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Illustrations Of
Bible Truth
By Henry Allan Ironside
B&P
Bibles & Publications
5706 Monkland, Montréal, Québec H4A 1E6
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BibleTruthPublishers.com
59 Industrial Road, Addison, IL 60101, U.S.A.
BTP# 9497
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Illustrations Of Bible Truth
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Contents
Preface .............................................................................9
Scripture Index ..............................................................11
Doubtful ings ............................................................15
Discerning Love ............................................................17
Evil Communications ....................................................19
He Did His Part ............................................................ 21
Help ose Women ....................................................... 23
Passing Trials .................................................................25
Lost in the Church ........................................................27
e Oer of the Irish Landlord.....................................29
God’s Blessed Man ........................................................ 33
Encouragement to Pray .................................................37
A Preacher on Missions .................................................41
e Preacher and Fried Chicken ...................................43
Milk Your Own Cow .....................................................47
e Two Natures ...........................................................51
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Honor to Whom Honor Is Due ....................................53
Washing Out the Scent .................................................55
Satisfaction in Christ ..................................................... 57
On Top of the Beer Barrel .............................................59
“Read Ezekiel 7:8-9” ......................................................63
e Lord’s Spectacles ....................................................65
Accepted in the Beloved ................................................67
Standing Where the Fire Has Been ..............................69
A Victim of Wrong Information ...................................71
Cobbling for the Glory of God .....................................75
Blind Leaders of the Blind ............................................79
Law and Grace ..............................................................81
e Gift of God ............................................................85
e New Man ...............................................................87
e Wrong Remedy ......................................................89
A Lost Opportunity ......................................................93
Example of New Birth ..................................................95
An Arrow Shot at a Venture .......................................... 99
Possessing Our Possessions .........................................103
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e Cleansing Word ....................................................105
In the Cleft of the Rock ..............................................109
A Buttery Used to Answer Prayer .............................111
Only ree Weeks to Live ...........................................113
Patriotism-Plus ............................................................119
Why the Train Was Wrecked ......................................123
e Hen and the Lizard ..............................................125
“Lippen to” Jesus ..........................................................127
Open the Door to Jesus ...............................................129
Who Can Pay? ............................................................131
A Good Sinner ............................................................ 135
e Human Fly ...........................................................137
“I’m in for a Good Time” .............................................139
Not Only Necessary — but Enough ..........................143
e One Mediator .......................................................147
e Unsettled Past .......................................................149
e Conversion of omas Scott, a Unitarian .............153
No Oil in the Lamp ....................................................155
Praying or Trusting ......................................................159
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Living the Christ Life .................................................163
Honest Doubt .............................................................165
e Blood Counts for Something ...............................167
e Wrong Door .........................................................169
Salvation Altogether of God .......................................171
e Bible a Mirror ....................................................... 173
e Righteousness of God ..........................................175
Total Depravity............................................................179
e Fullness of the Scriptures ......................................181
Simplicity in Prayer .....................................................183
Verbal Inspiration ........................................................ 187
e Ribbon of Blue .....................................................191
Copper Nails ...............................................................193
Magnifying Christ .......................................................197
Holding on to Spikes...................................................201
Possessing Our Possessions .........................................205
e Hands of the Saviour ............................................ 209
Hasty Conclusions.......................................................213
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Preface
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Preface
I think it was Charles H. Spurgeon who said, “e
sermon is the house; the illustrations are the windows that
let in the light.” Whether this remark was original with
him or not, it is very true and deserves to be kept in mind
and practically applied by those who would preach the
Word in compelling power.
Some object to the use of anecdotes of any kind in
preaching and teaching, and think all that is needed is the
unfolding of the truth. But most minds are so constituted
that they need illustrations to enable them readily to grasp
the full import of the message. Our Lord Himself used
this method continually and in this, as in other things, He
has left “us an example, that ye should follow his steps.”
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Scripture Index
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Scripture Index
Scripture Reference Page Number
Genesis 7:1 143
Leviticus 17:11 80
Numbers 15:38-40 134
1Kings 17:16 127
1Kings 20:40 59
Job 5:1 100
Psalm 1:1 19
Psalm 22:16 148
Psalm 32:3 136
Psalm 50:15 68
Proverbs 23:31-32 82
Proverbs 29:1 37
Ecclesiastes 3:15 102
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Isaiah 59:5-6 93
Jeremiah 8:11 56
Jeremiah 17:9 125
Jeremiah 32:27 70
Ezekiel 7:8-9 37
Obadiah 1:17 145
Zechariah 13:6 148
Matthew 7:1 150
Matthew 15:14 50
Matthew 21:22 21
Matthew 23:8 31
Matthew 25:3 106
Luke 7:42 88
Luke 19:10 11
John 3:7 63
John 3:18 72
John 5:23 104
John 5:24 65
John 6:47 84
John 10:9 117
John 10:25 16
John 15:13 77
John 20:27 148
Romans 3:22-23 92
Romans 5:10 77
Romans 6:15 51
Romans 6:21 35
Romans 6:23 53
Romans 12:10 31
Romans 14:23 8
Scripture Index
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Galatians 1:8 44
Galatians 2:20 42
Galatians 2:20 111
Galatians 5:17 30
Ephesians 1:6 40
Ephesians 5:26 66
Philippians 1:9 9
Philippians 1:20 139
Philippians 2:4 25
Philippians 3:9 123
Philippians 4:3 13
Philippians 4:6-7 128
Philippians 4:11 34
Colossians 1:12 119
Colossians 3:17 47
1Corinthians 2:12-13 131
1Corinthians 4:9 39
1Corinthians 15:33 10
2Corinthians 4:3 15
2Corinthians 4:17 14
2Corinthians 5:20 108
2Corinthians 8:13 24
1Timothy 2:5-6 98
1Timothy 5:6 95
1Timothy 5:24 32
James 1:18 61
James 1:23-24 121
1Peter 2:2 28
1John 1:7 115
1John 3:9 55
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1John 5:9 113
Revelation 3:20 86
At the request of valued friends, I have grouped together
here, many stories and incidents which have served me well
throughout a long ministry and which I hope may be used
to advantage by others. Many are from my own personal
experience and will not be found in the collections of other
writers. Some, however, have been used in my books on
various subjects. Others are now printed for the rst time.
I send them forth to the glory of Him who has been to me
for over half a century, a wonderful Saviour and a faithful
Friend, my ever adorable Lord Jesus Christ.
H. A. IRONSIDE
Chicago, Ill.
Doubtful ings
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Doubtful ings
“He that doubts, if he eat, is condemned.” Romans
14:23, JND
Sandy was a thrifty Scot who objected to needless
laundry expense, so when he wore a dress shirt to a banquet,
he put it away carefully for future use. On one occasion
when dressing for such an event, he took a used shirt out
of the drawer and examined it with care, hoping to be able
to wear it that evening. Not being quite sure of its strict
cleanliness, he took it to a window, where he was looking it
over under a better light than the room aorded. His wife,
Jean, noticed him shaking his head as though fearful that
it would not pass careful scrutiny.
“Remember, Sandy,” she called to him, “if it’s doubtful,
it’s dirty.”
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at settled it. e shirt went into the discard and
another — a fresh one — took its place. Jean’s words may
well speak to every believer concerning things about which
conscience raises any question whatsoever.
Discerning Love
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Discerning Love
“at your love may abound … in all judgment
[discernment].” Philippians 1:9
Lack of discernment often accounts for the failure of
those in the pew to realize the full import of unsound
teaching from the pulpit.
A brilliant modernistic preacher, who had pleased his
audience with owery oratory and beautiful perorations, as
he discoursed glibly of the importance of breadth of view
and the danger of bigoted opinions, was bidding farewell
to his congregation as he was about to leave them for a new
parish. One of his young men approached him and said,
“Pastor, I am so sorry we are losing you. Before you came
I was one who did not care for God, man, or the devil,
but through your delightful sermons, I have learned to love
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them all!” is is mere sentimentality — not discerning
love.
Evil Communications
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Evil Communications
“Evil communications corrupt good manners.”
1Corinthians 15:33
Roaming in the woods, some boys found a nest
containing two linnet edglings, which they managed
to capture and take home. Securing some plain, wooden
birdcages, they put one of the linnets in each and hung them
on either side of a canary. ey explained to their mother
that they hoped the linnets, being so young, would learn to
imitate the canary, instead of cheeping as linnets ordinarily
do. e mother smilingly questioned the likelihood of the
plan succeeding.
e next day the boys entered the room, and exclaimed,
“Mother, come here, our canary is cheeping like a linnet!”
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And so it was. e canary had to be separated from the
wild birds of the wood and kept under cover for a time
before he regained his song. Surely there is a lesson here for
all Christians. Fellowship with the world does not lead the
godless to take the way of the Lord, but generally results
in the believer losing his joyous song and taking on the
speech and manners of the world.
He Did His Part
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He Did His Part
“e Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which
was lost.” Luke 19:10
It is a very unpalatable truth for the average natural
man or woman that man is an utterly lost sinner who
could never nd his own way back to God. We all like to
think there is something we can do to help save ourselves,
whereas, according to God’s Word we are not only lost, but
without ability to retrieve our condition. It is remarkable
how apt some are in quick illustrations of spiritual realities,
as the following instance will show.
A recent convert rose in a meeting to give his testimony
to the saving grace of God. He told how the Lord had won
his heart and given deliverance from the guilt and power
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of sin. He spoke of Christ and His work, but said nothing
of any eorts of his own.
e leader of the meeting was of a legalistic turn of mind,
and when the man’s testimony was ended, he said, “Our
brother has only told us of the Lord’s part in his salvation.
When I was converted there was a whole lot I had to do
myself before I could expect the Lord to do anything for
me. Brother, didn’t you do your part rst before God did
His?” e other was on his feet again in an instant and
replied: “Yes, sir, I clear done forgot. I didn’t tell you ‘bout
my part, did I? Well, I did my part for over thirty years,
runnin’ away from God as fast as ever my sins could carry
me. at was my part. An’ God took after me till He run
me down. at was His part.” It was well put and tells the
story that every redeemed sinner understands.
Help ose Women
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Help ose Women
“And I intreat thee also, true yoke fellow, help those
women.” Philippians 4:3
He was unschooled, and trying to give a word of
exhortation. He fumbled through the opening verses of
Philippians 4, but became confused over the names of the
two women referred to in Philippians 4:2, and so he read,
“I beseech Odious and I beseech Soontouchy that they
be of the same mind in the Lord.” He then proceeded to
attempt an application of the truth according to the names
as he had misunderstood them.
How much trouble is made among Christians by
women like Odious, who are so unpleasant to get on with,
and Soontouchy, who get oended over every little trie!
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e application was good, though the interpretation was
faulty.
Passing Trials
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Passing Trials
“Our light aiction, which is but for a moment.”
2Corinthians 4:17
He was a very illiterate man, who could only spell his
way through the Bible with great eort and often failed
to grasp the full import of the passages he tried to read.
Rising to his feet in a testimony meeting where the leader
had called upon each one to give his favorite portion of
Scripture, the aged brother said, “I gets more help from
them blessed words ‘And it came to pass’ than anything
else in the Bible.”
Asked what he meant, he explained, “When I’m so
upset with trouble and pestered with trials, I goes to the
Bible and begins to read, and I never goes far before I come
across them words, ‘It came to pass’ and I says, Bless the
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Lord. It didn’t come to stay. ‘It come to pass!’” Surely we
may all learn from his simple faith.
Lost in the Church
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Lost in the Church
“If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.”
2Corinthians 4:3
In an English village a Sunday school entertainment
was being held in a small church. e place was crowded
and in darkness as a stereopticon exhibition was being
given. A knock at the door summoned an usher, who made
his way to the front and announced, “Little Mary Jones is
lost. Her family and the town ocers have been searching
everywhere for her. If anyone has seen her or knows of her
whereabouts, will he please go to the door and communicate
with the friend who is inquiring.” No one moved and the
lecturer went on with his address and pictures.
At the close, when the lights were turned on, a lady
noticed Mary sitting on a front seat. Going over to her, she
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said, “Why, Mary, didn’t you hear them inquiring for you?
Why did you not let them know you were here?”
Surprised, the child asked, “Did they mean me? ey
said Mary Jones was lost. I am not lost. I knew where I was
all the time; I thought it was some other Mary Jones.”
She was lost in the church and did not know it. How
many others are like her. ey have a name that they live,
but are dead. ough members of some local church, they
have never seen their need of Christ, nor have they believed
the message of the gospel.
e Oer of the Irish Landlord
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e Oer of the Irish
Landlord
“I told you, and ye believed not.” John 10:25
e unwillingness of the human heart to rely on the
promise of grace in Christ Jesus is well illustrated in the
story of an eccentric Irish landlord on whose vast estates
dwelt a number of very needy tenants. Upon becoming
converted, this wealthy man was anxious to make clear to
these people the marvelous provision God had made for
their salvation. So he caused to be posted in prominent
places on his wide domains, notices to the eect that, on
a given day, he would be in his oce down by the lodge
gates, from ten o’clock in the morning until twelve noon.
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During that time, he would be prepared to pay the debts of
all his tenantry who brought their unpaid bills with them.
For days the notices were the cause of much excitement.
People talked of the strange oer and some declared it a hoax.
Others were certain “there must be a catch somewhere.” A
few even thought it indicated that the landlord was going
out of his mind, for “who had ever heard of any sane man
making such an oer?”
When the announced day came, many of the people
could be seen making their way to the oce, and as the
time approached a great crowd had gathered about the
door. Promptly at ten the landlord and his secretary drove
to the gate, left the carriage and, without a word to anyone,
entered the oce and closed the door. Outside a great
discussion had begun; it became more vehement every
minute. Was there anything to it? Did he really mean
it? Would he only make a fool of one who brought the
evidence of his indebtedness? Some insisted that it was his
actual signature at the foot of the notices, and surely he
would not dishonor his name. But an hour passed and no
one had gone in to present his claim. If one suggested to
some one else to venture, he would be met by the angry
response, “I don’t owe so very much. I have no need to go
in. Let some one else try it rst — some one who owes
more than I do!” And so the precious moments slipped
away.
Finally, when it was nearing twelve o’clock, an aged
couple from the farthest bounds of the estate came
hobbling along arm in arm; the old man had a bundle of
bills clutched tightly in one hand. In quavering tones he
inquired. “Is it true, neighbor, that the landlord be paying
the debts of all who come today?”
e Oer of the Irish Landlord
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“He ain’t paid none yet,” said one.
“We think it is just a cruel joke,” said another.
e old couple’s eyes lled with tears. “Is it all a mistake?
We hoped it was true and thought how good it would be to
be able to die free of debt.”
ey were turning disconsolately away, when somebody
said, “No one has tried him yet. Why not go in? If he pays
your bills, come out quickly and tell us and we’ll go in, too.”
To this the old folks agreed and timidly opened the door
and entered the oce, where a cordial welcome awaited
them. In answer to their question as to whether the notice
was true, the secretary said, “Do you think the landlord
would deceive you? Let me see your bills.”
ey were all presented, carefully tabulated, and a check
made out to cover them. Overwhelmed with gratitude, the
old man and his wife arose to leave, but the secretary said,
“Just be seated. You must remain here till the oce closes
at noon.”
ey explained that the crowd outside was waiting for
verication from them of the strange oer.
But the landlord said, “No, you took me at my word.
ey must do the same if they want their debts paid.”
And so the minutes passed. Outside, the people moved
restlessly about, watching the closed door, but none lifted
the latch. At high noon the door opened and the old folks
came out rst.
“Did he keep his word?” the throng asked.
“Yes, neighbors. Here is his check and it’s good as gold.”
“Why didn’t you come out and tell us?” angrily asked
many.
“He said we must wait inside and you must come as we
did and take him at his word.”
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A moment later the landlord and his secretary came out
and hurried to the carriage — the crowd pressing about
them, holding out hands full of personal bills, and crying,
“Won’t you do for us as you did for those folks?” But rising
in his carriage, the landlord said, “It is too late now. I gave
you every opportunity. I would have paid for you all, but
you would not believe me.”
en he likened the events of the morning to the way
men treat God’s oer to free the sinner of all that divine
justice has against him. Solemnly he warned them of the
folly of passing up so great salvation until the day of grace
was over and it was too late to be saved.
God’s Blessed Man
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God’s Blessed Man
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth
in the seat of the scornful.” Psalm 1:1
I was very much impressed, a number of years ago, as
I listened to Joseph Flacks tell of his visit to Palestine.
When he was in the city of Jerusalem he was given the
opportunity of addressing quite a gathering of Jews and
Arabs, all of whom were presumably unconverted. For his
text, Mr. Flacks took the rst Psalm. Of course, he could
repeat it to them in the Hebrew. He dwelt upon the tenses,
“Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of
the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the
seat of the scornful.”
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He said to them, “Now, my brethren, who is this blessed
man of whom the psalmist speaks? Notice, this happy man
is a man who never walked in the counsel of the ungodly,
he never stood in the way of sinners, he never sat in the seat
of the scornful. He was an absolutely sinless man. Who is
this blessed man?” When no one answered, Joseph Flacks
said, “Shall we say he is our great Father Abraham? Is it
Father Abraham that the psalmist is speaking of here?”
One old Jew said, “No, no, it cannot be Abraham, for he
denied his wife; he told a lie about her.”
“Ah,” said Joseph Flacks, “it does not t, does it?
Abraham, although he was the father of the faithful, yet
was a sinner who needed to be justied by faith. But, my
brethren, this refers to somebody; who is this man? Could
it be our great lawgiver, Moses?”
“No, no,” they said, “it cannot be Moses. He killed a
man and hid him in the sand.” Another added, “And he
lost his temper by the water of Meribah.”
“Well,” Joseph Flacks said, “my brethren, who is it?
ere is some man here that the Spirit of God is bringing
before us. Could it be our great King David, the sweet
psalmist of Israel, who perhaps wrote this Psalm?”
“No, no,” they cried, “it cannot be David. He committed
adultery and had Uriah slain.”
“Well,” he said, “who is it; to whom do these words
refer?”
ey were quiet for some little time and then one Jew
arose and said, “My brethren, I have a little book here; it
is called the New Testament. I have been reading it. If I
believed this book, if I could be sure that it is true, I would
say that the man of the rst Psalm was Jesus of Nazareth.”
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An old Jew got right up and said, “My brethren, the man
of the rst Psalm is Jesus of Nazareth. He is the only one
who ever went through this world who never walked in the
counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners.”
en the old man told how he had been brought to
believe in Christ, and he took that occasion to openly
confess his faith. He had been searching for a long time
and had found out sometime before that Jesus was the
One, but he had not had the courage to tell others.
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Encouragement to Pray
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Encouragement to Pray
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22
A number of years ago it was my privilege to attend
a Bible conference at which the late Dr. D. M. Stearns
was the main speaker. On one particular occasion he had
a question hour, and, among the questions there was one
that I never forgot. It read something like this: “If you had
prayed all your life for the salvation of a loved one, and then
you got word that that person had died without giving any
evidence of repentance after having lived a sinful life, what
would you think, both of prayer itself and of the love of
God and His promises to answer?”
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It was a very striking question and I know that everyone
in the room sat up and wondered what the doctor would
have to say in reply to it.
He said, “Well, dear sister, I should expect to meet that
loved one in heaven, for I believe in a God who answers
prayer, and if He put that exercise upon your heart to pray
for that dear one, it was because He, doubtless, intended to
answer it.”
en he told a story. Many years ago there was a dear
old lady living in Philadelphia who had a very wayward
son. is young man had been brought up in church and
Sunday school, but he had drifted away from everything
holy. He had gone to sea and had become a very rough,
careless, godless sailor.
One night his mother was awakened with a very deep
sense of need upon her heart. When fully awake, she
thought of her son and she was impressed that he was in
great danger; as a result, she got up, threw on a dressing
gown, knelt by her bedside, and prayed earnestly that God
would undertake for the boy, whatever his need was. She
didn’t understand it, but after praying for perhaps two or
three hours there came to her a sense of rest and peace, and
she felt sure in her heart that God had answered. She got
back into bed and slept soundly until the morning. Day
after day she kept wondering to herself why she was thus
awakened and moved to prayer, but somehow or other
she could not feel the need to pray for that boy any more;
rather she praised God for something which she felt sure
He had done for her son.
Several weeks passed. One day there was a knock at
the door. When she went to the door — there stood her
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boy! As soon as he entered the room, he said, “Mother, I’m
saved!” en he told her a wonderful story.
He told how a few weeks earlier, his ship had been
tossed in mid-Atlantic by a terric storm; and it looked as
though there were no hope of riding it through. One of the
masts had snapped; the captain called the men to come and
cut it away. ey stepped out, he among them, cursing and
reviling God because they had to be out in such an awful
night. ey were cutting away this mast when suddenly the
ship gave a lurch, and a great wave caught this young man
and carried him overboard.
As he struggled almost helplessly with the great waves
of the sea, the awful thought came to him, “I’m lost forever!”
Suddenly, he remembered a hymn that he had often heard
sung in his boyhood days,
“ere is life in a look at the crucied One;
ere is life at this moment for thee;
en look, sinner, look unto Him and be saved;
Unto Him who was nailed to the tree.”
He cried out in agony of heart, “Oh, God, I look, I look
to Jesus.” en he was carried to the top of the waves and
lost consciousness.
Hours afterward when the storm had ceased and the
men came out to clear the deck, they found him lying
unconscious, crowded up against a bulwark. Evidently,
while one wave had carried him o the deck, another had
carried him back again. e sailors took him into the cabin
and gave him restoratives. When he came to, the rst words
from his lips were, “ank God, I’m saved!”
From that time on he had an assurance of God’s
salvation that meant everything to him.
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en his mother told him how she had prayed for him
that night. ey realized that it was just at the time when
he was in such desperate circumstances, and God had
heard and answered.
Now suppose that that young man’s body had never
been brought back to the ship. Suppose he had sunk down
into the depths. People might have thought he was lost
forever in his sin, but he would have been as truly saved as
he actually was. God had permitted him to come back in
testimony of His wonderful grace.
A Preacher on Missions
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A Preacher on Missions
“I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened.”
2Corinthians 8:13
We often hear it said by short-sighted Christians that
the work at home is likely to suer if the church pays too
much attention to missions and missionary giving. is has
been disproved over and over again. A preacher was taking
an oering for missions, when a close-handed deacon in
his congregation called, “Preacher, you is goin’ to kill this
church if you keeps on taking up money for missions.”
“Brother,” was the reply, “Let me tell you somethin’.
Churches don’t die that way. An’ if you ever can show me a
church what died of giving to missions, I’ll go out an’ climb
upon the ruins of that church in the light of the moon and
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preach on the text ‘Blessed are the dead what dies in the
Lord!’”
e Preacher and Fried Chicken
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e Preacher and Fried
Chicken
“Look not every man on his own things, but every man
also on the things of others.” Philippians 2:4
I have never been able to forget a story I heard evangelist
Paul Rader relate on one occasion. I may not now be able
to recall all the details, but so nearly as I remember, it was
as follows: Mr. Rader mentioned having known three
ministers, all of whom came from a particular part of the
South and were all characterized by a spirit of intense self-
abnegation and kindly interest in the needs of others. To
one of these Mr. Rader said, “I have known two other men
from your part of the country and you have all commended
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yourselves to me by your unselshness. How come that you
are all so much alike?”
Modestly the preacher answered, “If we have any such
marks as you speak of, we owe our unselshness to a
circuit-rider. When we were just boys he used to come to
our section every two weeks.”
He then went on to describe him as a lean, cadaverous-
looking man of the Abraham Lincoln type who, on the
rst Sunday he preached in the country schoolhouse, gave
a sermon in the morning and another in the afternoon.
Between the services the ladies of the congregation
served a picnic lunch in the open air. Great platters of fried
chicken, ham, and other meats were laid out on gleaming
white tablecloths; these were surrounded by stacks of
biscuits, corn pone, hard-boiled eggs, cakes and other
delicacies. When all was ready, the assembled group sat
down on the greensward to enjoy the repast.
A number of lively boys were always at the front,
hoping to get nearest to the platter of chicken. But on this
particular occasion, so great was the crowd, the boys were
told to wait until their elders were all served. Angrily they
went o back of a nearby shed and indulged in the pastime
of shooting dice, in revenge for the unkind way they felt
they had been treated. ey appointed one lad as a watcher,
to keep tab on the way the viands were disappearing.
Ruefully, he told of piles of chicken disappearing: still,
more came in from nearby wagons. Suddenly, in great
excitement he exclaimed, “Say, look at that preacher! e
old squirrel! He’s eaten all he could and now when he
thinks no one sees him, he’s lling those big pockets in
the tail of his long coat.” All looked angrily and saw it was
indeed true.
e Preacher and Fried Chicken
45
Just then one of the women exclaimed, “Why, look at the
preacher’s plate. You all are neglecting him. Hand over the
fried chicken.” And she heaped his plate up with appetizing
pieces; he nibbled a few minutes — then surreptitiously
took two bandana handkerchiefs out of each breast pocket
and, lling them with select pieces, stored them away.
Rising with the rest, the preacher backed o, as the
boys thought, to hide his “loot” in his baggage. But after
moving away from the crowd he turned, and hurried down
to the back of the barn where the angry boys were waiting
for the second call to lunch. “Boys,” he exclaimed, “I was
afraid they were forgetting you, so I saved a lot of the white
meat and the drumsticks for you.” Out came the four clean
handkerchiefs and he passed the tender morsels around.
e boys were captured. Amazed, they eagerly accepted
the proered dainties.
“is was characteristic of that preacher,” said Mr.
Rader’s friend. “We felt we had found a real friend — a
man who loved other people better than he loved himself.
He could do anything with us. He led us all to Christ
during the years of his ministry among us, sent several
out as foreign missionaries, and we three into the ministry
at home. It was the unselsh spirit he manifested that
gripped our hearts and won our condence; so that his
sermons reached our consciences and brought us to know
his Saviour as ours.”
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46
Milk Your Own Cow
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137697
Milk Your Own Cow
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby” 1Peter 2:2
Patrick was an Irish Catholic, who for years had longed
for the assurance of peace with God. A visiting tourist, who
fell into conversation with him, left him a copy of the New
Testament, the Douay version, approved by the ocials
of his church. rough reading this, Pat was brought to a
saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and from that
time on, read and studied his Testament with eagerness,
ever seeking a deeper knowledge of the things of God.
e parish priest, who had missed him from the regular
services, called on him and found him deep in the study of
the Word.
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48
“Pat,” he asked, “what is that book you are reading?” “Sure,
your riverence,” was the reply, “it’s the New Testament.”
In horried accents the priest exclaimed, “e New
Testament! Why, Pat, that’s not a book for the likes of you.
You’ll be getting all kinds of wild notions from reading it
and will be running o into heresy.”
“But, your riverence,” remonstrated Pat, “I have just
been reading here — it’s the blessed Apostle Peter himself
that wrote it — ‘As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk
of the word, that you may grow thereby,’ and sure it’s a
newborn babe in Christ I am and it’s the milk of the Word
I’m after. So I can’t see the harm of reading the Testament.”
“Ah,” said the priest, “It’s perfectly true, Patrick, that
you need the milk of the Word, but the Almighty has
appointed the clergy to be the milkmen. e clergy go to
the college and the seminary and learn the meaning of the
Word and then when the people come to the church we
give it to them as they are able to bear it, and explain it in
a way that they won’t misunderstand.”
“Well, sure, your riverence,” said Pat, “you know I keep
a cow of me own out there in the barn, and when I was
sick, sometime ago, I had to hire a man to milk the cow
and I soon found he was shtealin’ half the milk and llin’
the bucket up with water, and sure it was awful weak milk
I was gettin’. But now that I am well again I have let him
go and I am milkin’ me own cow, and so it’s the rich cream
I am gettin’ once more. And your riverence, when I was
dependin’ on you for the milk of the Word, sure it was the
blue, watery stu you were givin’ me. But now I am milkin’
me own cow and enjoyin’ the cream of the Word all the
time.”
Milk Your Own Cow
49
We may well emulate Patrick and each for himself milk
his own cow and thus get God’s Word rsthand as He
opens it up by the Holy Spirit.
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50
e Two Natures
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e Two Natures
“e esh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the esh: and these are contrary the one to the
other.” Galatians 5:17
An American Indian was giving his testimony in a
gathering of Christian members of his tribe. He told of his
conversion and of how in the beginning he felt as though
he would never sin again; he was so happy in knowing His
Saviour. But, he explained, as time went on he became
conscious of an inward conict, which he described
somewhat as follows: “It seems, my brothers, that I have
two dogs ghting in my heart: one is a very good dog, a
beautiful white dog, and he is always watching out for my
best interests. e other is a very bad dog, a black dog, who
is always trying to destroy the things that I want to see
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52
built up. ese dogs give me a lot of trouble because they
are always quarreling and ghting with each other.”
One of his hearers looked up and asked laconically,
“Which one wins?” e other instantly replied, “Whichever
one I say ‘Sic ‘im’ to.”
Surely there could not be a more apt illustration of the
two natures in the believer. “If we walk in the Spirit we
shall not fulll the lusts of the esh.” But if we pander to
the esh, we will be certain to go down in defeat.
Honor to Whom Honor Is Due
53
137699
Honor to Whom Honor Is
Due
“Be not ye called Rabbi.” Matthew 23:8
“In honor preferring one another.” Romans 12:10
On one occasion when in London, I was walking home
from a meeting; part of the way I was accompanied by the
Marquis of Aberdeen (who had presided) and the Lord
Bishop of Norwich (who had been one of the speakers).
Being an American, and unaccustomed to titles, I felt
embarrassed as to how I should address men of their
position. I expressed my perplexity, and the Marquis
replied, “My dear brother, just address us as your brethren
in Christ. We could have no higher honor than that.” is
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54
was surely to enter into the spirit of what the Lord Jesus
taught.
We are told to give honor to whom honor is due. On
the other hand, the servant of Christ is to seek the honor
that cometh from God only. e rst passage delivers
from rudeness and that pride which apes humility, as it
refuses to recognize the gifts which Christ has given to His
church. e other is a rebuke to all self-seeking and eshly
ostentation on the part of those to whom the Lord has
entrusted any special ministry for the edication of His
church.
Washing Out the Scent
55
137700
Washing Out the Scent
“Some men they follow after.” 1Timothy 5:24
To a Scotsman, the name of Robert, the Bruce, always
brings a quickening of the heartstrings as he contemplates
the recorded exploits of that heroic personality. I remember
well how my young heart was stirred as I read the story of
that Scottish chief and liberator. We are told that, on one
occasion, Bruce was hiding in a mountain glen from King
Edward’s soldiers. Suddenly he heard the baying of hounds
upon the scent, and he recognized them as his own pack
which the English had loosed and set upon their master’s
trail. ough worn with sleepless nights and foodless days,
Bruce struggled to his feet and ran as fast as his weary
limbs could carry him, with the hounds hot on his track.
Nearer and nearer came the sound of baying, and the royal
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56
fugitive was almost in despair when he suddenly heard the
trickling of a mountain rill. He hastened on and leaped into
the stream and down through the waters he sped. Soon
he heard the hounds at the brookside. ey were barking
excitedly as they ran hither and thither, unable to nd the
scent. Bruce successfully eluded his enemies because the
running water made it impossible for the hounds to follow
any further.
Surely this is a picture of the gospel. ere is but one
way by which any man can escape the judgment of God.
at is to plunge into the stream that ows from Calvary’s
hill, where our blessed Lord made peace by the blood of
His Cross. Divine wrath will never reach you there. All
sin-stains are washed away and “there is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” It was
Bruce’s own hounds that were tracking him down. Our
own sins follow after us, calling for judgment, but the blood
of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, “cleanseth us from all sin.”
Satisfaction in Christ
57
137701
Satisfaction in Christ
“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to
be content.” Philippians 4:11
Christ is enough to satisfy the hearts of all who conde
in Him and who leave everything in His hands. Such need
never be cast dawn by seeming misfortunes.
A Christian asked another how he was getting along.
Dolefully his friend replied, “Oh, fairly well, under the
circumstances.”
“I am sorry,” exclaimed the other, “that you are under
the circumstances. e Lord would have us living above
all circumstances, where He Himself can satisfy our hearts
and meet our every need for time and eternity.”
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58
On Top of the Beer Barrel
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On Top of the Beer Barrel
“What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye
are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death”
Romans 6:21
Many years ago, when I was a young Salvation Army
ocer, it was my privilege to participate in a most unique
service at a wide street intersection in the heart of the city
of San Diego, California.
We had among our adherents a lovely Christian girl,
who was saved out of a very ungodly family. Her father
was a saloonkeeper and, while kind to his family and in
many respects an admirable character, he had no use for
“religion,” as he called it, nor for the church. But, through
the consistent life of his daughter, he was at last awakened
to see his need of a Saviour. He realized that she had
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60
something of which he knew nothing, and one night we
were all surprised to see him in our audience.
At the close of the service, he came forward, weeping, to
confess his sins and seek Christ as his Saviour. We pointed
him to the Lord and before the meeting closed, he was
rejoicing in the knowledge of sins forgiven.
At once he was faced with the fact that the business in
which he was engaged was utterly inconsistent with the
Christian life. Some suggested that he should sell out and
put the proceeds into some other business. He indignantly
spurned the suggestion. Realizing that the saloon was a
detriment to humanity, he said he could not, since he had
accepted Christ as his Saviour and his Lord, allow himself
to prot in any way from the stock of what he afterward
called “liquid damnation.” Instead of this, he went to the
city authorities and got a permit for what some might have
thought was a rather fantastic service.
At the intersection of four streets, near his saloon,
he rolled out all the beer barrels and made of them
quite a pyramid. e Salvation Army surrounded this
rather remarkable spectacle and with band playing and
Salvationists singing, soon attracted an immense crowd.
e converted saloonkeeper had boxes full of liquor piled
up by the pyramid, to the top of which he climbed. “Praise
God,” he exclaimed as he began his testimony, “I am on top
of the beer barrel. For years I used to be under its power,
but now I can preach on its head.” en he told the story
of his own conversion and pleaded with sinners to come to
his Saviour.
As the liquor bottles were passed up to him, he broke
them and spilled their contents over the barrels. en
descending, he set re to the whole pyramid which went up
On Top of the Beer Barrel
61
in a great blaze as the song of the Lord continued. What a
remarkable testimony to the power of the gospel of Christ
to completely change a life! No longer a saloonkeeper, our
friend went into a legitimate business, where his life was a
bright testimony to the reality of God’s salvation.
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62
“Read Ezekiel 7:8-9”
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“Read Ezekiel 7:8-9”
“He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck,
shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”
Proverbs 29:1
e following incident is vouched for by a Church of
England clergyman who knew all the circumstances.
A young woman, who had been brought up in a Christian
home and who had often had very serious convictions in
regard to the importance of coming to Christ, chose instead
to take the way of the world. Much against the wishes of
her godly mother, she insisted on keeping company with
a wild, hilarious crowd, who lived only for the passing
moment and tried to forget the things of eternity. Again
and again she was pleaded with to turn to Christ, but she
Illustrations Of Bible Truth
64
persistently refused to heed the admonitions addressed to
her.
Finally, she was taken with a very serious illness. All
that medical science could do for her was done in order to
bring about her recovery, but it soon became evident that
the case was hopeless and death was staring her in the face.
Still she was hard and obdurate when urged to turn to God
in repentance and take the lost sinner’s place and trust the
lost sinner’s Saviour.
One night she awoke suddenly out of a sound sleep, a
frightened look in her eyes, and asked excitedly, “Mother,
what is Ezekiel 7:8-9?”
Her mother said, “What do you mean, my dear?”
She replied that she had had a most vivid dream.
She thought there was a Presence in the room, who very
solemnly said to her, “Read Ezekiel 7:8-9.”
Not recalling the verses in question, the mother reached
for a Bible. As she opened it, her heart sank as she saw the
words, but she read them aloud to the dying girl: “Now I
will shortly pour out My fury upon thee, and accomplish
Mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according
to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine
abominations. And Mine eye shall not spare, neither will
I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways
and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and
ye shall know that I am the Lord that smiteth.”
e poor suerer, with a look of horror on her face, sank
back on the pillow, utterly exhausted, and in a few moments
she was in eternity. Once more it had been demonstrated
that grace rejected brings judgment at last.
e Lord’s Spectacles
65
137704
e Lord’s Spectacles
“We are made a spectacle … to angels and to men.”
1Corinthians 4:9
One of the students of the Southern Bible Training
School of Dallas, Texas, was praying and besought the
Lord as follows: “O Lord, please keep your spectacles clean
so that sinners can see you through us, ‘cause you know,
Lord, we are your spectacles.”
He did not know that the original word “theatron”
means a show or display, but supposed it referred to
eyeglasses. How we all need to remember that unsaved
men can only see Christ through us, and if our lives are
unclean, the vision of the Saviour will be blurred!
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66
Accepted in the Beloved
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137705
Accepted in the Beloved
“He hath made us accepted in the beloved”
Ephesians 1:6
Years ago I was preaching in the small town of Roosevelt,
Washington, on the north bank of the Columbia River. I
was the guest of friends who were sheep-raisers. It was
lambing time and every morning we went out to see the
lambs — hundreds of them — playing about on the
green. One morning I was startled to see an old ewe go
loping across the road, followed by the strangest looking
lamb I had ever beheld. It apparently had six legs, and the
last two were hanging helplessly as though paralyzed, and
the skin seemed to be partially torn from its body in a way
that made me feel the poor little creature must be suering
terribly. But when one of the herders caught the lamb and
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68
brought it over to me, the mystery was explained. at
lamb did not really belong originally to that ewe. She had
a lamb which was bitten by a rattlesnake and died. is
lamb that I saw was an orphan and needed a mother’s care.
But at rst the bereft ewe refused to have anything to do
with it. She snied at it when it was brought to her, then
pushed it away, saying as plainly as a sheep could say it,
“at is not our family odor!” So the herders skinned the
lamb that had died and very carefully drew the eece over
the living lamb. is left the hind-leg coverings dragging
loose. us covered, the lamb was brought again to the ewe.
She smelled it once more and this time seemed thoroughly
satised and adopted it as her own.
It seemed to me to be a beautiful picture of the grace
of God to sinners. We are all outcasts and have no claim
upon His love. But God’s own Son, the “Lamb of God, that
taketh away the sin of the World,” has died for us and now
we who believe are dressed up in the eece of the Lamb
who died. us, God has accepted us in Him, and “there
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus.” We are as dear to the heart of the Father as
His, own holy, spotless Son.
“So dear, so very dear to God,
More dear I cannot be;
e love wherewith He loves His Son,
Such is His love to me.
So near, so very near to God,
Nearer I could not be,
For in the person of His Son,
I am as near as He.”
Standing Where the Fire Has Been
69
137706
Standing Where the Fire Has
Been
“Who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians
2:20
One of the rst gospel illustrations that ever made a real
impression upon my young heart was a simple story which
I heard a preacher tell when I was less than nine years old.
It was of pioneers who were making their way across
one of the central states to a distant place that had been
opened up for homesteading. ey traveled in covered
wagons drawn by oxen, and progress was necessarily slow.
One day they were horried to note a long line of smoke
in the west, stretching for miles across the prairie, and soon
it was evident that the dried grass was burning ercely and
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70
coming toward them rapidly. ey had crossed a river the
day before but it would be impossible to go back to that
before the ames would be upon them. One man only
seemed to have understanding as to what should be done.
He gave the command to set re to the grass behind them.
en when a space was burned over, the whole company
moved back upon it.
As the ames roared on toward them from the west, a
little girl cried out in terror, “Are you sure we shall not all
be burned up?” e leader replied, “My child, the ames
cannot reach us here, for we are standing where the re
has been!”
What a picture of the believer, who is safe in Christ!
“On Him Almighty vengeance fell,
Which would have sunk a world to hell.
He bore it for a chosen race,
And thus becomes our Hiding Place.”
e res of God’s judgment burned themselves out on
Him, and all who are in Christ are safe forever, for they are
now standing where the re has been.
A Victim of Wrong Information
71
137707
A Victim of Wrong
Information
“ough we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel unto … let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8
I remember reading a story of a woman who with
her little babe was traveling by train through one of the
northeastern states. It was a very wintry day. Outside
a terric storm was blowing, snow was falling, and sleet
covered everything. e train made its way along slowly
because of the ice on the tracks and the snowplow went
ahead to clear the way. e woman seemed very nervous.
She was to get o at a small station, where she would be
met by some friends, and she said to the conductor, “You
will be sure and let me know the right station, won’t you?”
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72
“Certainly,” he said, “just remain here until I tell you the
right station.”
She sat rather nervously, and again spoke to the
conductor, “You won’t forget me?”
“No, just trust me. I will tell you when to get o.”
A commercial man sat across the aisle. He leaned over
and said, “Pardon me, but I see you are rather nervous
about getting o at your station. I know this road well.
Your station is the rst stop after such and such a city.
ese conductors are very forgetful, they have a great many
things to attend to, and he may overlook your request, but
I will see that you get o all right. I will help you with your
baggage.”
“Oh, thank you,” she said. And she leaned back greatly
relieved.
By and by the brakeman called the name of the city the
commercial traveler had mentioned, and the latter said to
the woman, “Yours is the next station. Better get ready and
I will assist you to get o.”
e train moved on and shortly afterward came to a
full stop. e woman hurried to the end of the car, the man
who was helping her carrying her bag. When they reached
the vestibule, there was no one there. “You see,” said the
stranger, “these trainmen are very careless. e conductor
has quite forgotten you.” But he opened the door, assisted
the woman with her baby down the steps, and just as he
boarded the train again it moved on.
A few minutes later the conductor came through the
train and looking all about, said, “Why, that is strange!
ere was a woman here who wanted to get o at the next
station. I wonder where she is.”
A Victim of Wrong Information
73
e commercial man spoke up and said, “Yes, you forgot
her, but I saw that she got o all right.”
“Got o where?” the conductor asked.
“When the train stopped.”
“But that was not a station! at was an emergency
stop! I was looking after that woman. Why, man, you have
put her o in a wild country district in the midst of all this
storm, where there will be nobody to meet her!”
ere was only one thing to do, and, although it was a
rather dangerous thing, they had to reverse the engine and
go back a number of miles, and then went out to look for
the woman. ey searched and searched; nally, somebody
stumbled upon her body. She was frozen on the ground,
her little babe dead in her arms. She was the victim of
wrong information.
If it is such a serious thing to give people wrong
information in regard to temporal things, what about the
man who misleads men and women in regard to the great
question of the salvation of their immortal souls? If men
believe a false gospel, if they put their trust in something
that is contrary to the Word of God, their loss will be not
for time only, but for eternity.
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Cobbling for the Glory of God
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Cobbling for the Glory of
God
“Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Colossians 3:17
When I was a boy, I felt it was both a duty and a
privilege to help my widowed mother make ends meet by
nding employment in vacation time, on Saturdays and
other times when I did not have to be in school. For quite a
while I worked for a Scottish shoemaker, or “cobbler,” as he
preferred to be called, an Orkney man, named Dan Mackay.
He was a forthright Christian and his little shop was a real
testimony for Christ in the neighborhood. e walls were
literally covered with Bible texts and pictures, generally
taken from old-fashioned Scripture Sheet Almanacs, so
that look where one would, he found the Word of God
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76
staring him in the face. ere were John 3:16, John 5:24,
Romans 10:9 and many more.
On the little counter in front of the bench on which
the owner of the shop sat, was a Bible, generally open, and
a pile of gospel tracts. No package went out of that shop
without a printed message wrapped inside. And whenever
opportunity oered, the customers were spoken to kindly
and tactfully about the importance of being born again and
the blessedness of knowing that the soul is saved through
faith in Christ. Many came back to ask for more literature
or to inquire more particularly as to how they might nd
peace with God, with the blessed results that men and
women were saved, frequently right in the shoe-shop.
It was my chief responsibility to pound leather for shoe
soles. A piece of cowhide would be cut to suit, then soaked
in water. I had a at piece of iron over my knees and, with a
at-headed hammer, I pounded these soles until they were
hard and dry. It seemed an endless operation to me, and I
wearied of it many times.
What made my task worse was the fact that, a block away,
there was another shop that I passed going and coming
to or from my home, and in it sat a jolly, godless cobbler
who gathered the boys of the neighborhood about him
and regaled them with lewd tales that made him dreaded
by respectable parents as a menace to the community. Yet,
somehow, he seemed to thrive and that perhaps to a greater
extent than my employer, Mackay. As I looked in his
window, I often noticed that he never pounded the soles at
all, but took them from the water, nailed them on, damp as
they were, and with the water splashing from them as he
drove each nail in.
Cobbling for the Glory of God
77
One day I ventured inside, something I had been
warned never to do. Timidly, I said, “I notice you put the
soles on while still wet. Are they just as good as if they were
pounded?” He gave me a wicked leer as he answered, “ey
come back all the quicker this way, my boy!”
Feeling I had learned something, I related the instance
to my boss and suggested that I was perhaps wasting time
in drying out the leather so carefully. Mr. Mackay stopped
his work and opened his Bible to the passage that reads,
“Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
“Harry,” he said, “I do not cobble shoes just for the
four bits or six bits ($0.50 or $0.75) that I get from my
customers. I am doing this for the glory of God. I expect
to see every shoe I have ever repaired in a big pile at the
judgment seat of Christ, and I do not want the Lord to say
to me in that day, ‘Dan, this was a poor job. You did not do
your best here.’ I want Him to be able to say, ‘Well done,
good and faithful servant.’”
en he went on to explain that just as some men are
called to preach, so he was called to x shoes, and that only
as he did this well would his testimony count for God. It
was a lesson I have never been able to forget. Often when
I have been tempted to carelessness and to slipshod eort,
I have thought of dear, devoted Dan Mackay, and it has
stirred me up to seek to do all as for Him who died to
redeem me.
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Blind Leaders of the Blind
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Blind Leaders of the Blind
“If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”
Matthew 15:14
On one occasion Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll, the
agnostic lecturer of the last century, was announced to give
an address on hell. He declared he would prove conclusively
that hell was a wild dream of some scheming theologians
who invented it to terrify credulous people. As he was
launching into his subject, a half-drunken man arose in the
audience and exclaimed, “Make it strong, Bob. ere’s a lot
of us poor fellows depending on you. If you are wrong, we
are all lost. So be sure you prove it clear and plain.”
No amount of reasoning can nullify God’s sure Word.
He has spoken as plainly of a hell for the nally impenitent
as of a heaven for those who are saved.
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Law and Grace
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137710
Law and Grace
“We are not under the law, but under grace.”
Romans 6:15
Some years ago, I had a little school for young Indian
men and women, who came to my home in Oakland,
California, from the various tribes in northern Arizona.
One of these was a Navajo young man of unusually keen
intelligence. One Sunday evening, he went with me to our
young people’s meeting. ey were talking about the epistle
to the Galatians, and the special subject was law and grace.
ey were not very clear about it, and nally one turned to
the Indian and said, “I wonder whether our Indian friend
has anything to say about this.”
He rose to his feet and said, “Well, my friends, I have
been listening very carefully, because I am here to learn
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all I can in order to take it back to my people. I do not
understand all that you are talking about, and I do not
think you do yourselves. But concerning this law and grace
business, let me see if I can make it clear. I think it is like
this. When Mr. Ironside brought me from my home we
took the longest railroad journey I ever took. We got out at
Barstow, and there I saw the most beautiful railroad station
and hotel I have ever seen. I walked all around and saw at
one end a sign, ‘Do not spit here.’ I looked at that sign and
then looked down at the ground and saw many had spit
there, and before I think what I am doing I have spitted
myself. Isn’t that strange when the sign says, ‘Do not spit
here’?
“I come to Oakland and go to the home of the lady who
invited me to dinner today and I am in the nicest home I
have ever been in. Such beautiful furniture and carpets, I
hate to step on them. I sank into a comfortable chair, and
the lady said, ‘Now, John, you sit there while I go out and
see whether the maid has dinner ready.’ I look around at
the beautiful pictures, at the grand piano, and I walk all
around those rooms. I am looking for a sign; the sign I
am looking for is, ‘Do not spit here,’ but I look around
those two beautiful drawing rooms, and cannot nd a
sign like this. I think, ‘What a pity when this is such a
beautiful home to have people spitting all over it — too
bad they don’t put up a sign!’ So I look all over that carpet,
but cannot nd that anybody has spit there. What a queer
thing! Where the sign says, ‘Do not spit,’ a lot of people
spit. Where there was no sign at all, in that beautiful home,
nobody spit. Now I understand! at sign is law, but inside
the home it is grace. ey love their beautiful home, and
they want to keep it clean.
Law and Grace
83
ey do not need a sign to tell them so. I think that
explains the law and grace business.”
As he sat down, a murmur of approval went round the
room and the leader exclaimed, “I think that is the best
illustration of law and grace I have ever heard.”
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e Gift of God
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137711
e Gift of God
“e gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our
Lord.” Romans 6:23
You cannot earn a gift. It would cease to be a gift if it
were purchased with money, or paid for, in whole or in part,
in any other way.
Years ago, a wealthy lady in New York built a beautiful
church. On the day of dedication her agent came up from
the audience to the platform and handed the deed of the
property to the Episcopal Bishop of New York. e bishop
gave the agent $1.00 for the deed, and by virtue of the
$1.00, which was acknowledged, the property was turned
over to the Episcopal Church.
You say, “What a wonderful gift!” Yes, in a certain sense
it was, for the passing over of $1.00 was simply a legal
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observance. But after all, in the full Bible sense it was not
a gift, for it cost $1.00; and so the deed was made out, not
as a deed of gift, but as a deed of sale. It was sold to the
Episcopal Church for $1.00.
If you had to do one thing in order to be saved, if you
had even to raise your hand, to stand to your feet, had but
to say one word, it would not be a gift. You could say, “I did
thus and so, and in that way earned my salvation.” But this
priceless blessing is absolutely free.
“If by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace
is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more
grace: otherwise work is no more work” (Romans 11:6).
at is what the Spirit of God tells us in the Word.
e New Man
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137712
e New Man
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit (that is,
practice) sin; for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot
sin, because he is born of God.” 1John 3:9
It is the grace of God working in the soul that makes the
believer delight in holiness, in righteousness, in obedience
to the will of God, for real joy is found in the service of the
Lord Jesus Christ. I remember a man who lived a life of
gross sin.
After his conversion, one of his old friends said to him,
“Bill, I pity you — a man that has been such a high-ier as
you. And now you have settled down; you go to church, or
stay at home and read the Bible and pray; you never have
good times any more.”
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“But, Bob,” said the man, “you don’t understand. I get
drunk every time I want to. I go to the theater every time I
want to. I go to the dance when I want to. I play cards and
gamble whenever I want to.”
“I say, Bill,” said his friend, “I didn’t understand it that
way. I thought you had to give up these things to be a
Christian.”
“No, Bob,” said Bill, “the Lord took the ‘want to’ out
when He saved my soul, and He made me a new creature
in Christ Jesus.”
When we are born of God we receive a new life and
that life has its own new nature, a nature that hates sin and
impurity and delights in holiness and goodness.
e Wrong Remedy
89
137713
e Wrong Remedy
“ey have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people
slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.”
Jeremiah 8:11
When I was a boy, I heard a Northern Ireland preacher
relate the following story, which he declared to be
absolutely authentic. It is a striking illustration of the lack
of understanding of spiritual problems prevalent in some
quarters, even in our enlightened days.
In a Scottish home the younger son, a lad in his late
teens, named Robert, (generally “Robbie” in the family)
became troubled about his soul. Realizing he was a lost
sinner, he sought in vain for some one who could make
plain to him the way of peace with God. His father, though
a religious man and an esteemed oce-bearer in the local
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kirk, could not understand why a lad brought up as his son
had been should think himself lost and in need of salvation.
In his distress the boy sought out the minister, who
after a long talk with him told him he should put away
such gloomy thoughts and try to get his mind on brighter
things. As the youth was musically inclined, the pastor
suggested to the father to purchase a ddle for his son and
have him take violin lessons. is was done, but although
Robbie tried to forget his “gloomy ideas” (as the minister
called them) and resolutely set himself to learn to play the
ddle, he at last gave up in despair. “I cannot ddle,” he
exclaimed, “when I am lost in my sins and may die any
moment and go into hell because I cannot nd how to be
saved.”
A physician was called in, who, after examining the boy,
advised that he be sent to a sanitarium for mental cases,
as he felt sure he was losing his mind, and if not properly
treated, might do something desperate.
So to the asylum the poor lad was taken. ere for
weeks he paced a narrow room in anguish of soul, as he
exclaimed again and again, “Oh, that I knew how to get rid
o’ my sins!”
One day, a lady who knew Christ came to that
institution in order to help and comfort a friend of hers
who had suered a nervous breakdown. As she passed the
room of poor Robbie she heard his sobs and wondered
if it was a case of conviction of sin rather than incipient
insanity. She was given an opportunity to speak with him
and, after hearing his story, she pointed him to Christ and
left with him a New Testament, marking several passages,
which she asked him to read carefully. As he pondered
these verses, telling of Christ’s nished work and the blood
e Wrong Remedy
91
that cleanseth from all sin, light from heaven shone into his
darkened soul and soon he was rejoicing in God’s salvation.
e change in his behavior was so notable that the
attending alienist decided he was cured by the treatment
received, and he notied the father that Robbie might now
safely be taken home. His brother James came for him and
was delighted to nd Robbie so calm and peaceful. Little
was said until he arrived at home, when, in response to his
anxious father’s question, “Are ye a’ right noo, Robbie?” he
exclaimed, “Aye, feyther, I’m a’right noo, for my sins are
gone an’ my soul is saved!” e shocked father cried out
aghast, “Jamie, gang for the meenister. Tell him Robbie’s
had a relapse, and to come at once.”
When the minister reached the house, Robbie greeted
him somewhat sternly, “Meenister, Meenister,” he
exclaimed, “why did ye set me trying to ddle my sins awa’?
Why did ye no tell me o’ the bluid o’ Jesus that cleanses frae
a’ sin. What the ddlin could no’ do, the Lord Jesus has
done for me.”
e embarrassed minister soon realized a work of God
had taken place in the soul of the young man. ough he
did not fathom it all, he understood enough to know it was
what the Bible calls being “born again,” and so he assured
the father he need not worry about his son’s mentality. As
the time went on, all knew that Robbie had indeed passed
from death unto life and many were won to Christ through
his testimony.
It is to be feared there are many in our days who are as
unable to help a troubled soul as was Robbie’s pastor. Yet
every one who professes to be a minister of God should
be an expert at dealing with anxious men and women and
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92
showing them the only way of life and peace — through
the gospel of His grace.
A Lost Opportunity
93
137714
A Lost Opportunity
“As thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone.”
1Kings 20:40
Ambassador Wu Ting Fang was one of the most
colorful oriental diplomats ever accredited to Washington.
He came as the representative of the Chinese Empire and
for several years occupied that post in this country. When
he was recalled to China, it was announced that he would
leave for his native land from New York City at a given
date. Noticing that he would be in the metropolis over the
Lord’s Day, the pastor of the Chinese Church on the East
Side sent him a polite letter inviting him to attend one of
their services on that occasion.
e ambassador replied at once. In his letter he told
how, when he rst came to America, he had been intensely
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94
interested in the Christian religion, as he felt that it was in
some very denite way the real source of the enlightened
civilization of this great country. He said he then and there
made up his mind that he would never refuse an invitation
to attend a Christian service, if it were at all possible for
him to accept. “I have been in this country six years,” he
wrote, “and, yours is the rst such invitation I have ever
received!”
What a tragic commentary on the indierence of
Christians to the need of those who are strangers to the
gospel! Who can weigh aright the guilt of Christians
who were acquainted with this great statesman and
never once attempted to win him for Christ? Let us all
remember the admonition, “Redeeming the time (buying
up opportunities) for the days are evil.”
Example of New Birth
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137715
Example of New Birth
“Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth.”
James 1:18
e folly of supposing that anyone can be saved by the
power of a great example comes out clearly in an incident
related on one occasion by Dr. Joseph Parker, then pastor
of the City Temple, London, England.
Paderewski, the great Polish pianist, had given a
concert that day in the city, and at night, addressing a
large congregation, Dr. Parker spoke somewhat as follows:
“I have had today most forcibly presented to me the folly
of trusting in the power of a great example. Many of you
know that I have always been a lover of music and some
of my friends have been kind enough to try to make me
believe that I had some talent as a pianist. It has often
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96
been my delight, when weary of other things, to sit down
at my piano and play some of the classical selections, or
improvise, according to my mood.
“But today a friend took me to hear that great master of
the piano — Paderewski. For two hours I sat enthralled,
listening to music such as I had never heard in all my
life before. When the last lovely note was struck and the
applause had died away, I felt I wanted to slip out quietly,
speaking to no one, with the thrill of it still stirring my
soul.
“An hour or so later, I was standing before my piano,
when I was summoned for dinner. At rst I did not hear
the summons and when my wife came to me, I turned to
her and said, almost savagely, I am afraid, ‘Bring me an ax.’
“She looked at me anxiously and asked, ‘My dear, what
do you mean?’
“I said, ‘You know I have always thought I was something
of a pianist, but I have heard real music today for the rst
time and I realize now that what I thought was musical
talent amounts to nothing. I feel like chopping my piano
all to pieces. I never want to touch it again.’
“at was the eect of a great example upon my mind.
I know that I shall overcome this and I shall soon enjoy
my piano as I did in the past, but I realized then, and I
realize now, that no example, such as that of Paderewski,
could ever make a great musician of me. In order to play
as he played, one must have the soul of a Paderewski. To
try to imitate him would be folly. And so it is in regard to
the matter of our salvation. It is true that Christ has left us
an example that we should follow His steps, but before we
can do that, we need to receive the Spirit of Christ — we
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97
must be born again. ere must be the very life of Christ
communicated to us.”
Dr. Parker was right. No one can ever be saved by
attempting to follow Christ’s example. It is absolutely
fundamental that we rst be born again.
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An Arrow Shot at a Venture
99
137716
An Arrow Shot at a Venture
“Ye must be born again.” John 3:7
When Bishop John Taylor Smith, former Chaplain
General of the British Army, was in this country at the
time of the D. L. Moody Centenary meetings, it was my
privilege to hear him one noon hour in Christ Church,
Indianapolis. e sanctuary was crowded with eager
listeners, to whom the Bishop spoke most solemnly, yet
tenderly, upon the necessity of the new birth, using the
text quoted above. As a telling illustration, he related the
following incident: On one occasion, he told us, he was
preaching in a large cathedral on this same text. In order to
drive it home, he said: “My dear people, do not substitute
anything for the new birth. You may be a member of a
church, even the great church of which I am a member,
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100
the historic Church of England, but church membership is
not new birth, and ‘except a man be born again he cannot
see the kingdom of God.’ e rector was sitting at my left.
Pointing to him, I said, You might be a clergyman like my
friend the rector here and not be born again, and ‘except a
man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ On
my left sat the archdeacon in his stall. Pointing directly at
him, I said, You might even be an archdeacon like my friend
in his stall and not be born again and ‘except a man be born
again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ You might even
be a bishop, like myself, and not be born again and ‘except
a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
en he went on to tell us that a day or so later he
received a letter from the archdeacon, in which he wrote:
“My dear Bishop, you have found me out. I have been a
clergyman for over thirty years, but I had never known
anything of the joy that Christians speak of. I never could
understand it. Mine has been hard, legal service. I did not
know what was the matter with me, but when you pointed
directly to me and said, You might even be an archdeacon
and not be born again, I realized in a moment what the
trouble was. I had never known anything of the new birth.”
He went on to say that he was wretched and miserable,
had been unable to sleep all night, and begged for a
conference, if the bishop could spare the time to talk with
him.
“Of course, I could spare the time,” said Bishop Smith,
“and the next day we got together over the Word of God
and after some hours we were both on our knees, the
archdeacon taking his place before God as a poor, lost
sinner and telling the Lord Jesus he would trust Him as his
Saviour. From that time on everything has been dierent.”
An Arrow Shot at a Venture
101
It was a striking example of the absolute necessity
of birth from above, and of the sad possibility of being
deceived with a false profession and going on for years not
understanding one’s true condition before God.
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Possessing Our Possessions
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137717
Possessing Our Possessions
“He that … believeth … hath everlasting life.” John
5:24
Believing God’s testimony is like endorsing a check and
cashing it. A gentleman went into the home of a very poor
old lady who had applied for relief. He saw something on
the wall that attracted his attention. It was a piece of paper
in a neat frame.
He asked, “What is that on the wall?”
She replied, “I just don’t know what it is, but it is a paper
my uncle sent me and I just don’t like to throw it away and
so I keep it there in remembrance of him.”
He exclaimed, “Don’t you see what it is!”
“No, I just don’t understand it.”
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“Well, it’s a bank check. Look! ere is the name of
the bank on which it is drawn and it says, ‘Pay to Jennie
Johnson the sum of $5,000.00’ and there is your uncle’s
name at the bottom of it.”
“What,” she said, “did he intend me to have that money?
and I have been living in poverty all these years!”
How many people are like that. ey believe the Word
and God’s promises — in a certain sense. ey know Jesus
died to put away sin. But they have never cashed in, they
have never trusted Him for themselves.
e Cleansing Word
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137718
e Cleansing Word
“at He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing
of water by the word.” Ephesians 5:26
e Word is for cleansing as well as for instruction,
and if it keeps going through you it will have a marvelous
eect upon your mind and heart and life. It will cleanse
and purify you and t you to be a real worker for the Lord
Jesus Christ.
You remember the story of the Scotch laddie who was
one of those persnickety youngsters who always wanted a
reason for everything he was told to do. He was working for
a farmer and when the old man told him to do anything, the
lad generally asked, “Why?” is disturbed his employer.
On one occasion he said to the boy as he handed him
a market basket, “Take this basket down to the creek and
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106
ll it with water.” When the laddie asked, “Why?” and
started to explain that it would not hold water, the old man
replied, “None o’ yer ‘whys.’ I’m paying for your time; you
do as I tell you.”
So the boy started for the creek with the basket in his
hand. Wading into the water, he dipped the basket into the
creek and lifted it up. Of course, the water all ran out.
Disgusted, he said, “It will no’ hold the water.”
e old farmer replied, “Fill it up again.”
Again the lad obeyed, and once more the water all ran
through.
His master said, “Fill it again.”
is time the boy answered, “I’ll ll it up once more,
but if it does no’ hold this time, you will no make me a fool
again.”
So he dipped it into the creek the third time, but as he
held it up, the water all ran out. Angry, he ung the basket
over into the grass, saying, “Take your auld kreel; no be a
fool fer ye or anybody else.”
e old man picked it up good naturedly and then held
it between him and the sun. As he examined it carefully, he
explained, “It’s a guid deal cleaner than it was, and that’s
what it needed.” e water running through it had cleansed
away the dirt, and this is how the Word of God aects our
lives.
Our Lord Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through y
truth; y word is truth.” We are sanctied by the washing
of the water by the Word. We cannot give too much time
to the study of this blessed Book. I do not mean merely
studying it in order to get sermons out of it, but what we
need is a daily, thoughtful, prayerful study of the Word for
e Cleansing Word
107
the nourishment of our own souls, for building ourselves
up in our most holy faith.
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In the Cleft of the Rock
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137719
In the Cleft of the Rock
“Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee.”
Psalm 50:15
Years ago, while working among the Laguna Indians,
we were asked to speak at a little village called Pawate. It
was in the days before automobiles, and we rode in large
wagons drawn by horses for some fourteen miles over
rough roads until we reached this village. We had a meeting
in the afternoon, and Indians from all about gathered. We
started back at 4:30 or 5 o’clock because we were to have a
meeting at Casa Blanca that night. We had not gone very
far when we saw a terrible storm was about to break over
us. Soon we could see that the rain was pouring down at a
distance and driving rapidly toward us.
I said, “We are certainly going to get soaked.”
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Our driver replied, “I hope not. I think we can make
the rock before the storm reaches us. ere is a great rock
ahead; and if we can make it, we will be sheltered.”
We hurried on and soon saw a vast rock rising right
up from the plain, perhaps forty or fty feet in height,
covering possibly an acre or more of ground. As we drew
near, we saw a great cave in the rock. Instead of stopping
to unhitch the horses, our driver drove right into the cave,
and, in another minute or two, the storm broke over the
rock in all its fury.
While the storm raged outside, one of the Indians
struck up, in the Laguna tongue:
“Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in ee,”
and we realized the meaning of the poet’s words then as
perhaps never before.
A Buttery Used to Answer Prayer
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137720
A Buttery Used to Answer
Prayer
“Is there anything too hard for Me?” Jeremiah 32:27
An English evangelist, whom I have learned to know
and love, Mr. H. P. Barker, tells an interesting story of a
poor woman who was being pressed by a tradesman to
pay an account which she knew she had already settled.
In that case he demanded that she produce a receipt; quite
certain she had received one she hunted and hunted, but
was absolutely unable to nd it. She went through piles
of papers and letters, but to no avail — the receipt was
not forthcoming. Finally the tradesman came to her again
and made a very angry demand upon her for immediate
payment.
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In her distress she turned to the Lord in earnest
prayer, asking Him to bring the receipt to light. en in
a moment or two, a buttery ew into the room through
an open window, and her little boy, eager to catch the
beautiful creature, ran after it. e frightened insect ew
over to the wall on one side and down behind a trunk.
e boy in his eagerness to catch it, pushed out the trunk,
and there, behind it on the oor lay the missing receipt!
Snatching it up triumphantly, the poor widow showed it
to the tradesman, who went away discomted. As his own
handwriting declared, the debt had been paid.
Who can doubt but that He who notes the sparrow’s
fall and who would have us learn lessons from the ant
and the coney and other small creatures, directed even the
movements of a buttery in order that He might answer
His handmaiden’s prayer!
Only ree Weeks to Live
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137721
Only ree Weeks to Live
“He that believeth … is not condemned.” John 3:18
A number of years ago I was holding special meetings
in the First Baptist Church of Los Gatos, California. On
my rst Sunday morning there, the text was: “Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever
drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a
well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-
14). Sitting in the front pew was a young woman whose
pale emaciated face and great, dark, hungry eyes attracted
my attention. She listened so earnestly.
After the meeting I said to the pastor: “Who was the
very sickly but intensely beautiful girl who sat in the front
pew?”
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“She is a very well bred girl,” he replied, “but some
years ago she threw Christianity to the winds. She was
brought up in a Christian home. She went in for a worldly
career, trying to nd satisfaction and peace in the things
of the world, but, within the last ve months, she has been
stricken with that dread disease of tuberculosis, and she
has the kind that we call galloping consumption. She has
not long to live; she is losing strength day after day, and the
doctor says she will soon be gone; and now she is wretched
and miserably unhappy.”
I prayed for her, and each night I would nd myself
looking through that audience, hoping she would be there,
listening to the gospel, but I never saw her at another
meeting.
About three weeks later a lady came to me and said:
“Do you remember meeting Miss H-?” I remembered that
it was this young lady, and she added, “She is very ill, dying
of tuberculosis. She heard you the rst time you spoke, and
was expecting to attend all the meetings, but she has been
too ill. She has sent for you.”
“I will be glad to go,” was my reply. So we went to the
room in which she sat. She excused herself for not standing
to greet us, for she was too weak. I said, “I am glad that you
have sent for me.”
She looked up and said, “Mr. Ironside, the doctor told
me yesterday that I have just three weeks to live, and I am
not saved. I would like to know Christ. Do you think He
will take a girl who rejected Him, deliberately turned her
back on Him in health, now that I am bitterly disappointed,
and everything I have counted on has gone by the board?
Do you think there is any hope for a sinner like me?”
Only ree Weeks to Live
115
You know things look dierent when you realize you
have only three weeks to live! Many a one, careless now,
would be in dead earnest if he knew that within three
weeks he would have to face God and eternity.
“Well,” I said, “I understand that you have had a very
happy life in some respects; you have been very much
sought after and admired by the world.”
“Oh, please do not talk of that now,” she said, “I am
afraid I have been selling my soul for worldly popularity. I
thought I was going to nd happiness and enjoyment, but
now it gives me no peace, no satisfaction, to look back over
those years of popularity, those years of worldly pleasure.
Only three weeks and I must give an account to God, and
I am not saved.”
It was a real joy to my own soul to open the Word of
God and show her how the blessed Lord Jesus in innite
grace had come all the way from heaven’s fullest glory down
to Calvary’s deepest depths of woe for her redemption, and
if she would put her heart trust in Him and confess her
guilt, she would have all the past blotted out. Directing
her to John 3:18, I read: “He that believeth on Him is
not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.” And then I put the question
to her, “Tell me, do you believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the
Son of God?”
“I do.”
en I asked her, “Do you believe that God the Father
sent Him into this world to die for sinners?”
“Yes, it is in the Bible: I do believe it,” she replied.
“Do you believe He meant you when He said: ‘Him
that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out?’” I asked.
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“It is for everybody, isn’t it,” she said.
“Yes,” I replied, “For God so loved the world, that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John
3:16). Are you included in that whosoever?”
“Yes,” she said, “I believe I am.”
“en tell me,” I said, “what does the Lord Jesus Christ
say about you? Look at verse eighteen again; notice there
are only two classes of people there: the rst class, ‘He that
believeth on Him,’ and the second class, ‘He that believeth
not.’ Notice that there is something predicated of the rst
class and something of the second class. Of the rst it
is said, ‘He that believeth is not condemned’; and of the
second, ‘He that believeth not is condemned already.’ Now
before I ask you to tell me which class you are in, let us bow
in prayer.”
She could not kneel, but her friend and I knelt in prayer.
We asked God by the Spirit to open His Word and bring
it home in power to her soul.
“Read it again,” I said.
“Do you see the two classes? Which one are you in?”
She was silent for a long time as we knelt there before God,
and then she looked up, the tears glistening in her beautiful
eyes, and she said, “I am in the rst class.” “How do you
know?”
“Because I do believe in Him. It doesn’t say He won’t
take me in because I come so late. I have come, and I do
believe in Him.”
“And what is true of you?” I asked.
She looked at it again and whispered, “Not condemned!”
I said, “Is that enough to meet God on?”
She replied, “at will do; not condemned!”
Only ree Weeks to Live
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ree weeks from eternity, but resting upon the Word
of God! I saw her only twice again, and then my meetings
ended. About ve weeks later I met the Baptist preacher
on the street, and he said, “You remember Miss H-? Do
you know that just twenty-one days from the day you led
her to Christ, I was called to her bedside, and I found
her just slipping away? ‘Can you hear me?’ I asked. ‘Yes,’
she said. ‘Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?’ ‘Yes,’
she answered. ‘And what does He say about you?’ I asked.
‘Not condemned!’ and then she whispered, ‘If you see Mr.
Ironside, tell him it is all right.’”
Oh, I tell you, dear friend, that was something real,
because that young woman had the Word of the living
God to rest upon; but there are many who rest upon their
own imaginations instead of resting on God’s immutable
Word.
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Patriotism-Plus
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Patriotism-Plus
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
“When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son.” Romans 5:10
When nations are engaged in deadly strife, it is common
for patriots to declare that he who gives his life for defense
of his country may be certain of a home in heaven because
of having made the supreme sacrice. is teaching is in
accord with the principles of the Moslem religion and not
with true Christianity. Mahomet promised his fanatical
followers a place in Paradise if they died for the faith in
conict with the “indels” who rejected his teachings.
Patriotism is a virtue of which any man may well be proud.
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“Lives there a man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
is is my own, my native land?”
But patriotism, praiseworthy as it is from a human
standpoint, will never t the soul for the presence of God.
It can never wash away the guilt of sin.
e testimony of Edith Cavell, the brave British nurse
who was killed by the Germans during the First World
War, is well worth considering in this connection.
is noble woman was born at Swardeston, Norfolk, on
December 4, 1865. She entered the London Hospital for
nurses’ training in 1895. In 1907 she was appointed rst
matron of the Berkendael Medical Institute at Brussels,
Belgium. is became the Red Cross Hospital for Belgium
at the outbreak of the conict in 1914. From August of that
year, until August, 1915, Nurse Cavell helped to care for
wounded French, Belgian, English and German soldiers
alike. She ministered faithfully even to those who had
fallen while ghting against her own nation. Naturally, her
sympathies were with the Allies, and in cooperation with
the eorts of Prince Reginald de Croy, she aided many
derelict English and French soldiers who had ed from
the Germans. ese escaped by “underground” methods to
the Dutch frontier, where, with the aid of guides, they were
conveyed across to Britain. When some of these fugitives
were traced to her house in Brussels, she was immediately
arrested and after a court-martial was sentenced to face
a ring-squad. All her kindness to the German wounded
was forgotten. Her captors considered her a spy and treated
her accordingly.
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121
Just before the bandage was placed over her eyes, as she
stood fearlessly facing the soldiers who were about to take
her life, she gave a last message to the world. “I am glad,”
she said, “to die for my country. But as I stand here I realize
as never before that patriotism is not enough.” en she went
on to give a clear, denite testimony to her personal faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ and her assurance of salvation, not
through laying down her life for others, but because He laid
down His life for her. In perfect composure, she submitted
to the bandaging of her eyes and, in a few moments fell,
pierced by many German bullets.
Her words, patriotism is not enough, have spoken loudly
to many in the years that have gone since she died a martyr
to her convictions. Yet many forget this.
“What more is needed?” you may ask. e answer is
“Christ!” It is through faith in Him alone that the soul is
saved and heaven assured.
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Why the Train Was Wrecked
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Why the Train Was Wrecked
“It is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
Leviticus 17:11
Some years ago a fearful railroad wreck took a dreadful
toll of life and limb in an eastern state. A train, loaded
with young people returning from school, was stalled on
a suburban track because of what is known as a “hot-box.”
e limited was soon due, but a agman was sent back to
warn the engineer in order to avert a rear-end collision.
inking all was well, the crowd laughed and chatted while
the train-hands worked on in fancied security. Suddenly
the whistle of the limited was heard and on came the heavy
train and crashed into the local, with horrible eect.
e engineer of the limited saved his own life by
jumping, and some days afterward was hailed into court
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to account for his part in the calamity. And now a curious
discrepancy in testimony occurred. He was asked, “Did you
not see the agman warning you to stop?”
He replied, “I saw him, but he waved a yellow ag, and
I took it for granted all was well, and so went on, though
slowing down.”
e agman was called, “What ag did you wave?”
“A red ag, but he went by me like a shot.”
“Are you sure it was red?”
“Absolutely.”
Both insisted on the correctness of their testimony, and
it was demonstrated that neither was color-blind. Finally
the man was asked to produce the ag itself as evidence.
After some delay he was able to do so, and then the mystery
was explained. It had been red, but it had been exposed to
the weather so long that all the red was bleached out, and
it was but a dirty yellow!
Oh, the lives eternally wrecked by the yellow gospels
of the day — the bloodless theories of unregenerate men
that send their hearers to their doom instead of stopping
them on their downward road!
e Hen and the Lizard
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137724
e Hen and the Lizard
“Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it
giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an
adder.” Proverbs 23:31-32
Sometime ago, a friend of mine, an evangelist, and his
wife, living in Southern California, were watching a ock
of chickens at feeding time, when they noticed one hen
that seemed to be attempting to swallow a large lizard. She
was uttering wildly about and a lot of the other hens were
cackling loudly as they gathered about her. Going over
to see what was taking place, they found that while the
hen had evidently pecked at the lizard, the slimy, twisting
creature had turned about and had the hen by the throat
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and would have choked her to death had not my friends
intervened.
How like that lizard is the alcoholic cup! One begins to
toy with cocktails, or other spiritous liquors, only to nd
that at the last the drink habit becomes so strong it masters
the one who thought he could drink or let it alone as he
pleased. Can any folly be greater than that of deliberately
starting something which one knows he may have no
power to stop, and yet he is fully aware that the matter in
question may mean his moral, physical, and spiritual ruin?
Yet how many there are who think it an evidence of
weakness to refuse to touch alcoholic beverages, and
consider it a mark of good fellowship and even manliness
to drink with the crowd and so win the approval of careless
worldlings, who have no fear of God or of consequences in
their hearts. ese glory in leading others to follow their
evil example and are never better pleased than when they
can point to some poor, foolish youth who has begun to
tread the downward path at their behest. Recognizing
the fact that nothing that is physically harmful can ever
be morally right, consecrated, Christian young manhood
and young womanhood must stand rmly against all such
wickedness.
“Lippen to” Jesus
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137725
“Lippen to” Jesus
“He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.”
John 6:47
Being of Scotch extraction, I always greatly enjoy the
broad Scotch translation of the New Testament. In that
you will never nd our English word, “believe,” but you
will nd the word “lippen.” For instance, John 3:16 reads,
“For God se loved the warld as to gie His Son, the only
begotten Ane, that ilka ane wha lippens till Him sudna
dee, but hae life for aye.” What does that word mean, the
word “lippen”? It just means to trust your whole weight on
a thing, trust it implicitly.
A Scotch minister was visiting a poor woman who was
in great distress about her soul. She just could not seem to
understand. By and by he left her, and on his way back to
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the manse he was troubled to think he had not been able
to help her. He came to a bridge over a burn in front of the
house, which he started to cross, going step by step very
carefully with his buckthorn cane.
An old Scotch woman called out, “Why, Doctor Man,
can ye no lippen the brig?” He laughed and waved his hand,
and said to himself, “I have the word for my auld lady.” So
he went back to the cottage. She opened the door and said,
“O Doctor, you’ve come back again?”
He said, “I have the word for you now.”
“What is it, Doctor?”
“Can you no lippen to Jesus?”
“Oh, is it just to lippen to Him? Why, surely I can lippen
to Him. He will never let me doon, will He?”
ey bowed together, and she settled it. at is all God
asks you to do. Believe the record He has given concerning
Jesus; put your heart’s trust in Him. You may be assured
that you have life eternal for “He that hath the Son hath
life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
ese things have I written unto you that believe on
the name of the Son of God; that ye may know” — not
merely hope, not just have a reasonable assurance, but full
assurance — “that ye have eternal life.”
Open the Door to Jesus
129
190369
Open the Door to Jesus
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear
My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and
will sup with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20
An old woman was in great distress because of deep
poverty. She was living in a little garret in London, England,
and was dreadfully afraid the landlord and the baili would
come to dispossess her, and perhaps, sell her bed from
under her because of her debt. It happened that a certain
Christian minister heard of her need and by interesting
some friends raised sucient money to go to her creditor
and pay everything. en, with the receipt in his hand, he
went to see her. Her neighbors knew her only by the name,
“Old Betty.” When the clergyman arrived at the house, he
said, “Can you tell me where Old Betty lives?”
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ey told him to go up the stairs to a certain room; he
went up, knocked at the door and waited but there was no
answer. He knocked again and still there was no answer.
He called, “Old Betty, are you there?” but no answer.
He started down the stairs and was going away when
the neighbors said, “Did you nd her?”
“No, she is evidently not in.”
“Oh, she’s in all right, she just wasn’t going to let you
in,” they said. “She’s afraid to open the door.”
And so he went up again and knocked and then one
of the neighbors called, “Old Betty, let him in; it’s the
clergyman come to see you.”
“Oh,” the voice came from within, “I thought it was the
baili and I wasn’t going to open,” and she opened the door
and received the minister.
He said, “I have come to tell you that some friends have
heard of your need and have paid all your debt. ey have
asked me to bring you the receipt, and here is a little gift to
help for the future.”
“Just to think,” she said, “and I locked and bolted the
door against you. I was afraid to let you in.”
Is that not the way people are treating the Lord Jesus
Christ? I am wondering whether you, unsaved one, have
been treating Him like that. For years He has been
knocking at your heart’s door, He wants to come in to
bring you peace and joy with the knowledge of sins atoned
for and guilt put away, but you have bolted and barred your
heart’s door against Him, you have kept your best Friend
out. But He is waiting still and continues to knock. Why
not open your heart’s door at once and receive the salvation
so freely proered?
Who Can Pay?
131
137726
Who Can Pay?
“When they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them
both.” Luke 7:42
Years ago, Nicholas the First, Czar of Russia, was
occasionally in the habit of throwing aside the garb of
royalty, attiring himself in the uniform of a lower ocer,
and going about to nd out how things were going with
his soldiers. On one occasion he had a favorite, a young
man, the son of an intimate friend of his, to whom he
had given a position in a border fortress in charge of the
money used for paying o the soldiers. is young man fell
into bad habits; he took to gambling, and by and by, led
on and on by the will-o’-the-wisp that lures the gambler
to his doom, had gambled away all his own wealth and
then had taken from the government funds entrusted to
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him. He had taken just a few rubles at a time and had no
idea of the amount abstracted. He received notice that on
the following day, an ocial was coming from the court
to examine the records and to count the money he had
on hand. He felt he never could face the exposure of that
day and so the night before, closed his door and sat there
with his books before him. He opened the safe, took out
the pitifully small amount of money, counted it carefully,
jotted down the amount on a sheet of paper, made note of
the various peculation that he had abstracted, and when he
had added it, he sat looking at it, and nally wrote under
the gures, “A great debt; who can pay?”
He knew it was impossible for him ever to settle;
looking at the small amount of money, he thought, “What
a failure I have been!” He made up his mind that he would
not live to face the disgrace of the morrow; he would blow
his brains out as the clock struck twelve that night and
leave all the papers so that the agent would understand
all that had happened. As he sat there reecting upon the
way he had thrown away his opportunity, suddenly he felt
himself overpowered with drowsiness and in spite of the
horror of his situation, went o to sleep.
It so happened that night, the Czar Nicholas, attired as
a lower ocer of the guard, entered the gate of that fortress,
by giving the proper password, and moved down through
the halls. Every light should have been out according to
regulations but as he came down the main hall, he saw the
light shining under a door. He went up to the door and
listened but there was not a sound. He tried the knob, the
door opened; he looked inside and saw the sleeping ocer
and then the money and the open safe, the papers, the
books, and he wondered what it meant. He tiptoed in and
Who Can Pay?
133
stood behind the man, and looking over his shoulder, read
the paper before him. e whole thing became clear in a
moment. e young man had been stealing systematically
for months.
e Czar’s rst thought was to put his hand on his
shoulder and tell him that he was under arrest. e next
moment his heart went out to him in compassion; he
remembered his boyhood; he remembered the father;
how broken hearted he would be if the son should be
arrested! en he happened to see that pitiful question, “A
great debt; who can pay?” Moved by generous impulse, he
reached over, picked up the pen that had fallen from the
hand of the sleeping man, wrote just one word under that
line, tiptoed out, and closed the door.
For an hour or so the man slept, then, wakened suddenly,
he saw it was long past midnight. He sprang to his feet and
picked up his revolver, put it to his forehead, and was just
about to pull the trigger when his eye caught sight of that
one word on the sheet of paper which he knew was not
there when he went to sleep. It was the name, “Nicholas.”
Dropping his gun, he said, “Can it be?” He went to one
of his les and got hold of some documents that had the
genuine signature of the Czar and compared them with
the one word written under the line, “A great debt; who
can pay?” It was the real signature of the Czar and he said,
“e Czar has been here tonight, he knows all my guilt and
yet he has undertaken to pay my debt, I need not die.” And
so instead of taking his life, he rested upon the word of the
Czar as indicated by that name written upon the paper,
and he was not surprised when, early the next morning, a
messenger came from the royal palace bringing a sack of
gold which he counted and found to be exactly the amount
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134
of the missing money. He placed it in the safe and when
the inspector came and went over the books, everything
was found to be all right. Nicholas had paid in full.
It is only a human illustration but it pictures what the
Lord Jesus Christ has done.
“Jesus paid all my debt
Oh, wondrous love;
Widest extreme He met,
Oh, wondrous love.
Justice is satised,
God now is gloried,
Heaven’s gate thrown open wide,
Oh, wondrous love.”
One word spoke peace to that man’s heart, “Nicholas.”
One word has spoken peace to my heart, the name, “Jesus.”
For through Him and His work upon the cross, satisfaction
has been made for all my sins. And for you, there is the
same salvation, the same absolution, the same pardon, the
same forgiveness, for God “hath made Him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him” (2Corinthians 5:21).
A Good Sinner
135
137727
A Good Sinner
“ere is no dierence: For all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:22-23
“Are you saved, sir?” we asked a gentleman at the close
of a gospel meeting.
“No, I really can’t say I am, but I would like to be.”
“Why would you? Do you realize you are a lost sinner?”
“Oh, of course, we are all sinners.”
“Ah! but that often means little or nothing. Are you a
sinner yourself?”
“Well, I suppose I am, but I’m not what you could call a
bad sinner. I am, I think, rather a good one. I always try to
do the best I know.”
“en, my friend, I fear there is little use seeking to
show you the way of salvation. Good sinners, together with
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honest liars, upright thieves, and virtuous scoundrels are
far from being ready to submit to the grace of God, which
is only for poor, vile, hell-deserving sinners, who have no
merits to build on, no goodness to plead, but who are ready
to be saved alone by the work of Another, and that One the
Lord Jesus Christ.”
Further conversation but elicited the fact that the
gentleman was far from being ready to be saved and would,
according to his own declaration, rather take “his chances”
as he was.
e Human Fly
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137728
e Human Fly
“ey … weave the spider’s web … neither shall they
cover themselves with their works.” Isaiah 59:5-6
Some years ago there came to Los Angeles, the great
metropolis of Southern California, a so-called “human y.”
It was announced that on a given day he would climb up
the face of one of the large department store buildings,
and long before the appointed time, thousands of eager
spectators were gathered to see him perform the seemingly
impossible feat.
But slowly and carefully he mounted aloft, now clinging
to a window ledge, anon to a jutting brick, again to a cornice.
Up and up he went, against apparently insurmountable
diculties. At last he was nearing the top. He was seen
to feel to right and left and above his head for something
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rm enough to support his weight, to carry him further.
And soon he seemed to spy what looked like a gray bit of
stone or discolored brick protruding from the smooth wall.
He reached for it, but it was just beyond him. He ventured
all on a spring-like movement, grasped the protuberance
and, before the horried eyes of the spectators, fell to the
ground and was broken to pieces. In his dead hand was
found a spider’s web! What he evidently mistook for solid
stone or brick turned out to be nothing but dried froth!
Alas, how many are thinking to climb to heaven by eort
of their own, only to nd at last that they have ventured all
on a spider’s web, and so are lost forever.
“I’m in for a Good Time”
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137729
“I’m in for a Good Time”
“She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.”
1Timothy 5:6
Some years ago, I had been preaching Christ as God’s
remedy for man’s ruined condition, to the hardy population
of a beautiful mining town in the mountain regions of
Northern California. One afternoon I noticed in the
meeting hall a young woman whose sin-marked face,
weary look and careless demeanor could not fail to attract
attention.
Stepping over to her at the close, I asked, “What about
your soul? Have you ever thought of preparing for eternity?”
“My soul? I ain’t got none,” was the ippant reply,
accompanied by a foolish laugh. Further conversation
seemed to make no impression, for, after solemnly warning
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her of coming judgment, she exclaimed, “You ain’t going
to scare me into religion. Wouldn’t I look nice joining you
folks? I’m in for a good time.”
“But when you’ve had your day, when your so-called
good time is over forever, when death, judgment, and
eternity have to be faced, when God has to be met, what
then?”
“Oh, well, of course, I don’t intend to live like this right
along. I’ll get religion when I grow old. I ain’t got time for
it now.”
“Yes; so the devil has deceived thousands, but you may
never live to grow old. You may not have time to prepare
for eternity, though you must nd time to die.”
Another laugh greeted this warning, and she was gone.
It seemed almost impossible that so young a person could
be so hardened. I was told she had abandoned herself to a
grossly wicked life, though little more than a child, and was
an outcast from respectable society. Alas, how sin degrades,
hardens, and blinds its poor victims!
Some weeks after the above conversation, an undertaker
came to the house where I was staying; he said that he
had a funeral to conduct that was a source of much
embarrassment to him. e person to be buried was a
young woman of so notorious a character that he could
scarcely persuade anyone to act as pallbearers. Mentioning
her name, he asked if we knew any who might do her this
last service. We promptly oered ourselves. at would do.
Some former companions of her folly had already promised
to be the others.
It was the girl I had so recently spoken to, cut down
in a moment — “suddenly destroyed, and that without
remedy.” Two days earlier, after a public holiday spent in a
“I’m in for a Good Time”
141
revolting manner, she was borne home drunk and put into
a bed, from which she never arose. In a few hours she had
passed into eternity, having died in great agony from the
baneful eects of her long debauch. e wine-cup and its
accompaniments had claimed another victim.
Awful was the sight of her pale, swollen face. A minister
had been called in, but what could he say? What comfort
could he give? Of deathbed repentance even he could not
speak. No hope could he hold out that she might after all
be saved. She had been asked by her mother if she wanted
some one to come in to pray with her. “No,” she said, “no
one.”
“Couldn’t she remember a prayer, then, to say
herself — the Lord’s prayer, or any other?”
“No, I can’t,” and instead of prayer there were oaths and
groans of anguish.
“She had lived her life,” the minister said, “I shall not
speak of it, for it cannot be altered now. You have yours to
live yet. I speak then to you,” and he faithfully urged them
to ee to Christ alone for refuge.
As I helped to lower the con into the grave, my heart
was sad indeed. As I turned away, I heard some one exclaim,
under his breath, “Just think of it, only seventeen years old,
and gone to — !” e last word was lost in the noise about
me, or perhaps never uttered.
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Not Only Necessary — but Enough
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137730
Not Only Necessary — but
Enough
“ere is one God and one mediator between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom
for all to be testied in due time.” 1Timothy 2:5-6
In a hospital ward a lady missionary found an undersized
and undeveloped little Irish boy, whose white, wizened face
and emaciated form excited her deepest sympathy. Perhaps
he was of about fteen years of age; he scarcely looked to be
twelve. Winning the lad’s condence by gifts and owers
and fruit, she soon found him very willing, and even eager,
to listen to the story of the sinner’s Saviour. At rst his
interest seemed of an impersonal character, but gradually
he began to be immediately concerned. His own soul’s
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need was put before him, and he was awakened to some
sense of his lost condition, insomuch that he commenced
seriously to consider how he might be saved. Brought
up a Romanist, he thought and spoke of penance and
confessional, of sacraments and church, yet never wholly
leaving out Christ Jesus and His atoning work.
One morning the lady called again upon him, and
found his face aglow with a new-found joy. Inquiring
the reason, he replied with assurance born of faith in the
revealed Word of God, “O missis, I always knew that Jesus
was necessary; but I never knew till yesterday that He was
enough!”
It was a blessed discovery, and I would that every reader
of these pages had made it. Mark it well: Jesus is enough!
“Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctication, and redemption.” “Ye are complete in
Him.” “God hath made us accepted in the beloved.” ese
are only a few of the precious declarations of Scripture
which show clearly that Jesus is indeed not only necessary,
but enough.
It is believed by most people that Jesus is necessary. e
whole fabric of Christendom is built upon that. But, alas,
how few realize that He is enough!
You see, it is not Christ and good works, nor Christ and
the church, that save. It is not through Christ and baptism,
or Christ and the confessional, that we may obtain the
forgiveness of our sins. It is not Christ and doing our best,
or Christ and the Lord’s Supper, that will give us new life.
It is Christ alone.
Christ and — is a perverted gospel which is not the
gospel. Christ without the and is the sinner’s hope and
the saint’s condence. Trusting Him, eternal life and
Not Only Necessary — but Enough
145
forgiveness are yours. en, and not till then, good works
and obedience to all that is written in the Word for the
guidance of Christians, falls into place. e saved soul is
exhorted to maintain good works, and thus to manifest
his love for Christ. But for salvation itself, Jesus is not only
necessary, but He is enough.
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e One Mediator
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137731
e One Mediator
“To which of the saints wilt thou turn?” Job 5:1
My mother spent her last months on earth in Long
Beach, California. My wife and I arranged to be with her
so as to help in any way we could. Each afternoon I was in
the habit of going down to the sands for a little rest and
relaxation, and I always took my Bible with me.
While reading it one day, a young couple approached
and, after introducing themselves, began to ask some
questions about certain Scriptures. is led to a daily Bible
study right on the beach. Eventually scores of people would
gather with their Bibles and it was a joy to seek to open up
the Word to them. For some weeks we studied the epistle
to the Hebrews.
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One day, as the meeting was closing, a warmhearted
Irish woman, who had been sitting on the outskirts of the
crowd, came over to me and expressed her appreciation of
the message. She exclaimed, “I am a Roman Catholic and
this is the rst Protestant conventicle I have ever attended.
I’ve seen ye each day as I went by, but I did not think I
ought to listen, but as I was passing this afternoon I heard
you say something so good about my dear Lord Jesus that I
felt it would not be wrong to hear more — so I came close
and I have enjoyed it all. You’ve told me things about my
dear Saviour today I never heard in all my life before, and
I am so glad I came.”
I inquired, “You know Jesus as your own Saviour and
Lord?” “Indeed I do,” was the reply. “He’s been my Friend
for years, and since my husband died He’s been like a
husband to me, and a Father to my children. I go to Him
about everything and He always answers my prayers and
takes care of me. He died for me and I trust Him to keep
my soul.”
Perhaps a bit mischievously, I asked, “But do you only
pray to Him? Don’t you pray also to the blessed virgin and
to the saints when you are in trouble?” I shall never forget
her answer. “Oh, bedad!” she exclaimed, “What would I be
after bothering with the virgin and the saints for, when I
can go direct to my blessed Lord Himself!”
Would that all might realize the blessedness of this.
Because He ever liveth, we are invited to “come boldly unto
the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and nd
grace in every time of need.” e Lord Jesus is interested
in all that concerns us. Why then turn aside to any other?
e Unsettled Past
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e Unsettled Past
“God requireth that which is past.” Ecclesiastes 3:15
A solemn instance of the danger of neglecting salvation
came to my notice sometime ago. It is absolutely authentic.
An earnest evangelist, a personal friend of mine, was
holding a series of meetings in a city in western Michigan.
One night his text was Ecclesiastes 3:15. Faithfully he
sought to show his hearers the impossibility of putting
themselves right with God by reformation or human merit.
Let the future be as it might, the past would have to be
faced at the Great White rone. Sin must be atoned for,
and the guilty one could never atone for his own iniquity.
He went on to show that God, in grace, had given Jesus to
die, that His precious Blood was shed to put away sins, that
all who trusted Him could say, “I have settled with God
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about my past now, for Jesus died for me. My sins are gone.
He paid my debt. God requireth that which is past; but He
has required it of Jesus, and my soul is set free.”
In the audience sat a lady who listened with deepest
interest. e day after the meeting she expressed herself
as being concerned and anxious about her soul, but like
many others, she procrastinated; and, instead of settling
the matter at once, she chose to go on unsaved.
e next day she was drawing some gasoline for a
customer in the little store where she worked. A lamp
was near. Suddenly there was an explosion and then a
mass of ame! She ran from the place, screaming for help.
Neighbors came to her rescue, but it was too late to save
her life. Conveyed to a hospital, she lingered some twenty-
four hours and then passed into eternity.
As she lay in the ward, she was heard wailing hour after
hour, “My sins! My sins! I haven’t settled with God about
my past!” Christian friends were there to point her to Jesus,
who even now would save her if she accepted Him; but her
agony was so great, none could tell whether she looked to
Him or not. While hoping she had a saving glimpse of the
One who died to redeem her, her loved ones could only
leave her with God.
e incident illustrates the grave danger of refusing to
close at once with Christ.
Have you settled with God about your past? Are your
sins washed away in His precious blood? If called as
suddenly as she to face eternity, would your cry perhaps be
as hopeless as hers? Oh, be persuaded, “God is not mocked:
For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” e
loss of your soul is too terrible to be unconcerned.
e Unsettled Past
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“To lose your wealth is much;
To lose your health is more;
To lose your soul is such a loss
As no one can restore.”
Come now to Jesus with all your sins, and owning your
lost condition, trust in Him while grace is free. “He, that
being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be
destroyed, and that without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1).
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e Conversion of omas Scott, a Unitarian
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e Conversion of omas
Scott, a Unitarian
“at all men should honor the Son, even as they honor
the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not
the Father which hath sent him.” John 5:23
It is related of the eminent commentator of the
eighteenth century, omas Scott, that he was for some
years opposed to the precious and important truth of the
deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Like most Unitarians, the
lower his thoughts were as to the Son of God, the higher
they were as to himself and his own righteousness. A proud
Pharisee, he fancied that he was quite able to save himself,
if indeed he needed saving at all.
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rough a careful, thoughtful study of the Scriptures
(afterward his food for forty years), he was awakened to
see his lost condition and his deep need of a Saviour and
Mediator. Relating his experience in e Force of Truth,
he says: “I clearly perceived my very best duties, on which
my main dependence had hitherto been placed, to be
merely specious sins; and my whole life appeared to be one
continued series of transgressions. I now understood the
Apostle’s meaning when he arms that ‘by the works of
the law shall no esh be justied’ before God” (Galatians
2:16).
us aroused, he saw that none but a divine Saviour
could avail for so great a sinner as he now realized himself
to be; and so, trusting in the Lord Jesus, he found peace
and joy.
Unitarianism, like so-called Christian Science,
eosophy, and various other human religions, will do well
enough for a man with a drugged or sleeping conscience;
but the gospel of the grace of God alone can meet the need
of an awakened sinner who has learned that God is holy
and cannot look upon iniquity. To such there is a sweetness
and healing balm in such words as John 3:16, of which the
other knows nothing. “For God so loved the world, that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
No Oil in the Lamp
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No Oil in the Lamp
“ey that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil
with them.” Matthew 25:3
Nothing is sadder than profession without possession,
nothing more solemn than to have a name that one lives,
while actually dead in trespasses and sins. Many are like
this, they have no sense of their true condition.
e following case came to my notice while I was
preaching in a middle western city, sometime ago. e lady
related it to me herself. She had been for years a professor
of religion, attending services frequently, reading her Bible
with some degree of regularity, saying her prayers and
attending to what she thought were her duties as one who
belonged to a respectable church. In short, she was doing
all she knew how in order to prepare her soul for eternity.
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But, while she hoped she was all right, she was never very
seriously concerned for her conscience had not yet been
reached and so, as she put it afterward, she was contentedly
hastening on to judgment, relying upon her own fancied
goodness and meritorious works for salvation.
She was alone in her room one night when suddenly
the lamp which had lighted went out, leaving her in the
darkness. Almost involuntarily she exclaimed, “ere is no
oil in the lamp!” e words were scarcely uttered till they
seemed to come reverberating back into her ears, but with
a new and solemn meaning. “No oil in the lamp! I’ve heard
that before. Ah, yes, the parable of the virgins (Matthew
25:1-12). Five of them had no oil in their lamps when the
bridegroom came, and they were shut out of the feast.” Her
mind became troubled. For several days, and even nights,
the thought was always with her. She would often cry out
in anguish of soul, “No, I have no oil in my lamp. What will
become of me? I have not the grace of God in my heart!”
A horror of great darkness came upon her. She longed
to be saved, yet knew not how. In great distress she began
to pray, and God opened her eyes to see her utterly lost,
undone condition in His sight, and showed her that she
could do nothing to save herself. She searched His Word
for light as to how she might obtain the longed-for “oil,”
and at last was led to realize that the work that saves had
all been nished long ago when the Lord Jesus bore her
sins in His own body on the tree (1Peter 2:24); that all
she had to do to possess eternal life and to know that she
had it, was to believe on Him (1John 5:13). Glad she was
indeed to be saved so simply, and yet in a way that brought
such satisfaction. Sin had been all judged on Another, and
she was justied from all things (Acts 13:38-39). In simple
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157
faith she rested in Christ, and can now rejoice that she is
His for time and eternity. Before she had profession, now
she had Christ; before she was dressed in the rags of self-
righteousness, now she was clothed in the righteousness of
God (1Corinthians 1:30); before she had an empty lamp
only, now she was the possessor of the oil of the Spirit, who
has sealed her for heaven (Ephesians 4:30).
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Praying or Trusting
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Praying or Trusting
“As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in
Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2Corinthians
5:20
Visiting in a hospital not long ago, I spoke to a poor man
of emaciated aspect, whom his friends had been anxious
that I should see. He was evidently in a very precarious
condition, possibly soon to be summoned from time to
eternity. I told him I was anxious to know how he stood as
to the great matter of his soul’s salvation, and asked if he
enjoyed peace with God.
“Oh,” was the reply, “I’m all right as to that. I’m praying
all the time.” A look of intense self-satisfaction settled on
his face.
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“Well, my dear fellow, I hope you know what Christ
had to do to save such sinners as we are and that you know
Him as your personal Saviour.”
“Oh, that’s all right. I’ve known about Jesus for a long
time. I’ve belonged to a church since I was a boy. I haven’t
any fear for I’m always praying.”
“Well, you see, it is not enough to know about these
things, and people are not saved by praying. Do you trust
in the precious blood of Christ?”
A violent attack of coughing interrupted the
conversation. When he was easy again, he said, “I can’t talk
more to you, sir. It excites me too much. But you needn’t
fear for me, for I won’t forget to pray.” With this he turned
from me, evidently signifying that the conversation was
over, so I could do nothing but retire, leaving on the table
some simple gospel tracts in the hope that, as he could still
read, they might be used of God for blessing to him.
His case is, I fear, like that of many who put prayer, or
other Christian practices, in the place of Christ, whereas the
truth is, Christ rst, then all these other things; or, in other
words, life rst, then the needs of the newborn babe. Saved
people are surely praying people, but there are thousands of
persons who pray who are not saved. e Pharisees prayed
even long prayers, yet they were not saved.
Nowhere in His Word, does God ask people to pray
for salvation. Nowhere is eternal life promised in answer
to prayer. People in recognized relationship with God are
taught to pray, as children making known their wants to a
loving Father. In the case of the one apparent exception,
Simon the sorcerer of Acts 8, to whom Peter says, “Pray
God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven
thee” (Acts 8:22) it is that of a man by profession already
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161
a Christian. His own answer to the Apostle is the proof
that the secrets of his heart had been made manifest, and
thus of his untness to pray, for he exclaims, “Pray ye to the
Lord for me” (Acts 8:24).
Sinners desiring salvation are throughout Scripture
urged to trust, to believe, to have faith in the Son of God.
Paul’s answer to the jailer’s anxious inquiry, “What must
I do to be saved?” is not that he should pray, or beseech God
to help him, but is clear and simple, “Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” God has not one
plan for one class of sinners and a dierent one for another.
All who ever were saved in any dispensation were saved
by believing the testimony of God. His present testimony
is that Christ died for our sins, that He was buried and
rose again, and He says, “If thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”
(Romans 10:9).
We are not saying these things to hinder any soul in
distress from crying to God, as the publican who cried,
“God be merciful to me a sinner.” But we warn any soul
from putting his condence in anything which, in the end,
would only fail him; and what an awful thing to fail in a
matter whose issues are eternal. “God be merciful to me
a sinner” is the acknowledgment of need and guilt, but
cannot give peace. e publican might have cried that
forever and still have not so much as dared lift up his eyes
to heaven had he not believed God’s Word. e moment
the testimony of God is believed, that “Christ also hath
once suered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might
bring us to God” (1Peter 3:18), the soul enters into peace
with God.
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Instead of calling upon us to pray for salvation, God
Himself is beseeching men through His ambassadors to be
reconciled to Him. rough them Christ is pleading with
sinners to trust Him.
Precious then to be able to say, “I am trusting all the
time” instead of what this poor man in the hospital was
vainly repeating.
Living the Christ Life
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Living the Christ Life
“Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Galatians 2:20
I was holding a series of evangelistic meetings in a
church in Virginia. One evening, a visiting minister was
asked to open with prayer. He said, “Lord, grant y
blessing as the Word is preached tonight. May it be the
means of causing people to fall in love with the Christ
life, that they may begin to live the Christ life.” I felt like
saying, “Brother, sit down; don’t insult God like that.” But
I felt I had to be courteous and I knew that my turn would
come when I could set forth the precious truth as to God’s
way of salvation.
e gospel is not asking men to try to live the Christ
life. If our salvation depended upon our doing that, apart
from a second birth, we would all be just as good as checked
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through to hell. It is impossible for an unregenerate man
to live the Christ life, no matter how much he may admire
it as seen in Jesus, as it would be for one who had no
sense of tune or of rhythm to live the Paderewski life or
the life of any other great musician. One may enjoy music
and admire musical ability who could never play or sing
himself. It takes the soul of a musician to enable one to live
a musician’s life, just as it takes the eye and hand of an artist
to be a painter or a sculptor.
When born from above, Christ dwells in our hearts by
faith and as He lives out His life in us we are enabled to
walk as He walked. ere is no other way whereby we may
live the Christ life.
Honest Doubt
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Honest Doubt
“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is
greater.” 1John 5:9
Often when pressing the claims of Christ upon men
and urging them to believe the gospel, I have had them
seek to parry by declaring that they could not believe, as
they were honest doubters. I suppose there is such a thing
as an honest doubter, but I dislike the expression when that
which men profess honestly to doubt is the infallible Word
of the living God. Tennyson has written, “ere is more
faith in honest doubt, Believe me, than in half your creeds.”
I am not so sure that Tennyson was correct; certainly
not if it is a question of doubting the truth of the gospel. I
would not like to go home and tell my wife something and
have her say, “Well, my dear, I am trying to believe you, but,
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honestly, I doubt you. I believe there is more faith in honest
doubt than in being too sure you are not trying to put one
over on me.”
A lady said when I had explained the way of life as
clearly as I knew how and shown her some plain, denite
passages from the Holy Scriptures, such as John 5:24 and
Matthew 11:28, “Well, I am trying to believe.”
“Trying to believe whom?” I inquired. “It is God who
has spoken in His Word. What do you mean by saying you
are trying to believe Him?”
She saw her sin and her mistake and exclaimed, “Oh, I
did not realize what I was saying. Yes, I can and I do believe
what God has declared.” And her soul entered into peace.
e Blood Counts for Something
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137738
e Blood Counts for
Something
“e blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all
sin.” 1John 1:7
A friend of mine, himself an evangelist, lay for many
weary months in a Roman Catholic hospital in the city
of Oakland, California, because of injuries received in an
automobile accident. On a nearby bed lay a young priest,
evidently a sincere and earnest man, but he was greatly
troubled in view of possible death. An aged priest came
from time to time to hear his confessions, and to grant him
absolution. My friend longed to speak to him, but found
him very dicult to approach.
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One day, however, as the older priest was about to leave,
he overheard the young one say to him, something like
this, “Father, it is very strange: I have done everything I
know to do. I have sought to carry out all that the church
has asked, and yet I have no peace. How can I be sure that
God has put away my sins?”
e other looked at him compassionately, and then
exclaimed, “Surely the blood of Christ ought to count for
something!”
As though a ash of divine light had entered his soul,
the young priest’s countenance changed. He looked up
eagerly to exclaim, “Ah, yes, it counts for everything. I can
trust that.”
And it was evident afterward that his soul had entered
into peace. Can you trust the precious blood shed by that
Holy Son, who drank the cup of judgment for your sins
upon the cross? If so, God declares that your sins which are
many are all forgiven.
us, redeemed to God and justied, you will enter, as
never before, into the inner meaning of the garden and the
Cross.
“Gethsemane, can I forget,
Or there y conict see,
ine agony and blood-like sweat,
And not remember ee?
When to the Cross I turn mine eyes
And rest on Calvary,
O Lamb of God, my sacrice,
I must remember ee.”
e Wrong Door
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e Wrong Door
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be
saved.” John 10:9
A young man who often listened to a great Scotch
preacher wanted to be saved. He had a longing in his heart
to know Christ as his deliverer and to know the blessedness
of God’s salvation; although he wept and prayed and sought,
he could get no sense of forgiveness, no assurance that he
was received by God. One night the minister preached on
those words, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he
shall be saved” and he showed that “any man” took in poor
sinners, no matter how vile, how wicked, how corrupt they
were. As he preached, he could see the cloud lift from this
young man’s face; at the close of the meeting, he came to
the front and said, “I got in tonight.”
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“What do you mean,” asked the preacher.
“Why, I got in at the open door tonight while you were
preaching.”
“I am glad to hear it. But why did you not get in before?
You have been troubled for a fortnight and I have been
trying to help you, and others have been doing their best to
help you. How was it that you did not get in until tonight?”
“Well,” said the young man, “I have been at the wrong
door all the time. I have been knocking at the saints’ door
and I found it locked against me. I thought I had to become
good enough for God to save me, but I said tonight, I will
try the sinner’s door, and when I came to it, it was open and
I got right inside.”
Salvation Altogether of God
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Salvation Altogether of God
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light.” Colossians 1:12
ere is a story told of an old man who owned a little
narrow lot with a poor miserable cabin on it. Lots in his
neighborhood had been selling for fabulous prices and he
felt that some day his place would make his fortune. By
and by a millionaire came along and seeing the possibilities
of that block, said, “I want the whole thing.”
He sent his agent to buy the whole block; when he came
to the old man, he said, “What is the price of your place?”
As the old man had waited long for this opportunity, he
priced it at what he thought was a tremendously big gure.
“Very well,” said the agent, “I will take it.”
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“When do you want it?” the old man asked.
“In about two weeks I will be around with the deed and
you can be ready to sign it. Here is a thousand dollars to
bind the sale,” replied the agent.
e old man was simply delighted and thought, “Well,
if somebody has bought this place who is able to pay all
that money, I ought to x it up a bit.” And so he bought
some paint and went to work painting the old cabin. He
bought some glass to replace the broken panes, and for
two weeks he worked on the cabin. When this millionaire
purchaser and his agent brought the papers for him to sign,
he was so nervous about it he could hardly hold the pen.
He was surprised that the purchaser did not say anything
about the shack and so he said, “You see how beautifully
I have painted it up and have put in some new windows.
It is going to make a nice place. I hope you will be very
comfortable in it.”
“Oh,” said the millionaire, “but I didn’t buy this place
for what is on it, but for what I am going to put on it.”
at is how God justies the ungodly. It is not because
of what He nds in men, but He saves them for what He is
going to put in them, for what He is going to do for them.
When they put their trust in Him, they get everlasting life,
they are justied, and all their sins are forgiven. en God
proceeds to make them t for His own blessed presence,
and when we get home to heaven, we will give Him all the
glory.
e Bible a Mirror
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e Bible a Mirror
“If any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like
unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass; For he
beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was.” James 1:23-24
I ran across an illustration the other day that I think
pictures this admirably. An elderly gentleman, who was
very nearsighted, prided himself on his ability as an art
critic. On one occasion he was accompanying some friends
through a large gallery and was seeking to display his real
or fancied knowledge of pictures to these friends. He had
left his glasses at home and was not able to see things very
clearly. Standing before a large frame, he began to point
out the inartistic features of the picture there revealed.
“e frame,” he said, “is altogether out of keeping with the
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subject and as for the subject itself (it was that of a man)
it is altogether too homely, in fact, too ugly, ever to make a
good picture. It is a great mistake for any artist to choose
so homely a subject for a picture if he expects it to be a
masterpiece.”
e old gentleman was going on like this when his wife
managed to get near enough to interrupt. She exclaimed,
“My dear, you are looking into a mirror.” He was quite
taken back to realize that he had been criticizing his own
face.
Now the Word of God is such a mirror. It does not hide
our deformities. It shows us up just as we are. But we are
not to be occupied with our old selves. e Spirit of God
would turn us away from self altogether to occupation with
the risen Christ, and as we are taken up with Him, we are
kept from sin. It is when we get our eyes o Christ and
become self-occupied or taken up with the world around
us that we fail. And who of us does not so fail? We all
have to confess our failures from day to day, but our ever
living Saviour is not only our High Priest to minister all
needed grace and help, but even when we fail to avail
ourselves of that as we should, He is our Advocate still
and the moment we fail, He takes up our case with the
Father. Mark, it does not say, “If any man confess his sin,
we have an advocate,” but rather, “If any man sin, we have
an advocate.” e moment we fail He is in the Father’s
presence about us, and as a result of His gracious advocacy,
the Spirit continues His work in our hearts, bringing us to
repentance and confession, and “If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.”
e Righteousness of God
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e Righteousness of God
“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
Philippians 3:9
I was talking to a large group of women at a college one
day and an illustration came to my mind which I think they
all understood. I said, “Just imagine one of you working
your way through college. You have very little with which
to do; your parents are not able to provide for you; possibly
you have no parents. ere is going to be some great aair
and all are supposed to be nicely dressed for this occasion;
you do not like to be shabby, but you have so little to go
on. en you see that at the ve and ten cent store there
is a splendid sale on dress material for ten cents a yard.
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You have only a few dimes, but you go down and get a
few yards and try to make a nice gown so that you can go
to that function. But you have never had much training
as a seamstress and you have a lot of trouble. However,
you work away on it, trying to make it look respectable.
en one day Lady Bountiful visits you; you have always
dreamed about her, but never expected to see her. She takes
a kindly interest in you and says, “Look, I want you to go
down town with me.” You go, wondering why she should
be interested in you, and then she takes you into one of the
most beautiful outtting establishments of the city. You are
stirred as you walk up and down those aisles; as she stops
at the dress section, she says, “Now, my dear, pick out any
dress you please — a gown for yourself, any one that you
like.”
“Well, really,” you say, “that seems too good to be true.
I am afraid my taste would lead me to pick out something
too expensive.”
But she says, “Go right on — anything you want.”
And so your fancy for color leads you to select a
certain one and you say, “Well, I think that would be very
becoming.”
“All right,” she says, and to the saleslady, “How much is
it?” e answer is, “Seventy-ve dollars.”
“Oh,” you say, “that price is altogether beyond a poor
girl like me.”
“But that is all right,” she says, “you like it and you are
going to have it.”
Imagine the girl coming back to her little room, seeing
the poor old gured goods at which she had been working
so long. She gets the new one out and tries it on and parades
up and down before the glass. Finally, she calls in the other
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177
girls and says, “Oh, now I shall be found not having my
own dress, this poor inexpensive thing, but this beautiful
gown that has been given to me so freely!”
Paul looked at it that way. He had been trying to work
out his righteousness himself, trying to make a beautiful
garment in which to stand before God; but when he got
sight of the risen Christ, and learned that every believer is
made the righteousness of God in Christ, he said, “Away
with that thing of my own providing, now that I can be
dressed up in the righteousness which is of God in Christ.”
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Total Depravity
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Total Depravity
“e heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
(incurably) wicked.” Jeremiah 17:9
Many object to the doctrine of total depravity on
the ground that all men are capable of some good even
if unsaved. All of us recognize the value of decency in
behavior, of a kindly spirit, of generosity in caring for the
needy, and similar virtues, which are frequently seen in
unconverted and even positively godless men and women.
How, then, it is asked, can they be said to be totally
depraved? Dr. Joseph Cook, the great Boston lecturer of the
latter half of the nineteenth century, answers this question
with the following illustration: He said he had in his home
a very beautiful and valuable clock. It had an exceedingly
handsome case, a very ne set of works, a nice appearing
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dial and elegantly nished hands. It was altogether a good
clock to look upon but it had one fault. It simply would
not, or could not, keep time. It had been gone over by many
dierent clock-makers, but no one had been able to correct
this fault. As a timepiece it was totally depraved!
Is not this like man, even at his best, if he has not been
born again? ere may be much about him that others
can admire, but he is positively unable to do the will of
the Lord, because his heart is utterly estranged from God,
and therefore so far as holiness is concerned, he is totally
depraved. Only the new birth — regeneration by the
Word and Spirit of God — can enable him to keep in line
with the divine will as laid down in the Holy Scriptures.
However righteous he may appear in the eyes of his fellows,
because of this fatal defect all his righteousness is as lthy
rags in the sight of God.
e Fullness of the Scriptures
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137744
e Fullness of the Scriptures
“e barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of
oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake
by Elijah.” 1Kings 17:16
In this, the barrel and the cruse were like the Word of
God itself, whether we think of the Scriptures as a whole,
or any separate passage or text. No matter how often we
may have read it, nor how many sermons we may have
heard upon it, there is always more to be discovered, as we
ponder it anew under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Evangelist Gibbud, the New York missioner of some
fty years ago, used to like to tell of the uncouth lad who
attended a school in the lower east side district of that
great metropolis. He was very fond of his teacher because
of the kindly interest she had taken in him. One day he
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approached her desk, after school was in session, holding
out a very dilapidated-looking orange in his dirty, grimy,
little hand. “Here, teacher,” he said, “is an orange I’ve brung
yer. It’s been squz some, but there’s lots in it yet!”
So it is with every portion of the Bible. No one has been
able to exhaust the priceless treasure it contains. ere is
always more to be obtained from it for the refreshment of
the soul.
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Simplicity in Prayer
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God. And the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
We need to realize that our God takes a Fatherly interest
in every detail of our lives and bids us bring everything to
Him in prayer. Nothing is too small for His concern and
nothing is too great for His power.
Years ago, the Free Kirk of Scotland was holding a
Synodical meeting in the granite city of Aberdeen and
worshippers were ocking in from all nearby towns to
participate in the services. An aged man was wending his
way to the city on foot, when he was overtaken by a young
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theological student; the two walked on in company. Despite
the dierence in their ages, they had much in common,
and so they enjoyed chatting together as they jogged on
toward their intended goal.
At noontime they turned aside to a grassy copse and
sat down to eat the lunch which each had brought with
him, rst giving God thanks for His gracious provision.
Afterward the aged pilgrim suggested that they pray
together before continuing their journey. e young
theologue was a bit embarrassed, but agreed, intimating
that the elder man should pray rst; which he did.
Addressing God as His Father in all simplicity, he poured
out his heart in thanksgiving, then uttered three specic
requests: he reminded the Lord that he was very hard of
hearing and if he did not get a seat well up to the front in
the kirk he would get little out of the sermon that evening,
so he asked that a seat be kept for him near enough to the
pulpit so he could get the benet of the message; secondly,
he told the Lord that his shoes were badly worn and not
t for city streets; he pleaded for a new pair though he had
not the “siller” to purchase them; last of all, he asked for a
place to stay for the night, as he knew no one in Aberdeen
and did not know where to look for accommodations.
By this time the student’s eyes were wide open as
he looked upon the old man with mingled disgust and
amazement, thinking it the height of impertinence to
burden Deity with such trivialities. When his turn came
to pray, he delivered himself of an eloquent, carefully
composed discourse, which in turn amazed his older
companion, who saw in it nothing that indicated a making
known of his needs to God the Father.
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185
Proceeding on their way, they reached the kirk just
as the people were crowding in; it was soon evident
that there was no longer even standing room left. e
student thought, “Now we shall see what becomes of his
presumptuous prayers. He’ll see that God has more to do
than to use His time saving a seat for a poor, old, country
man.” However, someone came out and the old man was
just able to squeeze inside the door, where he stood with
his hand up to his ear trying to hear what was going on.
Just then, it happened that a young lady in a front pew
turned and saw him. She called a sexton and said, “My
father told me to hold our pew for him until time for the
sermon; then, if he did not get here, to give it to someone
else. Evidently, he has been detained. Will you please go
back and bring up that old man who has his hand to his
ear and is standing just inside the door.” In a few moments,
petition number one was fully answered.
Now, in Scotland, some folks always kneel for prayer, as
the minister leads; others reverently rise to their feet. e old
man was the kneeling kind and the young woman always
stood. As she looked down, she could not help observing
the worn soles on the feet of the kneeling worshipper. Her
father was a shoe-dealer! At the close of the service, she
delicately approached the subject of the need of a better
pair of shoes, and asked if she might take him to her father’s
store, though closed for the night, and present him with a
pair. Needless to say, her oer was accepted as graciously as
it was made. So petition number two was answered.
At the store the lady inquired where he was to stay for
the night. In all simplicity he answered, “I dinna ken yet.
My Father has a room for me, but He has no’ told me whar
it is.” Puzzled for a moment, she exclaimed, “O, you mean
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your Father-God! Well, I believe we have that room for
you. We were saving our guestroom for the Rev. Dr. Blank,
but a telegram came this morning saying he could not
come, so now you must just come home with me and be
our guest.” And so the third petition was granted.
e next day the student inquired as to the outcome of
the prayer and was astonished to nd that God had heard
and answered each partictilar plea. He is never too busy to
heed the cries of His needy people. What we all require
is more condence in His love and more earnestness and
directness in prayer.
Verbal Inspiration
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Verbal Inspiration
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but
the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things
that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we
speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth,
but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual
things with spiritual.” 1Corinthians 2:12-13
ose who object to the use of the term “verbal
inspiration” as applied to the Holy Scriptures, often
speak of it contemptuously as the stenographic theory
of inspiration, implying thereby that it puts God in the
position of a business or literary man dictating to a secretary,
who in turn transcribes the exact words the employer has
uttered. In opposition to this, they point to the diversities
of style among Old and New Testament writers and gather
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from this that such a theory as verbal inspiration is utterly
absurd. ey rather believe, if they accept inspiration at all,
that God revealed the truth to dierent individuals and
they set it forth in their own language according to the
measure of understanding which they had.
Needless to say, this latter view would do away altogether
with exactness in divine revelation, and any thinking person
who has had experience in dictating to stenographers will
realize how readily individual attainments of culture and
understanding may be taken into account when using
secretarial help.
It has been part of my responsibility for a great many
years to dictate literally hundreds and thousands of
letters, and also manuscript for many books, pamphlets
and periodicals, and I have invariably found that it was
important to keep in mind the mentality and education of
my secretaries.
I recall how, a number of years ago, I was preparing
a book on the epistle to the Philippians. It was coming
out serially in a monthly magazine. My publishers wired
me that they were out of material and would like more
within a few days. I was holding special meetings in a
western city at the time and staying in a hotel. Having no
other stenographic help at hand, I sought out the public
stenographer in the hotel and she agreed to take dictation
on a chapter or two of my book. I gave it to her as I would
have done to my own well-taught secretary had she been
with me. It was the rst time I had ever used one in this
capacity who knew absolutely nothing of the Bible, and I
did not realize how strange many biblical terms must have
seemed to her.
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189
When she brought the manuscript to me it was
with diculty that I could conceal either my mirth
or indignation. I was paying her by the hour and the
manuscript was almost worthless. I had to go over all of
it, making scores of corrections on every page, and then
she had to do it all over again and, of course, I paid double
for it. In the very beginning I noticed she had entitled
the manuscript “Paul’s Epistle to the Philippine Islands.”
Every theological term was misconstrued. “Propitiation”
had been changed into “prostration” and other terms were
represented by words that could not by any possibility have
any reference to the subject in question. is taught me
a great lesson. From that time on, when giving dictation,
I have always taken into account the capabilities and the
knowledge of Scripture of my secretaries.
It is impossible to be too grateful for a secretary who
knows the Word of God herself and readily appreciates
religious terminology. On the other hand, it is often
exasperating when circumstances are dierent; and yet I
have found that by a little care I can generally adapt myself
to the understanding of the amanuensis. For instance, it is
not necessary to say “propitiation” if the word “atonement”
will do instead. I do not have to speak of “sanctication” if I
can express the same thought by the words “set apart.” And
so it would be actually possible for my various secretaries
to exhibit a style of their own in the matter which they
prepared at my dictation!
In a far higher sense than this, may we not think of God
accommodating Himself to the intelligence and culture
of the writers of sacred Scripture, so that He expresses
Himself in one way through a poet like David or Isaiah,
and in an altogether dierent manner through a farmer
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like Amos, or a sherman like Simon Peter. us you have
remarkable diversity in Scripture, coupled with marvelous
unity of thought, because “holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
e Ribbon of Blue
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e Ribbon of Blue
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that
they make them fringes in the borders of their garments
throughout their generations, and that they put upon the
fringe of the borders a ribband (ribbon) of blue … .that
ye may remember and do all my commandments, and be
holy unto your God.” Numbers 15:38-40
Blue is the heavenly color. e ribbon of blue on the
border of the Israelite’s robe was to be a constant reminder
that he belonged to the God of heaven, and was responsible
to so behave himself as to glorify his heavenly Master.
e story is told of a young dauphin, or crown prince, of
France, who was placed under the care of an English tutor
that he might be educated for his high and lofty station.
e tutor often found it very dicult to control the young
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prince, who was very high-spirited and independent. Not
possessing the authority to administer punishment to one
in such an exalted position, the tutor nally hit upon a plan
whereby he hoped to insure better behavior.
One morning he produced a purple rosette, which he
fastened upon the jacket of the prince, explaining that as it
was the royal color, it was to be worn as an evidence of his
regal station. “If,” said the tutor, “I ever nd you behaving
in an unprincely manner, I shall simply point to the rosette,
and you will understand.”
It proved to be a most eective method of discipline.
Occasionally, the prince would indulge in an outburst of
unseemly language or act in an unworthy manner. e
silent appeal to the purple was enough to bring him to his
senses and to procure an apology and a promise of better
self-control in the future.
So believers today are responsible to behave in
accordance with their heavenly relationship — to “walk
worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called.” e
ribbon of blue is to be seen upon all our garments as we
walk through this world to the glory of God.
Copper Nails
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137748
Copper Nails
“When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my
roaring all the day long.” Psalm 32:3
ere is nothing that so takes the joy out of life like
unconfessed sin on the conscience.
I once heard the late Dr. F. E. Marsh tell that on one
occasion he was preaching on this question and urging
upon his hearers the importance of confession of sin and
wherever possible, of restitution for wrong done to others.
At the close a young man, a member of the church,
came up to him with a troubled countenance. “Pastor,” he
explained, “you have put me in a sad x. I have wronged
another and I am ashamed to confess it or to try to put it
right. You see, I am a boatbuilder and the man I work for
is an indel. I have talked to him often about his need of
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Christ and have urged him to come and hear you preach,
but he scos and ridicules it all. Now, I have been guilty of
something that, if I should acknowledge it to him, will ruin
my testimony forever.”
He then went on to say that sometime ago he started
to build a boat for himself in his own yard. In this work
copper nails are used because they do not rust in the water.
ese nails are quite expensive and the young man had
been carrying home quantities of them to use on the job.
He knew it was stealing, but he tried to salve his conscience
by telling himself that the master had so many he would
never miss them and besides he was not being paid all that
he thought he deserved. But this sermon had brought him
to face the fact that he was just a common thief, for whose
dishonest actions there was no excuse.
“But,” said he, “I cannot go to my boss and tell him
what I have done or oer to pay for those I have used and
return the rest. If I do he will think I am just a hypocrite.
And yet those copper nails are digging into my conscience
and I know I shall never have peace until I put this matter
right.”
For weeks the struggle went on. en one night he
came to Dr. Marsh and exclaimed, “Pastor, I’ve settled for
the copper nails and my conscience is relieved at last.”
“What happened when you confessed to your employer
what you had done?” asked the pastor.
“Oh,” he answered, “he looked queerly at me, then
exclaimed, ‘George, I always did think you were just a
hypocrite, but now I begin to feel there’s something in
this Christianity after all. Any religion that would make
a dishonest workman come back and confess that he had
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been stealing copper nails and oer to settle for them, must
be worth having.’”
Dr. Marsh asked if he might use the story, and was
granted permission.
Sometime afterward, he told it in another city. e next
day a lady came up and said, “Doctor, I have had ‘copper
nails’ on my conscience too.” “Why, surely, you are not a
boatbuilder!” “No, but I am a book-lover and I have stolen
a number of books from a friend of mine who gets far more
than I could ever aord. I decided last night I must get rid
of the ‘copper nails,’ so I took them all back to her today
and confessed my sin. I can’t tell you how relieved I am. She
forgave me, and God has forgiven me … I am so thankful
the ‘copper nails’ are not digging into my conscience any
more.”
I have told this story many times and almost invariably
people have come to me afterward telling of “copper nails”
in one form or another that they had to get rid of. On
one occasion, I told it at a High School chapel service. e
next day the principal saw me and said, “As a result of that
‘copper nails’ story, ever so many stolen fountain pens and
other things have been returned to their rightful owners.”
Reformation and restitution do not save. But where
one is truly repentant and has come to God in sincere
confession, he will want to the best of his ability to put
things right with others.
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Magnifying Christ
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Magnifying Christ
“Christ may be magnied in my body, whether by life or
by death.” Philippians 1:20
It is the business of a Christian to so manifest the spirit
of Christ in his life that men and women will fall in love
with our blessed Lord. People generally know little about
Christ, but a devoted life magnies and glories Him,
thus leading them to trust Him for themselves. A striking
instance of this came to my notice some years ago when
I was engaged in a special evangelistic campaign among
the mission stations of northern Arizona where devoted
workers were seeking to present Christ to the Navajo and
Hopi Indians.
In company with Fred G. Mitchell, veteran Missionary
to these neglected people, I went one day to the mission
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hospital at Ganado. ere my attention was drawn to a
Navajo woman who occupied a bed in one of the small
wards. She could not speak any English and my Navajo
education was limited to about half a dozen words, so we
could not carry on any animated conversation. Standing
near her, Mr. Mitchell told me her story.
In the desert some ten weeks before, the missionary
doctor had found her in a dying condition. e real
circumstances were so horrible I shall not commit them
to paper. Her cries of anguish had drawn the doctor to the
place where she had lain helpless for four days and nights
without food or drink. By that time, her case seemed
absolutely hopeless. She was paralyzed from the waist
down, could not move about; gangrene had set in and she
was in a most pitiable state. A cursory examination led the
doctor to feel that her case was hopeless. But he wrapped
a clean blanket about her lthy body, put her in his car and
hurried her to the mission station. He learned afterward
that the Indian medicine man had pow-wowed over her for
some 48 hours and then announced that she was possessed
of an evil spirit that could not be driven out. It was best to
get her as far away from the hogan as possible, as otherwise
the demons would haunt the place where she died, making
it unsafe for others to dwell there.
In the hospital, further examination convinced the
doctor that an operation might possibly save her life, but
it would be a most dangerous and delicate one, and with
perhaps one chance in a hundred that she might recover.
e little group of missionaries were called in for prayer
and the doctor undertook the operation. Mr. Mitchell told
me that for nine days and nights afterward he kept the
patient under almost constant observation. Finally her fever
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199
disappeared and it was evident that she was on the road to
recovery. As consciousness returned and she found herself
in the comfortable hospital bed, waited on by a kind, little
Navajo Christian nurse and assiduously looked after by the
doctor, she was lled with wonder and amazement. When
able to speak, she inquired of the nurse, “Why did he do
this for me? My own people threw me out to die; nobody
wanted me; and he came and brought me here and has
brought me back to life. Why did he do it? He is no relative
of mine. I am a Navajo, and he isn’t. I cannot understand
why he should do all this for me.”
e nurse replied, “It is because of the love of Christ.”
“Love of Christ,” she exclaimed. “I never heard of ‘love
of Christ.’ What is the ‘love of Christ?’ What do you
mean?” e nurse tried to explain, but felt she was not
making it clear; so she called for one of the missionaries.
For some fteen days after that, one missionary or
another talked to the patient for a few hours each morning.
In order to make her understand, it was necessary to go clear
back to the creation and make plain why Christ came into
the world. e young woman listened with deep interest,
her large gazelle-like eyes searching the missionary’s face
constantly as if for conrmation of so wonderful a story.
Finally, when she seemed to be well on the road to life
again and her mind was clear and bright, the missionaries
thought the time had come to urge her to denite decision.
So they held another little prayer meeting together and
then once more Mr. Mitchell told the story of redeeming
love and tenderly inquired, “My dear younger sister, (which
is the characteristic way of addressing a Navajo Indian
younger than oneself) do you not now understand about
the love of Christ? Can you not take this blessed Saviour
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for yourself? Will you not put your trust in Him, turning
away from the idols of your people, and worship the one
true and living God? He has come to earth in the person of
His Son and now He asks you to trust Him for yourself.”
In simple words he presented the claims of Christ
for some time, but there was no answer. e woman lay
there perfectly quiet, but it was evident she was thinking
everything over. After some little time the door at the other
end of the ward was opened and the doctor looked in just
to make sure that everything was all right with his patient.
She looked up and her bright eyes expressed the
gratitude she felt as she softly replied in the liquid tongue
of the Navajos, “If Jesus is anything like the doctor, I can
trust Him forever.” She had seen Christ magnied in a
man and her heart was won.
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137750
Holding on to Spikes
“And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy
house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous in this
generation.” Genesis 7:1
Noah, like Abraham, is a very striking example of one
who has been declared righteous because of his faith. It
was faith that led him to prepare an ark for the saving of
his house, when there seemed no evidence of a coming
ood. It was faith that led him to obey God and enter that
ark, with all his family, when commanded to do so by God.
Inside the ark all were secure until the deluge was over.
ey were kept by omnipotent power. e ark bore all the
brunt of the storm. Noah and his household were shut in
by God, who had Himself closed the door. e same hand
that shut them in shut all the unbelieving antediluvian
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world outside. e ark was a type of Christ. All who are in
Christ are eternally secure.
Suppose when the ark was completed God had said,
“Now, Noah, go and get eight large, strong spikes and drive
them into the side of the ark.” Imagine Noah procuring
these spikes and doing as commanded. en when each
spike was securely fastened, let us presume that God said,
“Come thou and all thy house and take hold of these
spikes, and all who hang on to the end of the ood will be
saved.” How long do you think Noah and the, rest would
have been secure?
I can imagine each one taking hold of a spike — then
the waters rising as the rain poured down. In a few minutes
they would have been soaked to the skin. en think of
the terric strain on joints and muscles as the ark was
lifted from the earth and began its perilous voyage through
the raging waters. I think I hear Noah calling to his wife,
“Mother, how is it going; is all well?”
And she calls back, “I’m holding on. Do pray for me
that I may be able to hold out to the end!”
Soon poor Mrs. Ham would cry out, “It’s no use, can’t
hang on any longer. I am going to backslide.” And she
would let go and be swept away by the ood. How long do
you suppose it would be before every one of them would be
obliged to let go and so go down to death?
ank God, that is not a true picture of His salvation.
He is not calling men to hang on to Christ. But just as
Noah entered into the ark and found there perfect security,
so every believer is in Christ and saved for eternity. It is
not a question of our ability to hang on, but of Christ’s
ability to carry us safely through to the glory. He who has
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begun the good work in us will perfect it until the day of
manifestation.
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Possessing Our Possessions
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Possessing Our Possessions
“But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there
shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their
possessions.” Obadiah 1:17
While God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, many Christians fail
woefully when it comes to the enjoyment of those things
which are ours by divine bequeathment. Many of us have
never really explored the good land which the grace of God
has opened up to us.
All of Canaan was given to Israel by God before they
ever set foot upon it, but, as they were about to enter under
Joshua, He told them that every place that the sole of their
feet should tread on should be theirs. As they went through
the length and breadth and found out for themselves what
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God had given them, they took possession of city after city
and district after district, but never until the balmy days of
King Solomon did they really possess it in all its fullness.
ey soon lost their hold on it, however, because of sin
and unbelief, but Obadiah tells us that, in a future day, the
House of Israel shall possess their possessions.
at will be when the Lord Jesus Christ reigns in glory
on this earth and Israel will be restored to God. For us as
Christians there is a great lesson in all this, a lesson which
we have been slow to learn, and that to our own great loss.
e story is told of a man who obtained by inheritance a
beautiful country estate. As he lived in the city he thought
it best to dispose of this estate and use the money he would
obtain from it in some other way. Getting in touch with a
widely known real estate rm, he instructed them to go out
and make a careful examination of the house, outbuildings,
and the land belonging to the estate, and write it up in
such a way as to make it seem attractive to anyone who was
looking for a home in the country. When all his instruction
had been carried out, a representative of the rm brought
in the draft of the advertisement, which they intended
to insert in various papers. In this ad, the old home was
described in glowing terms: the beautiful porches, the
large hallway, the circular staircase, the drawing rooms,
living rooms and sleeping apartments, and all the dierent
appointments which made for a perfect country home. e
billowing lawns, trees, shrubbery, gardens and contiguous
farming ground were also pictured in language calculated
to arouse the interest of anyone who desired such a country
estate.
As the agent read the description, the owner of the
estate listened carefully, making no comment. At the close,
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207
the agent inquired, “What do you think of that? at ought
to sell it, do you not think so?”
e owner replied, “Well to be frank, I have changed
my mind; I have decided not to sell. I have wanted a place
like that all my life and I had no idea that this estate was
just exactly what I have been longing for. Your description
has shown me what a fool I would be to part with it. So I
will pay you for the work you have done, but you need not
make any eort to sell it; I will live there myself.”
Doubtless, the agent was disappointed as he saw a large
fee disappearing, but the owner had learned the value of
his possessions and soon moved in and enjoyed what he
had been so ready before to pass on to someone else.
Are not many of us like this man? In God’s Word we
have unfolded for us the riches of our inheritance in Christ,
and yet we fail to enter into and enjoy that which has been
purchased for us at such a cost.
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e Hands of the Saviour
209
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e Hands of the Saviour
“ey pierced My hands and My feet.” Psalm 22:16
“What are these wounds in ine hands?” Zechariah 13:6
“Reach hither thy nger, and behold My hands.” John
20:27
e wounds in the hands of Jesus will remain, I take it,
throughout eternity as the marks of His love for us. When
He left this world He bore the nail-marks and when He
returns to reign He will be recognized by them as the very
same Jesus who died on the cross for sinners.
Some years ago, a poor woman — baptized a Roman
Catholic, was lying very ill in a city hospital. Fearing
she must die, she was in great distress of mind because
of the weight of her sins pressing down upon her guilty
conscience.
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A sweet-faced nun, passing through the ward, was
called to the bedside of this dying woman, and to her she
told the story of years of sin and shame. e nun promised
to get in touch with the parish priest and to send him to
see her, so he might hear her confession and administer the
last rites of the church.
In the meantime, a Christian lady was visiting the
patients and came to the woman’s bed and found her very
ready to hear the gospel story of free and full salvation
through the crucied and risen Saviour. Eagerly the
poor, distressed one drank in the living water, came to
Christ confessing her sins, and was soon rejoicing in the
knowledge of forgiveness and acceptance with God.
When the priest arrived he found her as happy now
as she had been miserable. But he at once began to make
preparations to hear her confession and then to administer
the last sacraments of the church. He begged her to make
a good confession, that he might absolve her from all her
sins and so prepare her for death.
She looked up earnestly and said, “Let me see your hand
rst.” inking her mind was wandering, he pleaded with
her again, as the time was getting short, to confess all her
sins and obtain forgiveness. Once more came the insistent
demand, “Let me see your hand rst, father.” In order to
humor her, he held up his hand. She took it in one of hers
and felt it carefully; then she exclaimed, “It won’t do, father.
e hand of the One who forgives all my sins has a nail-
print in it.”
As she was deaf to all entreaties to confess to him,
the priest left, feeling her case was hopeless. But instead
of that, hers was a sure and certain hope, founded on
the Word of God, “To him give all the prophets witness,
e Hands of the Saviour
211
that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall
receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). She bore a faithful
testimony to saving grace and died triumphantly.
“e hands of Christ seem very frail,
For they were broken by a nail.
But only they reach heaven at last,
Whom those frail broken hands hold fast.”
Illustrations Of Bible Truth
212
Hasty Conclusions
213
137753
Hasty Conclusions
“Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Matthew 7:1
e folly of snap judgments of others is well illustrated
by a story the late Bishop Potter of New York used to tell
on himself.
He was sailing for Europe in one of the great trans-
Atlantic liners. When he went on board, he found another
passenger was to share the cabin with him. After going to
see his accommodations, he came up to the purser’s desk
and inquired if he could leave his gold watch and other
valuables in the ship’s safe. He explained that ordinarily
he never availed himself of that privilege, but he had been
to his cabin and had met the man who was to occupy the
other berth and, judging from his appearance, he was afraid
that he might not be a very trustworthy person.
Illustrations Of Bible Truth
214
e purser accepted the responsibility of caring for the
valuables, and remarked, “It’s all right, bishop, I’ll be very
glad to take care of them for you. e other man has been
up here and left his for the same reason.”
One is reminded of the lines of Robbie Burns,
“Oh, wad some power the giftie gie us,
To see orsel’s as others see us.”
It is very easy to form snap judgments, only to nd out
afterward that they are utterly unfounded. “Love believeth
all things, hopeth all things.”
