Z>V 3790 .E93 1910 Evans, William, 1870-1950 Personal soul-winning PEESONAL SOUL - WINNING Other Works by WILLIAM EVANS The Great Doctrines of the Bible The Book of Books What It Is; How to Study It. How to Memorize The Christian ^ His Creed and Conduct How to Prepare Sermons and Gospel Addresses Outline Study of the Bible "Why I am Not a Chris- tian Scientist" The Book Method of Bible Study THE BIBLE INSTITUTE COLPORTAGE ASS'N 826 North LaSalle St. .Chicago PERSONAL SOULWINNING / v/ By WILLIAM EVANS, Ph. D., D. D. Bible Teacher and Director of Bible Conferences Formerly Associate Dean, The Bible Institute of Los Angeles. For some years Director of the Bible Course, The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. Author of " The Book of Books," " How to Memorize," "Outline Study of the Bible," " How to Prepare Sermons and Gospel Addresses,'" "The Book-Method of Bible Study," etc. CHICAGO THE BIBLE INSTITUTE COLPORTAGE ASSOCIATION 836 NORTH LA SALLE STREET nOFTBIQHT, 1910. ET WULUIAM EVAJKS To Rev. R. A. Torrey, D. D. under whose efficient instruction the writer sai for two years and from whom his first lessons in Personal Soul-Winnine were learned, this book is dedicated. FOREWORD. No higher honor conld be conferred upon the Chris- tian, and no greater privilege be given the believer in Jesus Christ than to be associated with Him in the great and blessed work of bringing a lost world to the knowledge of the truth. ''Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us/' to put us into so great a ministry. It is not possible for every Christian to be a preacher or a teacher in spiritual things, for these are special gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit upon certain believ- ers, even as it hath pleased Him. But there is no Chris- tian, however humble or insignificant he may feel him- self, or others esteem him to be, who is not appointed by the Spirit to be a winner of souls. One often won- ders whether the honor conferred upon the believer of being a soul-winner is not greater than the conferred gift of teaching or preaching; and whether or not at the last day, when the rewards are distributed, the per- sonal soul-winner will receive as great, if not a greater reward than many a teacher or preacher. Daniel 12 :3 (R. V.) is filled with glorious comfort for the man who seeks to turn sinners to God : "And they that be teach- ers shall shine as the brightness of the firmament ; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for- ever and ever." That the individual Christian may be prompted, en- couraged, and equipped to do this kind of Personal Soul- Winning work, is the purpose of this book. Its popular or conversational style of address will, it is hoped, enable the book to more thoroughly accomplisli its purpose. Tlie leading Scripture references have 7 8 . PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING been made to stand out distinctly from the main body of type in order that they may be easily located. The writer, who is the instructor on the subject of which this book treats, in the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, has prepared this work not more for the general public than for the young men and women who regularly take the work in his classes. Many of the students have expressed a wish to have these lectures in a printed and a completed form, so that when out in the field they may have opportunity to refer to and make use of them in the work of soul-winning, to which they have dedicated their lives. Being a graduate of the Institute, the writer had the privilege of listening to similar instruction from Rev. R. A. Torrey, D.D., whom he highly honored as a teacher, and who has read the proof sheets of this book with commendation. The nature of the theme, to say nothing of the impression made by such a teacher on his pupil, may show in this book a cer- tain general similarity in manner of presentation. The great indebtedness of the writer to Dr. Torrey is hereby gratefully expressed. William Evans. CONTENTS. Chapter I. — The Value of Personal Effoet in Soul- Winning 13 Individual and church at work — Personal dealing counts most — Examples — Secret of growth. Chapter II. — Elements of Success in Personal Soul- Winning 21 Tact — Contact — Ability — Value of opportunities — Funda- mental convictions — Faith — Patience. Chapter III. — The Personal Worker Himself — His Qualifications 33 Must be a Christian— Spirit-filled—Prayerful — A lover of Souls — Confidence in God and His Word. Chapter IV. — Instructions to the Soul-Winner - - 43 Who can do it — When, where — How it may be done — Open- ing the case — Bringing about decisions — How to memorize Scripture. Chapter V. — The Uninterested and Unconcerned - - 53 Arousing interest in divine things— Various lines of appeal: Sin, love, hope, fear. Chapter VI.— Those Who Are Interested and Con- cerned, But Ignorant of the Way of Life - - 65 How to become a Christian — Repentance — Faith — Confessing Christ— Christ's Kingship. Chapter VII.— Those Who Are Interested and Anxious, but Perplexed '^^ Too great a sinner— No feeling — Cannot find Christ — Cannot give up evil— Hurt my business— Cannot forgive enemies— Self-improvement. Chapter VIII.— The Self-Righteous ... - 87 Who they are— How to meet them— What God requires— Ex- amples of moral men. Chapter IX.— The Backslider P The penitent— God's willingness— How to come back. The imi>enitent— Sad condition— Fatal results. 9 10 PER80XAL SOULWIXXIXa Chapter X. — The Fearful and Despairing - - - 99 The case stated — Fear of ridicule — Loss of friends — Fear of persecution — How to hold out — Encouraging promises — Afraid will not be received — Tried before and failed — How to suc- ceed—Sinned away the day of grace — Unpardonable sin — Too late to become a Christian. Chapter XL — The Procrastinator - . . . 115 Danger of postponing salvation — Business first — ^Wait till I get older — Expect to become a Christian before I die — Sudden death. Chapter XIL — The Fault-Fixding 123 With God — Unjust to condemn man — Has not clearly revealed himself to man — The Bible foolish, contradictory and im- pure — A mere human book — Hypocrites in the church — Chris- tians inconsistent — The Christian life too hard and exacting- Finding fault with the plan of salvation. Chapter XHL — Those Who Are Misled by Erroneous Views of the Truth 137 Roman Catholic — Unitarian — Universalist — Seventh-Day Ad- ventist — Spiritualist — Jew — Christian Scientist — Millennial Dawnism. Chapter XIV. — The Obstinate 179 Don't talk to me — Want to have my own way — Have a good time in this world — Don't care for world to come. Chapter XV. — The Skeptic 185 Trifling — Cause of skepticism — Consequences. Serious-minded — The way out — Objections — Doubt existence of God — Future retribution — Inspiration of the Bible — Deity of Christ. THE VALUE OF PERSONAL EFFORT IN SOUL -WINNING CHAPTER I. THE VALUE OF PERSONAL EFFORT IN SOUL- WINNING. EVERY Christian should consider it the highest honor, and the greatest privilege to assist in the growth of the kingdom of God, by personal effort in individual soul-winning. He should realize, too, that it is not only his privilege to thus work for God, but that a most solemn responsibility rests upon him to do so. The true Christian, having found Christ to be precious to his own soul, desires, or at once seeks, as did Andrew and Philip of old, to get someone else to taste and see that the Lord is good. And what is true of the individual Christian should be true of the whole Church. What is the true position / of the Church according to the teachings of Christ? ' Is she not to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world? Should she not be as the woman seeking the lost coin, the shepherd seeking the straying sheep, and the father on the constant lookout for the way- ward son? That church, the members of which are not interested in, and putting forth personal effort in behalf of, a lost world, has in truth forfeited its creden- tials and its right to exist. In seeking to save its own soul, it has really lost it An anonymous clipping contains the following sug- gestive remarks along this particular line: '''What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?' That is to say, the alpha and omega of 13 14 PERSONAL SOUL-WINXTXa Christianity is sonl-winning, and every letter between the first and last should be permeated by the spirit which seeks the lost. "It is not enongh to be evangelical. We must be evangelistic. The evangelical church is a reservoir oi pure water without a pipe running anywhere. If yon will take the trouble to go to it and climb the embank- ment, you will get a good drink. The evangelistic church is a reservoir of pnre water with a pipe to every heart in the community, and every nation in the world. Evangelical may mean truth on ice; evan- gelistic means truth on fire. Evangelical may bp bomb-proof for defense; evangelistic means an army on the march with every face towards the enemy. Evan- gelical sings, ^Hold the fort, for I am coming'; evan- gelistic sings, 'Storm the fort, for God is leading.' The need of the Church is not evangelicalism as a thing to fight for, but evangelism as a force to fight with. The evangelical creed merely held and defended be comes a fossil, only a thing of interest. ^'Several miles above Milton, Pa., when the ice was breaking up, a farmer got into one of his boats, pur- posing to pull it out of the river. A floating mass of ice struck it, breaking it loose from the bank, and carrying it and him out into the current. A neighbor, seeing the danger, mounted a horse and with all speed rode down to Milton. The people of the town gathered all the ropes they could secure, went out on the bridge, and suspended a line of dangling ro^^es from the bridge across the river. They could not tell at just what point the boat with the farmer would pass under, so they put a rope down every two or three feet clear across. B^^ and by the farmer was seen, wet and cold, standing in the boat half full of water, drifting down the rapid current. When he saw the ropes dangling within reach, he seized the nearest one, was drawn up TEE VALL'E OF PERi^OXAL EFFORT 15 and saved. Now, one rope might not have answered the purpose. The pastor hangs the rope of salvation from the pulpit, and sinners present do not seem to get near it ; but if the business men will hang out ropes, and you young men and women, mothers and wives, hang out ropes, sinners will certainly be saved." Greater stress is here laid upon winning men to Christ by individual effort rather than upon any other method of accomplishing the same purpose, re- vivals, for example. Not that we do not believe in revivals, for how can one be a believer in the Bible and not believe in revivals? But personal soul- win- ning is much greater than revivalism. Indeed, is not the purpose and end of a true revival to make the individual Christian worker more interested in souls? A revival that does not accomplish this end is not a success. Both evangelist and pastor agree on this. Revivalism is fishing with a great net; personal soul- winning is fishing with a single hook. Both are right; / / but all Christians cannot handle the big net, while f all can use the single hook. All Christians are to be fishers of men. That form of Christian activity, there- fore, is most important, which excludes none from participation in it. Much is said today about winning "the crowds" for Jesus Christ. Every such effort is to be encouraged; but we must not forget that men can enter into the kingdom of God only as individuals. Religion em- phasizes personality. In what is a man better than a sheep? In this: that he is a personality, and must be dealt with as such, personally, individually. It is for this reason that the intelligent evangelist lays such emphasis upon a good corps of personal workers who shall deal with the crowds who come forward under the impulse of the invitation, individually and personally. Indeed, we do not consider that converts 16 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING have been dealt with properly until they have been dealt with personally. Religion emphasizes personality. Recently a photo- graph was left in my office. It was that of a converted convict. It had no name on it, only a number. Per- sonality is lost in jail; it is a number that is there recognized. It is a number that paces up and down the cell, a number that walks out to work in the yards, a number that sits down to eat, a number that takes sick and dies, and a number that is buried in the pot- ter's field. Personality, not numbers, counts in the kingdom of God; the Church is made up of that in- numerable host which no man can number, but who carry upon their foreheads the name of Him whose they are and whom they serve. All talk about a social salvation, and a sweeping of men into the kingdom by crowds, is to be received with some apprehension, to say the least. Jesus Christ Our Example. Jesus Christ won most, if not all, of His followers by personal effort. Do you recall a single instance of what w^e, in this day, would call a great revival taking place during Christ's ministry? He enlisted Matthew at the toll-booth, and Peter, James and John at their nets, by personal invitation : ''Come, follow me !" One ^by one, man by man; that is how Christ's cause grew. What is the great lesson taught in the first chapter of John, the chapter commonly called the "Eureka" or "I have found" chapter? Is it not that the Church of Christ grew and is to grow by personal effort? Does not the Holy Spirit set forth at the beginning of the Christian dispensation the divine method of extending Christianity, the law of the kingdom's growth, namely, the finding of one disciple by another? The supreme business of the Christian is to indi- vidualize the Gospel. No distinction, such as clergy THE VALUE OF PERSOXAL EFFORT 17 and laity, is here recognized. As followers of Christ we are all to be personal soul-winners. Every Chris- tian layman is '^ordained" to go and bring forth fruit, and is a ^^minister" in so far as every man who has received a gift — and every Christian has received one — is called upon to minister therewith (John 15:16; 1 Peter 4:10, 11). The Apostles' Example. How personal soul-winning is emphasized in the Acts of the Apostles! Pentecost is passed over with comparatively small mention ; but the Church of Jesus Christ going out as individual personal workers — John here, Peter there, Philip yonder, the ordinary Christian layman going from house to house, seeking to extend the kingdom of the Christ — this is given in detail, and to its narration is devoted much space. The Testimony of Two Pastors. The church at Colosse began not with a great revival under Paul, but as the result of the faithful personal work of one man, Epaphras. The church at Rome was undoubtedly founded in the same way. Pastors ac- knowledge that the best additions to their churches are those won to Christ by personal effort. Dr. Hughes, recently chosen bishop in the Methodist Epis- copal Church, says, that in a revival in his church cov- ering two years, there were 48 converts, 11 men and 37 women ; but that, as a result of personal work dur- ing the same period, there were 75 converts, 40 men and 35 women. Is there not a lesson for us to learn from this experience, not only as to numbers, but as to sex? Here is the solution of the pastor's problem, *'How to reach the men." Dr. J. O. Peck is reported to have said, that if he had the certainty that he was to live only ten years, and as a condition of gaining heaven at the end thereof, he had to win a thousan<^ 18 PERGONAL SOUL-WINNINa or ten thousand souls for Christ, and he was given his choice of winning them either by preaching sermons or by individual efifort, he would choose the latter method every time. ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS IN PERSONAL SOUL -WINNING CHAPTER n. ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS IN PERSONAL SOUL- WINNING. A MONG the elements of success in personal work may be mentioned : 1. Tact ''Tact,'' according to the dictionary, ''is a quick or intuitive appreciation of what is proper, fitting or right; the mental ability of doing and saying the right thing at the right time so as not to unjustly offend or anger." In other words, tact is nothing more or less than skill and facility in dealing with men. Tact has been called the life of the five senses : it is the open eye, the quick ear, the judging taste, the keen smell, the lively touch. Tact knows what to do and when and how to do it. Christ manifested great tact in His reply to the un- reasonable question of the Pharisees, when He called for a coin, and in reply to the captious question of His enemies, said : "Render to Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and to God the things which are God's." Paul showed tact when, brought before the tribunal, perceiving that his audience was divided on the ques- tion of the resurrection of the dead — the Pharisees believing it, and the Sadducees disbelieving it — he cried out: ''For the hope of the resurrection of the dead am I called in question." His tact won the day; for we read, that, immediately following this appeal, there "arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sad- ducees: and the multitude was divided." In writing 21 22 PER SOX AL SOUL-WIXXIXG to the Corinthians, Paul says: ^'Being craftv, I caught jou with guile.'- A Salvation Army lass was once accosted by a young dude whom she asked to buy a War Cry for five cents. "Give me ten cents' worth of prayer," said the foolish youth. Instantly the lassie knelt down before the young man and the young ladies who were accompany ing him, and prayed for the fellow. And so earnestly did the lassie pray that that young man sought her a few days later and asked her to point him to a Saviour who could save him from his waywardness and sin. That young lassie had tact. Philip the evangelist had tact, and manifested it in dealing w^ith the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8). Instead of blurting out, as many Christian workers do today: ''Are you a Christian? if not, you are going to hell; repent, or you will be damned," he approached him with the question, quite natural to a man who was engaged in reading, "'Understandest thou what thou readest?" The result of such tactful dealing was that the eunuch invited the evangelist to ride with him and explain to him the way of salvation. Ultimately the man found Jesus Christ as his Saviour, and went on his way rejoicing. Many an untactful man would have spoiled that magnificent opportunity. Fishermen teach us the value of tact in their choice and use of various kinds of bait, and in the different methods pursued in catching difl;erent kinds of fish. Tact supplies the lack of many talents; indeed, the lack of it is oftentimes fatal. A little tact and wise management very often gain a point which could be gained in no other way. It is fortunate for the Christian worker that this element of success in personal work is at his command. It comes from God in answer to prayer. If a man does not have it by nature, he may have it by grace. ELEMEXTt^ OF SUCCESS 23 God will give it in answer to prayer. '^If any of you lack wisdom [tact], let him ask of God, that giveth to all men [and women alike] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (Jas. 1:5). Compare 1 John 2 :29 ; Acts 13 :9, 10. 2. Contact. Contact is defined as the coming together of two bodies in space. It means, in personal work, the com- ing into touch with your man. Contact is button-hoL ing, ^'tackling" your man. A man may have all the tact in the world, but it will be useless unless he gets into contact with men. Contact is tact put into prac- tice. Samson had strength sufficient to pull down the great temple of the Philistines; but it was of no avail until he was put into contact with, and his arms en- closed, the mighty pillars which supported the mas- sive temple. Of what use is all our knowledge of methods, if we do not go after men and deal with them individually? Of what use is the sword if there is no battle to be fought, no cause to be defended, no victory to be won? You may have the finest fishing tackle that money can buy in the cupboard in your home, but it will not catch fish for you until you bring it into contact with the fish in the water. So a Christian worker may have fine tackle for spiritual fishing — a knowledge of the habits of men and a good knowledge of the various Scripture passages to use in catching them — and yet be utterly futile and useless as a personal worker un- less he comes into contact with men. There are two things to remember about contact : first, we must have contact with God ; second, we must have contact with men. We must be heart-foremost with God if we would be head-foremost with men. Jacob is a good illustration of this. First, he wrestled 4 24 PERSONAL SOUL-WnyXIXa witli God, and then, as a result, he had power with men. Witness his victory over his brother Esau. 3. Ability. Ability is defined as the power of bringing things to pass. Ability was characteristic of the life of Jesus. Again and again do we find the words, ''And it came to pass." (a) We need abilitij to read and understand men. Jesus knew men. We are told in John 2 :2i, 25, that ''Jesus knew all men ... he knew what was in man." Just as the successful fisherman must understand the habits of fish, so must the successful personal worker understand the ways, reasonings, disputings, and methods of men. Different temperaments need to be dealt with in different ways. (h) We need ahility in the handling of the Bible. We should be able to handle our Bibles and turn to the desired location as expertly as the book agent turns to his prospectus and the life insurance man to his book of tables. Philip the evangelist w^ould have lost a magnificent opportunity if he had not been able to find the place in the Scriptures where it is written. We must be experts in the handling of the Word of God. Some- times to hesitate means to lose the case you are deal- ing with. See how quickly Jesus turned to just the place he wanted when he was called upon to read in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:17) : "And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it w^as written." Ability to find the place where it is written inspires confidence in the inquirer, whereas hesitancy is a barrier to effective dealing. We need ability in handling the Bible, for three reasons : First: To show men from the Word of God that they are sinners. ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS 25 It need hardly be said that all men do not concede that they are sinners. In order to convince them of this fact, we need words that are divine. No words of ours can produce conviction of sin: God's Word alone can do that. It is the "sword of the Spirit'' alone that can prevail in such a conflict as this, and the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17). Secondly: To point men who are convicted of sin to Jesus Christ, who is the Sin-bearer. This can only be done by directing the thought of the inquirer to those passages of Scripture which set forth the death of Christ as the propitia- tion for the sins of men. No words of ours can give peace and assurance to souls that are burdened with the knowledge and guilt of sin. God must speak if men are to hear the words, '^Go in peace; thy sins are forgiven thee." Thirdly : We must use the Bible in order to estab- lish men in the faith, and to direct them to the means of growth in the Christian life. It is not enough that we get men saved. We must show them how to make a success of the Christian life ; we must show them how to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). (c) Again, we need abilitij to hring about decisions. Many Christian workers find themselves unable to bring the inquirer be^^ond a certain point. They can bring the inquirer to acknowledge his sinfulness and express his desire to accept Christ as his Saviour, but cannot get him to really DO IT; and so the earnest, anxious inquirer goes away unsaved, simply because the personal worker did not have the ability to bring things to a final issue. Anyone who has had any ex- perience whatever in fishing knows that there is a 26 PEliSOXAL SOUL-WINNIXG world of difference in having a fish nibble at your hook and in catching it, and landing it right in the boat. To have a fish nibble at your hook is a good thing; to be able to lift it out of the water is a better thing; to land it right in the boat is the best thing of it all. So it is in spiritual fishing — in the catching of men. It is good to find an inquirer; it is better to be able to show him the way of life; it is best to be able to get him to definitely accept Christ as his per- sonal Saviour. Ability, as all the other essential factors of success- ful soul-winning, is something within the reach of the humblest child of God. It, too, is a gift from God, and comes in answer to prayer. We are told in 1 Peter 4 .11 that there is such a thing as *'the ability which God giveth." Then let us ask God in prayer to grant us this power so that we shall be able to bring things to pass for Him. 4. The appreciation of opportunities. (Eph. 5:16.) An opportunity is defined as a time with favoring or propitious circumstances ; a favorable chance. The personal worker must be an opportunist; he must believe in opportunism. The buying up of oppor- tunities for Christ is not to be understood as an effort to save hours which we might be tempted to waste from idleness, but the effort to so control our time that we shall not allow any selfish motive, any cowardly timidity, to stand in the way of our doing good. The Christian worker must emulate the merchant who is quick to seize every bargain that is passing before him. As he buys up goods, so we must buy up opportunities for doing good, and especially those opportunities which are afforded us of speaking to men about their souls. Paul tells us to redeem the time. By that he seems to indicate that every moment has its opportunity as- ELEMEXTH OF .SUCCESS 27 signed to it in the way of doing good. By doing duty at the moment of opportunity we mal^e a purchase of it, and thus not only malie gain for good and for Christ's kingdom, but also talve away that time from the evil one, and thus reduce the power of his dominion. When we let an opportunity to speak to a soul go by we let Satan take the time from us, and thus we con- tract a debt. Much is said in market circles of "get- ting a corner on the market." Let us get a corner on time and buy up every opportunity for Christ. Two or three things may be said in this connection: (a) Do not force opportunities. Force is the opposite of opportunity. If you are in constant and continual communion with God, He will direct you in this matter. The question may be asked, "Must we not then speak to people unless we are moved to do so?" Possibly the best answer to this question is, that if you are in continual fellowship with God, you will be moved whenever the opportunity is pre- sented to you. Cb) Then again, TFe slionld see to it that we miss no opportunities. As men in the gold fields are constantly on the look- out for gold veins, so should the personal worker be on the lookout for souls. Wherever we are, whatever we may be doing, wherever we may be going, we should be on the lookout for opportunities for personal dealing. Much, oh, how much depends upon the wise use of the opportune moment ! "There is a season when it is good to take occasion by the hand." (c) Finally, The icise use of opportunities implies good planning of time. Many of us waste much time because we have no definite plan for that time. Again, many opportunities are lost because we do not give the proper relative value to time. Put first things first, the essential before the 28 PER SOX AL SOUL-WINNIXG non-essential, the primary before tlie secondar3\ Two reasons are given in the Scriptures for the wise use of time and opportunities : First, because the days are few, because the daytime is working time, and the night cometh — oh, how soon it cometh — when no man can work. We must work while it is day (Gal. 6:10). Second, because "the days are evil": that is to say, the times and circumstances of life do not lend themselves to such spiritual use of time. The world seems to be wholly occupied with the enjoyment of sin and selfish pleasure. Such a world is not a great en- couragement to definite soul-winning work for God. 5. An absolute conTiction of truth. What is truth? The truth as it is in Christ Jesus — the truth as eJesus taught it, and as it is expressed in the Bible. The truth regarding man, his lost con- dition, and his salvability ; the truth regarding the re- demptive work of Jesus Christ and the possibilities of fallen man because of it; the truth regarding the future: that whosoever believeth shall be saved, and whosoever believeth not shall be condemned. Doubt and indecision in the worker beget doubt and indecision in the inquirer. If you are not sure that men are lost, then there is not much use in your trying to save them. If there is no wreck, there is no use in putting out the lifeboat. If there is no one drown- ing, what is the use of throwing out the lifeline? If your neighbor's house is not on fire, what is the use of going to his house in the dark of the night, and arousing him and his family, and warning him of the danger? But if there is a shipwreck, if there is a man overboard, if your neighbor's house is on fire, then quickly and earnestly man the lifeboat, throw out the lifeline, give your neighbor w^arning. The personal worker must be fully assured of some things; and these are some of the things : that all men are sinners, ELEME^T^ OF ^VCCEB^ 29 and as suck will be lost, unless Jesus save them ; that Jesus died to save them, and b}^ faith in Him, and that alone, they can be saved; that outside of the redemp- tion that is in Christ Jesus all men are lost; that in Him men are saved. These are some of the truths concerning which the personal worker must not be in doubt if he is to be successful in winning men for Christ. 6. A faith that never despairs. We must be able to see the germ of the saint in the chief of sinners, the fairest flower in Christ's garden in the outcast woman of the street. We must believe, as the genealogies of Jesus teach us, that Jesus came through all sorts of people in order that He might save all sorts of people. We must see all men, not as they are in themselves, but as they may be in the light of the cross of Christ. This is what Paul meant when he said he was determined to know no man after the flesh * * * If any man was in Christ Jesus, he was (or became) a new creature. (2 Cor. 5:17.) We are told that a very beautiful face of the Christ was once painted on a very soiled linen handkerchief. So can the image of Christ be painted upon the worst of men. Such men as John B. Gough and John G. Woolley, the gutter drunkards, and Jerry McAuley, the river pirate, may, yea, have become the great temperance orators, the successful mission workers. We must believe in a gospel of hope — not too quick to believe that there is such a thing as being past redemption point in the matter of salvation. "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Gen. 18:14) — this must be the watchword of the successful personal worker. We are to ^'despair of no man" (Luke G :35, R. Y., margin). 7. Infinite patience. The personal worker must be able to endure the "con- tradiction of sinners against themselves," the senseless 30 PERSONAL SOUL-WIXXING arguments of those who oppose themselves, the treach- ery and deceit of those who follow Christ for ^'the loaves and fishes.-' He will deal patiently with men who are weak and who backslide easily. He will be called upon to lift them up after they have fallen more than once or twice. Judson, in Burmah, unable to tell of conversions in his first report, said : "Permit us to labor in obscurity for twenty years, and you shall hear from us again." And he was heard from. 8. A deep sense of responsihility. Every personal worker ought to read often the third and thirty-third chapters of Ezekiel. Possibly no part of the whole Bible sets forth the responsibility of one man for another as do these chapters. It may not be our responsibility to bring every individual to Christ; but it is our responsibility to see that Christ is brought to every individual. Every man may not want Christ; but Christ wants every man, and it is our business to let every man know that Christ wants him. God has appointed me ''my brother's keeper," whether I will it or not. ''When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his w^ay, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity: but his blood w^ill I re- quire at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it: if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul" (Ezek. 33:8, 9). Daniel Webster was once asked what was the most solemn thought he had ever entertained. In reply, he said : "My personal responsibility to God." Can there be any more solemn thought than this for a Christian worker ? THE PERSONAL WOEKER HIM- SELF—HIS QUALIFICATIONS CHAPTER m. THE PERSONAL WORKER HIMSELF — HIS QUALIFICATIONS. 1. He must he a thorongli Christian. THE first step in bringing other men to Christ is to know the way to Him yourself. In Luke 22 :32, Jesus says to Peter: ^'And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Peter himself must first be right with God before he can bring others into a right relationship with God. Although God has in the past, and still does at pres- ent, allow even ungodly people to speak the word of life to perishing souls, as for example, unconverted ministers, — thereby making even the wrath of men to praise Him, — yet such cases are merely exceptions to the rule. Generally, one must be a thorough Christian himself before he can be instrumental in leading anxious souls to a seeking Saviour. ^'First cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye" (Matt. 7:5). 2. He must be a Spirit-filled man. The Spirit of God must have control of his affections. He must live, move and have being in the Spirit. He must trust Him for guidance and direction. Philip the evangelist is a good illustration of this thought. In Acts 8 :29 we find these words : "Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot." Philip was obedient to the promptings of the Spirit, and in the 30th verse we read "And 33 34 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING Philip ran thither to him." He might have said what Moses did, — "Lord, send someone else." "Lord, I can- not speak to this stranger. I have never had an intro- duction to him. He may not care for my company." Some of us would have said that; but Philip was obe- dient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and did just what the Spirit commanded him to do, asking no ques- tions. The Bible says, "Philip ran to him," indicating his swift obedience. Are you willing to speak to those around you about their soul's eternal welfare? — to those who sit at the same table with you, and who abide under the same roof with you? Mother, father, has the Spirit never said to you : "Go join thyself to your child, and teach him or her the way of salvation?" Yes, but you have not obeyed. Knowest thou the awful responsibility resting upon thee? Read Ezekiel 3:17-19. Listen ! hark I they are calling the roll in heaven. Mother, where is your child? Father, where are your children? Young man, young woman, where are your friends? ''While you are busy here and there, they are gone." While you are busy seeking after the things of earth, your children have slipped between your fingers, you have no more spiritual influence over them ; they are lost ! Read 1 Kings 20 :39,40. 3. He must be a man of prayer. It was while Peter was praying that he received the prompting of the Spirit to go to Cornelius and tell him what to do to be saved. "I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accom- panied me, and we entered into the man's house" (Acts 11:5.12.) TEE PERSONAL WORKER HIMSELF 35 (a) We must pray tJiat God icill lead us to the right person, I do not think it is necessary for us, nor do I think God expects us, to speak to every person we see about his soul's salvation. We have not the time for that. I do believe, however, that, as the Spirit led Philip to go and join himself to a certain (this) chariot, so the Spirit of God will give us, in answer to prayer, the inward prompting, so that we may know when to speak and to whom. (h) We must pray also that Ood mil enable us to speak the right words. We must ask Him to give the Word power; for we must not forget, that though Paul may plant and Apol- los water, yet it is God that must give the increase (1 Cor. 3:6). (c) Then we must pray that God tcill continue the work already begun in the heart of the person with i^iiom we have spoken. And right here we may learn from the Apostle Paul, who never forgot to remember his converts in prayer after he had left them (Eph. 1:16-20; Phil. 1:4. 5; Col. 1:3,4). 4. He must haye a desire to see souls sayed. The secret of success is here. Christ had a burning love for souls. Listen to Him as He stands on the mount overlooking the Holy City, and saying : "O Jeru- salem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are. sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not" (Matt. 23:37). "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it" (Luke 19:41). v^.. ^/ (^' 36 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING Have you ever wept over souls? ^^Xo," you say; ^^I have never felt the burden of souls heavy enough for that; how may I feel the weight of souls?" Consider the value of a soul ; what it cost ; what a sacrifice was made to redeem it ; its capabilities ; its eternal destiny to glory or despair; that you are in a very real sense your brother's keeper, and then ask God to make you feel the mighty importance of trying to rescue some perishing soul as a brand plucked from the burning. Paul had a passionate love for souls. He says: ^'I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed (or separated) from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh" (Rom. 9:2,3). The Apostle Paul's heart broke loose from the prolonged logical argument and poured itself out in one vehement ex- clamation of love, ''I could wish myself accursed for my brethren's sake," — "accursed," given over to hope- less, eternal death; accursed "from Christ," the joy, the joy of his soul ; "accursed," he the loyal one, from his all in all, if only the Israel of his love could be saved ! A man may be a successful physician without having love for his patients; he may be a successful lawyer without having love for his clients; he may be a suc- cessful merchant without having love for his patrons : but no man can be a successful co-worker with God without having love for souls, and a longing desire to see them saved. When John Knox, in the enclosure behind his house, pierced the stillness of the night with the thrice-re- peated, intense appeal, "Give me Scotland, or I die!" that eager, yearning, well-nigh broken heart got its Scotland. When Brainerd went to sleep thinking of souls and dreaming dreams of them, and, waking, still thought and prayed for them, souls became his. "Tell THE PERSONAL WORKER HIMSELF 37 me," says Maclaren, ^'the depth of a Christian man's compassion, and I will tell you the measure of his use- fulness. The wealth of Egypt's harvest is propor- tioned to the depth of the Nile's overflow." Christ, the model Christian worker, is portrayed as ^'moved with compassion," as though a great surging tide flowed over his heart when he saw the multitudes standing before him in their want. The power of these great religious leaders of all time, lay deeper than their mighty intellects — it lay in their love for souls. Souls, souls, souls! I yearn for souls. This is the cry of the Saviour — and to save souls He died upon the cross, and remains until eternity their intercessor. Souls, souls, souls I This is the cry of Satan — and to obtain them he scatters gold to tempt them, mul- tiplies their wants and pleasures, and gives them praise that only infatuates. Souls, souls, souls! This must be our one cry and passion. Christian worker; and for the sake of one soul we must be willing to spend and be spent. 5. He must have confidence in the power of, and in, the Word of God. We do well to heed the Lord's rebuke to Sarah in Gen. 18:14, "Is any thing too hard for the Lord?" Ko matter how desperate the case may be, God can save to the uttermost. If the person you are seeking to lead to Christ be the "chief of sinners," 1 Tim. 1;15 will suit him : This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta- tion, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ; of whom I am chief. If he be a murderer, Isa. 1 :18 will comfort him : Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 38 PERSONAL .WUL-WINXIXG If an outcast, Luke 19:10 is just the passage he needs : For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Let us take for our motto, when we are tempted to be discouraged because of the seeming indifference and hardness of those we are seeking to lead to Christ, the following passages of Scripture: Matt. 19:25, 26: When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is im- possible ; but with God all things are possible. Job 42 :1, 2 : Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Isaiah 55 :10, 11 : For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater : So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth : it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accom- plish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Fourteen hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Baalam, by special inspiration, addressed Balak with these profound words: "God is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Num. 23:19.) Paul the apostle, fifteen hundred years after Baalam, echoes the same testimony: "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began" (Titus 1:2). Let us trust confidently in the Word and promises of God. THE PERSOXAL WORKER HIMSELF 39 An illustration will show more plainly what I mean : A Christian worker once met a man who was hardened in sin and skepticism. After speaking to him about becoming a Christian, he said: ''I do not believe in the Bible, or in God, or in heaven or hell. I am a skeptic." The worker took no notice of the man's confession, but quoted to him this passage : ''Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). ''But," he said again, "did I not tell you I did not believe in the Bible? why do you quote it to me?" The Christian again quoted the same verse, and again the skeptic gave the same reply. After repeating that same verse, adding no words of his own to it, about a dozen times, the worker said to him, "Now, my friend, I do not remember half of what you have said to me; but you cannot forget the passage of Scripture I have quoted to you, and I am going to pray that God will, through that passage of Scripture, and His Holy Spirit, cause you to realize its truth." "But," he continued, "I do not believe it." Then was quoted Romans 3 :3, 4 : "For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid," etc. The Christian then left the skeptic in the hands of God. The next night the skeptic sought him and confessed that he had spent a miserable night. He said: "That verse you quoted so often has haunted me ever since ; it Avill not leave my memory. Won't you show me how to find rest for my soul?" What a joy it was to point him to John 1:29, leave him in Acts 13:52, and commend him to Jude 21. Thus, you see, God will honor His own Word, INSTRUCTIONS TO THE SOUL-WINNER CHAPTER IV. INSTRUCTIONS TO THE SOUL - WINNER. 1. Who can engage in this work of personal soul- winning? FORTUNATELY, no Christian, however insignifi- cant he may feel himself to be, or however limited his talents, is shut out from the opportunity of soul- winning. Inasmuch as God holds all Christians re- sponsible for this work, it must be possible for all to do it. Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:26-28) are good illustrations of the opportunities that are afforded every individual Christian. Philip (Acts 8) and Paul (Acts 20:31) show us how preachers may engage in this work. 2 Kings 5 :l-5 tells of a housemaid doing this kind of work. It is said that Lord Shaftesbury was led to Christ through one of his housemaids. John 1 gives a picture of a teacher leading his j^upil (v. 29) ; a brother, his brother (vs. 40, 41) ; and a friend, his friend (vs. 43-4.5) to Christ as the Saviour of the world. 2 Timothy 1 :5 and 3 :15 afford us a splendid example for parents to lead their children to Christ. Every Christian should be a personal worker for Christ just as every sinner is a worker for Satan. No one is excluded from this great work. 2, Where may personal soul- winning be done? Is there any place in which it cannot be done? is a more fitting way to put it. Jesus did it in the temple, in the streets, on the seaside, in a boat, on the moun- tain-side, and in the house. Mr. Moody, who was perhaps the greatest personal soul-winner of his day, made it a practice of his life 43 44 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING to speak to men on the street-cars. In thus dealing with a man in a Detroit street-car, he asked him the question: ^'Are you a Christian?" The man answered: ''No, sir; but I wish I were." Mr. Moody there and then led the man to Christ. According to Oriental thought and custom, one with whom you break bread, or with whom you sit at meat js, by that very fact, in covenant with you, and you have sacred duties toward him which must not be shirked or avoided. Has not the Christian similar relations under similar circumstances? Yet how often, yea, rather how seldom, if at all, do we realize these privileges and responsibilities ! We talk to friends on other topics, such as politics, and the weather: w^hy not speak to them of Christ? Governments have two ways of saving life: the life- saving station and the lighthouse. The rescue mission is the life-saving station and crew; but the ship must be on the rocks, or the man be in the water, before this agency can render help. The Sunday-school is a lighthouse; it warns the ship before it gets onto the rocks. What an opportunity both the rescue mission and the Sunday-school worker have to do personal soul- winning work! Yet how incomparably greater is the opportunity of the Sunday-school teacher. Jesus put a little child in the midst, and he has been in the midst, the center of attraction, ever since; the world revolves around the little child. It is said that on nine- teen different occasions Jesus sat down and taught one scholar. The close of the regular church service affords a splendid opportunity for speaking to souls. Already hearts have in all probability been touched by the preached word, and may be longing to have someone deal definitely with them, and point them individually to Jesus Christ. It was at the close of a great service that Philip won his convert (Acts 8:37, 38). INSTRUCTIONS 45 If you want a field of labor, You can find one anywhere. S. How personal soul-winumg work may be done. By the use of the mails. Write letters. Here is a vast and almost unemployed agency for the advance- ment of the kingdom of God. Dedicate your pen to the work of postal evangelism. A Christian Japanese telegraphed to his brother to come home because of important business. The brother came. He found out that the ''important business" was in the nature of a great revival that was then in progress in Tokyo. After some hesitancy he decided to stay at home and attend the meetings. On the last night of the meetings he was converted. Nothing, however, takes the place of the personal heart-to-heart, face-to-face talk. This can be had in the shop, office, store, hall, church, on the street, in the home. Make it your business to talk with your friends about Christ. Tracts may he effectively used. One day a man rid- ing on a street-car in New York was handed a tract which read, "Look to Jesus when tempted, troubled, or dying!" The man read the tract carefully. As the car reached its destination and the passengers were getting off, he who received the tract said to the man who gave it to him : "Sir, when you gave me this tract, I was on my way down to the river to drown myself. My wife and son have both died, and there is nothing for me to live for. God bless you for giving me this encouraging message." Seventeen hundred people are said to have written to Dr. Chickering, the author of the tract, "What is it to believe on Christ?" stating that they were led to Christ by the use of this leaflet. Many people who may feel themselves too timid to speak a word for Christ, may be thus able to give the word in this manner. 46 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING If you have a tract in your possession — and, by the way, all Christians should carry a supply of evangelis- tic literature with them ready for such use — you may give it. Let your friend read the tract, and then ask him what he thinks of it. How TO Begin. HotD to hegin a conversation along personal soul- winning lines is not always easily determined. A sug- gestion or two in this direction may not be out of place. Generally, men should deal with men, and women with women; the young with the young, and the old icith the old. This rule applies particularly to adults, and not to adults dealing with children. Unless it is absolutely necessary, this rule should not be broken. - Avoid introducing your subject hy an ahrupt ques- tion. Lead naturally up to the question of the inquirer becoming a Christian. Jesus, in his dealing with the Samaritan woman (John 4), and Philip (Acts 8) are good examples to follow. To begin by asking at once : ''Are you a Christian?" or ''Are you saved?" or some such question may, in exceptional cases, be effective, but usually such an approach antagonizes. It is bet- ter, especially if you have time enough to do it, to begin on some other topic and gradually lead up to the question of the acceptance of Christ. Philip asked^ "Understandest thou what thou readest?" (Acts 8:30). Christ spoke to the Samaritan woman on the general subject of water to begin with (John 4:7). If you should be dealing with the inquirer at the close of a sermon or service, you may introduce your subject by asking him how he liked the sermon, etc. Get the inquirer alone, and do not allow yourself, if you can prevent it, to he interrupted. The presence of a third person is usually fatal to the effectiveness of personal work with souls. Often an inquirer who has INSTRUCTIONS 47 been opening his heart to the worker has closed it at once as a third person has appeared. As a general rule, no one is convinced in the presence of a crowd; certainly no man will unbosom himself to a spiritual i adviser in the presence of others. To be interrupted while dealing with an inquirer is ofttimes disastrous. Some well-meaning but poorly instructed people seem to find delight in seeking to encourage the inquirer and the worker by saying : ''Oh, yes, my friend, what the worker is saying is true; do believe it; we are praying for you/' or some such words. To do this may be fatal. The worker may have been dealing with the inquirer along a certain line of thought until he is at the point of yielding. For some one not acquainted with this method to come and igno- rantly interrupt the conversation may be to neutralize all that the worker has thus far done. Do not interrupt^ others ; do not allow others to interrupt you. Aim to 'bring ahoiit a decision as soon as you can. Get the inquirer on his knees at the earliest possible moment. This posture of the body has much more to do with the element of submission on the part of the will than we think. As a rule, the bended knee is the end of all argument. Emphasize the immediate acceptance of Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. Do not be content until the in- quirer has definitely settled his personal relationship to Jesus Christ. As many as receive Him become chil- dren of God. To receive Christ as personal Saviour is the all-important thing. It is not enough to answer the inquirer's questions, to dissolve his doubts, or to enlighten his ignorance. All this the worker may do and still leave the man unsaved. To leave the inquirer with the question of the acceptance of Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour settled — this is the aim and end of all personal dealing. 48 PERSONAL 80ULAVINNING Do not enter into a heated argument. Men are not usually convinced by this method of dealing. ^'The servant of the Lord must not strive'' (2 Tim. 2:23, 24). Hold yourself well in hand. Keep your poise ; control yourself; do not lose your temper; be courteous at all times and under all circumstances. Remember Jesus Christ — how graciously He received the contradiction of sinners. When He was reviled, He reviled not again. Do thou likewise. Be courageous. Do not fear the face of man. Re- member that in spiritual matters the Christian worker possesses the confidence that comes from a settled con- viction of a right relation to God. The sinner does not possess this, and consequently does not have the cour- a^e that issues from it. The sinner is the fearful one ; the Christian is bold and courageous. Some Christians, however, are naturally timid, and, therefore, find it an almost impossible task to approach people m this way. We would recommend to such for their considera- tion the case of Peter and his timidity (or cowardice) before Pentecost (Mark 14:66-72), and Peter and his courage after Pentecost (Acts 2:14). We would also suggest that the prayer of the early Christians for courage be pondered and appropriated (Acts 4:23-31). f Get the inquirer to read for himself the verses you use in dealing icith him. It makes a much deeper im- pression upon his mind if he sees and reads the Scrip- tures for himself. Christian workers of the longest and largest experience particularly emphasize this point. Looking at the great number of Scripture references in this volume, it would seem like asking something that was impossible, to suggest the memorizing of them all. Yet it is a comparatively easy task if undertaken in the right manner. A few suggestions will be helpful here. INSTRUCTIONS 49 1. Memorize the location of the verse together with the verse. You will find it just as easy to say, *'John 1 :29, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," as you would if you merely said, "Behold the Lamb of God," etc., omitting to state the reference. 2. Learn it. Don't get a faint, indefinite idea. If you want to remember any text in after years, let it make a deep, clear and vivid impression on your mind the moment you learn it. 3. Read the verse over, say twenty times; close your Bible and see if you can repeat it correctly, then to be sure, read it again. Once writing the verse is worth a dozen repetitions of it by mouth. 4. Review. This is the secret of memorizing. Re- view every day, every week, every month, and every year. 5. Practice. Use the passages of Scripture. Seek occasions /^or talking to persons who have difficulties. The writer's book entitled, Hoiv to Memorize, issued by the pub- lishers of this work, will be found very helpful in memorizing any matter, but especially the Scriptures. THE UNINTERESTED AND UNCONCEENED CHAPTER V. I. THE UNINTERESTED AND UNCONCERNED. HOW shall we treat those with whom we speak con- cerning their spiritual condition, and for whose salvation we are anxious, who nevertheless treat our approaches and earnest solicitations with seeming contempt, or, to say the least, with apparent indiffer- ence? Our best efforts, our most praj^erful pleadings, seem not to move them. They remain not only un- moved, but uninterested. To us they seem to be an unreasonable and a gainsaying people. Such persons may be among our most intimate friends, members of our families, husband or wife, brother or sister. The thought of their being lost is more than we can bear. Yet we do not seem to be able to interest them in the salvation of their own souls. What shall we say ? what can we do? what arguments can we bring forth that shall, under God, be the means of bringing them to realize their need of Christ as their personal Saviour? We must not treat all men alike, any more than a physician treats all people alike who come to him for medical attention. Jude 22, 23 suggests a difference of method in dealing with souls — ''And of some have compassion, making a difference : and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire.'' There are four general ways in which we may deal with the Uninterested and Unconcerned: 1. Aim to produce conviction of sin. All men need to be brought face to face with the fac^ that they have sinned, for without this knowledge there can hardly be any heartfelt need of a Saviour. 53 54 PERGONAL SOUL-WINNING Of course, it is the work of the Holy Spirit to produce conviction of sin (John 16:9). No human teacher, no Christian worker, however faithful and consecrated, can produce it ; conscience cannot produce it ; even the Gospel itself cannot do it. Although the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, yet, unless the Spirit of God draws forth and wields that sword, it lies powerless in its scabbard. Only when He wields it, is it '^quick and powerful" (Heb. 4:12). The power is from God. Yet man is the instrument : it isjhej^sword of the Lord, and of Gideon," too. Now, what scriptures shall we use to produce con- viction of sin? Through the law is the knowledge of sin. ^'I had not known sin, but by the law" (Rom. 7:7). A man must acknowledge himself to be a sinner before he can call on God for forgiveness. Therefore — (a) Use such passages of Scripture as are likely to produce conviction of sin. First, the fact of sin. Show the inquirer that he has sinned, that he is a sinner. To do this, use : Isa. 53:6: All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own way : and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Rom. 3 :10, 23 : There is none righteous, no, not one ; For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Show that "all" includes him. We may differ in the extent but not in the nature of sin. All have gone astray from God. If the inquirer says he has not sinned, show him 1 John 1 :8, 10. To say we have not sinned is to make God a liar. But God is true. He is "not a man that he should lie." "Let God be true, but every man a liar" (Rom. 3:4). It is possible that the inquirer may say, in this con- nection: "Well, I have not sinned much; I am not a UNINTERESTED AND UNCONCERNED 55 great sinner." Ask him what is his definition of a great sinner. He will doubtless say, ^'One who has broken much of the law." You may then read to him Matt. 22 :37, 38 : Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. Ask him if he has loved God in the manner indicated in this verse — with all the heart, mind, soul, strength? 8hoAv him just what it means to thus love God; that we must love Him supremely, and put the doing of His will before all else. If he speaks the truth, he will confess that he has not thus loved God. Then ask him what commandment he has broken : ''The first and the greatest." If a man breaks the greatest command- ment, is he not a great sinner? Then, again, to inten- sify the thought of sin, James 2 :10 may be used : For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. Show him from this passage that to break one com- mandment is to break them all. Therefore, according to his own definition of a great sinner, he is such a sin- ner, inasmuch as he has broken the whole law. (h) Use such passages as set fpxtlLihe...con8equenc£^s of sin. Inasmuch as the inquirer has just admitted that he has not kept ''the whole law," it is well to show him from Gal. 3:10 the penalty God has attached to such disobedience. For as many as are of the works of the law are un- der the curse : for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. The law demands a jjerfect and a continual obedience, and the man who fails to render such an obedience is "under the curse"; that is to say, he is separated and 56 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING banished from God. The pronouncement of woe has already been passed upon him. He is "already con- demned" ; compare Kom. 6 :23 ; Ezek. 18 :4. Sometimes the objector will say, "I shall be glad te die, for then there will be an end to all my trouble." You may then show him that "death," in the Bible meaning of the word, does not denote cessation of exist- ence, but, on the contrary, an endless conscious exist- ence. To prove this, use: Rev. 21 :8 : But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with flre and brimstone : which is the second death. Also Rev. 14 :10, 11 ; John 3 :36 and 8 :21, 24 to show that continuance in sin will shut the gate of heaven in a man's face, and bring down upon him the perpetual wrath of God. It has been objected to this method of dealing with men, that it is making an appeal on the ground of fear, which is unworthy and low. Suffice it to say in reply that we are conscious of no cowardice in thus appealing to the element of fear. Our Master appealed to it again and again. More than once did he refer to the worm that dieth not and the fire that shall never be quenched. If men will not respond to the higher motive of love, there is then nothing else for us to do than to appeal to the lower motive of fear. We must "by all means save some." If Mount Calvary will not melt the heart of the sinner, then we must take him to Mount Sinai, that it may be broken into penitence. (c) Particularly should the guilt of rejecting Christ as the Saviour he shown. Men do not realize as they should the enormity of the guilt of rejecting Jesus Christ. Yet unbelief is the UNINTERESTED AND UNCONCERNED 57 greatest sin in the world. It is not generally recog- nized as such ; possibly because it is a state rather than an act, and has no outward form as has the committal of some other sins, murder or adultery, for instance. Yet the sin of unbelief is the condemning sin of the world. It is the oflSce of the Holy Spirit to convict men of this specific sin. To show the greatness of this sin use: John 3 :17-19 : For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world ; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned ; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Note the context : Christ came not into the world to ruin it, but to save it. A man abandons himself to ruin by the rejection of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:28, 29 shows the awful punishment awaiting those who reject the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses : Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? The more clearly God's will is made known, the greater the guilt in resisting it. The revelation of God in Christ is greater by far than the revelation of God in the law (Heb. 2:2). God's will has been fully made known in Christ, hence the guilt of rejecting Him. By using Hebrews 2 :3 with 12 :25 we learn that those who disobeyed the revelation of God as given by angels did not escape the punishment of God ; how much less "shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation/' which was spoken by our Lord? 58 PERSONAL SOUL-WINXINQ 2. Use such passages of Scripture as set forth the lore of God iu the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. Seek to awaken the inquirer's gratitude to God for His unspeakable gift, John 3:16 sets forth in a wondrous way the love of God to man : For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Many a time the mere reading of this verse has melted the soul of a hardened sinner to tears. The reading of the nineteenth chapter of John — the story of the crucifixion of Christ — if read carefully and pray erfully — will often break up the fountains of the deep of the sinner's heart and reveal to him the wondrous love of Christ for him. Isa. 53 :4, 5 : Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sor- rows : yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed. It is a good thing, in reading this passage, to change the pronoun "our'' into "my," and thus make the mat- ter more personal : *>He was wounded for my trans- gressions, He was bruised for my iniquities." Rom. 2:4: Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and for- bearance and longsuflfering ; not knowing that the good- ness of God leadeth thee to repentance? What a magnificent opportunity to dwell upon the goodness of God towards the sinner — ^His longsuffering, patience, sparing his life in spite of his frequent sin- ning, etc. Such goodness ought to lead men to repent of their sins and turn unto God. Here are some incentives given in testimony by some thoughtful Christians setting forth the reasons why they came to Christ ; r UXIXTEBESTED AXD UNCONCERNED 50 'Tear set me to thinking, but love led me to decide/' "The love of Jesus as of One who loved me and took care of me." "His personal love towards me.'^ "John 3 :16." "The prayer in Gethsemane.'* "Because He first loved me." 8. Sometimes it is well to appeal to tlie element of hope Tvhich lies deeply hidden in every man's nature. In Romans 8 :24 we are told that "We are saved by hope." This is a legitimate appeal. Christ appealed to the element of hope in the heart of the Samaritan woman when He said : "If thou knewest the gift of God . . . . thou wouldest have asked" (John 4:10). He held out the hope of heaven to the rich young ruler as an inducement to follow Him (Matt. 19:21). It was this element of hope that determined the choice of Moses, for "he had respect unto the recompense of re- ward" (Heb. 11:26, R. V.). The Christian worker, therefore, will do well to seek to create an interest in the things of the Christian faith. This may be done in a general way by using 1 Tim. 4 :8 : For bodily exercise proflteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all tilings, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This passage teaches us that there are present ad- vantages, as well as future blessings, in being a Chris- tian. Then show the inquirer some of the blessings of the Christian life, the which, you may be very sure, he does not possess, but which he can have the moment he becomes a Christian. Let it be remembered here by the worker that not one of the blessings we are now going to mention is possessed by the sinner. He may claim that he does possess them; but the worker, he- 60 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING lieving the Word of God rather than the word of man, believes the truth that the sinner is destitute of these things. He must also remember, that, deep down in the heart of man, there is a longing desire to possess these blessings. Here are some of the things the sinner may have, if he believes on Christ : First, he may knoiv that his sins are all forgiven. How much many men would really give to be assured of this fact! Use Acts 10:43: To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Ask him if he would not like to have the assurance that his sins are all forgiven, blotted out, pardoned; that the sin question is forever settled ; that there is no longer any barrier between him and God. He doubt- less will reply in the affirmative. You can then read this passage again to him, and tell him this blessing may be his, if he will accept Jesus Christ as his own personal Saviour. 1 John 1 :9 may be used in the same way. Second, the Messing of peace. No wicked man has peace. The Word of God dis- tinctly says so. Isa. 57 :20, 21 : But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. The sinner may dispute the Bible and tell you that he has peace, but do not believe him. I remember well dealing with a man along this very line. He was living in sin, and yet claimed to have peace of soul. I quoted the above mentioned passage to him, but he still per- sisted in saying that he had peace. I said to him, *'My friend, it is merely a question of believing you UNINTERESTED AND UNCONCERNED 61 or God; whom shall I believe?" After a few moments he said, ''Believe God's Word, for the fact of the matter is I am the most restless man on the face of the earth." I then had him read for himself John 14 :27 : Peace I leare with you, my peace I give unto you : not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Isa. 26:3: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee ; because he trusteth in thee. Third, The blessing of felloivship icith God. 1 John 1 :3 : That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us : and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. These and many other blessings which the accept- ance of Christ brings with it may be dealt with further in detail as the circumstances in the case may de- termine. 4. Sometimes it is the desire to be a blessing to others that leads some men to accept Christ as their Saiiour. Here are some of the expressions I have personally gathered from the testimony of Christian workers: ''I wanted to engage in the Lord's work of winning souls, but I knew I could not unless I became a Christian.'^ ''God's need of laborers." "To keep from being a stum- bling-block to others." ''To do something for the lost." ''The thought of being able to help others." "The feeling which I had that I ought to do something for others, and for Christ." "I wanted to be of some good in the world." "To make my life count for something.'^ These are the expressed reasons why these young men gave themselves to Jesus Christ. Why should we not, therefore, say to men, that they can do good in the world, be of much service to God and their fellowmen if they become Christians ? The argument that a man 62 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING may do good may be muck more effective with him in leading him to Christ, than the presentation of the truth that much good will come to him personally by so doing. The appeal to Hobab (Num. 10:29-32), "Come thou with us, and we will do thee good," did not win; but the other argument, "Thou mayest be unto us instead of eyes," won. Jesus said : "For their sakes I sanctify myself" (John 17:19). Daniel 12 :3 : And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament ; and they that turn many to righteous- ness as the stars for ever and ever. James 5 :20 may be used in the same way : Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED AND CONCERNED, BUT IGNO- RANT OF THE WAY OF LIFE CHAPTER VI. II. THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED AND CON- CERNED, BUT IGNORANT OF THE WAY OF LIFE. THERE are many seeking after God who do not know the way to Him. Like the Ethiopian eunuch, they are interested and concerned about the way of life, and say with him, ''How can I know the way, except someone show me?" More than one soul is, at this very minute, crying out, "O that I knew where I might find Him ! I go forward, but He is not there ; and backward, but I cannot perceive Him ; on the left hand where He doth work, but I cannot be- hold Him; He hideth Himself on the right hand, that I cannot see Him." Like the Philippian jailer, many are convinced of their sin, and cry out, "What shall I do to be saved?" Happy indeed is that Christian worker who, like Philip and Paul, can ''find the place where it is written * * * Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." A splendid illustration of one who is interested and concerned in the salvation of his soul, but ignorant of what to do to be saved, is found in Coinielms in Acts 10 and 11. He was desirous of becoming a Christian, but was ignorant of the way until the Lord sent Peter unto him to tell him words whereby he might be saved. What to Do to Become a Christian. 1. Show the inquirer that he must repent. Repentance is the first step into the kingdom. It is useless to discuss here which comes first — repentance, 65 66 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING faith, regeneration, etc. The inquiry room is not a theological clinic or a seminary class-room. It is no place for hair-splitting definitions and relations. So far as the purpose of leading the inquirer to Christ is concerned, repentance comes first : ''Ye repented not * * * that ye might believe" (Matt. 21:32). Use Isa. 55 :7 : Let the wicked forsake his way. and the unrighteous man his thoughts : and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercj' upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Use also Acts 26 :20 ; 2 Chron. 7 :14. These passages show that the first thing that God requires of a man who desires to become a Christian is that he repent. There is no conversion without repent- ance. It may be necessary to show what repentance is. For this purpose use Psalm 38 :6, 18 : I am troubled ; I am bowed down greatly ; I go mourn- ing all the day long. For I will declare mine iniquity ; I will be sorry for my sin. Use also 2 Cor. 7 :9, 10 ; Matt. 26 :75. These scriptures show that a deep, pungent, heart- felt sorrow for sin is an essential element in repent- ance. Men need to mourn because of their sin. Godly sor- row is that which is wrought in the soul by the Spirit of God as man catches a glimpse of the awful- uess and the guilt of his sin. It may not be necessary to shed an abundance of tears, but there must be a real heart-sorrow. If Christ wept over the sin of others, surely we ought to weep over our own sins. Repentance involves the confession of sin. Like David, we must say : ''I have sinned, and done this evil INTERESTED, BUT IGNORANT 67 in thy sight.- ' The Psalmist not onl}^ said : "I will be sorry for my sin," but also ^'I will declare my iniquity." Use 1 John 1 :9 : If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to for- give us our sins, and to cleanse us from all uni-lghteous- ness. Use also Psalm 32 :5 ; Luke 18 :13. God cannot forgive my sin until I confess it to Him. If I do confess, then His promise is, "He is faithful and just to forgive." It is a good thing to get the inquirer to be specific in his confession. General con- fessions are good ; but the confession of particular sins, as well as of sin as a whole, is better. Say with David : "I have done this evil in Thy sight." (Compare Dan. 0:3-11.) Attention ought to be drawn to the fact that there should be confession to m.an also, if man has been wronged in the sinning. Use Matt. 5 :23, 24 : Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee ; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Use also Matt. 6:14, 15; Luke 19:8. Too often is this truth overlooked in our dealings with men. We must see to it that men are right with man as well as with God. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" (1 John 4 :20.) Repentance involves a forsaking of sin. No repentance is real that does not lead a man to forsake his sin. Repentance is not only a heart 68 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING broken for sin; it is also a heart broken from sin. Until a man has turned away from his sinful ways, he has not truly repented, no matter how loud his pre- tensions thereto may be. Use Prov. 28:13: He that eovereth his sins shall not prosper : but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Use also Isa. 55 :7 ; Ezek. 33 :11. 2. Show the inquirer that he most have faith in order to be saved. He must not only repent, he must "repent, and be- lieve the Gospel." Indeed, repentance is in order to faith : "Ye repented not afterward, that ye might be- lieve" (Matt. 21:32). There must be faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour from the guilt and power of sin. Use Isa. 53 :6 : All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Also Gal. 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:21. In these passages we have Christ presented to us as God's sacrificial lamb bearing the sin of the world, charged by God to carry the burden of the world's iniquity. The wrath due our sin was made to strike upon Him; the curse due our sin was borne by Him in His own body on the tree. It was "instead of us" that He suffered and died. "He was made sin for us," in order that we, by accepting His finished work, ''might be made the righteousness of God in Him." This is, to say the least, a vital part of the content of saving faith. A man must believe this in order to be saved. INTERESTED, BUT IGNORANT 69 Not only are these facts to be believed, but Jesus Himself is to be received as a personal Saviour. Only thus does a man become a child of God by a legitimate right derived from a competent source. This truth is brought out in John 1 :12 : But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. That is to say, as many as, accepting Him (i e., acknowledging His claims as Saviour and King), re- ceived Him as such, became, thereby, sons of God. First, I believe His claims, and then I receive Him to be all He claims to be — my personal Saviour and Lord. Thus believing and receiving I am saved. 3. Show the inquirer that he must confess Jesus Christ be- fore the world. Faith without confession is no more faith than con- fession without faith is real confession. Salvation may be forfeited by an unwillingness to confess Christ. If faith does not grow into confession, it dies back, first into mere opinion, and then into unbelief. To confess Christ is a test of the reality of our faith in Him ; for it is written: ''Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed." Use Rom. 10 :9-ll : That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness ; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ifor the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Note, in using this passage, how that, in a sense, salvation hinges upon the confession of Christ. ''If * * *, thou shalt be saved." Use also Matt. 10: 32, 33. 70 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING Ask, "Who is it tbat is going to be confessed before the Father and the angels in heaven?" The answer will be, "Those who confess Christ here on earth." Then ask, ''Whom will Christ deny in heaven?" The text gives the answer: Those who were ashamed to confess Christ here on earth. From this it is clear that, if a man would be a Christian, he must be willing to confess Jesus Christ before the world. 4. Show the inquirer that Christ mnst be received as Lord and Kin^. It is not enough to receive Jesus Christ as Saviour from the guilt of sin; He must be received as the director and controller of our life. From henceforth, the Christian must say, "It is no longer I that live, but Christ that liveth in me. Christ, not I, is the Master of my life. From henceforth all that is done must be done with His approval." Acts 2 :36 : Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Col. 3 :17 : And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. See also John 2 :5. THOSE WHO AEE INTERESTED AND ANXIOUS TO BECOME CHRISTIANS, BUT HAVE DIF- FICULTIES IN THE WAY CHAPTER Vn. III. THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED AND ANXIOUS TO BECOME CHRISTIANS, BUT HAVE DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY. WITH some people there are certain difficulties and obstacles which seem to stand in the way of an acceptance of Christ as Saviour and Lord. These diffi- culties must be solved — at least those that are solv- able — and the obstacles removed. It is the business of the Christian worker, in co-operation with the Hoi}- Spirit, to render this service. The incident of the raising of Lazarus from the dead may serve to illus- trate what we here have in mind. Between the life- giving Christ and the dead body of Lazarus there lies a huge stone. Christ has only to speak the word, and, moved by hands irresistible, that stone moves away to reveal the secrets of the tomb. But Christ does not speak that word, nor does He address the stone. He addresses those standing around — to them He says: '^Roll ye away the stone." They must do what they can; what they cannot do, He will do. So is it with us in our dealing with souls that are dead in sin : we may not be able to speak the word that shall mean life from the dead, but we can endeavor to remove the obstacles which impede their coming to Him who is the Life. To remove these obstacles, to answer these objections, and to solve thefee difficulties is not, how- ever, the main purpose of the Christian worker. He does these things simply to bring the sinner into con- tact with the Saviour. Following are some of the diffi- culties, objections, and excuses: 73 74 PERSOXAL SOUL-WIXXiyG 1. **I feel that I hare sinned too greatly to be forgiren." How shall we deal with this difficulty? Admit the fact that the inquirer has sinned greatly. Do not minimize sin ; there is too little deep conviction of sin nowadays. This may be the reason why there are so many sham conversions. A man will not appreciate Christ as a Saviour until he realizes that he himself is a sinner. He that is forgiven much will love much. Endeavor next to show from the Scriptures that no sin is too great to be forgiven, if there is penitence and confession. Use the following passages : 1 Tim. 1 :15 : This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta- tion, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ; of whom I am chief. Ask the question : ''Whom did Jesus Christ come into the world to save?^' The answer will be, ^'Sinners." ^'Only sinners?" "No, the chief of sinners." "Do you feel that you are a sinner?" "Yes, indeed, the chief of sinners." Then you can show him that he is just the one Jesus Christ came into the world to save. Romans 5 :6-8 : For when we were y«t without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die : yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. These verses state that Christ died not for the right- eousness of saints, but for the unrighteousness of sin- ners. A "righteous" man is one who keeps the law; a "good" man is one who does more than keep the law — he gives "good measure, pressed down, running over." The one "without strength" is the one who is without the ability to do what he knows to be right. ANXIOUS, BUT PERPLEXED 75 Now, when we were neither ''righteous" nor "good," but, on the contrary, when we were weak and ungodly, Christ died for us. The righteous man demands our respect; the good man, our love. When we deserved neither love nor respect, Christ died for us. Christ died for sinners. Matthew 9:12, 13: But when Jesus heard that, he said nnto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice : for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Read the context. Recall with what ignominy and shame the publicans were regarded. Show from Christ's acceptance of this publican's invitation His attitude toward great sinners. Verses 12 and 13 are Christ's defense of his action, and at the same time show us the purpose of His coming into the world — "not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 19 :10 : For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. This passage distinctly tells us that Christ left His home in the glory to save whom? "The lost." The inquirer claims to be a lost sinner, therefore he is just the one Jesus Christ came to save. 2. Those who say! *1 hare no feeling; I do not feel as though I want to be a Christian." This is a large and a difficult class to deal with. The question of emotion in religion is an intricate one. Leading psychologists have spent much time debating the question pro and con. There still remains much diversity of opinion on the subject. After all, the degree of emotion in religion must, in the very nature 76 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING of the case, be determined by the temperament of the individual concerned. As to the source of this excuse, it may come from exaggerated views of some of the conversions recorded in the Bible; e. g.^ the Philippian jailer (Acts 16), or Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9). If so, it is well to remind them of the childhood conversion of Timothy (2 Tim. 3), and of John the Baptist, who was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb (Luke 1 :15). This excuse may arise, in the next place, from the striking testimonies given in church meetings and else- where by those who have found Christ as their Saviour. Said one such man sometime ago: '^I had a long and bitter experience because of the language of people in testimony meetings. At times, I have felt as though I was not as religious as I ought to be, or rather had no religion whatsoever." Once a man in New England was accosted by Mr. Moody, and being asked if he were a Christian, replied, ^'No, it hasn't struck me yet." This man was looking for an experience similar to one he had heard a friend of his testify to some months before. He thought it was necessary for him to have a similar experience before he could become a Christian. These people think they will get a peculiar and strange inner purpose, a kind of tugging at their will power by a divine impulse which will suggest what to do and what not to do. There can be no doubt but that con- siderable emotion is present in some conversions, but certainly not in all; nor are we to consider it to be absolutely necessary to any. Where in all the Bible is feeling demanded as a requisite to salvation? Did Jesus command it? Did Paul, or John, or Peter? Indeed, by referring to the story of Jacob's deception (Gen. 27), we see the folly of depending upon mere feeling. ANXIOUS, BUT PERPLEXED 77 Jer. 17 :9, 10 : The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. This verse may be used to good advantage in this con- nection. It shows that the human heart is not to be absolutely relied upon in such matters. It will be helpful to show, that, by the testimony of many living witnesses, salvation may be secured with- out the kind or amount of feeling some seem to think is necessary. A recent report shows, that, of over 2,000 conversions, only 18 per cent were accompanied with any emotion like the fear of hell, or great trembling because of great sinfulness. And in some of these cases the sorrow was an indefinable something, rather than any clearly defined state of feeling. Indeed, a great proportion of those questioned bore witness to the fact that a sense of sin came really after their conversion. God's order is fact, faith, and then feel- ing. Satan reverses this order, making feeling first, faith last. Show From the Bible What God Requires in Order TO BE Saved. (a) Faith. John 1 :12 : But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Also Acts 13 :38, 39 ; John 3 :36. (h) Confession and forsaking of sin. Prov. 28 :13 : He that covereth his sins shall not prosper : but whos* confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Also 1 John 1 :9 ; Isa. 55 :7. 78 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNING It might be well to use the method suggested under ''The Uninterested and Unconcerned" — such passages as are likely to produce conviction of sin. 8. Those who say, "I am seeking, but I cannot find Christ.'' The trouble is, undoubtedly, that they are not seek- ing God sincerely. Use Jer. 29 :13 : And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Also Rom. 10:6-10; John 12:87-41. These passages show that it is possible to tell the very moment when a man may find Christ — the very moment he seeks for Him with all the heart. He is not far away from any one of us (Acts 17:27, 28). You may next show that not only is it true that he is seeking Christ, but also that Christ is seeking him. The parable of the Prodigal Son, and that of the Saviour seeking the Lost Sheep (Luke 15) both illus- trate this truth. It ought not to take long for a seek- ing sinner and the seeking Saviour to meet. It might be well, seeing he does not know how to seek God properly, to show him how to do so. See Chapter VI, on "Those Who are Interested and Con- cerned, but Ignorant of the Way of Life." 4. **I would like to he a Christian, but I cannot gire up my eyfl ways." There are two ways of dealing with this class: (a) Show tJiem that they are not to depend upon their own strength to give up their sinful tcays, hut that the power of Christ in their hearts icill enable them to overcome all evil. ANXIOUS. BUT PERPLEXED Phil. 4 :13 : I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Ezek. 36:25-27: Then will I sprinlile clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you : and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. Also use 2 Cor. 5 :14-17. The inspiring and strengthening truth prominent in all these passages is that God will put a spirit into our hearts that will enable us to overcome our evil ways; that we are strengthened to live upright when we are in Christ ; that we need not fear the power of evil, if v>'e are truly sons of God; that, through faith in God, the impossible becomes possible. (h) They should he given to understand that they can and they must give up their eml ways or perish. Gal. G :7, 8 : Be not deceived; God Is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. Kom. 2 :8, 9 : But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, ... Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. Also use Eccl. 11 :8, 9. 5. *a would like to become a Christian, but it would hurt my business if I did." 80 PERSONAL SOUL-WINNINa There is much truth in this objection so far as some forms of business are concerned. There are some com- modities that no man, Christian or non-Christian, ought to handle, or sell to his fellowmen. This much is most certainly true with regard to some forms of business, that, as soon as a man becomes a Christian, he must forsake them. For example, a Christian saloon-keeper is a contradiction. It is a comforting thought, however, to know that, jn the ordinary, necessary and legitimate lines of business, a man can conduct himself as a Christian man. It must be conceded that there may, and do arise oppor- tunities where a prevarication of the truth, a false representation, or an unrighteous investment promise, and even yield, large financial returns, whereas strict adherence to truth and righteousness would have some- what lessened the receipts. It is just at this point that the above-named objection becomes important of consideration. That a man can be a business man and a Christian — this is most certainly true. That a man sometimes loses by loyalty to the Christian standard in business, is also true. That in the end every man who carries Christ into his business dealings comes out gloriously triumphant and successful there can be not the slight- est reasonable doubt. In dealing with this class of excuses we need to make very prominent the great and eternal truth that that "which is seen is temporal — but that which is unseen is eternal"; that "a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth" ; that very often, if not always, in our vain attempt to gain the world, we lose our souls. The following passages are helpful in dealing with this class: ANXIOUS, BUT PERPLEXED 81 2 Chron. 25 :9 : And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answ^ered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. Mark 10 :29, 30 : And Jesus answered and said. Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's. But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and child- ren, and lands, with persecutions ; and in the world to come eternal life. A saloon-keeper, who was desirous of becoming a Christian, but who was doubtful of his ability to sup- port himself and family, if he gave up his busine^^s, was shown these verses. The thought that God was able to give him much more than he had to give up for Christ, so strengthened him that he at once relin- quished his illegitimate business and came out de- cidedly for Christ. Mark 8 :3G : For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? This verse is a good problem in profit and loss. A man cannot gain the world and save his soul at the same time. Which is the wiser thing to do: sacrifice the salvation of the soul for the paltry gaining of material things by non-Christian methods, or be honest in business, be satisfied with a little less, if need be, and save the soul? Luke 12 :16-21 : And he spake a parable unto them, saying : The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully : And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do : I will pull down my barns, and build greater ; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 82 PERSONAL 80UL-WINNIXG And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him. Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee : then whose shall those things be. which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. The parable of the Rich Fool shows the result of living only for the things of this world, and having no treasure in the world to come. We can carry none of this world's goods into the next world. We leave them for others. We leave the world as we came into it — empty. The only thing that will be of any value to us in the world to come will be what we have done for Christ and in His name. Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous- ness ; and all these things shall be added unto you. Show the inquirer from this verse that his first dut;v' is to see that his business does not interfere with his religion. 6. "I would like to be a Christian, but I cannot forgive my enemies." (a) Shoiv them that what is seemingly impossihle to the natural man is quite possible to the Christian through grace; that God can take away from> us a heart filled tvith hatred and replace it with a heart filled ivith love. Ezek. 36 :25-27 ; Mark 9 :28. Phil. 4:13. (See under 4), p. 78. (h) Shoiv them that unless they forgive their enemies, God will not forgive them. To have forgiven others is one of the pleas we need to offer to God for our own forgiveness. AXXIOUS, BUT PERPLEXED 83 Matt. 6 :12 : And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. The true rendering of this verse is : "And forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors.'' God's for- giveness is conditioned, in a sense, on our having for- given our enemies. The parable of the Unmerciful Servant is full of in- structive truth along this line of thought. Read it care- fully. It is found in Matthew 18 :23-35. He who refuses to forgive those who have wronged him, shuts the door of heaven in his own face. In the eyes of God he is no better than a murderer, and none such shall ever enter the gates of heaven. 1 John 3 :15 : Whosoever hatetli his brother is a murderer ; and ye l