
will let you, the prisoner, go free as a son, if you simply
accept and thank Him for the work He has done." Well,
it is not exaggeration to say, as I repeated these simple
words, I could see a strange, lightful smile stealing across
that man's face, and just then a great ship from Glasgow
came across our bows, and he rushed to the tiller. I
thought if ever the devil came and took the seed out of
a man's mind it is that. Just when I was leaving the boat
at Holyhead I felt ^ great strong hand put into mine, and
there was the bearded face of the mate close to me. He
said, " Sir, I bless God we met to night. T have begun
to thank Him for having sent Jesus to do a aufiicicnt
work, and, by the grace of God, I will never stop."

PRAYER.

April 26th. — Let us consider some of the requisites
necessary to successful prayer.

First, how we have to regard God in the matter, Him
to whom we pray. Read Heb. xi. 6 : " He that cometh
to God must believe that He is." We are apt to get into
a light habit of thinking and speaking about God ; here
we are brought front to front with the solemn fact that
Gk)D is=

I want to prove, by my life and by my words, both to

PRAYER.

195

the world and to God's people, that I am impressed with
the fact that Ood U. Unleae I do realize this, my prayers
will be only like a vapour, ascending a few feet above my
lips. Now let us advance a step farther. We not only
believe that God is, but that *' He is," also, " a rewarder
of them that diligently seek Him." We want to utilize
the fact that men ivill seek for rewards. When all the
rewards of the world are shrivelled to the dust— when
they have faded like the chaplet of leaves for which the
victor ran, vanished like the applause which greeted his
delighted ears then, those who have lived for God are only
standing, as it were, upon the threshold of this promise,
and glorious rewards are in store for them. Our next
verse you will find in Mark xiv. 36. There is a great
deal of false sentimentality on the subject of answers to
prayer. Many will say : "I am sure I must be a Chris-
tian, because I have had some wonderful answers to
prayer;" then they tell you of something little short of a
miracle which has happened to them, and on that they
ground their hopes of salvation. Of all the absolutely
baseless arguments on which to ground your faith, none
is more so than this of answer to prayer. Christ's finished
work is what the Bible bids us rest on, not our own
prayers. I do not want to shake the faith of any one,
but what God says is, if He has been good to you see that
the goodness of God lead you to repentance. God desires
to concentrate our prayers in His own blessed Person.
He loves prayer, which centres its verv thought in a lontr-
ing for the Giver, even more than for the gifts.

196

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

J I

Now let us read Mark xiv. 36. In it we find our war-
rant for addressing any prayer to God, no matter what
aifficulties lie in the way. Christ prayed that the bitter
cup of wrath might be removed from His lips. The
councils of eternity had planned that He should drink
this cup, for we read of ** the Lamb slain from the founda-
tion of the world." The voices of the prophet blocked up
the path of this prayer. More than this, the pi^rposes of
His own mission : " For this cause came I into the world,"
stood in the way of its answer. Yet, notwithstanding
these three great barriers in the path, Jesus, in pure man-
hood, asks His Father to answer His prayer. Carrying
this thought, no single petition I can make to God to-day
is too hard for Him to answer. But let me couple with
my request, what my Blessed Example coupled with His :
not what I will, but what Thou wilt ; adding this, you may
pray what you will.

We must be in such a state of mind as to be ready to
receive God's answer in God's way. How often we have
prayed for conversion, for guidance, for strength, and
though we prayed with urgency, our prayers did not
ascend three feet above our own heads, because we wanted
to get the answer in our own way. We must come say-
ing, God, Thou art able, and I am willing to receive Thy
answer as Thou dost choose to give it. As James says: " Ye
ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may
consume it upon your lust." Lusts, you say, that is a
hard word to use ; but remember there are spiritual as
well as earthly lusts— -lust for greatness, lust for praise.

find our war-
matter what
lat the bitter
is lips. The
should drink
I the founda-
t blocked up
3 pi^rposes of
the world,"
mthstanding
in pure man-
r. Carrying
God to-day
i couple with
led with His :
bhis, you may

be ready to
•f ten we have
itrength, and
lyers did not
se we wanted
ist come say-
) receive Thy
lessays: "Ye
that ye may
say, that is a
e spiritual as
list for praise,

PRATER. 197

We ask for spiritual things to be spent on self, and for
the glory of self, instead of for God and His glory. We
make prayers sometimes in very much the same way as
men make their yills. A will reads something like this :
" I bequeath all my property to a certain person, but such
a thing is for such another person, and such another thing
for some one else," and so on— so many lusts, and ands,
and its, that really, very Uttle of the property is left to
the first named person, who was to have all. So it is
with many prayers. We say to God, " I do want all this,
but not in that way, and not now." Spurgeon in his way
says that "many people kill their prayers, as foolish
mothers do their daughters, with tight-lacing." If I want
an abundant answer to my prayers, I must be willing to
receive it any way God sees fit to give it. With regard
to prayers for temporal mercies, what is the position of
the child of God ? The Bible is full of such prayers, and
of course a Christian prays about everything. Let us
look at the example of Moses, whose prayers are so con-
tinually followed by immediate answers. Over and over
again he stops the arm of God's judgment, and we hear
God saying to him : " Let me alone, for I will destroy
this people." The plague cannot begin to approach the
very outskirts of the camp but we find Moses lying flat
on his face, praying for the nation. His prayer is heard,
and the nation is saved. Now, this mighty man of prayer
prays for himself, and he is refused. He asks that he
may be allowed to go over Jordan and see the good land ;
but God says no, it is better for him to go over into the

198

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

land that, is very far off, and see the King in His beauty. ! i,
Wrestling for others, his prayers were well nigh omnipo- ^^
tent, but asking for himself he made a mistake. Look at i
Elijah. In ansT^er to his prayer, a whole nation is brought j^^
in repentance before God. How soon after we see him
slinking off into the desert, creeping underneath a shrub !
Listen, for Elijah is going to pray for himself. What
does he ask ? " O Lord take away my life." Thank God,
He doesn't answer prayer like that.

Prophet of fire, thou shalt not die like this ! The deserts
shall not be thy shroud! Thou shalt have another
grand vision of God, another short month of toil, and then
the chariot of fire shall be sent to bring thee into the pre-
sence of the King. Thou shalt not die alone in the desert.
How many sweet answers come by reason of unanswered
prayer!

We all know how much Paul could do in prayer, yet
when he asked for himself, though he presented the same
request three times over, God absolutely refused to answer
it. The Church thanks God to-day for that unanswered
prayer, since it left, as a pillow for helpless saints to lean
on, that sweet verse, " My grace is suflScient for you." For
temporal blessings we have p right to ask our Father ; but
we should ask very humbly, and very subject to His Avill.

I wrote and posted a very important letter the other
day, and was much disappointed when it was returned to
me from the dead letter office. Thank God there is no
dead letter office in heaven. Some very extraordinaiy
petitions are sent, as we should know if we could have a

th(

po(

th(

co^

pri

ma
mi]
me
ear
an
cia
oth
]

are
pi-a
it c

iDINGS.

PRATER.

i9d

mdemeath a ahrub !

for himself. What

life." Thank God,

:e this ! The deserts
lalt have another
ith of toil, and then
» thee into the pre-
alone in the desert,
ison of unanswered

d do in prayer, yet
presented the same
Y refused to answer
)r that unanswered
pless saints to lean
cient for you." For
sk our Father ; but
subject to His will.
lUt letter the other
it was returned to
ik God there is no

Kmg in His beauty. Igjance into the treasure-house of heaven ; but they all go
B well nigh omnipo- ^p^ ^nd they all get an answer in peace.
I mistake. Look at, a beautiful story is told of a child going out in the
)le nation is brought Ij^orning to gather a bouquet for her father. The child
n aioer we see him gathers all she finds, and her nosegay contains briars and

weeds, as well as flowers. The mother meets her at the
door, and taking the bouquet from her hand she pulls out
the weed and puts a rose in its place, and leaving out the
bramble she adds a flower instead, and then hands it to
the child to present to its father. So Jesus takes our
poor, weak, silly, fleshly prayers to-night, and taking out
the foolish request He puts something better in its place.
Then he presents it for us to His Father and our Father,
to His God and our God ; and then we should hardly re-
cognise our own prayers. Let us trust our Lord with our
prayers as fully as we trust Him with our souls, then shall
we get an answer of peace.

We have been looking at God's side, now let us look at
man's side. In. order to receive answers to prayer we
must remember our own individuality. Say, Lord re-
member me. I can't whisper any message into another's
ear unless I have first prayed for myself. Oppressed by
an issue of blood, I must first search out the good Physi-
cian and ask Him to heal me. It is nonsense to pray for
others unless you have first prayed " that help me."

It is possible, however, to pray that too long. There
are many whose every prayer is a sin, because every

very e^uraordmaiy ^^^^^^ ^^ ^ deliberate pronouncement of unbelief. When

IT Tiro /^rtiiln Viovrfk a

if we could have a

it comes to the question of the reception of eternal life

200

SERMONS AND BIBLE READINGS.

'HP'

into my soul, it is not a question of my praying to God,
but of God praying to me. " I pray you, in Christ's stead
be ye reconciled to God" (II. Cor. v. 20). You go on ask-
ing God to forgive your sins ; He tells you He has for-
given all who accept Christ. You are making such a
noise with your own prayer that you can't hear the voice
of God.

The next thing we need in prayer is persistency. Re-
member the night in Gethsemane.

Our Lord is not angry because we knock so often at
His door. " A friend has come to our house and we have
nothing to give him unless we get it, Lord, from Thee."
Mothers have nothing for their children, unless they come
to the Lord to receive it first. Go and knock and say :
" Lord, a great multitude sits spread before us, and we
have got to receive every morsel that we give them from
Thy hand." The Lord is sure to answer, " Bring them
hither to me." He knows our individual hunger, and He
is able, and will supply it. There are two ways of pray-
ing. One is like presenting a petition ; the other is better,
it is going to God to urge a suit, turning every weakness
into a plea, every sin into something which forces us
nearer to Jesus.

God is able. He knows best, and so I am willing to
have His will about temporal things. My prayers have
individuality. They are urged with persistency. One
thing more is needed, and that is, I must come empty.
1- we lavc an empty cup, and an overflowing fountain
supplied, it will not take long to fill the cup. If you are

II 111'

PRAYER.

201

only empty, God can fill you full to oveiHowing. Did
you ever peep into a nest and see the little birds with
their eyes shut and their mouths open so wide that they
seem to be all mouths, just waiting to receive whatever
the father and mother in their wisdom choose to put in ?
And can it be that God's children are not ready to receive
anything He brings to them ? " Open thy mouth wide
and I will fill it," says the Great Naturalist.

We've happened on times when we want all God can
give us. The prosperity of the world seems at a stand
still, and amid the hush we hear the clanking of armed
men. " Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye
may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that
shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man"
(Luke xxi. 36).

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