{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_51931/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_51931","id":"gutenberg_51931","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51931","summary":null,"tags":["Category: How To ...","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Evangelistic work","Witness bearing (Christianity)"],"text":"Transcriber\u2019s Notes\n\n\nItalic text enclosed with _underscores_.\n\nBold text enclosed with =equal signs=.\n\nSmall\u2013caps replaced by ALL CAPS.\n\nMore notes appear at the end of the file.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                       HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST\n\n                                   BY\n\n                              R. A. TORREY\n\n                _Superintendent Chicago Bible Institute_\n\n\n                                CHICAGO:\n\n               THE BIBLE INSTITUTE COLPORTAGE ASSOCIATION\n\n                           250 LA SALLE AVE.\n\n                 Eastern Depot:  East Northfield, Mass.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                 _JUST PUBLISHED. By the same Author._\n\n             =Vest Pocket Companion for Christian Workers.=\n\n    The best texts for personal work. Classified for practical use,\n    printed in full, and arranged for ready reference.\n\n    From Mr. Torrey\u2019s preface:\n\n    \u201cThere is medicine in the Bible for every sin\u2013sick soul, but\n    every soul does not need the same medicine. This book attempts\n    to arrange the remedies according to the maladies.\u201d\n\n    120 pages, bound in Russia leather in vest pocket size, price 25\n    cents.\n\n               _Fleming H. Revell Company, Publishers_,\n            NEW YORK.          CHICAGO.            TORONTO.\n\n\n\n\n         Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1893\n                      BY FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY\n     In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington D. C.\n\n\n\n\n                         _By the same Author._\n\n        =Ten Reasons Why I Believe the Bible is the Word   =.15=\n          of God. 16mo., paper=\n\n\n    \u201cMasterful.\u201d\u2015_Indiana Baptist._\n\n    \u201cOf sterling excellence.\u201d\u2015_Christian at Work._\n\n    \u201cThoughtful, helpful and timely.\u201d\u2015_Golden Rule._\n\n    \u201cIt gives in clear and comprehensive style a cogent argument for\n    the complete inspiration and absolute authority of the Bible.\n    Because of its terseness and freedom from technical expressions\n    it will form a useful compendium of information for Christian\n    workers.\u201d\u2015_Messiah\u2019s Herald._\n\n                _Fleming H. Revell Company, Publishers._\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                                PREFACE\n\n\nThis book is written because it seems to be needed. The author has been\nrepeatedly requested by Ministers, Y. M. C. A. Secretaries, Christian\nWorkers, and his own students to put into a permanent and convenient\nshape the substance of what he has said at Conventions, Summer Schools\nand in the class\u2013room on personal work. The time has come to yield to\nthese requests. Never before in the history of the Church were there so\nmany who desire to win others to Christ. The good work done by the Young\nPeople\u2019s Society of Christian Endeavor is in no other direction so\nevident as in the many thousands of young people in this land who to\u2013day\nare on fire with a desire to win souls. But while they desire to do this\nwork, many do not know how. This little book aims to tell them. There\nare several well\u2013known and valuable manuals of texts to be used with\ninquirers, but this book is intended not only to point out passages to\nbe used but to show how to use them, illustrating this use by cases from\nactual experience. It is hoped that from a careful study of these pages\nany earnest Christian can learn how to do efficient work in bringing\nothers to the Saviour.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                               CONTENTS.\n\n\n                                PREFACE.\n\n CHAPTER.                                                          PAGE.\n\n    I. THE GENERAL CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS IN BRINGING MEN TO CHRIST     7\n\n   II. HOW TO BEGIN                                                   14\n\n  III. DEALING WITH THE INDIFFERENT OR CARELESS                       20\n\n   IV. DEALING WITH THOSE WHO ARE ANXIOUS TO BE SAVED BUT DO NOT      29\n         KNOW HOW\n\n    V. DEALING WITH THOSE WHO ARE ANXIOUS TO BE SAVED AND KNOW        36\n         HOW, BUT WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES\n\n   VI. DEALING WITH THOSE WHO ENTERTAIN FALSE HOPES                   50\n\n  VII. DEALING WITH THOSE WHO LACK ASSURANCE, AND BACK\u2013SLIDERS        57\n\n VIII. DEALING WITH PROFESSED SKEPTICS AND INFIDELS                   65\n\n   IX. DEALING WITH THE COMPLAINING                                   77\n\n    X. DEALING WITH THOSE WHO WISH TO PUT OFF DECISION UNTIL SOME     83\n         OTHER TIME\n\n   XI. DEALING WITH THE WILLFUL AND THE DELUDED                       87\n\n  XII. SOME HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS                                     94\n\n XIII. THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT                                104\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                       HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER I.\n\n      THE GENERAL CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS IN BRINGING MEN TO CHRIST\n\n\nThere are certain general conditions, the fulfilment of which is\nabsolutely essential to real success in bringing men to Christ. These\nconditions, fortunately, are few and simple and such as any one can\nmeet.\n\n\n1. _The one who would have real success in bringing others to Christ\nmust himself be_ A THOROUGHLY CONVERTED PERSON. Jesus said to Peter,\n\u201cWhen thou art _converted_ strengthen thy brethren.\u201d He was in no\nposition to help his brethren until he himself, after his cowardly\ndenial, had turned again to his Lord with his whole heart. If we would\nbring others to Christ we must turn away from all sin, and worldliness\nand selfishness with our whole heart, yielding to Jesus the absolute\nlordship over our thoughts, purposes and actions. If there is any\ndirection in which we are seeking to have our own way and not letting\nHim have His own way in our lives, our power will be crippled and men\nlost that we might have saved. The application of this principle to the\nnumerous questions that come up in the life of every young Christian as\nto whether he should do this or that, each individual can settle for\nhimself if Christ\u2019s honor and not his own pleasure is upper\u2013most in his\nmind and if he looks honestly to God to guide him.\n\n\n2. _The one who would have real success in bringing others to Christ\nmust have a_ LOVE FOR SOULS, _i. e._ _a longing for the salvation of the\nlost_. If we have no love for souls, our efforts will be mechanical and\npowerless. We may know how to approach men and what to say to them, but\nthere will be no power in what we say and it will not touch the heart.\nBut if like Paul we have \u201cgreat heaviness and unceasing pain in our\nhearts\u201d for the unsaved, there will be an earnestness in our tone and\nmanner that will impress the most careless. Furthermore if we have a\nlove for souls we will be on the constant watch for opportunities to\nspeak with the unsaved and will find opportunities on the street, in the\nstore, in the home, on the cars and everywhere that would otherwise have\nentirely escaped our notice.\n\nBut how is one to get a love for souls? This question is easily\nanswered. First of all, a love for souls like every other grace of\nChristian character, is the work of the Holy Spirit. If then we are\nconscious that we do not have that love for souls that we should have,\nthe first thing to do is to go to God and humbly confess this lack in\nour lives and ask Him by His Holy Spirit to supply that which we so\nsorely need, and expect Him to do it (1\u00a0Jno. v. 14, 15; Phil. iv. 19).\nIn the second place Jesus Christ had an intense love for souls (Matt.\nxxiii. 37; Luke xix. 10), and intimate and constant companionship with\nHim will impart to our lives this grace which was so prominent in His.\nIn the third place feelings are the outcome of thoughts. If we desire\nany given feeling in our lives we should dwell upon the thoughts which\nare adapted to produce that feeling. If any saved person will dwell long\nenough upon the peril and wretchedness of any man out of Christ and the\nworth of his soul in God\u2019s sight as seen in the death of God\u2019s Son to\nsave him, a feeling of intense desire for that man\u2019s salvation is almost\ncertain to follow. In the fourth place, reflection upon our own ruined\nand unhappy condition without Christ and the great sacrifice that Christ\nmade to save us, is sure to fill our hearts with a desire to bring\nothers to the Saviour we have found.\n\n\n3. _The one who would have real success in bringing men to Christ must\nhave a_ WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. The Word of God is the sword of\nthe Spirit (Eph. vi. 17). It is the instrument God uses to convict of\nsin, to reveal Christ and to regenerate men. If we would work together\nwith God, the Bible is the instrument upon which we must rely and which\nwe must use in bringing men to Christ. We must know how to use the Bible\nso as (1) to show men their need of a Saviour, (2) to show them Jesus as\nthe Saviour they need, (3) to show them how to make this Saviour their\nown Saviour, (4) to meet the difficulties that stand in the way of their\naccepting Christ. A large part of the following pages will be devoted to\nimparting this knowledge.\n\n\n4. _The one who would have real success in bringing men to Christ must_\nPRAY MUCH. Solid work in soul winning must be accompanied by prayer at\nevery step. (1). We must pray God to lead us to the right persons to\napproach. God does not intend that we speak to every one we meet. If we\ntry to do it, we will waste much valuable time in speaking to those whom\nwe cannot help, that we might have used in speaking to those to whom we\ncould have done much good. God alone knows the one to whom He intends us\nto speak, and we must ask Him to point him out to us, and, expect Him to\ndo it. (Acts viii. 29). (2). We must pray God to show us just what to\nsay to those to whom He leads us. After all our study of the passages to\nbe used in dealing with the various classes of men, we shall need God\u2019s\nguidance in each specific case. Every experienced worker will testify to\nthe many instances in which God has led them to use some text of\nScripture that they would not otherwise have used but which proved to be\njust the one needed. (3). We must pray God to give power to that which\nHe has given us to say. We need not only a message from God but power\nfrom God to send the message home. Most workers have to learn this\nlesson by humiliating experiences. They sit down beside an unsaved man\nand reason and plead and bring forth texts from the word of God, but the\nman does not accept Christ. At last it dawns upon them that they are\ntrying to convert the man in their own strength and then they lift an\nhumble and earnest prayer to God for his strength, and God hears and in\na short time this \u201cvery difficult case\u201d has settled the matter and is\nrejoicing in Christ. (4). We must pray God to carry on the work after\nour work has come to an end. After having done that which seems to have\nbeen our whole duty in any given instance, whatever may have been the\napparent issue of our work, whether successful or unsuccessful, we\nshould definitely commit the case to God in prayer. If there is anything\nthe average worker in this hurrying age needs to have impressed upon\nhim, it is the necessity of more prayer. By praying more we will not\nwork any less and we will accomplish vastly more.\n\n\n5. _The one who would have real success in bringing men to Christ must\nbe_ \u201cBAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY GHOST.\u201d \u201cYe shall receive power after that\nthe Holy Ghost, is come upon you,\u201d said Jesus to his disciples after\nhaving given them the great commission to go out and bring men to\nHimself. The supreme condition of soul winning power is the same to\u2013day:\n\u201cafter that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.\u201d A later chapter will be\ngiven to a study of what \u201cthe Baptism of the Holy Ghost\u201d is and how any\nChristian can obtain it.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER II.\n\n                              HOW TO BEGIN\n\n\nWhen God has led us to think that He wishes us to make an effort to lead\nsome given individual to Christ, the first question that confronts us\nis, \u201cHow shall I begin?\u201d If the person has gone into an inquiry room, or\nremained to an after\u2013meeting, or even if they are merely present at\nprayer\u2013meeting, Sunday\u2013school or other ordinary service of the church,\nit is comparatively easy. You can then ask him if he is a Christian, or\nif he would not like to be a Christian, or why he is not a Christian or\nsome other direct and simple question that will lead inevitably to a\nconversation along this line. But if the person is one in whom you have\nbecome interested outside the religious meeting and who is perhaps an\nentire stranger, it does not at first sight appear so simple, and yet it\nis not so very difficult. The person can be engaged in conversation on\nsome general topic or on something suggested by passing events, and soon\nbrought around to the great subject. Christ\u2019s conversation with the\nwoman of Samaria in the 4th chapter of John is a very instructive\nillustration of this. Oftentimes even in dealing with entire strangers\nit is well to broach the subject at once and ask them if they are\nChristians or if they are saved or some similar question. If this is\ndone courteously and earnestly it will frequently set even careless\npeople to thinking and result in their conversion. It is astonishing how\noften one who undertakes this work in humble dependence upon God and\nunder His direction, finds the way prepared and how seldom he receives\nany rebuff. One day the writer met a man on one of the most crowded\nstreets of Chicago. As I passed him the impulse came to speak to him\nabout the Saviour. Stopping a moment and asking God to show me if the\nimpulse was from Him, I turned around and followed the man. I overtook\nhim in the middle of the street, laid my hand upon his shoulder and\nsaid: \u201cMy friend, are you a Christian?\u201d He started and said: \u201cThat\u2019s a\nstrange question to ask a man.\u201d I said, \u201cI know it, and I do not ask\nthat question of every stranger, but God put it into my heart to ask it\nof you.\u201d He then told me that his cousin was a minister and had been\nurging this very matter upon him, that he himself was a graduate of\nAmherst college, but had been ruined by drink. After further\nconversation we separated but later the man accepted Christ as his\nSaviour.\n\nIt is often best to win a person\u2019s confidence and affection before\nbroaching the subject. It is well to select some one and then lay your\nplans to win him to Christ. Cultivate his acquaintance, show him many\nattentions and perform many acts of kindness great and small and at last\nwhen the fitting moment arrives take up the great question. An old and\nthorough going infidel in Chicago was in this way won to Christ by a\nyoung woman, who found him sick and alone. She called day after day and\nshowed him many kindnesses and as the consumption fastened itself more\nfirmly upon him she spoke to him of the Saviour and had the joy of\nseeing him accept Christ.\n\nA wisely chosen tract placed in the hand of the one with whom you wish\nto speak will often lead easily and naturally to the subject. One day I\nwas riding on a train and praying that God would use me to lead some one\nto His Son. A young lady, daughter of a minister, with whom I had had\nsome conversation on this subject came in with a friend and took the\nseat immediately in front of me. I took out a little bundle of tracts\nand selected one that seemed adapted for the purpose and handed it to\nher and asked her to read it. As she read, I prayed. When she had\nfinished, I leaned over and asked her what she thought about it. She was\ndeeply moved and I asked her if she would not accept Christ right there.\nHer difficulties were soon met and answered and she accepted Christ. As\nshe left the train she thanked me very heartily for what I had done for\nher.\n\nYou will often meet some one whose face tells the story of unhappiness\nor discontent: in such a case it is easy to ask the person if he is\nhappy and when he answers \u201cno\u201d you can say, \u201cI can tell you of one who\nwill make you happy if you will only take Him.\u201d Skill in beginning a\nconversation will come with practice. One may be rather awkward about it\nat first but as we go on we will acquire facility.\n\nWhen the subject is once opened the first thing to find out is where the\nperson with whom you are dealing stands; then you will know how to\nwisely treat his case. In the chapters immediately following this all\nthe classes of men one is likely to meet will be given, and the first\npoint to be ascertained is to which class any given individual belongs.\nBut how can we find out to which class any person belongs? First. By\nasking him questions. Such questions as \u201cAre you a Christian?\u201d \u201cAre you\nsaved?\u201d \u201cDo you know that your sins are forgiven?\u201d \u201cHave you eternal\nlife?\u201d \u201cAre you confessing Christ openly before the world?\u201d \u201cAre you a\nfriend of Jesus?\u201d \u201cHave you been born again?\u201d One may answer these\nquestions untruthfully, either through ignorance or a desire to mislead\nyou. Nevertheless, their answers and the manner of them will show you a\ngreat deal about their real state. Second. By watching his face. A man\u2019s\nface will often reveal that which his words try to conceal. Any one who\ncultivates the study of the faces of those with whom he deals will soon\nbe able to tell in many instances the exact state of those with whom\nthey are dealing irrespective of anything they may say. Third. By the\nHoly Spirit. The Holy Spirit if we only look to Him to do it will often\nflash into our minds a view of the man\u2019s position, and just the\nscripture he needs.\n\nWhen we have learned where the person with whom we are dealing stands,\nthe next thing to do is to lead him as directly as we can to accept\nJesus Christ, as his personal Savior and Master. We must always bear in\nmind that the primary purpose of our work, is not to get persons to join\nthe church or to give up their bad habits or to do anything else than\nthis, to accept Jesus Christ, as their Saviour\u2014the one who bore their\nsins in his own body on the tree and through whom they can have\nimmediate and entire forgiveness,\u2014and as their Master to whom they\nsurrender absolutely the guidance of their thoughts, feelings, purposes\nand actions. Having led any one to thus accept Christ the next step will\nbe to show him from God\u2019s word that he has forgiveness of sins and\neternal life. Acts x. 43; xiii. 39; Jno. iii. 36; v. 24, will answer for\nthis purpose. The next step will be to show him how to make a success of\nthe Christian life upon which he has entered. How to do this will be\ntold later. Each person is to be led to accept Christ through a use of\nthe word of God. In the chapters that immediately follow this we will\ntry to show what specific portions of the word to use in given cases and\nhow to use them.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER III.\n\n                DEALING WITH THE INDIFFERENT OR CARELESS\n\n\nOne of the classes of men most frequently met with, is The Indifferent,\nor Careless. There are several ways of dealing with them. One is to show\nthem their need of a Saviour. A good verse to use for this purpose is\nRomans iii. 23. Get the person with whom you are dealing to read the\nverse, \u201cFor all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.\u201d Then\nsay to him: \u201cWho have sinned?\u201d \u201cAll.\u201d \u201cWho does that include?\u201d and keep\nup the questioning until he says, \u201cIt includes me.\u201d Then ask him what it\nis that he has done, and keep at it until he comes out plainly and says:\n\u201cI have sinned and come short of the glory of God.\u201d This is likely to\nmake him feel his need of a Saviour. Another good verse to use is Isaiah\nliii. 6. After the verse has been read, ask him who it is that has gone\nastray and by a series of questions bring him to the point where he will\nsay, \u201cI have gone astray.\u201d Then ask him what kind of a sheep one is that\nhas \u201cgone astray\u201d and hold him to it until he says \u201ca lost sheep.\u201d \u201cWhat\nare you then?\u201d \u201cLost.\u201d Then ask him what the Lord has done with his sin,\nand hold him to that point until he sees the truth of the verse, that\nGod has laid his sin on Jesus Christ. Now, he is in a position for you\nto put to him the direct question: \u201cWill you accept this Saviour upon\nwhom the Lord has laid your sin?\u201d Still another verse to use is Psalms\ncxxx. 3. When the verse has been read, ask him, \u201cIf the Lord marked\niniquities could you stand?\u201d In dealing with this class of men I use\nMatthew xxii. 37, 38 more frequently than any other passage of\nScripture. Before having the person read the verse, it is well to ask\nhim, \u201cDo you know that you have committed the greatest sin that a man\ncan commit?\u201d In all probability he will answer, \u201cNo, I have not.\u201d Then\nask him what he thinks the greatest sin a man can commit. When he has\nanswered, say to him, Now let us see what God considers the greatest\nsin. Read the verses and ask him, \u201cWhat is the first and greatest of the\ncommandments?\u201d Then ask him, \u201cWhat then is the greatest sin?\u201d He will\nsoon answer that the violation of the first and greatest of the\ncommandments must be the greatest sin. Ask him if he has kept that\ncommandment and when he confesses, as sooner or later he must, that he\nhas not, ask him of what he is guilty in the sight of God, and hold him\nto that point until he admits that he is guilty of committing the\ngreatest sin that a man can commit. An illustration from life may help\nto make the use of this verse clear. I was dealing with a very bright\nyoung man who evidently had no deep sense of sin nor of his need of a\nSaviour. In fact when I asked if he was a Christian he said promptly\nthat he always had been; but there was something in his manner that\nshowed that he had no clear understanding of what it meant to be a\nChristian. I then asked if he had been born again and he did not even\nunderstand what I was talking about. I next asked if he knew he had\ncommitted the greatest sin that a man could possibly commit and he at\nonce answered, \u201cNo, I never did in my life.\u201d I asked what he considered\nthe greatest sin, and he replied \u201cmurder.\u201d I took my Bible and opened it\nto Matthew xxii. 37, 38, and asked him to read the verses, which he did.\nI then asked him, \u201cIf this is the first and greatest commandment, what\nmust be the greatest sin?\u201d He answered, \u201cI suppose the breaking of that\ncommandment.\u201d I then asked if he had always kept that commandment, if he\nhad always loved God with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all\nhis mind. If he had always put God first in everything. He replied that\nhe had not. I then asked him, \u201cOf what then are you guilty?\u201d The Spirit\nof God carried the text home and with the greatest earnestness he\nreplied, \u201cI have committed the greatest sin that a man can commit, but I\nnever saw it before in my life.\u201d Another verse that can be used with\neffect is John viii. 34. After the man has read the verse, \u201cWhosoever\ncommitteth sin is the servant of sin,\u201d ask him \u201cwhat is one who commits\nsin?\u201d Then ask him if he commits sin. Then put to him the direct\nquestion, \u201cWhat are you then,\u201d and hold him to it until he says \u201cthe\nservant of sin.\u201d Then ask him if he does not desire to be delivered from\nthat awful bondage. Hold him to this point until he sees his need of\nJesus Christ as a Deliverer from the slavery of sin. The Holy Spirit has\nused Isaiah lvii. 21 to the salvation of many men who have been\nindifferent to the claims of the Gospel. After the verse, \u201cThere is no\npeace saith my God to the wicked,\u201d has been read slowly, thoughtfully,\nand earnestly, ask him who it is that says this. Then ask him if it is\ntrue; then ask him if it is true in his case. \u201cHave you peace?\u201d One\nnight a careless young man was going out of one of our tents in Chicago\nand as he passed by me I took him by the hand and said to him, \u201cYou need\nthe Saviour.\u201d He wanted to know why I thought so. I replied, \u201cBecause\nyou have no peace.\u201d He said, \u201cYes I have.\u201d \u201cNo you have not.\u201d He then\nasked me how I knew that. I told him God said so and quoted the above\npassage. He tried to laugh it off and say the verse was not true in his\ncase. Then he became angry and went out of the tent in a rage, but the\nnext night I saw him kneeling with one of our workers in prayer and when\nhe arose from his knees, the worker came over and said he wished to\nspeak with me. As I approached him he held out his hand and said, \u201cI\nwanted to beg your pardon for what I said last night; what you said was\ntrue, I didn\u2019t have peace.\u201d I asked him if he had now accepted the\nSaviour. He said he had.\n\nGalatians iii. 10 is a verse which we very frequently use in our work in\ndealing with the Indifferent. After the one with whom you are dealing\nhas read the verse, \u201cFor as many as are of the works of the law are\nunder the curse; for it is written cursed is every one that continueth\nnot in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them\u201d\nask him the question, \u201cWhat is every one that continueth not in all\nthings which are written in the book of the law to do them?\u201d When he\nanswers, \u201cCursed,\u201d ask him if he has continued in all things which are\nwritten in the book of the law to do them and when he replies, \u201cNo, I\nhave not,\u201d put to him the direct question, \u201cWhat are you then?\u201d and hold\nhim to that point until he says, \u201cI am under the curse.\u201d In very many\ncases the inquirer will be ready at once to be led to the thirteenth\nverse of the same chapter which shows how he may be saved from that\ncurse under which he rests. Romans vi. 23 can often be used with good\neffect. \u201cFor the wages of sin is death.\u201d Ask \u201cwhat are the wages of\nsin?\u201d Then, \u201cwho earns those wages?\u201d Then, \u201cAre you a sinner?\u201d \u201cWhat\nwages then have you earned?\u201d \u201cDo you wish to take your wages?\u201d John iii.\n36 is a verse which can be used in a similar way. Ask the question,\n\u201cUpon whom is it that the wrath of God abides?\u201d Then, \u201cDo you believe on\nthe Son?\u201d \u201cWhat then abides upon you?\u201d Then put the decisive question,\n\u201cAre you willing to go away with the wrath of God abiding upon you?\u201d\n2\u00a0Thes. i. 7\u20129, and John viii. 24; Rev. xx. 15; xxi. 8; xiv. 10\u201211, set\nforth in a most impressive way the awful consequences of sin. If these\nverses are used they should be read with the deepest earnestness and\nsolemnity and dwelt upon until the person with whom you are dealing\nrealizes their terrible import.\n\nThere is another way to arouse a man from his indifference, and that is\nby showing what Jesus has done for him. I have found Isaiah liii. 5\u20126\nmore effectual for this purpose than any other passage in the Bible. An\nincident from life will illustrate its use. A lady had asked prayers for\nher daughter, a young woman about twenty years of age. At the close of\nthe services I stepped up to the daughter and asked her if she would not\naccept Jesus Christ as her Saviour at once. She stamped her foot in\nanger and said, \u201cMy mother should have known better than to do that; she\nknows it will only make me worse.\u201d I asked her if she would not sit down\nfor a few minutes and as soon as we were seated I opened my Bible to\nthis passage and began to read, \u201cBut he was wounded for our\ntransgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of\nour peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like\nsheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the\nLord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.\u201d I made no comment upon\nthe verses whatever, but the Spirit of God carried them home and tears\nbegan to roll down the cheeks of the young woman. She did not come out\nas a Christian that night but did shortly afterward. It is well in using\nthese verses, whenever it is possible, to get the inquirer to change the\npronoun from the plural to the singular. \u201cHe was wounded for _my_\ntransgressions; he was bruised for _my_ iniquities, etc.\u201d John iii. 16\ncan be used in a similar way. I was talking one night to one who was\napparently most indifferent and hardened. She told me the story of her\nsin, with seemingly very little sense of shame, and when I urged her to\naccept Christ, she simply refused. I put a Bible in her hands and asked\nher to read this verse. She began to read, \u201cGod so loved the world that\nHe gave His only begotten Son,\u201d and before she had finished reading the\nverse she had broken into tears, softened by the thought of God\u2019s\nwondrous love to her. First Peter ii. 24 is a verse of similar\ncharacter. Ask the inquirer whose sins they were that Jesus bore in his\nown body on the tree, and hold him to it until he says, \u201cMy sins.\u201d\n1\u00a0Peter i. 18\u201219; Luke xxii. 44; Matt. xxvii. 46, are useful as bringing\nout in detail what Christ has suffered for us.\n\nThere is still another way to arouse indifferent persons, and that is by\nshowing them that the one damning sin is that of which they themselves\nare guilty\u2014the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. Heb. x. 28\u201229 is very\neffective for this purpose. John xvi. 9; iii. 18, 19, 20, and Acts ii.\n36 can also be used.\n\nOftentimes you will meet one who is not willing to sit down and let you\ndeal with him in this deliberate way. In that case the only thing to do\nis to look up to God for guidance and power and give him some pointed\nverse in great earnestness, such for example as Heb. x. 28\u201229; Romans\nvi. 23; John iii. 36; Isaiah lvii. 21, and leave it for the Spirit of\nGod to carry the truth home to his heart. A passing shot of this kind\nhas often resulted in the salvation of a soul. The passages given above\ncan be wisely used with one who is not altogether indifferent or\ncareless but who has not a sufficiently deep sense of sin and need to be\nready to accept the Gospel.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER IV.\n\n   DEALING WITH THOSE WHO ARE ANXIOUS TO BE SAVED BUT DO NOT KNOW HOW\n\n\nThere is a very large class of persons who are anxious to be saved but\nsimply do not know how. It is not difficult to lead this class of\npersons to Christ. Perhaps no other passage in the Bible is more used\nfor this purpose than Isaiah liii. 6. It makes the way of salvation very\nplain. Read the first part of the verse to the inquirer, \u201cAll we like\nsheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way.\u201d Then\nask, \u201cIs that true of you,\u201d and when he has thought it over and said\n\u201cyes,\u201d then say to him, \u201cNow let us see what God has done with your\nsins,\u201d and read the remainder of the verse, \u201cAnd the Lord hath laid on\nhim the iniquity of us all.\u201d \u201cWhat then is it necessary for you to do to\nbe saved?\u201d Very soon he can be led to see that all that it is necessary\nfor him to do is to accept the sin bearer whom God has provided. Some\nyears ago I noticed in a meeting a white\u2013haired man who did not stand up\nwith the Christians. At the close of the service I walked down to him\nand said, \u201cAre you not a Christian?\u201d He said he was not. I was sure he\nwas interested, so I put to him the direct question, \u201cWould you become a\nChristian to\u2013night if I would show you the way?\u201d and he replied that he\nwould. We sat down together and I opened my Bible to Isaiah liii. 6 and\nread the first part of the verse, \u201cAll we like sheep have gone astray,\nwe have turned every one to his own way.\u201d I then said to him, \u201cIs that\ntrue of you?\u201d and he answered \u201cyes.\u201d \u201cNow,\u201d I said, \u201clet us read the\nrest of the verse, \u2018And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us\nall.\u2019\u201d \u201cWhat has the Lord done,\u201d I said, \u201cwith your sins?\u201d He thought a\nmoment and said \u201che has laid them on Christ.\u201d \u201cWhat then\u201d I said \u201cis all\nthat you have to do to be saved?\u201d and he replied quite promptly, \u201cAccept\nhim.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d I said, \u201cwill you accept him to\u2013night?\u201d He said, \u201cI will.\u201d\n\u201cLet us then kneel down and tell God so.\u201d We knelt down and I led in\nprayer and he followed in a very simple way telling God that he was a\nsinner but that he believed that He had laid his sins upon Jesus Christ,\nand asking God for Christ\u2019s sake to forgive his sins. When he had\nfinished I asked him if he thought God had heard his prayer and that his\nsins were forgiven, and he said \u201cyes.\u201d I then asked him if he would\nbegin to lead a Christian life at once, set up the family altar and\nopenly confess Christ before the world, and he replied that he would.\nSome months after I met his pastor and made inquiries about him and\nfound that he had gone to his home in a distant village, set up the\nfamily altar and united with the church together with his son, the only\nremaining member of the family out of Christ. Apparently all that this\nman was waiting for was for some one to make the way of salvation plain\nto him. I sometimes put it this way in using this verse: \u201cThere are two\nthings which a man needs to know and one thing he needs to do in order\nto be saved. What he needs to _know_ is, first, that he is a lost sinner\nand this verse tells him that; second, that Christ is an all\u2013sufficient\nSaviour and this verse tells him that. What he needs to _do_ is simply\nto accept this all\u2013sufficient Saviour whom God has provided.\u201d John i. 12\nbrings out this thought very clearly, \u201cAs many as _received him_ to them\ngave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on\nhis name.\u201d After the verse has been read you can ask the one with whom\nyou are dealing, \u201cTo whom is it that God gives the power to become the\nsons of God?\u201d \u201cAs many as receive him.\u201d What must you then do to become\na son of God? \u201cReceive him.\u201d Well, will you receive him as your Saviour\nand as your master now? Isaiah lv. 7; Acts xvi. 31; John iii. 16 and\niii. 36 are all useful in making the way of salvation plain. John iii.\n14 compared with Numbers xxi. 8 and the following verses, can often be\nused with good effect. When they are used you should lead the inquirer\nto see just what the serpent\u2013bitten Israelite had to do to be saved\u2014that\nhe had simply to look at the brazen serpent lifted up upon the pole\u2014then\nshow him that the sin\u2013bitten man has to do simply the same thing\u2014look at\nChrist lifted up on the Cross for his sins. Romans i. 16 is another\nexcellent verse to use. It makes the way of salvation very clear. You\ncan ask the inquirer whom it is, according to his verse, that the Gospel\nsaves, and he will see that it is \u201cevery one that believeth.\u201d Then ask\nhim, \u201cWhat then is all that is necessary for one to do in order to be\nsaved,\u201d and he will see that it is simply to believe. Then ask him\n\u201cbelieve what,\u201d and the answer is \u201cthe Gospel.\u201d The next question that\nnaturally arises is, what is the Gospel? This is answered by 1\u00a0Cor. xv.;\n1\u20124. These verses show what the Gospel is, \u201cthat Christ died for our\nsins according to the Scriptures; that he was buried and that he rose\nthe third day according to the scriptures\u201d and this is what he must\nbelieve in order to be saved. He must believe from his heart that Christ\ndied for his sins and that he rose again. Then ask the inquirer, \u201cdo you\nbelieve that Christ died for your sins? do you believe that he rose\nagain?\u201d If he says that he does, ask him if he will make this a heart\nfaith and get down and ask God for Christ\u2019s sake, to forgive his sins\nand believe he does it because he says so, and then trust in the living\nSaviour to save him day by day from the power of sin. Romans x. 9\u201310\nalso makes the way of salvation clear to many minds where other verses\nfail. Romans x. 13 makes it, if possible, more simple still. This shows\nthat all that a man has to do to be saved is to \u201ccall upon the name of\nthe Lord.\u201d You can ask the inquirer \u201cAre you ready now and here to get\ndown and call upon the name of the Lord for salvation and to believe\nthat God saves you because he says he will?\u201d The way of salvation can be\nmade plain by the use of Exodus xii. 7, 13, 23. These verses show that\nit was the blood that made the Israelites safe and just so it is to\u2013day\nthe blood that makes us safe, and when God sees the blood he passes over\nus. The only thing for us to do is to get behind the blood. Then show\nthe inquirer that the way to be behind the blood is by simple faith in\nJesus Christ. Luke xviii. 10\u201314 is exceedingly useful in showing what a\nman may have and yet be lost (the Pharisee) and what a man may lack and\nyet be saved (the Publican) and that all that a man has to do to be\nsaved is simply to do as the Publican did, that is take the sinner\u2019s\nplace and cry to God for mercy and then he will go down to his house\njustified. This passage can be used in the following manner to make the\nmeaning more clear. Ask the inquirer, \u201cWhich one of these two (the\nPharisee or the Publican) went down to his house justified?\u201d Then ask\nhim, \u201cWhat did the Publican do that the Pharisee did not do, that\nbrought him the forgiveness of his sins while the Pharisee went out of\nthe Temple unforgiven?\u201d When he studies the passage he will soon see\nthat what the Publican did was simply to take the sinner\u2019s place before\nGod and cry for mercy and that as soon as he did this he was \u201cjustified\u201d\nor forgiven. Then you can ask him, \u201cWhat is all that it is necessary for\nyou to do to find forgiveness?\u201d Then ask him, \u201cWill you do it now and\nhere?\u201d and when he has done so ask him if he believes God\u2019s word and if\nhe is going down to his house justified. What saving faith is, is\nbeautifully illustrated by Luke vii. 48\u201350. The fiftieth verse tells us\nthat this woman had saving faith. Now ask the inquirer, \u201cWhat was the\nfaith she had,\u201d and show him that her faith was simply such faith that\nJesus could and would forgive her sins, that she came to him to do it.\nThis is saving faith. Galatians iii. 10\u201313 also makes the way of\nsalvation very simple. The tenth verse shows the sinner\u2019s position\nbefore accepting Christ\u2014\u201cunder the curse.\u201d The thirteenth verse shows\nwhat Christ has done\u2014has been made a curse for us. What the sinner had\nto do is, evidently, simply to accept Christ.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER V.\n\n      DEALING WITH THOSE WHO ARE ANXIOUS TO BE SAVED AND KNOW HOW,\n                       BUT WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES\n\n\nA very large number of persons whom we try to lead to Christ, we will\nfind are really anxious to be saved and know how, but are confronted\nwith difficulties which they deem insurmountable.\n\n\n1. One of the difficulties is, \u201c_I am too great a sinner_.\u201d 1\u00a0Tim. i. 15\nmeets this fully. One Sunday morning a man who had led a wild and\nwandering life and who had recently lost $35,000 and been separated from\nhis wife, said to me in response to my question, why he was not\nChristian, \u201cI am too great a sinner to be saved.\u201d I turned at once to\n1\u00a0Tim. i. 15. \u201cThis is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation,\nthat Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am\nchief.\u201d He quickly replied, \u201cwell, I am the chief of sinners.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d I\nsaid, \u201cthat verse means you then.\u201d He replied, \u201cIt is a precious\npromise.\u201d I said, \u201cWill you accept it now?\u201d and he said, \u201cI will.\u201d Then\nI said, \u201cLet us kneel down and tell God so,\u201d and we knelt down and he\nconfessed to God his sins, and asked God for Christ\u2019s sake to forgive\nhim his sins. I asked him if he had really accepted Christ and he said\nhe had. I asked him if he really believed that he was saved and he said\nhe did. He took an early opportunity of confessing Christ. He left the\ncity in a short time but I was able to follow him. He became a most\nactive Christian, working at his business day times but engaged in some\nform of Christian work every night in the week. He was reunited to his\nwife and adopted a little child out of an orphan asylum and had a happy\nChristian home. Luke xix. 10 is also a very useful passage to use in\ndealing with this class of men; especially useful when a man says, \u201cI am\nlost.\u201d You can say, \u201cI have a passage intended expressly for you. If you\nreally mean what you say, you are just the man Jesus is seeking. \u2018For\nthe Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.\u2019\u201d Romans v.\n6\u20128 is a very effective passage. I stopped a man one night as he was\nhurrying out of a meeting. Laying my hand on his shoulder I said \u201cDid\nyou not hold your hand up to\u2013night for prayers?\u201d He said \u201cyes.\u201d I said,\n\u201cWhy then are you hurrying away? Do you know God loves you?\u201d He replied,\n\u201cYou do not know who you are talking to.\u201d \u201cI do not care who I am\ntalking to but I know God loves you.\u201d He said: \u201cI am the meanest thief\nin Minneapolis.\u201d I said \u201cIf you are the meanest thief in Minneapolis,\nthen I know God loves you,\u201d and I opened my Bible to Romans v. 8. \u201cBut\nGod commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners\nChrist died for us.\u201d \u201cNow,\u201d I said, \u201cIf you are the meanest thief in\nMinneapolis, you are a sinner, and this verse tells that God loves\nsinners.\u201d The man broke down and going into another room with me told me\nhis story. He was just out of confinement for crime; had started out\nthat very night to commit what he said would have been one of the most\ndaring burglaries ever committed in the city of Minneapolis; with his\ntwo companions in crime he was passing a corner where he happened to\nhear an open\u2013air meeting going on and stopped a few minutes to hear and\nin spite of the protests and oaths of his companions stayed through the\nmeeting and went with us to the Mission. After telling me his story we\nkneeled in prayer. Through tears he cried to God for mercy, having been\nled by God\u2019s precious promise to believe that God loved a sinner even as\nvile as he. Matt. ix. 12, 13; Romans x. 13 (Emphasize \u201cwhosoever\u201d); John\niii. 16 (Emphasize the \u201cwhosoever\u201d); Isaiah i. 18; 1\u00a0John iv. 14; John\nii. 1\u20122; Isaiah xliv. 22; Isaiah xliii. 25 are also useful passages in\ndealing with this class of men. Isaiah i. 18 and Ps. li. 14 are\nespecially useful in dealing with men who have committed murder. Never\ntell any one that his sins are not great. It is well sometimes to say to\nthese men, \u201cYes, your sins are great, greater than you think, but they\nhave all been settled\u201d and show them Isaiah liii. 6; 1\u00a0Peter ii. 24. A\nwoman once came to me in great agitation. After many ineffectual\nattempts she was at last able to unburden her heart. Fourteen years\nbefore she had killed a man and had borne the memory of the act upon her\nconscience until it had almost driven her crazy. When she told the story\nto another Christian and myself, we turned to Isaiah liii. 6. After\nreading the verse very carefully to her, I asked her what the Lord had\ndone with her sin. After a few moments\u2019 deep and anxious thought she\nsaid, \u201cHe has laid it on Christ,\u201d I took a book in my hand. \u201cNow,\u201d I\nsaid \u201clet my right hand represent you, and my left hand Christ, and this\nbook your sin.\u201d I laid the book upon my right hand and I said: \u201cWhere is\nyour sin now?\u201d She said \u201cOn me.\u201d \u201cNow,\u201d I said, \u201cwhat has God done with\nit?\u201d She said \u201cLaid it on Christ,\u201d and I laid the book over on the other\nhand. \u201cWhere is your sin now?\u201d I asked. It was long before she could\nsummon courage to answer, and then with a desperate effort she said, \u201cOn\nChrist.\u201d I said, \u201cthen is it on you any longer?\u201d Slowly the light came\ninto her face and she burst out with a cry, \u201cNo, it is on Him, it is on\nChrist.\u201d John i. 29; Acts x. 43; Heb. vii. 25, are also helpful texts in\ndealing with this class of men.\n\n\n2. Another difficulty we frequently meet with, is \u201c_I can\u2019t hold out_,\u201d\nor \u201c_I am afraid of failure_.\u201d 1\u00a0Peter i. 5 is useful in showing that we\nare not to keep ourselves but are \u201ckept by the power of God.\u201d John x.\n28, 29 shows that the safety of the one who accepts Christ does not\ndepend upon his \u201cholding out\u201d but upon the keeping power of the Father\nand the Son. 2\u00a0Tim. i. 12 shows that it is Christ\u2019s business and not\nours to keep that which is entrusted to him and that he is able to do\nit. Isaiah xli. 10, 13 are also helpful. Jude 24 shows that whether we\ncan keep from falling or not, Christ is able to keep us from falling.\n2\u00a0Chron. xxxii. 7, 8; Romans xiv. 4; 2\u00a0Thes. iii. 3, are also good texts\nto use. 1\u00a0Cor. x. 13 is especially useful when one is afraid that some\ngreat temptation will overtake him and he will fall.\n\n\n3. Another difficulty very similar to the preceding one, is \u201c_I am too\nweak_.\u201d With such a person, use 2\u00a0Cor. xii. 9, 10. Ask him \u201cwhere is it\nthat Christ\u2019s strength is made perfect?\u201d When he answers \u201cin weakness,\u201d\ntell him \u201cthen the weaker you are in your own strength the better.\u201d\nPhilippians iv. 13 shows that however weak we may be, we can do all\nthings through Christ which strengtheneth us. 1\u00a0Cor. x. 13 will show\nthat God knows all about our weakness and will not permit us to be\ntempted above our strength.\n\n\n4. \u201c_I cannot give up my evil ways or bad habits._\u201d Gal. vi. 7, 8, will\nshow them that they must give them up or perish. Philippians iv. 13 will\nshow them that they can give them up in Christ\u2019s strength. It is an\nexcellent plan to point the one who fears that he cannot give up his bad\nhabits, to Christ, as a risen Saviour, 1\u00a0Cor. xv. 3, 4. A man once came\nto me and said: \u201cI come to you to know if there is any way I can get\npower to overcome my evil habits.\u201d He told me his story; he had been\nconverted in childhood but had come to Chicago, fallen in with evil\ncompanions and gone down, and now could not break away from his sins. I\nsaid to him: \u201cYou know only half the gospel, the gospel of a crucified\nSaviour. Through trusting in the crucified Saviour you found pardon. But\nJesus Christ is also a risen Saviour, 1\u00a0Cor. xv. 4, \u2018All power is given\nunto Him,\u2019 Matt. xxviii. 18. He has power to give you victory over your\nevil habits. Do you believe that?\u201d He said, \u201cyes.\u201d \u201cYou trusted,\u201d I\ncontinued, \u201cin the crucified Christ and found pardon, did you not?\u201d\n\u201cYes,\u201d he replied. \u201cNow,\u201d I said, \u201cwill you trust the risen Christ to\nsave you from the power of your sins?\u201d \u201cYes, I will.\u201d \u201cLet us kneel down\nthen, and tell him so.\u201d We knelt and talked it all over with the\nSaviour. When he arose his very countenance was changed. \u201cI am so glad I\ncame,\u201d he said. Some time after I received a letter from him telling me\nhow he found constant victory through trusting in the _risen_ Christ.\n\n\n5. \u201c_I will be persecuted if I become a Christian._\u201d Never tell any one\nthat he will not be persecuted, but show him from such passages as\n2\u00a0Tim. ii. 12; 2\u00a0Tim. iii. 12; Matt. v. 10, 11, 12; Mark viii. 35; Acts\nxiv. 22, that persecution is the only path to Glory. Show them from\nRomans viii. 18 that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy\nto be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in us. Show them\nfrom Acts v. 41; 1\u00a0Peter ii. 20, 21, that it is a privilege to be\npersecuted for Christ\u2019s sake. Heb. xii. 2, 3 is useful in showing them\nwhere to look for victory in persecution.\n\n\n6. \u201c_It will hurt my business_,\u201d or \u201c_I can\u2019t be a Christian in my\npresent business_.\u201d Point such an one to Mark viii. 36. This will show\nhim that it is better to lose his business than to lose his soul. After\nthis thought has been sufficiently impressed upon his mind, show him\nMatt. vi. 32, 33 which contains God\u2019s promise that if we put God and His\nkingdom first, that He will provide for all our real temporal needs.\nMatt. xvi. 24\u201227; Luke xii. 16\u201221; xvi. 24\u201226 are also very effective\npassages to use with this class.\n\n\n7. \u201c_Too much to give up._\u201d Mark viii. 36 will show them that they had\nbetter give up everything than to lose their soul. Philippians iii. 7,\n8; Ps. xvi. 11 will show them that what they give up is nothing compared\nwith what they get. Ps. lxxxiv. 11; Romans viii. 32 will show them that\nGod will not ask them to give up any good thing; in other words, that\nthe only things God asks them to give up are the things that are hurting\nthem. A young woman once refused to come to the Saviour saying, \u201cThere\nis too much to give up.\u201d \u201cDo you think God loves you?\u201d I answered.\n\u201cCertainly.\u201d \u201cHow much do you think he loves you?\u201d She thought a moment\nand answered, \u201cEnough to give his son to die for me.\u201d \u201cDo you think, if\nGod loved you enough to give his son to die for you, he will ask you to\ngive up anything it is for your good to keep?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cDo you wish to\nkeep anything that it is not for your good to keep?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cThen you had\nbetter come to Christ at once.\u201d And she did. 1\u00a0John ii. 17; Luke xii.\n16\u201221 will show them how worthless are the things which they are trying\nto keep.\n\n\n8. \u201c_The Christian life is too hard._\u201d Say to the inquirer, \u201cLet me show\nyou from God\u2019s word that you are mistaken about the Christian life being\nhard.\u201d Then turn him to Matt. xi. 30; Prov. iii. 17; Ps. xvi. 11; 1\u00a0John\nv. 3, and show him that a Christian life is not hard but exceedingly\npleasant. Then turn him to Prov. xiii. 15, and show him that it is the\nsinner\u2019s life that is hard.\n\n\n9. \u201c_I am afraid of my ungodly companions_;\u201d or \u201c_I will lose my friends\nif I take Christ_.\u201d Prov. xxix. 25 will show them the consequence of\nyielding to the fear of man and the security of the one who trusts in\nthe Lord. Prov. xiii. 20 will show them the result of holding on to\ntheir companions, and Ps. i. 1 will show the blessedness of giving up\nevil companions. 1\u00a0John i. 3 shows how much better companionship one\ngets than he loses by coming to Christ.\n\n\n10. \u201c_My heart is too hard._\u201d Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27, will show them that\nthough their hearts are hard as stone, that will make no difference\nbecause God will give them a new heart.\n\n\n11. \u201c_I have no feeling._\u201d Ask the inquirer what kind of feeling he\nthinks he must have before he comes to Christ. If it is the peace of\nwhich Christians speak, show him from Gal. v. 22; Eph. i. 13; Acts v.\n32; 1\u00a0Peter i. 8; Matt. x. 32, that this feeling is the result of\naccepting Christ and confessing Him, and that he cannot expect it until\nhe accepts and confesses Christ. If the feeling which he thinks he must\nhave is the feeling that he is a sinner, then show him by Is. lv. 7 that\nit is _not the feeling_ that we are sinners that God demands, _but a\nturning away_ from sin. Or, from Acts xvi. 31; John i. 12; that God does\nnot ask us to feel that we are sinners but to confess that we are\nsinners and trust in Christ as a Saviour. Is. lv. 1; Rev. xxii. 17, will\nshow the inquirer that all the feeling he needs is a desire for\nsalvation.\n\nIt is often times well, however, with this class of inquirers to show\nthem the passages for \u201cThe Indifferent\u201d until they do feel that they are\nsinners.\n\n\n12. \u201c_I am seeking Christ, but cannot find Him._\u201d\n\nJer. xxix. 13, shows that when we seek him with the whole heart we shall\nfind him. Speaking with a woman one evening in an after\u2013meeting she said\nto me, \u201cI have been seeking Christ two years and cannot find Him.\u201d I\nreplied, \u201cI can tell you when you will find him.\u201d She looked at me in\nsurprise and I turned to Jer. xxix. 13, and read \u201cAnd ye shall seek me,\nand find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.\u201d \u201cThere,\u201d\nI said, \u201cthat shows you when you will find Christ. You will find him\nwhen you search for him with all your heart. Have you done that?\u201d After\na little thought she answered \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cWell, then,\u201d I said, \u201clet us kneel\nright down here now.\u201d She did this and in a few moments she was\nrejoicing in Christ. You can point one who has this difficulty to Luke\nxv. 1\u201210; xix. 10. These passages show that Jesus is seeking the sinner\nand you can say, \u201cif you are really seeking Christ it will not take a\nseeking Saviour and a seeking sinner very long to find each other.\u201d\n\n\n13. \u201c_I cannot believe._\u201d\n\nIn most cases where one says this the real difficulty which lies back of\ntheir inability to believe is unwillingness to forsake sin. John v. 44,\nis a good passage to use with such a one, or Is. lv. 7. In the use of\nthe latter passage, hold the man\u2019s attention to the fact that all God\nasks of him is that he turn away from sin and turn to Him.\n\n\n14. \u201c_God won\u2019t receive me_,\u201d or \u201c_I have sinned away the day of\ngrace_,\u201d or \u201c_I am afraid I have committed the unpardonable sin_.\u201d\n\nThe people who honestly say this, are as a rule about the most difficult\nclass to deal with of any that you will meet. John vi. 37, is the great\ntext to use with them for it shows that Jesus will receive any one who\nwill come to him. Hold him continually to that point, \u201cHim that cometh\nto me I will in no wise cast out\u201d and if they keep saying \u201cHe won\u2019t\nreceive me\u201d repeat the text, looking to the Spirit of God to carry the\ntruth home. Many an utterly despondent soul has found light and peace\nthrough this verse in God\u2019s word. Rev. xxii. 17, is also useful as it\nshows that any one who will can have the water of life freely. Is. lv.\n1, shows that any one who desires salvation can have it. Is. i. 18,\nshows that no matter how great a man\u2019s sins may be still here is pardon.\nActs x. 43, and John iii. 16, that \u201c_whosoever_\u201d will believe upon\nChrist will find pardon and eternal life. Romans x. 13, shows that any\none, no matter who or what he is, who will \u201ccall upon the name of the\nLord shall be saved.\u201d It is well sometimes to turn to Heb. vi. 4\u20126, and\nMatt. xii. 31\u201232, and show the inquirer just what the unpardonable sin\nis and what its results are. Matt. xii. 31, 32, shows that it is\nblasphemy against the Holy Ghost and put it squarely to him, \u201chave you\never blasphemed against the Holy Ghost?\u201d Heb. vi. 4\u20126, shows that the\ndifficulty is not in God\u2019s unwillingness to forgive, but in the man\u2019s\nunwillingness to repent and that any one who is concerned about his\nsalvation evidently has not committed the unpardonable sin nor sinned\naway his day of grace. A little instruction along this line is often\ntimes all that is needed.\n\n\n15. \u201c_It is too late._\u201d\n\nWhen an inquirer says this, it is often times well to use 2\u00a0Cor. vi. 2,\nand tell him that God says, it is just the time. Luke xxiii. 39\u201243, is\nuseful as showing that even at the last hour Jesus will hearken to the\nsinner\u2019s cry. 2\u00a0Peter iii. 9, will show that His will is that none\nshould perish, but that He is delaying the judgment that He may save as\nmany as will come. Deut. iv. 30, 31, is an especially helpful passage as\nit says \u201cEven in the latter days\u201d if thou turn to the Lord he will be\nmerciful. Is. i. 18, and Rev. xxii. 17, can alone be used here.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER VI.\n\n              DEALING WITH THOSE WHO ENTERTAIN FALSE HOPES\n\n\n1. Among those who entertain false hopes, perhaps the largest class are\n_those who expect to be saved by their righteous lives_. These persons\nare easily known by such sayings as these, \u201cI am doing the best I can.\u201d\n\u201cI do more good than evil.\u201d \u201cI am not a great sinner.\u201d \u201cI have never\ndone anything very bad.\u201d Gal. iii. 10, is an excellent passage to use,\nfor it shows that all those who are trusting in their works are under\nthe curse of the law and that there is no hope on the ground of the law\nfor any one who does not \u201ccontinue in all things which are written in\nthe book of the law to do them.\u201d James ii. 10 is also useful. Gal. ii.\n16, and Romans iii. 19, 20 are very effective by showing that by the\ndeeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in God\u2019s sight. Matt.\nv. 20\u2014All these passages show the kind of righteousness God demands and\nthat no man\u2019s righteousness comes up to God\u2019s standard, and that if a\nman wishes to be saved he must find some other means of salvation than\nby his own deeds. It is sometimes well in using these passages to say to\nthe inquirer: \u201cYou do not understand the kind of righteousness that God\ndemands or you would not talk as you do. Now let us turn to His word and\nsee what kind of righteousness it is that God demands.\u201d There is another\nway of dealing with this class, by the use of such passages as Luke xvi.\n15; Rom. ii. 16; 1\u00a0Sam. xvi. 7. These passages show that God looks at\nthe heart. Hold the inquirer right to that point. Every man when brought\nface to face with that, must tremble because he knows that whatever his\noutward life may be, his heart will not stand the scrutiny of God\u2019s eye.\nNo matter how selfrighteous a man is, we need not be discouraged for\nsomewhere in the depths of every man\u2019s heart is the consciousness of sin\nand all we have to do is to work away until we touch that point. Every\nman\u2019s conscience is on our side. Matt. xxii. 37, 38 can be used when a\nman says \u201cI am doing the best I can, or doing more good than evil.\u201d Say\nto him, \u201cYou are greatly mistaken about that; so far from doing more\ngood than evil, do you know that you have broken the first and greatest\nof God\u2019s laws?\u201d Then show him the passage. Heb. xi. 6, John vi. 29, show\nthat the one thing that God demands is faith and that without that it is\nimpossible to please God, and John xvi. 9, shows that unbelief in Christ\nis the greatest sin. John iii. 36, shows that the question of eternal\nlife depends solely upon a man\u2019s accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ,\nand Heb. x. 28, 29, that the sin which brings the heaviest punishment is\nthat of treading under foot the Son of God. Before using this latter\npassage, it would be well to say, \u201cYou think you are very good, but do\nyou know that you are committing the most awful sin in God\u2019s sight which\na man can commit?\u201d If he replies, \u201cNo,\u201d then say \u201cWell let me show you\nfrom God\u2019s word that you are;\u201d then turn to this passage and read it\nwith great solemnity and earnestness.\n\n\n2. Another class of those who entertain false hopes, are _those who\nthink_ \u201c_God is too good to damn anyone_.\u201d\n\nWhen any one says this, you can reply, \u201cWe know nothing of God\u2019s\ngoodness but what we learn from the Bible, and we must go to that book\nto find out the character of God\u2019s goodness. Let us turn to Romans ii.\n2, 4, 5.\u201d Having read the verses, you can say something like this, \u201cNow,\nmy friend, you see that the purpose of God\u2019s goodness is to lead you to\nrepentance, not to encourage you in sin and when we trample upon his\ngoodness, then we are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath and\nrevelation of the righteous judgment of God.\u201d John viii. 21, 24 and iii.\n36, will show the man that however good God may be that he will reject\nall who reject His Son. Still another way to deal with these men is by\nshowing them from John v. 40; 2\u00a0Peter iii. 9\u201211 or Ezek. xxxiii. 11,\nthat it is not so much God who damns men as men who damn themselves in\nspite of God\u2019s goodness because they will not come to Christ and accept\nthe life freely offered. You can say \u201cGod is not willing that any should\nperish and he offers life freely to you, but there is one difficulty in\nthe way. Let us turn to John v. 40, and see what the difficulty is.\u201d\nThen read the passage: \u201cYe will not come to me that ye might have life,\u201d\nand say, \u201cMy friend here is the difficulty, you won\u2019t come; life is\nfreely offered to you but if you will not accept it, you must perish.\u201d\n2\u00a0Peter ii. 4\u20126, 9; Luke xiii. 3, show how the \u201cgood\u201d God deals with\npersons who persist in sin. Sometimes this last passage can be\neffectively used in this way: \u201cYou say God is too good to damn any one.\nNow let us see what God Himself says in his word.\u201d Then turn to the\npassage and read, \u201cExcept ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.\u201d\nRepeat the passage over and over again until it has been driven home.\n\n\n3. A third class of those who entertain false hopes, are _those who say\n\u201cI am trying to be a Christian.\u201d_ John i. 12, will show them that it is\nnot \u201ctrying\u201d to be a Christian or \u201ctrying\u201d to live a better life or\n\u201ctrying\u201d to do anything that God asks of us, but simply to receive Jesus\nChrist, who did it all, and you can ask the inquirer, \u201cwill you now stop\nyour trying and simply receive Jesus as Saviour?\u201d Acts xvi. 31, shows\nthat God does not ask us to _try_ what we can do but _trust_ Jesus and\nwhat He has done and will do. Romans iii. 23\u201225, shows that we are not\nto be justified by trying to do, \u201cbut freely by His grace, through the\nredemption that is in Christ Jesus\u201d on the simple condition of faith.\n\n\n4. Still another class of those who entertain false hopes are _those who\nsay_, \u201c_I feel I am going to Heaven_,\u201d or \u201c_I feel I am saved_.\u201d Show\nthem from John iii. 36 that it is not a question of what they feel but\nwhat God says, and what God says distinctly in his word is that, \u201cHe\nthat believeth not on the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God\nabideth on him.\u201d One afternoon I was talking with a lady who a few weeks\nbefore had lost her only child. At the time of the child\u2019s death she had\nbeen deeply interested, but her serious impressions had largely left\nher. I put to her the question, \u201cDo you not wish to go where your little\none has gone?\u201d She replied at once \u201cI expect to.\u201d \u201cWhat makes you think\nyou will?\u201d I said. She replied, \u201cI feel so, I feel that I will go to\nheaven when I die.\u201d I then asked her, if there was anything she could\npoint to in the word of God which gave her a reason for believing that\nshe was going to heaven when she died. \u201cNo,\u201d she said, \u201cthere is not.\u201d\nThen she turned and questioned me, saying, \u201cDo you expect to go to\nheaven when you die?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d I replied, \u201cI know I shall.\u201d \u201cHow do you\nknow it?\u201d she said. \u201cHave you any word from God for it?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d I\nanswered and turned her to John iii. 36. She was thus led to see the\ndifference between a faith that rested upon her feelings and a faith\nthat rested upon the word of God.\n\nLuke xviii. 9\u201214, can also be used in the following way; you can say\n\u201cthere was a man in the Bible who felt he was all right, but was all\nwrong. Let me read you about him.\u201d Then read about the Pharisee who was\nso sure that he was all right, but who was all the time an unforgiven\nsinner; and make the inquirer see how untrustworthy our feelings are and\nwhat the ground of assurance is, viz: God\u2019s word. Prov. xiv. 12 can also\nbe used as showing that \u201cthere is a way which seemeth right unto a man\nbut the end thereof are the ways of death.\u201d\n\n\n5. The last class of those who entertain false hopes, are _those who say\nthey are saved though they are leading sinful lives_. In the case of\nmany forms of sin, a good passage to use is 1\u00a0Cor. vi. 9\u201210. 1\u00a0John ii.\n29 will also in many cases sweep away this false hope. 1\u00a0John v. 4\u20125 is\nuseful as showing that one who is really born of God overcomes the world\nand the fact that they are living in sin and are not overcoming the\nworld is evidence that they have not been born of God.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER VII.\n\n      DEALING WITH THOSE WHO LACK ASSURANCE AND WITH BACK\u2013SLIDERS\n\n\nI. THOSE WHO LACK ASSURANCE.\n\nThose who lack assurance may be divided into two classes.\n\n\n1. _Those who lack assurance because of ignorance._ 1\u00a0John v. 13, will\nshow all such that we may know that we have eternal life. Often times\nwhen you ask people if they know they are saved, or if they know their\nsins are forgiven, or if they know they have eternal life, they will\nreply, \u201cWhy no one knows that.\u201d You can say to them, \u201cYes the Bible says\nthat all who believe may know it,\u201d and then show them 1\u00a0John v. 13. John\ni. 12 shows that Christ gives to as many as receive Him, power to become\nthe Sons of God. A good way to use this verse is to ask the inquirer\nquestions regarding it. \u201cWhat does every one who receives Him receive\npower to become?\u201d The inquirer if he is attentively looking at the verse\nwill answer, \u201cA son of God.\u201d Then ask the next question, \u201cHave you\nreceived Him?\u201d If he replies \u201cYes,\u201d then ask him, \u201cWhat are you then?\u201d\nIt will probably be necessary to go over it several times but at last\nthe inquirer will see it and say \u201cI am a son of God.\u201d John iii. 36 can\nbe used in a similar way. Ask the inquirer \u201cwho do these verses say has\neverlasting life?\u201d \u201cHe that believeth on the Son.\u201d \u201cDo you believe on\nthe Son?\u201d \u201cWhat have you then?\u201d In a little while he will see it and say\n\u201cEverlasting life.\u201d Then have him say over and over again \u201cI have\neverlasting life,\u201d and have him kneel down and thank God for giving him\neverlasting life. One night I found a young man upon his knees at the\nclose of the service in great distress. I showed him from the Bible how\nJesus Christ had borne his sins and asked him if he would accept Christ\nas his Saviour; he said he would; but he seemed to get no light and went\nout of the meeting in deep distress. The next night he was there again,\nprofessing to have accepted Christ but with no assurance that his sins\nwere forgiven. I tried to show him from God\u2019s word what God said of\nthose who accepted the Saviour, but the light did not come. Finally he\nrose to leave the meeting. I had just shown him from John iii. 36 that\nGod said that \u201cHe that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.\u201d As\nhe turned to leave me, he said, \u201cWill you pray for me?\u201d I said \u201cYes.\u201d He\nwalked a little way down the aisle and I called to him and said, \u201cDo you\nbelieve I will pray for you?\u201d He turned with a look of astonishment and\nreplied, \u201cYes, of course.\u201d \u201cWhy do you think I will pray for you?\u201d I\nthen asked. \u201cBecause you said so,\u201d he replied. I said \u201cIsn\u2019t God\u2019s word\nas good as mine?\u201d He saw it at once, that while he had been willing to\nbelieve my word, he had not been willing to believe God\u2019s word, and he\nreceived assurance on the spot and knew that he had everlasting life.\nJohn v. 24 and 1\u00a0John v. 12 can be used in a similar way.\n\nActs xiii. 39 is very useful in dealing with this class of persons. Ask\nthe inquirer: \u201cWhat does this verse say that all who believe are?\u201d\n\u201cJustified.\u201d Then ask him, \u201cDo you believe?\u201d \u201cWhat are you then?\u201d It\nwill probably take two or three times going over it before he sees it\nand when he answers \u201cI am justified,\u201d tell him to thank God for\njustifying him and confess Christ, and see to it that he does so. Many\ninquirers of this class stumble over the fact that they have not the\nwitness of the Holy Spirit. Show them from 1\u00a0John v. 10 that the witness\nof the word to their acceptance is sufficient, and that, if they believe\nnot this witness of God in His word, they make Him a liar. Show them\nfurther from Eph. i. 13, that it is after we believe the testimony of\nthe word that we are \u201csealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.\u201d The\nnatural order in assurance is this: First, assurance of our\njustification, _resting on the \u201cWord of God.\u201d_ Second, public confession\nof Christ, \u201cwith the mouth,\u201d Romans x. 10. Third, the witness of the\nHoly Spirit. The trouble with many is that they wish to invert this\norder and have the witness of the Holy Spirit before they confess Christ\nwith the mouth. From Matt. x. 32, 33, we learn that when we confess\nChrist before men, then He confesses us before the Father. We cannot\nreasonably expect the witness of the Spirit from the Father until we are\nconfessed before the Father. So confession of Christ logically precedes\nthe witness of the Spirit.\n\nIt is very important in using these texts to make clear what saving\nfaith is; because many may say that they believe when they do not, in\nthe sense of these texts, and so get a false assurance and entertain\nfalse hopes and never find deliverance. There is a great deal of\ncareless dealing with those who lack assurance. Workers are so anxious\nto have inquirers come out clearly that they urge them on to assurance\nwhen they have no right to have assurance of salvation as they have not\nreally accepted Christ.\n\nJohn i. 12, and 2\u00a0Tim. i. 12, make very clear what believing\nis\u2014receiving Jesus or committing to Jesus. Romans x. 10, will serve a\nsimilar purpose by showing that it \u201cis _with the heart_ man believeth\nunto righteousness.\u201d\n\n\n2. _Those who lack assurance because of sin._ The trouble with those who\nlack assurance is, often, that there is some sin or questionable\npractice which they ought to confess and give up. John viii. 12; Is. lv.\n7; Prov. xxviii. 13; Ps. xxxii. 1\u20125, are useful passages in dealing with\nthis class of men, for they show that it is when sin is confessed and\nforsaken and we follow Christ, that we receive pardon, light and\nassurance. Often times it is well when one lacks assurance to put the\nquestion squarely to him: \u201cDo you know of any sin on to which you are\nholding or anything in your life which your conscience troubles you\nabout?\u201d\n\n\nII. BACK\u2013SLIDERS. There are two classes of back\u2013sliders and they should\nbe dealt with in different ways.\n\n\n1. _Careless back\u2013sliders; those who have no great desire to come back\nto the Saviour._ With such persons use Jer. ii. 5, drive the question\nright home, \u201cWhat iniquity have you found in the Lord?\u201d Show them the\nbase ingratitude and folly of forsaking such a Saviour and Friend. Very\nlikely they have wandered away because of unkind treatment by professed\nChristians, but hold them right to the point of how _the Lord_ treated\nthem and how they are now treating Him. Use also Jer. ii. 13, and show\nthem what they have forsaken and for what. Have them read the verse and\nask them, \u201cis not that verse true? When you forsook the Lord did you not\nforsake the \u2018fountain of living waters\u2019 and turn to \u2018broken cisterns\nthat can hold no water?\u2019\u201d Illustrate the text by showing how foolish it\nwould be to turn from a fountain of pure living water to broken cisterns\nor muddy pools. God has greatly honored this verse in bringing\nback\u2013sliders back to himself. Use Jer. ii. 19. When they have read it\nask them whether they have not found it \u201can evil thing and bitter\u201d\nhaving forsaken the Lord their God. Prov. xiv. 14; 1\u00a0Kings xi. 9, and\nLuke xv. 13\u201217, can often times be used with effect with an impenitent\nback\u2013slider, showing him the result of his wandering. I have a friend\nwho always uses Amos. iv. 11, 12, and often times with good results.\n\n\n2. _Back\u2013sliders who are sick of their wanderings and sin and desire to\ncome back to the Lord._ These are perhaps as easy a class to deal with\nas we ever find. Jer. iii. 12, 13, and 22, will show them how ready the\nLord is to receive them back and that all he asks of them is that they\nacknowledge their sin and return to him. Hos. xiv. 1\u20124, is full of\ntender invitation to penitent back\u2013sliders and also shows the way back\nto God. Is. xliii. 22, 24, 25, and Is. xliv. 20\u201222; Jer. xxix. 11\u201213;\nDeut. iv. 28\u201231; 2\u00a0Chron. vii. 14; 1\u00a0John i. 9; ii. 1\u20122, set forth God\u2019s\nunfailing love for the back\u2013slider and His willingness to receive him\nback. Mark xvi. 7; 2\u00a0Chron. xv. 4; xxxiii. 1\u20129, 12, 13, give\nillustrations of great back\u2013sliders who returned to the Lord and how\nlovingly He received them, 1\u00a0John i. 9; Jer. iii. 12\u201213; 2\u00a0Chron. xv.\n12, 15; vii. 14, show just what steps the back\u2013slider must take to come\nback to the Lord and be restored to his favor, viz: humble himself,\nconfess his sins and turn from his sin. Luke xv. 11\u201224, is perhaps the\nmost useful passage of all in dealing with a back\u2013slider who wishes to\nreturn for it has both the steps which the back\u2013slider must take and the\nkind of reception he will receive.\n\nWhen a back\u2013slider has returned he should always be given instructions\nas to how to live so as not to back\u2013slide again. The instruction to be\ngiven will be found in Chapter xii. sec. 15.\n\n\n\n\n                             CHAPTER VIII.\n\n              DEALING WITH PROFESSED SKEPTICS AND INFIDELS\n\n\nThere are various classes of Sceptics and the same methods of dealing\nwill not answer for all.\n\n\n1. _Skeptics who are mere triflers._ With such use 1\u00a0Cor. i. 18. If a\nman says the Bible is foolishness to him, you can say \u201cYes, that is just\nwhat the Bible itself says.\u201d He will probably be surprised at this reply\nand then you can show him 1\u00a0Cor. i. 18; \u201cthe preaching of the cross is\nto them that perish foolishness.\u201d Then you can say to him, \u201cYou see that\nthe Bible says that it is foolishness to some\u2014them that _perish_\u2014and the\nreason it is foolishness to you is because you are perishing.\u201d 1\u00a0Cor.\nii. 14, can be used in a similar way. A worker was one night dealing\nwith a man who said to him when he was trying to persuade him to come to\nChrist, \u201call that you are saying is foolishness to me.\u201d The worker\nquickly replied, \u201cYes, that is just what the Bible says.\u201d The man looked\nat him in astonishment and said: \u201cWhat?\u201d \u201cYou said all that I have been\nsaying to you was foolishness to you, and that is just what the Bible\nsays.\u201d The man was more astonished then than ever and the worker turned\nhim to 1\u00a0Cor. ii. 14, \u201cBut the natural man receiveth not the things of\nthe Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he\nknow them because they are spiritually discerned.\u201d The man said \u201cI never\nsaw that before; I never thought of it in that light before.\u201d 2\u00a0Cor. iv.\n3, 4, is very useful in showing the trifler that he is lost and that his\nskepticism arises from the fact that the \u201cgod of this world hath blinded\nhis mind.\u201d 2\u00a0Thes. ii. 10\u201212, is useful in showing the origin of\nskepticism, \u201cbecause they received not the love of the truth\u201d and the\nconsequences of skepticism\u2014delusion and damnation. John viii. 21, 24, is\nalso very searching in dealing with this class of skeptics, showing the\nterrible consequences of unbelief. John v. 44; iii. 18, 19, 20 expose\nthe origin of scepticism. Ps. xiv. 1, is useful in some cases though one\nneeds to be guarded in its use, using it only when it can be done with\nearnestness and tenderness. 2\u00a0Thes. i. 7, 8 can also be used with good\nresults.\n\n\n2. _Serious minded skeptics._ There is a large class of men and women in\nour day who are really desirous of knowing the truth but who are in an\nutter fog of skepticism. John vii. 17 is a very helpful passage in\ndealing with such. It shows the way out of skepticism to faith. Get the\nskeptic to act along the line of that verse. Put to him the question,\n\u201cWill you surrender your will to God and promise to search honestly and\nearnestly to find out what God\u2019s will is that you may do it, to ask God\nto show you whether you need a Saviour and whether Jesus is a Divine\nSaviour, the Son of God; and will you promise that, if God will show you\nthat Jesus is the Son of God, to accept Him as your Saviour and confess\nHim before the world?\u201d Have him make his promise definite, by putting it\ndown in black and white. If you get him to do this, his skepticism will\nsoon take wings.\n\nOne evening at the close of a service I asked a gentleman why he was not\na Christian. He replied: \u201cI will tell you. I do not talk much about it;\nfor I am not proud of it as some are, but I am a skeptic. I have lain\nawake nights thinking about this matter.\u201d \u201cDo you believe there is a\nGod?\u201d \u201cYes, I never gave up my faith that there was a God.\u201d \u201cWell, if\nthere is a God you ought to obey him. Will you to\u2013night take your stand\nupon the will of God to follow it wherever it carries you even if it\ncarries you over the Niagara Falls?\u201d \u201cI try to do as near right as I\nknow how.\u201d \u201cThat is not what I asked; will you take your stand on the\nwill of God to follow it wherever it carries you?\u201d \u201cI have never put it\nthat way.\u201d \u201cWill you put it that way to\u2013night?\u201d \u201cI will.\u201d \u201cDo you\nbelieve God answers prayer?\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t know; I am afraid not.\u201d \u201cYou don\u2019t\nknow that he does not?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cWell, here is a possible clue to the\ntruth, will you follow it, will you ask God to show you whether Jesus is\nHis Son; and what your duty concerning him is?\u201d \u201cI will.\u201d Not long after\nthat the man came into a meeting with a new look in his face. He arose\nand said: \u201cI was all in a mist. I believed nothing.\u201d Then he told us\nwhat he had done. He had done just as he promised. \u201cAnd now,\u201d he\ncontinued, \u201cmy doubts are all gone. I don\u2019t know where they have gone\nbut they are gone.\u201d If the skeptic will not act in this way you can\n\u201cstop his mouth\u201d by showing him that he is not an honest skeptic and\nthat the trouble with him is not his skepticism but his sin. If the man\ndoes not believe there is a God, you can begin one step further back.\nAsk him if he believes there is an absolute difference between right and\nwrong (if he does not he is a mere trifler). If he says he does, ask him\nif he will take his stand upon the right and follow it wherever it\ncarries him. He may try to put you off by saying \u201cWhat is right?\u201d or\nthat he is doing the right as nearly as he knows how. Get him to promise\nthat he will take his stand upon the right, whatever he may find it to\nbe and follow it whatever the consequence may be. Then show him that if\nhe is honest in this promise, he will try to find out what the right is.\nNext say to him, \u201cYou do not know whether God answers prayer or not. I\nknow He does, and you will admit that here is a possible clue to\nknowledge. If you are honest in your desire to know the truth, you will\nfollow this possible clue. You can get down and at least pray, \u2018O my\nGod, if there be a God, teach me thy will and I will do it. Show me\nwhether Jesus is thy son or not. If you show that he is, I will accept\nHim as my Saviour and confess Him before the world.\u2019\u201d Then tell the man\nto begin reading the Gospel of John, reading slowly and thoughtfully,\nonly a few verses at a time, asking God for light each time before\nreading and promising God that he will follow the light as fast as He\nmakes it clear. If the man will follow this rational course, it will\nresult in every case in the skeptic coming out into the clear light of\nfaith in the Bible, as the word of God, and Jesus Christ as the Son of\nGod. If the man is not an honest skeptic, this course of treatment will\nreveal the fact and then you can show him that the difficulty is not\nwith his skepticism but with his rebellious heart.\n\nIf the man says that he does not know whether there is an absolute\ndifference between right and wrong, then you can set it down at once\nthat he is bad and turn upon him kindly and earnestly and say to him,\n\u201cMy friend, there is something wrong in your life; no man that is living\nright doubts that there is a difference between right and wrong. Now you\nprobably know what is wrong and the trouble is not with your skepticism,\nbut with your sin.\u201d One afternoon after I had given out an invitation\nfor any skeptic or any one else who wished to talk with me, to remain\nafter the meeting, a young man with whom I had dealt some months before\nstayed. I asked him what his trouble was. He replied, \u201cThe same trouble\nthat I told you in the spring, I cannot believe that there is a God.\u201d I\nasked him if he had done as I had advised him to do in our former\nconversation; if he had taken his stand upon the right to follow it\nwherever it carried him. He replied that he did not know that there was\nany difference between right and wrong. \u201cI do not know that there is\nsuch a thing as right.\u201d I looked him right in the eyes and said, \u201cIs\nthere some sin your life?\u201d\n\nHe said \u201cYes.\u201d I said \u201cwhat is it?\u201d He replied, \u201cThe same that I told\nyou last spring.\u201d I said, \u201cYou promised to give it up, have you given it\nup?\u201d He said \u201cNo, I have not.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d I said, \u201cthere is the difficulty,\nnot with your skepticism. Give up that sin and your skepticism will take\ncare of itself.\u201d In some confusion he replied, \u201cI guess that is the\ntrouble.\u201d\n\n\n3. _Those who doubt the existence of God._\n\nThe passages under 1 and 2 can also be used with this class and\ngenerally it is wise to use them before those given under this head.\nThere are however, three passages that are often times effective with\nthis specific class of skeptics. Ps. xiv. 1; before using this passage\nyou can say to the man, \u201cLet me read you from God\u2019s own word what he\nsays about those who deny his existence.\u201d Often times it is well to\nleave the passage to do its own work. Sometimes, however, it is wise to\ndwell a little upon it. Call the man\u2019s attention to the fact that it is\n\u201cin his heart\u201d that the fool says \u201cthere is no God.\u201d He does not believe\nthere is a God because he does not wish to. You can add that the folly\nof saying in one\u2019s heart that there is no God is seen in two points;\nfirst, there is a God and it is folly to say there is not one, and\nsecond, the doctrine that there is not a God always brings misery and\nwretchedness. Put it right to the man, and ask him if he ever knew a\nhappy atheist. Ps. xix. 1, 2; Romans i. 19\u201222, are also effective\npassages.\n\n\n4. _Those who doubt that the Bible is the word of God._\n\nRomans iii. 3, 4, is useful in showing that questioning the fact does\nnot alter the fact. Matt. xxiv. 35, is often used by the Spirit to carry\nto the heart of the skeptic the certainty and immutability of God\u2019s\nword. Mark vii. 13; Matt. v. 18; John x. 35; Luke xxiv. 27, 44, are\nuseful as giving Christ\u2019s testimony that the Old Testament is the Word\nof God. They are especially helpful in dealing with those who say that\nthey accept the authority of Christ but not that of the Old Testament,\nfor in them Christ sets His seal to the Old Testament Scriptures and\nthey show conclusively that if we accept His authority we must accept\nthat of the Old Testament also. Along the same line John xiv. 26, and\nxvi. 12, 13, are useful as containing Christ\u2019s indorsement of the New\nTestament.\n\n1\u00a0Thes. ii. 13, can be used with good effect to meet the statement which\nis often made, that Paul nowhere claims that his teaching is the word of\nGod. 2\u00a0Peter i. 21, John viii. 47; Luke xvi. 30, 31, can also be used in\ndealing with this class. 2\u00a0John v. 10, is very effective in showing the\nguilt of those who believe not the record that God has given. Before\nusing this last passage you can say, \u201cYou doubt, do you, that the Bible\nis the Word of God? Now let us see what God says about those that\nbelieve not His testimony;\u201d then turn them to the passage and have them\nread it.\n\n\n5. _Those who doubt a future existence._\n\n1\u00a0Cor. xv. 35\u201236; Jno. v. 28\u201229; Dan. xii. 2.\n\n\n6. _Those who doubt the doctrine of future punishment, or the conscious,\nendless suffering of the lost._ Rev. xxi. 8, defines what \u201cdeath\u201d means\nwhen used in the scriptures Rev. xvii. 8, compared with Rev. xix. 20,\nshows what perdition or destruction means in the scriptures. Rev. xix.\n20, compared with Rev. xx. 10 shows that \u201cthe lake of fire\u201d is not a\nplace where those consigned to it cease to exist, for we find in the\nlatter passage the beast and false prophet are still there at the end of\na thousand years and that they, so far from being annihilated or losing\nconscious existence are tormented night and day forever and ever. Rev.\nxiii. 7\u20128 show that those who are subjected to the terrible retribution\nhere described are those whose names are not written in the Book of\nLife. Matt. x. 28 shows that there is destruction for the soul apart\nfrom the destruction of the body. Luke xii. 5, shows that after one is\nkilled and is of course dead, there is a punishment in \u201chell.\u201d Mark iii.\n28\u201229 (R. V.) shows that there is such a thing as eternal sin. Luke xvi.\n23\u201226, shows that the condition of the wicked dead is one of conscious\ntorment. Mark xiv. 21, shows that the retribution visited upon the\nwicked is of so stern a character that it would be better for him upon\nwhom it is visited if he had never been born.\n\n2\u00a0Peter ii. 4; Jude 6, show that hell is not a place where the\ninhabitants cease to exist, but where they are reserved alive, for the\npurpose of God. Heb. x. 28\u201229, show that while the punishment of\ntransgression of the Mosaic law was death, that sorer punishment awaits\nthose who have \u201ctrodden under foot the Son of God.\u201d Matt. xxv. 41 gives\nfurther light upon the subject. It shows that the wicked go to the same\nplace with the Beast and False Prophet and the Devil mentioned in Rev.\nxix. 20, and xx. 10, and share the same endless, conscious torment.\n\n\n7. _Those who doubt the divinity of Christ._\n\na. In Acts x. 36; 1\u00a0Cor. ii. 8, compare Ps. xxiv. 8\u201210; Heb. i. 8; John\nxx. 28; Rom. ix. 5; Rev. i. 17, compare Is. xliv. 6, we find several\ndivine titles applied to Christ, the same titles being applied to Christ\nin the New Testament that are applied to Jehovah in the old.\n\nb. In Heb. i. 10, 3, we find divine offices attributed to Christ.\n\nc. In John v. 22\u201223, compare Rev. v. 13; Heb. i. 6; Phil. ii. 10, we\nfind it taught that Jesus Christ should be worshiped as God.\n\nd. In John v. 22\u201223 we find Jesus claiming the same honor as his Father,\nand either He was Divine or the most blasphemous impostor that ever\nlived. Drive it home that the one who denies Christ\u2019s Divinity puts Him\nin the place of a blasphemous imposter. Mark xiv. 61, 62, can be used in\na similar way.\n\ne. 1\u00a0Jno. ii. 22, 23, compared with 1\u00a0Jno. v. 1, 5, shows that the one\nwho denies the Divinity of Christ, no matter who he may be, is a liar\nand an antichrist. 1\u00a0Jno. v. 10\u201212, shows that he who does not believe\nthat Jesus is divine makes God a liar, \u201cBecause he believeth not the\nrecord that God gave of His Son.\u201d Heb. x. 28\u201229, shows the folly, guilt\nand punishment of rejecting Christ as the Son of God. John viii. 24,\nshows beyond a question that no one who does not believe in the Divinity\nof Jesus Christ will be saved. Jno. xx. 31, shows that we have life\nthrough believing that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God.\n\n(Note. It is best as a rule before taking up specific difficulties to\ndeal with the inquirer with the passage under the head of \u201cSkeptics who\nare triflers,\u201d or those under \u201cSerious minded skeptics.\u201d)\n\nOften times there is no need to take up specific questions as for\nexample about future punishment until the inquirer has first settled the\nmatter whether he will accept Christ as his Saviour.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER IX.\n\n                      DEALING WITH THE COMPLAINING\n\n\n1. THOSE WHO COMPLAIN OF GOD.\n\nMany that you wish to lead to Christ will say something to the effect\nthat God is unjust and cruel, Job. xl. 2, and Romans ix. 20, are very\npointed passages to use with inquirers of this class and need no\ncomment. It might be well to preface the reading of the passages with\nsome remark like this; \u201cDo you know of how enormous a sin you are guilty\nin accusing God of being unjust and cruel? Let me read what God says\nabout it in His Word.\u201d Then read the passages. Romans xi. 33 will serve\nto show the complaining that the reason God\u2019s ways seem unjust and cruel\nis because they are so deep and unsearchable; and that the trouble is\nnot with God\u2019s ways but the limitation of their understanding. Heb. xii.\n5, 7, 10, 11 are especially useful in cases where the inquirer complains\nbecause of his own misfortunes or sorrows. Is. lv. 8\u20129 will often times\nprove helpful. Not infrequently you will meet with one who will say that\n\u201cGod is unjust to create men and then damn them.\u201d Turn such an one to\nEzek. xxxiii. 11. This passage meets this complaint by showing that God\nhas no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires their welfare\nand that the wicked bring damnation upon themselves by their stubborn\nrefusal to repent. 1\u00a0Tim. ii. 3\u20124, shows that God, so far from creating\nman to damn him, desires that all men be saved. 2\u00a0Peter iii. 9, teaches\nthat God is not willing that any should perish and is delaying His\npurposes in order that all may come to repentance. John v. 40, and Matt.\nxxiii. 37, show that the whole cause of man\u2019s damnation is his own\nwillful and persistent refusal to come to Christ. John iii. 36, and iii.\n16, are also helpful in many cases.\n\n\n2. THOSE WHO COMPLAIN OF THE BIBLE. Men will often times say, \u201cThe Bible\nis contradictory and absurd;\u201d or \u201cthe Bible seems foolish to me.\u201d Two\nclasses of passages can be used in dealing with such inquirers.\n\na. 1\u00a0Cor. i. 18; ii. 14; 2\u00a0Cor. iv. 3\u20124; Dan. xii. 10; Rom. xi. 33, 34\nand in extreme cases 2\u00a0Thes. ii. 10, 11, 12.\n\nb. Jno. vii. 17; Ps. xxv. 14; Matt. xi. 25, (see remarks under Serious\nMinded Skeptics and Skeptics who are Triflers.) Sometimes the best thing\nto do with a man who says the Bible is full of contradictions, is to\nhand him your Bible and ask him to show you one. In most cases he will\nnot attempt to do it; as people who complain about the Bible, as a rule\nknow nothing about its contents. One day a man was brought to me to deal\nwith and when I asked him why he was not a Christian he replied, \u201cThe\nBible is full of contradictions.\u201d I at once asked him to show me one.\n\u201cOh!\u201d he said, \u201cit\u2019s full of them.\u201d I said, \u201cIf it is full of them you\nought to be able to show me one.\u201d He said, \u201cWell, there is one in\nPsalms.\u201d I said, \u201cShow it to me.\u201d He commenced looking in the back of\nthe New Testament for the book of Psalms. I said, \u201cYou are not looking\nin the right part of the Bible for Psalms. Let me find it for you.\u201d I\nfound him the book of Psalms and handed it to him. After fumbling around\nhe said, \u201cI could find it, if I had my own Bible here.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d I said,\n\u201cWill you bring your Bible to\u2013night?\u201d He promised he would and agreed to\nmeet me at a certain place in the church. The appointed hour came, but\nhe did not. Some months afterwards in another series of meetings in the\nsame church one of the workers stopped me and said, \u201cHere\u2019s a man I wish\nyou would deal with; he is a skeptic.\u201d I looked at him and recognized\nhim as the same man. \u201cOh!\u201d I said, \u201cyou are the man that lied to me\nhere;\u201d and with much confusion he admitted that he was, but he was still\nplaying his old game of saying that the Bible was full of\ncontradictions. In nine cases out of ten, men who say this, know nothing\nabout the Bible, and when you ask them to show you a contradiction in\nthe Bible they are filled with confusion.\n\n\n3. THOSE WHO COMPLAIN OF GOD\u2019S WAY OF SALVATION.\n\nA great many men will say, \u201cI do not see why God could not save men in\nsome other way than by the death of His son.\u201d Is. lv. 8, 9, Romans xi.\n33 are useful in dealing with such. I have used Romans ix. 20 with\neffect with men of this sort. A young student said to me one night, when\nI asked why he was not a Christian, that he did not see why it was\nnecessary for Christ to die for him; why God did not save him in some\nother way. I opened my Bible and read to him Romans ix. 20, and put the\nquestion right to him, \u201cWho art thou that repliest against God?\u201d and\nthen said to him, \u201cDo you realize what you are doing, that you are\ncondemning God?\u201d The young man very much confused said \u201cI did not mean\nto do that.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d I said; \u201cthat is what you are doing.\u201d \u201cIf that is\nso,\u201d he replied, \u201cI will take it back.\u201d A good way to do with such men\nis to show them by the use of passages given under the chapter \u201cDealing\nwith the Indifferent\u201d that they are lost sinners. When any one is led to\nsee this, God\u2019s way of salvation will approve itself as just the thing.\n\n\n4. THOSE WHO COMPLAIN OF CHRISTIANS. Very frequently when we try to\npersuade men to accept Christ as their Saviour, they reply; \u201c_There are\ntoo many hypocrites in church_.\u201d Romans xiv. 4 and 12, especially the\nlatter verse, are exceedingly effective in dealing with such.\n\nRomans ii. 1, and Matt. vii. 1\u20125, are also excellent. Jno. xxi. 21, 22\nis useful in showing the objector that he is solely responsible for his\nown relation to Christ and that what others do is none of his affairs.\nSometimes the inquirer will _complain of the way Christian people have\ntreated him_. In such a case turn the attention of the inquirer from the\nway in which Christian people have treated him to the way in which God\nhas treated him. For this purpose use Jer. ii. 5; Is. liii. 5; Romans v.\n6\u20128. Then ask him if the fact that Christians have treated him badly is\nany excuse for his treatment of a Heavenly Father who has treated him so\nwell. One night turning to an aged man I asked him if he was a\nChristian. He replied that he was not, that he was a back\u2013slider. I\nasked him why he back\u2013slid. He replied that Christian people had treated\nhim badly. I opened my Bible and read Jer. ii. 5, to him, \u201cThus saith\nthe Lord, what iniquity have your fathers found in _me_, that they are\ngone far from _me_, and have walked after vanity and are become vain?\u201d I\nsaid, \u201cDid you find any iniquity in God? Did God not use you well?\u201d With\na good deal of feeling the man admitted that God had not treated him\nbadly and I held him right to this point of God\u2019s treatment of him, and\nnot man\u2019s treatment, and his treatment of God. Matt. xviii. 23\u201235; Eph.\niv. 30\u201232; Matt. vi. 14\u201215, are also useful as showing the absolute\nnecessity of our forgiving men.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER X.\n\nDEALING WITH THOSE WHO WISH TO PUT OFF A DECISION UNTIL SOME OTHER TIME\n\n\n1. There are several classes of those who wish to put off a decision.\nOne of the largest is composed of _those who say \u201cI want to wait,\u201d or\n\u201cNot to\u2013night,\u201d or \u201cI will think about it,\u201d or \u201cI will come to\u2013morrow\nnight_,\u201d or some such thing. Use Is. lv. 6. The inquirer having read the\npassage, ask him when it is that he is to seek the Lord, and when he\nanswers \u201cWhile he may be found,\u201d ask him when that is and then drive it\nhome. Ask him if he is sure that he can find Him to\u2013morrow if he does\nnot seek Him to\u2013day. Or you can use Prov. xxix. 1. It is well after he\nhas read this verse to ask the one with whom you are dealing what\nbecomes of the one who \u201cbeing often reproved hardeneth his neck\u201d and\nwhen he answers \u201cHe shall be destroyed,\u201d ask him how he shall be\ndestroyed, and when he answers \u201cSuddenly,\u201d ask him if he is willing to\nrun the risk. Or you can use Matt. xxv. 10\u201212. Ask him who it was that\nwent into the marriage? and when he answers \u201cThey that were ready\u201d ask\nhim if he is ready. Then ask him what happened after those who were\nready went in. Then ask him where \u201cthose who were not ready\u201d were. Then\nput it to him, \u201cAre you willing to be on the out\u2013side?\u201d Or you can use\nLuke xii. 19, 20. Ask the inquirer for how long a time this man thought\nhe had made provision. Then ask him: \u201cIf God should call you to\u2013night\nwould you be ready?\u201d Matt. xxiv. 44, is especially effective in dealing\nwith those who say \u201cI am not ready.\u201d 1\u00a0Kings xviii. 21, can be used with\ngood effect. An excellent way to use this verse is by asking the person\nwhether he would be willing to wait a year and not have an opportunity\nunder any circumstances, no matter what came up, of accepting Christ.\nWhen he answers, \u201cNo, I might die within a year,\u201d ask him if he would be\nwilling to wait a month. Then bring it down to a week and finally to a\nday, and ask him if he would like God and the Holy Spirit and all\nChristians to leave him alone for a day and he not have an opportunity,\nunder any circumstances of accepting Christ? Almost any thoughtful\nperson will say, \u201cNo.\u201d Then tell him that if that is the case he had\nbetter accept Christ at once. Dr. Chalmers was the first one to use this\nmethod and it has been followed by many others with great success. Prov.\nxxvii. 1; James iv. 13, 14; Job. xxxvi. 18; Luke xiii. 24\u201228; xii. 19,\n20; John viii. 21; xii. 35; vii. 33\u201234, can also be used with this\nclass.\n\n\n2. Those who say \u201c_I must get fixed in business first, then I will\nbecome a Christian_,\u201d or \u201c_I must do something else first._\u201d Matt. vi.\n33, is the great passage to use in such cases; for it shows that we must\nseek the kingdom of God first.\n\n\n3. Those who say \u201c_I am waiting God\u2019s time_.\u201d If one says this, ask him\nif he will accept Christ in God\u2019s time if you will show him when God\u2019s\ntime is. Then turn to 2\u00a0Cor. vi. 2, or Heb. iii. 15.\n\n\n4. Those who say \u201c_I am too young_,\u201d or \u201c_I want to wait until I am\nolder_.\u201d Ecc. xii. 1, is an all\u2013sufficient answer to such. Matt. xix.\n14, and xviii. 3, are also good passages to use as they show that youth\nis the best time to come to Christ and that all must become children,\neven if they are old, before they can enter into the kingdom of Heaven.\nIt is often times wise in dealing with persons who wish to put off a\ndecision until some time in the future to use the passages given for\n\u201cThe Indifferent,\u201d until such a deep impression is made of their need of\nChrist that they will not be willing to postpone accepting Christ.\n\nIn dealing with those under \u201c1\u201d above, it is best to use only one\npassage and drive that home by constant repetition. One night I was\ndealing with a man who was quite interested but who kept saying \u201cI\ncannot decide to\u2013night.\u201d I quoted Prov. xxix. 1. To every answer he made\nI would come back to this passage. I must have repeated it a great many\ntimes in the course of the talk until the man was made to feel not only\nhis need of Christ but the danger of delaying and the necessity of a\nprompt decision. He tried to get away from the passage but I held him to\nthis one point. The passage lingered with him and it was emphasized by\nthe providence of God; for that very night he was assaulted and quite\nseriously injured, and he came the next night with his head bandaged and\naccepted Christ. The pounding which he received from his assailant would\nprobably have done him little good if the text of scripture had not been\npounded into his mind.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XI.\n\n                DEALING WITH THE WILLFUL AND THE DELUDED\n\n\n1. THE WILLFUL\n\nThere are several varieties of the Willful. There are those for example\nwho say \u201c_I do not wish you to talk to me_.\u201d In such a case it is\nusually best to give some pointed passage of scripture and let it talk\nfor itself and then leave the person alone to reflect upon it. Romans\nvi. 23; Heb. x. 28, 29; Heb. xii. 25; Mark xvi. 16; Prov. xxix. 1, and\nProv. i. 24\u201233, are passages which are good for this purpose.\n\nThen there are those who say \u201c_I cannot forgive_.\u201d Matt. vi. 15 and\nxviii. 23\u201235, are good to use as showing that they must forgive or be\nlost. Phil. iv. 13, and Ezek. xxxvi. 26, will show them how they can\nforgive. There are a great many people who are kept from Christ by an\n_unforgiving_ spirit. Some times this difficulty can be removed by\ngetting the person to kneel in prayer and ask God to take away their\nunforgiving spirit. I once reasoned a long time with an inquirer who was\nunder deep conviction, but was held back from accepting Christ by a\nhatred in her heart toward some one who had wronged her. She kept\ninsisting that she could not forgive. Finally I said, \u201clet us get down\nand tell God about this matter.\u201d To this she consented and scarcely had\nwe knelt when she burst into a flood of tears, and the difficulty was\nremoved and she accepted Christ immediately.\n\nThere are those again who say \u201c_I love the world too much_.\u201d Mark viii.\n36, is the great text to use with this class. Luke xiv. 33, will show\nthe absolute necessity that the world be given up. Luke xii. 16\u201220;\n1\u00a0Jno. ii. 15, 16, 17, will show the folly of holding on to the world\nand Ps. lxxxiv. 11, Romans viii. 32, will show that the Lord will hold\nback no good thing from them.\n\nThere are those who say \u201c_I cannot acknowledge a wrong that I have\ndone_.\u201d Prov. xxviii. 13, will show the wretchedness and woe that is\nsure to follow unless the wrong is acknowledged. Others will say \u201c_I do\nnot want to make a public confession_.\u201d Romans x. 10; Matt. x. 32, 33,\nwill show that God will accept nothing else. Mark viii. 38; Jno. xii.\n42, 43, and Prov. xxix. 25, will show the peril of not making it. There\nare those who say \u201c_I want to have my own way_.\u201d Is. lv. 8\u20129, will show\nhow much better God\u2019s way is, and Prov. xiv. 12, shows the consequences\nof having our own way. Finally there are those who say \u201c_I neither\naccept Christ nor reject Him_.\u201d Matt. xii. 30, will show that they must\ndo one or the other. This verse has been used to the conviction of a\ngreat many.\n\n\n2. THE DELUDED\n\n_a._ Under this head come the _Roman Catholics_. A good way to deal with\na Roman Catholic is to show him the necessity of the new birth and what\nthe new birth is. Jno. iii. 3, 5, 7, shows the necessity of the new\nbirth. What the new birth is, is shown in Ezek. xxxvi. 25\u201227; 2\u00a0Cor. v.\n17; 2\u00a0Peter i. 4. Many Roman Catholics understand the new birth to mean\nbaptism, but it can be easily shown them that the language used does not\nfit baptism. Further than this, in 1\u00a0Cor. iv. 15, Paul says to the\nCorinthian Christians he had begotten them again through the gospel. If\nthe new birth meant baptism he must have baptized them, but in 1\u00a0Cor. i.\n14, he declares he had not baptized them. Acts viii. 13, 21, 23, shows\nthat a man may be baptized, and yet his heart not be \u201cright in the sight\nof God\u201d so he has \u201cneither part nor lot in this matter.\u201d It is well to\ntake a step further and show the inquirer what the evidences of the new\nbirth are. 1\u00a0Jno. ii. 29; iii. 9, 14\u201217; v. 1, 4, give the Biblical\nevidences of the new birth. The next question that will arise is \u201cHow to\nbe born again.\u201d This question is answered in Jno. i. 12; 1\u00a0Peter i. 23;\nJas. i. 18.\n\nActs iii. 19, is a good text to use with Roman Catholics as it shows the\nnecessity of repentance and conversion. What repentance is, will be\nshown by Is. lv. 7; Jonah iii. 10. Still another way of dealing with\nRoman Catholics is by showing them that it is the believer\u2019s privilege\nto know that he has eternal life. Roman Catholics almost always lack\nassurance. They do not know that they are forgiven, but hope to be\nforgiven some day. If you can show them that we may _know_ that we are\nforgiven and that we have eternal life, it will awaken in a great many\nof them a desire for this assurance. 1\u00a0John v. 13, shows that it is the\nbeliever\u2019s privilege to know. Acts xiii. 38, 39; x. 43, John iii. 36,\nare very useful in leading them into this assurance. Still another way\nof dealing with them (but it is not best to use it until you have\nalready made some progress with them) is to show them the advantage of\nBible study. Good texts for this purpose are John v. 39; 1\u00a0Peter ii. 1,\n2; 2\u00a0Tim. iii. 13\u201217; Jas i. 21, 22; Ps. i. 1, 2; Josh. i. 8; Mark vii.\n7, 8, 13; Matt. xxii. 29. These texts, excepting the one in 1\u00a0Peter ii.\n1, 2, are all practically the same in the \u201cDouay\u201d or Roman Catholic\nBible as they are in the Protestant Bible and it is well oftentimes in\ndealing with a Catholic to use the Catholic Bible.\n\nStill another way of dealing with a Roman Catholic is to use the same\nmethod that you would in dealing with an impenitent sinner\u2014that is to\nawaken a sense that he is a sinner and needs Christ. For this purpose\nuse Matt. xxii. 37, 38; Gal. iii. 10, 13; Is. liii. 6.\n\nMany people think that there is no use of talking with Roman Catholics,\nthat they cannot be brought to Christ. This is a great mistake. Many of\nthem are longing for something they do not find in the Roman Catholic\nchurch, and, if you can show them from the word of God how to find it,\nthey come along very easily and they make very earnest Christians. Do\nnot attack the Roman Catholic church. Give them the truth, and the\nerrors in time will take care of themselves. Often times our attacks\nonly expose our ignorance.\n\nThere is one point at which we always have the advantage in dealing with\na Roman Catholic; that is that there is peace and power in Christianity\nas we know it that there is not in Christianity as they know it, and\nthey appreciate the difference.\n\n\n_b._ _Jews._ The best way to deal with a Jew is to show him that his own\nBible points to Christ. The most helpful passages to use are Is. liii.;\nDan. ix. 26; Zech. xii. 10. There are also useful passages in the New\nTestament; the whole book of Hebrews, especially the ninth and tenth\nchapters and the seventh chapter, 25th to 28th verses, and the whole\nGospel of Matthew. A great many Jews to\u2013day are inquiring into the\nclaims of Jesus of Nazareth, and are open to approach upon this subject.\nThe great difficulty in the way of the Jew coming out as a Christian is\nthe terrific persecution which he must endure if he does. This\ndifficulty can be met by the passages already given under the head of\n\u201cThose Who are Afraid of Persecution.\u201d\n\n(Note. There are a number of good tracts for Jews which can be had from\nthe Mildmay Mission to the Jews, 79 Mildmay Road, London.)\n\n\n_c._ _Spiritualists._ Lev. xix. 31; xx. 6; Deut. xviii. 10\u201212; 2\u00a0Kings\nxxi. 1, 2, 6; 1\u00a0Chron. x. 13; Is. viii. 19, 20; 1\u00a0John iv. 1\u20123; 2\u00a0Thes.\nii. 9\u201212, are passages to be used with this class.\n\nIn dealing with all classes of deluded people it is well to begin by\nusing Jno. vii. 17, and bring them to a place where they heartily desire\nto know the truth. There is no hope of bringing a man out of his\ndelusion, unless he desires to know the truth.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XII.\n\n                       SOME HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS\n\n\nThere are a few general suggestions to be made that will prove helpful\nto the worker.\n\n\n1. _As a rule choose persons to deal with of your own sex and about your\nown age._ There are exceptions to this rule. One should be always\nlooking to the Holy Spirit for his guidance as to whom to approach, and\nHe may lead us to one of the opposite sex, but unless there is clear\nguidance in the matter, it is quite commonly agreed among those who have\nhad large experience in Christian work that men do, on the whole, most\nsatisfactory work with men, and women with women. Especially is this\ntrue of the young. Many unfortunate complications oftentimes arise when\nyoung men try to lead young women to Christ or vice versa. Of course, an\nelderly motherly woman may do excellent work with a young man or boy,\nand an elderly, fatherly man may do good work with a young woman or\ngirl. It is not wise ordinarily for a young and inexperienced person to\napproach one very much older and maturer and wiser than themselves on\nthis subject.\n\n\n2. _Whenever it is possible, get the person with whom you are dealing\nalone._ No one likes to open his heart freely to another on this most\npersonal and sacred of all subjects when there are others present. Many\nwill from pride defend themselves in a false position when several are\npresent, who would fully admit their error or sin or need, if they were\nalone with you. As a rule it is far better for a single worker to deal\nwith a single unconverted person, than for several workers to deal with\na single inquirer or for a single worker to deal with several inquirers\nat once. If you have several to deal with take them one by one. Workers\noften find that when they have made no headway while talking to several\nat once, by taking individuals off by themselves they soon succeed in\nleading them one by one to Christ.\n\n\n3. _Let your reliance be wholly in the Spirit of God and the Word of\nGod._\n\n\n4. _Do not content yourself with merely reading passages from the\nBible\u2014much less in merely quoting them, but have the one with whom you\nare dealing read them himself that the truth may find entrance into the\nheart through the eye as well as the ear._\n\n\n5. _It is ofttimes well to use but a single passage of scripture, drive\nthat home and clinch it_ so that the one with whom you have been dealing\ncannot forget it, but will hear it ringing in his memory long after you\nhave ceased talking. Dr. Ichabod Spencer once in dealing with a young\nman who had many difficulties kept continually quoting the passage \u201cnow\nis the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation.\u201d The young man\ntried to get Dr. Spencer on to something else, but over and over again\nhe rang out the words. The next day the young man returned rejoicing in\nChrist and thanking the doctor that he had \u201chammered\u201d him with that\ntext. The words kept ringing in his ears during the night and he could\nnot rest until he had settled the matter by accepting Christ. It is a\ngood thing when a person can point to some definite verse in the word of\nGod and say \u201cI know on the authority of that verse that my sins are\nforgiven and I am a child of God.\u201d There are times, however when a\npowerful effect is produced by a piling up of passages along some line\nuntil the mind is convinced and the heart conquered.\n\n\n6. _Always hold the person with whom you are dealing to the main point\nof accepting Christ._ If he wishes to discuss the claims of various\ndenominations, or the question of baptism, or theories of future\npunishment or any other question other than the central one of his need\nof a Saviour and Christ the Saviour he needs; tell him that those\nquestions are proper to take up in their right place and time, but the\ntime to settle them is after he has settled the first and fundamental\nquestion of accepting or rejecting Christ. Many a case has been lost by\nan inexperienced worker allowing himself to be involved in a discussion\nof some side issue which it is utter folly to discuss with an\nunregenerated person.\n\n\n7. _Be courteous._ Many well\u2013meaning but indiscreet Christians by their\nrudeness and impertinence repel those whom they would win to Christ. It\nis quite possible to be at once perfectly frank and perfectly courteous.\nYou can point out to men their awful sin and need without insulting\nthem. Your words may be very searching, while your manner is very gentle\nand winning. Indeed, the more gentle and winning our manner is, the\ndeeper our words will go, for they will not stir up the opposition of\nthose with whom we deal. Some zealous workers approach those with whom\nthey wish to deal in such a manner that the latter at once assume the\ndefensive and clothe themselves with an armor that it is impossible to\npenetrate.\n\n\n8. _Be dead in earnest._ Only the earnest man can make the unsaved man\nfeel the truth of God\u2019s word. It is well to let the passages that we\nwould use with others first sink into our own souls. I know of a very\nsuccessful worker who for a long time used the one passage, \u201cprepare to\nmeet thy God,\u201d with every one with whom she dealt, but that passage had\ntaken such complete possession of her heart and mind that she used it\nwith tremendous effect. A few passages that have mastered us are better\nthan many passages that we have mastered from some text book.\n\nThe reader of this book is advised to ponder, upon his knees, such of\nthe passages suggested in it as he decides to use until he himself feels\ntheir power. We read of Paul that he \u201cceased not to warn every one night\nand day, with tears.\u201d (Acts xx. 31.) Genuine earnestness will go farther\nthan any skill learned in a training class or from the study of such a\nbook as this.\n\n\n9. _Never lose your temper when trying to_ _lead a soul to Christ._ Some\npersons are purposely exasperating, but even such may be won, by\npatience, forbearance and gentleness.\n\nThey certainly cannot be won if you lose your temper. Nothing delights\nthem more, or gives them more comfort in their sins. The more extremely\nirritating they are in their words and actions the more impressed they\nwill be if you return insults with kindness. Often times the one who has\nbeen most insufferable will come back in penitence. One of the most\ninsulting men I ever met afterwards became one of the most patient,\npersistent and effective of workers.\n\n\n10. _Never have a heated argument with one whom you would lead to\nChrist._ This always comes from the flesh and not from the spirit. (Gal.\nv. 20, 22, 23.) It arises from pride and unwillingness to let the other\nperson get the best of you in argument. Refuse to argue. If the one with\nwhom you are talking has mistaken notions that must be removed before he\ncan be led to Christ quietly and pleasantly show him their error. If the\nerror is not essential refuse to discuss it and hold the person to the\nmain question.\n\n\n11. _Never interrupt any one else who is dealing with a soul._ You may\nthink he is not doing it in the wisest way, but if you can do it any\nbetter, bide your time and you will have the opportunity. Many an\nunskilled worker has had some one at the very point of decision when\nsome meddler has broken in and upset the whole work. On the other hand,\ndo not let others, if you can help it, interrupt you. Just a little word\nplainly but courteously spoken will usually prevent it.\n\n\n12. _Don\u2019t be in a hurry._ One of the great faults of Christian work\nto\u2013day is haste. We are too anxious for immediate results and so do\nsuperficial work. It is very noticeable how many of those with whom\nChrist dealt came out slowly. Nicodemus, Joseph, Peter and even\nPaul\u2014though the final step in his case seems very sudden\u2014are cases in\npoint. It was three days even after the personal appearance of Jesus to\nPaul on the way to Damascus before the latter came out into the light\nand openly confessed Christ. (Acts xxii. 16.) One man with whom slow but\nthorough work has been done, and who at last has been brought out\nclearly for Christ, is better than a dozen with whom hasty work has been\ndone, who think they have accepted Christ when in reality they have not.\nIt is often a wise policy to plant a truth in a man\u2019s heart and leave it\nto work. The seed on rocky ground springs up quickly but withers as\nquickly.\n\n\n13. _Whenever it is possible and wise, get the person with whom you are\ndealing on his knees before God._ It is wonderful how many difficulties\ndisappear in prayer, and how readily stubborn people yield when they are\nbrought into the very presence of God himself. I remember talking with a\nyoung woman, in an inquiry room, for perhaps two hours and making no\napparent headway; but, when at last we knelt in prayer, in less than\nfive minutes she was rejoicing in her Saviour.\n\n\n14. _Whenever you seem to fail in any given case go home and pray over\nit and study it to see why you failed._ If you have been at a loss as to\nwhat scripture to use, study that portion of this book that describes\nthe different classes we meet and how to deal with them and see where\nthis case belongs and how you ought to have treated it. Then go back if\nyou can and try again. In any case you will be better prepared next\ntime. The greatest success in this work comes through many apparent\ndefeats. It will be well to frequently study these hints and suggestions\nto see if your failures come through neglect of them.\n\n\n15. _Before parting from the one who has_ _accepted Christ, be sure to\ngive him definite instructions as to how to succeed in the Christian\nlife._ The following are points that should be always insisted upon.\n(a.) Confess Christ with the mouth before men every opportunity you get.\nRom. x. 9, 10; Matt. x. 32, 33. (b.) Be baptized and partake regularly\nof the Lord\u2019s supper. Acts ii. 38, 42; Luke xxii. 19; 1\u00a0Cor. xi. 24\u201226.\n(c.) Study the Word of God daily. 1\u00a0Pet. ii. 2; Acts xx. 32; 2\u00a0Tim. iii.\n13\u201217; Acts xvii. 11. (d.) Pray daily, often and in every time of\ntemptation. Luke xi. 9\u201213; xxii. 40; 1\u00a0Thes. v. 17. (e.) Put away out of\nyour life every sin, even the smallest, and everything you have doubts\nabout, and obey every word of Christ 1\u00a0Jno. i. 6, 7; Rom. xiv. 23; Jno.\nxiv. 23. (f.) Seek the society of Christians. Eph. iv. 12\u201216; Acts ii.\n42, 47; Heb. x. 24, 25. (g.) Go to work for Christ. Matt. xxv. 14\u201229.\n(h.) When you fall into sin don\u2019t be discouraged, but confess it at\nonce, believe it is forgiven because God says so and get up and go on.\n1\u00a0Jno. i. 9; Phil. iii. 13\u201214. It would be well to give these\ninstructions in some permanent form to the one whom you have led to\nChrist. You can write them out or get a little tract called the\n\u201cChristian Life Card\u201d published by Jno. C. Collins, Bureau of Supplies,\nNew Haven, Conn. This contains them and some other matter.\n\n\n16. _When you have led any one to Christ, follow him up and help him in\nthe development of his Christian life._ Many are led to Christ and then\nneglected and get on very poorly. This is a great mistake. The work of\nfollowing up those who are converted is as important as the work of\nleading them to Christ, and as a rule no one can do it so well as the\nperson whom God used in their conversion.\n\n\n\n\n                             CHAPTER XIII.\n\n                     THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT\n\n\nThere is one condition of success in bringing men to Christ that is of\nsuch cardinal importance, and so little understood, that it demands a\nseparate chapter. I refer to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. In Acts i.\n5; Luke xxiv. 49 (comp. Acts i. 8), and Acts ii. 4, we have three\nexpressions; \u201cbaptized with the Holy Spirit,\u201d \u201cendured with power from\non high\u201d and \u201cfilled with the Holy Spirit.\u201d By a careful comparison of\nthese and related passages we will find that these various expressions\nrefer to one and the same experience. This experience we shall see as we\nproceed in the study of this subject is an absolutely necessary\ncondition of acceptable and effective service for Christ.\n\n\n1. WHAT IS THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?\n\n1. _It is a definite and distinct operation of the Holy Spirit of which\none may know whether it has been wrought in him or not._ This is evident\nfrom the fact that Jesus bade His disciples tarry in Jerusalem until\nthey had received this enduement, (Luke xxiv. 49, comp. Acts i. 8), and\nif it was not a definite and distinct operation of which they might know\nwhether they had received it or not, of course, they would not know when\nthis command of Christ had been complied with and when they were ready\nto begin their witnessing.\n\n\n2. _It is an operation of The Holy Spirit separate from His regenerating\nwork._ This appears from Acts i. 5, where the disciples are told \u201cye\nshall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence.\u201d But from\nJno. xv. 3; xiii. 10 we learn that the disciples were already\nregenerated. It appears also from Acts viii. 15, 16 where we are told of\ncertain who had already believed and were baptized with water, but upon\nwhom the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen. The same thing is shown by Acts\nxix. 1\u20126, where we are told of certain who were disciples, but who had\nnot received the Holy Spirit since they believed. _One may then be\nregenerated by the Holy Spirit without being baptized with the Holy\nSpirit. Such an one is saved but he is not yet fitted for service._\nEvery believer has the Holy Spirit, Rom. viii. 9, but not every believer\nhas the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, (Acts viii. 12\u201216; xix. 1\u20122). We\nshall see very soon that every believer may have the baptism of the Holy\nSpirit.\n\n\n3. _The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is always connected with testimony or\nservice_, (see 1\u00a0Cor. xii. 4\u201213; Acts i. 5\u20128; Luke xxiv. 49; Acts ii. 4;\niv. 8, 31; vii. 55; ix. 17, 20; x. 45\u201246; xix. 6.) The Baptism of the\nHoly Spirit has no direct reference to cleansing from sin. This is an\nimportant point to bear in mind for many reasons. There is a line of\nteaching on this subject that leads men to expect that if they receive\nthe Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the old carnal nature will be\neradicated. There is not a line of scripture to support this position.\nAs said above, and as any one can learn for himself if he will examine\nall the passages in which the baptism of the Holy Spirit is mentioned,\nit is always connected with testimony and service. It is indeed\naccompanied with a great moral and spiritual uplifting and pre\u2013supposes,\nas we shall see, an entire surrender of the will to Christ, but its\nprimary and immediate purpose is fitting for service. We will get a more\ndefinite idea of what the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is, if we consider\nits manifestations and results as stated in the Bible. (a.) Let us look\nfirst at the passage that goes most into detail on this subject, 1\u00a0Cor.\nxii. 4\u201213. We see at once that _the manifestations or results of the\nBaptism of the Holy Spirit are not precisely the same in all persons_.\nFor example, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit will not make every one who\nreceives it a successful evangelist or teacher. Some quite different\ngift may be imparted. This fact is often overlooked and much\ndisappointment and doubt are the result. The manifestations or results\nvary with the lines of service to which God has called different\nindividuals. One receives the gift of an evangelist, another of a\nteacher, another of government, another of a helper, another of a\nmother, (1\u00a0Cor. xii. 28\u201231; Eph. iv. 8, 11.) (b.) 1\u00a0Cor. xii. 7, 11.\n_There will be some gift in every case._ Not the same gift but some\ngift, of an evangelist, or a pastor, or of a teacher or some other. (c.)\n1\u00a0Cor. xii. 11. _The Holy Spirit is Himself the one who decides what the\ngift or gifts shall be which he will impart to each individual._ It is\nnot for us to select some place of service and then ask the Holy Spirit\nto qualify us for that service, nor for us to select some gift, and then\nask the Spirit to impart to us that gift. It is for us to put ourselves\nentirely at the disposal of the Holy Spirit to send us where \u201cHe will,\u201d\ninto what line of service \u201cHe will\u201d (Acts xiii. 2,) and to impart what\ngift \u201cHe will.\u201d He is absolutely sovereign and our rightful position is\nthat of absolute and unconditional surrender to Him. This is where many\nfail of a blessing and meet with disappointment. I know a most sincere\nand self\u2013sacrificing man who gave up a lucrative business and took up\nthe work of an evangelist. He had heard of the Baptism of the Holy\nSpirit; and had been led to suppose that, if he received it, it would\nqualify him for the work of an evangelist. The man came more than four\nthousand miles to this country, but the work did not open to him. He was\nin much perplexity and doubt until he was led to see that it was not for\nhim to select the work of an evangelist, as good as that work was, and\nthen expect the Holy Spirit to qualify him for this self\u2013chosen work. He\ngave himself up to be sent into whatever work the Spirit might will.\nInto the work in which he was sent the power of the Spirit came upon him\nand he received this very gift of an evangelist which he had coveted.\n(d.) Acts i. 5, 8. _The Baptism of the Holy Spirit always imparts power\nfor service, the services to which God calls us._ In a certain city was\nan uneducated boy who was led to Christ. In his very lowly occupation he\nbegan witnessing for Jesus. He went on from step to step in Christ\u2019s\nwork. My attention was called to him by a gentleman who was interested\nin him, and who said he would like to have me meet him. The gentleman\nbrought him to Chicago, and I invited him one night to speak in one of\nour tents. It was in an exceedingly hard neighborhood. Into the same\ntent an organized mob once came to break up the meeting. It was a\ndifficult audience to hold. The young man began in what appeared to me\nto be a very commonplace way, and I was afraid I had made a mistake in\nasking him to speak, but I prayed and watched the audience. There was\nnothing remarkable in his address as he went on\u2014excepting the bad\ngrammar. But I noticed that all the people were listening. They\ncontinued to listen to the end. When I asked if there was any one who\nwished to accept Christ, people rose in different parts of the tent to\nsignify that they did. Thinking it all over, I told the facts to a man\nwho had known the speaker before. \u201cIt is just so wherever he goes\u201d was\nthe reply. What was the explanation? This uneducated boy had received\nthe Baptism of the Holy Ghost and had received power. One night at the\nclose of an address on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, a minister came\nto me on the platform and said: \u201cI need this power, won\u2019t you pray for\nme?\u201d \u201cLet us kneel right down here now,\u201d I replied, and we did. A few\nweeks after I met a gentleman who had been standing by. \u201cDo you\nremember,\u201d he said \u201cthe minister with whom you prayed at New Britain. He\nwent back to his church; his church is packed Sunday evenings, a large\npart of the audience are young men and he is having conversions right\nalong.\u201d He had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and \u201cpower.\u201d (e.)\nActs iv. 29\u201231. _The Baptism of the Holy Spirit always imparts boldness\nin testimony and service._ Peter is a notable example of this. Contrast\nPeter in Acts iv. 8\u201212 with Peter in Mark xiv. 66\u201272. Perhaps some one\nwho reads this book has a great desire to speak to others and win them\nto Christ, but an insuperable timidity stands in the way. If you will\nonly get the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, all that will be overcome.\n\nWe are now in a position to define the baptism of the Holy Spirit. _The\nBaptism of the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of God falling upon the\nbeliever, taking possession of his faculties, imparting to him gifts not\nnaturally his own, but which qualify him for the service to which God\nhas called him._\n\n\n2. THE NECESSITY OF THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS A PREPARATION FOR\nCHRISTIAN WORK.\n\n(1.) _In Luke xxiv. 49. Jesus bade the apostles to tarry in Jerusalem\nuntil they were \u201cendued with power from on high.\u201d_ These men had been\nappointed to be witnesses of the life, death and resurrection of Christ.\n(Luke xxiv. 45\u201248. Acts; i. 22; x. 39\u201241.) They had received what would\nseem to be a splendid and sufficient training for this work. For more\nthan three years they had been to school to the best of teachers, Jesus\nHimself. They had been eye witnesses of his miracles, death, burial,\nresurrection and ascension. But there was still one thing needed. And\nthis need was of such vital importance that Jesus would not permit them\nto enter upon their appointed work until that need had been met. That\nneed was the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. If the apostles with their\nunparalleled fitting for service, were not permitted to enter that\nservice until all their other training had been supplemented by the\nBaptism of the Holy Spirit, what daring presumption it is for any of us\nwith our inferior training to dare to do it. But this is not all, _even\nJesus Himself did not enter upon his ministry until specially anointed\nwith the Holy Spirit and with power_. (Acts x. 38, comp. Luke iii. 22\nand iv. 1, 14). _This baptism is an absolutely essential preparation for\nChristian work._ It is either ignorance of the plain requirements of\nGod\u2019s word or the most daring presumption on our part when we try to do\nwork for Christ until we know we have been Baptized with the Holy\nSpirit.\n\n\n(2.) _It is the privilege of every believer to be baptized with the Holy\nSpirit._ This appears from Acts ii. 39, R. V. \u201cTo you is the promise and\nto your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord\nour God shall call unto him.\u201d The context, the use of the word \u201cpromise\u201d\nin this and the preceding chapter (ch. i. 4; ii. 16, 33.) and the use of\nthe expression \u201cgift of the Holy Spirit\u201d throughout the book, all prove\nconclusively that \u201cthe promise\u201d of this verse means the promise of the\nBaptism of the Holy Spirit; and the verse tells us that this promise is\nfor all in all ages of the church\u2019s history whom God shall call unto\nhim, _i. e._ for every believer. If we have not this baptism it is our\nown fault. It is for us and we are responsible before God for all the\nwork we might have done, and all the souls we might have won if we were\nso baptized, and we are guilty to the extent that the work is not done\nand the souls not won.\n\n\n3. HOW CAN WE OBTAIN THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?\n\nWe now come to the practical question: how can we obtain this Baptism of\nthe Holy Spirit which is such an absolute necessity in our work for\nChrist? Fortunately the answer to this question is very plainly stated\nin the Bible.\n\n\n(1) \u201cRepent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus\nChrist unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of\nthe Holy Spirit\u201d (Acts ii. 38 R. V.) _The first step toward obtaining\nthis Baptism is repentance._ Repentance means \u201ca change of mind,\u201d a\nchange of mind about sin, about God, and in this case especially (as the\ncontext shows) a change of mind about Christ. A real change of mind such\nas leads to action\u2014to our turning away from all sin, our turning to God,\nour turning away from rejecting Jesus Christ to accepting Him. _The\nsecond step is the confession of our renunciation of sin and acceptance\nof Jesus Christ in God\u2019s appointed way by baptism in the name of Jesus\nChrist._ The Baptism with the Holy Spirit in at least one instance (Acts\nx. 44\u201248) preceded the baptism with water but this was manifestly an\nexceptional case and God says \u201crepent ye and be baptized every one of\nyou in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye\nshall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,\u201d (Acts ii. 38, R. V.)\n\n\n(2) \u201cThe Holy Spirit whom God hath given to them that obey him.\u201d (Acts\nv. 32). _The condition of the gift of the Holy Ghost here stated is that\nwe \u201cobey Him.\u201d_ Obedience means more than the mere performance of some\nof the things that God bids us do. It means the entire surrender of our\nwills, ourselves and all we have, to Him. It means that we come to Him\nand say from the heart, \u201chere I am, I am thine, thou hast bought me with\na price, I acknowledge thine ownership. Take me, do with me what thou\nwilt, send me where thou wilt, use me as Thou wilt.\u201d This entire\nyielding of ourselves to God is the condition of our receiving the\nBaptism of the Holy Spirit, and it is at this point that many fail of\nthis blessing. At the close of a convention a gentleman hurried to the\nplatform and said there was a lady in great distress who wished to speak\nwith me. It was an hour before I could get to her, but I found her still\nin great mental suffering in the intensity of her desire for the Baptism\nof the Holy Spirit. Others had talked to her but it had seemed to do no\ngood. I sat down behind her and said, \u201cIs your will wholly surrendered?\u201d\nShe did not know. \u201cYou wish to be a Christian worker do you not?\u201d \u201cYes.\u201d\n\u201cAre you willing to go back to Baltimore and be a servant girl if it is\nGod\u2019s will?\u201d \u201cNo!\u201d \u201cYou will never receive this blessing until your own\nwill is wholly laid down.\u201d \u201cI can\u2019t lay it down.\u201d \u201cWould you like to\nhave God lay it down for you?\u201d \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cWell, let us ask Him to do it.\u201d\nWe did, he heard the prayer, the will was laid down, the Baptism of the\nHoly Spirit was received and she went from the church rejoicing.\n\nObedience means also the doing in all matters great and small, the will\nof God as revealed in His Word or by His Spirit. Any refusal to do what\nGod bids us do, any conscious doing of what he bids us not do, even in\nvery little matters, is sufficient to shut us out of this blessing. If\nthere is anything no matter how little, that comes up before us to\ntrouble us as we pray over this matter, we should set it right with God\nat once. Mr. Finney tells of one who, in great agony prayed for days for\nthe Baptism of the Holy Spirit but received no answer. At last as she\nwas praying one night she put her hand to her head and took off some\nlittle adornment that always came up before her when she prayed and cast\nit from her. Immediately she received the long desired blessing. It\nseemed a very little thing but it was a matter of controversy with God\nand hindered the blessing.\n\n\n(3.) \u201cHow much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to\nthem that ask Him.\u201d (Luke xi. 13.)\n\n(a.) There must be definite prayer for this Baptism. It is often said\nthat the Holy Spirit is already here and that every believer has the\nSpirit and so we ought not to pray for the Holy Spirit. This argument\noverlooks the distinction between having the Holy Spirit and having this\nspecific operation of the Holy Spirit. (see 1. 2.) It also contradicts\nthe plain teaching of God\u2019s word that He gives \u201cthe Holy Spirit to them\nthat ask Him.\u201d It is furthermore shown to be fallacious by the fact that\nthe Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts was constantly given\nin connection with and in answer to prayer. (Acts i. 14; ii. 1\u20124; iv.\n31; viii. 15,17.)\n\n(b.) Prayer implies desire. There is no real prayer for the Baptism of\nthe Spirit unless there is _a deep desire for it_. As long as a man\nthinks he can get along somehow without this blessing, he is not likely\nto get it; but when a man reaches the place where he feels he must have\nthis no matter what it costs, he is far on the way toward receiving it.\nMany a minister of the gospel and other worker has been brought to a\nplace where he has felt he could not go on with his ministry without\nthis gift and then the gift has soon followed and the character of his\nwork has been entirely transformed.\n\n(c.) _The prayer to be effectual must be in faith (Mark xi. 24)._ James\nsays in regard to the prayer for wisdom, \u201cLet him ask in faith, nothing\nwavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of sea driven with the\nwind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive\nanything of the Lord.\u201d (Jas. i. 6, 7.) The same principle, of course,\nholds in regard to the prayer for the Holy Spirit. It is at this very\npoint that many miss the blessing. How to approach God in faith is\nclearly taught by 1\u00a0Jno. v. 14, 15. \u201cThis is the confidence that we have\nin Him, that, if we ask anything according to his will He heareth us,\nand if we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have\nthe petitions that we desired of him.\u201d When we ask Him for the Baptism\nof the Holy Spirit we know that we have asked something according to His\nwill for it is definitely promised in His word. Therefore we know that\n\u201cHe heareth us; and if we know that He hear us we know that we have the\npetition\u201d which we have asked of him. As soon then as I am sure I have\nmet the conditions stated above of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and\nasked it of God I have a right to count this blessing mine\u2014the prayer is\nheard and I have the petition I asked of him\u2014and get up and enter into\nmy work assured that in my work will be seen the Spirit\u2019s power. \u201cBut,\u201d\nsome one will say, \u201cshall we expect no manifestations?\u201d Yes, but where?\nIn service. When I know on the authority of God\u2019s word that my prayer is\nheard, I have the right to enter upon any service to which He calls me\nand confidently expect the manifestation of the Spirit\u2019s power in that\nservice. It is a mistake to wait or look for, as so many do, the\nmanifestation in electric shocks or peculiar emotional experiences. They\nmay and often do accompany the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. But the Bible\nclearly teaches us (i Cor. xii. 4\u201211) that the place to look for\nmanifestations, is in service and the most important, reliable and\nscriptural manifestations are found in our work. \u201cMust we not wait,\u201d it\nmay be asked, \u201cuntil we know that we have received the baptism of the\nHoly Spirit?\u201d Most assuredly, but how are we to know? The same way in\nwhich we know we are saved, _by the testimony of God\u2019s word_. When I\nknow I have met the conditions and have asked this gift which is\n\u201caccording to his will\u201d I know by God\u2019s word (1\u00a0Jno. v. 14, 15.) that my\nprayer is heard, and that I have the petition I desired of him. I have a\nright to arise with no other evidence than the all\u2013sufficient evidence\nof God\u2019s word, and enter into the service to which God calls me. \u201cDid\nnot the early disciples wait ten days?\u201d it may again be asked. Yes, and\nthe reason why is clearly given in Acts ii. 1.\u2014\u201cWhen the day of\nPentecost was fully come.\u201d In the O. T. types the day of Pentecost had\nbeen appointed as the day in God\u2019s economy for the first giving of the\nHoly Spirit and the offering of the first\u2013fruits (the church) and so the\nHoly Spirit could not be given until that day. (Lev. xxiii. 9\u201217.) But\nafter the Spirit was once given we find no protracted period of waiting\non the part of those who sought this blessing. (Acts iv. 31; viii. 15,\n17; ix. 17, 20; xix. 6.) Men are obliged to wait to\u2013day, but it is only\nbecause they have not met the conditions, or do not believe and claim\nthe blessing simply on the Word of God. The moment we meet the\nconditions and claim the blessing it is ours. (Mark xi. 24 R.V.) Any\nchild of God may lay down this book, meet the conditions, ask the\nblessing, claim it and have it. In a Students\u2019 Summer School at Lake\nGeneva after a talk by F. B. Meyer on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, a\nstudent remained to talk with me. He said he had heard of this before\nand had been seeking it for months but could not get it. I found his\nwill was not surrendered, but that was soon settled. Then I said, \u201cLet\nus kneel down and ask God for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.\u201d He did\nso. Was that petition \u201caccording to his will?\u201d I asked. \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cWas the\nprayer heard?\u201d After some hesitation, \u201cIt must have been.\u201d \u201cHave you\nwhat you asked of Him?\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t feel it.\u201d I read 1\u00a0Jno. v. 15 from the\nBible that lay open before us: \u201cIf we know that he hears us, whatsoever\nwe ask, we know that _we have_ the petition we desired of him.\u201d \u201cWas the\nprayer heard?\u201d \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cHave you what you asked?\u201d \u201cI must have; for God\nsays so.\u201d We arose and soon separated. Going back to the school in a few\ndays I met the young man again. His face was now all aglow and he knew\nhe had received what at first he took upon the bare word of God.\n\n\n4. THE REPETITION OF THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.\n\nOne thing more needs to be said before we leave this subject. _The\nBaptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience that needs frequent\nrepeating._ This appears from a comparison of Acts ii. 4\u2014where Peter\nwith others was filled with the Holy Spirit\u2014with Acts iv. 8.\u2014where Peter\nwas filled again,\u2014and with Acts iv. 31 where Peter with others was\nfilled yet again. A new filling is needed and should be sought for each\nnew emergency of Christian service. There are many who once knew\nexperimentally what the Baptism of the Holy Spirit meant who are trying\nto work to\u2013day in the power of that old experience and are working\nwithout God. They need and must have a new Baptism before God can use\nthem.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                   =_Rev. Frederick B. Meyer, B. A._=\n\n\n\u201c_Few books of recent years are better adapted to instruct and help\nChristians than those of this author. He is a man \u2018mighty in the\nScriptures.\u2019_\u201d\u2015D. L. MOODY.\n\n\n  =_Old Testament Heroes_=,   12mo, cloth, each                  $1.00\n\n       =_Joshua_= and the Land of Promise.\n\n       =_Moses,_= the Servant of God.\n\n       =_Joseph:_= Beloved\u2014Hated\u2014Exalted.\n\n       =_Israel:_= A Prince with God.\n\n       =_Abraham;_= or, The Obedience of Faith.\n\n       =_Elijah_= and the Secret of His Power.\n\n       \u201cSuch studies as these may serve as models to those who are\n       grappling with the problem of a Sunday\u2013night preaching service.\n       These sermons are of exceptional excellence.\u201d\u2015_The Golden\n       Rule._\n\n  =_The Christian Lite Series._=   18mo, cloth, each\n    50c.; white cloth, each.                                       .60\n\n       =_Key Words of the Inner Life._=\n\n       =_The Future Tenses of the Blessed Life._=\n\n       =_The Present Tenses of the Blessed Life._=\n\n       =_The Shepherd Psalm._=\n\n       =_Christian Living._=\n\n       \u201cThe Christian Life series of books by F. B. Meyer are well\n       adapted to inspire the purpose of holy living.\u201d\u2015_The Central\n       Presbyterian._\n\n  =_The Expository Series._=   12mo, cloth, each.                 1.00\n\n       =_The Way Into the Holiest._= An Exposition of the\n       Epistle to the Hebrews.\n\n       =_The Life and Light of Men._= Expositions in\n       John\u2019s Gospel.\n\n       =_Tried by Fire._= Expositions of First Epistle of\n       Peter.\n\n       \u201cThese expositions have the character of all Mr. Meyer\u2019s\n       writings. They combine devout insight into the rich resources\n       of the Word of God with skill in adapting it to the scriptural\n       needs of his readers.\u201d\u2015_The S. S. Times._\n\n  =_Envelope Series of Booklets._=   Packets Nos. 1 and\n    2, each containing 12 Tracts, assorted.                  net,  .20\n\n  =_Choice Extracts_= from the Writings of Rev. F. B.\n    Meyer. Compiled by Rev. B. Fay Mills.   24mo, paper,\n    each 5c.;\n\n       per dozen.                                            net,  .35\n\n       Larger edition, 16mo, paper.                                .15\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                     =_Rev. James Stalker, D. D._=\n\n\n\u201c_Dr. Stalker is strong in every essential. No inferior work can be\ncharged against him. Volume after volume have placed his claims as an\nauthor on a high plane._\u201d\n\n                                               \u2015THE PRESBYTERIAN REVIEW.\n\n\n  =_The Life of Jesus Christ._=   12mo, cloth.                   $ .60\n\n       \u201cEvery one needs a brief, comprehensive, but attractive Life of\n       Christ, that may be almost committed to memory, so that\n       whatever is read thereafter may find its fitting place in our\n       Lord\u2019s history. For this purpose I know of none equal to\n       \u2018Stalker\u2019s Life of Christ.\u2019 It is powerfully and charmingly\n       written.\u201d\u2015_F. N. Peloubet._\n\n       \u201cA remarkably lucid, accurate, and suggestive analysis of the\n       Christ Life. We value it as a rare manual for the study of the\n       Divine man. Dr. Stalker possesses the gift of literary etching.\n       He takes his pencil and, with a few lines, he puts a lifelike\n       and realistic picture upon his canvas.\u201d\u2015_The Christian Weekly._\n\n  =_The Life of St. Paul._=   12mo, cloth.                         .60\n\n       \u201cBristling with information. As an outline of Paul\u2019s life it\n       cannot be surpassed.\u201d\u2015_The Christian Inquirer (N. Y.)_\n\n  =_Men and Morals. Addresses._=    12mo, cloth, gilt\n    top.                                                           .75\n\n       CONTENTS:\u2015Conscience; Christ and the Wants of Humanity; The\n       Religion of To\u2013Day; The Evidences of Religion; Public Spirit;\n       Temptation; The Four Men; Youth and Age.\n\n       \u201cPleasant as well as profitable reading, and is just the thing\n       to put in the hands of a young man.... Admirable models of\n       sermonizing.\u201d\u2015_The Christian Intelligencer._\n\n  =_The Four Men._= An Address delivered to the Students\n    at Yale University.   16mo. Popular Vellum Series.             .20\n\n       Cheaper edition, 10c.; per dozen.                    net,  1.00\n\n         1. The Man the World Sees.\n\n         2. The Man Seen by the Person Who Knows Him\n       Best.\n\n         3. The Man Seen by Himself.\n\n         4. The Man Whom God Sees.\n\n       \u201cA better address to young persons there could hardly be, and\n       it could hardly have been more effective in personal delivery\n       than it is in print.\u201d\u2015_The Independent._\n\n  =_Temptation._= A Talk to Young Men.   16mo. Popular\n    Vellum Series.                                                 .20\n\n       Cheaper edition, 10c.; per dozen.                   net,   1.00\n\n       \u201cAn earnest plea for closer relations with Christ to make one\n       strong to resist evil.\u201d\u2015_The Baptist._\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                        =_Charles H. Spurgeon._=\n\n\n_The best of the literary remains of England\u2019s great preacher._\n\n\n  =_My Sermon Notes._= A Selection from Outlines of\n    Discourses delivered at the Metropolitan Tabernacle.\n    4 vols.   12mo, cloth, each $1.00; the set, boxed.           $4.00\n\n       =_Vol. 1. Genesis to Proverbs._=\n\n       =_Vol. 2. Ecclesiastes to Malachi._=\n\n       =_Vol. 3. Matthew to Acts._=\n\n       =_Vol. 4. Romans to Revelation._=\n\n  =_Feathers for Arrows_=; or, Illustrations for\n    Preachers and Teachers.   12mo, cloth.                        1.00\n\n       \u201cThe work covers a wide range of subjects. The metaphors are\n       always striking and frequently brilliant, while the truths that\n       they illustrate are such as have always formed the staple of\n       Mr. Spurgeon\u2019s discourses. A choicer collection of\n       illustrations we do not know.\u201d\u2015_The Freeman._\n\n  =_Spurgeon\u2019s Gems._= Being Brilliant Passages from His\n    Discourses.   12mo, cloth.                                    1.00\n\n       A series of earnest thoughts and graphic pictures, all of them\n       revealing the true greatness of the preacher\u2019s conceptions, his\n       individuality and strength. Gems of great brilliancy, which\n       will make a permanent impression upon the mind of the reader.\n\n  =_The Golden Alphabet._= Being a Devotional Commentary\n    on CXIX. Psalm.   12mo, cloth.                                1.00\n\n  =_Gleanings Among the Sheaves._=   18mo, cloth, gilt\n    top.                                                           .60\n\n  =_All of Grace._= For those seeking salvation.   16mo,\n    cloth.                                                         .50\n\n  =_According to Promise;_= or, The Lord\u2019s Method of\n    Dealing with His Chosen People.   16mo, cloth.                 .50\n\n  =_Twelve Christmas Sermons._=   8vo, cloth.                      .50\n\n  =_Twelve New Year Sermons._=   8vo, cloth.                       .50\n\n  =_Twelve Sermons on the Resurrection._=   8vo, cloth.            .50\n\n  =_Twelve Striking Sermons._=   8vo, cloth.                       .50\n\n  =_Twelve Soul Winning Sermons._=   8vo, cloth.                   .50\n\n  =_Charles H. Spurgeon._= _Second Edition._ By Rev. J.\n    J. Ellis, a graduate of the Pastor\u2019s College.   12mo,\n    cloth.                                                        1.00\n\n  =_Charles H. Spurgeon._= His Life and Ministry. By\n    Jesse Page. Illustrated.   12mo, cloth.                        .75\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                      =_Rev. A. J. Gordon, D.D._=\n\n\n_\u201c\u2018In Christ,\u2019 \u2018The Two Fold Life,\u2019 and \u2018The Ministry of the Spirit,\u2019\nare worthy to lie on the table by any dying couch, side by side with\nThomas A. Kempis\u2019 \u2018Imitation of Christ,\u2019 and Jeremy Taylor\u2019s \u2018Holy\nLiving and Dying.\u2019 These are fit to be placed among the religious\nclassics approved after long experience, by Christians of every name. I\nbelieve they will live as such and in this belief I am not\nsingular.\u201d_\u2015REV. JOSEPH COOK.\n\n\n  =_The Ministry of the Spirit._= Introduction by Rev. F.\n    B. Meyer, B.A.   12mo, cloth, gilt top.                      $1.00\n\n       \u201cDr. Gordon\u2019s last book, \u2018The Ministry of the Spirit,\u2019 was\n       published on the day of his death. It fitly completes the noble\n       series of books which came from his pen. It gives his mature\n       convictions upon a matter which had engrossed his thought for\n       many years. In depth of spiritual insight we doubt if it is\n       surpassed by any work on this topic.\u201d\u2015_The Watchman._\n\n  =_Risen with Christ;_= or, the Resurrection of Christ\n    and of the Believer.   16mo, decorated antique paper\n    covers.                                                        .25\n\n  =_The Holy Spirit in Missions._=   12mo, cloth, gilt\n     top.                                                         1.25\n\n       \u201cFervid and intense in its style, emphasizing the duty of\n       preaching the gospel as a witness among all nations.\u201d\u2015_The\n       Missionary Herald._\n\n  =_Grace and Glory._= Sermons for the Life that Now is\n    and That which is to Come.   12mo, paper, net, 50c.;\n    cloth, gilt top.                                              1.50\n\n  =_Ecce Venit;_= or, Behold He Cometh.   12mo, paper,\n    net, 50c.; cloth, gilt top.                                   1.25\n\n  =_In Christ;_= or, the Believer\u2019s Union with his Lord.\n      12mo, paper, net, 35c.; cloth, gilt top.                    1.00\n\n       POCKET EDITION, uniform with \u201cA Gift of Love.\u201d\n         18mo, cloth.                                             1.00\n\n       \u201cTo realize what is meant by being _in Christ_ is the\n       believer\u2019s highest happiness in this life: a book which helps\n       to this way will find a wide sale.\u201d\u2015_The N. Y. Evangelist._\n\n  =_The Ministry of Healing;_= or, Miracles of Cures in\n    all ages. With History of the Doctrine from the\n    Earliest Times.   12mo, paper, net, 50c.; cloth, gilt\n    top.                                                          1.25\n\n  =_The Two Fold Life;_= or, Christ\u2019s Work for Us, and\n    Christ\u2019s Work in Us.   12mo, paper, net, 50c.; cloth,\n    gilt top.\n\n  =_The First Thing In the World;_= or, The Primacy of\n    Faith.   16mo, Popular Vellum Series, 20c.; Cheaper\n    Edition, net, 10c.; per doz.                            net,  1.00\n\n\n\n\n                          Transcriber\u2019s Notes\n\n\n    Printed       Corrected    Page\n comprhensive   comprehensive     2 gives in clear and comprehensive\n iuformatiou    information       2 information for Christian workers\n Backsliders    Back\u2013sliders      5 ASSURANCE, AND BACK\u2013SLIDERS\n very           every             9 every other grace of\n sorely, need   sorely need,      9 sorely need, and expect Him\n 1.             I                 9 (1\u00a0Jno. v. 14, 15;\n Christ,        Christ           10 bringing men to Christ\n need           need,            10 need, (3) to show them\n Saviour        Saviour,         10 Saviour, (4) to meet the\n \u201cAll\u201d.         \u201cAll.\u201d           20 sinned?\u201d \u201cAll.\u201d \u201cWho\n gone           \u201cgone            21 \u201cgone astray\u201d and hold\n sin.           sin?             22 the greatest sin?\n Galations      Galatians        24 Galatians iii. 10 is a verse\n wages.         wages?           25 to take your wages?\n then           than             26 for this purpose than\n God.           God?             32 the sons of God?\n Chirst         Christ           32 at Christ lifted up\n 1.             i.               32 Romans i. 16 is another excellent\n Gospel.        Gospel?          33 what is the Gospel?\n will.          will?            33 he says he will?\n Galations      Galatians        35 Galatians iii. 10\u201213 also\n of,            of               35 makes the way of salvation\n God\u201d           God              36 confessed to God his sins\n lost,\u201d         lost.\u2019\u201d          37 that which was lost.\u2019\u201d\n moments        moments\u2019         39 a few moments\u2019 deep\n Now            Now,             39 \u201cNow,\u201d I said\n sin.           sin.\u201d            40 your sin.\u201d I laid\n longer er      longer           40 on you any longer\n Chr.           Chron.           41 falling. 2\u00a0Chron. xxxii. 7, 8\n \u201cyes\u201d.         \u201cyes.\u201d           42 He said, \u201cyes.\u201d\n not.           not?             42 did you not?\n came           came,            42 so glad I came,\n kingdom,       kingdom          43 put God and His kingdom\n righr          right            46 let us kneel right down\n umerciful      merciful         49 he will be merciful\n WITN           WITH             50 DEALING WITH THOSE WHO\n \u201cNo\u201d,          \u201cNo,\u201d            52 replies, \u201cNo,\u201d then\n repentence     repentance       53 repentance, not to encourage\n \u201cYes\u201d,         \u201cYes,\u201d           55 \u201cYes,\u201d I replied\n How            \u201cHow             55 \u201cHow do you know\n assurance, is  assurance is,    56 ground of assurance is,\n Backsliders    Back\u2013sliders     57 ASSURANCE AND WITH BACK\u2013SLIDERS\n Him?           Him?\u201d            58 \u201cHave you received Him?\u201d\n \u201cJustified\u201d.   \u201cJustified.\u201d     59 \u201cJustified.\u201d Then ask him\n mouth\u201d.        mouth,\u201d          60 \u201cwith the mouth,\u201d\n backslider     back\u2013slider      64 back\u2013slider who wishes to\n 16             15               64 in Chapter xii. sec. 15.\n him.           him,             69 Next say to him,\n world.\u201d        world.\u2019\u201d         69 Him before the world.\u2019\u201d\n thoughfully    thoughtfully     69 slowly and thoughtfully\n your,          your             70 but with your sin\n \u201chell\u201d.        \u201chell.\u201d          74 punishment in \u201chell.\u201d\n 6              7.               75 7. _Those who doubt_\n skeptics       Skeptics         76 Skeptics who are triflers\n god            God              77 COMPLAIN OF GOD.\n well.          well?            82 not use you well?\n to\u2013night.      to\u2013night,        83 or \u201cNot to\u2013night,\u201d\n in.\u201d           in.              84 went in. Then ask\n Christian.     Christian,       85 _become a Christian_,\n _or_           or               85 _am too young_,\u201d or\n all sufficient all\u2013sufficient   85 all\u2013sufficient answer to\n repetiton      repetition       86 home by constant repetition\n sayng          saying           86 but who kept saying\n 1.                              87 There are several\n repentence     repentance       90 the necessity of repentance\n as as          as               96 through the eye as\n Spirit\u201d,       Spirit,\u201d        104 with the Holy Spirit,\u201d\n Spirit,        Spirit.         104 Holy Spirit.\u201d By\n i. e.          _i. e._         112 _i. e._ for every believer\n (3)            3.              113 3. HOW CAN WE\n Spirit.        Spirit?         113 THE HOLY SPIRIT?\n Spirit         Spirit\u201d         113 of the Holy Spirit\u201d\n him\u201d.          him.\u201d           114 that obey him.\u201d\n said           said,           115 behind her and said,\n down,          down.           115 can\u2019t lay it down.\n you.           you?            115 down for you?\n 24.            24.)            117 _faith (Mark xi. 24)._\n wisdom.        wisdom,         117 prayer for wisdom,\n Spirit.        Spirit?         119 of the Holy Spirit?\n asked,         asked.          119 again be asked.\n thiug          thing           121 One thing more needs\n Tho            The             123 =_The Life and Light_=\n jesse          Jesse           125 By Jesse Page.\n 2mo            12mo            125 Illustrated.   12mo, cloth.\n A\u2019 Kempis.     A. Kempis\u2019      126 with Thomas A. Kempis\u2019\n believer s     believer\u2019s      126 is the believer\u2019s highest happiness\n                \u2015               126 sale.\u201d\u2015_The N. Y. Evangelist._\n\n\nOn Page 85, \u201cI must do something else first.\u201d has been italicized for\nconsistency.\n\nOn Page 116, started a new paragraph at \u201c(a.) There must be\u201d.\n\nPunctuation for chapter headings has been regularized. Missing periods\nhave been added to the chapter number. Periods have been removed from\nchapter titles and centered section headings.\n\nThe font style for headings of a given level have been made consistent.\n\nBiblical references have been regularized to the form: [num] name\nchapter. verse, where [num] is an optional arabic numeral, chapter is a\nlower\u2013case roman numeral, and verse is an arabic numeral. For example,\n2\u00a0Cor. ix. 8 and 1\u00a0Jno. iii. 23\u201224.\n\nMissing periods after Biblical book abbreviations have been silently\nadded. Additionally, some superfluous periods and commas following\nBiblical references have been removed.\n\nSome missing punctuation has been silently added.\n\nSome hyphenation inconsistencies have been retained.","title":"How to bring men to Christ","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":28000}