




THE 



FW LIFE; 



OI5. 



COUNSELS TO INQUIRERS 



AND 



CONVERTS. 



BY A PASTOli. 



"I AM OOMK, THAI' VK .MIGHT HAVE L1FK." JOHK 10 : 10. 



yAMERicAfN TRACT -jSocitcTY, 

150 NASSAt-STREET, 

TYORK. 





Class Book 

University of Chicago Library 

GIVEN BY 

p g.e>. 



/[ 



Besides the main topic this look also treats of 
Subject No. On page Subject No, On page 



THE 



NEW LIFE; 

' 



COUNSELS TO INQUIRERS 



AND 



CONVERTS, 



BY A PASTOR 



"I AM COMB, THAT TE MIGHT HATE LIFE." JOHN 10:10. 



AMEEIOAN TEAGT SOCIETY, 

150 NASSATJ-STEEET, NEW YOEK. 



EKTZKED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by the 
AMERICAN TBACT SOCIETY, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress 
at Washington. 



"I AM just four years old," said a veteran 
of more than, fourscore, as lie leaned on his 
hoe, in the garden. " Four years ago I began 
to serve God, and then I began to live." 

How often the young convert is heard to 
exclaim, "I never knew before what it was to 
live ; I am in a new world." 

This accords wonderfully with the repre- 
sentations of the Bible, that sinners are " dead 
in trespasses and sins," and that the com- 
mencement of religion in the soul is a new 
birth, a new creation, a resurrection, a neio 
life. 

"What an epoch ! The birth, the bridal, the 
dying day are all eventful days ; but none can 
be compared with that day when the soul is 
brought to the open door of heaven, and its 
immortal destiny decided. 

To those who feel the momentous import 
of that position, these pages are addressed. 
They are naturally divided into two parts : 
Counsels to those who are anxiously strug- 



gling into this new life, and to those who hope 
they have entered upon it. 

They are not theoretical, but embody the 
instructions actually given to large numbers 
in the course of a long ministry, and which 
have proved, under God, in very many cases, 
effectual. May the Holy Spirit impress them 
on the hearts of many others, and make them 
the power of God to their salvation. 



CONTENTS. 



COUNSELS TO INQUCREES. 

L Your Case Defined PAGE 7 

H. Difficulties removed 12 

1. "I am not Sensible Enough, of Sin" 12 

2. "I have not Suffered Enough yet " 14 

3. "I do not Feel as I Expected"- 19 

4. "I do not Feel as Others do" 21 

5. " I do not Feel like a Christian " 24 

6. "I do not Know as it is the Spirit Leading 

Me" 33 

7. " I do not Want Anybody to Know It " 34 

8. There is Some Eeservation - 37 

9. Skeptical Thoughts, and Perplexities 39 

10. Too Intellectual 41 

11. " I am too Great a Sinner " ---- 43 

12. " I Fear it is Too Late" 43 

EH. The Way to God - 45 



6 CONTENTS. 

COUNSELS TO CONVERTS. 

I. The Christian--- - 53 

II. Grounds of Hope Unreasonable 56 

HE. Ground of Eope Reasonable 61 

IV. A. Eeason that can Always be Given 69 

V. The Christian Armor Faith - 79 

VI. The Christian Armor The Sword of the Spirit 92 

Vil. The Christian Armor Prayer 95 

VIH. Qualities of the Christian Soldier 102 

IX. Success Assured - Ill 

X. Symmetry 123 

XI. Blamelessness 130 

XH. ThePower .- 138. 

XIEL The Methods 143 

XIV. Christ AH 151 



COUNSELS 




TO INQUIRERS. 



T. 



YOUR CASE DEFINED. 

You are no longer one of " the careless 
ones ;" but, because you are awakened, it does 
not follow that you really desire to become a 
child of God. 

Some, when awakened, are angry at God 
for throwing his judgments between them and 
their chosen sinful pleasures. Others cavil at 
the truth, and try to quiet their fears by per- 
verting the word of God, or denying it. Others 
endeavor to find excuses for their sins, and 
satisfy themselves while continuing to Kve in- 
them. 

But your conscience now takes part with 
God in condemning sin. You loathe yourself 



8 THE NEW LIFE. 

on account of it, and long to be delivered from 
its power, as well as its guilt, and to be recon- 
ciled to God and have him for your Father 
and Friend. 

1. If such is truly your condition, do not 
be concerned as to the process by which you 
have been led to it. There is an endless di- 
versity in the experience of different persons. 

You may have been awakened from long 
years of thoughtlessness and unconcern. 
Some have said to me, "I never had a serious 
feeling on the subject of religion before in my 
life," and yet, in a few days, they have been 
sweetly trusting in Jesus. 

Others have said : " I cannot remember the 
time when I did not want to be a Christian. 
My earliest recollections are of a desire to be 
a child of God ; and those desires have fol- 
lowed me all the way along." 

Others have said : " I am not conscious of 
any unusual feeling on the subject. It is no 
new thing to me. I have for months been 
reading the Bible, praying and sighing in se- 
cret places, yearning for salvation." 

No matter how suddenly, or how gradually 
you have come to this desire. 



YOUR CASE DEFINED. 9 

2. Nor is it material what your previous ex- 
eroses have been. "When first aroused to con- 
sciousness you may nave passed thiough a 
stage of cavilling and attempts to justify your- 
self ; you may have tried to drive off your con- 
victions, or drown them in sinful pleasures or 
business; you may have been conscious of 
deep enmity in your heart towards God and 
Christians, and the Bible. 

Or . your very first sensations on being 
awakened may have been a melting view of 
the goodness and love of God in Christ, over- 
whelming you with shame that you should 
have forgotten him so long. Do not be 
troubled about these previous esercises. 

3. No matter by ivliat means you have been 
brought to your present position. It may have 
been the conversion or the death of a friend ; 
the preaching of the word; a letter from 
a Sunday-school teacher or other friend ; the 
conversation of a Christian ; reading the Bible ; 
sickness ; no matter what it was. The meth- 
ods of the Spirit are infinitely various, there 
is a vast "diversity of operations," and his 
means are as manifold as all the works and 
ways of God. 



10 THE NEW LIFE. 

But, from one cause or another, you can 
truly say, "I want to be a Christian. The 
world has failed rne. Sin is a burden, and 
the cry of my heart is, ' Oh that I knew where 
I might find him! I would go even to his 
seat, .and cast myself upon Mm.' " 

"Well, do that very thing at once, just as 
you are; unconditionally and unreservedly.: 
and Jesus will 'receive you. Enter into a 
covenant with him as definitely and deliber- 
ately and voluntarily, as you would with an 
earthly friend ; and commence a life of trust 
and obedience,' by doing the first thing Jesus 
lays before you, and then the next, and you 
are Christ's and Christ is yours. That is all 
you have to do ; and if you will do it, lay down 
this little book where you are, fall on your 
knees before God and say : 

"Lord, I am tliine, entirely tliine, 

Purchased and saved by blood divine j 
"With, full consent thine I would be, 
And own thy sovereign right in me. 

"Here at thy cross, -where flows the blood 

That bought iny guilty soul for God, 
Thee, my new Master now I call, 
And consecrate to thee my all. 



YOUR CASE DEFINED. 11 

"Do thou assist a feeble tyorm 

The gTeat engagement to perform ; 
Thy grace can full assistance lend, 
And on that grace I dare depend." 

Having made the consecration confess it to 
those about you, and so ratify the covenant ; 
and as you confess Jesus, he will confess you. 

"One shall say, I am the Lord's; and an- 
other shall call himself by the name of Jacob ; 
and another shall subscribe "with his hand 
unto the Lord." Isa. 44: 5. 



12 THE NEW LIFE. 

II. 

DIFFICULTIES. 

BUT I fear you may shrink from. this con- 
secration from some mistaken view of your- 
self or of the way; and will try and remove 
any difficulty that may be hindering you. 

1. Perhaps you are saying : " I would go to 
Jesus, but I am not sensible enough of my 
sins. I know I am a sinner, but I do not feel 
it sufficiently. If I only had an overwhelm- 
ing consciousness of guilt, I would go; but 
my heart is hard and unfeeling, I fear he 
would not receive me." 

But remember, God has nowhere made any 
particular degree of feeling the ground of ac- 
ceptance with him. Jesus does not say, 
"Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, 
and feels so and so, shall find a rock under 
his feet :" but " Whosoever heareth these say- 
ings of mine and doeth them." If you have 
feeling enough to make you sensible of your 
need of Christ, and willing and desirous to 
forsake all sin and follow him, you need not 
wait for more feeling. 



DIFFICULTIES. IB 

Some persons seem to be moved by an al- 
most purely intellectual perception. They 
say : " I ought to love God and serve him. It 
is right. I am under infinite obligations to 
him, and he is perfectly good and lovely. I 
will attempt it, and if I perish, I perish." And 
they begin. Such may be as acceptable to 
God as if they had had the deepest feeling. 
You cannot command yourself to feel any par- 
ticular sensation ; but you can command your- 
self to act according to your consciousness of 
right, and in this Jesus will -meet and accept 
you, and take away your heart of stone and 
give you a heart of flesh. 

Such was the case recently with a young 

man in W college. God was pouring out 

his Spirit, and many were bowing at his feet. 
But there was one who seemed unaffected, and 
whose character and standing were such that 
none dared approach him. At length his 
classmates appointed one of their number, 

H L , to speak to him, while they 

held his case before God. He sought a favor- 
able opportunity and- tenderly urged the sub- 
ject upon him as they were walking together. 
He was received respectfully, yet with so much 



14 THE NEW LIFE. 

indifference as to discourage the expectation 
of any favorable result. But the next time 
they met the young man said to him, 

" H , I have done that." 

"Done -what?" said H . 

" Given myself to Jesus, as you urged me 
to do. I went to my room, and thought over 
my condition, my great indebtedness to God. 
I bowed down before him and consecrated 
my all to him, and now I am happy in the 
assurance of his love." 

He went immediately to the social meeting 
and made the same avowal, and became an 
active and earnest Christian. So it was with 
the eunuch on the road to Gaza, and so may 
it be with you. 

2. But you may say, " I have not suffered 
enough yet for my sins." 

God does not ask you to suffer, nor has he 
any delight in your suffering. Jesus has suf- 
fered for you. So far as this is concerned, it 
is true, that 

"Jesus paid it all, 

All the debt you o^ve ; 
Nothing, great or small 
Bemains for you to do." 



DIFFICULTIES. 15 

Your intensest suffering for a thousand 
years would not atone for your sins ; nor is it 
necessary. Certainly it is the universal con- 
sciousness of the world that sin deserves suf- 
fering. Hence all false religions consist large- 
ly in self-torture. For this the heathen afflicts 
himself swings on tenter-hooks throws his 
children to the crocodile, or into the arms of 
the burning, brazen Moloch. He is paying 
for his sins appeasing the anger of an of- 
fended god. The Romanist endures all man- 
ner of penances for the same object : and 
many Protestants try to secure forgiveness, 
or rather justification, in the same way. But 
God has laid upon Jesus " the iniquity of us 
all, and by his stripes we are healed." " He 
was wounded for our transgressions and bruis- 
ed for our iniquities." 

This waiting for agonizing conviction grows 
out of a mistaken idea of the object of con- 
viction. It is not to pay for sin : nor to 
propitiate God, or make him willing to for- . 
give. It is simply to make you willing 
to come to Jesus and be saved; a sort of 
chastening which God inflicts to wean from 
sin and subdue the will. Let me illustrate : 



16 THE NEW LIFE. 

Here are two sons in one family. They are 
botli disobedient and undutiful, seeking their 
own pleasure, regardless of the wishes of their 
father and their duty to him. He summons 
them into his presence and sets their wicked- 
ness and ingratitude distinctly before them. 
They both see the wrong and are conscious of 
guilt. One of them, as soon as it is distinct- 
ly before him, goes right to his father's feet 
and says: "Father, I have done wrong; I 
haye treated you shamefully ; I did not real- 
ize it before, but 1 see it now, and am sorry 
for it. From this hour I will be an obedient 
and loving son. "Will you forgive me ?" 

The other sees his guilt, but he is stubborn. 
He says to himself, " I will not go to my fa- 
ther's feet in that way." So the father remon- 
strates, and finally inflicts chastisement ; the 
wilful son all the while bracing himself not 
only against these sufferings, but against his 
own consciousness of wrong ; till at last, half 
starved, and bruised, and mortified, his stub- 
born will is broken, and he goes to his father's 
feet just as his brother did at the beginning, 
with the same confession and covenant of 
obedience and love. Does the father love 3,im 



DIFFICULTIES. 17 

any better, or is lie any more ready to forgive 
him because lie had to scourge him into it ? 
"Was it any pleasure, to him to chastise his 
son ? Ah, he would sooner have taken the 
blows himself, if it would have answered his 
. purpose. 

And note distinctly what that purpose is. 
It is not to punish him for past offences, 
though they have been ever so great and long 
continued ; but to secure present and future 
obedience and love. And that is the object 
of conviction for sin. It is not as satisfaction 
to God for the past ; Jesus has done that on 
the cross. It is not to propitiate God towards 
us and make him willing to forgive. "As I 
live," saith the Lord God, "I have no pleasure 
in the death of him that dieth." It is simply 
to bring the sinner to submit his will to God, 
renounce all sin, yield obedience to him, and 
acknowledge his great goodness and love. 

And it is important to remember, that there 
is just as great diversity in different persons 
in the degree of resistance to the claims of 
God, as there is to the claims of an earthly 
parent. 

Some have supposed that no one would 

The New Life. 2 



18 THE NEW LIFE. 

yield to those claims till driven to extremity, 
till he felt that it was his last call, and that 
he was just ready to sink into hell. Some 
do resist till that awful consciousness over- 
whelms them ; but not all. Nor is there the 
slightest necessity for it, or virtue in it. It 
only indicates the degree of one's resistance 
to God. 

There are those. who have led a gay and 
thoughtless life of sinful pleasure, till perhaps 
in some unexpected moment they have had 
such a perception of the love and compassion 
of Jesus as to melt the heart, and lead them 
to say at once, "Blessed. Jesus, hast thou 
borne all this for me, and gained no thought 
of mine ! I am ashamed of my ingratitude and 
thoughtlessness. Henceforth thou shalt be 
my Lord and my Redeemer." And so, with 
scarce an hour of painful conviction, the heart 
is yielded the life of God is begun in the 
soul, and the great transaction done. 

Others resist and cleave to sin and set up 
their stubborn will, till weeks of agony, with 
sleepless nights and wearisome days, have 
constrained them to bow at the feet of Jesus 
and yield up all to him. The transition of 



DIFFICULTIES. 19 

feeling may be greater in this case than the 
other, but the favor of God, and acceptance 
through Christ is no more certain or cordial, 
and conversion no more genuine. 

If you are ready to forsake sin and turn to 
God, conviction has done its work, and you 
need not wait for more. Come at once to 
Jesus, with a humble trusting heart, saying : 

"Just as I am, without one plea, 
But that thy blood was shed for me, 
And that thou bidst me come to thee. 
O Lamb of God, I come." 

3. " I do not feel as I expected to." 

You had formed a plan according to which 
you would be converted, and are waiting for 
that. But you wait in vain. 

In a ministry of nearly forty years, during 
which I trust some thousands have turned to 
Christ, I do not recall one who has ever had 
those anticipations realized. 

Many years ago I knew well two brothers. 
The elder had become skeptical, did not be- 
lieve in conversion at all, or the reality of 
religion. The younger believed in it fully, 
and was hoping and longing for it. In a re- 



20 THE NEW LIFE. 

vival, the wife qf tlie former was brought to 
Jesus, and as she related her conversion to 
her husband, he was seized with trembling. 
She thought he was going into convulsions, 
but he fell upon the floor and began to cry 
for mercy. For several hours he expected 
every moment to sink into hell. At length 
he yielded all and gave himself up to the will 
of Jesus. Immediately he was filled with joy, 
and sprang up shouting, "Glory to God!" 
while he seemed to be surrounded by a bright- 
ness above that of the sun. He called up his 
journeymen and apprentices, and began to 
preach Jesus to them, and for more than thir- 
ty years he has continued a burning and a 
shining light. 

The other brother had marked out just such 
a, conversion for himself; was watching and 
praying, and waiting for it; but never obtain- 
ed even an approximation to it. After wait- 
ing several years, he was led, without any 
overwhelming agony, or one such sensation as 
he had supposed constituted conviction of sin, 
voluntarily to give himself up to do the will 
of Jesus. And then, he felt no rapture, no 
sudden and marked transition, only a gentle 



DIFFICULTIES. 21 

calmness : peace "with God, delight in prayer, 
in the Bible, and in Christian conversation ; 
and after several days, although it seemed 
great presumption, he was led to cherish a 
hope in Christ. He, too, has continued to the 
present, and is now a successful minister of 
Christ. 

So, usually, God leads the soul in a way 
that it knew not. Therefore do not be dis- 
couraged, because you cannot feel as you ex- 
pected ; and do not wait on that account. 

4. " I do not feel as others do, of whom I 
have heard or read." 

That has hindered a great many from com- 
ing to Christ. It is natural, almost unavoid- 
able, to select some model, according to which 
any desirable result shall be obtained. There 
is some advantage in this, in all the pursuits 
and studies of life. "We always feel safer, in 
attempting to do a thing, from seeing it done, 
than from being told how to do it. 

But in the conversion of the soul there is 
great danger in this comparison, because many 
things occur in the conversion of one person 
which do not in the case of another. 

There are some things which are essential 



22 THE NEW LIFE. 

to a true conversion, and which will be alike 
in all cases ; but there are other things which 
are merely incidental, and may or may not 
occur in any particular case. They depend 
on education, disposition, habits, providences, 
and the methods of the Spirit. The former 
are always essentially alike ; the latter, in- 
finitely various. To wait for these incidental 
things, which have occurred to others, will 
be to wait in vain, and perhaps till it is 
too late. And what increases the danger is, 
that these incidental things are the most 
striking and obvious most likely to fix atten- 
tion. 

Look, for instance, at the conversion of 
Paul and of Matthew, one a type of the most 
marvellous, the other of the most mild and 
gentle conversion. 

Saul of Tarsus, breathing out threatening 
and slaughter against the church, was sud- 
denly arrested by a light and a voice from 
heaven, and thrown upon the ground, not 
only without his own seeking but against his 
own convictions. He was compelled to be- 
lieve. Evidence too strong to be resisted 
overcame his skepticism and his pride, and 



DIFFICULTIES. 23 

constrained him to cry out, " Lord, what wilt 
tliou have me to "do ? " 

Matthew was a candid inquirer after truth. 
He had just been listening to the words of 
our Lord as He taught by the seaside. Jesus 
knew that those words had entered his heart, 
and as he passed out of the congregation he 
said to Matthew, " Follow me;" and he rose 
at once, and, at the sacrifice of every worldly 
interest, yielded obedience to the command 
of Christ, and followed him : a calm, deliberate 
submission to the Saviour. 

Now the essential things in these two cases 
were alike; they both were led to believe in 
Christ ; they both yielded themselves in obe- 
dience to him ; they both forsook all else for 
him. But the incidental things, how differ- 
ent. And yet these incidental things are what 
strike the eye. We hardly see the penitence, 
the faith, the obedience of Paul, from the 
splendor of the light which led him to it. And 
thousands select these marvellous incidents in 
the case of Paul as their model of conversion, 
where one looks to Matthew. Yet Paul was 
the only one among the apostles who expe- 
rienced such wonders. There are still such 



24 THE NEW LIFE. 

cases ; but, like Paul's, they are almost always 
cases of violent opposers, infidels, profligates, 
or persons of great stubbornness of will or 
pride of character. But you, whom I address 
are not of these. You want to have Christ 
for your personal Saviour. You are not an 
opposer or skeptical, or mad against the saints. 
Give up, therefore, your expectations of the 
marvellous, and yield yourselves deliberately 
to the. claims of Christ. Cast away your plans, 
forsake all earthly things that stand in your 
way ; arise and follow Jesus' at once with the 



song: 



"I do believe, I now believe, 

Tliat Jesus died for rae ; 
And tlirougli liis blood, liis precious blood 
I shall from sia be free." 

5. "If I only felt like a Christian, I would 
gladly enter on the service of Christ." 

Here multitudes of sinners halt, and make- 
shipwreck -of their souls. You are reversing 
the order that Christ has appointed. Jesus 
says to you, " Come unto me, and I will give 
you rest." You say to Jesus, "Lord, giye 
me rest, and I will come to thee." Jesus 



DIFFICULTIES. 25 

says, " Take my yoke upon you, and you shall 
find rest to your soul."' You say to him, 
" Lord, give me rest and I will take thy yoke." 
Jesus says, "Hear and do these sayings of 
mine, and you shall find a rock under your 
feet." You say to him, "Lord, let me feel 
the rock under my feet and then I "will hear 
and do." 

So, through all the teachings of Jesus. 
Peace is the result of believing and obeying. 
The lepers, when Jesus said to them, " Go 
show yourselves to the priest," did not stand 
to say, " Lord, it is useless for us to go to the 
health officer : we can't get a certificate ; 
we acknowledge that we are lepers; heal us 
and we will go :" but started to obey Christ, 
all leprous as they were, and " as they went 
they were healed." When they exercised 
faith by obeying Christ, he exercised his pow- 
er to heal them. 

So with those who were bitten by the fiery 
serpents. They must look, before they were 
healed. And " as Moses.lifted up the serpent 
in the wilderness, so" has the Son of man 
been "lifted up, that whosoever believeth in 
him, may not perish, but have everlasting 



26 THE NEW LIFE. 

life. 53 But he must believe first. The life 
comes through the exercise of faith. 

Oh, how many perish right here. There is 
a father. He says: "I would pray in my 
family, but I do not feel that I am a Chris- 
tian. If I only knew that Christ had accept- 
ed me I would do anything ; but it seems pre- 
sumption for me to attempt to do it, without 
that assurance." No, it is not presumption. 
It is only beginning to obey Christ ; and when 
you begin, with full purpose to do cdl Ms tvill, 
he will save you. 

Here is a young man. He says : " If I only 
felt that I was forgiven, I would be willing 
to tell everybody." But you are to confess 
Christ before he confesses you. 

A young physician came to me, on the way 
to church not long ago, and said : " I am dis- 
couraged. I have done all I can, and find no 
relief." 

"What have you done? " 

" I went home from meeting, after hearing 
about the prodigal,, took my Bible, went to 
my room, and resolved to give ah 1 up and be- 
gin to serve God. I spent half the night on 
my knees, but I do n't get any relief." 



DIFFICULTIES. 27 

" Did you tell your mother in the morning, 
what you had done?" 

"No." 

" Did you let anybody know what your pur- 
pose was ? " 

"No." 

" Well, you took your resolutions all back. 
You did not ' arise and go.' Now you are on 
your way to meeting : when the opportunity 
is given, will you rise and tell the people where 
you are?" 

"I could not say that I love God, or have 
any hope as a Christian, for I have not." 

" Well, you could say that you have resolved 
to serve God the remainder of your life." 

" Yes, I could say that." 

At the close of the meeting, all who could 
say, 

"'Tis clone, tlie great transaction 's done, 
I am niy Lord's and lie is mine," 

were invited to signify it, when the doctor 
rose, with deep solemnity, and said : " My 
friends, I can say that, all but the last clause ; 
I can say, ' I am my Lord's ;' but I cannot 
say that ' he is mine.' I am fully resolved to 



28 THE NEW LIFE. 

try to serve liiin : but I have no evidence that 
he has accepted me. Pray for me." 

The nest day he called upon me with a radi- 
ant face. "Oh," said he, "now I can say, 'Jesus 
is mine.' My soul was filled with peace the 
moment I made that confession of Christ last 
night. I could -not conceive it possible that 
so small a thing should make such a change 
in my feelings." 

"Doctor," said I, "it is no small thing to 
begin to obey Christ. The act itself maybe 
small ; but it indicates the yielding of the will 
to God, and that is everything." 

This act of faith marks the great final struggle 
of the soul trusting and obeying, with only the 
word of Jesus to depend upon. A little child 
was once on board a vessel, lying at the wharf. 
Her father was down in the hold of the ship, 
attending to the cargo, when she came to the 
hatchway and looked down. She could see 
nothing, but she called out : 

" Papa, are you down there ?" 

"Yes, I am here; jump, and I will catch 
you." 

" Oh, but it 's all dark; I can't see you." 

" No, you can't see me, but I can see you, 



DIFFICULTIES. 29 

and you can hear me ; you know I never de- 
ceived you ; jump, and I will catch you ; you 
sha'n't be hurt." 

It was a fearful struggle. The little heart 
throbbed; but when the assurance was re- 
peated by that well-known voice, she sum- 
moned aU her resolution, and jumped right 
into the darkness, and was caught by those 
strong arms and pressed to that loving heart. 
That was TKUST. 

The next day she came to the hatchway 
again andcaUed, "Papa, are you down there ?" 

"Yes." 

" May I jump again ?" 

"Yes." 

And down she went, without the slightest 
fear or hesitation. It had become a pleasure 
to her. She had found by experience how 
safe and sweet it was. 

So the sinner comes to the verge. It is 
dark. You cannot see Jesus; you can only 
hear him say, " Come to me,- and I will give 
you rest. Cast yourself into my arms; you 
shall not fall." But you stand and tremble. 
It is a fearful struggle ; but trust him ; throw 
yourself into his arms in the darkness, and 



30 THE NEW LIFE. 

you shall be embraced, and pressed to his 
loving 'heart. And when once the soul has 
surrendered, how easy, how delightful it be- 
comes : yet many shirk from that act of faith 
and perish. 

How strange this reluctance to rely upon 
the word of God must appear to holy beings, 
especially in view of all the reasons he has 
given for such reliance. ' Did you ever think 
in how many ways God has assured you of his 
readiness to receive you ? The poor prodigal, 
when he said, " I will arise and go to my fa- 
ther," might well go with a burdened and 
anxious heart; for he had not heard a word 
from home and knew nothing of the spirit 
with which he would be received. Let us 
suppose for a moment, that, as he journeys 
along with naked feet over the burning sands, 
weighed down with apprehensions, and say- 
ing to himself, " Oh, that I knew how my fa- 
ther feels towards me. I fear that I shall be 
spurned away with bitter reproaches from his 
presence it would be but just and right," he 
meets a horseman, who, as he approaches, says, 

"Are you the Prodigal Son?" 

"Yes, sir." 



DIFFICULTIES. 31 

" Well, I have a letter for you." 
He takes the letter and looks upon the su~ 
perscription. It is his father's writing. " Oh, 
now," he says, "I shall know." With a faint 
and trembling heart he breaks the seal and 
reads : 

"Mr DEAE SON: I have nourished and 
brought you up as a child, but you have re- 
belled against ine. Your words have been 
stout against rue. You have said it is vain to 
serve rue ; there is no profit in it. Still, I 
have loved you with an everlasting love. I 
have never forgotten you. I have seen you 
and pitied you in all your wanderings. He- 
turn unio me, and I will return unto you. 
When you are weary and heavy laden, come 
unto me, and I will give you rest. Though 
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as 
snow ; though they be red like crimson, they 
shall be as wool. Forsake your evil ways and 
your wicked thoughts, and return unto me, 
and I will abundantly pardon you, and receive 
you to myself." 

Oh, who can tell the rapture of that heart 
as he exclaims, "Is that the reception that 
awaits me ! Is that the father against whom 



32 THE NEW LIFE. 

* 

I liave sinned!" Not a doubt remains of his 
welcome home ; the burden and anxiety are 
all removed, and with a light step he presses 
his way on, longing to fall at that father's feet 
with his confession. 

Dear reader, no such letter reached the 
prodigal, to cheer his heart ; but just such a 
letter God has sent to you. The above are 
only a few of the many messages of love and 
pity with which he would inspire your confi- 
dence, and win your heart. Then trust his 
grace, and go penitently to his feet, with a full 
surrender, saying : 

" I lay my sins on Jesus, 

The spotless Lamb of God ; 
He bears them all and frees us 
From the accursed load. 

"I rest my soul on Jesus, 

This "\veary soul of mine ; 
His right hand me embraces, 
I on his breast recline." 

And sweetly resting on him, do not be 
afraid to add : 

"I love the name of Jesus, 

Immanuel, Christ the Lord ; 
The name, of names most precious, 
By my whole heart adored. " 



DIFFICULTIES. 33 

6. You may be saying, "I would go to 
Jesus, but I do not know as it is his Spirit 
which is moving me. It seems to be the 
operation of my own mind, and I am afraid 
it would not be genuine." 

That is just the way the Spirit usually 
moves upon the heart. Like the wind, it is 
only by its effects that it is discernible. You 
are not to wait for any manifestly miraculous 
influence. The Spirit will make no new reve- 
lation to you, but take of the things of Christ 
and show them unto you ; and in such a way 
as to lead you to act freely. Voluntariness in 
accepting Christ, so far as our consciousness 
is concerned, is everywhere presented in the 
Bible. " Take my yoke upon you." The ox 
comes voluntarily and puts his neck under 
the yoke takes it upon him. "Whosoever 
will, let him take the water of life freely." 
"Mary hath chosen that good part, which 
shall not be taken from her." If you ever 
have Jesus for your Saviour, it will be because 
you clioose him ; and if you fail it will be be- 
cause " You will not come unto him that you 
might have life." Do not hesitate to come to 
Jesus because it seems to be voluntary. 

Tlie New Life. 3 



34 THE NEW LIFE. 

7. You may be prevented from finding 
peace by concealing your desires, shutting 
up your heart and smothering the flame that 
is kindling there, saying, " If I only had Christ 
for my Saviour, I would not care who knew 
it, but I do n't want to say anything about it 
till then." 

Dear friend, there is no private way to the 
favor of God. If you are ashamed of Christ, 
he will be ashamed of you ; and remember, 
you are to confess him before he confesses 

* 

you. "Whoso confesseth rne before men, 
him will I confess before the angels of God." 
You have sinned openly, and you must con- 
fess openly. 

There is a most astonishing reluctance to 
open the heart, and communicate freely and 
honestly with one's dearest friend on this sub- 
ject. A dear son may be constant in prayer 
night and morning, and yet would almost as 
soon be caught stealing as upon his knees ; 
and a daughter perhaps, for fear her mother 
will find it out, will not kneel, but goes to bed 
and prays there ; and that too when she knows 
that nothing on earth would afford her moth- 
er such joy as to know she was praying. 



DIFFICULTIES. 35 

Here is a husband and wife. They have 
been married ten years, and on all other sub- 
jects are perfectly confidential, and have not 
a secret between them. But in regard to the 
soul, they are separated as by a wall of ada- 
mant. They are as utter strangers to each 
other's heart on this subject as they were at 
the beginning of their acquaintance. The 
wife has often thought, - f Oh, that my hus- 
band would become a Christian! How glad 
I would be to go with him." At the same 
time the husband was sighing in secret places 
and saying, " I wish I knew whether my wife 
ever thinks seriously about religion." Here 
are their children growing up. They need a 
father's and a mother's prayers and counsels. 
Yet when together neither dares to speak to 
the other. So with parents and children, 
brothers and sisters, and dear friends. One 
of the most effective steps toward Christ is, to 
"be frank on this as on other subjects. 

I read recently of a couple affianced to be 
married the gentleman in New York, and 
the lady in Boston. Of course they were 
corresponding frequently, and in one of his 
letters the gentleman remarked : " There is 



36 THE NEW LIFE. 

unusual attention to the subject of religion in 
our congregation just now : by the way, what 
do you think about this matter of religion ?" 

Bather non-committal, but oh what issues 
were suspended on her answer to that simple 
question ! Suppose she had said, " As to the 
subject of religion, I .do n't think much about 
it ; it may be well for old people, but there 's 
time enough yet for us." Or, suppose she 
had passed it by in silence then this wall of 
adamant would have been set up between 
them, which might never have been broken 
through. But in her reply she said, " If you 
have one serious feeling on the subject of re- 
ligion, I beg that you will cherish it." Now, 
there is a breach in the wall. In his nest he 
opened his heart frankly, and so did she, and 
they mutually brought each other to Christ 
before they met again. 

BE PEA^K. Grieve not the Spirit by con- 
cealing or denying its influence, and thug 
Bhutting up your heart. Remember, 

"Those who on earth confess Mm, 

He -will in heaven confess, 
And faithful hearts who bless him 
He will for ever bless." 



DIFFICULTIES. 37 

8. It may be you are making some reserva- 
tion. 

There is some little tiling you are not will- 
ing to give up, or some duty you are not mil- 
ing to perform, and thus you raise an issue 
with God. You will not go to a prayer-meet- 
ing in a certain place, or to an inquiry-meet- 
ing, or to your pastor. There is some wrong 
you have done, which you will not redress or 
acknowledge. You may be conscious what 
this thing is, and so have a direct known is- 
sue with God ; or you may not be conscious 
what it is. 

I once knew an estimable lady, who attended 
the inquiry-meeting night after night, and pro- 
fessed willingness to give up all for Christ, yet 
she made no progress. She remained so long 
in this critical and perilous condition that her 
pastor became alarmed for her, and went to 
see her at her home, where he could inquire 
more particularly about her, .but he could 
learn nothing. After earnest prayer he start- 
ed to leave and laid his hand on the dooi 

knob, when she asked him, " Mr. S , 

can any one become a Christian while she 
cherishes hard feelings towards another?" 
' 3 



38 THE NEW LIFE. 

The mystery was solved. "No, my deal 
woman," said lie, " she cannot. If yon do not 
forgive your fellow-servant five hundred pence, 
how can you expect God to forgive you ten 
thousand talents?" 

That night she came to the inquiry-meet- 
ing with a shining face. She had held a 
grudge laid up in her heart against a neigh- 
bor. They had not spoken together for years. 
As soon as her pastor left her, she took her 
bonnet and went over, confessed her fault, and 
sought reconciliation; the two buried it all, 
and Jesus came down at once and entered 
into her heart. 

In another place, I heard a man who had 
been a town officer, out in his barn, pleading 
earnestly with God for pardon. I went in and 
said to his wife, " I think your husband will 
soon be rejoicing ) I hear him praying in his 
barn." 

"Oh," said she, "he has been doing that 
for six weeks ; I have often heard him wrest- 
ling with God out there." 

At the meeting that night I took up this 
matter of forgiveness and confession. The 
next day I overtook him. in the road with 



DIFFICULTIES. 39 

his team. With a radiant face lie said to 
me, 

" I liave taken up a great cross to-day, and 
have got a great blessing. I had trouble -with 
one of the town board, and I went over three 
miles this morning to see him confessed nay 
fault and forgave him, and now Jesus has for- 
given me. I almost wish there was some- 
body else against whom I had hard feelings, 
that I might get another blessing." 

There is a world of meaning in those words 
of Jesus, " Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven." 
These selfish, proud, jealous hearts perhaps 
more frequently bar out the Saviour by an 
unforgiving spirit than by any other form of 
evil. Any unchristian temper, or shrinking 
from any cross, wih 1 keep the soul in darkness 
and bondage. 

9. Possibly you are ready to say: "I am 
distracted with doubts about the whole mat- 
ter : whether the Bible is true ; sometimes 
even whether there is a God, or a hereafter." 

I recently met a talented and educated 
young lawyer in an inquiry-meeting, in just 
that state of mind. To the question : " Where 
are you this evening?" He replied, "I don't 



40 THE NEW LIFE. 

know where I am ; I am all afloat. I do n't 
know as I believe anything. I doubt whether 
there is a God." 

" That is not a very pleasant state to'be in, 
is it?" 

" No, it is not." 

" Well, Jesus tells you just how you may 
find out." 

"How is it?" 

" He says, ' If any man will do his will, he 
shall know of the doctrine ; whether it be of 
God, or whether I speak of myself.' You 
have only to give yourself up to do the will of 
Jesus, unconditionally, and you shall know. 
Do n't wait to. remove those skeptical feelings 
by theoretical research. It may be a long 
and tedious process, and leave you at best 
only with a belief of the truth; but give 
yourself up to follow Christ unreservedly, and 
you shall know; you. shah 1 have the conscious- 
ness in your own soul, that the gospel is of 
God. Is it not worth trying ? " 

"Yes, it is." 

" Will you do it, and do it -at once ? '' 
After a few moments' reflection, "Yes, T 
will try to do it." 



DIFFICULTIES. . 41 

The nest evening lie rose in the prayer- 
meeting and said : "My friends, I want you to 
pray for nie. I have conie to the determina- 
tion to give myself up to the service of -God, 
but I see no light; my heart is hard and I 
have no evidence that Christ is my Saviour." 

Several evenings in succession he renewed 
that request in the same state. But soon 
deliverance came; the words of Jesus were 
verified, and he knew by sweet experience 
that the " doctrine was of God." 

So may you know. Do not wait to weigh 
evidence and probabilities, and perplex your- 
self with difficulties ; but repose trust enough 
in Christ to start, in yielding obedience to 
him, and you shall soon know. Every duty 
he enjoins commends itself to your conscience 
and heart ; it is only to love him who is in- 
finitely lovely, with all your heart, and. to love 
and bless everybody; and you shall know 
that Christ Jesus is a Saviour, and that you 
are " in him." 

10. Tou may be making your inquiry too 
much a matter of the intellect, instead of the 
heart and life. 

An educated gentleman of excellent moral 



42 THE NEW LIFE. 

character, recently said in a crowded meet" 
ing: 

" My friends, rny pastor told rne last night 
he thought I did not rise here because I -was 
ashamed ; but that is not the reason. I have 
risen to-night, to show you that I am not 
ashamed to have it known that I need reli- 
gion ; but I am groping in the dark. I can't 
find God. I have prayed and prayed, but it 
seems to me there is nobody there. Will you 
pray for me ?" 

The next night he made substantially the 
same statement and request. The third even- 
ing he rose and said : " My friends, I have 
risen here twice from a sense of duty, when 
it was very painful ; but to-night I could hard- 
ly wait for an opportunity. I have found 
God. I want you to rejoice with me. I have 
seen into heaven. I have had a taste of its 
glories in my soul. 

" And now I see where my difficulty has 
been. I have been standing within one step 
of heaven all my life, and did not know it. I 
have been trying to find out God by my own 
wisdom, to reason myself into the truth and 
into religion instead of simply believing and 



DIFFICULTIES. 43 

obeying. I liave been trying to demonstrate 
and prove everything. Now I have learned 
that what was wanted was to trust in Jesus, 
and do the things he says. Just as soon as I 
gave myself up, like a little child, I found the 
Saviour, and oh, how precious he is." 

11. " 1 am too great a sinner. Others may 
be forgiven ; but I have sinned so long, and 
against such light, that I do not see how God 
can forgive me." 

Eeniember the words of Jesus : " I came not 
to call the righteous, but sinners to repent- 
ance." Great sinners, "the chief of sinners." 
If you repent, Jesus will save. There is no 
other limitation. "Though your sins be as 
scarlet, they shall be made like snow ;" " the 
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us 
.from all sin." The greater the sin, the great- 
er the glory of his pardoning grace. 

12. "I fear it is too late. There was a 
time when I might have become a Christian ; 
but I resisted the call. If I could only feel 
as I did once, I would go to Jesus." 

There certainly is a time when God aban- 
dons the obstinate sinner, and when Jesus 
says to him, " Oh, that thou hadst known } in 



44 THE NEW LIFE. 

this thy day, the things that belong to thy 
peace ; but now they are hid from- thine eyes." 
It is a fearful crisis, and one that every delay- 
ing shiner is in danger of passing. But note ; 
the very existence of this apprehension is 
good evidence that the crisis has not passed 
in your case. Those whom the Spirit of God 
leaves are usually reckless, indifferent, or 
bitter in hostility; not disposed to inquire 
or seek after God. And then you cannot 
possibly know that it is too late ; and the 
fear of danger is a stimulus to greater effort. 
Let this apprehension rouse you to more ear- 
nest and instant action ; not waiting for those 
tender sensibilities you formerly had. This in- 
sensibility is one of the sad effects of griev- 
ing the Spirit. You may never again feel as 
you once did ; but go as you are, with your 
hard heart, and Jesus will take away the 
heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 
It is not for you to make your heart tender ; 
but give it up to Jesus as it is. and he will 
change it. 



THE WAY TO GOD. 45 



III. 

THE WAY TO GOD. 

AlsT> now, laying aside all excuses, let me 
beg of you to take tlie example of the Prodi- 
gal Son Jesus has given in the fifteenth chap- 
ter of Luke, and come home to God. There 
are three steps which resulted in the restora- 
tion of that young man to his father's favor. 

1. Calm and honest reflection. " When he 
came to himself." That step you have taken. 

2. A fixed and resolute purpose. "I will 
arise and go." 

Note how firm and unconditional : "I WILL." 
-Nothing else would have brought him home. 
If he had said, " I wish I was at home ; I 
want to be reconciled to my father; I am 
willing to yield myself to him," that would 
not have availed. Or if he had said, " I would 
arise and go, but I do n't know as I shall hold 
out;" or, "I don't know as he will receive 
me ;" or, "I am so ragged ;" or, "If I could find 
some private road to take." No, but " I WILL." 



46 THE NEW LIFE. 

You may be disposed to say with many oth- 
ers, " I dare not promise. I am afraid I shall 
fail." But you must determine. You never 
did anything without determining to do it; 
much less may you expect to get home to 
God, through all the besetments of the world 
and snares of the evil one, without it. Arise, 
then, and go, saying, "Father, I have sinned, 
and am not worthy to be owned a child ; make 
me a servant." Go with a broken and con- 
trite heart, submitting itself entirely to God, 
and a new purpose in life to please and 
honor him. 

3. The final and effectual step, the execu- 
tion of the resolution : " And lie arose and 



came" 



He started at once ; took the first step, and 
then the next, till he came in sight. Here is 
where the sinner very often fails. You have 
resolved again and again, till you have lost all 
confidence in your resolutions. By the open 
grave, or in some tempest, or under some ser- 
mon, you have resolved, but you did not ex- 
ecute, and so you took back all your resolu- 
tions. If that purpose is fixed in your heart, 
go and tell Jesus, and then tell it to others, 



THE WAY TO GOD. 47 

and do the first Christian duty set before you, 
and then the next, and so on ; and ere you are 
aware, a Father's arms of love will be about 
you, and his kiss of reconciliation on your 
cheek. 

And oh, how cordial and blessed the wel- 
come home ! The father " ran to meet him ;" 
and when he saw the evidences of a broken 
heart, he showered upon him assurances of 
forgiveness and welcome. That only stimu- 
lated the son to a more earnest confession; 
but the father cut it short with the command : 
" Bring the best robe and put it on him ; and 
put a ring on his hand and shoss on his feet, 
and proclaim a feast; for this rny son was 
dead, and is alive ; he was lost, and is found." 

It may seem strange that Jesus should men- 
tion so trifling a thing as a ring in this con- 
nection ; but it is one of the most graphic and 
significant incidents in the scene. 

General Bice, whose own blood was soon 
after poured out on the battle-field, relates 
this incident : The army of the Potomac had 
been some'time in camp, and they had a largo 
prayer-meeting tent, where they met for wor- 
ship. Among those who took an active part 



iS - THE NEW LIFE. 

in those meetings -was an orderly-sergeant. 
At length they were called into battle, and 
after the conflict the general rode over the 
field to see whom he could relieve. Among 
the wounded he came to this orderly. He 
dismounted, and going up to him found him 
rapidly bleeding to death. Said he : 

" Sergeant, you will soon go into bivouac." 

"How!" said he; "shall we encamp so 
early?" 

" Yes, you will soon pitch your tent.' 

Then he began to understand him. "Do 
you mean that I am about to die ?" 

"Yes, you are dying now." 

His eye kindled with a heavenly smile as 
he replied : " "Well, thanks be to God, I am 
ready ; and I am glad to die for my coun- 
try."' 

Then he drew a ring from, his finger, and 
kissed it, and handed it to the general, saying, 
" I wish you would take that and send it to 
my mother, and tell her that her son blessed 
her memory in dying." 

Then he took another ring from his finger, 
and kissed it, and said : " Send that to her to 
whom my heart was betrothed, and tell her 



THE WAY TO GOD. 49 

to come to me in heaven." And so. he died. 
How precious were those rings ! Memorials 
of dying love! "Put a ring on his hand," 
says Jesus. Let the poor sinner know that 
he is not only forgiven, but loved ; that he is 
received into covenant by One whose love 
"many waters cannot quench, nor floods 
drown ;" One who was glad to die for sinners. 
"He took the cup and gave thanks;" the cup 
containing the memorial of his blood, to be 
shed on the following day. "Would you have 
the seal of that everlasting covenant bestowed 
upon you ? "Would you be borne on the heart 
of Him who died for your redemption before 
the throne of God ? Come to Him, and come 

NOW. 

A man was seen kneeling in tears before 
the headboard at one of our soldiers' graves. 
" Why do you weep there ?" inquired a pass- 
ing stranger. 

" O sir," said he, " I was drafted for the 
army. I was poor, unable to provide a sub- 
stitute. I had a family of little children de- 
pendent upon me. I was in great distress. 
This young man, my neighbor's son, caine to 
me, and said: 

The Neir L'Ce. 4 



50 THE NEW LIFE. 

" ' You are a father and a husband, and are 
greatly needed here. I will take your place, 
and go for you.' . And he went, without bounty 
or reward ; and in his first battle he was killed ! 
And I have conie three hundred miles to try 
and find his grave, and here it is." 

They looked upon the humble board and 
saw the young man's name, and beneath it 
the grateful neighbor had cut in with his 
knife the words : 

"HE DIED FOE ME." 

Go to the cross of Jesus, and with a bro 
ken, grateful heart inscribe upon it : 

"HE DIED FOE ME !" 

and make the consecration in the language 
of the beautiful hymn : 

"Alas ! and did. my Saviour bleed, 

And did my Sovereign die ! 
Would he devote that sacred head 
For such a worm as I? 

"Was it for crimes that I had done 

He groaned upon the tree ? 
Amazing pity ! grace unknown ! 
And love beyond degree ! 



THE WAIT TO GOD. 51 

"Well might I hide my blushing face, 

While his dear cross appears ; 
Dissolve iny heart in thankfulness, 
And melt mine eyes in tears. 

'But drops of grief can ne'er repay 

The debt of love I owe ; 
Here, Lord, I give myself a-way- 
T is all that I can do." 

Here make your own consecration to Christ 
"Amen, and Amen." 




COUNSELS 



TO CONVERTS. 



i. 



I HE LHRISTIAN. 



Ton now trust tliat you liave made the con- 
secration of yourself to Christ, and cherish a 
hope, it may be with trembling, that he has 
accepted you. Ton feel that you are but a 
babe in Christ, and need to be taken by the 
hand and led, under the guidance of the Holy 
Spirit, in the right way. 
. You hope you are a CHRISTIAN. Let us 
pause a moment on the threshold, and con- 
sider trhat is implied in this hope. 

1. Tou belong to Christ. 

He has bought you with a price. You are 



54 THE NEW LIFE. 

no longer your own. You are one with him 
one in spirit, one in object one with him as 
he is one with the Father. What a fellow- 
ship ! 

2. You are a soldier of Christ. 

' You have enlisted under the banner of tho 
cross, and are entering on the good fight of 
faith. You are a soldier in time of war. 
There are foes within and foes without for 
you to encounter. You have a heavenly &x- 
mor of defence and offence to put on, and all 
the tactics of this spiritual warfare to learn. 
Your qualities as a soldier will be tried be- 
fore you get your crown. 

3. If you are a Christian, then you are a 
disciple a learner in the school of Christ. 

You are to begin with first principles, and 
go on unto high attainments in the things 
which " angels desire to look into." It is one 
of the glories of the gospel that, while its 
essential principles are such as the little child 
or the most untutored mind can comprehend, 
it reaches out to a development of God and 
divine things utterly unfathomable to the 
mightiest intellect, and which will afford full 
scope for the expanding soul FOE EVEE. 



THE CHKISTIAN. 55 

4. If you are a Christian, then you are a 
child of God. 

And if a child, then an heir of God, and 
joint heir with Jesus Christ. All things in 
heaven and earth are yours. You have not 
yet received your inheritance ; but you will 
ere long possess " the kingdom prepared for 
you from the foundation of the world." 

5. If you are a Christian, then you have 
the same mission with Christ. 

You are " to preach the gospel to the poor; 
to heal the broken-hearted ; to preach deliv- 
erance to the captives, and recovering of sight 
to the blind ; to set at liberty them that are 
bruised ; to preach the acceptable year of the 
Lord." Your life is to be a labor of love. To 
bless everybody, to glorify God, that is your 
mission. 



56 THE NEW LIFE. 



II. 



UNREASONABLE HOPES. 

So blessed is it to be a Christian ! And 
much of that blessedness consists in HOPE. 
You have a precious foretaste now ; but " we 
are saved by hope " a glorious expectation 
of future good. 

Many high expectations are raised only to 
end in disappointment. Men have had strong 
and apparently fair hopes of wealth and pre- 
ferment, which have been sadly blighted ;' 
and many a hope of heaven has been found 
at last only as a " spider's web ;" but there is 
a hope which is " an anchor to the soul, sure 
and steadfast, entering into that within the 
veil." What is the ground of that hope? 

It would seem that there could be no room 
for uncertainty or mistake on this momentous 
question. Can one pass from death to life, 
from darkness to light, from the power oi. 
Satan unto God, without unmistakable evi- 



UNSEASONABLE HOPES. 57 

dence of the fact ? It would seem impossible, 
yet it is true that most persons are in doubt, 
and agitated with painful fears as to the gen- 
uineness of their hope. And further, it is 
true that the degree of doubt and fear does 
not always correspond with the occasion for it. 
Some are exceedingly fearful of themselves 
who have the least reason for fear; and oth- 
ers are full of confidence when they have lit- 
tle ground for confidence. But it is occasion 
of gratitude 'to God, that whatever may be the 
cause of this uncertainty, it is not' from any 
indistinctness in the teachings of his word. 
He has given plain and simple tests by which 
we may determine whether we are Christ's 01 
not. 

The apostle Peter says: "Be ready always 
to give an answer to every one that asketh 
you a reason of the hope that is in you, with 
meekness and fear." 1 Pet. 3 : 15. This dis- 
tinctly implies that there is a good reason for 
every Christian hope; that it is a reason 
which may always be given; that any one 
who chooses has a right to inquire for it ; and 
that every Christian should be ready at all 
times meekly to answer such an inquiry. 



58 THE NEW LIFE. 

Tlie great truth -which it teaches is that the 
Christian hope is. a reasonable hope. 

Two things are necessary to make any hope 
reasonable : the object hoped for must be 
reasonable in itself ; and the means employed 
to secure the end must be reasonable means. 

That the hope of heaven is reasonable, all 
admit. That there is a place of perfect har- 
mony and blessedness, where God reigns, and 
suffering and death are unknown, is reasona- 
ble ; and that beings like us, capable of know- 
ing and loving and serving such a God, should 
be able and be permitted to enjoy his pres- 
ence, is reasonable. But how many are wish- 
ing to behold that glory, and hoping to receive 
it as their portion, who are making no reason- 
able efforts to secure it. 

There is a class of hopes which can have 
NO SAVING QUALITY in them. _ 

One of these is a strict observance of the 
rites and ceremonies of the church. This 
may be done has been done by millions, 
without any true preparation of the heart to 
commune with Christ. 

Another is a reliance on moral reformation, 
which, though in itself essential, is not saving. 



UNREASONABLE HOPES. 59 

It cannot be admitted as a ground of acquit- 
tal and justification, that the criminal most 
sincerely protests that he will not repeat the 
crime. A debt is not paid -by the fixed pur- 
pose not to go in debt any more. Sins past 
cannot be forgiven on the mere purpose of 
reformation. There must be some adjust- 
ment of offences already- committed. 

Others are trusting to the infinite goodness 
of God. He. is too good, they think, to pun- 
ish the creatures whom he has made. True, 
God is good ; but the better he is, the more 
terrible is sin, and the more fearful its con- 
demnation to them who persist in it. God 
win say to such : " Out of thine own mouth 
will I condemn thee. Thou knewest that I 
was good ? Why did not that goodness lead 
thee to repentance and love?" 

Others are hoping for heaven because they 
are doing as well as many church members ; 
forgetting that God looks at the heart, and 
that there are hypocrites in the church who 
will never enter heaven. 

Some are trusting to the fact that many 
years ago they had " a wonderful experience." 
They saw, or heard, or dreamed strange 



60 THE NEW LIFE. 

things, and from that time felt happy, and so 
hope they are Christians. All this might or 
might not occur in connection with a true 
conversion. It should not be relied on as a 
ground of hope ; nor should any one question 
his own piety because he was never the sub- 
ject of such marvellous experience. 

In times of great religious excitement, 
strange -bodily and mental phenomena some- 
times occur both in Christians and irreligious 
persons. They swoon away perhaps, and lie 
unconscious, and wake up calm and peaceful, 
and call it conversion. The body is thrown 
into convulsions and the mind into ecstacies 
beyond control. This may be in connection 
with the influence of the Holy Spirit upon the 
heart ; but in many cases it soon passes away, 
and leaves the soul harder than before. It is 
no reliable ground of hope. 



REASONABLE HOPES. 63 



III. 

REASONABLE MOPES. 

WHAT, then, will you say to those who ask 
you a reason of the hope that is in you ? 

1. You may say, " I hope for heaven, be- 
cause I do love Jesus, and trust in him as 
my Saviour and [Redeemer. I accept his 
righteousness as the ground of my forgive- 
ness, and rely upon his sufferings and death 
as an atonement for my sins. I feel that I 
am one with him : one in heart, one in pur- 
pose, one in every desire. His ways are 
ways of pleasantness to me. And I have a 
sweet consciousness that he is mine and I am 
his." 

This is a reasonable ground of hope. It 
embraces a reasonable ground of -forgiveness 
for the past. Christ has taken our place 
under the penalty of a broken law, and now 
God can be just and yet justify every one that 
believeth in him. 

The sinner whose heart is melted at the 



62 TEE NEW LIFE. 

love of Jesus and filled with adoring grati- 
tude for what he has done, is also by Divine 
grace prepared to be admitted to the society 
of heaven. These are the two elements of a 
reasonable hope, forgiveness for the past, and 
fitness for the future. 

It would be unreasonable to hope for per- 
sonal benefit from the redemption of Christ, 
without a personal acceptance of it, and de- 
votion of heart and life to his service. But 
if you have the blessed consciousness that 
you are one with him as he is one with the 
Father, you may reasonably hope. "Every 
one that loveth is born of God." "He that 
loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I 
will love him and manifest myself to him." 

2. But, good and sufficient as this reason 
is, there is need of another ; for this could not 
always be given, even by the true Christian. 
He is not always able to say, "I have the 
conscious love of Christ in exercise in my 
heart." He may say, "There are times when 
he is to rne the chief among ten 'thousand, 
and altogether lovely; but sometimes my 
heart is hard and unfeeling, and darkness 
and gloom encompass me on every side; 



REASONABLE HOPES. 63 

what ground of hope then can there be for 
me?" 

This has indeed been the great inquiry of 
the trembling Christian in all ages ; and we 
have reason to thank God that he has not left 
it to the uncertainty of any particular frame 
of feeling at any specified time, for then we 
should be continually tossed about and per- 
plexed. Yarious circumstances may produce 
a state of mental darkness, over some of which 
we have no direct control, and which we can- 
not remove at will. 

The neglect of some known religious duty 
may forfeit the light of the Saviour's face. 
You are walking by the side of an impenitent 
friend, and feel that you ought to speak to 
him of his eternal interests ; but it is a great 
cross, and you shrink from it, and Jesus with- 
draws his smiles ; your way is dark and your 
heart hard, and you say, "I doubt whether I 
ever knew what religion is." Or, you are 
conscious of some wrong that ought to be 
confessed, but your proud heart revolts from 
it ; or you are withholding some of the tithes 
God requires. 

Or you may have fallen before some fierce 



64- THE NEW LIFE. 

temptation, and sinned against God, secietly 
or openly : then till you repent and turn to 
God with, a broken heart, and do your first 
works, you will feel like a convicted sin- 
ner perhaps more intensely than at the time 
of your first conversion. Look at David in 
the 51st Psalni. He was a man after God's 
own heart ; but in an evil hour he fell into 
grievous sin, and as the consequence, into 
utter darkness; and oh, the agony of his 
soul ! He could only cry out, " Have mercy 
on me, O Lord, according to thy loving kind- 
ness against thee, thee only have I sinned 
cast me not away from thy presence, and take 
not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto 
me the joy of thy salvation." That joy was 
gone, and only by this broken-hearted con- 
fession could he find deliverance. So the in- 
dulgence of any sin will make it impossible 
for the Christian to say, " I do feel the love of 
Christ in my heart." 

These sources of darkness may be remov- 
ed, but there are others beyond our reach, 
and which can only be borne. 

Disease is often a source of spiritual dark- 
ness. There are diseases of the body, so 



REASONABLE HOPES. 65 

connected with the nervous system, and 
through that with the sensibilities, as to ren- 
der any pleasurable sensations impracticable, 
and prevent any conscious exercise of love as 
an emotion. Some of these diseases are acute 
and transient, and some are chronic and 
abiding. The writer well remembers how, 
more than once, soon after he had entered the 
Christian life, a horror of great darkness 
came over him. It seemed as though there 
was.no love to God or man in his heart, and 
despair settled down upon the soul. But 
presently a paroxysm of sick headache came 
on, and after a few hours of intense bodily 
suffering, the cloud was removed, and the 
spiritual sun shone in its brightness. He soon 
learned to say, when the shadows came over 
him, " Now I ani going to have the headache, 
and I will lie passively, without questioning 
whether I am a 'Christian or not, till it is 
passed." Thus any acute bodily disease may 
shut out the light of God, and no repenting, 
or self-accusation, or renewal of YOWS will 
bring back the consciousness of love, till the 
physical difficulty is removed. 

Then there are chronic diseases, more difH.- 

The New Life. 5 



GO THE NEW LIFE. 

cult to detect and impossible to remove, that 
produce the same results. This was doubt- 
less the case with Cowper pouring forth the 
most touching Christian sentiments from his 
lyre, while his own soul was racked with the 
agonies of despair. In like manner many of 
the most devoted servants of Christ in pri- 
vate life, and in the ministry have sunk be- 
neath the weight of agonizing disease excru- 
ciating to the soul, though perhaps with little 
apparent physical suffering. Some have been 
left to die in the agonies of despair, and some 
to sever with their own hand the thread of 
life. So fell one of the most gifted of our 
age one who could analyze the rocks and 
make them testify for God ; and search into 
the arcana of nature ; but could not detect or 
resist this terrible frenzy of the soul. One 
morning he was found dead, with a discharg- 
ed pistol by his side, and this little memoran- 
dum on his table : 

" DEABEST LYDIA : My brain burns ; I must 
have walked a long way. A fearful dream 
rises upon me. I cannot bear the horrible 
thought. God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ have mercy on me! My brain- burns 



TREASONABLE HOPES. 67 

as the recollection grows. Dearest wife, fare- 
well. "HUGH MILLEE." 

''Reason outsoared itself. His mind, consumed 
By its volcanic fire, is frantic driven ; 
He dreamed himself in hell, and woke in heaven." 

With many, these seasons of despondency 
are occasional, of more or less frequency and 
duration, intermingled with sunshine; but 
sometimes they are constant. One of the best 
Christians within the knowledge of the writer, 
a mother in Israel, and a mother of several 
distinguished ministers, has walked in dark- 
ness for more than thirty years, During sev- 
eral years of almost daily intimacy, I do not 
remember ever leaving her house but she fol- 
lowed me to the door with the earnest, en- 
treaty, " Dear pastor, do pray that I may . 
become a good Christian." No persuasion, 
no Scriptural argument would prevail to in- 
duce her to hope for herself; and why? Be- 
cause she is walking with God in the dark. 
No consideration would tempt her to depart 
from Christian duty, though apparently never 
acknowledged of Jesus. I have often stood in 
wonder and admiration at her constancy. 
Her difficulty is an affection of the spine which. 

2 



68 THE NEW LIFE. 

precludes the possibility of normal sensibili- 
ties. As a talented young son of high stand- 
ing in the ministry was carried home and 
died in her chamber, she hardly manifested 
the sensibilities of a mother. When all is 
thus dark, und the cloud obscures earth and 
heaven alike, the aid of the physician is need- 
ed, rather than of the minister. 

I dwell upon this point, because it has been 
little understood, and multitudes have gone 
mourning through life, paralyzed to Christian 
activity and trembling with apprehension 
from unreasonable doubts. It is no ground 
of doubt in regard to the genuineness of 
Christian character, that the soul is some- 
times dark. It is a great calamity; but it 
may proceed from causes over which we have 
no direct control ; and one who is subject to 
this affliction is hardly more responsible or 
blameworthy for not discerning and enjoying 
the beauty there is in Jesus, than a man 
without eyes, or with eyes diseased, for not 
enjoying the beauties of a landscape. 



A SATISFACTOKY EEASON. 6U 



IV. 

REASON THAT CAN ALWAYS BE 
GIVEN. 

BUT there is a reason which can always bo 
given ; one so frequently presented by Jesus 
and the apostles that it is strange that we 
should ever look for any other, and so plain 
and simple that none need to misunderstand 
or be in doubt. Genuine religion of the 
heart produces a godly life. "Where this ex- 
ists you need look no farther for proof of a 
good hope. " Except ye b'e converted, and 
become as little children," says Jesus, ""ye 
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven ;" 
as teachable, as submissive, as trusting, as 
loving, as sensible of helplessness and depend- 
ence, as willing to be led by the hand. Take 
the instructions the apostle John gives tcr 
young converts in the second chapter of his 
first epistle. "My little children," a term 
characteristic of the true Christian, " My little 
children, these things write I unto you, that 



70 THE NEW LIFE. 

ye sin not." But instantly, knowing that they 
had already sinned, he adds, under the inspi- 
ration of God, " And if any man sin, we have 
an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, 
the Righteous." 

Here are two very important points : 
First, if sensible of remaining or reviving 
sin, do not abandon your hope on that ac- 
count. 

Perhaps you thought that, if you were con- 
verted, you would never be troubled any more 
with sin. And for some time sinful inclina- 
tions seemed to be slain, and you thought 
they would never revive. But they were only 
stunned, and you are astonished to find them 
returning to life. An evil temper, a vicious 
appetite, a wrong desire has sprung up in 
your heart: the " unruly" tongue has led you 
into sin, and in an evil hour you have soiled 
the beautiful garment which Christ had 
wrapped about you. But a consciousness of 
sin is no ground of doubt. Sin is not slain 
in the Christian, a warfare is yet to be main- 
tained with it. It is a deep-seated disease, 
from which you are only beginning to re- 
cover. 



A SATISFACTORY SEASON. 71 

But, secondly, what will you do with this 
consciousness of sin? "We have an Advo- 
cate with the Father," says the apostle. 
Tako it right to Jesus, and have it washed 
away. This is counsel" of incalculable im- 
portance. The almost irresistible tendency, 
when conscious that sin has gained an ad- 
vantage over us, is to try to hide it till the 
consciousness of guilt is blunted, the act 
measurably forgotten, and self-confidence and 
self-respect restored. It may seem unspeak- 
ably mean, as the devoted McCheyne says 
of himself, to go right to Jesus, all reeking 
with guilt; but this is the grand secret of 
Christian consolation and progress. 

Here, for illustration, is a little .daughter. 
In her heedlessness she has knocked a be.au- 
tiful vase from the mantel, and broken it in 
pieces. She is filled with consternation and 
self-reproach, and cries out, " What shall I 
do ? Mother sets a great deal by that vase, 
and she will be very angry with me." There 
are two things she can do. 

She can gather up the pieces in her apron, 
and take them slyly around the corner of the 
house, and throw them away, saying, " It will 



72 THE NEW LIFE. 

be some days before she will find it out, and 
when the discovery is made I will do the best 
I can to pacify her. I will not tell a wrong 
story, but I will say nothing about it." Now 
there is a wall between her and her. mother, 
She cannot look upon her with comfort. She 
cannot enjoy her smiles or caresses. There 
is a burden on her heart, only increased by 
maternal tenderness and love. And there 
that burden will lie as long as thitt wroug re- 
mains upon her conscience, growing heavier 
and heavier. 

The other way is : she may gather up the 
pieces and take them directly to her mother, 
and say,. " Mother, look here ; see what I have 
done ! It was very careless in me. I sin 
sorry for it. "Will you forgive me?" The 
mother's heart and arms are open instantly 
to receive her. Such an acknowledgment is 
worth a thousand vases. The child is dearer 
to her than ever before, and their hearts are 
bound together with new ties of sympathy 
and confidence. 

So with the child of God. If you are con- 
scious of having offended him, do not wait, 
and think it will be easier or more consistent 



A SATISFACTOKY- EEASON. 73 

to seek forgiveness after a while ; but go at 
once to Jesus, the Advocate, with humble 
confession, and have it taken away. Do not 
suffer this secret, confiding communication 
between you and God to be interrupted. It- 
will bind you closer to his heart. 

Now the apostle conies to the main point 
that we have before us : How may you know 
you are a Christian? "Hereby we do know 
that we know him, if we keep his command- 
ments. He that saith, I know him, and keep- 
eth not his commandments is a liar, and the 
truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his 
word, in him verily is the love of God perfect- 
ed. Hereby know we that we are in him. 
He that saith he abideth in him, ought him- 
self also so to walk, even as he walked." 
Here is the same thing repeated again and 
again in varied forms : and how plain and 
simple the rule, and in what perfect accord- 
ance with all our convictions. 

If you wish to know whether a son loves 
iiis father or mother, you instinctively look to 
see if he is trying, to do their will. You see 
a daughter denying herself, foregoing youth- 
ful gratification, and toiling earnestly to light- 



74 THE. NEW LIFE. 

en the burdens of her mother : you cannot 
doubt her love. 

Here is a young husband and wife. They 
have lived very happily together for years, 
and while he has been toiling in the shop, she 
has cared for his comfort at home. He does 
not need to get out and read over her old let- 
ters, to see if her heart is right with him. 
The best proof of love she can give is to pro- 
vide for his comfort, to meet him at the door, 
and welcome his return, and show her love by 
her looks and acts as she has always done. 
He is satisfied with that. 

And such is the proof of love to God to 
run with delight to do his will. So Jesus 
says, "Whosoever heareth these sayings of 
mine and doeth them," is like a man who 
built upon a rock. And again : " Not every 
one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that 
doeth the will of my Father which is in heav- 
en." And again : " He that hath my com- 
mandments and keepeth them, he it is that 
loveth me ; and he shall be loved of my Fa- 
ther, and I will love him." So in multitudes 
of other passages. Cheerful, child-like, hearty 



A SATISFACTORY KEASON. 75 

obedience is the evidence of faith and of 
discipleship. 

What will you say then, to one who asks 
the reason of the hope that is in you ? 

" I hope for heaven, because I am trying to 
be like, Jesus, to -walk as he walked, to do his 
will. I am conscious of failure. I come short 
in all things ; but God knows I am trying to 
do his will. Sometimes it is delightful, and 
sometimes my heart is sluggish and hard, and 
the way seems dark ; but at all times, in dark- 
ness and in light, I am trying to do the will 
of God." 

This was beautifully illustrated recently, in 
the case of a deaf and dumb young man. He 
had been taught the sign language, and to 
read and write. During a series of meetings 
his attention was arrested, while the young 
people around were flocking to Christ ; and 
though he had never heard a sermon or a 
prayer, or a Christian experience, and knew 
not how others were feeling, yet the Spirit led 
him to sweet hope and trust in Jesus. 

After walking some days in the light, happy 
in the conscious love of Christ, he fell into 
the slough of Despond, which, although many 



76 THE NEW LIFE. . 

more cartloads of good instruction have been 
thrown in since the days of Bunyan, has not 
yet been filled up. He was greatly alarmed., 
for he never had heard that . others have the 
same trial, and he could not converse with us; 
but he worked his way through and came out 
on the right side. Then he signified to us 
where he had been and what he did. Said 
he: 

" When I fell into darkness I was greatly 
troubled, and hardly knew what to do ; but I 
thought I was like a traveller on a journey. 
The road is before him, and sometimes the 
sun shines upon it and it is bright and pleas- 
ant, and at other times clouds overshadow it 
and it is dark ; but the road is there, and he 
has nothing to do but keep in the road and 
travel on through sunshine and through shade. 
So I determined to walk in the road God had 
laid down in his word, if it was dark, and I 
soon came into the light again." 

No doctor of divinity could improve upon 
the decision of that deaf and dumb young 
man, taught as he was by the Spirit of God. 
And so I would say to every young disciple : 
Here is the road; it is strait and narrow 



A SATISFACTORY REASON. 77 

God lias cast it up the king's highway of ho- 
liness, which " the lion's whelp hath not trod," 
and "the vulture's eye hath not seen." Walk 
in it. In sunshine and in shade ; when the 
heart glows with seraphic love, and when it 
seems like the adamantine rock, walk in it. 
So that, always, when one shall ask you the 
reason of your hope, you can say without hesi- 
tation, " I am trying to please Jesus to walk . 
as he walked." No ecstacy of joy, no thrill 
of conscious love, no memory of marvellous 
experience in the past, no sights, or sounds, 
or supernatural revelations, can supersede or 
compare with this as the reason of the hope 
that is in you. 

" THE FULL ASSURANCE OF HOPE." From the 
above statement, it is easy to see how to at- 
tain to entire confidence of spiritual safety. 
If salvation were suspended on the constant 
exercise of certain emotions, every one would 
be sometimes compelled to doubt; for those 
emotions vary, and are not subject to our con- 
trol. We may desire them ever so earnestly, 
they do not heed our wishes. We may com- 
mand them ever so resolutely, they do not 
obey our will. We may reproach ourselves 



78 THE NEW LIFE. 

ever so severely, they are not born of self-re- 
proach. We may inflict any kind or degree 
of self-torture, they are not the offspring of 
penance. They are sometimes governed by 
influences beyond our control and destitute of 
any moral character. 

But if a principle of cheerful obedience to 
God, a solemn purpose of conformity to him, 
is the ground of hope, then we may make that 
ground firm by fixing the purpose of obedi- 
ence. That is under our control, and for that 
we are responsible. If that is weak and va- 
cillating, yielding to temptation here, com- 
promising with the world there, then we have 
reason to doubt and tremble. But if we can 
look up with humble confidence, and say : 
" Lord, thou knowest that I am trying to do 
thy will, only let me know what it is ; I do 
commit myself to thee without reserve, to be 
thine for ever ;" we may rest in full assurance 
of hope, and hear the voice of Jesus saying : 
" None shall pluck you out of my hand." 



THE CHRISTIAN AHMOK FAITH. 79 



V. 



THE CHRISTIAN ^RMOR FAITH, 

HATING settled the fact that you have en- 
listed under the banner of Jesus, put on the 
armor God has furnished you for every emer- 
gency of the service. Paul comprehends it 
all in one, when he says : " Put ye on tjie 
Lord Jesus Christ." Here is the whole armor 
of God. But in Eph. 6 : 11-18, he has speci- 
fied the material parts of it. 

" Having your loins girt about with truth :" 
truthfulness, sincerity, no pretence, no seem- 
ing to be what you are not. That must gird 
you for the warfare. 

" The breastplate of righteousness :" con- 
scious justification by the merits of Christ ; 
and conscious effort to be righteous, even as 
He is righteous." 

"Tour feet shod with the preparation of 
the gospel of peace." "How beautiful upon 
the mountains are the feet of him that bring- 
eth good tidings, that publisheth peace." 



bO THE NEW LIFE. 

"Above all taking the sliield of faith," and 
"the helmet of salvation." A conscious, 
present salvation ; freedom from condemna- 
tion : " There is now no condemnation to them 
that are in Christ Jesus," and there is the 
" hope" of final and perfect deliverance. 

" The sword of the Spirit, which is the word 
of God." " Praying always with all prayer 
and supplication in the Spirit." 

Here is an armor of defence and offence, 
sufficient for every emergency. It would be 
profitable to enlarge upon every piece of it ; 
but we can only dwell upon a few points. 

" The Shield of Faith:' This the apostle 
pronounces as " above all." Those who are 
fully clothed with it are invulnerable to every 
weapon of the adversary, and nerved for vic- 
tory over every foe. By this shall you meas- 
ure the extent of your achievements in the 
Christian life. Jesus, when on earth, " could 
do no mighty work" in some places because 
of their unbelief; while in others he could do 
all things needed. Let us then consider what 
this faith is, and how it may be strengthened. 

1. "What is this faith, which is such a 
shield? It is simply trust in God, which 



THE CHRISTIAN ARMOR FAITH. 81 

ventures on Him. Not a mere assent to the 
truth ; but a reception of it tliat puts it in 
force. So, when Jesus came to Gennesaret, 
where they had faith in him, they manifested 
it by running through all the region, gather- 
ing up all who needed help, and laying them 
in the road where he was to pass ; and all, as 
many as touched the border of his garment, 
were healed. So now; the faith that saves, 
is faith that goes forward relying simply on 
the word of Gocl. It seems strange to call it 
venturing on him ; for what venture can there 
be in believing God? But the term is used 
merely to indicate the feeling of the believer. 
It seems to him as though it were a venture. 
So it is with the first act of the Christian 
life the yielding of the soul into the hands of 
Jesus. Beautiful and safe as it appears when 
once it has been done, yet the act of letting 
go ail other dependencies, and falling into his 
arms, trusting only to his word, " Come to me 
and I will give you rest," seemed to be a groat 
venture. 

And so do subsequent acts of faith. When 
Moses went into the ' presence of Pharaoh, 
when the Israelites marched forward into the 

The New Life. 6 



82 THE NEW LIFE. 

Bed sea before its waters were divided, and in 
multitudes of other cases, there was doubtless 
a feeling of hazard ; yet they went and found 
it safe. 

So now; faith will be serviceable to you 
just in proportion as you throw yourself on 
God's promises and declarations, and go for- 
ward. It is, therefore, of infinite moment to 
you, in this beginning of your Christian life, 
to continue and increase in this course of 
venturing on God. 

A few men stand out before us, in the his- 
tory of redemption, as wonders in this respect, 
"We read of Noah, toiling patiently for one 
hundred and twenty years, to build a ship on 
the dry land, amid the scoffs and sneers of an 
ungodly generation, not a cloud in sight nor a 
quivering of the earth, simply because God 
had said to him, "The" end of all flesh is 
come before me. Build an ark wherein thou 
mayest be saved, for I will bring a flood upon 
the earth." 

"We wonder at Abraham, as he takes " the 
son of promise" and leads him up mount 
Moriah with the glittering knife in his hand. 
"Father," says the artless lad, "behold the 



THE CHRISTIAN AEMOE FAITH. 83 

fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for 
a burnt offering ? " Not a tremor in his voice 
as he replies, "God will furnish himself a 
lamb,, my son." 

We read of Moses, and Gideon, and Elijah, 
of apostles and martyrs, and in modern days 
of Luther and Oberlin and Franks and Schil- 
ling and Miiller, and think they are prodi- 
gies that there was something exceptional 
in their case beyond the reach of ordinary 
men. But the only wonder in their case is 
that they believed God. It was the legitimate 
growth of faith. So far from being prodigies 
they were simply men ; and we are pigmies 
dwarfed by unbelief. Every one of us may 
and ought to attain to such a stature of faith. 
It is a vital question, therefore, 

2. How shall your faith be strengthened ? 

Let rne name several ways : 

Ask for it. Think how worthy of confi- 
dence God is, and pray, "Lord, help my un- 
belief." " Lord, increase my faith." 

But prayer alone is not sufficient ; we often 
ask. and do not receive, because while neg- 
lecting duty we expect God to produce it di- 
rectly in our hearts. 

3 



84 THE NEW LIFE. 

Cultivate a more intimate acquaintance with 
God. You cannot trust a stranger. He 
may be perfectly reliable, but you do not 
know it, consequently you dare not confide ill 
him. But your confidence will be increased in 
one worthy to be trusted, just in proportion as 
you know his heart. Confidence in men may 
become so firm in this way, that life itself is 
intrusted to them, without a fear. 

A naturalist in Scotland, out in pursuit of 
specimens in botany, discovered a beautiful 
flower deep down in the crevice of a ledge 
beyond his reach. A poor peasant boy came 
along ; and holding out a piece of silver to 
him, he said: "I will give you this, if you 
will let me put a rope round you and lower 
you down, so that you can pick that flower 
for me." The little fellow eyed him closely, 
and eyed the coveted silver; but he an- 
swered : 

" I dinna ken ye, sir. If my father '11 come 
and hold the rope, I '11 go doon." 

So the father came and fastened the rope 
about him, and dropped him over the ledge, 
and there he hung in mid air, over the deep 
abyss without a fear, because he knew the 



THE CHEISTIAN ARMOR FAITH. 8 

heart that held the rope. Get close to the heart 
of God, till you feel a father's heart beating 
against jour heart, o.nd you cannot doubt him, 
or fear to go where he directs. 

BE VEKY CAEEFUL TO PLEASE GOD IN ALL 

THINGS. A whole-hearted obedience will go 
far to confirm your faith. " If our own hearts 
condemn us not, then have we confidence 
toward God." And it is impossible to feel 
that confidence while disobedient or forgetful 
of his wishes. But the great source of growth 
in faith is, 

Use ivJiat you have. It grows chiefly by 
exercise, and withers by disuse. This is the 
great secret by which the few have attained 
to such a soaring faith, and the grand dis- 
tinction between them and ordinary Chris- 
tians. 

Look, for instance, at David. His father 
sent him down to the army with extra rations 
for his brothers and a present for their cap- 
tain, and to inquire how went the bat- 
tle. Just as he arrived, the great Goliath 
of Gath came out and defied the armies 
of Israel, and they fled before him in conster- 
nation. 



8G THE NEW LIFE. 

" Why," said David, " who is this ancir 
cumcised Philistine? I mil go and fight 
with him." 

And they brought him to Saul ; and David 
said to the king, "Let no man's heart fail him 
because of this Philistine. Thy servant will 
go and slay him." 

" No," said the king, " you can't do it. Ton 
are but a boy, and he is a man of war from 
his youth." 

" Yes, I can," said David. 

"How do you know?" said the king. 

" Why, thy servant was keeping his father's 
sheep in the wilderness, and there came a 
bear and took one of my lambs, and I- follow- 
ed after him. and caught him and slew him. 
And there came a lion and seized one of my 
lambs, and I caught him by the beard and 
slew him, and delivered the lamb out of his 
mouth. And now the God who delivered me 
out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw 
of the bear, will deliver this Philistine into 
my hand." 

That was whe're he got his faith. And ho 
went on from strength to strength; so that he 
made it a rule, as he records in the 116th 



THE CHRISTIAN ARHO.B FAITH. 87 

Psalm, "Because He liath inclined his ear 
unto me, therefore will I call upon him as 
long as I live." But we are inclined, when we 
have exercised a little confidence in God and 
experienced something of his faithfulness, to 
bring a momentary tribute of thanks, and 
then forget it, instead of making it a foun- 
dation for stronger trust and larger ventures. 

That was the secret of the marvellous faith 
of Abraham on Mount Moriah. It was the 
out-growth of a life of trust, wherein he had 
followed the voice of God, till it had become 
so strong, that Paul says he believed God 
would fulfil his promise, even if he had to 
raise his son from the dead. And so with 
every one of those who have attained to such 
amazing faith in ancient or modern times. 

The institution on Bristol downs is looked 
upon with admiration, and has been called 
"the Bristol miracle;" but it is no miracle; 
Mr. Miiller is a man who believes God. and 
acts upon it. It would indeed be almost a 
miracle for a man at once, without any means 
of his own, and without ever asking aid of any 
one but God, to assume the support of two 
thousand orphan children, feeding, clothing, 



88 THE NEW LIFE. 

and educating them from year to year, sim- 
ply by trust in God. But that is not the his- 
tory. How has Mr. Miiller attained to such 
a stature of faith ? Some thirty-five years 
ago, as he walked the street in Bristol, he saw 
a poor, friendless orphan boy, and his heart 
yearned to aid him. He went home and told 
his wife about it, and asked, "Don't you 
think we could venture to take that boy into 
our family, and trust God to enable us to pro- 
vide for him?" She thought they might. 
And as they talked it over, they thought they 
might venture a little farther. So the}^ fitted 
up a room and gave notice that they would 
receive six orphan children and take care of 
them without charge; and they came. 

At the end of the year they found them- 
selves just as well off as they were without 
them. "Well, now," they said, "if God can 
do that, he can do more." So they enlarged, 
and made room for seventeen orphans ; and 
without asking aid of any one they came to 
the close of the year just as w r ell as before. 
The} 7 saw times which sorely tried their faith ; 
sometimes in the morning they had nothing 
for dinner; but they set the table and went to 



THE OITEISTIAN AEMOE FAITH. 89 

ilieir Father in the closet, and food always 
came. They never wanted any good thing. 
And so many and so striking were the specific 
instances of deliverance, that their trust was 
greatly strengthened and they said, " God 
can do more just as well ;" so they enlarged 
again for thirty ; then for fifty ; then for three 
hundred ; then seven hundred and fifty ; then 
eleven hundred, and finally for two thousand. 
And the testimony of Mr. Miiller is, that it is 
easier now for him to believe that God will 
provide for this great company, than it was 
when he began to believe He would provide 
for the six. Vastly as his work has increased, 
his faith has outgrown his work, founded on 
the simple declaration of God, " Seek ye first 
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 
and all these things shall be added unto you," 
and supported by innumerable instances of 
the Divine faithfulness. 

Here is the grand secret of success in the 
Christian life. Has God done anything for 
you ? Has he ever heard your prayer ? Have 
you ever ventured on him and found him faith- 
ful? Venture farther, and keep venturing, 
till you feel that it is safe. 



90 THE NEW LIFE. 

Alas ! Most of us are like a young eaglet, 
who, after making a few flights from bough to 
bough, should look out into the broad heav- 
ens,- and fold his wings, saying, " I can never 
dare to try and fly up there." We have 
scarcely begun to soar on the wings of faith. 

This is the history of success in revivals, 
in missionary labor, in all religious progress 
Three sisters in a church recently began to 
mourn over the desolation of Zion. For 
thirty years there had been no refreshing in 
their congregation. They agreed to select 
two of their young friends as the subject of 
special prayer. At the end of four months, 
they spoke to these friends and found them 
ready to yield to the Saviour. Immediately 
they put four more names in the place of 
those two, and soon these four were trusting 
in J~esus. Then they enlarged again, and 
continued to venture, and expect, and labor, 
till a hundred and fifty, nearly all the adult 
members of the congregation, were numbered 
among the children of God. 

So may you prevail with God, and go on, 
from strength to strength. Make the trial at 
once. Select some dear friend, out of Christ, 



THE CHRISTIAN ARMOR FAITH. 91 

and labor for his conversion ; and when God 
has blessed your efforts and heard your 
prayers, increase your expectations and en- 
large the boundaries of your desires, and keep 
advancing never stationary, never retrogra- 
ding, but always advancing ; and you will, we 
doubt not, be amazed at the strength of your 
faith and its happy results. 



92 THE NEW LIFE. 



VI. 



CHRISTIAN ARM.OR THE SWORD OF 
THJS SPIRIT. 

"THE sword of the Spirit, which is the 
word of God." This is the only weapon of 
assault in the Christian panoply; and there 
is great force and beauty in this expression. 
The word of God is a sword. It cuts, it pen- 
etrates, " piercing even to the dividing asunder 
of the joints and marrow; and is a discerner 
of the thoughts and intents of the heart." 
There is power and life in that word. It is 
truth, and truth is mighty. It is infinitely 
important truth. It is the truth of God, from 
which there is no appeal, and against which 
there is no successful resistance. 

It is the sword of the Spirit. It is the 
medium, through which that Divine Agent 
moves upon the hearts of men ; giving resist- 
less power to his declarations. That sword 
you are to take in your hand and wield it. A 
sword is of no value in the scabbard. It must 



THE SWOED OP THE SPIEIT. 93 

be drawn and skilfully used. Study this di- 
vine word carefully. "Blessed is the man 
whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in 
his law doth he meditate, day and night. He 
shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of wa- 
ter" shall not know when drought conies. 
Study it as your book of tactics in the Chris- 
tian warfare ; meditate upon it in the night 
watches. It shall be a lamp to your feet and 
a light to your path. It shall be honey to 
your taste. It shall be strength to your arm. 
It shall give vigor to every iibre of your soul. 

Study it, not alone for yourself, but for 
others. Carry the Testament always in your 
pocket. Select and mark appropriate pas- 
sages for any one you may meet. Carry it to 
the shop, the counter, the field. "Whet your 
sword, as you do your scythe, under the shad- 
ow of the great tree. Make it sharp for the 
heart of the King's enemies. Remember it 
is not your word, but the word of God, that 
pierces, and breathe an aspiration to God for 
the influences of his Spirit that you may wield 
it effectually. 

Let no man wrest it out of your hand. 
Listen to no plausible speculations of human 



94 THE NEW LIFF-. 

philosophy, that would degrade the word of 
God. If you lose your sword, you will lose 
your shield, and be utterly in the power of 
your spiritual foes. For unless the Bible is 
the word of God, there is no such word> 
all foundations are utterly destroyed. 



PRAYEE. 95 



VII. 

CHRISTIAN ARMOR -PRAYER^. 

PEA.TER is a weapon, little used in earthly 
warfare ; yet " the battle is the Lord's," and 
there .are not wanting instances where prayer 
has controlled the issues of war, and decided 
the destiny of empires. Hezekiah cried to 
God, and a great deliverance was youchsafed 
to him. "Washington was not ashamed to 
be found on his knees in the camp, and 
we may be more deeply indebted to prayer 
than to the hero's yalor, for all our civil 
privileges. 

In the Christian warfare here is the hiding 
of your strength. You go not alone to this 
conflict. " Lo I ani with you always," says 
Jesus. " Ask and ye shall receive." " What- 
soever ye shall ask in my name, that will I 
do." In yourself helpless, ignorant, erring, 
come to God for all you need. 

" Praying always." As there is no time, 



96 THE NEW LIFE. 

when you are secure from attack, or not liable 
to err from the "way, there should be no time 
when the aspiration of your heart is not going 
up to God for help. Fixed and stated sea- 
sons should be observed dailv, but the heart 

tj ' 

should never cease to breathe devotion to 
God. At work and at rest, at home and 
abroad, in secular and sacred time, in time of 
temptation, and when soaring on the mount, 
in sickness and health, in joy and in grief, 
" Pray without ceasing." 

Pray with " all prayer." In every manner : 
silently lift up your desires to God, audibly 
when circumstances permit. In the closet 
where no ear but God's can hear, and where 
you can unbosom your most secret desires 
and wants. In the family where the house- 
hold bow around the altar. In the social 
meeting where the people of God are gather- 
ed with one accord. For "where two or 
three' are gathered together in my name, there 
am I, in the midst of them." " If two shall 
agree, as touching anything they shall ask, it 
shall be done for them." 

Pray in faith, nothing doubting. 

Pray with forgiveness. " For if ye forgive 



PEAYEE. 97 

not men their trespasses, neither will your 
heavenly Father forgive your trespasses." 

Pray in sweet submission. " Nevertheless, 
not my will but thine be done." 

Pray in the name of Jesus. You and I can 
have no credit before the throne ; but the 
endorsement of Jesus is good for any amount. 
Draw through him. 

Lift up calm and ordinary prayer for ordi- 
nary blessings. But to secure extraordinary 
blessings corne with extraordinary prayer. 
" The effectual, (energized,) fervent prayer of a 
righteous man, availeth much." The Bible 
records many emergencies in which great de- 
liverances were wrought by such prayers. So 
Jacob prayed, when Esau with his bands of 
armed men came out in wrath to meet him. 
He wrestled with the Angel till the break of 
day, and then said, " I will not let thee go ex- 
cept thou bless me." And the Angel said, 
" As a prince hast thou power with God and 
with man, and hast prevailed." 

So Moses prayed, when Israel had sinned 
and God came down in wrath, saying, "I will 
smite this people with the pestilence and dis- 
inheret them, and I will make of thee a great 

Tli New Life. 7 



98 THE NEW LIFE. 

nation." He remained immoveable and lift- 
ed up his cry to God in their behalf ; and 
his prayer availed to save the nation. Num. 
14:12. 

So Luther prayed, when he stood before 
the diet of Worms the whole power of the 
Empire assembled to crush him. God for a 
little time seemed to desert him, and over- 
whelmed with agony he fell on his face upon 
the ground and cried : " O, Almighty and 
everlasting God ! How terrible is this world ! 
My hour is come. O God ! O God ! Do help 
me, against all the wisdom, of this world ! . . . . 
O God ! art thou dead ! O my God ! where 
art thou !" So he agonized till God appear- 
ed ; deliverance came, and the Great Beform- 
ation was born. 

So Jesus prayed, when in the garden he 
said to the disciples, " My soul is exceeding 
sorrowful, even unto death." And he threw 
himself upon the ground, and cried, " O my 
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from 
me !" And again the second and the third 
time, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass 
away from me except I drink it, thy will be 
done." Being in an agony, his sweat was as 



PKAYEE. 99 

it were great drops of blood, falling down to the 
ground. He "was heard in that he feared," 
and redemption was accomplished. 

The history of the world shows that great 
deliverances have rarely been wrought with- 
out a corresponding Gethsemane. If you are 
ever to effect anything of great importance in 
Zion, you will experience something of this 
wrestling in prayer. 

Once more, if you would prevail in prayer, 
you must do tvliat you can to bring an answer 
to your own prayer. You must not ask God to 
perform your work. The farmer may ask him 
for fruitful seasons ; but he must not ask him 
to plough his ground or sow his seed. That 
is the farmer's work, and when he has done 
that, he may ask God for the rain and the 
sunshine. So with every spiritual good. 
"We are workers together with him." If 
you ask God to deliver you from worldliness, 
you must not throw yourself into the vortex 
of worldly business or pleasure, and expect 
God to interpose and keep your heart, and 
give you spiritual life. If you pray for the 
conversion of a friend, use the means God 
has appointed, and pray that they may be 



100 THE NEW LIFE. . 

blessed by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
Many prayers are not answered, because they 
are requests for God to do our work, or be- 
cause we are shrinking from some self-sacri- 
ficing duty. 

A lady came into a female prayer-meeting 
and said, " Dear sisters, I can tell you when 
God will answer our prayers : it will be when 
we are willing to bear any cross he may lay 
upon us. Twenty-three years ago I married 
an impenitent husband. I determined to 
pray for him every day till he was converted. 
I continued to do so twenty-one years, with- 
out any answer. Two years ago, I brought 
this prayer : ' Lord, if there is anything I 
am doing, or neglecting to do, which prevents 
his conversion, wilt thou show it to me?' I 
was immediately impressed with the duty of 
praying with him, but I shrunk from it. The 
duty became clearer and clearer, but I re- 
sisted. At length the impression was over- 
whelming. I left the lecture-room one night 
and went home and said : 'Husband, my heart 
is burdened ; are you willing that I should 
set up a family altar in our house ? ' 

'' ' Certainly,' said he. 



PKAYER. 101 

" I commenced. Soon he began to go to 
the meetings. In two weeks he said : ' Wife, 
I can endure it no longer ; my soul is in an 
agony. Pray for me.' 

"We knelt and prayed, and he gave his 
heart to Jesus, and is happy in Christ's love." 



102 THE NEW LIFE. 



VIII. 



QUALITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER 



have now surveyed tlie armor; but 
armor is not all that is requisite for victory. 
It must be used. Were this a world of peace, 
or were there an armistice, you might rest 
upon your arms. But it is a time and place 
of conflict. The prince of the power of the 
air, and all his- legions, are contesting every 
inch of ground, and watching every opportu- 
nity for successful assault. 

Or, if it were merely a defensive war, you 
might wait, only carefully watching against 
an attack. But the war is aggressive. Satan 
has usurped possession of domains that be- 
long to Prince Lnnianuel, and is to be dis- 
lodged, and his invading forces repelled and 
driven back. Tou must be active, if you 
would please him who has chosen you to be 
a soldier. Let us then consider the essential 
requisites for a victorious soldier of the cross. 

Some of these we may learn from the his- 



THE CHJRISTIAN SOLDIEE. 103 

tory of the deliverance God wrought for Is 
rael by Gideon ; for the principles on which 
he gives victory to Zion now, are very similar 
to those upon which he wrought temporal de- 
liverances for his ancient people. Out of the 
thousands who offered themselves in that 
conflict, God selected a little handful and 
said, " By the three hundred men that lapped, 
will I save you ; let all the other people go." 
What were the peculiarities of those three 
hundred men ? " 

1. Courage. 

God said to Gideon : " Go, proclaim in the 
ears of the people, saying: '"Whosoever is 
fearful and afraid, let him return.' " Under 
that proclamation twenty-two thousand went 
home, confessing themselves cowards, while 
ten thousand remained. Now Gideon was 
stronger without them than with them : a 
coward in the day of battle is only an ob- 
stacle; a cowardly regiment often puts a 
whole division to flight. So in the Christian 
army : God does not use cowardly Christians 
in bringing victory to Zion. Moral courage 
is quite as essential to success as physical, 
and quite as rare and difficult to exercise. 



104 THE NEW LIFE. 

There is many a man who would go fearlessly 
to the cannon's mouth, who trembles and 
shrinks from a fearless avowal of his faith iii 
Christ, in the midst of obloquy and reproach. 
It is easier to stand the rain of shot and shell 
upon the battle-field, than to endure the scorn 
and derision of the wicked. How many timid 
and fearful ones shrink from any positive ef- 
fort to win a soul to Christ. And this timid- 
ity is not confined to the ranks, or to those 
who were never under fire before. Many a 
veteran officer upon the walls of Zion trem- 
bles in the day of battle. 

An aged pastor not long since called on a 

wealthy parishoner, and said : "Mr. G , I 

have called to talk to you about your soul, 
and I must begin with a confession. I have 
been seventeen years your pastor and have 
never spoken to you directly and personally 
on that subject. I have been afraid of you. 
I don't know why. You have always been a 
good parishioner, faithful in all your duties to 
me ; but I have been afraid to speak to you ; 
will you forgive me?" 

" Certainly," saidhe ; "but I have thought it 
strange that you did not speak to me. I have 



THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER. 105 

often wanted you to, and wanted to know 
what I should do to be saved ; and I want to 
know now." 

By this time they were both in tears, and 
the pastor had only to point him to the Lainb 
of God ; they knelt together beside the sofa, 
he gave his heart to Christ and is now a pil- 
lar in the church. As soon as the pastor had 
courage to do his duty, victory came; and 
fifty more of the congregation were soon won 
in the same way. 

The Rev. Dr. Gardiner Spring of New 
York relates of himself in his autobiography, 
what no one else ever would have related of 
him, a similar incident. Once, when he had 
determined to visit all the families in his con- 
gregation, there was a wealthy family in the 
Fifth avenue, in which was an only daughter. 
She was beautiful and gay, a leader in fash- 
ionable circles, given to worldly pleasure. 
He thought, " Can I go to that house and 
meet that fashionable young lady ? " He 
started, and walked half-way there, and his 
heart failed him, and he turned about and 
went home. Then he thought, It will never 
do to give it up. He started the second time ; 



10G THE NEW LIFE. 

went up the marble steps and laid his hand 
on the bell-knob. His heart failed him again, 
and he turned about and "went home the sec- 
ond time. But still the duty was upon him. 
Conscience would not let him rest ; they were 
his people and he must visit them. So he 
put on a valorous heart and went, praying 
along the crowded street, rang the bell and 
was ushered into the hall, when that beauti- 
ful daughter met him, all bathed in tears, 
seized his hand and exclaimed, " O my dear 
pastor, I am so glad to see you. I was afraid 
you were going to pass us by! I want you 
to tell me what I shall do to be saved!" 

We may imagine how the timidity of the 
venerable pastor was rebuked ; and how many 
thousand times timidity has been rebuked in 
a similar way, in the experience of others. 
And alas ! in how many thousand more has 
victory been lost because it was not thus re- 
buked. And if veteran officers suffer so much 
from fearfulness, it is not strange that new 
recruits should suffer from the same cause. 
But take courage ; you can do all things 
through Christ strengthening you. Do not 
lose a victory from fearfulness. 



THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIEE. 107 

2. Endurance. 

The soldier's life is not a life of ease. Beds 
of down are not for the tented field. Hunger 
and thirst, watchings and -wearisome marches 
and fatigue, as well as danger, are his por- 
tion. It is essential to the good soldier, that 
he be willing to " endure hardness," as well 
as brave peril. 

"We see this, in the case of Gideon, in the 
farther reduction of his army. God directed 
him to start upon his march, and notice how 
the people drank. So when they came to a 
brook, the great body of them lay down by 
the brook to drink. But here and there one, 
or perhaps some little Spartan band, to the 
number of three hundred," rushed into the 
brook, scooped up what water they could and 
threw it into their mouth, as a dog laps with 
his tongue, without halting or slackening their 
speed, and came out on the other side, march- 
ing right on their way. So intent were they 
on their work that they seem to have been 
hardly conscious that the rest had stopped. 
And God said, " By the three hundred men 
that lapped, will I save you, and let all the 
rest go home." 



108 THE NEW LIFE. 

Now what was the ground of distinction 
here ? It was the spirit and power of endu- 
rance. They were all weary with the march, 
and thirsty under the scorching sun. And 
the thousands lay down by the side of the 
brook to rest, and drink at their leisure and 
as much as they wanted. But the three hun- 
dred were so absorbed in their object so 
intent on saving Israel, that they did not 
regard their weariness or thirst, but pressed 
on to the accomplishment of their object. 

So it is with the soldier of the cross. There 
are many that will do what is convenient, but 
they shrink from enduring hardness as good 
soldiers. They will go to meeting when it is 
pleasant. They will visit the widow and the 
fatherless on the Sabbath and when they will 
lose no worldly advantage, or when they feel 
like it. They will give of their money when 
it requires no self-denial, making religion an 
incidental thing, secondary to other matters. 

A soldier, that will hear the call to arms 
when it does not interfere with harvesting his 
grain, nor expose him to the cold or wet! 
Such may gain a starless crown ; but let them 
not expect to accomplish deliverance in Is- 



THE CHEISTIAN SOLDIER. 109 

rael. If you would gain a victory for God, 
you must be willing to suffer loss and priva- 
tion for his sake. 

Jesus illustrates the same principle in refer- 
ence to the offering of the widow in the tem- 
ple. " Yerily I say unto you, this poor widow 
hatL cast in more than they all." Why did 
he prize the " mite " of the widow above aU 
their liberal contributions? Because it cost 
her more. They of their abundance had cast 
in ; she of her penury had cast in all that she 
had, even all her living. 

This is the standard by which Christ judges 
of our services. Not the amount done, but 
the spirit manifested in the doing. So he has 
put it within the reach of the poorest and the 
humblest of his people to work as effectively 
as the rich and mighty. And hence we see 
in the history of the church, that the greater 
part of its victories have been won by a few. 
Pray and strive to be one of the " three hun- 
dred." 

And remember, God may be testing you 
when you are not conscious of it. The soldiers 
of Gideon knew nothing of the test appointed 
for them, till the choice was made. You are 



110 THE NEW LIFE. 

made to pass through, trials and temptations 
and sorrows. Your plans are defeated, your 
earthly gourds are blasted, and you wonder 
what it means. God is trying you to see if 
you will make a good soldier. He is making 
up a company to storm some strong redoubt, 
or rout some numerous host; he wants to 
know whether he can trust you to join them. 
It is wonderful to see how he proves his men, 
and fits them for his service in all ages by 
their enduring hardness. " Ye are they that 
have continued with me in my temptations, 
and I appoint unto you .a kingdom." 

Dear reader, make a full consecration of 
yourself to Christ. Present your body and 
spirit, a "living sacrifice, holy, acceptable." 
Fill up the measure of the sufferings of Christ. 
If you suffer with him you shall also reign 
with him. You need not wear a starless crown 
ia glory. Endure hardness. 



SUCCESS ASSUEED. Ill 



IX. 



SUCCESS ASSURED. 

A GEEAT amount of Christian effort is put 
forth with but slight manifest resiilts; but 
there is a way of working, which God has de- 
clared shall not fail. " He that goeth forth 
and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall 
doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing 
his sheaves with him." Psa. 126:6.' Here 
is a promise of great and immediate results. 
Let us see how they are to be obtained. 

1. You should expect success. You haye a 
right to expect it. You have the positive 
promise of God. You shall "doubtless," 
come with sheaves. You have the positive 
assurances of Jesus, "Lo, I am with you;" 
"The Comforter shall come to you." The 
Spirit shall be given. We should expect this. 
No stream rises' higher than the fountain. 
Achievement seldom, if ever, surpasses ex- 
pectation. "According to your faith be it 
unto you." 



112 THE NEW LIFE. 

2. Be wise to understand the times and 
seasons. There is a "time to sow, and a 
time to reap." It is not at all times that you 
may thrust in the sickle. Tou would not take 
a heathen, who never heard of Christ, and ex- 
pect him instantly to repent and believe. 
The seed must be sown he must be taughfc 
something of Christ. So with those in our 
own land who have no correct knowledge of 
the way of salvation. For them, it is now time 
to sow. But in our congregations and Sab- 
bath-schools, and Christian families, it has 
been an incessant time of sowing. Tear after 
year we have been sowing, with no set time 
or definite attempt at reaping, or expectation 
of a harvest. So we may well hear the words 
of Jesus: "Say ye not, There are yet four 
months and then corneth the harvest ? Behold ! 
the fields are white already to the harvest." 
In every community there are those in whose 
hearts the seed has ripened for the sickle. 
May God make you wise to find them out. 

3. Every Christian is commissioned as a 
reaper. Do not think the minister or other 
officer of the church or the Sabbath-school 
teacher only is authorized to go. " Whoso- 



SUCCESS ASSUMED. 118 

ever:" that includes you, if you are a child of 
God. There is a place for all, and encour- 
agement for all. And remember, in battle it 
is not usually the sword of the officer. that 
kills, but the musket in the ranks. And iu 
this Christian -warfare, God sometimes em- 
ploys a little child to overthrow a giant who 
had withstood the heavier artillery of the 
pulpit. Let none think themselves too young 
or too obscure to be successful. There is a 
place for you. 

4. Seek opportunities of working. You are 
not to wait for sinners to come to you. It is 
painful to know that many who do come, 
desirous of finding Jesus, are not directed. A 
young friend of yours heard that you had be- 
come a Christian, and. she made an errand to 
call and see you. When the errand was done, 
she lingered and seemed sad, and you tried 
to cheer her; but you never dreamed that 
she had come with an aching heart, saying 
within herself, " Now my friend will tell me 
how to find the Saviour :" she could not open 
her heart and ask you, so she went away disap- 
pointed and discouraged, and. perhaps never 

again will come so near to God. 

8 



114 THE NEW LIFE. 

One of the mightiest intellects of the last 
generation was lost to the cause of evangeli- 
cal religion in this way. It is said, that Dr. 
"Win. E. Channing, -when a boy, rode with, 
his grandfather, who was a minister, to an ad- 
joining parish to attend a meeting. He was 
deeply impressed with the solemn truths pre- 
sented and said to himself : " Now, while we 
are riding home, grandfather will tell me all 
about this and I shall know what to do." 
They rode all the way home, and the old gen- 
tleman, never suspecting the state of his hearfc, 
never referred to the sermon or the subject. 
As they parted, the lad said to himself again : 
"There is nothing in all this; if there was, 
my grandfather would certainly have talked 
to me about it." The boy began to cavil, and 
turned away farther and farther, till he re- 
jected the doctrines of evangelical religion. 
Thousands have been turned from the truth 
or hardened in sin, -in the same way. How 
terrible to think of meeting at .the bar of God 
some poor lost soul, that walked by your side 
in some endearing relation of life, and hear- 
ing from his lips, as he turns away from you 
into "everlasting punishment," "I called upon 



SUCCESS ASSUKED. 115 

you when you first found Jesus, hoping you 
would show me the way ; but you had noth- 
ing to say, and now I must go away from him 
and heaven for ever." 

You are not to wait for those far from God 
to come to you. He that "goeth forth." 
Seek them out. "Go out into the highways 
and hedges," into the lanes and alleys, " and 
compel them to come in." 

Several young men of the Christian Associ- 
ation in Providence, E. I., took their Hymn 
Books and Testaments, and went into one of 
the dance-houses. There they found a hun- 
dred young men assembled by troops, drink- 
ing, smoking, gambling and carousing. They 
asked : 

"May we sing some of our songs to you?" 

"Oh yes." 

So they sang of Jesus and his love, and of 
free salvation, and the banks of the beautiful 
river. 

Silence soon reigned. The young men left 
their gambling and listened. Many a fond 
memory was -stirred, and the seed long sown 
sprang up. 

"Shall we read you from the Testament?" 

5 



116 THE NEW LIFE. 

No objection was made, and they read the 
old, old story of the cross; and then they 
knelfc and prayed. 

The result was, the transformation of the 
den of abomination into a house of prayer, 
and the conversion of a large number of the 
young men to God. 

Go out go "everywhere," as they did 
that were driven out of Jerusalem, "preach- 
ing the word" testifying of Jesus. Go to 
the places of concourse: the post-office, as 
they wait for the mail, the depot, the corners of 
the street ; go wherever men are to be met, go 
into the most unlikely places, go to the hard- 
est cases, go to personal friends, go to stran- 
gers, to the high and to the lowly. Go wisely, 
meekly, lovingly, but earnestly, prayerfully ; 
and Jesus will fulfil his promise, "Lo I am 
with you," and you shall bring sheaves. 

5. But the grand requisite is, Go weeping, 
bearing precious seed. The tender, loving, 
sympathizing spirit is what gives resistless 
power to the truth. Here lies the secret of a 
multitude of failures : we may go, even with 
the word of God, in so cold and heartless a 
manner as to repel, rather than attract, and 



SUCCESS ASSURED. 117 

harden rather than melt; or go with a wild 
rush of enthusiasm and excitement, without 
enough of the truth of God to have saying 
efficacy. It is the blending of these two ele- 
ments that, under the blessing of the Spirit, 
saves. "How is it," said a distinguished 
preacher to Garrick, "that our congregations 
remain unmoved under the exhibition of the 
most weighty truths, while yours are con- 
vulsed with emotion at the presentation of 
mere fiction?" "I will tell you," said the 
great tragedian. " You present the truth as 
if it were fiction, and we present fiction as if 
it were truth." 

The heart must be opened, before it can be 
filled. The rain might come down in torrents, 
it would never fill a sealed bottle. So the 
best of Christian teaching, if it is not admit- 
ted into the heart, is of no avail. 

The agents of the Christian commission 
gave us a lesson on this subject, that I hope 
will never be forgotten. This was the secret 
of their wonderful success in bringing sheaves. 

There is one of them approaching a wound- 
ed soldier. The poor fellow is bleeding to 
death, and has but a few hours left. At 



118 THE NEW LIFE. 

home, lie was a reprobate ; never went near 
the house of God, or regarded his name or 
his Sabbath. Listen! do you hear the mes- 
senger abruptly say, "Man, you have but a 
few hours to live ; you have been an awful 
sinner, and had better be making your peace 
with God." No ; the dying man would have 
repelled such an approach with curses, and 
spurned him away. 

But, with flowing tears he says, " My friend, 
your wounds have not been dressed ; let me 
bathe and dress them for you ;" so he binds 
them up as best he can. "You are very 
thirsty; let me peel this orange for you." So 
he puts it gently to his parched lips. 

"Now," says he, "your mother does not 
know of this ; let me write a letter for you." 
So he takes out his portfolio and writes, at 
.the dictation of the dying soldier, his last 
message to wife or mother. Tears begin to 
flow from those obdurate eyes, the heart is 
open, and he may do just what he pleases 
with it. 

"Now, you need a friend, that can go with 
you where wife or mother could not go; let 
nie recommend Jesus ; 



SUCCESS ASSURED. 119 

"The friend of sinners, yes, 'tis he, 
"With .garments dyed on Calvary." 

And the dying man, it may be hoped, re- 
ceiving the message, falls into the arms of 
bleeding Love, and presently is with Christ in 
paradise. 

That was substantially the history of hun- 
dreds, if not thousands on our battle-fields 
and in the hospitals. Oh, there is mighty 
power in a sympathizing tear : power with 
God, for it leads to importunate, energized 
prayer; and power with men, for it melts the 
heart like was. 

An Indian guide to a revolutionary soldier 
by the name of Cassikimao, was mortally 
wounded. The soldier came up to him and 
asked : 

"Do you know anything about Jesus 
Christ?" 

" Oh yes; me know much about that." 

" How long have you known about it?" 

"Long, long time ago when me very 
young. Me go see Indian, Kaunaumeek. In 
little log house me find pale man, all alone. 
He look sick. He meet Indian. He pray 
with him. He make much prayer. He talk 



120 THE NEW LIFE. 

out of Spirit book. Many times he look on 
Indian and say, 'Poor friend/ and his eyes all 
run down with tears. Me learn much." 
"What did he teach?" 
" He teach Son of God come down to this 
world he look like man he preach he 
make miracle ; he make broken-bone-man 
leap ; he make sick man well ; he make blind 
man see; he die for sinner, white and red. 
He in heaven now.; pray for poor sinner 
send him good heart." 

" Have you been in the habit of pray- 
ing to Him?" 

"Always ever since with pale man." 
" Shall you go to Him when you die ?" 
" Oh, yes ; me certain Jesus Christ no for- 
get poor Indian. Me never forget him one 
day. Me hope see him and pale missionary 
'fore morning. Me no fear. Inside eyes all 
open; inside heart all smooth like lake Sa- 
hillan. Me very weak now. Put my hands 
on my breast there, now me never move 
again till angel trumpet wake me. Lord 
Jesus, pity poor ignorant Indian. Make him 
white like snow ; make him beautiful like rain- 
now; make him all good, like thy own self; 



SUCCESS ASSUKED. 121 

and let Mm live with thee for ever and ever. 
Anien." 

So he died ; a sheaf gathered by a tear. 

It is stated that Dr. Judson, on a certain 
occasion, ascended a river in Burmah on a 
steamer. While the boat was lying by ihe 
shore one day, he landed and walked up on 
the bank. There he met a heathen woman of 
high caste. He went up to her, looked upon 
her with glowing face and streaming eyes, 
gently pressed her hand and pointed up, 
turned away again, and walked down to the 
boat. . She watched him till he disappeared ; 
then turning to a native who came along, she 
said : 

"Brother, I have seen an angel of God." 

That heavenly face, beaming with love, was 
before her, and she began to pray : " O God ! 
in the wind, in the clouds, in the earth, hear 
me ; help me !" And he did hear and help. 
Soon a female missionary was sent there, 
found her, and showed her the way to God 
through Jesus. With rapture she embraced 
the truth, became a teacher; and as the result, 
several self-sustaining schools and churches 
have been established there, and large num- 



122 THE NEW LIFE. 

bers converted to God ; all the fruit of a tear. 
It is tlie language of heart to heart. Go 
weeping, bearing the precious ssed of the 
truth, and you shall come again rejoicing, 
bringing sheaves with you. 

And remember, "he that soweth sparingly, 
shall reap also sparingly ; and he that soweth 
bountifully, shall reap also bountifully." 



SYMMETRY. 123 



X. 



SYMMETRY. 



j 



GOD wrought a miracle to make Zacliariali 
and Elisabeth the parents of the great fore- 
runner and herald of Jesus, because they 
were "walking in all the commandments and 
ordinances of the Lord blameless." Let us 
study this symmetry of Christian character, 
and learn what it is that God so highly 
honors. 

1. Symmetry includes constant advance- 
ment. 

They were " walking " in the right way. In 
this respect there are three, perhaps four, 
classes of Christians. 

There are those who are moving in the 
wrong way becoming less like Christ, less 
interested in his service, " backsliding." This 
is fearful, It is bad enough to be sliding 
down a precipitous hill towards a fearful abyss, 
with the face that way, so as to see the dan- 
ger; but to be sliding down backward, the 



124: THE NEW LIFE. 

face turned toward the celestial city, and 
dreaming of its pearly gates, yet all tlie "while 
sliding down toward the bottomless pit, that 
is dreadful. 

Then there are those who are standing 
still making no apparent progress. Mark 
where they are to-day, and in a twelvemonth 
they are there still. No more Christ-like, no 
more weaned from the world, no more active 
or devoted, when will they reach the pearly 
gates ? 

Then there are those who advance by im- 
pulses. They occasionally leap and run in 
the Christian race, make rapid progress for a 
while, and then pause. They are full of zeal 
and enthusiasm for a season, then cold and 
indolent. That is better than never to ad- 
vance at all. Commend me to the Christian 
that sometimes is awake and alive, rather 
than to one who is always dormant. Yet 
there is a more excellent way. 

Those whom God approves are making 
constant advancement, growing in grace, in 
knowledge, in spirituality, in activity, day by 
day. They are " steadfast, always abounding 
in the work of the Lord." They have a steady 



SYMMETRY. 125 

object before them; and watching thereunto 
with prayer, they get nearer to Jesus every 
day. These are rare gems. No wonder God 
sets such store by them, and scoured a king- 
dom once to find them. Yet it is the privi- 
lege of every believer so to walk. 

2. Symmetry has regard to all the com- 
mandments. 

It requires a due regard to every moral pre- 
cept. There is a great deal of gnarled reli- 
gion in this respect. There are good mothers 
who are unobliging neighbors. There are 
zealous men in the prayer-meeting, who are 
sour husbands or crabbed parents. There 
are earnest exhorters, that oppress their own 
hired men ; generous givers, who are hard in 
trade. There are daughters very devoted to 
young friends, but indifferent and unsympa- 
thizing with their mothers and sisters. The 
religion that God loves is alike good every- 
where, breathing the spirit of Jesus upon all 
around, and embracing every relation of life. 

3. Symmetry embraces all the ordinances : 
The positive institutions of religion, as well 

as its moral precepts: those which pertain 
directly to God, as well as those which per- 



126 THE NEW LIFE. 

tain to our fellow-men. It is strange, but 
there are those who are exceedingly conscien- 
tious in regard to their duties to men, who 
excuse themselves from, walking in the ordi- 
nances of God ; as if they were more deeply 
indebted to their fellows than to their Creator 
and [Redeemer. 

God demands and deserves our homage and 
worship, and worship requires some forms 
and ordinances by which it may be regula- 
ted. God has established these, and it is not 
for us to change or neglect them. Under the 
gospel they are as simple and pleasant as 
love can make them. The closet, for private 
communion with God ; the family altar, where 
God shall be recognized by the household; 
the Sabbath, with its public worship and 
works of love ; the public profession of Christ, 
entering his fold in the way of his appoint- 
ment, by baptism and the Lord's Supper. 

There are many, and the number is pain- 
fully increasing, who try to be Christians pri- 
vately, and say, " Cannot I be a good Chris- 
tian without making a public profession of 
religion?" But this is Christ's own appoint- 
ment, and we are not at liberty to change or 



STMMETEY. 127 

neglect it. He- says, " "Whoso coniessetli me 
before men, him will I confess before my Fa- 
ther and the holy angels." 

But yon say, "I do confess him. I am 
willing to say to any one who asks me, that I 
believe in him, and hope in him." But that 
is not the way Christ has appointed to con- 
fess him. He says, "Do this in remembrance 
of me." You propose to remember him in 
some other way; but he says, "Do this." If 
a very dear friend, to whom you were under 
unspeakable obligations, should give you a 
ring in dying, and say, " "Wear this in remem- 
brance of me," you would never feel satisfied 
to throw it away, and say, "I will wear his 
glove." If Jesus had made no " ordinance " 
for this purpose, you might select your own 
methods; but where he has so distinctly ap- 
pointed the way, "Do. this," you are not at 
liberty to substitute something else. 

Personal comfort and progress require it. 
In an experience of over forty years, I have 
never found a strong, happy, growing Chris- 
tian remaining out of the church. I have 
found many trying to. nurse a sickly, feeble 
hope which they had entertained for twenty, 



128 THE NEW LIFE. 

thirty, and even fifty years; but it was with 
difficulty they could keep it alive. It had 
never giown stronger, usually weaker and 
weaker, and less satisfactory to themselves. 

Usefulness requires it. How can you say 
anything for Christ while you do not profess 
to be his? If you endeavor to live in all 
other respects a Christian life, it is so much 
subtracted from the claims of religion. The 
world look on and say, " There is as good a 
man as there is in this community, and he 
does not profess to be a Christian." And so 
they put down to the credit of human nature 
what is due to the grace of God, and rob him 
of his glory. 

Then what if all followed your example, as 
all have an equal right to do? There would 
be no churches, there would be no commu- 
nion, and soon there would be no public wor- 
ship, and ere long no Christian institutions 
whatever. Jesus knew what we needed when 
he established his fold and appointed its dis- 
tinguishing features. All there is of value to 
society and to the world in Christian institu- 
tions requires that you walk in all the Divine 
ordinances. 



SYHMETBY. 

And, finally, gratitude to your Eedeemei 
requires it. It seems to me, if I were going 
to select one of the commands of Christ tliat 
I "would not obey, tliis dying requirement-- 
made as he held the cup in his hand, as a 
memorial of his blood, which was to be poured 
out on the following day, made from the ful- 
ness of a heart of love, and made for my own 
good should be the last. 

No. If you would be strong in the Lord, 
useful in the world, confident of Divine ap- 
probation, make no reservation. Never ask, 
"How h'ttle can I do and be a Christian?" 
but, " What shall I render to the Lord for all 
his benefits ?" How shall I manifest my love 
and gratitude to him who has done so much 
for me," and walk in all the commandments 
and ordinances blameless ? 



The New Life. 



130 THE NEW LIFE. 



XI. 

BLAMELESSNESS, 

ONE little word in tlie cliaracter of Zacha- 
rias and Elisabeth contains a world of mean- 
ing "blameless." There are Christians of 
great activity and talent, whose usefulness is 
paralyzed by some great defect. The accu- 
mulations of a lifetime may be lost by a sin- 
gle misstep. Hard-earned reputation, the 
fruit of years of toil and care, is destroyed by 
a single misdemeanor. It is pitiful to see the 
ruin thus occasioned, and one's utmost effort 
for usefulness neutralized. 

Not that you can always avoid being blamed. 
This term does not imply that men will never 
complain of you. As long as they are selfish 
and depraved, or liable to mistakes, you may 
be blamed. Jesus was blamed and hated. 
He was killed simply because he testified of 
the world that its deeds are evil. If you are 
a true and faithful witness for Christ, the 
world will hate you, and speak all manner of 



BLAMELESSNESS. 131 

evil against yon. Do not let that distress 
you. . 

But to be " blameless " is so to live as to 
be without blanie before God, and to give no 
just cause for blame before men. This re- 
quires that you should abstain 

1. From all injurious employments the 
manufacture or sale of any article chiefly or 
largely detrimental to society or to individu- 
als : intoxicating drinks, tobacco, gambling 
implements, obscene, immoral, or skeptical 
books and prints, or any work that requires 
the habitual violation of the Sabbath. There 
are enough employments that are useful, and 
will enable you to do good, while promoting 
your own interests. And it is important to 
select an occupation which will afford the 
best opportunities of blessing others, while 
you provide for yourself. The spirit of Je- 
sus can and should permeate the business of 
life. He brought heaven into every-day du- 
ties. 

2. From all unchristian methods of prose- 
cuting a business in itself lawful and good. 
If you would be blameless, you should not 
serve as clerk for one who requires you to 

6 



132 THE NEW LIFE. 

misrepresent his goods ; nor, as apprentice or 
journeyman, to one who requires you to im- 
pose bad work for good upon Ms customers. 
You should not overreach in buying and sell- 
ing, or take advantage of the necessities of 
the poor. No customs of the trade, no com- 
mands of an employer, no universal practice 
will make you "blameless" before God in 
these matters. Strict integrity and upright- 
ness should govern you. 

The tongue. You will find occasion for a 
strict watch over this " unruly" member. " The 
tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. It set- 
teth on fire the course of nature." Half the 
anguish of a groaning world proceeds from 
an untamed tongue. "He that keepeth his 
tongue shall be able to govern his whole 
body." Smother an unholy feeling and it will 
die. Give vent to it by speech and it is like 
a flame burst forth. An unkind word, a care- 
less jest, an insinuation may be the death- 
knell to hope or happiness to some one. Let 
the law of kindness be on your lips, let no back- 
biting, vulgar, injurious word ever issue from 
them ; "by thy words thou shalt be justified, 
and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." 



BLAHELESSNESS. 133 

Amusements. Here we enter upon deli- 
cate and somewhat debatable ground. That 
soul and body require recreation is certain. 
How it may " blamelessly" and wisely be se- 
cured is the question. 

The most common resort for this purpose 
is to. games of chance or skill. These games 
appeal to a certain trait which God has im- 
planted in every mind, and which in its natu- 
ral connections is wholesome. And he has 
made provision for its gratification by con- 
necting with all the industries of the world, 
just enough of uncertainty to give a pleasant 
exercise to this inherent trait of our nature. 
If the farmer knew just how much he should 
raise, or the merchant just what his profits 
would be, or the artist just how he would suc- 
ceed, much of the interest of those avocations 
would be gone. And the stronger this pro- 
pensity is, in any mind, the more of hazard is 
sought. Hence there are those who prefer 
the fatigue and privations and perils of the 
explorer, the hunter, the navigator, or the 
soldier, to the quiet of home. 

But when this propensity is taken out of 
its normal relations and concentrated, like 



134 THE NEW LIFE. 

distilled liquids, it becomes dangerous and 
destructive, leading on to gambling and all its 
deadly consequences. If so, is not society at 
fault in furnishing, almost from the cradle, all 
manner of " innocent" games for amusement? 
All that ingenuity and skill and money can 
do to multiply these forms of gratification is 
done. And like every other propensity of 
body or soul, as they are unduly indulged, 
they crave greater and greater indulgence, 
till it is well nigh impossible to satisfy them. 
So children come to maturity with a burning 
passion for hazard. "What wonder that the 
pathway of adventures, though strewn with 
the graves of disappointed victims, is still 
thronged with eager candidates ; and that the 
gambling hells all over the land are glutted 
with wrecks of noble manhood ! 

Taking society as it is, two rules may aid 
the Christian in walking "blameless." 
- First, never engage in any games which are 
often perverted into gambling. Do not use 
the implements, cards, dice, or what not, usu- 
ally employed by the gambler. They lead to 
temptation, and the example is pernicious. 
Most of those who have become enslaved to 



BLAMELESSNESS. 135 

that destructive vice, have come from the 
classes of moderate players, as drunkards all 
come from moderate drinkers. 

And secondly, those games usually consid- 
ered innocent, and which are not perverted 
to gambling, may only be pursued in modera- 
tion, and when mind or body needs recreation. 
To pursue them for the sake of the amuse- 
ment, is a sinful waste of time. Every mo- 
ment is precious, and may bear golden fruit, 
if rightly improved. No Christian can afford 
to lose it. And a thousand forms of recreation 
are open, embodying usefulness with pleasure. 

Places of amusement. The same rules ap- 
ply to these. Such as are notoriously promo- 
tive of vice and wickedness, like the theatre 
and the circus, cannot be blamelessly visited 
by the Christian. 

I think the general conviction of men of 
the world was indicated in the case of a 
young friend of mine some years ago. She 
was receiving the attentions of a young man 
who made no pretensions to religion, and he 
repeatedly invited her to attend 'the theatre, 
but she declined. As he persisted in his re- 
quests she told him : "I am a professor of re- 



136 THE NEW LIFE. 

ligion and do not think it consistent for me 
to go there." After they were married he 
said to her : " If you had gone to the theatre 
with me, I should never have married you. 
When I found out you were a member of the 
church, I should have said : ' That is no place 
for a Christian, and if she can betray her 
Saviour, she may betray me.' " 

The same rule applies to balls and assem- 
blies and public dancing. Certainly the social 
affections may be cultivated in every innocent 
and harmless way. But such assemblies as, 
by late hours, bad air and insufficient dress 
or over exertion, injure the health or by 
temptation to vain show in dress, to excite- 
ment of the passions, to pride, jealousy, or 
dissipation, injure the soul cannot be con- 
sidered " blameless." 

One general principle underlies all these 
matters. The Christian who has reached the 
point where he is desirous to entertain the 
question whether he may not innocently enjoy 
a game of whist or billiards, or a social dance, 
has already gone far from Christ, and should 
be aroused to earnest effort to return. So much 
sweeter, so infinitely superior are the joys of 



BLAMELESSNESS. 137 

the Christian heart, when filled with the Spir- 
it of God, to anything of this kind the world 
can give,"that there will be no disposition to 
raise such an inquiry. 

And I beseech 'you, when constrained to 
decline such invitations and separate yourself 
from these frivolous pleasures, never do it 
with a melancholy face, and such an appear- 
ance as to lead others to say : " I pity these 
poor Christians ; they are shut out from every- 
" thing pleasant." But with such glowing 
heart and beaming eyes as will constrain 
them to feel: "How superior to ours are the 
joys of Christians. I wish I could drink of 
the same fountain, and know the blessedness 
of the Christian experience!" So shall you 
not only be "blameless," but attract the poor 
pleasure-seeker to Jesus and to heaven. 



138 THE NEW LIFE. 



XII. 

THE POWER. 

"YE shall receive power, after that tlie Holy 
Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be wit- 
nesses unto me." Let me ask your special 
consideration of this baptism of the Spirit 
the source of powei 1 for the service of God. 

1. It is a mighty power to give courage and 
endurance to the Christian. 

It will make the most timid and shrinking 
bold as a lion. Look at the wonderful change 
it wrought in the apostles. See Peter, stealth- 
ily creeping to the door of the hall where 
Jesus was under examination, trembling and 
denying his Lord from the questioning of a 
maid; and then see and hear him as he 
preaches on the day of Pentecost, charging 
upon the Sanhedrim the murder of Jesus; 
" Him ye have taken and by wicked hands 
have crucified and slain." What has hap- 
pened to Peter ? Simply this baptism of the 
Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, " they were 



THE POWEE. 139 

all filled with the Hoty Ghost, and began to 
speak with other tongues as the Spirit gaye 
them utterance." And surely, none who com- 
pare the words of Peter in the judgment hall, 
with his subsequent words in the temple, can 
doubt for a moment that he spoke with an- 
other tongue. This heavenly Messenger is 
still given for the same purpose, and if you 
receive this baptism you will receive strength 
to do and to bear. 

2. It is a mighty power to give light to the 
understanding. 

The apostles had been three years in the 
school of Christ, but they were not prepared 
to preach till they received this Divine illumi- 
nation. "Tarry ye in Jerusalem, until ye 
be endued with power from on high." They 
did not understand the spirituality of his 
kingdom. Nothing but actual vision could 
convince them of the resurrection. But after 
that baptism, how clear their perceptions; 
how glorious their vision of eternal things 
never erring, never at a loss to understand 
and preach the great mysteries of the king- 
dom. So mighty is the Holy Ghost as a 
teacher and guide. 



THE NEW LIFE. 

No school of the prophets now can qualify 
for this work. " He," said Jesus, " shall teach 
you all things, and bring all things to your 
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto 
you. He shall lead you into all truth. He 
shall take of the things of mine and shall 
show them unto you." So he still leads all 
who yield to his teachings to a true under- 
standing of the way. 

But it is important to remember the meth- 
od of his teaching. It is not, ordinarily, by a 
direct and immediate communication to our 
hearts, acting as an original and independ- 
ent teacher, sent to make a new revelation of 
God to man. Christ says, "He shall take of 
mine, and shall show it unto you." The word 
of God is his sword, and we feel the sword, 
not the hand that wields it. 

I would not say that the Spirit does not 
communicate directly with our spirits. No 
doubt impressions have been and still are re- 
ceived directly from his influences. But they 
are not to be relied upon or waited for, as a 
standard of duty. Depending on pretended 
direct impressions, has been the source of 
very much of the delusion and fanaticism in 



THE POWER. 141 

the world. Other spirits, besides the Spirit 
of God, may make impressions upon us, trans- 
forming themselves into angels of light. And 
we can only discriminate between the true 
' and the false by comparing them with the 
word of God. " To the law and to the testi- 
mony." Of late it seems to have been the 
grand device of Satan to supplant the truth 
of God by spirit manifestations, so called; 
and the most ridiculous and puerile state- 
ments of "mediums" have" been allowed to 
outweigh the testimony of Jesus. Give no 
heed to these seducing spirits. I have known 
spiritual teachers, so called, to be. led to at- 
tempt the most absurd things, following, as 
they believed, the suggestions of the Spirit, 
and yielding themselves to the control .of those 
delusions, instead of the teaching of tho word. 
Those who yield thus can never know to what 
length of fanaticism and folly they may go. 

Follow the teaching of the Spirit, wait and 
pray for Divine illumination, but only through 
the word. If ever tempted by any impres- 
sion to turn away from " the truth as it is in 
Jesus," say to that tempting spirit, " Get thee 
behind me, Satan." 



142 THE NEW Lirr. 

4. The Holy Spirit is tlie power to " con- 
vince of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, 

This is its legitimate work. It produces 
spiritual sensibility gives energy to con- 
science, and vividness to the sense of obliga- ' 
tion and responsibility. Then it renews the 
heart; makes the sinner a new creature in 
Christ Jesus, and he is born again. 

5. In its fulness it imparts a radiance to 
the Christian which is well nigh irresistible. 

It may be experienced in the midst of life. 
In a revival of religion in a manufacturing 
village, one of the brethren was deeply moved. 
He went into the weavers' room, where he 
could scarcely be heard; but the swelling 
emotions of his heart could not be concealed. 
They were struck with his appearance. He 
passed through the room ; and the result was, 
the gate was shut down, the inmates crowded 
to the place of prayer, and the proprietor and 
a large part of the operatives were brought to 
Christ. 



THE METHODS. 143 



XIII. 

THE METHODS. 

1. SPEAK for Jesus. 

Use the power of speech, that heaven-born 
gift of God, for his glory. " Then they that 
feared the Lord spake often one to another, 
and the Lord hearkened and heard." By 
speech, all that is good in you, and would 
otherwise die with you, becomes the property 
of the world, and goes forth to influence the 
world. ' 

Speak, then, a word of exhortation to 
stimulate to activity; a word of admonition 
to guard against danger ; a word of instruc- 
tion to enlighten the ignorant; a word of 
praise glorifying God; a word of confes- 
sion melting the heart of opposition ; a word 
of prayer bringing down blessings. 

The word of the Lord is the fire and the 
hammer. Speak" it to Christians, speak to 
sinners. Speak to the mourner, the tempted, 
the anxious, the hardened. Speak of your 



144 THE NEW LIFE. 

love to Jesus, and to all about you. Of what 
avail for good are pure and heavenly emotions 
if shut up in your own heart. Open your 
heart to your children, your wife, your dear 
friends. " Speak often," speak freely, always 
speak in love. 

2. "Write for Jesus. 

!Nbt one Christian in a thousand begins to 
appreciate the value of correspondence, as a 
power for good. A word spoken may be lost 
from diverted attention ; it may be resisted, 
it may be debated; but a kind and loving 
epistle, taken to the chamber, where there is 
no object to distract, no room for discussion, 
no occasion for shame; a letter from home, 
endorsed by all the endearing recollections of 
loved ones away, in the calm retreat with 
time and room for reflection, is a powerful 
appeal, and often pierces to the heart. I 
have in my possession many missiles of this 
description, which have been sharp in the 
hearts of the King's enemies, and which are 
dear to me, for the execution they have done, 
and beautiful for their simplicity. I cannot 
refrain from inserting one as a specimen. It 
was written by a daughter, herself scarcely a 



THE METHODS. 145 

fortnight old in Christ, to her father, who had 
been for twenty years a confirmed atheist, and 
which was instrumental in bringing him and 
all the other members of the family to the feet 
of Jesus. So bitter was he in his hostility to 
the truth, that when he heard his daugh- 
ter was seeking salvation, he threatened to 
send for "Paine's Age of Reason" for her to 
read. He would not have her earned away 
with fanatical escitement. But he was dis- 
suaded from that ; and she soon found peace 
in believing. Then, as he had gone away a 
few miles to attend to his labor, she sat 
down and wrote him the following simple 
letter : 

" DEAK FATHER : Although it is a very great 
cross to me to write you, knowing as I do 
your opinion on the subject of religion, still I 
feel it my duty, and had rather write than talk 
to you. 

"A great change has taken place in my 
heart in a few months, and I trust my sins 
are forgiven; and I mean, henceforth, God 
helping me, to lead a Christian life, and not 
seek after any earthly good, but live to the 
honor and glory of God. 

The New Life. 10 



146 THE NEW LIFE. 

" Bnt what pains me most is, that I must 
walk alone in the Christian life neither fa- 
ther nor mother to help and guide me. Per- 
haps you may think it all nonsense, and the 
escilenient of the time ; but I never was more 
calm and considerate than at the present mo- 
ment. "We know there is a heaven and a hell, 
and that there is a God ; and that we must 
all die and be judged by him ; and we know 
not how long we may live, any of us. Oh, 
then, dear father, I beseech you make your 
peace with God, and suffer not another day to 
pass till you become a Christian. That we 
may all meet, an unbroken family in heaven, 
is the prayer of your loving daughter 

" ELLEN." 

The father said the first thing he did, when 
he received that letter, was to "knock off 
swearing ;" but that did not help him much. 
So he left his work and went home, and to 
the surprise of everybody went to the house 
of Gbd. He gave up his atheism and yielded 
his heart to Christ; and they are now a hap- 
py, " unbroken family," on their way to 
heaven. 

Looking over my files, I find letters from 



THE METHODS. 147 

a pastor's daughter to a schoolmate in the 
same room; from a merchant to another in 
an 'adjoining town, with whom he was inti- 
mate ; from a teacher to a pupil in his school ; 
from a young man in Boston to a friend whom 
he had never seen, all effective in promoting 
the conversion of those to whom they were 
written. 

Write for Jesus. Do not let one day pass 
without despatching some message for Christ. 
Write to intimate friends. Write to broth- 
ers, sisters, parents, children, schoolmates, 
Sunday-school scholars, comrades, at home 
and abroad, near and afar off. For three 
cents you can preach Jesus to one in Califor- 
nia or Alaska. And oh, the preciousness of 
such a message to one so far away. Never, 
till you know by experience what it is, a thou- 
sand miles from kindred and friends, among 
strangers, longing for sympathy, to receive 
such a missile, will you know what such a 
message is worth. Indict every word with 
prayer, baptize it with tears, seal it with lovq 
and send it forth, followed by aspirations to 
God, and it shall not be in vain. 

3. Sing for Jesus. 

7 



148 THE NEW LIFE. 

Here is another source "of power, but little 
understood. Music is the language of the 
emotions as words are of thought. And there 
is great need of inspiration. Men know bet- 
ter than they are willing to do. Melody 
arouses even the animal instincts. The hip- 
popotami follow the British regiments up 
and down the rivers of India, attracted by the 
martial bands. The wornout and broken- 
down cavalry horses of Sheridan, grazing in 
the pasture at City Point, when they heard 
the bugles of Gen. Grant, pricked up. their 
ears, formed themselves in line, and charged 
on a plank fence and stove it to pieces. Two 
or three simple but inspiring national airs, 
sung everywhere, were worth more than twen- 
ty recruiting officers in filling the depleted 
ranks of the army. Who does not know the 
power of the Scotch pibroch or the Marsei- 
llaise ? But none can appreciate the glory of 
song save those who sing with the Spirit, 
whose souls are tuned to praise. 

An intemperate Universalist, ragged and 
forlorn, recently straggled by a chapel where 
the people of God were assembled. As 
passed he heard them singing, 



THE METHODS. 149 

"Nearer, my God, to tliee ; nearer to thee." 

He stepped up to the gate and stood, spell- 
bound by the melody, till first a brother and 
then a sister with glowing face invited him to 
go in. He went, and his heart was melted 
and subdued. Then sing of Jesus : 

"Sing of his dying love, 

Sing of his rising power, 
Sing how he intercedes above 
For those whose sins he bore.' 

Sing familiar hymns and tunes; for devo- 
tional melody, unlike words, never clogs or 
becomes stale. In sacred music the power of 
thought and feeling are combined. " Teach- 
ing and admonishing one another in psalms 
and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and 
making melody in your heart to the Lord." 
" Sing praises unto God; sing praises." 

"Sing till you feel your heart 

Ascending with the tongue ; 
Sing, till the love of sin depart, 
And grace inspire your song." 

4. Scatter the printed page. 
Beside all waters in all forms. Never be 
without the handbill and the tract. Enclose 



150 THE NEW LIFE. 

them in your letters. Drop -them bj the way- 
side. Lay them on your counter do them -up 
in every package. You have heard of a post- 
master, accustomed to hand them out with 
letters, till he received numerous letters of 
thanks from those who had been led to Jesus 
by reading them. Be on the watch for op- 
portunities. 

5. Take aim. 

It is estimated that in common musketry it 
takes an average of eighty bullets to bring 
down a man. But with a sharpshooter, perch- 
ed in a tree or hidden behind some ambush, 
taking deliberate aim, nearly every shot is 
effective. 

So in the Christian warfare a vast amount 
of ammunition is wasted in vague and general 
effort, for want of aim. Select your man. 
Single out individuals and labor and pray for 
their conversion. 

In a revival, several years ago, three young 
converts began to mark down their compan- 
ions, and one after another was converted, 
till each of them had a list ranging from 
twenty-five to thirty-one, more than three- 
fourths of whom were trusting in llie Saviour- 



THE METHODS. 151 

In another place, several sisters united togeth- 
er in such a definite aim, till over one hun- 
dred were born into the kingdom of Christ. 

Despise not the day of small things. 

Do the least service Christ has for you. If 
you cannot convert a sinner, give a cup of 
cold water to a disciple. 

"There are woes which you may lighten, 

And burdens you may share ; 
And hopes with which to brighten 

The shadows of despair. 
Then no more wait, but earnest 

Begin at early dawn, 
For angels now are calling 

And you will soon be gone." 

In all this wield the sword of the Spirit, 
which is the word of God. 

6. Be wholly consecrated. 

Present your body and spirit a. living sacri- 
fice, holy and acceptable to God; which is 
your reasonable service. "Seek first the 
kingdom of God." Renouncing self, seek only 
the honor of Christ, and you shall inherit all 
things. One of the sweet paradoxes of the 
gospel is, " As you give to Christ, you inher- 
it." If you love your neighbor as yourself, 
then all your neighbor's prosperity is yours. 



152 THE NEW LIFE. 

This love is sometimes seen between two 
Mends. But in the Christian heart it extends 
to all ; whatever of blessedness is enjoyed by 
any one is mine, if perfect love reign in my 
heart. 

Thus, be wise to win souls. Study to adapt 
yourself to the circumstances the wants the 
habitudes of the age and people among whom 
you live. 



CHEIST ALL IN ALL. 153 

XIV. 

PHRIST ALL IN ALL, 

"Pui" ye on the Lord Jesus Christ." As 
the sun of righteousness, let him fill your 
whole horizon. Paul says, "I determined to 
know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ 
and him crucified." "In him dwelt all the 
fulness of the Godhead bodily." Make him 
all in all to you. 

1. As your Foundation. 

"Behold," says God, "I lay in Zion for a 
foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious 
corner-stone, a sure foundation. "Whosoever 
believeth in him shall not be confounded." 
"Other foundation can no man lay." Gold 
and silver will perish, the adamantine rock 
decay, but Jesus abides. Build only on 
Christ. 

2. As your Teacher : 

The teacher that came from God. Other 
men spake as they were moved by the Holy 
Ghost ; but it was only on some matter thus 
revealed to them. Jesus spoke of his own, 



154 THE NEW LIFE. 

from personal knowledge. He spoke with 
authority as never man spoke. He brought 
life and immortality to light. Blot out the 
teachings of Christ, by his own lips and those 
of his apostles, and night would, fall upon the 
spiritual world, as deep and dreadful as if the 
sun were blotted from heaven. 

3. As your Example. 

"Follow me," says Jesus. He asks you to 
go nowhere that he has not gone before you. 
Take no other model you might imitate 
some great defect; but Christ is perfect. 
His spirit is to be your spirit. " Christ in 
you." His mission is your mission ; and how 
glorious that mission TO BLESS EVERYBODY; 
to "save a soul from death and hide a multi- 
tude of sins." Let Jesus be your pattern. 

4. As the Victor over death. 

"I am the Resurrection and the Life. He 
that believeth in me, though he were dead, 
yet shall he live." "Now is Christ risen from 
.the' dead, and become the first fruits of them 
that slept." This body shall sleep in Jesus, 
and by his power shall be awakened from that 
slumber. He has triumphed over death and 
led captivity captive. 



CHEIST ALL IN ALL. 155 

5. As your great High Priest. 

"He ever liveth to make intercession for 
you." The high priest, when he went into the 
most holy place, once a year, to make atone- 
ment for the sins of the people, bound upon his 
heart the golden breastplate, wherein, upon 
twelve precious stones, were engraved the 
names of the twelve tribes of Israel. So 
Jesus has entered into the most holy place in 
heaven, and bears upon his heart the names 
of all who have put their trust in him, before 
the throne. 

What a thought is this ! Is Christ your 
Mediator with God? Then you are not un- 
known in heaven. Jesus has presented your 
name and had it recorded there in his book 
of life, and bears it on his heart before God. 
"When you reach the pearly gate and knock 
for entrance, and the angel inquires who you 
are, and you present your name : " Oh, yes," 
he will say, "we were expecting you. I re- 
member when your name was borne by the 
great High Priest before the throne. Come 
in, thou blessed of the Lord." So you are 
escorted through the streets of the celestial 
city, not as a stranger, but as one long known 



156 THE NEW LIFE. 

and waited for. Ob. make it certain tliat 
Christ is all in all to you as your Mediator 
with God. Let no other trust intrude. 

"Oh, can I bear the -piercing thought, 
"What if my name should be left out 
When Thou for them shalt call !" 

6. As your Bang, your Commander. 

Like a good soldier you must be at your 
post at roll-call. Let no other lord have 
dominion over you. Leap to do the first and 
slightest bidding of your Great Captain. 
Covet the post of honor in some self-denying 
struggle. Then Christ as your King shall 
extend his protecting arm over you. If you 
owe him fealty as King, he owes you protec- 
tion. And till his mighty arm is subdued, 
none shall pluck you out of his hand, or sepa- 
rate you from his love. 

7. As your Forerunner. 

" I go to prepare a place for you." A man- 
sion, a crown, a kingdom. Glory, honor, and 
eternal life. " And if I go and prepare a place 
for you, I will come again, and receive you 
unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be 
also." 



CHEIST ALL IN ALL. 157 

8. As himself the everlasting portion of 
your soul. 

" As thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee, 
that they also may be one in us :" to be 
swallowed up in God, perfectly identified with 
all that is good and blessed in the universe. 
So shall heaven be a glorious reunion of all 
who have toiled and fought, and come off con- 
querors and more than conquerors, "through 
the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their 
testimony." 

May you be enabled by the grace of God, 
so to maintain this conflict, as to say at last, 
with another Christian soldier, "I am now 
ready to be offered .... I have fought a good 
fight; I have finished my course ; I have kept 
the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, 
the righteous Judge, shall give me at that 
day." 

"But, while I'm a stranger, away from my home, 

I '11 toil in the vineyard and pray ; 
I '11 carry the cross while I think of the crown, 
And watch for the break of the day." 



QUARTO 

FOE THE YOUNG, 



GOLDEN THREADS. 153 splendid engravings, and 
most attractive and instructive reading. $2 50 ; gilt, $3 ; 
half morocco, gilt, $3 50. 

STORIES FOR THE FIRESIDE. Vols. I. and n. 

Each 72 pp. 8vo. Vol. I. contains 15 and Vol. II. 12 large 
engravings. Beautiful volumes in fair type for young 
eyes. Illuminated covers. 75 c. each. 

HOME SCENES. 14 fine photographic pictures. $3 
cloth, gilt ; $5 morocco, gilt. 

BEASTS AND BIRDS OF AMERICA. 23 engra- 
vings. 

BEASTS AND BIRDS OF EUROPE AND ASIA. 

20 engravings. 

BEASTS AND BIRDS OF AFRICA. 25 engravings. 

WILD BEASTS AND BIRDS OF AMERICA. 22 

engravings. 

Each containing 64 pp., with illuminated paper cover. 
40 cts., or in boards, 50c. The four beautifully bound in 
one volume. Cloth, $2 ; gilt, $2 50. 

PICTURES OF LIFE, WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 

With 112 engravings. SI 75 ; gilt, $2 25. 

VIEWS FROM NATURE. *0 engravings. Finely 
printed in tint. $1 25 ; extra, $1 50. 

GLAD TIDINGS. 24 pictorial tracts in popular style. 
24 engravings. Illuminated cover. 50 cts. 

AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 

150 NASSAU STEEET, NEW YORK. 

To toe had at tlic Society's Ueppsitory, of tlie Soci- 
ety's Agents, and of Booksellers generally. 



Mr 



I 



IIS 11 



48 431 092 




^;%|^^^^ 

jjjt&M'- : '-.'. -' -V:^- y':3 UNIVFRci- 




