241 TALKS BY FRANCIS MURPHY TALKS BY FRANCIS MURPHY Edited by LENORE H. KING LOS ANGELES. CAL. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BLUE BOOK PUBLISHING COMPANY 1907 Copyright, 1907 by LENORE H. KING DEDICATED TO THE CAUSE OF GOSPEL TEMPERANCE 1011 FOREWORD Sweet with the perfume of an unselfish love, the life of Francis Murphy was a benediction to millions, and his friendship will ever be a blessed memory to the writer. It was his earnest desire that some mes- sage should abide after his death, in order that the world might remember the great truth of gospel temperance for which his work stood. This matter often occupied his thoughts in the closing year of his life, and it is in answer to a request made by him just before his last illness, that I pre- sent these talks. In selecting from among his published letters, all of which it was my privilege to edit, I have sought to choose those best calculated to bear in brief his message of gospel temperance, as this little book may be followed by a more comprehensive history of his life work. LENORE H. KING TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents - 11 Table of Illustrations - 13 "Friend of Humanity," Poem 15 Francis Murphy ----- 19 Dr. Mclntyre's Tribute - 26 Talks by Francis Murphy ... 29 Love Not Legislation - - - - 31 Not Might Nor Power - 40 Spiritual Vision Destroyed 47 The Saloon Keeper 50 On Early Closing - - 54 Gospel of Loving-Kindness - 60 Men of Power ------ 69 Proclamation of Emancipation - 76 Learn of God ------ 82 Murphy Proverbs 93 TABLE OF ILLUSTRATIONS Francis Murphy - - - Frontispiece "Old Home" Church, in Pittsburg - 23 Home of Mr. and Mrs. Murphy - 63 Francis Murphy Pledge 90 FRIEND OF HUMANITY He was not rich as men count gain, He lived not for the greed of gold ; His life-work was not to attain A vast estate to hoard and hold. He stooped to reach the hand of those Despised, rejected and depraved; He lifted men above their woes, And pointed how they might be saved. Not as the conqueror he sought, He listened for no trumpet call; The starving souls of men he brought Before his Maker this was all. He raised men from the depths of shame, Above the level of the clod; Nor asked for glory nor acclaim, But the approval of his God. And who of us shall question, then, That he shall wear the victor's crown, All gleaming with the souls of men He lifted who were fallen down? Or that, where angel voices rise In glad hosannas to the Lord, Beyond the Gates of Paradise, He hath not won a rich reward ? E. A. BRININSTOOL. TALKS BY FRANCIS MURPHY FRANCIS MURPHY HEN Francis Murphy, world famous apostle of gospel temperance, laid down his life work at the age of seventy-one, the people of two continents mourned, for hu- manity had lost one of its truest friends and wisest counselors. "Not by might nor by power," but by the Spirit of God, had he won his way to the hearts of thou- sands, setting men free from the bondage of the liquor habit and re- storing them to their families so- ber, industrious, useful members of Talks by Francis Murphy society. Through the persuasion of this one man, thirteen million per- sons signed the temperance pledge. Possessing simplicity of manner and speech ; straightforwardness of purpose, and an abiding faith in humanity, no matter how sadly en- slaved by unnatural appetites, Francis Murphy was a man of true greatness, and his name will live when many of those representing high station, learning and wealth have been forgotten. He was an Irishman, upon whom Nature had bestowed a full share of the proverbial Hibernian wit and good fellowship. Born in the village of Tagoat, County of Wex- 20 Francis Murphy ford, Ireland, in 1836, Ms childhood was passed in a little vine-covered cottage that stood in the midst of an old-fashioned garden. The "wee bit cottage"; the patch of bright flowers, and above all, the sweet- faced mother, who loved and watched over the growing boy, were mentioned in many a touching ad- dress delivered by the great tem- perance lecturer in after life. At sixteen he came to America, with high ambitions which he hoped to see realized in the new world, but the vision of success was dimmed for many years, by the power of intemperance, which had taken a firm hold upon him. 21 Talks by Francis Murphy In his extremity, Captain Cyrus Sturdivant, a man of quick insight into human character, and possess- ing a true Christian spirit, came to his rescue and pointed him to a life of sobriety, made possible through an understanding and acceptance of the teachings of Christ. The whole trend of his life was changed, and he at once took up the work of saving others by the same method that had proved his own salvation. Informally, among his friends at first, and then reaching out to all who had felt the bondage of intem- perance, Francis Murphy grew in power over men's hearts, until the 22 "Old Home" Church, in Pitrsburg, Where Francis Murphy Began His Temperance Crusade Francis Murphy fame of gospel temperance had traveled around the world, and thirteen million persons had signed the temperance pledge. The blue ribbon badge adopted by Mr. Murphy as the emblem of the cause in which he was engaged has become world-famed and stands always for freedom from the slavery of the drink habit. Until within a few weeks of his death, which occurred June 30, 1907, in Los Angeles, Cal., this famous soldier of temperance was engaged actively in the effort to benefit humanity. Then, surround- ed by his loyal wife and his beloved sons and daughters, he laid aside 25 Talks by Francis Murphy his armor, and went peacefully to rest, "Life's race well run, life's work well done, . . . life's crown well won." DR. McINTYRE'S TRIBUTE Among the many tributes paid to the memory of Francis Murphy, none is more beautiful than the fol- lowing from Eev. Robert Mc- Intyre, D. D., known throughout the United States for his poetic eloquence : "I knew Francis Murphy for more than twenty years, and every year added to my admiration for his character, and regard for his 26 Francis Murphy work. I reckoned him one of the highest types of American man- hood it has ever been my privilege to know. "He was a great natural orator and with proper training in his early days would have been the equal of Beecher or Spurgeon. His warm Irish heart, full of rich feel- ing and tender sympathies, flooded all his speech with melting emotion, and this power, together with his experience in using intoxicants, made him the greatest evangelist of the temperance reformation in the last forty years. "He was a brave soldier in the union, a born leader of meij, and 27 Talks by Francis Murphy literally loved thousands into the kingdom of God. Now that he has returned to heaven this nation has lost a patriot, a preacher and a Christian gentleman of the real Nazarene pattern. A sigh of be- reavement goes 'round the earth.'' 28 TALKS BY FRANCIS MURPHY From the Los Angeles Evening Express LOVE NOT LEGISLATION IVEK since Noah left the ark, the subject of tem- perance has been up for consideration. No doubt Noah had a strenuous time sailing his ark into the port of safety. Probably when he got through he was so happy he thought he would celebrate. It is stated he went to great ex- cess, and in this he made a grave mistake, and excess is the grave mistake of today. It is not the use, but the abuse that causes the trou- ble. Bach one must learn his own lesson of self-control; he must 31 Talks by Francis Murphy learn to be his own master, and when he cannot use a thing without abusing it, he must have courage to deny himself the use. On account of the terrible ex- cesses to which men have gone in the use of intoxicating liquor, a sin- cere effort has been made to pro- hibit absolutely the sale of it, a great multitude of good men and women seeking to bring about this end. They sincerely believed by acts of legislation they could destroy the sale. These persons are entitled to the respect and admiration of everyone who wishes well to hu- manity, for the simple thought of 32 Love Not Legislation seeing this traffic destroyed, is an inspiring one. I believe if the men who are engaged in the liquor business thought the traffic could end by a vote of the people, they would cast their ballots with the prohibitionists. With prohibitory legislation, the trouble is that it never has been a success. It has not prohibited, and has been a disappointment even to its best friends. General Neil Dow commenced in the fifties to work for a prohibitory law to stop the sale of intoxicating liquors in Maine. He got nearly everything for which he asked in the way of legis- 33 Talks by Francis Murphy lation for this purpose. He was then a young man, perhaps thirty- six years old, but up to the very end of his life he still was seeking for another act. He had been engaged in this business for forty years, and he was disappointed in the results. It must be remembered that Gen- eral Neil Dow established in nearly every city in Maine a liquor agency j where men could buy for medicine, and medicinal purposes, and it is wonderful what an extensive trade these agencies had. When the saloons were closed, clubs were established, and drug stores began to realize an addi- tional trade for medical purposes 54 Love Not Legislation and for other purposes as well - largely, I think, for mechanical purposes, because the human ma- chinery needed lubricating. Now it seems to me that it would be well for the wise friends of this political department of temperance to read history on the subject. I know of no city of any considerable size on the continent where it has been possible to destroy the sale of liquor for any length of time. To stop the excessive use of liquor should be the purpose of every friend of temperance and this is the aim of good people every- where. Friends of law and order should make an effort to aid the 35 Talks by Francis Murphy city officials to enforce the laws we now have on the statute books, and to protect the people against the evils of the traffic. This would be a practical under- taking one about which the citi- zens would be of one accord. There is another law, not on the statute books, engraven on the heart of every man, written by the finger of the Almighty. This is the law of love, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." The author of this law is our blessed Lord and Master. It is the new command- ment the one on which hangs the law and the prophets. This is the law of kindness, which means that 36 Love Not Legislation we must do unto others as we would have them do unto us. We have neglected the use of this blessed ministry for the re- moval of the sins and sorrows which come from the abuse of in- toxicating beverages. Whenever this law has been put into practice it has stood the test of not being found wanting. The history of the great work done by the sainted priest, Father Matthew, can never be forgotten, because of the great blessing it brought to the men and women who had been betrayed by the fascinating cup, used to excess. The seed which he sowed brought forth a marvelous harvest of bless- 37 Talks by Francis Murphy ing in our dear Ireland, and to the world, for there are in this coun- try today hundreds of organiza- tions established in his name that are doing a most blessed work, not by force, but by loving kindness. The same is true of the Washing- tonian movement in our own coun- try. Thousands upon thousands of men were redeemed by the gospel of loving kindness. Men signed the pledge and said their prayers, ask- ing God's assistance that they might keep their pledges. In the days of the crusades the Women's Christian Temperance Union shook this country from sea to sea, not by force, but by love and 38 Love Not Legislation prayer and by trust in God. Sa- loons were closed. Men who had gone to excess were redeemed by the grace of God, and lived lives of honorable usefulness. Surely God is not dead. He still lives to hear and answer prayer, and to save his children from the curse of every evil habit. 39 NOT MIGHT, NOR POWER "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord." "Paul may plant, and Apollos may water, but God alone can give the increase." We need more of Christ's spirit in our work. This is the one supreme requisite for winning men to the service of Jesus Christ. Without Him we can do nothing. We may have might and power and argument and egotism and self- righteousness. That kind of cap- ital is not effective in teaching men the gentleness and helpfulness and healthfulness of Jesus Christ. 40 Not Might, Nor Power If we are to grow in grace and a knowledge of the truth as it is in Christ; if we wish to succeed in winning men to His service, per- sonally, we must, in a great meas- ure, be like Him whom we seek to glorify. How to be like Him, to know anything about Him that is help- ful, we must learn of Him. This is a great age for literature that is very fascinating, and a great deal of time is spent in learning what other men have to say and write about Christ and His ways. I believe that we should let Jesus speak for himself, that we should hold communion with Him, visit 41 Talks by Francis Murphy Him, and talk with Him; that we should learn of Him. Oh, to learn of Him, to study His word. He will send His holy spirit to inter- pret it to our hearts and lives. We need to spend more time in prayer with Him, asking for His counsel and guidance and inviting Him to rule in and reign over us, to purify our whole lives that we may see Him. We have the promise that the pure in heart shall see Him. We cannot gather grapes from thorns, nor figs from thistles. There have been a great many elo- quent arguments in the name of good citizenship. There have been a great many thorns, however, in 42 Not Might, -Nor Power the arguments. They were as sharp as tacks, but there were no grapes, not one. We have had arguments that bristled with sharp points like the thistle, and many persons have listened with a little malicious pleasure, and declared: "That is good. Didn't he give it to them! I tell you I was glad. He is an able man." And quite a large per cent of us so-called good people take no little delight in such preaching. Yet that is far removed from the spirit of Christ. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord." God help us to become more Christlike. None of us is perfect. None of us is with- 43 Talks by Francis Murphy out sin. We all have gone astray. We should be thankful to God, and to our good friends, that we were not wrecked and totally destroyed. It would be profitable to us all who profess to love Him, and de- clare that He is the chief among ten thousand and the one altogether lovely, if we would study His spirit and let it take possession of us. Only by His spirit can we win any notable victory. Through the agency of gospel temperance we have seen many men who sold liquor, close up their places and give up the traffic abso- lutely. Not by might nor by power, but by the spirit of Jesus Christ. 44 Not Might, Nor Power This power, single-handed and alone, has subdued kingdoms and fighting armies, and the air has been made vocal with the songs of thanksgiving to God for peace, for the victories of peace that are more renowned than war. The spirit of Jesus Christ has transferred the emblems of war to the standards of peace. The joy and gladness of this divine power has been carried on the wings of the wind, over land and sea, the world over. That is the fulfillment of God's promise to us. In stating what the fruits of His spirit are, He says they are love and joy, long suffering, gentleness, patience, 45 Talks by Francis Murphy temperance. If we possess these graces in our hearts and lives, no evil influence can stand up against us. Oh, let us put on the whole armor of God. It is our privilege; may it be our pleasure. 46 SPIRITUAL VISION DE- STROYED Oh, how God has pleaded to come into our hearts and lives, that He may give us rest, in order that He might cleanse our hearts and make them pure; that we might know and love Him, and count it the greatest joy of our lives to serve Him. If the tiniest thing gets into the eye, it can destroy the sight. An engineer on an eastern road, guid- ing an express train, found that a tiny insect had got into his eye. It caused so much pain that the sight was temporarily destroyed, and the train was stopped. It had to be 47 Talks by Francis Murphy until this tiny thing could be re- moved. Then the engineer recov- ered his sight, and with it joy and gladness. It was only a little thing that had caused so much trouble ; but so it is in our lives. If anger or jealousy gets a lodgment in our hearts, the spiritual vision is de- stroyed. Our sight and our strength are taken away. The pure in heart shall see God. The man with the pure heart can resist evil influences in every form. When a heart is made pure by the grace of God it is not hard to cure the drink habit. Not only the habit of indulgence in strong drink, but that of buying and selling it is cured in this way. The grace of 48 Spiritual Vision Destroyed God saves a man from all evil. It is the pure in heart that have sub- dued kingdoms and worked in righteousness. The pure in heart have not been afraid to enter the lion's den nor walk into the fiery furnace. The pure in heart have been able to endure every form of persecution, because they have seen God. This is the miracle of our age, the secret of the power is in having a life hid with Christ in God. This beautiful life awaits everyone who sincerely desires it. Our blessed Lord is no respecter of persons. Come unto Him, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. 49 THE SALOON KEEPER Some of us who have great afflic- tion over a loved one who goes to excess in the use of intoxicating liquor are greatly troubled for our own friend's salvation, but we give no thought of loving care to the man who sells liquor. Could we secure the salvation of the liquor dealer, what a mighty influence he would be among his patrons. God would make him the instrument of doing for us what we could not do for ourselves and our loved ones. We have had a spirit of ven- geance for the man who sold the liquor. We have been anxious to find out where he has broken the 50 The Saloon Keeper law so that we can arraign him be- fore the courts and make him pay as large a fine as possible. This has given great joy to many of our temperance friends; but we must remember that this man has his friends who are zealous, deeply in- terested for him willing to chip in and pay the fine for him, and pat him on the back and say, "We will stand by you. " They make him out a hero, and give him the most gracious praise, declaring him to be the best fellow in town. There is only one way left for us. We are to overcome evil with good. We have a great cause. We have a just cause. Every lover of 51 Talks by Francis Murphy peace on earth stands with us in the effort to emancipate ourselves from the drink habit. Our blessed Lord and Master is the inspiration of our life work. He is our leader. We are to learn gentleness, forbearance, patience, confidence. We need these divine elements rooted and grounded in our lives as we go forward in the large fields that are white for the harvest. There are so many broken hearts. People who are in the depths of despair, and who are starving to death, dying for a kind word. Our blessed Lord was anointed to bind up broken hearts. He was to do it 52 The Saloon Keeper by teaching loving kindness to the people. It is a sure remedy for every ill. If we have love, real, true love if we love our neighbor as ourselves we cannot fail. The miracles of God's saving grace will be seen on the right hand and on the left ; blind eyes will be opened ; withered hands will be restored; broken hearts will be healed; the dead will come to life again. Oh, that God would anoint us to roll the stone away from the sepulchre, that the buried, imprisoned love of our hearts may be resurrected into life and healing beauty. 53 ON EARLY CLOSING Something has been said about shortening the hours of the sale of intoxicating liquor. I believe the people would be glad to have the sale stopped at 10 o'clock. No one would suffer harm on account of it. Meantime we must not slacken our efforts to promote the kingdom of God among our fellow men. The law of brotherhood, of good fellow- ship, of loving our neighbor as our- selves, this is the law that cleanses and purifies society, and enables the public officer who has charge of the administration of law to do his duty in such a way that he makes friends for the law. 54 On Early Closing I sincerely hope that those of us who claim to be Christians, to be disciples of our blessed Lord, will not be found wanting in doing their duty in a gentle, patient, heroic, loving, manly way; proving our- selves worthy the name of disciples of Him who came to teach us a new commandment, that we love one an- other. To learn this blessed gospel is the supreme desire of my heart. We can do nothing without God's blessing. We have wasted much time and opportunity on a variety of plans for the extinction of the drink traffic, and we have not made any notable victories. We all need a new consecration to the 55 Talks by Francis Murphy service of Jesus Christ, who came not to judge us but to save us. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. Those that were well didn 't need a physician, but those that were sick. His love and mercy is the great healing quality in the life of every sick, weary brother or sister. Oh, let us look unto Him. We are to learn how to cleanse our lives of all uncleanness, even of words and thoughts. All who are seeking for manhood, for in- tegrity, must have their hearts cleansed. It is the fountain of life, and until this fountain is cleansed the whole man is weak and very 56 On Early Closing nearly at the mercy of his enemies. The greatest thing in the world is to see a man who is able to rule his own spirit. He is greater than the man who takes the city. In order to be a hero he must have moral virtue. The old philosopher stated that a virtuous man was a god. No man can have a pure heart and be permitted to look upon the face of God until he is virtuous. From the practice of virtue he will get knowledge, and he will add to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to pa- tience gentleness, and to gentleness brotherly kindness, and to broth- erly kindness, charity. 57 Talks by Francis Murphy Oh, do not forget this statement. This is a cure for every ill that af- flicts us. Beyond all doubt this is true, if all these things be in you remember, in you, not on you nor about you, but in you. They make you that ye shall never be barren nor unfruitful in what con- stitutes a gentleman, by the blessed teachings of our Lord and Master. He that lacketh these things virtue, knowledge, brotherly kind- ness, charity the man who is lacking in these things cannot see afar off. But if we are faithful in the graces and virtues taught, we shall never fall. God help us to be teachable, to be 58 On Early Closing lovers of everything that is pure and true and inspiring in this beau- tiful world, where we live for a lit- tle while before we go to that coun- try where there is no more night, no more sorrow, no more parting, but where Christ is all in all. 59 GOSPEL OF LOVING-KIND- NESS We are much in need of in- creased interest in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our hearts are sore, sad and desolate, sometimes like the wilderness and the solitary place. The gospel of loving mercy and cheerful forgiveness is the one thing needful. It is the remedy. Earth hath no sorrow that heaven cannot cure. Knowing this truth, why not accept of it ? If we do, the blessing of peace will come unto us and dwell with us. It is true we have been selfish, willful, arrogant, hasty. Oh, let us 60 Gospel of Loving- Kindness cease this cruel warfare. Let us try the new commandment of our blessed Lord, that ye love one an- other. Not ourselves please do not forget not ourselves. Instead we are to love one another as Christ loved us. There is real, true happiness in loving other people and serving them. Let us learn to forget our- selves. We shall not come to want for joy and true happiness if we love each other with a true, pure love. We want true love. It is the greatest medicine in the world. It does not cost a penny. The more you give away of love and service to others, the more you have your- self. 61 Talks by Francis Murphy We often say, "It is so easy to create dissension and discontent." We must not forget that it is just as easy, and much more pleasant, to create happiness in our homes, with our neighbors and friends. Let us begin to speak kind, loving words to our dear friends and dear enemies, if we have any. We must let our sun shine upon our dear enemies as well as our dear friends. But let us have no enemies. We must live such honorable, loving, manly lives that we will not make enemies. Some of us have a little trouble in our homes a little friction, a little coldness until we become 62 g 5' S I f > V. Gospel of Loving-Kindness discourteous, uncivil, unloving. We are in deep sorrow in our homes. What are we going to do? We want the sun to shine upon us again. We want the sweet, tender look, the music of the voice that is so precious to one's heart. We want to win it back and have it shine upon us. Until this is brought about our food does not taste good, and the house is cold, chilly. Dear friend, we want just cour- age to speak the loving word to the sweet-hearted wife or sister, to use the gentle voice. Love and good will cause sor- row to take wings and fly away. Oh, how glad and happy we are 65 Talks by Francis Murphy now to be delivered from the little frivolous misunderstandings ! To keep this blighting mildew from poisoning the fragrance of our lives, I commend you to our blessed Lord and Master. Take Him into your hearts and homes. Make Him your constant compan- ion and counselor. Take His yoke upon you and learn of Him. Be sure you learn of Him. He is meek, He is gentle, He will keep all pestilence out of your life and home, and keep you in perfect peace. A great many of my brothers, who, like myself, have taken a vow to abstain totally from the use of 66 Gospel of Loving- Kindness liquor, need, more than anything else, the sweet companionship of Jesus Christ in order that we may keep our vows. When the evil spirit is cast out, the house is empty. Unless God will send His holy spirit into our hearts and lives to possess us, the evil spirit will return. It is our duty and our privilege, and it should be our greatest pleasure to keep our vows unbroken. We owe so much to those who are in need of our help to show them that we are able to keep our vows that it can be done easily ; that we are not quarry slaves, scourged to our dun- geons, dragging balls and chains, 67 Talks by Francis Murphy bait we are free men made free by the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we will never again be entangled in the yoke of bondage. Oh, my beloved brethren, be of good heart, fear not. 63 MEN OF POWER We are beginning to think that all things are possible to the man who has power. Every victory that the human race has ever won was first born in the head and heart of a man or woman. When Dr. West- inghouse introduced his airbrake and declared that he could stop the limited express on the Pennsyl- vania road in a distance of twice the train's length, he was laughed at and ridiculed, and certain per- sons thought he was not a little out of his mind. But the world today with unanimous consent declares that he is one of the greatest bene- factors known to civilization. The 69 Talks by Francis Murphy same truly can be said of Cyrus Field, who laid the Atlantic cable, annihilating distance. It is wonderful what can be done by men who are sincerely in ear- nest, the man who has a mission, a cause, and is willing to pay the price of success to bring all the re- sources to his aid is accomplishing a great work. On the bloody battlefield of self- ishness, men have given up home, loved ones, wealth, for success. They have been willing to take any weapon upon which they could lay their hands, no matter how deadly, to win the battle, to be called vic- torious. 70 Men of Power I wonder if we have stopped to think what a great battlefield there is in every human breast. I believe we have not. We have talked about it, cried about it, and blas- phemed about it, and the battle still rages furiously. The good book declares that the man who rules his spirit, governs his own life, who is his own master, is greater than he that taketh a city. The question with men every- where is, Can they govern their own lives? I believe this possible. I believe there is power in every man, if called into use, to make him his own master. The Redeemer of the world es- 71 Talks by Francis Murphy tablished this power. He said: "The kingdom of heaven is within you." I believe this with all my heart more, I know it. God is in His kingdom, and this is His great power house. Prom it we are to get power to control our lives; to be able to resist evil influences; to make good conduct the habit of our lives, so that it shall be the daily habit of men to do right. Regarding men who are wrong, it is often said: "This is the result of evil habit. Evil habit has caused the trouble." Men need power to be converted to the habit of doing good deeds. This is what gives men character and enables them to tell 72 Men of Power the truth. Oh, to be truthful, con- scientious, sincerely honest and brave. The bravery of gentleness is like light. It always is charmingly in- spiring, healthful, invigorating. It is life. Such bravery is like the perfume of a flower, a beautiful rose in the room, that changes the atmosphere and fills it with the breath of heaven. We inhale it and it' blesses our whole being. I declare there is in the life of every man reserved power power which may be lying dormant which he has neglected to call to his assistance, to aid in controlling his life and making him realize that he can be his own master. 73 Talks by Francis Murphy I believe that the world's Re- deemer was the great discoverer of the kingdom of God in the life of mankind. I believe that this holy spirit is around and about us, like the fragrant air of our own beauti- ful country. We are His children, and He loves to have us call upon Him in every time of need. We have neglected even to make an earnest effort in working our own salvation, and our Father in heaven has so much love and confidence and admiration for His children that He gave us a great part in working out this salvation. I call upon every man who is afflicted with any habit which has 74 Men of Power caused him grief, disappointment, humiliation, to call upon our bless- ed Master, who giveth the power. He is a present help in every time of need, and He is able to save to the uttermost. 75 PROCLAMATION OF EMAN- CIPATION There is a great charm in read- ing Christ's proclamation of eman- cipation. Somehow people never weary of reading it studying it, It talks to a person, to his inner life those beautiful beatitudes. One might suppose that Christ would have singled out by name the infirmities of the people whom He wished to bless ; that He would have exposed their sinful habits and un- dertaken to bring the people to trial before judges and courts, for the people were sunken in sin and shame, and had nearly lost all hope. They were strangers to the love 76 Proclamation of Emancipation of home, its purity, its tenderness, its holiness, but in their darkest hour of sorrow and sin Jesus Christ could see gleams of celestial light and immortality, and in His own indescribable way He spoke to them that were in deepest mourn- ing. " Blessed are you, for you shall be comforted." Oh, think of it the music of that sweet word coming to the broken-hearted, despairing ones ! It gave life then, thank God ! It gives life now. He comforted, He healed the wounded, sorrowing hearts, and to those w^ho had no possible way of helping themselves, who had to en- 77 Talks by Francis Murphy (lure the cruel injustice of their time, who were hungry, oh, so hungry, Jesus whispered, " Blessed are those that do hunger and thirst after righteousness." Here is a divine prescription for sin and wrongdoing. Many of us know what it is to have a passion for things that are not righteous. Christ said, " Hunger and thirst after righteousness." Do not hunger and thirst after those things the simple thought of which is a grievous offense to every noble principle that lives in the heart of man. We must have a great love for the truth, with a sin- cere desire to live it for ourselves 78 Proclamation of Emancipation and our neighbors. This is what makes the new man. This is what we understand by being born again born of God and His holy spirit. Dr. Chalmers called it "the ex- pulsive power of the new affec- tion." The apostle Paul said old things were passed away and all things were become new. The change does indeed open our eyes to a new earth and a new heaven. It brings a new life that mounts up on wings as eagles. We run and are not weary, we walk and are not faint. It enables us to say, with the apostle Paul, "Though the outer man perish, yet the inner man is renewed day by day." It is the divinity that shapes our ends. 79 Talks by Francis Murphy I commend with my whole heart the needy to this blessed Sermon on the Mount. I call it God 's emanci- pation proclamation. What a blessing to be free. Everyone made free by the blessed gospel has an angel of mercy in his heart for all who have been unfortunate and wayward. Christ used this decla- ration in the presence of persons who were not merciful and loving and patient and kind. He said, " Blessed are the merciful," and every selfish, cruel heart said in answer, u God have mercy on me." Oh, Christian brothers and sis- ters, you have been made free who have been exalted and ennobled ; ye 80 Proclamation of Emancipation who are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, come, come to Christ now and get your commis- sion with power to go forth in His service, anointed with His holy spirit of love. Nothing else but love, God's love, can satisfy us. When we have this we, like Him, will be willing to lay down our lives for mankind. 81 LEARN OF GOD I think we should take a vow with our blessed Lord and Master that we will not continue in this grievous sin of sitting in judgment upon others in their absence. It is not creditable of any of us to judge ill of our neighbors when they are absent, or at any other time. If our hearts are in the right place we can find plenty of good deeds in the lives of these men and women about which to talk. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." If we speak kind words and do good deeds, we will be rewarded accordingly. This is the teaching 82 Learn of God of our blessed Lord. We cannot gather grapes from thorns nor figs from thistles. Some of us wonder why it is we are not happy, why we do not get on well in the world; that we are constantly in trouble with someone. We must pause and think and find out of what spirit we are; what kind of life we are leading. Ask ourselves, honestly, candidly, Am I scattering seeds of kindness in my home, upon those I love, or am I living a cold, harsh, economical, indifferent, stingy life ? You cannot be mistaken. You are gathering the fruit. "By their fruits ye shall know them." If where you expected grapes you get 83 Talks by Francis Murphy thorns, and where you were snre of figs you have gathered thistles, something is wrong. God help us to be honest and brave and true. We can have beautiful vineyards of grapes; orchards of figs and oranges and plums, and patches of strawberries, decorated with hedge rows of flowers, in an atmosphere as sweet as heaven. We can have this and more that is sweet and blessed. God help us to decide to live the Christlike life, the patient, meek, loving, gentle, forgiving life, which is a foretaste of that blessed country that knows no night nor sorrow. In families, as well as nations, 84 Learn of God misunderstandings have wrought deplorable ruin. Neighbor has been set against neighbor, and friend against friend. Whoever of you is the cause of a misunderstanding, I beg of you to pause and think about the awful suffering which your foolishness is causing to innocent persons. The great question is, What are we to do who have been misrepresented and maliciously slandered? Our divine Teacher answers us. Now it is of vital importance that each and every one of us become acquainted with the president of God's university. He is acknowl- edged the world over by the most 85 Talks by Francis Murphy learned and cultured of the ages to be the greatest and wisest that has lived in this world of ours. Millions of persons have con- formed their lives to the prompt- ings of His holy spirit, which teaches us to forsake all anger and hatred and evil speaking, and to love our neighbor as ourselves, and if we have any enemies we are to do good to them that despitefully use and persecute us. This is the way to overcome all evil. This is the way to establish peace. Our blessed Lord believed in peace believed that the world can be converted to it; that all wars should and will cease. He com- 86 Learn of God manded that our swords and guns be beaten into pruning hooks and farming implements, to raise bread for the hungry millions. Glory to God. Blessed are the peacemakers, and may our heaven- ly Father hasten the time when tid- ings of peace on earth and good will to men shall come to every one of us. This gospel of Jesus Christ never fails. It never has. It never will. In it is the strength of infinite wis- dom the unconquerable love of God and His inexhaustible pa- tience. There is in it the seventy times seven. There is the giving up of everything you have for your 87 Talks by Francis Murphy poor brother, and following Jesus Christ. He gave all that He had. He had only one thing left at last His life and He challenged the whole world, declaring that greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. In the presence of this great love the wide world uncovers and falls upon its knees, acknowl- edging Him king of kings, and Lord of lords, because He is able and does save to the uttermost. Oh, brethren and sisters who are fol- lowing this holy being, do not doubt His ability to save the liquor drinker and the liquor seller and the brewer and the distiller. 88 Learn of Cod They wait for the commission of Jesus Christ to invite them to lives of peace and good will. God be with you. 89 3 sr MURPHY PROVERBS Close the saloon between the nose and the chin and every other saloon will close itself. * * God's kingdom and man's stomach are closely related. * * Get off your stilts come down and feed the poor. * * Don't whip the children for the things you do yourself. * * There is no shame where there is no sin. * * We can know God only by love not by theology, psychology or any other ology. 93 Talks by Francis Murphy The man who ploughs gets the crop. The one who sits on the fence gets none. Remember the poor and help them don't wait until you can give a dollar, give what you can now, if it is only a nickel. * * Nothing exterminates sorrow, unhappiness and pain like the love of God. We can take a lesson of Jesus Christ at any time. He is never too busy to attend to us. * * Have faith in the men who sign the pledge, and pray for them. * * We must have God's blessing we can't get along without His 94 Murphy Proverbs help. We want to get down on our knees and pray for it. :* * The record of an upright life is a man's richest legacy. * * It is the innate cussedness with- in us that we call temptation. It is that which brings destruction to many of us. * * Say, don't you forget the poor man, and don't forget to feed him. They had to feed me or they would have had trouble. * * If you are not in the church, and think those in it are not doing as they should, don't blame them, 95 Talks by Francis Murphy but join the church and show the rest how to lead a Christian life. * * I want to tell you, it's no small thing to win a man from the bottle. Look at the baby. It's only had its bottle two years, but try to take it away and you'll think the walls of Jericho are tumbling down for the racket that will ensue. So then think of the full-grown man who's had the bottle for ten full years. Say, go slow there, will you, and have mercy. * * Let the strong bear the infirm- ities of the weak. Let all sign the pledge not alone the drunkards. 96 Murphy Proverbs Beware of the clubroom where liquor is dispensed freely, regard- less of license. * * Beware of food prepared with liquor. Also so-called brandy drops. Would there were a $500 fine imposed on every confectioner who put such confectionery within the reach of the people. * * You cannot contaminate a true Christian who is filled with the lov- ing power of Jesus Christ. He is antiseptic. He is immune from the virus of evil. He heals; he gives help of the right kind. * * I believe in law to regulate, to 97 Talks by Francis Murphy bring men to justice when they vio- late the law, but the gospel of Jesus Christ should go hand in hand with legislation, that justice may be tem- pered with mercy. Our creeds, our theories, our sectarianism are impotent. They are a positive hindrance to the teachings of Jesus Christ. We do not need any more theology on temperance, on the gospel no more legislation. We do need brotherly kindness. We do need to go among the publicans and sin- ners as Jesus did, and dine with them. We have been afraid we 98 Murphy Proverbs would be contaminated. We should be ashamed of ourselves. 4* * You cannot by force take a bee hive away from the bees unless you do so at terrible cost. They can be persuaded to leave the hive. Sow a field of buckwheat near their home and they will leave their beau- tiful residence to gather food and enjoy themselves in the flowering buckwheat field. The same is true of the saloon and the drinking man. We must offer the drinking man something better than he finds in the saloon before we can make any progress. 99 Talks by Francis Murphy If you make the acquaintance of our blessed Savior you will let your kindness fall upon the just and upon the unjust, living peace- ably with all men because you love them. * * Men addicted to the drink habit cannot and will not be coerced. They are to be won, to be reasoned with, to be persuaded, and are will- ing to receive something better than the saloon if it is offered. * * The Mosaic laws were taught in all the synagogues, by the way- side and the seaside. Christ did not use them. He gave a new com- 100 Murphy Proverbs mandment, that men should love one another. * * The gospel of Jesus Christ is so beautiful, so simple, that a wayfar- ing man, though not wise, cannot err therein. We can all under- stand Christ. There is no mystery about His teachings what He wished us to do, to say, and how we should live and deal with each other. * * There is need of right thinking as well as belief on our part. 'As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. ' Let every man, no matter how unfortunate, have a good thought for himself. Every man should 101 Talks by Francis Murphy guard his thoughts. This is neces- sary to salvation. It is noble thinking and brave doing that make true men. * * Christ asked that we visit our unfortunate brothers, that we speak words of comfort, of good cheer, of helpfulness. He asks us to love God with all our hearts, and our neighbor as ourselves. What a blessed privilege for everyone of us to do what we can to bring peace and good will upon the earth. * * We cannot do an injustice to another without doing ourselves great wrong. It seems that it re- 102 Murphy Proverbs quires a long time for us to learn the unchangeable truth of our risen Lord, that whatsoever we sow, that shall we also reap. * 4* Yes, thank God, there has al- ways been someone to speak words of mercy to our deceived, cheated, wretched brothers and sisters. For them the sun was darkened, the rocks rent, and the dead arose. All nature suffered and trembled at the suffering of our blessed Lord. This was the price paid for our salvation, and love paid it paid it with joy, with gladness. * * We can all have a happy, con- tented Christ spirit, if we will. We 103 Talks by Francis Murphy must have courage courage to deny ourselves what we know to be wrong and dangerous. We must not countenance any immorality. * * In His kingdom there shall be no destruction of life; every tear shall be wiped away ; every wound- ed heart healed, and we shall see Him, the King in His beauty. * * Most of our teachers fail to present the subject of the healing power of Jesus' love, this power which worketh in us to do His own good pleasure. It is a great pleas- ure to our blessed Lord to heal us of our infirmities. 104 Murphy Proverbs Let us deny ourselves the use of liquor declare that we will take no more while the world stands, if by so doing we bring grief to an- other. * * Christ began His ministry by healing the people of every form of illness. He still lives to help men and to save them. We are power- less without His love. * * Disconnect the street car from the power house and it cannot move. Neither can men move, ac- cording to God's plan, if they have no connection with Jesus Christ. 105 RETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT TO ^ 202 Main Library LOAN PERIOD 1 HOME USE 2 3 4 5 6 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS Renewals and Recharges may be made 4 days prior to the due date. Books may be Renewed by calling 642-3405 DUE AS STAMPED BELOW Stltfr ON ILL DEC 6 1994 U. C. BERKELEY FORM NO. DD6 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY BERKELEY CA 94720 VB 761011 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY