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J 
 
 By Evangelist GEO. F. HALL 
 
 OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (disciples) 
 
 -TENOGRArHlCREPORiS 
 
 of actual sermon's 
 
 preached at a 
 
 'revival that revived" 
 
 INTRODUCTION DY 
 THE SECRETARY OF THE 
 -HICAGO CHRISTL\N EN- 
 DEAVOR UNION 
 
 Do you cjire to know more of the faith in which 
 TAMES A. GARFIELD lived and died? Is it worth 
 looking into? If so read this book. 
 

CHICAGO TABERNACLE TALKS 
 
 BY 
 
 EVANGELIST GEO. F. HALL 
 
 WITH INTRODUCTORY REMARKS FROM THE PEN OF 
 
 MISS JESSIE WILLIAMS, SECRETARY CHICAGO 
 
 CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR UNION 
 
 
 CHICAGO 
 CHARLES H. KERR & COMPANY 
 175 Monroe Street 
 1895 
 

 Copyright, 1895 
 By CHAitLEs H. Kerr & Company 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 Unity Library, No. 4f. Monthly, ^S-Oo a year. January , iSgS* 
 
 Entend at the Postoffice, Chicago, as second-clasi mail ntattir. 
 
r 
 
 ••I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall 
 judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; 
 
 'Treach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,exhort 
 with all long-suffering and doctrine. 
 
 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after 
 their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 
 
 "And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto 
 fables. 
 
 "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, 
 make full proof of thy ministry. " 
 
 //. Ti7n. 4:1-5. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introductory 7 
 
 SERMON I. 
 "Was Jesus Divine?" 15 
 
 SERMON II. 
 "Prayer" 32 
 
 SERMON III. 
 "The Greatest Book in the World" 60 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 "Faith: What is it? How to get it, and What 
 
 TO do with it" 87 
 
 SERMON V. 
 "Repentance" , 106 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 "Confession" 130 
 
 SERMON VIL 
 "Christian Baptism" 145 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 "Excuses" 177 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 "Heaven: What is it? Where is it? Who will 
 GO there? Shall we know each other 
 there?" 206 
 
 SERMON X. 
 "The Great Commission" 228 
 
CONTENTS 
 SERMON XI. P^aE 
 
 "Where Shall I Spend Eternity?" 253 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 "Distinguishing Principles of the Christian 
 
 Church" 273 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 *'How TO Hold Out Faithful" 304 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 The thirteen sermons comprising this work were 
 delivered at the Christian Tabernacle, Chicago, by 
 the distinguished evangelist, Rev. Geo. F. Hall,sten- 
 ographically reported by Miss M. M. Gilmer, and re- 
 vised by their author especially for this book. 
 
 The revival in which these addresses were presented 
 was one of the most successful series of special meet- 
 ings ever held by any single church in the history of 
 religious work in Chicago. One hundred and seventeen 
 persons were added to the congregation under whose 
 auspices the services were conducted, over $6,000 
 raised for religious purposes, and the membership 
 quickened in spiritual zeal as never before. And all 
 this under peculiarly adverse circumstances, and 
 among a comparatively poor people in this world's 
 goods. 
 
 As Mr. Hall has never conducted a revival out- 
 side of his own church (the Christian, or Disciples', in 
 which he has a world-wide reputation), he is not so 
 generally known as Moody, Jones, Mills, Pentecost, 
 and others whose lives have been devoted to union 
 work. The following account of this particular re- 
 vival, therefore, embracing as it does a brief biography 
 of the great preacher, will doubtless prove exceedingly 
 interesting to all readers of this book. It was writ- 
 
 7 
 
8 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 ten by Miss Jessie Williams, a prominent member of 
 the West Side Church of Christ, and Secretary of the 
 Chicago Endeavor Union. The article appeared in 
 the Christian Standard^ of Cincinnati, Ohio, one 
 of the leading periodicals of the Christian Church in 
 America. 
 
 THE HALL-HUTTO MEETING IN CHICAGO. 
 
 In these closing years of the nineteenth century, a 
 quickening impulse is discernible in every depart- 
 ment of human activity, and this is displayed in the 
 religious world especially by the growth of revivals. 
 Years gone by it was the popular opinion that "times 
 of refreshing from the presence of the Lord'^ came 
 only in the winter season, but mankind has outgrown 
 that idea. This is an era of revivals; an epoch of 
 spiritual house-cleaning. Whether the wild flowers of 
 spring are blooming on the lonely grave, or the birds 
 of summer are singing a requiem over its peaceful 
 occupant; whether the breeze is kissing the golden 
 grain and the blushing fruit, or the wearied earth is 
 sleeping under a coverlet of snow— whatever the 
 season and environments, a revival will almost inva- 
 riably succeed in "reviving," 
 
 Within the last decade this happy result has often 
 been secured even in Chicago, apparently one of the 
 most difficult fields for gospel work — a city absorbed 
 in getting and spending money, and characterized by 
 a callous neglect of the demands of a spiritual life. 
 Here are thousands of starving souls that refuse to 
 partake of the bread of life; thousands who are sick 
 but will not call the Great Physician; thousands who 
 are homeless, though invited to mansions of splendor; 
 and thousands of wearied, sick and homeless ones 
 who seemingly are satisfied with their condition. 
 
INTRODUCTORY 9 
 
 The difficulty attending revival work in Chicago 
 may be judged by the fact that when the famous 
 sectarian evangelist, B. Fay Mills, held a meeting 
 on the West Side last autumn, participated in by 
 about twenty congregations, after his most tireless 
 labors for many weeks, seconded by the earnest efforts 
 of perhaps eight thousand Christians, it is stated that 
 only about two thousand were "converted,"and I have 
 since heard it said (with how much authority I know 
 not) that less than five hundred of that number have 
 united with any church. Notwithstanding these 
 meager visible results, Chicago was better for Mr. Mills 
 having been here. It was a revival that "revived." 
 
 The meetings of which I make especial mention 
 were held at the West Side Church of Christ, Chicago, 
 by Evangelist Geo. F. Hall, assisted by his musical 
 director, Prof. E. M. Hutto. Bro, J, W. Allen, 
 widely and favorably known in our brotherhood, has 
 been the pastor of this congregation for ten years, 
 and the hearts of pastor and people are knit with the 
 golden cords of an unchanging love^ 
 
 Daring almost the entire seven weeks of the revival 
 the weather was very unpropitious. It is needless to 
 remind the reader that during the month of May the 
 weather clerk issued his daily bulletin, announcing not 
 that it "may" rain, but that it might, could, would and 
 should rain ceaselessly, relentlessly and untiringly. 
 It is impossible to estimate the injurious effect of the 
 somber clouds, the constant gloom and heavy rains. 
 Notwithstanding this great obstacle and the fact that 
 in the midst of the meeting the congregation vacated 
 the old building and moved to a hall six blocks dis- 
 tant, in spite of these obstacles, and others neither 
 few nor small, God's blessing was upon the meeting, 
 and one hundred and seventeen were added to the 
 church. It was a revival that "revived." 
 
lO INTRODUCTORY 
 
 In view of the fact that Brother Hall is one of the 
 successful evangelists of the Christian Church, the 
 readers of the "Standard" will be interested in the fol- 
 lowing sketch of his life: 
 
 Geo. F. Hall, eldest son of John and Mary Hall, 
 was born near Clarksville, la., September 23, 1864. 
 His father, a native of Kentucky, and a farmer by 
 occupation, removed to McLean county, Illinois, in 
 his childhood. In 1862 he removed to Butler county, 
 la., where he married Miss Mary J. Barnard. Both 
 were ardent Disciples, and reared their children in 
 "the nurture and admonition of the Lord." At the age 
 of seventeen, Brother Hall entered Drake University, 
 and three years later preached his first sermon. His 
 early inclinations were toward journalism, which 
 profession he followed for some time with success. 
 However, when bereaved by the death of his mother, 
 in 1884, he decided to give himself to the ministry. 
 His first charge was at Manhattan, Kan., where he 
 became pastor of the Christian church in April, 1886. 
 During the same year he was m.arried to Miss Laura 
 Woods, of that city, a talented lady whose beautiful 
 face and lovely character have won for her a host of 
 warm personal friends, while her talent as a singer 
 and accompanist are an invaluable aid to Brother 
 Hall in his work. They have two bright boys, Paul 
 and Barton. Their home is one of happiness and 
 mutual helpfulness. 
 
 After one and one-half years of successful work at 
 Manhattan, Brother Hall accepted a call to the church 
 at Lincoln, the same State, and later took charge of 
 the church at Emporia for two and one-half years. 
 He became well and favorably known in that cultured 
 city, preaching to large audiences and receiving four 
 hundred and forty members into the church while its 
 pastor. He had flattering invitations to other cities, 
 
INTRODUCTORY 1 1 
 
 but having put off sixty calls for revival meetings dur- 
 ing the last year of his pastorate, decided to devote 
 himself to the work of an evangelist. He engaged 
 Prof, Ed- M, Hutto as soloist and musical director, 
 and during the nine months in which he has labored 
 as an evangelist over seven hundred have been added 
 to the churches under his labors. 
 
 In his meetings Brother Hall introduces modern 
 methods effectively, and especially impresses upon 
 his hearers the pov/er of personal work. He urges 
 the introduction of business methods into religious 
 enterprises, and the pulling aside of the curtains which 
 have thrown over the church the darkness of the 
 mediaeval ages. His plea is to modernize, not the 
 truth itself, but ways and means of making the truth 
 effective. He is a hard v/orker. In addition to his 
 almost ceaseless speaking seven nights in the week he 
 does much literary w^ork. He has already copyrighted 
 several bocks, and has two more almost ready for the 
 printer. 
 
 Combining a fine physique with perfect ease in the 
 pulpit, Brother Hall impresses a stranger favorably. 
 Ashe has a clear, rich voice, and is exceedingly fond of 
 music, he not infrequently sings an appropriate stanza 
 in the midst of a discourse, or joins with Professor 
 Hutto in a duet during the opening service. His suc- 
 cess lies in his unwavering faith in God; the intense 
 earnestness which makes every utterance burn into 
 the soul of the hearer; the concentrated enthusiasm 
 which expects mighty triumphs for Christ; and the 
 broad knowledge of human nature which uses the 
 Saviour*s love as an open sesame to the heart. He 
 is a fearless speaker, and has plenty of ammunition 
 to fire at the citadels of boastful vanity where agnos- 
 ticism, infidelity and skepticism mingle in unholy rev- 
 elry. He constantly appeals to the Scriptures for 
 
12 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 proof of every position taken on the vital questions 
 he discusses, and his sermons are marvels of sim- 
 plicity, directness and conclusiveness. Old Disciples 
 say that he is "as clear as a bell on our plea," When 
 thrilled by the grandeur of his theme, his impassioned 
 eloquence carries the audience spellbound to the 
 loftiest heights. Truly, it may be said of him that 
 he is 
 
 * 'Dowered with the hate of hate, the scorn of scorn, 
 The love of love." 
 
 In alluding to his success as an evangelist he says 
 that it is not his superior eloquence that wins men 
 and women to Christ, but the truth. Certain it is 
 that hiding behind the cross he points up to the- 
 crovv^n, and pleads with all mankind to confess that 
 name which is above every other name; that name 
 which, if not confessed here, m.ust be confessed here- 
 after, when every knee shall bow and every tongue 
 confess him Lord of all. 
 
 The last day of the meeting was the best of alL 
 The "clear shining after rain" drew large audiences 
 to the Tabernacle. The morning audience numbered 
 700, and the evening congregation 1,000, while in 
 the afternoon 6oolistened to his lecture for men only. 
 The farewell service closed with eight confessions, a 
 num.ber of baptisms, and in the midst of the deepest 
 interest. 
 
 At the close of the morning service Brother Hall 
 raised $4,700 for the new church, and the encourag- 
 ing announcement was made that work on the edifice 
 v/ill commence at once. The site of the new building 
 is on Jackson Boulevard, about three blocks from the 
 old church, and the structure when completed will be 
 one of the finest on the West Side. At present the 
 congregation worships in the "Christian Tabernacle," 
 a large hall at No. 928 W. Madison Street, the prin- 
 
INTRODUCTORY 1 3 
 
 cipal business thoroughfare of the West Side, and a 
 location most advantageous for attracting strangers. 
 During the World's Fair v/e hope to welcome many 
 visiting Disciples into our new home, and with them 
 unite in worshiping the Bountiful Giver of every good 
 and perfect gift. 
 
 Jessie Williams. 
 
 Wherever Mr. Hall goes he stirs up the churches, 
 attracts outsiders, and makes his influence felt 
 for good. He is a firm believer in printer's ink, 
 and always advertises his meetings thoroughly. 
 The newspapers have been very kind to him, and 
 he always appreciates their service. 
 
 At the close of his Chicago meetings, Mr. Hall 
 and his singer went to Toronto, where they attracted 
 much attention, and accomplished a great work for 
 the church in that most beautiful and intellectual city 
 of Canada. Returning to the States they continued 
 their work for some time, until growing tired of being 
 so much separated from their families, they decided 
 to discontinue their field work for awhile at least. So 
 at present writing Professor Hutto is teaching in 
 Kansas, while Mr. Hall is pastor of the First 
 Christian Church, at Decatur, 111., one of the oldest 
 and strongest congregations among his people. Since 
 accepting this work a year ago, the church has 
 increased over 300 in membership and has erected a 
 magnificent tabernacle with a seating capacity of 
 nearly 2,000. Here the evangelist-pastor preaches 
 to vast audiences, and finds ample scope for the 
 exercise of his splendid ability as an organizer as 
 
14 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 well as a pulpiteer. Decatur is an attractive little 
 city of some 25,000 inhabitants, and it is probable 
 that its enterprising and appreciative citizens will be 
 slow to release one from their midst who is capable 
 of doing so much for God and humanity. 
 
 / 
 
WAS JESUS DIVINE? 
 
 Matt. 22:42. "What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he?'* 
 
 A few evenings ago, you remember, we circulated 
 some "Believers' Cards" containing this statement: 
 **I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is the 
 Son of God, and am willing to accept Him as my per- 
 sonal Saviour/' Among the cards returned we found 
 one with a signature, and then a remark, as follows: 
 "I cannot say that I do believe this; and still I can- 
 not say that I do not." If that individual is here to- 
 night, and any others like him, it is my purpose to 
 help them to reach a decision on this great question 
 if I can. 
 
 I believe there are in the world honest doubters, 
 and we ought to treat them respectfully if we can. 
 There are men and women who are honest doubters 
 about the Scriptures, about the divinity of Christ, 
 and about Christianity. It is no disgrace to have 
 honest doubts, but it is a disgrace to keep them. It 
 is no disgrace to have bed-bugs, if they get into your 
 house without your knowledge or consent, but it is a 
 disgrace to keep them w^hen there are so many easy 
 ways to get rid of them. If doubts have gotten into 
 your mind it is your business to examine the evidences 
 of Christianity, the evidences of the Divinity of Jesus 
 Christ, the evidences of the inspiration of the Scrip- 
 tures. I want to say right here if skeptics would hon- 
 estly, fairly and unprejudicedly examine the Scriptures 
 their honest doubts would soon take to themselves 
 wings and fly away. I want to say further, that if 
 
 15 
 
l6 WAS JESUS DIVINE? 
 
 Jesus Christ was not divine, then the sooner we close 
 this great Tabernacle and quit this meeting the bet- 
 ter; if Jesus Christ is not divine, the sooner we begin 
 to ''eat, drink and be merry'^ the better, "for to-mor- 
 row we die'' and that is the end of it; if Jesus Christ 
 is not divine, then the sooner the church spires are 
 torn down and the church buildings converted into 
 saloons the better. It is a shame to have a moun- 
 tain of superstitions and lies piled upon the world's 
 conscience, as the gospel is being piled upon the 
 world to-day, if there is no truth in it. Let us find 
 a consistent principle somewhere and govern ourselves 
 accordingly. 
 
 The Apostle Peter, one of the greatest preachers 
 in history, said on one occasion, "There is no other 
 name under heaven given among men whereby we 
 must be saved," than the name of Jesus Christ. Now, 
 if Jesus Christ is not divine, of course we can't be 
 saved. If Jesus Christ is not the Son of the Living 
 God and all He claimed to be, then we are lost and 
 that is all there is to it. Zoroaster, Confucius and 
 Buddha cannot save us. All the philosophies, rules 
 of ethics and speculations of the scholarly world can- 
 not save us. Peter was right when he said that there 
 was no name whereby we could have eternal life, ex- 
 cept the name of Jesus, the Son of Mary. If the Son 
 of Mary was not the only begotten Son of God, then, 
 absolutely, there is no eternal life. Hence our sub- 
 ject this evening, "Was Jesus Divine?" is one of 
 tremendous importance. We should examine it 
 reverently, thoughtfully and as thoroughly as the hour 
 will allow. 
 
 I would appeal first to the Scriptures; second to 
 History; and third to intelligent conscience. And I 
 think if we can get a decision from these three sources 
 we ought to be well satisfied. 
 
WAS JESUS DIVINE? I7 
 
 Some object to our appealing to the Bible, and 
 say, "Go on and appeal to history and to intelligent 
 conscience; but when you come to appealing to ihe 
 Bible I cannot accept the argument, for I don't be- 
 lieve in the inspiration of the Bible. So I v/uuld 
 rather you would not cite the Scriptures as authority 
 or proof." I want to say that Mr. Renan, one of 
 the most gifted skeptics in the world, and the author 
 of one of the ablest works ever written on the life of 
 Christ, makes 1781 quotations from Matthew, Mark 
 and Luke alone, without once questioning their ver- 
 acity. I want to say further, that Dr. Simon Green- 
 leaf, the greatest writer on law and evidence in 
 either continent, — than whom no greater perhaps has 
 ever written,— felt it not beneath him to WTite a 
 masterly and unanswerable vvork, entitled "An Ex- 
 amination of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of 
 Evidence Administered in the Courts of Justice, with 
 an Account of the Trial of Jesus." And Wm. E. 
 Gladstone, England's greatest statesman, thought it 
 not condescending, but rather a glorious privilege to 
 WTite that celebrated book entitled "The Impregnable 
 Rock of Holy Scripture." This leader among his fel- 
 low men sat down thoughtfully, trustfully and cheer- 
 fully to the important work of investigating and de- 
 fending the Holy Scriptures. So if you can't keep 
 company with these, the m.ost gifted minds, you might 
 as well waive the whole question and go away to 
 your idols of unbelief. The most brilliant intellects 
 and the purest hearts in the world have accepted 
 the Bible as divine; hence we appeal to the Scrip- 
 tures with all confidence. 
 
 I shall not attempt to present all the Bible has to 
 say on the divinity of Christ. It would take too long. 
 A hundred sermons v^^ould not more than suffice to 
 present all the evidence from the ()6 books of the 
 
l8 WAS JESUS DIVINE? 
 
 Bible on this subject. I might, of course, go back 
 to the very first book, and show how God made that 
 promise to Eve, "The heel of thy seed shall bruise 
 the serpent's head," which is generally admitted to 
 be a Messianic prophecy. I might quote the promise 
 to Abraham: "In thee and tliy seed shall all of the 
 nations of the earth be blessed/' 1 might quote the 
 repetition of this promise to Isaac and Jacob. I 
 might turn over to Luke's genealogical table, and 
 show that Jesus Christ descended from Abraham. I 
 might quote the prophecies of David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, 
 Jeremiah, Daniel, and others. Some of them wrote 
 more than 700 years before the Christian era. All 
 of these inspired writers foretold the coming of Jesus. 
 Their records declare the coming of the Eternal One. 
 I might turn over to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, 
 and show how all these prophecies were fulfilled; 
 how Jesus was born; how He rose to influence among 
 the children of men; how He went about Galilee v/ith 
 His Disciples, teaching, preaching and healing; how 
 He was betrayed and crucified; how He died and was 
 buried; how He came forth from the tomb and after 
 forty days ascended to heaven. I might dwell at 
 length on all these interesting evidences. But I will 
 simply confine myself to one book, the book of John, 
 "the disciple whom Jesus loved." From this one book 
 I want to select the testimony of some of the greatest 
 characters of all history. I have very much enjoyed 
 studying the book of John recently, especially with 
 reference to this subject. It abounds in irrefutable 
 testimonies. Let us take them up one by one, and' 
 consider them carefully. They all attest the divinity 
 of Christ. 
 
 Testimony number one: 
 
 John 1:1. —"In the beginning was the Word, and the 
 Word was v^ita God, and the Word was God/^ All 
 
WAS JESUS DIVINE? I9 
 
 scholars admit that John referred here to the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. And this beloved apostle, who spent 
 over sixty years in the service of the Nazarene; who 
 received the wonderful vision recorded in Revelation, 
 when he was an outcast on the Island of Patmos; 
 who wrote the three Epistles that bear his name; 
 John, the holy patriarch of the ancient church, says: 
 He was divine, He was God. 
 
 Testimony number two: 
 
 John 1:29. — "The next day John seeth Jesus com- 
 ing unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, 
 which taketh away the sin of the world!*' This is the 
 testimony of John the Baptist, a man raised up of 
 God to perform mighty work; one of the most im- 
 portant characters^ and one of the greatest preachers 
 in history (not the greatest preacher; Jesus was the 
 greatest preacher, and the sermon on the mount the 
 greatest sermon ever preached — and Paul was a 
 greater preacher than John). He was a remarkable 
 man who could go out into the wilderness and at the 
 river side draw hundreds and thousands to hear him 
 preach. There was such an outpouring to hear him 
 that one of the sacred writers says: "Then went out 
 to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the regions 
 round about Jordan.*' A man clothed in a peculiar 
 manner, who ate locusts and wild honey, and lived 
 — no one knew where. Yet this man moved the 
 multitudes, and his testimony is worthy of our atten- 
 tion. And he said: "Behold the Lamb of God, 
 which taketh away the sin of the world!" thus affirm- 
 ing that Jesus was divine. 
 
 Testimony number three: 
 
 John 1:41. — "He first findeth his own brother 
 Simon, and saith unto him. We have found the 
 Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ." 
 This is the testimony of Andrew, As soon as he 
 
20 WAS Jesus divine? 
 
 found Jesus, so soon he believed him to be the prom- 
 ised One to Israel, And as soon as he had found 
 Jesus he wanted others to know him, and he ran im- 
 mediately to find his brother Simon, and said, "Come, 
 we have found the Messiah. '^ Andrew believed that 
 Jesus was divine. 
 
 Testimony number four: 
 
 John 1:45. — "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith 
 unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the 
 law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, 
 the son of Joseph/' Here we have the testimony of 
 Philip— -"We have found Jesus of Nazareth, of whom 
 Moses in the law and the prophets did write." His 
 testimony is to this effect, that Jesus, the son of 
 Joseph, was the one that God promised through Moses 
 and through Isaiah, David, and all the Prophets; 
 the one who was to come to save His people from 
 their sins, and bring peace and joy upon the earth, 
 Philip believed that Jesus, the son of Joseph, was the 
 divine Son of God. 
 
 Testimony number five: 
 
 John 1:49. — "Nathanael answered and saith unto 
 him. Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the 
 King of Israel.'' As soon as Philip found Jesus and 
 believed on him he wanted some one else to believe — 
 and herein is the great secret of enlarging the King- 
 dom; when we have found Christ, tell some one else! 
 Philip ran to Nathanael, his friend, and said, "I have 
 found the Messiah! I have found the Son of the' 
 Eternal!" "Who is it?" inquired Nathanael. "Jesus, 
 the son of Joseph," answered Philip. "Can there 
 any good thing come out of Nazareth.?" said Nathan- 
 ael. Philip did not stop to argue^ did not try to 
 convert him; but said, ^-Come and see." He wanted 
 to bring Nathanael to the Saviour; that would be 
 enough. Oh yes! if we can get this poor, sinful, 
 
WAS JESUS DIVINE? 21 
 
 wicked world to take but one glance at Jesus, that 
 will be enough. But the eyes of the world are blind 
 in sin, and it is hard to get men to look and live. 
 Nathanael was skeptical at first; but he came and 
 looked, and immediately believed that Jesus was 
 divine, and said: "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; 
 thou art the King of Israel.'' He was a good man 
 and became a noted servant of the Lord. 
 
 Testimony number six: 
 
 Turn over to the 3rd Chapter of John. — Oh, won- 
 derful book is this on the subject of the divinity of 
 Christ [ 
 
 John 3:2. — "The same came to Jesus by night, 
 and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a 
 teacher come from God: For no man can do these 
 miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.'* 
 So said Nicodemus, who was not a common citizen, 
 but one of the most prominent men of his age, a 
 member of that august body knov/n as the Sanhedrim. 
 He desired to become a disciple of Jesus, not openly, 
 but secretly. He came to Jesus and said, "We know 
 that thou art a teacher come from God.'' Why.? 
 "Because no man can do these miracles that thou 
 doest, except God be with him." To do these works 
 requires more than humanity; it requires divinity. 
 Thus this great and learned man believed that Jesus 
 was divine. 
 
 Testimony number seven: 
 
 John 4:29. — "Come, see a man, which told me all 
 things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ.?" So 
 said the poor woman at the well in Samaria. The 
 disciples had gone into the city to buy food, leaving 
 their Master sitting there on the curb-stone. He was 
 weary from much walking, and thought to rest until 
 his followers returned. While he sat there a poor 
 woman came from the field to draw water, and he de- 
 
22 WAS JESUS DIVINE? 
 
 livered to her that wonderful sermon on the Water 
 of Life. The woman listened spellbound. She be- 
 lieved a prophet had come from God; she believed 
 He was the Messiah. She hastened to the city and 
 told her acquaintances all He had said to her, and all 
 He had done, and asked, "Is not this the Christ?" 
 She believed that this wonderful man was the Re- 
 deemer, the Deliverer promised long centuries before 
 to Israel. 
 
 Testimony number eight: 
 
 John 4:42. — "And said unto the woman. Now we 
 believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard 
 Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the 
 Christ, the Saviour of the world." So testified the 
 citizens of Sychar. "We believe not because of thy 
 saying — " Oh no, she was a poor sinful woman. She 
 had^had five husbands, and was not the wife of the 
 man she was then living with; she was a woman of 
 bad character. So they said, "We believe, not be- 
 cause of thy saying; but having heard Him ourselves 
 we know that He is indeed the Christ, the Saviour 
 of the world." After seeing and hearing for them- 
 selves, they had not a doubt but that Jesus was divine. 
 The Saviour remained at this place two days, and 
 had a great and successful revival. It is probable 
 that hundreds, and may be thousands, accepted the 
 overtures of His mercy. 
 
 Testimony number nine. 
 
 John 6:67-69. — "Then Jesus said unto the twelve, 
 Will ye also go away?" This was after he had de- 
 livered that powerful sermon, in which he had told 
 them that they must eat of His flesh and drink of His 
 blood, if they would have eternal life; and the people 
 had said, "This is a hard saying." They were not 
 willing to make the sacrifices true Christian service 
 demanded. And so the multitudes turned away. He 
 
WAS JESUS DIVINE? ^^ 
 
 listened to their footfalls as they went back to their 
 . sins, went back to the things of this life, and then 
 turning to His apostles He said, "Will ye also go 
 away?" Hear their noble response: "Then Simon 
 Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? 
 thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe 
 and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of 
 the Living God." What Christ, Peter? Why, ^ka^ 
 Christ — the Christ promised in the prophecies of the 
 sacred books. The Christ for whom the Jewish peo- 
 ple had been looking many years. Was He a mere 
 man, Peter? No. "The Son of the living God!" Peter 
 believed with all his heart that Jesus was divine. 
 Go on now. Testimony number ten: 
 John 7:46. — "The officers answered, Never man 
 spake like this man." You know the Jews despised 
 Him, Why? Because He told them of their faults. 
 He simply drove their sins right home to the heart. 
 He punctured their consciences and they did not like 
 it. People don't like to have their consciences punc- 
 tured any better to-day then they did eighteen 
 hundred years ago. So the Pharisees, you remember, 
 and the chief priests, desired to kill Jesus, and sent 
 men to arrest Him and bring Him to judgment. 
 They went and heard Him speaking to the people. 
 But instead of taking Him, like dutiful officers, they 
 listened spellbound to his gracious words. With 
 wonder and amazement they slunk back into the 
 city. And when they came back, the priests and 
 Pharisees said, "Where is he, why did you not bring 
 him?" And they answered, "Oh, never man spake 
 like this man!" Very good evidence that they be- 
 lieved him to be m-ore than a man. They were as- 
 sured that Jesus was the divine Son of the living 
 God. 
 Go on noWe Testimony number elevens 
 
24 WAS JESUS DIVINE? 
 
 John 9:30-33.* — "The man answered and said unto 
 them, Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know 
 not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine 
 eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners; 
 but if any man be a worshiper of God, and doeth 
 his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was 
 it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one 
 that was born blind. If this man were not of God, 
 he could do nothing." So said the blind man who 
 had been healed of his infirmity by the Saviour. You 
 remember that Jesus stooped down and spat upon the 
 ground and made clay and anointed his eyes and 
 said, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." And he went 
 and washed and his sight came to him. He had 
 never seen the light of day; he was born blind. The 
 Jews would not believe that he had been born blind, 
 until his parents said, "We know that this is our son 
 and that he was born blind.'' Then they called the 
 blind man to them again, and said, "Give God the 
 glory, for this man is a sinner." He said, "I don't 
 know whether he is a sinner or not; but one thing I 
 do know, that once I was blind and now I see." But 
 they said,"This man is a sinner,he is a wicked man." 
 Then the man that was blind argued with them, and 
 finally closed the discussion by declaring, "If this man 
 were not of God he could do nothing," showing that 
 he believed him to be divine. And later on, he said 
 to Jesus, "Lord, I believe." 
 
 Go on a little further. Testimony number twelve: 
 Jesus testifies of himself — John 9:35-37. — "Jesus 
 heard that they had cast him out; and when he found 
 him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son 
 of God? He answered and said. Who is he, Lord, that 
 I might believe? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast 
 both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee " 
 Jesus himself said, "I am the Son of God." Jesus is 
 
WAS JESUS DIVINE? 25 
 
 the greatest character of all history, and certainly his 
 evidence should be weighed with seme corisideration. 
 A being of such marvelous power! His name for 
 eighteen hundred years has swayed the hearts of 
 millions. His impress is upon all civilization. To 
 Him crowned heads and peasants alike do obeisance. 
 What did this w^onderful personage say concerning 
 himself? ^^I am divine.''^ 
 
 Go on. Testimony number thirteen: 
 John 12:3.— "Then took Mary a pound of ointment 
 of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of 
 Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house 
 was tilled with the odour of the ointment. '^ Here is 
 the story of one of the m.cst beautiful deeds the sun 
 ever looked down upon. This believing and trusting 
 woman came in as the Master was reclining at the 
 table and poured out the precious ointment on His feet. 
 The odour of the ointm.ent filled the room, and the 
 fragrance of the deed has gone to the ends of the 
 earth. As she stooped the v^aves of her long hair fell 
 upon his feet, and with tender affection she v/iped 
 them with it. It was an act testifying very pow^erfully 
 to the divinity of him to Vvdiom she rendered this 
 precious service. 
 
 Go on. Testimony number fourteen: 
 John 12:12-13. — "On the next day much people 
 that were come to the feast, when they heard that 
 Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of 
 palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried 
 "Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh 
 in the name of the Lord." It was just a few days 
 before the crucifixion vvhen He rode into the City on 
 the borrowed colt. It v/as expected that Jesus would 
 proclaim himiSelf the temporal King of Israel at the 
 approaching Passover. The people came out in great 
 numbers and witnessed his triumphal march into the 
 
26 WAS JESUS DIVINE? 
 
 City of Jerusalem. There was great enthusiasm. 
 Some took off their garments and threw them at his 
 feet, and others broke off palm leaves and waved them 
 in the air, and they cried, "Hosanna! Blessed is he 
 that Cometh in the name — '^ Of whom? A man.? 
 No. "Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh /;^ tJie 
 name of the Lord.'^'^ Such was the cestimpny of the 
 multitude that cried out shortly afterwards, "Away 
 with him," not understanding that his kingdom was 
 spiritual. 
 
 Go on. Testimony number fifteen: 
 
 John 12:27-30. — "Now is my soul troubled; and 
 what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour; 
 but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, 
 glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from 
 heaven, saying, I have glorified it, and will glorify it 
 again. The people therefore that stood by, and heard 
 it, said that it thundered; others said, An angel spake 
 to him.'' But what was it — thunder? No. Was 
 it an angel speaking to him? No. It was God's tes- 
 timony that Jesus was divine. That is what it was. 
 God himself testified to the divinity of the Son of 
 Mary. 
 
 Go on. Take another testimony — number sixteen: 
 
 John 19:4. — "Pilate therefore went forth again, 
 and saith unto them. Behold, I bring him forth to 
 you, that ye may know I find no fault in him." It 
 was on the morning of the Saviour's trial and cruci- 
 fixion. The multitude had assembled and were cry- 
 ing, "Away wth him! Crucify him, crucify him! 
 Nail him to the tree! We have no king but Caesar, 
 — Away with him!" Then Pilate went back into his 
 room and wrote a title to be put on the cross. And 
 the Roman soldiers proceeded to scourge their pris- 
 oner. They laid on the lash thirty and nine times, 
 till his flesh hung in shreds and the blood flowed in 
 
WAS JESUS DIVINE? 27 
 
 pools at his feet. At last Pilate brought him forth and 
 said, "Behold your King. Take him, and crucify him, 
 for 1 find no fatilt in him. He is innocent!" He re- 
 garded him as a most remarkable character. And it 
 appears from the earnest efforts he put forth to ex- 
 tricate him from the intrigues of the Jews that he re- 
 garded him as more than human. 
 
 Go on. Testimony number seventeen: 
 John 20:28-29. — "And Thomas answered and said 
 unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus said unto 
 him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast 
 believed; blessed are thay that have not seen, and yet 
 have believed.'' You know that after the Saviour 
 had risen from the grave he met ten of the Apostles 
 in Jerusalem, but Thomas was absent, and when in- 
 formed of the fact he would not believe that the 
 Saviour had risen. He said, ^^Except I shall see in 
 his hands the print of the nails, and thrust my hand 
 into his side, I will not believe.'' But when Jesus 
 came and the doubting apostle saw him, he said, "My 
 Lord and my God!" He believed that Jesus was the 
 Son of God, and that he was indeed divine. Never 
 before in the world's history had one risen from the 
 grave by his own power — never since; but Jesus by 
 his own strength had arisen from the grave the con- 
 queror of the unseen world. The only possible 
 consistent explanation of the fact is that he was 
 divine. 
 
 Thus we have in the Book of John these seventeen 
 different testimonies, and every one agrees. "In the 
 mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be 
 established," and here we have seventeen witnesses, 
 representing some of the greatest personages in 
 heaven and in earth, and all say that the Son of 
 Mary was more than human. And most of them, if 
 not all, believe him to be emphatically the divine 
 Son of God. 
 
28 WAS JESUS DIVINE? 
 
 Now "What think ye of Christ? Whose Son was 
 he?" Was he not divine? I might close the book of 
 John and make just a few quotations from other books 
 of the Bible, I might quote the testimony of Judas, 
 for instance, when he brought the thirty pieces of 
 silver, for which he had betrayed his Lord, and threw 
 them down at the feet of the chief priests and elders, 
 saying, "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the in- 
 nocent blood." I might quote the language of the 
 Centurion at the foot of the cross, when the veil of 
 the temple was rent in twain, and the earth quaked, 
 and the graves were opened, and the dead came 
 forth, and the noonday darkness was quickly banished 
 by the bursting forth of the brilliant sun. Smiting 
 his breast, this Roman officer exclaimed, "Truly this 
 man was the Son of God!" But why go further? 
 The whole Bible echoes and re-echoes with invincible 
 proofs concerning the divinity of Jesus. And, oh, 
 how glad I am that this is the case! For, as Pro- 
 fessor Swing truly says, "If Christ be not divine,every 
 impulse of the Christian world falls to a lower octave, 
 and light and love and hope alike decline." 
 
 Now a few words concerning the testimony of his- 
 tory. Very little is necessary along this line of 
 thought, for the world is full of indubitable evidence 
 which only makes the declarations of the Bible appear 
 stronger and brighter with each passing generation. 
 A careful, candid study of the history of Christianity 
 for the past eighteen hundred years is enough to 
 convince any sane man, who is honest, that Jesus was 
 divine. If he was not divine, one of the grandest 
 miracles under the shining sun is the marvelous 
 growth of his religion. An humble peasant himself, 
 with but a few humble men for his followers, he was 
 maligned, spat upon, and traduced. How that little 
 company could spring up and grow till it became the 
 
WAS JESUS DIVINE? 29 
 
 most powerful force in the world in the higher devel- 
 opment of the human family, spreading its religion 
 over the greater part of the globe, moving empires 
 and kingdoms as no other influence has ever moved 
 them, without the divinity of the leader, is beyond 
 human ken. 
 
 The only way to account for the marvelous growth 
 of the Christian religion from the following of a dozen 
 individuals to a present adherency of over 400,000,- 
 000; the only way to account for its 60,000 martyrs; 
 the only way to account for its transforming power for 
 good over the sinful hearts of men, is by the fact 
 that Jesus, the leader and founder of this religion, was 
 divine. No other explanation will bear the searching 
 light of common sense. 
 
 Zoroaster, the great Persian religious teacher, who 
 it is supposed lived about twelve hundred years be- 
 fore Christ, gave his nation a fine code of morals. 
 But what has Zoroastrianism ever done for the world? 
 Throughout all Persia, the land of the great teacher, 
 there is not a railroad. You cannot find a telephone 
 there, or a telegraph; no marks of advanced civiliza- 
 tion. The people of Persia are to-day very little, if 
 any, in advance of the Persians of three thousand 
 years ago. Why? Because the religion of Zoroaster 
 lacked the essential element of a higer development 
 —divinity. Zoroaster was a mere man. He had more 
 than ten centuries the start of Jesus, but has long been 
 distanced in the race. 
 
 Confucius, who it is supposed Hved contemporary 
 with Belshazzar, five hundred years before Christ, 
 gave to poor China a narrow, bigoted, selfish religion, 
 and the result is seen to-day in a nation noted for its 
 lack of progress. No railroads, steam-boats, electric 
 cars, and great steam presses in China, but on the 
 other hand mountains of inexcusable ignorance, con- 
 
30 WAS JESUS DIVINE? 
 
 temptible conservatism, and unbearable superstition. 
 Confucius was a mere man. 
 
 Look over the world to-day; look at Mahomet, who 
 secured millions of followers by false promises never 
 fulfilled. He has nearly 200,000,000 followers to-day. 
 But what has Mahometism done for the world? 
 Arabia and Turkey are still in the darkness of super- 
 stition and the throes of unspeakable degradation. 
 Mahomet was a mere man. 
 
 Look at the glittering cohorts of Alexander, Caesar 
 and Cyrus; but where are they to-day? Gone, for- 
 ever gone. No more will the shout of their triumphs 
 be heard, nor the tramp of their magnificent armies. 
 They were mere men. But Jesus, who came from 
 despised Nazareth, and fought not save with weapons 
 of love, gave the world faith and hope, and to-day 
 tens of thousands of church spires with ringing bells 
 testify that He was divine. 
 
 "What think ye of Christ, whose son was he?" Let 
 an intelligent conscience answer it, or let a learned 
 Court answer it in the light of reason, in the light of 
 testimony, in the light of Christianity. Jesus Christ 
 was divine, or else He is the greatest impostor the 
 world ever knew. For he claimed to be divine, and 
 the angels of heaven testified that he was when they 
 sang, "Peace on earth and good will toward men." 
 Did they speak falsely? The greatest authorities of 
 heaven and earth have testified that the humble 
 Nazarene was the Son of God, was divine. If he is 
 not divine, they are all mistaken, and there is noth- 
 ing in Christianity, nothing in the religion of Jesus 
 but error, nothing but false hopes, nothing but bitter 
 disappointment and hopeless remorse. But at this 
 the intelligent conscience revolts, so I declare to you 
 this evening that the only logical conclusion, the only 
 consistent answer to this question is, that Christ was 
 
WAS JESUS DIVINE? 3 1 
 
 divine, that he was the only begotten Son of God, 
 that he was the fulfillment of prophecy, — the Won- 
 derful, the Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, and the 
 Saviour of mankind! Therefore the only right way 
 to act is to accept him, love him, serve him. I leave 
 the matter with you. You have been long hesitating, 
 perhaps. But do not wait longer. 
 
 "Why do you wait, my brother? 
 Why do you tarry so long? 
 Your Saviour is waiting to give you 
 A place in his glorified throng. '* 
 
 If you have been putting this matter off, I beg of 
 you to put it oH no longer; decide now, either for or 
 against Christ. If, after all this evidence, you still 
 say, "I don't believe," the day will come, dear friend, 
 after my voice is hushed, and all who sit here are 
 laid away in the cold grave — the day will come, yon- 
 der Judgment Day, when you will say, upon bended 
 knees,"! do believe.'* If you don't voluntarily confess 
 Him /lere, you will kave to confess Him ^/lere. So 
 I beg of you take time by the forelock, acknowledge 
 the divinity of Jesus, and be forever blessed. Stand 
 up before the world and acknowledge His supremacy! 
 Swing into line with the greatest intelligences of earth 
 and heaven! Show by an acceptance of Christianity 
 that you are the friend of truth and progress! Will 
 you do it.^ God help you. 
 
PRAYER. 
 
 Mark 14:38. * 'Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. 
 The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak." 
 
 These are the words of our Saviour spoken on the 
 evening of his betrayal, and should be regarded with 
 the greatest deference, because the circumstances 
 under which they were delivered were among the 
 saddest of his earth-life — just the evening before his 
 crucifixion, just an hour or two before the hypocrit- 
 ical kiss of Judas, when he was compelled to surrender 
 to the authorities from the Temple. 
 
 "Watch and pray." — I want to talk about prayer, 
 a subject which I fear is not very well understood by 
 the majority of Christians. Although there is very 
 much said about it, although there is very much writ- 
 ten about it, and although we occasionally sing "sweet 
 hour of prayer," yet I feel that Christian people gen- 
 erally do not appreciate its wonderful significance as 
 the power that moves the Lord. 
 
 Let us first discuss the question, What is Prayer.? 
 We will then observe that all mighty men have been 
 men of prayer. Thirdly, we will talk about, How 
 to pray, when to pray, and where to pray. Fourth — 
 Some of the results of prayer. I trust a talk along 
 this line will be helpful to every person present. 
 
 Mr. Moody says, "Those whose lives have made the 
 deepest impression on this sin-cursed earth have 
 been men and women of prayer." I am sure he is 
 correct in this assertion. It is undoubtedly true that 
 those who have made the deepest impression for 
 
 32 
 
PRAYER 
 
 33 
 
 truth, goodness, and uprightness, have .been persons 
 "who waited much on the Lord.'^ Prayer must be 
 something of very great importance, for the Word of 
 God is full of the subject. And a study of the lives 
 of truly great men reveals the fact that they were 
 praying men. A life of prayer has enabled many a 
 noble character to leave "foot-prints on the sands of 
 time'' for good, and cause men to rise up and call 
 them blessed. 
 
 What then is Prayer.^ A very simple question; one 
 that it seems I need scarcely take time to discuss. 
 Yet these simple questions are often more difficult 
 and important than they at first appear. This is a 
 practical question, and deserves a careful answer. 
 
 Is it delivering a grand and beautiful address to the 
 Lord, flourishing a splendid array of rhetoric and 
 eloquence.? It would seem that was prayer, judging 
 froni the way many Christians do it. And not a few 
 ministers seem to endeavor to speak to the Lord in 
 a way to excite the greatest admiration of the listen- 
 ers. Have you not frequently heard, as you were 
 leaving the church, some one say, "Was not that a 
 beautiful prayer Doctor So-and-So made.?" or, 
 "Wasn't that an eloquent prayer?" So the world has 
 the impression that prayer is delivering a fine speech 
 to the Lord. But it is not that. The Lord does not 
 care so much for our grammar and rhetoric, nor the 
 particular attitude of the body; but the spirit in which 
 we approach him. 
 
 But what is prayer.? The poet says: 
 
 , "Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, 
 Unuttered or expressed, 
 The motion of a hidden fire 
 That trembles in the breast." 
 
 This is very beautiful, but to my mind, Mr. Mont- 
 gomerv has not given us in these lines a complete 
 
34 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 definition of prayer. It is more than that. It is 
 possible to have a "sincere desire," and not have that 
 desire gratified; but the Lord gratifies the sincere 
 desire of the praying heart. It is possible to love, 
 without our love being returned (a great many young 
 men here have doubtless had that experience) ! It is 
 possible for me to ask favors, and not have them 
 granted. But the Lord loves, and the Lord grants 
 the favors we ask of him— possibly not that partic- 
 ular one, but if not that something infinitely better. 
 I have a definition of my own which I think is more 
 satisfactory. It is in very few words, but it covers 
 the whole ground. Hear it: Prayer is sweet com- 
 munion WITH God. Now when we desire a favor, we 
 ask God for it and he grants us that favor. We talk 
 the matter all over with our Heavenly Father, and 
 make our requests known to Him v/ith child-like con- 
 fidence. And we are not disappointed. We find 
 that God is the soul's complement. He recognizes 
 our sincere desires and beneficently responds with 
 the gifts we need. He hears our petition gladly. He 
 enjoys our conversation. He enjoys our presence. 
 He enjoys talking with us, and to us, and thus we 
 have communion with our Maker; that is prayer. 
 
 I want to cite a few Scriptures on the subject: 
 First, Mark 11:24.— "What things soever ye desire, 
 when ye pray believe that ye receive them, and ye 
 shall have them." Now note: The Lord does not 
 say, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray 
 beUeve, and may -be you will get them; possibly I 
 will grant your request, if 1 happen to feel like it, ox 
 if the notion strikes me I will give you the blessing 
 desired.'' He does not say, "Ask, and nine times out 
 of ten you will get what you want." No! The Loid 
 is not so indefinite in his promises as man. But he 
 that asks, believing, receives. "And ye shall have 
 
PRAYER 35 
 
 /7," says the Word. No equivocation, no doubt; but 
 YE SHALL HAVE IT. When you commune with the 
 Lord, don't be afraid to ask Him for what you desire 
 with full assurance. I would to God this spirit might 
 take possession of all, all Christian men and women; 
 that Christ's disciples everywhere might be stirred 
 up to ask, in faith, great things of God. If so, such a 
 wave of blessing would sweep over the church as has 
 never yet been seen. Remember the promise, "Ye 
 shall have.'' Spurgeon once said that "prayers are 
 heard in heaven very much in proportion to our faith. 
 Little faith will get very great mercies, but great 
 faith still greater." 
 
 Second, John 16:23,24. — "And in that day ye shall 
 ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, what- 
 soever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will 
 give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my 
 name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be 
 full.'' Now how is that? Why,simply this: "Ask the 
 Father in my name^ and he will grant your request." 
 This is one of the conditions of acceptable prayer. We 
 are told to ask in the name of Jesus. Never ask in 
 your own name; never ask in any man's name; never 
 ask in an angel's name; never ask in a departed 
 saint's name — ^as the Catholics do — for it will not 
 avail. Never ask Jesus personally, nor the Holy Spirit 
 personally. But ask God in the name of Christ. 
 
 I have sometimes heard people address their prayers 
 to Jesus, — "O, Lord Jesus, do so-and-so, or give us 
 so-and-so." But we should not do this. Jesus did not 
 tell us to pray to Him, but to the Father. People 
 sometimes address their petitions to the Holy Spirit, 
 — "O, Holy Spirit, come down, etc." But we should 
 never pray to the Holy Spirit. The Word of Truth 
 does not so instruct us. But we should always pray to 
 God in the name of Jesus. I must tell you the Mas- 
 
36 PRAYER 
 
 ter does not want us to ignore his directions. No 
 amount of piety will make up for wanton disobedi- 
 ence. If we really desire to please Christ, and the 
 Holy Spirit, we should not address them personally, 
 but address the Father, the great Head of the God- 
 head. And if we pray in the name of Jesus, we are 
 promised an answer to our prayers. In the name of 
 Christ, Oh, get "in the NameP' Be a believing, 
 patient, obedient servant of Jesus. That is what 
 being "in the name'' means. Those who do not be- 
 lieve in Christ should not pray; they are not "in the 
 name.'' Nor should those who, although they are 
 not unbelievers, have not kept the commandments, 
 and who, perhaps, think them non-essential, expect 
 God to hear their prayers. You may be living up to 
 your "honest convictions," but you are not "in the 
 name of Christ" until you believe, and obey His laws; 
 and God has not promised to hear anybody out of 
 the name of His only Begotten Son. 
 
 Turning to Matt. 28:19, we learn what Christ 
 meant by getting into His name. "Go ye therefore 
 and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name oi 
 the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." 
 And in the last chapter of the Book of Luke, we 
 have further information on this point: "And that 
 repentance and remission of sins should be preached 
 IN His NAME among all nations, beginning at Jeru- 
 salem." Turning to the 2nd chapter of the Book of 
 Acts we read how the people repented and were 
 baptized on the Day of Pentecost, thus getting into 
 the navie of Christ, and securing all the rights and 
 privileges of Christian citizenship. And so if we want 
 our prayers answered, we should lose no time in be- 
 coming penitent, baptized believers in the name of 
 Christ, and then, whatsoever we ask the Father, He 
 will give us. 
 
PRAYER 37 
 
 Third, — Matthew, 6th Chapter. — Luke informs 
 us that the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Lord, 
 teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." 
 And He said, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt 
 not be as the hypocrites are; for they love to pray 
 standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the 
 streets, that they may be seen of men. But thou 
 when thou prayest enter into thy closet, and when 
 thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is 
 in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall 
 reward thee openly." And then the Saviour gave them 
 an example of acceptable prayer, — this prayer is 
 commonly spoken of as "The Lord's Prayer," but it 
 is, more properly speaking, The Disciple' s Prayer. 
 "After this manner therefore," said he, "pray ye: 
 ''Our Father which art in heavefi, hallowed be thy name. 
 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in 
 heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive 
 us our debts, as we forgive our debtors- And lead us not 
 into temptatiofi, but deliver us from evil. For thi7ie is the 
 kingdom y and the power , and the glory, forever, A7nen, " 
 
 Ah! That is the way to pray. Commence by 
 glorifying the name of the Lord; extol Him above all 
 creation, both in heaven and in earth. Secondly: — 
 Talk about the Lord's business — "Thy kindgom 
 come." Then we come down to poor, weak self — 
 "Give us bread;" "Forgive us;"and "Lead us not into 
 temptation." Then we break forth once more in 
 praise to God — "Thine is the kingdom, and the power, 
 and the glory, forever!" But how often we pray for 
 self first, self second, and self all the way through! 
 "Lord bless ine^ remember me, give to m^," from 
 beginning to end. Now we should learn better from 
 this blessed example which the Lord has given us. I 
 love to hear some of our old preachers pray; some 
 of those old veterans of the Cross who have been 
 
38 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 preaching for half a cenutry or more — How they do 
 glorify the name of the Living God! Their com- 
 munion is one great, long period of praise. I think 
 the Lord likes such prayers. We should be careful 
 not to make self too obtrusive in our petitions. I 
 would to God, every disciple of Christ the world over 
 might repeat this prayer every day, if for no other 
 purpose than to catch the spirit of true, acceptable 
 communion with God. 
 
 Fourth: — I Thessalonians, 5:17, 18.— "Pray with- 
 out ceasing, and in everything give thanks; for this is 
 the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." The 
 great Apostle Paul says:— "Pray without ceasing." 
 Yet Professor Atwater tells about a man over in 
 Pennsylvania, a deacon in one of our churches, who 
 does not believe in prayer; he does not think it 
 necessary. He will pass the sacred emblems, he 
 will take up the collection, and pose as a Christian; 
 yet he does not believe in prayer. But that man 
 will never get to heaven, I fear. I am glad there are 
 not many like him among us. The Christian Church 
 has been accused of not believing in prayer; but the 
 accusation is without foundation. I think that every 
 one of our more than six thousand preachers will 
 say that it is utterly impossible for a Christian man 
 to be saved without living a hfe of prayer. "Pray 
 WITHOUT CEASING, "says Paul, and I think he means it. 
 God means it, and Jesus Christ means it, and if you 
 are not living a life of prayer, my brother, the best 
 thing for you to do is to go into your closet, and 
 kneeling before God, beg him to forgive you for past 
 neglect, and promise Him, then and there, that you 
 will live closer to Him in the future. 
 
 Once again: -I John 3:21, 22.— "Beloved, if our 
 heart condemn us not, then have we confidence to- 
 ward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, 
 
 3 
 
PRAYER 39 
 
 because we keep His commandments, and do those 
 things that are pleasing in His sight.'* Notice that 
 precious promise: " Whatsoever we ask we receive,'*'* 
 Why? Because we have kept his commandments, and 
 because we are in his confidence. The great God 
 has pledged himself to hear the prayers of those who 
 comply with his very simple conditions. So I want 
 every member, as we enter this large tabernacle, with 
 greater facilities for work, to take hold of this power- 
 ful lever that moves the all-powerful Fatherland bear 
 down upon it with all the strength of your nature. 
 God promises to answer the prayers of every one who 
 will live right, and do right, and ask right. Many 
 ask and receive not because, as James says, they ask 
 "amiss." (James 4:3.) If we expect God to hear 
 us we should ask earnestly, unselfishly, expectantly, 
 and submissively. And we must ask "in the name," 
 with all that this implies. The Bible has many great 
 lessons on prayer. But I will not consume time at 
 present in quoting further. 
 
 I want to say now that all truly great and mighty 
 characters in history have been men and women of 
 prayer — all who have glorified the name of Christ; 
 all who have helped to usher in the reign of righteous- 
 ness; all who have done something worthy the name 
 of humanity, have been men and women of prayer. 
 The men and women who are moving the world for 
 good to-day are praying men and women; it has ever 
 been so, and ever will be so. I said all truly great 
 men, are men of prayer. There is a difference be- 
 tween true greatness and mere notoriety, between 
 greatness in God's eyes and greatness in man's eyes. 
 With God greatness means goodness. Napoleon was 
 great in man's eyes, but I fear not in God's eyes. 
 With God the humblest man on earth is great if he 
 is good. 
 
40 PRAYER 
 
 Glance through the Bible and you will observe that 
 heaven always blessed the men of prayer. As a rule 
 those who did most prayed most. 
 
 Abel was a man of prayer. 
 
 And Abraham was a man who delighted in prayer. 
 Everywhere he went he erected an altar. When he 
 would come to a new place he would erect an altar 
 and offer sacrifices; that was the way he prayed to 
 God, — kill a young lamb, or a young bullock, and 
 burn it before the Lord. And Abraham was so good 
 and faithful that he was called the "friend of God," 
 
 We find that Jacob was a man of prayer. Coming 
 back from the home of Laban — where he had lived 
 twenty years — to see his old father, and to make 
 peace with his brother Esau, he had some very 
 troublesome compunctions of conscience. I imagine 
 he was a little afraid to meet Esau. And then he 
 had had a little quarrel with his father-in-law. Take 
 it all in all he realized the need of prayer. So he 
 wrestled all night long at Peniel. He prayed with 
 all his heart; he poured out his soul unto God; he 
 wrestled with the angel, and said, "I will not let thee 
 go until thou bless me; I will hold to you — I will not 
 release my grip — I will die in my tracks if need be 
 — I WILL NOT LET THEE Go!" And SO we should keep 
 right on praying, — begging, entreating, imploring, 
 until we get what we ask for. Jacob received the 
 blessing, and his name was called Israel, "For as a 
 prince," said the angel, "hast thoa power with God 
 and with men, and hast prevailed." 
 
 Hannah, one of the sweetest characters in the Bible, 
 was mighty in prayer. She prayed for a son, and 
 God answered her by giving her Samuel, one of the 
 greatest of Old Testament worthies. 
 
 We find Elijah a living reality of the efficacy of 
 prayer. At one time in answer to his prayers, the 
 
PRAYER 41 
 
 rain was withheld for three years; and then, in an- 
 swer to prayer, the rain descended. I like to read of 
 the time Elijah prayed so earnestly on Mount Carmel. 
 You remember the record says, "He cast himself down 
 upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, 
 and said to his servant, Go up now and look toward 
 the sea." And the servant went, and ere long came 
 back and said, "I don't see any signs of rain." And 
 he told him to go again. So he went, and came back 
 and said, "1 don't see anything yet; the sky is as 
 clear as crystal," "Go again, seven times," said Elijah. 
 If Elijah had been like a great many modern Chris- 
 tians, he might have said, "It is no use; I might as 
 well give it up; the Lord is not going to answer me." 
 But he kept on praying until his servant had gone 
 seven times. When he returned the seventh time he 
 said, "Behold, there riseth a little cloud out of the 
 sea, like a man's hand." Ah! That was sign enough. 
 And Elijah said, "Go now and tell the King to pre- 
 pare his chariot, and drive rapidly for home, for we 
 are going to have a great rain." And pretty soon the 
 thunder and lightnings began to play, and the rain 
 descended in torrents, all in answer to praying 
 Elijah. 
 
 Elisha was a man mighty in prayer, and thus he 
 was able to raise the Shunamite's son, multiply the 
 widow's oil, heal Naaman the leper, and do other 
 remarkable things in the name of Jehovah. 
 
 And Manasseh, although he had been a very wicked 
 king, and was carried away captive into Babylon, in 
 answer to prayer was restored again to his throne in 
 Jerusalem, where he ceased not to glorify God as long 
 as he lived. 
 
 Job, the man whose every blessing w^as turned 
 against him, and again whose every curse was turned 
 to blessing, was a man of prayer. 
 
42 PRAYER 
 
 And "good old Daniel" was a man mighty in E.rayer. 
 Three times every day he prayed, with his face turned 
 towards Jerusalem. Thus was he saved from the 
 lion's mouth, and from the fury of Babylon's king. 
 In answer to prayer he was able to interpret the se- 
 crets of the great Nebuchadnezzar, and to read the 
 handwriting on the wall when wicked Belshazzar was 
 overthrown. 
 
 And coming on down to the New Testament, we 
 find that all the men who moved God, in every in- 
 stance, were men of prayer. Paul and Silas prayed 
 at midnight in the Philippian jail. They were cast 
 into prison for preaching Jesus, and their feet -were 
 fast in the stocks. But as they prayed and sang 
 praises to God, the foundations of the prison were 
 shaken, and the door was opened, and their bands 
 were loosed. Paul was evidently one of the most 
 prayerful men the world ever saw, and hence one of 
 the greatest. 
 
 Stephen prayed while the Jews were stoning him, 
 and the Lord took his spirit to heaven. 
 
 Peter was delivered from prison in answer to 
 prayer. All the apostles and early disciples were 
 mighty in prayer. Did you ever notice that they 
 had been praying ten days before they were endowed 
 with power from On High on the ever memorable 
 Day of Pentecost? 
 
 Jesus was a man of prayer. All through His life 
 we find Him praying. Although He was the divine 
 Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, He felt 
 it necessary again and again to pray. What a strik- 
 ing example to His followers! When He had a great 
 work to do, He would commence that work with 
 prayer. Sometimes after teaching all day, he would 
 go up in the mountains at night to commune with the 
 Father. If we have been working all day we often feel 
 
PRAYER 43 
 
 too tired to pray; but Oar Master seemed to feel that 
 that was the time He needed most to pray. Before 
 his greatest miraclcjs, he would lift his eyes heaven- 
 ward, and commuL'e a few moments with God. 
 
 When He fed the Five Thousand He first prayed. 
 When He raised Lazarus from the grave, He prayed. 
 When He raised the daughter of Jairus, He prayed. 
 When He ate with the two disciples at Emmaus.Luke 
 says, "He took bread, and blessed it, and break, and 
 gave to them. And their eyes wete opened, and they 
 knew Him." He prayed on the cross — "Father, for- 
 give them, they know not what they do.'' And have 
 you ever noticed the faci that He prayed at His 
 baptism? Listen: "Now when all the people were 
 baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized, 
 and prayirtg, the heaven was opened, etc.'' (Luke 
 3:21, 22.) It seems to me that of all the apprc priate 
 times in the world to pray, there are none more ap- 
 propriate than at the hour of baptism, and the hour 
 of death. And Jesus has set the example. He prayed 
 on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he prayed in 
 the Garden of Gethsemane, Indeed his whole earth 
 life was a life of prayer, his last words being,"Father, 
 into thy hands I commend my spirit." He lived and 
 diei communing with God. So ought we to do, for 
 there is wonderful power and joy in prayer. 
 
 Glance at secular hii^tory and note the names of 
 uninspired men who have moved the world for good. 
 They have uniformly been men of prayer. I will 
 mention only a fev^: General Gordon, one of the 
 most celebrated of England's warrior chieftains, was 
 a praying man. It is said that every morning, for 
 half an hour, there might be seen a white handker- 
 chief on the ground just outside his tent. And while 
 that handkerchief was there, nobody was allowed to 
 interrupt him, no matter hovv' important his business. 
 
44 PRAYER 
 
 Though a messenger from the Queen herself desired 
 an immediate interview he must wait, for the General 
 was at pra37er. 
 
 General Havelock also was a man of prayer. It is 
 said of him that if the hour for marching was set at 
 six, he would arise at four, that he might have good 
 time to commune with God before the arduous duties 
 of the day. 
 
 Benjamin Franklin believed in prayer. The infidels 
 sometimes claim him, but he it was who introduced the 
 motion in the Colonial Congress that the deliberations 
 of that important assembly should be opened with 
 prayer. For days they had been toiling and toiling 
 apparently to little purpose, trying to frame a code 
 of laws for the thirteen Colonies. Finally, this great 
 statesm.an arose and moved that they should petition 
 God for His Blessing and assistance. And from that 
 day to this, I believe, the deliberations of Congress 
 have never been opened without prayer. 
 
 General Washington, — 
 
 *'The first, the last, the best, 
 The Cincinnatus of the West," 
 
 was not only an immersed believer in Christ, but he 
 was an earnest believer in prayer. The winter that 
 the Revolutionary army spent at Valley Forge was 
 long and cold. The finances of the country were in a 
 deplorable condition, and the prospects of American 
 freedom were very gloomy indeed. The soldiers could 
 be tracked by the blood from their bare and almost 
 frozen feet. They were poorly fed, poorly clothed 
 and poorly equipped every way for the great contest 
 in which they were engaged. So one night, it is stated, 
 Washington went out to a neighboring woodland, 
 away from the camp, and kneeling down beneath a 
 great tree, poured out his soul before God for the 
 cause so near his patriotic heart. Who knows but 
 
PRAYER 45 
 
 what that prayer had really more to do in throwing 
 off the Mother- Yoke, than all the great speeches of 
 Patrick Henry, or even the bayonets of our fore- 
 fathers? The nation whose God is the Lord always 
 wins in time, though the odds seem all against her at 
 first. 
 
 It is related of Abraham Lincoln, with how much 
 accuracy I cannot vouch, that before the great battle 
 of luka, he was seen to take his Bible and go into a 
 room by himself. When asked what he had been do- 
 ing, he said, "I have been reading a chapter in the 
 Bible and praying for our army." And when, after 
 awhile, good news came, — the news of victory, — 
 "Honest Abe" took his Bible and went into his room 
 again, and when questioned once more as to what he 
 had been doing, replied, "I was reading a chapter in 
 the Bible and thanking God for our victory. Prayer 
 and thanksgiving should always go together." 
 Whether this incident is authoritative or not, it con- 
 tains a very wholesome lesson for Christians. Lin- 
 coln was a believer in God, but not a member of any 
 church. His father and mother, I am told, were 
 members of the Christian Church. Every follower 
 of Jesus should not only believe in prayer, but also 
 in praise. He should be prompt to ask God for what 
 we need, and just as prompt to thank him for the 
 blessing when it comes. Prayer and praise should 
 ever go hand in hand. 
 
 John Knox, who had all Scotland under his influ- 
 ence, was a man mighty in prayer One writer de- 
 clares that "his prayers terrified tyrants." But I tell 
 you there are a great many prayers offered to-day 
 that don't scare anybody. The trouble lies in the 
 fact that too many professing Christians are inconsis- 
 tent. Men pray, "O Lord, remove the saloon curse," 
 and they go right on and drop a ballot in favor of 
 
46 PRAYER 
 
 license. "O, grant that righteousness and purity may 
 reign from pole to pole/' and they bring home various 
 publications for their children to read that smell so 
 much of the Bottomless Pit that the angels in heaven 
 must blush and turn away for shame. If you want 
 to terrify the devil, you must be mighty in prayer, — 
 much in communion with God. Knox spent much 
 time on his knees, and thus gained great strength 
 from Heaven. 
 
 John Wesley, who turned over ten thousand peo- 
 ple to Christ, was a praying man. He bathed all his 
 efforts in trustful communion with God. Luther, 
 Baxter, Whitefield, Edwards, Campbell, Stone, and 
 indeed all the great reformers of history were men of 
 prayer. Those who have moved the world for good, 
 those who have Hfted humanity Godward, and ex- 
 tended the Kingdom of Heaven, have been, without 
 an exception, men and women who have counseled 
 much with God. 
 
 In answer to the practical questions, How to pray? 
 When to pray? and, Where to pray? I would say: 
 — pray meaningly ; pray everywhere ; pray always. 
 But now to be more specific I would add, talk to God 
 in your prayers just as you would talk to a kind, lov- 
 ing, earthly parent. When your little child comes 
 running and says, "Papa, I want so-and-so,'^ he 
 does not act as though he were afraid of you, does 
 he? Why, no! But he affectionately and confidently 
 says: "Won't you buy me this or that?" or "Won't 
 you do me this little favor?'' With earnest eyes 
 he looks up into your face, fully expecting his requests 
 to be granted. So ought we to look up into the face 
 of our always kind and loving Heavenly Father, and 
 make our wants known. He will hear us gladly and 
 bless us abundantly. Oh, for more of this childlike 
 confidence among Christians everywhere! "Except 
 
PRAYER 47 
 
 ye be converted and become as little children, ye 
 shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." So 
 pray earnestly and expectantly. Look into the 
 dear Father's face lovingly and with full assurance. 
 Childlike sincerity will bring rich reward. 
 
 We should pray always; not simply during the re- 
 vival meeting, or on Sunday only. But we should 
 live in the spirit of prayer. When Paul said, "Pray 
 without ceasing," he did not mean that we should 
 stay on our knees twenty-four hours in the day; of 
 course there is such a thing as overdoing the matter 
 — such a thing as allowing mere formality to take 
 the place of genuine prayerfulness. Paul's idea Vv^as, 
 live in the spirit of prayer — live in constant touch 
 with God, so that at any time we can send to him the 
 electrifying message of faith and hope and love, and 
 the response Vi^ill come much quicker than telegraphic 
 wires could bring it. Living thus, we can send a mes- 
 sage to heaven in a second, and receive an answer 
 as quickly. '^Father, help me!" and the help comes. 
 Oh, live in the spirit of prayer! Whenever we take 
 a railroad journey, we never know but the train w^ill 
 fly the track. How important then to appeal silently 
 to God as we take our seat — "Father, bless me on 
 this journey. If it be Thy will, grant that this train 
 may safely reach its destination." We don't need to 
 make a big stir, and push two or three persons out of 
 the v/ay to make room for us to get down on our 
 knees and show all the people just how pious we are, 
 but just send up the message to God, silently, gently, 
 and trustfully; just open the heart to him in secret, 
 and the Lord will hear and reward openly. There 
 is too much of the old Pharisaical love of display 
 among Christ' s followers sometim.es, I fear. Preachers 
 have been known to enter the pulpit, kneel down and 
 pray awhile in secret before the audience, when they 
 
4^ PRAYER 
 
 have just come through a solitary lane two miles 
 long. But perhaps it was well for them to let the 
 people see them pray, for otherwise they might never 
 have suspected them to be men of prayer! At Tor- 
 onto, Canada, I saw a man enter the room at one of 
 my services and bow down in his pew for a little 
 season of silent prayer before he could enjoy the ser- 
 mon. But in our after-meeting the same person 
 showed his inconsistency by repeating Mark 16: i6 
 as follows: "He that believeth shall be saved; he that 
 believeth not shall be damned," thus omitting the im- 
 portant phrase, "and be baptized." We should be 
 consistent as well as pious if we would have God give 
 attention to our petitions. And no display is 
 necessary, but just a loving, confiding, hopeful yearn- 
 ing of the heart. 
 
 We ought always to pray mecmingly. We 
 should avoid an excessive use of words and trite 
 phrases in our prayers. It becomes monotonous 
 to say the least. I have heard individuals make 
 about the same prayer in about the same words, 
 using the same old threadbare expressions, perhaps 
 a hundred times. I don't think the Lord wants us to 
 fall into ruts. It is not necessary to always begin in 
 the same way, always end the same way, always say 
 "Amen" at the close of our petitions. That becomes 
 formalistic. I am glad the Endeavor Society is set- 
 ting the world a splendid example in the matter of 
 short, pointed prayers. God looks at the heart, not 
 at the language. He does not care how our desires 
 ar^ expressed. With him broken speech is just as 
 acceptable as fine rhetoric and grammar, if the heart 
 is right. "But don't you think people ought always 
 to stand when praying?" inquires one; or, "Don't 
 you think they ought always to kneel .^" No. The 
 particular attitude of the body is wholly immaterial, 
 
PRAYER 
 
 49 
 
 only in public meetings we should all observe the same 
 custom, whatever it is, for the sake of decency and 
 order. But God has nowhere made it obligatory 
 to stand or kneel, to sit or lie down. I think you 
 can lay your head on your pillow and ask God to 
 bless you, and He will hear and answer your prayer 
 just as quickly as if you were kneeling or standing. 
 But when worshiping in a public assembly, always 
 do what the leader requests. If he asks you to stand, 
 why, for goodness sake,i'/'^;^<^, unless you have a lame 
 back, or rheumatic limb, and can't stand. If he says 
 kneel, why, kneel\ don't be afraid that you will soil 
 your clothes. If he says, "Shall we bow our heads?" 
 don't sit back straight and stiff, as though you feared 
 some one would think you a Christian ! Whatever 
 we do undertake, let us do it decently and orderly, as 
 becometh the children of the Father. 
 
 We should always pray briefly in public. There 
 should be no long public praye7's\ I do not make a 
 single exception, at a funeral, at a Thanksgiving ser- 
 vice, or at regular meetings. It is almost an inexcus- 
 able breach of duty for a person to make long-winded 
 prayers in public now-a-days, and I am glad of it. 
 Of all the good things the Christian Endeavorers 
 have done (they have done many good things), per- 
 haps there is nothing better than their inauguration 
 of "sentence prayers.'' I would to God that all our 
 public prayers were brief. 
 
 We had an old brother in Iowa who would pray 
 thirty minutes by the watch. The boys dreaded to 
 see him arise to pray. 
 
 Once I was invited to take part in a Union Thanks- 
 giving service in Kansas. One of the ministers present 
 was to read the President's Proclamation, another the 
 Scriptural lesson, another was to offer the invocation, 
 etc. The Presbyterian pastc^ was selected to make, 
 
50 PRAYER 
 
 what his people called "The Long Prayer/' and he 
 did it well. I think he prayed about fifteen minutes. 
 Before he got through the people were tired and be- 
 gan to be quite uneasy. Who will argue that such 
 prayers are edifying? It looks too much like making 
 an address to the Lord for the people to admire. 
 Ask for what is wanted and then quit without any 
 "vain repetitions." The longest prayer in the Bible 
 can be read in about four minutes, the prayer of Sol- 
 omon at the dedication of the Temple. (2 Chron- 
 icles, Chap. VI.j The Lord's Prayer, recorded in the 
 17th Chapter of John, is about the same length. If 
 we want to make long prayers, let us go up into the 
 mountain as our Saviour did, or into some secret 
 chamber and pray all night. Long prayers are all 
 right in their place; but their place is never in public. 
 
 The public prayers that have moved God the 
 quickest have been short prayers. The publican 
 smote upon his breast, and said, **God be merciful 
 to me a sinner." There was no "red tape" about that. 
 He poured out his whole heart in one sentence. 
 
 But how about the Pharisee who stood on the street 
 corner and made a long, beautiful prayer.** Was his 
 finely delivered petition answered .'* 
 
 When Peter was sinking in the water, he cried, 
 "Lord save me: I perish !" He did not make a long 
 prayer; there was no time for that; he would have 
 drowned. But he asked for just what he wanted in 
 the simplest and most earnest manner, and God gave 
 him an acceptable answer. 
 
 The Syrophenician made her petition in very few 
 words, but the Lord did what she desired, — she re- 
 ceived her daughter whole. 
 
 All through the Old Testament and the New we find 
 that many of the grandest prayers are those expressed 
 in the fewest words. Mr. Moody very suggestively 
 
PRAYER 51 
 
 observes that "those who pray most in public, pray 
 least in secret/^ So be careful how you exhibit your- 
 self in the prayer meeting! 
 
 We should take much time communing with God 
 alone. If we bathe our hearts often in secret prayer, 
 our faces will shine with the peace of God. 
 
 Speaking of long prayers, I am reminded of an in- 
 cident which occurred in the South. A gentleman was 
 traveling on horseback. Night came on, and he was 
 far away from any town or public place where he 
 could get entertainment. So he stopped at a little 
 cabin, where an old colored man with his little family 
 resided, and begged a night's lodging. The head of 
 the family said kindly, "We will entertain you the 
 best we can in our frugal way/' After the travelei's 
 horse had been cared for, and supper was ready, the 
 host said, "Stranger, can you read?'' The gentleman 
 replied that he could. "Well,'' said the old colored 
 man, "please read a chapter in the Bible for us, and 
 I will lead in prayer; I am not a very good reader, 
 but I am pow'ful in prayer." The gentleman read a 
 chapter, and then they all knelt, and the old colored 
 man began his petition. He commenced away back 
 at the time when the Lord made man and placed him 
 in the Garden of Eden. He told all about Adam and 
 Eve, and how the serpent deceived them ; then about 
 Cain and Abel, and how Cain killed Abel; then he 
 came on down to Methuselah, who lived 969 years; 
 then he mentioned Enoch, who "was not, because God 
 took him;" then he came down to Noah, and his sons 
 — ^Shem,Ham and Japheth ; he spoke of the flood, and 
 how Noah was 120 years preaching and building the 
 ark; and how the animals finally went in,twoby two, 
 and how the rain descended forty days and forty 
 nights, and the waters were over the whole earth; how 
 at last Noah sent out a dove, and how it came back 
 
52 PRAYER 
 
 bearing a green twig; how after awhile they went out 
 of the ark, and how Noah got drunk; he touched 
 upon the fact that the people built a great tower, de- 
 siring to ascend thereon to heaven, and the Lord, not 
 being pleased with this, made them speak in different 
 tongues so they could not understand each other and 
 had to quit the building. Waxing more and more 
 earnest with each passing sentence, the poor old man 
 was proceeding with the call of Abraham, etc., when 
 the gentleman, who was by this time thoroughly 
 wearied, poked the little boy in the side, anxious to 
 obtain a little information concerning the progress 
 of the evening's worship. Sambo was fast asleep, 
 but was finally aroused sufficiently to give attention 
 to the traveler's question, "Say, little fellow, is your 
 father about through?" Sambo rubbed his eyes, and 
 replied, "Where is he? when he gets to the Red Sea, 
 he is just half through!" 
 
 I often hear prayers that remind me forcibly of 
 this incident. No wonder many children dread the 
 hour of family worship. It is not always the long 
 prayers that tell for good, my brother; but prayer 
 that comes from a heart overflowing with love and 
 devotion. True affection can express itself in few 
 words. 
 
 We ought to pray often and regularly; not merely 
 once a week, or once a year. In some homes it is 
 customary to have family worship during the long 
 winter evenings, but omit it when the summer even- 
 ings come. I once heard of a pious old farmer who 
 wanted to have family prayer every morning and 
 evening, but when the spring work came on he felt 
 that he hardly had time for it. But a happy thought 
 occurred! He sat down one day and wrote out a very 
 nice prayer. It had a splendid introduction, a good 
 line of argument, and a nice conclusion. He put a 
 
PRAYER 
 
 53 
 
 string through it, and hung it up at the head of his 
 bed, and then every night upon retiring he would 
 point to the prayer and say, "Lord, there's my senti- 
 ments;" and when he arose early in the morning, he 
 would point again, once more declaring,"There's my 
 sentiments," and hasten to his work! 
 
 Illustrating to what awkward lengths this disposi- 
 tion to save time at the expense of the Lord may 
 lead one, Bro. S. B. Ross, of Iowa, once told me 
 of a leading man in a certain village church, who be- 
 lieved in having family worship, but was so stingy 
 he reluctantly took the necessary time for it. He 
 was a good old Baptist brother, and he wanted to let 
 his light shine, as several of his hired men were not 
 Christians. So every morning while his men were 
 eating breakfast he would read a chapter, as that 
 would save time; and then, just as soon as they were 
 done eating, he would say, "Let us pray," and they 
 w^ould all kneel around the table and the old gentle- 
 man would pray briefly, always concluding with 
 "Amen — boys get out the horses!" 
 
 Oh, we are so salfish in our prayers. I would that we 
 had more of God, more of Christ, more unselfishness 
 in our petitions. There is too much of the spirit cf 
 the man who prayed, "Lord, bless m.e and my wife, 
 my son John and his wife, us four and no more." 
 How often we pray for ourselves, "Lord bless us! Give 
 us health, success and happiness"~whilst we forget 
 all about those suffering around us. May God help 
 us not only to pray unselfishly, but to act accordingly. 
 All prayer must be followed by consistent action on 
 our part if we would see the answer desired. 
 
 "Since I began," said Doctor Payson, when a 
 student, "to beg God's blessing on my studies,! have 
 done more in one week than in the whole year be- 
 fore." So many say, "We haven't time, we haven't 
 
54 PRAYER 
 
 time!" Friends, we have all the time there is! And 
 we ought not to think of trying to get through our 
 daily work without earnest, thoughtful communion 
 with our Maker. Martin Luther was a very busy man. 
 Doctor Bowers, in his great lecture on Luther, says 
 that he wrote five works during the last thirty days of 
 his life. And it is a well known fact that he gave the 
 world a very good translation of the Bible, besides 
 doing much other work that will make his name live 
 throughout coming generations. Perhaps not one man 
 in ten thousand to-day is so busy as Martin Luther 
 was. And yet it is said of him that he once wrote a 
 friend, saying, "I am so busy that I find it necessary 
 to pray three hours every day in order to get along 
 with my work." 
 
 "A great part of my time," said McCheyne, "is 
 spent in getting my heart in tune for prayer. It is 
 the link that connects earth with heaven." 
 
 I like practical poetry. And Herbert gave us an 
 eminently practical couplet when he said: 
 
 "Who goeth to bed and doth not pray, 
 Maketh two nights of every day." 
 
 Oh, may we more and more get into the habit of 
 incessant prayer, appealing to our Father for all we 
 need, thanking Him for all we receive. Let us pray 
 on and work on, fainting not. Pray for our church; 
 pray for ourselves; pray for our neighbors, that they 
 may be converted to Christ; pray for all men and for 
 all good causes. And then let us work just as hard 
 as we pray, for we must do our part if we would ex- 
 pect the Lord to bless us. And let us not give up 
 if our prayers are not answered immediately. God 
 knows what is best for us. Some of the most earnest 
 prayers ever offered have gone unanswered, — that is, 
 they were not answered the way we wanted them 
 
PRAYER 
 
 55 
 
 answered. This has been my experience, and thank 
 God I have lived to see that if He had answered my 
 prayers according to my desire at the time, it would 
 have been the worst thing He could have done for me! 
 But the Father gave me something better in due time. 
 So let us always pray in submission, for we have de- 
 sires sometimes that ought not to be gratified. Jesus 
 prayed, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass 
 from me; nevertheless, not my will but thine be 
 done.'' When we pray for any blessing, it should be 
 in this spirit: If it is Thy will, dear Father, grant 
 Thy servant's request. And I believe that praying 
 thus, ninety-nine cases out of every hundred, the 
 Lord will give us just what we ask. It was Dr. 
 Guthrie, I believe, who said,"Thousandsof my prayers 
 were answered almost instantly, while at other times 
 the Lord withheld an answer for years." We may 
 have alike experience, but let us keep on praying, al- 
 ways remembering that "the Lord doeth all things 
 well." 
 
 You will pardon me if I give you here a personal 
 reminiscence. I know that I am not as good a man 
 as I ought to be. As the poet says: 
 
 ^'I know I am weak and sinful. 
 It comes to me more and more." 
 
 Yet, God has been very merciful to me all my 
 life and has blessed me wonderfully. And when I 
 am preaching about prayer, I always feel it a duty as 
 well as a sweet privilege, to m.ention one of the 
 most impressive experiences of my life, illustrating 
 the necessity of entire submission to God if we would 
 be heard at the throne of Grace. 
 
 A number of years ago we were living at Lincoln, 
 Kansas, where I was pastor of the church. Our oldest 
 boy, Paul, was then about fourteen months old, and 
 he was teething~and you mothers know what a 
 
56 • PRAYER 
 
 critical period with little ones that is. One Saturday 
 afternoon Little Paul went into terrible convulsions, 
 and for two days they continued, one severe spasm 
 following another with frightful frequency. We had 
 the best reputed physician in the city, and some of 
 the best nurses I have ever seen. Our neighbors 
 and brethren of the church were very kind to us in 
 our affliction. I think we never fully appreciated 
 before how sweet and holy Christian fellowship is. 
 For nearly two days our child lay at the point of 
 death. On Sunday he had seemed a little better; but 
 about nine o'clock Monday he had the worst convul- 
 sion that had yet attacked him. His little eyes were 
 set and his limbs and forehead became so deathlike 
 that one of the nurses said, "It is all over now," and 
 she folded his little hands across his breast. For 
 two days and nights wife and I prayed, "O God, 
 spare our darling child; we cannot give him up, — we 
 cannot do it — spare him to us!" Sometimes I would 
 go into my study alone and pray; sometimes wife 
 would be with me, and upon our knees together we 
 would cry, "Father, spare our babe! Oh, we cannot 
 give him up!" That was the way we had prayed, but 
 it seemed that God would not hear us. And so on 
 that Monday morning as our babe lay there uncon- 
 scious, and I put my hand on his little marble brow, it 
 seemed that the end had surely come. At last I said, 
 "It is all right. We have kept him now longer than 
 we were worthy to keep him; take him, Lord." Wife 
 stood beside me with aching heart; but as we looked 
 at our babe we said, "Take him, Lord; it is all right. 
 Thy will be done." We gave him up freely — never, 
 I think, did we give up anything we desired more 
 freely. And it was not an hour before our child was 
 better, and he is alive and well to-day — the light and 
 joy of our home! The moment we brought ourselves 
 
PRAYER 57 
 
 to the point of entire submission, where we could 
 truly say and feel,"Thy will be done/' that moment 
 our prayers were answered. 
 
 Have your prayers gone unanswered, my friend? 
 If so, perhaps you are not praying submissively; or 
 you are not praying in the name of Christ. You 
 must pray Scinpturally. If so, God will send the an- 
 swer. If not, do not be surprised if He withholds it. 
 May these thoughts spur you to greater things; if so, 
 the result no tongue can tell. Prayer lifts the world 
 heavenward! Prayer lifts up the soul! Prayer en- 
 larges the Kingdom of Christ! Prayer starts waves 
 of righteousness rolHng over earth's dominions! 
 Prayer is the salvation of the church, of the family, 
 of the home! Then keep on praying, my fellow- 
 servant of the Lord. Keep on praying, for the more 
 you ask for, the more will you receive. God longs 
 to bless his children more and more abundantly. Live 
 right and pray right, and the more powerful for good 
 will you daily become, and the richer will be your 
 Christian experience. 
 
 A lady friend of ours, a distinguished elocutionist, 
 once argued with me against the necessity of prayer. 
 She had been reading Major Whittle's book on "An- 
 swered Prayers.'' (I think myself this book over- 
 does the matter.) She said, "If God is a good God, 
 and if He is kind to His children, why is it necessary 
 for us to pray.? Will He not give us what we need 
 without our asking.?" She was an Episcopalian, but 
 had that peculiar belief about prayer. I do not think 
 she had come in touch with Christ as she ought to 
 have done. I tried to convince her that her ideas 
 were incorrect. Several years passed, when to my 
 surprise, just a few weeks ago, I received a letter from 
 her saying, "Pray for my mother! Pray for my 
 brother!" Several times the request was repeated. 
 
58 PRAYER 
 
 (Her mother had lost her mind, and her brother was 
 lying in a hospital at the point of death.) It is very 
 easy to argue, and say, "I guess there is no need of 
 praying," when all is well. But, oh, when the storms 
 of this life overwhelm the soul; when sad afflictions 
 come rolling over us one after another; and when it 
 seems that the whole world is against us, it is then 
 that we realize the necessity and power of prayer. It 
 is very easy for the man who stands out of the church 
 and gives his time and talent to the service of the 
 devil to say there is no need of prayer. But when 
 he comes down to the hour of death, naturally his 
 soul looks heavenward. But if he has all his life 
 trampled underfoot, willfully, the commandments. 
 of the Lord, in vain doth he look. God does not honor 
 the prayer of the alien sinner until he manifests a 
 willingness to believe and obey. You may pray the 
 publican's prayer; but the Lord will not be merciful to 
 you unless, like the publican, you are willing to do 
 promptly what the Lord commands. Saul of Tarsus 
 prayed three days and nights without food or drink 
 at Damascus; but the Lord did not answer his prayers 
 until he was brought in contact with Christ by com- 
 plete belief and obedience. (See Acts 9: 1-18.) 
 Hence I must say frankly that until you are willing 
 to keep the commandments of the Bible and so come 
 in contact with the blood of Christ, it is useless for 
 you to pray, for otherwise your prayers will not go 
 above your roof. But if you can pray in the spirit 
 of Saul — "What wilt thou have me to do, Lord.^ I 
 will do it gladly and promptly," then God will hear 
 you. 
 
 And now is there an alien sinner here who wants 
 the precious promises of Prayer? One who wants 
 Christ's promise that his petitions will be heard and 
 answered.? If so, come and make the "good con- 
 
PRAYER 59 
 
 fession." Come and obey God's preceptSo Come and 
 be one among his people. In the Master's blessed 
 name, we beseech you, give God your heart! 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD, 
 
 2 Tim. 2:15. "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a work- 
 man that needeth not to be ashamed, rightlv dividing the Word of 
 Truth." 
 
 The Bible is the oldest book in the world; the Bible 
 is the most interesting book in the world; the Bible 
 is the most logical book in the world, and from every 
 point of consideration the greatest book in the 
 WORLD. Yet, notwithstanding all this, it is one of the 
 most abused books under the shining sun. Yes, al- 
 though it has the largest circulation of any book in 
 the. world; although it is printed in the greatest num- 
 ber of languages of any book in the world; and al- 
 though it is in all respects the most precious book in 
 the world, it is the most abused among the children 
 of men. 
 
 How is it abused.? In a thousand ways. It is 
 abused by its enemies who deny its divinity, blas- 
 pheme the holy name of its Great Author, and make 
 light of its sacred teachings. But worse than this, if 
 possible, it is abused by its friends who unwittingly, 
 or willfully misdivide, misinterpret, and misapply it, 
 thus making it appear to thoughtless sinners a sense- 
 less mess of superstition and mysticism. Thousands 
 of people nibble at the Bible like the fish that so 
 many of them seem to be. They do not read it 
 systematically and sensibly, as God intended it to be 
 read. Then again, the Church of Rome ties it up 
 in its monasteries and rectories, telling its poor, de- 
 luded subjects that they can't understand it, and that 
 
 60 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 6t 
 
 the priests must read it and interpret it for them. Oh, 
 this is a sight to make angels weep! If there is any- 
 thing the people ought to read it is the Bible. It is 
 SO simple that the wayfaring man though quite ig- 
 norant can understand it, and be led by its glorious 
 precepts and promises to a higher life. 
 
 If I can get the people to reading the Bible ear- 
 nestly, I always look for good results in my protracted 
 meetings, or revival meetings, whichever you choose 
 to call them. I like the term "protracted^^ quite well, 
 but I like the term "revival" better. We all need to 
 be revived. We need to be refreshed, renewed, stirred 
 up for greater things for God. We all need a revival 
 of that joy and peace and hope which should ever 
 characterize the children of God. 
 
 Mr. Moody defines a revival to be a "bringing forth 
 from obscurity." I think this is a very good defini- 
 tion. We need to bring forth from its obscurity the 
 latent energies of the church. We need to bring 
 forth from its shell of indifference and carelessness, 
 and fan into a roaring blaze of zeal, the talent and 
 consecration which has lain dormant so long in the 
 hearts of Christ's followers. And one of the best 
 ways in the world to do this is to get everybody to 
 studying the Bible, talking about it,discussing it, and 
 even controverting over its great lessons. 
 
 But oh, how ignorant concerning God's Book so 
 many of His children are! And this ignor- 
 ance is confined to no particular locality. It is 
 well night universal. This is all wrong. We 
 ought all to be faithful students of the Bible, for 
 it is the chart and compass by which we must be 
 guided over the ocean of life to our haven of rest 
 beyond. 
 
 Now when you turn to God's Word, how do you 
 read it } Don't you usually read a chapter here or 
 
62 THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 there, just as the book happens to open, one place 
 just as good as another? Of course you do! No 
 system, no rule, no method. That's the reason you 
 don't understand it better. If I should ask you to 
 turn with me to the first chapter of Nahum, I expect 
 it would take some of you five minutes to find it. 
 You would turn and turn and turn, looking here and 
 there and everywhere, fumbling all through the Bible 
 before you could find it. There is probably not one 
 person here who knows whether the Book of Jude 
 has one chapter or six — no; I will not say there is not 
 one person; but probably there are not ten present 
 who would know. And yet, this is God's Book! We 
 treat our histories, works of fiction, compilations of 
 poems, and even our newspapers better than we do 
 the Bible. We should remember that it is not simply 
 a matter of pastime or luxury to study God's Book. 
 It is a matter of positive duty as well as privilege. 
 Peter enjoins us to be "always ready to give a reason 
 for the hope that is within us." How can we do this 
 effectively unless we are well posted in the Scriptures? 
 It is a pity that there is so little Bible knowledge 
 among professing Christians to-day. It seems to me 
 that it is high time the attention of the people were 
 turned to a more thorough study of the Bible, the 
 Book which contains God's will. They study every- 
 thing else under the heavens; they study the cate- 
 chism, the creeds, the confession of faith, and the ser- 
 mons of great preachers; but they do not study the 
 Bible. They study the political outlook, the market 
 reports, and the weather prophets' prognostications, 
 but they do not study the Bible. And yet many of 
 these self-same worthies are always ready to give you 
 their opinion on a given doctrine, and are often very 
 bold in attempting to uphold their notions by de- 
 tached passages from the Word. If one finally drives 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 63 
 
 them to the wall in argument, then they will waive 
 the whole matter by saying,"Oh,well, Tm not posted 
 in the Scriptures as I ought to be." Sad admission, 
 but true of the majority of church members the whole 
 world over. 
 
 Oh, I wish people knew more about the Bible! If 
 the masses knew more about the Bible, and loved it 
 more — did not pretend to love it, but really loved it 
 — it would not be difficult to turn hundreds, yes 
 thousands, to Christ, where we now win only scores. 
 
 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a work- 
 man that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing 
 the word of truth." You see we are not to read the 
 Bible as a simple luxury; we are to study it. God 
 did not give us this book simply for our entertainment, 
 to read it when we felt like it and neglect it the bal- 
 ance of the time; but he has given us a positive com- 
 mand to study the Bible. The divine Master com- 
 manded the study of God's Word when He said to the 
 Jews, as recorded in John 5:39, "Search the Script- 
 ures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and 
 they are they which testify of me." You rem.ember 
 on one occasion it was said that the people of Berea 
 were "more noble than those of Thessalonica." Why.? 
 Because they"received the word with all readiness of 
 mind, and searched the Scriptures daily to see 
 whether those things were so." (Acts 17:10-11.) 
 
 I would to God I could get all this audience to 
 study the Word of God throughout this revival; not 
 simply to read, but to search the Scriptures to see 
 whether what I say is true or not. I don't care what 
 you think of me personally; that concerns me very 
 little. But I want you to know that the message I 
 bear is true. Forget me, forget the occasion, but 
 do not, I beseech you, forget the truth I speak to 
 you. I beg of you to accept it, not because I speak 
 
64 THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 it, but because it is god's word. Search the Script- 
 ures, — examine, investigate, weigh and consider. 
 The apostle Paul was writing to a young preacher 
 when he used the words of our text — "Study to show 
 thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth 
 not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.'' 
 Now Timothy had been familiar with the Scriptures 
 from a child. He had known them from his grand* 
 mother Lois, and his mother Eunice. But neverthe- 
 less, Paul says to him, ^^ Study P^ 
 
 Now the important question arises. How are we to 
 study the scriptures.'* This is a question very much 
 discussed. Preachers discuss it, the Young People's 
 Society of Christian Endeavor discusses it in their 
 meetings, and the Young Men's Christian Association 
 discusses it. One of the very best answers to the 
 question I have ever heard, was at a ministerial in- 
 stitute in Iowa, some years ago. Bro. J. E. Denton, 
 now of California, had a paper on "how to study 
 THE BIBLE." He Said, "The best way to study the 
 Bible, is to study it!" Good suggestion. There is 
 much studying about the Bible now-a-days, but en- 
 tirely too little studying of it. 
 
 How does a young man study law? Why, he reads 
 Blackstone, the decisions of the higher courts, the 
 Constitution, and the best works on Jurisprudence. 
 He pores over the subject day after day, week after 
 week, and year after year — Law, law, law is all he 
 thinks about. Does he study a little trigonometry, 
 a little geology, a little rhetoric, a little botany.? No, 
 not necessarily. He studies Law. 
 
 How does a young man study medicine? Why,he 
 just studies medicine. He reads all the books he can 
 get on medicine, reads the experiences of great 
 physicians, goes to a Medical College, and works in 
 the dissecting room. He studies anatomy, physiology 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 65 
 
 and hygiene week after week, and month after month. 
 Finally he comes out a Doctor. While pursuing his 
 course did he study astronomy, the higher classics, 
 and theology? Oh, no. It is a good thing to have 
 some knowledge of all these things, but the medical 
 student does not dabble a little here and a little there 
 in the various branches of education; but desiring to 
 fit himself for the practice of medicine, he studies 
 medicine. 
 
 So with any other profession. If we desire to fit our- 
 selves for the practice of Christianity we must study 
 THE BIBLE. For this is God's great text-book on 
 higher living. We must study the religion of Jesus — 
 pore over the Book of God day after day, week after 
 week, month after month, and year after year; medi- 
 tate upon it day and night; hide it in our hearts; 
 make it a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our 
 pathway; for it is the Word of Eternal Life. Study 
 under^ above, around, and through the Bible, so to 
 speak. Learn all we can of it and about it. It w^ould 
 be very difficult for sinners to remain away from the 
 church if professing Christians v^ere filled to over- 
 flowing with the Word of the Lord and the Love of 
 Christ — that love which suffereth long and is kind; 
 which envieth not, and is not puffed up. 
 
 In order to study the Bible profitably v/e must 
 rightly divide it. "Study to show thyself approved 
 unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, 
 rightly dividing the word of ti^uth,'^'^ The end desired 
 is to "show ourselves approved unto God." How 
 can we succeed in this? By doing two things: first, 
 rightly dividing and applying the Scriptures; and sec- 
 ond, thus proving ourselves faithful workmen. When 
 we have passed these two points we will have gained 
 the approval of our Heavenly Father. But there are 
 multitudes of professed Christians who have never 
 
66 THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 passed this first point. They fail in a consistent 
 division of the Word, and so prove themselves bun- 
 gling workmen who ought to be ashamed. 
 
 We should not fail to treat the Bible as we would 
 any other book when v^e come to study it. It means 
 what it says and we should govern our interpretations 
 and applications of it accordingly. Some people 
 think the Bible to be a very mysterious Book; they 
 say they can't understand it. Where do they get that 
 idea? From Romanism and a false Protestantism. 
 The Romanist has the idea'that the Bible is a dan- 
 gerous thing for the masses. And it is dangerous 
 — to Romanism. If the rank and file of the Catholic 
 Church were allowed to read the Bible for themselves, 
 Romanism would soon wane and fall. The constant 
 effort of Romanism is to keep the masses subject to 
 the priest by keeping them in ignorance of God's 
 Word. A false Protestantism would Hkev^ise keep its 
 subjects bound to creeds by making it appear the Bible 
 is too deep for the-common mind, and its interpre- 
 tation must be left to learned doctors of divinity. 
 But this is all wrong. God's written Word is so 
 simple that a child can read it and understand it like 
 any other book of history, or biography, or even like 
 the daily newspaper. Take it as it is written, be- 
 lieving what it says, for it is simple, and yet all-com- 
 prehensive. It is the language of inspiration. God 
 has not trifled with his children in his Word; but He 
 has given us a plain, practical code of laws. If there 
 is any one thing above another the world ought to 
 thank the Christian Church for, it is the truth we 
 have insisted upon so earnestly for seventy-five years, 
 viz., t/ial the Bible is its ozvn best interpreter. By 
 observing the following four simple rules, we can 
 usually arrive very promptly at the meaning the 
 sacred writer intended to convey: ist,Who speaks? 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 67 
 
 2nd, To whom does he speak? 3rd, Under what dis- 
 pensation? 4th, For what purpose? lam convinced 
 that a faithful observance of this easy plan would re- 
 move nine-tenths of the theological blunders with 
 which the creeds and confessions of the world are in- 
 fested. 
 
 Now I venture to say that many of you when you 
 go to read the Bible just dip in over here, or over 
 there, wherever the book happens to open. You 
 may think that is studying the Bible, but it is not. 
 No wonder many professing Christians declare that 
 they cannot get interested in reading the Scriptures. 
 Of course not, when they go about it so childishly. 
 Suppose one opens the book at the first chapter of 
 First Chronicles and reads there a lot of those hard 
 names: Adam, Seth, Enoch, Kenan, Malhalaleel, 
 Jerel, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, 
 Ham, Japheth, etc." He closes the book exclaiming: 
 "Oh, the Bible is so dry!" Why, of course a genealog- 
 ical table is rather dry for a starting place. But, my 
 friend, if you would commence in the right place and 
 read consistently and persistently, you would find 
 the Bible the most interesting book in the world. I 
 want you to try it. Commence at the first, read it 
 systematically, methodically, and let its sacred words 
 be applied to the age and people for which their 
 Divine Author intended them. Read it as you read 
 any other book. For instance, you pick up a United 
 States History: What do you read first? Why, you 
 read about the early discoveries by Columbus, the 
 Cabots, and others; how they came over here and 
 discovered the New World. Then you read the ac- 
 count of the founding of the Colonies; you become 
 interested in the accounts of the settlement at James- 
 town, St. Augustine, Plymouth Rock, etc. Thirdly, 
 you study the history of the French and Indian wars, 
 

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THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 69 
 
 and then the Revolutionary war. Then you go on 
 to the period of Reconciliation, the development of 
 the States, and finally the Civil War, and Reconstruc- 
 tion. You don't go back to the old Articles of Con- 
 federation when you are under the Constitution. And 
 in studying the Bible you should not go back to 
 Leviticus and Deuteronomy, books written for one 
 people, the Jews, and apply what you find there to 
 us, Gentiles. This would be very careless workman- 
 ship, to say the least. 
 
 With the chart before us let us endeavor to rightly 
 divide the Bible, applying each portion to the place 
 in which it belongs* Notice— First is the Tree of 
 Knowledge. Away back, six thousand years ago, 
 God placed the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of 
 Eden, and Adam was told that of every tree of the 
 garden he might eat, except the tree of Knowledge of 
 good and evil. "You must not touch that tree,'^ said 
 the Creator, "You may eat of any or all of the other 
 fruits of the garden, but not of that tree of Knowledge." 
 But you know the sad story of the fall. Adam and 
 Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and were driven from 
 the garden. This was the beginning of time, or Four 
 Thousand and Four years before Christ, according 
 to accepted chronology. 
 
 We read the first five books. Genesis, Exodus, Le- 
 viticus, Numbers^ and Deuteronomy, and find that 
 they naturally constitute one division, or period of 
 the Bible. We will find that the Bible naturally 
 divides itself into seven periods, and each period 
 may be beautifully and not inappropriately compared 
 to the seven prongs on the golden candlestick in the 
 ancient Tabernacle. First: 
 
 THE PENTATEUCH, OR THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES. 
 
 The theological world, in discussing higher crit- 
 
70 THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 icism— SO called---disagrees as to whether Moses 
 wrote all of the first five books of the Bible. But 
 I don't care whether Moses wrote five books 
 or only three of them. I believe he wrote them 
 all. But what's the difference whether he did 
 or not? If he didn't some other great man of God 
 did. A great deal of this "higher criticism*' is 
 low dozvn faith, I fear. These books cover a 
 period of 1492 years. The first of them, Genesis, 
 contains an account of the creation. There has been 
 a great deal said about God making the world in six 
 days. The infidel says it could not have been done. 
 Well, the Word does not say that God made the 
 world in six literal days of twenty-four hours each. 
 David says a thousand years is with the Lord as one 
 day. Each of those days may have been a thousand, 
 or a million years, — six long epochs or periods of 
 time. The Bible and true science always agree. As 
 far as science has yet gone in its investigations, it 
 has never gone further than the first verse of the 
 Bible, "In the beginning God created the heaven and 
 the earth." This is the only exact and scientific 
 account of the creation extant. 
 
 Then comes the history of the first man, Adam, 
 and his wife. Eve, and his two sons, Cain and AbeL 
 Cain slew his brother Abel and the Lord put a mark 
 on him so that all Vn^ouM know that he was a mur- 
 derer. I suppose some one will ask what kind of a 
 mark it was. I don't know; but nothing worse, I 
 guess, than some of the trade-marks I've seen in 
 Chicago. At any rate the Lord marked him, and 
 wherever he went there went the sad reminder of his 
 sin. 
 
 Then came the old man, Methuselah, and that 
 good, pure man, Enoch. Then came Noah with his 
 ark, and the flood. Then the Tower of Babel, the 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 71 
 
 confusion of tongues, the call of Abraham, Jacob's 
 descent into Egypt, and Joseph's exaltation. Of all 
 these things we have an interesting account in the 
 book of Genesis, These books contain the history 
 of one family and its descendants. There might have 
 been a great many other families upon the earth at the 
 time of the creation of Adam and Eve. I don't be- 
 lieve there were; but there might have been. So 
 far as God's will concerning humanity is concerned, 
 however, Adam was the first man, and the Bible gives 
 us the history of this man and his posterity. It is 
 not claimed that the Bible is a complete history of the 
 world, for it is not — does not purport to be. And yet 
 it gives us multitudes of facts that no history of 
 man could supply. 
 
 In Exodus we have an account of the bondage of 
 the Israelites in Egypt, and the sending of Moses to 
 deliver them from the greedy hand of King Pharaoh. 
 The ten plagues are described, the crossing of the Red 
 Sea, and the forty years' wandering in the wilder- 
 ness. Then we have an account of the giving of the 
 Law on Mount Sinai. Moses was in the Mount forty 
 days and forty nights, receiving from Jehovah those 
 precepts and rules commonly known as the Law of 
 Moses. And, by the way, it is the best Law, save 
 the Law of Christ, the world has ever known. With 
 all the boasted progress of the nations, the laws of 
 the present day are, in many vital respects, much 
 inferior to the Law of Moses. 
 
 We pass on through Leviticus, Deuteronomy and 
 Numbers, and come to the second natural division of 
 the Old Testament, which we term the 
 
 HISTORICAL DIVISION, 
 
 This period contains twelve books — Joshua, Judges, 
 Ruth, I. and II. Samuel, I. and II. Kings, I. and IL 
 
72 THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther — twelve books 
 of history, a history of God's dealings, not so much 
 with the Philistines, Perizzites, Hittites, Hivites, 
 Moabites, and other people incidentally mentioned, 
 but with His chosen people, the Children of Israel, 
 the people through whom the Saviour of the world 
 was to come. Away back in the Garden of Eden, 
 the Lord said to Eve, "The heel of thy seed shall 
 bruise the serpent's head." This is considered by 
 commentators a prophecy of Christ. And God re- 
 peated it to Abraham and to Jacob, saying, "In thee 
 and in thy seed shall all of the nations of the earth 
 be blessed." 
 
 And so we have these twelve books of history. We 
 learn from them that the Israelites were sometimes 
 very close to God in service, and sometimes very 
 far off. Sometimes they were very good, and some- 
 times very bad — very much like many of the Lord's 
 servants these modern tim^es. Some skeptics have 
 a great deal to say about the views of these people, and 
 the way they lived and acted; but they should re- 
 member that they lived several thousand years ago in 
 the "moonlight age of the world," and they could 
 not be expected to be as enlightened and highly de- 
 veloped as we who live in the nineteenth century of 
 the Christian era, in the "Sunlight Age." The Pen- 
 tateuch coders the "Starlight Age." The old patri- 
 archs had received but little light comparatively, and 
 I think some of them did wonderfully well. Look at 
 Abraham, for instance; and Moses, Joshua, Samuel, 
 and others. Their careers were remarkably free from 
 imperfections considering the light they had. 
 
 Now we come to the third division, which we call 
 the 
 
THE GREATEST ROOK IN THE WORLD 73 
 
 POETICAL DIVISION. 
 
 This division or period contains six of the most 
 beautiful poetical books — Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ec- 
 clesiastes, the Song of Solomon, and the Lamenta- 
 tions of Jeremiah, We have forty-two chapters in 
 the book of Job. The hero of this book was a man 
 of great sorrows and afflictions, all of which he bore 
 with great patience. Down to this day "As patient 
 as Job'^ is a very common expression, but a very 
 uncommon occurrence. 
 
 The next poetical book comprises the Psalms of 
 David and other sacred writers. There are one hun- 
 dred and fifty of these selections, and you may search 
 the world over, and you cannot find more beautiful 
 rhetoric, more lofty and inspiring thought than you 
 will find in this wonderful work. 
 
 Next come Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, written by 
 Solomon, the wisest man the world has ever seen 
 (except, of course, the God-man, Jesus). Then the 
 Song of Solomon, — very beautiful — and the lamen- 
 tations of Jeremiah — sad, but wholesome. 
 
 There is a fourth division in the old Testament, 
 
 THE PROPHETICAL, 
 
 There are sixteen books in this division, or period. 
 The first, Isaiah, was written about seven hundred 
 years before Christ, and the last, the book of Malachi, 
 about four hundred years before the advent of John 
 the Baptist. Besides these we have Jeremiah, 
 Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos,Obadiah, Jonah, 
 Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai and 
 Zechariah. These sixteen books embrace what 
 scholars term the major and minor prophets. 
 
 Isaiah prophesies concerning the reign of peace. He 
 speaks of the time when the Hon and the lamb should 
 
74 THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 lie down together, and when swords should be beaten 
 into plough-shares, and spears into pruning hooks — 
 the coming of the reign of arbitration, which is here 
 to-day; not in its fullness, 'tis true, but still enough to 
 fulfill prophecy, enough to verify the correctness of 
 what these men taught hundreds of years before the 
 coming of Christ. Many of these prophecies had a 
 two-fold application, first to the Children of Israel, 
 and secondly to us, the followers of Christ, or subjects 
 of the New Covenant. 
 
 The description of the crucifixion of Christ in the 
 53d chapter of Isaiah is perhaps the most beautiful, 
 as well as the most perfect account of this wonderful 
 event to be found anywhere. And yet it was written 
 seven centuries before the occurrence! But just as 
 Isaiah prophesied, so Jesus Hved, and so He died. 
 Skeptics cannot satisfactorily account for this on any 
 other basis than that of inspiration. 
 
 Going on to the New Testament, we have three 
 natural divisions: First, 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL DIVISION. 
 
 This division, or period, embraces Matthew, Mark, 
 Luke, and John. These four books furnish quite 
 complete biographical sketches of the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. They tell us how he was born, a babe in the 
 Bethlehem manger; how at twelve years of age He 
 was in the temple, asking and answering questions, 
 confounding the learned Doctors of the Sanhedrim; 
 how He went down to the Jordon and was baptized, 
 saying to John the Baptist, "Thus it becometh us to 
 fulfill all righteousness;" how He went about healing 
 the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, raising the 
 dead; how He gave us the Sermon on the Mount, the 
 greatest sermon ever preached; and finally, how He 
 was betrayed, tried before Pilate, and crucified; and 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 75 
 
 then, after lying in the grave three days, He arose 
 from the dead, and went among His disciples again 
 for forty days; when He ascended to the right hand 
 of God, where He is to-day preparing a home for the 
 *^just made perfect.'' So we have the wonderfully 
 interesting biographical sketches written by these 
 four men. And I want to make this assertion: — There 
 is not an honest skeptic living who can, unpreju- 
 dicedly, sit down and read the sixteen Books of 
 Prophecy, and then the four books of Biography, and 
 not be a believer in Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 The second natural division in the New Testament 
 is the 
 
 BOOK OF CONVERSIONS. 
 
 This division or period embraces but one book, but 
 it is a great book. Now shall I just go on rapidly, 
 and not say much about this book lest I should hurt 
 somebody's feelings? No; we must not ignore this 
 book. I am aware that modern evangelists practically 
 ignore the teachings and examples of the Book of 
 Acts, But those who take the Bible as their only 
 rule of faith and practice cannot afford to do so, for 
 this Book was written by inspiiation the same as the 
 rest, and it tells us how men were made Christians 
 under the preaching of Peter, James, John, Philip, and 
 Paul. We are told in inspired language what to do 
 in order to be saved. I would to God that every 
 evangelist in the world, from Moody down to the 
 least, when they go out to convert men, would turn 
 them to the Book of Acts, and teach them just as 
 God's chosen messengers did eighteen hundred years 
 ago — tell them what Peter told them on the Day of 
 Pentecost, "Repent and be baptized, every one of 
 you. in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission 
 of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 
 
76 THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 Spirit. '' You do not hear that verse quoted by Mr. 
 Moody in his meetings when sinners inquire, "What 
 shall we do to be saved?" You do not hear Mr. Sam 
 Jones quote that verse, nor Mr. B. Fay Mills, when 
 anxious inquirers cry out, "Oh, what shall we do?" 
 Why? Because they do not believe that baptism is 
 essential to forgiveness. But what did Peter say? 
 "Repent and be baptized unto (tlie Revised Version 
 has it)the remission of sins." But modern revivalists 
 say that baptism is a controverted subject, and hence 
 they prefer to leave it out of their meetings. But 
 pray, what subject is not more or less controversial? 
 And why be afraid of controversy? The truth has 
 nothing to lose by it. I believe that God meant 
 Acts 2:38 for all time, and for all pepole, and the 
 evangelist who ignores that verse will have a big debt 
 to settle with the Lord. 
 
 If part of the Bible is non-essential, then why is it 
 not all non-essential? If faith is necessary to salva- 
 tion, and if it is necessary to repent and to pray in or- 
 der to be saved, then why is it not necessary to be 
 baptized? The same authority commanded all. And 
 if men fail to declare the whole truth, God will cer- 
 tainly hold them responsible. The Book of Acts is 
 a history of conversions, and it should be made the 
 principal text-book in all great revivals. We should 
 endeavor always to keep close to God's pattern in 
 everything, and especially in the great business of 
 soul saving. 
 
 The third natural division of the New Testament 
 we term, 
 
 THE EPISTOLARY DIVISION. 
 
 This division or period contains twenty-one 
 Epistles, and the Book of Revelation. 
 
 Fourteen of the Epistles were written by Paul 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 77 
 
 (ascribing the Book of Hebrews to him), — one by 
 James, two by Peter, three by John, one by Jude. 
 What were these Books written for? They were 
 written to tell Christians what to do. The Book of 
 Acts tells sinners what to do in order to become 
 Christians, and the twenty-one Epistles and the Book 
 of Revelation tell Christians what to do to hold out 
 faithful. "Why,'' says one, "I thought all you folks 
 believed in was to put people under the water/' Did 
 you? Well, now listen; the Bible gives us one 
 book telling people how to become Christians, and 
 twenty-one books telling them how to live Christians. 
 And we believe that baptism is necessary, for the 
 Word of God so instructs us; but we also believe that 
 if you don't live right after you are baptized, your 
 baptism will not be worth a farthing at the Day of 
 Judgment. You may baptize a man ten thousand 
 times, in the most approved form of the ordinance, 
 but if he does not live a consistent Christian life 
 afterwards, it will not avail him anything. The 
 twenty-one epistles, then, are books of tremendous 
 importance to every follower of Jesus. 
 
 Then we have the Book of Revelation. Don't ask 
 me to describe this Book. I have been a Christian 
 only a little more than fourteen years. Ask some 
 old father or mother in Israel, who has lived the 
 Christian life fifty years — some one who for half a 
 century has studied and lived by the precious promises 
 of the Bible. Ask somebody like that, for, to old 
 people, the Book of Revelation is very precious, be- 
 cause it tells of the Golden Streets of the New Jeru- 
 salem, and the Crystal Stream, and the Tree of Life, 
 and all the glories of the "Over Yonder.'' It is a 
 book full of warning and promise. We love it more 
 and understand it better as we come nearer the 
 Gates of Pearl. 
 
78 THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 So we have this collection of wonderful Books — 
 Thirty -nine in the Old Testament, and twenty-seven 
 in the New, sixty-six in all; 1189 Chapters; 31,773 
 Verses; 773,693 words; and 3,586,483 letters; and 
 from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revela- 
 tion there is not one single contradiction or dishar- 
 mony worthy of note! And yet these sixty-six 
 Books were written by some thirty-six different men, 
 and it was some sixteen hundred years between the 
 time Moses wrote the first Book, and the beloved 
 disciple John recorded his wonderful vision on the 
 Isle of Patmos ! The only way to satisfactorily ac- 
 count for these marvelous facts is to admit that the 
 writers were inspired. 
 
 Oh, then, how reverently and carefully should we 
 study God's Word! How cautious we should be lest 
 we should fall into the error of ^^handling it deceit- 
 fully!^' How particular we should be in dividing and 
 applying it lest we direct some earnest soul wrongly, 
 and so prove ourselves unworthy workmen. 
 
 When sinners ask what they must do to be 
 saved, instead of turning over here to the Book of 
 Acts and telling them what to do, a great many min- 
 isters turn over to the Old Testament books, or to the 
 Epistles, and read something God never intended for 
 the inquiring alien. What a shameful abuse of the 
 Word is that! Then again there are a great many 
 places where they teach that the Ten Commandments 
 are still binding upon us who live this side of the 
 Cross; and call the Sunday School, the "Sabbath 
 School.'' Many preachers talk about "Sabbath ser- 
 vices," etc. Let us talk right if we are going to talk. 
 Why, the Sabbath was the seventh day of the week 
 — what we call Saturday. And so you don't have any 
 "Sabbath School," unless you are Seventh Day 
 Baptists or Adventists,and I don't suppose you have 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 79 
 
 many of those theological freaks here in Nine- 
 teenth Century Chicago. Mr. Wilbur F. Crafts 
 makes a great mistake in calling his otherwise ex- 
 cellent organization the "American Sabbath Union." 
 What can we expect of the masses when our great 
 leaders make such inexcusable blunders.^ Let us 
 speak of such societies as "The American Lord's Day 
 Union," or, if you like it better,"The American Sun- 
 day Union." We are not Jews. We are not under 
 the Mosaic dispensation. We are living in the Chris- 
 tian era, and not away back yonder in the reign of 
 Saul or Manasseh. The Ten Commandments, as 
 such, are no more binding upon Christians than are 
 the old Articles of Confederation upon the United 
 States. Let us be consistent if we want sinners to 
 be. In many Sunday Schools they teach the children 
 the Fourth Commandment, "Remember the Sabbath 
 day to keep it holy." Now you don't do that, do 
 you? You keep the First Day of the week. And 
 that is right, for we are told that Christ's disciples 
 met upon the First Day of the Week to break bread. 
 And this was the day our Saviour arose from the 
 grave. Now don't suggest, like your bunghng in- 
 structors, that "the day was changed." It was not 
 "changed." Not one of the Ten Commandments 
 was "changed." They were fulfilled, and a New 
 Law was given in their place. Jesus said, "Not one 
 jot or one tittle of the lav/ (the law of Moses) shall 
 pass away, till all h^ fulfilled ^ When He died on 
 the cross, was buried, arose from the dead, and forty 
 days after ascended to heaven, they were all "fulfilled," 
 and on the Day of Pentecost they were laid out of the 
 way forever and a Naw Law was given. The spirit of 
 the Ten Commandments was incorporated in the New 
 Law. But as our country is not now under the Ar- 
 ticles of Cj>afederation,bat under the Constitution of 
 the United States, so we are not under the Old Tes-^ 
 tP^mant, but uod§r the New, 
 
8o THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 If we want to convert sinners we ought to be able 
 to turn quickly to the right place. If working with 
 an infidel, turn to the prophecies, and to Matthew, 
 Mark, Luke and John; if with a believer, who is not 
 yet converted, turn to the Acts of the Apostles and 
 read the commandments; if pleading with a wayward 
 Christian, turn to the Epistles to learn how to live; 
 if you who are trying to be faithful wish to encourage 
 each other, turn to the Psalms of David, the Proverbs 
 of Solomon, or the Book of Revelation. We are not 
 in the comparative darkness of the Starlight Age, nor 
 in the dim light of the Moonlight Age; but we are 
 living in the glorious Sunlight Age with Christ the 
 Great Central Thought; let us govern ourselves ac- 
 cordingly. Let Christ stand out in bold relief; let 
 the gospel run and be glorified; let the hearts of men 
 turn to the Infinite! 
 
 In studying God's Word don't pick out a little here 
 and a little there, without regard to the design of the 
 passage. Don't get a little doctrinal idea into your 
 head and then run to the Bible to prove it. Don't 
 turn over to Ezekiel 36:25, for instance, and imagine 
 the Prophet is speaking to you. Don't do that. But 
 first inquire. Who is speaking? Answer: the Prophet 
 Ezekiel. Second: To whom is he speaking? To 
 the Children of Israel. Third: Under what Dispen- 
 sation? The Mosaic. And fouith: For what purpose? 
 To show them how God was going to bring them 
 back into his service, cleanse them frcm their sins, 
 and cause them to rejoice as in former days. Some 
 preachers use the text in trying to prove that sprin- 
 kling for baptism is right. But anybody who will use 
 those four simple rules ought to see with half an eye 
 that the sacred writer did not have that subject in 
 mind any more than the modern questions of free 
 trade or protection. A minister who is guilty of such 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 8l 
 
 exegesis is a very unsafe religious guide, to say the 
 least. 
 
 No, don't pick out a little here and a little there 
 and patch it all together in order to establish some 
 pet hobby. You can prove anything in that way, but 
 it is a very wicked way. I heard a story illustrating 
 the ridiculousness of this method of using the Bible: 
 There was a good old Professor who always read a 
 chapter to his students every morning. One day the 
 boys turned to the old instructor's place and pasted 
 two leaves together, and the next morning at v/orship 
 he read at the bottom of the page, "And God made 
 man;" — turning over he continued, — ** 300 cubits 
 long." He took off his glasses and wiped them and 
 looked again, and he said, "Children, this is very 
 strange; but God says it, and whatever God says is 
 right. The works of the Lord are indeed marvelous." 
 
 That is the way the creeds are made, — one thing 
 has been taken out of the Bible here, and another 
 there, and all patched up together, till we have to- 
 day hundreds of different creeds, and their supporters 
 say, "They are all from the Bible." Well,if they are 
 from the Bible, put them back where they belong! 
 Detached truths often become the most dangerous 
 falsehoods. 
 
 By using the Bible as the creed-makers do, I can 
 prove almost anything from it. You have heard the 
 story of Lorenzo Dow, perhaps, who traveled ex- 
 tensively over the South and East some decades ago. 
 He was a good but very eccentric preacher. In his 
 days the women wore "top-nots." I cannot describe 
 the article ; it was a vv^ay they had of fixing their hair, 
 — before, or behind, or some way — I don't know just 
 how. At any rate Lorenzo didn't like the style, and 
 concluded that he wanted to preach a sermon against 
 it. So he looked through his Bible for a text (you 
 
82 THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 know everybody must have a text); he looked every- 
 where, but could not find anythig about *^tcp-nots," 
 and he was at a less what to do. At last he found 
 what he wanted. Over in Luke where the Saviour 
 was foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem he found 
 this expression: "Let him who is en the house-top not 
 come down." Ah, thought Lorenzo, that will do very 
 well- — " Top-not come down /" 
 
 There is too much of this detached text-taking 
 business am.ong ministers to-day. They want to 
 preach something that they can't find a plain "Thus 
 saith the Lord'' for, and so they take out a verse here, 
 and one there, and patch them together, and so com- 
 pel Scriptural warrants. Abusing the Bible in that 
 way, I can prove that it is right to com.mit suicide. 
 Yes, I can! 1 can prove that you ought to go and hang 
 yourself. Listen — Over here in one place w^e read, 
 "And Judas went out and hanged himiSeIf,"and in an- 
 other, — "Go thou and do likewise," and in another 
 place we read, "What thou doest do quickly." Now that 
 is the way men prove a great many things, and thus 
 make the Bible appear so miysterious that many poor 
 souls decide that they never can understand it. That 
 is the way we get Universalism and Unitarianism and 
 Episcopalianism and all the other isms of the present 
 age. Theologians have hashed up the Word of God, 
 not dividing it aright, and hence not applying it in 
 the way it ought to be applied. 
 
 God gave us the Bible to use, not to abuse. And 
 He wants us to use it right. But it is amazing how 
 many wrong uses are made of the Bible. Why, I 
 have often knov/n of families making little use of the 
 big Bible except as an organ stool! And in some 
 places I have opened the Bible and discovered a great 
 provision of four-leafed clovers, or a faded rose that 
 sorn^ g^'"-'" -"^''^^ had picked for her, and she had put 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 83 
 
 in the Bible for safe keeping, thus using the sacred 
 Book as a kind of museum and pressing machine com- 
 bined! I heard of a thief who went into a house to 
 steal, and accidentally discovered a ten dollar bill in 
 the family Bible. It had been put there for safe keep- 
 ing, the head of the family evidently thinking that 
 nobody would ever look in the Bible. — O, no! I tell 
 you chattel mortgages, promissory notes and ten 
 dollar bills would be very safe in the sitting-room 
 Bible in a great many families. 
 
 I remember visiting a well-to-do friend, in one of 
 our States, some years ago. He lived in a fine, big 
 house, and was one of the prominent men in the 
 town. When I arrived the folks were all away. I 
 amused myself as best I could for awhile, and finally 
 I thought I would look around and see if I could find 
 a Bible. My friend was a prominent man in the 
 Church, an elder, I believe, and so, of course,! antic- 
 ipated no trouble in finding a copy of the Word. 
 And Hooked on the center-table (everybody ought to 
 have a Bible on the center-table); and I looked on 
 the organ; and I looked in the book-case, and I don't 
 remember how many places I did look; but found no 
 Bible. I found his lodge magazines, newspapers, 
 etc., but no Bible. Finally I looked on top of the 
 secretary, and Eureka! There it was. I took it 
 down and went to the light, and now listen! I will 
 venture that with this index finger, I could have 
 written in the dust with which that Christian man's 
 Bible was covered the awful word, damnation! 
 
 Oh, use the Bible, and use it right. God means 
 you to use it. Use it as the most precious book un- 
 der heaven. Use it as the chart and compass which 
 was intended by your Creator to guide you over the 
 sea of life, and land you at last at the port of eternal 
 rest. That is the right way to use the Bible. 
 
84 THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 I love its wholeson>2 precepts, precious promises. 
 Well do I remember when I started away to school 
 from my old home. When I reached the University 
 and went up to my room in the dormitory, I locked 
 the door, and began to unpack my trunk. Then the 
 tears began to roll down my face, and I wanted to go 
 back to mother, and father, and sisters. I had never 
 been away from my loved ones so far before, and I 
 was "homesick'^ — the most miserable feeling in the 
 world! But I knew this would never do. So I took 
 out my books, and hung up my clothes. Deep down 
 in my trunk I found a little package, — "What was 
 that?" thought I. I did't remember possessing any 
 such package. But mother had packed my trunk, 
 and maybe she put it in to surprise me. Sure 
 enough! With trembling hands and fast beating 
 heart I opened it. It was marked, "A present from 
 Mother." And what do you think it was.? A little 
 Bible. It was a cheap little Bible, — ^didn'tcost more 
 than a dollar. But on the fly-leaf,in mother's hand, 
 was written these words: — 
 
 "Presented to George F. Hall by his mother, Mary 
 J. Hal]." And then in father's hand appeared the 
 following lines — 
 
 ' 'As you go forth, my son, in this life, 
 'Midst sorrows and trials, midst troubles and strife, 
 Let this Book be your guide; and never omit 
 To search for the treasures contained in it." 
 
 I am not very well off in this world's goods (yet 
 thanks to kind Christian friends, I have never been 
 allowed to want since I entered the ministry), but I 
 say to you to-night, dear friends, that there is not 
 money enough in all the Banks of Chicago to buy that 
 little book. Mother is Over Yonder now, within the 
 "gates of pearl." Father is getting old and will soon 
 take his departure to be with her. But that hand- 
 
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 85 
 
 writing remains, and the fragrance of their sweet, 
 Christian lives, and when I look at that precious book 
 a train of hallowed thoughts comes sweeping through 
 my soul, worth more than gold or stocks. 
 
 Oh, wonderful Book is the Bible! The longest tel- 
 egram ever sent was a message embracing the whole 
 New Testament. It was wired from New York to 
 Chicago when the New Version first appeared, a few 
 years ago, and published in one of your morning 
 papers. Oh, wonderful Book is the Bible! It has 
 been translated into over three hundred -different lan- 
 guages. There are over two hundred million copies in 
 circulation. Great printing presses are running con- 
 stantly at lightning speed to supply the ever increas- 
 ing demand. A century ago the great French skeptic, 
 Voltaire, prophesied that in one hundred years the 
 Bible would not be read any more than a last yearns 
 almanac. But the very room where he wrote' has 
 since been used as a Bible Repository, and the same 
 press that printed his blasphemies has since been used 
 in printing the Word of God. 
 
 It is said that when Sir Walter Scott was dying, 
 he asked his son to read to him. "What shall I read, 
 father?'* said the son. The great novelist had writ- 
 ten Ivanhoe, the Waverly Novels, and other world- 
 famous books, and his son, perhaps, thought that his 
 father might want to hear something read from one of 
 his own choice works. But the great man said, "What 
 Book, my boy.? Why, there is but one book, — the 
 Bible:' 
 
 V/hen Lord Stanley first ct-ossed Africa, he was 999 
 days on his journey. It is said that he had started 
 with a goodly number of bocks, but soon found that 
 owing to the burdened condition o-f his men, he must 
 throw away all unnecessary luggage. He looked over 
 his books, and reluctantly decided to leave behind 
 
86 THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE WORLD 
 
 all but three — Lord Bacon's Essays, Shakespeare, 
 and the Bible. He went on farther and farther into 
 the blackness of that region, and as his men dropped 
 off one by one, he saw that he must throw away every 
 pound of luggage he could possibly do without. So 
 he left behind Bacon's Essays, and carried on 
 Shakespeare and the Bible (and it is said by critics 
 that Shakespeare, the ultimatum of literature, is sixty 
 per cent Bible). As he went on farther and farther 
 into the dark jungles of Central Africa, he saw that 
 he must let one of the books go. So with tear- 
 dimmed eyes, he dropped Shakespeare, but carried 
 the Bible on to the mouth of the Congo, where to- 
 day there is growing up a great Christian nation. 
 When Commodore Perry made peace with Japan, it 
 is said that he took the "stars and stripes"^ — most 
 beautiful and powerful of national banners — and 
 spreading it upon the capstan of his vessel h@ laid an 
 open Bible there and sailed into port and accom- 
 plished his important mission without one drop of 
 blood being shed. 
 
 Ah, the Bible is the book with which to settle diffi- 
 culties. It is the book of reconciliation between man 
 and man, and between man and God. Read the Bible! 
 Study it with the determination strongly fixed to 
 "show thyself approved." And when you find out 
 God's will. Do It. Don't /^r//j/ do it; don't try to 
 do it in your own way; but do it the way God tells 
 you to do it, and you shall have life eternal. 
 
FAITH. 
 
 Romans 5:1. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace 
 with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 Also Hebrews 11:6. "But without faith it is impossible to please 
 him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he 
 is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." 
 
 The subject of faith occupies a very large part of 
 the New Testament Scriptures. No wonder that it 
 does, because it is one of the most important subjects 
 upon which God has ever written to his children. It 
 occupies a very large place in the scheme of human 
 redemption outlined by our Lord Jesus Christ; hence 
 it behooves us to study it very carefully that we may 
 make no mistakes. 
 
 I have selected two texts,both of which emphasize 
 the importance of the subject. In the first Paul 
 asserts that we are justified by faith; in the second he 
 declares that we must have faith in order to please 
 God. We may have good works; we may be very 
 earnest; we may be moral; we maybe very pure and 
 upright; we may be number-one citizens; but if we 
 haven't faith, we cannot be justified, and cannot 
 please God. 
 
 When we realise that we are all sinners, and have 
 come short of the glory of God; that in our present 
 
 87 
 
85 FAITH 
 
 condition we are lost; and that salvation can only be 
 had through justification, and justification can only 
 be had through faith, we begin to realize something 
 of the vastness of this old, yet ever new, subject. Let 
 us study it to-night, therefore, praying meanwhile 
 that God may enlarge our hearts in willingness to 
 accept His truth. 
 
 Let us consider three questions: — 
 
 1st. What is faith? 
 
 2nd. How to get it. 
 
 3rd. What to do with it when we do get it. 
 
 Here we have the old English style of three heads, 
 you know, and a careful consideration of the same 
 ought to enlighten us all. 
 
 Sometimes I use a blackboard, and just write across 
 it, "What IS Faith?" It is a simple question, yet one 
 that many cannot answer scripturally. We some- 
 times sing that sweet old hymn — 
 
 ' 'My faith looks up to thee, 
 Thou Lamb of Calvary.' ' 
 
 We write about faith. We pray about faith. We 
 talk about faith. We say, "Oh, we ought to have more 
 faith." But what do we really mean by it? You 
 perhaps remember that I said at the beginning of 
 these meetings the great need of the Church of to-day 
 was more faith. In this I think most Christian workers 
 are agreed. But do we really understand what is 
 meant by more faith? 
 
 Now where shall we go to answer the questions just 
 propounded? Shall we go to some human creed? 
 No! Shall we go to some discipline man has made? 
 No! Man is fallible; his disciplines and creeds might 
 be incorrect. If comparatively right for this genera- 
 tion, they might be all out of date, and have to be 
 REVISED for the next. We want something for all 
 
FAITH 89 
 
 time. So let us go to the Bible first, last and all the 
 way. The Bible should ever be our guide— the first 
 and last appeal of the child of God. The most bril- 
 liant minds of the world have accepted the Scriptures 
 as inspired of God. There are some four hundred 
 millions of professed Christians now living who ac- 
 cept the Bible as their standard of belief and practice. 
 So with great confidence I turn to these sacred pages 
 for instruction on this subject. 
 
 Paul, what is faith.? Tell us. Hebrew 11: i. — 
 "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the 
 evidence of things not seen." Thus declares the 
 great Apostle to the Gentiles — "The substance of 
 things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen." 
 Ah! yes. We have never seen the New Jerusalem, 
 have we? No. Yet there is such a place? Yes. 
 Very well, that is "the substance of things hoped 
 for." We have never seen the Eternal King on his 
 throne; we have never seen the Lord Jesus sitting at 
 the right hand of Jehovah; we have never seen the 
 millions of the redeemed praising the Father, Son, 
 and Holy Spirit, have we? No. These things have 
 never been seen by human eyes except in vision. We 
 have never seen the golden streets; we have never 
 seen the tree of life; we have never seen the pure 
 river of water of life, clear as crystal? No. Yet these 
 things exist? Yes. These are the "substance of 
 things hoped for." How do we know? We have the 
 "evidence" that God has given. That is what Paul 
 means by "the substance of things hoped for, and the 
 evidence of things not seen." 
 Eliza Cook says — 
 
 "Faith is the subtle chain 
 Which binds us to the Infinite; the voice 
 Of a deep life within, that will remain 
 Until we crowd it thence.*' 
 
90 
 
 -FAITH 
 
 Mr. Bailey says, ** Faith is a higher faculty than 
 reason.'' 
 
 But I fear the average student will not understand 
 these definitions. So I shall give one of my own. It is 
 a simple definition, and yet I think all-comprehensive. 
 FAITH IS IMPLICIT CONFIDENCE IN GoD. That is all; 
 simply implicit confidence in God, taking God at his 
 word, without doubt, without fear, without wavering; 
 immediate and absolute surrender of self to him with 
 childlike confidence and trust; that is faith. Just as 
 the little child looks up into papa's face and believes 
 everything he says to be true, and that everything he 
 does is right, and from his innermost heart has un- 
 bounded confidence in everything that papa says or 
 does, so the child of God looks up into the Father's 
 face with faith and says, "Thou doest all things well." 
 We cannot understand everything God has given 
 us in his Book of Truth; we cannot understand the 
 cross in its fullness; we cannot wholly com.prehend 
 the scheme of human redemption as outlined by our 
 Lord. But we know that "He doeth all things well." 
 That is faith, without which none can please God, 
 I recall a very pretty story illustrating faith. A little 
 child at play remarked concerning something, "This 
 is so-and-so." "Well," said her uncle, w^ko had over- 
 heard the little one, "how^ do you know.?" "Why, 
 because mamma says it is." "But mamma may be 
 mistaken." "No," replied the trustful little one, 
 "mamma is not mistaken; she says it is so, and it is." 
 "But," persisted the uncle, "maybe mamma is fool- 
 ing you; or possibly she thinks it is so, but has been 
 incorrectly informed." But the little one could not 
 be shaken — "No, Uncle; if mamma says it is so, it is 
 so, whether it is so cr not!" 
 
 What refreshing confidence! What simple faith! 
 In this age of higher criticism — so called — we need 
 
FAITH 91 
 
 more of such unshaken assurance. Why, I know a 
 preacher who once declared three-fourths of the 
 Bible to be fiction. This is a doubting age. Many 
 pretended scholars say that much of the Holy Word 
 is speculative, or fictitious, or allegorical, or some- 
 thing — not true at all. And they put in their time 
 trying to explain God's truths away, and bolster up 
 their infidel theories. So I like the little girPs defini- 
 tion of faith. It may not be very philosophical, but 
 it is eminently practical. I wish more people would 
 believe that if the Father has spoken, it is so! I 
 
 KNOW IT IS TRUE ! I HAVE IMPLICIT CONFIDENCE IN GOD ! 
 
 No matter whether you understand everything or not. 
 Trust God anyhow. Paul said,"Great is the mystery 
 of godliness." He could not understand it; but he 
 believed. Great is the mystery of faith; we cannot 
 comprehend it in all its proportions. But let us look 
 up into our Father's face and trust Him, serve Him, 
 believe Him, and, in due time, He will change our 
 faith into glad fruition and place upon our heads the 
 crown of life eternal. 
 
 Did you ever try to consider that we could not do 
 anything without faith .^ You know Chicago would 
 not be standing here to-day, if it were not for faith. 
 In forty-eight hours, I doubt not, every building 
 in this great city would be razed to the ground, but 
 for faith. There is not a single home in Chicago 
 where there would not be ruin and sorrow within 
 twenty-four hours if all faith should be suddenly taken 
 away. If business men had no faith it would be im- 
 possible to carry on trade. You see the merchant 
 must have faith in his banker, and the banker must 
 have faith in his depositors. In the professions, the 
 teacher must have faith in his pupil, and the pupil 
 must have faith in his teacher. The pupil takes a 
 great deal for granted. Tell the little boy "oiice one 
 
92 FAITH 
 
 is one, four times one is four'' — and so on. He does 
 not understand it perhaps; but his teacher says it is 
 so, and he accepts it accordingly. So Mr. Bailey was 
 right when he said that "faith is a higher faculty 
 than reason.'' Through faith we approach reason. 
 The world could stand without reason, peihaps, but 
 it could not stand without faith. 
 
 Take it in the home; you know we must have 
 domestic faith. The husband must have faith in the 
 wife, and the wife in the husband, or else there can be 
 no felicity there. The parent must have faith in his 
 child, and the child in his parent. Faith makes the 
 home happy. 
 
 So we must have all these faiths— domestic faith, 
 professional faith, business faith, and religious faith. 
 Yes, we must have it; for the world could not run 
 without it. Paul says, "We walk by faith," and he 
 is right. Every step forward through life is a step 
 of faith. Every turn on the highway of life is a turn 
 of faith. When you take the train for a little trip, 
 you have faith in the engineer, and you have faith 
 in the conductor. You have faith that the ties are 
 not rotten, and that the bridges are strong. So, in 
 faith, you ride on safely to New York, or wherever you 
 are going. When you put on your coat and hat, and 
 umbrella in hand started to church this evening,you 
 did not know but what some thief would jump out of 
 a dark alley and kill you, but you did not think there 
 was anybody foolish enough to molest you, as you 
 knew very well that you left what little money you 
 had at home! So you see you walked over here to the 
 Tabernacle by faith, didn't you? Of course you did. 
 So it is all through life. Paul never said a truer thing 
 than that — "We walk by faith." Every step we take 
 on the way from the cradle to the grave is taken by 
 faith. Hence the great Apostle spake pertinently 
 
FAITH 93 
 
 when he declared that "without faith it is impossible 
 to please God.'^ If we cannot please each other with- 
 out faith, much less can we please our Creator 
 without that implicit confidence which He rightly de- 
 mands. Then let us ever look up to him trustingly, 
 with unfaltering confidence and complete self-surren- 
 der, for this is that faith without which there is no 
 justification. 
 
 And now we come to the second division of our an- 
 alysis to-night, How to get it. 
 
 If we must have faith, if there is no salvation with- 
 out it, then it is of great importance that we learn 
 how to get it. Perhaps the best way to answer this 
 question is to first tell how not to get it, — how we 
 can't get it if we try — and then we can answer the 
 question affirmatively in a more satisfactory manner. 
 We have to come up on the negative side of these 
 questions sometimes, I remember when I was a lit- 
 tle boy, we had a splendid nag that was blind in one 
 eye. She ran in a large pasture much of the time, 
 and thus grew a little too wild for practical purposes. 
 When we wanted to catch her we always had a time, 
 for she preferred grazing to being ridden to town. It 
 didn't make any difference how many pretty names 
 we called her, nor how many bundles of oats we shook 
 at her, she wouldn't come. I finally discovered a 
 sure way to catch her. In my bare feet I would quietly 
 but quickly slip up to her on the blind side, and then 
 suddenly put the bridle on, when lo! Miss "Nellie*' 
 was mine. That is the way we have to do with 
 theology sometimes, approach it from the "blind 
 side." 
 
 There is much foolishness in modern theology on 
 the question of faith-getting. I am persuaded that 
 very much of what the preachers are telling the peo- 
 ple on this subject is absolutely false. I do not say 
 
94 FAITH 
 
 they do it willfully. Perhaps most of them do it ig- 
 norantly. But at any rate it is done, and the cause 
 of true religion is much retarded thereby. 
 
 A man comes here and kneels down trastfully,say- 
 ing, "I want to go to heaven. O! I want forgive- 
 ness. What shall I do.^" The preacher says,"Pray, 
 believe." "Well," says the sinner, "I have prayed; 
 I do believe." "But," replies the bungling preacher, 
 "you must believe more; pray for more faith." This 
 is a common scene in many modern religious meet- 
 ings. And yet the sinner is not com.manded to pray 
 for faith. Let me tell you this; nowhere in the Divine 
 Book, from Genesis to Revelation, does Jesus Christ 
 or any of his apostles instruct the alien to pray for 
 faith. And yet a great majority of the evangelists 
 and pastors of this age do just that thing, and you 
 know it. I presume that nine-tenths of the ministers 
 in this city are guilty of this popular but unscriptural 
 practice; the alien sinner says, "I haven't the faith I 
 ought to have." To which the preacher replies, 
 "Pray for it, Brother/' But the Bible don't say that. 
 Ministers and prominent laymen pray, "O, Lord! send 
 down faith into this poor sinner's heart." 
 
 This reminds me of an incident which Professor 
 Hutto related to me as occurring down in St. George, 
 Kansas. At the mid-week prayer meeting one even- 
 ing, an old lady who was very zealous in her church, 
 but who didn't know any more than the excellent 
 law^s of the "Sunflower State" allowed, made the fol- 
 lowing striking appeal in her animated but not very 
 scriptural prayer: — "O Lord, send down faith on a 
 grain of mustard seed!" Now this is a true story, I 
 don't give it as a fancy sketch, but as an actual oc- 
 currence. It ludicrously illustrates the all-too-com- 
 mon idea that faith comes in some mysterious man- 
 ner. Too many people are waiting for the Lord to 
 
FAITH 95 
 
 send down faith on a grain of mustard seed, or on 
 an iron wedge that it may pry open their stony hearts. 
 But the Lord doesn*t operate that way on the hearts 
 of his children. If you are waiting for God to knock 
 you down, tramp on you and pound faith into you, 
 you will wait in vain, for the kind Heavenly Father 
 does not resort to such extremes in order to get His 
 children to believe. 
 
 What is the use of conglomerating the truth on 
 this very simple question.^ It is not only an inexcus- 
 able but dangerous practice. I expect there are 
 thousands of young men in Chicago who would be 
 living Christian lives to-night if they had not been 
 incorrectly taught on this great question. And there 
 are doubtless thousands of middle-aged men spend- 
 ing this very evening in the saloon, or around some 
 gambling table, without God and without hope in the 
 world, who would be at religious service if they had 
 been taught right on this great question. It seems to 
 be almost universally imagined that a man can't be- 
 come a Christian unless God in some mysterious way 
 works on his feelings, —"fingers around his heart," 
 and independent of any personal effort, and in spite of 
 everything above and beneath makes him surrender 
 to the service of Jesus. This is an entirely unscrip- 
 tural,and wholly mistaken theory. Man is a free moral 
 agent and can receive or reject salvation just as he 
 chooses. 
 
 But ho7/ do we get faith? Instead of consulting 
 some modern preacher or lay-worker, turn to 
 Romans 10:17. Here we have the answer in very 
 simple language. — ^*So then faith cometh by hearing, 
 and hearing by the word of God.'' Paul, is that all 
 there is to xV. Yes, that is all. The first thing a 
 man has to do is to hear, and the thing he has to hear 
 is the Word of God. Now, if he hears it unprej- 
 
96 FAITH 
 
 udicedly he will conscientiously believe, and the mo- 
 ment he believes, that moment he recognizes the Son 
 of Mary as the Son of God and the world's only 
 Saviour; and as Jesus is represented in the Bible as 
 the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, he realizes that 
 there is a judgment coming, and that he must get 
 ready for that Great Day. 
 
 Faith-getting is a comparatively simple matter. 
 No man from the Day of Pentecost down to the present 
 moment ever obtained faith without hearing the Word 
 of God. It is our business, as Christians, to herald 
 the good tidings of great joy to the utmost parts of 
 the earth. It is not enough that we should simply 
 pray that men may become believers. If faith comes 
 miraculously, or in answer to prayer only, then why 
 are not all the Hottentots in the world, and the Zulus, 
 and the Patagonians, and the inhabitants of Central 
 Africa, and all the rest of the world,— why are they 
 not all believers? If it rests with the Lord alone to 
 make them Christians, — why has He not attended to 
 His duty? If the Lord sent faith to us miraculously 
 and not to these others, is He not a partial God? 
 Yet the Bible says, **He is no respecter of persons." 
 Oh! let us be honest;let us be logical. "Faith cometh 
 by hearing.'' And Paul says, "How shall they hear 
 without a preacher?" So we send out somebody, and 
 that somebody tells the people how the Lord lived, 
 and how He died on the Cross, and how He rose 
 from the dead, and how He sits to-day on the Right 
 Hand of God, having been crowned King of Kings and 
 Lord of Lords. When the individual hears the story, 
 he believes it, if he is thoughtful, unprejudiced, and 
 honest. That is the way the alien sinner gets faith. 
 The Christian may pray, "Lord increase our faith!" 
 But the alien has not this privilege until he learns 
 to love and trust the Saviour. Men are never con- 
 
FAITH 97 
 
 verted to Christ and His holy religion independent 
 of human agency. When all professing Christians 
 shall realize this, and then go to work in earnest, we 
 will see more souls accepting the Divine Master than 
 we ever yet have seen in the history of Christianity. 
 It is all right to pray for the progress of the gospel; to 
 pray God to throw about the individual converting in- 
 fluences; and to pray that the Truth may run and be 
 glorified in the community; but these prayers must 
 be followed with proper endeavor on the part of the 
 petitioner. It is right to pray, "Thy kingdom come, 
 Thy will be done.'' But if we depend on God to con- 
 vert the infidel without any effort on our part, we will 
 wait until the last day of time. God says, "Ye are 
 my servants; go, do what I tell you to do. Teach 
 all nations." And not until the people are taught 
 
 V^ILL faith get possession OF THEIR HEARTS ! 
 
 We now come to the last question for the evening: 
 
 WHAT SHALL W^E DO WITH IT.? 
 
 If we believe God's Holy Word; if we accept 
 this Great B^ok of Truth as inspired; if we 
 believe that Jesus was indeed and in truth 
 God's only begotten Son; if we believe in the 
 Holy Spirit and His comforting power; and if we 
 believe in the Church of Christ and its wholesome 
 influence over humanity — if we really have such faith, 
 what shall we do with it.? Shall we let it lie dormant 
 in the heart? No. Yet that is what thousands are 
 doing to-day. Faith of itself can't save. "Can't it?^' 
 you say. No. "I thought it could." Did you.? Well, 
 you have thought a good many things that weren't 
 true, I expect. I have a little book in my study which 
 says, "Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only, 
 is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of com- 
 fort. '* (M. E. Discipline, Page 20.) It is claimed 
 that there are some four million people in the church 
 
98 FAITH 
 
 which holds that doctrine. This doctrine of faith 
 only, may be "wholesome'^ to the Methodists and 
 others, but I can't see how it can be — what Professor 
 Fairchild, of Kansas, calls "horse-sense.'^ The 
 theory of "faith only" is taught in many of the 
 churches of Chicago, and other great cities; but not 
 one of the inspired apostles ever taught it. Many 
 preachers and many lay-workers are saying to the 
 poor alien sinner,"Only believe;" but the Holy Spirit 
 never said anything of the kind. I am not very rich 
 in this world's goods, but I will give $50.00 to any 
 one who will show me where God ever, under the 
 Christian Dispensation, promised to save anybody by 
 "faith alone." James says, "Faith without works is 
 dead." Why, if faith alone saves,then the devils them- 
 selves are all right. For James, addressing the twelve 
 tribes, says:— "Thou believest there is one God; thou 
 doest well; the devils also believe and tremble." On 
 one occasion, you remember, the demons cried out, 
 "What have We to do with Thee, Jesus, thou Sen of 
 God?" Did that save them? They acknowledged 
 the Son of Mary to be the Son of God! But that was 
 not enough. 
 
 I venture the assertion that there are five hundred 
 thousand believers in the City of Chicago who are 
 still in an unsaved condition. Why? Because faith 
 alone can't save them. Hence it is of great moment 
 when you get this faith to decide what you are going 
 to do with it. I do not draw any great distinction 
 between the words "faith" and "belief." When Paul 
 said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt 
 be saved," he evidently meant by that word "believe" 
 complete obedience, for we see the Philippian jailer 
 putting on Christ in baptism the same hour of the 
 night. So we draw no great distinction between 
 "faith" and "belief," for both, as used by Paul, include 
 
FAITH 99 
 
 a complete self-surrender of the individual to theLord. 
 As used in James 2:19, however, the word "believe'' 
 represents what may be termed merely an intellec- 
 tual, or inactive attitude. In order to be saved, 
 therefore, the believer must employ his faith in keep- 
 ing all of the commandments given in God's Holy 
 Law, And he must employ it consistently too. He 
 must do just what God tells him to do, not in his own, 
 but in God's way. That is "saving faith." 
 
 The Bible is full of proofs on this point. We might 
 quote Second Peter 1:5-8, "And besides this, giving 
 all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue 
 knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to 
 temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; 
 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly 
 kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and 
 abound, they make you that you shall neither be 
 barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ/' You see we are to use faith by add- 
 ing to it the doing of the things which God has com- 
 manded Christians to do. 
 
 Again we might read James 1:22, "But be ye 
 doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving 
 your own selves." And again, in John 14:15, Jesus, 
 our blessed Master, says, "If ye love me, keep my 
 commandments." And in Romans 12:1, Paul says,"I 
 beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of 
 God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, 
 holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable 
 service." 
 
 And so on. I might give you many more passages, 
 but these will suffice to show us what we are to do 
 with faith» We are to exercise it by doing just what 
 God tells us to do in God's way — not my way, not 
 your way, not some man's way, but God's way. And 
 here it all hangs — taking God at his word; doing just 
 
lOO FAITH 
 
 what he tells us to do and asking no questions; dis- 
 charging every duty cheerfully and not parleying with 
 the Lord. The true believer never says, "Lord, we 
 won't do this, for it does not seem to us essential;" 
 or, "We will just let this or that commandment go. 
 We don't feel like keeping it, for it does not seem to 
 us necessary." Oh, no! The true believer, without 
 asking any unnecessary questions, or expressing any 
 doubt, will go forward gladly and do everything God 
 commands him to do. 
 
 But oh, there are so many to-day who make the 
 commandments of God null and void by their tradi- 
 tions and ecclesiasticisms. Some, for instance, say 
 that baptism is not essential to salvation. Others 
 say that it makes no difference what religious name 
 you wear, for there is nothing in a name anyway. Ah! 
 The world is full of theories. 
 
 "Well," says one, "what of it?" Much, very much. 
 Our eternal inheritance depends upon our faithful 
 obedience to the commandments of God. We must 
 follow his directions implicitly or lose all. It is 
 so in the affairs of this carnal life; why not in the 
 spiritual.^ Let me illustrate: Suppose I say to Pro- 
 fessor Hutto, "My Brother, I have concluded to 
 make you a little present. I think a good deal of 
 you and want to manifest my affection in a practical 
 manner. And as we appreciate things more when 
 we have to put forth an effort to get them, I will put 
 you to a little trouble. I have buried away a thou- 
 sand dollars in gold (I haven't dene it, so none of 
 you need be alarmed. This is only an illustration.) I 
 buried it due west of the railroad, just a half-mile 
 from the track. If you will walk out there and turn 
 north just two rods from the street, you will find an 
 old cellar, in the southeast corner of which has 
 sprung up a cotton-wood tree. Three feet west of 
 
FAITH lOl 
 
 this tree I dug a hole three feet deep, and in the 
 bottom deposited the money in an old coffee-pot. (I 
 was afraid to put it in the bank, for fear the bank 
 might break, and the cashier depart for Canada, so 
 I thought I would just bury it out there.) Now, I 
 will give you that money if you want it bad enough 
 to go in person and get it. 
 
 Well, of course he wants it, and promptly decides 
 to go. He thinks of the m_any nice things he can 
 buy with a thousand dollars — a long coat, patent 
 leather shoes, a high hat, a bicycle, a type-writer, a 
 kodak camera, a dogcart and horse. Oh, my ! he 
 could buy lots of things with that thousand dollars. 
 
 i say to him, "You believe me, Professor.?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "I never have broken my word with you.?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 ^^And you want the money.?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "And you think you will find it if you follow my 
 directions.?" 
 
 "Yes, of course I will," he says — and shovel in 
 hand he starts for the old cellar. 
 
 And just half a mile from the railroad track 
 he stops and inquires if there are any old cellars 
 in that neighborhood. A laborer informs him 
 that just ten rods north, there is one. 
 
 "Has it a cotton-wood tree in one corner.?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "And ten rods south," says the laborer, "there is 
 another old cellar,and it happens that there is a cot- 
 ton-wood tree in the corner of that one too." 
 
 "Well," says the Professor, "I don't see that it 
 makes any difference which cellar I dig in. Each 
 has a cotton-wood tree, and the one on the south 
 isn't quite as muddy as the one on the north." So 
 he goes ten rods south and digs. 
 
102 FAITH 
 
 Does he find the gold? Of course not. Why? 
 Because he dug in the wrong cellar. So he comes 
 back and says: 
 
 "How is this, Brother Hall? I went out there 
 half a mile, and ten rods from the street I dug in an 
 old cellar under a cotton-wood tree, but there was no 
 gold there. ^^ 
 
 "Which side of the street?" 
 
 "Well, I dug on the south side, I believe." 
 
 "Didn't I tell you north? You go back and follow 
 the directions implicitly." 
 
 Thus a great many persons, when they are told by 
 the Book of God to be baptized, are sprinkled, or 
 poured, because that is a little easier. A preacher 
 at Emporia, Kansas, told the people that it didn't 
 make any difference whether they used much water 
 or little. He declared that for baptismal purposes a 
 quart was just as good as an ocean full, as it was bap- 
 tism all the same. But either that preacher or the 
 Apostle Peter is wrong. Which would you naturally 
 suppose? 
 
 Professor Hutto retraces his steps, goes ten rods 
 north of the street and finds the old cellar, and there 
 in the corner is the cotton-wood tree. 
 
 "Well," he says,"he told me to go three feet west 
 of the tree, but I don't see any necessity of going 
 west; it is a very inconvenient place to dig. I guess 
 I will dig right here three feet north." And he digs. 
 He drives his shovel down one^ two, three feet. Does 
 he find the money? Of course not. Why? Because 
 he has failed to follow the directions. It is true that 
 he went a half-mile from the railroad track, and then 
 turned north ten rods, and then dug down three feet 
 from the cotton-wood tree. He did just as much as he 
 was told to do, but he did not do it in the right way. 
 The Lord directs us to repent and be immersed. "But 
 
FAITH 103 
 
 why not pour or sprinkle a little water on the head, 
 it is so much handier ?'' Yes, that is it. That is what 
 Brother Hutto thought when digging for his money, 
 — It is easier. People are always trying to discover 
 some easy way to heaven. Hence a4arge majority 
 of church members are simply sprinkled or poured 
 for baptism. But I say to you to-night before God, 
 (and I shall stand before the judgment bar to give 
 an account of my sermons, and you shall stand there 
 too, to give an account for the way you have listened 
 to and applied them) — I say in the love and fear 
 of our Eternal Father that the man who is simply 
 poured or sprinkled "^tor baptism has no promise of 
 forgiveness! And so with human names, creeds, 
 etc. Go contrary to God*s directions and there is no 
 promise, no well-founded hope. If we want the re- 
 ward we must do those things which bring the reward. 
 When at last the Professor goes west of the tree 
 three feet and digs down three feet he finds his gold. 
 Why? Because he has done just what I told him to 
 do, in the way I told him to do it. And so let me 
 counsel you, if you believe in God, follow God's 
 directions implicitly. Don't do any other thing. If 
 He says belieive, why, believe. If He says repent, 
 repent. If He says be baptized, why, obey Him. If 
 He says add to your faith virtue, knowledge, temper- 
 ance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and 
 charity, do it. Don't say, "I can get along just as 
 well without keeping God's laws strictly." You can't 
 do it, my brother. Don't say this or that is non- 
 essential. Remember, oh, do remember, that God 
 never commanded a non-essential! Don't think that 
 you can leave out anything that the Lord has com- 
 manded and be saved. You cannot become a Chris- 
 tian until you obey the commandments of God. You 
 may become a member of some man-made church 
 
I04 FAITH 
 
 without doing so, but not a member of God s church. 
 The moment you obey the necessary command- 
 ments, and not before, that moment you become a 
 Christian, and a member of the body of Christ, and 
 the Father acknowledges you as his child. And so I 
 plead with you to-night to exercise your faith in doing 
 just what God tells you to do. Oh, if you will, what 
 joy will be ushered into the soul! What peace into 
 the heart! With what happiness will your days be 
 crowned! What exuberant hope v/ill take possession 
 of your soul! Have faith, then, and use it. Trust God 
 implicitly. Without asking any unnecessary questions 
 just go forward and obey His commandments, and 
 all will be well. 
 
 "Have faith in God, He who reigns on high 
 Hath borne thy grief and hears the suppliant's sigh; 
 Still to his arms, thine only refuge, fly! 
 Have faith in God. 
 
 "Fear not to call on Him, O soul distressed, 
 Thy sorrow's whisper wooes thee to His breast; 
 He who is of tenest there is of tenest blest. 
 Have faith in God. 
 
 "Lean not on Egypt's reeds; slake not thy thirst 
 At earthly cisterns. Seek the kingdom first. 
 Though man and satan fright thee with their worst, 
 Have faith in God. 
 "Go, tell Him all! The sigh thy bosom heaves 
 Is heard in heaven. Strength and peace He gives, 
 Who gave himself for thee. Our Jesus lives; 
 Have faith in God." 
 
 {Anna Ship ton, ^ 
 
 Ah! if you want the reward of the "just made per- 
 fect," you must have faith in God. The Unitarian 
 says, "We have faith in God, but we don't think 
 Jesus Christ was divine; we think He was a good 
 man, but not a God." But, my brother, you cannot 
 
FAITH 105 
 
 please God unless you believe in His Son. "He that 
 believeth on Him is not condemned; but he that be- 
 lieveth not is condemned already*" John 3:18. You 
 can't have forgiveness of sins, much less eternal life, 
 unless you acknowlege Jesus to be the Christ. Uni- 
 tarians have some fairly good scholars among them; 
 but they reject much of God's Word, and deny the 
 divinity of Christ. For all such there is absolutely 
 no promise. 
 
 Then have faith in God! "He so loved the world 
 that He gave His only begotten Son.'' What a pre- 
 cious gift! No wonder the Apostle Paul, gifted in 
 speech though he was, calls it "the unspeakable gift," 
 Oh, have faith in the Gift and the Giver alike, for they 
 are one. Put your trust in Christ ! Walk implicitly 
 ill his footsteps! Yield not to temptation, but yield 
 lo Him who died for you! Consecrate your all to 
 Him, for He alone is able to save! 
 
 If there is one here to-night v/ho has faith, will 
 3^ou not confess the Lord? Come, and the angels of 
 God will rejoice. Come to-night, because all heaven 
 and all earth are interested in your decision. Come, 
 for God v^ho made you in His image wants to see you 
 redeemed by His love! Come! 
 
REPENTANCE. 
 
 Acts 3:19, "Repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins 
 may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the 
 presence of the Lord." 
 
 It is not the purpose of our Saviour to leave men 
 in their sins, but to bring them out of their sins. It is 
 not the purpose of our Heavenly Father to receive 
 unto himself a single person so long as that person 
 is in a state of sin. 
 
 The Scriptures tell us that no impure thing shall 
 pass within the Pearly Gates, — **There shall in no 
 wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither 
 whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie/^ 
 No blasphemer, no traducer, no wicked man so long 
 as he has a single sin unforgiven will be permitted to 
 enter heaven. The New Jerusalem is a clean city, 
 and will have none but clean citizens. Yes, heaven 
 is made for pure men, pure women, and pure children; 
 heaven is made for the redeemed, and for those who 
 have never fallen, and for no others. The Godhead 
 has never fallen, and the angels which surround the 
 Throne have never fallen; but all other beings have 
 fallen. Heaven is made for the redeemed, from 
 among whom not a man, woman, or child need go up 
 to the Bar of God with a single sin to answer for. 
 
 "But,'' says one, "doesnH the Bible say all have 
 sinned.?'' Yes, that is true. '*A11 have sinned and 
 come short of the glory of God." But in another 
 place the same apostle declares that "as in Adam all 
 die, so in Christ shall all be made alive," If you 
 
 JOS 
 
REPENTANCE I07 
 
 get into Christ and stay in Christ and add to your 
 idith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowl- 
 edge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and 
 to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly 
 kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity; in short, 
 if you observe all the Christian virtues, and live a 
 true, prayerful, Christ-like life, there will be no 
 trouble about your being permitted to enter that 
 glorious abode and dwell forever. 
 
 So the subject of Repentance is of very great im- 
 portance, as no one can possibly goto heaven without 
 it. A man may have great faith, and great love — 
 love so great, so large, so full, so comprehensive in 
 every way that he can just overlook all the injuries 
 and persecutions that may be heaped upon him in life 
 from enemies, and the misunderstandings of friends, 
 — and still be lost; a man may be able to overlook the 
 inconsistencies of professed Christians, and be chari- 
 table to all, yet if he is not a repentant man he can- 
 not be saved. Faith and love avail nothing without 
 repentance. 
 
 Let us cite a few passages of Scripture on this great 
 subject. Notice first Acts 2:37,38: — "Now when 
 they heard this they were pricked in their heart, and 
 said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men 
 aid brethren, what shall we do.?" and the first thing 
 Peter said to them was, "Repent." 
 
 Notice the words of the Master as recorded in Luke 
 13:3: — " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. " 
 According to this there is no possible salvation with- 
 out repentance. Notice the declaration of Paul as 
 recorded in Acts 17:30:— "The times of this ignor- 
 ance God winked at, but now commandeth all men 
 everywhere to repent." 
 
 Clearly, then, there is no redemption for the un- 
 repentant man. Naturally v/e inquire, therefore, 
 
I08 REPENTANCE 
 
 "What is repentance?'^ if it is a matter of such 
 tremendous importance.' Oh, then, for our soul's 
 sake and for God's sake, let us have a plain definition 
 of repentance. It is painful to contemplate, but none 
 the less a fact, that the theological world has set 
 thousands of minds adrift on this subject as well as 
 on the subjects of faith, baptism, etc. Not a few relig- 
 ious instructors seem to think that mere sorrow for 
 sin is repentance, and teach, all too freely, this n.is- 
 taken view. Suppose a man has been a drunkard for 
 ten years, has ruined his health, brought disgrace 
 upon his family, and the awful consequences of guilt 
 upon his soul. He goes over to Mn Keeley and takes 
 his medicine, pays him the necessary seventy-five or 
 one hundred dollars, and returns home cured, and 
 says, "I will never touch another drop. I am sorry 
 that I have made such a fool of myself so long, and 
 am determined to let liquor alone forever now.'^ Is 
 that repentance? Specifically, Yes. Scripturally, 
 No. So far as the liquor habit is concerned, Yes. 
 So far as Jesus Christ is concerned, not at all. That 
 man for years has been a curse to himself, to his 
 family and to society. At last when he finds that 
 he cannot live much longer if he continues to drink, 
 he qaits. But what for? Why, for policy's sake; 
 for the sake of a better standing in society, a better 
 showing among his fellow men, and his ov.'n 
 physical welfare, he stops drinkng. Thousands of 
 men who have repented of the liquor habit are net 
 repentant men Scripturally, Why? Because they 
 do it in their own name and for their own sake. 
 
 Repentance Scripturally is doing what we do in 
 Christ's name and for Christ's sake. There are 
 two words in the Greek which are translated "re- 
 pent," one meaning a change either for the bet- 
 ter or the worse, the other always meaning a change 
 
REPENTANCE IO9 
 
 for the better. And the latter is used in the New 
 Testament. Repentance, therefore^ implies a change 
 for the bette7^ in the name of by the commandment of, 
 and for the sake of Christ, It is inseparably allied 
 with a change of heart. 
 
 Now right here some one may say, "I always 
 thought you Disciples did not believe in a change of 
 heart." Did you? You thought unadvisedly then. 
 Listen ! I know something about the Christian 
 Church and its belief. My father and mother, and 
 my grand-parents, were Disciples long before I was 
 born. I know many of our leading ministers through- 
 out the United States. Was educated in one of our 
 best universities. Have read our leading periodicals 
 for years. And I declare emphatically that there is 
 7iot a single minister among us — (and we have about 
 six thousand of them) who does not believe in 
 and teach a change of heart! But we do not think 
 a change of heart to be anything miraculous or super- 
 natural at all. It is simply a change of motive, a 
 change of desire, a change of determination, a change 
 of resolution; in short a complete change of life. 
 And this change is not brought about by any myste- 
 rious working of the Holy Spirit on our mental facul- 
 ties. No, no. There is nothing supernatural about 
 it. But just as natural as it is for grass to grow, so 
 natural is it for man to have a change of heart if he 
 takes God at His Word. That repentance which in- 
 volves a change of heart means a complete change of 
 life, a complete surrender of self to the Master, a 
 complete laying of our all at the feet of Jesus. And 
 all this is brought about by an intelligent obedience 
 to the precepts of the gospel. And this we do, not for 
 our own sake merely; not merely for the sake of 
 family, or friends, or society, or any v;orldly oppor- 
 tunity, or ambition; but for Christ's sake, — because 
 we love Him and are willing to trust Him. 
 
no REPENTANCE 
 
 There are three prominent elements in every gen- 
 uine, heartfelt repentance: 
 
 First of all, Sorrow for sin. Right here a great 
 many stop. They seem to think that if they cry a lit- 
 tle they have repented; that the Lord will forgive 
 them jast as soon as they let a few hot tears fall. 
 And if they cry real hard, they are reported as soundly 
 converted! Nowadays the preacher often declaims 
 a few pathetic stories in his sermon, and then asks, 
 — "How many want to go to heaven.?" And possibly 
 forty or fifty will put up their hands, or arise, or kneel 
 at the "altar," and after a few prayers and stirring 
 songs, many are reported to have "gotten through," 
 and the people sing "Praise God!" It is not wrong, 
 of course, to praise God for good promises, and good 
 resolutions on the part of an alien sinner; but it is 
 all a mistake to call these repentance. Sorrow alone 
 is not the sum total of conversion by a great deal. 
 
 In many old-fashioned meetings, you remember, 
 sorrowing sinners would kneel at the "mourner's 
 bench," and under the influence of some magnetic 
 exhorter the tears would stream down their cheeks 
 till it would seem they must have stood in puddles 
 on the floor, while they prayed in sobbing tones, "Oh, 
 Lord, have mercy! Saviour, help! Come right now 
 and forgive!" I do not believe in such revivals, so- 
 called. "Distracted meeting" would be a better term. 
 They have driven many individuals into skepticism. 
 
 Don't imagine that you have repented just because 
 you have bellowed a little. You might find yourself 
 greatly mistaken at the Day of Judgment. I want to 
 speak plainly on these things, for I fear thousands of 
 precious souls have been led astray, and left to drift 
 on in sin, by just such earnest but fearfully unscrip- 
 tural practices as I have here described. Sorrow 
 alone cannot save you; prayers alone cannot avail. 
 
REPENTANCE III 
 
 Your motive may be all right, but God wants more 
 than good intentions. God has nowhere promised to 
 forgive you just because you feel bad. Far be it from 
 me, for a moment, however, to ridicule tears. No, 
 no. r would to God that every young man in Chicago 
 could be brought to shed tears, and bitter ones too, 
 over his sins, his wickedness, his forgetfulness of God 
 and mother. Sorrow is all right so far as it goes, 
 but it constitutes only one element in repentance. A 
 man can't repent without feeling sorry; but this is only 
 the first step in true penitence. 
 
 The second element is, ^ determination to quit sin, 
 A man says: "Here, I have been living a wicked 
 life; I am sorry. Have been squandering my money, 
 time, mental faculties, and physical powers. Have 
 been squandering everything that is precious in the 
 sight of my Maker, and I do regret it most sincerely. 
 Now I have, determined that I will quit. I will turn 
 over a new leaf; I am resolved to be better. *' Here 
 we have the second element of Scriptural repentance, 
 a determination to do better; an earnest, heartfelt 
 resolution to do what is right in the future, and to do 
 it, too, in the name of Christ. Here is where thou- 
 sands stop. Many a sinner regrets his waywardness 
 very keenly, but loves his sin too much to give it up. 
 
 The third element of repentance is Action! Sorrow- 
 stricken because of his weight of guilt, but hopeful 
 through his new-born resolution, the sinner says, "I 
 will quit! For Christ's sake I will do better." So 
 suiting the action to the word, he quits. Then, and 
 not till then, has he repented. Sam Jones' advice to 
 sinners is, "Quit your meanness!" This is the bur- 
 den of his sermons wherever he goes,— "Quit your 
 meanness!" Good advice. It would be a wholesome 
 thing if we could have that motto printed in bold 
 letters and swung up over every counter in the land. 
 
112 REPENTANCE 
 
 You know that in many places they say, "Here, we 
 sell you all-wool goods a yard wide/'' But when 
 you get home and examine your purchase carefully 
 you find that it is only seven-eighths wide, and it is 
 half cotton! It would prevent lots of cheating if this 
 motto could be swung up over the counter where we 
 buy sugar. "Best in the market, '^affirms the grocer; 
 but when you get home and attempt to use it, you 
 find that it is one fourth fine white sand! Quit your 
 meanness! You go to the meat-shop and call for a 
 pound of sirloin, and while you are looking up at the 
 scales to see that the butcher weighs it right he 
 weighs his hand three ounces. I have heard of 
 butchers doing that. I presume there are few so reck- 
 less, but those few ought to quit their meanness! 
 This is certainly a great doctrine. It is the crown- 
 ing element of repentance. To quit one's meanness 
 for Christ's sake is a noble thing. But it is nobler 
 still when you quit to stay quit. That's what the 
 world needs, — men who will quit their meanness for- 
 ever! Not for a day, or a week, or a month, or a 
 year; not during the revival merely; not until the 
 watermelon season ; but forever. We need more 
 ever-blooming Christians, — -those who will work at the 
 business all through the spring, the summer, the fall, 
 and the winter months. Going to heaven is a life- 
 job; and the Lord wants his soldiers to "enlist for the 
 war." Of course it is pretty hard work for a man to 
 be a good Christian in the spring of the year. (I ex- 
 pect your experience and mine tally.) These warm, 
 lazy nights we feel like anything but going to prayer 
 meeting; anything but going to morning and evening 
 service on the bright Lord's day, so suggestive of the 
 cool park; anything but being real religious. It is 
 hard work. But I'm glad of it, for there would be lit- 
 tle honor in going to heaven if it did not call forth 
 
REPENTANCE II3 
 
 noblest efforts. Quit your meanness, then, friendly 
 sinner, and quit forever. Then trust the Master and 
 he will lead you. Down in the valley, up on the 
 mountain, out through the green pastures of peace 
 and prosperity, — wherever you go He will lead you 
 by His gentle hand, and shield you from the darts of 
 sin! 
 
 First, then, a keen sorrow for sin. Second, a de- 
 termination to quit sin. And third, suiting the action 
 to the word, — quitting once for all. This is true 
 repentance. It is the kind of repentance Peter de- 
 manded of the Jews on the Day of Pentecost when 
 three thousand were added to the church. It is the 
 kind that the apostles demanded everywhere, and it 
 is the kind Jesus Christ expects of you. 
 
 Repentance is needed in Chicago. It is needed the 
 world over. Not a half-way and half-hearted repent- 
 ance, but the complete article; not a mere beginning, 
 but a genuine quitting of sin because Christ has com- 
 manded it. 
 
 Let me give you some examples from the Word, 
 illustrative of true repentance. There are many, but 
 I will select only two, one from the Old Testament 
 and one from the New. 
 
 Take first the case of Jonah and the Nine- 
 vites. The Lord said to Jonah, ^4 want you 
 to go over and preach to the Ninevites. I have 
 a great work for you there. I want you to go to that 
 great city and preach and tell those wicked people 
 that Jehovah wants them to repent, —to quit their 
 meanness; and that if they don't he will speedily cut 
 them off from the face of the earth." But Jonah, who 
 lived in the land of Judea, did not want to go. He 
 was very well contented where he was, and didn't 
 want to borrow any trouble about the Ninevites — he 
 didn't have any hankering after a city charge! I have 
 sometimes thought it strange that Jonah did not want 
 
114 REPENTANCE 
 
 to go and take a city pulpit. How different from 
 preachers of the present generation! You might 
 hunt from the icy plains of Manitoba to the evergreen 
 glades of Florida, and from the rock-bound coast of 
 the Atlantic to the sunny slopes of the Pacific to-day 
 and not find a single preacher who wouldn't be glad 
 to capture a city pulpit! Nothing like being a city 
 preacher. But Jonah didn't want any city "in his/' 
 and so he tried hard to get away. I expect he said 
 to himself, ".Now I don't want to go to Nineveh. 
 Really I am not fitted for that work The Lord can 
 certainly find somebody that will do it better.'^ 
 
 Some of you do that way when your pastor comes 
 to you and says, "I want you to do some personal 
 work." You say, "Oh, go to that brother or that 
 sister; they can do it so much better." I fear it is 
 only a pious way some of you have of shirking duty. 
 
 But the Lord said to Jonah, "I want you to go." 
 Jonah, however, secretly decided that he wouldn't 
 go, but that he would get out of the way. So he took 
 a ship down at Joppa and started for far-off Spain. 
 He was determined to draw the line at city mis- 
 sions, and I suppose he never would have gone to 
 Nineveh if the Lord hadit' t whaled him! 
 
 Well, we can't blame Jonah much for not wanting 
 to go. It was a difficult thing in those days to go six 
 hundred miles across the country. The people had 
 no palace-cars to ride in, for lightning express trains 
 with Pullman coaches did not come into use for over 
 2, 500 years after his death. He didn't have the 
 luxury of our old-fashioned stage-coach. And in 
 truth I don't know that he had even a camel-back 
 transportation. He probably went on foot. His 
 route ran through a m.ountainous region where he 
 must ever be on the lookout for thieves and robbers. 
 It probably took him three months to make that ar- 
 
REPENTANCE II5 
 
 duous journey. And the task was all the more difficult 
 because it wasn't a task of love, but he went because 
 he had to,.\\^ didn't want any more difficulty with 
 the Lord. 
 
 The population of Nineveh is not certainly known. 
 Historians are not agreed concerning the number of 
 inhabitants in prominent cities of ancient times. But 
 there were probably about one million souls in Nine- 
 veh. It was a great city, but full of lust, passion, 
 evil appetite, and wickedness of every form known 
 to the people of those simple days. There was pos- 
 sibly not a single devout person in the city! Then, 
 imagine one poor, weak little prophet preaching to 
 that awful mass of moral corruption the duty of re- 
 pentance! But that was Jonah's task, and once at 
 it well did he perform it. '*Yet forty days, and Nine- 
 veh shall be overthrown,'' he cried. I imagine there 
 was a great deal of sport made over the message 
 at first. Some of the people probably said, "Ho, ho! 
 there is a new man come to town, preaching some- 
 thing new under the sun. He tells us that if we 
 don't repent his Lord is going to wipe us all out." 
 And they laughed and laughed. It was so rich. The 
 biggest ha-ha's went up at various street corners, 
 and motley crowds collected here and there to see 
 who could say the wittiest thing about the matter. 
 If there had been any daily newspapers in those days, 
 I expect they would have had full reports under such 
 startling headlines as, "A crank in town! Preaching 
 Repentance ! Nineveh to be destroyed !" And all the 
 Board of Trade men, merchants, artisans, and huck- 
 sters, would have read it with a smile of curiosity and 
 passed on. If a man preaches a good, old-fashioned 
 scriptural hell nowadays, there are many to pity 
 • him for being so far behind the times. There are lots 
 of people who don't believe in hell because they don,t 
 
Il6 REPENTANCE 
 
 want to. // would hurt their business! I don't sup- 
 pose there is a saloon-keeper in Chicago who has a 
 good healthy belief in hell> — ^it would unnerve him 
 for his business. I suppose there is not a single 
 adulterer in Chicago that has a well-developed belief 
 in hell. I suppose the average young man who swears 
 and gambles and carouses around seven nights in the 
 week admiresthe Universalist's doctrine of "no hell," 
 because it would be so unpleasant for him, when he 
 is so fortunate as to get sober for a day, to think that 
 there is a place of punishm.ent awaiting the wicked. 
 Oh, no! the world don't want to believe in hell. It 
 don't want to be told of its meanness. It wants us 
 preachers to talk eloquently about its great improve- 
 ments, its noble m^n, its brilliant prospects, etc. It 
 wants us to pat it on the back and say, "Good World; 
 Fine World; All-Go-To-Heaven World, Amen!" But 
 that kind of preaching can never save a dying race. 
 So, I suppose when Jonah commenced to preach 
 the wicked Ninevites laughed. But he didn't care. 
 He was now thoroughly aroused, and undoubtedly 
 spoke with no uncertain meaning. I expect he said, 
 "You have been trampling God's laws underfoot; you 
 are a pack of shameless sinners; your city is a great 
 moral cancer. And if you don't repent — if you don't 
 get sorry and resolve to do better, and then carry out 
 your resolution, the Lord will punish every last one 
 of you!" He had no fine pulpit with a pipe organ to 
 back him. He preached on the street. His audience 
 may have been very small at first. But one would 
 hear him and tell somebody else; and they in turn, 
 would tell others (that's the way to build up a 
 crowd). I have no doubt there were many who said, 
 "I don't like the fellow at all." One said, "I don't 
 like his manner." Another said, "I don't like his 
 diction." And still another said, "I don't like the 
 
REPENTANCE llj 
 
 way he dresses; don't you go to hear him; catch me 
 going there again! No, not much; why, he uses slang! 
 And he says such hard things; oh, no; I would 
 advise you not to go to hear him." But that only 
 makes the other fellow more anxious to hear, and the 
 prophet soon had a vast attendance upon his services. 
 Finally three or four believed, and soon a mighty in- 
 terest in the message from God swept over the pop- 
 ulace. I expect that one of the king's courtiers hap- 
 pened along one day, and, being much moved by the 
 burning words of the preacher, hastened to the palace 
 and told his master all about it. The old monarch 
 became interested and commanded his servants to 
 take him out in state to hear the strange messenger. 
 I suppose that Jonah **had his spunk up'' in earnest 
 by this time. He was not willing to go to Nineveh 
 at first, but now that he was in it he would do his 
 best. I admire Jonah's "spunk." He undoubtedly 
 knew that this rich and high-toned hearer preferred 
 sugar-coated pills of truth, homeopathic at that; but 
 he wasn't sent there to try to tickle the ears of any 
 certain class. So I imagine that when he saw the 
 king drive up in his splendid equipage he shouted, 
 "Ah, ha! old king, you make a fine display, but in 
 truth you are a mean, wicked old sinner like all the 
 rest, and if you don't repent the Lord will cut you off 
 in your wickedness. Yet forty-days and your city 
 v/ill be overthrown!" 
 
 Jonah did not use any mock modesty. Excessive 
 politeness is one of the common sins among people 
 who lack backbone. If the speaker uses a very 
 common United States word, some ever-fastidious 
 soul is ready to apply that ugly word, Slang. No 
 matter how well the word or expression illustrates 
 his point, it is considered all Vv^rong. It is simply 
 ridiculous, this mock modesty. We all live in glass 
 
Il8 REPENTANCE 
 
 houses when it comes to the use of language. And 
 yet I have had these would-be guardians of the king's 
 English Vv^rite me anonymous letters suggesting 
 what to preach and how to preach it- — criticising a 
 course which, under God, has alv/ays been successful 
 so far, and proposing another which is yet to be 
 tried. And then after belaboring me in no commend- 
 able spirit, they have signed themselves, "Your 
 Friend!" Friend nothing! I could take a horse- 
 hair, and punching the pith out of it, put a dozen such 
 friends (\) in the hole! 
 
 I suppose Jonah said, '4 would not give a snap of 
 my finger for all your grandeur. Your whole king- 
 dom is not worth a farthing unless you quit your 
 meanness." Ah, yes! You may be rich, and have 
 a fine residence, with many servants! — but if you 
 don't get down on your knees and pour out your soul 
 in penitence before God for past sins, He will destroy 
 you. The soul of the saloon-keeper, and of the poor 
 waif that sleeps in the garret, is as precious in the 
 sight of God as the soul of the rich millionaire. And 
 the one is just as obnoxious as the other if steeped 
 in wickedness. 
 
 Jonah was no respecter of persons. The king 
 heard him thoughtfully and said, '^That is true. I 
 am sorry to say that I have been a very sinful man. 
 But I am now determined to quit my m.eanness." And 
 then suiting the action to the word, he arose from his 
 seat of dignity, and, laying aside his rich robes, cov- 
 ered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And 
 then it wasn't long, I suppose, till all the big men of 
 the city, and the high-toned society people began to 
 repent also. It is a good thing to have a prominent 
 man converted if he only remains true to the sacred 
 cause he espouses. Prominent men have much in- 
 fluence. But many of them do not use their influ- 
 
REPENTANCE II9 
 
 ence to the glory of God. I am glad for one that 
 there is a final judgment; am glad that prominent 
 men who use their great influence for the world, the 
 flesh, and the devil will be held responsible. And if 
 there is any difference in degrees of punishment such 
 men will be punished worse in the last day than the 
 poor, untutored, and un-influential sinner. 
 
 Jonah cried, "Repent, repent! Yet forty days and 
 Nineveh shall be destroyed — forty days of grace, and 
 if you don't quit your meaimess Nineveh will m.ost 
 certainly be destroyed !'* If I had divine authority to 
 say to-night, "Forty days and Chicago will be de- 
 stroyed!'' and then to-morrow night, "Only thirty- 
 nine days more and Chicago v/ill be destroyed!" and 
 then Sunday, "Only thirty-seven days more," — and 
 so on, it would not be many days down to "Only one 
 day more and Chicago will be destroyed," and the 
 people would turn to the Lord by thousands and tens 
 of thousands. Yes, if I had the divine authority to say 
 that this great sale of souls will continue only ten 
 days more, it would not be long until this large tab- 
 ernacle would be too small to hold the people who 
 were anxious to get away from Satan, the hard task- 
 master, and come to Christ. But, dear friends, I do 
 not know that we will have forty days of grace. We 
 may not, and yet we may have several thousand 
 days. But I do know this; that unless we repent, 
 and, figuratively speaking, cover ourselves with sack- 
 cloth, and sit in ashes, we must all perish forever. 
 
 In order to get the subject before your minds still 
 more clearly and forcibly allow me to take one illus- 
 tration from the New Testament — the story of the 
 Prodigal Son — which Mr.Talmage,I believe, calls the 
 prince of parables. I will modernize the story some- 
 what, hoping thereby to make the lesson more im- 
 pressive. 
 
I20 REPENTANCE 
 
 There was a rich man who had two sons. We will 
 call one Henry and the other John. Henry had at- 
 tained unto his majority, and thought a great deal of 
 his father and mother. He didn't care to marry any 
 of the girls in the neighborhood, but kept right on 
 faithfully attending to his father's property, knowing 
 that after a while it would all be divided between 
 himself and brother. Now John, the younger of the 
 two heirs, was of a very different disposition; he was 
 a little wild and careless, anxious to do something 
 new and different. He didn't like the quiet humdrum 
 of the old neighborhood. So one day he said, "Father, 
 give m.e my portion, and I Vv^ill go out and do for rny- 
 self." "Oh, noP' said his kind old father, "I would 
 rather you would stay here, John. Mother and I are 
 getting old now, and soon everything we have will be 
 yours and Henry's. You had better stay at the old 
 home, my boy.'^ ^''No," said John, "I feel that I must 
 get away. My ambition is too great for this sleepy 
 old community. Better give me my portion. Father, 
 and let me go " The father at last consented, and 
 gave the thoughtless youth his part of the property. 
 He had a herd of cattle, I suppose, and a flock of 
 sheep, and a lot of servants, and quite a sum of money. 
 Thus equipped he started for a far country, perhaps 
 soliloquizing, "I want to get as far away as possible 
 from the old home. Can't accomplish anything 
 hanging around here." I presume he waved his hand 
 and shouted gleefully, "Good-bye, Father; good-bye, 
 Mother! I will write to you when I have time." That 
 is doubtless about the way he took his departure 
 from father and mother and brother. 
 
 They looked anxiously for the promised messages, 
 but they came few and far between. The letters 
 were sometimes two weeks, sometimes three weeks, 
 and sometimes six weeks in coming, and then were 
 
REPENTANCE 121 
 
 very short and hurried. Oh, young man, when you 
 go away from the old home to do for yourself, don't 
 forget to write to father and mother. No matter how* 
 far from the old fireside you may roam, their hearts 
 will beat on in tender affection for you. Don't neg- 
 lect to write home. It is a sacred duty. Never let 
 seven days pass over your head without sending some 
 message, if it is only a dozen words, to the dear ones 
 left behind. 
 
 John went out to a distant country where there 
 was good pasturage and a good market for his stock. 
 He settled down and commenced doing business, and 
 for the first few months everything went prosperously. 
 Then temptations came. He was introduced into 
 the so-called "best society" (which is often the worst 
 for one's morals). Anxious mothers began to look 
 with wistful eyes upon this splendid young man as a 
 good "catch" for their daughters, and divers young 
 ladies were "setting their caps" for this rich young 
 lord from Judea. He was soon not only on the top 
 wave in the social swim, but a "hail fellow well met" 
 with the fast young bloods of the city. 
 
 One day as he was passing along the street, some 
 of his friends hailed him and said, "John, come in and 
 have a drink with us." But he replied, "No, boys, I 
 don't drink." "Well, then, come in and have a 
 cigar." "No, I don't smoke either," "Ah, come on 
 now, be a man!" Thus by appeals to vanity and 
 undue persuasion, many would-be friends cause the 
 ruin of thousands of young men. John finally went 
 in and took a cigar. After chatting awhile he said he 
 must be going on, but promised to drop in and smoke 
 with them another evening. The boys kept on the 
 watch for him, and in another day or two called out 
 as he was passing by, "John, come in and have that 
 cigar." "All right, fellows, I don't care if I do." He 
 
122 REPENTANCE 
 
 went in and happened to sit down beside a little un- 
 suspicious looking table while smoking. It was a gam- 
 ing table, but as John had been well raised he knew 
 nothing about cards. However, he looked on, and 
 when the game was opened he was asked to "take a 
 hand." "No," he said, "I don't know one caid from 
 another." "Oh, we don't believe that!" chimed in 
 the shrewd players. "You need not pretend to us 
 that you are a good little Sunday School boy and 
 don't kown one card from another." This was too 
 much. He grew desperate, and taking up the cards 
 he deceitfully remarked, "It has been some time since 
 I played — am a little rusty." He w^as not long in 
 learning the game. Then one night he took a glass 
 of beer, so as not to be boorish, and after a while he 
 took two or three glasses. He soon became a pretty 
 good player, and then his shrewd tempter proposed 
 to play for money. But John said, "Oh, no, boys! 
 I never play for money." "Oh well, we will play for 
 the cigars, then." He yielded, and a few nights after 
 they played for the drinks, and he won. Finally they 
 permitted him to play for just a few cents, and then 
 for five dollars. John said to himself, "I don't be- 
 lieve this is exactly right." But he won, and so be- 
 gan to think he was a pretty fine player. 
 
 That is the way thousands of young men start 
 down. I don't speak from experience, for I never 
 played a game of euchre, or whist, or poker in my 
 life; I never smoked a cigar in my life; and I never 
 tasted liquor in my life. I speak simply from obser- 
 vation, and from a somewhat extended acquaintance 
 with books and newspapers. I will leave those of 
 you who have had experience to say whether this 
 modern picture of the prodigal son is not a very 
 truthful representation of the course that is being 
 taken by thousands of young men to-night. You 
 
REPENTAMCE I23 
 
 know it is just the way hundreds of young men in 
 Chicago are traveling this very moment! 
 
 So they commenced playing for m_oney. They let 
 him have a few games, and then they began to win. 
 That made him angry, and he said to himself,"! will 
 show you fellows how to play." He put up a large 
 stake. But to his amazement and utter chagrin they 
 won that from him also. Then he grew desperate, 
 and began to bet larger and larger amounts. 
 
 I read of a man some time ago who owned a fine 
 saloon in Denver. He was estimated to be worth a 
 good hundred thousand dollars. He walked into his 
 place of business one night, and, seeing an interesting 
 game in progress at one of his tables, thought he 
 would "take a hand'^ in it. He threw down a bill, 
 and to his amazement the other fellows won it. He 
 threw down two or three larger bills, and they took 
 them also. Then he was mad, and taking a great 
 roll of money out of his pocket threw it on the table, 
 rolled up his sleeves, and sat down to "show them 
 how to play." But in a few brief hours that proud 
 gambler left what had until that fatal occasion been 
 his own saloon a beggar^ — he had lost a hundred 
 thousand dollars in one brief night, to say nothing 
 of his soul. 
 
 Years ago a young man started to Arkansas, with 
 some nine hundred dollars in his possession, the sav- 
 ings from several years honest toil. He was going 
 to the hot springs for his health. On the way he 
 was delayed at a certain place, and while waiting at a 
 hotel was induced to play for money. He won a neat 
 little sum and retired. About this time a stranded 
 sport threw down a button and said, "I will bet that 
 against a quarter." Some one played with him and 
 lost. Another then bet a half dollar with him and 
 lost. Pretty soon the now lucky gambler had won 
 
124 REPENTANCE 
 
 three or four dollars. The young man who had retired 
 was not satisfied to have matters going so. He said 
 to himself, "I will just get up and win that," So he 
 arose and dressed and started in to win a btttton! 
 That is all he would have gotten, just a cheap little 
 button. But his luck had departed from him, and 
 before morning he had lost his nine hundred dollars. 
 He was compelled to make his way home without the 
 button, without his money, without having regained 
 his health, and, worst of all, without his manhood. 
 
 Thieves and murderers and bank-robbers and all 
 sorts of evil-doers often get their first lessons at the 
 gaming table. And yet many professed Christians 
 play cards, and teach their children to do likewise. 
 
 This young Jew wagered away his possessions^ — his 
 horses, his flocks, his herds, his all. I suppose that 
 everything went — his land, his bank-stock, and pos- 
 sibly even his clothes. (Going down the Mississippi 
 on a steamer in the days of slavery, a colored fire- 
 man once gambled until he had lost all of his money' 
 and all his clothes, and finally in sheer desperation he 
 bet his own freedom. Yes, he put up his papers of 
 freedom, bet them and lost, and was taken to the 
 auction block and sold into slavery again.) It is said 
 of the poor prodigal that "he wasted his substance 
 in riotous living." Then, I suppose, he was cast out 
 from society. No more anxious mothers looked upon 
 him as a fit "match" for their daughters. No more 
 ladies "set their caps" for him. When his money was 
 gone they had no further use for him, and so practi- 
 cally kicked hUn out. That's the way the world does. 
 
 I was hurrying along the streets of Des Moines, 
 Iowa, one afternoon years ago when I was reporting 
 for an evening newspaper, when suddenly my atten- 
 tion was called to a crowd in front of a corner saloon. 
 I lost no time in joining them, anxious for any item 
 
REPENTANCE 1 25 
 
 of interest for my paper. I saw a large, finely built 
 man lying there on the stone sidewalk, his face all 
 bleedingo As nearly as I could learn the particulars 
 from the bystanders he had wanted more drink, but 
 his supply of money having become exhausted the 
 saloon-keeper had kicked him out, and there he lay 
 in a pitiful condition. What must his poor, miserable 
 wife, and wretched, school-less children have thought 
 of him? Oh, friends, there is much sorrow in this world 
 —much sin. From sin comes dissipation, and trouble, 
 and ruin. 
 
 After this young prodigal had spent all, he soon 
 found himself in sore want for the very necessities of 
 life, and was finally com.pelled to join himself to a 
 citizen of that country who sent him into the fields 
 to tend swine, and you know a Jew detested the oc- 
 cupation of swine-herd. But it was that or starve. 
 I presume some cf his old-time associates passing by 
 exclaimed, "Ah! young man, you used to fly pretty 
 high, but we observe that you have come down a few 
 pegs. Good enough for you." And so they jeered at 
 him, taunted him, and turned their heads away in 
 derision. While discharging his humiliating duties, he 
 got to thinking about his checkered career. He 
 thought the whole matter over, and the Record says, 
 "He came to himself.'' There is a world of meaning in 
 that sentence,"HE came to himself." He m.editated 
 upon what a good chance he had had, — how he had 
 worried his old father, and squandered the property 
 which he had given him. He thought about his kind- 
 faced old mother, and how she had borne with him in 
 childhood and youth. He grew very sorry and said, "I 
 will arise and go to my father. I am sorry I have been 
 so mean; I will be better in the future." And suiting 
 the action to the word he arose and traveled that 
 long road back to the old home. 
 
126 REPENTANCE 
 
 In my mind's eye I can see him coming up over the 
 hill after a long, tedious journey; foot-sere, clothing 
 in rags, beard long-grown, eyes sunken — a humble, 
 crest-fallen, homesick man. With what joy he spies 
 the old gate, and the two Cottonwood trees! "Just the 
 same as when I left five years ago! And there is the 
 well, and the sweep, and the old oaken bucket! And 
 yonder in the pasture are the cattle, and in the lot 
 hard by the horses are at play! And there is the old- 
 fashioned house — Home! And is that mother there 
 on the stoop?" When he saw and thought of mother, 
 tears started, the fountains of affection so long pent 
 up were opened at last and great hot tears rolled 
 down his hardened cheeks. "Is it possible that I see 
 mother } Oh, I am not fit to go back there ! But I have 
 no other place to go. If father will just make me one 
 of his hired servants — if he will just let me serve — '^ 
 — with these thoughts he started down the hilL Just 
 then I imagine the father looked out of the window, 
 and seeing the footman approaching, said, "Mother, 
 come here! Don't that man walk like our John? 
 See?'' And mother, taking her apron, wiped her 
 glasses, and, looking earnestly, said,"I believe he does 
 walk like our John!" And when she thought of John 
 the big tears began to fall, and she said, "Maybe that 
 is John coming home." Oh, if she could just see 
 John. She didn't care whether John was a prodigal 
 or not, if she could only have him once more at the 
 old hearth-stone. So they looked, and he came 
 nearer and nearer. At last they knew of a surety, 
 that it was John. He came slowly up the steps, and 
 knocked at the door. 
 
 Did the old gentleman go to the door? 
 No! He sat down in his easy chair, elevated 
 his feet, and leisurely proceeded to look over 
 the stock reports in his evening paper. His weary, 
 «in-«ick son knocked again; but the old gentleman 
 
REPENTANCE I27 
 
 didn't stir. Mother said, "May I not open the door, 
 father?" But he said, "No. I will attend to this 
 little matter myself," John knocked again and again, 
 and when nobody came to the door one of the ser- 
 vants looked round the corner and said, "The old gen- 
 tleman is in there. Maybe he don't hear you. Bet- 
 ter knock again; he has grown a little hard of hearing 
 lately." So he kept on knocking — ^his heart so heavy 
 and sad. Finally the old gentleman opened the door 
 and excitedly exclaimed, "Ah, you have come back 
 at last, have you.^ Want in the house, do you.? Well, 
 you just go round the house and stay in the wood- 
 shed six months and then you may come in!" 
 
 Did he say that? No! Did he say, "I will call 
 the family together and take a vote on you and see if 
 they all think you are fit to come in?" No! Did he 
 say, "Wait until next covenant day and we will let 
 you in?" No! He did not say anything about "six 
 months' suspicion,'*'^ or a "good moral character," or 
 a "Christian experience." All this would have been 
 the sheerest nonsense, not to say inexcusable mean- 
 ness. And yet that is the way the theological world 
 of the nineteenth century talks to inquiring sinners! 
 But God never talked so. 
 
 No! There is no six months' probation, no voting 
 on members, no putting off till the next session, etc., 
 in the Bible. Three thousand were added to the 
 church the same day, (Acts 2:41.) 
 
 So when his kind old father saw John coming, he 
 ran out of the door, and down the steps, and through 
 the gate as fast as his age would permit; and as John 
 came up he threw his arms around him, fell upon his 
 breast, and wept great hot tears of joy. "Oh, — John 
 — my son," he sobbed, "how glad we are — so glad 
 .you have come back home!" And John wept too, 
 leaning on his old father's shoulder. "Father," he 
 
128 REPENTANCE 
 
 said, "I am no more worthy to be your son; let me be 
 a servant." '*No, my boy, never! We are too glad 
 to have you back. Let by-gones be by-gones. Come 
 in, for mother is waiting anxiously for you." And John 
 was told to throw off his old rags, and put on clean 
 new garments. And they put a ring on his finger, 
 and killed the fatted calf,-and had a joyful time,"Fcr," 
 said they, "the lost is found," and "the dead is made 
 alive again." 
 
 Oh, the joy in that home where the lost are found! 
 Dear lost friend, if you are sorry to-night, and like 
 the prodigal can say, "I have determined to quit my 
 meanness and quit right now;" and if you can come 
 down this aisle and stand before the world and say, 
 "I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is the 
 Son of God, and am willing, with all my heart and 
 soul and strength to accept him as my personal Sav- 
 iour, lovingly, heartily, sincerely and forever" — if you 
 can do this there will be a glorious welcome for you 
 in your Heavenly Father's House. God will take 
 off your garments of wickedness and self-righteous- 
 ness and put on you the new garments of forgiveness 
 and love and peace. He will not let you be a servant 
 of wickedness, but make you His heir and son. John 
 said, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God." Oh, 
 what a wonderful privilege to be a "child of the 
 King!" What a wonderful privilege to become the 
 recipient of that eternal life promised to the just 
 made perfect! 
 
 Oh, then, come to-night, dear friend! Come with 
 penitent heart and obey the Lord, and He will put in 
 your mouth a new song; in your soul a new hope. He 
 will fill your soul with that eternal peace which 
 passeth all understanding. Repent now! Change 
 for the better! You have been living a life of sin, 
 but turn about face, to-night! Say, "Begone, Satan, 
 
REPENTANCE 129 
 
 get thee behind me; Lord Jesus, take possession of 
 my soul!" Come, and the angels will tune their gol- 
 den harps anew and sweep o'er and o'er again their 
 melodious strings with the glad songs of redeeming 
 love. "There is joy in Heaven over one sinner that 
 repenteth." Oh, then, come now and let the news go 
 home to glory that another lost soul is found, another 
 dead heart is made alive again ! 
 
CONFESSION. 
 
 "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; sno wi^n 
 the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Rom. ko:tz. 
 
 Confession, along with faith and repentance, is one 
 step in conversion. It is, therefore, a subject of great 
 importance. 
 
 Our people have been often and justly accused of 
 preaching "faith, repentance and baptism." I am 
 sorry the accusation does not include one item more. 
 It ought to be said of us that we are a great folk to 
 predich fai^ky repentance ^confessions and baptism. It 
 is true that we cannot be saved without faith; it is 
 true that we cannot be saved without repentance; and 
 it is just as true that we cannot be saved without con- 
 fession. There is no possible way for a man to es- 
 cape without it. Such is God's teaching all through 
 the Scriptures. I am sorry that many of our 
 preachers have neglected this subject so much. I feel 
 that we ought to make it stand out in as bold relief 
 as possible. 
 
 What do we mean by confession.? "With the heart 
 man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth 
 confession is made unto salvation," It is clear that 
 we are to confess something before we can fully en- 
 ter the heavenly way. What are we to confess? Are 
 we to stand up before the world and confess that we 
 believe the Bible? Before we become followers of 
 the Lamb must we confess that we believe the Bible 
 is true? I answer, No. That may surprise some of 
 you; but listen. Are we to stand up and confess that 
 
 130 
 
CONFESSION 
 
 131 
 
 we believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and 
 that these three are one? I answer. No. This is not 
 what is required in making the "good confession.'' 
 
 But some one says: "Don't you believe in God, 
 and in Christ, and in the Holy Spirit? and don't you 
 believe in the Bible?" Certainly. But affirming all this 
 in separate allegations is not the confession we ask 
 sinners to make. No religious body believes in God 
 and His Word more earnestly and conscientiously 
 than the Christian Church; but we do not ask sinners 
 to confess what we believe. We do not ask them to 
 beheve in our theory of the atonement, or of regener- 
 ation, or of baptism. We do not read to them all the 
 tenets of our belief and ask them to confess that they 
 believe everything just as we do. No, this is not 
 what the apostle meant by "confession unto salva- 
 tion." 
 
 What, then, is the confession? I answer that it 
 is just simply this — no more, no less—to openly and 
 faithfully acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the son 
 of God, 
 
 "Is that all?" 
 
 No, it is not. I left out a very important part pur- 
 posely, and will tell you why; a great many of our 
 religious neighbors say that we do not believe in 
 "heart-felt religion;" that we have "head-religion;" 
 that we can beat all our opponents in a debate on 
 baptism, and whip all the infidels; but that we lack 
 genuine, old-fashioned, heart-felt religion. This is 
 a very common criticism, but it is an unjust one. 
 That is the reason I left out just now a very impor- 
 tant part in the confession, and I now want every 
 person here who has ever made that criticism to hear 
 the confession we do ask sinners to make. Here it 
 
 is: "Do YOU BELIEVE, WITH ALL YOUR HEART, THAT 
 JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD?" That is the 
 
132 CONFESSION 
 
 confession every man, woman and cliild must make 
 before he can be received into the membership of the 
 Christian Church. If there is a' people on the face of 
 the ^lobe possessing the New Testament kind of 
 heart-felt religion, that people is the Christian Church. 
 
 This is all there is to it. If a man honestly believes 
 with all his heart — ^deep down in his immortal soul 
 believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living 
 God — he also believes the Bible, for the great, central 
 thought of the Bible is that God gave His Son to be 
 the Saviour of men. He will also believe in the Holy 
 Spirit, for Christ said He would send the Comforter. 
 And he will believe in the atonement, in regeneration, 
 in justification, adoption, heaven, hell, and everything 
 else taught in the Book of God. The lordship of 
 Christ — His sacrifice and subsequent assumption of 
 universal power — is the one mighty sun of truth 
 around which revolve all the stars of doctrine. 
 
 So if a sinner accepts Jesus Christ, he accepts all 
 the rest. If he refuses to confess the divinity of 
 Christ, no matter what else he accepts, he is lost! 
 He might be baptized a thousand times; he might 
 pray, give money, and weep bitter tears of penitence; 
 but he cannot be saved so long as he denies the blood 
 of Jesus. This is a common sin to-day, and it is not 
 a new one. Nicodemus came to the Saviour by night 
 and said, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher 
 come from God" — he started out to deliver a very fine 
 eulogy, but the Master cut him short, saying kindly 
 but firmly, "Ye must be born again." Nicodemus 
 was a man that no one should accept as a pattern. 
 It pains me to hear him spoken of in laudatory words 
 by some well-meaning people, for I don't think he 
 ever became a Christian, — a real, true genuine fol- 
 lower of Jesus. I am no admirer of Nicodemus. He 
 came to Jesus at nighty evidently anxious to know 
 
CONFESSION 133 
 
 more of him; but he was not willing to come out 
 openly and acknowledge him. He was not disposed 
 to make the necessary confession. If he had done 
 so he would have brought down upon his head the op- 
 probrium of the Jewish people and lost his influence 
 and popularity. He was very wealthy, and might 
 have had to give up everything, as well as suffer per- 
 secution. He was not willing to sacrifice. Hence I 
 consider him unworthy of being called a disciple of 
 Jesus. True, he manifested a little sentimentality 
 after the Saviour was crucified, in begging, with 
 Joseph of ArTmathea, the body of the Lord; but sefi- 
 timentality is far from being Christianity. 
 
 Jesus said to him, "Ye must be born again." 
 Nicodemus said, "Hov/ can a man be born again 
 when he is old?" And Jesus replied, "You must be 
 born of water and of the spirit." In other words, 
 "You must come out openly, before the world, and 
 make a complete surrender of self to me. You must 
 take upon yourself the sacred vows of my religion, 
 and give yourself wholly, unrelentingly to my ser- 
 vice." Nicodemus was not willing to do this. I think 
 he was very sorry, very penitent. But the Saviour 
 demanded something more, — a public, heart-felt con- 
 fession. 
 
 You can't be a Christian secretly, my friend. If 
 you would please God you must come out publicly, 
 openly, before the world and confess heart-felt faith 
 in His Only Begotten Son. 
 
 Why.? First of all, because God commands it. 
 This ought to be enough even if there were no other 
 reasons* When God speaks it is ours to obey. Let 
 us look into the Word concerning this matter. Turn 
 to Rom. 10:9,10: "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 
 
131 CONFESSION 
 
 shalt be saved. For v/ith the heart man believeth 
 unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is 
 made unto salvation." Here we see that in order to 
 be saved, in order to have forgiveness of sins, in order 
 to get into fellowship with the Father, in order to 
 have that peace that passeth understanding, we must 
 confess that Jesus is the Christ, for ^^wiich the mouth 
 confession is made unto salvation,*' or /^;2^(? the happy 
 state of the Christian. The "good confession'' is a 
 preliminary step to this great end. 
 
 Turn again to Matt. 10:32-33: "Whosoever there- 
 fore shall confess me before men, him will I confess 
 also before my Father which is in heaven," In other 
 words, "Whosoever shall stand up before the world 
 and give himself to me completely, commit himself 
 to my care and keeping, become my disciple, and, 
 whenever occasion demands, confess me before the 
 world. Him I will confess before my Father which 
 is in heaven." Listen: "But whosoever shall deny 
 me before men, him will I also deny before my Father 
 which is in heaven." If we are afraid to confess 
 Christ; if we neglect to stand up for Him; if we lead 
 a careless and Godless life; if we fail to make that 
 confession He demands of all men, the King of Glory 
 will say, "I never knew you, depart from me into 
 outer darkness." 
 
 Oh, my brother, it is a subject of tremendous im- 
 portance. God has commanded us to confess His 
 Holy Son, aud he means it. God never said any- 
 thing that He did not mean — He never trifles with 
 the hearts of men. 
 
 Turn now to the 8th Chapter of the Book of Acts. 
 Here we have an account of Philip's preaching to the 
 Ethiopian eunuch. The eunuch was reading in the 
 Book of Esaias. The language was prophetical of 
 Christ, and he didn't understand it. So he asked 
 
CONFESSION 135 
 
 Philip, "Of whom speaketh the prophet this? of him- 
 self, or of some other man?'' In reply, the sacred 
 writer says, "Philip opened his mouth, and began at 
 the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus." 
 And the eunuch believed. We don't know what 
 all Philip said, but it is clearly evident that he said 
 the eunuch must believe, and must repent of his sins, 
 and must be baptized. We know this from legitimate 
 inference. For before he met Philip the eunuch 
 didn't know anything about Christ, much less the 
 tenets of the gospel. And yet at the conclusion of 
 the evangelist's instructions we find him requesting 
 immediate baptism. 
 
 This leads me to say that no man can preach Christ 
 fully and ignore the great subject of Christian 
 baptism. It is quite popular with evangelists nowa- 
 days to hoot at this important matter as a "non- 
 essential," but this is too bad, for no man can preach 
 the gospel Scripturally and ignore baptism. The 
 apostolic teachers always gave it its true place in 
 conversion, and we should do likewise. 
 
 Well, did Philip baptize him without further com- 
 ment. No. Why? Didn't he believe? Yes. 
 Wasn't he sorry for his sins? Yes, or he would not 
 have made that long journey to Jerusalem to worship. 
 Wasn't he willing to be baptized? Yes, for he said 
 earnestly, "See, here is water; what doth hinder me 
 to be baptized?" But Philip would not baptize him 
 until he made the "good confession." He said, "If 
 thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." 
 Upon this the anxious inquirer answered and said, "I 
 believe tlrat Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Then 
 he baptized him. 
 
 So I must declare unto you, friendly sinner, that 
 you are not a fit candidate for Christian baptism, and 
 you ought not to claim, the promises of Heaven, until 
 
136 CONFESSION 
 
 you can intelligently, confidently, willingly, and 
 whole-heartedly make an open confession of Christ. 
 He commands it, and it must be done. 
 
 So much for the Scriptures on this subject. More 
 passages might be cited, but these will suffice. One 
 or two clearly stated proofs from the Book of God 
 should be accepted by the believer as readily as 
 forty or fifty. But sometimes I like to give a num- 
 ber of passages, for there is power in a preponder- 
 ance of evidence. 
 
 In the second place, we should confess our Lord 
 before the world because we owe it to His Church. 
 Jesus gave his lifers blood to sanctify his Church, — 
 to set it up in the world that it might save the lost 
 and unredeemed. Our Lord is not now here to save 
 in person, but He can save just as surely through His 
 Church as though He were here to touch us with his 
 healing hand. We cannot be saved in the same 
 manner as the thief on the cross. Some say, "If Jesus 
 saved the thief on the cross without baptism, He 
 will save me." But this is a gross presumption. You 
 don't know but vvhat the thief had been baptized un- 
 der John's baptism. Before he entered the burglary 
 business he may have been what is commonly called 
 a very consistent Christian. (It would be incorrect to 
 apply the term Christian to him, however, as there 
 were no Christians, properly speaking, until after- 
 wards.) He might once have been a very good man — 
 religious, upright, a keeper of the law of Moses. And 
 upon hearing the burning words of John the Baptist, 
 he may, like thousands of others, have been baptized. 
 Many people become dishonest and sinful after 
 baptism, and this thief may belong to that class. But 
 the true reason why we can't be saved like the thief 
 on the cross, is that Jesus is not here in person, and 
 we are not living with him under the Mosaic Dispen- 
 
CONFESSION 137 
 
 sation. He is not walking the streets of Chicago to- 
 night as he walked the highways of Judea,and hence 
 we cannot expect to be saved in the same way the 
 thief on the cross was saved. I get tired of answer- 
 ing this senseless quibble, and feel like saying that 
 if I were in your place I would want to be saved 
 like an honest man anyhow, and not like a thief. 
 An honest man is willing to comply with the Sav- 
 iour's requirements.without this sort of quibbling. 
 
 There is too much effort on the part of some re- 
 ligious enthusiasts to convey the impression that Jesus 
 is here in person. He is not; but wherever His ser- 
 vants are, wherever the gospel is preached with hearts 
 full of love, and wherever work is being done, the 
 Saviour is there in spirit. The way He saves people 
 to-day is not through his own personal ministry as 
 he saved the thief and others, but through His Church. 
 We are not under the old covenant, which was re- 
 stricted to the Israelites; but under the new, which' 
 was sealed by the crucifixion blood of Christ, and 
 which is universal. Hence I say we owe it to His 
 Church to make the good confession; for in confessing 
 our faith in Him we honor His Church. Ob, take your 
 stand with the members of the church and help us 
 battle against the enemies of light, the enemies of 
 peace, the enemies of Christ. We are pleading — 
 
 "For the right against the wrong, 
 For the weak against the strong; 
 For the poor who've waited long 
 
 For the brighter age to be; 
 For the truth 'gainst superstition. 
 For the faith against tradition, 
 For the hope, whose glad fruition 
 Our waiting eyes shall see." 
 
 If there was ever a time in the history of Chris- 
 tianity when the church needed the confession of 
 those who believe in Christ it is now. In our great 
 
138 CONFESSION 
 
 cities burdened with saloons, with gambling hells, 
 with unclean places of resort; burdened with law- 
 breakers and sacrilege of every kind— if there ever 
 was a time the church needed the confession of all 
 true men it is now. So come, and give it with all 
 your heart. Give the church the recommendation, 
 the devotion of your life. Delay not to make this good 
 confession, for in so doing you will help in giving the 
 church prestige among the unsaved; you will help it 
 to run and be glorified! 
 
 In the third place, we owe it to our Divine Master 
 to make this good confession. He has promised to 
 confess us before the Father and His holy angels; this 
 is a marvelous honor. And then to stand up before 
 the world to-day and make this good confession is to 
 receive honor of men. The individual who boldly 
 and cheerfully confesses Christ is thought more of to- 
 day than the man v/ho does not. All things else be- 
 ing equal, the young man who is a Christian has the 
 inside track in the great business world. The time 
 is coming when the young man who is not upright, 
 honest and moral can't get a first-class position, be- 
 cause business men know that the best policy is to 
 employ honest, moral men to manage their affairs, — 
 men who can be trusted. Yes, we owe it to Christ 
 who hung on the cross in nakedness, and shame, and 
 agony confessing us. It was a wonderful sacrifice 
 to be offered up for such poor, unworthy creatures; 
 But He loved us in our sins — loved us while we were 
 yet His enemies — loved His persecutors — loved the 
 unclean and the unredeemed. When they asked 
 Him, "Are you the Christ?" He said, "I am;" and 
 they crucified him for it. When he has done so much 
 for us, it is as little as we can do to stand up and 
 say, "I believe, and therefore will I serve Him — yea^ 
 with all my heart I acknowledge Him to be the Son 
 
CONFESSION 139 
 
 of the eternal Father-— His precious gift to the world," 
 It seems but reasonable that we should make this 
 confession. 
 
 In the fourth place, we owe it to the world, if we 
 really believe there is a God in Heaven and a satan 
 in hell. If you really believe that the church has 
 power to triumph over evil, and, under Christ, to 
 transform demons of darkness into angels of light; 
 if you really believe that the church is a good insti- 
 tution, and its services worthy of the attendance and 
 supiport of all good people; if you really believe that 
 God is a good Father, that Christ is a kind and lov- 
 ing Saviour, that the Holy Spirit is a tender Com- 
 forter, then you owe it to the world to make this 
 confession, thus setting an example of obedience to 
 noble principle. 
 
 Oh, if every one who knew their duty would only 
 do their duty, it would not take long to revolutionize 
 the world! But so many know what is right and neg- 
 lect to do it; become indifferent, and go down to the 
 grave unprepared to meet God. If there is a careless 
 one here to-night, I beg of 5''ou to consider the im- 
 portance of this great matter. Remember that the 
 inspired writer says, "He that knoweth his Master's 
 will and doeth it not shall be beaten with many 
 stripes." 
 
 The world demands that you give it your best. 
 You know that this is so in every relation of life. If 
 a man makes a great discovery in medicine, the 
 world demands of him the fruits of his discovery. It 
 does not insist upon the publicity of his recipe. It 
 would not be wise for him to tell everybody just how 
 his panacea is made, for that would be suicidal policy. 
 Some find fault with Mr.Keeley because he don't tell 
 everybody his remedy which is working such great re- 
 sults in the cure of the drunkard. But I think his 
 
140 CONFESSION 
 
 course is a wise one. Human nature is so constituted 
 that if he should make public his secret it would soon 
 fail to do anybody good. In six months there would 
 be few using it. Men usually like to pay for what 
 they get. So Mr. Keeley keeps his remedy a secret, 
 charges a good fee for its application, and shows the 
 world much good fruit. I sometimes think that if we. 
 charged $50 a head for joining the church we would 
 soon double our list of members! It costs from 
 $25 to $100 to join the leading lodges, and they 
 catch their thousands annually. So possibly if we 
 would charge a good round fee to join the church 
 some of these fellows would be caught! 
 
 When a man makes a great discovery he owes it to 
 the world to give his fellows the benefit of it. When 
 Sir Isaac Newton made his great discovery of the 
 laws of gravitation, he owed it to the world to give 
 human thought the benefit of it. And so with Ful- 
 ton, Watts, Whitney, Edison and every other man 
 who makes a discovery. He owes its results to the 
 world. And so if you know the gospel to be a good 
 thing; if you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ 
 is the Son of God, and that He is able to save to the 
 uttermost all who put their trust in Him, you owe it 
 to your friend, to your neighbor, and to all mankind 
 about you to make the good confession. 
 
 In the last place, and in some respects the most 
 important of all, we owe it to ourselves to confess 
 Christ. Young man, if you believe, you owe it to 
 yourself to make the good confession; for in so doing 
 you commit yourself once for all to the highest, best 
 and noblest work of human life. The time when you 
 came forward before the world and linked your life 
 with Christ, in future years will be considered the be- 
 ginning of an enlarged manhood; the opening to you 
 of the grandest type of earthly progress. Yes, you 
 
CONFESSION 141 
 
 owe it to yourself to acknowledge the sovereignty of 
 Christ over your soul. There are many men reeling 
 home drunk to-night; others sitting at the card table 
 playing games; some engaged in burglary, or fighting 
 and carousing, who might be good, upright men, 
 sitting in their own homes, surrounded by happy 
 families, reading good books, if twenty years 
 ago they had stood up before the world and 
 earnestly, lovingly confessed their faith in the 
 Son of God. Such a noble self-commitment 
 would have kept them pure, and divine love 
 would have been thrown about their hearts in 
 such a way as to save them from the temptations that 
 they have yielded to all these years, and from the 
 sins which are dragging them down to hell. Oh, my 
 brother, if you know your duty to-night, I beg you 
 to do it! This may be your last opportunity. If we 
 let these golden privileges pass, we will soon be sorry, 
 so sorry. I think the saddest and most suggestive 
 words ever written by the poet Whittier, are these: 
 "It might have been." 
 
 "I had a good start," says one, "a good, kind father 
 and mother, dear brothers and sisters; everything 
 was bright at the old fireside. But I entered the 
 wrong way, and have been going down, down all m.y 
 life. Now all my chances are gone, my friends have 
 deserted me, and I am going hellward as fast as I 
 can go there!" There are thousands of men in this 
 country in that condition to-day. If they had only 
 started in the right way, if they had only committed 
 themselves to Christ, they would have been happy and 
 prosperous now. Yes, young man, and young lady, 
 you owe it to yourselves and to your loved ones to 
 make this good confession. If you truly believe, you 
 owe it to the Church, you owe it to God, you owe it 
 to the w^orld, and you owe it to yourself to openly 
 avow your faith. 
 
142 
 
 CONFESSION 
 
 But when? Right now. If you don* t make con- 
 fession to-night, you may let to-morrow pass; you 
 may let Sunday pass; and oh! you may let this series 
 of meetings close without altering your unsaved con- 
 dition. We can't compel you — if I could, and it 
 were God's way of doing things, I would compel 
 every man, woman and child in this building to make 
 the good confession, for I know it would benefit you 
 both temporally and eternally; but I can't do that. 
 No; for our Lord's religion is a peaceful religion; and 
 His warfare is a bloodless warfare. We can't go out 
 with swords and bayonets and guns and force men to 
 accept Christ. I can't go down these aisles and by 
 main strength compel you to do your duty. If our 
 arguments fail; if our efforts to stir your affections 
 fail; if our appeals to your will fail — if all these 
 means God has given us with which to move you to 
 obedience fail, then we will have to let you go on in 
 your sins. 
 
 But I must say the time is coming when you will 
 have to confess Christ. After these matters are all 
 taken out of human hands the time will come when 
 you will be compelled to do your duty. Turn to 
 Philippians 2:9-11: "Wherefore' God also hath 
 highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is 
 above every name; that at the name of Jesus Christ 
 every knee should bozv, of things in heaven, and 
 things in earth, and things under the earth; and that 
 every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 
 to the glory of God the Father." Oh, when that 
 great day comes, the Day of Judgment, you can't hide 
 from the Eternal One! There will be no place under 
 the earth or above the earth where you can hide from 
 the wrath of your Creator. Some will be so scared 
 that they will call for the mountains to fall on them 
 and the hills to hide them that they may escape the 
 
CONFESSION 143 
 
 vengeance of God, but their cries will not be heeded. 
 If after all the tender provisions He has made for you 
 His commandments are ignored, He will drag you 
 from your lair of wickedness, from your dens of vice, 
 and from your hiding places of shame and compel you 
 to stand before the bar of Judgment. There, in the 
 presence of all the nations gathered together from 
 the four quarters of the earth, you will have to kneel 
 and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. 
 
 Then why not make it voluntarily? A volunteer 
 soldier is always the best kind of a soldier. Don't 
 wait to be drafted! Come out here at the rallying 
 camp of the host of God and enlist of your own free 
 will and accord! Join the march of the brave, and 
 fight the good fight of faith, the fight of the valiant 
 soldier, and at the last day you can go up gladly to 
 the grand review of heaven and receive the Great 
 Captain's welcome, "Well done, good and faithful 
 soldier!" 
 
 The best men in the world's history have been the 
 men who acknowledged the sovereignty of Christ — 
 have moved the world Godward. Mr. Gladstone 
 states that during the long years of his premiership he 
 came in contact with sixty master minds, and all but 
 five were Christians. The leading patriots of all 
 nations and ages have been worshipers of the God 
 of the Christian's Bible. The greatest jurists of his- 
 tory were Christians. The greatest poets have been 
 Christians. The greatest painters have been Chris- 
 tians. And the greatest pieces of music have been 
 composed under Christian inspiration,- — Handel's 
 "Messiah," for instance, and the great pieces of Hay- 
 den, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and the rest. The subjects 
 of the world's greatest painters, as well as its greatest 
 musical compositions, are taken from the Bible. 
 Those who have had the most to do v/itb the devel- 
 opment of mankind have been followers of Jesui, 
 
^44 CONFESSION 
 
 So why should you hesitate to step into line? Oh, 
 I beg of you to-night to fall into the ranks of the 
 Redeemer and help us in the great work of carrying 
 the glad message of redeeming love to the uttermost 
 parts of the earth! I plead with you, dear friend, 
 to come forward and pubhcly acknowledge, from the 
 depths of your heart, your belief in the only begotten 
 Son of God. If you will make that confession to-night. 
 He will confess you before the Father, and the angels 
 of glory will rejoice! Come now, and let there be a 
 glad chorus in heaven to-night over the salvation of 
 many precious souls. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 Text: "Consistency, thou art a jewel/* 
 
 Christian Baptism is one of the most commonly 
 discussed subjects in the world ; a subject upon which 
 there is a great deal of controversy, arguing pro and 
 con, and con and pro; but like Banquo's ghost, *it 
 will not down. * Well, whatever else may be said of 
 it, it is not a dry subject anyway; so I will probably 
 be able to keep you awake to-night if I don't do any- 
 thing else. 
 
 At a good many places my friends are afraid for 
 me to preach on Baptism. They think it will keep 
 the people away. But they soon see their mistake, 
 for I usually have very large audiences when I speak 
 on this subject. This is just as it should be, for it 
 is a subject the people want to know more about; it 
 is a subject that ought to be discussed Scripturally, 
 and in such a way that the common people as well 
 as the more highly educated can understand it. 
 
 First of all then, we will appeal to the Bible, and 
 secondly, to the testimony of the great scholars in the 
 world, and see if we can learn the truth concerning 
 this great doctrinal subject. I trust my hearers will 
 be very kind, and very thoughtful to-night. There 
 are several hundred here who agree with me, and 
 several hundred who, I suppose, do not. I take it 
 for granted that you are all honest in your convic- 
 tions. If you are not honest, heaven pity you. Life 
 is too short for us to be anything but honest upon 
 every subject connected with the soul's salvation. So 
 
 145 
 
146 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 I want you all to be honest, and if you find yourself 
 to be wrong, have principle enough in you to ac- 
 knowledge it, and place yourself henceforth on the 
 side of right. Hear my plea attentively and prayer- 
 fully, and I think I can easily convince you that our 
 people are right in their views concerning this im- 
 portant matter, for our views are in exact accord 
 with the Bible, and with the highest scholarship of 
 the world. 
 
 Right here I want you to take a good look at this 
 little chart: — [See page 147.] 
 
 A certain revivalist was once conducting meetings at 
 Manhattan, Kansas, and Professor Thomson, one of 
 our brethren, attended. One day the Professor in- 
 vited the evangelist to dine with him, and when the 
 opportunity presented itself he put to the preacher 
 this question: "When inquiring sinners ask you what 
 to do to be saved, why don't you quote Acts 2:38 — 
 *Repent and be baptized every one of you in the 
 name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins?' This 
 was the inspired apostle Peter's language to seekers. 
 Why don't you quote it?" The evangelist replied, 
 "The truth is. Brother Thomson, that I fear the peo- 
 ple would not come back to hear me." Now I want 
 to say to you people, if you are silly enough to be 
 offended at me for preaching the truth, you may go! 
 If you are silly enough to come here to hear me 
 preach and then get mad when I quote the Word of 
 God, you may stay away. People of that kind are 
 naturally bound ruin-ward anyv/ay, and the sooner 
 they arrive there the better perhaps for human de- 
 velopment. Certainly, let us be honest and honor- 
 able, and consider all sides of this subject. As forme, 
 whatever God has commanded me to preach, I am 
 going to preach it when I have a chance, whether the 
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148 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 things else I desire to please my Heavenly Father. 
 A brave man will not be afraid to preach the truth, 
 and it will not cost him his crowds either. For a 
 number of years I have been following this plan, and 
 my audiences have usually been measured by the 
 capacity of the buildings where I have preached. And 
 it is not owing to my superior education or talent, 
 for I am an humble man in these respects; but because 
 I have spoken plainly, fearlessly, and lovingly the 
 
 TRUTH. 
 
 If the simple truth concerning Christian Baptism 
 were preached clearly and unequivocally by evangel- 
 ical churches generally; if the ordinance were given its 
 divinely appointed place in the scheme of redemp- 
 tion, I believe we would have ten converts to Chris- 
 tianity where we have one to-day. 
 
 Notice that motto at the top of the chart: "Prove 
 all things; hold fast that which is good.'^ (i Thes. 
 5:21.) 
 
 These words were written by the Apostle Paul, 
 the greatest of all the apostles, and one of the great- 
 est defenders of the Gospel the world has ever known. 
 It Vv^as one of his mottoes, and is certainly worthy of 
 your acceptance and mine. "Prove all things; hold 
 fast that which is good." If you can't prove a given 
 position to be scriptural, why, be scholarly and con- 
 sistent, and give it up. Don't be theological leeches 
 and hold fast to everything your ecclesiastical author- 
 ities teach, whether true or not; but be consistent, 
 and let go of everything you can't sustain by the 
 Bible. If faith is right, let us be able to prove it, 
 and then hang on to it. So with repentance, and im- 
 mersion. If we can't prove immersion, we don't ask 
 any one to hold fast to it. If we can't prove that 
 God wants you to be baptized, then we will not ask 
 you to submit to the ordinance. If there is anything 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 149 
 
 we believe in, it is in proving our position by the 
 Scriptures. Some churches are afraid to have their 
 doctrines inquired into closely; but you can't please 
 the Christian Church better than to investigate its 
 belief and practice. 
 
 Here is our second motto at the bottom of the 
 chart — "If any man speak, let him speak as the 
 oracles of God." You will find this in the fourth 
 chapter of Peter's First Epistle, eleventh verse. In 
 plain language the inspired apostle enjoins us to 
 speak like the Bible; to tell the world what God says. 
 We are not to speak like some synod, some associa- 
 tion, some conference, some council, or some theo- 
 logical assembly; but like the oracles of God. What 
 man speaks is feeble. What we accept as settled to- 
 day, to-morrow we often reject as an error. Four 
 hundred years ago everybody thought the world was 
 as flat as a pancake; but nobod)^ with common 
 sense thinks so to-day. Astronomy has proven to us 
 that the world is oval. So in the theological world 
 men cut and dry this and that for all time and for ail 
 people; but in a few generations their deductions are 
 weighed in the balance of a greater enlightenment and 
 found wanting. But God's Word is for all time and 
 all people and can never be out of date. So the way 
 for us to speak is as the oracles of God speak. If we 
 can prove our doctrines from the Bible, very well. If 
 not, they should be discarded once for all. 
 
 Now I will ask for you a few simple questions, and 
 request you to observe their answers closely. 
 
 What is christian baptism? What is it for? 
 Who are to be baptized? How must we baptize? 
 God's warning and promise 
 
 Now look here, I don't want you to tell me what 
 
 .you think about this question. I wouldn't give three 
 
 straws for what you think, and you wouldn't give 
 
150 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 two for what I think perhaps. We are not after 
 man s think ^^'^,but God' s say so' s. The world is sick 
 and tired of mere opinion. One person says, "I 
 think baptism is an outward form of an inw^ard grace/* 
 Another that it is "a mere form." Still another opines 
 something else, and so it goes. But the honest in- 
 quirer wants to know what God's Book has to say- 
 about it. So we will turn to its sacred pages and 
 see. 
 
 Concerning the first question, What is Baptism.^ 
 we will notice three passages: — 
 
 (i) Matt. 28:18,19. "And Jesus came and spake 
 unto them, saying. All power is given unto m.e in 
 heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all 
 nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." These are 
 among the very last words our Saviour spoke. It 
 was just before his ascension to the right hand of the 
 Father. Turning to Peter and the other apostles as 
 He stocd talking with them, He m^ade this important 
 declaration: "All authority and power, both in heaven 
 and earth, is given unto me." It is well for us to 
 rememiber,in the light of these words, that all power 
 and authority is not given to theological councils, 
 whether of Roman or Protestant extraction. All 
 power is not given to the pope of Rome, nor to the 
 bishops of Protestantism. But all power, all authority, 
 is given to Christ. It was a risen conqueror w^ho 
 uttered these words, and He meant what He said. 
 When the Lord speaks, it is ours to hear most rever- 
 ently. Almost the last words of Jesus were: "Go, 
 disciple all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." We 
 argue, therefore, that baptism is a positive, divine 
 conimandme7it of God, and not a "non-essential," a 
 "mere ceremony," or "church ordinance." It is a 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM I5I 
 
 commandment, and is intended for obedience as 
 much as faith or repentance. 
 
 (2) Mark 16:15, 16. ^'^ And he said unto them, 
 Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to 
 every creature. He that believeth and is baptized 
 shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be 
 damned.'' I once heard of a preacher who did not 
 believe baptism essential, and when taking this pas- 
 sage as a text he would read: — "He that believeth, 
 etCy shall be saved!" But we should read it just as 
 it is. The word "^/^." is not in the passage, "He 
 that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,'' said 
 the master. And there is no promise of heaven to any 
 man, woman or child of accountability except they 
 shall comply with these divine requirements. Hope 
 of salvation is extended to-day only to those who be- 
 live and are baptized. Here are the conditions of sal- 
 vation and unless accepted we have no right to expect 
 the Gates of Pearl to open for our disobedient feet. 
 The Lord has made baptism a positive command- 
 ment, and He certainly means that we shall keep it 
 faithfully. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
 gospel to every creature.^'* Aren't you a creature? 
 Yes. Then your duty is to believe and be baptized. 
 Do not try to shrink from your duty by unhallowed 
 quibblings. 
 
 (3) Acts 2:37, 38. "Now when they heard this, 
 they were pricked in their hearts." This was on the 
 day of Pentecost, you remember, ten days after the 
 Saviour had ascended to heaven, and according to 
 promise the Holy Spirit was poured out upon Peter 
 and the other apostles, and they began to speak with 
 tongues, and were enabled to perform wonderful 
 miracles. Peter stood up and delivered the great ser- 
 mon epitomized in this second chapter of the Book of 
 Acts. He told them they had taken Jesus, the Mes- 
 
152 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 siah, and with wicked hands had crucified and slain 
 Him. Peter was very personal. In our day some 
 people don't like personalities — it hurts the con- 
 science! He told them plainly that they were cruel 
 murderers, and declared that they had nailed the Son 
 of God to the tree. He reasoned with them, bring- 
 in[j[ forth unanswerable proofs from the prophecies, 
 and from the marvelous life and words of the Naz- 
 arene. The result was that many truly believed, and 
 cried out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" 
 Now what did Peter answer? Oh, listen as for eter- 
 nity! Speaking by the inspiration of God, he said: 
 "Repent, a7id be baptized^ every one of you, in the 
 name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and 
 ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'' Yes, 
 here it is, as plain and emphatic as words can make 
 it — "repent and be baptized.'' The apostle did not 
 say, "Repent, ^/c" He did not say Repentance 
 alone, for we are saved by both. How many of our 
 auditors to-night think repentance necessary? Every 
 one of you. Very well; He taught the necessity of 
 baptism in the same sentence, and God meant that 
 every man, woman and child of accountable age on 
 the face of the globe should comply with both require- 
 ments. Baptism is as much a positive, divine com- 
 mandment as repentance. With Peter there was no 
 equivocation on the subject. He did not assert that 
 baptism "didn't amount to anything," or that it was 
 only an "outward sign of an inward grace," or a 
 "mere ceremony," or that it was "purely a church or- 
 dinance." No, no, Peter was no juggler with the 
 Word of God. He spoke boldly just as the Spirit 
 gave him utterance. We are taught that Christian 
 baptism is a positive, divine commandment, to be 
 faithfully kept unto salvation. Whosoever says other- 
 wise teaches what is unscriptural and untrue. Who- 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 1 53 
 
 soever says it is a "non-essentiaP^ says what is not 
 true, for God never commanded a non-essentiaL It 
 is an act of loyalty — it is the seal of pardon — it is the 
 cap-sheaf of conversion. 
 
 But WHAT IS IT FOR? There must be good reasons 
 for it, for God never asks us to do anything unreason- 
 able. But as this is a very critical and exacting age, 
 it is fitting that preachers should make clear the de- 
 sign of baptism when pressing its essentiality. So 
 let us notice five passages of Scripture concerning 
 this matter. 
 
 First, John 3:4. "Nicodemus saith unto him, How 
 can a man be born when he is old.^ Can he 
 enter the second time into his mother's womb, and 
 be born.^ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto 
 thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit 
 he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." Nicode- 
 mus came to the Master by night, and said, "Rabbi, 
 we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for 
 no man can do these miracles that thou doest except 
 God be with him." But Christ said, "Ye must be born 
 again." Now I think Nicodemus wanted to retain his 
 place among the Jews, and partake of the fruit of the 
 Nazarene's ministry at the same time. But Christ 
 said, "You must take a public stand for me. I can- 
 not accept mere night service. My followers must 
 come out openly and above board in their profession 
 if they would gain my favor, for I say unto you 
 most emphatically that unless one be born of water 
 and of the spirit^ he cannot enter into the kingdom 
 of God.'^^ Now it does not say, "Except ye be born 
 of the Spirit alone, "^^ I have heard of preachers de- 
 claring that "water" doesn't mean water at all in this 
 instance, but Spirit. But there is an old rule which 
 insists that in the substitution of one word for an- 
 other, the word substituted must make sense when 
 
154 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 read in connection with the rest of the sentence. Let 
 us apply this rule right here: "Except a man be 
 born of spirit and of the Spirit!" What consummate 
 foolishness! I heard a prominent Y. M. C. A. worker 
 express his belief that the word "water" here means 
 Word. But all the great authorities of the schol- 
 astic world are against him. The truth is that when 
 Jesus said "water," he meant water. The best com- 
 mentators declare that this passage has reference to 
 Christian Baptism, — a birth of the water and of the 
 Spirit. The natural, practical interpretation of the 
 passage, therefore, is that "except a man submit to 
 this ordinance of Heaven he cannot enter into the 
 Kingdom of God." Beware, then, lest in neglecting 
 it you fall short of your reward. 
 
 Again, Acts 22:16. "And now why tarriest 
 thou.? Arise and be baptised and wash away 
 thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." 
 This was said to Saul of Tarsus. You re- 
 member that he was on his way to Damascus, when 
 he saw a wonderful vision, and heard the voice of 
 Jesus saying,"Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" 
 Smitten with conviction he cried, "Lord, what wilt 
 thou have me to do?" The Saviour said, "Arise, and 
 go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou 
 must do." (Acts 9:6.) He arose and went, one of his 
 companions leading him, as he could not see.' And 
 after three days Ananias went over to his lodging place, 
 being bidden of the Lord. Paul had been praying, but 
 had not yet received pardon and peace, for God never 
 saves by prayer alone. At no place in the Divine 
 Book has He promised to forgive any man, woman 
 or child by prayer, so long as they remain alien 
 sinners. The Christian who, through faith and obe- 
 dience, has come into contact with the blood of Christ, 
 receives forgiveness through confession and prayer; 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 1 55 
 
 but those who h^ve never accepted Christ cannot 
 consistently claim this sweet privilege. So Ananias 
 visited Saul, and soon learned that he was a believing 
 man, a peniteitt man, a confessing man (for had he 
 not, when smitten in the way, acknowledged the 
 divinity of Christ?) and a sincere man, for he had 
 evidently been praying for forgiveness day and night. 
 Now what did Ananias tell him to do? Note care- 
 fully, for it is of God: — "Why tarriest thou? Arise 
 and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on 
 the name of the Lord." Hence we see from this 
 passage that Christian Baptism is/^r,or in oi^der tOj 
 the washing away of sins. 
 
 Again, Gal. 3:27. "For as many of you as have 
 been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." We 
 see from this reference that baptism is for, or in or- 
 der to the putting on of Christ, Figuratively, when 
 we become Christians we put ofJ the filthy rags of sin, 
 and put on the shining cloak of righteousness. 
 Hence Paul refers to baptism as the putting on of 
 Christ, This is no light matter, but an act affecting 
 the soul's present and eternal happiness. 
 
 Once more, take i Peter 3:19,20,21. "By which 
 also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 
 which sometime were disobedient, when once the 
 longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while 
 the ark was a preparing, wherein fevv^, that is, eight 
 souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto 
 even baptism doth now save us (not the putting 
 away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a 
 good conscience toward Godj, by the resurrection of 
 Jesus Christ." I will venture there are 500 people 
 in this audience v/ho did not know these words were 
 in the Bible — ^^savrd by water ^^^ and '^the like figure 
 zvhereunto baptism does now save us,^^ But here they 
 are, and if we are honest we will accept them and 
 
1^6 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 govern ourselves accordingly. Those who really be- 
 lieve the Word of God and loi^e the Lord with all 
 their hearts do not quibble over the essentiality of 
 this holy ordinance. The apostle Peter, writing un- 
 der inspiration, declares that baptism saves us, but 
 not by putting off the filth of the flesh. When we 
 baptize people, it is not to literally wash away their 
 sins, as the hands are cleansed by dipping them in a 
 basin of water. Peter says, "It is the answer of a 
 good conscience toward God." It becomes so because 
 it is an act of obedience to the law of our Redeemer. 
 This act is the answer, or the complement to, a good 
 conscience toward God. I can't see how any one 
 trying to be a Christian, and not having been bap- 
 tized, can have a good conscience toward God. Of 
 course baptism alone cannot save us, any more than 
 faith alone or prayer alone. But as we have no hope 
 of salvation without faith and prayer, neither can we 
 have without baptism, for the apostle here tells us 
 plainly that it is /or^ or Z7t order ^//^/^ salvation, and 
 the answer of a good conscience toward God. 
 
 Let us refer to Acts 2:38 once more, as it also 
 bears on the design of baptism. Peter said, "Repent 
 and be baptized every one of you." What for, Peter.? 
 Why did God command them to be baptized.? ^^For 
 the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of 
 the Holy Spirit." That is what baptism is for, — "for 
 the remission of sins." The great Baptist Church, 
 nearly four millions strong counting its several 
 branches, is identical with the Disciples in their belief 
 and practice as to the act of baptism; (they are a 
 good people, God bless them!) but they are wrong as 
 to the design, for they think their sins are remitted 
 when they repent and believe, and pray. Then at 
 some convenient time they are admitted to baptism, 
 not as an act to secure forgiveness for sin, but merely 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM I57 
 
 as a church ordinance. The New Version is even 
 clearer than the Old on this verse. It has it, "Re- 
 pent, and be baptized every one of you in the name 
 of Jesus Christ unto the remission of sins." This 
 rendering permits no quibbling on the Greek preposi- 
 tion eis. It shows that we are to be baptized, not be- 
 cause our sins have been forgiven, but /(?r or in order 
 2into the remission of sins. According to this Scrip- 
 ture no man, woman, or child of accountability has 
 any promise of forgiveness until he is baptized. 
 
 We pass on to the next question, which is a very 
 interesting one: — 
 
 WHO MAY BE BAPTIZED? 
 
 Says the Lutheran Church, "Everybody, men, 
 women and children." So say the Methodist, Presby- 
 terian, Episcopalian, and I don't know how many 
 other denominations. Let everybody come; if some 
 are too young to come of their own accord, their folks 
 may bring them, for they should be baptized. The 
 little tots may kick and squirm, but what right have 
 they to protest against the whims of their seniors? 
 Bring them any Vv^ay ! But we are getting into the 
 domain of human opinions. We must call a halt, 
 for there is no time for mere "think so's," no time to 
 paddle around man's theological ponds. We should 
 dispense with human creeds. I sometimes think that 
 creeds have sent more souls to hell than to heaven. 
 It has been asserted, and I think upon good authority, 
 that Calvinism is largely responsible for the infidelity of 
 Bob Ingersoll. His father was a Calvinistic preacher, 
 and instead of preaching a pure gospel, he preached 
 an alloyed one, a gospel tinctured with the mon- 
 strous doctrine of infant damnation, and other 
 hideous fallacies. It is not strange that his boy re- 
 
158 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 volted at so distorted a view of Christianity. If we 
 would let God speak, and have done with man's 
 little prejudices as expressed in modern creeds.there 
 would not be one skeptic where there are ten to-day. 
 Who, then, according to the Word of God, are to 
 be baptized? Answer, Only peniteiit believers. This 
 forever excludes infants and idiots. We do not bap- 
 tize infants, because they have nothing, in the first 
 place, to be penitent of; and in the second place, be- 
 cause their mental faculties are not sufficiently de- 
 veloped to enable them to believe. Only penitent 
 believers are fit subjects for Christian Baptism. Mr. 
 Ingersoll is not, for he don't believe. The young 
 man who laughs and scoffs at religion is not; for he 
 is without faith, and "whatsoever is not of faith is 
 sin." The man who believes, but is not sorry for his 
 sins, is not a fit candidate for Christian Baptism, for 
 he is not penitent. A man must honestly believe, 
 and thoroughly repent before he can be a fit candi- 
 date for Christian Baptism. Notice Acts 16:14, 15. 
 "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of 
 purple, of the City of Thyatira, which worshiped 
 God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened, that 
 she attended unto the things which were spoken of 
 Paul. And when she was baptized, and her house- 
 hold, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me 
 to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and 
 abide there." If we really want to know what God 
 wants us to do to be saved, we will go back and find 
 out what the inspired apostles taught the people, — 
 what Paul, and Peter, and Philip preached to the peo- 
 ple. Here we learn that the Lord "opened the heart" 
 of Lydia, and she was forthwith baptized, together 
 with her household. They were already worshiping 
 people, but not saved, for they were out of Christ. 
 When Paul declared the story of the cross to them, 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 159 
 
 their hearts were opened, — in other words, they peni- 
 tently believed, and were willing to obey the com- 
 mandments of the Lord. Only those whose hearts 
 have been opened of the Lord are Scripturally entitled 
 to Christian Baptism. And allow me to say right here 
 that there is nothing miraculous about this heart- 
 opening,for in the Scriptural use of the words,"mind'' 
 and "heart^mean the same thing. In this passage the 
 word "heart'' does not mean the organ in the left side 
 of the body. People sometimes pray, "Lord, take 
 away this cold, stony heart and give me a warm heart 
 of flesh," as if God would perform a physiological 
 miracle in conversion! Happily such prayers are not 
 answered literally. You don't tliink down here in 
 your left side, do you? No, and the Lord doesn't 
 open your fleshy heart, but your mind, your reason, 
 your affections, your inmost soul. That is what He 
 does v^hen you accept His truth through the preached 
 word. It was through the Word of God, as it was 
 faithfully preached by Paul, that the heart of Lydia 
 was opened. And when your heart is opened, it will 
 bs in the same way. Then, and not till then, will 
 you be a fit subject for Christian Baptism. 
 
 Let us also notice Acts 8:12. "But when they 
 beheved Phihp preaching the things concerning the 
 Kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they 
 v/ere baptized, both men and women." 
 
 Were there any babies baptized, Professor Hutto? 
 
 Hutto: "It doesn't say anything about it." 
 
 No, you are right. It says "both men and women," 
 but no babies. Now it seems to me that if we are 
 going by the Bible we ought to observe this passage 
 critically. There were undoubtedly among Philip's 
 auditors many infants, but he didn't baptize one of 
 .them. It certainly was not considered necessary, or 
 this grand man of God would have attended to it. In 
 
l6o CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 the case of Lydia's household some think there are 
 grounds for the practice of infant baptism, but as 
 there is not a shadow of evidence anywhere to prove 
 that Lydia had any children, or, if she had, that they 
 were not matured, this assumption is vain. Only 
 those who penitently believe the preached word, as 
 did the Samaritans under Philip, can be fit subjects 
 for Christian Baptism, 
 
 Again, Acts i8:8. "And Crispus, the chief ruler 
 of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his 
 house; and many of the Corinthians hearing, beheved, 
 and were baptized." The babies didn't hear. No, 
 babies can't "hear" in the Scriptural sense. They hear 
 the voice of mamma, or the roar of thunder, or the 
 thrilling notes of pleasant music; but their little men- 
 tal faculties are not yet acute enough to interpret 
 the meaning of all this. They hear as animals hear, 
 not as individuals capable of weighing, considering, 
 and deciding with intelligence. Idiots, who are not 
 responsible, and infants, who are undeveloped, and 
 withal spotlessly pure anyhow, are not subjects for 
 Christian Baptism. 
 
 There is not a single instance of infant baptism in 
 the New Testament. I will make another offer: I 
 will give $50.00 to any man who will find me one 
 single instance where Christ or any of his apostles 
 ever commanded or practiced infant baptism. Some 
 of my hearers doubtless believe in it, practice it, but 
 you do so utterly without Scriptural warrant. The 
 great Henry Ward Beecher said, "I practice infant 
 sprinkling, because I think it is a good thing, and 
 not because the New Testament commands it." Yet 
 now and then we hear of some little popinjay of a 
 preacher jumping up to remark that the Bible teaches 
 infant sprinkling, and citing in proof of his position 
 some of the instances of household baptisms. He 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM l6l 
 
 thinks that because a whole household was baptized, 
 of course there must have been some babies there. 
 But is this a necessary inference? There has been a 
 whole household lately added to this church, a father 
 and mother, and an only child who is old enough to 
 believe and obey. There are thousands of house- 
 holds in this world where there are no infants. In- 
 fant baptism is a hollow mockery, the offspring of 
 papacy, arid it is a matter for rejoicing that the cus- 
 tom is rapidly losing ground among the more intelli- 
 gent Protestants of the age. The babe in its sweet 
 innocence needs no priestly attentions. And as for 
 consecrating it to the Lord, every parent should do 
 that before it is born. If your little one dies unbap- 
 tized, don't imagine it will go to perdition because 
 the preacher didn't christen it. Jesus says, "Suffer 
 the little children to come unto me, for of such is the 
 kingdom of Heaven." He would not have said this 
 if our babies were considered little sinners. When 
 they grow up to accountability, and become penitent 
 believers in Christ, then, and not till then, will they 
 be fit subjects for Christian Baptism. 
 
 We now come to what is perhaps the m.ost inter- 
 esting portion of this discussion: — 
 
 How ARE WE TO BAPTIZE ? 
 
 "Well, it doesn't make any difference," says one, 
 "You can sprinkle, or pour, or immerse," and 
 I heard of one preacher who simply touched 
 the forehead of his candidates with the tips of 
 his fingers. So here are four different styles 
 offered us, and over in Kansas I attended a revi- 
 val service one night conducted by a still more 
 Hberal fellow. At the close of his meeting he had a 
 lot of people to be baptized, and he gave them their 
 choice as to the mode (so-called) of baptism. So they 
 went down to the river and he sprinkled some, and a 
 
l62 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 few he poured, and a few more he immersed (or 
 rather he pushed them over in the water, as some 
 preachers do who do not believe in the necessity of 
 immersion); and a few he dipped three times. And 
 then there were some who didn't believe in water 
 baptism at all, whom he commended to the Friends, 
 where they preached Holy Ghost baptism only. So 
 here were five different varieties of baptism, so- 
 called. Certainly Kansas leads! 
 
 I have in my library a little black book, which 
 officially represents one of the largest Protestant 
 bodies of America, On page 42 I find these words: — 
 "Let every adult person, and the parents of every 
 child to be baptized, have the choice of either sprin- 
 kling, pouring or immersion." But I do not find any 
 such language in the Bible. God never authorized 
 sprinkling or pouring for Christian Baptism, and it is 
 presumptuous for any people to place these human 
 enactments on a level with immersion, the divinely 
 appointed way. Not one of the apostles ever practiced 
 pouring or sprinkling, for it was not thought of until 
 250 years after the dawn of the Christian era. Then 
 it was introduced in cases of death-bed repentance. 
 At first they poured a large quantity of water upon 
 the individual wishing baptism, perhaps several gal- 
 lons. Then less and less as the years rolled by, until 
 a quart was deemed sufficient, and finally a few drops. 
 But not until the year 13 11, at the Roman Catholic 
 Council of Ravenna, were sprinkling and pouring 
 ecclesiastically recognized as equally valued with im- 
 mersion. So those who teach and practice sprinkling 
 and pouring do so on their own authority, and they 
 ought not to try to substantiate their position by 
 quotations from the Bible. The Catholics are more 
 consistent in the matter than the Protestants. They 
 sprinkle and pour by the authority of the pope, 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 163 
 
 who they think has power to change the form of 
 baptism, or anything else he wishes changed from the 
 apstolic order. Every intelligent archbishop, bishop, 
 or learned priest in this great city will tell you that 
 immersion was the ancient form of baptism, but the 
 Council of Ravenna changed it. But the Greek 
 Catholics have never yet degenerated to this custom, 
 but universally practice immersion for Christian Bap- 
 tism. As the church is nearly 100,000,000 strong,and 
 uses the language in which the New Testament was 
 originally promulgated, we have in their attitude an 
 invincible argument in favor of immersion. If Protes- 
 tants must sprinkle and pour, let them give Romanists 
 credit for the innovation, and not endeavor to up- 
 hold the practice by distorting the Word of God. 
 
 But how are we to baptize.^ What do the Scriptures 
 teach? Let us read first. Matt. 3:5,6. "Then went 
 out to him Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the re- 
 gion round about Jordan, and were baptized of Him 
 in Jordan,' confessing their sins.'' Yes, all the region 
 round about Jordan, — ^hundreds, thousands, and tens 
 of thousands of people, turned out to hear John 
 preach. He was clothed in camel's hair and wore a 
 leather girdle about his loins, and his food was locusts 
 and wild honey. He probably had a stump or a stone 
 for a pulpit, away out in the wilderness. Very clearly, 
 very plainly, very sharply he spoke to them, and 
 hundreds and thousands were baptized, because his 
 language impressed them, and because the demands 
 of that language made them want to forsake their 
 sins. They were baptized in Jordan, ^^hioh indicates 
 immersion. 
 
 Mark 1:8-11. "I indeed have baptized you with 
 water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. 
 And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came 
 from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John 
 
164 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the 
 water,he saw the Heavens opened, and the Spirit like 
 a dove descending upon Him: And there came a 
 voice from heaven saying, Thou art my beloved Son, 
 in whom I am well pleased." Oh, I love to read the 
 account of how our Master came from His home jn 
 Nazareth, and went to John to be baptized. But John 
 said, "No, I have need to be baptized of thee, and 
 comest thou to me.'*" And Jesus said, "Sufier it to 
 be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all right- 
 eousness." Then he suffered him, and He went down 
 into the water and cam.e up straightway out of the 
 watets and as He came up the Spirit of God lighted 
 upon Him and a voice said, "Thou art my beloved 
 Son, in whom I am well pleased." Listen! The first 
 time God ever by audible voice acknowledged Jesus 
 CO be His only begotten Son was at His baptism. And 
 the first time you or I have the right to claim to be 
 sons of God is when, like Jesus, we are baptized. He 
 was our example in all things. He went dowii into 
 the watery and came up straightzvay out of the water. 
 Immersion alone can satisfy the demands of this 
 passage. 
 
 John 3:23. "And John also was baptizing in ^Enon 
 near Salim, because there was much water there; and 
 they came and were baptized." What was he bap- 
 tizing at iEnon for.'^ Because there was much water 
 there. "Well, they wanted that water for culinary 
 purposes," says one. How do you know so much 
 when you perhaps have never been out of your own 
 state, much less visited the Holy Land? I think that 
 is begging the question; those who resort to the cu- 
 linary dodge in this instance are certainly in sore 
 straits for an argument. No, John was baptizing at 
 iEnon because the water was of sufficient depth there 
 to do it right. He was burying the people beneath 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 165 
 
 its shining waves. We see that immersion is the 
 only action that meets the demands of this language. 
 
 Colossians 2:12. "Buried with him. in baptism, 
 wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith 
 of the operation of God, who hath raised him from 
 the dead." How do you bury anything? Do you 
 sprinkle or pour just a little dirt over it? Oh, no! 
 You overwhelm it, you put it under, you cover it up. 
 You see immersion is demanded by the language of 
 this text. 
 
 I am reminded of a little incident. You know 
 Baptist preachers always immerse when they baptize 
 at all, and yet Doctor McArthur of New York says 
 that Baptists let more people die unbaptized than 
 any other, because they don't believe it essential to 
 salvation. It is strange to me that if not essential, 
 they should be so particular as to require baptism in 
 order to church membership. According to the logic 
 of their own theory it is easier to go to Heaven than 
 to join the Baptist Church. And then, if baptism is 
 not essential anyhow, why be so particular about its 
 action? This is too much like a nice cow giving a 
 good pail of milk and then kicking it over. — Well, to 
 the story. Once upon a time a Baptist preacher 
 preached to the Indians, and immersed a great many 
 of them. After a while a Methodist preacher came 
 along and labored in the same territory. He was 
 quite energetic, full of life and enthusiasm, and quite 
 a number came into his church on six months' "sus- 
 picion," among the number one big fellow from the 
 Baptist brother's flock. The day finally came to 
 take them into full membership, and the preacher 
 prepared to sprinkle them. On such occasions they 
 have a whole lot of stuff they have to read, you know; 
 he read, and the candidates came forward, this big red 
 man with the rest. When the minister had finished 
 
l66 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 reading his little Discipline, he brought out a bowi of 
 water, and signaled to his converts to make ready. 
 The big Indian said, "What you going to do with that 
 bowl of water, my friend?" 
 
 "I am going to baptize j^ou." 
 
 "Oh, no!" said the candidate, "me can't get in that 
 bowl — me too big," 
 
 The Indian understood that baptism was a burial^ 
 and he knew very well that an Indian weighing two 
 hundred pounds could never be buried in a quart of 
 water. 
 
 Romans 6:3-5. "Know ye not that so many of us 
 as were baptized into Jesus Christ v^ere baptized into 
 his death? Therefore we are buried with him by 
 baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up 
 from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so 
 we also shall walk in newness of life. For if we have 
 been planted together in the likeness of his death, we 
 shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." We 
 see from this reference that baptism is a burialy a 
 planting. How do you plant anything? Lay it on 
 top of the ground, and then come around and won- 
 der why the thing don't grow? No, you put it under 
 the ground, and after a while the seed dies and a little 
 sprout comes up. In like manner we plant, or bury, 
 the "old man," the man of sin, in the watery grave, 
 and he comes forth a new creature, — born again "of 
 the water and the Spirit," — born for a new, higher 
 and better life. Immersion only can satisfy the de- 
 mands of this beautiful passage. 
 
 I recall another incident. It is a trifle rough on 
 sprinkling, but it puts things in a way you will not soon 
 forget. You may forget me, but I do not want you to 
 forget the truth I bring you; hence I use every legiti- 
 mate means I can to clinch what I say. — An old 
 preacher was once sprinkling a baby and during the 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 167 
 
 service he reao Rom. 6:4. ("Therefore we are buried 
 with him by baptism.") Then he put a Httle water on 
 the head of the child. After meeting he went home. 
 Tommy, his bright young hopeful, accompanied him. 
 
 "Now don't be too sarcastic, Brother Hall,'* I 
 imagine somebody saying. Well, sprinkling and 
 pouring scarcely deserve anything but ridicule in this 
 enlightened age. You don't like sarcasm.? Ah, that 
 usually depends entirely on whose side the sarcasm 
 is presented. And I must say if ever any church 
 was ridiculed on account of the firm stand we 
 have taken on this subject, the Christian Church has 
 been; but when we come back with the same shot 
 and shell it is all wrong! But we have good examples 
 in the Scriptures for the employment of sarcasm, — 
 Elijah, for instance, at the trial on Mount Carmel. 
 
 Well, the old minister sat down in his study to pre- 
 pare for his evening sermon. As he was pondering, 
 he happened to look out of the window, and to his 
 surprise and regret saw that "old Aunt Rhody," the 
 pet gray goose, was dead. 
 
 "Tommy," called he, "you see the old gray goose 
 is dead." 
 
 "Yes," said Tommy. 
 
 "Well, go bury the goose, my son." 
 
 "All right," said Tomrnyo 
 
 He went out and dragged her down into the or- 
 chard, and looking aroundwith a sparkle in his eye, 
 he picked up a handful of dirt and solemnly sprinkled 
 it on the head of the poor old fowl. Meanwhile the 
 old gentleman was absorbed in his cogitations. But 
 presently he looked up, and, wiping his spectacles, he 
 saw, to his amazement, the old goose lying there 
 unburied. 
 
 "Tommy, come here!" he cried. "Didn't I tell 
 you to bury the goose.?" 
 
 "Yes — yes sir. I — I did, father." 
 
l68 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 "Why, you didn't either, you little scoundrel. Will 
 you presume not only to disobey, but to lie to your 
 old father? Look! Do not mine eyes behold the 
 goose?" 
 
 "Well, father, I buried the goose just like you 
 buried that little baby this morning." 
 
 Out upon the inconsistency, the incongruity, the 
 mockery of calling sprinkling a burial! Would to 
 God that men might learn to exercise common sense 
 in matters of religion. 
 
 Acts 8:36, 37, 38. "And as they went on the 
 way, they came unto a certain water, and the eunuch 
 said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be 
 baptized? And Philip said, If thou belie vest with. all 
 thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and 
 said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 
 And he commanded the chariot to stand still, and 
 they went down both into the water, both Philip and 
 the eunuch; and he baptized him." Yes — the eunuch 
 was reading over in the Old Testament in the proph- 
 ecy of Isaiah, but he did not comprehend what he 
 was reading. So an angel spake to Philip and told 
 him to go and join himself to the chariot of the 
 euunch. He went, and "preached to him Jesus." Oh, 
 for more Jesus-preaching to-day! This man evidently 
 knew nothing about Jesus or His doctrine and yet 
 we find him in a little while requesting baptism. The 
 only way to account for this is that Philip had 
 preached to him the necessity of Christian Baptism. 
 And I want to say that no man can preach Jesus 
 completely, comprehensively, faithfully, unless he 
 does preach baptism, for it is one of Jesus' com- 
 mandments. 
 
 After he had preached Jesus, the eunuch said, "See, 
 here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized." 
 And Philip said, "If thou believest with all thine heart, 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 169 
 
 thou mayest." The eunuch said, "I believe that Jesus 
 Christ is the Son of God." And he stopped the chariot, 
 and with Philip went right down into the water and 
 was baptized, whereupon he went on his way re- 
 joicing. 
 
 With these humble hands I have immersed hun- 
 dreds of penitent believers, and I have yet to hear 
 one say, '*I am sorry." No, they all go on their way 
 rejoicing, for it is right. Not one of the large num- 
 ber who have been immersed during our meetings will 
 ever be dissatisfied with their baptism. But, oh, how 
 many who are sprinkled or poured become dissatis- 
 fied! Let me put the question right here: How 
 many of my auditors present were at one time 
 sprinkled or poured but afterwards became dissatis- 
 fied with the same, and sought immersion? (A large 
 number raised their hands.) 
 
 Now let me put it the other way: — How many of 
 you, who at any time in your life were immersed, 
 became dissatisfied with it, feared it was not Scrip- 
 tural, and sought sprinkling or pouring? Not a single 
 hand goes up! In a preponderance of evidence there 
 is conviction. Actions speak louder than words. 
 There are millions of people in this country who will 
 not accept any other form of baptism than immersion. 
 On the other hand the millions who accept sprinkling 
 and pouring, also accept immersion. For God's sake 
 and for humanity's sake, why can't our Pedo-baptist 
 friends throw away their affusion and practice only 
 that which everybody knows to be right ? It would 
 be a mighty step in the direction of Christian union. 
 
 But I recall another story. It is very clear that 
 immersion only can satisfy the demands of the lan- 
 guage used by Luke in describing the eunuch's bap- 
 tism. And yet there are ministers who try to make 
 a case of affusion out of it. There was an old lady, 
 
I70 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 who had been sprinkled, and after reading this ac- 
 count of Phih'p baptizing the eunuch, and the other 
 accounts of conversion recorded in Acts, she was 
 much troubled, almost concluding that she must be 
 immersed. She finally decided to go and see her 
 pastor about it. Accordingly she went over to the 
 parsonage and called for Brother Smith. The rev- 
 erend gentleman was a very smooth talker, and very 
 nice, being particularly noted for his sociability and 
 sprightliness of manner, much more than for his in- 
 tellectual attainments. The old lady told him her 
 trouble, and said she was afraid she had not been 
 baptized. She called attention to Acts 8:38, in par- 
 ticular, citing the fact that "they both went down 
 into the water." 
 
 "Oh," said the pastor, "I can explain that passage 
 to you very satisfactorily, I think." 
 
 "Then I will be exceedingly grateful, "said she, "for 
 I have been greatly worried over the matter. It 
 seems to me that immersion only can satisfy the de- 
 mands of this passage," 
 
 "Well, I will endeavor to show you conclusively 
 that it don't make any difference whether we sprinkle, 
 pour or immerse," said the accommodating clergyman. 
 You see they were crossing a sandy desert" (but there 
 is no proof of this assertion). 
 
 "Yes, I see," said the old lady, becoming inter- 
 ested. 
 
 "And in the eunuch's preparation for this long 
 journey he doubtless placed refreshments in his 
 chariot," continued the pastor. 
 
 "Yes, I see," interjected his docile parishioner. 
 (Preachers are often to blame for the stupidity of 
 people.) 
 
 "Among other things probably was a jug of water," 
 went on the brilliant teacher. "And after Philip had 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM I7I 
 
 led the eunuch to the cress, the latter expressed a 
 desire to receive baptism." 
 
 "Yes, I see. Praise the Lord!" exclaimed the de- 
 vout old lady. 
 
 "Thereupon," continued the cunning shepherd, 
 "Philip said, If thou believest thou mayest. The 
 eunuch declared his heartfelt faith in the Son of God 
 and reaching down beneath his seat drev/ forth the 
 jug, saying. Here is water, what doth hinder me to 
 be baptized.^" 
 
 "Oh, now I see it all clearly," fairly shouted the 
 old sister. "And they both zvent down into t he Jug, 
 didn't they.?" 
 
 I have now proven from the Scriptures, first, that 
 Christian baptism is a positive divine commandment. 
 Second, that it \s for.or in order unto, i, entrance into 
 the Kingdom, or the new birth; 2, washing away of 
 sins; 3, the putting on of Christ; 4, salvation, and 
 the answer of a good conscience toward God. Third, 
 that only penitent believers are fit subjects for bap- 
 tism, and, fourth, that immersion only can satisfy the 
 demands of Holy Writ as to the action. I might 
 give other references, but it seems to me that I have 
 offered enough to convince any im,partial and honest 
 man. I am satisfied to leave these references with you, 
 and if you will take them and study them carefully, 
 you cannot but be content with the conclusion that 
 immersion satisfies every demand of the language of 
 the Scriptures, while sprinkling and pouring do not. 
 
 "But why is it, then, that so many churches practice 
 sprinkling and pouring?" says one. "My father and 
 mother were sprinkled, and my old grandmother was 
 sprinkled. They lived and died good earnest church 
 members. Have they gone to hell?" 
 
 That is not for me to say. I don't suppose they 
 have, if they lived up to all the light they had. But 
 
172 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 I say that you have greater light, and you will have 
 no such excuse as a lack of light by which to squeeze 
 yourself into heaven. If you reach the Gates of Pearl 
 at all it will be by believing and obeying for yourself. 
 Your father, or wife, can't go to heaven for you. It 
 is an individual matter. And I declare to you, with 
 Bible in hand, that there is no promise that you will 
 ever see God unless you are baptized, and that by 
 immersion. 
 
 Now as far as I am concerned, Bible facts, just as 
 they appear in the King James Version, are good 
 enough for me. But perhaps there may be those pres- 
 ent who are inclined to be critical, and would like to 
 know what learned men have to say concerning the 
 form of baptism. Well, I can satisfy that class, I guess, 
 for I hold in my hand a copy of what is in some re- 
 spects the best work ever published on this subject. 
 The simple title of the book is -immersion. '* The 
 author, Dr. Jno. T. Christian, has collected the most 
 expert testimony of the scholastic world concerning 
 the primary meaning of the Greek word baptizo. It is 
 well known that our New Testament Greek word 
 baptize is baptizo. In translating the Scriptures into 
 our language, this word was simply given an English 
 termination, and transferred untranslated. This was 
 done to avoid controversy, it seems, but the scheme 
 was unsuccessful. So in order to know just what 
 the word means we must have it translated by com- 
 petent authorities. A few of these translations I will 
 now quote: — 
 
 (i) LiDDELL & Scott, in the seventh edition of 
 their great Greek lexicon, define baptizo as follows: 
 "To dip in or under water." 
 
 (2) Cremer, third edition: "To immerse, to sub- 
 merge. The peculiar New Testament and Chris- 
 tian use of the word to denote immersion, submersion 
 for a religious purpose — baptize." 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 173 
 
 (3) Thayer, Professor of New Testament criticism 
 and interpretation in Harvard University: "To dip 
 repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge. In the New- 
 Testament it is used particularly of the rite of sacred 
 ablution, first instituted by John the Baptist, after- 
 wards by Christ's command received by Christians 
 and adjusted to the nature and contents of their re- 
 ligion, viz., an immersion in water." 
 
 (4) Fradensdorf, of the Taylor Institute, defines 
 baptizein and baptein as follows: "To baptize, to 
 dip." 
 
 (5) Pope, of the Berlin Gymnasium: "To dip in, 
 to dip under." 
 
 (6) Stephanus, in his Thesaurus of the Greek 
 language, defines <5<^///-a'6>," to merge, to immerse, also 
 to dip." 
 
 (7) Sophocles, a native Greek, and for 38 years 
 Professor of Greek in Harvard University, in his lex- 
 icon of Greek usages in the Roman and Byzantine 
 periods, B.C. 146 — A; D. iioo, defines the word as 
 follows: "To dip, to immerse, to sink. There is no 
 evidence that Luke and Paul and the other writers of 
 the New Testament put upon this verb meanings not 
 recognized by the Greeks." 
 
 (8) BuLLiNGER,in his Greek Lexicon and Concord- 
 ance, says: ''^Baptizo, to make a thing dipped or 
 dyed; to immerse for a religious purpose. By baptism 
 therefore we must understand an immersion, whose 
 design, like that of the Levitical washings, and puri- 
 fication, was united with the washing away of sin." 
 
 (9) Dr. Anthon, one of America's best classical 
 scholars: "The primary meaning of the word is to dip, 
 or immerse, and its secondary meanings, if it ever had 
 any, all refer to the same leading idea. Sprinkling 
 
 , and pouring are entirely out of the question^ 
 
 (10) Scapula: "To merge, to immerse; also dye, 
 
174 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 as we immerse things for the purpose of coloring or 
 washing them.'' 
 
 (ii) Green: "To dip, to immerse." 
 
 (12) DoNNEGAN, "To immerse repeatedly in a 
 liquid, to submerge." 
 
 (13) Greenfield: "To immerse, to immerge, to 
 submerge, to sink." 
 
 (14) Groves: "To dip, to immerse, to immerge, 
 to plunge." 
 
 (15) Schleusner: "Properly to immerse, to dip, 
 to immerse in water." 
 
 (16) Robinson: "To dip in, to sink, to im- 
 merse." 
 
 (17) Bagster: "To dip, to immerse, to cleanse 
 or purify by washing; to administer the rite of bap- 
 tism." 
 
 (18) Stokius: "Properly speaking it is a dipping 
 or an immersion in water." 
 
 (19) Webster, in his unabridged,- gives the pri- 
 mary meaning, "To dip." 
 
 (20) Encyclopoedia Britannica, Vol. III., Page 
 348: "To dip or wash," 
 
 (2 1 J F. Brenner, in a very learned work, says: 
 "For 1300 years was baptism generally and ordi- 
 narily performed by the immersion of a man under 
 water, and only in extraordinary cases was sprinkling 
 or affusion permitted. These latter methods of bap- 
 tism were called in question and even prohibited." 
 
 (22) Cardinal Gibbons, the foremost of American 
 Catholics, says: "For several hundred years after 
 the establishment of Christianity,baptism was usually 
 conferred by immersion; but since the twelfth cen- 
 tury the practice of baptizing by affusion has prevailed 
 in the Catholic Church, as this manner is attended 
 with less inconvenience than baptism by immersion." 
 
 (23) Bishop Potter, of New York, in a recent 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 1 75 
 
 letter, says: "I am quite free to say that the literal 
 meaning of baptizo^2J^ ordinarily found in classical 
 writers, is usually to plunge, to dip, immerse, or what- 
 ever word you want to strengthen your position." 
 
 (24) Bishop Keane, President of the Catholic Uni- 
 versity at Washington, D.C., says: "The best diction- 
 aries show the classical meaning cf the Greek word 
 baptizeiit is primarily to plunge, to dip.'' 
 
 (25) Bishop Coxe, Editor of the American edition 
 of the Ante-Nicene Fathers, says: "The word {bap- 
 tizo) means to dip." 
 
 (26) John Calvin, the founder of Presbyterianism, 
 says: "The word baptize signifies to immerse, and it 
 is certain that the rite of immersion was observed by 
 the ancient church." {Inst.^ Book ^, ck, 75.) 
 
 (27) John WESLEY,the founder of Methodism, says 
 in his Journal, Vol.1., p. 20, under date of Feb. 21, 
 1736: "Mary Welch, aged 11 days, was baptized 
 according to the custom of the first church, and the 
 rule of the Church of England, by immersio7z. The 
 child was ill then, but recovered from that very hour." 
 And in his comments on Rom. 6:4, he says: "Buried 
 with him^ — alluding to the ancient manner of baptiz- 
 ing by immersion." 
 
 (2S) Martin Luther said: "Those who are bap- 
 tized should be deeply immersed.'' 
 
 (29) DoLLiNGER, says: ''Baptism by immersion 
 continued to be the prevailing practice of the church 
 as late as the 14th century." 
 
 (30) Prof. MosesStuart, of Andover, says: The mode 
 of baptism by immersion, the Oriental (Greek) Church 
 has always continued to preserve, even down to the 
 present time. The members of this church are accus- 
 tomed to call the members ot the Western churches 
 sprinkledChristians^hy way of ridicule and contempt." 
 
 Here is a splendid array ot evidence, and had I the 
 
176 
 
 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 time I might easily double it, for all the best author- 
 ities of the world are agreed as to the meaning of 
 baptizoyihe^ovd our Saviour used in the Great Com- 
 mission. When it comes to a question of scholar- 
 ship, of fact, they are compelled to agree, no matter 
 what church they represent. I am aware that many 
 good and great men think that immersion is not ab- 
 solutely necessary; that sprinkling or pouring will do 
 just as v/ell. But I question any man's right to sub- 
 stitute his think so for God's plain say so. It seems 
 to me sminl presumption. And for my part it seems 
 to me that if I were in your place I would not re- 
 main contented as a "sprinkled Christian" twenty- 
 four hours. I would obey the Lord Jesus in this mat- 
 ter rather than man. 
 
 So I leave the matter with you and your God, but 
 beg of you to come, believe, repent, confess, and be 
 Scripturaily baptized. It is the Lord's own way, and 
 hence the only true way. If you honestly follow this 
 way you will gain peace of soul and the full assurance 
 for which your poor heart craves to-night. Come, 
 therefore, and be honest with God, be honest with 
 self. Settle the matter once for all, and settle it 
 right! The Bible teaches that immersion is the only 
 form of Christian baptism. The best scholars of 
 earth admit that it was the Apostolic practice. All 
 churches accept it as genuine. Then why wait? Be 
 immersed at once in the name of the Father, Son, and 
 Holy Spirit, and you will never doubt again! 
 
EXCUSES. 
 
 "Then said he unto him: A certain man made a great feast and 
 bade many; and sent his servants at supper time to say to them that 
 were bidden: Come, for all things are now ready. And they all 
 with one accord began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I 
 have bought a piece of ground and I must needs go and see it; I 
 pray thee have me excused. And another said: I have bought five 
 yoke of oxen and I go to prove them; I pray thee have me excused. 
 And another said: I have married a wife and therefore I cannot 
 come. So that servant came and showed his lord these things. Then 
 the master of the house being angry said to his servant: Go out 
 quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in hither the 
 poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant 
 said; Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is 
 room. And the Lord said unto the servant: Go out into the high- 
 ways and hedges and compel them to come in; that my house may be 
 filled. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were 
 bidden shall taste of my supper. And there went great multitudes 
 with him." Luke 14:16-25. 
 
 Mr, Moody, I believe, once remarked that "all 
 excuses are lies." I could hardly endorse the great 
 evangelist in so sweeping a statement. I believe that 
 some excuses are honestly made, and w^ith the best 
 intentions; but I believe that the vast majority of ex- 
 cuses are false. They do not correspond with facts. 
 
 Many a young man sometimes gives an excuse 
 which he knov/s is not reasonable. Conscience com- 
 mands him to do something that appetite, passion, 
 or pride prefer not to do, and he feels that he must 
 make some excuse. He advances an argument which 
 he knows is not con.^^isient, and so the vast majority 
 
 177 
 
178 EXCUSES 
 
 of excuses are, as Mr. Moody says, lies. In some 
 matters, of course, there can be excuses that are 
 reasonable and worthy of notice. But when it comes 
 to this great question of the soul and its relationship 
 to the Lord Jesus Christ, I don't think there is any 
 reasonable excuse in the universe for non-obedience. 
 
 In this beautiful parable of the Marriage Feast, we 
 have an account of a very wealthy man making a great 
 feast for his son. I don't know how this man got 
 his money. Possibly by buying articles at a big dis- 
 count for cash and selling them at 400 per cent profit, 
 claiming all the time that he was selling at cost. That 
 is the way some people get rich nowadays. They 
 solemnly declare that they are selling you a piano or 
 a buggy at cost, and to prove their statement bring 
 out a catalogue and shovv^ you the net price. But 
 they fail to inform you that from said price there 
 is a discount of 50 per cent if paid within 30 days ! An 
 old proverb truly says, "There are tricks in all 
 trades.^' There is a great deal of m.ental reservation 
 in this modern way of ''selling at cost." Many ad- 
 vertisements are merely endless chains of deception. 
 I once heard Professor Radford say that "all kinds of 
 deceiving is lying.'' 
 
 It may be that the nobleman of this parable got 
 rich buying up all the corn in Judea and then holding 
 it until it trebled in value — what is term.ed in modern 
 parlance, cornering the market. Or it may be he got 
 rich loaning money at extortionate rates of interest. 
 Many do this in the present decade, and when the 
 assessor comes around in the spring, you would think 
 they were the very poorest men in the country, for 
 they having nothing taxable — thei}' prope^'ty is ahvays 
 in some othei' person' s name. 
 
 There was an old farmer who had a great deal of 
 trouble keeping his grain bags at home. His neigh- 
 
EXCUSES 
 
 179 
 
 bors would come for miles to borrow his "sacks," and 
 it became a serious annoyance. He studied and 
 studied how to remedy the matter, and finally, after 
 much cogitation, he discovered a successful plan. He 
 made a large box and marked it "U-S-E.'^ So when 
 his neighbors would come to borrow his sacks for a 
 few days, he would say, "Well now, it is really too 
 bad, but they are all in use to-day!" Of course he 
 referred to his pet box, but the would-be borrower was 
 left ignorant of the true status of affairs. The sacks 
 were in use with a in€7ttal reservation. 
 
 That was one way of accomplishing a legitimate 
 purpose, but would it not have been better to have 
 said that he did not like to loan his sacks? I believe 
 it would have paid the old fellow to have been hon- 
 est, as he undoubtedly lost the friendship and con- 
 fidence of his neighbors when they found out his trick, 
 
 Well, this nobleman of the parable was evidently 
 
 a rich man, and I presume that he amassed his for- 
 tune by practicing some such scheme as those just 
 mentioned. And yet he may have got it honestly, 
 for there are a few rich people in the world who 
 gained their competence honestly. But the probabil- 
 ity is that if he was worth a million dollars or more 
 he got it dishonestly. It is said — and I believe truly 
 so—that no man can make a million dollars honestly 
 in his lifetime. The time may come within a hun- 
 dred years when one can, but it can't be done now. 
 
 At any rate this man was rich, and his son was go- 
 ing to be married, and the father determined to 
 spread a splendid supper. He would make a grand 
 affair of the occasion, and excel all similar events in 
 the history of the city. Said he to his wife, "Our 
 neighbor on the left had a big wedding for his son, 
 but we m.ust have something a good deal better than 
 that. And you remember our neighbor on the right 
 
l8o EXCUSES 
 
 also made quite a display for his son. So we must 
 show them that they do not know even the first 
 principles of a *sweir wedding." With this I imag- 
 ine he commenced to enlarge and beautify his place. 
 He engaged a force of painters, and furniture repair- 
 ers and carpenters, and went to work. In a few days 
 his mansion was overhauled from garret to cellar, 
 inside and outside. His fences and lawns and sta- 
 bles were also given attention. At last everything was 
 ready and he said, "Now we will send out invita- 
 tions." Calling in his head servant he said, "Go over 
 to Judge Blank's and invite him to my son's wed- 
 ding." The servant went and said, "My master 
 sends his compliments and wants to see you and your 
 wife at the wedding." 
 
 "At the wedding!" exclaimed the Judge. "Who 
 is going to be married?" 
 
 "My Master's son— next Wednesday." 
 
 "Well, well," grunted the Judge, looking at his 
 notebook, "I am very sorry, but I have another en- 
 gagement for Wednesday. I have bought some lots 
 over in Joppa, and must go over and look at them. 
 I am very sorry, but tell your Master I will have to 
 be excused." 
 
 Now I fear that man was deceiving his neighbor. 
 He evidently did not give the true reason for wishing 
 to be excused. It is probable that there was a little 
 jealousy between his family and that of the noble- 
 man, and he didn't have any great interest in the 
 latter's son's wedding, — but he would send his re- 
 grets and keep up appearances. 
 
 Another servant was sent over to the Hon. Mr. 
 High-flyer's. After the usual bowing and scraping 
 he said, "Come over to the wedding next Wednes- 
 day." 
 
 "Who is going to be married?" 
 
EXCUSES l8l 
 
 "My Master's son John." 
 
 "Well, I am glad to hear that, for John is a good 
 fellovv^ — whom is he going to marry?" 
 
 "Miss Elite." 
 
 "That is a splendid match indeed, but I fear it will 
 be impossible for me to be there, as I have an impor- 
 tant engagement lor that day." 
 
 "Well, that is too bad, for my Master will be 
 sorely disappointed. As he will want to know the 
 reason, what shall I tell him.?" 
 
 "Tell him I have bought five yoke of oxen and I 
 have to go Wednesday to prove them." 
 
 Now that was evidently a falsehood, for you would 
 never catch a Jew buying a yoke of oxen without 
 knowing beforehand that they were worth all that 
 he paid for them. Whatever his reason was he with- 
 held it from the servant. But desiring to keep up 
 appearances he formed the best excuse he could 
 think of and thus politely refused the invitation. 
 
 Another servant called at the home of Professor 
 Sleek, a young man who had recently entered upon 
 life's sterner duties. He and John had been college 
 friends, and both had wanted to marry the same girl, 
 but the Professor won her. So when the servant de- 
 livered the invitation, a haughty spirit took posses- 
 sion of the proud victor. 
 
 "What, John going to be married.? Well, good 
 for him; I would be delighted to go, but really now, I 
 can't, for I have just got married myself, and there- 
 fore I cannot come." 
 
 i\nybody knows that this excuse is not reasonable, 
 for if there is any event on the face of the green earth 
 that a young married woman, or an old one either, 
 delights in celebrating, it is a wedding. And yet this 
 doughty young Professor laid the blame all on his 
 wife ! 
 
l82 EXCUSES 
 
 Now all these excuses were transparently unrea- 
 sonable. The whole sum and substance of the mat- 
 ter is that those dignitaries who were invited did not 
 want to go. When the servants returned from their 
 fruitless mission and delivered the particulars to their 
 Master he v/as much incensed, and said, "Very well, 
 if my bon-ton neighbors cut me like that, go out into 
 the city and invite everybody. Bring in the poor, 
 the lame, the halt and the blind — invite everybody. 
 Tell them to come to the wedding, for my banquet 
 hall must be full." 
 
 And the servants said, "Lord, it is done as thou 
 hast commanded, and yet there is room." 
 
 And the nobleman said, "Go out quickly and com- 
 pel them to come in." 
 
 We are not told the final result, but I suppose the 
 banquet hall was filled, and they had a royal wed- 
 ding. 
 
 The application is very simple: God invited his 
 chosen people, the Israelites, to the service of his 
 son, but they would not come. John gives a touch- 
 ing account of their refusal in what I think to be one 
 of the saddest verses in the Bible,— "He came unto 
 his own and his own received him not." (John i:ii.) 
 Upon their refusal God said to his servants, "Go out 
 quickly then into all the world and preach the gos- 
 pel to everybody. Go to the Gentiles as well as to 
 the lost sheep of the House of Israel and compel 
 them to come to the feast." He does not send us 
 out with swords and shot-guns to compel the people 
 to come in. No, no! We are not to compel by phys- 
 ical force, but by the force of a loving sympathy and 
 living truth. This force is equal to every emergency, 
 for it is the power of heaven itself. 
 
 God's only begotten Son is to be married, and 
 the great banquet is to be served in the halls of 
 
EXCUSES 183 
 
 heaven. It is being prepared now for that great com- 
 pany who have accepted and will yet accept the in- 
 vitation delivered by His servants. Yes, God's Son 
 is to be married to his Church! 
 
 In this connection is beautifully shown the wonder- 
 ful relationship we hold to the Son of God. Paul 
 speaks of the Church as the Bride, and Jesus as 
 the Bridegroom. What does a bride usually wear? 
 Why, spotless white, of course. And she is sup- 
 posed to be as pure as the angels of heaven, full of 
 love and trust. All the time of the engagement, 
 w^hether one year,five years,or ten years, doesn't the 
 bridegroom expect the bride to remain perfectly 
 loyal to him? And in like manner we should be 
 clothed in garments of righteousness and be ready to 
 go in unto Christ to the great wedding feast of eternal 
 love and happiness. The spacious halls of glory are 
 being rapidly filled. Thousands and tens of thou- 
 sands have already gone on before us and are sitting 
 down at the great banquet tables. The Great King's 
 servants have gone to almost every nation under the 
 sun and are inviting the whole human race to come. 
 Oh, what a gathering that will be when at last the 
 task is done! 
 
 As one of God's servants I invite you to-night to 
 Come. I invite you to get ready for the great feast. 
 I invite you to accept my Master's precious invita- 
 tion. I have been pleading with you for weeks now 
 to get ready for this event of all events. Many 
 have come and have put on the robes of righteous- 
 ness and are prepared to stand at the Father's right 
 hand. But many others have said, "No, we won't 
 com.e/' Not in words have you said this,but by ac- 
 tions. And my purpose to-night is, if possible, to 
 search out your excuse for this dangerous course, and 
 show vou how unwarranted it is. 
 
184 EXCUSES 
 
 In my work among the people I have preached to 
 hundreds and thousands, and I find very few if any 
 young people who do not expect sometime to become 
 Christians; and very few old people but what expect, 
 sooner or later, to prepare for the great Judgment 
 Day. My brethren say my work has been very suc- 
 cessful, and yet of the thousands who have heard me 
 I presume that less than ten per cent have accepted 
 the gospel invitation. They all intend to accept it 
 some day, but fully ninety per cent refuse to do so for 
 the time being. I presume it is so with other 
 evangelists. 
 
 Why do ninety per cent, of the unsaved go away 
 postponing the matter so indefinitely? I will give you 
 a few of the many excuses I have heard and see if I 
 can show you their utter futility. I believe that I can 
 show you that every excuse for staying away from 
 Jesus is contrary to reason and contrary to Scripture, 
 
 First, I approach a young man, and say, "Why 
 don*t you come to Christ? You are twenty-one 
 years old; your father and mother have been faithful 
 Christians before you, and you have bright prospects 
 for life. Why don't you come to Christ? Your de- 
 voted mother stood up here the other niorning and 
 asked us to pray for you. You are letting this meet- 
 ing pass without accepting Jesus. Oh, why don't 
 you come?" 
 
 "Well, the truth is I want to sow my wild oats 
 first. After I have all the fan I want in youth I will 
 settle down. But I don't think there is any necessity 
 for me to worry about my soul just at present." 
 
 Do you know that almost 95 per cent of the young 
 men of the United States are not Christians? It has 
 been estimated that only 5 per cent of the young men 
 of the country are nominal followers of Jesus. About 
 75 per cent never darken a church door from one 
 
EXCUSES 185 
 
 month's end to another. A vast majority of our 
 young men are sowing their wild oats, and I presume 
 there can be found no more common excuse among 
 this class for not becoming Christians — for not ac- 
 cepting the invitation to the marriage feast of the 
 Lamb. While one of the most common, it is also 
 one of the most dangerous of excuses. Mr. Hughes, 
 in his story of Tom Brown at Oxford, calls it the 
 devir s maxi7n. He says, "Take it all in all, in all 
 the wide range of accepted British maxims, there is 
 none more abominable than this one, as to sowing of 
 wild oats. The only thing to do with wild oats is to 
 put them carefully into the hottest part of the fire 
 and get them burnt to dust, every seed of them.'' Re- 
 member that whatsoever you sow that shall you also 
 reap, and nothing else. If it is bad seed that you 
 sow, it will be a bad harvest that you will reap. It 
 does not take very much reasoning to prove the truth- 
 fulness of this conclusion. Mr. Hughes is right. And 
 a greater than Mr. Hughes has said, "God is not 
 mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he 
 also reap." (Gal. 6:7.) I tell you, young man, if you 
 sow idleness, the probability is that you will reap 
 poverty in middle life and old age. If you sow dis- 
 sipation, you cannot fail to gather its fruits of bitter- 
 ness in after years. If you sow blasphemy, you will 
 reap opprobrium. The young man who gives way 
 to passion, appetite and lust, will find himself, Vv^hen 
 old, with poisoned body and wicked mind, and it will 
 take years and years, if he ever succeeds, to wipe 
 the stains from his soul. 
 
 Oh, don't sow anything that you don't want to 
 reap! Sow seed that will keep you respectable and 
 useful and bring you a rich harvest of felicity. Don't 
 stay away from Christ for the purpose of sowing wild 
 oats! It is the most foolhardy thing you ever con- 
 
l86 EXCUSES 
 
 templated doing. Sow the good seed of obedience to 
 Christ and reap an abundant crop of peace and joy and 
 love. 
 
 All things being equal, the young man in the church 
 has the "inside track"to-day. The pastor was recently 
 telling me about a certain young man in this church 
 who occupied an important position on the pay car 
 of a great railway corporation. He was taken ill after 
 several years of service, and the authorities came to 
 the church for another to fill his place. Shrewd 
 business men want honest, trustworthy employees, and 
 when there is a vacancy at their command they look 
 for some one to fill it who has good moral principles. 
 From a business standpoint alone you can't afford to 
 remain away from Christ. To join the church and 
 live up faithfully to your profession is to reap an 
 abundant harvest of prosperity. 
 
 Turning to another 1 say, "Why don't you come.? 
 We have been praying for you, lo, these many days. 
 Why don't you accept the invitation to the marriage 
 feast of the Lamb.?'' 
 
 Listen to a familiar reply. "I think it is my duty, 
 but I don't /^^/ like it just yet." 
 
 Ah, and is that your excuse.? In what passage of 
 the Bible does it say you must/^^/like it before obey- 
 ing the commands of God.? Please place your finger 
 on the chapter and verse! Does the Apostle Paul 
 or Peter say anything dJoowi feeling ]VLSt right? Did 
 Philip the evangelist ever say it wouldn't do to be- 
 come a Christian till you y>^/ just so and so? 
 
 No, my friends. You can't go to heaven on feel- 
 ing. Of course you can't go without feeling. The 
 virtue, if you wish to call it such, is all right in its 
 place — I wouldn't take away anything from feeling 
 that belongs to it. But it is ,a ruinous error to 
 imagine that you can go to heaven by feeling alone, 
 
EXCUSES 187 
 
 and if you stay away from Christ it is probable the 
 devil will make it his business to keep you from ever 
 feeling like obeying the truth. 
 
 I remember a few years ago, in one of my revivals, 
 a young lady came to our service night after night, 
 but persistently refused the invitation. I talked Vvith 
 her several times, and some of the personal workers 
 conversed with her. But she said, "I don't feel like I 
 think I ought to feel when I accept the Lord.-^ I 
 assured her that she was waiting for a feeling that 
 she would never get, or which if she should get, it 
 would do her no good, I pleaded with her to go 
 ahead and do what was right, to believe and obey 
 the Master, after which she would feel all right. She 
 finally decided affirmatively and soon found rest and 
 peace in the bosom of the Master. 
 
 And so I say to you that if you wait till you feel 
 like it, you may wait until your dying day. Many 
 poor souls have waited fifty, sixty, and even seventy 
 years without this feeling you hear so miuch about, 
 and while they w^ere waiting there was a hell Wciiting 
 too. Oh, what a mistake it is to wait for some 
 peculiar feehng! Why,if you believe that God's \Vord 
 is true; if you understand that without Jesus you are 
 lost; and if you realize that He wants you to come, 
 and to come whether you are worthy or not, then 
 
 COME WHETHER YOU FEEL LIKE IT OR NOT. 
 
 We often have to do things we don't like doing. 1 
 remember that when I was a farmer-boy I often did 
 not feel a bit like getting up at sunrise, but I had to 
 do it, and I was much healthier and was able to do 
 much more work than if I had lain in bed until eight 
 or nine o'clock. And I wish to impress upon you 
 the fact, my dear young friends, that you will be a 
 good deal healthier spiritually, and will be able to do 
 more good in your journey through this vale of tears, 
 
l88 EXCUSES 
 
 if in the morning of your life you consecrate your all 
 to Him. God has not promised you good feeling be- 
 fore obedience to Jesus. Not until you have shown 
 your faith by your works should you expect that good 
 feeling which is so prominent a part in the experience 
 of every blood-bought soul. Do not try to get the cart 
 before the horse in this matter, but arise promptly 
 and obey the commandments of God's Book. Then 
 you will receive that joy from On High which sur- 
 passes anything this world can offer. 
 
 To a third I put the question, "Why don't you be- 
 come a Christian.? Christ invites you with all the 
 world to the marriage feast. Why don't you accept 
 his invitation?" 
 
 "Because there are so many backsliders,'^ comes the 
 hackneyed reply. "I would become a Christian, but 
 I am afraid I could not hold out." 
 
 If you honestly feel like that there is all the more 
 urgency that you should come at once. Your excuse 
 is a poor one, but your heart is pliable and we want 
 young men just like you in the Church to-day. That 
 there are inconsistent Christians I admit. It has been 
 so all along. Christ had twelve apostles and one of 
 them was a scoundrel, a thief, a murderer. And in the 
 ancient church of Corinth there was great wicked- 
 ness. At Ephesus there was once a church of five 
 thousand members, but nearly all turned away; yet 
 some died and went to glory. "Many are called, but 
 few are chosen." "Strait is the gate, and narrow is 
 the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be 
 that find it." 
 
 It is very unmanly for you to stay away from 
 Christ because you are afraid of backsliding. Your 
 excuse is practically a confession that you have the 
 knowledge and ability to become a Christian. If you 
 fail to use that ability you will be held responsible at 
 
EXCUSES 189 
 
 the Judgment, for our ability is the measure of our 
 responsibility. So don't stay away. If you are will- 
 ing to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal 
 Saviour, and to cling to His strong arm all along life's 
 pathway, there is no danger of backsliding. 
 
 Church members are often to blame for the prev- 
 alence of this excuse. Some one in the congrega- 
 tion says, "There is old Tom Smith, for instance; 
 he recently united with us,but I don't believe he will 
 ever hold out, for he is a pretty hard old case.'' Did 
 you ever see a father take his little babe from the crib 
 and, standing it on the floor, remark, "I don't believe 
 this child will ever walk; just see how it falls down! 
 No, it will certainly never walk, for it's six months old 
 and can't travel yet. No use trying, wife; just get 
 back in your crib and stay there, little youngster, for 
 you'll never succeed in getting about alone." 
 
 Did you ever hear a father talk that way? No, of 
 course not. But he gets down on the floor and holds 
 out his hands to the little one, and as it tries to come 
 to him and totters and falls, he lifts it up and comes 
 a little nearer. 
 
 "Now come to papa. Ah, that's a brave little 
 man!" 
 
 He knows that the child will learn to walk if it is 
 properly encouraged. Why can't elders and deacons 
 have just as much confidence in the babes in Christ 
 which take up their abode in our churches? Why 
 can't we encourage them, and if they fall, not give 
 them a kick, saying, "Just as I expected, I never 
 thought you would amount to anything anyhow!" but 
 help them up again with kind words and gentle 
 counsel? 
 
 You will not be a backslider if you do your duty, 
 my friend. If you will accept Christ's guidance. He 
 will lead you on safely. You can hold out if you try. 
 
190 EXCUSES 
 
 There is no need of backsliding, for the Lord has said, 
 "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee/^ Courage, 
 then! Stand by your leader,the Great Captain of our 
 Salvation. Trust Him, and He will lead you to 
 victory! 
 
 A fourth time I put the question, "Why don't you 
 become a Christian?" And I hear the cruel reply, 
 "Because there are so many hypocrites in the 
 Church/' 
 
 "How do you know there are hypocrites in the 
 Church?" 
 
 "Because I know a Christian when I see one." 
 
 Thus many admit that they know what it is to be a 
 true Christian, but they neglect becoming such them- 
 selves. Jesus says, "He that knoweth his Master's 
 will and doeth it not shall be beaten with many 
 stripes." 
 
 Hypocrites in the church ! Possibly there are, but 
 there will be no hypocrites in heaven! They will all 
 be in the other place, and that is where you will be 
 if you put off becoming a Christian, and all your life 
 long trample under foot God's precepts. You ought 
 to enter the service of Jehovah to-day. You ought to 
 come and receive the blessing He has in store for 
 you. 
 
 I don't like this habit some people have of harping 
 about hypocrites. It is very small business, and the 
 smaller and harder the heart the more successfully it 
 is carried on. If we knew all the circumstances sur- 
 rounding the lives we criticise it might be very differ- 
 ent. Perhaps you would not find so much fault if 
 you knew all the besetting sins and heart-rending trials 
 attending the life of this man, or that man of God. I 
 honestly believe there are many good people regarded 
 as hypocrites who will be in heaven a million years 
 before their persecutors. God alone knows the ob- 
 
EXCUSES 191 
 
 stacles your brother has to overcome, and I think it 
 is not very becoming of you to cry out, "Hypocrite, 
 hypocrite!" He is probably doing the very best he 
 can, and that is certainly very much better than you 
 are doing. It is unadulterated meanness for a man 
 who knows his duty and is not doing it to criticise 
 church members. If there is any class I delight in se- 
 verely lashing it is these self-satisfied, self-righteous 
 men who go up and down the earth snarling, "Hypo- 
 crite, hypocrite!" at some poor, stumbling church 
 member. I don't hate them, for I don't even hate 
 my enemies; but I do hate their ways with a right- 
 eous indignation. How puerile it is for any man who 
 knows what is right and yet don't do it to be all the 
 time criticising and finding fault with others who are 
 doing the best they can! Why, you ought to step out 
 and set us an example of truth and sobriety. I think 
 the devil must laugh in his sleeve when he gets his 
 grip on one of these self-righteous men. 
 
 Speaking of fault-finding when the circumstances 
 are unknown, I am reminded of a little story I once 
 heard Prof. Dungan relate: A gentleman and his 
 little daughter were speeding along through Iowa 
 over the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. The 
 little girl was crying. The father tried every way 
 he could think of to pacify her. But neither beauti- 
 ful picture books nor delicious sweet-meats sufficed to 
 accomplish his purpose. The child cried and cried 
 until the passengers became very nervous and began 
 to make remarks. Some said that if the child were 
 theirs they would give it a severe chastising, Vv'hile 
 others expressed a wish that the father and his squall- 
 ing daughter would get off the train. After awhile 
 they pulled up to a prominent station and the train 
 stopped for a few minutes. Having witnessed the 
 discomfiture of his fellow travelers, the gentleman 
 
192 EXCUSES 
 
 arose in his seat and said, "Friends, I know my little 
 girl annoys you with her crying, which I have endeav- 
 ored in vain to quiet. But I beg of you not to find 
 fault. A week ago to-day we passed along this road 
 and the little girl's mother was with us, and she was 
 happy. There were no tears on her bright little face 
 then, but songs and laughter. But to-day the dear 
 wife and mother is in a casket in the baggage car — 
 dead— and the poor child is crying for her mamma.'* 
 The passengers with one accord slunk down in their 
 seats, and not one of them found any more fault after 
 they learned the circumstances. 
 
 Always find out the circumstances surrounding a 
 case before you criticise. Here is a poor weak brother 
 who makes many crooked paths perhaps. But don't 
 be too hard upon him, for if you could realize what 
 terrible temptations he has to war against you 
 would be grateful to God on his behalf ^that he has 
 the courage and strength to do as well as he does. 
 If you know what is right and fail to do it, you will 
 receive the greater condemnation. 
 
 In the fifth place let me ask this young man, twen- 
 ty-five years old, "Why don't you accept this invita- 
 tion to the marriage feast of the Lamb?'' 
 
 "Well," comes the reply, "I am not settled in 
 life yet. As soon as I get more permanently situated, 
 I intend to connect myself with the Church." 
 
 Settled in life! Is that what you are waiting for? 
 If it is, you will probably wait forever, for I would 
 like to know who in all this broad land is settled in 
 life. Sometimes we think we are settled, but we are 
 not. To-morrow we tear up and move. Once again 
 in the new home we say, "Now we are settled. Here 
 we will rear and educate the children." But possibly 
 one of the children dies; or the health of the mother 
 is not good, and a change of climate is necessary, and 
 
, EXCUSES 193 
 
 once more we have to move. And so it goes all 
 through this earth-life. We are never settled here. 
 Paul truly remarks that "here we have no continuing 
 city, but we seek one to come," — "a city not made 
 with hands, eternal in the heavens." The only place 
 we will every be truly settled is at God's right hand. 
 We are all living in the future, — living in the work 
 we are going to do, in the pleasures we are going to 
 enjoy, and in the homes we are expecting to build. 
 There is no reason why you should wait to be settled 
 before becoming a Christian. This is a miserably 
 poor excuse. Ah! the best way to get settled is to 
 give your heart to Jesus, for no matter who you are 
 nor what are the circumstances surrounding your life 
 you will find in Him peace of soul and joy of heart. 
 So don't wait, but come promptly and commit your all 
 to Jesus! In his service there is fullness of joy, and 
 sweetness of rest which the world cannot give. 
 
 "And why don't you com.e to Christ.?" I say to a 
 sixth young man. 
 
 "I don't knov/ which church to join, sir. They all 
 claim to be right, and yet all are different." I have 
 been thinking about this matter till I am sorely per- 
 plexed. What shall I do?" 
 
 This is really perplexing to many, and if there is a 
 reasonable excuse in the whole lot this is the one. I 
 tell you, brethren, I cannot but sympathize with a 
 young man who makes this excuse from the heart. 
 
 Here is a little town of three or four thousand in- 
 habitants, for instance, and it has ten churches. A 
 stranger stopping at the hotel says to the landlord on 
 Sunday morning, "What church shall I attend to- 
 day.? I want to go where they have a first-class min- 
 ister and fine music." 
 
 "You can't miss it, sir; go where you will in our 
 ■town and you will find both requirements met," re- 
 
194 EXCUSES 
 
 plies the landlord, who is not very particular himself, 
 and who wants to be popular with everybody. 
 
 The stranger saunters forth. He hears a bell ring- 
 ing and it seems to say, "Come to church, come to 
 church, come to church!" "All right," he mentally 
 replies, "I guess I will go over there." He goes, and 
 finds a beautiful church indeed, with cushioned pew'S, 
 frescoed ceiling and painted windows with names and 
 mottoes, The preacher comes out in a long white 
 robe, which looks very much like a night-gown (but 
 itisn'4:!) The choir follows in elegant order and 
 artistically mouths a beautiful anthem. After a long 
 introductory program the clergyman proceeds with a 
 neat \\\.\\% preachine7it. During the sermon the mem- 
 bers of the choir write notes to each other and chevs^ 
 gum. If the preacher happens to make a mistake 
 in pronunciation or grammar they laugh, for they do 
 not belong to the church, and as they are paid just 
 to sing, vv^hy should they be particularly decorous after 
 their part of the worship (?) is over? 
 
 From the minister's sermon the stranger takes a 
 few excerpts. Among other things he says, "Be- 
 loved, it does not make any difference what church 
 you belong to, just so you are honest." And again, "If 
 you wish to enjoy a pleasant little parlor dance, or a 
 quiet game of cards at the home of a friend, you may 
 do so without religious scruples." The whole sermon 
 being along this line, evidently designed to catch the 
 membership of a select crowd of the religiously in- 
 clined, our stranger leaves without finding himself 
 much nearer the Kingdom. 
 
 The next Sunday he hears another bell ringing. 
 "Come to church! come to church! come to church!" 
 it seems to say, the peals following each other in 
 rapid succession. "That sounds like business," says 
 the seeker after light; "I believe Til go over there 
 to-day." 
 
EXCUSES igc 
 
 So with hat and cane he saunters forth again If 
 there is anything a young man likes it is business, go- 
 ahead-ativeness, push, and bounding energy I 
 wish our churches everywhere had more and more of 
 these elements entering into their make-up. It will 
 never do for a church to sleep. It will never do for a 
 preacher to give the people vague, not to say vain 
 philosophies as a regular diet. The days of pagan- 
 ism are well-nigh past. If we want to reach the 
 young men we must give them something tangible 
 and practical. 
 
 Stranger enters the church. It is a little late but 
 he is courteously shown a good seat. He sees a great 
 crowd of people, and they are all singing some of the 
 old Gospel Hymns. Presently the preacher takes 
 his place at the stand. After a few "Praise the 
 Lords!" and "Hallelujahs!" he announces as his text 
 the words of the apostle, "Believe on the Lord [esus 
 Christ and thou shalt be saved." But instead of 
 quoting from God's Word to prove that belief alone 
 IS the only requirement unto pardon, he reads from 
 a little black volume, Article IX., Page 20, the theory 
 of his church, "That we are justified by faith only is 
 a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort " 
 (M. E. Discipline ) This sounds very well but 
 Stranger, having been a faithful Sunday School 
 scholar throughout his childhood years, recalls that 
 the Apostle James says, "Faith without works is 
 dead, being alone. " 
 
 I sometimes wonder how these good people get ud 
 so much steam. The Methodist church is one of the 
 hardest working religious bodies in the world and 
 yet they minimize the value of work in the soul's 
 salvation. But this is no more inconsistent than 
 their assertion. in Article II. of their creed, that Tesus 
 died to reconcile the Father to us, when Paul puts it 
 
T96 EXCUSES 
 
 just the other way. Then again Methodists have been 
 the champions of the mourner's bench system uf 
 "getting religion,'' and of the six months' probation 
 fallacy. So notwithstanding their earnestness, 
 Stranger, being a thinking man, says, "I can hardly 
 afford to take membership here, for they would com- 
 pel me to come in on six months' suspicion, and be- 
 fore my time was up I might backslide and so lose the 
 glorious privilege of becoming a full-fledged Christian," 
 
 He retires to his room and puts in what leisure 
 time he can command searching the Scriptures. The 
 next Sunday he hears another bell ringing. It rings 
 out very clearly and pleasantly the invitation the 
 polite church it represents seems to offer. It seems to 
 say, "Come to church, come to church, come to church 
 — to church!" He says to himself,"That is elegant, I 
 will drop in and see what they teach." Upon enter- 
 ing he realizes that he is in a beautiful building. In 
 all its appointments there is an air of aristocracy. 
 There is a wide vestibule. The floor slants forward, 
 opera house style, and back of the pulpit is a great 
 pipe organ. The preacher has spent four years at 
 college, and three years at the seminary. He is a 
 thoroughly polished pastor, — polished in dress, lan- 
 guage,and manners. His theme is "Predestination." 
 Taking the Presbyterian Confession of Faith as his 
 text, he argues very nicely therefrom that God ordains 
 that certain persons are to be saved, while certain 
 others are to be lost. Waxing eloquent he says (his 
 arms always rising and falling at the proper angle), 
 "It may be that this little babe was born to be lost. 
 No one can tell. Whom the Lord wants to curse he 
 will curse, and whom He wants to bless He will bless. 
 His decrees are ever arbitrary." 
 
 "Well," soliloquizes Stranger, as he returns to his 
 hotel, "what assurance can I have of redemption if 
 
EXCUSES 197 
 
 their theory is correct. Perhaps I'm one of the *non- 
 elect' and after I have swallowed all their theology I 
 will find myself lost at last. No, no, Mr. Parson, I 
 can't join your church. Your notions concerning 
 election, foreordination and the decrees chill my 
 soul.'' 
 
 And thus Stranger goes on for weeks without sat- 
 isfaction. Every church presents a different set of 
 doctrines, some of them diametrically opposed to each 
 other, and yet each and everyone claims to be right! 
 He naturally concludes that if the Bible is the true 
 basis from which to judge, these hundreds of churches 
 with their conflicting dogmas must be wrong. 
 
 "Well," says somebody, "why don't you join the 
 church nearest right?'' 
 
 And now let me tell you why, my friend. Because 
 it would be inconsistent to join any church that 
 teaches one thing as an essential doctrine not taught 
 in the Bible. If you want to join a church, why not 
 join the Church of Christ.? Don't be content with 
 joining something nearest right; but join that which is 
 right. If you will take the pains to investigate in the 
 light of the New Testament Scriptures, you can easily 
 find the Church our Lord set up. If you really desire 
 to become a member of God's household, don't join 
 any of human origin. Don't join any church with a 
 human name, or a human creed. Take the Bible as 
 your only guide in this matter, and you can make no 
 mistake. 
 
 Some one says, "I am going to move away out in 
 another State where there is no church of my choice. 
 Should I not cast in my lot with one of the sects un- 
 til I can do better.?" 
 
 To all such my reply has been. Don't do it. Even 
 
 if you live five hundred miles from any Christian 
 
 • Church, don't unite with a church with a human name, 
 
198 EXCUSES 
 
 and thus become a partner in the perpetuation of di- 
 visions, which Paul condemns, (i Cor. 1:10). I 
 would live 500 years outside of any local church con- 
 nection, except as a visitor and nominal helper, be- 
 fore I would take membership v^ith any sect. I believe 
 there are Christians in all the churches, but I would 
 to God that they could be induced to leave off their 
 human names, and take their human creeds and burn 
 them, and thus remove one of the greatest of all 
 hindrances to the world's conversion. There should 
 be only one church, and that the Church of Christ, 
 which is also called the Church of God, and in Reve- 
 lation the Church of the First Born. I don't care 
 which of these names you call it, for they are all used 
 in the New Testament. I plead with you to join the 
 church that is rights not the one that is "nearest" 
 right. I don't like to hear our people say, "I think 
 we are ^nearest' right." Why should we be timid or 
 compromising.^ We ought to know that if the Bible 
 is right, we are right, for the Bible is our only rule of 
 faith and practice. If the Bible is wrong, then we 
 are wrong. But that remains to be proven. The 
 teaching of the Bible is clear and plain. Take it as 
 the man of your counsel, dear Stranger, and do what 
 it tells you to do in God's own appointed way. Don't 
 make the weak and vain excuse any longer that you 
 "don't know what church to join." Join the Church 
 of Christ,-— the church pictured so beautifully in the 
 pages of the New Testament,— the church Vv^hich was 
 opened on Pentecost — the church which was dedi- 
 cated by the life-blood of our own dear Lord! 
 
 I say to a seventh young man, "Why don't you 
 accept the invitation God gives you to the marriage 
 feast of the Lamb?" 
 
 "I am waiting for a call." 
 
 Waiting for a call.!' Waiting for a call.'' Waiting 
 
EXCUSES 199 
 
 for God to come and knock you down, figuratively 
 speaking, and compel you by sheer force to become 
 a Christian? Do you think the Creator is going to 
 stop the movement of the planets to convert you? 
 Oh, no. Don't wait for some mysterious, miraculous, 
 special call. You are not important enough for that. 
 When David could say, "What is m.an that Thou art 
 mindful of him, or the son of man that Thou visitest 
 him?'^ I feel sure that Jehovah will not stop all the 
 machinery of the universe and suspend every law of 
 heaven and earth just to convert you. And yet some 
 people act as if they expected something of that 
 nature must occur before they could really come to 
 Christ. 
 
 Waiting for a call ! ' Why God has called you 
 eighteen hundred years ago. He has been calling 
 you all through the ages. The history of Christianity 
 is a loud call. The divinity of Jesus Christ is a loud 
 call. The writhing of your conscience as you think 
 of your many sins is a loud call. "Come,'' says the 
 Son of Man, "for all things are now ready." The 
 marriage feast is being spread. Millions upon millions 
 of redeemed children of men are being gathered in 
 and yet there is room for a mighty host yet to 
 come. 
 
 Your excuse is that you are waiting for a call. 
 Well, listen: Christ says, "Come unto me all ye that 
 labor and are heavy laden.'' And in the last chapter 
 of the Bible we learn that "the spirit and the bride 
 say, come. And let him that heareth say come. And 
 let him that is athirst, come. And whosoever will, 
 let him take the water of life freely." (Rev. 
 22:17.) 
 
 You have been called many times. This may be 
 
 •your last chance. God will not always wait. Says 
 
 the Psalmist, "He will not always chide, neither will 
 
200 EXCUSES 
 
 he keep his anger forever." So don't wait any longer, 
 dear unsaved friend, but answer heaven's many calls 
 to you now! 
 
 To an eighth person, a lady, I say,"Why don't you 
 become a Christian? The King of Glory invites you. 
 Why not?'' 
 
 "Well, "she replies,"! am waiting for my husband." 
 
 Let me remind you, my sister, that the Word of 
 God teaches us to go ahead and do our duty no mat- 
 ter what others do. We cannot go to heaven for 
 each other. We must go individually if we go at all 
 — every one for himself. The best way to win your 
 husband is to come and do your duty. You can do 
 ten times as much towards winning him to Christ 
 from within the fold as you can from without. 
 
 Another says,"I am waiting for one of my friends." 
 I believe thousands of souls are lost in that way. It 
 is a snare of the devil. I beg of you to avoid it. If 
 you will come and do your duty you will have much 
 greater influence with your friends, There is a great 
 power in a life of prayer. But what influence have 
 you now? Your friends may well say, "Physician, heal 
 thyself." Oh, let no husband wait for his wife; let 
 no wife wait for her husband ; let no friend wait for 
 his friend, but let each accept the gladsome message 
 of love without delay. Make no longer the vain ex- 
 cuse, "waiting." 
 
 In the ninth place I say to a father or mother, 
 "Why don't you let your little son and daughter come 
 to Christ?" 
 
 "Oh, because we think they are too young." 
 
 I suppose that excuse is made thousands of times 
 to evangelists. Only last winter,in one of my meet- 
 ings in a college town, a young lady, fifteen years old, 
 made the good confession, and her many friends were 
 so happy, for she was a noble and talented girl. But 
 
EXCUSES 20I 
 
 her father objected to her baptism, saying that she 
 was "too young. '^ Two years before, an older sister 
 had desired to become a Christian and the father 
 had said, "Too young/* Now that daughter is a 
 young lady, and she is an infidel. 
 
 Oh, parents, if your children are eight, nine, ten 
 or twelve years old, and want to come to Christ, I 
 plead with you not to put a straw in their way. A 
 child is not too young to obey the blessed gospel if 
 its conscience says, ''I ought to be a Christian!" If 
 its little heart yearns to accept Christ, we should 
 never be found standing in the way. 
 
 "But,'' says one, "I am afraid it will not under- 
 stand." 
 
 Pray tell me, who in this world does fully under- 
 stand what it means to accept the Lord? There has 
 never yet been a soul converted to Christ who under- 
 stood all about it. Take those old Christians who 
 have been reading the Bible forty, fifty, and some 
 sixty years — poring over the precious precepts and 
 promises of God again and again — ask them if they 
 fully understand. Paul, you remember, says, "Great 
 is the mystery of Godliness." But if a little boy or 
 girl understands that he or she needs a Saviour; and 
 without Christ they cannot go to heaven; that is 
 enough, let them come. 
 
 Sometimes when only a few children are converted 
 during a series of special meetings, the effort is con- 
 sidered almost a failure. But this is a great error. 
 The vast majority of those who come to Christ come 
 in the morning of life. B. Fay Mills, the v/ell-known 
 evangelist, estimates that only one-per cent of all our 
 church people come to Christ after forty. Those who 
 come young make the best Christians. Isaac Errett, 
 .one of the greatest men in the current religious ref- 
 ormation, joined the church when he v. as nine years 
 
202 EXCUSES 
 
 old. Robert Moffatt, at the age of twelve, was the 
 only convert during a revival in an old Scotland 
 church. The dominie was sorely disappointed. In 
 announcing the final results of the effort, he said, 
 "Only one little lad/' Bat what did that little lad be- 
 come? Why, as everybody knows, the greatest mis- 
 sionary ever sent into x'\frica. It vvas Garfield, I be- 
 lieve, v/ho said that when he met an urchin on the 
 street he felt like lifting his hat, for there might be 
 wonderful possibilities buttoned up under that ragged 
 jacket. Let us do all we can to Vv^in the boys and 
 girls to Christ, for the children of to-day must be the 
 pillars of church and state to-morrow. 
 
 I remember while preaching at Manhattan, Kansas, 
 that a very little girl came forward one night in re- 
 sponse to the Gospel Invitation. She was just a mite 
 of a child, ten years old, I had not been in the min- 
 istry long and did not v/ant to make a mistake. Be- 
 ing afraid that the little thing was too young and ill- 
 informed as to the significance of the step she was 
 taking, I announced that the elders of the Church 
 would visit her before we proceeded to induct her 
 into the Kingdom, They would question her, and if 
 her answers were satisfactory, then we would baptize 
 her. This may seem strange to our young people of 
 to-day, but the older people will recall very forcibly 
 the old prejudice common among our people against 
 receiving little folks into church fellowship. Well, 
 the next day one of the most conservative elders and 
 myself went to the house of the little girl to talk with 
 her. We found her surrounded very unfavorably. 
 The father was a common laborer and a rough, wicked 
 man. The mother was a self-acknowledged back- 
 slider. But we found the little girl to be an exception- 
 ally bright child. She was very much in earnest about 
 becoming a Christian, and her little heart seemed 
 
EXCUSES 203 
 
 running over with love for the blessed Master who 
 had said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me 
 and forbid them not." Her answers to the questions 
 propounded were so satisfactory that we decided to 
 receive her without delay. So that same evening at 
 the close of preaching services I baptized her. I 
 shall never forget how Brother House, a faithful 
 deacon, picked her up in his strong hands and gently 
 lowered her to me as I stood waiting in the baptistry. 
 She was dressed in spotless white, and I thought I 
 had never seen any one look so pure, so angelic. 
 Well, Dolly, that was her name, came along to church 
 as regularly as she cculd, till by and by her father 
 moved with his family to a neighboring town, and I 
 saw no more of miy little convert. One day, a few 
 montho later, a good sister startled me by saying, 
 "Brother Hall, did you know Dolly Hull was dead.^" 
 ^^What,'^ said I, "Dolly Hull dead?'^ 
 "Yes, she passed away last week — ^typhoid fever.'^ 
 I want to tell you that I devoutly thanked God 
 from the bottom of my poor heart that I had not put 
 a strav/ between that child and^ Christ. And we 
 should never do so. If you keep them from coming 
 nov,^ while their hearts are ycung and pliable, they 
 may never come. So let us adopt the beautiful senti- 
 m.ent expressed in one of Professor ExcelTs hymns: — 
 
 "Open the door for the children, tenderly gather them in, 
 In from the highways and hedges, in from the places of sin; 
 Some are so young and so helpless, some are so hungry and cold, 
 Open the door for the children, gather them into the fold." 
 
 Oh, do not say again that your child is too young. 
 If he is ten or twelve years old, and has had average 
 training, he ought not to be kept out of the Church 
 forty-eight hours. Is he too young to die? No, Then 
 do not harbor longer the vain excuse that he is too 
 young to live for Christ. 
 
204 EXCUSES 
 
 To a tenth person I say, "Why don't you come to 
 Christ? Why will not you accept the invitation to 
 the marriage feast of the Lamb?" 
 
 And here comes the pitiable excuse, "I will some- 
 time, I want to be a Christian, and I certainly will 
 before I die." 
 
 But oh! how dare you postpone your coming? Life 
 is so uncertain and death so sure! God has never 
 made any promise to those who intend coming "some- 
 time," It is always nozv! "Now is the accepted 
 time" — "to day is the day of salvation." "Come, for 
 all things are now ready." "The King's business re- 
 quires haste." These are familiar expressions to the 
 student of God's Word. The promises are all for 
 those who accept to-day. In no place is there any 
 promise for those who wait till to-mor^'ow. 
 
 Did you ever think it is presumptuous in you to 
 say, "Sometime I will become a Christian.?" Some- 
 time may mean forever. Time is not your own, but 
 God's. And time once gone is gone forever! It can 
 never be returned. Oh, you had better accept Christ 
 now, TO-NIGHT, for it may be the last opportunity of 
 your life. God help you ! 
 
 "Lost! Yesterday, 
 Somewhere between sunrise and sunset, 
 
 Two golden hours! 
 
 No reward offered, 
 For they are gone forever!" 
 
 If you let the present opportunity to come to Christ 
 go by, it will be of no use to offer a reward for its 
 return some sad day when you grow old in sin, for 
 God himself could not consistently bring it back. He 
 may give you another opportunity, and He may not, 
 but it is certain that this one will never return. When 
 you say Sometime, do you realize what it means? 
 Why, it is equivalent to saying, "I will not accept 
 
EXCUSES 205 
 
 the invitation; I will not go into the banquet hall; 
 I am not ready to put on the wedding garment; I 
 want to wear the old filthy rags of self-righteousness 
 a little while yet; I want to revel in the fields of 
 wickedness, and bow at the shrine of appetite; then, 
 after awhile, I will endeavor to clean up and go to the 
 wedding feast of the Lamb," Pitiable excuse indeed! 
 Why make it longer? Why not come to-night and 
 throw off the old rags of disobedience, be washed in 
 the blood of the Lamb, and put on the wedding gar- 
 ment of holiness to the Lord? Then you will find 
 grace to help in every time of need. 
 
 No excuse for neglecting Jesus will be accepted. I 
 have given you only ten out out of hundreds that are 
 offered by those who know their duty but fail to do 
 it. I might go on until the last excuse was given, 
 but in the light of God's Word could not find one 
 that is consistent. God*s invitation is reasonable. His 
 urgent request to be present at the marriage of his 
 Holy Son is consistent in every way. He asks you 
 to do nothing that will not elevate you in all that is 
 good and beautiful and true. So I plead with you 
 to come to-night! Accept Christ now. The Church 
 is ready; the angels are ready; the Spirit is ready, 
 and Jesus says, "Come, for all things are now ready!" 
 Will you come.'^ 
 
HEAVEN. 
 
 "There is a world above, 
 Where parting is unknown; 
 A whole eternity of love 
 
 Formed for the good alone. 
 And faith beholds the dying here 
 Translated to that happier sphere. 
 
 Montgomery. (Friends.) 
 
 "There is a land where beauty cannot fade, 
 Nor sorrow dim the eye; 
 Where true love shall not droop nor be dismayed, 
 And none shall ever die." 
 
 Mary Howiti. (Song of Margaret. ) 
 
 I am glad to say to-night that nearly all the people 
 in this world believe every word I have just quoted 
 from these distinguished authors. I will not say that 
 everybody believes in heaven, but that fully ninety- 
 nine persons out of every hundred believe in a better 
 life beyond. It is a subject in which everybody is in- 
 terested — old and young, black and white, red and 
 yellow — all classes and all conditions are interested 
 in the discussion of the questions we have for con- 
 sideration to-night: 
 
 "Heaven — Where is it.? What is W, Who may 
 go there.? and, Shall we know each other there.?" 
 
 Now I am frank enough to say that this subject is 
 largely speculative in many of its phases. There is 
 not a shadow of doubt in the mind of any person 
 present,! presume, but that there is a heaven, for the 
 Bible teaches it emphatically. But there are some 
 things concerning the matter we will never fully 
 
 206 
 
HEAVEN 207 
 
 understand this side of the dividing line between life 
 and immortality. The human mind is only finite. 
 We are not strong enough yet to grasp all of this 
 subject. But even if our minds and hearts were 
 strong enough to endure all the wonderful warmth 
 and light emanating from this matchless them.e, God 
 thought it best to wait awhile, and not to reveal all. 
 He has revealed enough to us» however, thanks to 
 His Holy name, to give us most earnest longings for 
 that better world — tremulous yearnings for that 
 glorious place beyond. 
 
 Now let us look at God's Word and see what He 
 has revealed on this subject. There is a Heaven. 
 God's Book teaches us so from beginning to end. 
 He has also taught us through natural instinct that 
 there is a better place beyond; deep down in cur 
 souls he has implanted longings that cannot be ex- 
 pressed for a better, nobler, happier life; longings 
 for a place of exquisite and unending delight. This 
 world is full of sin and sorrow. It is often over- 
 whelmed with grief. It is a world of sickness, death 
 and dying, disappointment and pain. It is a world 
 of misunderstandings and remorse, a world that no 
 one cares to live in forever. We are all looking for- 
 ward. No one really lives in the present. We live 
 in the future. In one sense we are not inhabitants 
 living here, but we are living where we are going to 
 live—living in the house we are going to live in next 
 year, in the trip we are going to take, and in the 
 work we are going to do. We are talking about 
 these things all the time. They are our meat and 
 drink and sleep. Truly, we live in the future. 
 
 Well, this is comforting if not always profitable. 
 The world could not long stand without hope. And 
 it is good that those Vv-ho love the Lord should be ever 
 looking beyond where there will be no sin, sickness 
 
2o8 HEAVEN 
 
 and sorrow. The Indian longs for happier Hunting 
 Grounds. The heathen woman longs for the time 
 when she will be a man. Some long for one thing; 
 some for another; but all with one accord, saint 
 and sinner, Christian and heathen, are looking to- 
 wards the future, believing that it has in store richer 
 blessings than the present. 
 
 It is taught in our books. It is taught in our nur- 
 series. Our sages, priests and ecclesiastical potentates 
 everywhere teach it. Who would dare deny it .'^ Why, 
 even the skeptic believes in a future. A certain old 
 farmer in the country where I was brought up used to 
 say that he "didn't care what they did with him when 
 he died; they might take his body and throw it in 
 the hog pen." It was his way of expressing his con- 
 trariness to prevailing sentiment. But I am glad 
 to say that this old, gray-haired man finally got into 
 a habit he had never had before; he got to attend- 
 ing church regularly and giving attention to the 
 things of the Kingdom. 
 
 The nearer we come to the grave the more we 
 think of heaven. Sometimes standing over the grave 
 where a loved one lies there seems to be but a thin 
 veil between us and the future. Standing over the 
 corpse of his brother, the scoffer, Mr. Ingersoll, 
 was moved to say: "Hope sees a star and faith hears 
 the rustle of an angel's wing." Ah, in such moments 
 we all see a star and all hear the rustle of heavenly 
 wings. There is not a mother here who has buried a 
 child but expects to meet her darling again. There 
 is not a husband here who has buried his life's com- 
 panion but is looking to see her Over Yonder. There 
 is not a strong man or woman here who does not 
 expect in some better day and place to see that gray 
 haired father and mother, whom you laid beneath 
 the sod some five, some ten, some twenty years ago. 
 
HEAVEN 209 
 
 Oh, yes, I expect to see mother again; I make no 
 other calculations. God is on the affirmative side of 
 this question, and He has made every impulse of the 
 soul throb with the assurance of a happy meeting, and 
 all human instinct is on the side of there being a 
 better place beyond. 
 
 If this is so, where is that place? Now do you 
 think I am going to tell you exactly where it is 
 located, whether on Neptune, Venus, or Mars, or on 
 one of the four rings of Saturn? If you think I am 
 going to tell you just where it is — that is at just what 
 point in the universe — you are mistaken, for I am 
 noc here to answer so definitely. The facts of the 
 case are that God has not revealed to me or any 
 other living man the exact location of heaven, and I 
 don't dare speak positively here, for I don't know. 
 
 Some one says, "Well, I believe this earth will be 
 the future dwellingplace of the righteous." Do you? 
 Then I have no objections. Personally I don't 
 believe it. But if at last I shall find myself mistaken, 
 and that the Creator has made it the chosen place, 
 why, all right, I wcfn't make any fuss about it. If 
 the Lord says, "I have decided to purify and re- 
 model this old world, and let you and your loved ones 
 live here forever," I will reply, "Very well. Lord, 
 just as you say about it; it suits me very well." But 
 if the Lord shall say, "Look here: I have fitted up 
 a better place away yonder in the skies; you go up 
 there and dwell," I will reply, "All right, Lord, 
 I will not quarrel about where you put me. I know 
 it will be a good place, Lord; so wherever you put 
 me I will be satisfied." 
 
 The Bible says that Heaven will be "up," and that 
 is all we can know about it here. Heaven is never 
 spoken of in the Bible as down^ but always as ^^uf\ 
 Hence v;hen heaven is spoken of the gesture is 
 
2IO HEAVEN 
 
 always up. Did you ever hear of anybody's gestur- 
 ing downward when speaking of heaven, or upwards 
 when speaking of hell? No. Instinctively we all 
 point up when speaking of heaven.. Ask any little 
 child where heaven is, and note how quickly and 
 naturally it turns its eyes toward the deep blue sky. 
 
 But let us glance at a few Scriptures. Open first 
 at the Book of Job, 3:4. (Some scholars believe 
 it was v/ritten before Genesis.) "Let not God regard 
 it from above; neither let the light shine upon it.'* 
 
 Turn again to the Book of Deuteronomy, 30:12. 
 "Who shall go up for us to heaven?" And again in 
 the fourth chapter, the sacred writer declares that 
 "the Lord, he is God in heaven above^ 
 
 Go on through the Psalms and Proverbs, and the 
 books of the prophets, and you will find that the 
 words "up'' and "above'' are uniformly used when 
 reference is made to the location of Heaven. 
 
 Go over to the New Testament and it is always 
 the same. Take, for instance, the first chapter of Acts, 
 gfch verse: "And when he had spoken these things, 
 while they beheld, he was tak^i itp\ and a cloud 
 received him out of their sight." Notice that he was 
 not taken down, nor out, but up. Read also the 
 tenth and eleventh verses: "And while they looked 
 steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, 
 two men stood by them in white apparel; which 
 also said. Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing 
 up into heaven} This same Jesus, which is taken up 
 from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner 
 as ye have seen him go into heaven." The Apostles 
 were not told to look down into heaven, nor behind 
 into heaven, but up. 
 
 And again in 2 Cor. 12:4, Paul speaks of being 
 "caught up into Paradise." So all through the Bible, 
 wherever the location of God's Throne is spoken of, 
 
HEAVEN 211 
 
 wherever heaven, or the final home of the faithful 
 is spoken of, it is always up, never down. But at no 
 place does it tell us how far up, nor give us the 
 boundary lines. 
 
 How in accord is all this with human nature! It 
 is natural for man to look up to som.ething higher 
 and better. When a man is down in the gutter and 
 determines to do better, we speak of him as "com- 
 ing up.'* The man who has been unfortunate, and 
 ^sick and poor, but after awhile health returns, and he 
 begins to have a good bank account, we speak of 
 him as "getting up again.'' xA.ll the world is looking 
 up expectantly to a purer, happier and safer life. 
 When speaking of this mortal life we often say,"Down 
 here in this world of wickedness and sin." But 
 when speaking of immortality we use such expressions 
 as "going up to the throne of God," "up to the home 
 of the Eternal," "up to the portals of Glory," etc. 
 Animals look down for all they want, but the soul of 
 man looks up. 
 
 I could give you many more Scriptural references, 
 but I think those already presented sufficient. I 
 sometimes like to discuss somie phases of this sub- 
 ject from other standpoints anyway. 
 
 Some one inquires, "Brother Hall, do you believe 
 the soul sleeps after death until the Day of Judg- 
 ment.^" Our Adventist brethren think that it will. 
 They travel all over the country preaching and argu- 
 ing to this effect. But I don't believe a single word 
 of it. I can prove anything in the w'orld from the 
 Bible, by wresting words from their natural mean- 
 ing; but I don't believe that, by a legitimate use of 
 the Scriptures, anything can be proven in favor of 
 soul-sleeping. However, it is a question of little 
 'importance. If the Lord wants my soul to sleep in 
 the grave until the . Resurrection Morn, all right; 
 
212 HEAVEN 
 
 the time will seem short, for with God a thousand 
 years is as one day. My belief is that after we die 
 the soul will go directly into the company of Jesus and 
 the redeemed. Whether that will be in paradise or 
 heaven proper, I don't know and don't care. All 
 such questions are very speculative in their nature, 
 it seems to me, and we should not be dogmatic upon 
 them. Good men differ in their conclusions regard- 
 ing the matter, and it makes no difference, for they 
 are really and truly non-essentials for the present. 
 There are no commands bearing upon these ques- 
 tions, and it is the commands that are important. 
 Unless they are obeyed it will make no difference 
 where heaven is, for we couldn't enter anyhow. 
 
 Brother F. G. Allen, of Kentucky, a brilliant and 
 godly man, theorized that paradise meant heaven 
 and that the soul goes directly there. There are 
 some good scholars who believe this, and I simply 
 give you their idea. But probably the vast majority 
 think that paradise is an intermediate state where 
 the soul will wait after death until the Judgment and 
 then pass on to heaven proper. 
 
 But let me give you Henry Ward Beecher's idea. 
 Whether he was correct or not I cannot tell; it is 
 simply a theory. No man can prove it, but it impresses 
 me as being the finest theory I ever heard. The 
 great Brooklyn preacher believed that when the souls 
 of the righteous pass out of this world they are taken 
 to an intermediate place. And then when the Last 
 Great Day comes, the day of final jubilee, all that 
 have lived, from Adam down to the last man, shall 
 be gathered together from land and sea, and shall be 
 caught up to meet God before the Judgment throne. 
 
 Then those who have lived right, not only in this 
 little world, but in all the worlds in the Universe of 
 God, shall be assigned some great central place of 
 eternal abode! 
 
HEAVEN 213 
 
 Heaven be this poor little earth? This little planet, 
 infinitesimally insignificant when compared with the 
 wonderful w^orlds by w^hich we are surrounded? No. 
 I don't accept that notion. We know that no mortal 
 eye hath seen the grandeur, and no ear hath heard 
 of the splendor of that wonderful Home. So it seems 
 ridiculous to me to believe that this little world will 
 be selected as the place where all the children of God 
 will be gathered together from the four quarters of 
 the universe to glorify Him forever. I do not believe 
 that God has wasted all these mighty worlds we see 
 floating in space around us, but I believe we have 
 brothers and sisters, millions, billions, yea, decil- 
 lions of them, perhaps, residing on other planets. 
 These, wath all the redeemed from this world, shall 
 dwell together forever in that glorious land of eternal 
 bliss, wherever it is. That is my idea of heaven; 
 take it for what it is worth. 
 
 WHAT KIND OF A PLACE IS HEAVEN ? 
 
 People thought last week when we were opening 
 up this old amusement hall, and fixing it up for a 
 Tabernacle, that it was a pretty hard sort of a place 
 — a ridiculous place to attempt a religious work. At 
 first I suppose some passed by in disdain. But after 
 awhile they got courage to look in, and seeing a 
 choir, and a preacher, and a pulpit and a Bible, and 
 hearing gospel songs, and seeing hundreds of good 
 people here, they decided that it wasn't such a bad 
 place after all, and so here we are to-night doing a 
 great work, with God's blessing. The people have 
 found out that the Tabernacle is a good place after 
 all. 
 
 Well, what kind of a place is Heaven? Is it a 
 good place, a bad place, or an indifferent sort of a 
 
214 HEAVEN 
 
 place? That is what we want to know. And I am 
 glad that Revelation is very clear on this point. We 
 cannot say definitely where heaven is, but we can 
 say positively that it is a good place. Everywhere we 
 are taught to believe that it is a place of rest, a place 
 of peace, a place of exquisite joy! There will be no 
 sorrow there, nor pain of any kind, but only life and 
 light and love forever and forever! That's the kind 
 of a place it is. 
 
 WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO THERE .^ 
 
 I can't tell you. When a child I got the idea frprn 
 that old song our ancestors used to sing that when 
 we reached heaven we would stand around in long 
 robes^ — something like night-gowns— with palms in 
 our hands, and sing and fan forever and ever! 
 
 *'I want to be an angel, 
 And with the angels stand, 
 A crown upon my forehead, 
 A palm within my hand." 
 
 But I never sing that song, for I don't want to be 
 an angel; I want to be something better — a "king 
 and priest unto God.'' That is what the apostle 
 says we may become, and so we should not want to 
 be angels at all. 
 
 I don't like these old ideas of Heaven. It is all 
 wrong to imagine that we are to sit there with folded 
 hands forever and ever, doing nothing except per- 
 haps to take an occasional walk about the golden 
 streets. I tell you I work hard here, but I expect 
 to work infinitely harder hereafter. But, say! I 
 get tired here, but I won't get tired up there; that's 
 the difference. My work here is to preach and to 
 pray; but I will do neither up there. No, there will 
 not be a single sermon or prayer in heaven; it will 
 
HEAVEN 
 
 215 
 
 all be praise up there! We will probably continue 
 none of our present occupations in heaven; but the 
 Lord will have something else for us to do. Oh, 
 yes! We will doubtless continue singing. Professor 
 Powell says it is the only art practiced in this life, 
 however, which we will use in the life to come. But 
 there will be one great difference in our music here 
 and there. In heaven there will be no discords, naught 
 but perfect harmony. I believe we will continue 
 to sing. Waller somewhere says: 
 
 * 'For all we know 
 Of what the blessed do above, 
 Is, that they sing and that they love." 
 
 The Lord is not a lazy master, and I do not believe 
 he is going to keep us up there for millions and 
 millions of years with nothing to do. I believe Heaven 
 will be a place of tremendous activity; that every 
 single inhabitant will have something to do, and 
 something too, that will praise and magnify the name 
 of the Infinite One. There will be no "out-of-works" 
 up there. Heaven will be a place of unending em- 
 ployment, and yet, paradoxical as this may seem, a 
 place of perpetual rest. Mr. Gladstone thinks that 
 a change of occupation insures the sweetest rest. 
 But be this as it may, be assured, dear friend, that 
 Heaven will be a place of the largest bliss, and that 
 it v^ill be everlasting. 
 
 There won't be any saloon keepers or any gamblers 
 there; no oppressors of the poor; no thieves; no 
 liars; no blasphemers; no destroyers of virtue. There 
 will be no "prohibition won' t-prohibit men'^up there. 
 No, no. The Lord won't have any work for them in 
 Heaven, nor for any of the class from whom one joint 
 has been left out of the backbone. Heaven will be 
 made up of men w^ho have been redeemed from all 
 these things; men who have spent life in His service. 
 
2l6 HEAVEN 
 
 Heaven will be made up of workers, for God never 
 uses lazy people. He uses the" weak and foolish things 
 of this world to confound the wise and mighty," but 
 He does not use the lazy. He chooses to manifest 
 His strength through weakness often, but never 
 through laziness. Don't get the idea that you will 
 go to heaven if you do nothing here. 
 
 But I hear some one saying, "Mr. Hall, we don't 
 comprehend your talk. You just assured us that in 
 Heaven we will have perfect rest, and yet you tell 
 us there will be so much work to do. How is it?'^ 
 
 What is rest? Some Christians don't pray once a 
 month, they don't go to prayer meeting three times 
 a year, they don't attend the revival meetings, and, 
 in short, they don't do enough of anything to make 
 them tired; and yet they talk about rest. Why, poor 
 soul, you can't rest unless you are tired. I wish 
 some of you would work hard enough once to get 
 real good and tired in the Lord's work. It would be 
 a great thing for the Church and for yourselves too. 
 The man who plows all day, until every bone in his 
 body aches, can sit down in a stiff chair, or recline 
 upon a hard couch and enjoy sweet rest. The man 
 who works at the same occupation eight or ten or 
 twelve hours a day is tired and needs a change of 
 occupation. When I am real tired from preaching 
 it rests me to get out of the pulpit and go home and 
 have a romp with the children. A change from 
 mental to physical occupation is rest to a man engaged 
 with his books, and a change from physical to mental 
 occupation is rest to the man engaged in manual 
 labor. In Heaven there will be rest enough, for 
 there will no doubt be wondrous variety. We will 
 praise God in hallelujah songs, and we will work on 
 forever without knowing what it is to be tired. Well 
 may we say with Cowper: 
 
HEAVEN 217 
 
 "O scenes surpassing fable, and yet true — 
 . Scenes of accomplished bliss; which who can see, 
 Though but in distant prospect, and not feel 
 His soul refreshed with foretaste of that joy?" 
 
 WHO WILL GO TO HEAVEN ? 
 
 This is certainly a point in which we are all in- 
 tensely interested, and I dare not answer it in my 
 own words alone. So we will turn to the 21st Chap- 
 ter of Revelation. In the sixth and seventh verses we 
 find this language: — 
 
 "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha 
 and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give 
 unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water 
 of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all 
 things and I will be his God and he shall be my son.'' 
 Overcometh what? The evil thoughts and depraved 
 appetites and evil passions of the body; that is what. 
 
 He that overcometh the sins of the flesh, the 
 wickedness of the world, and the temptations of the 
 evil one, shall inherit all things. But how about those 
 who don't overcome? Read the eighth verse: — "But 
 the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and 
 murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idol- 
 ators, and all liars, shal have their part in the lake 
 which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the 
 second death.'' 
 
 Right here comes the usual inquiry, "Do you 
 believe in that lake of fire and brimstone?" No, 
 I don't believe it will be a literal lake of fire 
 and brimstone. You know the Book of Revelation 
 is highly figurative from beginning to end. Its 
 twenty-two chapters are a glorious series of some of 
 the grandest figures in all literature. Hence I think 
 the language referred to is figurative. But say; a 
 figure is simply an attempt to describe the real, and 
 
2l8 HEAVEN 
 
 if hell is figuratively a "lake of fire and brimstone," 
 the reality must be even worse! But as to the actual 
 location and state of hell, I trust it may never be 
 our lot to know. It is sufficient for us to know that 
 all who do not overcome their evil ways go to that 
 place of "outer darkness," But to him that over- 
 cometh is promised the everlasting life in Heaven. 
 
 I believe we begin our heaven or our hell here; 
 and there is really such a thing as a foretaste of 
 heaven here, and there is probably also such a thing 
 as a foretaste of hell here. It is related that there 
 were once two boat loads of people going from 
 Cleveland over to Buffalo, the first filled with religious 
 people going over to a convention, the second filled 
 with gamblers, jockeys, etc., going over to some kind 
 of a tournament. A man came running down, jumped 
 into one of the boats, took out his handkerchief and 
 wiped his brow, and exclaimed, "Well, well, I was just 
 within one of getting left." He took out his latest 
 religious paper and commenced to read. By and 
 by he noticed he was pretty well out from the city, 
 and he folded his paper and began to look around 
 to see if he could recognize any of his brethren. But 
 to his amazement he saw several groups of men play- 
 ing cards, and just then he heard two or three great 
 big oaths. A moment more he saw them passing 
 a bottle around. Hurrying to the captain he said: 
 
 "In the name of reason, Captain, w^hat kind of a 
 crowd is this?" 
 
 "Oh," said the captain, "they are a lot of sports- 
 men going over to Buffalo to the races." 
 
 "Why, is not this the boat chartered by the Chris- 
 tian people of Cleveland to carry delegates to the 
 convention?" said the excited clergyman. 
 
 "No," said the captain, "you are on the wrong 
 boat." 
 
HEAVEN 219 
 
 "Ah, I guess so.'^ 
 
 Now that man did not pla^^ cards, he did not 
 gamble, he did not drink, and the journey with the 
 fellows who did was simply a hell to him. There 
 was no sympathy there, nothing in common between 
 him and those wicked men, and he was literally and 
 sadly out of place in such a crowd. 
 
 The same morning another man came running 
 down, and jumped into the other boat just as it was 
 about to leave the wharf. He sat down, puffing, 
 blowing and swearing, took out his handkerchief and 
 mopped off his red face, took out his daily paper and 
 glanced over the news. By this time he had re- 
 gained composure, and noticed that the ship was 
 almost out of sight of the city. Drawing a flask from 
 his pocket he took a drink, and then looked around 
 to see if he could see any of his chums. To his sur- 
 prise his first glance revealed a lady reading the Bible. 
 He looked a little further and savv^ a group of gentle- 
 men, and overheard them calling the names of John, 
 Mark, Luke and Paul. He had heard these names 
 in childhood, and soon made up his mind they were 
 arguing Scripture. It seemed very strange to him. 
 So he went to the captain and said: 
 
 "Captain, for heaven's sake, what kind of a crowd 
 have you got on board?'' 
 
 "Oh, very good people, I reckon," said the captain. 
 
 "Who on earch are they.'^" 
 
 "Oh, a lot of church people going over to Buffalo 
 to some sort of religious convention, I believe." 
 
 "Oh," groaned the gambler, "then I am on the 
 wrong boat." 
 
 That trip was very unpleasant to him. Why.? 
 Because he was out of his element. He had nothing 
 in common with those Christian ladies and gentlemen 
 at all, and they had nothing in common with him. It 
 
220 HEAVEN 
 
 was agony to him to be with them, and he was 
 greatly relieved when they pulled into Buffalo. 
 
 Yes, we begin our heaven here, and we begin our 
 hell here. Every man and vv'oman in the Tabernacle 
 to-night is on his or her way to heaven or hell; and 
 the way to know sure to which place you are bound 
 is to take the Divine measuring rule and measure. 
 God's Book will tell you. It may be that you have 
 been riding in the wrong boat. The one is bound 
 to the Brighter World, the other to Outer Darkness. 
 If you will take the pains to measure your character 
 by God's Book you will know just where and how 
 you stand to-night. In a very practical sense. 
 Heaven is what we make it, and hell is what we make 
 it. And I don't think these eternal abodes are very 
 far off either; but when once we reach our final 
 destination there is no retracing our steps. So we 
 should be sure that we do the right thing now. 
 
 SHALL WE KNOW EACH OTHER THERE.^ 
 
 Almost every mother is deeply interested in this 
 question, because she has a loved child, or some dear 
 one "over there." And there are few young men 
 who are not interested in the matter, for they have 
 a mother, or a father, or a brother or sister, or some 
 old college friend in that "better land.'' Indeed, 
 who could be so callous as not to be interested in the 
 discussion of this point .^ We all ask the questions 
 over and over and over again — -Will we know each 
 other there .^ and Will we look like we do here.^ 
 
 Friends, God has not said much about it, but I 
 think that from the little He has revealed on this 
 subject I can say positively, without any shadow of 
 doubt, 
 
HEAVEN 221 
 
 "yes, we shall know each other in heaven!" 
 
 I will give you but one text, Philippians 3:20, 21: 
 — "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence 
 also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." 
 Do we look for Christ? Of course we do. The 
 angels said, "This same Jesus which is taken up 
 from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner." 
 He has not come yet, but be assured he is coming, 
 for God never breaks a promise. Oh, I fear He will 
 come all too soon for many of us. If it were officially 
 telegraphed to-night that He would be here at 
 twelve o'clock to-morrow, do you think there would 
 be a single person off their knees in all this great 
 city.'^ Do you think there would be a single dollar 
 change hands in the gaming hells.? Do you think 
 anybody would open a store.'* 
 
 "Oh, no, of course not; but then He won't come 
 so soon," says one. 
 
 Perhaps He may not come to-morrow at noon, 
 but we know that He is coming, and it is your busi- 
 ness and mine to live in constant expectation and 
 be always ready. Ah, in the twinkling of an eye He 
 will come with his shining cohorts and carry all the 
 nations to judgment. Are you ready.? 
 
 "Our conversation is in heaven, from whence also 
 we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who 
 shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned 
 like unto his glorious body." (Change our body 
 of humiliation, is the thought, for nothing that God 
 has made is vile — change our body of sin, of pain, 
 of death), "that it may be fashioned like unto his 
 glorious body, according to the working whereby 
 he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." 
 This same body is to be resurrected, if dead, when 
 He comes; and if not dead it will be caught up and 
 transformed, and all will be changed hke unto his 
 
222 HEAVEN 
 
 own glorious body. You remember that Jesus, after 
 his resurrection, was changed. He could pass 
 through a closed door, and do many wonderful things 
 impossible to the natural body. His was a spiritual 
 body, and yet it looked like it did before his res- 
 urrection; for when Thomas would not believe. 
 He told him to place his fingers in the prints of the 
 nails, and to thrust his hand into the rent of the 
 spear. And, in the instance of the two disciples on 
 the way to the village of Emmaus, He walked and 
 talked with them, but they did not recognize Him 
 until, while sitting at meat, they were led by His 
 prayer to look at Him critically; then they knew 
 Him, because He looked so much like He did before. 
 I think that when the body is transformed there will 
 be a purer, sweeter look, but we will not appear 
 any taller, or shorter, or materially different any 
 way, but we will be clothed with immortality, and 
 the new body will not be subject to pain nor sorrow, 
 and there will be no cloud upon the brow. Instead 
 of the remorse and gloom that sometimes cloud our 
 faces here, there will be a look of perpetual joy, 
 the unfading bloom that cometh from the presence 
 of the Lord. 
 
 Yes, I believe that every mother will know her 
 child in Heaven. Indeed, I think we will know each 
 other better. We don't know each other very well 
 here; there is nothing so peculiar as the human 
 heart, and we don't get very well acquainted in this 
 life. Perhaps the vast majority of our troubles 
 arise from misunderstandings, because we don't know 
 each other. Up there we will know our loved ones, 
 and dwell with them forever, for there will be no 
 cruel separations in heaven. And if we wish to be 
 in some other part of God's Glorious Abode, the 
 wish will have immediate fulfillment, for Up There 
 space and time will have no entrance. 
 
HEAVEN 223 
 
 No more death or dying, no more folding of tired 
 hands, no more worn, pale faces, no more pain! 
 Oh, will it not be glorious! We will mount up as 
 upon the wings of the eagle; we shall run and not 
 be weary. In the last chapter of Revelation, John 
 says: "And he showed me a pure river of water 
 of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne 
 of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street 
 of it, and on either side of the river, was there the 
 tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and 
 yielded her fruits every month; and the leaves of the 
 tree were for the healing of the nations. And there 
 shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of 
 the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve 
 him; and they shall see his face." 
 
 That is one of the most precious promises in the 
 Bible, I think — "they shall see his face." I have 
 been preaching Christ for years, but I have never 
 seen His face. Oh, how I long to look upon his 
 blessed features! We have all heard about God from 
 childhood, but we have never seen His face. But in 
 heaven this promise will be fulfilled. 
 
 "And His name shall be in their foreheads. And 
 there shall be ho night there; and they need no candle, 
 neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth 
 them light; and they shall reign forever and ever. 
 And he said unto me, these sayings are faithful and 
 true; and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent 
 his angel to show unto his servants the things which 
 must shortly come to pass." Ah, yes, these sayiitgs 
 are faithful and true^ and it will be a glorious place 
 indeed, beyond all power of speech to describe. John 
 tried to describe it, but he was limited to the use of 
 human words. No human tongue or pen can ade- 
 quately describe Heaven. In a severely practical 
 sense, it must be seen to be appreciated. The great 
 
224 
 
 HEAVEN 
 
 question is. Are we so living as to have assurance of 
 ever seeing that Blest Abode? 
 
 I never grow tired of that little poem of Mrs. 
 Hemans: 
 
 "Eye hath not seen it, my.gentle boy, 
 Ear hath not heard its deep songs of joy; 
 Dreams cannot picture a world so fair, 
 Sorrow and death cannot enter there; 
 Time doth not breathe on its fadeless bloom. 
 Far beyond the clouds and beyond the tomb — 
 It is there, it is there, my child." 
 
 We speak of heaven sometimes as the Great Be- 
 yond. If we mean beyond the Jordan of Death, the 
 expression is all right; but if we mean beyond the 
 universe, I doubt its consistency. Let me quote you 
 a passage right here from one of my friend Updike's 
 sermons, a passage prepared for him by a gifted 
 astronomer of Ohio. Perhaps it may serve in enlarg- 
 ing your vision on this subject as it did my own: — 
 
 "If you were permitted to stand on one of the gol- 
 den rings of Saturn, you would see another firma- 
 ment of suns, moons and stars stretching overhead, 
 and all around. Then could you go on to the nearest 
 fixed star. Alpha Centura, with its two suns, shining 
 with light equal to forty-six times the intensity of 
 our sun, and stand on one of the beautiful planets 
 there, you would behold the firmament of the Polar 
 Star system, whose light is forty-six years reaching 
 our earth. From thence you would see Vega, which 
 shines with a light equal to four hundred and forty 
 of our suns. Could you then pass on up the silent 
 aisles of the heavenly temple of the shining mon- 
 archs of Vega, you would see the glittering firma- 
 ment of Capella, blazing with several suns. From the 
 golden brow of Capella, you would behold the firma- 
 ment of Arcturus shining with a light equal to five hun- 
 
HEAVEN 225 
 
 dred and fifty of such suns as shine in the blue vault 
 which surrounds us. Could you stand upon one of 
 the planet^s in the bewildering firmament of Arcturus, 
 you would not then be beyond the reach of the 
 telescope, or the calculations of bold astronomers. 
 Above you would discover glorious Alcyon send- 
 ing forth a flood of light, equal to twelve thousand of 
 our little suns. But this is only the beginnings — 
 the mere vestibule of the starry temple. There are 
 celestial systems lying beyond, some of which, v/e 
 have every reason to believe, contain upwards of 
 twenty-two thousand suns each — and think! each 
 system is a firmament with a family of revolving 
 planets a million times larger than our ovv^n. It is 
 affirmed by those who have spent a lifetime in the 
 exploration of the starry heavens, that there are no 
 less than eighteen million suns shining in the fir- 
 mament, within reach of Lord Ross' mighty telescope! 
 Well may we ask, where are the frontiers of the 
 boundless heavens — the last remote spot, beyond 
 which no star glitters on the dark bosom of eternal 
 night — where is the verge of the universe.^ where 
 are the highest heavens, the home of the redeemed? 
 Who dares to say that he could count the grand total 
 of heaven's millions of firmaments, one above an- 
 other, even though he could count a million years at 
 the rate of five hundred per minute? Could you fly in a 
 straight line with the velocity of light from the edge 
 of Alcyon, the sixth firmament beyond ours, it would 
 take you billions of years to reach the highest 
 heaven. Nay, if you v/ere to travel through all 
 eternity, you would never reach the outer bounds of 
 Jehovah's vast and beautiful temple, beyond which 
 no suns may be found exploring their way through 
 the infinite heavens, burning into the dark concaves 
 of night. 
 
226 HEAVEN 
 
 Now if the home of the redeemed is beyond the 
 stars, as many imagine, it will never be reached, for 
 THERE IS NO BEYOND. If Adam and Eve had started 
 from the garden of Eden for heaven, six thousand 
 years ago, they could not have reached it yet." 
 
 May it not be that heaven, the "Beyond" of which 
 Vi^e speak, is in the center of all this last expanse, 
 in some glorious sun that knows no night .^ John 
 speaks of measuring the capital city, 12,000 furlongs. 
 The length and the breadth and the height of it 
 v/ere equal. But that is figurative language again. 
 The fact is that there is nothing in geometry, nothing 
 in trigonometry, nothing whatever in higher math- 
 ematics capable of giving us an adequate idea of the 
 immensity of heaven. Certainly it is something 
 worth working for, something worthy the good con- 
 fession, worthy the faith, repentance, and baptism 
 demanded. It is worth a life of earnest toil and 
 earnest devotion; worth all the heart can give; worth 
 our noblest ambitions, and our noblest efforts. 
 
 Yes, praise God, there is a haven of eternal rest 
 awaiting us, a place of joy and bliss for all who live 
 right; a place of perpetual activity, where we will 
 know no wrong, no sorrow, no remorse. And we 
 shall know each other there! Do you want to go 
 there? Then com.e, and accept Christ, for there is 
 no other v/ay. You cannot work your way there 
 through your own deeds of what you may call right- 
 eousness. Jesus says, "No man cometh to the 
 Father but by me." So I ask you to confess His 
 name to-night, and to take upon yourself the sacred 
 vows of the Christian life. Will you not do it.^^ It 
 is something you will have to do some day, but if 
 you put it off until compelled by Omnipotent force 
 to do it, the act will not avail unto salvation. So 
 confess Him now, and enter into His service. Then 
 
HEAVEN 227 
 
 when the last trump sounds, and you are summoned 
 to Judgment, you will be privileged to hear the 
 sweet words of Jesus,"Come, ye blessed of my Father; 
 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foun- 
 dation of the world.'' (Matt, 25:34.) Abraham will 
 be there, and Isaac and Jacob; David, Paul, John, 
 and all the worthies of the ages. I would to God 
 that every person here who is not a Christian might 
 start heavenvv^ard to-night. Come and lay your sins 
 at the feet of Jesus, and there will be sunshine in 
 your soul to-morrow! 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION. 
 
 "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the 
 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching 
 them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, 
 lo, I am with you alv.'ays, even unto the end of the world. Amen.'"' 
 Matt. 28:19, 20. 
 
 There are two great commissions in the history of 
 our country. The commission that made Washington 
 commander-in-chief of the Colonial Army was a great 
 commission. When the British armies were advanc- 
 ing, and the cause of American freedom was at stake, 
 it was necessary that some bold and trustworthy 
 leader be found, and all eyes were centered on George 
 Washington, the young General from Virginia. It 
 was truly a great commission the patriots gave him 
 and caused him in the end to be spoken of as the 
 Father of his Country. He led the thirteen colonies on 
 to a great victory and in one sense became the founder 
 of the greatest nation of all history. 
 
 Then the commission that sent Benjamin Franklin 
 to the Court of France was a great commission. By 
 his marvelous shrewdness and keen statesmanship 
 he was enabled to form an alliance with that great 
 power which proved of untold value to the Colonies 
 during the Revolution. If it had not been for the 
 kindness of France, in sending General La Fayette 
 and others to our assistance, we might not have been 
 able at that time, if ever, to free ourselves from the 
 yoke of foreign rule. 
 
 There have been great commissions all through his- 
 
 228 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION 229 
 
 tory. The commissions to which I have referred had 
 to do with the affairs of nations. But there have 
 been great theological commissions, and great literary 
 commissions, and great social commissions, and com- 
 missions of every nature, some involving much, and 
 some little. But there has been but one commission 
 from the beginning of time to the present that can be 
 truly cdiWed T/ze Great Comm.ission; Washington's 
 was <3: great commission; Benjamin Franklin's was 
 a great commission; and the commission of King 
 James, which resulted in the gift to the world of 
 what we commonly call the "King James Version," 
 was a great commission. But the commission I want 
 to talk about to-day is v*^orthy of being designated as 
 T/ie Great Commission, for it is greater than all 
 others combined both in its conception and in its 
 results. - 
 
 We find several different records of this commission, 
 but the one I prefer as a text is recorded in the last 
 part of the tvv^enty -eighth Chapter of Matthew, and it 
 is well called, ^^ Jesus' Marching Orders to His 
 Churchy It is couched in very simple language, and 
 it is free from all flashy seals, such as we usually 
 have attached to modern commissions. It takes only 
 half a minute to read it, and the humblest peasant 
 can understand it without legal assistance. 
 
 Then why call it The Great Commission? Because 
 from its promulgation have come the greatest bless- 
 ings to the human race, both temporal and eternal. 
 It has already revolutionized the world, although the 
 work is but fairly begun. 
 
 The exact time and place of the giving of this com- 
 mission is not known. Some think it may have been 
 given several days before His ascension, and from 
 another mountain in Galilee. But it seems to me 
 more probable that it was given just before, and that 
 
230 THE GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 consequently the words are among the last He ever 
 spoke before the angels came down to take Him to 
 glory. It was a very serious occasion, a time to be 
 remembered forever by those who were present and 
 who heard the wonderful words that fell from His 
 lips. As He walked out with them, Jesus, no doubt, 
 spoke many words not recorded. It will be a pleasant 
 thing when we reach heaven to talk with Peter and 
 James and John, and have them tell us everything the 
 Master said as He went out to the mount with them 
 on this last trip before His ascension. Comparatively 
 little of all that our Master said and did is recorded. 
 You remember that John says, "If they should be 
 written every one, I suppose that even the world 
 itself could not contain the books that should be 
 written." (Jno. 21:25.) And again, "These are 
 written that ye might believe." (John 20:31.) I 
 would like to have further particulars concerning a 
 great many things connected with the life of our 
 Lord, and I'm sure we can profitably spend a few 
 hundred years in heaven in thinking about these things 
 and looking over their history as we shall be able to 
 do more satisfactorily there. 
 
 So the Saviour conversed with his chosen followers 
 on the way from Jerusalem to the mount. Upon 
 reaching their destination I imagine the Apostles 
 formed a little semicircle about Him, Peter at the 
 head and John at the foot. At this juncture I surmise 
 there v/as a short pause, while the Master calmly and 
 lovingly surveyed the little company. After looking 
 into the face of each with such tenderness and con- 
 fidence as only the Son of God could possess, He 
 made a declaration which I would to God every man, 
 woman and child might hear, understand and weigh. 
 Listen! "All power is given unto me in heaven and 
 in earth." And then follows the Great Commission: 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION 231 
 
 "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing 
 thern in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all 
 things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, 
 I am with you always, even unto the end of the 
 world. Amen.'' 
 
 Novv^ let us look at these words critically, for more 
 potent language was never uttered since the world 
 began. It is from this commission that every true 
 Christian worker under the sun derives his authority, 
 and we should make no mistake in its interpretation 
 and application. The whole text naturally divides 
 itself into six heads (and we ought always to allow 
 the Bible to divide itself naturally). First we have the 
 introduction, and then the four points of argument, and 
 lastly the conclusion, or peroration. It is in one 
 sense the world's greatest address in sixty words! 
 
 In the introduction, the Great Speaker makes the 
 simple yet all-comprehensive statement that He is 
 Lord of alL Never before had He used such signifi- 
 cant language. "All power is given unto me in heaven 
 and in earth.'' Before this the Master had raised the 
 dead, and caused the blind to see; He had held His 
 hand out over the raging sea and said, "Peace, be 
 still," and the winds and waves had obeyed him; He 
 had dehvered the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest 
 sermon the ears of men have ever heard or ever will 
 hear. But never before had He said, "^//authority 
 is mine," Hence this declaration is to be taken as 
 of very great consequence. 
 
 All Power, What does it mean? It certainly does 
 not mean that all power belongs to the Pope of 
 Rome, the great antichrist of prophecy. It certainly 
 does mean that this silken-robed dignitary who sits in 
 poor old deluded Rome, clothed with an ill-gotten 
 authority, and claiming that he has all power;that he 
 
232 THE GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 can forgive sins, or withhold forgiveness; and that he 
 can make the emperors of the world tremble when 
 his edicts go forth, is a gigantic fraud! That's what 
 it means in plain, everyday English. And it means 
 that those who serve him as the representative of 
 Christ are serving a gilt-edged impostor. The 
 Pope claims to be the "viceroy of Christ, '^ and there- 
 fore infallible and all-powerful. But Christ says, "All 
 power is given unto 7;^^, both in heaven and in earths 
 And in the Book of Revelation He is called the "King 
 of Kings and Lord of Lords." It is an awful thing 
 for any sinful man, or any number of fallible human 
 creatures to presume to such dignity as do some. Let 
 Catholics and Protestants alike be careful lest in 
 their presumptions God cut them off as cumberers, 
 and give His work into humbler and truer hands. 
 
 But why had Jesus never said this before? Be- 
 cause He could not say it consistently until He had 
 gone down into the grave and had wrestled with 
 death, and had conquered this, the world's greatest 
 enemy. He came forth from the unseen having done 
 what no one else had ever done, — He had conquered 
 Death. After His resurrection He could truly say, 
 "All power is given unto me. '* The hope of Christian- 
 ity lies in the truth of the Resurrection. It is the 
 great central point around which all the facts of the 
 Gospel revolve. The three greatest words of the 
 Bible are these — "//^ is Risen,^^ Well does Paul say 
 in First Corinthians 15:14, "If Christ be not risen, 
 then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also 
 vain." And again, "If in this life only we have hope 
 in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But 
 now is Christ risen from the dead and become the 
 first fruits of them that slept." Over four thousand 
 years had rolled by since the creation of man. Millions 
 upon millions had come and gone, but not one had 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION 233 
 
 ever, of his own volition, returned from the dead. So 
 when Jesus in Kis own strength met this arch-enemy 
 of humanity's happiness, and, after tiiree days of 
 conflict came forth gloriously victorious, He demon- 
 strated His divinity beyond the shadow of a doubt, 
 and established forever His right to be heard as the 
 chief potentate of heaven and earth. 
 
 And now this great Ruler gives us the promise of 
 peace, pardon, and life eternal, if we keep His re- 
 quirements. He is all-pG\verrul, and to have his favor 
 is better than all the world beside. But Christ's 
 curse is the worst thing that can fall upon the soul; 
 for that means banishment from Heaven, a calamity 
 far worse than a thousand physical deaths. So let us 
 be careful to recognize His authority in all the walks 
 of life. If v/e speak, let us speak as Jesus commanded. 
 If w'e pray, let us pray in rlis name. And whatever 
 w^e do, let us do it according to His holy will. Herein 
 lies a great lesson which the world has so far been 
 slow to learn. We have always paid too much at- 
 tention to the sayings of men. Hence a multitude of 
 conflicting creeds and dogmas. But we should care- 
 fully inquire. What does He say? Then listen at- 
 tentively, and obey implicitly. If churches and Chris- 
 tian people generally would adopt this rule, we could 
 remove a great deal that keeps the w^orld divided and 
 in sin, and accomplish more for Christ in one year 
 than in a century of this Kufaithfulness to the all- 
 aiitho7'ity of our Lord. 
 
 We come, secondly, to what homileticians would 
 designate as the argument. There are naturally four 
 points, or heads, in this division of the mighty theme. 
 Let us look at them in order. After His unusal dec- 
 laration of all-power-ship, the apostles listened 
 earnestly, I im.agine, for they knew that words of 
 trem.endous import were coming. It is not probable 
 
234 ^^^ GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 that they comprehended the real seriousness of the 
 occasion, nor the far-reaching importance of the 
 commission they v/ere receiving. And yet I feel sure 
 that they were never before so deeply impressed with 
 both the theme and words of their Master. It was a 
 solemn, but sweet occasion. 
 
 After saying," All power is given unto me in heaven 
 and earth," the Saviour gave His commission in these 
 memorable words: — "Go ye, therefore, and teach all 
 nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching 
 them to observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
 manded you." 
 
 Now what is the first of the four great points 
 that we find couched in this language.? Listen! 
 It is a simple one but all-important: ^^GoT Ah, 
 yes! a little v/ord, but world-wide in its beneficent 
 sweep. The apostles had first come, and now Jesus 
 commands them to go. Herein lies the secret of 
 successful Christian propagandism. We have hardly 
 taken the first step as yet in carrying out this great 
 command. We have Come^ and Stopped s/iort. 
 But Christ says Go, a little word of two letters, 
 yet in this word is wrapped the whole sum and sub- 
 stance of Christ's gospel. Go! It should be the 
 watchword of every true disciple. It should be em- 
 blazoned on the banners of the Church. It should 
 be the controlling spirit, the moving motive, of 
 every man, woman and child that hopes for salvation. 
 
 "Go," says the Master. Have we gone.? Eighteen 
 hundred years have elapsed since the command 
 was given and yet to-day nearly if not quite two- 
 thirds of the inhabitants of this poor old world have 
 never so much as heard that there is a Saviour! 
 Eighteen long centuries have dragged their weary 
 lengths down the dusty vista of time, and yet more 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION 235 
 
 than 800,000,000 are sitting in darkness! Oh, 
 brother, is this the best return we can make to 
 J.-eus for all Kis love to us! I tell you I believe that 
 the measure of our responsibility is our ability ^ and 
 it will be so considered in the last day. And I fear 
 that among these who have professed the name of 
 Jesus, more than half will be lost, unless they arouse 
 themselves more fully to the great work of carrying 
 the Glad Tidings to others. Our own salvation 
 depends largely on the efforts we put forth in behalf 
 of those about us, not only on this side of the sea 
 but on the other as well. 
 
 Our people have been wonderfully successful in 
 their work of teaching the simple elem.ents of the 
 gospel, and in enlisting souls in the armies of the 
 Cross. But I am ashamed to say that we are 
 away behind our religious rivals in our observance 
 of this great point of the commission — "Go." 
 Very few men living to-day would dare to meet our 
 Clark Braden, or our John Sweeny, in public debate 
 on the great issues of the Bible. We can whip the 
 world in argum.ents, for we are right doctrinally,and 
 well able to defend our position against all assaults. 
 But I am glad to say that many who are v*^rong to- 
 day doctrinally are right on the first point of the 
 Great Commission. It is humiliating, but we must 
 admit that the Congregationalists, the Presbyterians, 
 the Methodists, the Episcopalians, and the Baptists 
 are each and all excelling us in the blessed service 
 of going into all the world and teaching the nations. 
 We are rolling in wealth as a people. In the Chris- 
 tian Church we have men who have an income of 
 hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars every day. 
 In Kansas City alone, it is said, our people have ten 
 million dollars represented. And yet our Foreign 
 Missionary Society has never been able to raise a 
 
236 THE GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 hundred thousand dollars in one year. Why, the poor 
 little despised Salvation Army raised that much in one 
 week. Ah, it is a shame that a church with a 
 million members, and six thousand preachers; a 
 church whose members have an annual personal 
 income of over $100,000,000.00; and a church whose 
 plea strikes the thinking v/orld as that of no other 
 religious body, — I repeat that it is a burning shame 
 that we should have only 140 missionaries in foreign 
 fields. We must bestir ourselves. When all our 
 mothers shall be willing to consecrate at least one 
 child to preach the gospel to the heathen; when our 
 fathers shall be as ready to say, "God bless you, my 
 child,'.' to the boy or girl who wishes to go to foreign 
 lands to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ 
 as to the one who remains at home and makes a 
 useful citizen successfully engaged in some honorable 
 worldly occupation, then and not till then will w^e 
 rise to our duty and privileges as a chosen people 
 of God. 
 
 Oh, that our church might catch more of the 
 missionary spirit of the apostle Paul! He was a 
 prince among missionaries and the greatest preacher 
 of Christ the world has ever seen. Suppose we should 
 tithe our income as a people, and also tithe our 
 membership. What a mighty work would resale! 
 There are 650 members in this church,! believe, and 
 it is one of our typical congregations. If one out of 
 ten of you would consent to go, that would mean sixty- 
 five missionaries, or half as many from one church 
 as our whole list of 9,000 congregations now furnish! 
 
 Who has not heard of the sacrifices of Sarah 
 Hosmer, the Lowell seamstre.^^s v/hose soul was filled 
 with the missionary spirit? She was so anxious to 
 support a missionary that she tc iled many months 
 with her needle until she could save up $50.00, the 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION 237 
 
 amount necessary to equip a native Nestorian for 
 Gospel work. And this first work was so successful 
 and so joyful that she I^pt on sewing until she had 
 educated five missionaries, who went out preaching 
 Christ in their native land. "When she was more 
 than 60 years old," says Strong, "she longed to 
 furnish Nestoria with one more preacher; and, living 
 in an attic, she took in sewing until she had accom- 
 plished her purpose,/;^ the hands of this coitsecrated 
 woman, money transformed the factory girl into a 
 missionary of the Cross, and then multiplied her six 
 fold." She has gone now and the place that once 
 knew her shall know her no more. She earned little, 
 yet there are six missionaries and perhaps 
 thousands of souls to her credit in heaven. When 
 such a spirit shall take possession of us, it wall be 
 but a question of time when we shall be able to 
 evangelize the whole world. 
 
 Well do I remember one of my first missionary 
 sermons in the state of Iowa. I was only a student 
 preacher, but had prepared my sermon with great 
 care, and went out to my country appointment on this 
 occasion with great expectations, for I was to preach 
 and take up a collection for missions. 
 
 I nearly always went home with Brother So-and- 
 So for dinner. He was a fine old man, and worth 
 $75,000 or $100,000. He had cattle on many hills, 
 and much earthly substance of every kind. And 
 he was an old-time member of the church, a great 
 "stickler for first principles." Well, I preached my 
 sermon, and thought it was pretty w^ell done. After 
 I sat down the officers of the church took up a col- 
 lection and received something like $1.50, and of 
 this sum I distinctly remember putting in fifty cents 
 myself. On the way home I thought I would find 
 out if I could how my host hked the sermon. (I had 
 
/ 
 / 
 
 230 THE GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 noticed that he was asleep during the larger part of 
 its delivery.) 
 
 "Well,'' he replied to m^^ inquiries, "I think we 
 ought to convert the heathen at home first, and 
 then give our attention to missions." 
 
 There are many people who feel like that brother, 
 and they are doubtless just as honest. He felt that 
 he was living consistently. If I remember correctly 
 the little church paid me $10,00 a trip, of which 
 amount this rich brother, besides giving me my 
 dinner, paid 25 cents. And when he attended the 
 town church near by they told me he usually diopped 
 a dime in the basket. So putting it all together this 
 good man probably gave not less than three or 
 four dollars a year to convert the heathen at home! 
 
 Oh, stingy soul of mine, when wilt thou look up? 
 Why wilt thou always look down like the hog.'^ We 
 are ever looking down at our worldly duties, our 
 accounts, our possessions, and our secular affairs, 
 instead of looking up towards the light that comes 
 from heaven. God help the church to get more 
 of the Go spirit! 
 
 For twenty-five years the Great Apostle to the Gen- 
 tiles compassed land and sea to make proselytes. Like 
 his Master, he was missionary to the core. There are 
 a few people left on the shores of time who claim 
 to be anti-missionary Christians. But, dear friends, 
 there really cannot be any such thing as an anti- 
 missionary Christian, This is a contradiction of 
 terms. The whole genius of Christianity is mis- 
 sionary. Why, if Peter and James and John, and 
 Philip and Paul and the rest, had staid in Jerusalem 
 till "all the heathen at home had been converted," 
 there would not be a Christian in the United States 
 to-day. Indeed there would be no United States, 
 for it was the Gospel that made this nation possible. 
 
THE GREAT COiMMISSION 239 
 
 We only begin to show forth the love of Jesus when 
 we become missionaries at heart. I pray that this 
 may be a missionary church. May God put it in 
 the soul ci some noble young woman here to-day, 
 and some noble young man, to consecrate their lives 
 to the great work of carrying out the first point of 
 the commission, and within the next twelve months 
 may they be making active preparations to go to 
 some foreign field as a missionary. 
 
 Over in Kansas at a meeting of perhaps only three 
 or four hundred v/orkers from the various Y. M. C. A. 
 and Y. W.C.A. organizations of the state, a call was 
 made for those to stand up v/ho were willing to go 
 as missionaries, and 122 responded! Just think of 
 it. Oat of that little m.eeting of only a few hundred 
 122 were willing to consecrate themiseives to foreign 
 v.ork. And amiong the num.ber were some of the 
 brightest young people I ever saw, graduates from 
 some of the best colleges in the world. Are we ready 
 to-day to lay our all at our Saviour's feet — our hopes, 
 our earthly pleasures, our means, our talents, and 
 everything? Can we honestly say to-day, "Lord 
 take me and use mie as Thou Wilt?" God help us! 
 May W'e never again read carelessly over this wonder- 
 ful little word. Go, Peihaps it may become the 
 text-word of cur soul's loyalty to God. 
 
 Pasedng from the first great point of the commis- 
 sion, vvc come to the second: "Teach all nations." 
 And I imagine that Peter looked up inquiringly as 
 if to say, "What shall we teach them. Lord?" 
 
 Did he say "Go, teach them the 39 Articles of 
 Episcopalianism ?" No. 
 
 Did He say, "Go and preach to them the tenetsof 
 Roman Catholicism?" No, for this was several hun- 
 dred years before there was any such a church. 
 
 Did He say, "Go and preach to them Luther- 
 
/ 
 
 / 
 
 / 
 
 240 THE GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 ariism, or the Augsburg Confession ?'' No, for it was, 
 nearly i 500 years before Lather was born. 
 
 Did He say, ''Go and teach them tlie 25 articles 
 of Methodism?" No, for it was 1,700 years before 
 John Wesley was born. 
 
 Did He say, "Go, teach them the five points of 
 Calvinism.?" No, for John Calvin was not bom 
 until I 509. 
 
 Then what shall we teach? Campbellismf No, 
 for there is no such thing under the sun. x^lexander 
 Campbell was a great and good man, and a grate- 
 ful people are proud of his memory. ProfessorFowler, 
 the father of Phrenology, said there was only one 
 other such brain in America, and that was Daniel 
 Webster's. When Caupbell left the university of 
 Glasgow, his old professor remarked that in all the 
 long years of his connection with the institution no 
 other such 3^oung man had left their halls. "If he 
 lives,'' said the instructor,-^he wuU shake all Europe." 
 He lived, and the influence of his masterly thoughts 
 are not only shaking Europe but the whole civilized 
 world to-day, and yet he did not organize a new 
 church. He simply restoi^ed the old. 
 
 "Go teach all nations," said the Master. Teach 
 ME. This is the legitimate inference as to the 
 meaning of the words, for we find his apostles and 
 disciples wherever they went preached Christ, We 
 find Paul preaching Christ to the Philippian Jailer. 
 We find Philip preaching Jesus to the Ethiopian. 
 And indeed the burden of the whole New Testa- 
 ment ministry was Jesus of Nazareth the Son of God. 
 AndJesus-preaching is to-day the crying need of the 
 world. In His conversation with Nicodemus He said, 
 "And I, if I be lifted up, wdll draw all men unto me." 
 Would to God that every church and every clergy- 
 man the world over might lift up Jesus, and Jesus 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION 24I 
 
 only.. Oh, that every human creed, and every man- 
 made confession of faith, could be burned, or sunk 
 in the depths of the sea! If all this grating ma- 
 chinery of ecciesiasticism could be swept out cf 
 existence to night, and the Church could be left 
 without any creed but Christ, to-morrow the prin» 
 cipjil stumbling block in the way of Christian Unioii 
 w^ould have been removed, and four hundred millioi-s 
 cf professed followers of Jesus would find themselves 
 priictically one in the great work of extending the 
 Kii)gdom. Then in less than ten years the uttermost 
 parts of the earth would have heard the message 
 ■ cf salvation. But to-day _theologians are teaching 
 too much of theory and too little of the Lamb of God. 
 Hence the cause of true religion often languishes. 
 
 But liow are we to teach Jesus? By telling the 
 old, old story of the Cross. We must so present 
 the Gospel as to make sinners cry out, "Wh'at must 
 i do to be saved?'' And then we must teach them 
 the doctrine of Christ, And when we preach 
 doctrinal sermons we should not be afraid to con e 
 out boldly, though lovingly, and tell the whole 
 truth. We can't have true Gospel Meetings without 
 doctj'inal sermons, Christianity without doctrine! 
 No. A gospel without doctrine would be like a body 
 without bones — it could not stand. It is im.possible 
 to save a soul without dcctiine. The Word of God, 
 which is full of doctriiie, is the light of the w^orld, 
 and vvithout its great truths it is impossible to re- 
 deem the lost, whether in home or foreign fields. 
 It is the business of the Church to go to the un- 
 redeemed everyvvhere and teach the love and law of 
 the living God. Not only to those of England and 
 America, but to those of India, China, and the 
 isles of the sea. Mr. Nott labored fourteen years in 
 Tahiti without a convert. Finally he succeeded in 
 
242 THE GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 translating the Gospel of John into the native 
 tongue, and soon after won the first soul with that 
 wonderful verse beginning, "God so loved the world 
 that He gave His only begotten Son." This is said 
 to have been the first fruit in Polynesia, where there 
 are to-day 750,000 Christians. Dr. John E. Clough's 
 labors were similarly blessed in Burmah, where 
 10,000 were baptized in twelve months. It is our 
 work to go and plant the Gospel beside all 
 waters, knowing full well that God will take care 
 of the seed and in due course of time bring it to a 
 glorious maturity. 
 
 We now come to the third point of the Great 
 Commission, and I imagine I hear some one say, 
 "Brother Hall, it is getting late, and we fear the 
 roast will be spoiled if you don't close and let us 
 return home." No, that isn't the truth with you, 
 my friends. You fear that I am about to say some- 
 thing about baptism, and you are saying to yourself 
 that you have heard that subject harped on so much 
 that you would rather not hear it mentioned again. 
 Well, I don't care to "harp" on it, but I must preach 
 the truth as it is in God's Word. I would rather 
 that my right hand should be cut off than to willfully 
 misrepresent my Master's doctrine. Let the Lord 
 cleave my tongue and forbid that I should ever 
 attempt to speak another word when I say that 
 essentials are ^^ non-essentials ^ I will have to give 
 an account of my sermonizing, not to man, but to 
 the Divine Father. It does not matter whether 
 those who hear me are pleased or not, but it matters 
 greatly whether my words and work are accept- 
 able unto God. So do not wax uneasy if I spend 
 a few minutes in this connection on baptism. So 
 many other evangelists neglect their duty in this re- 
 3pect that the burden rests all the more heavily on 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION 243 
 
 those of us who are willing to preach a whole 
 Gospel. 
 
 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing 
 them in the name of the Father ^ and of the Son^and 
 of the Holy Ghost, "^"^ These are the words of our 
 Saviour. And have you ever noticed that the larger 
 part of the Commission is taken up with v/ords 
 bearing on Christian Baptism.? This is not saying 
 that it is the most im.portant thing at all; but it 
 stands out so plainly that it is strange that men should 
 ever have spoken of it as a 7ion-essentiaL Repent- 
 ance and rem.ission of sins should be preached in the 
 name of Jesus, Luke says; and Peter declares that 
 the only name under heaven whereby men can be 
 saved is the name of Christ. And according to Matthew 
 tiie only way to get into that name is to be baptized 
 into it. Petei and his fellov/ apostles seemed to 
 understand it so and on the Day of Pentecost 3,000 
 were baptized upon a penitent profession of their 
 faith. 
 
 Hence we miust preach baptism. It is a part of 
 the Great Commission. The duty is clear. The 
 obligation is important. Among the last words 
 Christ uttered on earth were, "Baptize them in the 
 name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy 
 Ghost/^ We usually attach great significance to 
 the last words of a dear friend. Jesus is the best 
 friend the world ever had, and those who love Him 
 ou^ht to be quick to observe His farewell directions. 
 
 In this connection it may be v/ell for me to re- 
 mark that by baptism the Saviour did not miean 
 sprinkling or pouring, but immersion. Those who 
 love the truth are growing Vvcary of false teaching 
 on this subject. The scholars have settled the 
 question long ago as to the meaning of the word 
 Jesus used in commianding this sacred ordinance. 
 
244 THE GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 The inconsistency of trying to make baptizo mean 
 anything but io immerse is utterly inexcusable* Jesus 
 commanded immersion, but never sprinkling or pour- 
 ing. 
 
 "But," says one, "some of my relatives lived and 
 died without being immersed, and they were good, 
 earnest, conscientious church members. Will they 
 be lost?" 
 
 That is not for me to say, for I am not the judge 
 of the quick and the dead. If your grandmother 
 lived up to all the light she had, and had opportunity 
 of having, she is probably in heaven to-day. But 
 you are not living up to the light God has given 
 you. I do not assert that all who die un-immersed 
 are lost. But I do say that there is no promise 
 of salvation to any living soul without Christian 
 Baptism, which cannot be Scripturally performed 
 without immersion. If God chooses to set aside 
 His Word ia. some individual case and save without 
 immersion, why, that's His business, and not ours. 
 But I dare not preach anything unauthorized, and 
 sprinkling and pouring are unauthorized. Immersion 
 was the uniform practice of the church for 1300 
 years, and then the "great anti-Christ" legalized 
 sprinkling and pouring at the Council of Ravenna. 
 
 It is too bad that those favoring these unscriptural 
 practices persist in ignoring historical facts, and at- 
 tempt to substantiate their position by forced interpre- 
 tations of the Word. There is a great deal of talk 
 about union nowadays, and I rejoice because of 
 it. But I believe with Dr. McArthur that if the 
 various churches ever do unite it must be at the 
 baptistry. There are several millions who can never 
 be induced to ignore one of the clearest commands 
 of Scripture. Better division than a surface union 
 on a shoddy foundation. 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION 245 
 
 "But why does the Christian Church make the 
 subject so prominent?" says another. 
 
 I will tell you the reason. It is that we are the 
 only great Protestant Church which teaches and 
 practices baptism just as taught in God's Word. The 
 others largely ignore it. The average evangelist 
 is practically compelled to remain silent on the sub- 
 ject in order to have a Union Meeting. The Baptists 
 are right on the action, but wrong on the design. 
 Somebody must declare the truth, therefore, and 
 why should we fail to do it? Give me one convert 
 made right rather than a thousand made wrong. 
 
 In Mr. Mills' meeting at Cincinnati, 150 of his 
 so-called converts expressed a preference for the 
 Roman Catholic Church. What profit is there in 
 stirring up the people to shed hot tears over their 
 sins, and then leave them with only a half knowledge 
 of the truth, or even worse, a perverted teaching as 
 to the requirements of the Gospel, Give me one 
 convert made right, I repeat, and you may take your 
 thousands of little "believers' cards," which mean 
 practically nothing in the vast majority of instances. 
 No wonder that skeptics are made. It is a wonder 
 there are not more. The great percentage of skeptics 
 are made by the infidelity of professed Christians. 
 They mistake theology for Christianity. But there 
 is a great difference between God's theology and 
 man's. In this matter of baptism, for instance,man's 
 theology says it is not essential, but God's theology 
 says it is. Which will you have? 
 
 Yes, the Christian Church makes this subject of 
 baptism quite prominent, because it is compelled 
 to so long as others continually neglect it, or if they 
 do notice it at all, it is often to attack us for our 
 position on the question. You remember that when 
 the walls of Jerusalem were being rebuilded, Nehe- 
 
246 THE GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 miah commanded the workmen that wherever they 
 heard the sound of the trumpet, thither should they 
 all resort. The trumpet was the danger signal, and 
 signified that the enemy was about to attack at 
 a certain point. Well, it seems that our religious 
 neighbors are very jealous of us in our efforts to 
 restore the old walls of Apostolic teaching and prac- 
 tice, and they persist in assaulting us at the point of 
 baptism. Hence v/e have to sound the trumpet and 
 call our forces to the defense of our position. And 
 right well have we succeeded. Tens of thousands 
 of the enemy have com.e over to us. We see alike 
 on most points and ought to do so on this. Our 
 work is telling. Many pedo-baptist churches are 
 now putting in baptistries in order to accommodate 
 those of their congregations who insist on immer- 
 sion. Fewer and fewer infants proportionally are 
 being sprinkled every year. I tell you the people 
 are learning. Let the good work go on. The days 
 of affusion are numbered, as are also the days of 
 many creeds. We shall soon have less condemna- 
 tion of any of the commandments of Christ, and see a 
 more prompt and willing submissiveness to the simple, 
 yet all-comprehensive plan of salvation as authorized 
 in His Great Commission. 
 
 Notwithstanding the clearness with which the 
 Disciples always present matters, there are some v/ho 
 assert that we teach that all sinners have to do is to 
 go down into the water and be baptized. Over in 
 Iowa certain jealous neighbors declared that all the 
 Christian Church believed in was dipping; that after 
 baptism our members might sv/ear, steal, or get drunk, 
 and yet remain saved. And out in a Kansas town 
 where I once labored, there was a man who 
 didn't like our people very much, and he took delight 
 in peddling the same old falsehood, that all the Chris- 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION 247 
 
 tian Church cared for was to get people under the 
 water. 
 
 But what does the Great Commission say? Our 
 belief and practice is in accord with that. Read 
 carefully the third and fourth points: — "Baptizing 
 them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to obsei^ve all 
 things ^wJioAsoever 1 have commanded you^ One 
 might come forward here, and penitently make the 
 good confession, and Brother Allen, your pastor, 
 might baptize him in strict accordance with the 
 demands of Scripture, and yet that individual might 
 be lost. Baptism cannot save only in its place, 
 and faith cannot save only in its place, and repent- 
 ance cannot save only in its place, and prayer can- 
 not save only in its place. AH the elements must 
 be linked together in order to save. What doth it 
 profit if a man is baptized only to live the life of a 
 drunkard? No matter though he might be dipped a 
 thousand times, if he goes hom.e and beats his wife, 
 and cuffs his innocent children, and conducts himself 
 like a beast, he will be lost, unless he penitently re- 
 forms. And what doth it profit a young man or a young 
 woman to be baptized, and then go to the average 
 theater? When you go down to that questionable 
 amusement hall, that savors of lust and all un- 
 cleanness; when you witness these many unhallowed 
 things that would make you blush for shame if in 
 the presence of that Christian mother who is at home 
 praying for you, what, under such circumstances, does 
 baptism amount to? Nothing to you, of course, for 
 you are satan's choicest catch. 
 
 Oh, my friends, you must assuredly be baptized, 
 but afterwards you m.ust also faithfully "observe 
 all things whatsoever Jesus has commanded you." 
 He teaches us to pray, to endure persecution, to 
 
248 THE GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 make sacrifices, to spend and be spent in His service, 
 and, in short, to surrender self completely to the 
 will of Almighty God. In his second epistle Peter 
 outlines our duty pointedly when he says, "Add to 
 your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to 
 knowledge temperance; and to temperance pa- 
 tience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness 
 brotherly kindness; and to brotherly Jdndness 
 charity.'- Our people have often made a serious 
 mistake in teaching the people the first principles of 
 Christianity and then leaving them without further 
 care. For instance, a preacher goes to some country 
 school house and commences a "protracted meeting/' 
 He preaches a series of sermons about as follows: — 
 I St, The Divinity of Christ; 2nd, The Divisions of 
 the Bible; 3rd, Faith; 4th, Repentance; and 5th, 
 Baptism. This is all very well as far as it goes. 
 But the mistake comes in stopping here and report- 
 ing a "great meeting at Pleasant Valley. Organized 
 a church with fifty members, and appointed a plurality 
 of elders and deacons, etc.'' These officials perhaps 
 are men who have just come into the church, and 
 who are utterly incompetent to fill the important 
 positions to which they have been assigned. The 
 little flock, being left thus to "edify one another," 
 with no shepherd to lead them, soon falls to v^^ran- 
 gling,or else dies a natural death from inactivity. It 
 is impossible to tell how many congregations have 
 been thus established, or rather not established. It is 
 too bad. The Great Commission plainly insists that 
 we should watch over these young converts, and 
 train them in the way of life. If they fall down, we 
 must help them up, and not give them a kick, 
 saying, "I didn't expect anything better of you any- 
 way; that is usually the way with Evangelist So-and- 
 So's converts." 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION 249 
 
 There is a little "fad'' among a certain class of 
 pastors nowadays to say, "We don't want an 
 evangelist; we prefer to conduct our own special 
 meetings, believing that the converts made will 
 hold out better." I heard of one pastor remarking 
 that he would rather have one person come to him 
 on the street and express his determination to be- 
 come a Christian than to have many press forward 
 under the labors of an evangelist. But how many 
 will come on the street? Very few. The history 
 of conversions proves that the vast majority of those 
 who come to Christ come during revivals. The 
 time will never come when the evangelist will not 
 be needed to stir up the people. But when once 
 they are stirred up, it is the pastor's business to 
 keep them stirred. He m.ust "teach them to observe 
 all things whatsoever Jesus has com.manded." The 
 new convert as well as the "worldling" needs to be 
 instructed to do what God says, in God's way. 
 
 At this juncture I imagine brave Peter's heart fell; 
 and John, hopeful as he was, looked serious and 
 thought this a great task the Master had commanded. 
 Possibly they said, "The Jews are our sworn enemies; 
 we will be turned away from their synagogues, and 
 everywhere difficulties will beset us. Oh, dear Mas- 
 ter, the burden you have laid upon us is so great!" 
 
 And if left to carry it alone, they had been right. 
 But Jesus has not yet concluded. The "peroration" 
 of His brief discourse, if so we call it, is one of the 
 grandest things of all history, and has perhaps done 
 more to cheer disciples on to victory than any other 
 equal number of words ever spoken. The Saviour 
 discerned the misgivings of his beloved followers, 
 and was quick to meet the sam.e with the climax of 
 promises. Listen ! "Z^, / am with you alzvays, even 
 unto the end of the world, AmenT 
 
250 THE GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 How wonderfully sweet are those words, and hov^ 
 far-reaching! The promise reaches right ap to 
 heaven, right up to God, right up to the pillars of 
 glory! I always liked that sweet hymn of Fanny 
 Crosby's which seems to be so fall of trust in this 
 last promise of Jesus: — 
 
 "All the way my Saviour leads me; 
 What have I to ask beside? 
 Can I doubt his tender mercy, 
 Who through life has been my guide? 
 Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, 
 Here by faith in Him to dwell! 
 For I know whate'er befall me, 
 Jesus doeth all things well." 
 
 No, it does not make any difference where we are, 
 He will be with us. We may go down by the cold, 
 dark river of folly, disappointment and death;but He 
 will be with us, and, if we but trust Him fully. He 
 will lead us up the mountain side to victory at last. 
 He will lead us through the darkness into the light! 
 
 So go on without fear. God has given you a work 
 to do; then do it in His way. Never mind what the 
 world may say; the devil will always be offended if 
 you do your duty. You may expect to offend him; 
 you will hardly be doing right if you fail to beat him 
 in every way possible, and on all occasions. I vvant 
 to take all the money I can away from him for Christ, 
 I want to tear all the power and influence I can 
 out of his wicked hands for my Master. The devil 
 is no friend of man, and we should look him squarely 
 in the face and shout sternly, "Get thee behind me, 
 Satan." We should never be afraid of him, for 
 Christ will be with us always. 
 
 But the young convert must remember that he can't 
 go sailing up to heaven on ^-flowery beds of ease." 
 The poet was right when he said, "Sure I must fight 
 if I would win." Yes, the Saviour calls for soldiers 
 
THE GREAT COMMISSION 25 1 
 
 of the Cross, who will go out in the highways and 
 byways and contest with Satan for every unregen- 
 erate heart. It is our business to bring the weary and 
 heavy-laden to Jesus, He will heal them with the 
 "Balm of Gilead," 
 
 Go on, then, in the march of faith. If you ever 
 fail, or feel that you are about to fall, oh, lean 
 heavily upon this precious promise of Christ, "Lo, I 
 am with you always." For whether down in the 
 v.alley or up on the mountain's top; whether 
 in adversity or prosperity, the sweet voice 
 of our Captain will be heard saying, "Lo, I am 
 with you always, even unto the end of the world." 
 
 Over in Svvdtzerland there is some wonderful 
 scenery. To be fully appreciated it must be viewed 
 from the summit of a tall mountain peak. But the 
 ascent is very difficult and dangerous. But if the 
 traveler \vishes to climb the height, a trusty guide 
 comiCS along and says, "I will take you up safely." 
 The guide is familiar with all the winding paths and 
 perilous abysses. He is not afraid of the dangerous 
 avalanches and m.ighty snow-slides for which the 
 Alpine ranges are noted. He fastens one end of a 
 strong rope around the traveler's body, and ties the 
 ether end to his own, after w^hich the pair begin 
 the ascent. When the sturdy mountaineer sees the 
 snow-slide coming he knows just what to do to keep 
 from being overwhelm.ed. The traveler stumbles 
 often, but the faithful guide holds him up. Many 
 times you feel that you will surely fall and be lost, 
 but that strong m.an, with his feet planted firmly on 
 the rocks, supports you. Finally you reach the sum- 
 mit of the mountain and behold the indescribable 
 beauty of Switzerland's bewitching scenery. 
 
 Thus at the foot of the mountain of life stands the 
 Son of Man, willing and able to guide us. He stands 
 
252 THE GREAT COMMISSION 
 
 ready to throw about us His strong arms of love; and 
 if we will only let Him, He will lead us up the wind- 
 ing and dangerous paths of this hard life, and at last 
 we shall find our feet firmly planted on the summit 
 of Mount Zion, where we will behold all the glories 
 of the New Jerusalem, "prepared as a bride adorned 
 for her husband!" 
 
 God help us, then, to be true to all the demands of 
 this great commission. May we fight valiantly the 
 good fight of faith, and at last win the victor's crowm! 
 Jesus is the "Captain of our Salvation/' Let us 
 neglect no duty He has laid upon us. 
 
 Are there not those here to-day who want to march 
 with us! Are there not those here who would take 
 the "sword of the spirit," and the "shield of faith," 
 and who would have their "feet shod with the prep- 
 aration of the gospel of peace," ready to do battle 
 for the Lord? Are there not those here who are will- 
 ing to go out and fight like Spartans? If so, come, 
 and enlist in God's own appointed way. A heroic 
 life is the Christian's, a life of glorious conquest. So 
 come thou with us, and v^e will do thee good! Come, 
 and you will not only bring peace and joy to your 
 own heart, but inexpressible gratitude to the hearts 
 of others who are praying for you. 
 
WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 
 
 I was surely surprised v/hen I came into the build- 
 ing this evening to find so many present. I remarked 
 to Mrs. Hall as we were coming over that I supposed 
 we would have but about a "baker's dozen" present, 
 the weather is so very inclement. I thank you very 
 much for braving the storm. It proves that you are 
 deeply interested in the work, and I wish to express 
 my appreciation of your zeal and courage. Rain or 
 shine, hot or cold, the people of God should never 
 neglect the sanctuary. Eternal destiny is at stake, 
 and it behooves us one and all to be faithful under 
 every circumstance, 
 
 "Where do you expect to spend Decoration Day.'^'' 
 That is a question that a great many ask each 
 other about the 25th of May each year. It is a 
 precious day all over this great nation, and there are 
 few loyal Americans who do not observe it in one 
 way or another. 
 
 A little later the question is, "Where do you 
 expect to spend the Fourth of July?" I vividly re- 
 member that this was a very important question all 
 through my youth. My father was a farmer, and he 
 allowed me five cents a scalp for all the gophers I 
 trapped, and two cents for squirrels. By the first 
 of July, I had usually earned a neat little sum, and 
 it became an important question as to hov^ and where 
 I should spend that money. I would post up the best 
 I could from the pages of our country paper, and 
 read all the handbills I could find, and then when 
 
 25a 
 
254 WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 
 
 all we neighbor boys met at Sunday School we 
 would talk matters all over and determine on a 
 course of action for the greatest national holiday. 
 
 Five months later each year the question is, 
 "Where are you going to spend Thanksgiving Day?'* 
 And later still, "Where are you going to spend your 
 Christmas?" These are always interesting questions 
 both to children and to old people. How anxiously 
 each year Grandpa and Grandma look forward to 
 Thanksgiving, when the children will all gather 
 about the old hearthstone once more, coming from 
 east, west, north and south, all eager to show off 
 their babies, and to eat pumpkin pie again at the 
 dear old home! And then Christmas — blessed Christ- 
 mas! "What did you get?'' is the watchword of the 
 little folks for a week afterwards. 
 
 Then again in June we have two predominating 
 questions: First, "Whom are you going to marry?" 
 and second," What are you going to do after school?" 
 In this beautiful month we will have college com- 
 mencements all over the land. Our three or four 
 hundred colleges and universities annually turn out 
 thousands of bright graduates, and the boys and girls 
 spend many happy hours discussing future prospects. 
 
 "Where are you going to spend your vacation?" is 
 a July and August question among over-worked busi- 
 ness and professional men. 
 
 Now these are all momentous questions. I would 
 not for a moment underestimate their importance. 
 But we have for consideration to-night a far more 
 weighty question than any of these I have just pro- 
 pounded. It is a question that reaches beyond the 
 clouds, and moves the heart of man as nothing else 
 can. Listen! 
 
 "where shall I SPEND ETERNITY?" 
 
 If I should stand here and ask in the usual form, 
 
WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 255 
 
 '*Where do j/ou expect to spend Eternity ?" the young 
 men in yonder row might think I was talking to the 
 young men across the aisle. So I want every Chris- 
 tian in the house, and every person not a follower 
 of Christ, to ask the question of themselves to-night. 
 Make it emphatically personal: "Where shall 7 
 spend Eternity?" It is without doubt the miOst im- 
 portant problem that will ever be brought before us 
 for solution. Questions of faith and doctrine are 
 important, and should be carefully considered. Every 
 intelligent Christian should investigate the tenets of 
 his religion. We should all endeavor to know what 
 this means, and what that m_eans. And yet all 
 questions of doctrine are insignificant in themselves 
 except as they have bearing on this question. All 
 other questions, whether of politics, science, of 
 religion or the arts, are of secondary importance to 
 this one, because upon our answer to this question 
 hangs our eternal vvelfare. 
 
 And yet, important as it is, very few, compara- 
 tively, are earnestly discussing it. 
 
 "Where shall I spend Eternity?'^ I expect to spend 
 it in a good place. And you can't find a man in 
 Chicago, I suppose, however wicked he may be, who 
 does not expect to get better before he dies, and so 
 spend Eternity in a better place. But this careless 
 way of putting off our duty is very uncertain. We 
 shall have no opportunity of getting better beyond the 
 present life. Unless we get better now there is no 
 hope for a happy hereafter. Hence every living per- 
 son should put the best thought of his life upon these 
 matters. This existence can be but brief at best, 
 perhaps three score years and ten, perchance four 
 score. What then? How short is t-i-m-e! Short 
 in spelling; short in reality. How long is e-t-e-r- 
 'N-i-t-y! Long in spelling; long in reality. The 
 
256 WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 
 
 manner in which you spend time will settle your 
 location for Eternity. 
 
 It is hard to get the world to believe in a Day of 
 Judgment, and yet it is coming, as sure as there is 
 a God in heaven. You cannot believe . otherv/ise 
 if you are consistent. We find that the inspired 
 writers of the Bible again and again give us startling 
 revelations on the subject. 
 
 Take, for instance, the T6th chapter of Matt, 
 and 27th verse: "For the^Son of Man shall come in 
 the glory of his Father v^ith his angels; and then 
 He shall reward every man according to his works." 
 When will this occur? On the Day of Judgment. 
 At least the world's greatest commentators so agree. 
 
 In Romans 14:10, we have this language: "But 
 why dost thou judge thy brother.? or why dost thou 
 set at naught thy brother.? for we shall all stand be- 
 fore the Judgment Seat of Christ." It is so hard to 
 get men to believe this. They live in sin too much. 
 They yield to appetite, lust, and the pride of life. 
 They Jove earthly pleasures. They do not want to 
 think about giving a final account for the many evil 
 deeds done in the body. They do wrong to make 
 money, or to gratify some sinful desire, and they do 
 not want to be reminded of a Day of Judgment. But 
 the apostle declares that "we shall all appear before 
 the Judgment Seat of Christ." And Paul was inspired. 
 In writing these solemn words he indited the mind 
 of our Maker. God never deceives His children, and 
 when He warns us that we must all prepare to stand 
 before the Judgment Seat of Christ, He means it. So 
 surely as we sit here to-night, so surely shall we stand 
 at the bar of eternal judgment at the last day. The 
 burning thought for the soul is, when He summons us 
 will we be ready to go and look into His all-wise face? 
 
 In 2 Cor. 5:10, we read: — "For we must all 
 
WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 257 
 
 appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ; that 
 everyone may receive the things done in his body, 
 according to that he hath done, whether it be good 
 or bad." Thus twice has Paul recorded this state- 
 ment with reference to the Judgment Seat of Christ, 
 And in asserting that we shall all be judged accord- 
 ing to the deeds we have done in the body, he but 
 voices the expressed sentiment of Job, and David, and 
 Jesus himself. It is a matter that should call forth 
 the most serious meditation and resolution. 
 
 If we were to be judged to-night according to the 
 deeds done in the body, oh, what would we each 
 receive? This judgment will reach every one, the old 
 man and the young man, the mother, the wife, the 
 child. Not one accountable person shall escape the 
 final examination. Would to God it might solemnize 
 our hearts and urge every careless son of Adam to 
 get ready without delay to meet the Great Judge of 
 the quick and the dead. 
 
 Hebrews 9:27, 28: "And as it is appointed unto 
 men once to die, but after this the Judgment; so 
 Christ was once offered to bear the sins of m.any; 
 and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the 
 second time without sin unto salvation. '^ He has 
 not appeared the second time yet, but he will appear 
 in His own good time. In Him only have we hope. 
 If we believe and obey Him we shall have fullness 
 of joy; but if we neglect to walk in His footsteps we 
 shall be undone forever. 
 
 A little boy who has not disobeyed papa and 
 mamma is not afraid to meet them and to look into 
 their faces. Witness his happy expression as he 
 bounds into the room after doing some errand for 
 them. He says, "Papa, I have done what you and 
 mamma told me to do." And he expects to be re- 
 warded and praised for it. But if the lad has been 
 
258 WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 
 
 told to carry in a load of wood, for instance, but 
 instead of obeying goes out the back way and plays, 
 he fears to meet the parental countenance. Two or 
 three times mamma calls to him, "Johnny, why don't 
 you bring me that wood ?'' but he keeps on playing. 
 When the dinner bell sounds he realizes that he is 
 awfully hungry, but he is slow to respond. He 
 doesn't go bounding in to meet papa with that ex- 
 pectant look which characterizes the obedient child. 
 No, he is almost afraid to enter the dining-room for 
 fear that mamma will look at him askance. So it 
 will be with us, my brother, if we persist in trampling 
 our Father's commandments under foot. If we shall 
 have turned away from Him all our lives, it will be 
 with shame-covered faces that we at the bar of judg- 
 ment meet Him. But if we shall have kept His 
 commandments, we will then be joyful, knowing that 
 He will say: "Well done, good and faithful servant.'' 
 Allow ma to quote one more passage, John 12:48, 
 for this reason, that so many think if they live up to 
 what they believe to be right, or, in other words, if 
 they live up to their honest convictions, they will 
 be saved. And I am here to assert that if honest 
 convictions ever save at all, it is because they hap- 
 pen to accord vvith the law of Jesus Christ; in which 
 case it is faith and obedience after all, and not the 
 individual's theories. This idea of simply according 
 with some personal standard is becoming too com- 
 mon. A great many seem to think that if they live 
 up to the rules of the Masonic lodge, or of the Odd 
 Fellows, or of the K. of P. 's, or whatever human 
 society they may chance to belong to, that they are 
 all right, both for this world and the next. I am 
 not here to make a special fight against any of these 
 organizations. I do not belong to any of them, but I 
 know a great many good men who do. All lodges have 
 
WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 259 
 
 good rules, I doubt not, that are helpful and whole- 
 some so far as they go. But one may live up faithfully 
 to all the rules and yet be lost, for they cannot carry 
 the soul beyond the dark river. It is not the busi- 
 ness of lodges to present Christ to the world as its 
 only Saviour. Many lodge men do not even pretend 
 to be believers in Christ. They set up a standard of 
 their own, and imagine that if they live up to the 
 self-appointed demands of conscience they will pass 
 within the Pearly Gates without a question. 
 
 But listen to this verse from the Lord of Lords 
 and King of Kings: *-He that rejecteth m^e, and re- 
 ceiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; 
 the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge 
 him in the last day." 
 
 When ^hall it judge him.? Not in this life, but 
 "in the last day," the "great and terrible day of the 
 Lord," the day when all nations shall be assembled 
 together for the final examination. Then shall this 
 book be opened, the book of God, not the book of 
 some lodge. And then shall the record of your life 
 be read by the recording angel. Oh, what a momient 
 it will be! All the deeds of your life are kept on 
 record, and if you die unregenerate thej^ will be 
 brought to light, and presented in evidence against 
 you. And this is right. If your life has not been 
 clean; if you have not lived consistently; if you 
 have ignored the counsels of this Divine Book, then 
 you will be assigned to "outer darkness." But if your 
 record is good, you will be assigned a place at God's 
 right hand. 
 
 Where, then, shall / spend Eternity .? To what 
 abode will 1 be assigned after the judgment.? What 
 kind of a place will be m.y everlasting habitation? 
 These are questions of vital interest to us all. 
 
 There are just two places beyond the Judgment, 
 
:OC vVHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 
 
 and you and I will either go to one or the other. 
 There is no half-way place, no go-between, no easy 
 place on some division fence. We must "round up" 
 in one place or the other. Which shall it be — God's 
 Kingdom or Satan^s? 
 
 Turn to Matthew, 25th chapter, and read from the 
 31st to the 35th verses inclusive. "When the Son 
 of Man shaU come in His glory, and all the holy 
 angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne 
 of His glory. And before Him shall be gathered all 
 nations; and He shall separate them one from another, 
 as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. 
 And He shall set the sheep on his right hand, but 
 the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto 
 them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of m.y 
 Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from 
 the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered, 
 and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave 
 me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; 
 naked and ye clothed me; I was sick and ye visited 
 me; I was in prison and ye came unto me." You 
 observe there are just two places mentioned, In this 
 passage one is called the Right Hand, and the other, 
 the Lsft In other Scriptures one is called Heaven 
 and the other Hell In Luke's noted parable one is 
 referred to as Abraham's Bosom; the other as the 
 Place of Torment. Now m one of these places — in 
 outer darkness or ia glorious light — you and I will 
 spend Eternity Ob, which will it be? 
 
 Now torn to the i6ch chapter of the Book of Luke 
 and read the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus: 
 ^' There was a certain rich man which was clothed 
 in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every 
 day And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus 
 which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring 
 to be ted With the crumbs vvhich fell from the rich 
 
WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 261 
 
 man s table; moreover, the dogs came and licked his 
 sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died, 
 and was carried by the angels into Abrahani's bosom. 
 The rich man also died and was buried; and in hell 
 he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth 
 Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And 
 he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on 
 me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his 
 finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tor- 
 mented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, 
 remember that thou in thy lifetim.e receivedst thy 
 good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but 
 now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And 
 besides all this, between us and you there is a great 
 gulf fixed, so that they that would pass from hence 
 to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that 
 w^ould come from thence.^' 
 
 You see from this parable (if it is a parable — some 
 think the events described actually occurred — for 
 the narrative states emphatically that "there was 
 a certain rich man.'' Be this as it may, the lesson 
 intended is the same, for a parable is simply a great 
 truth in figure, and if the circumstances depicted 
 here are figurative, may God deliver you and me 
 from the reallj that the poor man, neglected and 
 despised, died at the gate of plenty. The rich man 
 also died surfeited with attentions. Both went 
 straight to their rightful places. The rich man 
 entered the fiery depths of hell, while the poor man 
 entered the brilliant portals of a glorious life. The 
 one lived wickedly, the other righteously. 
 
 And so it is in the present age. A rich man dies 
 and the newspapers present a full account of his 
 sickness and the last scenes around his death-bed. 
 They tell Vv^here he was born, and where his father 
 and grandfather were born, and what illustrious 
 
262 WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 
 
 things they have all done, running the family history 
 back to the Revolution or the Mayflower. They 
 eulogize him for what he has done for his country, 
 for the business world, and for politics, and then 
 conclude by saying that although the deceased was 
 not a member of any church he was a good man, 
 gentle in his family, true to his neighbors, and a friend 
 of the poor. When I read such eulogies on men who 
 have piled up their tens of thousands by grinding 
 down the poor, as is often the case, I feel like shout- 
 ing as loud as I can, bosh! There is entirely too 
 much of this blue-stocking, gold- wash business in 
 the world to-day. 
 
 The poor man dies, and the notice of his death is 
 printed in one corner of the newspaper among the 
 advertisements. This is a very different obit- 
 uary from the one contributed to the man w^hose 
 wrong and perhaps previous ill-treatment caused the 
 poor man's death. A whole column is devoted to 
 the rich man's memory. See the big head lines: 
 
 "gone to his long rest," 
 
 "one of our most distinguished citizens." 
 
 "the city will miss his eminent services." 
 
 The truth maybe that he died of apoplexy brought 
 on by strong drink. But no matter, he was inch. 
 So they boast of his so-called charities, his unselfish 
 career, and spotless record, when perhaps his private 
 life has been that of a glutton and a libertine. They 
 note the large number of carriages at his funeral, and 
 the vast expense of his casket. They describe the 
 location of his tomb, the fragrance of the many 
 banks of flowers contributed by admiring friends, 
 and the subtle influence of the band's exquisite dirges. 
 
 That's the way they bade farewell to Dives, I im- 
 
WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 263 
 
 agine; while away down among cheap locals ap- 
 peared this other notice: "Lazarus, a famiUar old 
 pauper, who has been sick five or six years, died this 
 morning at 7 o'clock. The remains were deposited 
 in a rough box and taken out to the Potter's field in 
 the patrol wagon." 
 
 But what did the angels think? I think they looked 
 upon all these shams very differently from the way 
 the thoughtless world looks at such things to-day. 
 The angels come sweeping down through space, and 
 with gentle hands they picked up the poor frail body 
 of Lazarus, and with one touch of their magnetic 
 fingers made it immortal. 
 
 Lazarus had doubtless been sick a long time. 
 What little money he had saved up fora"rainy day," 
 he had been compelled to spend in the payment of 
 doctors' bills. When his money gave out their ser- 
 vices ceased. At last his flesh was covered with 
 sores, and the dogs of the street came and licked 
 them! This is Luke's startling description, — a piece 
 of literary realism hardly excelled in any language. 
 But the poor, sick, hungry fellow was taken by the 
 angels to Abraham's bosom, and there he found 
 health and rest and joy eternal. 
 
 Not so with Dives. Although in this life he had 
 never known want, he went down to a place of awful 
 torment. Why.? Because he had ever relied upon 
 the things of this earth to save him, and not upon 
 God. He bad been so well satisfied with himself 
 that he had given no thought to religion. He had 
 been so absorbed, wrapped up in the present, that 
 he grossly neglected preparation for the future. 
 And thus it is with millions to-day. 
 
 Skeptics would like very much to overthrow 
 the force of this parable, but they cannot do it. 
 It is childish to say that God does not mean it, 
 
264 WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 
 
 and there is no hell. Take out this parable with 
 its picture of hell and you may just as well take out 
 faith with all its splendid pictures of heaven, for 
 the same God who indited the 13th chapter of I. 
 Corinthians also indited the i6th chapter of Luke_ 
 \vith this remarkable parable. If there is no hell, 
 then there is no heaven. The logic of the con- 
 clusion is inexorable. 
 
 The writer tells us that this rich man went to the 
 place of torment, and ^4n hell he lifted up his eyes, 
 and seeing Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his 
 bosom, cried, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, 
 and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his 
 finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tor- 
 mented in this flame.'' 
 
 But Abraham replied in substance, "Oh, no, I 
 can't send Lazarus. It would not be consistent, for 
 when you were upon the earth you had your good 
 things; you had your elegant mansion; you had 
 your carriages and coachmen; you had beautiful 
 music; you had banquets fit for a king every day; 
 you had beer delivered regularly at your back door; 
 you had wine parties and balls; you v>rent to the 
 theater three or four times every week; you often 
 passed right by the church door on prayer-meeting 
 evenings, coldly remarking that ^that sort of thing 
 was good enough for women and children, but too 
 tame for strong-minded men;' in short, my son, 
 you lived for self only, while all this time there lay 
 this poor man begging at your gate for the necessary 
 crumbs to keep soul and body together. You knew 
 him to be a good man; you remembered how you 
 and he were boys together; you knew that he was 
 just and honest and that he lived a pure life all 
 through his afflictions; and yet in your ill-gotten 
 wealth you had no conscience on his behalf. You 
 
WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 265 
 
 had what the world calls good things while Lazarus 
 had evil things; but now the tables are turned and 
 you must submit to evil things because you deserve 
 them, while Lazarus shall forever enjoy good things, 
 because his faithful life has merited a glorious re- 
 ward," 
 
 Seeing that the matter was irrevocably settled, 
 Dives said, "I pray Thee then, Father, that thou 
 wouldst send him to my father's house; for I have 
 five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest 
 they also come into this place of torment.'' 
 
 But Abraham said, "They have Moses and the 
 prophets; let them hear them." But Dives persisted, 
 "Nay, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them 
 from the dead they will repent." 
 
 But Abraham closed the interview by saying, "If 
 they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will 
 they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." 
 
 And it is just so to-day. I surmise that if a man 
 should arise from his grave in one of your beautiful 
 cemeteries — some man vv^hom you all knew very well 
 -—and say in sepulchral tones loud enough for the 
 whole city to hear, "Get ready for the judgment! 
 I have been there and found it to be a reality. 
 I beg you to quit your meanness and prepare to meet 
 God! I implore you to stop speculating on that 
 mj'serable Board of Trade; to stop lying to make 
 money; to stop your drinking and swearing and 
 dissipating, for the Day of Final Reckoning is at 
 hand!" seme few would stop and chat with him 
 seriously; others would laugh at the white thing, and 
 the papers would have a picture of the man taken 
 in his grave-clothes, with a two-column write-up 
 couched in startling but jocular rhetoric. A few su- 
 perstitious persons might possibly give up their 
 meanness for a while, but not many. So powerful 
 
266 WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 
 
 is the devirs influence, that should a whole ceme- 
 tery full of people rise from the grave at once and 
 run hither and thither, everywhere crying, *^ Prepare 
 to meet thy God!" the world would continue just 
 about as wicked. 
 
 Thus Abraham was exceedingly wise in his final 
 reply. "And besides,'^ he said, "there is a great 
 gulf fixed between Lazarus and you, and neither can 
 cross over to the other." 
 
 What does this mean? It means that there is just 
 two places beyond this life. There is no go-between 
 place. When you pass the Judgment Bar of God it 
 is all over with you. If you have wasted this life 
 in sin you are lost forever, and that's the end of 
 it. Thei^e is no second probation. The Catholics 
 claim that there is a "purgatory," and that you 
 can pay money to the priest, and he can pray yaur 
 departed friends out, and get them into Glory at last. 
 But the Catholic idea of purgatory is not taught 
 in the Word of God, and likewise the Protestant 
 idea of a second probation is utterly foreign to the 
 Scriptures. There is not a single passage in the 
 Bible which can be consistently used in proof of 
 either of these theories. 
 
 On the other hand the parable of Dives and Laz- 
 arus, if people will be honest with themselves, and 
 honest with the Book of God, cannot fail to con- 
 vince the thoughtful that there is no chance beyond 
 the Judgment. Our future is practically determined 
 here. If we live right we will go to the place God 
 has prepared for us. If we don't live right, we will 
 be assigned a place in Satan's dominions among all 
 those who, like ourselves, have ignored the call of 
 Heaven. If you think it won't make any difference 
 how you live anyhow, and that when you die that 
 will be the end of it, you will find out differently, to 
 your everlasting sorrow. 
 
WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY I* 267 
 
 It don't make any difference Vv'hat our circum- 
 stances are in this life, there is a place where we 
 will all meet on the same level. I suppose people 
 who live in palaces on the Lake Front boulevards 
 would hardly notice a poor v/a?her-vv'cman on Labor 
 Avenue. Even if she were in bitter trouble they 
 would pass by on the other side. Here the extremely 
 rich and the extremely poor seldom neighbor v/ith 
 each other. But it makes no difference whether 
 they neighbor with each other or not, the tim.e v/ill 
 come when the rich man and the poor mjan, the 
 educated and the ignorant, the white and the black, 
 the bond and the free, will all meet on the s^me 
 level, for God is no respecter of persons. I once 
 baptized a black man in Kansas, whereupon scmie 
 people made sneering remarks about our taking ne- 
 groes into the church. There were very few colored 
 people in the town, for there was a strong prejudice 
 against them there. Some of our own members 
 thought they w^ould not like to be baptized in the 
 same water that a negro was baptized in, and sug- 
 gested that the water in the baptistry should be 
 changed! 
 
 But the time is coming when the white man will 
 be no better than the black man. That time is death. 
 When the angel comes with his long historic scythe, 
 and sweeps through a neighborhood, it miakes little 
 difference what your standing in society is, or how 
 large your bank account may be, or what your pre- 
 tentions to a superior moral life are. No matter 
 where you are or what you are, when your appointed 
 time comes that scythe will cut you down like the 
 rest. So it seems to me that we ought to be think- 
 ing more about the hereafter. We ought to be decid- 
 ing in which place we propose to spend eternity, 
 Heaven or hell. In one place or the other every 
 
268 WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY r 
 
 man, woman and child in this audience must spend, 
 the endless cycles of eternity. 
 
 "Where shall I spend Eternity ?'' is a far more im- 
 portant question than, "Where am I going to live, 
 and what business shall I follow in this life?" even 
 if we should live fifty, or sixty, or three score and 
 ten years. It is an awful thing to grow old without 
 Christ! Show me a man who has lived four score 
 years without yielding his heart to the softening and 
 sweetening influences of the gospel, and I v/ill show 
 you one who as a rule everybody wishes would die. 
 The children are too often glad when the good old 
 people die, not to mention the bad ones. 
 
 We can only live a few years at most. Did you 
 ever think how short life is.^ Even if v/e should 
 live lOO years, we "v/ill spend our days as a tale 
 that is told," as the Psalmist says. On the other 
 hand, Eternity! How wonderful is the sweep of that 
 ^ord— Eternity! Where shall we spend it.^ 
 ^ It will make little if any difference in the end 
 whether we live in London or in Chicago, in Ger- 
 many or America, in city or in village. The important 
 thing is, are v/e getting ready for E-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y.^ 
 
 We only begin to live here. Over There is where 
 we really Live. Oh, I would to God that I could 
 impress those of you who have been putting off this 
 great matter of salvation with the stupendous sig- 
 nificance of the words Time and Eternity. The one 
 is but a little drop in the ocean as compared with 
 the other And yet many conduct themselves as if 
 this life were all. Time is given us to prepare for 
 Eternity. And as there are two different states 
 beyond, one of joy and the other of misery, we 
 should be sure that we make no mistake in our prep- 
 arations. 
 
 "But I don*t believe in the orthodox hell," says 
 
WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 269 
 
 one. "I don't believe we poor sinners will be com-^ 
 pelled to burn and burn forever. '' 
 
 Well, I don't know just what and where hell is. 
 I don't believe myself that it is a literal lake of fire 
 and brimstone. That language in Revelation is fig- 
 lir-citive. But as the figurative is always a mere 
 attempt of language to describe the real, hell must be 
 a place beyond description in horror. 
 
 Some advance the idea that hell is total annihi- 
 lation— destruclion — oblivion. But how much better 
 Vv^ouid that be? If there is anything dear to the 
 human heart, it is the instinct of life. The thought 
 of being . obliterated, or cast into oblivion once and 
 forever, is about as repulsive as anything else, it 
 seems to me. I cannot see vv^herein it is m_uch 
 more pleasant than the thought of burning in that 
 figurative lake. No, I don't believe in the total an- 
 nihilation theory. And yet I cannot speak very 
 definitely as to the w/ia^ or the where of helL I 
 don't think we will settle that question this side of 
 the judgment. All we can say positively is that hell 
 is banishment from the presence of God, and that's 
 enough. No v/onder it is called a place of ^'outer 
 darkness.'^ God is light and warmth, and love. It 
 will be a sad thing for us if we have so carelessly 
 lived here as to be driven from His presence at the 
 last day. And not from His presence only, but from 
 the presence of our loved ones. Banished from the 
 Gates of Pearl! Driven away from the presence of 
 Abraham and all of the redeem.ed! Driven away 
 from Jesus! Driven away from the angels, and from 
 the miusic of heavenly love which shall ring through 
 the corridors of glory forevermore! Ah! that would 
 be hell. 
 
 Well, whatever and wherever it is, I don't want to 
 go there, and I don't v/ant any of my friends to go 
 
270 WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 
 
 there. But j/ou will go there, many of you, ai true 
 as you are living beings to-night, if you don't turn 
 about, face, and strive with all your hearts to live a 
 Christian life. 
 
 The only way to go to the other place. Heaven, is 
 to believe and obey Christ. If you will come and give 
 your hearts to the Lamb of God, He will take away 
 your sins, and redeem you from the power of Satan. 
 If we have Christ's love in our hearts and lives we can 
 say, "Oh, death, where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where 
 is thy victory?'' If we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, 
 we can say, "I am not afraid of the Judgment, for I 
 know that my Lord will say, ^Well done.'" The 
 Christian is not afraid of death, for to die means to 
 go Home. 
 
 I would that we all had a faith as strong as Basil, 
 bishop of Nes-Ceserea in 370 A. D. The Roman 
 emperor, Valens, threatened to confiscate his goods. 
 But the grand old saint replied in substance, "I have 
 not very much; only some rags and a few books. If 
 you want my goods take them, but you can't take the 
 truth from me.'' 
 
 He was then threatened with banishment and 
 death. His reply v/as a noble one: "None of these 
 things touch me. Banishment I know not; for, as the 
 guest of God, all places are alike to me. For martyr- 
 dom I am unfit, but death is a benefactor if it send 
 m.e speedily to Heaven." 
 
 Oh, why not believe and obey the Word of God 
 now? Why not consecrate your life to Christ to- 
 night? Why not surrender all your life, your hopes 
 and your purposes to Jesus once for all, and say to 
 Him, "Take me. Lord, and use me." If you will do 
 this you will not be afraid to hear the deal!i angel's 
 call. You will not be afraid to stand before the Judg- 
 ment bar of heaven. You will not be afraid of the 
 grave, for you will know that All is wpll. 
 
WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 27I 
 
 "For we know that all things work together for 
 good to them that love God." 
 
 That precious promise is for Christians. It was 
 never intended for those who do not give their hearts 
 to the Son of God, Many persons quote it and apply 
 it to themselves who have no right to do so- The 
 sinner who does not try to obey the Word of God, 
 and who has never committed himself to the Lord, 
 has no right to that precious promise. It is not for 
 those who tram^ple under foot the laws of Heaven. 
 Jesus said,*' If ye love me, ye will keep my command- 
 ments.'' To those only who really love God and try 
 to keep His commandments is it promised that "all 
 things shall work together for good." 
 
 It may be that in serving Christ you will have to 
 make many sacrifices. It may be that you will have 
 to endure persecution and submit to much that is un- 
 pleasant from a worldly point of view. But whether 
 this Christian service is pleasant or unpleasant, we 
 read that "these light afflictions, which are but for 
 a moment, will v/ork out for us a far m.ore exceeding 
 and eternal v/eight of glory." (2 Cor. 4:17.) 
 
 Dear, unsaved friend, let me prevail upon you to 
 make the start to-night Come on board the gospel 
 ship now! Decide quickly, and lay your hand in the 
 almighty hand of Jesus! Come out of the darkness 
 of doubt into the light of His presence, v>4iere there is 
 joy and peace and rest forevermore! Oh, turn heaven- 
 ward while it is called to-day! 
 
 Remember there are but two places beyond, — 
 Heaven and hell. For which are you bound ? In one 
 place or the other you will spend Eternity. Oh, v/hich ? 
 Are you bound for the place where your sainted 
 mother is.? and where Christ is.? and where all the 
 redeemed are ? Or are you bound for the place where 
 all murderers, all blasphemers, all haters of God and 
 workers of evil are.? 
 
272 WHERE SHALL I SPEND ETERNITY? 
 
 " Where shall I spend Eternity ?^^ Young man, de-, 
 cide to-night, because, soon — very soon to some of 
 us perhaps — ^will come the final summons. We will 
 be called to give an account for the deeds done in the 
 body. I will be com.pelled to give an account for all 
 the sermons I have preached, and you will have to 
 give an account for all the invitations of the Gospel 
 you have neglected. Each will be rewarded accord- 
 ing to his deserts. It is a solemn thought. We will 
 all be compelled to give an account, not only for the 
 things done, but for the things we should have done 
 but left undone. Perhaps you are saying to yourself, 
 "My life has not been so very bad; surely God won't 
 let me be lost." But you have all along neglected 
 to accept Jesus, and that is a grievous sin of omission. 
 So I entreat you to-night to come to Him. Come 
 and through contact with his blood be transformed 
 into the image of God. 
 
 " Where shall I spend Eternityf'^ It is a question 
 that you must settle sometime. Why not settle it 
 now.^ To-morrow may be too late! 
 
 ^'To-day the Saviour calls, 
 
 For refuge y?>'/ 
 The storm of vengeance falls, 
 hndi death is nighP' 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE 
 CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 
 
 Acts 28:22 — "But we desire to hear of thee what 
 thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know 
 that everywhere it is spoken against.'' This is not 
 my text. It used to be the text of our preachers when 
 they preached on the distinguishing principles of the 
 Christian Church. But now it is somewhat out of 
 date, and I must look elsewhere for an appropriate 
 verse of scripture. 
 
 Fifty years ago our preachers and people were 
 everywhere spoken against. Fifty years ago we were 
 grateful if we could get a corn-crib or a school-house 
 to preach in. Sometimes we vvere allowed to open up 
 in a church building; but the doors of the various de- 
 nominations were usually closed against us. But it 
 is not so to-day; we are orthodox! This has been 
 demonstrated to the satisfaction of everybcdy at all 
 posted. A few years ago, you may remiember, there 
 was a big trial over the matter in the State of Indiana, 
 and our orthodoxy was proven in court! We have 
 gotten out of the childish clothes of uncertainty and 
 put on the habiliments of a robust manhood. To-day 
 vve are increasing faster, proportionately, than any 
 other church in America. This is proven by the census 
 report of 1890, We are very popular now; so popular 
 that our people are represented almost everywhere. 
 One of our preachers sits regularly with the distin- 
 guished body of men who select the International SuH'- 
 
 S73 
 
274 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 day School lessons. And at all of the great Endeavor 
 conventions we have numerous representatives, for 
 as Francis E. Clark says, the two movements are 
 closely allied. Hence it would not be appropriate 
 now to say "this body is everywhere spoken against," 
 for it is not. 
 
 But I trust I may not be regarded presumptuous in 
 saying that we are the same people, doctrinally and 
 practically, that were spoken against eighteen hun- 
 dred years ago. It will therefore, doubtless, be in- 
 teresting to strangers to know something about the 
 distinguishing principles of this church. 
 
 In a political campaign it is interesting to know the 
 distinguishing principles of the different political plat- 
 forms, and what they propose to do. So in religious 
 bodies it is interesting to know the whats, the whys, 
 and wherefores they have to offer. Just now there is 
 a great deal of talk in the press about Dr. Teed and 
 his angels. Everybody wants to know where they 
 are going to live and what they are going to do. And 
 over at Rockford there is much talk of the same nature 
 about Schweinfurth and his deluded followers. We 
 Americans do not care so much for what a man pre- 
 tends to be as for what he is. Not what is a man's 
 theory, but what is he doing? That is the idea with 
 most people now, and I am glad of it. 
 
 Now this church has recently removed into a great 
 hall and the eyes of strangers are upon you as never 
 before. Questions will naturally arise, "Who are 
 these people.?" "Where are they from.?" "What 
 have they done.?" "What do they propose to do.?" 
 "What are the distinguishing features of their plea.?" 
 I am here to-night to answer these questions, briefly, 
 but I trust concisely and plainly. 
 
 jude 3: — "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to 
 write unto you of the common salvation, it was need- 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 275 
 
 ful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you 
 should earnestly contend for'^— Calvinism? Is that 
 it? No, sir! "Exhort you' that you should earnestly 
 contend for'' — Arminianism? Is that it? No, sir! 
 Then what? The masses don't know anything about 
 Calvinism, i^rminianism, and the various other isms 
 of the theological v/orld. And what is more, they 
 don't care anything about them either. The average 
 person knows very little about Tertullian, Augustine, 
 Melanchthon, Zwingle, Chrysostom,or any of the old 
 church fathers. Theological students may enjoy 
 studying about these things, but the masses prefer the 
 bread of life. So what does the text say? Notice: 
 "that you should earnestly contend for the faith once 
 delivered unto the saints." 
 
 Not to contend earnestly for any creed devised of 
 men ; not to contend earnestly for any articles of faith 
 framed by any religious council on earth; but to 
 contend earnestly for the faith once delivered by in- 
 spired men chosen of God. How infinitely superior 
 is this work to that of quarreling over the specula- 
 tions and traditions of selfish men! 
 
 I want to suggest right heie that the principal 
 reason why we are separated from other religious 
 peoples, and compelled to stand in a class by ourselves, 
 is that we insist on carrying out this injunction to the 
 letter! We insist on preaching the same gospel that 
 Peter preached to the Jews eighteen hundred years 
 ago, when they cried out, "Men and brethren, what 
 shall we do?" The apostle Peter told them what to 
 do in language as clear as a sunbeam, and we are here 
 to urge people to do that same thing now. Thus we 
 are doctrinally and practically like the ancient dis- 
 ciples. We are striving to please God rather than 
 man; and to present the Gospel in its simplicity and 
 purity, with charity towards all, and malice towards 
 none. 
 
276 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 In many respects,! am glad to say, we are just like 
 other religious bodies. In very many of the more 
 important particulars we agree with all the evangelical 
 denominations. For instance, on the subject of 
 faith. Now all other evangelical bodies believe in 
 faith, believe in its necessity, power, and efficacy; so 
 do we. 
 
 All orthodox religious bodies believe in repentance, 
 believe that no one can be saved without repentance; 
 so do we, Vv^e constantly hold that it is utterly im- 
 possible to enter Heaven without repentance tovv^ard 
 God in the name of Christ. 
 
 Others believe in the importance of prayer; so do 
 we. 
 
 Others believe in holy living; so do we. 
 
 Others believe in keeping the Lord's Day holy (they 
 call it the Sabbath; we don't); so do we. 
 
 Others believe in godliness, holiness, sanctification; 
 so do we, Scripturally; but we don't believe in some 
 of the crack-brained theories on these subjects ad- 
 vocated by some of our religious neighbors. For in- 
 stance, the chimerical notions of faith cure which are 
 agitating so many people. We don't believe that 
 God is going to work a miracle to-day on our in- 
 dividual behalf. This is not faith but ignorant pre- 
 sumption. The people v/ho compose the Christian 
 Church do not believe that God is going to cure a 
 man of rheumatism, or anything else, unless he him- 
 self puts his body in a condition to recover, and ob- 
 serves the laws of nature. Many religious fanatics 
 are running wild with faith healing theories nowa- 
 days,but there is one church that don't believe in set- 
 ting aside God's Word for the shallow deductions cf 
 Christian Science, falsely so-called, for Joseph Cook 
 was right when he said that this new fad was neither 
 Christian nor science. 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 277. 
 
 No, the Christian Church don't believe in these off- 
 shoot theories of the sectarian churches. But in 
 nearly all the essential doctrines we agree with them. 
 I rejoice to say that on the great subject of temper- 
 ance we can cla?.p hands with the foremost. And 
 when it comes to infidelity it is enough to call your 
 attention to the fact that for a half century nearly 
 three-fourths of the discussions held with representa- 
 tives of so-called free thought have been successfully 
 conducted by our people. We believe with all evan- 
 gehcal churches in God the Father, in Christ the Son, 
 and in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter promise] by 
 our Lord and Master. We believe in world-vv^ide 
 evangelization, and, in short, in everything authorized 
 by the Word of Truth. 
 
 And still there are some very important differences 
 between us and other religious bodies; and hence the 
 subject for consideration in this %q^x\\\ow, distinguishing 
 principles. 
 
 Before I proceed further perhaps I should give 
 some definitions. What is to be understood by the 
 term "Christian Church.?'^ Some understand us to 
 refer in its usage to a particular religious body that 
 was brought into existence by Alexander Campbell and 
 his coadjutors. We have been called "Carhpbeliites." 
 But truthfully speaking, Alexander Campbell had 
 nothing whatever to do with the founding of the 
 Christian Church; he simply advocated a return of 
 all God's wandering people to the original founda- 
 tion. He pleaded for a return to apostolic, New Testa- 
 ment Christianity; for the throwing aside forever of 
 all the creeds and doctrines of men. He urged the 
 followers of Christ everywhere to take the Bible and 
 the Bible alone as their rule of faith and practice. He 
 argued that no one should be asked to do more nor 
 less than the Bible requires. A favorite motto of our 
 
i 
 
 278 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH J' 
 
 people has ever been, "Where the Bible speaks we i. 
 speak; where the Bible is silent we are silent. *' This | 
 position shuts out all human names. Hence we call t 
 ourselves the "Christian Church;" or as som.e prefer, I 
 the "Church of Christ,'' v/hich means identically the • 
 same thing. Not PauTs Church, nor Wesley's Church, I 
 nor Campbell's Church, but Christ's Church, The 
 terms Church of God, and Church of the First Born 
 are also Scriptural, and refer to the same body of peo- 
 ple. You may have noticed that I never speak of 
 our people as a "denom.ination. " The Church of Christ 
 is not denominational, and we should never say, as our 
 neighbors always do, "our denomination." When 
 applying to the railroads for a clerical permit, they 
 usually give me a blank calling for the name cf my 
 "denomination." I always cross out the unsanctified 
 word, and put in "Christian Church." No; God's 
 Church was never a denomination, and it never will 
 be. Our people should remain undenominational and 
 unsectarian, for this is the will of the Great Head of 
 the Church. Our plea along these lines has resulted 
 in the greatest union movement in the nineteenth 
 century, and we should be careful ever to keep the dis- 
 tinctive tenets of our belief constantly in view. 
 
 We have at the present time about one million 
 members, largely in the central and western states of 
 the Union, In Indiana we have about ico,coo In 
 the state of Illinois, yo.ooo. In Missouri, 130,000. 
 We have churches in Boston, New York, London, 
 Toronto, and other great cities. In New Zealand we 
 have numerous churches, one of which num.bers far 
 into the hundreds in membership. We are beginning 
 to spread out. In Melbourne, Australia, we have 
 more than twenty churches. In Kansas City, ten; in 
 Louisville, a dozen; in Cleveland, fifteen. We have 
 6,000 clergymen, and 9,000 congregations. We have 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 279 
 
 several great colleges and numerous religious papers. 
 In short, in all that goes to make a great religious 
 people, we stand among the most aggressive and wide- 
 awake religious bodies of the world. 
 
 Well, in what respect do we differ, from our re- 
 Hgious neighbors? 
 
 First of all,\n our teaching regarding Christ. "But," 
 you say, "I thought all orthodox bodies taught faith 
 in Christ as an essential doctrine." Certainly they 
 do, but we teach faith in Christ as the essential. All 
 evangelical churches make faith in Christ simply one 
 among other items of creed; but we make Christ the 
 one all-comprehensive article of faith. When a per- 
 son presents himself for reception into the Kingdom 
 of Christ at our hands, we do not propound to him a 
 multitude of questions, such as for instance^ "Do you 
 believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?" and, "Do 
 you believe that these three are one?" and, "Do you 
 believe that Christ died^to reconcile the Father to the 
 world?" (A creed-thought which is in direct opposi- 
 tion to the Word of God.) But we ask, "Do you be- 
 lieve with all your heart that Jesus is the Christ, the 
 Son of God?" And if the candidate says, "Yes, I 
 do," that settles it. There is just one article in our 
 Confession of Faith, and that is the Divinity of Christ. 
 What more is necessary? If we really believe in Christ 
 we easily accept all the rest that His religion de- 
 mands. Can you mention any other religious body 
 that receives a candidate for baptism on this one ad- 
 mission? It is a very simple way, 'tis true; but it is 
 God's way, and why should we ask more? It exalts 
 the Saviour to his rightful position as the only begot- 
 ten and hence divine Son of God, and nothing less 
 than this can suffice. 
 
 /;/ the second place, we differ from our religious 
 neighbors with reference to the various divisions of 
 
28o DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 the Bible and their respective authority over present 
 generations. We teach that the Old Testament was 
 intended more especially for the Children of Israel, 
 and the New Testament for Christians. Moses wrote 
 the first five books of the accepted canon especially for 
 the descendants of Abraham and Jacob. The Mosaic 
 Law was never intended to become universal. Every 
 one of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament 
 clusters about the Children of Israel primarily, and 
 secondarily the coming of Christ and his kingdom. 
 The Ten Commandments and the ceremonial laws of 
 Leviticus were written especially for the TwelveTribes 
 of Israel, and were intended as a school-master to bring 
 the world to Christ. (See Gal. 3:24.) But the Gospel 
 takes in the whole world in its majestic sweep, Jews 
 and Gentiles alike. We hold that no one can success- 
 fully and acceptably preach the gospel until he rightly 
 divides and applies the Word of Truth. When a 
 candidate comes to confess Christ, we do not go over 
 into Leviticus and teach him the Law of Moses as 
 binding upon him. The apostle Paul, referring to 
 this, says in the second chapter of Colossians, that 
 Christ took this old law out of the way, "nailing it 
 to the cross.'' We have the essence of all the Ten 
 Commandments in the New Testament and much 
 more, but the fourth commandment as such was 
 never engrafted in the Law of Christ. Christians 
 are nowhere commanded to "remember tlie Sabbath 
 Day to keep it holy.'' The Sabbath was an Israelitish 
 institution only. We are taught by apostolic example 
 to remember the Lord's Day, the first day of the 
 week, not the seventh. This is the day upon which 
 our blessed Master arose from the grave and it is fit- 
 ting that we should make it a day of special service 
 to God. 
 So we divide tb^ Bibk niQVQ consistently than any 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 281 
 
 Other religious people in the world. We make it a 
 specialty, and it is one of our strongest points. We 
 insist that the laws of the Old Testament are not bind- 
 ing upon Christians; and yet we do not discard the 
 Old Testament, as our enemies have sometimes 
 averred. Isaac Errett, one of the leading lights in 
 the councils of our people, declared that no disciple 
 of Jesus could attain a full and proper development 
 in Christ until he familiarized himself thoroughly 
 with the Old Testament Scriptures. No, the time 
 will never come when we can discard the great works 
 of Moses, David, and the judges and prophets of Israel. 
 And yet we should not apply their writings to this 
 day and age. This is, however, a common and in- 
 excusable blunder. Why, even Mr. Moody, whose 
 name is precious to many thousands, once preached 
 a sermon in this city on that most important of all 
 subjects for the consideration of dying souls, ^^What 
 shall I do to be saved.'*'' He took his text from the 
 Old Testament and preached his sermon from first to 
 last without once quoting from the New Testament. 
 What must the angels have thought to behold so 
 noted a man declaring as binding to-day texts which 
 were written for another age and people, and which 
 were v/ashed away by the blood of Christ nearly 1900 
 years ago! 
 
 I think this is one of the most noble things about 
 the Christian Church, that we rightly divide the Word 
 of God. You remember that Paul wrote to Timothy, 
 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a work- 
 man that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing 
 the Word of Truth.'' And in the literal observance of 
 this commandment we are eminently distinguished 
 from other religious peoples. 
 
 Third'. We are distinguished from other religious 
 bodies in our teaching regarding the operation of the 
 
282 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 Holy Spirit. You know that almost all orthodox 
 bodies believe in the miraculous operation of the 
 Holy Spirit in conversion. We do not. It is non- 
 sense. If the Holy Spirit ever operates independently 
 of the Word of Truth, why does He not convert the 
 poor heathens who have never heard the gospel ? In 
 proof of His miracle-working proclivities, not to say 
 eccentricities, our friends quote that often-abused 
 passage in John's narrative/' The wind bloweth where 
 it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but 
 canst not tell whence it cometh,and whither it goeth; 
 so is every one that is born of the Spirit. '^ But if He 
 operates independent of the preached Word, why does 
 He blow on people in enlightened Am.erica, and not 
 blow on the deluded Hottentot? We have often read 
 that "God is no respecter of persons.'^ But if the 
 prevailing notion as to the operation of the Spirit is 
 true, God is a respecter of persons. 
 
 The truth in the matter is that the Holy Spirit has 
 never converted a man, from the beginning of time 
 to the present day, independent of the Word of God 
 and human agency. We believe that God has chosen 
 us, his disciples, to c^rry His Word to the lost, and 
 if we are faithful in this service the Holy Spirit will 
 always accompany with power. You recall the last 
 words of Jesus, "Go ye therefore, and teach all 
 nations." He has laid upon us this great and press- 
 ing responsibility, and we should not shirk duty by 
 attributing a work to the Holy Spirit never intended 
 or promised. Rest assured that the Holy Spirit has 
 never operated in one single instance independent of 
 the Word of God, and He never v^ill. In His wonderful 
 prayer on the night of His betrayal, Jesus said, 
 "Father,sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy Word 
 is truth." (John 17:17.) We believe that the Holy 
 Spirit came into the world as a Comforter of Christians, 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 283 
 
 and as John records, "to convict of sin, and of right- 
 eousness, and of judgment to come." In conjunction 
 with the Lord, and consecrated Christian hearts, no 
 power can withstand His mighty work. But since the 
 days of the Twelve and Cornelius, His efforts have 
 been natural as distinguished from supernatural. This 
 view of an important question removes a great deal 
 of doubt, and consequently the Christian Church con- 
 verts m.ore skeptics proportionally than any other re- 
 ligious body. 
 
 You have often heard the question asked at revival 
 meetings,"Didyouget it.?'' or "Did you get through.?" 
 Get what.? Get through what.? I suppose they mean 
 religion, as if it were something to be gotten mirac- 
 ulously. Many preachers talk as if it were something 
 very mysterious, and convey the idea that in seeking 
 for it maybe you will get it, and maybe not. You 
 have doubtless heard testimonies hke the following: "I 
 was a long time getting through. I went to the altar 
 night after night without relief. I lost much sleep, 
 and my appetite failed. But at last a great light 
 suddenly shone upon my soul." An Iowa man told 
 me how he tried to get it for thirteen nights. But 
 he failed to ekperience that miraculous change he had 
 been taught to expect, and so he just quit trying and 
 lapsed into skepticism. And at one place where I 
 was laboring a gentleman gave me an account of his 
 experience at the altar. He felt no change and was 
 frank enough to say so. But the preacher urged him 
 to stand up and say that he felt differently anyhow, 
 assuring the earnest seeker that he v/as "too honest 
 with himself." That gentleman almost lost all faith in 
 religion, but he is a member of the Christian Church 
 now, and rejoices in the simplicity and consistency of 
 our teachings. I am confident that a very large per- 
 centage of our modern atheists are m.ade by this mis- 
 
2b4 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 erabie, unscnptural, dangerous theory; — the offspring 
 of a deformed theology, that men can't be saved with- 
 out a special miracle. 
 
 There is no miracle in conversion. There are 
 some mysterious things about it of course, as there are 
 about every subject under Heaven. There are mys- 
 teries connected with the growing of grass, the bud- 
 ding of trees, and the creation of human species, for 
 instance, which the greatest scientists of history have 
 never yet penetrated. And yet we speak of these 
 things as natural processes, and accept the feet with- 
 out a doubt or murmur. So conversion is a natural 
 process, and it is easy for every citizen of this or any 
 other enlightened land to learn every step in con- 
 version. No, there is nothing miraculous about it. And 
 in this belief we are distinguished from all the great 
 orthodox bodies. It is a point mightily in our favor 
 too, and one that we cannot make stand out too 
 clearly. It would be far easier to turn the masses to 
 Christ if this old notion that God is going to work 
 special miracles to save men could be gotten cut of the 
 way. When every man is made to realize that his 
 salvation depends largely on his ow^n efforts, he will 
 go to work in earnest for his soul. But many are 
 waiting to-day for God to convert them by some 
 wonderful, miraculous demonstration, when they 
 ought to be "working out their own salvation with 
 fear and trembling." Don't wait for God to work it 
 out for you, but, as Peter said on Pentecost, arise 
 obediently and "save yourselves from this untoward 
 generation." When we get this false theory out of the 
 heads of the people, and they can be made to 
 understand that the Holy Spirit does not operate 
 independently, but always through the Word, and 
 through human agency, it will be a long step 
 towards the salvation of many millions now groping 
 in darkness and uncertainty. 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 285 
 
 Fourth: We are distinguished irom most ortliodox 
 peoples in our views regarding the design or baptism 
 Not the action of baptism, please notice; but the 
 design. There are millions who believe just as we do 
 concerning the meaning of the word "baptism.'' In 
 this country there are perhaps three million Baptists 
 alone, not to mention tens of thousands in other 
 bodies, who believe in immersion as the only Scrip 
 tural way to baptize people. And over in the old 
 country there are ninety millions in the Greek Church. 
 The Greeks ought to know what the New Testament 
 Greek word baptizo means. And it is significant that 
 they never spiiakla or pour. Hence I say we are not 
 to be distinguished from other religious bodies with 
 regard to our views concerning the action of baptism; 
 but we are when it comes to a consideration of the 
 design of baptism. We believe that baptism is for, 
 or in order to, the remission of sins. It is at baptism, 
 as the crowning act of conversion, that the honest be- 
 liever looks for forgiveness and peace> He has no 
 right to expect the fruition of his hopes and prayers 
 before. 
 
 '*Are your people not like the Baptists in this re- 
 spect?" says one. No; there is a wide difference. 
 Baptists do not consider baptism an essential of sal- 
 vation, but merely a church ordinance or Christian 
 act. Dr. McArthur of New York, one of the most 
 noted Baptist divines in this country, in a recently 
 published sermon proves to the satisfaction of every 
 honest thinker that immersion is the only Scriptural 
 form of baptism. "And yet," he concludes, "the 
 Baptist Church lets more people die unbaptized than 
 any other body, for it does not believe the act essen- 
 tial to salvation." But w^e believe Vv^hat the apostle 
 Peter said in Acts 2:38, "Repent and be baptized 
 every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the 
 
286 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 remission of sins, '^'^ It is a divinely appointed step in 
 the desired direction; it is something to be attended 
 to before forgiveness can be experienced; it is the 
 crowning act of conversion; it is, practically, the door 
 into the joys of conversion and into the folds of the 
 Church. Jesus taught the essentiaHty of baptism in 
 order to salvation; and all through the history of the 
 early Church immersion was universally practiced as 
 the only Scriptural, normal form. 
 
 These conclusions are so logical and plain that 
 it would seem that the whole religious world could 
 not but be a unit on the subject. But human specula- 
 tion, doubtless prompted by Satan, says,"It is a mere 
 outward sign of an inward grace,'' and should not 
 be regarded as more than "a mere church ordinance." 
 So long as the second chapter of Acts remains, how- 
 ever, so long will the position of the Christian Church " 
 on this subject be invulnerable. And it is a matter 
 of great m.oment,for a faithful observance of the com- 
 mand of baptism in its proper place in the scheme 
 of redemption would speedily dispense forever wqth 
 the mourner's bench and all similar abnormal systems 
 of so-called ''getting religion." The result would be 
 ten genuine conversions where there is one to-day. 
 
 Fifth: We are to be distinguished from others in 
 our views regarding the name question. We believe 
 that God's people and God's Church should wear only 
 Scriptural names. "Bible names for Bible things," 
 has long been one of our watch-crys. And with 
 William Chillingworth we believe that "the Bible 
 and the Bible alone is the religion of Protestants." 
 We do not believe in using the "language of Ashdod;" 
 so we discard all human appellations. In this we 
 stand almost alone in the religious world to-day. 
 There are a few lesser bodies, I believe, w^ho claim 
 to discard human names. For instance, I recall a 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 287 
 
 small body of people calling themselves "Christians," 
 but nicknamed "New Lights/' And another calling 
 themselves the "Church of God/' but nicknamed 
 " Winebrennerians." But of all the larger orthodox 
 bodies, we are the only church that insists on being 
 strictly Scriptural in name. We honestly believe that 
 it is wrong for Christians to adopt human names like 
 Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, etc. 
 
 Somebody suggests that old saw that "there is 
 nothing in a name anyhow/' and that "a rose by any 
 other name will smell as sweet." Well, let us see. 
 Suppose I call you Humbug. We meet at a party, 
 and I say, "How do you do, Mr. Humbug?" You 
 would certainly take offense, and would not listen to 
 me when I plead, "Oh, there's nothing in a name." 
 Suppose I should call every church on Western 
 Avenue, churches of Satan; what would you think? 
 If I should speak of this church as the First Church 
 of Satan, and yonder Methodist church as the Second 
 Church of Satan, and all the members as Satanites. 
 You would be justly incensed. And yet many have 
 been saying, "Oh, there is nothing in a name. The 
 people are just as good by one name as another, and 
 it makes no difference what you call us." But this 
 is all foolishness, and I have grown weary of hearing 
 thoughtless people say, "There is nothing in a name." 
 Why, there is everything in a name in one sense. 
 "They shall call his 7iame Jesus,^^ Why? Because 
 he shall save His people from their sins. What does 
 "Jesus" mean? Saviou7\ The v^^hole sum and sub- 
 stance of the Christian life is wrapped up in the ;/^;;^^ 
 Jesus. "There is no other ?tame under heaven given 
 among men whereby we must be saved," said Peter. 
 (Acts 4:12.) And again, in Luke 24 147, we are told 
 that "repentance and remission of sins should be 
 preached in His name among all nations, beginning at 
 
288 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 Jerusalem." And the Great Commission instructs us 
 to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy 
 Ghost. Take your concordance and look through 
 the New Testament. It will surprise you to find how 
 many times the expression "in His name" occurs. As 
 there is no promise of salvation outside of the name 
 of Jesus, the name question is one of tremendous im- 
 port. 
 
 Turn to the first chapter of I. Corinthians, and 
 read the apostolic rebuke there recorded for our in- 
 struction. Some of the disciples in that day said, "I 
 am of Paul." Others said, "I am of Apollos." And 
 others still, "I am of Cephas." But Paul taught them 
 all to say, "I am of Christ." He says, "Is Christ 
 divided.^ was Paul crucified for you? or were ye 
 baptized in the name of Paul?" 
 
 No, we were baptized in the name of Christ, and 
 when we wear^a name of human invention, or the 
 name of any man, we dishonor Christ and impede the 
 progress of His church. 
 
 The Church is called "the bride." What would 
 you think of a bride who wore some other name than 
 that of her husband? Here is Mrs. Hall, for instance; 
 we have been married a number of years. Now sup- 
 pose she should get a peculiar notion in her head, 
 and say some day, "George, I believe I will go by the 
 name of Mrs. Brown hereafter." 
 
 I would naturally be astonished and exclaim, 
 "Why?" 
 
 "Oh, because I think I should like the name better 
 than Hall." 
 
 "But," I would say, "I would rather you wouldn't. 
 Our marriage certificate is made out in my name, and 
 ourtvv^o little boys were born in the same." 
 
 "But," she replies, "of course I will love you just 
 as well as ever, George, and I will be just as good a 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 289 
 
 wife as I have ever been ; and as there is no difference 
 in a name a^iyhow, I prefer henceforth to be calied 
 Mrs. Brown. I have some very dear friends wearing 
 that name, and I think it very nice. Of course I am 
 really Mrs. Hall, but from now on you will please 
 address me as Mrs. Brown/' 
 
 Would not that be a pretty way for my good wife 
 to do.? Would it not be treating me unkindly, not 
 to say dishonestly.? Very well: Christ is the bride- 
 groom; the Church is the bride; and we dishonor Him 
 when we wear any other name save our Lord's. If I 
 should live a thousand years, I would never, God help- 
 ing me, consent to wear any other name, even for a 
 short time, than that of Christ. 
 
 We therefore teach that the Church should be called 
 "The Church of Christ, '^ or ^* Christian Church,'* or 
 "Church of God," or "Church of the First Born," as 
 all these names are Scriptural, and they honor Christ. 
 But all human names dishonor Christ, as the principle 
 is contrary to all reason and justice. Alexander 
 Campbell was not cruelly murdered for us; John 
 Wesley was not crucified for us; Martin Luther did 
 not die for us. These were all grand, good men, and 
 each name is worthy of admiration, but not of the 
 reverence which belongs only to Christ. 
 
 Martin Luther tried to reform the Catholic Church; 
 the Wesleys attempted a similar work with the 
 Episcopalian; Alexander Carnpbell pleaded for a re- 
 turn to the apostolic order of things.- They all did 
 the world a great service, but they did not die for 
 us. Nor did one of them want their followers to 
 wear their humble names. It was the farthest 
 thought from their noble minds. And I think the 
 best way to honor Campbell, or Wesley, or Luther, 
 or any other great reformer, is to simply follov/ Christ 
 in name, belief, and practice. This course will honor 
 
290 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 their memories more than by wearing some human 
 title. Luther himself once wrote, "Call not your- 
 selves Lutherans^ but Christians.'^ And Wesley 
 said, "I would that party names and party deeds 
 were forgotten, and that all would sit at the feet of 
 Jesus." 
 
 Oh, never wear any name save the name of Christ! 
 If to-night you are wearing some human name as a 
 sign of religious inclination or devotion, I implore 
 you to discard it, and wear it no more. I am not 
 here to say a single unjust word against any church 
 or church member in the world. I would not have 
 one single less Methodist or Presbyterian so far as 
 individuals are concerned; but if I could I would 
 have them all cease to be called Methodists and 
 Presbyterians, for all these human names for God's 
 people engender and perpetuate strife and division. 
 Yes, I would have them all throw away their human 
 names and be called simply christians, no more and 
 no less. This would please our Heavenly Father. 
 And if there were only one name for the One Divine 
 Church, we could do more for Christ in forty-eight 
 hours than we are now doing in that m.any months 
 in our divided and warring state. 
 
 Sixth: We are distinguished from other orthodox 
 bodies in our teaching on the creed-question. Now 
 we have a creed. Did you ever hear anybody say 
 we did not.'^ Oh, yes. But we have a Creed! I 
 don't like to hear anybody say that the Christian 
 Church has no creed. That is a loose statement and 
 our preachers and members should be careful never 
 to make it. We have the best Creed in all the uni- 
 verse. No church could exist without a creed. 
 Creed comes from the Latin word credo^ and means / 
 believe. How could we exist without some belief.? 
 What then is our belief, or creed? 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 29I 
 
 Is it wrapped in thirty-nine, or thirty-three, or 
 twenty-live articles of faith? No. In that sense 
 we have no creed, never did have, and never expect 
 to have. We have no Confession of Faith prepared 
 by some of our prominent members and made bind- 
 ing upon the church, as other communions have. We 
 don't believe in the old iron-bedstead system of 
 regulating men's consciences by the invention of creeds 
 — if one is too short, stretch him out; and if he is too 
 long, cut him off! No, present generations are too 
 intelligent for that. The day is rapidly passing when 
 only doctors of divinity will be permitted to do all the 
 prescribing of medicine for the sick souls of dying 
 men. Creeds are too imperfect and narrow. The 
 world demands something more universal in its 
 sweep than any creed of man's devisement can 
 possibly be. Some creeds have proven helpful for 
 one generation, but hurtful for another. The 
 race is advancing all the time, and it is impossible 
 for some of the old, unscriptural dogmas of the va- 
 rious churches to stand much longer. The old Cal- 
 vinistic idea of infant damnation, for instance, will 
 soon have to go forever. It is repulsive to the 
 world's better thought. Then pretty soon some- 
 thing else, which a more enlightened generation shall 
 prove equally absurd, will have to go; and so on, till 
 only that which is divine will remain. Thank God, 
 the Christian Church has a Creed which will never 
 need revision. It has not needed revision during a 
 trial of eighteen hundred years, and we therefore feel 
 safe in predicting for our Creed an unparalleled 
 future. 
 
 What is our Creed? Some one suggests, "The 
 Bible." Correctly speaking, no. Our belief is cen- 
 tered, not simply in book or paper; not simply in 
 spoken or written word; not simply in the Gospel 
 
292 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 story, sweet and wonderful as it is. But our Creed 
 is Jesus the Christ and him crucified. We accept 
 only a personal, living, loving, abiding Creed! 
 
 Christ said, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock 
 I will build my church." What rock? Christ, 
 
 Oh, Master, we believe in Thee! We believe in 
 Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of Mary! We believe in Thee, 
 dear Lord, and acknowledge Thee as the only be- 
 gotten Son of God. We believe in Thee as the fulfill- 
 ment of prophecy — as the long promised Messiah, 
 and we know that whatsoever Thou hast said and 
 done is good and right and abiding! 
 
 Yes, our Creed is Jesus,— a personal, living, loving, 
 unchanging Creed. We endeavor to believe in Him 
 practically too, so that what He tells us to do,w^e do; 
 and where He tells us to go, v/e go; and where He 
 tells us to stay, we stay. We remember that He said, 
 "If ye love me keep my commandments/' In carry- 
 ing out this divine injunction Vv^e differ from the de- 
 nominations. They all accept Christ in a way, of 
 course, but they insist on patching up a creed, and 
 bringing down through the ages a lot of musty old 
 theological deductions which can never be made to 
 accord either with the Bible or with this progressive 
 age. If you believe in Christ to the extent of keep- 
 ing His commandments, you must essentially believe 
 the Bible. So what more is necessary? 
 
 Seventh: We are distinguished from nearly all 
 other churches in our belief and practice regarding 
 the Lord's Supper, commonly but incorrectly styled 
 the "sacrament.'' We believe that the Lord's Supper 
 should be regarded simply as a sweet m.emorial ser- 
 vice. I never like to hear this blessed institution 
 spoken of as the sacrament. That savors too much 
 of Catholicism and the dark ages. 
 
 We don't believe in the old doctrine of transub- 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 293 
 
 stantiation — that the bread becomes the actual body 
 of Christ, and the wine the actual blood. This view 
 is an impious assumption. We are taught in God's 
 Holy Book to regard the bread as a mere represen- 
 tation of the body of Jesus, and the wine as a mere 
 representation of His blood. When we partake of 
 these emblems, sanctified by prayer to a sacred use, 
 we see with the mind's eye the broken body of our 
 Lord, and His shed blood. The picture, sad and 
 solemn as it is, fills our hearts with gratitude to our 
 Lord for the great sacrifice made because of our sins, 
 and we resolve anew to give our lives to His precious 
 service more wholly and unreservedly than we have 
 ever done before. This, it seems to me, is the true 
 character and purpose of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 We believe in observing it on the first day of every 
 week, because on the first day of the week, as it be- 
 gan to be dawn — very early in the morning — ^when 
 the Marys came to the sepulchre, they found the 
 Lord had risen. From that day to the present, not 
 a single Lord's Day has ever passed, I presume, but 
 v/hat somewhere, on land or sea, in caves of the earth 
 or palatial cathedrals, this supper has been celebrated. 
 "As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup,'' 
 says Paul (i Cor. 11:26), "ye do show the Lord's 
 death till he come.'' It was the custom of the early 
 disciples to meet about the Lord's Table every first 
 day of the week. This we learn from both sacred 
 and secular history. Hence the Christian Church 
 doesn't believe in celebrating it only once a month, or 
 once in three months, or once a year, as the case may 
 be. As we have here in the Book of God the in- 
 spired pattern, we are trying to conform our practice 
 thereto. Any deviation from this rule is dangerous, 
 and it is a cause of grave concern that so many 
 churches to-day ignore the apostolic example of 
 weekly communion, 
 
^94 I>ISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 Then again, we don't believe in debarring anybody 
 from the Lord's Table, nor inviting anybody to it. 
 In this we are different from others, especially from 
 the Regular Baptists. We are, practically speaking, 
 neither close-communionists noropen-communionists. 
 In one sense, and the true one, we are close-com- 
 munionists: We will not co7nmune with anybody 
 bnt Christ, You could not get me to commune with 
 Brother Allen, dearly as I love him. I will not even 
 commune with my own wife at the Lord's Table. 
 I am such a close-communionist that I won't com- 
 mune with anybody but my Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
 Christ. This is the only right view on this question. 
 But to debar anybody from the Lord's Supper is 
 not our prerogative. There are some churches, you 
 know, that will not allow anybody to sit at the Sup- 
 per with them if not of their own peculiar faith and 
 order. This is all wrong and deserves your condem- 
 nation. When we observe the Supper we say, "This 
 is the Lord's Table for the Lord's People." We 
 neither invite nor debar, but quote the words of the 
 apostle, "Let a man examine himself, and so let him 
 eat." It is purely an individual matter. It is the 
 Lord's Supper, and we are his guests. What right 
 has any guest to say to you, "Come," or,"Stay away. ^" 
 
 To-day Brother Haynes, Brother Ingram, Brother 
 Hutto and myself, together with our Vv^ives, dined at 
 the hospitable home of Brother Allen. Now suppose 
 as we went in to dinner, I had said to Brother Haynes, 
 "You get out! We don't agree. In our views re- 
 garding some particular points of Scripture we differ; 
 so you go out on the doorstep until we get through 
 dinner." What if I had conducted myself in that 
 way.^ Don't you suppose Brother Allen would have 
 said, "Who gave you authority to dismiss one of 
 my guests.'^" I fancy that I would feel cheap. And 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 295 
 
 I fancy that these close-communionists would feel 
 cheaper still when they invite people to stay away 
 from the Lord's Table if they could only be made to 
 realize how it displeases Him. 
 
 I will tell you what happened in Johnstown, Penn- 
 sylvania, a few years ago. Our Baptist friends had 
 their church burned, and our people, being without 
 a preacher at the time, invited their minister to 
 preach in the Christian church. He very graciously 
 came and preached an able and fraternal sermon; but 
 when the time came to celebrate the Lord's Supper 
 the Baptist preacher took his hat, and his^little flock 
 filed out of the building. Our people were good 
 enough to preach to but not to sit with at the Lord's 
 Table. 
 
 It is painful to record such happenings in this the 
 evening of the 19th century. It was not the broad, 
 sympathetic, and Scriptural spirit of Christianity 
 that prompted this narrow action on the part of the 
 Johnstown Baptists. It was the creed spirit, from 
 which, oh. Lord, deliver us all! 
 
 It is the Lord's Table for all the Lord's People. 
 Some may eat and drink unworthily; if so it is an in- 
 dividual matter and to suffer only individual condem- 
 nation. And remember, we commune with Christ, 
 not with each other. This is one of the most joyful 
 and helpful services of the church. May the day 
 speedily come when all God's people will get right on 
 this communion question. The teachings of the Bible 
 are so plain concerning it that there is no excuse for 
 being wrong. 
 
 Eighth: We are distinguished from the other 
 churches in our position on the subject of Christian 
 Union. First and foremost among all the great re- 
 ligious bodies the Christian Church has pleaded for the 
 union of Christ's followers everywhere. When the 
 
296 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 Campbells, Stones, Scotts, and other great minds 
 of our earlier history, saw the divided state of the 
 Christian world, and recognized the sad fact that 
 thousands and tens of thousands were perishing be- 
 cause of these divisions, they determined to give their 
 lives in an honest effort to get people to remove ever}^ 
 barrier and become one in Christ. From, that day 
 to this the burden of our preaching has been the 
 Union of God's People in accordance with the Scrip- 
 tural ideal. And I am glad to say that our plea is 
 leavening the Vv^hole Christian world. Great religious 
 congresses and mass meetings of every kind that can 
 bring Christian workers of every faith and order closer 
 together are being held from time to time, and the 
 spirit of fraternity is now abroad in the lands of the 
 earth as never before. 
 
 We are making more converts proportionately than 
 any other religious body. I suppose we are the great- 
 est proselyters on earth,and I say it proudly. I always 
 want it distinctly understood that I am a proselyter 
 — would proselyte every living man if possible 
 from the doctrinal errors of man to Scriptural truth. 
 I would proselyte every living m,an if possible from 
 human names and human creeds to the Bible and the 
 Bible alone. Our simple, sensible, Scriptural plea 
 brings in large numbers from other churches all over 
 the land. They come gladly, desiring to be simply 
 Christians, no more and no less. 
 
 There can be no true union except on the Word 
 of God. We can never all consent to be Methodists, 
 for instance. They are a strong,energetic, temperate, 
 missionary people. They are to-day doing, and have 
 long been doing,a great work for the Master; but the 
 time will never come when all God's people can 
 conscienticnsly join the Methodist church. The 
 Presbyterian church also, Vvith its scholarly men and 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 297 
 
 pious membership, is doing a great work; but the 
 time will never come when all can be Presbyterians. 
 The religious world can never unite on Calvinism, or 
 Arminianism, or any other ism. The only place we 
 ever can unite is on God's Book. The Bible and 
 the Bible alone can be the only doctrinal basis of 
 Christian union. And every man must be allowed to 
 be his own interpreter of the Scriptures. God never 
 intended that priests and theologians should sit in 
 their dogmatical robes and hand down interpreta- 
 tions for the masses to accept as infallible. Every 
 child of God should feel that God's Book was in- 
 tended for him to study, interpret, and apply for 
 his own good and the good of those about him. 
 
 We believe that the disunion of professed Chris- 
 tians is a sin. There is much talk about union often- 
 times v/hen there is no real union. Some preachers' 
 idea of being one seems to be in not talking about 
 their differences. They thank God that although they 
 can't all see alike, they can bury the hatchet occa- 
 sionally and work together. Bat a union that con- 
 sists simply in a tacit understanding to avoid differ- 
 ences for a time is not the union for which our Lord 
 prayed. Paul, in i Cor. i:io, says, "Now I beseech 
 you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no 
 divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined 
 together in the same mind and in the same judg- 
 ment." We claim that the preachers who advocate 
 divisions as a good thing, are positively breaking a 
 divine commandment! Again and again in the New 
 Testament we are exhorted to be one. Christ prayed 
 (John 17:21) that his disciples might be one, "As 
 thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they 
 also may be one in us." That prayer is not answered 
 yet and it cannot be fully answered as long as divi- 
 
298 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 sions and sectarianism exist. For centuries the whole 
 religious world has been sadly divided over human 
 names and human creeds; on traditions, doctrines, 
 and theological deductions of human authority. Why 
 can we not take the Bible and the Bible alone as our 
 guide? Why can we not discard all ecclesiasticisms 
 and take God's Word alone as the arbiter of all our 
 differences? The Christian Church, with malice to- 
 wards none and charity for all, is working and pray- 
 ing toward this blessed consummation. 
 
 And why not? We look over the globe and see 
 only one-fifth of its population Christian. One- 
 third of the world has never even, heard of Christ. 
 And yet millions of dollars are being wasted by God's 
 people every year perpetuating their petty differences! 
 "Oh, Religion, what crimes are committed in thy 
 name!'' 
 
 The Christian Church believes that it is possible 
 for people to bury their prejudices and exalt Christ. 
 Nay, we believe it probable. Look at the Young 
 People's Society of Christian Endeavor and at the 
 Young Men's Christian Association. What a mighty 
 union work they are doing! Is it possible that God 
 will let his Son's prayer go unanswered? No. Union 
 is coming. It is in the azr ythdink God, and those who 
 fail to fall into line will soon be distanced. 
 
 I am sorry to see a disposition on the part of some, 
 however, to hinder this general onward moven:ient. 
 It was a pity that the great Methodist Church, for 
 instance, grew so nervous lest their young people 
 should so far forget their sectarianism as to become 
 wholly Christian, that its leaders thought it necessary 
 to found a counter-movement in the Epworth League; 
 and also the Baptist Church with its Young People's 
 Unions. They evidently desired Baptist Union more 
 than Christian Union. But I rejoice that the Young 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 299 
 
 People's Society of Christian Endeavor stands in the 
 lead of all similar movements in the world's history. 
 In thirteen years it has grown from a membership 
 of forty-eight to an enrollment of two millions. And 
 Dr. Clark himself, founder of the work, said a few 
 years ago that he was surprised to learn how nearly 
 parallel was the Endeavor movement with that of 
 the Disciples^ We are not working in the name of 
 Campbell, but in the nam.e of Christ. And the Wom- 
 an's Christian Temperance union is not working in 
 the name of Wesley, but in the name of Christ. And 
 the Young Men's Christian Association is not working 
 in the name of Luther, or Calvin, but in the name of 
 Christ. 
 
 The International Sunday School Lesson Series 
 have proven another wonderful help in the direction of 
 Christian Union. Every Sunday about twenty million 
 children sit down in different parts of the world and 
 study the same divine vv^ords. In this way the atten- 
 tion of a large percentage of the religious world is 
 centered on the same thing at the same time, and it 
 is a great stride in the right direction. 
 
 Again, such men as Mr. Moody, Sam Jones, Mr. 
 Mills, and other well known evangelists have helped 
 to bring God's people closer together. They say, 
 "We Will come to your city and work for you, if all 
 you professed Christians will drop your differences 
 and work together as one band for the salvation of 
 souls.'' Mr. Mills gained eight thousand signatures 
 to his believer's card in Cincinnati. The leading 
 churches united and gave him the support he needed. 
 The success of Mr. Moody in filling the largest halls 
 wherever he goes, must be attributed, not to his 
 abihty as a preacher, but to the royal support he 
 receives from the many^, churches that consent to 
 work together as one man under his leadership. Now 
 
300 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 if God's people can unite for a six weeks' meeting; 
 if they can bury all their differences for a time and 
 be one in Christ, with the Bible as their only text- 
 book, why can't they remain together for a year? 
 And if for one year, then all the time? They could 
 if they only zvould. It is for this gladsome end that 
 the Christian Church is toiling. For the time when 
 there will be no male nor female, no bond nor free, 
 no rich nor poor, no north or south, but when all 
 God's people shall be one in Christ Jesus. (Gal. 3:28.) 
 
 But how are we going to get together? 
 
 Let us imagine ourselves in a mighty auditorium. 
 In its four coiners are four different men. They 
 desire to come together, but neither will come to 
 another corner. In the center of the room is a beau- 
 tiful fountain. Finally some one proposes that they 
 all meet at that fountain. They start for the com- 
 mon center. They come on forty, fifty, 100 feet. 
 The nearer they come to the fountain the nearer 
 they come to each other, each making concessions 
 of location and space. At last they reach their des- 
 tination and clasp hands around the sparkling waters 
 of the fountain. Jesus Christ, the great fountain of 
 life, liberty, and love, is set up in the center of the 
 world. The nearer God's children come to Christ 
 the nearer they will com.e to each other. Let us 
 hasten the day v^hen we can all clasp hands and sing, 
 "Blest be the tie that binds!" God help us all to cease 
 our strife and bury our differences forever! God 
 help us all to draw near to that Great Fountain 
 which is set for the world's cleansing! God help us 
 all to strike hands in the spirit of those of old who 
 said, "We be brethren." 
 
 It was John Livingston, I believe, who said, "United 
 we stand, divided we fall. "And he was a shrewd states- 
 man who, commenting on this motto, exclaimed "If 
 
DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 30I 
 
 we don't stand together, fellow citizens, we will hang 
 separately!" 
 
 The saloons are 240,000 strong in our land. Accord- 
 ing to Governor St. John, 150,000 persons annually 
 fill a drunkard's grave as a result of their pernicious 
 work. Vice and wickedness of every sort are abroad 
 in the land. Virtue is bartered, morals corrupted, sin 
 allowed to run rampant in this "home of the brave 
 and the free." Surely there is a greater demand to-day 
 for united work among Christians than ever before. 
 And the time has come when we should stand to- 
 gether in solid phalanx; when we should all be sim- 
 ply Christians, with only one name, one faith, one 
 practice. This would insure a concentration of power 
 against which the hosts of darkness could never 
 stand. 
 
 There is another thing: Eight hundred millions 
 are dying without the gospel. They are already 
 burdened with isms of every description, like Bud- 
 dhism, Confucianism, Mohammedanism, etc. We 
 need not take sectarianism to them, for they would 
 only laugh us to scorn. They can beat us badly on 
 divisions. In India alone they claim three hundred 
 and thirty million gods. They don't want any more 
 human gods nor human doctrines. They are already 
 theorized to death. I was talking with a returned 
 missionary from India some time ago. I asked him 
 if sectarian lines were as pointedly drawn over there 
 as here. He replied, in substance, "No, no, no! we 
 don't want to know anything about theological differ- 
 ences over there; we simply exalt Christ and his 
 gospel. We have to do it. It is the only way to 
 reach the poor, deluded, sin-sick heathen. We sim- 
 ply preach Jesus and the story of his wonderful love. 
 His great sacrifice on the cross for fallen humanity 
 is the burden of our sermons." Oh, that these ear- 
 
302 DISTINGUISHING PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
 
 nest words might fill us, and thrill us, and stir us to 
 more urgent effort toward uniting God's children of 
 every faith and name. The hungering hearts of those 
 who sit in darkness ought to appeal to us so strongly 
 that we would drop our differences and keep step 
 hereafter to the music of God' s commands and the 
 lost IV or Id' s demands. 
 
 These are the distinguishing differences between 
 the Christian Church and our neighbors. Are they 
 reasonable? Are they worth sacrificing for? Are they 
 noble enough to demand a life's earnest service? I 
 think so. 
 
 Is it any wonder the church is prosperous? Is it 
 any wonder that skeptics are nonplussed at our po- 
 sition, and that the ablest infidel debaters cannot 
 stand before it? Is it any wonder that tens of thou- 
 sands are obeying the gospel under the labors of our 
 evangelists? Is it any wonder that wherever they 
 go the study of the Bible becomes an all-absorbing 
 custom, and religious interest is quickened to the 
 highest pitch? Our plea is so remarkably practical 
 and wonderfully simple that it is not at all surprising 
 that men like Garfield loved it better than life. Per- 
 haps the most polished of any of our presidents in- 
 tellectual]y,he lived and died in the Christian Church. 
 For years he preached as opportunity offered, and 
 left his impress on many of our Ohio congregations. 
 It is not surprising that men like Jeremiah Black, 
 the great jurist, was a life-long advocate of our plea. 
 It ever has and ever must command the attention of 
 the thinking world, for it is consistent, Scriptural, 
 all-sufficient. 
 
 Father, mother, brother, sister, we invite you to 
 come — not to ns^biit to Jesns Clirist, Come to Him. 
 Then hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, we will 
 march together under the blood-stained banner of 
 
D!S1- . ...orLlXG PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 303 
 
 the Cross. "Come thou with us and we will do 
 thee good." If you are the victim of sectarian 
 shackles, rise up to-night and throw them off. Don't 
 be afraid to be a ^-turncoat.'' Som.e of the wisest 
 and best men the world has ever seen w^ere ttirn- 
 coats. Saul of Tarsus for instance, and Luther. 
 The great need of the age is m.en of principle. If 
 you believe the principles we advocate are right(and 
 how can any sane, intelligent human being believe 
 otherwise?) come nov^ and identify yourself with us, 
 and so take part in the greatest religious movement 
 of modern times. 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL. 
 
 "He that endureth to the end shall be saved," — Matt. 10:22. 
 
 We are here this morning rejoicing in the fact that 
 108 persons have accepted the invitation of the Lamb 
 during our meetings, and have enrolled their names on 
 the books of the church. We are giad that during 
 the last two evenings six young men have mede the 
 good confession. During this revival a goodly num- 
 ber of young men who were in the service of sin, and 
 not a few young ladies, have consecrated themselves 
 to the Lord Jesus Christ. And we are glad that some 
 fathers and mothers, and some husbands and wives 
 have come. We are anxious now that all these par- 
 doned ones shall not turn back, shall not backslide. 
 
 There are a great many persons whose names are 
 on the church books, but who are not faithful Chris- 
 tians. They are Christians in a nominal sense, be- 
 cause once a Christian always a CJiristian, There 
 is no such thing as getting out of the Kingdom of 
 Grace (the church) until they die out. But there is 
 such a thing as being a sinful and slothful Christian. 
 We have a good many of that kind in our various 
 memberships nowadays. A man professes to be a 
 Christian and bets on horses, for instance, or gambles 
 in stocks, or votes for and patronizes the saloon. 
 ' Can one do all that and still be a Christian? Yes, a 
 rotten one. Such characters will soon run their 
 course and drop into hell. 
 
 We are very anxious that those who have been 
 converted in these meetings, should not turn back. 
 
 304 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 305 
 
 Hence my theme this morning is one of transcend- 
 ent importance to the Church, "How to hold out 
 faithful." 
 
 If you start in the Christian life and don't hold 
 out faithful, it is just as bad as if you had never 
 started at all. You need not think just because you 
 have confessed Christ and put him on in holy bap- 
 tism that you are going to be saved in Heaven after 
 death whether or no, no matter hov/ you live. No, 
 no! You must live as a Christian ought to live or 
 the Lord will never give you the crown of life. 
 
 It may be a long journey with you from earth to 
 heaven, or it may be a short journey. I cannot 
 tell you how long or how short it may be. But it is 
 a journey that must be made with fear and trembling, 
 with faith and work. 
 
 At one of my meetings a husband and wife ac- 
 cepted the Saviour, and started together in the heav- 
 enward way. A few weeks later I heard that the 
 wife had departed this life. Her journey was short, 
 and her reward came soon. It might be so with you. 
 
 We were talking about this hundred additions the 
 other day. That is a large increase for one congre- 
 gation in Chicago to have in one revival. There have 
 been few greater victories in the history of the city. 
 And yet it seems to me that we ought to have had 
 many more. When we remember that a hundred 
 persons were lost in the flood out west in a few hours 
 the other day, it seems like slow work — ^saving lOO 
 souls in several weeks— and yet again how thankful 
 we ought to be that five score persons have been 
 safely harbored in the fold of the Good Shepherd! 
 
 It is a great work, brethren, this saving of souls. 
 I delight in it above all things. It fills my heart 
 with joy to see people come to Christ, and it fills my 
 heart with joy to see them remain faithful to Christ, 
 
3o6 HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 A few years ago I conducted a successful meeting 
 in an Iowa city. Some months afterwards I saw 
 one of the officers of the church, and I inquired of 
 him very anxiously, "How are the new converts 
 sticking?'' And he said, "So far as I know, every 
 one is faithful/' How that rejoiced my heart! I was 
 glad beyond language to express. At another place, 
 in Missouri, we had over lOO additions to the church, 
 among the number thirty young men. Six months 
 later I met the Superintendent of the Sunday School 
 from that church, and learned that every one of the 
 new converts was holding out faithful. 
 
 I always aim to make the Gospel so simple that 
 every one will understand it; and also try to make 
 every new convert feel the importance of "adding to 
 their faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and -to 
 knowledge temperance;" and all the other Christian 
 virtues. It has been one of the delights of my minis- 
 terial life that very few, comparatively, who come to 
 Christ under my preaching, poor as it is, ever turn 
 back. But they "go on to perfection," as Paul en- 
 joins, and many of my "children in the Lord" have be- 
 come shining lights in the household of faith. I hope 
 it will be so here, and that many of your best workers 
 in the future will come from among these new 
 converts. God grant that before many years have 
 passed, some of you will have consecrated yourselves 
 to the ministry, and that some will hSve gone as 
 missionaries to foreign fields. This is my earnest 
 prayer and desire in behalf of the dear ones brought 
 to Christ during this meeting. 
 
 Now to our subject: "How to hold out faithful." 
 Too many join the Church in winter only to turn back 
 in water-melon season. Too many warm up awfully 
 in the time of revivals only to become lax religiously 
 and rotten in the time of temptation and trial Too 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 307 
 
 many get cooled off during dog-days and fair time, 
 and then along about lent they get stirred up again. 
 It takes a continual revival to keep some people 
 in the service. But I trust all those who have come 
 to Christ during these special services will work in 
 warm weather as well as in cold, in adversity as well 
 as in prosperity. We should always rejoice in the 
 Lord. And I trust you will all, under all circum- 
 stances, keep in the straight and narrow path which 
 leadeth heavenward, realizing that the same Lord is 
 with you when you are sad and when you are joyfuL 
 So whether on the mountain heights of victory or 
 in the valley of defeat, learn to lean on His strong 
 arm, knowing that "all things work together for good 
 to them that love God.'^ 
 
 Now if we expect the young convert to hold out 
 faithful, we must give him a few specific directions 
 early in his Christian career. He wants, to know 
 what to do, and how to do it. I believe there are 
 lots of people growing cold and careless in our 
 churches for the lack of this knowledge. The Chris- 
 tian life is an active life, and it is a solemn duty we 
 owe to our new recruits to give them work. Some 
 well-meaning pastors object to revivals. They say 
 that too many of the new converts go back to the 
 world. That is doubtless true in some instances, for 
 some objecting pastors are not worth shooting with a 
 pop-gun. They are jealous of the evangelist, and 
 they take delight in slighting his converts after the 
 revival is over. They let them die a slow death from 
 spiritual ennui. But there should be no conflict 
 between pastor and evangelist. Both are called 
 by God to two lines of work parallel in importance. 
 Every church should have a good hearty revival once 
 in a while, and then put the new converts to work. 
 The true pastor will give them something to doj 
 
3o8 HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 and tell them how to do it. Some pastors and elders 
 fail in their duty in this matter, and then when they 
 observe that their "babes in Christ" are doing some- 
 thing not exactly consistent, scold them and give them 
 a kick downward. This is hardly Scriptural, to say 
 the least. I believe that the vast m.ajority of our 
 converts here will hold out faithful, for you have a 
 pastor that will help you, and yon are in a church 
 famous for its fraternitj^ 
 
 I want to suggest to you to-day four rules, which 
 if faithfully observed every day will enable you to 
 "endure to the end." I will write these rules on the 
 blackboard in full view of all. There might be 
 many more given, but I think these four epitomize 
 the entire question. You have to endure to the end. 
 It will not do to be real religious six months; and 
 then cool off and come to church only occasionally 
 for a few months; and then miove away somewhere, 
 and in a year and a half backslide completely — yield 
 to temptation, and give your life over to the service 
 of the devil. If we would go to Heaven we must be 
 true to Christ every day in the w^eek, every week in 
 the month, and every month in the year. Paul in 
 writing to the Galatians said, "Ye did run well; who 
 did hinder you.'^^Later on in their career than the time 
 of vv^hich Paul spoke the Galatians became careless 
 and committed many sins. So it will never do for 
 you to stop rimning in the glorious race for a crown, 
 for if you get tired after awhile and sit down and don't 
 run any more Satan will get you sure. But if some- 
 time you feel weak and weary, ask God to give you 
 new strength and He will do it. 
 
 First of all then, if you want to hold out faithful, 
 new and old converts alike, you must (I will not say 
 simply ought y or that you may, if you get time; but 
 you must)j 
 
how to hold out faithful 309 
 
 Read the Bible every day. 
 
 You must read the Bible seven days in the week. 
 I am convinced from an extended observation and 
 from more than ordinary opportunities which I have 
 improved to learn the truth in the matter that very few 
 professing Christians read the Bible assiduously. If 
 I should put this question this morning: — How many 
 in the congregation have read seven chapters in God's 
 Word during the past week? I don't suppose fifty 
 hands would be raised. And yet this church num- 
 beres about 700 members! My hand would go up, 
 for it has been my custom for several years to read 
 carefully, and usually aloud, from one to five chap- 
 ters daily, and I have had more joy, more profound 
 satisfaction in the Christian Hfe since I began the 
 observance of this pleasant practice, than ever before. 
 You may be old and gray-headed, my brother; or 
 you may be a business man toiling from morning till 
 night, with few moments for quiet meditation; but 
 if you are a Christian you can' t afford to neglect 
 to read the Word of God every day of your life. 
 Better, thrice over, neglect your morning paper, or 
 go without your evening meal, than to neglect to feed 
 upon the bread of life as we find it in God's great 
 store-house of truth. 
 
 And when you do begin to read daily, be 
 persistent. It is regular, systematic, thoughtful 
 reading that counts. Do not, if unusually busy 
 one day, put off reading until you have more 
 leisure. As well put off eating and sleeping when 
 busy until you have more time. The Bible is the 
 great textbook of life, and our souls need to be re- 
 freshed from its sacred pages regularly every day. 
 
 Another thought right here: Don't read spasmod- 
 ically and jerkingly. Some people just open the 
 Bible at random and read wherever the eyes happen 
 
3IO HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 to rest, and imagine that this is studying the Word 
 of God! Suppose you were going to study the his- 
 tory of the United States; would you pick up the 
 book and open at the French-Indian war one dsty, 
 studying a page or two? And the next day would 
 you open at the Period of the Reconstruction? And 
 the next day at the account of the Settlement of 
 Jamestown, or the story of Pocahontas? If you 
 should follow this slip-shod method for four or five 
 days you would doubtless grow very tired and say, 
 "This book doesn't interest me at all," when it would 
 not be the book's fault, but your own. Now a good 
 teacher would tell you to commence at the begin- 
 ning, at the period of the Discovery, and read every 
 page carefully to the end. Such a course will give 
 anybody a keener appreciation of the struggles and 
 triumphs of our great country. 
 
 So with the Word of God. We must read it sys- 
 tematically and studiously. We must study its va- 
 rious passages with reference to their connection. 
 We must fairly absorb it with this prayer in mind: 
 Teach me Thy will. And / am anxious to know 
 what thou wouldst have me to do. Dear Father^ 
 open mine eyes that 1 7nay learn. We should read 
 with a realizing sense that it is God's Book, and 
 that our Eternal Salvation depends on how we read 
 and apply its divine teachings. 
 
 With these fundamental thoughts in mind, com- 
 mence and read it through carefully and prayerfully 
 from Genesis to Revelation. Then repeat again and 
 yet again throughout life's journey. Many read the 
 Bible through a dozen, twenty, and some few even 
 fifty times. The more you read the Bible the more 
 interesting, beautiful and precious it becomes to you. 
 This is something that can be said of no other book. 
 The finest piece of fiction will pall upon the mind 
 
ttOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 311 
 
 after two or three readings. And it is so with all 
 human literature. The finest story I ever read, I 
 think, "Ben Hur," by Gen. Lew Wallace, is absorb- 
 ingly interesting and wonderfully helpfuL And yet I 
 never read the book but once. A second reading, I am 
 sure, would mar my ecstatic regard for the work, and 
 so it is doubtful if I will ever read it through again. 
 I read the "Hoosier School-Master,"by Edward Eggle- 
 ston, twice while in my teens, but did not enjoy it 
 nearly so much the second time as the first. But the 
 Bible never palls on the mind, although we read it 
 over and over again and again. I have read the 12th 
 Chapter of Romans and the 23rd Psalm hundreds of 
 times, and yet the more I read these marvelous selec- 
 tions the more beautiful and comforting they are. 
 Each time we read the Word of God we receive new 
 inspiration, an inspiration more heavenly and more 
 powerful than that imparted by all other books com- 
 bined. 
 
 So never neglect the study of God's Word if you 
 want to hold out faithful. You are all busy people. 
 You can't read four or five chapters at a time per- 
 haps, but you can read one or tv/o if you only try. 
 Commence to-day. I wish all of our nev,^ converts 
 would commence at the Book of Romans and read 
 first of all the fourteen epistles written by the great 
 Apostle Paul. Then the seven books written by 
 James, Peter, and John. After that I would have 
 you go back to the beginning of the New Testament 
 and read the wonderfully interesting life of Christ as 
 recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, culmin- 
 ating in that matchless history of conversions, the 
 Book of Acts. Then I would have you go back to the 
 very beginning of the Bible and read the Pentateuch — 
 Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuter- 
 onomy, These books are more fascinating than the 
 
312 HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 choicest fiction, and full of wholesome food for the 
 souL Then read the historical books, beginning with 
 Joshua and ending with Esther. Then the poetical 
 books, including the Psalms, Proverbs, and Eccle- 
 siastes. Then the prophets, and last of all, jump 
 clear over to the end of the collection and read that 
 most remarkable piece of literature in the world, the 
 Book of Revelation. Follow some such plan as this, 
 my friend, and you Vv^ill find joy and satisfaction in 
 reading the Word of God. 
 
 Yes, Read the Bible every day. You often have a 
 few minutes just before dinner or just after the even- 
 ing meal. Improve the time by reading the Bible. 
 It is so common v/hen we have a few odd moments 
 to pick up the first thing we can get our hands on 
 and read to kill time. Some pick up the almanac 
 and read the jokes when they might be storing the 
 mind with scm.ething valuable. I have no objection 
 to joke reading occasionally as a means of m.ental 
 recreation; but I do insist that the average funny 
 column affords little food for thought. 
 
 In this city thousands of people work down town. 
 You have a half-hour's ride on the cars going and com- 
 ing. Why not carry a little Testament in your pocket 
 and read a few chapters each day, or better, com.m.it 
 to memory some favorite passage. In this way you 
 could soon memorize a large part of the Bible. 
 
 If possible read at the same time every day. Be as 
 regular in your devotions as a clock. If you will do 
 this you will soon come to enjoy the exercise, and the 
 profit will be beyond computation. I am trying to be 
 explicit here, for half the battle in "Holding cut 
 Faithful" is in knowing hov/. Fill your soul with the 
 Christ and His redeeming love, and any service ycu 
 may be called upon to render fcr God or hun ai ity 
 will be sweet. "Search the scriptures, for in them 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 313 
 
 ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they 
 which testify of me," said Jesus. If you want to love 
 your Master better, if you want to serve him more 
 faithfully, if you want to help dying souls to a better 
 life, search the Book. Neglect it not, and when at 
 last you are called upon to lay down this life, you 
 will be ready to enter Heaven with a keener appreci- 
 ation of the Beautiful City and its Tree of Life. 
 
 "Koly Bible, Book divine 
 Precious treasure, thou art mine, 
 Mine to tell me whence I came, 
 Mine to teach me what I am. 
 
 "Mine to chide me when I rove ; 
 Mine to show a Saviour's love. 
 Mine thou art to guide and guard 
 Mine to punish or reward. 
 
 "Mine to comfort in distress, 
 Suffering in this wilderness. 
 Mine to show by living faith, 
 Man can triumph over death, 
 
 'Mine to tell of joys to come. 
 And the rebel sinner's doom; 
 Oh, thou Holy Book Divine, 
 Precious treasure, thou art mine." 
 
 (^Bttrton,^ 
 
 In the second place, you are to 
 
 Pray. 
 
 Read the Bible and Pray. I put in the conjunction 
 andSox the two duties must not be separated. I am 
 going to connect the other rules also with this little 
 conjunction, thus making agolden chain which should 
 ever be kept intact. If you take out one link the 
 chain would be broken, and this would never do, for 
 all the duties mentioned are equally imperative. 
 
 Read the Bible — How often .^ Every day. Pray 
 — How often? Every Sunday morning regularly? 
 
314 HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 Should that be the rule? No. If a person can't 
 pray but once a week he might as well not pray at all. 
 Paul enjoins us to "pray without ceasing.'* This does 
 not mean that we are to pray only on Sunday, and 
 then pitch into business the next morning and work 
 all the week like everything — for six days without ever 
 taking thought of God and our sacred relationship to 
 Him. No, not at all I want you to think more 
 about doing right and going to Heaven than anything 
 else. Get rich if you can without being dishonest, 
 and without slighting God. I wish every one of you 
 were worth ten dollars where you are worth one to- 
 day. It is not wrong to get lots of m.oney if you get 
 it honestly. It is not money per se, but the love of 
 money which Paul declares to be the root of all evil. 
 It is the dangerous habit of working six days for self 
 with all the energy you possess, and then giving to 
 the Lord's service only the little energy you have 
 left, that I would guard you against. 
 
 A young man saw an advertisement in a paper read- 
 ing something like this: "How to get rich. Send 50 
 cents, etc." He sent his fifty cents and got the receipt. 
 What do you think it was? "Work like the devil and 
 never spend a cent!" Many people come very near 
 following that plan, and seem to think that they can 
 say a few prayers on Sunday and make up for their 
 neglect of God during the v/eek. But the faithful 
 Christian will make prayer a daily business. It is 
 one of the mightiest developing forces of the uni- 
 verse, and we cannot afford to be careless in its use, 
 Holland says: — 
 
 * 'Heaven is not reached at a single bound; 
 But we build the ladder by which we rise 
 From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, 
 And mount to its summit, round by round.'* 
 
 You can't "endure to the end'' by merely saying a 
 few prayers on Sunday, or by manifesting a little 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 315 
 
 more than usual religious fervor during a revival. 
 Serving Christ is a daily business, day by day, round 
 by round, link by link. 
 
 A true Christian should never let twenty-four hours 
 go by without prayer. You should return thanks at 
 the table; and of course you should have family wor- 
 ship regularly if you are the head of a family. De- 
 pend upon it, the days will not go right, and the 
 children will not grow up as they should, if you neglect 
 this sweet privilege of spending a few minutes together 
 each day about the family altar. 
 
 I do not think the exercises at family worship 
 should be long. There is no necessity for reading 
 seventy-five verses and praying fifteen minutes each 
 time. But I do think you ought to spend four or five 
 minutes a day with your family in Bible study and 
 prayer. Make the service simple and sweet. Let 
 mother lead in prayer occasionally, or one of the 
 older children. It is a good thing always to repeat 
 the Lord's Prayer in concert. Thus each member of 
 the household learns to pray. Keep out of ruts in 
 this service. Make it attractive, and in years to come 
 your children will rise up and call you blessed for 
 the good influences set in motion at the old hearth- 
 stone. 
 
 If you are a young man, or a young lady, boarding 
 away from home, you ought to spend a little time in 
 your room studying God's Word and in prayer every 
 day. Montgomery has well styled prayer the health 
 of the Christian's life. No one should try to live 
 without prayer. 
 
 Fathers, mothers, old people, if you have been in 
 the church fifty years it makes no difference. You 
 ought to go apart and pray every day just the same 
 as the young person who has just entered the Chris- 
 tian life. If an half hour were spent in this way every 
 
3l6 HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 day, I think it would be a blessed oasis to you in the 
 desert of your failing health and hopes. Martin 
 Luther, you remember, spent three hours in prayer 
 each day, and he was one of the busiest men the 
 world has ever known. For some natures this might 
 be too much, but for others it v/ould be just the thing. 
 It would smooth many a rough place for them in the 
 journey of life. 
 
 Oh, get on your knees often, my brother, and talk 
 to God with reference to the affairs of every day. 
 Confide in Him, and lean upon Him. You should 
 never undertake to do anything that you do not ask 
 God to bless you in doing. You should never go forth 
 to your daily work without asking God to accompany 
 and help you. You should never engage in any new 
 enterprise until you have counseled with the Lord 
 concerning it. Remember this, dear friends, and it 
 may save you from many a fall. If you can get down 
 on your knees consistently and ask God to help you 
 to win at the gambling table, then go ahead. But 
 who ever heard of a Christian returning from a dance 
 hall, or from a saloon, or from a brothel, and bowing 
 down to thank God for the good time he has had? 
 Why, the very thought seems ridiculous. Very well: 
 the lesson is, never^ take any part in anything that 
 you can't ask God to bless. Every ambition, every 
 impulse of the heart, every undertaking of life should 
 be fairly saturated in the spirit of prayer. 
 
 Some professing Christians do not seem to enjoy 
 the service of Jesus. Investigation usually discloses 
 the fact that they neglect secret prayer. Some seem 
 to have grown a little tired of the Church. What's 
 the matter? Why, they fail to pray. 
 
 Let us not be slovv' to ask of God whatever we desire. 
 *^Pray without ceasing,'' says Paul. "In everything 
 give thanks." (Thes. 5:17, 18.) We should be 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 317 
 
 practical in our petitions. Often should we say, Lord, 
 give me wisdom. And, Lord, direct me what to do 
 and what not to do. One cannot estimate the help- 
 fulness of secret prayer. You should have some 
 regular place to go, a place that will soon become 
 sacred to you because of its sweet associations. If 
 you have a room of your own go there. If you have 
 a room with some friend or relative, you can find per- 
 haps an occasional hour when you can be alone; if 
 not, you can select some other place where you can 
 be alone with God. When a boy I used to go out in 
 my father's orchard and there I would bow down 
 among the trees in the moonlight and pour out my 
 soul to God, and I know that He blessed me very 
 much. Do not undervalue this suggestion of being 
 alone with God regularly, for it is very essential, 
 
 A friend of mine related to me not long ago how 
 his room-mate in college used to do. He was a very 
 religious young man, but very unostentatious in his 
 devotions. Every morning he arose early and made 
 his way to an old sawmill hard by their boarding 
 place that he might engage in secret prayer without 
 interruption. At first, my friend told me, he did not 
 know what to think of his room-mate for these un- 
 timely walks. So one morning he followed him at 
 a respectful distance, and had his curiosity rewarded 
 by seeing his companion bowed behind a great log in 
 the mill yard, and pouring out his heart to his Maker. 
 That young man afterwards became an able preacher 
 and college president. I know him well. 
 
 If I could only get all our brethren, one million 
 strong, old and young, to follow this rule, we would 
 soon reach a sphere of usefulness and influence which 
 would surprise the most sanguine. If I could get 
 ou'r six thousand ministers to make this an invariable 
 rule, an iron-clad rule not to be departed from under 
 
3l8 HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 any circumstances,! believe we could speedily double 
 and triple our numbers, our wealth, and our influence 
 for good. May God help you one and all to pray 
 every day in secret. 
 
 In the third place, if you would hold out faithful, 
 you must 
 
 GO TO CHURCH. 
 
 By this expression I mean for you to be regular 
 and faithful in attendance upon all the services of 
 the sanctuary. Be at the Prayer Meeting, for in- 
 stance. From this church of 700 or more members 
 there should be at least 300 at the mid-week Prayer 
 Meeting. You should have not only a pleasant, so- 
 ciable time at this service, but you should have many 
 conversions. 
 
 Be at the Sunday School service, and take some 
 active part therein. Be at church every Sunday 
 morning regularly, without fail. When the table of 
 the Lord is spread with the holy emblems of His 
 sufferings and death, it is our duty to be there and 
 commune with Him. This in my opinion is the most 
 important service of the week, and you should never 
 fail to be on hand at this hour unless you are sick, 
 or out of the city, or have some other reasonable 
 excuse. 
 
 Then be at the Sunday night service. Many 
 pastors deplore the fact that their members will not 
 be at their posts of duty on Sunday nights. Some of 
 them go to bed early. Some are too lazy after partak- 
 ing of a chicken dinner to come to church. They 
 prefer to spend the evening in their hammocks. Some 
 take ahttle bicycle ride, or walk through the park. 
 But remember the pastor needs and deserves your 
 earnest cooperation in his efforts to save souls, and 
 you need the lovely songs, the stirring sermon, and 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 319 
 
 the hearty hand-shakes afforded at the house of God. 
 Once form the habit of attending, and depend upon 
 it the evening service will be a great pleasure and 
 benefit to you. 
 
 Throw your whole life into the Church, my brother. 
 Make it your first and last business to engage in the 
 service of Jesus, There is no business that promises 
 such large results. Every member of the church 
 should be a working- member. Any faithful pastor 
 can do more with fifty working members than with 
 jfive hundred of the indifferent, sleepy, happy-go-lucky 
 sort. You may not be rich in this world's goods, 
 but you can be rich in heart service. 
 
 I remember that at one place where I was pastor, 
 we had an old sister who was as poor as the tradi- 
 tional Job's turkey that we have all heard so much 
 about. She couldn't do much in the way of church 
 work. She was as poor in speech as in purse. She did 
 not know much save that the old, old story was true. 
 But she was of great assistance to me, for she was 
 always at her place. There in her pew at my right, 
 rain or shine, hot or cold, she was to be seen as 
 regularly as the weeks rolled round. If she was not 
 there we all knew that Grandma was sick, or out of 
 the city. Her unfailing regularity and stern punctu- 
 ality at all regular services made up for any other 
 deficiencies, and gave us great pleasure. She was 
 always appreciative and never gave utterance to any 
 unkind criticism of her pastor. That kind of a mem- 
 ber is worth five times as much as those of superior 
 intelligence and wealth who only come to church 
 when the weather is just right, or who stay away be- 
 cause the preacher occasionally says something they 
 don't like. 
 
 You owe it to your pastor, you owe it to the 
 church, you owe it to the world about you, and above 
 
320 HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 all you owe it to the Lord, to be patient, earnest, 
 faithful, persistent, and consistent Christians^ Every 
 professor of religion ought to attend church regularly. 
 We have perhaps thirteen million church members in 
 this country. What a mighty army! Why, we could 
 turn the world upside down, figuratively speaking, if 
 they would all go to church regularly and live up to the 
 requirements of their sacred profession. But there 
 are so many vacant seats. You onght'to be at your 
 post of duty in the church just as regularly as you 
 are at your place of business. Form the habit once 
 and it will soon become a second nature, and you 
 will feel lost if at any time you shall be unable to get 
 out to service; you will feel that something has gone 
 wrong. There is no good reason why the pevvs of 
 our churches should not be filled to overflowing every 
 Lord's Day the year around. 
 
 It is the grandest place in the world to go, the 
 place where brother meets with brother to learn of 
 God's law and love, and where saints rejoice together 
 in blessed fellowship with the Lamb of God who 
 taketh away the sins of the world. So I beg of you, 
 if you would be true to Christ, to be faithful in the 
 observance of this rule, and ^^ to chtirch regularly 
 as long as you live. 
 
 In the fourth place, if you would hold out faithful, 
 you must 
 
 PAY. 
 
 This rule is one of very great importance if not 
 so popular. It completes the quartette nicely, — 
 
 Read the Bible 
 
 And pray ; 
 Go to Church 
 
 And pay. 
 
 Makes a little poem, don't it? Not very good 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 32I 
 
 poetry, I admit, but it's good theology, gilt edged 
 theology. And pay — this is the last but by no means 
 the least requirement. You can't go to heaven with- 
 out paying, unless you are a pauper and haven't any- 
 thing with which to pay. Of course if you haven't 
 anything, the Lord will let you pass; for "where 
 nothing's given, nothing's required.'^ But I doubt if 
 there is a single member in this large congregation 
 who is not able to pay something. I doubt if you 
 can find twenty professing Christians in the great City 
 of Chicago who cannot pay anything. What if it is 
 only a penny or two, it is something, ancithe Lord 
 accepts "according to what a man hath, and not 
 according to what he hath not.*'Everybody has some 
 money. If you are too poor to pay anything toward 
 the support of the Gospel, then the brethren should 
 take up a collection for you or send you to the poor- 
 house. As long as you have any money at all it is 
 your Christian duty to pay part of it to the Lord. 
 If you don't you will never hold out faithful, and you 
 will never be truly prosperous. 
 
 I v^ant you to realize that it is your duty, rather 
 your privilege, to pay, pay, pay constantly. It may 
 be that after awhile, when Mr. Edward Bellamy gets 
 his Utopian schemes into operation, and removes the 
 troublesome presence of filthy lucre as we know it 
 to-day, we will not have to pay. But under the 
 present condition of things there is no place for dead- 
 heads in the church. It takes money for almost 
 everything, — money to buy beefsteak; money to buy 
 potatoes; money to pay for what you wear; money 
 to pay for what you drink (a wofully big item with 
 some people) ; and it is money, money from the 
 cradle to the grave. An old proverb says, "Money 
 .iiakes the mare go." And in a very practical sense 
 that is true, for the mare must have a harness, and 
 a driver, and something to eat. 
 
322 HOW TO HOLD. OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 So it takes money to make the church go. It takes 
 money to pay the pastor, and the evangelist, and the 
 missionary. It takes money to build the house, and 
 pay for the pulpit, and the Bible. It takes money 
 to supply the Sunday School with books and maps 
 and newspapers. It takes money to enlarge the work 
 of the Church in any direction so as to extend the 
 borders of Zion and save lost souls. If you are a 
 true Christian, therefore, you will help pay. Those 
 who ignore this part of God's service need the prayers 
 of the brotherhood, for they are so stingy and narrow 
 that the devil will get them sure if they are not led 
 to a speedy reformation. 
 
 Too many church members like to ride on free 
 tickets. Ask a pastor, "How many members have 
 you.?" 
 
 "About seven hundred," he replies. 
 
 "How many of them are paying members?" 
 
 "Oh, not more than two or three hundred." 
 
 And I guess if you take the pains to look into the 
 matter carefully you will find that only about 185 
 have any credits after their names on the treasurer's 
 books. Where are the 515.? Ah, riding on free 
 tickets, or rather dead-heading their way at the ex- 
 pense of the faithful few. I want to warn all who 
 belong to this sorry class that they will wake up some 
 bright morning and find that their tickets ^are can- 
 celed. The angel who keeps the Jasper Gate will not 
 know them. 
 
 Why should you want to eat with the people of God 
 v/hen you do not help bear the burdens of the house- 
 hold of faith.^ "He that worketh not shall not eat," 
 is the universal rule. Why should you then expect 
 to enjoy all the privileges of the church without help- 
 ing pay.? A tramp comes to your door and mutters 
 a shamefaced request for some br^pad and butter. 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 323 
 
 But you have little sympathy and less food for him, 
 because when you offer him work he spurns it. Why 
 should a Christian expect to feed on the "sure mercies 
 of David'' when he spurns the work God so abun- 
 dantly offers? To give money is one of the best ways 
 in the world to work for Christ. If you have it to 
 give, even if only a little, but selfishly keep it back, 
 you can not hold out faithful. It is a good rule, the 
 faithful observance of which is sure to bring rich 
 blessings. Every member of every church ought to 
 pay continuously and cheerfully all along life's 
 journey. 
 
 Don't be like an old fellow I have heard of out in 
 Missouri. You know there are some good old souls 
 who don't believe in paying preachers any stated 
 salary. They are not very common now; most of 
 them have gone to heaven (perhaps;. A few maybe 
 seen now and then in museums, or in old, dead 
 churches where they keep human curiosities. This 
 old man in Missouri used to get up in social meeting 
 and say,"I thank the Lord for a free Gospel, brethren. 
 I have been a member of this church five and forty 
 years and, thank God, it has not cost me but a quar- 
 ter. Hallelujah!'' 
 
 An average congregation of 700 members ought to 
 pay not less than $10,000 a year to the Lord's Work. 
 And yet Iiow few are doing the half of it! God's 
 people in this age do not seem to have learned the 
 first principles of giving as yet. There are, of course, 
 noted exceptions among individuals and among 
 churches. But as a rule we are just playing when 
 it comes to the great question of Church finance. 
 
 I wish I might impress it deeply upon you, one and 
 all, that it is the duty of every member^ old or 
 youngs to pay in proportion to his ability. 
 
 "But how may I know just what my ability is in 
 God's sight?" inquires one. 
 
324 HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 I will tell you. It is a question upon which there 
 is a wide-spread indifference and ignorance. And yet, 
 with God's Book in hand it is a question easily settled 
 if we are only willing to be honest. Moses said to 
 the Israelites, "The tithe is the Lord's." I claim 
 therefore that no man, woman or child ought to think 
 of putting the Lord oft with less than a tenth of his 
 entire income. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, 
 and Melchizedek was a type of Christ. We should 
 pay tithes to our Master, the Great High Priest of our 
 souls. 
 
 When the Lord gives you ten dollars, pay Him 
 back at least one dollar of it. Have a little book 
 and keep a strict account with God. When you re- 
 ceive on salary $50 or $100, put it down in the in- 
 come column. From whatever you receive in the 
 way of legitimate income, put aside one tenth for the 
 Lord. Then when you pay into the church, or mis- 
 sion treasury any money, or when a poor man comes 
 to your door that you feel like assisting, take the 
 money you wish to give out of the tenth thus set 
 aside. When the Lord's column foots up one tenth 
 the amount of your income column, but not till then, 
 you may be said to have fulfilled your financial 
 obligations to the church. 
 
 As a people we may well be proud, for we have 
 the invincible plea of the world. We are right on 
 faith; we are right on repentance; we are right on 
 baptism. In debate we can easily whip the whole 
 theological world. But I must say that when it comes 
 to the question of giving we fall far short of our duty. 
 Several years ago I wrote a forty-seven page pam- 
 phlet entitled, "The Lord's Exchequer; or Propor- 
 tionate Systematic Paying by the Tithing System.'' 
 I rejoice to say that many of our foremost writers 
 and workers have recognized the value of this little 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 325 
 
 work, A few, of course, oppose its suggestions on 
 theoretical grounds, and some, I surmise, because 
 they are covetous. But it is an encouraging sign 
 when we see earnest Christian workers all over the 
 country adopting the practice advocated in my hum- 
 ble pages. 
 
 Well, whatever may be thought of the tithing sys- 
 tem which I have urged, nobody has yet questioned 
 my statistics. And yet I make the startling assertion 
 that our people, as a people, pay only one sixtieth of 
 their income to all religious and benevolent enter- 
 prises appealing to us for support. Certainly we have 
 much to learn yet about giving. And while we are 
 right doctrinally, let us be careful that we are not 
 robbers practically. Now it does not make any differ- 
 ence how large your family is, or how sick you may be, 
 or how heavy may be the demands upon your purse, 
 you should pay one tenth of your income to the Lord. 
 It is a solemn debt. When God graciously allows 
 you to retain for your own use nine-tenths of every- 
 thing, is it asking too much that you should be honest 
 and pay Him his rightful interest, if we may call it 
 such? You rent a store and you have to pay your 
 rent. You own a farm, and you have to pay your 
 taxes. You borrow a thousand dollars, and you have 
 to pay the interest. Why not be as just with God as 
 you are with your fellow men? 
 
 "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,'' 
 says David. Everything we have belongs to God, 
 our time, our talent, our money, our land, it is all 
 His. We are merely God's stewards, and must give 
 a strict account of the manner in which we have used 
 His property at the Last Day. 
 
 When the Church shall come to that point where 
 it will realize its responsibility; when it shall know 
 and feel that to give anything less than the tithe is 
 
326 HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 an insult; and when it shall fully understand that to 
 pay less is robbery, then and not till then will our 
 offerings for the support of the Gospel be commen- 
 surate with our glorious opportunities. 
 
 When the Israelites were faithful in paying their 
 tithes to Jehovah they were wonderfully prosperous; 
 but when they were unfaithful they were unfortunate. 
 The Lord said to them, through the prophet Malachi, 
 "Ye have robbed me." "Wherein have we robbed 
 Thee.'*" said they. "7;? tithes and offerings.'^'' (Mai. 
 3:8.) The Jews are the best financiers in the world. 
 Why is it.'* Because for thousands of years their 
 ancestors observed the tithing law, and it developed 
 in their generations a business sagacity such as the 
 world had never seen before, and may never see again. 
 
 The tithing system is eminently practical from a 
 business standpoint. Its observance fosters careful- 
 ness, thrift, and honesty. It prevents waste and 
 slothfulness. I don't care how poor you are, you 
 can't afford to cheat- the Lord out of His tenth. If 
 you have only fifty cents income a day, five cents of 
 that belongs to the Lord. Prove yourself a faithful 
 steward in little things, and He will not be slow in 
 proving His willingness to trust you with larger things. 
 I know that since I began to tithe my income faith- 
 fully, several years ago, the Lord has blessed me 
 greatly. I was in debt and had been nearly all my 
 life. It was hard to "make ends meet." But I be- 
 gan laying sacredly aside God's tenth, and He lifted 
 me out of debt and has given me great blessings be- 
 sides — success in His work, joy in my home, and peace 
 in my soul. 
 
 The nine-tenths with God's blessing will go farther 
 if we give the other tenth to the Lord, because when 
 we set aside the tithe we will be more careful in our 
 use of the other nine-tenths than we would have 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 327 
 
 been had we used it all for ourselves. And this care- 
 fulness bears the fruit of prosperity. I don't say that 
 the Lord will work any miracles of special providence 
 in our behalf. But I do say if we are honest with 
 our Heavenly Father, He will be honest with us. So 
 if you want to hold out faithful, lay aside sacredly 
 one tenth. Some families have a tin box made and 
 in this box, which they call the "Lord's Box,*' they 
 deposit faithfully from time to time one-tenth of 
 whatever income they may have. And then when 
 they pay anything for the support of the Gospel, they 
 take it out of the Lord's money. They never have 
 any trouble in solving the question, "How much.?" 
 but only, '^ To wkatV All the money in the tithe-box 
 is sacred, and they feel that they have no more right 
 to go to that money and take a dollar out for self 
 and not return it, than I have to go to your drawer 
 and take your money. And when you all make this 
 a matter of conscience, as you ought to do to-day, 
 you will feel the same way. 
 
 There are many questions asked concerning the 
 tithing system, and many objections made, but they 
 are all answered in the pamphlet referred to, a copy 
 of which any one desiring it may secure by sending 
 ten cents with your address to the Columbian Book 
 Co., Decatur, 111. When I was preparing this 
 treatise, among many others whose sympathy I sought 
 to enlist was Sister Persis L. Christian, the distin- 
 guished lecturer and writer. But she objected to the 
 system, and wrote me suggesting a case something 
 like the following: "Suppose one man has an annual 
 income of ten thousand dollars, with no sickness and 
 only a small family to support; his neighbor has an 
 income of a thousand dollars, with a large family to 
 support, and much sickness. Is it therefore just that 
 the poorer man should be compelled to pay the same 
 percentage of his income as the richer man?" 
 
328 HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 The objection is easily answered. It is always right 
 to be honest — to be "just before generous." The 
 tithe is an honest debt. The rich man owes it, and 
 pays $1000. The poor man owes it and pays 
 $100. Neither is eased and the other burdened 
 by this system, for it is fair and equitable in all its 
 bearings. But I certainly admit that the rich man, 
 under his more favorable circumstances, should give 
 more than the tenth; but the poor man should never 
 give less. Otherwise he would not deserve pros- 
 perity. 
 
 After the pamphlet was out, Mrs. Christian re- 
 ceived a copy, read it, and wrote me again, saying, 
 "I am systematically tithing my income this year." 
 She found it just what was needed, and remarked its 
 superiority over the old, hap-hazard way of giving. 
 
 If we could put it on the consciences of the people, 
 if we could only make them realize that it is as 
 sinful to withhold from the Lord the tenth as it would 
 be to go to your friend's drawer and take his money, 
 it would be but a question of time when our church 
 and mission treasuries would groan with offerings. 
 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse," says the 
 Lord, "that there may be meat in mine house, and 
 prove me now herewith if I will not open you the 
 windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that 
 there shall not be room enough to receive it!" (Mai. 
 3:10.) If your salary is $70 per month, always lay 
 aside $7 of it for the Lord. Then you will always 
 have something ready to give when worthy appeals 
 come to your door. You will always know how much 
 you have to give, and all you will have to worry about 
 is where to put it so it will do the most good. 
 
 Read the Bible 
 
 And pray ; 
 Go to Church 
 
 And pay. 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 329 
 
 Do these things regularly, faithfully, persistently 
 all the days of your life, and I can assure you that 
 not one of you will fail to hold out faithful. Link all 
 these four rules together with an unbreakable chain, 
 for one is just as important as another. It will never 
 do to leave anything out. Don't say, "I will read the 
 Bible, but I will not pray/' Don't say, "I will pay 
 something occasionally to help the Church along, but 
 I will not attend its services, for I haven't time, and 
 then I don't like the preacher very well anyhow." 
 Don't say, "I will pray, but I won't pay. I need all 
 my money worse than the Church needs it.'' Oh, sel- 
 fish man! When Christ gave His all for you. But 
 be not deceived; you must learn to pay if you ever 
 expect to enter Heaven. 
 
 Christianity is a practical thing, and wonderfully 
 comprehensive. It touches us at every angle of life. 
 The service of Christ is the greatest service in the 
 world. It is sweet, uplifting, satisfying. 
 
 I want to read you Josephine Pollard's little poem 
 entitled "Work for the Day." I have carried a copy 
 of it in my pocket for years, and never tire of read- 
 ing it: — 
 
 **I have work enough to do 
 
 Ere the sun goes down, 
 For myself and kindred too, 
 
 Ere the sun goes down ; 
 Every idle whisper stilling, 
 With a purpose firm and willing. 
 All my daily task fulfilling, 
 
 Ere the sun goes down. 
 
 ' 'I must speak the loving word, 
 
 Ere the sun goes down; 
 I must let my voice be heard, 
 
 Ere the sun goes down. 
 Every cry of pity heeding, 
 For the injured interceding, 
 To the light the lost one leading, 
 
 Ere the sun goes down. 
 
330 HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 
 
 •*As I journey on my way, 
 
 Ere the sun goes down^ 
 God's commands I must obey, 
 
 Ere the sun goes down. 
 There are sins that need confessing, 
 There are wrongs that need redressing, 
 If I would obtain the blessing, 
 
 Ere the sun goes down." 
 
 May these sentiments take hold upon your hearts 
 this morning. Resolve that you will never let the sun 
 go down on a day that is not spent earnestly in 
 Christ's service. When you lie down to rest at the 
 close of each day, may it be with the assurance that 
 if Jesus calls for your soul before morning, he will 
 say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter 
 into thy joy.'' Remember Paul's example in Phil. 
 3:14: "I press towards the mark for the prize of the 
 high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Remember also 
 his urgent appeal in Rom. 12:1: "I beseech you there- 
 fore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present 
 your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto 
 God, which is your reasonable service."' 
 
 Young men, young women, boys and girls, remem- 
 ber that "life is real, life is earnest," and you ought 
 not to spend your days carelessly. Many of you 
 have consecrated your lives to Jesus. Now strive to 
 hold out faithftil. Strive to end7ire to the end. 
 There is no promise to him that falleth by the way. 
 So let every hour of life be well spent. Be in ear- 
 nest. Oh, for more earnestness in the work of Jesus; 
 for more whole-hearted, unfeigned, transparent de- 
 votedness! Earnestness covers a multitude of faults. 
 Introduce the earnestness, the ambition and the hope- 
 fulness of this busy, rushing, nineteenth-century life 
 into your work for Christ, and He will crown you with 
 an abundance of blessings here and with an unfading 
 crown hereafter. 
 
 The toils of this life will soon be over. The jour- 
 
HOW TO HOLD OUT FAITHFUL 33I 
 
 ney from the cradle to the grave is a short one at 
 best. In a few score years every one that lives to- 
 day will have passed away, and "the place that 
 knows us now will know us no more/* We must all 
 cross over the dark river and give an account for the 
 deeds done in the body. 
 
 I long to meet all there who have come forward 
 during this series of meetings. I want to see you 
 who sit about me this holy, happy morning all there 
 with smiles upon your faces, with crowns upon your 
 heads,and palms of victory in your hands. I want to 
 join with you Over There in the "Song of Jesus and 
 the Lamb." 
 
 And you will all be there if you will only hold out 
 faithfuL There is no doubt, no uncertainty about it 
 at all 
 
 In five years from now, if I meet your devoted 
 pastor somewhere and ask him, "How are the young 
 men and the maidens, the boys and the girls, and the 
 heads of families, that came to Christ during our 
 meetings.? Are they walking worthy of the vocation 
 wherewith they are called.?" I trust he will be able 
 to say, "So far as I know, every one has held out 
 faithfuL" I trust he will be able to say, "I don*t 
 know of a single one that has gone backto the world. 
 Some are now preaching the Gospel, and many of 
 the number are now among our very best members." 
 
 Do these four things in the spirit of the Lord Jesus, 
 and not one of you will ever fail in the Christian life. 
 Do these four things, as every follower of Christ 
 ought to do them, and you will be saved every hour 
 and day that you live, and rewarded at last with "the 
 crown that fadeth not away." God grant that it may 
 be so, not only with those who sit before me in this 
 large auditorium to-day, but with all the redeemed 
 everywhere throughout the world! 
 
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