19 HOW TO BE SAVED.

HOW TO BE SAVED.

“And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto Him, and besought Him that He would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto Him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth. And the father himself believed, and his whole house.”—John 4:46-54.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

Before I read the Scriptures, in a moment, I would pause to say that a shadow lies across my heart, because my visit here cannot be much longer at this time, with these two cherished pastors and churches, and with the people of this community. If it were possible for me to do so, I should tarry here for several weeks, in daily services, but an exacting engagement, that I cannot in conscience put aside, makes it impossible for me to tarry, save for two or three days more. The Lord willing, I shall be here to-morrow, speaking at noon in the Chamber of Commerce auditorium, and to-morrow night here, and again at noon in the Chamber of Commerce auditorium, and I shall be back again for two Sunday services, the Lord willing. Quite well do I understand that in a city like this, or in my city, or in any other city, it is altogether desirable that special meetings be continued daily for weeks. One of the very significant things about Mr. Sunday’s meetings, as I have seen them at close range, is that he tarries for weeks and weeks and weeks, making his daily appeal. I shall be here these two or three days, as I have indicated, the Lord willing. I cannot tell you how deep is my wish, my prayerful wish, to help the people who come to these services at noonday and at night. And I cannot tell you how deep is my prayerful wish, that every Christian may be a fellow helper to those who are not Christians. There are many you can see and bring with you to these remaining services. The parent can prayerfully see what can be done for the child; and the teacher can prayerfully see what can be done for the class, or for the single pupil; and the neighbor can see, and the friend can see how you can help friend and neighbor. Oh, I beseech you to put your best into these two or three days, expectant that God will send still larger blessings upon us. This evening I should like to speak the simplest word within my power on the all-important theme, “How to Be Saved.” I take it that the overwhelming majority of this audience are saved people, for which I give devoutest thanks to God. Maybe there will be something in the message for them to-night. They will prayerfully heed it, I trust. But especially do I desire so to speak that the one here who is not saved, or who is puzzled about it, who does not quite understand, but wonders if he or she is saved, will receive help. A little while ago, one of the great English preachers was asked this question: “If you were to put in one sentence a message of counsel to your brother preachers in England and around the world, what would that sentence be?” I was wonderfully impressed with his reply. This was his answer: “Oh, brother preachers, make it plain to the people how they are saved.” It was a vital message, wasn’t it? Suppose, oh, Christian friend, that some unsaved friend should meet you to-night or to-morrow, and should ask you to tell him how to be saved, what it is to be saved, what would you say? Could you “make it plain to the people how to be saved?”

I am to read you a brief statement of how a man came to Jesus, when Jesus was here in the flesh, and stated his case, and received the needed blessing from Jesus. Let us all look at that case right carefully; let that little child listen carefully, as well as the grown person. Faith is illustrated here in this story that I am to read. I do not know a simpler illustration in the Bible, of faith in its several degrees, in its several expressions. The children will notice it— and I have been so grateful that the boys and girls have listened just like the grown people. God bless them, all and each, the boys and girls, as well as the young men and women, and the older people. Now you are ready to listen carefully to this Bible story: And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto Him, and besought Him that He would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto Him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying. Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same Hour in which Jesus said unto him. Thy son liveth. And the lather himself believed, and his whole house.

Surely, that is one of the simplest stories about faith, to be found in all this blessed Book of God, one of the simplest explanations of what it means to come to Christ, and get what we need from Christ. Faith is here illustrated.

Let us look to see how this man came to Jesus. You are to note the steps, and you and I are to come in exactly the same way. There are three steps here in this story. They are so simple that a child of just a few years can understand them. God grant that the child, and the strong man, and all of us may see the truth to-night in this simple story! This man sought Jesus’ help. This man took Jesus at His word. And this man found out that Jesus had done what He said He would do. Now, it could not be any simpler than that, could it? This man sought the help of Jesus, and when Jesus told him what to do, he took Jesus at His word, and then later along he found out that what Jesus said was so. Now, there is faith from the first to the last. There it is, from the tiniest beginning to its victorious culmination. Oh, that the Divine Spirit may make it so plain to-night that never again after this Thursday night shall we stumble and pause on the great matter of what it means, and how it is, to be saved!

First of all, this man sought Jesus’ help. He was a day’s journey away, in another community, and he heard that Jesus was in this given community, and the man came the day’s journey to the place where Jesus was, seeking Jesus’ help. Isn’t that intelligent and reasonable? This man needed Jesus’ help, and he sought it. He came a day’s journey, and stood before Jesus to seek the help that he thought Jesus could give him. How reasonable that is! How intelligent that is! Now, we act upon that principle every day. Business men seek success. There is some object you desire. You seek it. You do not fold your hands and sit there stolidly and say: “Oh, well, if it is to come it will come,” and let it go at that. The farmer does not pursue any such course. The merchant does not pursue any such course. The carpenter does not pursue that course. Nobody who has a given object to reach pursues any such course. This man sought Jesus Christ. How intelligent! How reasonable! If you had sickness in your family, you would not sit with folded hands and say,: “Oh, well, if this loved one is to get well, he will, anyway,” or “she will.” You do not deal with it that way. You seek help for that loved one. You find a physician. You search for medicines. You seek help, that the sick one may be cured, may be recovered. How intelligent that is! So here is a man who wants Jesus’ blessing, and he seeks for it. That is the very quintessence of reason and intelligence. That is what the Bible bids us do about this supreme matter of being saved. Seek after it. The Bible has great sentences bearing upon that point. “Seek ye the Lord, while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.” And take this sentence: “In the day that thou seekest me with thy whole heart, I will be found of thee.” Oh, if this Thursday night, the girl or boy, the young man or woman, the older man or woman, in this place, with the whole heart seeks the Lord, then this night you shall be saved. If with the whole heart you seek the Lord for one second, you will be saved. Couldn’t you do that? This man came to Jesus, seeking Jesus’ help. You see this man’s mind was made up. His purpose was fixed. This man said: “My boy down yonder is ill, and if there is help to be had for him, I must seek such help. I must get it. All the remedies used for my boy have proved futile and unavailing, but I have heard that one whose name is Jesus can cure the sick, and my boy, my blessed boy, is hard by the gates of death, and if Jesus can cure him, I must seek Jesus and state the case and beg for His help.” You see, this man’s mind was made up. “I am going to try Jesus out,” said this man. “I am going to go to the limit in my effort to get His help.” His mind was made up. His purpose was fixed. And then, when he came to Jesus, this man prayed. Prayer is just talking to God. Anybody can pray. The sanest and most reasonable thing in the world is prayer. Prayer is the cry of the little, finite, mortal, dependent human to the great God, able, and willing, and merciful and mighty. Prayer is the cry of a little one whom God made, to that great God who can help, and wants to help, and offers to help. Prayer is coming to Him, saying: “I would come and have thy help. I would come in the right way, and I would receive thy help, for the right purpose.” That is prayer. Anybody can pray. Oh, do you pray, my friend? How long since you prayed? To-night, the man or woman or child here, who is wrong with God, can cry from the heart, even while I am speaking: “Lord, help me! Lord, forgive me! Lord, save me! Do for me what needs to be done, I humbly pray.” Anybody can come to God like that, and that is prayer. That poor publican that the Bible tells about, put his prayer into one sentence, but, oh, how pleasing to Jesus was that prayer— that one sentence: “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” And Jesus said: “This man went down to his house justified, rather than the Pharisee who stood and prayed with himself,” but made a long and meaningless and formal prayer. Anybody here can pray the publican’s prayer. Suppose you pray it right now. Suppose you let your heart pray it. Suppose every one of us right now lets our heart pray it, as the preacher would let his heart pray it: “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” Did everybody join in that? Won’t you let your hearts join in that prayer, so suitable, so important for us every one? Now let us join in it as the preacher voices it again, and leads it: “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” Will you come to Jesus like that? And this man was very earnest, very serious, in his appeal to Jesus. He said to Jesus: “Sir, come down ere my child die. Let us not talk. Let us not parley. Let us not cavil. Let us not delay. Hasten with me. Come down ere my child die.” How earnest he was! And that is the way for us to pray. We are to be earnest, with our minds and hearts made up about the thing we need and would have from the gracious and merciful Savior. We should be earnest. But now, mark it, there was a weakness in this man’s prayer, in this man’s appeal, and I am going to call your careful attention to it right now. What was the weakness? This man dictated to Jesus how He should help him. He said to Jesus: “Sir, come down ere my child die.” He said in effect: “Come and go home with me. Come where you may see the boy. Come where you can touch his beating pulse and look into his suffering face. Come down. Come, go home with me.” And Jesus said: “Why, man, won’t it take signs and wonders before you will believe?” Said Jesus to the father: “Why, you are dictating to me how to help you. You are even putting limits and boundaries about the method of my help.” Jesus said to him in effect: “Oh, nobleman, if I will heal your boy, won’t you consent that I may heal him my way?” Now, isn’t that reasonable? Let us call that nobleman. “Nobleman, if Jesus will show mercy to your boy, won’t you let Jesus show mercy in His own way, without any advice or counsel or direction at all from you?” The nobleman saw the point. The nobleman saw that if Jesus was going to take that case, then the father must relinquish the case to Him, must turn the case over to Him, must commit the case to Him, and there it is. Call to the man: “Oh, nobleman, if Jesus will heal your suffering and terribly sick son, won’t you let Jesus do it His own way?” And so I pass the word to every one here, whq wants the help of Jesus, to every one here who wants to be forgiven and saved: If Jesus will save you, won’t you let Him save you His way? He will never save you any other way. You must come to the point where you will say: “Yes, Jesus, I yield. I give up. I trust. I surrender. Save me your way.” He will never save you any other way, and you must come to that point. May I take a little leaf out of my own poor life? When I was a young fellow, seeking Jesus, the way was all dark to me. I could not understand how to be saved. Oh, if somebody had sat down beside me when I was a lad, and had told me the simple way to be saved, I think I would have walked in it! I remember one day I was alone, and for hours and hours this was my prayer: “Lord, deepen my feeling. Lord, make my eyes to be fountains of tears. Lord, fill me with remorse and misery and condemnation.” I prayed like that, supposing that if I reached a certain point of awful, deplorable remorse and regret and wretchedness of spirit, surely Jesus would then take pity on me. Why, that was not the way for me to come to Jesus. The way for me to come to Jesus was to come to Him and say: “Lord Jesus, here I am, a sinner, and I cannot save myself. Thou hast taught it, and surely thou knowest. I have found out in myself and of myself and by myself how weak and frail I am, how insufficient I am to save myself. Lord Jesus, thou doest the saving, thou sayest it, and thou sayest: ’Come to me without delay, and I will come to you, and I will save you.’ Lord, I turn the best I can from every evil way, and I give up to Jesus, that He may save me His way, and I give up right now. Dark or bright, no matter what comes, I will give up to Jesus.” Oh, if I had come like that, when an interested boy, I would have found Christ, as I did find Him when my feet were turning into young manhood’s morning. I did find Him, when quietly one night, sitting in an audience like this, an earnest preacher pleaded that Christ might be given His own way to save the soul, that the soul, needy and helpless and unable to save itself, would make honest surrender to Christ—utter surrender. I sat back there as you sit back there before me now, and I said: “Lord Jesus, it is all as dark as it can be. I do not see through it. I cannot understand it. I am making no progress. I am getting nowhere. I am drifting with the current. Dark or bright, live or die, come what may, I surrender right now to Christ.” Right there is the place to be saved, and nowhere else. Right there! Won’t you let Him save you His way? Won’t you, oh, husband and father; won’t you, oh, mother and wife; won’t you, young man or woman; won’t you, my boy or girl, let Jesus save you His way, by your own consent? Won’t you tell Him: “Yes, Lord Jesus, I say ’Yes’ to your call?”

Now, you see the second point. When the man saw the issue, when it was joined, when the man saw that he must turn the case over to Jesus, Jesus said to him in effect: “If you will turn that case over to me, that I may save that boy my way, then that boy shall surely be healed.” Now comes the beautiful point of the story. The Scriptures here tell us, as I read them to you: “And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and went his way.” Right there a soul is saved, and nowhere else—right there. The man took Jesus at His word. The man closed the matter with Jesus. Jesus said: “If you will commit that boy to me, I will save him. Will you do it?” He said: “I will do it.” And Jesus said: “Go your way; your boy lives.” And the man took Jesus at His word and went his way. Right there a soul is saved.

Won’t you take Jesus at His word? What word? Any word that He speaks to you, calling you to Him. His promises are countless almost as the stars in the skies above us—His glorious promises. If you will take any one and follow that to Jesus, and say: “I will take you at your word. It is ’Yes’ to your word. I will give up to you”—whoever does that, Christ will take that person, then and there and forever, and be your Savior. What word? Oh, there are many! Take this one—I dare say that uncounted tens of thousands of people have come to Jesus on this plain promise which now I quote: “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” There is enough gospel in that one promise to bring every rational human being to Jesus for salvation. “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” That is for you, and you, and me, and all the rest. “Him that cometh to me!” “If anybody will come to me, and just give up to me, I won’t cast that person out,” the great Savior declares. Or take this promise: “Whosoever will”—how simple that is— “whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” “Whosoever is willing,” says Jesus, “for me to be your Savior, and you will just give up, if you are just willing, I will take you that very moment, and you will be mine, and I will be yours.” Or take this sentence: “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” One is in this audience who was brought by that verse to Jesus. A man with the gray about his temples has told me about it. That verse brought him. “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” The man heard it and said: “Well, if it is Christ’s blood that cleanses me, then I will give up to Christ, and let Him save me in His own way,” and Christ saved him then and there. Or take this beautiful sentence: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” I wonder if millions have not come in response to that invitation. Or take this promise: “Commit thy way unto the Lord”—oh, but it is a sinful way, you say, a marred way, a bad way, a wrong and improper way— never mind, whatever your way is, “Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He”—not you, not the church, not the preacher—”He shall bring it to pass.” What does He say? He says: “Come and commit your case, whatever your sin, or doubt, or fear, or temptation, or need, or weakness, or difficulty, or evil memory, or accusing conscience—no matter what, commit your case to the Lord, and He will take you and forgive you and save you. He says just that. Could language be plainer?

Ob, soul, don’t you see it? Isn’t it plain? Do you answer me back: “Oh, sir, but this is my difficulty?” State it. What is your difficulty? Why are you not tonight Christ’s friend and follower? Name your difficulty. Whatever your difficulty is, I do not care what it is—it may be exceedingly trying—whatever your sin, your doubt, your fear, your anxiety, your temptation, your weakness, your past, your present, your future, if you will honestly surrender your case to Christ, He will manage you, the difficulty, the sin, and everything about it. He does the saving, but you are to surrender. He never saved one that did not give up to Him. He never saved one rational soul that did not say: “Yes, Lord, I will surrender. I will decide.” He never saved one that held back and refused to surrender to Him. And He never failed to save any soul in this world, no matter how bedarkened, how troubled, how sinful, how difficult, if such soul just said, and meant it: “Here, Lord, I will surrender to you that you may save me.” Oh, isn’t it simple—the way to be saved? The little girl there knows when I quote that sentence: “Commit thy way unto the Lord,” what it means. The little girl would know what I meant if I said: “Child, take this letter and commit it to the postoffice.” She would understand that. That child would understand it. That boy would understand. “Commit this letter to the postoffice,” and the child would take it there and commit it to the postoffice. The man there would understand about taking his baggage yonder to the train, and having the baggage checked, and he would get his little check there for it, and behind that baggage that he checked would be the weight, the authority, the responsibility of that whole railway company. Jesus comes saying: “Here is the check. I will give it to you, if you will commit your way to me. I will take your case and save you, and you may keep this check and look at it, and quote it every hour in the day. I will never forget you, and never fail you.” Isn’t it simple, and isn’t it glorious?

There is one more word about the story. The last word is that the man went on back home, after Jesus said: “Go your way, now. You trust your boy to me, and I will take care of you, and you will find out that I have not misled you.” The man went on back, and before he got back home, even as he was going along the homeward road, his servants came gladly to meet him, and when they met him they said: “Master, the boy is well.” And then the father asked them when the change came, and they made answer: “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father remembered that it was at that identical hour in the which Jesus said to him: “Now that you have trusted your boy to me, you may go back without any anxiety, and you will find him all safe and well.” The father remembered that it was at that very hour, when he turned his boy over to Christ and said: “I will trust you with my boy.” And then the father saw that it was true. The father had the demonstration. There was the climax of proof. There was the boy, living and well. And the father, and the mother, and the boy, and the whole house rejoiced, for they all found that Jesus did just what He promised to do.

Let us give earnest heed as we apply this truth to our own hearts. Isn’t our trouble often that we want this last part first? We want to see it all, and know it all, before we will trust Christ and let Him later reveal to us His mercy and blessing. Don’t we want this last part first? We want all this light, this knowledge, this assurance, before we take this first plain step, and surrender, turn over, commit, say “Yes” to Christ, when He says: “If you will trust me, I will forgive and save.” We want to see it all, before we take this first great step of surrender to Christ.

Oh, this first step must be taken, before we will ever find out that Jesus surely keeps His word. If you had a candle there in the house to be lighted, you would not stand before the candle, with your match in your hand, and say to the candle: “Burn now, so that we can see,” before you struck the match. You would strike that match and apply it to the candle, and then the light would be kindled for all who are in the house. That is the way the light comes. If you had a sickness, and the doctor should be summoned and leave his medicines”, with careful directions, you would not content yourself with saving; “Oh, well, the medicine is in the house, and the doctor has told me what to do with it, but I will pass it by; I will not take it.” You would not do like that at all, for when he came back he would find you with the raging fever, and when he questioned you, he would find out that you had not carried out his orders at all. So when Jesus comes to you and says: “I will forgive you, I will save you, I will prepare you for heaven, I will fit you for earth, I will fit you for death, I will fit you for life, I will save you, I will write your name in God’s own book of life above, if you will just surrender to me,” you are not to say: “Well, I will wait and see the how about it.” You are to say: “I will do that. I will take Him at His word. I will give up to Him. I will make that surrender.” How simple it is, and how glorious it is! The very essence of faith is taking Christ at His word. The very essence of faith is giving up to Christ. Do you say: “Lord, I cannot see through it?” Certainly, you cannot. I cannot. There is not a man in the world wu> can see how it is that one is born again. You cannot explain how one is born the first time, born of the flesh, and certainly, you cannot explain how one is born of the Spirit, that higher, more wonderful birth. But Jesus said: “That is my part. Mine it is to look after the birth. The mystery, the wonderful work—that is mine. Yours it is to turn your case over to me, that I may take you and save you my way. Will you turn that case over to me?”

Oh, soul, aren’t you ready to say: “That is exactly what I will do?” It is as simple as daylight. Here it is. Christ does the saving, and does it all. But the singer has to give up to Christ, and then when the sinner does that, Christ takes such sinner, forgives and guides and keeps such sinner for all the afterwhile. How simple and how glorious! Come, now. Haven’t you waited long enough to take this eternally important step? He has spared you, this great Savior. He has been so gracious and so merciful. He has shown you such patience and forbearance. He has waited late and long for you, that He might do for you what needs to be done, which if left undone for you, He himself says: “Better for that person that he or she had never been born.” Aren’t you ready to-night to say: “I am ready that Christ shall save me His own way, without any dictation on my part?” Oh, haven’t you waited long enough? God be thanked that He has been patient with you, that He has waited, that He has borne and forborne toward you! But now haven’t you waited long enough? Somewhere there is an end to that waiting. I heard that faithful, Biblical preacher, George C. Needham, who held one of his last meetings with our church in Dallas, a wonderful gospel preacher, tell of three brothers yonder in Scotland, who got a boat and went out on one of the lakes of Scotland one day, rowing in the little boat. But those lakes are often swept by storms and winds that come down upon them all unexpectedly, and when those three brothers were far out yonder in the lake, a storm suddenly swept down on the lake and turned over the boat, and the middle brother was caught in the rigging and drowned outright, but the oldest and youngest brothers somehow got out from under the boat, and they swam towards a rock, hundreds of yards out yonder, jutting up in the lake. That was their only chance to be saved, and with extreme difficulty they made their way toward that rock. At last the older brother reached it, all worn out, and all exhausted in strength. He just did reach it, and he looked back, and there, some yards away, came the younger brother, barely able to move his hands in those battling, climbing waves, his strength all gone. This older boy called to him, with what little strength he had left, trying to cheer him to hold out a little farther, that he might reach the rock. But he came a little farther and then went down. He could not make the rock. His strength was gone. The people on the shore yonder saw the distressing scene, and they got another boat and came to this oldest boy, and they found him wild almost in his grief. And over and over again, he told the story of how it all happened, of how quickly the boat turned over, and how the middle brother drowned outright, and how he and the little brother got out and swam the best they could, and how he reached the rock, but was all given out, and how the little brother could not quite reach it. And the great preacher said the boy would wind up his story with the plaintive cry, over and over and over again: “Oh, lads, little brother was nearly saved! Little brother was nearly saved! Little brother was nearly saved!” Sobbing his heart out, he would finish his story every time with the plaintive cry: “Oh, I tell you, little brother was nearly saved, nearly saved!”

God pity us, that is a picture of many who come to our gospel services. They hear, they think, they desire, they know, they feel, they are nearly saved. But nearly saved is not enough! Almost is but to fail! Satan does not care if people are serious, if they are interested, if they desire, if they tremble, if their faces are white, and their hearts beat faster from emotion concerning Christ’s call to them; Satan does not care, if they will just halt, if they will just hesitate, if they will just wait.

Come now, haven’t you, oh, man or woman; oh, husband or wife; oh, father or mother, young man or maiden, boy or girl, haven’t you waited long enough to make an end of this waiting, and to say: “As for me, dark or bright, whatever comes, God help me, I cast the die. I cross the Rubicon. I cut the cables. I burn the bridges. I can do nothing else. I surrender to Christ, that He may save me His own way.” I tell you, if you will, He will be your Savior from that very minute. Aren’t you willing, and aren’t you ready, for that great step to be taken on your part?

I am going to ask every soul that has taken it to tell us about it. Every soul that says: “Sir, I have heard this simple message, and I am able to lay my hand on my heart and say to you: T have already surrendered myself to Christ, and have taken Christ to be my personal Savior. I am able with uplifted hand to declare that I have made that surrender, that I have made the choice of Jesus Christ as my Savior.’“ Every soul in this place that can say: “I have done that,” lift high the hand. It is a thrilling sight, dear brothers. I greet you, and bid you Godspeed. We are traveling to the better world, and a little later we will strike hands in that better world, because of the saving grace of Christ. But now I ask: Aren’t there those here who say: “I could not lift my hand. I am in doubt and darkness about it. But I do want to be saved, and I want you to pause, and all these hundreds and hundreds of Christians to pause, and pray one prayer for me, that I may not miss the way, that I may not be finally lost. I want you to pray one prayer for me, that I may be saved. I want that.” Do you say: “I do want that, sir?” Every soul that says: “I am wrong with Christ, and a minute ago I could not lift my hand”—you did right not to if you could not. Sincerity, how vital that always is!—but do you say: “I lift my hand on your last call. I want to be saved by Christ. I want to be saved in Christ’s own way and time. Pray a prayer for me that I may be saved, for I am wrong with God. I would lift my hand on that,” then lift it, while I am looking now. I see your uplifted hands—they are many. Oh, my heart goes out to you all. In a moment we are going to pray. What are we going to pray for? We are going to pray that right now, these men and women and boys and girls saying: “We want to be saved Christ’s way,” may now settle it. We are going to pray that right now you may settle it, that right now the matter may be concluded—right now. Now, with every head bowed for a moment, let us pray. THE PRAYER.

Blessed Savior, we bring these interested ones, all and each, the best we can, right now in our prayers, and commit them to thy mercy and grace. O blessed Savior, may the truth be clear to them right now, that they can never save themselves; that waiting, no matter how long, will not suffice; that no matter where they go nor what they do, that will not suffice. Give them to realize that Christ must save, and Christ alone, and that their waiting cannot improve^ but will make worse their condition. Let them now say: “Lord, thou hast waited for me, but I will not ask thee to wait longer—not another week, nor another day, nor another hour, nor another service. I want to be saved, and I will give up to Christ right now, that He may save me His way. I will take Him through the darkness. I will come to Him, though unable to understand how He saves. I will be a little child, just as He tells me to be. Here, Lord, I give myself to thee—sins, doubts, and all, difficulties and temptations, weaknesses and fears, yesterday, to-day and to-morrow—I give myself to thee right now. I will say yes to thee now and forever.” God help them by thy Spirit that this may be their decision, and made known.before we go. For Jesus’ precious sake. Amen.

We will sing this invitation song before we go:

Jesus is tenderly calling thee home—

Calling to-day, calling to-day.
Why from the sunshine of love wilt thou roam,
Farther and farther away?

Aren’t you ready to say: “Sir, I am ready to announce my decision for Christ. Waiting cannot help me. Waiting might ruin me. I want it settled, and settled Christ’s way, and His way is for me to yield myself to Him.” Come, then, before all the people, and let me greet you as you make your public confession of Christ as your Savior.

(Numbers came forward, confessing Christ, while the song was being sung.)

We are going to offer a prayer of thanksgiving, in a moment, for these men and women and children who have come, but I implore you, before we pray, oh, Christian men and women, dedicate your best to this special work these three days remaining. I believe they are to be of the right hand of God. Dedicate your utmost to the incomparable quest of winning souls. The mother, the father, the wife, the husband, the friend, the neighbor, the acquaintance—oh, you ought to bring to the services hundreds and hundreds of people who are without Christ. And you will pray much I beseech you, that the preacher may bring such faithful, vital messages, that every soul that shall attend may be left without excuse, if such soul shall be finally lost. We will pray about the midday service to-morrow, and the midday service Saturday, and about the services that are to be had, God willing, on Friday night, and on Sunday. Let us dedicate our very lives to this work, that the people all about us may be turned unto the Lord. THE CLOSING PRAYER. And now, Lord, deep is our thanksgiving for the coming of these men and women and children to confess their acceptance of Christ as their personal Savior. The glory is all thine own. May all these men and women and children who came, go now to live gloriously for Christ. Let them see the truth, clear as the light, that Christ does the saving, and does it all, and that any soul that surrenders to Him, henceforth has Christ for his Savior and Master. Let such souls, through the darkness, cling to Christ, no matter what comes.

Some did not come, and our heart ached with an agony about them. Lord, may they yet come to Christ to-night, before they close their eyes in sleep. O God, may these interested ones now say to Jesus: “We will end this battle, and this very night we will make our surrender to Christ,” and may they come back to tell us to-morrow night, “We are going with you to God’s gracious land.” O God, have compassion on the lost all about us. We are thinking of manv as we are coming to the close of the services—of men and women driven hard in life’s daily battle; of business men preoccupied; toiling men, whose lot in life is hard; of men with burdens and sorest difficulties. O, for every such man and woman, Lord, toiling, and struggling, may there go such appeals from these men and women, in the hours just ahead, that all through this city, they shall know, by the hundreds and thousands, how much Christ’s people care for their salvation. And then may the people in all ranks and conditions—the men who are poor, and the men with their money, supposing that that suffices^ but which has in it awful peril, because it can make the soul to be filled with pride and self-sufficiency and forgetfulness of God—may they all be told this by lips of love and blessed appeal, which God shall direct in the hours just before us. May the spirit of prayer mightily rest on the hearts and heads and lives of this army of Christians. May there be many anointed of God to go here and there,_ to speak to son, or daughter, or husband, cr wife, or mother, or father, or t neighbor or acquaintance, and so to speak to God in prayer, that the Divine Spirit may give guidance, yea, give conviction to hundreds in these days before us, that they may be turned by grace divine unto the forgiving Savior._ And as we go now, may the blessing of Christ Jesus the Lord come like a balm to our every heart, and keep us in the right way. forever. Amen.