“COME, INHERIT THE KINGDOM!”

“Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” A kingdom!—think of that! Think of a poor man in this world, struggling with poverty and want, invited to become possessor of a kingdom! It is no fiction; it is described as “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.” We are called to be kings and priests: that is a high calling. Surely no one who hears me intends to miss that kingdom! Christ said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.” Those who inherit it shall go no more out.

Yet another bell—

“COME UP HITHER!”

In the Revelation we find that the two witnesses were called up to heaven when their testimony was ended. So if we are faithful in the service of our King, we shall by and by hear a voice saying, “Come up hither!” There is going to be a separation one day. The man who has been persecuting his godly wife will some day find her missing. That drunkard who beats his children because they have been taught the way into the Kingdom of God, will miss them some day. They will be taken up out of the darkness, and away from the persecution, up into the presence of God. When the voice of God saying, “Come up hither” is heard, calling His children home, there will be a grand jubilee. That glorious day will soon dawn. “Lift up your heads, for the time of your redemption draweth nigh.”

One more bell to complete the chime—

“WHOSOEVER WILL, LET HIM COME!”

It is the last time that the word “Come” appears in the Bible; and it occurs there over one thousand nine hundred times. We find it away back in Genesis, “Come, thou and all thy house, into the ark”; and it goes right along through Scripture. Prophets, apostles, and preachers, have been ringing it out all through the ages. Now the record is about to be closed, and Christ tells John to put in one more invitation. After the Lord had been in glory for about sixty years, perhaps He saw some poor man stumbling over one of the apostles’ letters about the doctrine of election. So He came to John in Patmos, and John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. Christ said to His disciple, “Write these things to the Churches.” I can imagine John’s pen moved very easily and very swiftly that day; for the hand of his Lord was upon him. The Master said to him, “Before you close up the Book, put in one more invitation; and make it so broad that the whole world shall know they are included, and not a single one may feel that he is left out.” John began to write “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come,” that is, the Spirit and the Church; “and let him that heareth say, Come!” If you have heard and received the message yourself, pass it on to those near you; your religion is not a very real thing if it does not affect some one else. We have to get rid of this idea that the world is going to be reached by ministers alone. All those who have drunk of the cup of salvation must pass it around.

“Let him that is athirst, come.” But there are some so deaf that they cannot hear; others are not thirsty enough or they think they are not. I have seen men in our after-meetings with two streams of tears running down their cheeks; and yet they said the trouble with them was that they were not anxious enough. They were anxious to be anxious. Probably Christ saw that men would say they did not feel thirsty; so He told the apostle to make the invitation still broader. So the last invitation let down into a thirsty world is this: “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

Thank God for those words “Whosoever will!” Who will come and take it? That is the question. You have the power to accept or to reject the invitation. A man in one meeting once was honest enough to say “I won’t.” If I had it in my power I would bring this whole audience to a decision now, either for or against. I hope many now reading these words will say, “I will!” If God says we can, all the devils in hell cannot stop us. All the infidels in the world cannot prevent us. That little boy, that little girl, can say, “I will!” If it were necessary, God would send down a legion of angels to help you; but He has given you the power, and you can accept Christ this very minute if you are really in earnest.

Let me say that it is the easiest thing in the world to become a Christian, and it is also the most difficult. You will say: “That is a contradiction, a paradox.” I will illustrate what I mean. A little nephew of mine in Chicago, a few years ago, took my Bible and threw it down on the floor. His mother said, “Charlie, pick up Uncle’s Bible.” The little fellow said he would not, “Charlie, do you know what that word means?” She soon found out that he did, and that he was not going to pick up the Book. His will had come right up against his mother’s will. I began to be quite interested in the struggle; I knew if she did not break his will, he would some day break her heart. She repeated, “Charlie, go and pick up Uncle’s Bible, and put it on the table.” The little fellow said he could not do it. “I will punish you if you do not.” He saw a strange look in her eye, and the matter began to get serious. He did not want to be punished, and he knew his mother would punish him if he did not lift the Bible. So he straightened every bone and muscle in him, and he said he could not do it. I really believe the little fellow had reasoned himself into the belief that he could not do it.

His mother knew he was only deceiving himself; so she kept him right to the point. At last he went down, put both his arms around the Book, and tugged away at it; but he still said he could not do it. The truth was he did not want to. He got up again without lifting it. The mother said, “Charlie, I am not going to talk to you any more. This matter has to be settled; pick up that Book, or I will punish you.” At last she broke his will, and then he found it as easy as it is for me to turn my hand. He picked up the Bible, and laid it on the table. So it is with the sinner; if you are really willing to take the Water of Life, you can do it.

“I heard the voice of Jesus say,

‘Come unto Me, and rest;

Lay down, thou weary one, lay down,

Thy head upon My breast.’

I came to Jesus as I was—

Weary, and worn, and sad,

I found in Him a resting-place,

And He has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

‘Behold, I freely give

The living water—thirsty one,

Stoop down, and drink, and live.’

I came to Jesus, and I drank

Of that life-giving stream;

My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

And now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

‘I am this dark world’s Light:

Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise,

And all thy day be bright.’

I looked to Jesus, and I found

In Him my Star, my Sun;

And in that Light of life I’ll walk

Till traveling days are done.”

Dr. H. Bonar

GOSPEL DIALOGUES.

I.—MR. MOODY AND REV. MARCUS RAINSFORD.

WHAT IT IS TO BE A CHILD OF GOD.

R. MOODY—What is it to be a child of God? What is the first step?

Rev. M. Rainsford—Well, sir, I am a child of God when I become united to the Son of God. The Son of God prayed that all who believed upon Him should be one with Him, as He was one with the Father. Believing on Jesus, I receive Him, and become united to Him; I become, as it were, a member of his Body. I am an heir of God, a joint-heir with Christ.

Mr. M.—What is the best definition of Faith?

Mr. R.—Trust in the Son of God, as the Saviour He has given to us. Simple trust, not only in a creed, but in a Person. I trust my soul to Him. I trust the keeping of my soul to Him. God has promised that whosoever trusts Him, mercy shall compass him on every side.

Mr. M.—Does not the Scripture say that the devils believe?

Mr. R.—They believe the truth, do they not? They believe that Jesus was manifested to destroy them; and they “tremble.” I wish we believed as truly and as fully that God sent His Son into the world to save us.

Mr. M.—What is it to “trust?”

Mr. R.—I take it to mean four things:

(1) Believing on Christ: that is, taking Him at His Word.

(2) Hoping in Christ: that is, expecting help from Him, according to His Word.

(3) Relying on Christ: That is, resting on Him for the times, and ways, and circumstances in which He may be pleased to fulfill His promises according to His Word.

(4) Waiting on Christ: that is, continuing to do so, notwithstanding delay, darkness, barrenness, perplexing experiences, and the sentence of death in myself. He may keep me waiting awhile (I have kept Him a long time waiting); but He will not keep me waiting always. Believing in Him, hoping in Him, relying upon Him, and waiting for Him—I understand to be trusting in Him.

Mr. M.—Can all these friends here believe the promises?

Mr. R.—The promises are true, whether we believe them or not. We do not make them true by believing them. God could not charge me with being an unbeliever, or condemn me for unbelief, if the promises were not true for me. I could in that case turn round and say: “Great God, why did you expect me to believe a promise that was not true for me?” And yet the Scriptures set forth unbelief as the greatest sin I can continue to commit.

Mr. M.—How are we “cleansed by the Blood?”

Mr. R.—“The blood is the life.” The sentence upon sinners for their sin was, “The soul that sinneth it shall die.” That we might not die, the Son of God died. The blood is the poured-out life of the Son of God, given as the price, the atonement, the substitute, for the forfeited life of the believer in Jesus Christ. Any poor sinner who receives Christ as God’s gift is cleansed from all sin by His Blood.

Mr. M.—Was the blood shed for us all?

Mr. R.—

“There is a fountain filled with blood,

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood,

Lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see

That fountain in his day;

And there may we, though vile as he,

Wash all our sins away.”

Mr. M.—Some may think that this is only a hymn, and that it is not Scripture. Did the Lord ever say anything similar to what the hymn says?

Mr. R.—He said: “I have given you the blood upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls.” That was said of the picture of the blood of Christ. And at the Last Supper our Lord said His blood was “the blood of the new testament which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.”

Mr. M.—What is “the gift of God?”

Mr. R.—There are three great gifts that God has given to us—

(1) His blessed Son.

(2) The Holy Ghost, “the promise of the Father,” that we might understand the unspeakable gift bestowed on us when He gave His Son.

(3) He has given us His Holy Word.

The Holy Ghost has inspired the writers of it that we may read, and hear, and know the love that God has to us, “in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” We could not have the Son for our Saviour, unless God gave Him. We could not understand the gift of God, unless the Holy Ghost had come to quicken us and teach us; and this He does through the Word.

Mr. M.—How much is there in Christ for us who believe?

Mr. R.—In Him dwelt “all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”—fullness of life, of righteousness, of sanctification, of redemption, title to heaven, and meetness for it; all that God wants from us, and all that we want from God, He gave in the person of Christ.

Mr. M.—How long does it take God to justify a sinner?

Mr. R.—How long? The moment we receive Him we receive authority to enroll ourselves among the children of God, and are then and there justified from all things. The sentence of complete justification does not take long to pronounce. Some persons profess to see a difficulty in the variety of ways in which a sinner is said to be justified before God: (1) Justified by God; (2) Justified by Christ; (3) Justified by His Blood; (4) Justified by grace; (5) Justified by faith; (6) Justified by works.

Justification has reference to a court of justice. Suppose a sinner standing at the bar of God, the bar of conscience, and the bar of his fellow-men, charged with a thousand crimes.

(1) There is the Judge: that is God, who alone can condemn or justify: “It is God that justifieth.” That is justification by God.

(2) There is the Advocate, who appears at court for the sinner; the counselor, the intercessor: that is Christ. “Justified by Christ.”

(3) There is next to be considered the ground and reason on account of which the Advocate pleads before the Judge. That is the merit of His own precious Blood. That is justification by His Blood.

(4) Next we must remember the law which the Judge is dispensing. The law of works? Nay, but the law of grace and faith. That is justification by His grace.

(5) And now the judge himself pronounces the result. “Be it known unto you that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him all that believe are justified from all things.” Now, for the first time, the sinner at the bar knows the fact. This is justification by faith.

(6) But now the justified man leaves the criminal’s dock. He does not return to his prison, or to his chains. He walks forth from the court-house a justified man; and all men, friends or foes, are made aware that he is free. That is “justification by works.”

Mr. M.—A man says: “I have not found peace.” How would you deal with him?

Mr. R.—He is really looking for the wrong thing. I do not look for peace. I look for Christ; and I get peace with Him. Some people put peace in the place of Christ. Others put their repentance or prayers in the place of Christ. Anything put in the place of Christ, or between the sinner and Christ, is in the wrong place. When I get Christ, I possess in Him everything that belongs to Him, as my Saviour.

Mr. M.—Some think they cannot be Christians until they are sanctified.

Mr. R.—Christ is my Sanctification, as much as my Justification. I cannot be sanctified but by His blood. There is a wonderful passage in Exodus. The high priest there represented in picture the Lord Jesus Christ. There was to be placed on the forefront of the miter of the high priest, when he stood before God, a plate of pure gold, and graven upon it as with a signet, the words: “Holiness to the Lord.” My faith sees it on the forefront of the miter on the brow of my High Priest in heaven. “And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.” That was for Israel of old! That on the brow of Jesus Christ is for me. Yes—for me, “that I may be accepted before the Lord.” As I believe this truth it purifies my heart, it operates on my affections and my desires; and I seek to walk with Him, because He is my Sanctification before God, just as I trust in Him as my Justification—because He shed His blood for me.

Mr. M.—What is it to believe on His name?

Mr. R.—His name is His revealed self. We are informed what it is in Exodus. Moses was in the mount with God, and He had shown him wonderful things of kindness and of love. And Moses said, “O God, show me thy glory!” And He said, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee.” So He put Moses in the cleft of the rock, and proclaimed the name of the Lord: “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin”—there it is, root and branch “and that will by no means clear the guilty.” That is His name; and His glory He will not give unto another: and to believe in the name of the Lord is just to shelter under His promises.

Mr. M.—What is it to “receive the Kingdom of God like a little child?”

Mr. R.—Well, I do not believe in a little child being an innocent thing. I think it means that we are to receive it in all our need and helplessness. A little child is the most dependent thing on earth. All its resources are in its parents’ love: all it can do is to cry; and its necessities explain the meaning to the mother’s heart. If we interpret its language, it means: “Mother, wash me; I cannot wash myself. Mother, clothe me; I am naked, and cannot clothe myself. Mother, feed me; I cannot feed myself. Mother, carry me; I cannot walk.” It is written, “A mother may forget her sucking child; yet will not I forget thee.” This it is to receive the Kingdom of God as a little child—to come to Jesus in our helplessness and say: “Lord Jesus, wash me!” “Clothe me!” “Feed me!” “Carry me!” “Save me, Lord, or I perish.”

Mr. M.—A good many say they are going to try. What would you say to such?

Mr. R.—God wants no man to “try.” Jesus has already tried. He has not only tried, but He has succeeded. “It is finished.” Believe in Him who has “made an end of sins, making reconciliation for iniquity, finishing transgression, and bringing in everlasting righteousness.”

Mr. M.—If people say they are “going to try,” what would you say to them?

Mr. R.—I should say, Put trusting in the place of trying; believing in the place of doubting; and I should urge them to come to Christ as they are, instead of waiting to be better. There is nothing now between God the Father and the poor sinner, but the Lord Jesus Christ; and Christ has put away sin that I may be joined to the Lord. “And he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit;” “And where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

Mr. M.—About the last thing an anxious inquirer has to contend with is his feelings. There are hundreds here very anxious to know they are safe in the Kingdom; but they think they have not the right kind of feeling. What kind of feeling should they have?

Mr. R.—I think there are several of those present who can say that they found a blessing in the after-meetings through one verse of Scripture. I will quote it as an answer to Mr. Moody’s question. “Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.” Some of you may be walking in darkness; that is how you feel. What is God’s command? “Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.” If I am to trust God in the darkness, I am to trust Him anywhere.

Mr. M.—You would advise them, then, to trust in the Lord, whether they have the right kind of feeling or not?

Mr. R.—If I were to think of my feelings for a moment, I should be one of the most miserable men in this hall to-night. My feelings are those of a sinful corrupt nature. I am just to believe what God tells me in spite of my feelings. Faith is “the evidence of things not seen:” I might add, “the evidence of things not felt.”

Mr. M.—Some may say that faith is the gift of God: and that they must wait till God imparts it to them.

Mr. R.—“Faith cometh by hearing.” The word of God is the medium through which faith comes to us. God has given us Christ; and He has given us His Spirit, and His Word: what need is there to wait? God will give faith to the man who reads His Word and seeks for His Spirit.

Mr. M.—What, then, should they wait for?

Mr. R.—I do not know of anything they have to wait for. God says: “Come now; Believe now.” No, no; there is nothing to wait for. He has given us all He has to give: and the sooner we take it the better.

Mr. M.—Perhaps some of them think they have too many sins to allow their coming.

Mr. R.—The Lord Jesus has put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” Why do we not believe him? He says He has “made an end of sins.” Why do we not believe Him? Is He a liar?

Mr. M.—Is unbelief a sin?

Mr. R.—It is the root of all sin.

Mr. M.—Has a man the power to believe these things, if he will?

Mr. R.—When God gives a command, it means that we are able by His grace to do it.

Mr. M.—What do you mean by “coming” to Christ?

Mr. R.—Believing in Him. If I were to prepare a great feast in this hall to-morrow night, and say that any man that comes to it would have a grand feast and a five-pound note besides, there would not be any question as to what “coming” meant. God has prepared a great feast. He has sent His messengers to invite all to come; and there is nothing to pay.

Mr. M.—What is the first step.

Mr. R.—To believe.

Mr. M.—Believe what?

Mr. R.—God’s invitation; God’s promise; God’s provision. Let us believe the faithfulness of Him who calls us. Does God intend to mock us, and make game of us? If He did so to one man, it would hush all the harps in heaven.

Mr. M.—Suppose the people do “come,” and that they fall into sin tomorrow?

Mr. R.—Let them come back again. God says we are to forgive till seventy times seven. Do you think the great God will do less than He commands us to do?

Mr. M.—If they truly come, will they have the desire to do the things they used to do before?

Mr. R.—When a man really receives Christ into his heart, he experiences “the expulsive power of a new affection.” The devil may tempt him to sin; but sin has lost its attraction. A man finds out that it does not pay to grieve God’s Holy Spirit.

Mr. M.—What would you advise your converts to do?

Mr. R.—When you were little babes, if you had had no milk, no clothing, and no rest, you would not have lived very long. You are now the result of your fathers’ and mothers’ care. When a man is born in the family of God he has life; but he needs food. “Man doth not live by bread alone.” If you do not feed upon God’s promises you will be of no use in God’s service: it will be well for you if your life does not die out altogether before long. Then you need exercise. If you only take food, and do no work, you will soon suffer from what I may call spiritual apoplexy. When you get hold of a promise, go and tell it to others. The best way for me to get help for myself is by trying to help others. There is one great promise that young disciples should never forget: “He that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

Mr. M.—How are they to begin?

Mr. R.—I believe there are some rich ladies and rich gentlemen on the platform. When such persons are brought to the Lord, they are apt to be ashamed to speak about salvation to their old companions. If our Christian ladies would go amongst other ladies; Christian gentlemen amongst gentlemen of their own class; and so on we should see a grand work for Christ. Each of you have some friends or relations whom you can influence better than anybody else can. Begin with them; and God will give you such a taste for work that you will not be content to stay at home: you will go and work outside as well.

Mr. M.—A good place to start in would be the kitchen, would it not? Begin with some little kitchen meetings. Let some of you get fifteen or twenty mothers together; and ask them to bring their young children with them. Sing some of these sweet hymns; read a few verses of Scripture; get your lips opened; and you will find that streams of salvation will be breaking out all around. I always think that every convert ought to be good for a dozen others right away.

Mr. R.—Let me tell a little incident in my own experience. I was once asked to go and see a great man and tell him about Christ. He did not expect me; and if I had known that, perhaps I should not have had the faith to go at all. When I went he was very angry and very nearly turned me out of the house. He was an old man, and had one little daughter. A few weeks afterwards he went to the Continent, and his daughter went with him. One day when he was very ill he saw his daughter looking at him, while the tears rolled down her cheeks. “My child,” he said, “what are you crying about?” “Oh, papa, you do not love the Lord Jesus Christ; I am afraid you are going to hell!” “Why do you say that?” “Do you not remember when Mr. Rainsford called to see you, you were very rude to him? I never saw you so angry. And he only wished to speak to you about Jesus.” “Well, my child, you shall read to me about Jesus.” If that man has gone to heaven—I do not say whether he has or not—the only light he had he got from his little daughter. You set to work; and you cannot tell what may be the result, by the blessing of God.

“Sons of God, beloved in Jesus

Oh, the wondrous word of grace!

In His Son the Father sees us,

And as sons He gives us place.

Blessed power now brightly beaming—

On our God we soon shall gaze;

And in light celestial gleaming

We shall see our Saviour’s face.

By the power of grace transforming

We shall then His image bear;

Christ His promised word performing,

We shall then His glory share.”

El Nathan

II.—MR. MOODY AND REV. MARCUS RAINSFORD.

HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN.

R. MOODY.—Mr. Rainsford, how can one make room in their heart for Christ?

Rev. M. Rainsford.—First, do we really want Christ to be in our hearts? If we do, the best thing will be to ask Him to come and make room for Himself. He will surely come and do so. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” “Without Me ye can do nothing.”

Mr. M.—Will Christ crowd out the world if He comes in?

Mr. R.—He spake a parable to that effect. “When a strong man armed keepeth his palace [the poor sinner’s heart], his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted [unbelief, false views of God, worldliness, and love of sin], and divideth his spoils.” The devil keeps the heart, because Christ desires it for His throne—until Christ drives Him out.

Mr. M.—What is the meaning of the promise?—“Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out.”

Mr. R.—I think we often put the emphasis upon the wrong word. People are troubled about how they are going to come, when they should put the emphasis on Him to whom they are coming. “Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out:” no matter how he may come. I remember hearing this incident at an after-meeting. A gentleman was speaking to an anxious inquirer, telling him to come to Christ, to trust in Christ; but the man seemed to get no comfort. He said that was just where he found his difficulty. By and by, another friend came and spoke to the anxious one. All he said was: “Come to CHRIST; trust in CHRIST.” The man saw it in a minute. He went and told the other gentleman, “I see the way of salvation now.” “Tell me,” said he, “what did that man say to you?” “Well, he told me to trust in Christ.” “That is what I told you.” “Nay, you bade me trust in Christ, and come to Christ; he bade me trust in Christ, and come to Christ.” That made all the difference.

Mr. M.—What does Christ mean by the words “in no wise?”

Mr. R.—It means that if the sins of all sinners on earth and all the devils in hell were upon your soul, He will not refuse you. Not even in the range of God’s omniscience is there a reason why Christ will refuse any poor sinner who comes to Him for pardon.

Mr. M.—What is the salvation He comes to proclaim and to bestow?

Mr. R.—To deliver us from the power of darkness and the bottomless pit, and set us upon the throne of glory. It is salvation from death and hell, and curse and ruin. But that is only the half of it. It is salvation to God, and light, and glory, and honor, and immortality; and from earth to heaven.

Mr. M.—If the friends here do not come and get this salvation, what will be the true reason?

Mr. R.—Either they are fond of some sin which they do not intend to give up, or they do not believe they are in a lost condition, and under the curse of God, and therefore do not feel their need of Him who “came to seek and to save that which was lost.” Or they do not believe God’s promises. I have sometimes asked a man, “Good friend, are you saved!” “Well, no, I am not saved.” “Are you lost?” “Oh, God forbid! I am not lost.” “Where are you, then, if you are neither saved nor lost?” May God wake us up to the fact that we are all in one state or the other!

Mr. M.—What if any of them should fall into sin after they have come to Christ?

Mr. R.—God has provided for the sins of His people, committed after they come to Christ, as surely as for their sins committed before they came to Him. Christ “ever liveth to make intercession for all that come unto God by Him.” “If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” . . . . For, “if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He is the propitiation for our sins.” He will take care of our sinful, tried and tempted selves, if we trust ourselves to Him.

Mr. M.—Is it not said that if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins?”

Mr. R.—Yes. Paul wrote it in his Epistle to the Hebrews. Some of them were trifling with the blood of Christ, reverting to the types and shadows of the Levitical Law, and trusting to a fulfilled ritual for salvation. He is not referring to ordinary acts of sin. By sinning willfully he means, as he explains it, a “treading under foot the Son of God,” and a total and final apostatizing from Christ. Those who reject or neglect Him will find no other sacrifice for sin remaining. Before Christ came the Jewish ceremonies were shadows of the good things to come; but Christ was the substance of them. But now that he has come to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, there is no other sacrifice for sin remaining for those who reject Him. God will send no other Saviour, and no further atonement; no second “fountain shall be opened for sin and uncleanness.” There remains, therefore, nothing for the rejector of salvation by Christ, but “a fearful looking-for of judgment.”

Mr. M.—There are some who say they do not know that they have the right kind of faith.

Mr. R.—God does not ask us if we have the right kind of faith. He tells us the right thing to believe, and the right faith is to believe the right thing, even what God has told us and promised us. If I told you, Mr. Moody, that I had found a hymn-book last night you would believe me, would you not? (Mr. Moody: Yes.) Suppose I said it was the valuable one you lost the other night, you would believe me also just the same. There is no difference in the kind of faith; the difference is in the thing believed. When the Son of God tells me that He died for sinners, that is a fact for my faith to lay hold of: the faith itself is not some thing to be considered. I do not look at my hand, when I take a gift, and wonder what sort of a hand it is. I look at the gift.

Mr. M.—What about those people who say their hearts are so hard, and they have no love to Christ?

Mr. R.—Of course they are hard and cold. No man loves Christ till he believes that Christ loves him. “We love Him, because He first loved us.” It is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost that makes the change.

Mr. M.—Paul said he was “crucified with Christ.” what did he mean?

Mr. R.—Oh, that is a grand text! Thank God I have been “crucified with Christ.” The Cross of Christ represents the death due to the sinner who had broken God’s laws. When Christ was crucified every member of His body was crucified: but every believer that was, or is, or shall be, is a member of Christ’s body, of His flesh, and of His bones. Again, we read: “Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it: now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” So when Christ was crucified for sin, I was also crucified in Him; and now I am dead and gone as far as my old self is concerned. I have already suffered for sin in Him. Yes; I am dead and buried with Christ. That is the grand truth that Paul laid hold upon. I am stone dead as a sinner in the sight of God. As it is written, I am “become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that I might be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that I should bring forth fruit unto God.” “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me;” and God Himself commands me so to regard my standing before Him as His believing child. “In that Christ died, He died, unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Mr. M.—Should not a man repent a good deal before he comes to Christ?

Mr. R.—“Repent a good deal!” I do not think any man repents in the true sense of the word till he loves Christ and hates sin. There are many false repentances in the Bible. We are told that Pharaoh repented when the judgment of God came upon him, and he said, “I have sinned;” but as soon as the judgment passed away, he went back to his sin. We read that Balaam said: “I have sinned.” Yet “he loved the wages of unrighteousness.” When Saul lost his kingdom he repented; “I have sinned,” he said. When Judas Iscariot found that he had made a great mistake, he said: “I have sinned, in that I have betrayed innocent blood;” yet he went “to his own place.” I would not give much for these repentances; I would rather have Peter’s repentance: when Christ looked upon His fallen saint it broke His heart, and he went out and wept bitterly. Or the repentance of the Prodigal, when his father’s arms were around his neck, and his kisses on his cheek, and he said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”

Mr. M.—What is your title to heaven?

Mr. R.—The Person, the Life, Death, and Righteousness, of the God-man, the Son of God, my Substitute, and my Saviour.

Mr. M.—How do you obtain that?

Mr. R.—By receiving Him. “As many as received Him, to them gave He authority to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on His name.”

Mr. M.—What is your meetness for heaven?

Mr. R.—The Holy Ghost dwelling in my heart is my fitness for heaven. I have only to get there; and I have, by this great gift, all tastes, desires, and faculties, for it: I have the eyes to contemplate it: I have the ears for heaven’s music: and I can speak the language of the country. The Holy Ghost in me is my fitness and qualification for the splendid inheritance for which the Son of God has redeemed me.

Mr. M.—Would you make a distinction between Christ’s work for us and the Spirit’s work in us?

Mr. R.—Christ’s work for me is the payment of my debt; the giving me a place in my Father’s home, the place of sonship in my Father’s family. The Holy Spirit’s work in me is to make me fit for His company.

Mr. M.—You distinguish, then, between the work of the Father, the work of the Son, and the work of the Holy Ghost.

Mr. R.—Thanks be to God, I have them all, and I want them all—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I read that my Heavenly Father took my sins and laid them on Christ; “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” No one else had a right to touch them. Then I want the Son, who “His own self bare my sins in His own body on a tree.” And I want the Holy Ghost. I should know nothing about this great salvation, and care nothing for it, if the Holy Ghost had not come and told me the story, and given me grace to believe it.

Mr. M.—What is meant when we are told that Christ saves “to the uttermost?”

Mr. R.—That is another grand truth. Some people are troubled by the thought that they will not be able to hold out if they come to Christ. There are so many crooked ways, and pitfalls, and snares in the world; there is the power of the flesh, and the snare of the devil. So they fear they will never get home. The idea of the passage is this. Suppose you are on the top of some splendid mountain, very high up. You look away to where the sun sets, and you see many a river, and many a country, and many a barren waste between. Christ is able to save you through and over them all, out and out, and beyond to the uttermost.

Mr. M.—Suppose a man came in here just out of prison: all his life he has been falling, falling, till he has become discouraged. Can Christ save him all at once?

Mr. R.—It is just as easy for Christ to save a man with the weight of ten thousand sins upon him and all his chains around him, as to save a man with one sin. If a man has offended in one point, the Scripture says he is guilty of all.

Mr. M.—If a man is forgiven, will he go out and do the same thing to-morrow?

Mr. R.—Well, I hope not. All I can say is that if we do, we shall smart for it. I have done many a thing since the Lord revealed Himself to my soul that I should not have done—I have gone backward and downward; but I have always found that it does not pay when I do anything that grieves my Heavenly Father. I think He sometimes allows us to taste the bitterness of what it is to depart from Him. And this is one of the many ways by which He keeps us from falling.

Mr. M.—What do you consider to be the great sin of sins?

Mr. R.—The Word of God tells us that there is only one sin of which God alone can convince us. If I cut a man’s throat or if I steal, it does not need God to convince me that that is a sin. But it takes the power of the Holy Ghost to convince me that not to receive Christ, not to love Christ, not to believe in Christ, is the sin of sins, the root of sins. Christ says, “When the Spirit is come, He will convince the world of sin, because they believe not on Me.”

Mr. M.—What do you mean by the Word of God?

Mr. R.—The Son of God is the Word of God incarnate: the Bible is the Word of God written. The one is the Word of God in my nature: the other is the Word of God in my language.

Mr. M.—If a man receives the word of God into his heart, what benefit is it to him, right here to-night?

Mr. R.—The Father and the Son will make their abode with him; and he will be the temple of the Holy Ghost. Where He goes the whole Trinity goes; and all the promises are his. “Man doth not live by bread alone; but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Mr. M.—Who is it that judges a man to be unworthy of eternal life?

Mr. R.—Himself!! There is a verse in Acts xiii that is worth remembering: “Seeing ye put it [the Word of God] from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.” God does not judge us unworthy. He has given His Son for our salvation. When a man puts away the Word of God from him and refuses to receive Christ into his heart, he judges himself unworthy of salvation.

Mr. M.—I understand, then, that if a man rejects Christ to-night, he passes judgment on himself as unworthy of eternal life?

Mr. R.—He is judging himself unworthy, while God does not so consider him. God says you are welcome to eternal life.

Mr. M.—If any one here wants to please God to-night, how can he do it?

Mr. R.—God delights in mercy. Come to God and claim His mercy in Christ; and you will delight His heart.

Mr. M.—Suppose a man say he is not “elected?”

Mr. R.—Do you remember the story of the woman of Canaan? Poor soul; she had come a long journey. She asked the Lord to have mercy on her afflicted child. He wanted to try her faith, and He said: “I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” That looked as if He Himself told her that she was not one of the elect. But she came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” and He helped her there and then. No; there is no election separating between the sinner and Christ.

Mr. M.—Say that again.

Mr. R.—There is no election separating between the sinner and christ.

Mr. M.—What is there between the sinner and Christ?

Mr. R.—Mercy!! Mercy!!

Mr. M.—That brings me near to Christ.

Mr. R.—So near that we cannot be nearer. But we must claim it. In John we get God’s teaching about election. “This is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing; but should raise it up again at the last day.” He will do his work, you may depend upon it. Then in the next verse we read: “And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” That is the part I am to take: and when I have done so I shall know the Father’s will concerning me.

Mr. M.—What do you mean by the New Birth?

Mr. R.—I judge it by what I know of the Old Birth. I was born of human parents into the human family; so I belong to Adam’s race by nature and by generation, and I inherit Adam’s sin and curse accordingly. The new birth is from my union by faith with the second Adam; but this is by grace, not nature: and when I receive the Lord Jesus Christ I am born of God—not by generation, but by regeneration. As I am united to the first Adam by nature and generation, so I am united by faith through grace and regeneration to the second Adam, and inherit all His fullness accordingly.

Mr. M.—What is the meaning of being “saved by the Blood?”

Mr. R.—A gentleman asked me that in the inquiry-room; “What do you mean by the shed Blood?” It is the poured-out life of the Son of God forfeited as the atonement for sinners’ sins.

Mr. M.—Is it available now?

Mr. R.—Yes; as much as ever it was.

Mr. M.—You mean it is just as powerful to-day as it was eighteen hundred years ago when He shed it?

Mr. R.—If the blood of Abel cried out for vengeance against his slayer, how much more does the blood of Christ cry out for pardon for all who plead it! “It cleanseth (present tense) from all sin.”

Mr. M.—How do you get faith?

Mr. R.—By hearing God’s Word. “Faith cometh by hearing; and hearing by the Word of God.”

Mr. M.—How do you get the Holy Ghost?

Mr. R.—In the same way as you get faith. The Holy Ghost uses the Word as the chariot by which He enters the believer’s soul. The Gospel is called “the ministration of the Spirit.”

Mr. M.—Is the Word of God addressed to all here?

Mr. R.—“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches” (Rev. iii 22).

Mr. M.—What is the Gospel?

Mr. R.—“Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” If our Gospel, proclaiming life, pardon, and peace, is not as applicable for salvation to the vilest harlot here as to the greatest saint in London, it is not Christ’s Gospel we preach.

Mr. M.—What reason does the Scripture give tor the Gospel being hid to some?

Mr. R.—It is “hid to them that are lost; in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine into them.” May God open all our eyes, and take away the veil of unbelief with which the devil may be blinding any of us!

Mr. M.—Are there not many who give an intellectual assent to all these things; and who yet have no power, and no divine life?

Mr. R.—An intellectual assent is not faith. I have never found anyone who really believed God’s Word who did not get power in believing it. People may assent to it; but I do not admit that that is believing it. I do not think there is any man or woman here who really believes the Gospel of the grace of God, who has not been taught it by the Holy Ghost. I could easily cross-examine any one of those “intellectual believers” who imagines he believes God, but really does not; and he would break down in a few minutes.

Mr. M.—For whom, then, did Christ die?

Mr. R.—For “the ungodly.”

Mr. M.—Why is salvation obtained by faith?

Mr. R.—That it might be by grace. “For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace?”

Mr. M.—How may a man know if he has eternal life?

Mr. R.—By not treating God as if He were a liar, when He tells us He has given us eternal life in His Son.

Mr. M.—What is the means by which the New Birth we were speaking of is effected?

Mr. R.—“Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth.” “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God . . . . and this is the Word, which by the Gospel is preached unto you.”

“Oh, the wondrous love of Jesus

To redeem us with His blood!

Through His all-atoning merit,

He has brought us near to God:

For the boundless grace that saves us

We His name will magnify;

He is coming in His glory,

We shall see Him by and by!

Oh, the wondrous love of Jesus

To redeem our souls from death!

We will thank Him, we will praise Him,

While His mercy lends us breath:

We are waiting—only waiting—

Till He comes our souls to bear

To the Home beyond the shadows,

In His Kingdom over there!”

F. J. Crosby