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A  Series  o[  Sern^oi^sss — ^ 


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CRANSTON    AND   STOWE. 

CINCINNATI. 

Phillips  and  Hunt,  New  York. 


Copyright. 

CRANSTON  &  STOWE. 

1886. 


•  ••«  • 

•  *  ■» 

•  •  •  - 

•  •  • 

« 


f 


Publishers'  Preface, 


MR.  JONES  has.  given  this  book  a  title  which 
carries  the  evidence  of  his  direct  authorship. 


It  is  not  likely  that  the  speculators  upon  Mr.  Jones' 
popularity  will  presume  to  ask  an  intelligent  public 
ff^  to  purchase  their   crude  and  unauthorized  versions 

^  of  the  discourses  of  the  great  evangelist  in  prefer- 

ence to  his  ^^  Own  Booky^  but  experience  with  this 
class  of  publishers  has  shown  the  need  of  the  most 
careful  precautions  on  the  part  of  both  the  author 
and  his  chosen  agents.  It  is  with  our  consent  that 
Mr.  Wm.  Briggs,  of  Toronto,  Ont.,  publishes  Mr. 
Jones'  sermons  in  Canada;  but  we  still  hold  the 
exclusive  right  under  contract  entered  into  early 
in  the  year  1886,  to  handle  all  Mr.  Jones'  works 
published  after  that  date  in  the  United  States. 
We  have  aimed  to  produce  these  sermons  in  becom- 
ing style  and  at  as  low  price  as  is  consistent  with 
superior  workmanship.  The  present  volume  excels 
any  other  in  that  it  contains  through  close  con- 
densation fourteen  more  sermons  than  former  books, 
does  not  repeat  the  sermons  hitherto  presented  by 


4  Publishers'  Preface. 

usy  is  more  largely  illustrated^  and  to  crown  all^  has 

Mr.  Jones'  aatobiograpliy.     Mr.  Sara  SmalPs  great 

sermon^  "  Deliverance  from  Bondage"  has  been  also 

included  at  the  special  request  of  the  admirers  of 

this  already  distinguished  convert  and   helper  of 

Mr.  Jones. 

Altogether  -we  believe  that  "  Sam  Jones'  Own 

Book  "  will  be  the  favorite  volume  of  the  thousands 

who  love  the  man  and  admire  his  genius. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


CONTENTS. 

» 

PAGB. 
AUTOBIOORAPHICAL  SkIETCH, 9 

8ERM0K  I. 
Pbbsonal  Conbbcbation, 65 

SERMON  n. 
The  Blbssbdnbss  of  Bbligiom, 67 

SERMON  III. 
Thb  Righteous  and  thb  Wicked, 79 

SERMON  IV. 
Think  on  These  Things, 91 

SERMON  V. 
Rest  in  Christ, • 101 

SERMON  VI. 
God's  Gbacb  SuifFiciBNT, Ill 

SERMON  Vn. 
What  Wait  I  Fob? 120 

SERMON  Vni. 
How  TO  bb  Saved, 131 

SERMON  rX. 
Religion  a  Reasonable  Sebvicb, 142  . 

SERMON  X. 

WoBKS  OF  Faith  and  Love, 149 

5 


6  Contents. 

SERMON  XI.                              PAGE. 
Why  will  ye  Dib  ? 156 

SERMON  XII. 
The  Ways  op  Pleasantnkss, 167 

SERMON  XIII. 
Tendencies  of  Righteousness  and  Sin, 175 

SERMON  XIV. 
The  Chbistian's  Commission, 187 

SERMON  XV. 
God's  Doctrine  and  How  to  Know  It, 200 

SERMON  XVI. 
Sbckbt  of  a  Religious  Life, 215 

SERMON  XVII. 
Prisoners  of  Hope, 228 

SERMON  XVIII. 
Sowing  and  Reaping, 240 

SERMON  XIX. 
Partakers  of  the  Divine  Nature. 257 

SERMON  XX. 
The  Grace  of  God, 270 

SERMON  XXI. 
Sober  and  Righteous  Living, 277 

SERMON  XXII. 
Purity  of  Heart, •   • 293 


Contents.  7 

SERMON  XXIII.                           PAGE. 
Prisoners  without  Hops, 306 

SERMON  XXIV. 
I  Thought  on  My  Ways, 318 

SERMON  XXV. 
Confession  and  Pardon, 332 

SERMON  XXVI. 
A  Nxw  Creature  in  Christ  (First  Discourse),  .  .  .   347 

SERMON  XXVII. 
A  New  Creature  in  Christ  (Second  Discourse),  .  .    362 

SERMON  XXVIII. 
Working  Together  for  Good, 375 

SERMON  XXIX. 
Profession  and  Practice, 392 

SERMON  XXX. 
Delighting  in  the  Lord, 408 

SERMON  XXXI. 
Born  of  God, 426 

SERMON  XXXII. 
Cleanness  of  Heart, 437 

SERMON  XXXIII. 
I  Know  Thy   Works, 446 

SERMON  XXXIV. 
One  Heart  and  One  Way, 4C7 


8  Illustrations. 

SERMON  XXXV.                           pagb. 
The  Best  Things  Last, 481 

SERMON  XXXVI. 
Being  in  Ghbist  Jesus, 488 

SERMON  XXXVn. 
(Confession  and  Fobgiveness, 501 

A  Discourse  by  Samuel  W.  Sniall. 
Delivbbance  fbom  Bondage, 515 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

FACE  PAGE. 

Samuel  P.  Jones  (steel  engraving),  ....  Frontispiece. 

Home  op  the  Evangelist,  at  Cabtebsville,  Ga.,  ...  48 

M.  J.  Maxwell,  Ghoristeb  fob  Rev.  Sam  P.  Jones,    .  •  120 

Music  Hall,  Cincinnati,  Extebiob  View, 200 

Music  Hall,  Cincinnati,  Intbbiob  View, 257 

Fabwell  Hall,  Chicago, 297 

Tabeunacle  at  Cabtbbsville,  Ga., 820 

Rink  in  Tobonto, 356 

Mbtbopolitan  Chubch  in  Tobonto,  Extebiob  View,  .  377 
Metbopolitan  Chubch  in  Tobonto,  Intebiob  View,  .  .  392 

St.  Paul  Chubch,  Cincinnati, 408 

E.  0.  ExcsLL,  Singing  Companion  of  Mb.  Jones,  .  .  481 

Samuel  W.  Small, 515 


Autobiographical  Sketch. 


AS  Mr.  Charles  G.  Finney,  one  of  America's 
greatest  revivalists,  said :  "  It  has  pleased 
God,  in  some  measure,  to  connect  my  name 
and  labors  with  an  extensive  movement  of  the 
Church  of  Christ."  The  world  naturally  looks 
upon  these  movements.  Some  men  are  aroused 
to  bitter  criticism,  others  are  brought  to  Christ 
by  the  sweeping  tides,  while  others  seem  to  be 
indifferent.  I  suppose  the  latter  class  are  the 
ones  most  to  be  pitied,  for  indifference  is  the 
most  insurmountable  obstacle  when  you  would 
reconcile  man  to  God. 

I  shall  speak  of  myself  in  connection  with 
these  movements,  recognizing  the  hand  of  God 
as  the  power,  and  the  faithful  ministers  who 
have  co-operated  with  me,  and  the  ten  thou- 
sand prayers  of  consecrated  Christian  men  and 
women  as  the  great  factors  under  God  that 
have  helped  me  in  doing  my  work.  If  I  speak 
honestly  of  these  revivals  and  my  relation  to 

9 


10  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

them,  I  do  so  simply  with  the  facts  as  they 
occur  to  my  mind,  without  any  purpose  to  use 
the  first  personal  pronoun,  except  as  it  repre- 
sents the  smallest  factor  in  the  movement. 

I  shall  give  a  brief  account  of  my  birth, 
family,  etc.,  as  these  few  pages  are  autobio- 
graphical. I  was  born  in  Chambers  County, 
Alabama,  on  the  16th  of  October,  1847.  My 
father  was  Captain  John  J.  Jones,  the  son  of 
a  Methodist  preacher ;  my  paternal  grandmother 
was  one  of  the  most  godly,  consecrated  women 
of  her  day,  she  being  the  daughter  of  Rev. 
Robert  L.  Edwards,  one  of  the  pioneer  preach- 
ers of  Georgia,  and  a  giant  in  his  day.  Four 
of  my  father's  brothers  are  now  ministers  of 
the  Gospel  of  Christ.  We  have  been  Method- 
ists on  both  sides  of  the  family  for  several 
generations.  As  I  have  frequently  said  :  I  am  a 
Methodist  just  as  I  am  a  Jones,  and  if  it  is  a 
sin  to  be  either,  it  is  a  sin  that  is  visited  upon 
the  children  from  the  parents.  Methodists 
and  Joneses  are  getting  to  be  very  common,  in 
that  they  are  very  general  everywhere. 

My  mother  was  a  painstaking,  sweet-spirited, 
Christian  woman.  I  remember  to  have  seen 
her  and  kissed  her  the  last  time,  in  my  father's 
parlor,  as  I  stooped  over  her  burial  case,  when 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  11 

I  was  nine  years  of  age.  She  sleeps  in  the 
old  cemetery  of  Oak  Bowery,  Alabama.  With 
one  brother  older  than  myself,  a  sister  and 
brother  younger  than  myself,  with  a  heart- 
broken father,  we  left  the  cemetery  for  our 
home,  to  answer  the  oft-repeated  question: 
"What  is  home  without  a  mother?"  Eternity 
can  hardly  compensate  a  man  for  the  loss  he 
suffers  when  he  buries  his  mother.  Four  years 
after  my  mother's  death  (in  the  meanwhile  my 
brothers,  sister,  and  myself  remained  at  our 
grandfather  Jones's  home)  my  father  married 
Miss  Jennie  Skinner,  of  Cartersville,  Georgia, 
and  removed  us  there  in  the  year  1859,  where 
we  lived,  controlled  and  guided  not  only  by  a 
father's  advice,  but  our  new  mother  did  all  she 
could  in  instilling  the  principles  of  virtue  and 
right  in  our  young  hearts  and  lives,  until  our 
father  joined  the  Army  of  Virginia  in  1861, 
and  by  reason  of  his  absence  and  the  disor- 
dered state  of  society  and  the  country,  due  to 
the  presence  of  cruel  war,  I  began  to  drift 
away  from  the  teachings  of  my  sainted  mother 
and  the  rules  of  my  home ;  and  when  my  father 
returned  from  the  army,  before  peace  was  re- 
stored, I  had  so  advanced  in  the  company  of 
those  who  were  worldly  and  wicked  in  the 


12  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

habits  of  profanity  and  gentlemanly  dram-drink- 
ing and  other  immoralities,  that  I  found'  it 
much  more  easy  to  proceed  in  a  life  so  at  vari- 
ance with  the  right  that  I  drifted  on  from 
.month  to  month,  until  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  I  was  physically  wrecked  and  morally 
ruined.  I  am  sure  many  of  the  excesses  of 
my  early  life  would  have  never  been  indulged 
had  it  not  been  for  the  absence  of  my  father, 
which  gave  me  liberty  to  associate  with  those 

ft 

whose  habits   and   character  would   certainly 
ruin  those  who  mingled  with  them. 

From  the  beginning  of  my  school  age  up  to 
the  time  of  my  mother's  death,  I  had  been  a 
little  scholar  in  the  excellent  school  of  Pro- 
fessor Slay  ton,  now  superintendent  of  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Atlanta.  I  remember  at  one  of- 
his  commencements  he  had  written  for  me  a 
parody  on  the  oft-repeated  juvenile  oration : 

"You  'd  scarce  expect  one  of  my  age 
To  speak  in  public  on  the  stage. ** 

It  was  at  night,  and  when  the  time  came 
for  the  delivery  of  my  speech,  I  was  asleep  in 
my  mother's  lap.  Professor  Slay  ton  came  to 
my  mother,  awoke  me,  and  carried  me  in  hia 
arms  to  a  table  on  the  stage  and  stood  me 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  13 

there.     I  delivered  the  speech,  the  last  two 
lines  of  which  I  remember  were  these: 

*'  In  thunderiog  peals  and  Thornton  tones, 
The  world  shall  hear  of  Sam.  P.  Jones.'' 

I  remember  that  for  months  after  the  de- 
livery of  this  speech  I  kept  my  little  associates 
and  myself  in  candy,  for  whenever  and  where- 
ever  I  would  repeat  it  for  them,  I  could  name 
my  price  in  candy. 

The  faithful  tutorship  of  Professor  Slayton 
was  worth  much  to  me,  because  the  ground 
work  of  an  education  had  been  faithfully  laid 
before  I  was  seven  years  of  age.  My  studies 
were  grossly  neglected  when  my  father  was 
away  from  home  in  the  army.  After  he  re- 
turned and  the  war  was  over,  I  began  to  pros- 
ecute my  studies  anew  in  the  school  of  ex- 
Congressmen  Felton  and  his  intelligent  wife; 
farther  along  under  Professor  Ronald  Johnson, 
in  the  High-school  of  Euharlee,  Georgia.  There 
my  health  completely  broke  down,  and  I  suf- 
fered from  the  worst  form  of  nervous  dyspep- 
sia, and  this  robbed  me  of  the  collegiate  course 
which  my  father  intended  for  me.  With  health 
wrecked,  sleepless  nights,  and  restless  days,  I 
began  to  seek  relief  in  the  intoxicating  cup, 


14  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

with  no  object  in  view  but  to  get  through  the 
weary  day  and  to  seek  some  plan  by  which  I 
could  sleep  an  hour  at  night.  Oh,  the  horrors 
of  nervous  dyspepsia !  It  was  in  this  state  of 
mind  and  body  that  I  began  to  read  law,  and 
in  twelve  months  I  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
growing  more  dissipated  all  the  time. 

In  November,  1869,  I  was  married  to  Miss 
Laura  McElwain,  of  Henry  County,  Kentucky, 
only  one  month  after  my  admission  to  the 
bar.  I  started  out  in  the  practice  of  law  with 
rich  promise  of  success,  but  drink  had  become 
a  passion  with  me,  and  all  the  ambitions  and 
vital  forces  of  my  life  were  being  undermined 
by  this  fearful  appetite.  My  wife,  with  a  cour- 
age born  of  despau*,  and  with  a  faith  in  God 
that  would  laugh  at  impossibilities,  and  cry, 
"  It  shall  be  done,"  in  the  weakest  and  darkest 
hours  of  our  married  life,  endeavored  always 
to  be  the  crutches  under  my  arms,  and  to 
hold  me  up ;  and  never  did  she  cease  her  efforts 
or  take  her  faith  from  off  the  promises  until 
she  realized  at  last  that  God  is  not  slack  con- 
cerning his  promises.  While  I  was  frequently 
moved  by  her  tears  and  affected  by  her  pray- 
ers, yet  I  persistently  maintained  a  dissi- 
pated life  until  the  month  of  August,  1872, 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  15 

when  I  was  brought  to  face  the  fact  that  my 
father,  my  best  and  truest  friend,  was  bidding 
earth  good-bye  forever;  and  as  he  said  "good- 
bye," he  looked  as  if  he  meant  forever,  but  he 
lingered  on  this  side  long  enough  to  extort  the 
promise  from  me  that  I  would  meet  him  in 
heaven.  Wretched  and  ruined  as  I  was,  I 
made  the  promise,  and  upon  my  fidelity  to 
that  promise  I  hang  my  highest  hope  of  heaven. 
No  man  could  feel  as  I  felt  or  see  what  I  saw 
in  that  death  chamber,  as  father  almost  liter- 
ally shouted  his  way  out  of  this  world,  with- 
out crying  out  from  the  depths  of  his  heart, 

"I  yield,  I  yield  1 

I  can  hold  out  no  more ; 
•    I  sink,  by  dying  love  compelled, 
_And  own  thee  Conqueror." 

When  peace  and  pardon  were  given,  after 
days  of  seeking,  I  was  impressed  that  I  should 
preach  the  Gospel.  I  did  not  know  from 
whence  those  impressions  came;  I  thought,  as 
did  Gideon  Ouseley,  "I  can  not  preach,  I  am 
not  fit  to  preach,  I  do  not  know  any  thing  to 
preach."  I  sought  the  advice  and  counsel  of 
several  faithful  preachers,  and  I  believe  each 
of  them  said  the  same  thing:  "You  are  called 
to  preach.    You  can  go  willingly  into  it,  or  you 


16  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

will  be  whipped  into  it,  or  you  will  lose  your 
religion  if  you  refuse."  The  last  point  was  al- 
ways the  most  powerful  in  the  argument.  As 
I  stated  before,  I  was  born  and  raised  a  Meth- 
odist. I  conferred  not  with  flesh  and  blood 
further,  but  began  immediately  to  preach  the 
Gospel  as  only  a  man  could  preach  it  who 
knew  but  two  facts — God  is  good,  and  I  am 
happy  in  his  love.  Like  Ouseley  again,  I  knew 
the  disease  and  I  knew  the  remedy,  and  this  gives 
the  physician  complete  control  over  the  patient. 
The  first  sermon  I  ever  preached,  I  believe, 
was  the  week  after  my  conversion,  at  old  New 
Hope  church,  two  miles  from  Cartersville — my 
home.  I  had  gone  out  with  my  grandfather 
Jones  to  that  place.  He  was  then  pastor  in 
charge  of  Barton  Circuit,  and  this  was  one  of 
his  churches.  After  we  had  arrived  on  the 
ground,  about  the  preaching  hour  at  night,  he 
learned  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Sanford,  who  was 
to  preach  on  that  occasion,  would  not  be  there. 
My  grandfather  was  very  hoarse ;  he  could  not 
preach,  and  he  said  to  me :  "  My  grandson,  you 
must  preach  for  us  to-night."  I  replied,  "I 
thought  the  call  was  first  to  get  ready,  and 
secondly  to  preach  the  Gospel."  He  said :  "If 
God  is  calling  you  to  preach,  you  can  preach; 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  17 

come  on  in  the  pulpit/'     I  did  so,  with  much 
fear  and  trembling.     The  whole   congregation 
knew   me — ^a  wild,  reckless   boy.     After  the 
singing  and  prayer,  I  read  the  text :  ^^  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  for  it  is  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that 
believeth,  to   the  Jew  first,  and  also  to   the 
Greek."     My  exegesis  and  the  critical  analysis 
of  the  text  I  have  forgotten,  but,  really,  I  do 
not  think  that  either  the  exegesis  or  analysis 
came  in  on  that  occasion.     I  think  before  I  had 
proceeded  far  into  the  text  I  adopted  the  plan 
of  a  good,   old    Methodist  preacher  "in    the 
brush "    who    shut   up    his    Bible    and    said : 
"  Brethren,  I  can 't  preach  the  text,  but  I  can 
tell  my  experience  in  spite  of  the  devil."    And 
out  of  a  heart  gushing  full  of  love  to  God  and 
to  men,  I  told  them  of  GQd's  gracious  dealings 
with  me.     Hundreds  were  melted  to  tears,  and 
when  the  invitation  was  given  for  penitents  to 
come  forward,  they  thronged  the  altar,  and  I 
believe  many  were  converted.     After  the  serv- 
ice, my  grandfather  slapped  me  on  the  shoulder 
and  said,  "  Go  ahead,  my  boy !     God  has  called 
you  to  the  work."     Much  of  my  time  in  those 
days   was    given   to   prayer  and   reading   the 
Scriptures. 

2— B 


18  AUTOBIOGBAPHICAIi  SKETCH. 

It  waa  still  three  months  until  the  meeting 
of  the  Annual  Conference  in  Atlanta.  I  began 
preparations  by  reading  the  course  of  study 
prescribed  by  the  bishops  of  our  Church  for 
applicants  for  admission  into  the  annual  con- 
ference. Rev.  George  R.  Kramer  was  my  pas- 
tor and  my  spiritual  instructor ;  he  did  much 
for  me;  a  saintly,  good  man,  now  pastor  in 
Brooklyn,  New  York. 

I  preached  around  through  the  community 
as  opportunity  offered  until  the  meeting  of  the 
North  Georgia  Annual  Conference.  I  went  to 
that  conference  and  offered  myself,  with  all  my 
ransomed  powers.  They  accepted  me ;  they 
gave  me  a  place  in  the  rank  of  Methodist  itin- 
erants, and  gave  me  as  my  appointment  the 
Van  Wert  Circuit.  No  gladder  man  ever  ac- 
cepted an  appointment.  My  heart  leaped  for 
joy,  and  I  said,  "  Thank  God !  I  now  have  a 
place  to  work  for  Christ."  On  my  way  home 
from  the  annual  conference,  a  good  preacher 
said: 

"Jones,  do  you  know  what  your  circuit 
paid  its  pastor  last  year  ?" 

I  replied :  "  No,  I  have  not  thought  of  that." 

"Well,"  said  he,  "it  paid  the  preacher  for 
his  year's  service  sixty-five  dollars." 


Autobiographical  Sketch,  19 

I  laughed^  and  told  him  I  did  not  care  what 
they  paid  or  did  not  pay ;  that  I  had  a  field 
to  work  in,  and  I  was  going  to  it  gladly. 

This  circuit  was  in  Polk  County,  only  twenty 
miles  from  my  home — Cartersville,  Georgia.  I 
went  down,  prospecting  around,  before  I  moved 
my  family.  The  brethren  were  kind,  and  yet 
I  could  see  that  Burns  was  right  when  he  said  : 

**A  man  may  take  a  neighbor's  part, 
Yet  have  no  cash  to  spare  him." 

Of  course,  I  could  not  see  this  in  compari- 
son with  any  thing  else.  I  had  nothing  to 
discourage  me,  because  the  picture  drawn  in 
my  mind  of  itinerant  life  was  one  of  hardships 
and  privations.  The  brethren  told  me  of  a 
house  that  I  could  procure  for  my  family,  but 
did  not  propose  to  rent  it  for  me,  or  even  help 
me  in  procuring  it.  I  gave  my  notes,  twelve 
of  them,  of  ten  dollars  each,  payable  monthly, 
for  the  rent  of  the  house.  This  sum  alone  was 
fifty-five  dollars  more  than  the  preacher  re- 
ceived for  his  last  year's  services.  In  two 
weeks  more  I  moved  my  family,  consisting  of 
wife  and  one  child,  into  this  house,  in  the 
town  of  old  Van  Wert.  I  had  sold  every  thing 
that  would  bring  money  and  paid  on  my  debts 


20  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

so  far  as  the  money  would  go»  and  still  I  was 
hundreds  of  dollars  in  debt.  I  entered  upon 
my  work  with  faith  in  God  and  in  the  people, 
knowing  that  if  I  would  do  my  duty  I  should 
not  want  any  good  thing.  I  was  reappointed 
to  this  work  until  I  had  spent  three  happy, 
successful  years  on  this,  my  first,  circuit;  and, 
if  I  remember  correctly,  the  salary  and  per- 
quisites of  these  three  years  amounted  to  over 
two  thousand  one  hundred  dollars,  or  over 
seven  hundred  dollars  a  year.  When  I  entered 
upon  my  work  in  this  circuit,  I  had  three 
books — the  Bible,  the  fifth  volume  of  Spur- 
geon's  Sermons,  and  some  old  volume  of  skel- 
etons of  sermons.  Of  course,  my  Bible  was 
the  book  of  all  books  to  me,  but  I  read  and 
reread  that  volume  of  Spurgeon's  sermons,  un- 
til my  soul  and  nature  was  stirred  with  the 
spirit  of  the  man.  I  remember  how  I  have 
frequently  read  the  text  of  one  of  his  sermons 
and  then  read  his  sermon;  then  I  would  read 
my  text  and,  say:  "If  Spurgeon  treated  his 
text  that  way,  how  shall  I  treat  mine  ?"  And 
much  of  the  directness  of  my  style  I  owe  to 
Spurgeon,  the  grandest  preacher  of  this  nine- 
teenth century,  if  what  a  man  does  is -a  test 
of  what  a  man  is. 


AUTOBIOGBAPHICAL  SKETCH.  21 

My  preachiDg  the  first  few  months,  and 
even  the  first  years,  was  what  my  brethren 
called  "earnest  exhortation/*  but  whether  I 
exhorted  or  whether  I  preached,  I  have  always 
been  in  earnest.  Poor  sermons  and  poor  ex- 
hortation with  the  spirit  of  earnestness  behind 
them  will  yield  richer  fruits  than  the  most 
powerful  logic  and  ornate  rhetoric  without  the 
spirit  of  earnestness.  Earnestness  can  not  be 
feigned.  It  is  like  the  natural  and  healthful 
glow  on  a  maiden's  cheek  compared  to  the  arti- 
ficial coloring  produced  by  rouge.  So  earnest- 
ness can  always  be  distinguished  from  emo- 
tional gush  or  bellowing  hurrahism.  Earnestness 
is  a  thing  of  the  eye  and  the  face  more  than 
of  the  voice  or  of  the  words.  "  Let  us  go  and 
hear  that  fellow,  he  seems  to  be  in  earnest," 
is  a  great  compliment  to  any  preacher.  Earn- 
estness in  the  pulpit  is  born  of  the  experience 
which  conscious  pardon  and  complete  deliver- 
ance from  sin  gives  to  the  speaker.  In  a  Gospel 
which  has  done  so  much  for  him,  he  sees 
that  which  will  do  as  much  for  others,  and-  he 
presses  the  Gospel,  with  its  warning  voice  and 
its  pleading  tones,  square  upon  the  consciences 
of  those  who  hear.  There  are  many  who  are 
faithfully  preaching  the  truth,  but  with  earn- 


22  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

estness  only  can  they  preach  the  truth  effi- 
ciently. I  have  always  had  an  inborn,  consti- 
tutional hatred  for  shams,  and  especially  for 
religious  shams.  Heaven  and  hell,  one  topless 
and  the  other  bottomless,  are  real  to  me. 
Truth  is  real.  Life  is  real;  and  no  man  can 
be  a  sham  or  a  hypocrite  without  getting  out 
of  line  with  God  and  truth,  and  hell  itself  will 
make  real  devils  out  of  religious  shams  before 
it  will  receive  them.  I  have  always  contended 
there  is  no  hoof  and  horn,  fang  nor  poison  at> 
tached  to  theoretical  infidelity,  but  practical 
infidelity  has  all  these  things.  I  had  rather 
be  an  IngersoU  and  disbelieve  the  Book,  than 
to  be  a  Methodist  believing  every  thing  and 
living  just  like  IngersoU. 

I  saw  upon  the  first  round  on  my  first  cir- 
cuit that  there  were  either  two  distinct  kinds 
of  Christianity,  or  else  a  majority  of  my  people 
had  Christianity  and  I  did  not  have  it,  or  vice 
versa.  They  had  indifference  and  carelessness 
and  prayerlessness,  and  I  found  no  room  for 
any  of  these  in  my  religious  life.  0,  how 
many  hours  I  spent  as  a  youthful  pastor  try- 
ing to  solve  the  problem  and  to  know  my  duty 
towards  my  people.  It  was  more  than  three 
years   before  my  courage  was  screwed  up  to 


AUTOBIOGBAPHICAL  SKETCH.  53 

the  sticking  point,  where  I  could  preach  the 
truth  in  such  a  pointed  way  as  to  leave  no 
one  to  doubt  that  I  meant  him.  In  other 
words,  in  the  fourth  year  of  my  ministry  I  be- 
gan to  preach  to  my  people  just  as  I  thought 
about  my  people.  I  may  preach  the  truth  as 
it  is  in  Christ,  but  a  dissertation  on  truth  is 
one  thing,  and  the  application  of  truth  to  the 
lives  of  men  is  another.  A  dissertation  on 
mustard,  where  it  grows,  how  it  grows,  and 
how  it  is  prepared  for  the  market,  is  one  thing, 
and  that  one  thing  does  not  help  the  colic,  but 
it  is  the  spreading  of  the  mustard  upon  a  thin 
cloth  and  applying  it  to  the  stomach  that  re- 
lieves the  aches  and  pains  of  the  agonizing  pa- 
tient. Abstract  truth  may  influence  the  mind 
to  some  extent  and  bring  out  the  brain  sweat, 
but  consecrated  truth,  vigorously  applied  to  the 
conscience,  arouses  the  mind,  produces  convic- 
tion— and  all  upward  movement  is  from  convic- 
tion, from  first  to  last.  The  bootmaker  who 
makes  the  best  fit  gets  the  most  customers. 
The  preacher  who  fits  the  most  consciences 
will  get  the  most  hearers.  I  have  known  for 
a  long  time  that  men  knew  better  than  they 
did.  It  is  not  in  the  pointing  out  of  new 
paths,  but  it  is  the  power  to  make  them  walk 


24  AUTOBIOGBAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

in  the  old  paths;  therefore,  my  preaching  has 
been  at  the  conscience.  The  intellects  of  men, 
when  taken  in  the  whole,  vary  in  altitude  like 
mountains  and  valleys ;  but  the  consciences  of 
men  form  a  vast  plain,  without  an  undulation 
from  shore  to  shore,  and  he  who  stands  on  a 
level  like  this  will  move  not  only  the  peasant 
and  laborer,  but  the  intellectual  giants  of  earth 
alike,  for  the  conscience  of  a  Webster  is  on 
the  same  plane  and  level  with  the  conscience 
of  a  brakesman  or  any  other  common  laborer. 

In  preaching  at  conscience  there  are.  three 
essential  requisites:  first,  clearness;  secondly, 
concentration;  thirdly,  directness.  He  who 
conceives  truth  clearly  will  express  it  clearly. 
Show  a  man  all  sides  of  the  truth  and  then 
open  it  out  and  bathe  it  in  a  sea  of  light ;  then 
take  a  whole  lead  mine  and  run  it  into  one 
bullet,  and  then  aim  where  you  want  to  hit, 
and  your  work  is  done.  When  you  arouse  the 
conscience,  amid  its  ferocious  lashings,  the  only 
alternative  left  is  a  better  life  or  complete 
abandonment.  Very  few  men  will  choose  the 
latter.  I  remember  this  incident,  which  illus- 
trates the   point.     In  City,   one   of   the 

leading  merchants  sent  for  the  pastor,  at  whose 
church  the  union  services  were  held.     I  was 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  25 

preaching  directly  at  conscience.  When  the 
pastor  went  to  his  counting-room,  the  merchant 
excitedly  said : 

"  I  do  n't  like  this  preacher  you  have." 

"Why?"  said  the  pastor. 

"Why,  he  makes  men's  wives  jealous  of 
them." 

Said  the  pastor,  "My  wife  has  been  in  reg- 
ular attendance,  and  she  has  not  grown  jealous 
of  me." 

"  Well,  mine  has  with  me,"  said  he.  "  Last 
night,  as  I  rolled  upon  my  pillow,  wife  saw  I 
could  not  sleep,  and  she  asked  me  what  was 
the  matter.  I  told  her,  nothing.  She  replied, 
*I  believe  something  that  preacher  said  has 
taken  hold  upon  you.'  Of  course,  I  said,  ^No, 
no,  nothing  he  said  affected  me;'  but,"  said 
the  man,  "I  am  miserable  because  my  wife  is 
jealous  of  me,  and  d such  a  preacher." 

"Well,"  said  the  pastor,  "may  be  she  has 
reason  to  be  jealous." 

"Ah,"  said  the  man,  "that's  the  trouble. 
My  mistress  is  boarding  at  a  first-class  hotel, 
and  I  have  sent  for  you,  sir,  to  know  what  I 
must  do." 

"Well,"  said  the  faithful  pastor,  "abandon 
your  adulterous  life,  and  confess  it  to  your  wife." 


.^— B 


26  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

The  man  replied,  as  the  great  drops  of  sweat 
gathered  on  his  face :  "  Such  a  confession  would 
be  death  to  the  happiness  of  jfiy  home,  and  I 
am  in  mortal  agony." 

Not  twenty-four  hours  after  this  conversa- 
tion, this  man  was  an  humble,  earnest  penitent 
at  the  altar,  as  his  wife  knelt  at  his  side;  and 
I  trust  he  was  among  the  number  of  converts 
of  that  meeting.  I  touched  his  conscience  that 
night  with  the  one  allusion  that  when  Christ 
came  down  from  the  mountain  side,  the  multi- 
tude thronged  him,  and  a  leper  walked  up,  and 
the  multitude  fell  back  and  gave  the  leper 
plenty  of  room;  and  I  said,  "If  some  of  your 
wives  knew  you  as  God  knows  you,  they  would 
give  you  the  whole  house  to  yourself."  Per- 
haps this  man  was  only  one  of  the  many  whose 
consciences  were  stirred  by  that  remark. 

Whenever  I  take  off  at  a  tangent  like  that, 
T  generally  find  fish  up  that  stream.  When  a 
minister  earnestly  preaches  and  applies  the 
truth,  he  may  rest  assured  that  he  has  the  con- 
sciences of  men  on  his  side.  While  they  rebel 
with  their  wills  and  curse  him  with  their 
tongues,  yet  their  consciences  are  on  the  side 
of  the  preacher  and  the  truth.  Applying  the 
truth  to  every  phase  of  life  is  the  general  work 


AUTOBIOGEAPHICAL  SKETCH.  27 

• 

of  the  preacher.  Let  him  get  this  truth  either 
from  the  oldest  Testament  or  the  Old^  the  new- 
est or  the  New.  All  truth  is  God's  truth ;  all 
that  is  false  is  frustrated  and  driven  in  confu- 
sion before  the  truth.  When  Nathan  told 
David  the  truth,  David  replied :  "  The  man  that 
hath  done  this  thing  shall  surely  die."  But 
when  Nathan  dropped  his  finger  on  David 
and  said,  "  Thou  art  the  man,"  the  next  we 
heard  of  David,  he  was  on  his  knees  uttering 
the  words  of  the  fifty-first  Psalm  in  the  most 
abject  penitence  and  thorough  conviction.  It  is 
the  "  thou  art  the  man,"  that  brings  humanity 
to  its  knees. 

Thus,  for  thirteen  years,  I  have  not  only 
tried  to  preach  the  truth,  but  so  to  apply  the 
truth  to  the  consciences  of  men,  that  there 
could  be  no  mistake  as  to  whom  I  meant,  and 
amid  all  the  harsh  and  seemingly  unamiable 
expressions  by  which  I  have  reached  the  con- 
sciences, my  heart  has  always  looked  in  sym- 
pathy and  love  upon  the  man  whose  life  I  laid 
bare  by  truth.  I  do  believe  where  love  ex- 
presses itself  in  sympathy,  the  subject  will 
submit  to  any  treatment  at  your  hands ;  where 
love  exposes  guilt,  the  man  falls  out  with  him- 
self, grows  angry  with  himself,  and  loves  the 


28  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

• 

one  that  discovered  it  to  his  own  eyes;  and 
you  have  done  a  bad  man  a  good  service  when 
you  make  him  despise  himself.  The  object  of 
all  true  Gospel  preaching  is  to  make  sin  odious 
and  holiness  attractive ;  to  make  goodness  as 
beautiful  and  as  fragrant  as  a  rose,  and  sin  and 
hell  inexpressibly  horrible.  0,  the  hideous 
deformities  of  sin,  and  the  symmetry  and  beauty 
of  righteousness! 

The  first  three  years  of  my  ministry,  as 
before  stated,  were  spent  on  the  Van  Wert  Cir- 
cuit. They  were  three  joyous  years,  and  by 
God's  help  and  grace  they  were  successful 
years,  a  gracious  revival  of  religion  at  each 
Church  (there  were  five  Churches  forming  the 
circuit).  I  believe  the  aggregate  increase  of 
membership  in  the  circuit  was  not  less  than 
two  hundred  a  year,  while  all  my  Churches 
were  quickened  into  new  life  and  spiritual 
growth.  From  there  I  was  moved,  and  placed 
in  charge  of  De  Soto  Circuit,  in  Floyd  County, 
Georgia,  with  seven  Churches  forming  the  cir- 
cuit. I  had  two  happy,  successful  years  on 
this  circuit.  Hundreds  were  converted  to  God 
and  all  the  Churches  quickened.  These  were 
the  years  that  I  was  fortunately  placed  under 
Rev.  Simon  Peter  Richardson  as  my  presiding 


AUTOBIOOBAPHICAL  SKETCH.  29 

elder.  At  that  time  he  was  the  most  power- 
ful^ and  at  ail  times  the  most  entertaining, 
guest  I  ever  saw.  The  great  nuggets  of  truth 
thrown  out  by  him  in  pulpit  and  parlor,  were 
food  to  me.  He  saw  some  great  truths  more 
clearly  than  any  man  I  ever  heard  talk;  he 
was  a  father  and  brother  and  teacher  to  me. 
I  learned  more  from  him  than  all  other  preach- 
ers I  have  ever  come  in  contact  with.  I  first 
learned  from  him  that  the  pulpit  was  not  a 
prison,  but  a  throne ;  that  instead  of  bars  and 
walls  and  boundary  lines,  I  might  have  wings 
and  space  as  my  heritage.  I  can  recollect  as 
well  when  my  involuntary  confinement  ended 
and  liberty  began,  as  any  fact  in  my  history, 
and  for  years  I  have  enjoyed  this  liberty  and 
never  consulted  the  theological  landmarks  or 
visited  the  orthodox  prison.  To  think  the 
thoughts  of  God  is  a  freeman's  right,  with  as 
little  reverence  for  the  Nicene  Creed  as  for  the 
resolutions  of  the  General  Conference  or  the 
Baptist  Convention  on  the  prohibition  ques- 
tion, assured  of  the  human  origin  of  both  alike. 
To  stand  on  some  mount  of  freedom  and  see 
that  God  is  love  and  see  that  Christ  is  the 
manifestation  of  that  love, — how  transforming 
the  vision !     How  unlike  the  picture  we  have 


30  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

looked  on  so  often — God  angry  with  a  world, 
and  with  the  weapons  of  his  anger  drawn,  he 
poured  his  wrath  and  anger  upon  the  victim  on 
the  cross!  To  see  in  Christ  a  Savior  loving 
a  sinner  and  saving  a  sinner,  rather  than  a 
victim  scarred  by  divine  vengeance  and  aban- 
doned by  divine  sovereignty;  to  see  that  the 
pierced  side  was  an  open  doorway;  to  see  in 
his  hands,  prints  made  by  the  cruel  nails,  the 
marks  of  his  sympathy ;  and  in  his  cross,  my 
death  to  sin ;  and  in  his  resurrection,  my  hope 
of  eternal  life;  and  realize  that  in  all  his 
works  and  sufferings  and  death,  there  is  to  me 
power  given  to  begin,  and  grace  given  to  con- 
tinue, and  help  and  weapons  with  which  to 
conquer,  and  crowns  and  harps  for  my  reward ! 
From  the  last  named  circuit  I  was  moved 
to  Newberne  Circuit,  in  Newton  County,  Geor- 
gia. There  I  had  two  more  pleasant,  delight- 
ful years,  with  greater  success,  perhaps,  than 
any  two  years  previous,  in  building  up  my 
Churches  and  adding  to  the  Church  hundreds 
of  souls.  At  the  end  of  my  second  year  in 
the  Newberne  Circuit,  I  was  moved  to  Monti- 
cello  Circuit,  Jasper  County,  and  there  I  had 
a  remarkable  year  among  the  noblest  people 
in  my  State.    Thus,  eight  years  of  my  ministry 


AUTOBIOGBAPHICAL  SKETCH.  31 

were  given  to  four  different  circuits  in  my  con- 
ference. In  the  eight  years,  I  suppose  not  less 
than  two  thousand  members  were  taken  into 
my  Churches  in  these  circuits,  and  I  did  a 
great  deal  of  revival  work  in  other  circuits  and 
stations.  In  some  of  those  revivals  there  were 
near  five  hundred  conversions.  In  scarcely 
any  of  them  did  the  conversions  aggregate  less 
than  one  hundred.  I  suppose  that  I  might 
safely  put  the  figures  of  the  first  eight  years 
of  my  life  as  a  pastor,  of  those  who  professed 
conversion  under  my  ministry,  at  not  less  than 
five  thousand  altogether.  I  say  these  things, 
not  because  I  am  proud  of  them  especially,  for 
I  believe  with  the  appliances  which  God  af- 
fords to  us  as  his  ministers,  that  five  thousand 
souls  in  eight  years  is  a  very  poor  work.  It 
seems  to  me,  as  I  look  back  over  those  years, 
that  I  did  my  best,  and  yet  I  am  sorry  that 
more  was  not  accomplished.  I  think  last 
year  alone  I  saw  more  souls  than  that  brought 
to  Christ  in  our  various  meetings.  I  am  trust- 
ing and  believing  I  shall  live  to  see  the  day 
that  I  shall  see  a  thousand  souls  born  to  God 
at  one  service,  and  I  pray  that  God  may  make 
me  the  instrumentality  of  bringing  fifty  thou- 
sand souls  to  him  in  one  year.     If  St.  Peter, 


\ 


32  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

with  the  meager  appliances,  especially  on  the 
human  side,  could  win  three  thousand  souls  in 
an  hour  with  all  Jerusalem  against  him,  why 
might  not  a  consecrated  minister,  Avith  a  hungry 
world  and  almost  a  despairing  world  of  sinners 
about  him,  take  them  by  the  hand  and  lead 
ten  thousand  a  day  to  Christ?  I  verily  believe 
that  I  have  seen  five  hundred  souls  converted 
at  a  service ;  there  were  three  thousand  pray- 
ing Christian  people  present;  there  were  a 
hundred  consecrated  preachers  present;  there 
were  in  the  aggregate  ten  thousand  people  pres- 
ent; God  was  present;  a  thousand  penitents 
were  present;  then  doubt  the  statement,  if  you 
will,  that  five  hundred  of  those  who  stood  up 
ftlTcepted  Christ  and  were  converted. 

When  I  began  to  preach,  I  was  brought 
face  to  face  with  this  fact,  that  to  succeed  as 
a  preacher,  one  must  be  a  great  thinker  or  a 
great  worker.  Affinities  made  me  choose  the 
latter.  I  had  serious  doubts  as  to  whether  I 
could  think  above  the  plane  where  the  masses 
stood.  I  knew  I  could  work  under  God,  and 
be  a  constant,  persistent,  and  indefatigable  la- 
borer. I  started  out,  determined  that  I  would 
do  my  best. 

I  suppose,  during  the  eight  years   of  my 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  33 

life  as  a  pastor,  I  preached  not  less  than  four 
hundred  sermons  a  year;  and  I  have  preached 
four  times  a  day  for  weeks  and  weeks;  and 
when  my  good  friends  would  tell  me  I  was 
working  myself  to  death,  I  would  laugh  them 
off  by  telling  them  what  Whitefield  said  when 
a  physician  told  him  he  must  stop  working  so 
much,  that  he  must  not  preach  but  four  hours 
every  day  and  six  hours  on  Sunday,  and  he 
rebelliously  asked,  "Doctor,  do  you  want  me 
to  rust  to  death?"  No  doubt,  I  would  have 
preached  better  sermons  if  I  had  preached 
fewer  sermons,  but  a  square  or  an  oblong  bul- 
let will  do  as  much  execution  as  a  polished, 
round  one. 

I  have  never  made  theology  a  study.  The 
great  doctrines  of  depravity  and  repentance 
and  justification  and  regeneration  and  of  the 
judgment  and  final  award,  I  have  preached 
with  all  the  clearness  of  my  mind  and  all  the 
unction  of  my  heart.  I  have  never  tried  to 
show  a  congregation  the  difference  between 
evangelical  and  legal  repentance.  I  have  never 
discussed  whether  depravity  was  total  or  par- 
tial, or  simply  developed.  I  have  never  tried 
to  prove  there  was  a  God,  or  that  Christ  was 
divine,  or  that  there  was  a  heaven  or  a  hell. 


34  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

I  have  made  these  things,  not  an  objective 
point,  but  a  starting  point.  They  have  fur- 
nished the  basis  for  all  I  have  said,  and  they 
are  either  the  inspirations  of  my  hopes,  or  the 
ground- works  of  my  fears.  I  have  left  the 
proof  of  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible,  the  dem- 
onstration of  the  fact  that  there  is  a  God,  the 
settlement  of  the  question  as  to  heaven  and 
hell,  to  those  who  make  a  specter  of  such  things 
and  then  speculate  upon  them,  to  the  ^^  muddy 
physicians."  My  idea  has  always  been  that 
Christ  meant  what  he  said  when  he  said, 
"Preach  the  Gospel,"  not  defend  it;  "Preach 
the  Word,"  not  try  to  prove  the  Word  is  true. 
A  very  laughable,  and  yet  forcible,  incident 
occurred  during  the  revival  at  Memphis,  Ten- 
nessee, in  Court  Street  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian Church  one  morning.  The  services  had 
been  going  on  for  nearly  three  weeks  with 
great  power;  hundreds  had  been  converted  and 
Churches  awakened.  The  meeting  was  a  union 
meeting;  thirteen  pastors  and  congregations, 
representing  five  different  denominations,  were 
united  in  the  fight,  and  on  this  occasion  we 
had  what  we  called  a  talking-meeting.  The 
pastor  of  the  First  Methodist  Church  made  a 
short,  pointed  talk,  in  which  he  told  how  the 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  35 

meetings'  had  been  a  blessing  to  him.  Other 
pastors  followed,  and  when  the  pastor  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  told  how  he  and  all  his 
Church  had  been  blessed,  he  continued  his 
talk  by  saying  that  he  had  learned  something 
also  about  how  to  preach.  He  said  that  in  the 
three  weeks'  preaching  of  Mr.  Jones  in  that 
city,  he  had  not  heard  a  single  attempt  on  the 
part  of  the  preacher  to  prove  that  there  was  a 
God,  or  that  Christ  was  divine;  there  had 
been  no  hair-splitting  on  theology,  or  an  effort 
to  prove  that  heaven  was  real  or  hell  existing, 
and  so  on.  After  he  sat  down,  old  Uncle  Ben, 
the  faithful,  old  colored  sexton  of  the  First 
Methodist  Church,  stood  up  in  the  rear  of  the 
Church  and  said :  "  Brethren,  you  all  know  me. 
I  have  been  trying  to  serve  God  from  my 
childhood,  and  I  have  been  greatly  exercised 
in  the  last  few  years  for  the  salvation  of  the 
perishing  souls  of  Memphis.  On  my  knees 
I  have  begged  God  to  send  just  such  a  preacher 
as  this  to  Memphis,  though  I  did  n't  know  who 
he  was  or  where  he  was.  Now  he  has  come, 
thank  God  for  him.  He  preaches  the  Gospel 
so  that  every  one  can  understand  it;  he  feeds 
me,  he  feeds  the  old  and  the  young,  the  learned 
and  the  unlearned.      Our  pastors   have  been 


36  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

putting  the  fodder  too  high.  I  remember  when 
Brother  Mahon  was  our  pastor  last  j^ear,  I 
looked  into  his  study  one  morning,  and  he  had 
five  books  lying  open  around  him  on  the  table, 
and  I  said,  ^Brother  Mahon,  if  you  get  one 
sermon  out  of  five  different  books,  you  are 
going  to  put  your  fodder  up  Sunday  morning 
where  I  can 't  reach  it,  for,'  I  said,  '  I  've  gone 
to  Church  hungry  on  Sunday  morning  and  come 
away  hungry;  fodder  too  high  for  me/  But 
this  man  of  God  scatters  the  fodder  on  the 
ground,  and  we  can  all  reach  it,  and  we  also 
relish  it."  And  so  Uncle  Ben  went  on  in  his 
rambling  talk  until  he  made  as  fine  an  argu- 
ment on  homiletics  as  many  of  the  preachers 
said  they  had  ever  listened  to. 

The  finest  compliment  I  have  ever  had  was 
in  the  second  year  of  my  ministry,  when  a  lit- 
tle son  of  one  of  my  members  said: 

"  Father,  will  Mr.  Jones  be  returned  to  this 
circuit  next  year  ?" 

The  father  replied  he  hoped  so,  and  asked 
his  son,  "Why?" 

"  Well,"  said  the  boy, "  I  want  him  to  come 
back,  because  he  is  the  only  preacher  I  ever 
listened  to  that  I  can  understand  every  thing 
he  says." 


I 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  37 

I  believe  it  is  possible  to  preach  our  best 
thoughts  aud  highest  conceptions  of  God  and 
truth  so  that  children  may  understand  us. 
The  fact  that  they  do  not  understand  us  is 
better  proof  that  we  are  "muddy"  than  that 
we  are  high,  for  truth  is  like  the  water  of  the 
River  of  Life— clear  as  crystal. 

Of  course,  in  all  these  years  of  my  life  as 
a  pastor,  I  was  the  object  of  a  great  deal  of 
criticism.  If  no  truth  furnished  others  material 
with  which  they  could  assault,  there  was  no 
lie  that  earth  or  hell  could  concoct  that  they 
would  not  take  and  circulate  against  me — some 
very  ridiculous  lies,  some  venomous  lies,  some 
very  lying  lies.  0,  how  I  have  looked  at  my 
wife  sometimes  and  seen  resentment  written 
upon  every  feature  of  her  face;  for  instance, 
when  she  read  the  well-credited  story  of  how 
I  had  abandoned  my  "first  wife,"  and  of  how 
I  was  unkind  to  my  "second  wife."  They 
have  reported  me  drunk  on  a  hundred  different 
occasions;  they  have  reported  me  as  a  wife- 
beater;  and  rumors  that  I  afterwards  thought 
the  devil  himself  must  have  felt  ashamed  of, 
they  have  circulated  time  and  again  on  me. 
I  found  out,  after  all,  this  world  does  not  give 
a  man  the  right  of  way,  and   the   devil  has 


38  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

rights,  he  thinks,  that  even  preachers  must  re- 
qjMct;  and  frequently,  after  you  have  procured 
the  Hgbt  of  way,  the  change  of  a  switch,  a 
wash-out,  a  cro6&>tie  on  the  track,  and  some- 
times an  innocent  cow^  plays  sad  havoc.  The 
faster  you  run,  the  more  dnai  you  raise,  the 
more  noise  you  will  make,  and  the  more  stock 
you  will  kill;  and  yet  it  is  wonderfully  true, 
the  more  passengers  you  will  haul.  All  other 
railroad  men,  who  can  not  make  the  same 
schedule  time,  will  talk  of  danger  and  disaster 
that  must  overtake  those  who  patronize  the 
lightning  express,  and  thus  help  advertise  to 
the  world  that  there  is  a  lightning  express — 
and  thus  keep  its  cars  packed.  Slill,  the  slow 
schedule  trains  get  a  great  many  passengers. 
Some  people  like  to  ride  all  day  for  a  dollar 
and  still  pay  the  just  fare  of  three  cents  a 
mile;  just  as  a'  gentleman  remarked  of  the 
Rome  railroad  in  Georgia,  sixteen  miles  long. 
He  said  it  was  the  cheapest  road  he  ever  saw, 
the  fare  being  one  dollar  from  Kingston  to 
Rome,  and  he  could  ride  all  day  for  that 
amount,  as  it  took  a  day  to  make  the  trip. 
But  these  are,  after  all,  the  days  of  the  tele- 
graph and  the  locomotive  engine  and  rushing 
commerce.     Every   thing    has    quickened    its 


Autobiographical  Sketch,  39 

pace,  except  the  Church.  The  world  and  the 
devil  can  run  a  mile  before  the  Church  can  tie 
its  shoes. 

I  believe  in  progressive  theology,  in  aggres- 
sive effort,  in  agitation,  in  conflict,  in  conquest, 
and  in  crowns.  It  was  Ood  who  said,  '^  Fight,  and 
I  will  help  you ;  conquer,  and  I  will  crown  you." 
David  saw  four  thousand  years  ago  that  he 
ought  to  make  haste.  Jesus  said,  ^^  What  thou 
doest,  do  quickly."  St.  Paul  said,  "  I  run  and 
press  towards  the  mark."  What  if  some  men 
live  only  two-score  years  and  die  in  the  prime 
of  life,  after  accomplishing  much,  how  much 
better  is  it  than  to  run  the  Christian  race  of 
sixty  years,  and  die  before  they  reach  the  first 
mile-post  towards  the  kingdom  of  God? 

There  can  be  no  movement  without  friction, 
no  battle  without  an  issue,  no  issue  without 
the  drawing  of  lines.  When  the  line  is  drawn 
then  comes  the  tug  of  war. 

The  world  and  the  Church  walk  together, 
because  in  many  things  they  are  agreed ;  but 
when,  like  Joshua  of  old,  we  draw  the  line, 
and  say,  "Those  who  are  on  God's  side  come 
over  here,"  then  it  is  that  they  are  separated; 
and  as  surely  as  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  was 
drawn  and  the  South  separated  from  the  North 


40  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

by  the  acts  of  secession  and  war  begun,  just 
so  surely  when  a  faithful  preacher  draws  the 
line,  the  issue  is  made  and  the  good  fight  of 
faith  begun.  The  devil  has  rights  in  this 
world,  but  they  are  the  rights  of  conquest; 
and  only  by  that  right  does  he  hold  it,  and 
never  will  he  surrender  an  inch  of  his  domin- 
ion until  it  is  covered  with  blood.  I  have 
never  seen  the  lines  drawn  any  where,  that 
those  who  were  loyal  to  God  did  not  take  a 
stand  for  truth  and  right;  and  God  fought  with 
them,  and  through  him  they  did  valiantly,  for 
he  said  himself,  ^^one  can  chase  a  thousand, 
and  two  can  put  ten  thousand  to  flight." 

The  greatest  triumphs  of  the  cross  I  have 
ever  witnessed  have  been  when  the  roar  of 
the  cannon  and  rattle  of  the  musketry  and 
smoke  of  the  guns  almost  drowned  the  voice 
of  God  and  hid  his  face ;  and  yet  when  the  din 
and  smoke  of  the  battle  blew  away,  we  saw 
God  was  with  us,  and  the  angels  had  pitched 
their  tents  about  us.  The  Bible  has  much  to 
say  of  warfare,  and  we  sing  much  of  "soldiers 
of  the  cross."  This  is  truly  a  warfare,  and 
while  victory  means  crowns,  and  palms,  and 
harps,  it  also  means  scars,  and  hardships,  and 
fears,  and  tremblings,  and  at  times  defeats; 


AUTOBIOGBAPHICAL  SKETCH.  41 

but  the  command  is,  ^^  Fight  the  good  fight  of 
faith,  and  lay  hold  on  eternal  life." 

I  believe  it  is  possible  to  preach  the  Gospel 
and  live  in  peace  with  the  devil,  with  an  arm- 
istice unbroken,  but  ^^  woe  be  to  the  preacher 
when  all  men  speak  well  of  him." 

Rowland  Hill  was  a  target  for  men  and 
devils ;  they  scoffed,  they  called  him  a  mounte- 
bank, they  derided  him  as 'a  flippant  wag,  and 
declared  he  brought  the  pulpit  into  disrepute. 
I  have  laughed  as  men  of  to-day  would  eulogize 
Rowland  Hill  and  then  call  me  the  same 
things  that  Rowland  Hill's  generation  applied 
to  him. 

Charles  G.  Finney,  the  most  omnipotent 
preacher  of  this  nineteenth  century  in  Amer- 
ica, seemed  to  be  the  worst  slandered  and 
worst  traduced  man  in  America.  Read  his 
autobiography,  and  see  what  the  dignitaries  of 
the  Church  and  hypocrites  said  of  him.  He 
was  tried,  he  was  condemned,  he  was  excluded 
from  the  pulpits  of  his  own  Church. 

"Nothing  succeeds  like  success,"  and  it 
succeeds  in  projecting  its  favorites  on  a  stormy 
sea  of  abuse  and  criticism.  Where  is  there  a 
successful  man  in  any  calling  of  life  who  has 
not   been   either   swallowed    by   a    whale    or 

4— B 


42     .        Autobiographical  Sketch. 

nibbled  almost  to  death  by  minnows?  I  some- 
times envied  Jonah.  Criticisms,  when  wisely 
administered,  are  helpful;  but  I  never  could 
endure  these  little  spelling-book  critics,  who 
were  utterly  incapable  of  appreciating  a  thought 
or  catching  an  idea,  yet  they  could  see  and 
recognize  a  grammatical  error  or  a  rhetorical 
blunder  in  the  distance.  It  has  been  the  source 
of  much  pleasure  to  me  to  see  with  what  avid- 
ity they  would  pounce  upon  a  disjointed  sen- 
tence, and  how  their  eyes  glistened  and  gleamed 
as  they  caught  it,  and  silently  said,  "  We  have 
got  something  to  talk  about  now." 

I  have  been  interested  in  the  reading  of 
natural  history,  and  (especially  as  it  treats  of 
the  habits  of  some  animals  and  what  they  feed 
upon.  My  knowledge  of  natural  history  has 
frequently  helped  me  in  the  right  understand- 
ing of  human  nature.  I  have  been  called  vul- 
gar by  barkeepers,  obscene  by  women  who 
loved  the  German  in  the  ball-room,  and  a  relig- 
ious jester  by  those  whose  only  stock  in  trade 
was  a  solemn  countenance  and  a  diseased  liver. 
When  a  child  suiTers  you  can  generally  locate 
the  pain,  because  the  child  puts  its  hand  where 
it  hurts.  I  have  seen  the  hands  fly  to  a  thou- 
sand different  places  on  the  moral  body,  and  I 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  43 

knew  where  each  man  was  hurt  by  where  he 
put  his  hand. 

There  is  a  great  deal  in  taking  aim,  and 
yet,  as  Brother  Richardson  used  to  say,  "  there 
is  nothing  like  holding  the  gun  all  over  the 
tree."  As  with  the  old  palsied  father  who  went 
out  with  his  son  squirrel  hunting,  the  old 
man's  part  was  to  shake  the  bush,  and  he  had 
but  to  take  hold  of  the  bush  and  it  would 
shake,  without  any  effort.  On  one  occasion 
when  he  was  to  shake  the  bush  and  turn  the 
squirrel,  after  he  had  turned  the  squirrel  for 
four  or  five  different  shots  for  his  son,  all  of 
which  failed  of  their  mark,  the  old  man  said: 
"Give  me  the  gun  and  you  shake  the  bush." 
The  boy  gave  up  the  gun  and  shook  the  bush 
and  turned  the  squirrel.  The  old  man  held 
up  the  gun  in  his  palsied  hands,  and  as  it 
"wobbled"  all  over  the  tree,  "bang,"  went  the 
gun  and  down  came  the  game.  At  which  the 
old  man  remarked,  joyfully,  "  I  told  you  I  'd 
git  him."  The  boy  replied,  "Any  body  could 
kill  a  squirrel  up  a  tree  who  would  hold  a  gun 
all  over  it,  as  you  did." 

Of  course  in  all  these  years,  as  I  have  tried 
faithfully  and  persistently  to  preach  the  truth 
to  others,  I  have  never  forgotten  a  single  day 


44  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

that  I  had  a  soul  in  my  own  body,  to  be  saved 
or  lost,  and  I  have  prayed  earnestly  for  God's 
help  so  to  live  the  truth  I  preach,  that  I 
shall  never  be  among  that  number  who  shall 
say,  "  Lord !  Lord !  have  I  not  prophesied  in 
thy  name,  and  done  many  wonderful  works  in 
thy  name?"  and  then  have  him  say  to  me, 
"Depart,  ye  accursed,  I  never  knew  you." 

I  have  been  sorely  tempted  and  fearfully 
tried;  I  have  fought  the  battles  of  temptation 
and  the  devil,  that  left  me  covered  with  blood. 
God  has  put  me  in  the  fire  at  times  until  the 
sparks  flew  all  around  me,  and  I  thought  he 
would  burn  me  up  soul  and  body,  but  I  found, 
as  he  took  me  back  into  his  arms,  that  the 
flying  sparks,  which  the  fire  caused  to  fly  off 
me  in  its  intense  heat^  was  but  the  burning  off 
of  a  fungus  growth. 

Frequently  as  the  great  congregations  have 
waited  on  my  ministry,  I  have  been  warned  to 
keep  humble — ^not  to  take  the  "big  head,"  and 
so  on.  Thank  God,  I  have  never  forgotten 
"  the  pit  from  which  I  was  dug,"  and  my  only 
reply  has  been,  "  If  you  knew  how  many  things 
I  have  to  give  me  the  Mittle  head,"  you  never 
would  be  uneasy  about  my  taking  the  '  big 
head.' "     They  have  talked  about  my  heights, 


ArrroBiooBAPHiCAL  Sketch.  45 

and  of  my  falling  from  those  heights.  To  the 
top  of  Calvary  is  not  very  high,  and  lying 
down  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  is  not  a  very 
dizzy  altitude.  The  overwhelming  responsibil- 
ity, that  there  are  ten  thousand  immortal  souls 
now  listening  to  your  words,  to  be  faithful  to 
those  souls  and  to  God  precludes  all  possibility 
of  being  puffed  up.  •  The  checks  and  balances 
work  in  aU  phases  of  life,  and  the  responsibility 
is  commensurate  with  the  altitude;  really 
"  Love  vaunteth  not  itself,  and  is  not  puffed 
up."  Wherever  love  predominates,  the  man  is 
safe — ^love  to  God  and  love  to  man. 

I  am  frequently  asked  the  question,  "  How 
long  have  you  been  an  evangelist?"  I  am  not 
an  evangelist,  except  in  the  sense  that  every 
Methodist  preacher  is  an  evangelist.  There  is 
no  order  of  evangelists  in  the  Methodist  Church. 
I  have  been  doing  revival  work,  however,  since 
the  second  or  third  year  of  my  ministry — I 
mean  outside  of  my  own  charge,  as  pastor. 

I  was  always  in  my  younger  ministerial 
life  diffident  and  very  much  embarrassed  when 
I  tried  to  preach  outside  of  my  own  pulpits, 
and  not  until  the  fifth  or  sixth  year  of  my 
ministry  could  I  preach  in  another's  pulpit 
with  any  ease  or  liberty. 


46  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

The  first  revival  work  I  did  that  gave  me 
any  notoriety  in  my  own  State,  was  in  1879 
and  1880;  then  the  calls  to  work  in  revival 
meetings  multiplied  upon  me,  and  I  soon  found 
that  I  was  giving  half  of  my  time  to  outside 
work.  In  the  Fall  of  1881,  I  was  appointed 
Agent  of  Decatur  Orphans'  Home,  the  property 
of  the  North  Georgia  Coi\ference.  I  accepted 
this  appointment,  mainly  because  it  gave  me 
more  tether  line,  and  from  then  until  now  I 
have  been  almost  constantly  in  revival  work. 
Atlanta,  Griffin,  Macon,  Columbus,  and  Savan- 
nah, Georgia,  including  many  of  the  towns, 
which  I  will  not  mention,  furnished  a  field  for 
my  work  in  1881  and  1882. 

In  the  First  Methodist  Church,  Atlanta,  I 
have  repeatedly  worked  in  gracious  meetings. 
That  Church  has  many  of  the  most  consecrated 
men  and  women  I  have  ever  known.  My  first 
revival  work  there  was  when  General  Evans 
was  pastor,  and  again,  when  Howell  H.  Parks 
was  the  pastor. 

Trinity  Church,  Atlanta,  has  been  a  field 
where  I  have  also  worked  repeatedly  during 
the  pastorate  of  Dr.  T.  R.  Kendall,  a  faithful 
man  of  God,  who  loves  Christ  with  all  his 
heart,  and  loves  humanity  with  all  his   soul. 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  47 

I  have  seen  many  conversions  in  these  two  old 
Methodist  Churches  in  Atlanta. 

At  St.  Luke's,  in  Columbus,  Georgia,  when 
Rev.  J.  0.  Cook  was  pastor,  we  had  a  glorious 
meeting.  For  three  weeks  great  crowds  gath- 
ered at  this  church,  and  many  were  brought  to 
Christ.  At  old  St.  John's  Church,  Augusta, 
Georgia,  during  the  pastorate  of  W.  H.  La 
Prade  and  Warren  A.'  Candler,  the  Lord  was 
gracious  to  us.  In  Trinity  and  Monumental 
Methodist  Churches  of  Savannah,  Georgia,  God 
blessed  me  in  my  work.  In  Mulberry  Church, 
Macon,  Georgia,  Dr.  Key,  pastor,  we  had  a 
gracious  revival;  and  so  in  a  score  or  more 
of  leading  Methodist  Churches  in  Georgia  I 
have  worlyd,  under  the  blessings  of  God,  and 
many  of  the  dear  brethren  of  those  Churches 
have  borne  me  on  their  faith  to  the  throne  of 
God,  and  in  answer  to  their  prayers  for  me  in 
my  work  God  has  greatly  blessed  me  since. 

The  first  revival  I  ever  held  which  gave  me 
newspaper  notoriety,  was  in  Memphis,  Ten- 
nessee, in  January,  1883;  since  then  I  have 
worked  in  more  than  twenty  diiferent  States 
with  marked  success,  including  the  cities  of 
Brooklyn,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Chicago,  Balti- 
more,   Washington,  D.  C,    Indianapolis,    St. 


^  I 


48  Atjtobioqraphical  Sketci^, 

Joseph,  Mo.;  Waco,  Texas ;  Mobile ;  Nashville, 
and  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  and  in  other  cities,  and 
in  no  place  where  I  have  ever  preached  has 
the  building  or  tent  been  sufficient  to  hold  the 
multitude  who  attempted  to  get  in.  I  have 
repeatedly  preached  to  ten  thousand  people  at 
one  time  who  sat  under  the  sound  of  my  voice. 
At  Plattsburg,  Mo.,  there  were  at  least  twenty 
thousand  who  were  trying  to  hear. 

Parties  who  were  capable  of  estimating  the 
numbers,  said  that  in  Cincinnati  there  were 
not  less  than  three  hundred  thousand  people 
who  sat  or  stood  under  the  sound*  of  my  voice 
in  the  five  weeks  of  our  meeting  there.  In 
Chicago  there  were,  j)erhaps,  an  equal  number. 

I  regard  the  meeting  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  my  life  as  a 
preacher.  Some  of  the  papers,  and  many  of 
the  people  of  that  city,  had  persecuted  and 
denounced  me  with  a  persistency  such  as  I 
had  never  seen,  and  wherever  I  have  been 
most  persecuted  and  denounced,  I  have  been 
most  successful  in  winning  souls  to  Christ. 
In  looking  over  the  past  twenty-four  months 
of  my  ministry,  I  dare  believe  that  in  these 
months  not  less  than  twenty  thousand  souls 
have   been  brought  to  Christ.     The  converts 


Si 


' 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  49 

were  not  only  among  those  who  heard  the 
Gospel  from  my  lips.  Even  the  newspapers, 
that  denounced  me  editorially,  printed  my  ser- 
mons in  full  in  their  columns. 

Take  the  work  in  Chicago,  for  instance. 
In  the  Inter-Ocean  and  Tribune,  the  Cincinnati 
Commercial-Gazette  and  Enquirer^  and  the  St. 
Louis  Globe-Democrat,  all  of  them  with  an  ag- 
gregated circulation  of  three  hundred  thousand, 
and  with  the  reasonable  circulation  of  five 
readers  to  a  copy  circulated,  I  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  preaching  to  a  million  and  a  half 
of  persons  a  day — a  wonderful  congregation 
for  one  preacher,  and  a  privilege,  I  dare  say, 
that  no  other  man  in  the  history  of  the  Church 
has  ever  enjoyed.  Think  of  it,  nine  thousand 
words  each  night,  as  they  flashed  out  on 
eighteen  different  telegraph  wires  to  the  cities 
of  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati,  while  they  were 
being  set  in  type  by  the  papers  of  Chicago ! 
Thus  at  the  breakfast  table  ,the  next  morning, 
in  these  three  cities,  I  was  greeted  by  three 
hundred  thousand  readers,  and  before  the  sun 
went  down  that  day  a  million  and  a  half  more 
had  read  the  words.  From  the  statement  of 
newspaper  men,  I  suppose  that  is  a  reasonable 
estimate.      The  secular   papers  are  so  much 

5 — B 


50  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

more  alive  and  aggressive  than  the  religious 
papers,  that  when  they  fall  into  line  with  a 
good  work  they  are  a  power  we  scarcely  know 
how  to  estimate. 

To  the  newspapers  I  owe  much.  They 
have  been  kind  to  me  in  their  reportorial 
columns,  and  I  can  cheerfully  overlook  any 
criticisms  in  the  editorial  columns.  After  all, 
criticisms  of  a  man  and  his  work  only  go  with 
him  up  to  the  edge  of  the  tomb.  Every  man 
will  have  his  hands  full  '^  toting  his  own  skillet" 
beyond  that  point ;  but,  I  suppose,  the  strong- 
est temptation  of  a  man's  life,  a  temptation 
like  that  which  a  boy  feels  when  he  stands 
with  rock  in  hand  and  sees  the  dog  as  he  jumps 
the  fence — I  repeat  it,  the  strongest  temptation 
of  my  life,  and  to  it  I  have  frequently  yielded, 
is  to  hit  back  and  criticise  some  of  the  "critics, 
and  especially  as  some  of  them  "set  so  fair," 
that  to  keep  from  "  hitting  back "  requires  an 
immense  effort,  yet  I  am  sure  it  is  best  not  to 
do  so.  If  it  is  the  truth  they  tell,  we  should 
amend.  If  it  is  a  lie,  we  should  let  the  lie 
run  on  and  run  out  of  breath  and  die.  After 
all  there  has  been  more  good  said  of  me  than 
evil,  and  as  long  as  that  is  true  the  balance 
sheet  shows  something  in  my  favor. 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  51 

My  correspondence  for  the  past  several 
years  has  furnished  me  data,  out  of  which  I 
have  gotten  a  great  deal — ^letters  from  those 
who  have  been  brought  to  Christ  through  my 
ministry,  telling  of  their  happy  experiences, 
and  their  consecrated  purposes.  These  letters 
have  been  a  source  of  great  thanksgiving  and 
joy  to  my  heart.  A  wife  thus  writes :  "  Our 
home  has  been  an  Eden  since  you  were  here." 
Children  would  write,  "What  a  change  there 
has  been  in  papa!"  Letters  like  these  have 
a  thousand  times  gathered  me  up  and  carried 
me  back,  in  memory,  to  the  home  of  my  dis- 
sipated days,  cheerless,  starless,  rayless — the 
sad  face  of  wife,  disappointed  ambition,  and  a 
hopeless  future — and  then  how  Christ  trans- 
formed my  life,  thereby  transforming  my  home ; 
and,  0 !  what  a  change  was  there ;  and  as 
memory  looks  upon  the  picture,  how  dark,  and 
then  how  bright.     What  a  privilege  to 

*^  Tell  to  sinners  around, 
What  a  dear  Savior  I  have  found." 

What  a  field  of  this  description  is  open  for 
the  work  of  an  earnest  preacher;  how  many 
thousands  of  ruined  homes,  made  desolate  by 
the  presence  of  sin  and  the  absence  of  Christ, 


62  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

and  how  blessed  to  know  that  when  the  strong 
man  is  come,  he  binds  the  wicked  one  and  casts 
him  out  forever.  How  many  broken  hearts 
and  disappointed  lives  and  wretched  homes, 
and  worse  than  widowed  wives  and  orphaned 
children  are  calling  to-day  for  Him,  of  whom 
Moses,  in  the  law  and  the  prophets,  did  write. 
Not  only  is  he  in  himself  the  ^^  chiefest  among 
ten  thousand  and  the  one  altogether  lovely," 
but  he  is  the  comfort  of  ruined  hearts,  and 
can  make  a  home  like  himself,  ^^  altogether 
lovely." 

Blessed  fact,  he  is  seeking  open  doors.  0, 
that  the  world  might  open  the  door  to  him 
and  bid  the  heavenly  guest  come  in;  and  how 
sweet  the  reflection,  Jesus  himself  said  to  all 
true  disciples,  "  Behold,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  By  virtue 
of  that  fact,  in  going  upon  errands  of  mercy, 
Christ  goes  upon  those  errands  with  you,  and 
he  goes  to  cheer,  to  comfort,  to  bless,  so  full 
of  sympathy  and  love  and  tenderness  is  he. 
He  it  was  who  told  us  when  he  found  the 
lost  and  hungry  sheep,  tired  and  ready  to  die, 
how  there  was  no  room  for  clubs  and  kicks, 
but  he  gathered  the  tired  and  hungry  sheep 
upon  his  own  shoulders  and  brought  him  back 


Autobiographical  Sketch.  53 

to  the  fold.  The  gladness  of  his  presence 
cheers  myriads  of  hearts  and  millions  of 
homes. 

'^  Jesus,  the  name  that  charms  our  fears, 
That  bids  our  sorrows  cease, 
'Tis  music  to  the  sinner's  ears, 
'Tis  life,  and  health,  and*  peace. 

Dear  name,  the  rock  on  which  I  build 

My  shield  and  hiding-place. 
My  never-failing  treasure,  filled 

With  boundless  stores  of  grace." 

There  is  music  in  his  name,  a  charm  in  his 
presence,  and  life  in  his  touch.  And  amid  the 
throes  and  agonies  of  a  world  steeped  in  guilt, 
but  for  the  cross  of  Christ  the  great  heart  of 
the  world  would  break.  My  most  lonely  hours 
are  when  he  is  absent,  and  my  happiest  days 
are  spent  in  company  with  him. 

"Happy,  if  with  my  latest  breath, 
I  may  but  gasp  His  name ; 
Preach  him  to  all,  and  cry  in  death, 
Behold,  behold  the  Lambf 

The  object  of  all  my  preaching,  of  its 
harshness  and  denunciation  of  sin,  and  its  ex- 
posure of  sham,  has  been  simply  to  make  men 
fully  realize  the  truth  that  ^*all  the  fitness 
Christ  requireth  is"  that  we  feel  our  need  of 
him ;  or,  in  other  words,  it  has  been  the  object  of 


64  Autobiographical  Sketch. 

my  life,  as  a  preacher,  to  make  sin  hideous  and 
righteousness  attractive,  and  I  have  but  shown 
sin  up  in  all  its  deformity,  that  I  might  better 
show  righteousness  up  in  all  its  beauty,  and 
drive  men  from  the  former,  and  attract  them 
unto  the  heights  and  beauties  of  the  latter. 


SERMONS. 


Sermlon  I. 


PKRSOMA.!^    CONSECRATION  :     "  QUIT    YOUR 

MEANNESS.' 


"  Rejoice  evermore ;  pray  without  ceasing ;  in  every  thing 
give  thanks.  For  this  is  the  will  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  con- 
cerning you." — 1  Thess.  v.  16-18. 

A  MAN  who  understands  practically  what  those 
three  verses  teach  is  not  only  a  Christian,  but 
a  philosopher.  There 's  a  great  deal  of  philosophy 
in  Christianity,  and  the  best  philosophers  make  the 
best  Christians.  This  term  "  rejoice  "  is  a  very  dif- 
ferent word  from  "  happy,"  or  "  happiness."  Our 
word  "  happy "  conies  from  the  same  word  that 
"  happening "  comes  from,  and  my  happiness  de- 
pends largely  on  my  happenings ;  but  joy  is  very 
different  in  its  meaning,  and  different  in  it>s  effects 
on  the  human  heart.  Joy,  when  we  analyze  it,  is 
a  sort  of  trinity  in  unity  :  1.  I  am  satisfied  with 
the  past.  2.  I  am  contented  with  the  present.  3. 
I  am  hopeful  for  the  future.  If  you  will  combine 
these  three  elements  in  a  human  life,  I  will  show 
you  a  man  who  rejoices  evermore. 

"  I  am  satisfied,  first,  with  the  past."     How  many 

55 


56  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

persons  can  look  back  over  the  past  and  say ;  "  I 
have  done  my  best  since  tlie  day  I.started  in  on  a 
religious  life?''  Let  me  say  right  here,  brethren, 
that  heaven  is  just  the  other  side  of  where  a  man 
has  done  his  best ;  and  sanctification,  when  you 
bring  it  down  to  where  you  can  get  hold  of  it,  is 
nothing  more  nor  less  than  doing  the  best  you  can 
under  the  circumstances.*  That 's  practical  sanctifi- 
cation,  and,  really,  I  do  n't  care  much  about  any 
other  sort.     I  want  a  practical  religion. 

"I  am  satisfied  with  the  past."  That's  the 
grandest  thing  a  man  ever  said — '^  I  have  done  my 
best."  I  was  talking  some  time  ago  with  a  grand 
old  man  in  our  State — one  of  the  noblest  men  I 
ever  knew — and  he  said,  "Jones,  I  don't  know 
what  people  talk  so  much  about  a  second  blessing 
for.  I  got  all  that  was  necessary  in  the  first  place." 
"  Well,"  said  I,  "  what  do  you  mean  ?"  The  old 
man  replied,  "  Jones,  when  I  got  religion  I  told  the 
truth,  and  I  have  stuck  to  it  ever  since.  When  I 
told  God  I  was  going  to  quit  my  meanness,  I  quit 
it ;  I  meant  what  I  said."  I  asked  him,  "  Do  you 
mean  to  say  you  never  repeated  a  sin  you  repented 
of?"  and  he  said  to  me,  "  Certainly  not,  sir;  never." 
Right  here,  brethren,  I  bring  in  this  {K)int:  I  have 
said  that  if  we  would  only  quit  our  lying  we  would 
get  nine-tenths  of  our  difficulties  out  of  the  road. 
Mr.  Finney  relates  an  incident  that  occurred  at  one 
of  his  revival  services.  One  of  the  elders  in  the 
Presbyterian    Church    received    an    overwhelming 

*  Mr.  Jones  would  insist  that  divine  grace  is  a  dream* 
stance  not  to  be  left  out 


*'QuiT  Your  Meanness/'  57 

baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  day  there 
came  in  from  an  adjoining  town  an  elder  from 
another  Church.  At  the  dinner-table  this  elder 
discovered  the  traces  and  movements  of  divine 
power  in  the  very  face  of  his  host.  Finney  says  he 
himself  was  sitting  at  the  table.  This  visiting  elder 
looked  at  his  host  and  said :  '^  Tell  me  how  you 
have  received  such  heavenly  baptism?  How  did 
you  get  it  ?''  The  host  looked  at  him  and  answered  : 
**  I  fell  down  on  my  knees  and  said  to  God,  ^  I  have 
told  my  last  lie.  I  will  never  tell  thee  another  while 
I  live;''  and  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  on  me,  and 
I  have  been  so  gloriously  filled  ^ince  that  time  I 
scarcely  know  whether  I  am  in  the  body  or  out." 
This  elder  to  whom  the  host  was  speaking  then 
jumped  up  from  the  table,  and  ran  into  a  sitting- 
room  near  by,  and  fell  down  on  his  knees  and 
prayed  :  "  My  God,  I  have  told  my  last  lie.  I  will 
never  tell  another  on  my  knees  or  off  my  knees  in 
my  life,"  and  when  they  arose  and  walked  from  the 
dinner-table  the  holy  blessing  fairly  beamed.  He  had 
received  the  baptism,  and  went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 
Brethren,  that 's  our  trouble.  We  have  been 
promising  God  all  our  life  that  we  would  quit  our 
meanness  and  get  to  doing  right,  but  we  never  have 
done  it.  If  I  were  to  stop  at  this  point  and  ask 
every  Christian  in  the  house  who  never  told  God  a  lie 
to  stand  up,  how  many  do  you  suppose  could  stand 
up  and  say:  "  I  told  God  the  truth  at  the  beginning, 
and  have  stuck  to  it  to  this  hour.  I  said  I  would 
quit  my  meanness,  and  I  did  it.  I  said  I  would 
do  right,  and  I  have  done  it." 


oS  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

I  want  to  tell  you  that  every  mau's  condemnation 
is  bottomed  on  this  one  word^  neglect.  Take  the 
best  citizen  in  this  town^and  let  him  be  everything 
else  you  want  him  to  be,  and  yet  let  him  neglect  to 
pay  his  debts^  and  there  isn't  a  tramp  on  your 
streets  who  would  have  any  respect  for  him.  Isn't 
that  a  fact?  My  duty  is  my  debt  to  God,  and  if  I 
neglect  to  pay  my  debts  to  God,  there  is  n't  an 
angel  in  heaven  who  would  respect  me,  even  if  I 
had  sneaked  in  there  unnoticed. 

Duty !  "  I  am  satisfied  with  the  past,  with  my- 
self as  a  father.  I  have  set  a  good  example,  and 
have  led  a  Christian  life  before  my  children."  "  I 
am  satisfied  with  mvself  as  a  mother:  I  have 
done  my  duty  to  my  children."  "  I  am  satisfied 
with  myself  as  a  member  of  the  Church.  I  have 
kept  my  vows  to  it."  Brethren,  here  's  a  source 
of  joy — "I  have  done  my  best  from  the  time 
I  started  until  this  hour."  Can  you  say  that? 
Brethren,  did  you  ever,  when  your  innocent  chil- 
dren played  about  in  your  lap,  say :  "  I  am  the 
purest  father  God  ever  blessed  with  children?^' 
Did  you  ever  say  that  ?  Mother,  have  you  looked 
at  your  innocent  children,  as  they  threw  their  soft, 
white  arms  around  your  neck,  and  said  :  "  I  am  the 
purest  mother  God  ever  blessed  with  children  ?" 
What  is  your  home  life  ?  "lam  satisfied.  I  have 
done  my  duty."  Sister,  you  may  be  satisfied  with 
some  things  in  your  home  to-night,  but  you'll  be 
be  very  much  dissatisfied  later  along.  You  card- 
playing  fathers  and  mothers !  Playing  cards  with 
your  children !     You   may   think  that 's  very  nice 


"Quit  Your  Meanness."  59 

now,  but  when  you  turn  out  on  tlie  streets  of  this 
city  three  more  gamblers  from  your  so-called  Chris- 
tian home,  you  are  going  to  get  very  much  dissatisfied 
with  the  way  you  have  made  things  at  your  house. 

I  think  statistics  will  bear  me  out  when  I  as- 
sert that  nine  out  of  every  ten  gamblers  in  this 
country  were  raised  in  Christian — so-called  Chris- 
tian— homes.  They  are  refined,  educated,  and  well 
raised  men — many  of  them — and  they  come  from 
the  homes  where  mother  and  father  have  dedicated 
them  to  God,  and,  it  may  be,  had  them  baptized  in 
the  name  of  the  Trinity. 

I  want  to  say  another  thing.  People  say,  "  Jones, 
you  hit  a  little  thing  as  hard  as  you  hit  a  big 
thing."  Yes,  I  do,  brethren.  The  Church  is  par- 
alyzed in  this  country.  It  has  n't  the  power,  and 
we  may  just  as  well  acknowledge  it.  Hear  me ! 
It  is  not  lying  that  is  hurting  the  Church,  nor 
stealing,  nor  drink.  It  is  not  this  kind  of  meanness 
that  is  hurting  the  Church.  Every  body  knows 
that  Church  members  who  do  these  things  are  vag- 
abonds, and  pays  no  attention  to  them.  Hear  me. 
If  you  want  to  know  what  is  demoralizing  the  Church, 
and  paralyzing  the  Church,  I  Ml  tell  you.  It  is  this 
tide  of  worldliness  that  is  sweeping  over  the  Chris- 
tian homes  of  this  country.  That 's  it !  O,  my 
sister,  the  day  you  entered  society  you  laid  down 
your  piety,  and  you  know  it  as  well  as  I  do,  and 
you  have  learned  that  when  a  woman  gives  up  her 
consecrated  life  to  enter  society,  she  begins  a  life 
of  misery  that  hardly  a  damned  spirit  can  exceed 
in  bitterness. 


60  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

Now,  when  you  can  say,  "  I  am  satisfied  with  the 
past,  with  the  way  I  have  lived  before  my  family, 
my  Church,  my  community,  satisfied  with  my  ex- 
ample in  all  respects,''  you  are  laying  the  foundation 
for  Scriptural  joy. 

Then  the  next  point  is,  '^I  am  contented  with 
the  present."  When  a  man  looks  back  with 
the  consciousness  that  he  has  done  his  best,  and 
is  contented  with  the  present,  he  is  rich,  and 
rich  enough.  St.  Paul  said :  ^'  I  have  learned, 
in  whatsoever  state  I  am,  therewith  to  be  content." 
He  said  another  tiling  on  that  line :  "  Godliness 
with  contentment  is  a  great  gain."  Brother,  con- 
tentment is  one  of  the  elements  of  real  Scriptural 
joy  in  this  life.  When  a  man  builds  on  God's  pat- 
tern, and  is  contented  with  his  lot,  and  is  hopeful 
for  the  future,  that  man  is  happy  anywhere  and 
everywhere. 

Hear    me,    brethren.     Hope,   as   it   shines   out 

of  a  consecrated   past  and  t  contented  present,  is 

like  the  mile-posts  on  the  way  to  God,  telling  us^ 

how  far  we  have  come,  and  how  much  further  we 

have  to  go.     Thank  God  for  hope  in  the  Christian 

life,  and  we  sing: 

"  O,  what  a  blessed  hope  is  ours 
While  here  on  earth  we  stay  I" 

Satisfied  with  the  past,  contented  with  the  pres- 
ent, hopeful  for  the  future — a  joyous  Christian — 
you  will  find  the  secret  right  along  in  there. 

Now,  brethren,  what  are  you  going  to  do? 
Thank  God,  you  can  do  something ;  thank  God, 
there    is    only    one    thing    necessary  to   be    done. 


"Quit  Youb  Meanness."  61 

Quit  your  meanness.  Go  to  God  in  honest  peni- 
tence and  tell  him  :  "  My  Lord,  this  night  I  burn 
up  the  cards ;  this  night  I  turn  out  the  wines  and 
entertainments ;  this  night  I  draw  the  line,  and  I 
come  over  to  God's  side.  Good  Lord,  forgive  me 
for  the  way  I  have  lived  as  a  professor  of  religion." 
Then  comes  in  the  pardon. 

O,  mothers,  fathers,  let 's  call  a  halt ;  let  us  bring 
these  matters  to  an  understanding  at  our  homes, 
and  say,  "  We  are  done."  Let  us  call  a  halt,  and, 
on  our  knees  before  God,  repent  of  these  things. 

I  want  to  live  before  God  and  my  family,  so  that 
when  I  come  to  die  I  can  say  to  my  children,  "  Go 
and  live  just  as  your  father  has  lived,  and  do  just 
as  he  has  done,  and  as  certain  as  Christ  died  for 
sinners,  some  of  these  days  we  will  all  meet  in 
heaven." 

Satisfied  with  the  past,  content  with  the  present, 
and  hopeful  for  the  future !  This  gives  me  the  at- 
titude and  the  altitudi  where  I  can  rejoice  ever- 
more. 

Then  we  take  the  next  verse,  "  Pray  without 
ceasing."  You  say,  "  I  can  see  how  a  fellow  can 
act  when  he  can  rejoice  evermore,  but  to  talk  about 
praying  without  ceasing — ^that  is  all  foolishness.  A 
man  has  got  to  work ;  he  has  got  to  do  other  things. 
A  man  can  't  pray  all  the  time.  That  won't  do  at 
all."  I  heard  of  a  fellow  once  who  had  so  miich 
work  to  do  on  a  certain  day  that  he  had  to  lay  all 
down  and  stop  and  pray  three  hours  in  order  to  get 
through  with  it.  Well,  you  say,  "  That  is  the  big- 
gest foolishness   I  ever  heard  of  in  my  life."    Do 


62  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

you  see  that  engine  stopping  yonder?  The  sched- 
ule of  that  passenger  train  is  forty-five  miles  an 
hour^  and  that  train  has  stopped  still.  I  look  at  it 
and  I  say :  ^*  What  does  this  all  mean  ?  The  en- 
gineer has  stopped,  and  he  is  on  schedule  time. 
Why  does  n't  he  go  on  ?  What  has  he  stopped  for? 
He  has  stopped  one  minute,  two  minutes,  three  min- 
utes, five  minutes.  O,  why  does  n't  he  go  on  ?"  I 
look  a  little  closer,  and  I  see  he  is  taking  on  coal 
and  letting  water  into  the  tender.  He  has  spent 
six  minutes  at  the  station,  and  has  secured  a  supply 
of  coal  and  water,  and  now  he  says  to  himself:  "  I 
have  lost  six  minutes,  but  I  have  got  steam  power 
enough  to  carry  me  along  sixty  miles  an  hour  if  I 
want  to  go  that  fast ;  but  if  I  had  run  by  that  coal 
station  I  would  have  got  stalled  on  the  first  grade. 
But  now  I  have  power  enough  to  carry  me  through/' 
I  will  tell  you,  brethren,  when  you  run  up  to  God 
Almighty's  coal  and  water  station,  you  must  take 
on  enough  for  your  needs.  That  is  it.  That  is  the 
way  to  get  steam  to  make  the  trip.  That  is  the 
meaning  of  prayer. 

I  will  say  a  thing  now,  and  T  would  say  it  loud 
enough  for  all  the  earth  to  hear  me.  We  have  got 
men  that  won't  pray  in  public  and  won't  pray  in  their 
families.  Do  you  want  to  know  why  that  is?  It 
is  because  they  do  n't  pray  anywhere.  Hear  me. 
I  want  to  be  understood  now,  if  you  do  n't  under- 
stand any  thing  else  to-night.  The  man  who  really 
prays  anywhere,  will  pray  everywhere.  The  man 
who  maintains  secret  prayer  will  pray  everywhere 
in  God's  world  that  yon  call  on  him.    You  say  the 


"Quit  Your  Meanness."  63 

reason  you  do  nH  pray  in  your  family  is  just  because 
you  are  timid.  That  is  a  lie.  It  is  because  you 
are  mean^  and  you  Icnow  it.  Talk  about  a  great 
big  fellow,  with  whiskers  six  inches  long,  who  will 
go  down  town  on  'Change  and  talk  bigger  than  any 
man  in  the  pit,  and  he  won't  go  home  and  pray 
with  his  children.  "  You  know  I  would  do  it/'  he 
says,  "  if  I  were  not  so  timid."  Look  here.  If  a 
man  doesn't  pray  in  his  family  there  is  but  one 
reason  for  it,  and  that  is  because  he  does  n't  live 
right  before  his  family.  I  know  what  I  am  talking 
about.  I  recollect  once  since  I  was  converted  I  got 
up  one  morning  out  of  humor,  and  I  said  some 
things  I  had  no  business  to  say.  I  had  the  dys- 
pepsia they  said.  It  was  *  meanness.  Every  time 
a  fellow  gets  his  meanness  off,  it  is  dyspepsia.  Do 
you  hear  that,  wife  ?  As  I  said,  I  was  talking  right 
smart  around  that  morning,  and  directly,  just  before 
the  breakfast  bell  rang,  wife  got  down  the  Bible.  I 
looked  at  it,  and  I  would  have  given  fifty  dollars 
that  morning  if  I  had  had  some  preaclier  there  to 
have  prayer  in  the  family  for  me.  O,  how  I  hated 
to  get  down  after  talking  that  way.  Brother,  when 
you  get  to  living  right  before  your  family,  it  is  just 
as  easy  to  pray  before  them  as  it  is  to  sit  down  and 
eat  before  them.  If  I  did  n't  have  sense  enough  to 
pray  in  my  family,  I  '11  tell  you  what  I  would  do. 
I  would  go  and  hire-  me  an  old  colored  man  that 
wife  and  children  had  confidence  in,  and  I  would 
pay  him  by  the  month  to  come  and  hold  family 
prayer  for  me.     I  would. 

Talk  about  a  man  being  religious  who  does  not 


64  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

pray  in  his  family  !  Ridiculous!  I  found  out  long 
ago  that  religion  is  a  good  thing  to  have,  and  a 
father  who  becomes  religious  wants  his  wife  and 
children  to  have  all  the  good  things  in  the  world ; 
and  the  next  thing  you  hear  from  him  he  will  be 
leading  in  prayer  and  demonstrating  his  religion  in 
his  family,  and  they  will  fall  into  line  with  him. 
Brother,  if  you  don't  pray  in  your  family,  go  home 
and  begin  to-night.  Do  you  hear  that?  Begin  to- 
night. 

"  Pray  without  ceasing.''  How  many  people  in 
this  house  hold  family  prayer  and  go  to  the  theater? 
How  many  people  in  this  house  that  pray  in  their 
families,  play  cards  in  their  families?  How  many 
people  in  this  house  who  give  wine  suppers  pray  at 
night  and  morning.with  the  children?  Ah,  brother, 
those  things  won't  mix,  and  you  need  n't  tell  me 
they  will.  They  won't.  Pray  in  your  families.  I 
like  family  prayer,  and  I  can't  get  along  without  it 
at  my  house. 

I  want  to  get  God's  old  family  prayer  elevator 
down  into  my  house  every  night,  and  let  wife  and 
children  get  into  it  and  all  go  to  heaven  for  a  few 
minutes,  and  then  come  back  and  go  to  bed.  And 
then  in  the  morning  before  the  breakfast  bell  rings, 
down  comes  God's  old  family  prayer  elevator,  and 
we  will  all  get  into  it  for  a  few  minutes  and  go  to 
heaven,  and  come  back  and  get  our  breakfast  and 
go  to  work.  If  I  can  just  get  wife  and  children  to 
heaven  that  way  a  few  years,  they  will  be  such 
children  that  when  they  come  to  die,  they  will  go 
to  heaven  as  naturally  as  they  breathe.    The  Lord 


,  ''Quit  Youb  Meanness."  65 

save  my  home.  If  there  is  one  thought  that  my 
mind  dwells  upon  in  restful,  peaceful  moments^  it  is 
when  I  am  looking  ahead  to  that  happy  time  when 
I  shall  dwell  with  my  wife  and  loved  ones  in 
heaven.  Mother,  children,  all  of  us  at  home  in 
heaven  forever!  Then  will  I  have  received  pay  for 
every  lick  I  have  ever  struck  for  God  and  right 
on  this  side  of  the  grave.  God  bless  and  save  you^ 
brethren. 


Sayings. 


I  USED  to  think  when  a  man  mistreated  me, 
Why  does  n't  the  Lord  let  me  jump  on  him  and  beat 
him  ?  The  reason  is  the  Lord  does  n't  want  to  pro- 
tect that  rascal;  he  wants  to  protect  me. 

You  will  hear  people  say  :  "  Let  us  Christianize 
America,  and  then  let  us  go  across  the  waters.  I  do  n't 
believe  in  sending  the  Gospel  to  China  while  we 
have  so  many  heathen  at  home."  .  But  the  Chris- 
tianity of  Jesus  Christ  makes  the  heathen  Chinese 
my  next  door  neighbor.  A  Christianity  that  sweeps 
around  the  world — that  is  the  sort  of  Christianity 
we  want;  a  Christianity  that  locks  its  arms  around 
the  world. 

Infidelity. — The  infidelity  that  is  hurting  the 
Church  in  this  nineteenth  century  is  not  theoretical 
infidelity ;  the  infidelity  that  is  demoralizing  the 
Church  and  the  world  is  practical  infidelity  :  the 
fellow  that  believes  the  Bible  and  won't  do  one 
thing.    Now  you  have  got  a  fool  and   a  rascal 


66  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

mixed  in  one  compound.  It  is  the  most  awful  com- 
pound that  Christ  ever  tackled.  He  believes  in 
prayer-meetings,  but  he  has  not  been  to  one  this 
year;  he  believes  in  the  missionary  cause,  but  he 
gets  out  with  the  least  he  can  give.  He  be- 
lieves in  family  prayer,  but  you  can't  prove  it  by 
his  wife  and  children.  He  goes  on  the  principle 
that  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned,  and  he 
believes  in  every  thing. 

The  German  and  the  Ball. — If  there  is  a 
thing  in  this  world  that  I  have  a  contempt  for  and 
can  't  express  it,  it  is  the  german.  I  suppose  some 
of  you  people  through  the  country  do  n't  have  ger- 
mans.  It  is  about  all  this  city  can  do  to  rig  out 
enough  spiderlegs  for  a  german.  To  see  any  aver- 
age little  town  try  to  put  on  airs!  If  I  were  you, 
sister,  I  would  call  it  a  ball;  and  a  ball-room  is  so 
indecent  that  I  would  not  let  my  cook  go  into  one 
of  them.  This  is  enough  to  hurt  your  feelings, 
isn't  it?  Your  feelings!  The  less  sense  a  girl  has 
the  more  feeling  she  has.  The  checks  and  balances 
must  operate.  What  you  lack  in  sense  you  make 
up  in  feeling.  I  wish  some  of  you  ball-room  girls 
could  hear  the  boys  talk  after  the  thing  is  over. 
Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  ball  in  the  day-time?  Did 
you  ever  hear  of  a  lot  of  men  getting  together  and 
having  a  man's  german?  There  isn't  a  boy  in  this 
town  who  would  cross  the  street  to  hug  another 
boy.  As  sure  as  you  are  born,  these  things  are 
based  upon  the  consciousness  of  sex. 


Sermon  II. 

<rHK  BLESSEDNESS  OK  REI^IQIOM. 

**  Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of 
the  ungodly,  nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners,  nor  sitteth 
in  the  seat  of  the  scornful ;  but  his  delight  is  in  the  law  of 
the  Lord,  and  in  his  law  doth  he  meditate  day  and  night." — 
PsA.  1 :  1,  2. 

THE  Psalnis  are  an  interesting  study  for  any 
man.  I  like  to  read  Dickens  and  Thackeray 
and  Bulwer  and  Shakspeare,  because  they  evince 
such  a  deep  insight  into  human  nature.  A  man 
may  study  the  pages  of  such  books  as  these  to 
advantage^  but  there  is  more  for  me  in  these 
one  hundred  and  fifty  psalms  than  in  the  writings 
of  all  these  masters.  The  authors  I  have  named 
give  me  human  nature  as  we  might  see  it  if  we 
were  standing  on  the  streets  or  in  your  stores. 
But  David  gives  us  human  nature  as  it  is  acted 
upon  or  influeuced  by  the  Divine  Spirit.  I  never  have 
much  to  say  against  human  nature.  I  have  very 
little  abuse  for  a  man  in  his  normal  state. 

It  is  perverted  human  nature  1  fight.  It  is  the 
perversion  of  hand  and  foot  and  tongue  and  mind 
that  I  am  ready  always  and  forever  to  denounce. 
David  gives  me  human  nature  as  it  is  acted  upon 
and  influenced  in  the  best  way.  I  love  to  read 
David,  because,  in  the  first  place,  David  knew  what 
he  was  talking  about.  I  love  to  hear  a  man  talk 
who  seems  to  know  what  he  is  talking  about.     I  Vc 

(67) 


68  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

heard  men  trying  to  explain  a  great  nrany  things 
they  did  n't  understand.  I  love  to  read  David,  be- 
cause he  experienced  what  he  was  talking  about. 
No  man  before  him  knew  more  of  God  and  more  of 
humanity  than  David,  and  the  best  preacher  that 
ever  planted  his  foot  in  this  city  is  the  preacher 
who  knows  the  most  about  God  and  the  most  about 
humanity.  He  stands  between  the  two,  and  hence 
he  ought  to  know  God,  and  lay  his  hands  on  the 
shoulder  of  his  living  Father  in  heaven,  and  then 
put  the  other  arm  around  the  race,  and  try  to  lift 
humanity  up  to  God.     This  David  could  do. 

Now  this  man  who  had  studied  life  in  all  its 
phases,  a  man  who  seemed  to  understand  God  as  no 
man  before  him  and  very  few  after  him,  a  man  who 
seemed  to  understand  himself  and  understand  human 
nature — gives  us  the  conclusion  he  had  reached  in 
these  words,  "  Blessed  is  the  man  thatwalketh  not  in 
the  counsel  of  the  ungodly,"  as  much  as  if  to  say,  "  If 
you  want  to  be  a  happy  man  " — and  all  men  want  to 
be  happy — "  if  you  really  are  in  search  of  happiness, 
listen  to  this  prescription:  'Blessed  and  happy  you 
will  be,  if  you  walk  not  in  the  counsel  of  the  un- 
godly.'" An  ungodly  man  may  be  a  very  moral 
man;  an  ungodly  man  need  not  swear,  nor  drink, nor 
violate  the  Sabbath,  nor  commit  any  of  the  flagrant 
sins  which  men  are  so  often  guilty  of.  An  ungodly 
man  means  simply  an  nngodlike  man.  Ungodliness 
and  ungodlikeness  are  synonymous — they  mean  the 
same  thing.  What  does  ungodly  mean  ?  It  signifies 
not  acquainted  with  God,  and  God's  ways.  Every 
man  who  knows  God  loves  God,  and  every  man 


The  Blessedness  of  Religion.  69 

who  does  not  know  God,  doesn't  love  him.  It  is 
just  as  natural  for  a  soul  that  knows  God  to  love 
God,  as  it  is  for  a  mother  to  love  her  babe,  or  as  it 
is  for  a  father  to  love  his  son.  An  ungodly  man  is 
a  man  who  cares  nothing  about  God.  I  '11  tell  you 
the  distinguishing  characteristic  of  that  sort  of  men. 
They  love  to  talk.  They  scoff  at  the  idea  that  any 
body  ever  died  for  them,  but  they  are  all  right, 
and  they  can  give  more  advice,  and  practice  less 
of  it.  than  any  tribe  in  creation. 

The  way  to  tell  an  ungodly  man  is  that  he  is 
always  talking  about  what  harm  is  there  in  this, 
that,  or  the  other  thing,  and  the  way  to  tell  a 
godly  man  is,  he  is  always  hunting  around  for  some- 
thing with  good  in  it,  and  not  going  about  trying 
to  find  something  that  people  can  see  no  harm  in, 
as  they  say.  If  there  is  no  harm  in  cards,  why  1 
have  n't  the  time  to  play  cards,  and  I  'm  sorry  for  the 
man  and  woman  that  have  time  to  dance.  I  tell  you, 
brethren,  when  I  look  around  me  and  see  a  sink- 
ing world  and  humanity  drifting  off  from  God,  and 
so  many  sick-beds  to  visit,  and  see  so  many  that 
are  poor  and  need  sympathy  and  help,  I  have  no 
time  to  spare  for  these  things ;  and  you  would  n't 
have  either  if  you  were  of  any  account.  You  can 
put  that  down ! 

"Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the 
counsel  of  the  ungodly."  In  other  words,  if  you 
want  to  be  happy  in  this  life  do  n't  take  counsel  or 
advice  from  ungodly  men.  Do  n't  do  that !  When 
you  are  lost  as  to  any  moral  problem  go  to  the  best 
man  or  the  best  woman  you  know  in  the  world  for 


70  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

good  advice,  for  they  're  the  only  ones  capable  of 
advising  you.  I  want  a  man  first  to  practice  what 
he  preaches,  and  show  me  it  is  good  to  do  it,  and 
then  tell  me  how  he  did  it,  and  then  I  want  to  do 
just  like  him.  An  ungodly  man !  As  I  said  be- 
fore, you  can  hardly  pick  a  flaw  in  him ;  he  never 
goes  far  enough  to  be  dubbed  immoral.  What's 
the  difference  between  an  immoral  sinner  and  a 
moral  sinner?  Why,  it's  just  the  difference  be- 
tween the  typhoid  fever  and  the  small-pox.  That's 
the  only  difference  at  all.  One  's  internal  and  the 
other  is  external,  but  both  will  kill  nine  times  in 
ten.  An  ungodly  man  *' can't  see  any  harm  in 
any  thing."  He  is  like  an  old  Irishman  down  in 
our  town,  who  was  a  devout  member  of  his  Church, 
He  was  tery  profane,  and  a  man  said  to  him  one 
day,  "  Jack,  how  can  you  be  called  a  devout  mem- 
ber of  your  Church  and  swear  and  curse  as. you 
do?"  And  Jack  replied,  "Faith,  sir,  and  there's 
no  harm  in  cursing  unless  you  make  harm  out  of 
it."  Do  you  get  the  idea,  brethren  ?  I  am  not 
hunting  those  things  that  have  no  harm  in  them, 
but  I  'm  hunting  the  things  that  have  good  in 
them,  and  so  are  all  good  men  under  all  circum- 
stances. They  ain't  inquiring  whether  there  is  much 
or  little  harm  in  this,  that,  and  the  other  thing.  If 
you  want  to  be  happy,  brethren,  do  n't  take  the  ad- 
vice or  counsel  of  the  ungodly,  or  of  those  men 
who  run  on  that  line  of  things.  They  '11  get  you 
into  trouble   sooner  or  later,  sure. 

Take    the  question  of  theater-going,  and  nine- 
tenths  of  these   ungodly  people  in  the  Church  and 


The  Blessedness  of  Religion.  71 

out  you^l  find  go  to  the  theaters.  Let^s  raise 
that  question  a  little  while  here.  A  preacher  in 
St.  Louis  told  me  that  during  his  pastorate  in  Chi- 
cago there  was  a  young  lady,  teacher  in  one  of  the 
schools,  who  came  to  him  during  a  revival.  Her 
conscience  was  stirred,  and  she  walked  up  to  him 
and  said,  "  I  want  to  be  a  Christian.  I  want  to 
join  your  Church,  but  you  object  to  theater-going, 
and  I  can't  see  any  harm  in  that  at  all.''  The 
pastor  said  to  her,  "Sister,  give  your  heart  to 
God,  join  the  Church,  and  go  to  the  theater  as 
much  as  you  please."  She  joined  the  Church,  and 
after  that  went  to  the  theater.  Next  Summer  the 
revival  started  again,  and  the  young  lady  came 
into  the  church,  and  took  a  class  in  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  tried  to  live  right.  One  day  during  the 
revival  one  of  the  young  lady's  pupils,  who  had 
become  penitent,  came  to  her  and  said,  "  Miss  So- 
and-so,  do  you  go  to  the  thenter?"  And  she  an- 
swered, "  Yes ;  I  go  occasionally."  The  pupil  then 
asked,  "  Do  you  think  it  is  right  as  a  Christian  to 
go  to  the  theater?"  "Well,"  said  the  teacher,  "I 
do  n't  know."  And  the  pupil  asked  again,  "  Miss 
So-and-So,  if  you  can  go  as  a  Christian,  can  I  go  as 
a  penitent  ?"  And  the  young  lady  told  her  pastor, 
'*I  looked  that  sweet  girl  in  the  face,  and  said, 
'Darling,  I'll  never  put  my  foot  inside  another 
theater,  God  helping  me,  as  long  as  I  live.'  My  lib- 
erty as  a  Christian  was  costing  that  girl  her  soul, 
and  I  said  to  myself,  '  My  liberty  shall  never  do 
that,'  and  I  gave  up  the  thing  that  was  leading  a 
soul  oflF  from  God." 


72  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

That's  the  way  a  Christian  will  settle  that  ques- 
tion every  time.  My  liberty  and  license  in  these 
things  shall  never  cost  a  human  being  his  soul. 
Lord  cure  us  of  this  abominable  way  of  asking, 
"What  harm  is  there  in  this?"  But  nobody  has 
ever  asked  me,  "  Is  there  any  harm  in  family  prayer?" 
They  never  asked  me  if  I  thought  there  was  any 
harm  in  reading  the  Bible !  Do  you  want  to  know 
why?  Because  they  knew  there  was  no  harm  in 
it !  Why  did  they  ask  me  the  other  question  ?  Be- 
cause they  knew  there  was  harm  in  it,  and  that 
settles  the  whole  question. 

"Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the 
counsel  of  the  ungodly."  When  a  man  gets  to 
listening  to  bad  advice  the  next  thing  he's  going 
to  du  is  to  stand  in  the  way  of  sinners.  That 
means,  keeping  the  company  of  sinners;  and  a  man 
is  n't  going  to  listen  to  bad  advice  long  before  he  '11 
be  with  sinners.  I  do  n't  care  whose  boy,  or  wife, 
or  child  you  are,  you  can  not  stand  the  pressure  of 
bad  company. 

We  need  to  inform  ourselves  in  this  question  of 
company.  There  is  n't  an  angel  in  heaven  that  can 
keep  the  company  some  of  you  do  and  be  pure. 
Above  every  thing  in  the  universe,  a  man  ought 
to  be  choice  about  his  company  and  about  his  books. 
If  you  will  show  me  the  company  you  keep,  I  will 
write  your  biography  ten  years  ahead  of  your  death, 
and  I  will  not  miss  the  mark  one  time '  in  ten. 
"  Birds  of  a  feather  flock  together." 

I  will  tBll  you  another  thing.  There  is  but  one 
safe  rule  in  this  line.    Do  n't  you  ever  go  with  any 


The  Blessedness  of  Religion.  73 

body  that  will  say  things  you  won't^  that  will  do 
things  you  won't  do.  You  won't  run  with  them 
long  until  you  will  be  doing  those  things  and  say- 
ing those  things  yourself.  Always  hunt  better 
company  than  you  are,  for  when  some  of  us  get  up 
to  ourselves  we  are  with  the  biggest  rascal  in  town 
right  then.  And  that  gets  things  in  a  bad  shape, 
doesn't  it?  1  am  sorry  for  a  fellow  when,  every 
time  he  goes  off  by  himself,  he  is  in  the  worst 
company  he  was  ever  in  in  his  life.  I  will  illus- 
trate that  for  you.  There  was  a  very  stingy  man  I 
once  heard  of  down  in  our  country.  His  wife  was 
a  Methodist,  and  he  would  go  with  his  wife  to 
Church,  but  he  never  would  pay  a  dime  toward  the 
support  of  the  Church.  One  summer  he  professed 
religion  and  joined  the  Church  himself.  Well, 
shortly  after  he  joined  the  Church  the  stewards 
went  over  to  his  house  and  spoke  to  him  kindly 
and  told  him:  "Our  preacher  is  now  in  need  of 
provisions,  and  I  came  over  to  see  if  I  could  get 
some  meat  from  you  for  him."  He  had  a  smoke- 
house full,  and  he  thought  a  minute:  "Why," 
said  he,  "  certainly,  I  will  give  the  preacher  some 
meat."  He  went  out  to  his  smoke-house  while  the 
steward  sat  at  the  window.  He  walked  up  to  the 
smoke-house,  unlocked  the  door,  took  down  a  big, 
fine  ham,  brought  it  about  half-way  to  the  house, 
stopped  and  laid  it  down.  He  looked  at  it  a  while, 
and  turned  around  and  walked  back  to  the  smoke- 
house, got  another  and  came  and  laid  it  down  also. 
Then  he  stood  and  looked  at  it  a  minute,  turned 
back  to  the  smoke-house  and  brought  another.  The 


74  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

steward  was  watching  him^  and  he  looked  down  at 
the  three  hams.  He  heard  him  say :  "  If  you  do  n't 
shut  your  mouthy  you  old  stingy  devil,  I  will  go 
and  give  him  all  the  meat  there  is  in  the  smoke- 
house." The  devil  was  in  him,  and  told  Tiim  every 
time:  "Are  you  going  to  give  away  that  ham?" 
And  the  devil  kept  af^er  him,  and  he  tried  to  hush 
his  mouth  by  putting  down  one  ham  at  a  time,  but 
finally  he  silenced  him  when  he  said :  "  If  you  do  n't 
hush  your  mouth  I  will  give  him  every  ham  in  the 
smoke-house."  And  then  the  devil  hushed.  So  a 
man  can  be  in  bad  company  when  he  is  by  himself. 
"Bad  company  will  ruin  you." 

Above  all  things  we  ought  to  be  careful  about 
the  associations  of  our  children.  If  that  neighbor 
of  yours  is  worth  fifty,  or  seventy-five,  or  a  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  he  may  have  the  worst 
children  in  the  town,  and  yet  you  will  let  those 
children  of  his  come  over  there  and  ruin  yours  be- 
cause he  has  got  a  little  money.  Did  you  ever 
notice  that  streak  of  human  nature?  If  that  neigh- 
bor's son  of  yours  drives  a  ^ne  horse  and  buggy  in 
the  streets  of  this  city  and  belongs  to  one  of  the 
fashionable  clubs,  that  is  all  I  want  to  know  about 
him  or  any  other  man.  It  is  only  a  question  of 
time  when  he  will  be  drowned  in  debauchery  and 
ruin  if  he  is  a  member  of  a  city  club.  I  don't 
care  if  you  are  as  pious  as  Job,  if  you  will  join  one 
of  those  clubs  and  begin  to  run  with  them  I  would 
swap  your  chances  of  heaven  for  those  of  Judas 
Iscariot. 

I  am  determined  to  be  understood,  you  see,  and 


The  Blessedness  op  Religion.    .      75 

you  all  can  disagree  with  me  if  you  want  to;  but 
you  shan  't  run  away  from  here  and  say :  "  I 
declare,  I  did  n't  understand  that  fellow."  You 
shan't  say  that.  I  want  to  make  you  see  what  I 
am  talking  about. 

"Nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners."  O, 
mothers^  look  to  the  company  of  your  children. 
Fathers,  look  to  the  company  of  your  sons.  And 
I  say  to  you  to-night,  whenever  it  becomes  a 
known  fact  that  my  daughters  keep  company  with 
dissipated  young  men  and  my  sons  have  gone  out 
into  bad  company,  I  shall  lose  all  hope  for  the 
future  of  my  children.  O,  stand  by  your  children 
and  protect  them. 

Boys,  listen  to  me.  You  never  can  get  higher 
than  the  company  you  keep.  If  you  would  be 
noble  and  true,  seek  the  best  atmosphere  of  earth, 
and  live  in  it  forever.  Stand  not  in  the  way  of 
sinners. 

In  this  verse,  David  adds,  "  Nor  'sitteth  in  the 
seat  of  the  scornful."  Now,  brethren,  we  notice 
first  he  is  walking  along,  in  the  counsel  of  the  un- 
godly. Well,  when  a  man  is  walking  in  this  way 
he  can  turn  to  the  right  or  turn  to  the  left  by  the 
movements  of  one  set  of  muscles ;  but  you  let  him 
stand  right  still  and  he  has  got  to  move  every  muscle 
in  his  body  to  get  off;  and  then  let  him  sit  down, 
and  nine  times  in  ten  he  is  there  to  stay.  While 
walking  along  in  your  youthful  days,  God's  minister 
used  to  Qome  and  impress  you  and  move  you  and 
turn  you,  but  by  and  by  you  got  to  standing,  and 
then  the  thunders  of  worlds  could  not  shake  you  or 


76  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

# 

turn  you.  Some  of  you  have  reached  the  last  stage, 
the  ante-room  to  hell^  and  that  is  sitting  in  the  seat 
of  the  scornful.  God  pity  a  poor  wretch  that  has 
gone  through  bad  counsel  into  bad  company  until 
finally  he  is  sitting  down  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful, 
where  he  can  laugh  at  the  preacher  and  make  fun  of 
Grod  and  scorn  the  Bible. 

^^Nor  sitteth  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful.'^  A 
man  never  gets  over  t lie  fact  that  he  has  taken  such 
an  attitude  toward  God.  '^  But  his  delight  is  in  the 
law  of  the  Lord.''  I  tell  you,  brother,  when  you 
get  to  where  you  will  like  this  Book,  and  read  this 
Book,  you  are  laying  a  foundation  then.  Young 
boys,  take  this  Book ;  let  your  delight  be  in  the 
counsel,  in  the  law  of  the  Lord.  I  never  think  of 
what  this  Bible  is  to  a  man  but  I  think  of  a  little 
boy.  He  was  the  good  boy  in  the  town,  and  all  the 
boys  recognized  him  as  a  good,  upright  boy.  And 
they  laid  their  traps  to  get  him  drunk.  They  sent 
one  of  the  shrewdest  of  the  bad  boys  to  him,  and 
be  met  him  on  the  street,  and  he  said,  '^  Johnny, 
come  into  the  grocery  and  let  us  have  a  mint  julep." 
Johnny  says,  "O,  no,  I  can 't  go  in  there."  "  Well, 
why  ?"  "  Well,  my  Book  says,  *  Look  not  upon  the 
wine  when  it  is  red,'  much  less  drink  it."  *'  O," 
he  says,  "  I  know  the  Book  says  that,  but  come  in 
and  take  one  drink."  *'Well,"  he  says,  "I  can't 
do  it."  "  Well,  why  ?"  "  Because  my  Book  says, 
^  At  the  last  it  biteth  like  a  serpent  and  stingeth  like 
an  adder.' "  "  O,"  he  says,  "  I  know  the  Bible  says 
that,  but  come  in  and  take  one  drink."  '*  No,"  he 
says,  '^  my  Bible  says,  ^  When  sinners  entice  thee^ 


The  Blessedness  of  Eeligion.  77 

coDseut  thou  not/  ^'  And  the  bad  boy  turned  oflF 
and  left  him^  and  went  over  to  his  companions^  and 
they  said, "  Did  you  see  him  V^  "  Yes/'  "  Did  you 
get  him  to  drink?"  "No,  I  could  nH  get  him  in 
the  grocery."  "  Well,  why  ?"  He  said,  "  That  boy 
was  just  as  chuck  full  of  Bible  as  he  could  be,  and 
I  could  n't  do  a  thing  with  him."  Ah,  brother, 
"  his  delight  is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord." 

No^7,  let  me  give  you  the  germ  of  happiness  that 
may  spring  up  and  be  a  tree  under  which  you  can 
sit  in  its  shade  and  eat  its  fruits.  Listen :  these 
texts,  these  two  verses,  furnish  the  secret  of  a  happy 
life.  I  beg  you,  do  n't  walk  in  the  counsel  of  the 
ungodly !  Do  n't  stand  in  the  way  of  sinners ! 
Do  n't  sit  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful,  but  take  the 
Book  of  God,  make  it  your  counsel,  give  yourself 
to  the  right^  and  live  and  die  for  God. 


Sayings. 

The  roar  of  commerce,  the  click  of  the  telegraph, 
and  the  whistle  of  the  engine  have  well-nigh  drowned 
out  the  voice  of  God. 

We  little  preachers  think  that  we  are  doing  first- 
rate  if  we  take  a  text  and  announce  about  three 
propositions,  and  discuss  them  for  an  hour.  But  do 
you  know  that  Christ,  in  his  sermon  on  the  mount, 
announced  and  discussed  one  hundred  and  twenty 
different  propositions  in  the  compass  of  half  an 
hour? 


78.  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

A  MAN  who  believes  only  in  what  he  can  see, 
doesn't  believe  he  has  got  a  backbone.  I  am  not 
running  on  understanding.  I  could  not  get  to  my 
front  gate  on  understanding,  but  I  could  get  from 
earth  to  heaven  on  believing. 

Going  to  Church  is  like  going  shopping :  you 
generally  get  what  you  go  for — no  more  and  no  less. 
A  woman  will  go  into  a  store  with  a  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars'  worth  of  goods  all  around  her,  buy  a 
paper  of  pins,  and  walk  out ;  that  is  all  she  came 
for.  I  have  seen  the  store-house  of  God^s  grace 
packed  from  cellar  to  ceiling,  and  I  have  seen  men 
go  in  and  gather  up  an  expression  of  the  preacher 
and  go  home. 

If  any  man  does  n't  love  God,  it  is  because  he 
doesn't  know  him.  To  know  him  is  to  love  him, 
and  to  love  him  is  to  serve  him.  And  if  any  man 
on  the  face  of  the  earth  does  not  love  God,  it  is  be- 
cause he  has  not  seen  him  in  all  his  characteristics. 
If  any  man  does  not  love  God  at  all,  it  is  because 
he  has  not  seen  him  at  all.  "  Blessed  are  the  pure 
in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God."  I  have  evidence 
of  God's  presence  all  around  me ;  but  when  I  want 
to  see  God  I  will  go  and  talk  with  him,  and  put  my 
arm  in  his,  and  walk  step  by  step  at  his  side.  Just 
take  the  path  of  Christian  duty,  and  all  along  the 
line  you  will  find  God  at  every  step. 


Sermon  III. 

THE>    JRIQtiTEOUS    AND    THE    WIOKKD. 

"  The  righteous  shall  flourish  like  the  palm-tree ;  he  shall 
g^J-ow  like  a  cedar  in  Lebanon." — Pba.  xcii,  12. 

**  I  have  seen  the  wicked  in  great  power,  and  spreading 
himself  like  a  green  bay-tree." — Pba.  xxxvii,  36. 

WE  narrow  these  two  expressions  which  I  have 
just  read  down  to  this:  ''The  righteous  are 
like  the  palm-tree,  the  wicked  like  a  bay-tree." 
First  let  us  stop  and  ask,  "  What  is  a  palm-tree  ? 
What  is  that  thing  which  I  am  or  ought  to  be 
like?'  The  Eastern  people  boast  of  the  fact  that 
the  palm-tree  is  good  for  three  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-six different  things.  They  say, "  We  live  upon 
its  fruits ;  of  its  sap  we  make  wine  for  medicinal 
purposes ;  its  wood  we  use  for  various  manufactur- 
ing purposes;  its  bark  and  its  roots  we  use  for  this 
and  that ;"  and  they  have  summed  up  all  the  differ- 
ent things  that  the  palm-tree  is  good  for.  They 
say  that  from  its  topmost  sprig  to  the  last  fiber  of 
its  roots  it  is  of  use.  There  is  not  a  particle  of  the 
j>alm-tree  that  is  not  useful,  and  all  over,  through 
and  through,  first  to  last,  it  is  good  for  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy-six  different  things.  "The  right- 
eous are,''  or  ought  to  be,  "like  the  palm-tree," 
good  for  many  different  things,  good  from  top  to 
bottom,  through  and  through,  with  not  a  particle 
of  soul,  body,  or  spirit  that  is  not  good  in  the  serv- 
ice of  God. 

79 


^  I 


80  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

My  Bible  here^  brethren^  looks  upon  me  as  a  sort 
of  trinity  in  unity — a  body,  a  mind,  and  a  spirit. 
Now,  a  man  who  takes  good  care  of  liis  body,  and 
eats  when  he  ought  to  eat,  and  does  so  with  special 
reference  to  the  great  purpose  of  his  existence,  is 
physically  religious.  Then  contemplate  the  mind. 
A  man  who  reads  the  right  books,  and  only  the 
right  books,  and  who  improves  bis  mind  and  grasps 
at  those  thoughts  which  are  ennobling  and  elevate 
him,  is  intellectually  religious.  A  man  who  looks 
after  the  spirit — a  man  who  lives  in  a  spiritual  at- 
mosphere, and  who  abides  in  eternal  life,  and  has 
eternal  life  abiding  in  him  here  and  now — that  man 
is  spiritually  religious ;  and,  brethren,  I  like  a  re- 
ligion that  permeates  a  man  from  the  top  of  his 
head  to  the  sole  of  his  foot.  I  like  a  religion,  a 
Bible,  a  Gospel,  a  system  tliat  looks  after  me  as  I 
am  now— mind,  body,  spirit. 

A  man  who  eats  too  much,  drinks  too  much, 
sleeps  too  much,  or  sleeps  too  little,  is  a  physical 
sinner,  and  he  will  suffer  for  it,  too.  I  do  n't  know 
how  much  he  '11  suffer  for  it  in  the  next  world,  but 
he  '11  catch  it  in  this — no  avoiding  that  I  A  man 
who  punishes  his  mind  sins  against  it.  It  has  its 
life  just  as  the  body  has,  and  needs  nourishment, 
too.  There 's  many  a  starved  mind  in  this  country, 
brethren.  If  I  were  simply  to  feed  my  body  upon 
husks  that  had  no  nutriment,  how  could  I  perpet- 
uate physical  life  ?  If  I  do  not  sit  down  and  eat 
those  things  that  tend  to  produce  strength  and  per- 
petuate life,  in  so  far  am  I  sinning  against  my  body. 
I  wonder  what  those  people  are  doing  that  spend 


The  Righteous  and  the  Wicked.        81 

their  intellectual  hours  playing  cards?  How  much 
mental  food  is  there  in  that  ?  One  evening,  where 
I  was  preaching,  I  denounced  social  card-playing 
and  progressive  euchre.  Let  me  tell  you,  too,  if 
you  play  progressive  euchre — ^and  I  do  n't  care 
whose  son,  whose  wife,  whose  husband  you  are — ^you 
are  a  gambler  as  much  as  any  blackleg  in  this  city. 
You  can^t  play  progressive  euchre  without  the 
"  Booby  prize,"  and  you  can  *t  play  for  a  Booby 
prize  without  putting  up  the  stakes ;  and  if  you  win 
or  lose,  you  are  a  gambler  in  the  sight  of  God  just 
as  much  as  is  the  worst  blackleg  that  ever  cursed 
this  city.  Well,  one  of  the  society  women  who 
heard  me,  a  member  of  the  Church,  said :  "  Why, 
I  ^m  disgusted  with  that  preacher.  I  have  a  con- 
tempt for  him.  How  in  the  world  could  I  interest 
my  husband  at  night  if  I  did  n't  play  cards  with 
him?  It's  the  only  way  I  have  of  amusing  my 
husband."  If  I  were  you,  sister,  I  'd  send  my  hus- 
band to  a  lunatic  asylum,  where  they  have  cards 
for  the  inmates  in  all  the  rooms.  The  Lord  pity  the 
woman  who  has  married  such  an  intellectual  starve- 
ling that  she  has  to  sit  down  and  debauch  her  mind 
to  interest  her  husband. 

Intellectually  religious  I  Thank  God  for  a  sys- 
tem of  religion  that  from  foot  to  scalp  makes  one 
a  holy  man  all  over.  I  like  that  sort!  The  re- 
ligion of  Jesus  Christ  makes  me  eat  just  as  the 
engineer  fires  his  engine — to  get  strength  to  go  on! 
Nothing  more,  nothing  less!  My  intellectual  nature 
calls  for  things  that  bring  out  the  brain  sweat,  and 
fill  the  brain  with  thoughts  like  those  which  God 


82  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

• 
thinks^  and  the  brightest  man  in  this  world  is  the 

man  who  thinks  the  thoughts  of  God. 

I  can  see  how  the  righteous  are  like  the  palm 
tree,  for  they  are  good  all  over,  good  for  many  dif- 
ferent things.  Brother,  how  many  are  you  good 
for  ?  Sister,  get  out  your  pencil  and  a  little  piece 
of  paper,  and  let's  run  the  rule  of  addition  over 
your  life.  Now,  how  many  things  are  you  good  for? 
I  mean  how  many  things  are  you  good  for  relig- 
iously ?  You  can  run  a  world  of  things  outside  of 
your  religious  duty,  but  I  am  talking  about  the 
thing,  religiously.  Now  how  many  of  these  things 
are  you  good  for?  That  sister  yonder  says,  "Wait 
a  minute,  and  I'll  tell  you.  I'm  good  for — I'm 
good — I  'm — I  'm — I' — I — um ;"  and,  brethren,  that's 
just  where  she  '11  get  to.  That  brother  yonder  has 
been  in  the  Church  for  ten  years,  and  he  is  idle  to- 
day, and  God  speaks  every  day  in  his  hearing,  "Gro 
work  in  my  vineyard,"  and  he  stands  there  with 
his  hands  in  his  pockets,  and  says,  "  I  would  go  to 
work  in  a  minute  if  I  only  knew  any  thing  in  the 
world  to  go  to  work  at."  Whenever  you  hear  a 
man  talk  that  way  he 's  a  fool  or  a  rascal,  one,  in- 
evitably ;  and  sometimes  he 's  a  compound  of  both, 
and  then  you  get  him  in  bad  shape  indeed !  Stand- 
ing here  idle  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  and 
there  are  thirteen  hundred  and  fiftv  millions  of  sin- 
ners  in  this  universe!  He's  standing  around  idle, 
with  a  world  sinking,  sinking  down  to  hell,  and  he 
says,  "  I  can  't  find  a  thing  to  do!"  Brother,  wheu 
you  talk  that  way,  you  show  mentally  you  are  a 
blank.     If  you  are  intellectual  at  all,  then  you  are 


The  Righteous  and  the  Wicked.        83 

intellectually  false,  and  you  misrepresent  yourself 
when  you  say,  ^'  I  can 't  find  a  thing  to  do  in  the 
world." 

There  ^8  work  for  you.  Every  sinner  in  this 
town  is  a  good  subject  for  you  to  work  on.  If  I  had 
my  home  here  I  would  n't  say,  "  I  can 't  find  a 
thing  in  the  world  to  do ;"  and  you  M  better  not  go 
to  the  judgment  and  talk  that  sort  of  foolishness, 
for  God  will  say,  "  Did  n't  you  live  in  such  and 
such  a  city  ?"  Good  anywhere — ^good  everywhere ! 
O,  brethren,  the  Lord  gave  us  the  sort  of  religion 
that  doesn't  stand  on  the  banks  of  the  river  and 
shudder  and  shake  with  dread,  and  shrink ;  but  the 
Lord  gave  us  the  sort  of  religion  that  runs  and 
leaps  into  the  current  that  is  lined  from  source 
to  mouth  with  human  wretches.  God  help  us  to 
bring  them  over.  The  Lord  give  us  the  sort  of 
Christianity  that  doesn't  sit  around  with  folded 
hands  waiting  for  something  to  turn  up,  but  give 
us  the  sort  of  Christianity  that  will  pitch  in  and 
pound  the  iron  until  it  gets  red-hot,  and  then  we 
can  shape  it  as  God  wants  it  shaped.  It  will  get 
warm  under  the  blows  of  an  honest,  earnest  heart! 
God  everywhere,  and  God  all  over!  I  want  the 
Christianity  that  makes  every  deed  of  my  life  and 
every  word  of  my  life  a  maxim  for  universal  appli- 
cation, and  as  I  apply  the  maxim  the  world 
grows  better. 

Good  for  three  hundred  and  seventy-six  diflferent 
things  1 1  have  heard  some  brethren  in  the  Church  say, 
"  You  're  all  loading  me  too  heavy.  I  must  help  my- 
self some.  I  'm  going  to  quit  being  deacon.  You  're 


84  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

all  putting  every  thing  on  me/'  Look  here,  brother, 
get  down  on  your  knees  and  count  out  the  three 
hundred  and  seventy-six  different  things  you  are 
good  for  and  busy  at,  and  then  when  you  come  out 
get  the  measure  of  the  palm  tree,  and  then  you  '11 
let  them  put  any  thing  on  you.  There's  some- 
thing wrong  with  the  man  that  lies  down  on  the 
ground  with  his  cross  on  top  of  him. 

I  am  disgusted  with  the  Christianity  that  thus 
breaks  down.  I  look  back  about  eighteen  hundred 
years  ago,  and  I  see  what  the  disciples  of  Jesus 
Christ  went  through  in  order  to  make  their  way  to 
God,  and  to  make  themselves  the  ministers  of  God's 
grace,  and  I  am  ashamed  of  every  officer  of  religion 
we  have  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  Why,  brethren, 
then  they  took  them  out  of  their  homes  and  stripped 
them  and  misrepresented  them,  and  persecuted 
them,  inflicting  stripes  and  imprisonment,  and  cruci- 
fied them.  And  yet  people  are  no  better  now  than 
they  used  to  be.  I  wonder  if  the  difference  is  in 
the  preachers,  and  not  with  the  people?  I  have 
been  hunting  for  a  martyr  for  thirteen  years.  I 
want  to  find  a  martyr ;  a  fellow  that  died  for  the 
truth.  If  I  could  get  him,  I  would  have  a  text 
that  I  eould  make  things  hum  with.  But  I  have 
been  hunting  one  for  thirteen  years,  and  I  have 
never  found  a  martyr  yet.  O,  for  a  Christian  that 
goes  out  to  battle  red-hot,  and  makes  it  so  warm 
for  those  who  sin  that  this  world  would  surrender, 
or  put  that  man  out  of  the  way.  You  can  get  it  in 
that  shape  if  you  want  it.  God  forbid  that  I  should 
bring  a  railing  and  a  scoffing  against  any  preacher. 


The  Righteous  and  the  Wicked.        85 

I  would  not  strike  a  blow  at  you  that  I  would  not 
be  willing  myself  to  receive. 

But  what  IS  the  matter  with  us?  We  want  a 
Christianity  that  walks  right  out.  A  liquor  paper  in 
Georgia  denounces  Sam  Jones  as  a  firebrand.  God 
grant  that  if  ever  I  have  my  name  changed  from 
Sam  Jones  to  "  Firebrand,"  I  may  go  forth  a  fire- 
brand in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  Jesus  said:  ^'I 
am  come  to  send  fire  on  this  earth."  We  need  an 
issue,  brethren — a  clearly  defined  issue,  and  we  must 
have  it,  brethren,  if  we  ever  get  this  city  for  Christ. 
The  devil  now  possesses  it,  and  the  only  road  we 
have  to  take  in  order  to  get  it  from  him  is  the  road 
of  Christ. 

The  Lord  help  every  preacher  in  this  city  next 
Sunday  morning  to  turn  his  guns  on  sin,  and  if  you 
will  bombard  sinners  in  the  right  way,  they  will 
run  up  their  white  flag  within  thirty  days  from  to- 
day. ZiCt  the  pulpit  be  sure  that  it  is  right,  and 
then  go  to  hitting  hard,  and  "carry  the  war  into 
Africa."  Rush  it  right  on.  How  your  enemies  will 
howl,  and  kick,  and  rear,  and  pitch,  and  talk 
about  vulgarity  and  vulgar  witticisms,  and  slang, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  But  I  tell  you, 
brethren,  one  thing,  that  you  will  get  at  the 
meanness  of  them  if  you  will  get  at  them  in 
the  right  way.  Meanness  is  always  cowardly.  One 
good  Christian  can  chase  away  a  thousand,  and  two 
good  ones  put  ten  thousand  to  flight  if  you  will  get 
God  with  you.  I  hope  that  every  newspaper  in  this 
city,  and  every  pulpit  in  this  city  will  get  square  up 
on  the  Ten  Commandments.   They  are  good  for  any- 


86  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

thing  and  every  thing;  good  everywhere,  and  good 
at  all  circumstances.  They  are  good  at  prayer- 
meetings.  They  are  good  at  family  prayer.  They 
are  good  at  visiting  the  sick.  They  are  good  at 
serving  the  needy.  They  are  good  at  helping  the 
weak.     They  are  good  anywhere  and  everywhere. 

O,  my,  how  I  do  like  to  see  a  Christian  that 
knows  his  rights,  let  you  talk  to  him  and  abuse 
him  as  you^will.  How  many  in  this  house  can 
say,  "  I  am  the  Lord's  with  reserved  rights  in  the 
world  ?"  Christianity  is  like  the  man  when  he 
found  the  pearl  of  great  price.  He  sold  out  every 
thing  and  put  it  all  into  the  pearl  of  great  price. 
Brother  and  sister,  have  you  a  reserved  right  in 
Christian  life  ?  Turn  it  all  over  to  God.  Then 
he  will  use  you  for  his  glory  and  your  eternal  good. 
A  reserved  right !  Some  people  promise  to  enter  a 
Church  if  the  preacher  will  not  ask  them  to  pray  or 
to  speak  in  public.  He  takes  them  in  as  a  sort 
of  honorary  members.  And  do  n't  you  honor  ^the 
Church  with  a  vengeance,  you  honorary  mem- 
ber !  A  fellow  told  me  one  night,  "  I  am  going 
out  to  the  Church  to-night,  but  I  want  you  to 
promise  me  that  you  will  not  call  on  me  to  pray.'* 
"  I  won't  make  any  promise,"  I  said.  "  Then  I 
won't  go,"  he  replied.  I  said,  "  I  would  fight  you 
from  now  to  daylight  before  I  would  promise  not 
to  call  on  you  to  do  your  duty.  How  are  you  to 
give  us  an  example  if  you  do  n't  pray  ?"  The  freest 
man  is  the  one  who  is  ready  at  all  times  for  any 
thing  that  God  or  the  Church  calls  upon  him  to 
do.    Brother,  I  would  rather  be  a  whole  Christian 


The  Righteous  and  the  Wicked,       87 

and  do  my  whole  Christian  duty  fifty  times  over 
than  shirk  a  duty,  as  you  do,  once  a  week.  God 
knows  it  is  easier.  He  who  does  otherwise  is  al- 
ways dodging.  He  never  gets  clear  from  fear.  He 's 
afraid  somebody  will  shadow  him  when  he  walks 
out,  and  proclaim  all  he  sees.  You  want  to  be 
good  in  three  hundred  and  seventy-six  things,  like 
the  palm-tree.  Add  up  your  good  things  until  you 
build  up  a  palm-tree  in  heaven.  A  good  Christian 
will  grow  anywhere,  like  the  palm-tree,  which  will 
grow  anywhere  in  its  latitude — in  the  bottoms,  in 
the  marsh,  among  the  rocks,  on  the  hillside. 

Some  people  say,  "  I  can  not  be  good  and  keep 
house."  But  there  is  more  religion  in  the  kitchen 
than  in  the  parlor.  "  I  can  not  be  good  and  be  a 
merchant."  "  I  can  not  be  good  and  be  a  lawyer." 
A  palm  tree  grows  everywhere ;  and  some  of  the 
best  people  that  I  ever  knew  were  hotel-keepers,  were 
lawyers,  were  merchants.  And  every  good  hotel- 
keeper  and  every  good  merchant,  every  good  lawyer 
is  a  demonstration  of  the  fact  that  all  of  them 
could  be  good  if  they  wanted  to  be.  All  can  be  good 
anywhere,  no  matter  what  their  business  may  be. 

Another  thing  about  the  palm-tree.  If  you  plant 
it  in  the  Desert  of  Sahara,  you  will  notice  that  it 
takes  root  and  shoots  out  and  other  palms  grow 
up  around  it,  and  these  draw  moisture,  and  by  and 
by  a  palm-tree  grove  is  spread  around  the  spring 
that  is  formed  in  this  oasis  in  the  desert,  where  the 
weary  traveler  can  stop  and  slake  his  thirst.  A 
good  Christian  is  like  a  palm-tree  in  this  respect. 
When  you  find  one,  another  one  will  grow  up  around 


88  Sam  Jonbb'  Own  Book. 

him.  His  roots  are  like  those  of  the  palm-tree.  They 
just  spring  up  all  around  him^  and  their  moisture 
is  the  river  of  life^  and  these  form  the  oasis  in  the 
desert  of  life,  where  the  weary  traveler  can  slake 
his  thirst  in  the  shadow  of  the  tree  of  life. 

Then  there  is  another  thing  about  the  palm-tree. 
You  can*  take  it  and  bend  it  over  and  press  it 
right  down  to  the  earthy  but  it  shoots  itself  up 
again  toward  heaven.  Poor  Job  said  when  he  was 
smashed  down  in  the  ash  bank,  and  his  wife  put 
additional  pressure  on  his  fall  by  telling  him  his 
breath  was  a  stench  and  his  body  corrupt,  and  told 
him  to  curse  God  and  die,  "Shall  we  receive  good 
at  the  hand  of  God,  and  shall  we  not  receive 
evil?"  "Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in 
him.'*  Glory  be  to  God  that  we  can  be  like  a 
palm-tree.  Let  us  be  like  the  palm-tree — good  ev- 
erywhere and  through  every  day  in  the  week  from 
head  to  foot ;  good  anywhere  you  hitch.  I  like 
that  soft  of  Christianity. 

But  the  wicked  are  like  a  bay-tree.  Do  you 
know  what  a  bay-tree  is?  Now  you  will  find  your 
latitude,  some  of  you.  If  you  have  studied  your- 
self for  hours  you  will  know.  A  bay-tree  is  good 
for  nothing  in  the  universe,  that  we  know  of.  God 
may  see  good  in  it,  but  we  can  not.  In  the  first 
place,  a  bay-tree  will  come  out  and  blossom  as 
prettily  as  any  tree  in  the  land,  but  it  never  has 
any  fruit.  Then  another  thing  about  the  bay- 
tree.  If  I  were  going  out  for  a  load  of  wood  I 
would  drive  five  miles  further  rather  than  try  to 
split  up  a  bay-tree,  it  is  so  hard.     And  another 


The  Righteous  and  the  Wicked.       89 

thing  about  a  bay-tree.  It  not  only  has  no  fruit 
upon  it,  and  not  only  is  it  not  fit  for  wood,  because 
it  is  so  hard  to  cut,  but  it  will  only  grow  down  in  a 
marsh  bottom,  and  is  fit  for  nothing  but  shade,  and 
it  casts  its  shade  just  right  where  the  sun  ought  to 
shine. 

The  wicked  are  like  the  bay-tree.  O,  brethren, 
what  is  a  wicked  mother  worth  to  her  children? 
O,  sister,  what  are  you  worth?  You  will  bear 
and  blossom  out  beautifully  in  your  worldly  life,  but 
you  have  no  fruits  of  righteousness.  You  flower 
best  in  the  marshy  bottoms  of  sin  ;  and  you  are  fit 
for  nothing  but  to  shade,  and  you  shade  the  light 
of  heaven  from  your  precious  children.  God  for- 
give us.  Brother,  is  it  true  that  you  are  a  bay- 
tree?  In  any  heavenly  sense,  are  you  good  for  any 
thing  ?  Good  for  yourself,  or  any  good  for  the  next 
world  ?  O,  brother,  you  flourish  best  in  the 
swamp  of  sin,  and  do  nothing  but  shade,  and  you 
shade  the  light  of  heaven  from  the  precious  ones  in 
your  home. 

Mother  and  sister,  let  us  go  to  our  homes  this 
evening  and  ask  ourselves,  ^'Am  I  like  the  palm-tree^ 
or  am  I  like  the  bay-tree  ?'* 

I  might  talk  an  hour  about  this  subject,  but  we 
have  got  enough  to  think  about.  I  want  to  get  you 
down  to  bottom  rock.  I  want  to  get  you  down  to 
the  roots.  We  want  to  shufiBe  off  the  incrustations 
of  evil  until  we  can  plant  our  feet  on  the  "  Rock  of 
ages,''  and  then  we  will  stand  secure  when  the  last 
storm  has  swept  over  us.  I  know  I  am  not  up,  but 
I  am  down,  and  the  way  up  is  down.    If  you  want 


90  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

to  go  up  start  down.  He  that  humbletb  himself 
shall  be  exalted.  If  you  go  down  deep  enough 
you  will  never  break  off  the  stem.  Go  down  and 
down.  David  said  he  was  brought  low^  and  the 
Lord  helped  him.  Good  Lord,  help  me  to  go 
down. 

And,  brethren,  God  will  help  us  to  see  eye  to 
eye.  Some  of  you  do  n^t  understand  me,  and,  per- 
haps, I  do  n't  understand  you.  But  God  will  help 
to  bring  us  to  where  we  can  see  each  other  face  to 
face;  mark  what  I  tell  you.  There  are  as  good 
people  in  this  house  as  any  that  live  on  this  earth. 
I  have  never  said  otherwise.  I  will  tell  you  another 
thing.  You  tialk  about  living  out  of  the  Church. 
It  is  all  I  can  do  to  live  in  the  Church.  It  is  the 
only  house  that  Christians  have  got ;  and  if  they 
turned  me  out  of  one  I  would  join  the  next  I  came 
to,  and  be  ready  for  the  next  opening  of  the  door ; 
and  if  they  turned  me  out  I  would  go  again.  A 
colored  man  was  noticed  joining  a  Church  every 
time  he  could  get  a  chance.  He  was  asked,  "  What 
makes  you  do  that  way  ?"  He  answered,  "  O,  it 
did  me  so  much  good  the  first  time  that  I  joined 
that  I  want  to  keep  on  joining  every  time  you 
open  the  door."     Thank  God  for  his  grand  Church. 

God  bless  you  and  help  you  to  see  that  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  hope  of  this 
world.  If  that  is  the  truth,  then  let  us  make  the 
Church  what  God  wants  it  to  be. 


Sermon  IV. 

THINK  ON  THESK  THINQS. 

"Finally,  brethren,  whatsoever  things  are  trae,  whatso- 
ever things  are  honest,  whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatso- 
ever things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely,  whatso- 
ever things  are  of  good  report;  if  there  be  any  virtue,  and  if 
there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these  things." — Phil,  iv,  8. 

WE  have  been  misled,  perhaps,  some  of  us,  as 
to  what  Christianity  is.  We  have  heard  much 
on  the  subject  of  the  terms  of  discipleship;  we  have 
heard  a  great  deal  about  repentence  for  sins  com- 
mitted ;  we  have  read  and  heard  a  good  deal  about 
pardon;  we  have  heard  a  thousand  sermons,  more 
or  less,  on  the  subject  of  faith,  and  many  on  the 
subject  of  regeneration  and  sanctification^  but  here 
is  a  clear,  sensible,  philosophical  statement  as  to 
what  Christianity  is. 

St.  Paul  begins  this  verse  with  this  word 
"finally," — ^^^ finally  I  brethren;"  as  much  as  if  to 
say,  "  I  have  written  many  things  previous  to  this, 
I  have  said  many  things  in  your  hearing,  but,  breth- 
ren, you  may  forget  all  I  have  said  and  take  your 
eye  from  off  all  I  have  written  ;  yet  if  you  will  just 
fix  your  mind  and  memory  on  what  I  am  going  to 
say  now  (for  I  will  now  give. you  the  whole  thing 
in  a  nut-shell),  you  can  get  hold  of  this,  it  is 
brought  to  you  clearly  and  plainly." 

As  a  man  thinks,  so  he  is.  What  I  think  to-day 
will  determine  what  I  may  be  doing  to-morrow. 
The  actions  of  this  day  are  the  embodied  thoughts 

91 


92  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

of  yesterday.  Let  me  know  what  you  are  thinking 
about  to-day,  and  I  will  tell  you  what  you  will  be 
doing  to-morrow.  A  man  partakes  of  the  nature  of 
the  thing  he  is  looking  at  with  his  mind  and  eye. 
In  the  presence  of  the  dead,  I  turn  my  thoughts  to 
the  object  before  me,  and  become  saturated  from 
head  to  foot  with  solemnity.  You  may  bring  in  a 
beautiful  bouquet  of  flowers,  and  I  put  my  mind 
and  eye  intently  upon  that  bouquet,  and  the  first 
thing  I  know  my  whole  nature  is  filled  with  the 
aroma  and  beauty  of  the  flowers.  I  partake  of  the 
nature  of  the  thing  I  look  at,  hence  God  tells  us 
he  will  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  and 
heart  is  in  him. 

And,  brethren,  we  have  something  to  do  with 
creation  around  us.  We  partake  largely,  morally  I 
mean,  of  the  world  in  which  we  live.  He  who 
thinks  and  sees  only  goodness,  mercy,  glory,  and 
blessings  with  his  own  eye,  shall  live  and  die  in  a 
perfect  atmosphere  of  heaven.  Brethren,  let's  have 
some  more  of  it  down  here  now.  Let's  not  talk  so 
much  about  hereafter.  I  need  it  here.  This  old 
world  needs  heaven,  your  city  needs  heaven,  needs 
it  implanted  right  down  in  every  street,  in  every 
home,  and  in  every  heart  in  the  community.  And 
I  say  unto  you,  if  you  will,  under  God,  make  your 
city  what  God  intended  it  to  be,  it  will  be  a  suburb 
of  the  city  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 

Think  on  these  things.  And,  after  all,  what  is 
a  thought?  I  am  no  metaphysician,  and  I'm  no 
kin  to  one,  but  we  '11  say  for  the  sake  of  the  argu- 
ment, as  the  lawyers  say,  that  thought  is  the  result 


Think  on  these  Things.  93 

of  an  impression  upon  one  of  the  five  senses.  Now 
we  won't  go  into  the  discussion  of  intuitional 
thought,  that's  a  matter  too  deep  for  me,  but  we'll 
take  things  as  we  see  them.  We  say  all  thought, 
below  the  strata  of  the  intuitional,  is  the  result  of 
an  impression  upon  one  of  the  five  senses.  I  know 
God  has  come  into  my  soul,  but  when  I  touch  in- 
tuitional thought  God  gets  in  without  entering 
through  one  of  the  five  senses,  for  I  do  not  hear 
him  come  in,  I  do  not  see  the  door  open  as  he 
comes  in,  nor  do  I  see  it  close  as  he  goes  out,  and 
yet  I  know  God  has  been  in  there  and  talking  to  me. 

I  see  something  that  puts  me  to  thinking;  I 
touch  something,  and  it  brings  up  a  thought;  I  taste 
something,  and  it  sets  me  to  thinking,  and  so  all  the 
way  through.  The  sense  of  perception  then  looks 
upon  the  scene,  and  the  sense  of  conoeption  then 
carries  me  back  into  my  room  and  shows  to  me 
again,  even  with  my  eyes  closed,  the  picture  I  have 
just  perceived.  Then  judgment  will  measure  and 
weigh  the  picture  for  me,  and  by  and  by  I  turn  it 
to  the  faculty  of  imagination,  and  I  see  her  poise 
on  her  wings,  and  then  go  up,  up,  and  up,  until  she 
goes  above  the  moon  and  the  stars,  and  I  find  my- 
self looking  down  on  towering  spires,  jasper  walls, 
and  pearly  gates  of  the  city  of  God. 

Thought !  .  Well,  if  what  I  see  opens  my  mind 
to  thought,  I  had  better  be  careful  what  I  look  at.' 
If  what  I  touch  opens  my  mind  to  thought,  I  ought 
to  be  careful  what  comes  in  contact  with  my  hands. 
If  what  I  taste  brings  forth  thought,  then  I  ought 
to  be  careful  what  I  taste.     Brother,  be  careful  of 


94  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

what  you  hear,  toacb,  taste,  feel ;  be  careful  of  your 
five  senses.  Think  on  these  things.  Well,  we  say, 
thought  is  an  emotion  arising  from  something  we 
see,  something  we  hear,  something  around  us.  A 
developed  thought  is  ready  for  the  hand,  is  ready 
for  the  tongue,  is  ready  for  the  foot;  that's  the  idea 
of  developed  thought — ^thonght  gotten  into  shape  for 
the  tongue,  for  the  hand,  and  for  the  foot.  A  thought 
will  develop  into  purpose.  You  had  better  look  out 
there,  there's  danger  all  along  that  line.  A  man 
can't  help  evil  thoughts  coming  in,  but  he  can  pre- 
vent them  from  developing  into  a  purpose.  Wesley 
said :  "  I  can't  help  evil  thoughts  from  coming  into 
my  mind  any  more  than  I  can  help  birds  flying  over 
my  head;  but  I  can  help  the  birds  from  building 
their  nests  on  my  head  and  there  hatching  their 
young."  Always  keep  the  back  door  of  your  mind 
open  whenever  you  open  the  front  door,  and  make 
these  evil  thoughts  pass  along,  and  say  to  them : 
"You  can't  stay  until  you  are  developed  into  an 
idea."  I  can't  help  a  tramp  knocking  at  my  front 
door,  but  I  can  prevent  myself  from  asking  him  into 
my  parlor  and  telling  him  to  make  himself  at  home. 
Ten  thousand  evil  thoughts  may  come  in  unawares, 
but  I  say.  You  can 't  stay  here  and  make  yourself  at 
home  and  develop  into  an  idea.  Bad  ideas  are  like 
the  devil ;  he  tries  to  make  your  acquaintance  and 
be  with  you ;  but  he  is  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to 
stay  where  he  is  not  wanted.  I'll  tell  you  another 
thing,  if  the  devil  comes  and  stays  with  you  it  is  be- 
cause you  make  him  at  home  and  treat  him  well 
and  are  kind  to  him. 


Think  on  these  Things.  95 

"Think  on  these  things/'  Now,  brother,  St. 
Paul  said,  if  you  would  be  what  the  honest  aspira- 
tions of  an  honest  soul  would  make  you,  put  your 
mind  and  thought  entirely  upon  the  truth.  Now^ 
just  as  with  the  pictures  of  the  bouquet  and  the 
corpse  I  stirred  my  nature  up,  then  just  so,  by 
thinking  of  God,  I  can  put  myself  in  an  attitude, 
and  keep  there,  until  my  whole  nature  is  stirred 
with  religion  and  truth,  and  when  I  speak  I  speak 
the  truth  just  as  naturally  as  I  breathe.  Truth  is 
always  uppermost  in  the  normal  state  of  man,  and 
no  man  who  is  a  man  of  integrity  will  tell  a  lie 
until  he  rams  back  the  truth  first.  Men  tell  the 
truth  naturally,  but  it  is  unnatural  to  tell  a  lie; 
and  now,  if  I  come  up  those  steps  and  a  man 
shakes  my  hand  and  bids  me  God-speed,  it  is  per- 
fectly natural  for  me  to  say  that  he  shook  my  hand 
and  bade  me  God-speed ;  but  it  is  perfectly  unnat- 
ural for  me  to  say  that  the  man  cursed  me  and 
kicked  me  down  the  stairs.  It 's  natural  to  tell  the 
truth;  it's  unnatural  to  tell  a  lie.  Whenever  a 
man  is  a  cordial  liar  he  has  perverted  his  nature 
from  head  to  foot.  A  liar  is  a  consolidated,  con- 
centrated lump  of  falsehood,  and  when  he  talks  he 
tells  lies  just  as  easily  as  he  lives  in  that  atmos- 
phere. I  despise  a  liar.  I  have  seen  some  men 
who  thought  on  evil  so  much  that  they  could  n't 
tell  the  truth  at  all.  The  man  who  thinks  on  the 
truth,  who  reads  the  truth,  and  fills  his  heart  with 
the  truth,  will  speak  the  truth :  for  out  of  the  abun- 
dance of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh. 

A  man  can  tell  lies  and  never  open  his  lipe;  he 


96  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

can  tell  lies  with  his  hands,  and  he  can  tell  lies 
with  his  feet;  he  can  tell  lies  with  his  eye,  with 
an  expression  of  his  face.  O,  brother,  be  £o  loyal 
to  truth  that  it  will  be  impossible  for  you  to  tell  a 
lie  or  act  a  lie.  And,  brother,  you  can  never  be 
right  unless  you  are  saturated  with  truth  and  on 
the  true  side  of  every  thing. 

God  give  us  truth  if  we  have  any  thing  else  or 
not.  We  need  it  all  over  this  country.  We  want 
men  we  can  bank  on.  If  every  body  in  this  city 
and  State  will  not  tell  another  lie  for  ten  years  it 
will  starve  the  lawyers  to  death  and  put  them  to 
plowing;  no  doubt  about  that.  Now,  I  don't  say 
that  men  of  this  profession  live  upon  the  falsehood 
of  the  world.  They  may  have  to  defend  truth.  It 
is  not  always  a'  lawyer's  duty  in  his  practice  to 
assail  the  opposite  client,  but  it  is  the  noble  duty 
of  a  great  lawyer  to  defend  a  good  man  against  the 
onslaughts  of  unjust  men.  God  give  us  lawyess 
who  scorn  the  wicked  side  and  stand  up  for  justice 
and  truth.  Truth — I  think  in  truth ;  I  saturate 
mind  and  heart  with  truth,  and  then  I  can  speak 
nothing  but  the  truth.  It  ought  to  be  the  normal 
state  of  every  man.  "Whatsoever  things  are 
true!"  Brother,  let's  avoid  evils  of  every  kind; 
let 's  look  out  for  the  things  that  would  lead  a  man 
into  telling  a  lie.  Let  our  utterances  be  truthful, 
and  let  us  die  before  we  tell  a  lie. 

"Whatsoever  things  are  honest  I"  When  I  say 
"  honest "  I  do  n't  mean  simply  a  man  who  pays 
all  his  just  debts,  as  we  call  it.  I  have  heard  of  a 
man  walking  all  across  the  town  to  pay  a  nickel  he 


Think  on  these  Things.  97 

owed ;  but  I  would  n't  trust  that  man  in  my  room 
when  I  was  asleep  if  I  had  a  quarter  in  my  pocket. 
Bless  your  soul,  he  is  often  paying  that  nickel  to 
get  some  hold  for  an  imposition  upon  the  com- 
munity. When  you  let  me  define  that  word,  "  hon- 
esty/' it  is  a  man  who  lives  up  to  his  Convictions, 
and  will  die  by  his  convictions.  That's  what  I 
mean  by  being  an  honest  man.  Many  a  man  who 
has  paid  every  dollar  he  owed  in  this  world  may 
be  put  in  hell  at  last  for  being  a  thief.  You  say 
that  is  a  mighty  strong  expression;  but  thefc  is  the 
unlawful  taking  of  the  property  of  another  without 
his  knowledge  and  consent.  You  can  steal  from  a 
man  when  he  is  looking  at  you  as  well  as  you  can 
when  he  is  asleep  if  you  just  cover  up  some  fact  in 
the  trade,  and  thereby  carry  your  point;  but  may  be 
you  would  have  seen  the  covered  point  if  you 
yourself  had  not  been  working  your  tricks  to 
gouge  him. 

Dishonesty !  Down  in  my  State  I  had  my  mind 
directed,  two  or  three  times,  to  a  man  of  whom 
every  one  said:  "There  goes  an  honest  man."  I 
thought,  a  time  or  two,  I  'd  walk  out  and  take  his 
hand  and  ask  him  if  he  did  n't  feel  lonesome  in  this 
country.  He  was  a  cotton  buyer,  and  he  would  pay 
to  the  most  ignorant  negro  as  much  for  his  cotton  as 
to  the  shrewdest  white  farmer.  An  honest  man 
going  around  by  himself  in  broad  daylight  I 

I  was  in  a  store,  in  a  circuit  I  was  on  once,  when 
a  farmer  came  in  to  get  some  plow-points.  He  had 
just  moved  into  the  settlement,  and  it  was  the  first 
or  second  time  he  had  been  to  town.     He  came  into 

9-B 


98  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

the  store  and  he  asked  the  proprietor :  ''Are  these 
plow-points  tempered  hard  enough?*'  "No/'  said 
he;  "I  think  not.  I  tried  some  of  them^  and  they 
are  soft."  When  the  farmer  had  gone  out  I  said  to 
the  proprietor,  "Why  did  n't  you  tell  that  man  that 
the  plow-points  were  well  tempered  and  hard,  and 
would  do  the  work  he  required  of  them?  Why, 
you  told  him  the  naked  truth,  and  missed  a  sale; 
you  're  a  strange  man."  But  I  tell  you  one  thing: 
just  as  long  as  I  staid  in  that  community  that  man 
had  a  customer  who  would  spend  his  last  dollar 
with  him. 

Tell  the  naked  truth — the  naked  truth  that 
makes  a  man  honest.  Do  you  know  where  we  get 
that  expression,  "  the  naked  truth  ?"  The  old  story 
is  that  Truth  and  Error,  a  long  time  ago,  went  in 
bathing  together.  It  isn't  told  what  Truth  was 
doing,  but,  while  bathing.  Error  ran  out  of  the 
water  and  pnt  on  Truth's  clothes,  and  ran  off  with 
them  on ;  and  when  Truth  saw  that  Error  had  taken 
all  of  her  clothes,  she  said :  "  I  have  nothing  left  to 
put  on  but  the  clothes  Error  has  left;  but  before  I 
will  put  those  on  I  will  go  naked  the  balance  of  my 
life."  Since  that  time  we  have  had  the  plain  naked 
truth,  and  I  never  want  any  clothes  on  it. 

"Whatsoever  things  are  just" — I  like  a  just 
man.  Brother,  you  hear  people  say,  "  You  had 
better  be  just  before  you  are  generous."  It's  a 
great  deal  harder  to  be  just  than  it  is  to  be  gener- 
ous. I  could  pull  out  ten  dollars  and  give  it  to  a 
poor  woman,  and  I  do  n't  miss  it,  and  it  does  n't 
bother  me.     But  to  be  just  to  all  mankind,  that 's 


Think  on  these  Things.  99 

another  tiling.  I  tell  you  what  it  is:  it  is  a  great 
deal  easier  to  give  fifty  dollars  to  an  orphans'  home 
than  it  is  to  be  just.  I  hurt  my  little  boy's  feelings, 
and  take  little  Bobbie  in  my  lap,  precious  little  fel- 
low, and  say,  "  Son,  forgive  your  father  for  hurting 
your  feelings."  It 's  a  great  deal  easier  to  be  gen- 
erous than  it  is  to  beg  your  little  boy's  pardon  for 
your  harshness  and  meanness. 

Justice !  It  is  very  easy  for  a  man  to  be  gener- 
ous, but,  brother,  have  you  the  justice  in  you  to 
implore  the  forgiveness  of  a  wife  for  an  unkind 
word  uttered?  If  I  infringe  on  the  rights  or 
feelings  of  others,  then  I  will  go  to  them  and  do 
right  by  them. 

"  Whatsoever  things  are  pure  " — ^pure  in  word, 
pure  in  your  life,  pure  in  all  manner  of  conversa- 
tion, in  every  thing.  Observe  it — ^purity  I  purity  I 
purity ! 

We  want  purity !  purity !  I  tell  you,  ray  brother, 
if  a  man  lives  pure  and  acts  pure  and  is  pure,  he  is 
good  in  the  best  sense — in  the  most  refined  sense. 
Purity  is  like  the  little  ermine,  with  its  hair  and 
skin  as  white  as  the  driven  snow;  and  when  its 
capture  is  sought,  its  path  to  its  home  is  made  dirty 
and  muddy,  and  when  the  little  animal  reaches  the 
mud  and  dirt  it  lies  down  and  subjects  itself  to  cap- 
ture and  death  before  it  will  besmirch  one  of  its 
beautiful  white  hairs.  I  want  to  say  to  the  Chris- 
tian world,  rather  let  us  lie  down  and  subject  our- 
selves to  capture  or  to  death  than  besmirch  our 
character  as  Christians  by  any  contact  with  the  sins 
of  the  world.    God  make  us  pure  on  earth.    God 


100  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

bless  you  and  take  you  under  his  care^  and  God 
help  you  to  live  so  that  if  you  put  your  head  under 
the  block  and  it  is  severed  from  your  body,  God 
will  be  there  to  pick  it  up  and  put  a  crown  of  ever^ 
lasting  life  on  it. 


Sayinos. 


The  fellow  who  believes  only  what  he  can  un- 
derstand does  n't  believe  there  is  a  muley-headed 
cow  in  the  universe.  I  revere  him,  but  I  will  not 
imitate  him. 

If  I  had  a  ^^  creed/'  I  would  sell  it  to  a  museum. 
Creed  shows  itself  in  the  wars  of  the  last  few  hun- 
dred years.  It  was  over  creed  that  men  fought,  and 
not  over  Christ.  Orthodoxies  are  what  have  ruined 
this  world. 

I  ONCE  made  this  proposition  :  If  there  is  a  man 
in  this  house  who  feels  in  his  heart  that  nobody 
prays  for  him,  I  want  him  to  give  me  his  hand,  and 
leave  here  with  the  assurance  that  one  prays  for 
him.  It  is  something  to  know  that  some  one  prays 
for  me.  The  most  lonely  feeling  that  overtakes  an 
immortal  spirit  on  its  pilgrimage  to  eternity  is  the 
feeling  that  nobody  prays  for  him. 


Sermon  V. 

R  E  SX     INOHRIQT. 

''Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and 
I  will  give  you  rest.    Take  my  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of 
me ;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
unto  your  souls.    For  my  yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden  is 
light"— Matt,  xi,  28-30. 

THE  first  clause  of  this  portion  of  Scripture  which 
we  read  is  an  invitation.     ^*  Come  unto  me.^' 
• 

Christ  was  not  oqly  a  divine  Savior,  but  he  was  as 
truly  a  divine  philosopher.  Christ  was  not  only  a 
physician  in  the  sense  that  he  had  remedies  for  the 
race,  but  he  was  a  philosopher  in  the  sense  that  he 
understood  the  condition  of  the  race.  He  not  only 
knows  the  remedies  for  man's  ills,  but  he  knows 
what  your  ills  are  in  every  sense  of  the  word. 
There  is  a  great  deal,  brethren,  in  a  physician  hav- 
ing the  case  thoroughly  in  hand.  In  sickness  in  my 
own  home  I  have  sent  for  our  old  family  physician. 
I  have  great  confidence  in  his  medical  skill  and 
ability.  And  when  I  see  that  my  child  is  very  sick, 
I  watch  the  doctor  as  closely  as  I  do  th^  child.  I 
never  feel  satisfied  about  my  little  one  until  I  can 
see  an  expression  of  confidence  on  the  doctor's  face. 
And  I  will  tell  you  when  that  expression  of  confi- 
dence comes.  It  is  the  very  instant  when  the  doc- 
tor sees  he  has  the  case  thoroughly  in  hand,  that  he 
understands  the  nature  of  the  disease  afflicting  the 

child. 

101 


102  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

All  physicians  will  tell  you  that  the  greatest 
trouble  in  their  practice  is  with  little  children.  If 
you  ask  them  why — ^as  it  is  a  fact  that  the  system 
of  a  child  will  respond  to  treatment  much  more 
readily  than  tho'se  of  grown  people  and  old  people — 
they  will  say :  "  The  great  trouble  in  the  manage- 
ment of  a  child  is  in  the  diagnosis — to  find  out 
what  is  the  matter  with  the  little  fellow.  If  I  know 
just  exactly  what  his  trouble  is,  I  know  what  to  do 
with  him."  And  there  is  where  the  skill  comes  in. 
Bight  at  that  point  a  good  doctor  will  beat  a  sorry 
one  in  finding  out  what  is  the  matter.  The  sorriest 
doctor  knows  exactly  what  to  do  if  he  knows  what 
is  the  matter.  What  is  the  trouble?  Locate  it, 
and  when  the  trouble  is  located  and  named,  then 
any  physician  knows  exactly  what  the  remedy  is. 

Now,  brethren,  I  thank  God  there  is  a  great 
Physician  that  diseased  humanity  can  apply  to,  and 
apply  to  with  the  most  unbounded  confidence.  He 
not  only  knows  the  remedies,  what  the  "  balm  in 
Gilead  "  is,  but  he  knows  jus£  exactly  what  is  the 
matter  with  every  one  of  us.  He  can  put  his  finger 
on  the  spot  that  hurts  you  to-night,  and  he  knows 
what  it  is  as  well  as  you  know  your  name.  There, 
you  poor,  broken-down  wagon  of  humanity.  He 
knows  what  part  is  broken.  He  knows  whether  it  is 
axle  or  tongue;  he  Knows  whether  it  is  spoke  or 
hub.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  knows  just  exactly 
where  you  have  broken  down ;  and  that  is  not  all. 
He  has  in  the  great  store-house  of  his  remedies  the 
very  thing  at  hand  to  supply  you  and  make  you 
every  whit  whole. 


Best  in  Christ.  103 

And  now,  brother,  you  can  go  and  apply,  or 
answer  to  the  call  of  this  great  Physician.  We 
generally  call  our  doctor  when  we  are  ill,  but  in 
this  case,  blessed  be  Christ,  he  calls  us,  "Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and 
I  will  give  you  resf  He  does  not  say,  "Go  to 
that  Church,''  or  "  this  priest,"  or  "  that  rector," 
or  "  this  pastor,"  but  "  Come  to  me."  These  are 
the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  "  Come  unto  me."  I 
am  so  glad  it  is  a  call  from  a  person  to  a  person. 
There  is  not  much  theory  about  this.  And  after 
all,  brethren,  when  you  come  to  weigh  this  question 
aright  it  is  not  creeds  and  dogmas  that  saves  men. 
It  is  the  name  of  Christ,  and  he  is  the  only  name 
and  the  only  power  in  the  universe  that  can  save 
a  man. 

**  The  great  Physician  now  is  near, 
The  sympathizing  Jesus," 

and  he  bids  you  come  to  him.  He  knows  yon. 
He  knows  what  your  trouble  is  and  where  your 
pain  is,  and  he  has  the  remedy  at  hand.  "  Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden." 

Well,  that  invitation  takes  us  all  in.  There  are 
but  two  classes  in  the  world.  The  first  class  are  the 
decent,  respectable,  law-abiding,  clever  folks  that 
want  to  do  right,  and  do  their  best  to  get  to  heaven. 
Well,  now  Christ  says  to  them, "  Come."  And  then 
there  is  another  class  that  are  very  heavy  laden. 
Their  cry  is,  "  I  have  sinned  and  done  wrong,  I  am 
guilty  before  God  and  man.  I  lay  no  claims  to 
righteousness.  I  break  down  under  the  law."  Now, 
Jesus   looks   at  them   and   says,   "Come   to   me." 


104  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

And  after  all,  brethren^  we  need  a  sovereign  remedy, 
every  one  of  us. 

Now  "  come  to  me,  and  I  will  give  you  rest/'  It 
18  peace  to  come.  It  is  yours  to  come,  and  it  is  his 
to  give  the  rest.  "  Come  unto  me,  ye  that  labor  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  What 
does  this  world  want  anyhow?  Years  and  years  I 
struggled  and  toiled  and  suffered,  and  I  didn't 
know  what  I  wanted.  If  you  had  asked  me  I 
could  n't  have  told  you  to  save  my  life.  But  I  will 
say  this,  when  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  took  me  in  his 
arms  and  gave  me  rest,  then  I  said,  "  Glory  to  God, 
this  is  the  thing  I  wanted.  I  didn't  know  what  I 
wanted,  but  if  this  is  rest,  then  it  is  rest  I  wanted  ex- 
actly." Poor,  tired,  ruined  wretch !  Rest  I  wanted ! 
Best  I  And  I  will  tell  you,  brethren,  about  all  the 
rest  from  the  cares  and  the  troubles  in  this  life  is 
when  you  pillow  your  head  og,  the  blessed  Christ. 

That  is  where  rest  is.  I  recollect  when  I  went  to 
Corinth,  Mississippi,  I  was  broken  down  in  strength 
and  I  had  only  a  week  to  stay.  I  told  the  brethren 
I  would  have  to  preach  four  times  a  day  in  order 
to  get  through  with  my  work.  It  was  midsum- 
mer. I  had  been  working  incessantly  and  preach- 
ing four  times  a  day,  and  preaching  right  along, 
and  about  the  first  day  I  said  to  my  wife,  jogging 
on  to  the  Church,  "  I  believe  I  will  ask  them  to  let 
me  sit  down  and  preach  to-night.  I  can 't  stand 
up;  I  haven't  strength."  She  said  she  would  ask 
them ;  they  would  n't  care.  I  went  on  to  Church 
and  got  up  and  read  my  hymn,  and  we  sung  and 
prayed,  and  I  got  up  and  took  my  text  and  preached 


Rest  in  Cheist.  105 

longer  than  sixty  minutes^  and  the  Lord  bathed  my 
soul  and  body  in  a  perfect  sea  of  heavenly  rest. 
And  I  preached  an  hour,  and  ran  about  all  over 
that  immense  building  that  night  until  about  eleven 
o'clock,  and  then  went  to  the  house  where  we  were 
stopping,  and  pillowed  my  head,  and  in  five  minutes  I 
was  sound  asleep.  The  next  morning,  ailer  sleep- 
ing eight  hours  on  a  stretch,  I  woke  up  and  turned 
to  my  wife  and  said  I  did  n't  feel  as  if  I  had  struck 
a  lick  in  six  months,  and  I  believe  it  was  weeks 
and  weeks  after  that  before  I  had  a  conscious  sense 
of  tiredness  upon  me.  And  I  tell  you,  my  breth- 
ren, this  blessed  rest  will  come  to  a  man.  In  the 
tiredest  moments  of  my  life  I  have  gone  home  to 
my  room  sometimes  and  lain  down,  and  I  said,  "I 
am  so  tired  I  can  't  sleep  to-night.  O,  how  truly 
tired  I  am."  And  I  would  lie  there  a  few  moments, 
and  directly  the  restful  praises  of  heaven  woruld 
begin  to  play  all  over  my  soul.  I  would  lie  still  so 
far  as  I  might  as  they  passed  over  me  backward 
and  forward,  and  I  said  to  myself,  "  I  wish  this 
night  was  a  thousand  hours  long  and  I  couldn't 
sleep  a  wink.  God  give  me  this  kind  of  rest." 
Bathed  in  that  bliss  I  woke  up  the  next  morning, 
and  it  was  the  same  delightful  sensation  playing  all 
over  my  soul.  Brethren,  I  tell  you  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  has  the  keys  to  the  great  storehouse 
of  rest,  and  can  rest  the  soul  in  the  sweetest  and 
divinest  rest. 

"  I  will  give  you  rest."  Well,  that  is  what  we 
all  want.  That  is  what  you  want,  friends.  That  is 
just  what  you  need.    You  have  known  all  the  time 


106  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

you  needed  something,  but  you  did  n't  know  what 
it  was.  But  if  you  ever  get  rest  you  will  realize 
that  this  is  the  thing  you  wanted.  Rest  I  "  I  will 
give  you  rest."  And  what  more  does  he  say? 
"  Take  my  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  me,  for 
I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart;  and  ye  shall  find 
rest."  There  is  a  given  rest  and  there  is  n  found  rest. 

There  is  a  difference  between  rest  and  resting. 
First  the  Lord  gives  us  resting.  You  see  a  man 
who  comes  in  from  his  field  after  plowing  all  day, 
and  sits  down  quiet  in  his  cabin  home  with  his 
arms  folded.  I  ask,  "  What  are  you  doing?"  He 
says,  "  I  am  resting."  "  Then,  what  are  you  going 
to  do  ?"  "  I  am  going  to  get  up  and  eat  my  supper^ 
and  do  something."  Just  as  soon  as  a  man  is  rested 
he  begins  then  his  activity  again. 

A  man  that  is  resting  must  be  quiet.  The 
Lord  Jesus  gives  us  rest  from  guilt  and  soul-quiet. 
When  we  are  rested,  then  the  natural  instinct  is 
to  get  up  and  go  at  something.  Take  the  yoke 
and  find  rest.  The  grandest  rest  in  this  universe 
is  the  found  rest;  the  rest  in  activity,  the 
rest  in  movement,  the  rest  in  doing  something; 
that 's  it.  I  have  sat  in  my  own  State,  as  well  as 
other  States,  on  a  grand  engine,  with  twelve  or 
fourteen  passenger  coaches  attached,  and  heard  its 
exhaust  noise,  and  felt  its  powerful  influence  as  it 
moved  the  ti*ain  along.  It  looks  as  if  it  do  n't  need 
any  rest  at  all.  It  has  been  pulling  us  two  hun- 
dred miles,  and  it  rolls  on  as  grandly  as  it  did 
when  it  first  started.  ^^Ah,  Mr.  Jones,"  says  the  en- 
gineer, "she  takes  her  rest  better  when  she's  flying 


Rest  in  Christ.  107 

on  the  track  trying  to  make  her  destination  on 
time/'  I  tell  you, 'my  brother,  the  soul  goes  on  its 
way  to  God,  and  takes  its  greatest  rest  when  it  is 
bringing  other  souls  to  God  with  it. 

Praise  the  Lord  I  What  are  you  good  for?  A 
great  many  people  think,  "Well,  I  will  just  look 
after  myself,  and  I  will  take  care  of  myself,"  and 
the  Lord  knows  that  that  is  the  biggest  job  a  fel- 
low can  undertake — ^to  look  after  himself.  I  would 
rather  try  to  run  this  city  than  try  to  run  myself — 
to  sit  up  with  myself.  What  is  a  man  worth  that 
won't  do  any  thing  but  look  after  himself?  Sup- 
pose the  president  of  the  grand  trunk  railroad 
had  an  engine  that  could  run  by  itself  siitty  miles 
an  hour,  and  would  run  as  smooth  as  a  die,  but 
wouldn't  pull  any  thing  else;  how  long  do  you 
reckon  he  would  keep  that  engine?  How  much 
would  he  value  it  at?  He  wouldn't  value  it  any 
more  than  a  scorpion.  He  would  just  tell  the  mas- 
ter machinist:  "You  just  take  that  engine  to  pieces 
and  throw  it  into  the  scrap-pile."  Just  show  me  a 
man  that  can  not  run  any  thing  but  himself,  and 
I  '11  show  you  humanity  not  fit  for  any  thing  but 
the  devil's  scrap-pile. 

Brothers,  go  out  and  do  something  for  God  and 
humanity,  and  find  the  grandest  rest  that  ever 
stirred  a  mortal  soul.  Go  out  and  go  to  work  if 
you  want  to  find  rest.  You  see  that  little  brooklet 
as  it  flows  along,  winding  its  way  through  fields 
and  villages,  and  turning  around  mountains,  until 
finally  the  little  streamlet  says :  "  I  am  so  tired ;  I 
have  been   rolling  and  running,  and  leaping  and 


108  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

jamping  ever  since  I  was  born  into  this  world,  and 
I  am  so  tired.''  A  kind  friend  throws  an  obstruc- 
tion across  its  bosom,  and  makes  a  dam  across  it. 
And  it  stops  still  to  pile  its  placid  waters  up,  and  I 
see  it  resting  as  quietly  as  a  forest  on  a  summer's 
afternoon.  Then  I  see  the  water  piling  higher  and 
higher,  and  the  little  streamlet  is  sleeping  so  nicely, 
and  it  sleeps  on  and  on,  and  by  and  by  it  breeds 
miasma,  mosquitoes,  and  frogs,  and  a  great  many 
things;  and  it  says:  ^'I  have  slept  too  long;  turn 
me  loose  and  let  me  go  again."  And  they  open  the 
dam  and  the  brook  rushes  on  and  turns  the  factory 
wheels,  and  runs  on  and  on,  doing  its  work  and 
making  music  as  it  goes. 

Brother,  a  few  years  ago  I  was  so  tired,  I  had 
run  so  long,  and  had  been  a  sinner  so  long,  when 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  laid  his  hand  lovingly  upon 
me  and  said :  *^  Have  rest  I"  And  soon  my  soul 
was  bathed  in  the  sea  of  heavenly  rest,  under  the 
powerful  influence  of  his  love.  He  removed  all 
obstructions,  and  turned  me  loose  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  every  creature,  "that  he  that  believeth 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  may  be  saved."  Thank 
God,  he  bids  us  go  on  our  way  rejoicing  every  day. 

"  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  for  my  yoke  is  easy." 
The  yoke  is  an  emblem  of  subordination,  of  servi- 
tude. See  that  wild  ox  roaming  out  in  the  forest. 
He  comes  when  he  pleases,  and  he  goes  when  he 
pleases  and  where  he  pleases.  He  eats  and  drinks 
when  he  wants  to.  But  go  out  there  and  bring  that 
ox  in,  and  let  man  control  him;  then,  when  his 
master  says  go  he  has  to  go,  and  when  he  suys  stop 


Rest  in  Christ.  109 

he  has  to  stop;  and  he  permits  him  to  eat  and  drink 
when  he  thinks  it  proper  to  do  so.  When  his  mas- 
ter bids  him  to  lie  down  he  lies  down.  Look  here! 
that  ox  has  changed  his  whole  nature.  He  is  now 
submissive  under  the  yoke.  Look  at  that  man.  He 
won't  work;  he  will  do  as  he  pleases;  but  now  he 
takes  the  yoke  of  Christ  upon  him^  and  says: 
"  Speak,  Lord,  thy  servant  heareth." 

There  is  the  difference  between  the  Christian 
and  a  sinner.  **  Take  my  yoke  upon  you  and  learn 
q{  me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  ye 
shall  find  rest  for  your  soul ;  for  my  yoke  is  easy 
and  my  burden  is  light."  Thank  Grod  that  there 
are  so  many  to  testify  to  that  I 

Religion !  If  I  were  young,  or  if  I  were  old ; 
if  I  were  rich,  or  if  I  were  poor ;  if  I  were  living, 
or  if  I  were  dying;  if  I  were  in  heaven,  or  if  I 
were  on  earth,  I  would  want  religion.  Religion  is 
the  best  thing  on  earth,  and  there  is  nothing  in 
heaven  that  will  surpass  religion.  Let's  have  it 
now,  and  let's  have  it  every  day,  and  work  our 
way  to  the  better  world.  Religion  is  like  a  beauti- 
ful casket.  A  man  takes  one  home  to  his  wife,  and 
she  puts  it  on  the  center-table  in  the  parlor,  and 
friends  come  in,  and  she  shows  it  to  every  one,  and 
they  say,  '^O,  how  beautiful  it  is!"  But  one  day 
the  woman  picks  it  up  and  touches  a  secret  spring, 
and  when  the  lid  flies  open  for  the  first  time  she 
sees  that  it  is  not  the  inlaid  casket  on  the  outside, 
but  the  gem  inside,  that  makes  it  lovely.  Religion, 
with  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  is  like  so  many 
diamonds  inclosed  in  this  old,  wretched  nature  of 


110  Sam  Jones'  Own  BdoK. 

ours.  It  is  beautiful  to  the  world  in  its  outer  ap- 
pearance; but^  when  Christ  touches  the  hidden- 
springs  then  heaven  itself  opens  up  in  all  of  its 
glory  to  the  eyes  of  the  faithful.  Glory  to  God  for 
it!  May  God  give  it  to  you,  and  may  he  bless 
every  one  in  this  house. 


Sayings. 

He  has  either  a  mighty  long  head  or  a  mighty 
short  creed  who  believes  only  what  he  under- 
stands. 

Many  a  fellow  is  praying  for  rain  with  his  tub 
the  wrong  side  up.  God  can  not  fill  a  tub  when  it 
is  wrong  side  up  without  inverting  the  law  of  grav- 
ity. God  is  holding  up  his  clouds  for  you  while 
you  are  holding  your  tubs  the  wrong  side  up.  Turn 
them  up  and  push  them  under  the  eaves  if  you  want 
them  to  be  filled,  for  the  shower  is  coming. 

Life,  with  its  three-score  years  and  ten,  is  said 
to  be  like  a  tale  that  is  told ;  like  grass  that  grow- 
eth  up, in  the  morning,  and  is  cut  down  and  wither- 
eth.  Life  is  but  one  step  from  the  cradle  to  man- 
hood, but  one  step  from  manhood  to  old  age,  and 
but  one  step  from  old  age  to  the  grave.  The  few 
moments  spent  here  to-night  are  but  a  few  moments 
we  spend  on  our  way  to  the  bar  of  God. 


Sermon  VI. 

GOD'S  QRACK  SUKKICIENT. 

"  And  lest  I  should  be  exalted  above  measure  through 
the  abundaDoe  of  the  revelations,  there  was  given  to  me  a 
thorn  in  the  flesh,  the  messenger  of  Satan  to  buffet  me,  lest 
I  should  be  exalted  above  measure.  For  this  thing  I  be- 
sought the  Lord  thrice,  that  it  might  depart  from  me.  And 
he  said  unto  me,  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee :  for  my 
strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness." — 2  Cor.  xii,  7-9. 

WE  ask  your  attentioDy  especially  to  these  words : 
"  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee."  The  devil 
is  a  cunning  and  an  artful  adversary.  His  first 
effort  on  humanity  is  to  make  us  believe  that  we 
are  strong  enough  and  that  we  are  good  enough 
without  any  religion^  thai  we  are  all  right,  and  we 
needn't  give  ourselves  any  trouble;  we're  as  good 
as  any  body ;  a  first-class  fellow ;  but  by  and  by  we 
become  possessed  with  an  idea  that  we  are  not  so 
strong,  and  not  so  good,  and  not  so  pure.  The  fact 
of  the  business  is  that  when  we  reach  the  conclusion 
of  a  sensible  and  wise  man^  we  say^  ^'  I  am  not  good 
at  all  —I  am  not  strong  at  all,"  and  then  the  devil 
takes  that  fact  and  works  on  it  and  says :  "  You  're 
too  mean  and  too  weak  to  travel  and  to  talk  about 
being  good." 

How  many  thousand  men  who  walk  the  streets 
of  this  city  have  been  possessed  of  one  of  these  ideas 
to  their  ruin  and  to  others'  ruin !  The  first  thing  a 
man  so  possessed  says,  is:  "I'm  all  right — I  don't 

need  any  help— I  don't  want  any  Christ  to  die  for 

111 


112  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

me.  I  do  n't  ask  odds  of  any  body.  And  the  next 
thing  you  see,  the  poor  fellow  has  jirtnj)ed  clear  over 
on  the  proposition,  and  says,  ^'  Now,  there  is  n't  any 
use  of  my  trying;  I'm  the  meanest  man  in  the 
world,  the  wickedest  and  of  the  least  account.  If 
I  just  thought  there  was  any  chance  for  me  I 
would  n't  mind  starting.  The  fact  is,  I'm  so  low 
down,  and  so  weak,  there's  no  chance  for  me  at  all." 

Now,  I  want  to  say  to  yon,  brother,  that  of  the 
two  cases  I  prefer  the  latter.  There  is  no  hope  at 
all  for  a  fellow  who  believes  he  is  all  right,  when 
he  is  n't.  That  man  is  hopelessly  lost  while  in  that 
condition,  but  I  have  great  hopes  for  a  fellow  that 
has  touched  bottom  on  the  other  side,  and  who  feels, 
'^I  am  not  right,  I'm  not  pure,  nor  good,  and  I 
have  n't  strength  to  be  so,  though  I  want  to  be  right." 

I  sat  this  morning  a  half-hour  talking  to  an 
honest  man.  I  believe  he  was  an  honest  and  a  true 
man.  He  said,  '^  Mr.  Jones,  I  have  indulged  in  sin 
and  been  -so  depraved  that  I  have  lost  my  will 
power.  I  want  to  be  good.  I  want  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian and  to  abandon  my  sins.  I  want  to  live  right 
and  get  to  heaven.  But,  Mr.  Jones,  my  will  power 
is  gone."  I  wish  every  Christian  in  this  house  and 
all  these  preachers  could  say,  "  I  have  lost  my  will 
power."  Their  case  is  mighty  hopeful  then.  They 
can  then  say,  "All  my  will  is  swallowed  up  in  Thy 
will.  Now  I  will  consult  the  will  of  God  and  bid 
good-bye  to  my  will  and  accept  the  will  of  God  and 
the  truth  of  God."  I  wish  the  whole  universe 
would  lose  its  will  and  have  its  will  swallowed  up 
in  the  will  of  God. 


Gob's  Grace  Sufficient.  113 

Now,  here,  we  have  a  case  before  us  to-day. 
Paul  was  largely  like  some  of  us,  in  that  he  once 
felt, '^ I  am  all  right  now;  I  am  blameless;  I  never 
did  contrary  to  right ;  I  live  on  the  straight  edge  ;'* 
but  the  time  came,  when  in  hopeless  despair  he  fell; 
and  when  he  arose  he  said :  ^^  Though  I  am  a  Phar- 
isee of  the  Pharisees,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  I 
count  all  these  as  nothing  compared  to  the  excel- 
lency of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus,  my  Lord/' 

Paul  seemed  to  have  been  in  need  of  this  sub- 
dued condition  of  his  will.  He  had  been  exalted  to 
the  third  heaven,  and  had  heard  the  unspeakable 
words  which  it  is  not  lawful  for  a  man  .to  utter;  his 
ears  had  been  touched  with  the  music  of  heaven; 
but  at  last  he  came  down  from  these  towering 
heights.  Like  Paul,  the  deeper  down  you  go  the 
more  Artesian  power  will  be  added  to  the  current 
of  your  life.  There  are  many  little  shallow  wells 
in  this  country,  with  a  great  many  wiggle-tails  in 
them.  You  all  do  n't  know  exactly  what  that  means. 
We  do  in  iSouth  Georgia.  In  some  places  down 
there  they  keep  a  long-handled  gourd — ^they  do  n't 
need  any  bucket  or  rope  for  a  man  can  dip  his 
water  out  of  the  well — but  in  one  place  in  South 
Georgia  there  is  a  long-handled  gourd  and  a  pine 
knot  at  the  well.  The  pine  knot  is  very  much 
worn.  The  first  thing  they  do  when  they  want  to  get 
water  out  of  the  well,  is  to  knock  against  the 
wooden  sides  with  the  pine  knot  to  make  the  wig- 
gle-tails sink,  so  that  they  can  dip  the  water  up, 
free  from  them.     And  there  are  many  preachers  in 

this  country  that  have  to  use  the  pine  knot. 
10— B 


114  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

O,  brother^  we  will  go  into  the  deepest  depths 
and  go  up  into  the  highest  heights,  but  there  are 
depths  and  heights  in  piety  I  know  nothing  about. 
There  are  heights  in  divine  life  I  never  have 
reached.  There  are  beauties  in  Christian  experi- 
ence that  you  and  I  know  nothing  about.  O, 
brother,  let^s  go  down  in  humility,  in  contrition,  in 
honest  confession  before  God. 

Now,  when  you  find  a  fellow  away  down,  re- 
member David  said,  ^'  I  was  brought  low  and  the 
Lord  helped  me.''  The  Lord  fishes  on  the  bottom, 
and  if  you  want  to  get  to  his  bait  and  hook,  you  've 
got  to  get  right  on  the  bottom,  brother.  '^I  was 
brought  low  and  the  Lord  helped  me."  Now,  St. 
Paul  had  been  high  and  he  had  been  low.  We  find 
him  here  on  a  very  low  plain.  "There  was  given 
to  me  a  thorn  in  the  flesh,  the  messenger  of  Satan 
to  buffet  me.'' 

What  was  that  thorn,  do  you  know?  I  am 
glad  I  do  not  know.  I  am  glad  no  human  being 
knows  just  what  that  thorn  was.  Some  of  the  wise 
men  say  the  thorn  in  St.  Paul's  flesh  was  the  fact 
that  his  eyesight  was  defective.  For  you  know 
when  he  fell  under  the  convicting  power  of  God,  he 
was  blind  three  days  and  nights,  and  they  tell  us 
his  eyesight  was  never  entirely  restored,  and  that 
that  was  the  thorn  in  his  flesh.  Perhaps  as  he 
walked  the  streets  the  people  said,  "  There  goes  old 
half-blind  Paul,  trying  to  teach  people  the  way  to 
heaven.  Just  look  at  him !"  This  was  trying  to  a 
sensitive  nature  such  as  his.  Others  have  said  that 
the  thorn  in  St.  Paul's  flesh  was  a  defect  in  one  of 


God's  Grace  Sufficient.  llf; 

his  legs^  by  reason  of  which  he  had  to  limp  as  he 
went  through  the  world^  carrying  the  Gospel^  and 
then  perhaps  they  would  say  as  they  saw  him, 
"Watch  old  Paul  now,  hobbling  along^  trying  to 
show  the  people  how  to  get  to  glory.  He  is  a  nice 
fellow  trying  to  teach  people."  The  fact  that  he 
was  lame  was  indeed  a  sore  trial  to  him,  and  then 
to  be  scoffed  at  on  account  of  his  infirmity  was  in- 
deed sad.  Another  wise  man  tells  us  that  he  thinks 
the  thorn  in  St.  Paul's  flesh  was  the  continued  sup- 
pression of  the  ambition  of  his  nature.  Paul  was 
eminently  a  great  man.  God  never  made  a  greater 
man,  intellectually,  morally,  or  spiritually  than  St. 
Paul.  I  measure  his  head  and  his  heart,  and  I 
do  n't  know  which  is  the  bigger.  If  you  will  find  me 
a  man  who  has  a  great  deal  of  brains  and  no  heart, 
I  will  find  you  a  stolid,  sound,  solid,  decent,  dog- 
matic doctor  of  divinity  that  has  not  won  a  soul  to 
Christ  in  twenty  years;  but  there  is  one  thing  he 
will  do, — he  will  "contend  for  the  faith  once  de- 
livered.'' And  he  is  giving  a  falsehood  to  his  own 
proposition,  "  contending  for  the  faith  once  de- 
livered." It  ought  to  be  for  the  faith  delivered  ten 
thousand  times. 

Brother,  I  reckon  we  need  these  men  in  the 
world.  I  have  never  been  wise  enough  to  know 
why  these  men  go  all  to  head.  There  is  a  woman, 
they  say,  in  the  show  who  is  nearly  all  gone  to  feet, 
but  it 's  a  sad  sight  to  see  a  fellow  gone  altogether  to 
head.  He  would  wear  a  number  thirty  hat,  I  sup- 
pose, and  his  head  would  weigh  fifty  pounds  and 
bis  body  forty.     That 's  out  of  proportion.    Brother, 


116  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

it  'a  the  head  and  the  heart  together  that  we  are  to 
look  at,  and  this  grand  man  had  both. 

And  now  to  curb  the  ambition  of  his  nature,  St. 
Paul — ^the  Saul  of  Tarsus,  with  a  world  stretched 
out  before  him,  with  powers  to  succeed  in  any  direc-r 
tion,  with  qualifications  equal  to  the  grandest  accom- 
plishments in  life — ^is  chained  in  the  eyes  of  the  world 
to  the  humble  and  despised  Nazarene  and  his  truths. 

I  do  not  think  it  was  the  defect  in  his  eye- 
sight; I  do  not  think  it  was  his  lameness.  I  do 
not  think  it  was  suppressed  ambition  or  sub- 
dued ambition.  You  ask  me  what  it  was — this 
thorn  in  his  flesh.  I  say  I  do  not  know.  Look 
here.  If  suppressed  ambition  were  all  my  trouble^ 
I  could  get  along  finely.  If  it  were  only  lameness, 
I  could  hobble  along.  If  it  were  defect  in  my  eye- 
sight, I  could  put  up  with  that.  But  I  tell  you, 
brother,  every  man  in  this  world  has  some  supreme 
thorn  in  his  flesh,  and  he  can  cherish  the  blessed 
thought,  "  May  be  this  was  the  very  thing  that 
crushed  St.  Paul's  spirit,  and  brought  him  so  low  to 
the  mercy-seat." 

Now,  what  your  thorn  is  I  do  not  know,  but 
there  is  not  a  person  here  to-day  without  a  thorn. 
You  know  there  is  something  you  never  talk  about, 
never  mention  to  any  human  being  on  the  face  of 
the  earth.  Did  you  ever  notice  that  ?  You  may 
talk  a  great  deal,  yet  there  is  something  you  keep 
to  yourself.  There  are  some  moments  when  God 
alone  can  take  our  arm  and  walk  with  us,  or  we 
would  not  go  right. 

Paul  did  not  tell  what  his  thorn  was.     He  might 


God's  Grace  Sufficient.  117 

have  saidy  '^  I  am  suffering  more  than  angels  can 
bear/^  "What  is  your  case ?  "I  can  not  tell  you 
about  it;  I  want  your  sympathy  and  prayers." 
Where  is  the  man  who  has  not  carried  a  thorn  in 
his  flesh  of  which  he  has  never  spoken  ?  I  know 
that  I  have  gotten  a  great  deal  of  consolation  in  my 
distressed  moments  in  the  thought  that  **  Welli  after 
all,  may  be  this  thing  that  pressed  so  sorely  on  the 
life  and  character  of  this  great  man — may  be  I  am 
to  bear  that." 

Now,  brother,  St.  Paul  carried  this  thorn  in  his 
flesh,  the  messenger  of  Satan,  to  buffet  him.  He 
carried  it  until  he  felt  in  his  heart,  "  I  can  carry  it 
no  longer."  Have  n't  you  been  right  there  ?  Have 
you  not  felt  that  you  must  be  relieved,  or  you  would 
die?  St.  Paul  reached  that  point.  What  did  he 
do?  St.  Paul  looked  at  this  whole  trouble,  and 
then,  when  the  world  and  his  friends  had  turned 
their  backs  upon  him,  he  fell  on  his  knees  and 
prayed,  "  O,  Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  let  this  depart 
from  me ;  I  am  overloaded."  He  got  up  off  his 
knees  and  said :  "  I  get  no  relief  in  prayer.  If 
angels  don't  help,  humanity  won't.  My  friends 
turn  their  backs  on  me.  What  must  I  do  ?"  And 
he  dropped  on  his  knees  the  second  time,  and  said, 
"  O,  Lord,  do  have  mercy  upon  me."  And  he 
prayed  earnestly,  and  got  off  his  knees  the  second 
time,  and  there  was  the  thorn  still  in  his  flesh,  with 
all  of  its  unspeakable  pain.  He  looked  at  the  world ; 
his  friends  turned  back  from  him ;  and  at  the  angels, 
and  there  was  a  moment,  perhaps,  when  he  said, 
"O,  what  can  I  do?"    And  St.  Paul  dropped  the 


118  Sam  Jonk'  Own  Book. 

third  time  on  his  knees.  And  there  is  -a  charm  in 
this  third  prayer^  brother;  and  imagine  the  third 
prayer  of  St.  Paul,  and  the  blessed  Christ,  as  he  stood 
at  the  Father^s  side  and  said :  '^  Father,  something 
must  be  done.  I  recollect  the  third  time  I  prayed 
in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane.  I  remember  when  I 
had  prayed  once  and  got  up,  I  found  my  disciples 
all  asleep,  and  I  awoke  them,  and  when  I  went  into 
the  garden  a  second  time,  and  came  back,  I  found 
them  asleep  again,  and  I  went  all  alone  and  almost 
hopeless  into  the  garden,  and  kneeled  down  the 
third  time,  and  the  bloody  sweat  burst  from  my 
body,  and  how  I  prayed  that  the  cup  might  pass 
from  me,  and  that  I  might  be  fanned  with  the  wings 
of  thy  love.  O,  Father,  I  recollect  that.  Some- 
thing must  now  be  done."  And  I  imagine  the 
great  God  stood  up  in  the  presence  of  the  angels, 
and  looked  over  the  parapets  of  heaven,  reached 
down  and  put  his  thumb  on  the  thorn  in  St.  Paul's 
flesh,  and  drove  it  up,  and  said,  ^'  My  grace  is  suffi- 
cient for  thee.''  And  St.  Paul  stood  up,  and  has 
never  said  a  word  about  that  thorn  from  that  day  to 
this.     Thank  God  I 

"My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee."  That's  it, 
brother ;  that 's  it. 

I  tell  you,  my  brother,  to-day,  whatever  your 
supreme  trouble  is,  whatever  may  be  the  thorn  you 
are  carrying,  go  to  God  with  it.  If  God  does  not 
pluck  it  out,  he  may  drive  it  to  the  very  head,  but 
he  will  say, "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee."  When 
we  go  to  God,  and  he  puts  his  hand  on  that  thorn, 
and  drives  it  up,  and  says,  "  My  grace  is  sufficient 


God's  Gbace  Sufficient.  119 

for  thee/'  trust  him  and  he  will  give  yoa  strength. 
When  you  are  weak  you  are  going  to  be  strength- 
ened under  him. 

Thank  God,  I  say,  that  there  are  weak  moments 
in  our  lives.  Then  God  shows  his  power  and  love. 
May  God  help  you  to  trust  in  him,  and  help  you  to 
see  that  whatever  your  thorn  is  he  will  take  care  of 
it  for  you. 


Sayinos. 

Repentance  is  the  first  conscious  movement  of 
the  soul  from  sin  toward  God. 

Christ  always  lives  where  there  is  room  for  him. 
If  there  is  room  in  your  heart  for  Christ,  he  lives 
there ;  if  there  is  room  in  a  law-office  for  Christ,  he 
lives  there ;  if  there  is  room  in  your  store  for 
Christ,  he  lives  there ;  if  there  is  room  on  a  loco- 
motive engine,  he  will  be  there ;  if  there  is  room  in 
your  baggage-car,  he  will  be  there.  Everywhere 
there  is  room  for  him ;  he  will  come  into  our  homes, 
and  into  our  stores,  and  into  our  shops,  and  on  our 
engines,  and  in  our  oars — ^that  is,  if  we  will  provide 
room  for  him. 


Sermon  VII. 

WHAT    AVAIT    I    KOR? 

"And  now,  Lord,  what  wait  I  for?    My  hope  is  in 
thee."— PsA.  xxxix,  7. 

"T  T  THAT  wait  I  for  ?**  Here  is  a  very  practical 
VY  question,  and  a  very  wise  conclusion;  and 
we  notice,  first,  that  it  is  a  personal  ^question.  It 
is  not,  What  is  this  city  waiting  for?  not.  What  is  my 
neighbor  waiting  for?  not.  What  is  my  wife  waiting 
for,  or  my  children  waiting  for,  but  "  What  wait  I 
for?''  It  is  a  personal  matter  at  last;  nobody  can 
believe  for  you ;  nobody  can  repent  for  you ;  no- 
body can  join  the  Church  for  you ;  nobody  can  be 
baptized  for  you;  nobody  can  shoulder  the  cross 
for  you ;  nobody  can  die  for  you ;  nobody  can  stand 
before  the  judgment  throne  for  you ;  nobody  can  be 
bound  hand  and  foot  and  cast  out  for  you ;  nobody 
but  you  can  wear  the  starry  crown  that  may  be 
yours.  O,  if  we  could  just  get  men  to  think  per- 
sonally about  this  question : 

''As  soon  as  I  from  earth  shall  go 
What  will  become  of  me  ? 
Eternal  happiness  or  woe 
Must  then  my  portion  be." 

O,  how  can  a  man  be  religious  without  making 
it  a  personal  fhatter?  How  can  a  man  write  a  re- 
ligious epistle,  as  St.  Paul  did,  without  putting  a 
great  deal  of  the  first  person  singular  in  it  ?    If  a 

120 


M.  J.  MAXWELL. 


What  Wait  I  Fob?  121 

man  talks  out  of  his  heart  he  appears  egotistical. 
If  a  man  sits  down  and  writes  out  of  his  heart  he 
appears  egotistical.  Somehow  or  other^  though^  if 
you  take  that  "  I^'  out  of  your  head  you'll  be  ego- 
tistical ;  but  when  the  "  I,"  and  the  "  my,"  and  the 
"  me  "  come  out  of  the  heart  there  is  really  no  ego- 
tism in  it. 

"  What  wait  I  for  ?"  "  Well/'  that  man  sitting 
back  there  says :  "  I  '11  tell  you  what  I  'm  waiting 
for:  I'm  waiting  for  time  to  consider  this  great 
question.  It  is  a  momentous  question.  I  do  n't 
believe  a  man  ought  to  hurry  into  a  thing  of  this 
sort ;  and  I  believe  if  there  is  any  thing  that  ought 
to  demand  the  most  painstaking  care  and  coolest 
thought  and  meditation  it  is  this  great  step.  This 
is  an  important  point  to  me,  and  I  tell  you  I  'm 
waiting  for  time  to  consider  this  question."  Con- 
sider what?  Look  here!  Do  you  want  any  time 
to  consider  whether  it  is  better  to  live  right  than  to 
live  wrong?  Do  you  want  any  time  on  a  proposi- 
tion like  that?  Do  you  want  any  time  to  consider 
this  proposition :  ^^  Is  it  better  to  live  and  be  a  good 
man  than  it  is  to  be  a  bad  man  ?"  How  much  time 
do  you  want  to  consider  that  question  in  ?  Why, 
there  is  not  a  sensible  man  forty  years  old  that 
did  n't  settle  the  question  twenty-five  years  ago  that 
right  is  right,  and  he  ought  to  do  it ;  that  wrong  is 
wrong,  and  he  ought  not  to  do  it;  that  it  is  better 
to  be  good  than  it  is  to  be  bad ;  that  it  is  better  to 
go  to  heaven  than  it  is  to  go  to  hell ;  and  yet  some 
one  says:  "I  want  time."  Look  here,  brother:  is 
that  wise?  is  that  sensible?    When  I  look  at  the 

il— B 


122  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

infinite  goodness  of  God  and  his  numberless  calls  to 
men  to  lead  a  better  life^  and  I  look  at  what  an 
infinite  cheat  the  devil  is,  and  always  has  been, 
that  is  the  most  ridiculous  proposition  that  a  mortal 
man  ever  made  in  his  life.  Want  time  to  consider 
this  great  question! 

"What  wait  I  for^  "Well,"  says  another, 
"I  'm  waiting  for  better  terms.  You  preachers  and 
the  Bible  are  too  hard  on  us  poor  fellows.  I  'm 
waiting  until  the  day  comes  when  I  can  drink 
whisky,  and  tell  lies,  and  dance,  and  play  cards,  and 
do  as  I  please,  and  be  a  Christian  man  at  the  same 
time.  Whenever  that  time  comes  around  you  can 
put  my  name  on  the  roll."  Now,  brother,  if  you 
want  an  easy  religion,  some  of  the  Churches  in  this 
town  will  accommodate  you.  That  is,  they  will 
accommodate  you  as  far  as  they  run  their  train. 
There 's  a  great  deal  in  that.  There 's  many  a 
little  short  branch  road  in  this  country,  and  they  Ve 
trying  to  advertise  them  as  grand  trunk  lines  to 
Glory.  But,  brother,  there  ^s  only  one  grand  trunk 
line  to  Glory,  and  the  only  terminus  of  that  grand 
trunk  line  is  Conviction  and  Repentance.  The 
next  station  along  the  route,  as  you  move  up  the 
line,  is  Conversion.  That^s  a  beautiful  city.  I 
stopped  there,  and  found  grand  accommodations. 
The  next  station  on  that  line  is  Obedience.  You 
never  spent  a  day  in  a  happier,  brighter  town  than 
that.  A  little  further  along  the  line  is  Brotherly 
Love,  and  this  line  just  runs  through  the  garden 
spot  of  the  universe.  When  you  step  aboard  that 
train   once  you  step  aboard  with  a  through  ticket, 


What  Wait  I  Fob?  123 

and  your  baggage  checked^  and  do  n't  get  off  any- 
where. I  believe  the  Methodist  train  on  this  route 
stops  occasionally  and  lets  off  passengers  that  do  n't 
want  to  go  through.  But  I  pray  God,  if  the  Meth- 
odists of  the  city  ever  get  going  again  fifty  miles 
an  hour  they  will  never  stop  any  more,  and  if  a 
fellow  is  fool  enough  to  jump  off  you  let  him  go ! 

O,  how  I  wish  every  man  here  to-night  could 
see  that  the  terms  of  Christianity,  the  terms  of 
apostleship,  are  just  about  these:  Quit  every  thing 
that  ever  degraded  a  mortal  man,  or  ever  led  a  soul 
astray,  and  then  do  the  thing  that  will  help  human- 
ity and  bless  the  world.  The  terms  of  discipleship 
are  about  these :  "  Cease  to  do  evil ;  learn  to  do 
well,"  and  I,  for  one,  am  glad  that  the  Lord  won't 
take  a  man  until  he  agrees  to  do  the  clean  thing. 
I  am  so  glad  God  told  me,  ''You  have  got  to  quit 
drinking.^'  If  the  Lord  had  said, ''  I  will  take  you  in, 
but  you  can  drink  on,''  I  should  to-night,  it  may  be, 
have  been  in  a  drunkard's  grave  and  in  a  drunkard's 
hell.  I  am  so  glad  the  Lord  imposes  conditions 
that  must  be  agreed  to  if  a  man  wants  to  be  religious. 

Another  says :  "  I  '11  tell  you  what  I  am  waiting 
for:  I'm  waiting  for  the  Church  of  God  to  get 
right."  Yes,  and  you'll  be  in  hell  a  thousand 
years  before  that  thing  ever  happens.  You  can 
put  that  down.  It  never  has  been  right.  When 
Jesus  called  his  twelve  apostles  aside  aud  conse- 
crated them  to  the  work  of  their  discipleship,  one 
of  them  had  a  devil ;  and  I  think  we  're  getting  on 
first-rate  if  we  have  twelve  hundred  members  and 
have  but  a  hundred  devils  in  the  whole  number. 


124  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

If  there  's  any  thing  in  the  world  that  disgusts 
me,  it  is  to  see  an  old  sinner  walk  into  the  Church 
and  take  out  the  lamest,  shortest,  erookedest,  tri- 
flingest  old  member  we  have  got,  and  measure  with 
him.  Why  does  n't  he  pull  out  a  first-class  member, 
and  measure  with  him?  He  wouldn't  go  within 
a  mile  of  him.  If  he  were  to  lie  down  by  his  side, 
he  'd  look  like  a  little  rat  terrier  lying  by  an  ele- 
phant. I  say,  in  the  name  of  sense,  brother,  what 
do  you  want  to  bother  with  the  hypocrites  in  the 
Church  for  ?  Listen  to  me.  Those  mean  members 
in  the  Church  are  cast  into  hell,  to  live  with  the 
wicked  forever.  Come  into  the  Church  and  live 
with  the  hypocrites,  anyhow,  for  twenty  or  thirty 
years  here,  and  go  on  to  heaven  and  be  rid  of  them 
forever.  That 's  my  doctrine.  Hypocrites  ain't  in 
my  way.  I  have  put  them  all  behind  me.  Noth- 
ing can  be  in  my  way  unless  it's  ahead  of  me. 
I  '11  tell  you,  whenever  you  hear  a  man  talking 
about  hypocrites  being  in  his  way,  it 's  because  he 's 
in  the  rear  of  the  hypocrites,  and  that's  mighty  low 
ground,  isn't  it? 

"I  want  the  Church  to  get  right."  Brother^ 
let 's  you  and  I  tote  our  own  skillets,  and  let  every 
body  else  alone.  What  do  you  say?  When  it 
comes  to  working,  and  striving,  and  toiling  with 
other  men,  I  want  to  do  what  I  can  to  help  every 
man  to  be  good,  but  you  can  't  talk  the  meanness 
out  of  some  men,  because  they  take  their  meanness 
as  a  reason  why  they  're  mean.  Talking  about 
hypocrites  as  being  in  your  road,  you  're  mighty  far 
back  if  that 's  the  case.     '^  Waiting  for  the  Church 


What  Wait  I  Foe?  125 

• 

to  get  right.''  Stop  all  such  talk  as  that.  There 
are  enough  good  people  in  the  Church  to  form  fel- 
lowship with  you,  and  help  you  to  God  if  you  want 
to  go^  thank  God. 

Another  man  says :  "  Well,  I  'm  not  waiting  for 
the  Church ;  I  've  got  through  that.  The  Churches 
ain't  bothering  me.  I  used  to  talk  a  heap  about 
them,  but  since  I  have  got  a  good  look  at  myself  I 
have  never  been  bothered  much  about  other  folks' 
meanness."  And  there  is  a  good  deal  in  that,  too. 
An  old  member  of  the  Church  said  to  me  one  day, 
"  Jones,  my  trouble  is  this — I  can 't  love  my  neigh- 
bor as  I  do  myself."  Said  I,  "You  can't?"  He 
answered, "  No,  I  can  't."  "  Well,"  said  I,  "  I  have 
never  had  any  trouble  on  that  score."  "  How  did 
you  work  it  ?"  he  asked.  "  Well,"  said  I,  "  I  got 
a  good  look  at  myself  thirteen  years  ago,  and  I  . 
have  n't  met  a  man  since  that  I  did  n't  think  more 
of  than  I  did  of  Sam  Jones."  Why,  I  am  getting 
along  finely  on  that  line.  O,  me,  if  you  ever  get  a 
good  look  at  yourself,  then  you  are  going  to  think 
more  of  every  body  you  meet  than  you  do  of  your- 
self. You  let  all  other  people  alone.  Every  tub 
must  stand  on  its  own  bottom.  I  am  responsible  to 
God  at  last  for  myself,  and  for  no  other  being  in 
the  universe. 

"  But,"  says  another,  "  I  am  waiting  for  feeling. 
If  I  ever  get  feeling,  then  I  am  going  to  start." 
Look  here!  The  dog  is  running  on  feeling.  When 
he  feels  like  running  rabbits  he  will  run  them,  and 
when  he  does  n't  he  won't.  If  I  were  you,  and  had 
made  up  my  mind  to  run  on  feeling,  I  would  run 


126  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

rabbits  the  balance  of  my  life.  I  think  I  would 
make  that  my  business. 

A  man  waiting  for  feeling  is  like  a  fellow  sitting 
down  by  the  big  oak  tree  in  the  morning.  It  is  a 
frosty^  cold,  crisp  morning.  He  is  sitting  there  by 
the  tree,  with  an  ax  leaned  up  against  his  knee. 
I  ask  him,  "  Friend,  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?" 
**  I  am  going  to  cut  down  this  tree  and  maul  it  into 
rails."  «  You  are  ?"  ''  Yes."  «  Well,  why  do  n't 
you  get  up  and  go  at  it?"  "  I  am  waiting  to  sweat." 
"  Well,  if  you  will  get  up  and  go  to  cutting,  you 
will  sweat."  "  I — I  ain't  going  to  cut  a  lick  until 
I  sweat,"  and  he  just  sits  there  until  he  freezes  to 
death.  Now,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  a  fel- 
low like  that? 

Feeling  is  the  result  of  religious  exercise,  just  as 
perspiration  is  the  result  of  physical  exercise.  But 
I  can  prescribe  feeling  for  you  now,  if  you  are 
honest  about  it. 

You  stir  around  and  begin  to  right  the  wrongs 
you  have  done  in  this  city.  '  Go  and  try  to  bring 
-character  back  to  the  one  that  you  have  robbed  of 
her  character.  Go  and  take  that  money  that  you 
have  defrauded  another  man  out  of,  and  count  it 
out,  and  say :  "  Sir,  I  got  this  wrongfully.  I  am 
sorry  for  it.  Here  is  your  money."  You  will  have 
feeling. 

Look  here,  what  do  you  mean  by  feeling,  any- 
how ?  Listen;  if  you  mean  serious  thought^  then  I 
say  you  are  right.  Have  n't  you  got  serious  thought, 
and  have  n^t  you  had  it  for  several  days,  on  the 
subject   of  religion  ?     Then,   brother,  that   is   all 


What  Wait  I  For?  127 

the  feeling    that    a   sensible    man   wants — serious 
thought. 

Another  says,  "  Well,  I  am  not  waiting  for  feel- 
ing; I  am  waiting  until  I  know  I  can  get  through." 
Now,  we  get  to  the  serious  part  of  this  question. 
Brethren,  I  always  had  an  infinite  horror  of  starting 
to  be  a  Christian  and  then  stopping.  I  preferred 
waiting  until  I  got  religion  enough  to  take  me  clear 
through  before  I  started.  Now  let  me  illustrate 
that  for  you.  Once  I  was  going  out  of  Atlanta. 
Just  before  the  engine  backed  down  to  couple  on 
the  passenger  train,  I  was  walking  out  around  the  en- 
gine. I  wanted  to  look  at  the  magnificent  locomo- 
tive that  would  pull  us  out  toward  my  home.  The 
engineer  was  oiling  it  up.  Directly  he  looked  up 
in  the  cab  and  said  to  the  fireman,  '^  Have  you  got 
steam  enough  to  start?"  The  fireman  answered, 
"Yes."  I  walked  back  and  peeped  around  at  the 
steam  gauge  and  I  saw  he  had  about  seventy  or 
eighty  pounds  of  steam,  and  about  three  minutes 
later  he  rolled  his  engine  back  and  coupled  on  to 
the  passenger  train  and  rung  his  bell  and  moved 
out.  When  I  got  on  that  train,  I  thought,  "  Well, 
it  is  strange;  it  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
miles  to  Chattanooga,  and  a  great  deal  of  it  up 
grade,  and  that  engine  carries  one  hundred  and  sixty 
pounds  of  steam,  and  he  left  here  with  eighty  pounds. 
1  wonder  what  in  the  world  is  the  matter  with 
those  men  ?  What  do  they  mean  ?"  Well,  then  I 
got  to  thinking.  The  engineer  never  asked  if  he 
had  enough  steam  to  run  to  Marietta,  twenty  miles, 
nor  enough  to  run  to  Cartersville,  fifty  miles^  nor 


128  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

enough  to  run  to  Chattanooga,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  miles,  but  he  asked,  "  Have  you  got 
enough  to  start  with?^'  Then  the  fireman  said  yes, 
and  off  he  started.  And  Chattahoochee  River  was 
sixty-seven  miles  from  Atlanta,  and  just  before  we 
got  to  the  river  the  engine  turned  around  the  curve, 
and  why,  she  was  blowing  off;  she  had  more  steam 
than  she  wanted ;  she  had  more  than  one  hundred 
and  sixty  pounds.  Then  I  got  to  thinking  this 
way  :  Suppose  that  engineer  had  stopped  and  waited 
in  Atlanta  until  he  Jiad  steam  enough  to  run  to 
Chattanooga.  That  would  have  blowii  the  engine 
into  ten  thousand  pieces ;  she  could  n't  have  held  it 
to  save  the  world,  do  n't  you  see.  And  there  is  a 
little  fellow  out  there  who  is  waiting  for  enough  re- 
ligion to  take  him  to  glory,  but  before  he  could 
turn  a  wheel,  if  he  could  get  that  much  into  his 
little  soul,  it  would  blow  it  into  ten  thousand 
pieces. 

Do  n't  wait  to  get  enough  religion  to  take  you 
to  heaven.  Do  n't  wait  to  get  enough  to  take  you 
half-way  to  heaven,  or  ten  years  on  the  way  to 
heaven  ;  but,  brother,  have  you  got  enough  to  start 
with?  That's  it.  Well,  how  much  is  enough? 
Wrong  is  wrong;  I  will  quit.  Kight  is  right;  I 
will  go  at  it.  That  is  steam  enough  to  start  with. 
If  you  will  pull  your  throttle  wide  open,  and  move 
out,  you  will  be  blowing  off  before  you  get  half- 
way to  heaven. 

But  now  let  us  step  back  on  the  right  side  of 
this  question.  "  What  I  wait  for  ?  My  hope  is  in 
(Jod."     Well,  brother,  here  is  the  great  soul-stirring 


What  Wait  I  For?  120 

thought  of  the  whole  thing.  When  I  first  started 
out  they  could  have  said  to  me,  "  Jones^  you  are  as 
weak  as  a  bruised  reed ;"  but  I  would  have  told  them, 
"O,  I  know  that,  but  my  hope  is  in  God."  If  they 
had  said  to  me,  ^'  Joaes,  you  will  have  ten  thousand 
temptations,"  I  would  have  said,  "  O,  I  know  that, 
but  my  hope  is  in  God."  They  could  have  said  to 
me,  "  O,  Jones,  I  tell  you,  you  have  undertaken 
a  task  that  is  a  great  one  indeed ;"  but  I  would  have 
told  them,  ''I  know  that,  but  my  hope  is  in  God." 
"Jones,  you  will  fail  a  thousand  times."  "  Well,  I 
may,  but  I  want  you  to  know  that  my  hope  is  in  God, 
in  God."  If  my  hope  had  been  in  money,  I  could 
not  have  bought  a  hope.  I  had  nothing  to  buy  it 
with.  If  my  hope  had  been  in  my  wife — and  she 
has  been  all  the  world  to  me;  she  has  been  like  a 
crutch  under  each  one  of  my  arms,  carrying  me 
along  for  seventeen  years — I  might  have  had  to  bury 
her,  and  then  my  hope  would  have  been  buried  for- 
ever. Suppose  my  hope  had  been  in  my  children, 
the  time  might  have  come  when  I  would  bury  the 
last  one  of  them,  and  then  my  hope  would  have 
perished  with  them.  Suppose  my  hope  had  been  in 
the  preachers,  the  time  might  have  come  when  they 
would  all  turn  their  back  on  me,  and  then  my 
hope  would  be  departed.  Suppose  my  hope  had 
been  in  the  Church,  the  time  might  have  come  when 
the  Church  would  drive  me  away  from  her  presence, 
and  then  I  would  be  driven  away  from  my  hope. 
fiut  hear  me,  brother,  my  hope  is  not  in  wife,  dear 
as  she  is;  nor  in  children,  precious  as  they  are;  nor 
in  the  Church,  as  blessed  in  her  influence  as  she  is 


130  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

•  to  me ;  nor  in  the  preachers,  whom  I  love  more  than 
all  other  men  in  the  world;  but  thanks  be  unto 
God,  my  hope  is  in  him,  and  I  want  to  announce 
the  truth  that  ought  to  inspire  every  heart  here  to- 
night. Brethren,  I  am  as  strong  as  the  thing  I 
commit  myself  to  and  no  stronger.  If  I  start 
across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  in  a  paper  box,  just  as 
soon  as  ray  paper  box  gets  wet,  it  goes  down,  and  I  go 
down  with  it.  I  am  no  stronger  than  the  box  I  have 
committed  myself  to.  If  I  step  on  board  of  that  grand 
ocean  steamer  and  start  out  over  the  ocean,  then  all 
the  strength  in  her  hull  and  all  the  power  in  her 
boiler  and  all  the  comfort  of  her  cabin  are  mine,  and 
I  will  never  go  down  until  she  goes  down.  If  I 
commit  myself  to  the  arm  of  flesh,  I  am  no  stronger 
than  the  arm  I  commit  myself  to,  and  when  the 
arm  of  flesh  fails,  I  fail  with  it.  But  blessed  be 
God,  if  I  commit  myself  to  God,  I  will  never  go 
down  until  God  goes  down.  He  is  my  hope  and 
my  strength  and  my  portion  forever.  Blessed  be 
his  holy  name.  I  give  him  my  hand  and  my  heart. 
Let  your  hope  be  in  God,  and  there  is  no  power  in 
earth  or  hell  that  can  wreck  you  or  ruin  you.  Start 
out,  friends,  with  that  hope  to-night.  If  you  will 
just  start,  then  God  will  carry  you  through. 


Sermon  •VIII. 

HOW    TO    BE    SAVED. 

"  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?  And  they  said,  Believe  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved  and  thy 
house." — Acts  xvi,  30, 31. 

THIS  18  the  language  of  the  Philippian  jailer  to 
St.  Paul,  and  Paul's  answer.  As  a  minister 
of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  I  have  no  right  to 
advise  a  man  to  do  any  thing  that  he  may  not  die 
doing  and  die  saved.  I  might  advise  a  man  to  join 
the  Church — I  know  that  is  helpful  and  good  ad- 
vice, and  I  wish  every  man  was  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  was  living  up  to  the 
precepts  of  his  blessed  religion;  and  yet  I  see  how 
a  man  may  join  the  Church,  and  live  in  the  Church 
and  die  in  the  Church,  and  yet  be  lost  at  last.  And 
that's  the  saddest  reflection  of  a  human  soul — gone 
from  the  heights  of  profession  down  to  the  depths 
of  damnation.  I  might  advise  a  man  to  read  good 
books,  and  I  wish  there  were  no  bad  books  in  the 
universe.  I  am  sorry  that  a  bad  book  was  ever 
published.  I  am  sorry  that  any  bad  book  ever  had 
an  entrance  into  your  home,  brother.  I  am  sorry 
that  one  of  your  children,  or  one  of  you,  ever  sat 
down  and  worse  than  threw  away  your  time  read- 
ing  bad  books.  I  wish  there  were  only  good  books, 
and  that  men  would  read  them,  and  when  I  advise 
a  man  to  read  good  books  I  am  giving  him  good 

advice ;  but  I  see  how  men  may  go  from  the  best 

131 


132  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

libraries  of  earth  down  to  hell  at  last.  I  might  ad- 
vise a  man  to  be  baptized  in  the  name  of  the 
Trinity,  and,  brethren,  this  is  a  rite  commanded  of 
God;  yet  a  man  who  has  been  baptized  may  go 
down  to  hell,  unsaved  at  last. 

I  might  advise  a  man  to  take  the  sacrament  of 
the  Lord's-supper.  This  is  one  of  the  sacraments 
of  the  Church  of  God,  and  I  am  sorry  for  any  man 
who  lies  down  to  die  with  the  consciousness,  *^  These 
hands  have  never  handled  the  cup  of  my  Lord,  and 
have  never  tasted  of  the  bread  which  is  emblematic 
of  the  broken  body  of  the  Son  of  God.''  Yet  I  see 
how  a  man  may  take  communion  regularly,  may 
partake  of  the  sacrament  once  a  mouth,  and  die  and 
be  lost  at  last. 

I  might  advise  a  man  to  keep  good  company, 
and  I  wish  all  men  were  good,  so  that  there  would 
be  no  bad  company,  for  nothing  can  be  more  in- 
jurious than  bad  company,  and  nothing  more  help- 
ful than  good  company ;  and  yet  I  see  how  it  is 
possible  for  a  man  to  keep  good  company  all  his 
life  and  die  unsaved.  These  things  are  all  good.  I 
would  not,  I  say,  underestimate  a  single  one  of 
these  efficient  means  to  take  us  to  God ;  but  there 
is  only  one  sufficiency,  and  that  is  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  And  he  who  has  this  faith  with 
works  of  love,  and  purifies  his  heart  and  overcomes 
the  world  shall  be  among  that  blood-washed  num- 
ber that  shall  shout  and  shine  forever  in  heaven. 

"What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  The  question 
is  given,  the  question  is  answered,  and  I  have  often 
thought  how  good  God  is  to  us.     He  asks  us  ques- 


How  TO  BE  Saved.  133 

tions  and  there  on  the  pages  of  that  book  six  thou- 
sand years  old^  some  of  them  four  thousand^  some 
two  thousand  years,  are  the  answers.  But  now 
here's  a  trembling,  ruined  man  who  cries  out, 
"  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  ,  And  the  answer 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  comes  ringing  down 
through  his  soul:  '^  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved/'  Thank  God  for 
an  answer  as  quick  as  heaven  can  give  it  to  all  who 
ask  in  sincerity  and  truth  what  they  must  do  to  be 
saved. 

We  might  stop  profitably  to-night  on  the  ques- 
tion itself,  "What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?''  Now, 
this  term,  "  saved,"  "  salvation,"  is  not  a  song ;  it  is 
not  a  sentiment;  it  is  not  a  tear;  it  is  not  a  shout; 
it  is  not  feeling  happy ;  but  in  its  broadest,  high- 
est sense  it  means  simply  this— deliverance  from  sin ; 
deliverance  from  all  that  God  despises. 

Brethren,  we  may  leave  this  city  for  the  city  of 
refuge.  Every  step  that  takes  me  away  from  it  is 
carrying  me  towards  the  city  of  refuge.  Every  step 
from  sin  is  bringing  me  a  step  closer  to  the  right. 
And  conversion  means  being  turned  from  the  wrong 
and  turned  to  the  right.  Tt  is  being  brought  into 
such  relations  to  God,  and  into  such  harmony  with 
God  that  T  naturally  love  the  right,  and  abhor  the 
wrong.  Behold  all  old  things  have  passed  away,  and 
all  things  have  become  new.  Now  I  find  that 
what  I  once  hated  I  love,  and  what  I  once  loved  I 
hate.  Whenever  I  realize  in  my  soul  that  I  abhor 
sin  and  love  the  right,  I  have  passed  from  death 
into  life,  because  passing  from  death-  into   life  is 


134  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

always  presupposed  by  the  fact  that  I  loved  the 
wrong  and  did  the  wrong,  and  eschewed  the  right 
and  would  not  do  the  right.  But  now,  when  one  steps 
out  into  the  realm  where  he  hates  the  wrong  and  loves 
the  right,  if  there  hasn't  been  a  mortal  cliange  in 
the  nature  of  that  man,  what  in  the  universe  could 
have  produced  such  a  state  of  things  with  him? 

"What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?''  Now  we  have 
had  a  great  deal  to  say  about  getting  religion. 
There  is  no  such  a  phrase  as  "getting  religion"  in 
the  Bible.  Brother,  let  your  religion  get  such  a 
grip  on  you  that  you  love  the  right  and  eschew  the 
wrong  the  rest  of  your  days. 

S.eligion  is  not  the  love  of  the  beautiful  and  aes- 
thetic, but  it  is  the  grand  principle  underlying  every 
stratum  of  life,  guiding  me  and  directing  me  in  the 
path  of  truth  'and  of  righteousness.  A  good  many 
men  are  looking  for  some  mysterious  transforma- 
tion, some  sudden,  unexpected,  serious,  radical  trans- 
formation. The  best  men  I  have  ever  met  in  my 
life  did  n't  know  the  day  nor  the  hour  when  they 
were  born  to  God.  The  best  man  in  my  State  told 
me  from  his  own  lips :  "  Brother  Jones,  I  have 
loved  Jesus  ever  since  I  commenced  loving  my 
mother,  and  my  mother  and  Christ  have  always 
been  associated  together  in  ray  mind."  Brother,  I 
never  ask  a  man  what  sort  of  experience  he  had 
to  begin  with,  but,  "  Brother,  are  you  loyal  to  God 
now  ?  Do  you  love  the  right,  do  you  hate  the 
wrong?"     That  is  the  question. 

Well,  a  great  many  say,  "  If  I  ever  get  religion 
as  you  say,  why,  I  will  know  it  by  certain  signs." 


How  TO  BE  Saved.  135 

Do  you  know  that  has  been  the  curse  of  the  world, 
crying  for  signs?  Do  you  know  that  religion 
does  not  come  by  signs,  but  it  comes  by  faith  ?  It 
comes  by  faith.  Listen  to  me.  .  If  a  man  believes 
any  thing  after  he  gets  religion  that  he  didn't  be- 
lieve before  he  got  it,  I  have  never  had  any  re- 
ligion. I  never  saw  the  day  in  my  intelligent  life 
since  I  have  been  old  enough  to  read  my  Bible  that 
I  did  n't  believe  every  thing  that  I  believe  to-night. 
If  there  is  a  drop  of  blood  of  the  infidelity  of  my 
people  for  four  generations  back,  I  have  been  un- 
able to  trace  it  up.  My  grandfather  and  his  father, 
and  my  own  father  and  myself,  have  never  doubted 
the  truth  of  the  word  of  God.  I  was  as  well  satis- 
fied up  to  twenty-four  years  of  age  that  Jesus 
Christ  died  to  save  sinners,  and  that  I  was  a  sinner, 
and  that  he  was  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost,  as 
I  am  to-night.  I  believed  in  Jesus  Christ  twenty- 
four  years,  and  lived  just  as  if  I  didn't  believe  a 
word  of  it.  But  for  thirteen  years  I  have  believed 
it,  and  I  have  lived  the  best  I  could,  God  being  my 

helper. 

The  mistakes  of  my  life  have  been  many.  I  am 
not  what  I  want  to  be.  T  am  not  as  far  along  as  I 
hoped  to  be,  but  if  I  ever  get  through  the  pearly 
gates  at  all,  it  won't  be  for  any  good  thing  I  have 
done.  I  am  so  glad  that  at  the  last  day  my 
salvation  will  not  depend  upon  my  works  of 
righteousness. 

If  I  ever  get  to  heaven  and  my  precious  mother 
throws  her  arms  around  my  neck  and  begins  to  con- 
gratulate me  about  getting  through   safely,  I  will  .  -      . 


136  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

say,  "  Hush  mother.  You  go  and  show  me  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  I  will  show  you  the  grand  Being 
that  put  me  on  his  shoulder  and  brought  me  all  the 
way.  I  never  could  have  dome  unless  he  had 
brought  me  safe."  I  do  n^t  believe  good  works  ever 
took  any  body  to  heaven,  but,  brother,  I  can 't  see 
how  I  can  get  there  without  them. 

What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ? — ^saved  from  the 
wrong  and  saved  to  the  right  ?  Brother,  I  used  to 
want  religion  to  keep  me  out  of  hell.  I  used  to 
say,  "  I  must  be  religious,  I  don't  want  to  go  to 
hell."  Then  at  times  I  would  say,  "  I  want  re- 
ligion because  I  want  to  go  to  heaven."  But  as  I 
view  this  whole  question  to-night,  heaven  and  hell 
are  both  secondary  in  my  mind*  I  want  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus  Christ  to  make  a  man  out  of  me.  I 
donH  believe  any  thing  in  the  universe  of  God  can 
make  a  true  man  except  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ 
shed  abroad  in  his  heart. 

Now,  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ? — ^saved  from 
all  that  will  harm  me,  and  all  that  will  offend  God; 
saved  to  a  good  life,  to  a  noble  life  and  to  a  pure 
life?  The  answer  comes  from  God.  Let  us  take 
God  at  his  word.  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved ;"  and  thank  God  for 
those  other  three  words,  "  and  thy  house."  Now 
faith  is  the  principle  upon  which  omnipotence  slum- 
bers. You  touch  that  principle,  and  you  wake  God 
up  and  wake  angels  up,  and  they  rush  to  your 
help  and  your  succor.  Now  we  frequently  hear, 
"  Well,  as  soon  as  God  gives  me  faith,  then  I  am 
going  to   believe  and   be   saved."     Well,  brother^ 


How  TO  BE  Saved.  137 

faith  18  the  gift  of  God;  that  is  true.  Eye- 
sight is  the  gift  of  God.  Hearing  is  the  gift 
of  God.  God  gives  me  the  power  to  see,  but 
he  never  sees  for  me.  God  gives  me  the  power 
to  hear,  but  he  does  not  go  to  Church  and  hear 
for  me.  I  say  the  power  to  believe  is  the  gift 
of  God,  but  believing  is  the  act  of  man.  Suppose 
God  had  said  to  you,  "  You  are  born  blind.  You 
are  blind  and  I  know  it,  and  sight  is  the  gift  of 
God,  and  I  never  gave  you  sight ;  and  now  your 
salvation  depends  upon  your  seeing."  You  could 
have  gone  to  judgment  with  your  sightless  eyes  and 
turned  them  toward  the  great  white  throne  and 
heard  your  condemnation  :  ^*  Bind  him  hand  and  foot 
and  cast  him  into  outer  darkness,  because  he  did  not 
see.''  You  could  go  down  to  perdition  and  ride  the 
crested  waves  of  damnation  and  cry,  "Unjust!  un- 
just!'^ so  loud  that  your  cries  would  penetrate 
heaven  itself. 

You  say,  "  I  can  't  believe."  A  man  goes  into 
a  store  and  says,  "I  want  credit  for  a  thousand 
dollars."  The  owner  says:  "I  can't  trust  you." 
What  does  he  mean  ?  Simply,  "  I  won't  do  it." 
He  could  trust  him  for  every  dollar  in  that  house 
if  he  wanted  to.  But  when  he  says,  "  I  can  H  trust 
you,"  he  means  in  plain  English,  "  I  won't  trust 
you."  When  you  hear  a  man  say,  "  I  can 't 
trust  God,"  he  means  in  plain  English,  "  I  won't 
trust  him."  I  know  what  is  the  matter;  men 
won't  believe.  That  is  the  way  this  world  presents 
itself.  Suppose  I  say,  "There  is  a  light  over 
there,  and  if  you  see  that  light,  you  will  be  saved." 

12— B 


138  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

You  say,  "  I  do  n't  believe  there  is  any  light  there." 
"  Well,  come  on  and  I  will  show  you."  "  I  ain  't 
going."  I  catch  the  fellow  and  pull  him  up  on  the 
top  of  the  hill  where  he  can  see  the  light ;  then  he 
puts  his  hands  over  his  eyes.  I  jerk  them  down 
and  he  turns  his  head  off  from  it.  I  push 
his  head  back  around  and  he  shuts  his  eyes.  ^^  I 
just  do  n't  intend  to  see  it ;  that  is  all."  Many  a 
man  in  this  world  doesn't  intend  to  believe,  and 
therefore  he  can  't  believe.  But  the  man  who  in- 
tends to  believe  is  like  the  man  who  intends  to  see. 
He  will  see  if  the  way  is  open. 

I  say  I  can  't  believe.  I  put  my  hand  over  my 
eyes  and  say,  "I  can't  see  that  light."  Why? 
Because  I  do  n't  comply  with  the  conditions  of 
sight.  Take  my  hand  down,  and  I  can  't  help  see- 
ing. Why  ?  Because  I  comply  with  the  conditions 
of  sight.  So,  when  I  comply  with  the  conditions 
of  faith,  I  can  't  help  believing.  When  I  do  n't 
comply  I  can  't  believe.  Now,  let  us  see  what  it 
means.  What  are  the  conditions  of  faith?  Re- 
pentance. Now,  what  is  repentance?  Repentance 
is  the  gathering  up  of  all  the  sins  in  your  life 
in  one  common  pile  and  throwing  them  down, 
and  then  walking  off  from  them.  When  you 
walk  off  far  enough  from  your  sins,  and  walk  up 
close  enough  to  God  for  the  warming  rays  of  his 
life  to  begin  to  cause  the  doors  of  your  heart  to  fly 
open,  God  comes  in.  Faith  is  the  condition  of  re- 
ceptivity. It  gets  up  under  God  and  says,  "  Lord, 
let  love  drop  and  I  will  catch  it,  and  it  shall  be 
mine  forever." 


How  TO  BE  Saved.  139 

Ood  is  all  around  you  in  every  direction^  and 
you  are  walking  right  up  to  God;  and  when  you 
walk  far  enough  from  siu,  and  close  enough  to  God, 
tlie  doors  of  your  heart  fly  wide  open,  and  you  say, 
"  My  Lord  and  my  God." 

Isn't  it  strange  that  God  will  come  to  a  poor 
fellow  when  he  gets  down  to  where  there  is  no 
chance  at  all  ?  Every  other  hope  is  gone.  In  your 
lost  estate  God  begins  to  whisper  to  the  soul,  '^The 
word  of  faith  is  nigh  thee,  even  in  thy  mouth  and 
in  thy  heart.''  There  is  the  life,  there  is  the  hope, 
there  is  the  bleasedness,  and  there  is  the  heaven  in 
following  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  That  is  it.  Be- 
lieve on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  When  Matthew 
was  sitting  at  the  seat  of  customs,  Christ  came  along 
and  looked  at  him  with  his  tax-books,  and  said, 
"  Follow  me."  Matthew  closed  up  his  tax-books, 
and  went  right  after  Christ.  When  he  got  up  and 
commenced  to  put  one  foot  aft^r  another  right  down 
in  Christ's  tracks,  if  that  is  not  religion,  what  do 
you  call  it?  Listen:  It  is  not  the  sentiment  of 
faith,  but  it  is  the  actual  stepping  out;  it  is  the 
actual  committal  of  your  soul  to  the  care  of  Christ. 
Believe.  Now,  a  great  many  men  say,  I  believe. 
Well,  the  mere  believing  that  Christ  died  to  save 
sinners  does  n't  amount  to  much.  You  must  believe 
with  the  hean.,  and  believe  unto  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Let  your  heart  take  hold  upon  him,  and 
then  follow  him,  ^'  and  thou  shalt  be  saved  and  thy 
house."  That  is  the  sweetest  thought.  Not  only 
thyself,  but  wife  and  children,  and  the  servants  of 
thy  home,  shall  be  saved.     I  do  n't  believe  we  care 


140  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

enough^  brethren,  for  our  women-folks.  How  many 
of  us  hold  a  love-feast,  as  the  Methodists  say,  with 
our  wives  ?  "  Wife,  how  are  you  getting  along 
now?"  "Husband,  how  are  you  getting  along 
now  ?"  I  want  my  wife  not  to  come  and  follow 
along  behind  me,  but* I  want  my  wife  to  take  hold 
of  my  arm  and  keep  right  along  with  me.  I  recol- 
lect once  I  had  been  oflF  for  three  or  four  weeks, 
and  I  came  home  and  found  my  wife  in  bed  sick. 
I  sat  there  the  next  day  with  her,  and  she  turned  to 
me,  with  tears  running  out  of  her  eyes,  and  said  : 
"Husband,  haven't  you  got  more  religion  than  you 
ever  had  in  your  life?"  I  said,  "I  don't  know." 
She  said,  "  You  have  either  got  more  or  I  have  got 
less,  one  or  the  other.  If  you  have  got  more  than 
I  have,  I  want  you  to  pray  God  Almighty  to  bring 
me  up  right  side  by  side  with  you."  I  tell  you, 
brethren,  we  don't  care  enough  for  wife,  and  we 
don't  care  enough  for  the  children.  The  people  of 
the  world  are  more  interested  in  the  fashion  of  the 
world  than  we  are  interested  in  the  good  of  our 
children. 

"  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  thou 
shalt  be  saved,  and  thy  house."  Thank  God.  The 
brightest  sight  I  ever  looked  upon  was  a  wife  tak- 
ing her  husband's  arm,  and  then  the  oldest  child 
coming  right  along,  and  then  the  next,  and  the 
next,  on  down  to  the  youngest,  the  whole  family, 
marching  right  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  sad- 
dest sight  mortals  ever  looked  upon  is  to  see  a  hus- 
band taking  his  wife's  hand,  and  the  wife  the  oldest 
child's  hand,  and  the  oldest  child  the  next,  on  down 


How  TO  BE  Saved.  -141 

to  the  smallest  one^  and  to  see  that  husband  leading 
them  right  along  down  to  the  very  brink  of  the 
river  of  deuth^  and  then  making  the  final  leap,  and 
bringing  them  into  that  awful  gulf  with  himself, 
wife,  and  the  children.  O,  what  a  sight  it  must  be 
to  see  an  earnest  and  good  wife  loving  and  serving 
God,  and  trying  to  train  her  children  right,  while 
her  husband,  in  his  influence  and  life,  is  carrying 
the  children  off  in  another  direction  !  If  there  is  a 
deeper,  more  fearful  place  in  hell  for  one  than  for 
the  rest  of  humanity,  it  must  be  for  the  man  with 
a  good  wife,  trying  to  train  her  children  right,  who 
is  leading  them  to  death  and  hell.  O,  stop  a  moment 
to-night,  and  think  what  is  the  character  of  your 
lives  at  home ! 


Sayings. 


God  implanted  in  every  woman's  nature  an  in- 
veterate hatred  of  the  devil ;  and  your  success  for 
both  worlds  depends  on  how  you  live  out  that  prin- 
ciple.    Die  fighting  him. 

It  is  customary  in  Georgia  to  build  storm-pits  to 
protect  the  people  from  the  fury  of  storms.  I  would 
not  give  one  honest  prayer  for  all  the  storm-pits  in 
Georgia.  I  heard  of  a  lady  who,  when  she  thought 
a  storm  was  coming,  started  down  to  the  storm-pit, 
and  fell  and  broke  her  neck,  and  they  never  had 
any  storm. 


Sermon  IX. 

RKI^IQION   A.  REASONABLE  SERVICE. 

"  I  beseech  you,  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies  of 
God,  that  ye  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy, 
acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your  reasonable  service/' — 
Boh.  XII,  1. 

THERE  is  nothing  more  reasonable  than  religion 
and  the  conditions  upon  which  we  may  become 
Christians.  It  is  reasonable^  rights  and  wise  to  be- 
come a  Christian,  and  we  are*  besought  to  do  so  by 
the  mercies  of  God.  The  great  question  in  this 
nineteenth  century  is  not  whether  a  man  ought  to 
be  religious,  but  how  can  he  be?  We  have  in  our 
text  a  lesson  :  "  Present  your  bodies  a  living  sac- 
rifice, holy,  acceptable  unto  God.^'     That 's  it. 

What  do  you  mean  by  that?  I  mean  simply 
this:  There  is  but  one  road  in  the  moral  universe 
of  God ;  heaven  's  at  one  end  of  it  and  hell 's  at  the 
other,  and  this  text  simply  says:  "Keep  your  back 
on  hell  and  your  face  on  heaven."  In  this  road^ 
and  there 's  only  one,  if  you  turn  your  back  on 
heaven,  hell  would  be  before  you.  A  man  does  n't 
have  to  take  a  week's  journey  through  the  wilder- 
ness, across  the  mountains  of  God,  to  be  in  the  road 
to  heaven;  all  he  has  got  to  do  is  just  to  turn 
around,  and  he  is  just  as  much  on  the  road  to  heaven 
as  any  body.  There  's  only  one  road.  Which  direc- 
tion are  you  taking?    Up  or  down?    Hellward  or 

142 


Religion  a  Reasonable  Service.      143 

heavenward?  This  text  turns  a  man  around,  and 
turns  his  face  toward  heaven,  and  turns  his  back 
upon  all  that's  bad.  If  I  turn  nay  back  on  the 
good,  then  I  'm  bound  to  go  to  the  bad.  If  the 
train  I  am  on  is  going  forty  miles  an  hour  south- 
ward to  Chattanooga,  I  can't  come  to  Cincinnati. 
Its  momentum,  its  speed,  its  power,  all  carry  me 
in  the  other  direction. 

"Present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy, 
acceptable  unto  God."  No  man  ever  was  or  ever 
will  be  religious  until  he  settles  the  question  some- 
where along  the  line  of  life  that  he  will  have  re- 
ligion. The  Spirit  of  God,  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  the 
Sabbath-school,  with  its  training,  a  mother  with  her 
prayers,  never  made  any  man  religious.  When  a 
man  once  decides  the  question  of  his  destination  all 
the  resources  of  God  help  him  along.  How  are 
you  going  to  make  a  farmer  out  of  your  boy  when 
he  doesn't  want  to  farm?  How  are  you  going  to 
make  a  lawyer  out  of  your  boy  when  he  does  n't 
want  to  study  law?  If  you  want  to  help  him  how 
are  you  going  to  help  him?  How  can  God  Al- 
mighty help  a  man  to  be  religious  when  a  man 
hasn't  made  up  his  mind  to  be  religious?  That's 
the  question.  This  text  involves  the  idea  of  choice. 
Do  you  know  what  choice  means  ?  It  means  I  '11 
take  this  in  preference  to  that.  It  means  I  '11  give 
up  that  and  take  this. 

There  is  a  great  difference  between  a  desire  to  be 
religious  and  a  choice  to  be  religious.  A  man  may 
die  desiring  to  be  a  Christian  and  yet  he  may  go 
to  hell,  for  he  dies  without  religion ;  but  no  man 


144  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

ever  did  make  a  choice  to  be  a  Christian  and  die 
without  religion.  Choice  means,  I  '11  give  this  up 
and  take  that.  Choice  raeans^  I  will  sell  out  all  I 
have  and  invest  in  this.  I  will  be  religious.  A 
man  must  come  to  an  agreement  with  his  Maker. 
O,  happy  man  that  has  reached  this  point  in  his 
experience,  where  he  can  look  into  the  face  of  his 
Maker  and  say,  "  Father,  God,  from  this  moment  I 
will  be  loyal  to  thee;  I  will  do  right,  I  will  quit 
wrong !" 

"  Fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments."  Let 
a  man  come  to  the  point  in  his  understanding  with 
his  Maker,  and  say,  "In  thy  name  and  with  thy 
blessing  I  will  quit  all  that's  wrong  and  do  all 
that 's  right,"  he  is  a  happy  man.  There 's  no 
doubt  about  that ;  there 's  something  sensible  in  that. 
It's  astonishing  how  we  know  right  from  wrong 
and  wrong  from  right.  It 's  astonishing  how  many 
people  know  all  about  these  two  things!  There's 
something  practical  about  this.  Quit  what's  wrong 
and  get  to  doing  what's  right.  That's  it  I  Just  as 
certainly  as  any  railroad  leads  into  or  out  of  this  city, 
just  so  certainly  a  man  who  will  quit  wrong  and  take 
to  doing  right  will  find  his  way  to  God. 

There  are  a  great  many  little  side  issues  I  might 
bring,  to  be  specially  orthodox ;  but  the  question  is 
not  whether  you  are  orthodox,  but  is  your  life  con- 
secrated to  Christ,  and  are  you  doing  your  duty? 
That's  my  religion.  I  like  the  good  old  practical 
religion  that  will  make  a  fellow  tell  the  truth  when- 
ever he  opens  his  mouth ;  that  will  make  him  pay 
his  debts,  and  love  his  neighbor,  and  be  good  to  his 


Religion  a  REASONAfiLE  Sebvige.      146 

wife  and  pleasant  to  his  children.  I  do  n't  care 
what  your  professions  are^  if  you  have  that  kind — 
if  you're  not  a  hypocrite — ^you  are  on  the  right 
road.  A  man  who  is  snappish^  and  cross  and  mean 
to  his  wife  and  his  children,  and  won't  pay  his 
debts,  no  matter  what  he  profe^sses,  is  a  hy^iocrite. 

If  a  man  has  assumed  a  right  attitude  towards 
God,  then  the  next  question  comes,  "  What  are  you 
going  to  do  about  this  world?"  This  world  is  a 
multitudinous^  affair,  and  the  apostolic  injunction  is, 
"  Be  not  conformed  to  this  world,  but  be  ye  trans- 
formed by  the  renewing  of  your  mind." 

Do  yon  know  what 's  the  matter  in  this  city  ?  Is 
it  the  drunkenness,  lying,  thieving,  licentiousness 
and  outbreaking  wickedness  of  the  Church  members? 
No,  sir !  But,  if  you  want  to  know  what's  paralyz- 
ing the  Church  and  destroying  its  heart  power,  I  '11 
tell  you:  It's  the  tide  of  worldliness  that's  sweep- 
ing over  your  homes  and  dragging  families  down  to 
hell.  It's  dancing  with  this  world,  and  going  to 
theaters  with  this  world,  and  drinking  with  this 
world,  until  we  have  only  about  one  more  thing  to 
do,  and  that 's  to  go  to  hell  with  the  world ! 

A  great  many  of  us  are  doing  that  very  same 
thing,  too.  I  like  to  see  a  Christian  put  himself  in 
a  right  attitude  towards  the  world.  This  world  has 
no -right  to  furnish  a  fashion  for  us  to  be  governed 
by.  Fashion !  Custom !  I  declare  it  has  reached 
that  point  now  where  some  of  our  Churches  increase 
their  membership  by  dragging  the  Church  to  see 
new  families  moving  in  the  neighborhood,  and  say- 
ing to  them:  "If  you  want  to  get  into  society  you'll 

IS— B 


146  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

have  to  join  our  Church/'  I  am  glad  of  every  social 
feature  in  this  universe,  but  you  know  what  I  mean 
by  '^society."  These  dinners,  where  you  're  consid- 
ered stingy,  may  be  impolite,  if  you  don't  have  wine 
on  your  table,  and  cards  in  your  home,  and  germans 
in  your  house ;  that 's  the  society  I  mean.  It  is  a 
heartless  cannibal,  feeding  upon  soul  and  body. 
"  But  every  one  has  cards,  or  social  dances  and  ger- 
mans !"  Every  body !  It's  a  lie !  They  do  n't,  and 
I  'm  glad  of  it. 

My  house  is  consecrated  to  God,  just  like  this 
church,  and  nobody  comes  there  to  dance  or  engage 
in  a  wine  supper,  or  a  ball,  or  a  game  of  cards. 
They  all  know  that  house  is  God's  house.  I  will 
protect  my  home.  I  never  shall  let  this  tide  of 
worldliness  sweep  over  my  children.  I  see  what  it 
has  done  for  others.  I  see  how  others  are  cursed 
and  blighted.  A  Catholic  priest  in  New  York  said 
that  nineteen  women  out  of  twenty  who  had  lost 
their  character,  and  came  to  the  confessional,  told 
him  they  got  their  downfall  in  a  ball-room. 

I  know  a  man  who  opposes  the  world  will  be 
called  a  fanatic,  and  worse  things  than  that.  You 
Christians  need  to  be  looked  after.  If  these  sinners 
want  to  dance  and  drink  and  carouse  about  you  I 
can  safely  plead  with  them ;  but,  when  a  man  pro- 
fessing to  be  a  Christian  goes  into  these  things,  I 
will  denounce  him  as  Jesus  Christ  denounced  whited 
sepulchers  eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  What's  the 
use  talking  to  sinners  when  the  deacons  and  leaders 
of  the  churches,  and  stewards,  rent  their  houses  to 
women  of  ill-fame,  and  their  property  for  bar-rooms 


Religion  a  Reasonable  Service.      147 

and  whisky-shops,  and  gambling  hells^  and  worse? 
You  will  have  to  sweep  before  your  own  doors  be- 
fore you  can  reach  Jesus'  heart. 

Lord  Jesus,  give  us  men  who  say,  "  I  have  set- 
tled some  questions  with  God.  I  am  going  to  settle 
it  now  that  I  won't  drink,  nor  play  cards,  nor  run 
with  this  world,  nor  do  any  thing  for  or  have  any 
thing  to  do  with  it  any  further,  if  Jesus  Christ  will 
be  with  me. 

One  of  the  governors  of  Georgia  removed  to  the 
capital  of  our  State.  His  wife,  a  good  .woman,  ac- 
companied him.  After  they  had  moved  into  the 
city  of  Milledgeville  she  sent  her  children  to  school, 
and  one  afternoon  they  came  home  and  said  to  their 
mother,  "  Mamma,  if  you  do  nH  take  these  red  flan- 
nels off  of  us  we  '11  quit  school."  *'  What 's  the 
matter?"  said  the  mother.  "Well,"  said  her  chil- 
dren, "all  the  other  children  laugh  about  wearing 
red  flannels,  as  they  're  out  of  fashion."  The  old 
governor's  wife  said,  "Now,  look  here,  children, 
you  mustn't  come  here  and  complain  about  the 
fashions,  because  I  set  the  fashions  here,  myself,  for  the 
other  folks."  Let 's  look  this  old  world  in  the  face, 
and  set  the  fashion  of  what  is  right  and  keep  it. 

"  Be  not  conformed  to  this  world."  Do  right 
under  all  circumstances,  and  everywhere.  Suppose 
you  starve  to  death,  do  right  anyhow.  Come  to  a 
good  understanding  with  the  world,  but  do  not  fol- 
low or  love  it.  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  been 
any  more  lucky  than  other  people,  but  I  tell  you 
this,  brethren,  when  I  gave  my  heart  to  God,  and 
my  life  to  the  service  of  Grod,  this  old  world,  some- 


148  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

how  or  another,  thought  I  was  in  earnest.  From 
that  day  to  this  no  man  has  ever  asked  me  to  take 
a  drink  of  whisky ;  no  man  has  ever  invited  me  to 
a  ball ;  no  one  has  ever  invited  me  to  a  german,  or 
to  play  a  game  of  cards.  I  heard  a  trifling  old 
Methodist  in  my  town  say  once,  '^  Our  candidates 
are  grand  boys;  they've  asked  me  seven  times  to 
drink  this  morning.''  A  candidate  knows  whom  to 
offer  drinks  to.  God  help  me  so  to  keep  my  life 
ever  before  people  that  they  may  never  dare  ask  me 
to  do  an  unholy  thing.  It  is  an  insult  to  a  good  man 
to  be  asked  to  do  any  thing  a  Christian  should  not  do. 
The  truth !  the  truth  !  Be  not  conformed  to  this 
world.  I  love  to  see  a  man  or  woman  in  the  right 
attitude  toward  this  world.  Brother,  you  '11  never 
feel  religious  until  you  settle  some  questions  with 
this  world,  and  say,  "  I  will  not  drink,  or  dance, 
or  frolic,  or  go  to  theaters,  or  do  any  thing  that's 
wrong — I  won't  do  it."  Now,  let  us  see  how  good 
we  can  be. 

Sayinqs. 

What  is  salvation  ?  Every  theological  book  I 
look  into  tells  me  that  salvation  is  deliverance — 
first,  from  the  guilt. of  sin;  second,  from  the  love 
of  sin ;  and,  third,  from  the  dominion  of  sin.  That 
is  what  the  books  say  salvation  means ;  but  if  I 
were  to  answer  out  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  out 
of  Christian  experience,  I  would  say  that  it  is  the 
loving  of  every  thing  that  God  loves,  and  the  hatr 
ing  of  every  thing  that  God  hates. 


Sermon  X. 

MTORKS  OK  KAITH  AMID  LOVa. 

'*  Remembering  without  ceasing  your  work  of  faith  and 
labor  of  love  and  patience  of  hope  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
in  the  sight  of  God  and  our  Father."—!  Thess.  i,  3. 

THESE  are  the  three  elements  of  a  Christian 
Church  in  its  active  life :  works  of  faith,  la- 
bors of  love,  and  patience  of  hope  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  The  Thessalonian  Church,  my  breth- 
ren, did  have  favor  with  God  and  great  influence 
among  men.  I  believe  in  primitive  Chrii^tianity.  I 
will  take  apostolic  Christianity  with  all  its  Puritanism 
and  with  all  its  transcendentalism  before  I  will  take 
nineteenth-century  Christianity,  with  all  its  adultera- 
tions and  all  its  finery. 

Apostolic  Christianity;  first-century  Christianity  I 
Well,  that  involves  a  great  many  things,  brethren, 
A  man  gave  up  all  then,  and  received  all.  A  man 
is  filled  with  the  fullness  of  God  just  in  proportion 
as  he  empties  himself  of  the  fullness  of  the  earth. 
No  two  substances  can  occupy  the  same  space  at 
the  same  time.  The  more  of  this  world  we  have 
in  us,  the  less  of  God  we  have  in  us.  In  the  very 
nature  of  the  case  this  must  be  so.  And  if  any 
man  loves  the  world  the  love  of  God  is  not  in 
him.  We  have  made  a  great  many  improvements 
in  other  things,  but  when  have  we  made  any  im- 
provement on  apostolic  Christianity?    Paul  said  to 

this  Church  of  the  Thessalonians,  ''  Remembering 

149 


160  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

• 
your  works  of  faith/'     What  is  a  work  of  faith? 

What  is  faith?  Faith  is  taking  something  that 
is  offered  us  from  God^  and  giving  something  to 
God  that  he  asks  for.  That  is  all.  There  is  a 
sense  in  which  I  receive  from  God  by  faith.  There 
is  a  grander  sense  in  which  I  give  to  God  by  faith. 
It  is  more  blessed  to  be  where  you  can  give  than 
where  you  have  to  receive.  Now,  there  is  a  faith 
that  receives,  and  I  like  that  sort  of  faith.  "  Every 
good  gift  and  every  perfect  gift  comes  from  God." 
O,  brother  I  God  did  not  say,  '^  Stand  still  and  receive 
salvation,''  but,  "  Work  out  your  salvation  with 
fear  and  trembling."  Works  of  faith!  Now,  I 
say  that  faith — simple  faith — either  takes  something 
or  gives  something  every  time  you  offer  it  an  op- 
portunity for  so  doing.  It  is  doing  the  one  thing 
or  the  other  all  the  time. 

Whenever  God  offers  you  something — and  he  is 
always  offering  you  every  thing  when  you  have  got 
hungry — take  it  of  God  and  be  thankful  for  it. 
But  there  is  a  giving  faith  also,  and  that  is  shown 
in  works.  I  know  what  is  the  work  of  sight.  There 
is  a  farmer  there  plowing  all  along  between  the 
rows  of  his  corn  in  his  field.  The  corn  waves  on 
both  sides  of  him,  like  a  sea  of  green,  and  he  plows 
along  between  the  rows  of  his  corn,  and  the  man 
almost  hears  the  joints  of  the  corn  crack  in  its 
covering,  it  is  growing  so  fast.  That  is  a  work  of 
sight.  What  is  a  work  of  knowledge?  I  will  give 
you  an  illustration.  I  see  a  colored  man  walking 
along  the  street.  I  talk  to  him  and  he  tells  me, 
"  I  likes  to  work  for  So-and-so."    "  Why  ?"    "  Be- 


Works  of  Faith  and  Love.  151 

cause  I  knows  that  jes'  as  soon  as  the  work  's  done 
there  ^s  the  money/'  You  see  there  is  the  work 
of  knowledge.  But  what  is  a  work  of  faith  ?  An 
old  colored  man  hit  it  the  best.  He  said,  ^'  If 
God  would  tell  me  to  jump  through  a  rock  wall 
ten  feet  thick  I  would  jump  at  it.  Going  through 
it  belongs  to  God,  but  jumping  at  it  belongs  to 
me."  That  is  pure,  clean-out,  naked  faith — God's 
faith.  In  other  words,  a  work  of  faith  speaks  out, 
as  Joshua  did  at  Jericho,  and  says,  "  The  Lord 
hath  delivered  this  city  into  our  hands,''  when 
there  is  not  a  crack  in  the  wall. 

I  will  tell  you  another  thing  about  faith.  There 
is  a  past  faith  and  there  is  a  present  faith,  and 
there  is  a  future  faith.  Faith  ought  to  be  like  the 
Hebrew  verbs.  They  are  all  of  one  tense,  and  that 
a  present  tense.  You  see  sometimes  our  faith  com- 
ing ahead  of  us,  and  we  say  that  we  are  going  to  have 
a  good  meeting,  and  then  it  runs  on  for  a  while, 
and  they  say,  "  We  should  have  had  a  good  meet- 
ing, a  splendid  meeting,  if  we  had  done  so  and 
so."  Now,  it  is  the  tense  gone  back  and  dropped 
behind.  Whatsoever  faith  we  have  let  us  have  it 
now.  That  is  what  we  want.  It  is  a  faith  that 
appropriates  now  the  blessings  God  proposes  to 
give  us. 

Present  faith !  A  work  of  faith  !  It  is  getting 
right  straight  along  and  doing  what  the  Lord  tells 
you  to  do,  and  asking  no  questions  about  it.  A 
work  of  faith  is  manifested  by  obedience  to  the  will 
and  the  word  of  God.  The  best  reason  that  I  have 
for  knowing  that  my  children  have  faith  in  me  and 


152  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

faith  in  my  love  and  devotion  to  them^  is  that  they 
never  question  me  a  moment  when  I  tell  them  to 
do  any  thing.  I  would  hate  to  have  them  to  stop 
and  question  me  about  every  thing  that  I  tell  them 
to  do.  If  I  told  my  little  boy  to  bring  me  a  drink 
of  water^  and  had  to  explaiii  to  him  for  ten  min- 
utes why  I  wanted  a  drink  of  water,  I  would  sooner 
get  it  myself  and  have  done  with  it.  If  the  Lord 
had  to  spend  all  his  time  in  explaining  why  he 
wanted  us  to  do  this  thing  and  that  for  him,  why, 
he  would  not  do  it,  for  he  can  and  would  come 
down  to  do  it  himself.  When  you  understand  what 
the  Lord  wants,  go  on  and  do  what  he  tells  you. 

Well,  then,  the  next  thing  we  take  up  is  the 
labor  of  love.  What  is  the  difference  between  a 
work  of  faith,  and  a  work  of  love?  There  is  no  dif- 
ference in  kind,  but  there  is  a  difference  in  degree. 
Let  us  illustrate  again.  The  day  I  joined  the 
Church  I  sat  up  at  night  and  talked  with  my  wife. 
She  was  a  happy  woman,  too,  you  can  believe.  A 
new  day  and  a  new  life  had  dawned  upon  our 
home.  And  before  she  retired  that  night  she  took 
down  the  Bible,  and  said  "  Let  us  begin  right,''  and 
gave  the  Bible  to  me.  I  took  the  Bible  in  my 
hand,  and  I  commenced  reading,  but  the  words 
seemed  to  run  all  together,  but  I  managed  to  get 
through  some  chapter,  but  I  never  remembered 
what  chapter  it  was,  or  a  word  in  it,  and  I  have 
never  remembered  a  single  utterance.  But  this 
much  I  do  remember,  and  that  is  that  I  read  this 
Bible,  and  that  I  prayed,  and  that  big  drops  of 
sweat  covered  my  face  when  I  had  got  all  through. 


WoKKs  OF  Faith  and  Love.  153 

O,  how  hard  it  was.  It  was  a  work  of  faith.  But 
I  have  kept  at  family  prayer  every  night  and  morn- 
ing ever  since^  and  the  most  blessed  moments — the 
sweetest  moments  I  have  at  home  are  passed  when  I 
am  reading  the  Bible.  It  was  a  work  of  faith  then, 
but  it  turned  into  a  labor  of  love,  and  now  it  is  one 
of  the  sweetest  duties  in  my  home. 

Labor  of  love!  Get  so  as  to  love  to  do  right.  I  recol- 
lect the  first  sermon  that  I  ever  preached.  O !  the 
agony  I  felt  while  I  stood  up  before  the  people  and 
tried  to  preach.  O!  brethren,  I  went  right  along, 
straight  ahead,  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of 
God;  and  this  evening,  I  would  rather  be  a  preacher 
than  be  a  king.  I  would  not  swap  places  with  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  I  would  much 
rather  be  an  humble  minister  of  Christ  Jesus  than 
be  the  king  of  England  or  the  czar  of  Russia.  I 
will  make  it  look  as  if  I  meant  what  I  say  if  I 
show  what  I  am  talking  about.  I  never  told  a 
bigger  truth  than  that,  and  if  God  helps  me  to  do 
my  part  well,  and  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  I  shall 
outshine  every  man  who  has  been  President  of  the 
United  States,  every  thing  else  being  equal. 

And  labor  of  love !  I  am  sorry  for  the  Chris- 
tians that  have  been  Jong  in  the  heavenly  race  and 
have  not  yet  got  so  that  they  love  to  run.  We  have 
been  cursed  with  people  who  have  only  talked 
about  duty  and  done  no  running.  What  we  want 
is  love  of  labor.  We  want  to  be  God's  willing 
agent.  We  want  to  consider  it  a  privilege  to  do 
what  God  wants  us  to  do.  I  tell  you  I  use  family 
prayer,  and  trusting  prayer,  and  seeking  the  needy, 


154  Sam  Joni-^j'  Own  Book. 

and  giving  to  the  poor.  I  use  all  of  these  things 
as  a  bird  does  its  wings,  to  carry  me  to  where  I  am 
going  to;  and  when  I  get  to  the  kingdom  of  God  I 
will  cut  off  my  wings  and  throw  them  away.  I 
shall  have  no  further  use  for  them.  But  while  I  am 
going  there  I  want  wings  just  as  a  car  wants  wheels 
to  roll  on.  I  want  visiting  the  sick,  I  want  prayer, 
I  want  prayer-meetings,  I  want  reading  the  Bible, 
because  I  use  these  things  as  the  engine  uses  its 
wheels — to  roll  on.  Take  the  wheels  away  from 
under  an  engine  and  what  is  it  without  them  ?  It  is 
nothing  but  an  old  stationary  affair  and  good  for 
nothing  but  to  run  a  saw-mill  in  the  back-woods  to 
saw  fuel  for  the  devil.  And  there  is  many  a  fellow 
in  the  Church  who  is  good  for  nothing  but  to  serve 
as  a  stationary  engine  back  in  pine  woods  cutting 
out  lumber  for  the  work  of  the  devil. 

Labor  of  love!  I  like  a  Gospel  that  gives  a 
man  a  delightful  feeling  every  step  he  takes  on  the 
way  to  the  better  world.  Labor  of  love !  I  recol- 
lect  when  I  was  visiting  Brother  Prade  in  Rome. 
I  was  then  a  preacher  at  De  Soto.  Brother  Prade 
was  at  the  First  Church.  I  was  standing  on  my 
side  of  the  river  in  a  cabinet  shop,  and  a  lady 
stepped  up  on  the  front  step  and  said,  "Gentlemen, 
we  have  a  gracious  meeting  in  our  church.  Won^t 
you  come  and  enjoy  it  with  us?"  And  they  said, 
"  Yes,  ma'am ;"  and  I  walked  to  the  door  to  see 
who  the  lady  was,  and   recognized  her  as  the  wife 

of  Colonel ,  who  was  confined  to  her  room  six 

months   in   the  year  with   sickness,  and  yet  I  saw 
that  woman  halting  and  tottering  along  the  side- 


Works  of  Faith  and  Love.  155 

walk,  pale  and  trembling,  doing  a  labor  of  love. 
And  if  I  ever  saw  an  angel  of  mercy  on  her  mission 
of  love  and  kindness  to  the  human  race,  she  was 
one.  That  is  the  sort  of  Christians  we  want.  That 
is  the  labor  of  love  we  want.  Those  are  the  people 
who  want  to  work  for  God,  and  you  can  not  help 
them  out  of  it. 

Let  us  take  hold  of  these  things  we  have  been 
talking  about,  and  get  some  good  out  of  them. 
There  is  a  rich,  delightful  territory  higher  up  the 
stream  to  talk  about.  Brethren,  there  is  nothing 
like  leaning  upon  God's  promises,  and  waiting  upon 
God  for  his  own  good  time. 


Sayings. 

If  you  will  tell  me  what  you  love,  I  will  tell 
you  what  you  are.  A  man's  likes  and  dislikes  de- 
termine his  character.  The  difference  between  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  the  enemy  of  souls  is  in  their 
likes  and  dislikes.  A  man's  aflSnities  determine  who 
he  is  and  what  he  is. 

I  AM  no  metaphysician,  but  I  can  see  a  hole 
through  a  ladder  if  there  is  any  light  on  the  other 
side.  I  will  tell  you  there  was  very  little  meta- 
physics  when  the  jailer  stood  up  there  trembling 
and  asked,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  And 
there  is  not  much  metaphysics  in  the  answer:  "Be- 
lieve on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be 
saved.'*    There  is  not  much  metaphysics  about  that. 


Sermon  XI. 

"  Say  unto  them,  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  have 
no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked  ;  but  that  the  wicked 
turn  from  his  way  and  live ;  turn  ye,  turn  ye  from  your  evil 
ways;  for  why   will  ye  die,  O   bouse  of  Israel ?"—Ezkk. 

XXXIII,  11. 

GOD  has  said  frequently  to  his  children,  "  Come, 
let  us  reason  together."  He  is  a  reasonable 
God,  and  you  are  reasonable  men  in  many  things, 
and  he  challenges  you  into  his  presence,  and  says, 
"Let  us  reason  together  about  this.  I  have  no 
pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked."  In  other 
words,  "  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  death  of  the 
wicked."  I  say  there  is  nothing  in  the  grace  of 
God,  and  nothing  in  the  blood  of  Jesua  Christ,  to 
save  an  impenitent  man. 

These  are  clear,  honest  statements  of  Scriptural 
truths.  There  is  nothing  in  the  Pacific  Railroad's 
movement  of  its  trains  to  make  you  ship  your  goods 
over  that  road  if  you  do  n't  want  to  ship  them  that 
way.  There  is  nothing  in  the  management  of  the 
Pacific  road  that  can  compel  a  man  to  travel  over 
its  lines  if  the  man  does  n't  want  to  go  over  them  ; 
and  we  say  honestly  and  emphatically  that  there  is 
nothing  in  the  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ  to  save 
any  but  the  lost ;  and  no  man  is  saved,  in  a  Gospel 
sense,  until  he  first  sees  and  feels  he  is  lost.     Wlu-n 

a  man  feels  that  he  is  lost  in  this  sense,  thank  God 
156 


Why  will  ye  Die?  157 

he  is  getting  to  be  found  I  Your  salvation  depends 
on. your  patient  continuance  in  well-doing. 

What  is  the  judgment  at  last*?  "  Well  done, 
thou  good  and  faithful  servant."  It  is  n't,  Well 
commenced.  I  have  known  people  to  begin  a  great 
many  things  well.  It  is  n%  Well  carried  on.  I  Ve 
known  a  great  many  people  to  carry  on  an  enter- 
prise for  years,  and  then  break  down.  It  is  n't,  Well 
begun  or  well  carried  on,  but  it  is  "  Well  done,  well 
finished,  well  rounded  up,  thou  good  and  faithful 
servant."  And  now,  brother,  listen  :  If  you  are  an 
earnest,  humble  Christian,  your  salvation  does  not 
depend  so  much  on  what  happened  in  the  past, 
may  be,  as  on  what  are  you  going  to  do  from  now 
on  ?  ^'  If  a  righteous  man  forsake  his  righteousness 
and  commit  iniquity,  the  righteousness  he  hath  done 
shall  be  forgotten,  and  he  shall  die  in  his  sin." 
God  says  to  the  wicked, "  If  you  forsake  your  wick- 
edness and  do  right,  you  shall  live.  I  have  no 
pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked." 

I  know  the  question  is  asked,  '^  If  Ood  is  omnip- 
otent and  is  love,  then  why  should  any  man  per- 
ish?" Brother,  we  have  what  we  call  human  will 
in  this  world,  and  that  will  determines  for  you  where 
you  will  go.  If  you  go  to  hell,  it  is  a  matter  of  choice 
with  you  ;  if  you  go  to  heaven,  it  is  likewise  a  mat- 
ter of  choice.  Say,  why  did  God  endow  man  with 
will,  then  ?  Look  here,  there  are  some  things  that 
are  inherent  in  the  nature  of  the  thing.  How 
oometh  that  engine  on  the  track  yonder?  Its 
gauge  indicates  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  pres- 
sure of  st«am.     What  do  they  want  with  the  steam  ? 


158  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

Why,  to  pull  the  train  behind  the  engine.  But  it 
may  burst  the  boiler  into  ten  thousand  pieces  I 
Yes,  but  that 's  the  inherent  nature  of  the  steam. 
When  you  sit  in  the  train  you  always  feel  the  pow- 
erful pulsations  of  the  majestic  engine  in  front,  and 
that  engine  has  power  enough,  in  its  nature  to  blow 
the  boiler  into  ten  thousand  pieces. 

The  powers  that  God  has  given  you  to  direct 
you  and  move  you,  these  same  powers  may  destroy 
you  for  time  and  eternity.  Kighteousness  is  the  right 
use  of  God's  given  thing,  and  sin  is  the  wrong  use 
of  God's  given  thing.  If  you  use  a  thing  wrongly, 
God  is  not  responsible  if  you  are  blown  up  by  it ; 
and  the  power  to  do  right  or  wrong  is  inherent  in 
the  nature  of  man.  I  suppose  they  could  have  made 
an  engine  so  that  its  boiler  would  n't  bui*st ;  but  if 
they  did,  they  'd  have  to  make  some  other  sort  of 
an  engine  than  a  steam  engine.  I've  seen  caloric 
engines,  but  they  never  get  anywhere. 

Hear  me.  God  has  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of 
him  that  dies !  My  mother  loved  me  because  she 
had  some  of  the  nature  of  God  in  her  own  heart ; 
my  wife  loves  me  because  some  of  the  nature  of 
God  has  been  poured  into  her  heart.  God  is  love, 
and  the  great  store-house  of  God's  love  is  his  heart, 
and  we  all  draw  from  that  store-house ;  and  all  the 
love  my  wife  and  my  mother  and  my  children  have 
for  me  has  been  drawn  from  the  great  store-house 
of  the  love  of  God.  Did  my  wife's  love  save  me  ? 
Did  my  mother's  love  save  me  from  a  wicked  life  ? 
No,  sir!  No,  sir !  In  that  sense  God's  love  can  't 
save  any  man,  and  it  never  did  save  any  man. 


Way  will  ye  Die?  159 

If  God's  mercy,  and  God's  love,  and  God's  good- 
ness could  save  a  man,  then  God  was  guilty  of  cru- 
elty to  send  his  only  begotten  Son  to  suffer  on  the 
cross  that  he  might  wash  away  with  his  blood  our 
sin.  There  is  no  means  by  which  we  can  be  saved 
except  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of 
God.  The  Father  sent  his  Son  into  the  world  not 
to  condemn  the  world,  but  that  through  him  the 
world  might  be  saved.  He  bridges  the  chasm  be- 
tween a  sinking  world  and  the  God  that  made  it ; 
and  he  was  sent  not  to  break  down  and  crush  and 
ruin  humanity,  but  that  we  might  cross  over  in 
safety  on  his  atonement  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

I  declare  it  to  be  as  true  as  that  I  read  my  Bible 
that  there  is  not  a  man  here  to-night  but  who  may 
be  in  heaven  within  a  hundred  years  from  to-day. 
There  isn't  a  man  here  to-night  but  who,  if  he 
makes  the  choice,  can  be  in  hell  a  hundred  years 
years  from  to-day.  Those  ten  decades  will  soon  be 
gone,  brethren.  O,  how  the  time  flies  !  Let's  you 
and  I  settle  it  to-night.  "  By  the  grace  of  God,  if 
that  be  true,  I  '11  be  in  heaven  a  hundred  years 
from  now."  We  may  be  there  in  ten  years  ;  it  may 
be  in  ten  months ;  it  may  be  in  ten  days ;  it  may 
be  in  ten  hours ; — we  will  be  in  the  one  place  or  the 
other. 

To  the  righteous  I  say,  '*  Keep  on ;  plow  your 
furrow  out;  go  on  through;"  but  to  the  wicked  I 
say,  "  Stop !  there 's  danger  and  death  ahead  of 
you."  There's  a  message  for  you"  both  to-night! 
Christian  people,  hear  me,  and  go  on  in  your  way ; 
but,  sinners,  just  stop   long   enough  in   your  mad, 


160  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

onward  rush  to  hear  these  truths.  "  Turn  ye,  turn 
ye,  why  will  you  die."  The  turning  spoken  of  here 
means  an  actual,  business-like  turning  away  from 
sin,  not  a  mock  turning.  There 's  no  farce  about 
jthis  thing;  it's  an  actual  turning  away  from  sin. 

Here  's  a  merchant  that 's  been  merchandising 
ten  years,  and  he 's  been  losing  money  right  along, 
and  now  he 's  almost  near  to  bankruptcy,  and  he  re- 
solves he  '11  close  out  his  stock  on  hand^  and  quit 
the  business  and  go  to  farming.  There 's  a  business 
turn  about  that  thing.  He  does  n't  want  to  go  on 
losing  money  ;  he  sees  he's  sinking  every  year,  and 
he  resolves  to  quit  merchandising  and  go  to  form- 
ing. Turning  away  from  sin  is  just  as  actual  as  is 
that  man  turning  from  merchandising. 

It  seems  to  me  sometimes  that  we  've  got  relig- 
ion diluted  down  to  a  sentiment  or  to  a  song;  but 
it 's  an  outrage  on  the  glittering,  glorious  Gospel  of 
the  Son  of  God.  It  is  not  a  sentiment — it's  a  sanc- 
tified business.  It 's  a  business  contract  binding  on 
you.  You  do  what  God  tells  you  to  do,  and  then 
if  God  does  n't  do  what  he  said  he  would  do,  you 
have  an  issue  that  will  bankrupt  heaven  in  a 
minute. 

A  great  many  people  in  this  world  want  their 
pay  before  they  do  the  job.  There  are  two  bad 
paymasters— one  who  pays  before  the  job  is  done, 
and  the  one  who  never  pays  at  all ;  and  the  one  that 
never  pays  at  all  is  the  best  one,  because  if  he  pays 
humanity  before  they  do  the  job,  they  will  tell  a 
thousand  lies  to  get  out  of  it,  and  never  do  it  at  all. 
Listen  !     Some  of  you  people  want  the  pay  before 


Why  will  ye  Die?  161 

you  do  the  work !  That 's  your  trouble.  You  say, 
''If  God  will  bless  me,  I  will  do  so  and  so/'  I 
guess  you  will.  Who  are  you  that  want  to  dictate 
the  terms  to  him,  and  receive  all  the  benefit  your- 
self? God  says,  ''  You  do  so  and  so  and  I  will  do 
so  and  so."  Do  your  duty ;  that 's  the  way.  If 
you  will  do  your  duty,  you  will  be  religious,  and  you 
will  be  religious  if  you  do  your  duty.  Some  people 
are  always  troubled  to  know  what  the  Lord  will  do 
for  them.  Turn  and  you  will  be  saved,  said  the 
Lord.  The  turning  is  your  duty,  and  the  saving  is 
God's.  If  you  turn  and  God  does  n't  save  you,  then 
you  will  have  an  issue  that  will  overturn  the  pillars 
of  justice.  The  turn  must  be  business-like,  how* 
ever.  You  do  n't  want  other  people  to  pay  you  be- 
fore you  do  your  duty,  and  why  do  you  want  the 
Lord  to  do  it?  A  man  doesn't  want  to  pay  for  a 
bill  of  goods  until  he  orders  and  receives  them. 
You  don't  want  to  pay  the  blacksmith  until  he 
shoes  your  horse.  Let's  be  decent  and  sensible  in 
our  turning  to  God. 

What 's  the  use  in  forswearing  ball-rooms,  and 
then  wanting  to  go  back  to  them  ?  What's  the  use 
in  giving  up  cards,  and  still  you  're  nearly  dead  to 
play  cards  again  ?  I  believe  in  Christian  liberty, 
in  a  fellow  getting  religion  and  doing  right.  But 
whenever  you  get  to  rubbing  up  against  ball-rooms 
and  card-rooms  and  theaters,  and  such,  you  make  a 
mistake — ^you  have  n't  given  up  any  thing.  I  loved 
to  dance  and  do  a  hundred  things  that  are  wrong, 
but  I  have  had  as  much  desire  to  go  to  hell  as  to  a 
ball-room  since  I  got  religion.     I  believe  in  a  re- 

14— B 


►  162  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

ligion  that  sets  us  at  liberty^  and  makes  us  do  the 
things  we  love  to  do,  and  makes  us  love  the  things 
we  ought  to  do.  You  can 't  turn  away  heartily  to 
heaven,  and  yet  long  for  the  fleshpots  of  Egypt. 
I  've  got  into  Canaan  now,  where  the  grapes  and 
the  pomegranates  and  the  figs  cluster  thick  above 
my  head,  and  I  can  eat  and  rejoice.  I  have  had 
enough  of  the  leeks  and  onions.  It  is  all  choice. 
I  take  God's  love  to  my  hearty  and  put  it  on,  and 
follow  his  directions. 

Now,  from  every  thing  that  is  wrong  I  take  my 
heart,  and  put  it  on  these  things  which  are  right 
Axid  a  man  is  never  converted  until  he  is  converted 
from  the  wrong  and  converted  to  the  right. 

God  pity  you,  my  brother!  Let  us  go  out  on 
one  side  or  the  other.  Let  us  take  a  stand.  If  it 
is  right  to  do  wrong,  let  us  go  on  boldly ;  and  if  it 
is  right  to  do  right,  and  stick  to  God  and  live  for 
heaven,  let  us  go  over  on  that  side. 

I  heard  of  a  gambler  in  Louisville  who  gave 
himself  to  God,  and  joined  the  Church;  and  then 
he  went  on  the  streets  next  day,  and  when  he 
met  his  former  companions,  he  said  to  them,  "  Good- 
bye, boys ;  I  will  never  do  those  things  again ;  and 
unless  you  come  into  the  Church  and  take  a  stand 
with  me,  I  will  cut  your  acquaintance  to-day,  and 
cut  it  forever."  That  is  what  I  call  taking  a  stand ! 
And  if  you  want  to  be  religious,  take  a  stand.  May 
the  good  Lord  give  these  poor  sinners  grip.  That  is 
what  we  want ;  the  nerve  to  come  up  and  assert  our 
manhood,  and  take  sides  in  this  great  moral  issue. 

Turn — an  actual,  hearty  turning  away  from  sin. 


Why  will  ye  Die?  163 

And  not  only  that,  but  let  it  be  an  immediate  turn- 
ing.'  Be  not  among  these  everlasting  dilly-dally 
men,  putting  off,  and  putting  off. 

You  can  't  be  in  too  big  a  hurry  in  this  great 
question  of  preparing  for  eternity.  And,  thank  God, 
i¥hen  a  man  prepares  to  die,  then  he  is  prepared  to 
live ;  he  is  prepared  for  every  good  work  and  word. 
It  IS  an  immediate  turning  away  from  sin  that  is 
necessary.  O,  brother,  that  heart  that  beats  in  your 
bosom  is  but  a  muffled  drum  beating  your  funeral 
dirge  to  the  tomb,  and  you  know  not  when  that  heart 
will  stop  beating.  Brother,  you  have  no  time  to 
lose — you  have  no  more  time  to  throw  away.  What-, 
ever  else  may  happen,  if  you  will  put  in  your  best 
licks  from  this  hour  until  you  die,  you  will  find 
out  you  just  barely  made  your  way  safely  to  the 
good  world. 

An  immediate  turning  away  from  sin !  And  not 
only  must  it  be  an  immediate  turning  away,  but  a 
thorough  turning.  Brother,  there  is  no  use  in  talk- 
ing about  giving  up  part  One  sin  in  your  life  is 
like  one  leak  in  a  ship;  it  will  sink  your  soul  be- 
fore it  reaches  the  other  shore ;  and  it  is  a  question 
not  of  how  many  sins  have  you  given  up,  whether 
twenty  or  fifty  or  a  thousand,  the  one  question  for 
eternity  is,  have  you  given  them  all  up ;  and  have 
•you  emptied  them  down  to-night  so  that  you  can 
say,  "  There  is  the  last  sin  of  my  life,  it  is  given 
up  forever ?''  Will  you  do  that?  O,  brother,  you 
can  not  swim  the  ocean  of  time  with  any  sin  rest- 
ing 4]pon  you ;  you  can  not  do  it.  And  you  can 
just  as  well  give  your  sins  up  now  and  give  them 


164  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

all  up.  I  know  what  human  nature  is.  I  recollect 
how  I  tried  to  scatter  my  sins  along  and  give  up 
those  I  felt  I  could  get  along  best  without.  But, 
brother,!  never  made  any  headway  until  I  emptied 
•  them  all  down,  and  said,  ^Lord,  I  will  never  do 
another  thing  that  displeases  thee."  And  I  said, 
^'  If  I  am  damned  at  last  it  will  be  for  those  sins 
already  committed.     I  will  never  commit  another." 

And  it  must  not  only  be  a  thorough  giving 
up,  but,  brother,  hear  me  once  more — it  must  be  an 
eternal  giving  up  of  sin.  When  General  Lee,  un- 
der the  apple  tree  at  Appomattox,  handed  his  sword 
to  General  Grant,  he  said  with  his  whole  heart,  and 
said  it  for  his  whole  army,  "We  will  never  take 
up  arms  against  the  old  flag  again." 

I  tell  you,  my  fellow-citizens,  when  a  poor  sin- 
ner goes  to  the  cross  and  surrenders,  let  him  sur- 
render with  the  understanding  that  he  Jays  down 
his  old  weapons  of  rebellion.  Let  him  say:  "I  do 
not  lay  them  down  for  a  week,  or  a  month,  or  a 
year,  but  so  help  me  God  I  will  never,  never 
fire  that  old  gun  again.  I  will  never  handle 
it  any  more..  God  helping  me,  I  will  be  true  to 
the  flag  of  the  cross  from  this  day  until  the  minute 
I  die." 

Now  you  say,  "  What  is  the  necessity  of  my 
turning?"  Do  you  know,  brother,  that  this  nine- 
teenth century  is  wicked,  and  more  wicked  perhaps 
than  the  century  that  preceded  it,  and  that  the  more 
wicked  and  depraved  men  get  the  more  they  fight 
this  idea  of  hell  ?  And  did  you  ever  see  a  man 
that  did  n't  believe  in  an  eternal  hell,  but  that  when 


Why  will  ye  Die?  165 

he  came  to  die  he  would  go  there  ?  There  is  many 
a  fellow  in  this  country  who  says,  "There  is  no 
hell/'  and  mark  the  expression,  he  won't  be  in  hell 
more  than  ten  minutes  before  he  jumps  up  and  cries 
out,  "  O,  what  a  mistake  I  made  in  my  doctrine. 
I  did  n't  have  any  hell  in  it,  and  now  I  am  in  hell 
forever." 

Hear  me,  my  brother.  Let  us  open  the  pages 
of  this  Book,  and  we  will  see  that  for  the  wicked- 
ness of  man  God  drowned  this  old  world.  We  turn 
over  a  little  further,  and  see  the  burning  hail  falling 
on  Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  And  we  turn  over  a 
little  further,  and  there  are  Pharoah  and  his  hosts, 
horses,  chariots,  all  drowned  in  the  Red  Sea.  We 
turn  over  page  after  page,  and  we  find  a  little  further 
along  Ananias  and  Sapphira  as  they  dropped  dead 
in  their  tracks  for  lying.  We  turn  over  and  over 
until  the  end,  and  find  that  God  has  been  punishing 
sin  for  four  thousand  years. 

As  I  look  an  all  merciful  God  and  loving  Father 
in  the  face  to-night,  then  I  look  at  myself  and  say, 
O,  God,  if  thou  hast  destroyed  armies  and  drowned 
the  world,  and  sent'  the  burning  hail  upon  cities 
and  destroyed  them,  and  caused  the  earth  to  burst 
open  and  swallow  the  wicked ;  I  look  at  all  this 
and  then  I  ask  myself  the  question,  if  God  will 
drown  worlds  and  burn  cities  and  destroy  armies 
as  he  has  done  in  the  past,  then  will  God  let 
me  go  unpunished  in  the  future?  And  the  man 
who  says  that  God  will  not  punish  sin  must  fly  in 
the  face  of  the  record  and  of  the  history  of  this 
universe. 


166  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

And;  now,  the  means  of  turning.  What  are  the 
means?  "  Liord,  here  I  am  to-night,  a  poor  sinner. 
I  give  up  and  surrender  to  the  cross.  I  take  the 
line  of  dqty  thou  hast  marked  out  for  me.  I  give 
myself  to  thee  from  this  time  on.^^  Brother,  sister^ 
won't  you  turn  to-night? 

"  Sinners,  turn !  why  will  you  die  ? 
God,  your  Savior,  asks  you  why?" 

Won't  you  turn  to-night  and  be  saved  forever? 
Turn!  turn! 


Sayings. 

If  there  is  any  thing  in  this  world  I  admire  it 
is  a  man  with  a  big  soul — a  soul  big  enough  for 
God  to  come  in  and  live  with  him,  and  for  the  an- 
gels to  come  in  and  sit  down  and  be  at  home  for- 
ever. God  give  us  a  soul  on  fire,  and  growing  and 
developing  in  divine  light !  -  Brother,  is  your  soul 
growing  every  day? 

Let  your  light  so  shine  that  every  one  will  see 
your  good  works.  A  great  many  people,  with  what 
little  religion  they  have,  will  run  out  in  the  corner 
and  sit  down  and  say,  "  God  save  me  and  my  wife, 
and  my  son  John  and  his  wife,  us  four  and  no 
more  V  That  is  the  sort  of  religion  that  is  cursing 
the  world.  The  true  principle  of  a  good  man  is, 
the  more  he  gets  the  more  he  wants ;  and  the  more 
he  gets  the  more  he  wants  others  to  have. 


Sermon  XII. 

THB  ^?VAYS  OK  PLEASANTNESS. 

"  Her  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all  her  paths  are 
peace."— Pfiov.  in,  17. 

THE  Christian  life  is  often  spoken  of  in  the 
Scriptures  as  a  "  way/'  and  our  walking  in  that 
way  makes  what  we  call  a  Christian  pilgrimage. 
This  is  a  world  of  traveling.  Here  we  are  on  our 
journey ;  tkere  we  will  be  at  our  journey's  end. 
There  is  no  such  thing  as  stopping.  The  vast  surg- 
ing masses  behind  us  push  us  along  in  life's  path- 
way^ and  as  earth  is  filling  up  daily  with  its  thou- 
sands, it  is  gradually,  yet  persistently  and  continually 
pushing  others  into  the  grave.  We  are  all  on  one 
grand  solemn  march  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave. 
We  are  all  marching  day  after  day,  hour  after  hour, 
in  the  great  journey' of  life.  We  are  all  in  the 
same  broad  illimitable  thoroughfare,  some  going  in 
one  direction,  some  in  the  other.  Now,  there  is  a 
way,  and  its  ways  are  pleasantness  and  all  its  paths 
are  peace.  It  is  to  this  that  I  want  to  direct  your 
attention  briefly  to-night. 

There  are  many  things  to  make  a  journey  pleas- 
ant. We  will  mention  a  few  of  them.  The  first 
thing  that  contributes  to  the  pleasantness  of  a  Chris- 
tian's journey  is  that  he  goes  upon  a  good  errand. 
When  a  man  starts  out  on  a  good  errand,  he  starts 

out  with  a  good  heart  and  a  light  step,  and  it  makes 

167 


168  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

but  little  difference  to  him  whether  ragged  rocks 
line  his  pathway,  or  whether  the  flowers  blossom 
all  along.  I  imagine  that  when  God  summoned  an 
angel  to  his  side  and  said  to  him,  ^'  Strike  dead 
to-night  the  first-born  of  Egypt,"  or,  "  I  want  you 
to  go  down  and  with  the  blast  of  your  wing  drive 
Cendebeus's  army  from  the  earth,"  the  angel  lin- 
gered about  the  throne  and  waited,  with  a  hope 
that  the  order  might  be  countermanded.  He  looked 
at  the  Father's  face  and  at  the  destination  be- 
fore him,  and  lingered  about  the  throne,  loath  to  go 
on  such  an  errand,  and  when  at  last  he  leaped  over 
the  parapet  and  poised  his  wings  for  flight,  he  came 
slowly  to  earth,  wishing  that  a  countermand  would 
come,  but  on  he  comes,  slowly,  to  his  mission  of 
death  and  destruction  ;  but  I  imagine  that  when 
God  summoned  that  angel  into  his  presence  and 
said,  "  I  want  you  to  go  to  earth  and  cry  out  in 
the  ears  of  the  people  that  now  it  is  peace  on  earth 
and  good  will  to  men,"  that  angel  stayed  scarcely 
long  enough  in  the  presence  to  hear  the  message, 
before  he  was  winging  his  way,  swift  as  the  morn- 
ing light,  and  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  he  had 
reached  earth  and  shouted  it  out  to  earth's  fur- 
thermost limits,  *^  Peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to 
men." 

Another  thing  that  helps  to  make  a  jour- 
ney pleasant  is  to  know  that  you  '11  have  the 
strength  and  ability  to  make  the  whole  journey. 
Down  in  my  section,  frequently  from  these  North- 
ern States  come  in  the  wintry  months  of  December 
and  January  the  invalid  and  the  consumptive,  seek- 


The  Ways  op  Pleasantness.  169 

ing  the  bulmv  climate  of  Florida,  and  on  the  jour- 
ney some  stop  at  Atlanta,  and  can  go  no  further^ 
and  die ;  some  die  on  the  train ;  some  get  as  far  as 
Macon ;  but,  brethren,  thank  God  to-night  I  know 
not  whether  I  will  have  strength  and  ability  to  get 
to  my  home,  four  hundred  miles  to  the  south,  but 
thank  God  for  the  assurance  that  I  will  have 
strength  and  ability  to  go  all  the  length  of  the 
celestial  road,  and  make  my  way  to  God.  ''As  thy 
days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be ;"  and  in  thy  weak- 
ness shall  thy  strength  be  developed  in  all  its  beauty 
and  grace.  I  care  not  how  feeble  you  are,  or  how 
lame  you  may  be,  or  whether  you  are  unfit  for  the 
journey  physically;  thank  God,  if  you  start  you  have 
the  assurance  from  the  God  that  made  you  of  strength 
and  ability  to  travel  all  the  length  of  the  celestial 
journey. 

Again,  it  helps  to  make  the  journey  pleasant 
to  know  that  we  shall  have  all  needful  accommo- 
dations on  the  way.  Sometimes  we  dread  a  jour- 
ney because  the  accommodations — the  hotel  fare, 
and  one  ttiing  and  another — ^are  so  bad.  Trains 
miss  connection,  we  miss  meals  for  a  whole  day ; 
and  O,  what  dreadful  times  we  sometimes  have  en 
roiUe;  but  God  Almighty  has  promised  to  see  that 
we  have  all  needful  accommodations  on  this  heav- 
enly road.  The  heavenly  road  is  one  on  which  you 
never  miss  connections,  and  never  pass  an  eating- 
house  without  having  full  time  for  dinner ;  and  the 
fare  on  this  road  is  love  to  God  and  love  to  one 
another.  It 's  a  feast  of  love,  day  after  day.  You 
shall  have  love  for  supper,  love  for  dinner,  love  for 

15-B 


170  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

breakfast;  and  jou  shall  have  a  big  bed  of  love  to 
lie  down  and  sleep  in  all  the  way  to  the  good  world. 
Thank  God,  on  this  journey  you  shall  want  for  noth- 
ing good  but  it  will  be  supplied  to  you.  Do  n't 
forget  that. 

Then  it  helps  to  make  the  journey  pleasant  to 
have  a  good  guide  along  with  you.  It  makes  the 
way  through  the  wilderness  less  devious.  The 
finger-boards,  the  sign-boards,  all  along  this  route, 
read,  "  To  the  world  of  bliss ;''  and  every  man  can 
read  and  rejoice  that  he  is  in  the  path  that  leads 
to  heaven,  where,  Jesus  said,  ^^  I  will  be  with  you 
always/' 

Another  thing  that  will  help  to  make  it  glo- 
rious and  blessed,  is  to  have  some  one  along  with 
us  to  guard  and  protect  us.  God  says  the  angels 
will  pitch  their  tents  about  us,  and  watch  over 
us,  and  that  the  sun  shall  not  smite  us  by  day, 
nor  the  moon  by  night,  and  he  promises  us  pro- 
tection in  every  hour  of  danger.  I  used  to 
think  what  a  grand  thing  it  would  be  to  have 
Samson  for  a  friend.  If  I  had  lived  in  Samson's 
time,  and  had  Samson  for  my  friend,  to  go  round 
with  me,  I  used  to  think  I  would  n't  be  afraid  of  man 
or  devil.  But,  brother,  I  have  n't  got  Samson  for 
a  friend,  but  I  have  Samson's  God  for  my  friend, 
walking  with  me  side  by  side,  ready  to  protect  me 
in  every  time  of  danger.  Blessed  be  God  for  the 
guide  that  goes  along  with  me  to  show  me  the  way, 
and  for  the  guard  that  protects  me  if  any  danger 
should  overtake  me.  Live  right  up  to  the  truth, 
love    the    truth,    and    God    Almighty    will    take 


The  Ways  op  Pleasantness.         171 

you    through    safely  in   this   world   of  cares  and 
troubles. 

And  then  it  helps  to  make  a  journey  pleasant, 
brethren,  to  know  that  the  way  lies  through  green 
pastures  and  beside  the  still  waters.  Tliaiik  God 
for  every  green  pasture  along  our  pathway,  and  the 
still  waters  of  grace  that  gladden  our  hearts. 

Then  it  helps  to  make  a  journey  pleasant  to 
know  that  there  are  the  footprints  of  good  men  and 
women  that  have  gone  oni  before.  O,  how  blessed 
it  is  marching  through  the  paths  of  life  to  see  the 
footprints  of  my  precious  father,  and  I  know  he 
went  right.  This  is  his  footprint.  And  to  see  the 
footprint  of  my  precious  mother,  marching  to  a  bet- 
ter world.  What  a  blesssd  thing  it  is  to  know  these 
are  the  footsteps  of  Jesus  himself,  and  that  I  am 
putting  my  tracks  in  his  tracks  as  I  am  marching 
along  to  glory  and  to  God.  It  is  worth  a  great 
deal  to  a  man  to  know  that  his  pathway  is  marked 
by  the  footprints  of  all  the  good  that  have  gone 
on  before,  and  those  that  follow  shall  see  their  foot- 
prints and  take  courage  and  press  their  way  along. 
Then  it  helps  to  make  a  journey  pleasant  to  have 
good  company  all  the  way.  O,  me,  what  a  pleas- 
ant thing  good  company  is.  I  have  sat  in  the  train 
sometimes  until  one  or  two  o'clock  in  the  day,  and 
I  was  just  utterly  worn  out ;  and  directly  some  good 
man  would  come  in  and  sit  down  by  me,  and  we 
would  sit  and  talk  three  or  four  hours,  and  sud- 
denly the  engine  would  whistle  and  the  train  would 
come  to  a  stop,  and  I  would  turn  to  the  brakeman 
and  say,  "Where  are  we?''  and  he  would  say,  "So 


172  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

many  miles  from  So-and-so/'  "  Why/'  I  woald 
say,  "  the  last  time  I  took  notice  we  were  one  hun- 
dred miles  from  there,  now  we  are  going  right  into 
the  city/'  Brother,  it  helps  to  make  a  journey 
pleasant  to  fall  into  good  company ;  and  then, 
glory  be  to  God,  it  helps  to  make  a  journey  pleas- 
ant to  stng  on  the  way.  Thank  God  for  the  old 
songs  of  Zion.  I  love  to  hear  a  grand  congrega- 
tion rise  up  and  sing, 

"  Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." 

I  like  that  good  old  song — 

"  Happy  day,  happy  day, 
When  Jesus  washed  my  sins  away." 

It  brings  up  pleasant  memories.  And  I  like 
that  grand  old  song,  that  will  never  die  in  earth  or 
in  heaven, 

''  Amazing  grace,  how  sweet  the  sound, 
That  saved  a  wretch  like  me ; 
I  once  was  lost,  hut  now  I  'm  found, 
Was  hlind,  hat  now  I  see." 

And  then,  brother,  the  grand  old  harmonies  of 
the  Gospel  in  melodies  and  music,  breaking  out 
upon  the  ears  of  the  people — O,  how  they  cheer  our 
hearts.  I  like  good  singing,  and  thank  God  for 
the  consecrated  singers.  Brother,  the  angels  of  God 
listened  to  that  organ  to-night.  It  has  got  religion. 
That  old  organ  sounded  as  if  it  were  one  of  the  con- 
verts of  the  meetings.  It  has  heard  enough  sermons, 
and  I  believe  there  has  been  enough  power  in  these 
meetings  to  convert  even  an  organ.    O,  brother^  I 


The  Ways  op  Pleasantness.  173 

want  that  old  organ  to  have  the  chance  to  sing 
it  out — 

"  Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow, 
Praise  him  all  creatures  here  below." 

God  bless  every  instrument  in  the  world  that 
makes  music  and  melody  in  the  ears  of  the  people. 
And  I  have  been  mad  for  fifteen  years  because  the 
'^  fiddle/^  that  grandest  instrument  that  man  ever 
made,  and  which  gives  the  sweetest  music  I  have 
ever  listened  to  in  my  life^  has  been  stolen  by  the 
devil  and  taken  away  from  me.  Let  us  get  it  back 
and  have  it  reconverted;  let  us  have  it  and  keep  it. 

Then^  it  also  helps  to  make  a  journey  pleasant 
to  know  that  we  have  been  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing others  along  the  way  towards  the  good  world. 
I  have  led  some  men  and  boys  off  into  mischief;  but 
I  thank  God  I  do  n^t  know  of  one  that  associated 
with  me  in  my  wicked  days  that  I  have  not,  through 
God  and  other  means  used  upon  him,  brought  to 
Christ,  and  they  are  members  of  the  Church  to-day. 
I  do  n't  believe  there  is  a  soul  on  earth  or  in  hell 
that  can  say  I  was  instrumental  in  damning  it. 
Thank  God  for  that.  And  I  hope  some  day  to  be 
able  in  heaven  to  rejoice  in  the  fact  that  I  have 
been  instrumental  in  the  salvation  of  some  poor  soul. 

Lastly,  brethren,  it  helps  to  make  a  journey 
pleasant  to  know  that  it  is  going  to  end  well.  I 
just  sit  down  sometimes,  hours  at  a  time,  when  I  am 
too  tired  to  do  any  thing  else,  and  think  about  the 
journey's  ending.  O,  grand  time  ahead!  I  have 
thought  of  the  glorious  world  up  yonder.  And  do 
you  want  to  know  what  I  am  going  to  do  for  the  first 


174  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book 

thousand  years — if  there  is  any  such  thing  as  years 
in  heaven?  I  am  going  to  spend  them  at  the  pearly 
gates^  if  that  is  possible,  just  watching  the  flow  of 
souls  sweeping  in  one  at  a  time,  sainted  forever.  O, 
what  a  grand  time  that  will  be !  Do  n't  you  reckon 
I  will  be  glad  when  wife  comes  in  with  the  speed 
of  the  archangel,  and  alights  at  my  side  and  says, 
*^  Glory  to  God,  safe  here  with  you  forever.'*  And 
we  will  stand  at  the  gates  and  see  all  our  precious 
loved  ones  coming  in.  Glory  be  to  God  for  the 
world  where  our  journey  is  at  an  end,  and  we  can 
just  look  back  at  the  others  coming  in,  saved  for- 
ever.    What  a  grand  sight  that  will  be! 

I  love  to  think  of  the  journey  all  over  now, 
when  soul  and  body  shall  be  reunited.  I  have  often 
thought  about  the  resurrection.  What  a  sight  that 
will  be !  What  a  sight — the  earth  giving  up  its 
dead !  But  the  grandest  sight  of  all  will  be  to  go 
up  a  little  higher  and  see  the  arm  of  Jesus  Christ 
that  is  lifting  the  world  up  and  passing  it  into 
heaven  forever. 

May  God  start  you  upon  this  journey  and  guide 
you  up  safely  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 


Sayings. 

Some  people  say  they  do  n't  believe  in  'woman's 
work.  There  is  an  old  preacher  down  in  Georgia 
who  preaches  against  woman's  work,  and  that 
preacher  has  not  had  a  conversion  since  the  war. 


Sermon  xili. 

TBNDENOIBS    OK    RIGHTBOUSNaSS    AND 

OK  SIN. 

''As  righteousness  tendeth  to  life,  so  he  that  pursueth  evil 
pursueth  it  to  his  own  death." — Prov.  xi,  19. 

WHEN  a  good  man  dies,  as  we  say,  he  goes  to 
heaven,  drawn  thither  by  the  natural  forces 
of  spiritual  gravity,  by  the  approval,  not  only  of 
God  and  angels,  but  by  the  common  consent  of 
every  intelligent  being  in  the  universe.  When  a 
bad  man  dies  he  goes  to  hell  not  only  by  the  ap- 
proval of  God  and  the  angels,  but  of  every  other 
man  in  the  world. 

Did  you  ever  attend  the  funeral  of  a  good  man  ? 
Have  you,  when  the  minister  had  pointed  down  to 
his  body  and  said,  "  The  spirit  of  this  good  man 
has  gone  home  to  God,^'  walked  away  from  the 
Church  and  heard  the  comments  of  both  saints  and 
sinners?  Each  one  said  alike,  "Yes,  that  good 
man  has  gone  home  to  God.  He  is  in  heaven  now. 
That  preacher  told  the  truth."  Then,  again,  have  n't 
you  attended  the  funeral  of  a  bad  man — a  doubtful 
character,  even  though  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Church,  and  haven^t  you  heard  the  minister  say, 
"This  is  the  body  of  our  brother,  but  his  spirit  has 
gone  home  to  heaven  V^  And  have  n't  you,  in  walk- 
ing away  from  the  Church  heard  such  comments  as 
these  ? — "  That  preacher  outraged   every  principle 

of  truth.     I  never  will  hear  that  man  preach  again. 

175 


176  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

That  dead  man's  spirit  is  not  in  heaven.  That 
preacher  knows  it^  we  know  it^  God.  knows  it^  and 
eveiy  body  knows  it.''  O,  brother,  the  common 
conviction  of  humanity — I  mean  the  common  im- 
pression made  on  the  common-sense  of  the  world — 
is  this,  that  when  a  good  man  dies  he  goes  to  heaven, 
and  when  a  bad  man  dies  he  goes  to  hell. 

^^As  righteousness  tendeth  to  life,  so  he  that  pur- 
sueth  evil  pursueth  it  to  his  own  death."  A  good 
man  goes  to  heaven  because  he  is  a  good  man,  and 
because  heaven  is  the  center  of  gravitation  for  all  that 
is  good ;  and  a  bad  man  goes  to  hell,  not  because 
God  binds  him  hand  and  foot  and  sends  a  convoy 
of  angels  to  carry  him  to  the  lost  world,  but  because 
he  is  bad ;  and  that's  the  end  of  logic  on  this  ques- 
tion of  heaven  and  hell.  May  the  Lord  God  show 
us  by  his  word  and  truth  that  righteousness  tendeth 
to  life,  and  only  righteousness,  and  he  that  pursueth 
evil  pursueth  it  to  his  own  death.  Just  as  natu- 
rally and  logically  as  one  goeth  to  life,  so  the  other 
goeth  to  death. 

Now  we  have  witnesses  to  the  truth  of  this  Scrip- 
ture: "The  path  of  the  just  is  as  a  shining  light, 
shining  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day  ;"  and 
of  this:  "Godliness  is  profitable  unto  all  things, 
having  the  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  of 
the  life  which  is  to  come." 

Just  as  truly  as  virtue  and  sobriety  and  temper- 
ance and  goodness  and  love  and  mercy  and  justice 
are  better  for  you  here,  and  you  live  in  those  things, 
just  so  certainly  will  vice  and  intemperance  and 
wickedness  of  all  description  prove  the  death  of  your 


Righteousness  and  Sin.  177 

soal.  Just  as  naturally  as  the  good  go  on  more  and 
more  in  the  path  unto  the  perfect  day,  just  so  he  that 
commences  life  in  sin  tends  to  more  and  more  wicked- 
ness, and  every  day  but  brings  him  one  day  closer 
to  death  and  hell.  Every  good  man  in  this  house 
is  one  day  nearer  to  heaven  than  yesterday,  and 
every  bad  man  in  the  house  is  twenty-four  hours 
further  along  on  the  journey  to  death  and  hell. 
There's  no  such  thing  as  standing  still,  as  jerking 
up  and  stopping  in  this  great  current  that  is  sweep- 
ing us  along.  I  am  to-day  nearer  my  grave,  nearer 
the  judgment,  nearer  the  final  sentence  than  I  was 
this  time  last  night.  Theologians  differ  as  to  what 
evil  is,  or  rather  as  to  the  origin  of  evil,  and  as  to 
the  nature  of  evil;  and  we  might  stop  and  spend 
an  hour  on  that  point ;  but,  brethren,  there 's  no 
good  in  that  discussion  to  us.  I  have  said  it  again 
and  again  on  this  question  of  depravity  ;  you  may 
say  it 's  partial,  it 's  total,  it 's  developed,  but  what- 
ever you  may  say  of  it,  this  fact  faces  us  in  our 
consciousness  to-night,  that  every  man  of  us  has 
enough  corruption  in  us  to  damn  us. 

"  He  that  pursueth  evil,  pursueth  it  to  his  own 
death.''  Brethren,  this  race  is  diseased.  As  soon 
as  I  draw  my  infant  breath,  the  seeds  of  sin  spring 
up  for  evil. 

"  The  law  demands  a  perfect  heart, 
But  I  'm  defiled  in  every  part." 

The  tendency  of  human  nature  is  downward  and 
hellward,  and  you  may  trace  its  source,  its  origin 
where  you  may.  Sin  is  in  me,  evil  is  in  me.  Some 
months  ago  I  picked  up  a  secular  paper,  and  saw  an 


178  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

account  of  one  of  our  Senators  from  Georgia,  Ben 
Hilly  who  had  some  trouble  on  the  side  of  his 
tongue.  His  friends  made  light  of  it,  and  said  it 
was  caused  by  a  fractured  tooth.  The  next  I  read 
of  Ben  Hill,  he  was  under  the  knife  of  a  surgeon  at 
Philadelphia,  and  they  took  out  about  one-third  of  his 
tongue,  and  then  they  said  he  would  be  well  in  a  few 
days.  But  the  next  I  read  of  his  case  he  was  back  un- 
der the  knife  of  the  surgeon  at  Philadelphia,  and  they 
had  taken  out  all  the  glands  in  one  side  of  his  face 
and  neck,  and  when  the  operation  was  finished, 
young  Ben  Hill  said  to  the  doctors,  "  Now,  doctors, 
is  there  any  chance  for  my  father's  life  ?"  And  the 
doctors  said,  "Yes,  sir.  If  we  have  extracted  all 
the  virus  of  cancer  from  his  system  he  will  cer- 
tainly get  well,  but  if  the  least  particle  has  strayed 
out  into  some  other  gland  of  his  system,  he  will 
certainly  die."  The  next  I  saw  he  was  at  the 
famous  mineral  springs  in  the  West.  A  few  days 
later  I  walked  down  to  the  depot  at  my  home,  and 
the  passenger  train  came  rolling  down  and  trembled 
under  its  air-brakes  and  stopped,  and  I  thought  I 
saw  in  one  of  the  coaches  the  outlines  of  Senator 
Hill's  face.  When  I  walked  out  toward  the  car 
window,  the  window  was  up.  He  pushed  his  bony 
hand  out  of  the  window  and  took  mine,  and  I 
looked  in  his  face  and  thought,  "O,  my  soul,  is 
this  all  that  is  left  of  Senator  Hill,  the  man  that 
Georgia  is  most  proud  of?"  Then  a  few  days  after- 
ward I  picked  up  the  Atlanta  Constitution,  and  read 
where  it  said,  "  The  grandest  procession  that  ever 
marched  through  Georgia  marched  to  the  cemetery 


BiQHTEOUSKESS  AND   SiN.  179 

yesterday  and  buried  the  remains  of  Senator  Hill 
out  of  sight  forever/'  Brethren,  just  as  certainly 
as  the  virus  of  cancer  killed  Senator  Hill's  body, 
just  so  certainly  will  the  virus  of  sin  kill  your  soul 
at  last.     It  is  only  a  question  of  time. 

Brother,  we  are  diseased  unto  death,  and  I  praise 
God  to-night  that  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  be- 
fore my  mother  sung  the  luUabys  of  the  cradle  to  me, 
that  there  was  a  fountain  opened  in  the  house  of 
David  for  sin  and  uncleanness.  I  thank  God  that 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  before  I  saw  the  light  of 
this  glorious  country,  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God, 
found  a  balm  in  Gilead,  and  he  has  successfully  treated 
millions  of  patients,  and  they  have  passed  into  the 
blood-washed  throng  that  surrounds  the  throne  of 
God  to-night. 

The  question  is  not,  "  Have  you  quit  drinking?" 
"Have  you  quit  swearing?"  "Have  you  quit  gam- 
bling?" or  "Have  you  joined  the  Church;  have 
you  been  baptized  ?"  But  the  question  of  all  ques- 
tions in  time  and  eternity  is,  "Have  you  been  down 
under  the  blood,  and  have  you  had  this  sin  in  your 
nature  washed  away,  and  do  you  rejoice  to-night  that 
there  is  cleansing  power  in  the  fountain,  and  that 
the  drop  of  blood  can  purify  yoii  and  make  you 
clean,  and  rid  your  nature  of  all  disease  that  could 
destroy  you  in  time  or  eternity  ?"  That's  the  ques- 
tion! Will  you  face  it  to-night?  O,  my  soul,  it  is 
not  a  question  of  morals,  or  outward  right-living. 
God  knows  I  put  as  much  stress  on  that  as  any  man 
in  the  world,  but  I  hang  my  hope,  not  on  the  fact 
that  I  keep  the  commandments,  not  on  the  fact  that 


180  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

I  live  by  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  but  my  precious 
experience  dates  from  the  day,  from  the  moment  that 
I  went  down  on  my  knees  under  the  blood,  and 
realized  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  is  the  only  thing 
that  cleanseth.  That  is  the  key-note  of  the  Gospel 
of  the  Son  of  God. 

''He  that  pursueth  evil" — the  evil  tendencies, 
the  innate  tendencies  of  his  nature — pursueth  it 
unto  death.  To  be  practical  now,  let  us  say,  first, 
"  He  that  pursueth  evil  pursueth  it  to  the  death  of 
his  conscience."  Sin  does  its  work  gradually  and 
almost  imperceptibly  on  man.  I  read,  some  months 
ago,  how  an  insidious,  subtle,  venomous  serpent  in 
the  East  fastened  its  poisonous  fangs  in  the  toe  of 
a  native,  and  how  he  sent  for  the  doctor,  and  the 
doctor  walked  up  and  said  to  him,  "There  is  no 
remedy  for  the  bite  of  that  serpent."  And  I  read, 
further  along,  how  the  poor  victim  said:  "Doctor, 
my  foot  is  now  dead  up  to  my  ankle."  A  few 
minutes  later  the  poor  fellow  said  again  :  "  Doctor, 
my  leg  is  now  dead  up  to  my  knee."  And  soon  he 
said  again :  "  Doctor,  my  leg  is  dead  all  the  way  up 
to  my  body."  Thea  again  he  said :  "  Doctor,  I 
feel  this  deadening  sensation  creeping  all  over  my 
body ;  my  right  arm  has  now  lost  its  power — it  is 
dead."  Then  he  said :  "  I  can  not  move  my  left 
foot.  My  left  arm  is  growing  powerless."  Later 
he  again  said :  "  Doctor,  it  is  gathering  near  my 
heart,  and  now,"  he  said,  "  I  feel  the  deadness  in 
my  heart;"  and  in  a  few  moments  he  was  in  a  sit- 
ting posture,  perfectly  dead.  The  subtle  poison 
had  crawled  over  his  body  inch  after  inch. 


Righteousness  akd  Sin.  181 

Now,  brother,  sin  does  its  work  the  same  way. 
Its  first  work  is  with  the  conscience.  Every  delib- 
erate sin  of  your  life  is  a  stab,  and  a  stab  of  death, 
at  your  conscience.  I  might  stop  here  and  say  the 
great  trouble  in  America  to-day  is  that  conscience 
is  dead.  Church  members  live  in  sin  because  their 
conscience  is  dead.  Worldlings  sin  all  day  and 
gloat  and  rejoice  in  sin,  because  conscience  is  dead. 
The  world  is  running  rampant  into  wickedness  to- 
day because  conscience  is  dead.  Brother,  listen : 
To-day,  this  nineteenth  century,  is  wicked,  far  more 
wicked,  and  far  more  outrageous  in  its  flagrant  sins, 
than  the  century  behind  us,  but  we  feel  it  less,  be- 
cause conscience  has  been  stubbed  and  murdered; 
and  to-day  a  man  can  walk  your  streets  with  head 
erect  that  is  guilty  of  sin  that  would  have  made 
him  skulk  and  hide  a  century  ago.  What's  the 
matter  with  humanity?  O,  brother,  we  are  wicked 
beyond  description,  but  we  hold  our  heads  up  and 
march  erect  because  conscience  is  dead.  O,  con- 
science !  Conscience  outraged  I  Conscience  stabbed  1 
Conscience  dead !  Conscience  buried !  Conscience 
with  its  tombstone  erected!  O,  sir,  what  is  the 
condition  of  your  conscience  to-night? 

He  that  pursueth  evil  pursueth  it  to  the  death  of 
his  own  powers  of  resistance.  Every  sin  in  a  man's 
life  is  a  sin  against  his  powers  of  resistance.  The 
greatest  power  of  this  nineteenth  century  is  the  throt- 
tle of  the  locomotive  engine.  It  represents  the  power 
to  start,  the  power  to  move,  the  rate  of  speed  of  the 
engine!  Next  to  that  grand  invention,  the  throttle, 
comes  the  air-brake — the  power  to  stop.     I   was 


182  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

sitting,  some  months  ago,  with  a  locomotive  engi- 
neer in  his  cab.  The  engine  was  sweeping  along 
at  the  rate  of  fifty  miles  an  hour  around  curves^ 
and  pushing  its  way  on  rapidly  to  its  destination. 
I  threw  my  eyes  ahead,  and  said  to  the  engineer: 
'^  See  those  cattle  V'  In  an  instant  his  hand  flew  to 
the  air-brakes,  and  he  turned  them  on,  and  pulled 
open  the  whistle  valve,  and  with  the  noise  of  the 
whistle  the  cattle  scampered  from  the  track,  and  I 
said  to  myself:  ''  If  we  had  no  brakes  we  might 
have  run  into  those  cattle,  and  perhaps  been  ditched 
and  killed  on  the  spot.''  Thank  God  for  air-brakes 
on  the  trains  running  across  this  country  at  such 
speed! 

And  then,  he  that  pursueth  evil  pursueth  it  to 
the  death  of  his  reason.  Now,  man  sins  against 
God,  and  sins  against  himself,  and  sins  against  his 
reason,  till — I  dare  assert  it — a  man  can  sin  against 
his  reason  so  that  his  mind,  at  last,  will  reach  a 
point  where  he  can  not  grasp  a  Scriptural  truth  to 
save  the  world.  In  my  own  State  there  is  a  prom- 
inent lawyer;  whenever  I  get  to  his  town  I  see  him 
in  the  congregation,  and  then  I  meet  him  some  time 
the  next  day  on  the  street.  He  says :  "  I  go  to 
hear  you  preach ;  I  believe  you  are  honest  in  what 
you  assert.  But,  Jones,  the  Gospel  itself  is  all  non- 
sense and  foolishness  to  me;  there  is  nothing  in  it." 
And  I  have  looked  at  the  poor  fellow  many  a  time 
and  said :  ''  That  poor  man  has  sinned  until  he  has 
been  given  over  to  a  delusion  that  he  may  believe  a 
lie  and  be  damned."  O,  sir,  what  a  fearful  thought: 
to  tamper  with  a  man's  mind  and  abuse  it  to  where 


Righteousness  and  Sin.  183 

the  truth  is  a  lie  and  a  lie  the  truth  !  O^  God  save 
us  from  this  mental  prostitution  !  Save  "us  from  this 
mental  degradation  that  paralyzes  the  mind  and 
ruins  the  soul !  The  Lord  help  us  to  stop  at  this 
point  to-night! 

Next  we  say,  he  that  pursueth  evil  pursiieth  it 
to  the  death  of  his  sensibilities.  I  believe  it  is  the 
natural  tendency  of  sin  to  dry  up  the  fountains  of 
a  man's  nature  to  where  he  has  no  sensibility  at 
all;  he  can  not  feel.  Why,  I  have  had  men  to 
boast  to  me,  "I  have  no  religious  feeling!''  and, 
whenever  I  hear  a  man  say,  "  I  can  not  feel,"  I 
look  at  him  and  think,  ^^I  would  as  soon  shake 
hands  with  a  dead  man  as  to  shake  hands  with 
you."  You  are  dead  to  all  that  is  noble  and  true; 
dead  to  all  that  is  loving  and  gentle,  and  all  good 
report.  You  are  as  virtually  dead  as  you  will 
ever  be. 

Thank  God  for  the  preservation  of  sensibility ! 
I  have  seen  the  time  when  I  would  n't  go  to  church. 
in  twelve  months;  I  would  stay  out  of  church  and 
let  my  good  wife  go  by  herself.  God  forgive  me 
for  the  way  I  treated  my  wife.  I  have  begged  her 
pardon  a  thousand  times,  and  I  will  never  be  satis- 
fied until  I  have  begged  her  pardon  in  the  presence 
of  the  angels  of  God.  I  want  to  tell  every  man  in 
this  house,  every  wicked  man,  you  owe  your  wife 
a  debt  you  will  never  pay  her,  until  you  pay  it  at 
the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ.  You  mark  that  expres- 
sion. I  say,  sometimes  I  would  not  go  to  church 
in  twelve  months;  but  I  can  tell  this  and  say  the 
truth,  I  never  went  to  church  in  my  life  and  heard 


184  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

an  honest  sermon  that  it  did  not  stir  me  from 
head  to  foot.  I  wouldn't  have  let  my  wife  know 
how  much  I  felt.  God  knows  I  have  gone  off  by 
myself  and  buried  my  head  in  my  hands  and  said : 
"  O,  how  I  suffer !  how  I  suffer  V^  Brother,  have 
you  reached  the  point  where  truth  makes  no  im- 
pression upon  you?  And  then,  lastly,  he  that  pur- 
sueth  evil  pursueth  it  until  the  death  of  his  soul. 

Now,  I  see  conscience  is  dead,  and  I  see  powers 
of  resistance  are  gone,  and  I  see  that  reason  has 
been  dethroned  ;  I  see  now  that  sensibilities  have 
been  destroyed.  There  is  but  one  thing  left  for 
sin  to  do.  O,  sir,  what  is  that  ?  The  death  of  the 
soul!  Somebody  has  said  eternal  death  is  death 
prolonged  forever.  I  know  what  natural  physical 
death  is.  I  have  seen  that.  But  couple  that  on  to 
this,  the  word  eternal,  death  eternal.  These  are  the 
most  fearful  words  in  human  language.  Death 
eternal !  Eternal  death  !  Each  word  rendered  ten 
thousand  times  more  awful  by  its  association  with 
the  other!  I  have  walked  up  to  the  bedside  of 
my  friend,  and  I  have  looked  at  him  as  death  was 
doing  its  work,  and  I  have  said :  "  O,  death,  how 
hard  thou  art  upon  my  friend."  I  have  stood 
and  looked  at  the  glare  of  his  eye,  at  the  heave 
of  his  bosom  and  the  jerk  of  his  muscles,  and  the 
twitch  of  his  nerve,  and  then  I  have  walked  off 
and  said:  "  O,  death,  how  terrible  thou  art!"  And 
then  I  have  walked  buck  and  put  my  eyes  on  the 
scene,  and  there  was  the  same  heave  of  the  bosom, 
the  same  glare  of  the  eye,  the  same  jerk  of  the  mus- 
cles, the   same  twitch  of  the  nerves,  and  I  have 


Righteousness  and  Sin.  185 

walked  off  and  said:  "O,  death,  what  is  eternal 
death?  If  that  is  death,  then  what  is  eternal 
death?''  And  then  I  said:  **0,  God,  is  eternal 
death  the  everlasting  glare  of  the  eye?  Is  it  the 
everlasting  heave  of  the  bosom?  Is  it  the  everlast- 
ing jerk  of  the  muscles?  Is  it  the  everlasting 
twitch  of  the  nerves?  Is  this  to  die  forever?'' 
And  yet  I  can  never  die.  O,  sir,  may  God  im- 
press  upon  every   man    to-night   this    tremendous 

thought : 

"  Nothing  is  worth  a  thought  beneath 
But  how  I  may  escape  the  death 

That  never,  never  dies ; 
How  make  my  own  election  sure, 
And  when  I  fail  on  earth  secure 
A  mansion  in  the  skies." 

Thank  God,  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  on 
the  Son  of  God  shall  never  die !  Thank  God  for 
the  Gospel ! 

Here  is  death  to  my  friend ;  here  I  am  a  sinner 
dying;  here  I  am  bound  in  physical  infirmity  and 
death ;  I  can  not  move  hand  or  foot,  and  there  the 
venomous  reptile  of  eternal  death  is  approaching. 
It  comes  nearer  and  nearer.  I  shrink  from  its 
presence,  but  I  can  not  move.  It  comes  up  closer, 
and  coils  around  ray  limbs  and  my  body,  and  in  the 
cold  embraces  of  this  reptile  I  am  fastened;  and 
then  it  draws  back  its  head  and  opens  its  mouth 
and  exposes  the  fangs  and  poison  of  eternal  death. 
I  look  in  this  mouth  a  moment  with  terror,  and 
then  it  makes  the  fatal  plunge  of  the  fangs  and  in- 
jects the  poison  of  eternal  death  in  my  veins^  and  I 
die  forever  and  forever. 

16— B 


186  Sam  Jokes'  Own  Book. 

O^  to  the  Christian  what  is  death?  I  see  that 
reptile  approaching!  Here  I  am  a  Christian^  and 
can  not  get  out  of  its  way,  but  just  before  it  reaches 
me  a  kind  friend  steps  down  and  takes  the  reptile 
back  of  its  head,  pries  its  mouth  open,  extracts  the 
fang,  takes  out  the  poison,  turns  him  loose  right 
before  my  eyes.  He  coils  around  my  body  and 
around  my  limbs.  It  makes  me  shudder  to  be  in 
the  embraces  of  this  cold  serpent — and  then  when 
the  snake  brings  back  its  head  for  the  final  bite  and 
opens  its  mouth,  I  look  it  in  the  face  and  say,  "  O, 
Death!  where  is  thy  sting?  O,  grave!  where  is  thy 
victory?"  and  leap  out  of  the  coils  of  the  serpent 
into  the  arms  of  God  to  live  forever.  God  give  us 
the  Christianas  hope  of  life,  and  the  Christian's 
grace  of  death,  and  in  God  to  live  on  forever.  O, 
brother,  friend,  to-night  let  me  beg  you,  shun  that 
death  that  never,  never  dies. 


Sayings. 

The  woman  that  never  helped  the  Lord  never 
got  much  help  from  the  Lord.  The  best  way  to 
help  yourself  is  to  help  somebody  else. 

A  WOMAN  is  naturally  a  very  sharp  trader,  and 
very  few  women  have  any  conscience  when  it  comes 
to  a  trade.  They  will  sell  an  old  pair  of  trousers 
for  more  than  their  husband  gave  for  them  when 
new,  and  then  brag  about  it. 


Sermon  XIV. 

THE  CHRISTIAN'S  OOIvINIISSION. 

"  Delivering  thee  from  the  people  and  from  the  Gentiles, 
unto  whom  I  now  send  thee,  to  open  their  eyes,  and  to  turn 
them  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan 
unto  God,  that  they  may  receive  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  in- 
heritance among  them  which  are  sanctified  by  faith  that  is 
in  me." — Acts  xxvi,  17,  18. 

THIS  is  what  we  might  call  St.  Paul's  creden- 
tials; this  is  his  parchment;  this  is  his  instruc- 
tion from  head-quarters;  this  is  what  God  said  to 
him  when  he  wanted  him  to  go  forth  as  a  preacher. 

You  remember  in  this  chapter,  St.  Paul  is  stand- 
ing in  the  presence  of  Agrippa,  and  perhaps  the 
finest  piece  of  oratory  extant  in  the  whole  universe 
to-day  is  his  defense  before  that  monarch ;  and  now 
he  gives  us  these  words  as  those  which  he  heard 
when  he  had  fallen  down  before  the  light,  and  the 
conversation  had  been  carried  on  between  him  and 
his  Christ.  "And  I  said,  Who  art  thou,  Lord? 
And  he  said,  I  am  Jesus,  whom  thou  persecutest. 
But  arise,  and  stand  upon  thy  feet,  for  I  have  ap- 
peared unto  thee  for  this  purpose  to  make  thee  a 
minister  and  a  witness,  both  of  these  things  thou 
hast  seen,  and  of  those  things  in  the  which  I  will 
appear  unto  thee.'' 

"Arise — stand  upon  your  feet,"  or  in  plain  Eng- 
lish, take  a  stand.  There's  a  good  deal  in  that. 
Take  a  stand !     What 's  the  matter  all  over  this 

country?    No  man  is  fit  to  be  a  Christian,  no  man 

187 


188  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

will  ever  succeed  as  a  Christian;  no  man  is  fit  to  be 
a  preacher,  no  man  will  ever  succeed  as  a  preacher, 
until  he  takes  a  stand. 

I  tell  you,  my  brethren,  to-day,  the  Church  of 
God  is  at  fault  right  there.  The  ministry  of  Christ, 
with  some  glorious  exceptions,  always,  is  at  fault 
right  there.  They  have  n't  taken  a  stand.  Well, 
there  is  a  reason  why  we  have  n't  done  all  we  ought 
to  have  done,  but  is  there  any  reason  why  we 
haven't  taken  a  stand? 

I  know  one  pastor  in  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  who 
took  a  stand,  and  he  took  it  on  high  ground,  and 
he  commenced  shelling  the  words  over  the  people, 
and  the  newspapers  commenced  shelling  back,  and 
his  cowardly,  pusillanimous  members  began  to  take 
to  the  woods,  and  it  wasn't  three  weeks  until  per- 
haps one-half  of-  that  man's  Church  had  taken  to 
the  woods  and  the  other  half  put  him  on  the  shelf 
and  told  him  he  had  better  go  slow.  Well,  the 
preacher,  poor  fellow,  said:  "Brethren,  have  I 
been  preaching  a  lie?"  They  said  "No."  "Have 
I  been  preaching  any  thing  but  the  truth  ?"  "  No," 
they  said.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  you  want  me  to  go 
slow  on  the  truth?"  "Yes, you'll  have  to  do  it.  If 
you  don't  things  will  be  ruined." 

Ruined!  Ah,  my  brother,  if  I  had  but  one 
prayer  to  offer  up  that  prayer  would  be,  God  help 
every  preacher,  God  help  every  professed  Christian 
to  take  a  stand,  take  a  stand-^one  way  or  the  other, 
either  for  or  against. 

There  was  a  newspaper  man  after  me  to-day  on 
the  subject  of  amusements.     Said  he :  "  Mr.  Jones, 


The  Christian's  Commission.  189 

please  give  us  the  amusements  that  Christian  people 
can  go  into*  You've  named  a  great  many  that 
they  can  not."  "  I  won't  do  it,"  I  said.  "  I  can 
point  out  to  a  man  the  amusements  that  are  not  sin- 
ful, but  just  as  soon  as  I  point  them  out  every 
body  will  run  them  into  a  common  meeting  ground 
for  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  and  it 
would  n't  be  six  months  before  they  would  be  the 
dirtifist  things  in  the  country,  and  I  do  n't  want  to 
do  that." 

Rise,  stand  on  your  feet,  take  a  stand,  that's  it. 
O,  how  I  wish  we  could  be  brought  to  our  feet,  and 
brought  to  take  a  stand  on  every  moral  question. 
Brother,  if  I  can  get  you  to  take  a  stand  for  God 
and  right,  for  piety  and  spirituality,  you  will  never 
go  into  the  Stock  Exchange  and  Produce  Exchange 
any  more.  You  have  taken  a  stand,  and  that  means, 
"  I  have  done  with  it."  You  know  that.  You  can 
find  out  why  you  do  n't  take  a  stand  if  you  look 
around  you.  Well,  brother,  let's  take  a  stand  and 
hold  our  ground  if  we  starve  to  death  for  it;  if  we 
do,  it  will  only  be  a  nigh  cut  to  heaven.  I  told 
them  down  in  my  State,  when  they  threatened  to 
send  me  up  between  the  flashes  of  dynamite  into  the 
other  world;  "Well,"  said  T,  "the  roaring  of  the 
thing  won't  die  out  before  I'll  be  in  heaven.  You 
ain't  doing  me  any  harm;  you'll  just  start  me  by  a 
nigh  cut  to  glory."  If  you  are  a  man  take  a  stand 
and  let  the  world  do  its  worst  on  you.  If  they 
starve  you  to  death  you'll  just  get  to  heaven  a  few 
minutes  ahead  of  time. 

Take  a  stand.    Rise,  stand  on  your  feet.    If  you 


190  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

are  a  Christian,  be  a  Christian;  if  you  are  a  Meth- 
odist, be  a  Methodist ;  if  you  are  a  man,  be  a  man — 
all  over,  from  head  to  foot.  Don^t  be  a  little 
dwindling  fool.  Nowhere  and  under  no  circum- 
stances be  any  thing  else  but  what  you  are.  I  had 
rather  be  a  first-class  sinner  than  a  tenth-rate  Meth- 
odist, and  when  you  get  a  Methodist  down  to  about 
a  tenth-rate  Methodist  you  are  getting  him  down 
pretty  low,  for  a  first-class  one  is  n't  up  very  high. 
Rise — stand  upon  your  feet.  O,  brother,  if  we 
would  just  come  out  on  the  Ijord's  side.  I  know 
Paul  did.  He  arose,  he  stood  on  his  feet  and 
fought  for  the  right,  and  when  the  battle  had  ended 
he  said,  "I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have 
finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith." 

Ah  me ;  if  we  could  get  people  to  take  sides. 
Sinners!  Men  of  the  world!  God  says  to  you, 
"  Choose  ye  whom  ye  will  serve."  If  you  want  to 
be  on  God's  side  come  over  here.  You  have  got 
just  as  much  right  as  any  body,  just  as  much  right 
as  I  have ;  the  only  diffcrenq,e  is  that  you  love  sin 
and  fight  for  it,  and  I  love  holiness  and  fight  for 
that.  We  are  men  alike,  with  the  same  character- 
istics. Brother,  come  over  on  the  Lord's  side,  lay 
down  that  old  musket  and  take  up  the  flag  of  the 
cross  and  fight  with  the  weapons  God  gives  you. 
That's  it.  Take  a  stand.  Ah  me;  if  I  could  get* 
every  man  who  professes  to  be  converted  to  take 
a  stand — but  they  are  doubtful  about  it,  hesitating, 
uncertain.  I  say  to  one :  "  Brother,  are  you  going 
to  pray  in  your  family  ?"  "  I  do  n't  know.  I 
have  n't  decided  yet.    I  '11  see  about  it."    Gte  to  an- 


The  Chbistian's  Commission.  191 

other  and  ask  hira  :  "Brother,  are  you  going  to 
the  theater?"  "I  don't  know.  I  dunno  whether 
I  will  or  not;  sometimes  I  think  I  will  and  then 
again  I  think  I  won't."  "Are  you  going  to  keep 
on  playing  cards?"  "I  dunno;  I  came  mighty  near 
burning  up  my  cards  the  other  day,  but  I  did  n't  do 
it,  though."  "Going  to  have  any  wine  suppers?" 
"Sometimes  I  think  I  will  and  then  again  some- 
times I  think  I  won't." 

And  now,  what  can  God  do  with  that  sort 
of  a  tribe?  And  that's  the  truth  about  it.  You 
know,  brethren  of  the  ministry,  as  well  as  you 
know  your  names,  you  can 't  bank  on  a  man  like 
that.  You  do  n't  know  whether  he  will  be  play- 
ing cards  or  at  prayer-meeting  next  Wednesday 
night,  except  you  know  pretty  well  that  he'll 
be  playing  cards.  "  Rise,  stand  upon  thy  feet." 
Take  a  stand  one  way  or  the  other.  If  it's  right 
to  play  cards,  stand  up  to  it,  and  tell  your  preacher 
it's  right  to  do  it,  and  defy  earth  and  hell.  If  it's 
right  to  go  to  the  theater,  just  stand  by  it  like  a 
man,  and  tell  your  preacher,  "If  you  don't  like 
theater-going  Christians,  turn  me  out."  Be  a  man. 
Then  take  a  stand  on  one  side  or  the  other.  I  like 
a  man  that  will  do  that. 

"  Rise,  stand  on  your  feet."  When  a  man  says, 
"I'll  take  my  stand,"  ask  him,  "Are  you  going  to 
pray  in  your  family?"  "I'm  going  to  pray  in  my 
family  every  night  and  morning."  "  How  are  you 
on  prayer-meetings?"  "I  am  going  to  prayer- 
meetings  every  chance  I  get,  and  if  I  stay  away 
I'll  send  the  preacher  a  doctor's  certificate  that  I 


192  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

am  sick  in  bed  and  can  H  go."  "  Well,  how  are 
you  about  visiting  the  sick?"  "I  refer  you  to  the 
five  blocks  around  my  house.  There  is  n't  a  family 
with  sickness  in  it  that  I  do  n't  look  after  if  I  hear 
there  is  any  sickness  there."  "  How  are  you  about 
giving  for  missions?"  "  I  refer  you  to  the  trustee. 
I  can  show  you  his  receipt  for  foreign  missions 
every  year."  Ah,  me,  brother,  that  fellow  means 
business;  there  is  no  doubt  about  that.  Then  take 
a  stand. 

How  much  are  you  going  to  be  a  man  this  year? 
"I  do— do^n't  know.  I  don't  know  what  I'll 
do."  Brethren,  what  can  we  do  with  your  sort  any- 
how? You  are  like  a  fellow's  piece  of  timber  that 
I  heard  of,  that  was  so  tough  and  crooked  that 
when  he  wanted  to  plane  it  and  smooth  it,  he  tried 
it  both  ways,  but  could  not  plane  it  from  either  end. 
He  would  dig  in  both  ways. 

"Arise.  Take  a  stand!"  Brethren,  if  we  be 
Christians,  let  us  be  so  out  and  out.  If  we  be  sin- 
ners, let  us  be  sinners  out  and  out.  O,  in  the  name 
of  all  that  is  true  and  good,  and  all  that  is  worthy, 
if  we  are  not  going  to  take  a  stand  for  the  right, 
let  us  go  out  of  the  Church ;  but  if  we  are  willing 
to  take  a  stand,  let  us  go  into  the  Church  and  do 
its  work  and  stay  there  till  we  die.  Now,  if  these 
old  sinners  want  to  play  cards,  and  go  to  the  theater, 
and  run  after  the  devil,  I  am  perfectly  willing  that 
they  should  do  so,  if  that  is  their  line.  .  I  never 
said  a  word  about  an  old  goat  going  into  the  devil's 
pastures,  for  that  is  just  where  they  belong.  But 
if  I  am  a  Christian,  let  me  stand  up  and  fight  the 


The  Christian's  Commission.  193 

devil  every  time  he  sticks  up  his  bead.  That  is 
business.  O,  I  wish  that  we  had  that  sort  of  re- 
ligiouy  every  one  of  us.  I  wish  we  would  all  fight 
it  out  on  that  line. 

Well,  I  will  tell  you  another  thing.  When  you 
take  a  start  so  that  you  have  got  to  fight,  you  can 
not  back.  You  have  got  to  fight.  I  will  tell  you, 
you  will  reach  that  point  when  you  see  that  blessed 
moment  when  men  shall  revile  you  for  His  name. 
Christ  tells  you  of  it  when  he  says :  ''  Blessed  are 
ye,  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and  persecute  you, 
and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely 
for  my  sake."  You  will  find  out  what  that  means. 
They  will  call  you  vulgar,  and  they  will  call  you  a 
blackguard  and  a  mountebank.  I  am  much  obliged 
to  them  for  it.  Pile  those  names  on  me  and  I  will 
bear  them  to  the  judgment  and  throw  them  down 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  tell  God  what  they  did  to 
me  when  I  tried  to  get  them  to  live  right.  Just 
look !  Take  a  stand.  O,  I  wish  I  could  get  every 
body  here  to  take  a  stand  on  one  side  or  the  other. 
If  we  think  it  is  right  to  be  a  Christian  let  us  be 
one  soul  and  body,  and  every  day  in  the  week  and 
every  minute  in  the  day,  and  every  breath  we  take 
let  each  of  us  be  one  sure  enough. 

There  is  many  a  fellow  in  this  country  riding 
his  little  religion  around,  as  he  calls  it.  This  re- 
ligion reminds  me  of  the  time  when  I  used  to  get 
on  a  stick,  astride  of  it,  you  know,  and  I  would  lope 
it  and  pace  it  and  trot  it.  In  fact,  it  could  go  all 
the  paces ;  I  called  it  a  horse,  and  I  used  to  ride  it 
up  to  the  bucket  and  water  it,  and  take  it  to  the 

17— B 


194  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

trough  and  feed  it^  thoagh  it  was  only  a  little  stick 
horse.  And  if  any  body  had  told  me  that  it  was  n't  a 
horse,  I  would  have  been  mad  enough  to  fight.  And 
I  rode  and  drove  and  watered  and  fed  him,  and  all 
that.  And  it  was  only  .a  stick.  But  when  I  got  on 
a  sure-enough  horse,  and  felt  his  great  muscles  un* 
der  me,  I  looked  back  upon  my  little  stick-horse 
with  the  greatest  disgust.  And,  I  tell  you,  there  is 
many  a  Christian  in  the  country  to-day  riding  a 
stick.  I  say,  brother,  they  don^t  like  to  be  told 
that  they  have  stick  religion.  It  makes  them  mad 
as  can  be  to  tell  them  that.  They  do  n't  like  it. 
They  say  it  is  a  genuine  horse.  O,  take  it  to  Christ 
every  Sunday  morning,  and  water  it  and  have  it 
baptized,  and  make  it  take  communion.  Do  n't  you 
see  this  is  religion.  O,  but  brother,  if  you  ever 
get  to  be  mounted  on  the  grand  principles  of  the 
Gospel  .of  Christ,  as  St.  Paul  was,  and  feel  every 
fiber  of  your  being  stirred  as  it  is  driven  by  the 
impulse  of  this  divine  life,  you  will  look  back  on 
such  a  life  as  you  are  living  now  with  the  greatest 
disgust  in  the  world. 

Now,  brethren,  here  is  where  Paul's  life  started. 
The  first  was  he  took  the  stand;  and  then  Jesus 
said :  "  Now,  Paul,  go  forth  and  preach  to  the  peo- 
ple, and  open  their  eyes.  I  want  you  to  say  to 
every  people  in  this  world,  *  Open  your  eyes.' "  A 
man,  or  a  woman,  or  a  Church,  or  a  city,  or  a  coun- 
try will  never  be  what  each  ought  to  be  until  you 
show  them  what  they  are.  Hence,  open  their  eyes 
that  they  see  themselves  and  see  what  they  are. 

Do  you  know  what  that  quarrel  was  which  (xod 


The  Christian's  Commission.  195 

had  with  his  ancient  Church.  They  would  not  con- 
sider. Consider?  Do  you  know  what  the  etymolog- 
ical definition  of  the  term  "consider"  is?  I  am  not 
much  on  syntax^  they  say.  I  have  been  doing  a 
good  deal  with  sin-tax,  and  have  been  taxing  sin 
since  I  have  been  in  the  city.  But  I  am  some  on 
etymology.  Consider — look  at  a  thing  until  you 
see  it.  Now,  brethren,  if  you  will  make  people 
look  at  themselves  in  this  way,  you  have  taken  the 
first  step  toward  their  reformation.  A  man  can 
never  reform  his  life  until  he  sees  what  his  life 
really  is.  He  can  never  reform  until  he  can  say  to 
himself,  "  I  see  wherein  I  am  slack ;  where  I  have 
done  this,  and  where  I  have  neglected  doing  that." 
Brother,  will  you  open  your  eyes  to  know  yourself 
as  you  are;  to  know  how  you  look  in  the  sight  of 
God? 

PauPs  first  duty  was  to  open  the  eye*  of  the 
people,  and,  when  he  had  opened  their  eyes,  to  lead 
them  from  darkness  to  light.  This  term  darkness 
means  simply  sin.  Darkness  and  sin  mean  about 
the  same  thing.  Light  and  righteousness  mean 
about  the  same  thing.  Lead  them  from  sin  into 
righteousness,  Paul  was  told.  Now,  brother,  show 
me  where  I  stand.  Look  at  the  Prodigal  son! 
He  came  to  himself.  He  was  without  food.  He 
was  hungry  and  naked  and  far  away  from  home, 
and  disreputable  among  men  and  disgraced  before 
God;  and  he  then  got  to  thinking  and  thinking 
about  himself,  and  what  he  was,  and  he  saw.  He 
came  to  himself.  And  when  he  saw  himself  he 
thought  about  home.     And  then  he  said :  "  What 


196  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

am  I  here  for?*'  And  then  he  said,  "I  will  arise 
and  go  to  my  father." 

Open  their  eyes  and  show  them  what  they  are, 
and  then  let  them  come  out  from  that  city  of  sin. 
Let  them  come  from  sin  unto  righteousness. 
Brothers,  it  is  the  duty  of  every  preacher  to  go 
after  you  and  tell  you  what  you  are;  to  show  you 
what  you  are ;  but  that  is  dangerous  business. 
Many  a  preacher  has  got  a  cursing  for  doing  just 
such  work  as  that.  That  is  a  fact.  And  I  suspect 
many  a  preacher  has  got  a  whipping  for  it;  and  I 
know  that  the  one  I  am  talking  about  now  got  his 
head  cut  off  just  for  nothing  in  the  world  but  show* 
ing  people  what  they  were,  and  for  telling  them 
how  they  lived.  There  ain't  any  preachers'  heads 
cut  off  in  these  days,  though ;  and  the  saddest  com- 
mentary on  the  world  to-day  is  that  none  of  them 
have  got  their  heads  cut  off.  I  do  n't  want  mine 
cut  off;  but — but  I  wish  I  could  see  a  martyr! 

Show  them  what  they  are,  and,  when  you  have 
done  that,  take  them  by  the  hand  and  lead  them 
out  into  a  better  state  of  life.  Open  their  eyes; 
show  them  their  sins  and  their  sinful  life ;  and  lead 
them  from  that  vile  and  wicked  life.  What  does 
that  mean  ?  If  you  open  your  eyes  you  see  your 
life,  and  you  know  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong 
in  it.  Then  comes  the  next  thing,  the  next  ques- 
tion :  Is  there  any  thing  better  ?  If  there  is,  show 
me  it,  and  tell  me  how  to  get  it.  Lead  me  into  a 
better  state  of  things.  Lead  me  from  the  power  of 
Satan  into  the  power  of  God.  That  is  the  plain 
thing  about  it.    Now,  brother,  where  you  are  now 


The  Chbistian^s  Commission.         197 

you  are  in  the  power  of  Satan,  in  the  power  of  sin; 
in  the  dominion  of  the  devil.  You  have  made  a 
thousand  efforts  to  reform.  You  make  good  reso- 
lutions. You  have  said  a  thousand  times  that  you 
would  be  a  better  man ;  but  a  man  can  never  be  a 
good  man  while  he  is  under  the  dominion  of  the 
devil.  First  come  out  of  that  dominion,  and  then 
say  to  yourself:  "  By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  out 
from  under  his  feet,  and  I  will  put  myself  under 
the  power  of  the  good  Spirit  of  God."  You  know 
what  the  Bible  says :  Come  '^  to  the  help  of  the 
Lord  against  the  mighty."  Does  it  mean  that  Gk>d 
wants  you  to  help  him  in  the  reformation  of  human 
sin?  No;  it  means,  Come  up  where  I  am,  and  I 
will  protect  you.  There  was  no  power  to  protect 
the  Union  man  from  the  bullets  of  the  rebels  if  he 
stayed  in  the  ranks  of  the  rebels.  I  will  tell  you 
that,  if  a  young  man  was  just  standing  with  both 
armies  in  front  of  him,  his  own  friends  will  be  just 
as  likely  to  kill  him  as  his  enemies.  If  God  wants 
to  protect  you,  and  turns  the  guns  loose  upon  your 
enemies,  and  you  are  among  them,  you  may  be  the 
first  one  that  will  fall.  And  now  he  wants  you  to 
take  a  stand  on  his  side,  so  that  the  evil  can  not 
touch  you,  and  he  will  not  mistake  you  for  one  of 
his  enemies.  He  says:  "I  will  protect  you  then, 
and  look  after  you,  and  save  you;  but  there  is  no 
power  to  save  you  while  you  are  in  the  ranks  of 
sin.  Come  over  to  this  side."  Come  from  under 
the  power  of  Satan,  and  be  under  the  power  of  God, 
that  you  may  have  remiasion  of  your  sins. 

Now,  here  is  the  point :  When  I  quit  sin  I  quit 


198  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

all  that  is  bad^  all  that  is  wrong.  I  come  over  to 
the  Lord's  side^  and  it  is  his  business  to  save  you. 
God  will  condone  your  sins  if  you  will  come  over 
to  his  side.  By  doing  so  you  get  remission  of  your 
sins.  Lay  down  any  thing  that  is  bad  and  take  a 
stand  for  the  right^  and  if  the  Lord  does  n't  save  yon 
it  IS  not  your  fault.  And  I  will  tell  you,  if  a  man 
will  quit  all  his  meanness,  and  take  the  side  with 
the  Lord's  people,  and  that  man  is  unregenerated 
and  not  pardoned — I  will  say  this  to  you,  and  that 
is,  the  Lord  will  have  to  make  another  world  for 
him.  He  can  not  take  him  into  heaven  if  he  is  not 
regenerated,  and  he  will  have  to  make  another  world 
and  stop  the  machinery  of  the  universe  in  order  to 
do  so,  for  he  can  not  take  any  body  into  heaven  who 
has  not  been  born  again.  But  you  will  never  find 
such  a  case  as  this. 

Lead  them  from  the  power  of  Satan  to  the  power 
of  God,  that  they  may  have  a  remission  of  sins  and 
an  inheritance.  If  I  go  from  Satan  to  the  side  of 
God  I  am  saved,  and  have  an  inheritance  here  and 
hereafter  among  the  people  of  God.  I  am  glad  that 
the  Church  is  mine,  and  that  I  am  the  Church's.  I 
am  glad  for  the  home  for  Christian  people  in  this 
world. 

And  I  want  to  say  another  thing:  You  may  live 
right  and  go  to  heaven  outside  of  the  Church,  but  it 
is  all  I  can  expect  to  do  to  get  up  there  from  inside 
the  Church.  I  thank  God  for  this  inheritance 
among  the  people  of  God.  And  I  trust  that  this 
night  every  one  of  you  will  say :  "  I  am  done  with 
my  sins.    My  eyes  are  opened.     I  am  done  with  my 


I 


The  Christianas  Commission.        199 

sius.  I  come  out  from  the  deviPs  side  to  the  right 
side^  to  the  Lord's  side.  And  now,  what  I  want  is 
a  remission  of  sins  and  an  inheritance  among  the 
people  who  love  the  Lord^  and  then  an  inheritance 
in  heaven."     That  is  what  we  want. 

And,  brethren,  if  we  will  come  from  the  other 
side  and  take  a  stand,  and  get  our  friends  to  see 
these  things,  then  we  can  lead  them  from  the  power 
of  the  devil  into'  the  power  of  God,  and  then  to  a 
remission  of  their  sins,  and  then  take  them  to  their 
inheritance,  and  then  to  everlasting  life  in  the  world 
to  come.  Can,  not  we  do  that?  Can  you  make 
any  thing  plainer  than  that?  Is  not  that  your  duty? 
Down  with  your  meanness  first,  and  take  a  stand 
for  the  right,  and  then  pray  God  for  a  remission  of 
your  sins^  and  for  an  inheritance  in  heaven. 


Sayinqs. 


When  a  poor  sinner  falls  on  his  knees  and  says, 
''God,  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner,^'  there  is  always 
some  angel  near  by  to  gather  up  the  prayer  and 
carry  the  news,  "  Behold,  he  prayeth !'' 

A  MAN  is  never  free  until  love  abounds  in  his 
heart  toward  God  and  man.  The  freest  man  is  the 
man  who  loves  God  most  and  loves  his  neighbor  as 
himself.  There  is  no  law  in  heaven  or  earth  that 
fetters  or  proscribes  a  character  like  that. 


Sermon  xv. 

GOD'S  DOOTRINE,  AND  HOW  TO  KNOW  IT. 

ft 

"  If  any  man  will  do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doc- 
trine, whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  of  mysell" — 
John  yii,  17. 

AT  the  time  Jesus  uttered  these  words^  he  was 
surrounded  by  the  sharp^  euuuing  Pharisees; 
by  the  shrewdy  calculating  Sadducees,  and  the  law- 
yers of  the  day.  They  were  probing,  and  dissect- 
ing,  and  looking,  and  wondering,  and  questioning, 
and  Jesus  looked  at  them,  and  threw  the  gauntlet 
down  on  the  ground  at  their  feet,  right  in  their 
faces. 

It  is  wonderful,  but  strangely  true,  that  all  the 
scholars  in  this  world's  history  have  met  with  op- 
pose rs.  They  have  met  with  scoffers,  and  perhaps 
a  large  majority  of  them  with  contempt  and  scorn. 
You  know  that  when  Galileo  discovered  that  this 
world  rotated  on  its  axis,  the  stupid  monks  ar- 
raigned him  immediately,  and  they  tried  him  as  a 
heretic  and  a  humbug.  And  they  convicted  him, 
and  made  him  retract.  But  the  wise  old  man,  as 
he  walked  out,  whispered  to  himself,  "And  still  the 
world  moves.*'  When  Harvey  discovered  that  the 
blood  circulated  from  the  heart  to  the  extremities 
and  back  again,  the  medical  world  arraigned  him 
as  propounding  a  false  theory,  and  argued  against  it. 
When  Watt  discovered  that  steam,  a  bland  vapor,  had 

200 


B  3 
IS  d 
B  J 


How  TO  Know  the  Doctrine.         201 

power  almost  omnipotent^  the  scientists  of  his  day  ar- 
raigned him^  and  demanded  the  proofs.  When  Morse 
discovered  that  you  might  chain  electricity  to  a  wire^ 
and  that  one  man  could  sit  a  thousand  miles  from 
another,  and  hold  a  conversation  with  him,  the  world 
arraigned  him^  and  doubted  his  discovery.  No 
wonder^  then^  that  when  Jesus  Christ  discovered  '^a 
balm  in  Gilead/^  a  remedy  for  sin^  this  world  ar- 
raigned as  an  impostor,  and  tried  and  convicted 
him.  I  do  n't  see  how  the  discovery  that  the  world 
rotates  on  its  axis  breaks  into  a  fellow's  program 
much.  I  do  n't  see  how  the  fact  that  steam,  a  bland 
vapor,  is  omnipotent,  could  interfere  with  a  man's 
system  of  living.  The  fact  that  the  circulation  of 
the  blood  is  a  great  discovery  does  not  make  a  fel- 
low quit  lying,  or  stealing,  or  any  thing  of  that 
sort.  And  when  it  is  a  demonstrated  fact  that  a 
man  can  sit  down  to-night,  anywhere  in  America, 
and  hold  a  friendly  conversation  with  a  man  in 
Liverpool,  that  does  not  make  him  pray  or  quit 
his  meanness. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  men  oppose  the  science  of 
Christ  crucified.  All  other  sciences  have  had  their 
opposers.  No  man  to-day, 'excepting  the  famous 
preacher  of  Richmond,  doubts  the  fact  that  the 
world  turns  on  its  axis.  I  believe  he  still  sticks  to 
it,  that  "  the  sun  do  move."  No  one  to-day  doubts 
•  that  steam  is  an  almost  omnipotent  power.  I  have 
only  to  look  on  those  iron  horses  as  they  move  over 
the  country,  with  their  giant  power,  in  order  to  tell 
the  world  that  steam  is  power.  The  moment  that 
a  physician  walks  into  my  room,  and  tells  by  the 


202  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

accelerated  movement  of  my  pulse  my  condition^  I 
can  not  doubt  as  to  the  circulation  of  the  blood. 
No  one  can  doubt  the  fact  that  we  may  sit  in  this 
city  and  talk  with  a  friend  in  Loudon  to-night. 
Brother,  these  grand  discoverers  met  with  opposers, 
and  yet  the  world  does  honor  the  first  four  to-day, 
but  still  the  majority  of  the  world  to-day  despise 
the  last  one — the  blessed  Christ — the  greatest  dis- 
coverer of  the  ages.  Do  you  know  why  that  is? 
The  greatest  discovery  ever  declared  to  man  is  the 
fact  that  God  can  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  the 
ungodly.  The  greatest  fact  in  the  universe  made 
known  to  men  is,  that  a  poor  man  may  have  his 
sins  forgiven,  and  may  make  his  peace  with  God, 
and  die  in  faith,  and  go  home  to  heaven.  And 
yet  while  the  opix)sition,  which  these  other  great 
discoverers  met,  has  died  out,  still  to-day,  after  the 
blood-washed  throngs  of  earth  have  been  marching 
home  to  God  for  eighteen  hundred  years ;  after  our 
precious  mothers  and  our  pious  fathers  have  marched 
into  heaven  under  this  gracious  banner,  and  after 
all  that  his  blessed  scheme  of  redemption  has  done 
for  our  race,  there  are  thousands  and  millions  of 
men  who  despise  Jesus  Christ  and  reject  him  as  a 
grand  discoverer,  with  all  the  power  of  their 
nature. 

O,  strange  beings  that  we  are!  Wonderfully 
strange!  And  when  you  go  breaking  into  a  fel- 
low's program,  he  gets  his  heart  full  of  doubts 
immediately.  Did  you  ever  notice  that?  There 
can  be  but  one  objection  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
among  men,  and  that  is,  when  they  bring  their  life 


How  TO  Know  the  Doctrine.         203 

up  and  place  it  beside  his  life,  there  is  an  over- 
whelming sense  of  *guilt  and  shame. 

Brethren^  it  is  a  good  deal  owing  to  circum- 
stances as  to  what  you  are.  When  I  hear  you  sit 
in  judgment  on  the  spotless  character  of  Christ,  I 
do  n't  want  to  hear  a  word  from  your  lips.  I  want 
to  hear  what  your  life  is,  and  then  I  will  know 
what  your  comment  on  the  character  of  Jesus 
Christ  will  be.  If  your  life  is  confirmed  to  Jesus 
Christ,  then  is  the  Christ  the  Son  of  the  living  God 
to  you.  But  if  your  life  is  disreputable  and  dis- 
honest, you  see  in  him  nothing  but  the  son  of  a 
harlot  and  an  impostor.     Is  not  that  strange  ? 

A  man's  moral  condition  determines  for  him 
what  the  Gospel  and  Christ  and  the  truth  are  to 
him.  O,  blessed  Christ!  When  I  look  over  this 
world  toward  thee,  all  is  mystery,  all  is  confusion, 
all  is  desolation!  O,  brethren,  there  is  but  one 
place  in  this  universe,  from  which  I  can  look,  and 
see  as  God  sees,  and  that  is  when  I  reach  right 
up  to  the  point  where  Christ  is,  and  look  out  upon 
this  world  as  Christ  looks  upon  it;  and  look  at 
truth  as  Christ  looks  at  it;  and  look  at  God  as 
Christ  does.  Look  from  a  Christ-like  point,  and 
you  will  see  a  thousand  things  you  never  saw 
before. 

"  If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of 
the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  it 
be  of  myself."  I  want  to  say,  in  the  first  place, 
that  if  any  man  has  a  peculiarity  in  his  case,  I 
want  to  know  what  it  is.  Now,  you  make  out  as 
if  you  had  something  peculiar  to  yourself;  you  say 


204  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

that  there  is  something  special  about  you;  that  you 
see  very  well  how  others  should  do  such  things, 
but  not  yourself.  Brother,  I  look  at  it  simply  as 
the  devil's  work  to  persuade  a  man  to  follow  him 
by  saying,  "  Now,  if  your  case  were  just  like  that 
of  any  body  ^Ise,  it  would  be  all  right  to  do  that; 
but  yours  is  a  peculiar  case."  That  is  what  you 
say  to  yourself.  Poor  fellow !  I  wonder  if  you 
think  the  Lord  never  made  any  one  else  like 
you.  I  do  n't  know,  but  I  think  that  if  he  did  n't 
the  world  hasn't  lost  much.  But  at  the  same  time, 
brother,  that  is  just  what  is  the  matter  with  the 
world.  There  are  so  many  like  you.  There  are 
plenty  of  peculiar  cases.  I  have  seen  mental,  and 
social,  and  phenomenal  peculiarities.  Brother,  God 
does  n't  care  any  thing  about  your  peculiarities,  he 
want«  you  ! 

A  genuine,  thoroughly  trained  musician  can  play 
on  any  thing  in  the  universe,  from  a  jew's-harp  up 
to  the  grandest  instrument.  Well,  brother,  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  can  take  a  man  up  and  down 
every  grade  of  his  spiritual  nature  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  and  make  music  that  would  charm  an 
angel's  ear.  Your  trouble  is,  that  you  are  trying  to 
fix  up,  and  tune  up  your  own  instrument.  But  you 
have  no  tuning  fork ;  you  do  n't  know  the  lick  it  is 
done  with.  That  is  the  trouble  with  you.  I  don't 
care  how  old  you  are,  or  how  young  you  are ;  I 
do  n't  care  how  learned  you  are,  or  how  ignorant 
you  are ;  I  do  n't  care  what  your  difficulties  are,  or 
what  your  peculiarities  are;  if  any  man  will  do  the 
will  of  God,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine.     Thcj'e 


How  TO  Kkow  the  Doctbine.         205. 

18  no  bobby,  now,  in  that.     It  is  simply,  ^'  Have 
you  faith  ?" 

Now,  I  want  to  say  that  Christianity  is  some- 
thing that  may  be  tested  like  any  thing  else.  Now, 
here  is  a  man  who  comes  up  to  me  and  says, 
*'  Brother  Jones,  the  science  of  mathematics  is  a 
grand  science,  and  it  is  true."  "  Well,"  I  say,  "  dem- 
onstrate the  truth  of  mathematics."  He  says, 
**  Well,  twice  two  are  four."  "  But  I  do  n't  want 
any  silly  talk  like  that;  demonstrate  it  to  me." 
"  Well,"  says  he,  "  five  times  six  are  thirty."  "  Go 
along  with  your  school-boy  talk ;  demonstrate  to 
me  that  the  great  science  of  mathematics  is  true." 
He  says  to  me,  ''We  will  demonstrate  the  thiug;  I 
will  demonstrate  every  problem  ;  I  will  work  it  out 
by  that  rule  that  two  and  two  make  four.  The 
two  governments  of  France  and  Switzerland  pro- 
posed to  tunnel  the  Alps,  and  desired  to  begin  the 
tunnel  on  both  sides  of  that  immense  mountain 
range  at  the  same  time.  So  the  engineers  took 
their  instruments  to  the  mountains,  and  located  the 
rQute,  and  the  miners  and  sappers  toiled  for  days 
and  weeks,  and  thousands  and  hundred  of  thousands 
of  dollars  were  spent  in  the  work.  And  the  two 
gangs  labored  and  wrought  towards  each  other, 
while  all  the  world  stood  gazing  on.  Finally,  one 
day  while  France's  side  were  sitting  down  to  dinner, 
Switzerland's  side  got  up  and  went  to  work,  and 
the  thuds  of  the  pick  were  heard  through  the  thin 
partition,  and  then  France's  side  jumped  up  and 
gathered  their  tools  and  commenced  digging  away. 
In  five   minutes'  time   the   middle  wall  of  parti- 


206  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

tion  fell  out,  and  their  linea  met  each  other  to  the 
hundreth  part  of  an  inch.  There  is  an  everlasting 
demonstration  of  the  truth  of  mathematics.'^ 

Now,  I  say  Christianity  may  be  tested  just  as 
the  science  of  mathematics  is  tested.  "  Well,"  you 
say,  "  give  me  a  demonstration."  Thirteen  years 
ago  I  looked  to  God  and  prayed,  and  he  saved  me, 
and  I  have  been  happy  ever  since.  "Ah,  me,"  you 
say,  "  do  n't  talk  that  sickly  sentimentalism  to  me. 
I  have  heard  that  all  my  life.  There  isn't  any 
proof  in  that."  Well,  my  mother  told  me  that  at 
the  age  of  thirteen,  Jesus  saved  her,  and  she  lived 
happy  in  his  love,  and  died  happy  and  went  home 
to  heaven.  "  O,  well,  I  do  n't  want  any  old  woman's 
story  about  the  thing.  If  you  can  demonstrate  the 
truth  of  the  religion  of  Christ  crucified,  I  wish  you 
would  do  it." 

Well,  look  here.  Take  the  case  of  the  man  that 
was  born  blind.  As  he  walked  up,  groping  in 
darkness,  he  said,  "  Lord  Jesus,  that  I  may  receive 
my  sight,"  and  Jesus  stepped  down  and  spat  on  the 
ground,  and  made  clay  of  the  spittle  and  rubbed.it 
on  his  eyes  and  said,  "  Go  wash  in  yonder  pool."  I 
suppose  if  some  of  you  scientific  gentlemen  had 
been  there  you  would  have  told  that  poor  blind 
fellow,  "  Look  here,  science  has  demonstrated  that 
there  are  curative  powers  in  dry  dirt,  but  He  has 
gone  and  spit  on  the  dirt  and  wet  it,  and  taken  all 
the  curative  powers  out  of  it,  and  in  addition  to 
that  he  tells  you  to  go  and  wash  in  that  pool, 
where  you  have  bathed  a  hundred  times.  Just  look, 
now,  he  is  playing  his  pranks  on   you.     But  the 


How  TO  Know  the  Doctrine.         207 

poor  blind  fellow  had  more  sense  than  that.  He 
said,  "  Whether  the  clay  has  curative  powers  in  it 
before  or  after  it  is  wet  I  do  n't  know ;  and  about 
that  pool,  I  have  washed  in  it  many  a  time ;  but 
this  man  says  if  I  will  go  now  and  wash  this  dirt 
off  my  eyes  in  that  pool,  I  will  have  my  eye-sight. 
That  is  what  I  am  after,  and  I  am  going  to  do  his 
will ;  I  am  going  to  put  him  to  the  test.''  And  I 
see  the  poor  blind  fellow  groping  off  in  darkness, 
nntil  he  reaches  the  edge  of  the  pool,  and  he  steps 
down  and  lifts  the  water  to  his  eyes,  and  washes 
off  the  clay  and  spittle,  and  then  he  looks  up  and 
sees  rocks  and  rivers  and  mountains  that  his  eyes 
had  never  looked  on  before.  That  crowd  got  around 
him  and  said,  "  Well,  now  look  here,  give  God  the 
glory.  This  man  has  a  devil."  "  Well,"  said  he, 
"  whether  he  has  a  devil  or  not,  I  know  not,  but 
one  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I  was  blind,  now 
I  see."     There  is  demonstration. 

Well,  let  us  take  another  instance — ^the  ten  cases 
of  leprosy.  Here  is  the  most  fearful  disease  man 
ever  had.  The  lepers  came  up  and  said,  "  Master, 
look.  We  are  diseased  from  head  to  foot  with  this 
fearful  disease,  leprosy,  for  which  there  is  no  cure  " — 
and  no  cure  to  this  day  has  ever  been  discovered. 
"  Now,  Master,  that  we  may  be  made  whole."  Jesus 
just  looked  at  the  lepers  and  said,  "  Go  show  your- 
selves to  the  priest."  Now  the  scientific  gentleman 
I  suppose,  if  he  had  been  present,  would  have  said, 
"Listen  to  that.  Doesn't  he  know  the  priests 
won't  let  those  fellows  come  about  them,  as  they 
have  banished  them  from  the  congregation  of  the 


208  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

people  ?  And  they  have  to  spend  their  lives  in  old 
waste  places^  and  every  time  any  body  approaches 
them  they  must  raise  up  their  hands  and  cry,  '  Un- 
clean I'  O,  how  wicked  in  him  to  tell  those  men  to 
go  to  the  priests  when  the  priests  won't  let  them 
approach.''  But  those  poor  lepers  said,  ''Master^ 
we  will  do  thy  will ;  we  will  do  what  thou  sayest." 
And  I  see  just  ten  men  start  off^  and  they  walk  but 
a  short  distance  until  one  looks  at  another  and  says, 
'^  The  scales  are  all  gone  and  I  am  sound  from  head 
to  foot;"  and  one  runs  back  and  praises  God  for 
the  wonderful  cure  of  the  whole.  Brother,  do  you 
believe  that? 

I  have  often  wondered  what  a  life  Christ  must 
have  had  among  men.  I  picture  to  myself,  breth- 
ren, as  the  news  went  abroad,  how  he  gave  sight  to 
the  blind,  and  how  he  healed  the  sick,  and  how  he 
raised  the  dead,  that  they  pressed  him  on  all  sides; 
and  when  all  along  his  pathway  he  scattered  bless- 
ings in  the  hearts  of  men,  I  wonder  that  any  man 
to-day  by  his  life  and  character,  should  fight  such 
a  being  as  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Demonstrate  this  truth.  Now,  sir,  I  feel  just 
this  way  about  it.  I  was  preaching  down  in  one  of 
the  towns  in  our  State.  An  old  colonel — a  clever 
old  man — sat  in  the  congregation.  He  was  wicked 
and  godless.  He  was  an  old  citizen  of  my  town. 
I  was  a  boy  there,  grew  up  there.  This  eld  citizen 
had  been  away  for  several  years.  I  went  down  to 
his  town  in  Georgia,  and  stood  up  and  preached  to 
the  people,  "Repent  and  come  to  God."  Well, 
hen  I  walked  out  of  church  that  day  this  old 


How  TO  Know  the  Doctrine.         209 

gray-headed  man  was  standing  at  the  gate  of  the 
yard  in  front  of  the  churchy  and  he  took  my  faand^ 
and  the  big  tears  ran  down  his  eyes.  Said  he, 
'^  Are  you  the  same  wicked,  daring,  godless,  drunken 
boy  that  used  to  curse  Cartersville  so?"  Said  I, 
"  I  am  the  very  one."  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  no  mat- 
ter what  my  doubts  have  been  about  the  power  of 
God  to  save  a  sinner,  I  yield  them  now,  and  pray 
God  Almighty  to  save  me  just  as  he  saved  you." 
Demonstration  ?  I  do  n't  reckon  there  is  a  man  or 
woman  or  child  in  Cartersville  that  doubts  there  is 
power  in  Ohristianity  to  save  a  sinner,  not  one. 

Now,  brother,  "  if  any  man  will  do  the  will  of 
God,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine  " — know  for 
himself.  And  what  does  God  want  us  all  to  do  ? 
"  Cease  to  do  evil,  learn  to  do  well."  "  Let  the 
wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man 
his  thoughts,  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord."  It 
is  the  will  of  God  that  we  repent.  It  is  the  will  of 
God  that  we  accept  salvation  on  his  terms.  Doc- 
trine is  a  good  thing  and  fear  is  a  good  thing ;  but 
one  fact  stops  a  man;  he  can't  get  over  it,  nor 
under  it,  nor  around  it,  nor  through  it.  There  it 
is,  and  he  must  do  something  with  it.  Now,  I  will 
tell  you — one  man  became  the  grandest  Christian  in 
our  State,  and  his  plan  just  opens  the  way  for  every 
man.  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons.  Now,  listen 
to  this.  If  you  really  want  to  be  religious,  I  will 
tell  you  how.  This  man  lived  in  middle  Georgia. 
I  was  afterward  the  pastor  of  his  wife,  and  pastor 
of  the  Church  in  which  he  lived  and  died.  For 
forty  odd  years  he  labored  in  the  Church  of  God. 

18— B 


210  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

I  will  tell  you  how  he  started.  Shortly  after  he 
was  married,  perhaps  a  year  or  two— I  do  n't  know 
exactly — the  Church  that  he  and  his  wife  attended 
was  in  the  country;  they  lived  in  the  country.  He 
was  a  farmer.  On  a  certain  Sunday  his  wife  did  n't 
go  to  Church  with  him.  The  preacher  came  around 
once  a  month,  and  it  was  the  regular  preaching  serv- 
ice there  on  that  Sabbath.  In  hi^  sermon  the 
preacher  made  this  remark :  "  If  a  man  will  do  be- 
fore he  gets  religion  just  as  he  thinks  he  would  do 
after  he  gets  it,  he  will  get  it."  Now,  do  you  get 
that  point?  Well,  this  fellow  was  a  sensible  man, 
and  he  took  it  in  in  all  of  its  bearings.  So  that 
day,  when  the  preacher  was  through  preaching,  he 
opened  the  door  of  the  church.  This  man  walked 
right  up  and  gave  his  hand  to  the  preacher,  and 
joined  the  Church.  He  got  home,  and  his  wife 
said,  "What  sort  of  meeting  did  you  have?" 
"  Well,"  said  he,  "  we  had  a  good  meeting,  I  thknk. 
Mr.  So-and-so  preached  a  good  sermon,  and  I  joined 
the  Church."  "  You  joined  the  Church  ?"  'f  Yes." 
"  Have  you  got  religion  ?"  "  No."  "  Well,  what 
in  the  world  did  you  join  the  Church  for  without 
religion  ?"  "  Well,  the  preacher  said  if  I  would  do 
before  I  got  religion  as  I  thought  I  would  do  after 
I  got  it,  I  would  get  it;  and  I  know  I  would  join 
if  I  had  it,  and  I  am  going  to  do  before  I  get  it 
just  what  I  think  I  would  do  after  I  get  it."  "  Well, 
well,  well,"  she  said,  "  that  beats  any  thing  I  ever 
heard."  That  night,  just  before  time  to  retire,  he 
said,  "  Wife,  get  the  Bible,  please,  and  a  candle." 
"  What  are   you  going  to  do  ?"     "  I  am  going  to 


How  TO  Know  the  Doctrine,         211 

read  a  chapter  in  the  Word  of  God,  and  hold  fam- 
ily prayers."  "  Hold  family  prayers  and  got  no  re- 
ligion ?''  "  Yes."  "  Why,  what  are  you  going  to 
do  that  for  ?"  "  Well,  the  preacher  said  if  I  would 
do  before  I  got  religion  as  I  thought  I  would  do 
afterward,  I  would  get  it ;  and  I  know  I  would  pray 
in  my  family  if  I  had  religion."  He  read  his  chap- 
ter and  got  down  and  led  in  family  prayer.  The 
next  morning,  when  the  breakfast  bell  rang,  he 
said, ''  Hold  on  to  that  breakfast,  wife!  I  am  going 
to  read  another  chapter  and  pray  here."  '*  Are  you 
going  to  pray  on  here  every  day,  and  haven't  got 
religion  ?"  "Yes,"  he  said.  "  Well,  and  what  are 
you  going  to  do  that  for?"  "  Well,"  he  said,  " the 
preacher  said  if  I  would  do  before  I  got  it  as  I 
would  do  after  I  got  it,  I  would  get  it ;  and  I  know 
I  would  pray  every  night  and  morning  the  Lord 
sent,  if  I  had  it."  And  Wednesday  night  they  went 
out  to  the  week's  prayer-meeting,  and  the  leader  of 
the  meeting  called  on  him  to  pray,  and  he  got  down 
and  prayed  the  very  best  he  could,  and  his  wife,  as 
soon  as  they  came  out  of  the  church,  caught  his 
arm,  and  she  said,  "  What  in  the  world  do  you  pray 
in  public,  and  have  no  religion,  for?"  "Well," he 
said,  "  wife,  the  preacher  said  if  I  would  do  before 
I  got  it  just  as  I  thought  I  would  do  afterward,  I 
would  get  it;  and  I  know  I  would  pray  in  public  if 
I  had  religion."  And  he  just  plowed  his  furrow 
along  that  way  for  about  two  weeks,  and  got  the 
biggest  case  of  religion  that  any  man  ever  heard  of. 
Now,  that  is  the  whole  thing  in  a  nut-shell.  The 
means  of  grace  will  take  a  man  to  God. 


212  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

"If  any  man  will  do  the  will  of  God,  he  shall 
know  of  the  doctrine/'  Do  as  God  wants  you  to 
do,  and  he  will  bless  you  as  certain  as  you  are  a 
man.  Yes,  but  you  say, "  Mr.  Jones,  that  won't  do, 
because  I  joined  the  Church  once,  and  I  finally  told 
them  to  take  my  name  off.  I  would  n't  be  a  hypo- 
crite, and  there  is  n't  any  thing  in  joining  the 
Church."  No,  there  isn't;  but  there  is  a  heap  in 
what  sort  of  fellow  joins,  I  tell  you  that. 

Yes,  but  you  say  :  "Now,  I  like  what  you  say, 
but,  Mr.  Jones,  I  ain't  fif  I  declare  I  never 
want  to  go  into  the  family  that  ain't  fit  to  join  the 
Church;  ain't  fit  to  do  any  thing.  They  are  the 
hardest  cases  that  I  ever  struck — these  "  ain't-fit " 
fellows.  I  will  tell  you,  you  may  take  the  most 
Ignorant  man  in  this  city,  colored  or  white,  to-mor- 
row, and  you  may  meet  him  on  the  street — say  he 
is  a  colored  man — and  say  to  him:  "Tom,  are  you 
a  member  of  the  Church  ?"  "  No,  sir."  "  Why?" 
"  Because  I  ain't  fitten."  That  is  just  what  he  will 
say.  Then  you  meet  the  most  intelligent  lawyer  on 
the  next  block,  and  say,  "  Colonel,  are  you  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Church?"  "No, sir."  "Why?"  "Well, 
to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  ain't  fit."  And  he  talks 
Just  like  that  poor  ignorant  fellow  that  doesn't 
know  a  letter  in  the  book.  The  fact  of  the  business 
is,  that  is  the  only  thing  that  is  the  matter  with 
them.  I  will  tell  you  just  where  all.  such  as  that 
stand  to-day.  Here  is  a  fellow  out  here  that  hasn't 
had  a  bite  to  eat  in  a  week ;  he  is  starved  nearly  to 
death,  and  he  says:  "I  never  was  so  hungry  in  my 
life."     "Well,  here  is  a  table  loaded  with   food. 


How  TO  Know  the  Doctrine.         213 

Come  up  and  eat."  He  says,  "  Ugh,  ugh  1"  I 
say,  "  Why  r  He  says,  "  My  hands  ainH  fitten." 
"  Well,"  I  reply,  "  there  is  soap  and  water  and  a 
towel.  Wash  your  hands."  "Ugh,  ugh!  I  ain't 
fitten  to  wash."  So  he  just  stands  there  and  starves 
to  death.  Now,  is  n't  that  so?  What  are  you  going 
to  do  with  him?  There  you  are,  friend.  Give 
yourself  to  God  and  his  Church.  "Ugh,  ugh!" 
"  Why?"  "  I  ain't  fitten."  Well,  come  up  here  and 
seek  to  be  saved  and  seek  to  be  made  fit.  **  Ugh, 
ugh !  I  ain't  fitten  to  get  fitten."  And  there  he 
sits  and  there  he  dies.  Now,  what  are  you  going 
to  do  with  a  ease  like  that?  He  says  he  isn't 
fitten,  and  when  you  want  him  to  get  fitten  he  says 
he  is  n't  fitten  to  get  fitten.  And  what  to  do  with 
a  case  like  that  is  the  profoundest  mystery  of  the 
world  to  me. 

Brethren,  let  us  learn  some  real  good  hard  sense 
on  this  thing,  and  say  this :  The  only  fact  that  ever 
pommended  me  to  God  was  the  fact  that  I  was  n't 
fit.  Jesus  came  to  seek  and  save  the  lost,  and  all 
the  fitness  he  requireth  is  to  feel  my  need  of  him. 
I  feel  my  need ;  you  feel  your  need.  If  you  were 
fit,  then  I  have  no  word  to  say  to  you.  Jesus  came 
to  call  not  the  righteous,  but  sinners,  to  repentance, 
and  these  poor  fellows  that  ain't  fit — you  are  the 
very  ones.  If  your  hands  are  dirty  you  are  the 
man  that  ought  to  wash  your  hands;  and  if  your 
soul  is  dirty  by  sin  you  ought  to  seek  the  fountain 
that  washes  away  all  sin  and  uncleanness  from  your 
soul.     Won't  you  do  that  to-night? 

'^  If  a  man  will  do  the  will  of  God  he  shall  know 


214  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

of  the  doctrine/'  And  I  want  to  tell  you  to-night, 
if  I  were  you,  standing  where  you  are,  I  would 
walk  up  and  say,  "  My  brother,  put  me  down  on 
God's  side  from  this  day  until  I  die."  God  says, 
"  Choose  ye  this  day  whom  you  will  serve."  Now, 
will  you  listen  to-night,  and  will  you  not,  as  an 
honest  man  who  knows  he  ought  to  be  good  and 
give  himself  to  the  right — will  you  not  in  love  and 
kindness  say,  "  God  being  my  helper,  I  start  a  bet- 
ter life  to-night?  I  start  on  God's  plan,  eschewing 
the  evil,  taking  up  the  right,  and  the  balance  of 
my  days  I  give  to  the  service  of  God."  And  when 
the  battle  is  over  God  will  say,  "Now  you  are 
crowned,"  and  then  the  palm,  and  then  everlast- 
ing life. 

Sayings. 

The  first  and  lowest  expression  of  love  is  the 
love  of  trust.  This  we  see  manifested  in  the  con- 
duct of  the  child  toward  its  mother.  There  is  a  sort 
of  love  that  we  call  the  love  of  admiration,  which 
admires  the  true,  the  noble,  and  the  good,  and  makes 
us  aspire  to  it.  That  is  a  higher  order  of  love.  Of 
all  love  that  is  the  most  sublime  which  you  see  illus- 
trated when  the  bride  and  bridegroom  walk  up  to 
the  altar.  He  gives  himself  to  her,  and  she  gives 
herself  to  him.  There  they  are,  and  if  they  are  mar- 
ried according  to  God's  ordinances,  he  does  n't  con- 
sult his  own  wishes — he  just  wants  to  know  what  his 
wife  wants  j  and  she  does  n't  consult  her  own  wishes — 
she  just  wants  to  know  what  will  please  her  husband. 


Sermon  XVI. 

THK  SECREX  OK  A.  RELIGIOUS  LIKK. 

"I  beseech  you,  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies  of 
God,  that  ye  present  yoar  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  ac- 
ceptable, unto  God,  which  is  your  reasonable  service." — 
Romans  xii,  1. 

WE  have  down  South  what  we  call  the  intensive 
systenn  of  farming.  That  means,  enrich  your 
soil,  cultivate  it  more  thoroughly,  and  you  can  make 
more  cotton  and  corn  on  ten  acres  with  less  work 
than  you  now  make  on  forty  acres;  and,  after  all, 
the  question  is  not  how  many  acres  you  cultivate, 
but  how  many  wagon  loads  of  corn  you  gather,  and 
how  many  bales  of  cotton  you  have  for  the  market. 
That's  the  test  at  last  of  farming. 

The  intensive  system  of  farming  is  to  get  the 
most  possible  out  of  the  parcel  in  hand.  I  would 
like  to  see  the  same  system  universally  tried  in  re- 
ligion— to  get  the  most  possible  out  of  the  facilities 
afforded.  I  have  always  heard  it  said,  there  is 
more  in  the  roan  than  there  is  in  the  land,  and  I 
have  found  out  in  this  country,  as  I  have  opened 
my  eyes  and  looked  around  me,  there  is  more  in 
the  character  of  the  man  who  joins  the  Church 
than  there  is  in  the  Church  which  he  joins. 

You  will  excuse  me,  I  hope,  if  I  say  there  are 
some  pieces  of  hickory  the  Lord  himself  can't  make 
an  ax-handle  out  of.  That's  not  exactly  orthodox, 
but  it's  a  fact.     He  can  polish  it  up,  and  make  it  of 

215 


216  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

the  same  shape  and  same  size  and  the  same  polish 
as  any  other  ax-handle^  but  it  will  break  off  the 
first  time  you  throw  the  ax  into  a  log.  YouVe 
seen  this  sort?  Hickory  that  has  been  subjected  to 
certain  influences  and  despoiled  by  certain  atmos- 
phereS;  brother^  is  n't  the  sort  that  is  good  for  the 
purpose  you  want  to  use  it.  I  want  to  tell  you  that 
there  are  men  and  women  all  over  this  country  that 
have  subjected  themselves  to  so  many  injurious  in- 
fluences and  despoiled  their  character  and  under- 
mined their  foundation  with  so  much  that  is  wrong, 
that  there  must  be,  in  the  very  nature  of  the  case, 
a  new  creation  to  make  them  of  any  account.  That's 
true  of  a  great  many  men.  Now,  I  want  you  all 
to-day  to  get  down  to  the  bed-rock  facts,  and  let  us 
talk  about  them.  I  like  the  rock  idea.  A  rock  is 
the  foundation  stone;  a  rock  supplies  the  great 
shadow  in  a  weary  land.  Now  we  strike  this  bed- 
rock on  this  text:  "I  beseech  you,  therefore, 
brethren,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  that  ye  present 
your  bodies,"  first,  a  living;  second,  a  holy;  and 
third,  an  acceptable  sacrifice.  Now  these  three 
words  are  not  put  there  to  round  up  the  rhetoric  in 
this  sentence.  They  are  put  before  that  term  *'  sacri- 
fice," but  each  word  is  a  pillar  holding  up  the  great 
truth  expreased  in  it. 

*^A  living  sacrifice."  The  Lord  wants  fifty 
million  Christians.  I  believe  there  are  that  many 
professed  Christians — fifty  million  people — in  this 
world,  who  love  God  with  all  their  heart,  and 
love  their  neighbors  a§  themselves.  He  wants  fifty 
million  soldiers  of  the  cross  that  ain't  afraid  of  any 


The  Secret  op  a  Religious  Life.      217 

thing  but  8in^  that  love  the  right^  and  that  dare  to 
do  the  right. 

We  are  willing  to  give  our  proportion  of  hos- 
pital rats  and  ambulance  drivers,  and  so  on^  but  I 
tell  you  when  we  get  three-fourths  of  that  kind  into 
the  front  we  ain't  in  much  fix  to  fight.  We  know^ 
though,  there  are  plenty  in  the  rear  to  take  care  of 
our  wounded  if  any  fellow  happens  to  get  wounded. 
We  can  do  that.  The  finest  hospital  facilities  in 
the  universe  are  found  in  the  Church  of  God.  Isn't 
that  true  ?  Brother,  Christianity  in  earnest,  the  in- 
tensive system  of  living  right,  means  simply  this: 
"Lord  God,  here  I  am,  just  as  I  am,  with  every 
passion  of  my  soul,  every  faculty  of  my  mind,  and 
every  power  of  my  body.  Here  I  am ;  if  you  want 
to  use  my  hand,  use  it ;  if  you  want  to  use  my  foot^ 
use  it;  if  you  want  to  use  my  tongue,  use  it;  if  you 
want  to  use  my  brain,  use  it;  if  you  want  to 
use  my  eyes,  use  them.  Lord  God,  here  I  am, 
all  over,  through  and  through,  from  head  to  foot, 
I  give  myself  to  thee."  A  living  sacrifice  in  fact — 
that's  what  we  want  in  this  country.  I  will  tell 
you  how  we  can  have  heart  religion,  brother,  unin- 
tentionally. We  have  heard  some  old  friend  get  up 
and  talk,  "  I  have  religion  in  here.  I  know  I  have 
it  in  here."  Well,  if  you  have  got  it  at  all  it  is  in' 
there.  "O,  I  believe  in  heart  religion"  you  hear 
folks  say.  •'  That's  my  sort  of  religion."  Well,  I 
believe  in  heart  religion,  too,  but  I  believe  in  finger 
religion  as  strongly  as  I  believe  in  heart  religion. 
I  '11  tell  you  another  thing.  If  I  could  n't  have  it 
in  but  one  place  I  want  it  in  this  hand  here^  and 

19    n 


218  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

make  it  go  out  and  do  something  for  somebody. 
Your  heart  religion  is  n't  worth  a  thing  in  the  world 
by  itself,  because  your  heart  never  comes  out;  and 
if  it  did  and  any  thing  would  come  in  contact  with 
it  you  M  be  gone.  If  any  thing  touches  it,  even  the 
point  of  a  cambric  needle,  you  're  dead.  You  've 
got  religion  as  you  \e  got  your  heart — if  you  ex- 
pose it,  if  any  thing  touches  the  receptacle  of  your 
religion  you  're  gone.  I  'm  sorry  for  you  if  you  have 
only  heart  religion.  I  want  head  religion,  hand  re- 
ligion, foot  religion  as  well  as  heart  religion.  I 
want  every  square  inch  in  me,  and  about  me,  all 
over,  head  to  foot  religious.  Get  a  man  religious 
all  over,  and  if  the  Lord  wants  him  to  work  his 
head  and  feet  he  will  visit  the  sick ;  if  his  head  and 
tongue,  he  Ml  talk  to  him;  if  he  wants  to  put  intel- 
ligent thought  into  his  heart  his  ear  is  open  to  hear. 
What  we  want  in  this  country  is  the  sacrifice 
that  is  willing  to  do  right  and  live  right  and  whole 
in  every*  respect — a  whole  sacrifice.  Now,  some  of 
you  here  are  thinking  men,  and  some  of  you  are- 
thinking  about  going  up  a  little  higher,  getting  dis- 
satisfied with  your  latitude,  and  with  your  altitude,  to 
say  the  least  of  it.  Let 's  see  what  we  can  do.  A 
man  said  to  me  about  six  months  ago,  and  he  was 
an  intelligent  Christian,  "  Mr.  Jones,  we  have  got 
men  in  our  Church  worth  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  and  some  worth  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars. They  have  been  in  the  Church  twenty-five 
years,  some  of  them,  and  some  of  them  pay  our  pas- 
tor two  hundred  dollars  a  year;  they  pay  about 
twenty  dollars  for  missions,  and   for  all   purposes 


The  Secret  op  a  Religious  Life,     219 

they  pay  about  three  hundred  dollars.  Mr.  Jones, 
I  've  been  in  the  Church  only  six  years.  I  'm  not 
worth  more  than  twenty  thousand  dollars,  but  I  tell 
you  I  had  to  settle  that  money  question  some  time 
ago.  The  Lord  just  brought  me  up  to  where  that 
question  had  to  be  settled,  '  What  are  you  going  to 
do  about  money  ?'  and  the  least  amount  I  can  get 
off  with  to  save  my  life  is  one  thousand  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  sometimes  I  have  to  overhaul  the 
thing  or  I  feel  bad  about  it,  and  still  I  do  n't  think 
I  'm  doing  right  toward  God."  A  whole  sacrifice — 
a  man  that  will  tote  fair  with  God  in  his  money! 
There  is  n't  one  in  a  thousand  that  will  do  it.  Did 
you  ever  notice  how  still  a  crowd  becomes  when  you 
get  to  talking  about  money  ?  O,  my  friends,  hear 
me  to-day;  if  you  intend  to  give  yourselves  a  liv- 
ing, whole,  sacrifice,  you  Ve  got  to  settle  this  money 
question.  Your  money  has  to  do  with  your  relig- 
ion just  as  every  thing  else.  A  man's  money  will 
help  him  to  heaven  just  as  it  will  help  him  to  New 
York.  "  O,"  you  say,  -"  you  're  preaching  a  mon- 
eyed gospel  now."  Well,  now,  let's  talk  a  little 
sense  along  with  it  as  we  go  and  see  how  the  thing 
works.  I  can  get  to  New  York  without  a  cent  if 
I  foot  it  all  the  way  and  beg  my  bread.  Can  't  I? 
It  is  n't  necessary  to  have  a  cent  to  go  to  New  York 
just  as  surely  as  it  is  n't  necessary  that  you  must 
have  a  nickel  to  go  to  heaven ;  and  that  old  sister 
that  sang  *'  I  'm  glad  salvation  is  free,"  said,  "  I  've 
been  in  the  Church  forty  years,  and  it  never  cost 
me  but  twenty-five  cents."  The  old  soul  spent  her 
quarter  at  last,  but  I  don't  believe  she  ever  got 


^  I 


220  Sam  Jokes'  Own  Book. 

up  there  to  enjoy  it.  Here  a  man's  money  will  help 
him  to  heaven,  or  it  will  help  him  to  hell,  which- 
ever route  he  wants  to  go.  A  man  can  take  his 
money  and  go  up  with  it  or  down  with  it,  or  run 
on  a  dead  level  with  it— either  way. 

"  Let 's  hear  you  explain  that."  Well,  I  '11  il- 
lustrate it  for  you.  Here 's  a  mechanic  that  has 
worked  a  couple  of  days  for  a  man,  and  has  earned 
two  dollars  a  day,  we  will  say;  the  man  hasn't 
the  money,  but  he  says,  "  I  '11  pay  you  in  four 
bushels  of  corn,  if  that  will  suit  you."  "  Yes,  that 
will  do."  Now,  I  've  got  four  bushels  of  corn.  I 
want  to  run  on  a  dead  level  with  it.  How  am  I  to 
do  it?  I'll  take  that  corn  out  here  in  this  field 
and  plant  it,  and  next  fall  I  have  five  hundred 
bushels;  but  I  haven't  any  thing  but  corn. 

I  started  with  corn,  and  I  ended  with  corn.  You 
see  that 's  a  dead-level,  dog-trot  line.  There 's 
many  a  fellow  in  this  country,  if  you  were  to  analyze 
him  and  show  him  how  much  genuine  dog  he  had 
in  him,  he  would  be  ashamed  of  himself  the  balance 
of  his  life.  A  fellow  has  got  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  and  he  says,  *^  I  'm  going  to  make  this  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  earn  me  another  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars."  He  has  money.  He  started  with 
money,  and  he  ended  with  money.  You  put  it  in  two 
piles,  and  when  death  turns  his  lantern  «tn  one  pile 
and  then  on  the  other  you  would  n't  turn  around  for  it. 

I  want  to  go  down  with  my  corn  now.  How 
am  I  going  to  do  it?  Why,  I  '11  take  it  up  to  the 
still-house  and  have  eight  gallons  of  whisky  made 
out  of  it,  and  then  every  thing  I  touch  is  going  down- 


The  Se(!eet  op  a  Religious  Life.      221 

ward  and  hellward.  Do  n^t  you  see  ?  I  want  to 
go  up  with  it.  How  am  I  going  to  do  it?  I  Ml 
take  my  four  bushels  of  corn  to  the  mill  and  have 
it  ground;  and  put  it  on  a  dray-wagon,  and  get  up 
on  the  sacks  myself,  and  drive  down  this  street  and 
turn  up  this  alley,  and  stop  in  front  of  the  house 
of  a  poor  widow,  and  I  '11  take  those  four  bushels 
of  meal  out  of  that  wagon  and  carry  it  into  the 
house  and  lay  it  on  the  floor,  and  tell  that  poor 
widow  and  her  children,  "  In  the  name  of  Jesus, 
my  precious  Savior,  I  will  give  you  these  four 
bushels  of  meal;''  and  at  the  last  day,  when  the 
man  walks  up  to  the  pearly  gates,  Jesus  will  say, 
"Open  wide  the  everlasting  gates  and  let  him  in," 
and  the  angels  say,  "  Why,  Master,  on  what  grounds 
do  you  admit  him  ?"  and  Jesus  will  say,  "  I  was 
hungry  and  he  fed  me.  I  was  naked  and  he  clothed 
me.  I  was  sick  and  he  visited  me."  Jesus  points  at 
the  little  cabin  in  the  alley,  and  says,  "  Even  as  ye 
did  it  unto  the  least  of  these,  my  brethren,  you  did 
it  unto  mo.     Enter  thou  into  the  joys  of  thy  Lord." 

Now  hear  me.  What  about  my  money  ?  Have 
I  consecrated  myself  to  God?  I  will  say  one 
thing,  and  I  mean  it  with  all  my  heart.  If  I  had 
as  much  money  as  some  of  you  have  got  who  look 
me  in  the  face,  and  if  I  did  n't  do  more  for  God  and 
humanity  than  you  do  with  your  money,  the  devil 
would  get  me  as  certain  as  my  name  is  Sam  Jones, 
and  he  '11  get  you,  too,  unless  you  make  out  a  clear 
case  of  idiocy. 

If  you  do  that  you  may  slip  through.  If  you 
go  up  there  as  a  sensible  man,  and  show  no  better 


222  Sam  Joxes'  Own  Book. 

dividends  in  righteousness  than  you  now  show,  my 
candid  judgment  is  tlie  sentence  will  be,  "  Depart, 
ye  accursed.  I  trusted  you  and  you  robbed  me.'' 
Your  money — you  've  got  to  straighten  that  out 
somehow.  Many  a  man  is  appreciative.  A  fellow 
in  Cincinnati  said,  **  I  would  n't  have  missed  that 
sermon  for  two  hundred  dollars,"  but  when  they 
passed  around  the  hat  he  slipped  in  a  copper  cent. 
He  was  just  one  hundred  and  ninety-nine  dollars 
and  ninety-nine  cents  meaner  in  his  pocket  than  he 
was  in  his  mouth.  That  fellow's  mouth  was  all 
right,  but  his  pocket  was  all  wrong.  I  said  once, 
"Brethren,  pitch  in  and  give  every  thing  you  have 
to  God,"  and  a  brother  tackled  me  after  dinner  and 
said,  "  Look  here,  Jones,  you  told  these  people  to 
give  every  thing  they  had  to'  God.  Do  you  meau 
it?"  "No,"  I  said,  "I  just  put  it  strong  that 
way  and  told  them  to  give  their  all,  and  by  the 
time  it  works  down  to  their  pocket-books  it  will  be 
just  about  ten  cents."  We  have  got  to  start  mighty 
strong  to  get  there  at  all.  Money !  Religion  is  the 
cheapest  thing  in  the  world.  There  is  n't  an  enter- 
tainment on  earth  as  cheap  as  a  religious  entertain- 
ment, if  you  won't  put  it  on  any  other  basis  in  the 
world.  I  recollect  going  down  the  street  of  my 
town  one  day  and  I  passed  a  squad  of  men,  who  were 
standing  on  the  sidwalk,  and  heard  one  man  say, 
"  Every  time  I  go  to  Church  its  money,  money, 
money."  I  have  heard  that,  have  n't  you?  I'll 
tell  you  another  thing.  Have  you  not  noticed  that 
whenever  a  pocket-book  flies  shut  a  man's  mouth 
flies  open,  and  he  '11  talk ;  but  whenever  his  pocket- 


The  Secret  op  a  Religious  Life.       223 

book  flies  open  his  mouth  flies  shut?  The  fellows 
that  never  give  a  cent  are  the  fellows  that  are  run- 
ning around  talking  money,  money,  money  all  the 
time.  You  watch. the  next  tonguey  chap  that's 
going  about  talking  money  and  he  's  the  very  fellow 
that  has  n't  invested  a  quarter  since  these  meetings 
started.  Did  you  ever  notice  that.  "Barking  dogs 
never  bite."  I  have  heard  that  all  my  life ;  and 
the  man  that  growls  about  money  is  the  man  that 
never  pays  any  thing. 

Listen.  I  was  walking  along  the  street  when  one 
of  these  men  said  to  the  others:  "It's  just  money, 
money,  money  the  year  round."  I  stopped,  and 
there  it  was  the  steward  of  the  Methodist  Church 
talking  that  way.  I  looked  at  him  and  said,  "  What 
did  you  say?"  and  he  said:  "  Sara,  I  didn't  see 
you,  or  I  do  n't  reckon  I  'd  have  said  that."  Said 
I,  "  What  did  you  say  ?"  He  said  :  "  I  declared  it 
a  shame  how  people  are  going  about  talking  about 
money.  Every  time  you  go  to  Church  they  take  a 
collection,  and  they  stick  the  contribution-box  un- 
der your  nose  now  every  time  you  go  to  Church."  I 
said,  "Look  here;  talking  about  money,  I'll  tell 
you  what  I  '11  do.  You  pick  out  six  of  the  leading 
Methodists  or  Baptists  in  the  Church,,  the  most 
liberal  ones,  and  I  '11  agree  to  pay  every  dollar  of 
what  these  six  pay  in  a  year,  every  cent,  to 
the  preacher  and  to  Church  missions,  with  less 
money  than  it  takes  to  run  one  old  red-nosed 
drunkard.  Now,  what  do  you  say  ?  Why,  one  old 
red-nosed  drunkard  pays  more  for  his  whisky  and 
his  devilment  every  year  than  the  six  leading  Chris- 


224  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

tians  of  the  town  pay  for  the  privilege  of  serving 
God  and  doing  right  and  going  to  heaven.  Brother, 
I M  just  shut  my  little  mouth  and  never  open  it 
again  on  that  subject  if  I  were  you.  It 's  better  to 
be  poor  than  to  be  drunk ;  it's  better  to  be  a  good 
man  than  a  bad  man ;  you  better  shut  your  mouth 
and  go  along  and  say  nothing  about  money." 

If  I  were  on  any  thing  else  than  money,  you'd 
all  cheer  like  forty,  but  I  do  n't  expect  much  cheer- 
ing on  the  line  I  'm  on.  It  is  as  the  old  colored 
preacher  says,  "  Talk  about  money  and  you  throw 
a  dampness  over  the  meetin'."  I'm  not  preaching 
for  my  pocket,  brethren,  I  'm  preaching  for  souls. 
Do  you  hear  that  ? 

Brother,  tote  fair  with  God;  do  right  towards 
God  your  Maker,  and  wherever  there  is  a  demand 
on  your  head  or  heart  or  hand  or  feet  or  pocket- 
book,  in  the  name  of  sense  meet  it  as  an  honest 
man  ought  to  meet  a  thing.  That's  religion — a 
holy  sacrifice.  Well,  we  take  it  for  granted  you 
have  given  God  your  heart  and  pocket-book, 
and  your  hands  and  feet,  but  now  how  about  your 
time?  Have  you  ever  settled  any  thing  about  your 
time,  whether  any  of  it  belongs  to  God,  and  if  so, 
how  much  of  it  belongs  to  God  ?  Did  you  ever  sit 
down  and  make  an  honest  division  with  God  of  your 
time — I  will  give  God  so  much  every  week?  John 
Wesley,  a  grander  man  than  whom  never  lived,  sat 
down  and  divided  the  twenty-four  hours  of  the  day 
into  three  equal  parts,  and  said,  "  Eight  hours  a 
day  I  give  to  sleep  and  recreation ;  eight  hours  I 
give  to   my  business,  and   eight  hours  I   give   to 


Thk  Secrkt  of  a  Religious  Life.      225 

God/'  When  I  look  at  Wesley's  life,  and  see  how 
inaDy  sermons  he  preached,  I  'm  astonished  that  he 
had  any  time  to  travel;  and  when  I  look  at  the 
number  of  miles  he  traveled  on  horseback,  I'm 
astonished  that  he  had  time  to  preach  ;  and  when  I 
look  at  the  number  of  books  he  left  behind  him  I 
say,  "  Well,  well,  how  did  Wesley  have  time  for 
writing  and  preaching?"  and  the  whole  life  of  that 
great  man,  the  most  laborious  life  almost  of  any 
century,  was  made  successful  and  extensive  because 
he  divided  up  rightly  with  God. 

How  many  weeks  in  the  year  do  you  give  to 
God  ?  How  many  hours  a  day  do  you  give  to  God  ? 
That 's  the  way  to  talk  it.  How  many  days  in  the 
week,  how  many  hours  in  the  day  do  you  give  to 
God?  Many  a  fellow  goes  crying  around  a  big 
meeting  and  asks  people  to  pray  for  him,  but, 
brother,  you  do  n't  want  to  go  where  God  is.  He 
is  all  around  here.  I  tell  you  you  can  find  God  all 
over  this  city,  and  there  's  many  a  place  I  'd  rather 
go  to  find  God  than  to  this  hall.  "  What  do  you 
mean?"  I  mean  this:  I  heard  of  a  backslidden 
Methodist  once  who  was  making  money  pretty  fast — 
and  that's  a  pretty  good  way  to  find  a  blackslider. 
It 's  a  fellow  in  the  Church  making  money  rapidly,  v 
"He's  preaching  against  riches,"  you  say.  Well, 
if  were  I  would  preach  against  Abraham,  and  I 
never  will  preach  against  Abraham.  That  grand 
old  saint  could  have  come  to  this  city  and  bouojht 
out  the  whole  town  before  breakfast,  and  it  would  n't 
have  interfered  with  his  other  transactions  of  the 
day.     You  show  me  a  man  that  says  I  am  preach- 


226  Sam  Jonrs'  Own  Book. 

ing  against  Abraham^  and   I  '11  show  you  a   man 
that's  not  growing  in  grace. 

This  man  went  to  a  Methodist  preacher,  and 
said  he,  "  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  where  and  what 
heaven  is;"  and  the  preacher  said,  "I  can  tell  you 
where  it  is."  "Where  is  it?"  Said  he,  "Last 
year  you  made  forty  thougand  dollars  on  one  lot  of 
cotton ;  now  you  are  rich,  and  there 's  one  of  your 
sisters  in  Christ  who  is  a  member  of  the  Church, 
and  she 's  lying  up  on  the  hill  yonder  and  she 's 
down  with  the  typhoid  fever  and  her  children  have 
the  chills,  and  that  poor  woman  has  n't  a  cook  or  a 
nurse  or  any  one  to  look  after  her  wants.  Now,  if 
you  will  just  go  down  town  and  buy  fifty  dollars' 
worth  of  nice  provisions  and  take  them  up  there — 
and  she  has  seen  better  days — and  get  a  cook  and 
nurse  to  take  care  of  her  so  that  she'll  never  want 
for  any  thing,  and  then  get  down  the  Bible  and  read 
the  twenty-third  Psalm,  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shep- 
herd, I  shall  not  want,"  and  pray  God's  blessing  on 
the  poor  widow  and  her  children ;  if  you  do  n't  see 
heaven  before  I  see  you  again  I'll  foot  the  bill." 
The  next  day  as  he  was  walking  down  the  street  along 
came  this  man,  and  with  the  tears  running  down  his 
face  he  said,  "I  did  as  you  told  me.  I  bought  fifty 
dollars'  worth  of  provisions  and  put  them  in  a  wagon 
and  drove  up  to  her  house,  and  I  got  her  a  cook 
and  a  nurse,  and  I  told  her  she  should  not  want 
again,  as  I  was  her  brother ;  and  I  read  the  twenty- 
third  Psalm,  and  got  down  to  pray,  and  God  and 
angels  came  down  and  filled  that  room,  and  I  was 
the  happiest  man  I  have  ever  been  in  my  life." 


The  Secret  of  Religious  Life.        227 

The  charity  that  will  simply  pitch  a  ten-dollar 
piece  into  a  poor  widow's  lap,  is  not  charity.  The 
charity  that  hunts  up  and  sympathizes  with  and 
puts  its  arm  around  and  helps  a  brother — that 's  the 
charity  that  takes  us  close  to  heaven. 


Sayinos. 

Thank  God,  this  old  world  has  never  seen  the 
time  when  it  did  not  take  its  hat  off  and  make  a 
decent  bow  to  a  good  woman  ! 

This  world  is  the  fruit-bearing  world.  Up 
yonder  we  will  eat  and  rejoice  forever  over  the  fruit 
we  have  matured  here  below.  Between  the  bud 
and  the  blossom  and  the  ripe  fruit  of  love  there  are 
manv  difficulties.  There  are  the  cold  winds  of 
neglect,  and  the  biting  frosts  of  temptation ;  there 
are  a  thousand  intervening  difficulties  between  the 
blossom  and  the  ripe  fruit. 

As  soon  as  a  man  quits  doing  wrong  toward  God 
he  begins  to  see  how  good  God  is.  I  had  a  friend 
in  Cartersville  who  was  mad  with  another  member 
of  the  Church ;  and  I  said  :  "  If  you  will  go  and 
pay  that  man  all  that  you  owe  him,  I  venture  to  say 
that  it  will  be  all  right."  I  got  the  man  to  pay 
his  debts,  and  there  are  no  better  friends  in  the 
town  than  those  two  men.  If  you  will  pay  your 
debts  to  God,  none  will  be  better  friends. 


Sermon  XVII. 

PRISONERS    OF-    HOPE. 

"  Turn  you  to  the  stronghold,  ye  prisoners  of  hope ;  even 
today  do  I  declare  that  I  will  render  double  unto  tliee." — 
Zech.  IX,  12. 

GOD  is  in  earnest  about  the  salvation  of  men. 
As  I  read  this  book  I  close  it  ever  and  anon, 
and  say  to  myself,  the  all-absorbing  theme  with  God 
and  angels  and  good  men  is  the  salvation  of  the 
living — not  the  salvation  of  men  who  lived  a  hun- 
dred or  a  thousand  years  ago.  They  have  had 
their  privilege?ii,  enjoyed  their  opportunities,  and 
destiny  is  fixed  with  them.  Their  cases  have  ceased 
to  engage  the  mind  and  heart  of  God  in  the  sense 
in  which  our  cases  engage  his  mind  and  heart. 

It  is  not  in  the  salvation  of  men  that  shall  live 
a  hundred  years  hence;  they  have  yet  to  be  born, 
and  yet  to  enjoy  their  privileges  and  opportunities. 
But  it  is  the  salvation  of  men  and  women  who  live 
and  walk  and  talk  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  now. 
Is  it  not  strange  that  this  question  should  so  engage 
the  mind  of  Deity,  and  so  interest  the  great  heart 
of  the  Church  and  angels,  and  that  you,  for  whom 
all  this  sympathy  is  poured  out,  and  all  these  man- 
ifestations are  given,  should  be  the  only  being  in 
the  universe  disinterested  in  this  great  question  ? 

Now,  locate  yourself  somewhere  in  one  of  these 
classes  to-night.     I  do  not  purpose  to  draw  upon 

228 


Prisoners  op  Hope.  229 

my  imaginatioD^  but  we  will  stick  to  the  record. 
If  yovt  believe  the  Bible^  give  me  your  attention. 
If  you  do  u't  believe  in  the  Bibie,  the  discussion 
to-night  will  have  very  little  to  do  with  your  case. 
When  a  man  has  found  something  better  than  the 
Bible,  something  more  promising  than  the  Gospel, 
something  more  inviting  than  heaven,  he  is  not  the 
man  to  whom  I  preach  the  Gospel,  or  would  plead 
with  to  lead  a  better  life.  But,  if  you  have  found 
nothing  better  than  the  Gospel,  nothing  truer  than 
the  Bible,  and  nothing  sweeter  than  heaven,  give 
me  your  attention ;  we  will  stick  to  the  record.  I 
shall  talk  about  things  we  all  know  about. 

The  first  class  of  prisoners  with  hope  we  men- 
tion are  the  good  men  and  women,  the  best  charac- 
ters in  all  the  Churches  of  earth.  I  have  never  yet 
been  pastor  of  a  Church  that  did  n't  have  conse- 
crated men  and  women,  who  loved  God  with  all 
their  hearts  and  their  neighbors  as  themselves.  I 
am  ready  to  say  that  every  good  man  I  have  ever 
met  was  a  member  of  some  Christian  C/hurch.  I 
have  never  yet  found  a  man  out  of  the  Church  that 
talked  like  a  Christian  in  the  deeper  and  better 
things  of  a  spiritual  life.  Now,  I  have  heard  peo- 
ple say,  "  My  father  was  a  good  man,  and  he  did  n't 
belong  to  the  Church ;''  and  "  My  mother  was  a 
good  woman,  and  she  did  n't  belong  to  the  Church." 
Well,  in  the  name  of  common  sense,  do  n't  take  me 
to  the  graveyards  to  find  good  folks.  Every  body 
out  there  is  good,  if  you  will  read  their  epitaphs  and 
what  is  written  on  their  tombstones.  Every  body  is 
good  after  they  die,  but  I  want  you  all  to  rack  me 


230  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

out  a  living;  kicking  fellow  in  this  world  that  does  n't 
belong  to  the  Church.  He's  the  one  I'm  hunting 
for.     Where  is  he  ? 

I  say  all  the  good  people  I  have  ever  known 
were  members  of  some  Christian  Church.  If  you 
have  a  man  in  this  city  that 's  a  good  Christian  and 
doesn't  belong  to  any  Church  I  want  to  see  him.  I 
want  to  get  his  photograph  to  take  around  with  me, 
and  say,  "  Here's  one  Christian  that  has  had  an  op- 
portunity to  join  the  Church,  but  would  n't  join." 
When  a  man  geta  religion,  brethren,  he  breaks  right 
away  for  the  Church  of  God,  just  as  a  young  duck 
does  for  the  pond,  precisely.  I  do  n't  care  how  he 
was  hatched  out,  it 's  his  nature  to  go  to  the  pond. 
I  used  myself  to  talk  that  way — "I  can  live  as  well 
out  of  the  Church  as  in.  There's  no  use  in  joining 
the  Church  at  all."  But,  as  soon  as  I  gave  my 
heart  to  God,  if  the  door  of  the  Church  had  not  been 
opened  to  me  I  would  have  broken  it  down  and  got 
in  anyhow.     I  must  get  in. 

I  '11  tell  you  another  thing :  When  a  man  stands 
up  and  preaches  the  Gospel  to  me  I  ^vaut  to  know 
that  he  's  a  member  of  the  Church,  and  I  do  n't  want 
him  to  be  ashamed  to  tell  what  Church  he  belongs 
to,  either.  If  you  ever  expect  to  be  a  Christian, 
the  fact  that  you  gave  your  heart  to  God  involves 
the  fact  that  you  gave  your  hand  to  the  Church. 
Some  people,  when  they  get  religion,  sit  up  and  say, 
"  To  save  my  life  I  can  't  determine  what  Church  to 
join.  I  don't  think  any  of  them  suits  me."  Per- 
haps yours  is  a  peculiar  case,  and  I  reckon  the  Lord 
will  have  to  send  his  angels  down  just  to  organize 


Prisoners  op  Hopk.  231 

a  Church  to  suit  you.  Lord,  have  mercy  on  some 
people  in  this  world.  They  are  like  a  class  of  fight- 
ing men  we  had  during  the  war :  There  were  Union 
men  and  Southern  men  who  would  n't  join  any  reg- 
iment, and  they  were  what  we  called  a  "  bush- 
whacker ;"  and  a  bushwhacker  would  kill  a  Union 
man  as  quick  as  he  would  a  rebel,  because  he  was 
after  what  the  fellow  had  in  his  pocket.  God  de- 
liver me  from  these  religious  bushwhackers  that 
do  n't  belong  to  any  command,  but  are  just  after 
the  spoils. 

You  give  your  heart  to  God,  and  don't  let  a 
Sabbath  pass  without  going  to  some  of  these  Chris- 
tian Churches,  and  say :  "  Brethren,  take  me  in,  and 
lift  me."  And  don't  come  in  to  be  a  little  baby  to 
be  nursed;  but  say,  "Brother,  I  will  lift  you;  I 
will  measure  arms  with  any  body.  I  never  come  in 
to  be  fed  on  soothing  syrup  and  the  bottle;  but  I  'm 
going  to  be  some  one,  God  being  my  helper." 
Brother,  we  don't  want  anv  more  babies.  It's  a 
heap  of  trouble  to  run  a  church  full  of  babies.  Now, 
the  prisoners  with  hope  are  the  first  class  we  men- 
tion— faithful  men  and  women  who  belong  to  the 
great  Church  of  God  in  some  of  its  branches,  and  are 
working  out  their  salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling. They  have  denied  themselves  and  taken  up 
their  cross  to  follow  after  Christ.  Every  good  man 
in  this  town  who  is  striving  to  please  God  and  do 
good  is  a  prisoner  with  hope ;  but  he 's  a  prisoner 
still,  hemmed  in  with  the  environments  of  earth, 
and  with  the  temptations  of  earth  thrown  all 
around  him,  with  nothing  certain  except  heaven  to 


232  8am  Jones'  Own  Book. 

him^  if  he  is  faithful  unto  the  end.     Now  he's  a 
prisoner  with  hope. 

**  O,  what  a  blessed  hope  is  ours, 
While  here  on  earth  we  stay ; 
We  more  than  taste  the  heavenly  powers, 
And  antedate  that  day/' 

Hope  to  the  Christian  is  the  anchor  of  his  soul 
which  entereth  into  that  within  the  veil.  When 
hope,  the  anchor,  is  pitched  out  into  the  great  deep 
of  life,  the  winds  may  beat  and  the  storms  may 
blow,  but,  blessed  be  God,  it  will  hold  me  fast. 

A  prisoner,  but  a  prisoner  with  hope !  My  pre- 
cious mother  was  a  prisoner  with  hope  once,  but 
twenty-eight  years  ago  her  spirit  went  home  to 
God,  and  she  has  ever  since  been  roaming  Elysian 
fields,  one  of  God's  freemen  in  heaven.  Thank  God, 
they  are  freemen  up  yonder,  with  no  environments, 
no  imprisonments,  but  everlasting  freedom  in  the 
presence  of  God.  My  father  was  a  prisoner  of  hope 
thirteen  years  ago,  but  death  cut  the  last  ligament, 
and  his  liberated  spirit  went  home  to  God,  and  he 
has  been  walking  the  golden  streets  for  thirteen 
years — a  freeman  in  God's  great  world.  Every 
good  man  and  every  good  woman  is  a  prisoner  with 
hope  here,  but  there  they  are  God's  freemen. 

I  have  sat  down  often  and  buried  my  face  in  my 
hands,  and  wondered  if  I  will  ever  get  to  heaven. 
It  will  be  a  glad  moment  to  my  spirit  when  I  have 
fought  my  last  battle,  when  I  have  overcome  my 
last  temptation,  when  I  have  kneeled  down  and  said 
my  prayers  for  the  last  time,  when  I  have  kissed 
my  wife  and  children  good  night,  and  started  home 


Prisonebs  of  Hope.  233 

to  heaven  like  a  little  school-boy  going  home  from 
school,  and  when  my  feet  shall  strike  the  pavements 
of  the  golden  streets  of  God,  and  I  shall  at  last, 
blessed  be  God,  be  at  home,  and  free  forever. 

There  is  another  class  of  prisoners  with  hope,  and 
they  are  the  men  and  women  who  are  not  members 
of  the  Church,  nor  professors  of  religion,  but  they 
are  seeking  it;  they  are  penitent  sinners.  After 
all,  there  are  but  two  classes  of  sinners  in  this  world 
of  people — the  penitent  and  the  impenitent.  All  pen- 
itent sinners  are  saved,  and  all  impenitent  sinners 
are  lost.  Every  .  penitent,  heart-broken,  and  con- 
trite mortal  in  this  house  is  a  prisoner  of  hope.  If 
a  man  is  honestly  seeking  grace  in  the  pardon  and 
salvation  of  his  soul,  that  man  is  as  much  on  the 
road  to  heaven,  as  far  as  he  has  gone,  as  any  man 
here.  Thank  God,  he  never  lets  a  penitent  die 
until  his  penitence  has  issued  into  pardon  and  peace. 
If  you  are  an  honest  penitent,  and  will  keep  your 
traces  tight  going  in  that  direction,  you  can  never 
die  until  you  are  pardoned.  An  honest  and  per- 
sistent penitent  never  yet  was  damned.  Are  you 
an  honest  penitent?  Do  you  mean  business?  Are 
you  honestly  sorry  about  the  way  you  have  been 
doing?  Have  you  honestly  made  up  your  mind  to 
give  your  heart  to  God  and  be  religious?  If  you 
have,  my  brethren,  you  are  prisoners  with  hope. 
There  is  a  chance  for  you  to  get  to  heaven,  and  I 
say  to  you  this,  that  is  all  I  want  to  know  to-night 
or  any  time  in  my  future  life  in  this  world :  Is  there 
a  chance  for  me  to  get  to  the  good  world  ?   If  there 

is,  count  me  in. 
20— B 


234  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

I  '11  tell  you  another  thing.  I  'm  going  to  take 
every  chance  for  the  good  world.  I  was  at  a  meet- 
ing once^  and  the  preacher  said :  '^  All  of  you  that 
are  not  doing  your  whole  duty  come  up  here.'*  And 
I  felt  that  I  ought  to  be  the  first  one  to  go.  "  All 
of  you  that  want  more  religion,"  said  the  preacher, 
"  come  up."  And  I  said  to  myself,  "  That  means 
me."  "  All  of  you  that  feel  in  your  heart,"  con- 
tinued the  preacher,  "  that  you  are  unworthy,  come 
up."  And  I  thought,  "  I  am  the  most  unworthy 
man  in  the  world.  That  means  me."  And  then 
the  preacher  said,  "  All  of  you  that  want  to  conse- 
crate life  and  soul  and  body  to  God,  come  up  here 
and  kneel  down.'  And  I  ought  to  be  the  first  fel- 
low tliere,  I  thought.  "  And  all  of  you  who  love 
God  and  trust  in  him,  come  up,"  said  the  preacher 
again,  and  then  I  thought,  "  Well,  I  ought  to  go 
right  along  with  the  first,  for  I  do  love  him  and 
trust  him  every  day."  I  'm  going  to  take  every 
chance  for  the  good  world,  and  if  there 's  any  good 
in  the  Methodist  mourners'  bench,  I  'm  going  to  get 
it ;  and  if  there  's  any  thing  in  the  Presbyterian  in- 
quiiy  chair,  I  'm  going  to  take  that  chair ;  and  if 
there 's  any  good  in  those  rooms,  I  'm  going  in 
there.  I  'm  going  to  take  every  chance  I  can  get 
for  a  better  life.  I  shall  never  dodge  a  duty  or 
shirk  a  responsibility.  Now,  here,  if  we  are  prisoners 
of  hope,  then  let  us  take  the  chances  that  we  have 
to-night,  and  let  us  fight  it  out,  fight  the  world,  the 
flesh,  and  the  devil,  until  we  are  no  longer  prison- 
ers of  hope,  but  enjoy  the  freedom  of  God's  chil- 
dren in  heaven. 


Pbisonebs  op  Hope.  235 

There  is  aDother  class  of  prisoners  with  hope. 
There  is  that  man  out  there,  who  doesn't  know 
what  to  do,  hardly.  He  has  very  nearly  made  up 
his  mind  to-night :  "  It  is  right  to  do  right,  and  it 
is  wrong  to  do  wrong,  and  I  believe  I  will  fall  in 
with  this  movement."  Thousands  came  for  curios- 
ity, or  for  the  fun  there  is  in  it,  and  he  among  the 
number.  He  said  to  himself,  "  I  will  have  more 
fun  to-night  than  I  ever  had  in  my  life.  I  am 
going  to  have  lots  of  fun."  But  watch  him,  and  the 
first  thing  you  know  the  man  sits  uneasily  in  his 
chair.  The  spirit  of  God  has  convicted  him,  and 
before  the  service  is  over  he  will  look  just  as  if  the 
devil  had  a  mortgage  upon  him.  He  is  a  prisoner, 
with  hope.  Every  man  here,  anxious  and  earnest 
for  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  no  matter  whether  he 
has  taken  the  step  or  not,  is  a  prisoner  with  hope. 
Thank  God,  I  would  that  every  man  in  this  house  to- 
night might  take  his  chance  for  heaven  and  work  it 
out  until  it  should  end  in  a  grand  result.  Look  at 
Garfield,  shot  down  by  the  assassin's  bullet.  We 
see  the  doctor  probing  the  wound,  and  Garfield 
turns  to  him  and  says :  "  Doctor,  what  are  the 
chances?  Do  not  hesitate  to  tell  me  the  worst,  be- 
cause you  knew  I  am  not  afraid  to  die."  The  doc- 
tor looks  at  him  and  replies,  ^^  There  is  only  one 
chance  in  a  hundred  for  your  life."  "  Then,"  says 
Garfield,  "  I  will  take  that  chance."  He  did  grap- 
ple with  death  for  ninety  days  as  scarcely  any  man 
ever  did.  Now,  brother,  there  is  a  chance  for  you 
to  be  saved.  Will  you  just  say,  "  By  the  grace  of 
God  I  will  take  that  chance,  and  grapple  with  sin 


236  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

and  the  devil  until  God  shall  say^  ^  It  is  enough  ; 
come  up  higher  ?' "     That  is  what  we  want. 

Now,  turn,  you  prisoners  of  hope ;  I  dare  assert 
that  every  man  here  is  a  prisoner  of  hope.  There 
is  a  chance  for  you  to  be  saved,  and  come  to  God 
and  have  your  sins  pardoned.  There  is  a  chance 
for  each  and  a  chance  for  all.  Now,  let  us  to-night 
say :  "  Whatever  others  may  do  or  not  do,  by  the 
grace  of  God  I  will  take  that  chance,  and  will  work 
out  this  great  problem  by  the  direction  of  the  good 
Spirit,  and  make  my  way  to  heaven." 

"  Turn  you  to  the  stronghold,  ye  prisoners  of 
hope.''  Then  what  is  the  promise  ?  "  Even  to- 
day"— to-day,  says  the  Lord,  not  to-morrow  nor 
next  week,  but  to-day — "  I  will  render  double  unto 
thee."  I  never  read  that  promise  that  I  do  n't 
think  of  an  incident  that  one  of  our  old  preachers 
told  me.  He  said,  in  one  of  his  revivals,  there  was 
a  young  man  who  was  very  much  interested  in  the 
meeting.  He  came  up  and  was  earnest  and  prayed 
and  yet  he  was  not  converted.  He  walked  out  of 
the  door  with  the  young  man  one  day,  and  turned 
to  him  and  said,  "  My  young  friend,  you  seem  to 
be  in  earnest,  and  seem  to  be  honest.  What  is  the 
matter  with  you?  You  are  not  converted  yet." 
"  Well,"  said  the  young  man,  "  I  am  in  earnest. 
No  man  was  ever  more  in  earnest  than  I  am,  but 
I  tell  you,  whenever  I  go  up  to  the  altar  and  begin 
to  pray,  I  think  of  the  business  I  am  in.  I  am 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store  where  they  sell 
provisions  in  one  room  and  liquor  in  another  by 
the  quart,  and    I   frequently   have  to   go  into   the 


Prisoners  op  Hope.  237 

liquor  part  and  draw  whisky  and  sell  to  customers. 
Every  time  I  kneel  down  at  the  altar  and  pray 
God  to  save  my  soul^  that  part  of  my  work  comes 
up,  and  I  can  't  pray  to  save  my  life." 

Do  you  hear  that  ?  A  man  can 't  get  religion 
and  clerk  where  whisky  is  sold,  much  less  can  he 
keep  it  and  rent  a  house  for  others  to  sell  it  in,  or 
sell  it  himself  after  he  is  converted.  No,  sir;  no, 
sir.  A  man  that  will  rent  his  house  to  a  bar-keeper 
and  call  himself  a  Christian,  is  a  hypocrite  of  the 
deepest  dye,  and  he  does  not  find  quarters  in  my 
Church  where  I  am  pastor. 

That  boy  could  n't  get  religion  and  sell  whisky, 
and  the  preacher  said  to  him  :  "  My  young  friend, 
it  is  not  a  question  at  all.  If  it  is  in  your  way, 
give  it  up.  Give  up  your  employment  and  give 
your  heart  to  God."  "  Well,"  said  the  boy,  "  you 
know  my  widowed  mother  and  my  three  orphaned 
sisters  are  depending  upon  me  for  every  bite  they 
eat ;  and,"  said  he,  "  if  I  give  up  my  employment, 
my  mother  and  sisters  will  starve ;  and  if  I  do  n't 
give  it  up,  my  soul  is  lost.  I  am  in  a  strait." 
The  preacher  said,  "Now,  listen  to  me.  God  never 
asked  a  man  to  do  any  thing  that  would  damage 
him  in  either  world.  Now,  if  it  is  your  duty  to 
give  up  that  job,  you  do  it."  The  young  man  went 
right  down  to  the  store  and  saw  the  head  employer, 
and  told  him,  "  I  have  been  seeking  religion  three 
days  and  nights,  and  I  can 't  get  it.  Every  time  I 
go  to  the  altar  and  try  to  pray,  that  whisky  part 
of  your  business  comes  up  before  me,  and  •!  can  't 
get  religion  and  sell   whisky."     "  Well,"  said  the 


238  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

senior  partner  of.  the  firm,  "  I  am  sorry  to  have  you 
leave.  You  have  been  a  dutiful,  faithful  boy,  and  I 
am  sorry  to  give  you  up.  We  are  paying  you  good 
wages,  fifty  dollars  a  month,  and  you  are  poor ;  but 
if  you  say  quit,  we  can't  say  a  word.''  The  young 
man  replied,  "  I  am  obliged  to  quit  for  conscience' 
sake."  His  employer  settled  up  with  him  that 
afternoon,  and  the  boy  went  back  to  the  Church  at 
night  and  was  converted  to*  God.  The  next 
morning  after  breakfast  he  received  a  note,  and 
opened  it,  and  it  was  a  note  from  his  old  em- 
ployer, saying,  "  Come  down  to  our  store  this 
afternoon."  After  dinner  the  boy  walked  down  to 
the  store  and  into  the  office  room,  and  his  employer 
met  him  and  shook  hands  with  him,  and  said,  ^'  I 
am  glad  to  see  you  back,  sir.  Now,  walk  into  this 
room."  He  took  him  into  the  liquor-room,  and 
every  barrel  had  been  rolled  out.  He  said,  "Now, 
you  see  we  have  quit  that  business,  and  I  will  give 
you  a  hundred  dollars  a  month  if  you  will  come 
back  and  clerk  again." 

"  Even  to-day  !"  In  twenty -four  hours  after  the 
time  that  boy  gave  up  his  business  for  Christ's  sake 
and  for  conscience'  sake,  God  doubled  his  salary 
and  put  the  whisky  out,  and  put  him  back.  Thank 
God,  no  man  loses  any  thing  by  doing  right  for 
God  and  conscience'  sake.  "  Even  to-day  do  I  de- 
clare that  I  will  render  double  unto  thee." 

"  Well,"  you  say,  "  I  do  n't  believe  that  story  is 
true."  Well,  sir,  I  know  it  is  true.  And  what  I  am  go- 
ing to  say  now  is  true,  and  it  is  a  story  a  hundred  times 
bigger  than  the  one  I  have  just  told,  too.     You  say^ 


Prisoners  of  Hope.  239 

"What  is  that?''  Well,  sir,  when  I  was  a  poor 
sinner,  they  used  to  tell  me  that  "  if  any  man  will 
forsake  houses,  and  lands,  and  wife  and  children, 
and  home,  and  friends,  and  be  my  disciple,  I  will 
give  him  a  hundred  fold  more  in  this  life,  and  life 
everlasting  in  the  world  to  come."  Thirteen  years 
ago,  brethren — listen  to  me — I  left  one  little  cottage 
home  in  Cartersville  to  follow  Christ,  and,  glory  to  his 
name,  he  has  given  me  a  thousand  homes  as  good  as 
any^man  ever  had.  Thirteen  years  ngo  I  bid  farewell 
to  a  few  friends  in  my  to.wn  to  follow  Christ,  and 
he  has  given  me  a  thousand  friends  for  every  one  I 
left  on  that  day.  Thirteen  years  ago  I  left  one 
mother — a  step-mother,  but  kind  and  good  to  me — 
to  follow  Christ;  and  I  want  to  say  to  you  that 
everywhere  I  have  gone,  God  has  ever  given  me  a 
hundred  mothers  just  as  good  and  kind  to  me  as  my 
own  mother  could  be.  And  I  want  to  say  to  you 
brethren,  that  God  has  given  me  a  hundredfold  more 
in  this  life.  I  left  two  brothers  at  home  to  follow 
Christ,  and  God  has  given  me  a  hundred  thousand 
brethren  who  are  just  as  good  to  me  as  my  own 
brothers  could  be.  I  stand  here  to-night  to  testify 
to  the  fact  that  God  gives  a  hundredfold  more  in 
this  life,  and  his  precious  promise  of  everlasting  life 
in  the  world  to  come.  Half  of  the  promise  is  true, 
and  I  just  know  that  God  is  going  to  fulfill  the 
whole  promise. 

Brother,  turn  to  the  stronghold  to-night.  Your 
Savior,  Christ,  is  the  stronghold,  and  God  himself 
has  promised,  "  Even  to-day  do  I  declare  that  I  will 
render  double  unto  thee." 


Sermon  XVIII. 

SOWINO    AND     REARING. 

"  Be  not  deceived ;  God  is  not  mocked ;  for  whatsoever  a 
man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.  He  that  soweth  to  his 
flesh  shall  of  the  flesh  reap  corruption ;  but  he  that  soweth 
to  the  Spirit  shall  of  the  Spirit  reap  life  everlasting.'' — Gal. 
VI,  7,  8. 

WE  say  there  are  three  absolute  impossibilities 
in  this  life.  There  may  be  many^  but  we 
know  of  three.  First^  it  is  an  absolute  impossibility 
for  a  man  continuously  and  successfully  to  practice 
a  fraud  upon  his  own  immortality.  If  you  are  a 
good  man  you  know  it.  I  care  not  how  much  you 
may  bring  to  bear — your  self-pride  and  the  flattery 
of  your  friends — if  you  are  not  what  you  ought  to 
be  there  are  periods  in  your  history  when  God 
wakes  you  up  and  shows  you  what  you  are,  and 
who  you  are,  and  whither  you  are  tending.  I  am 
so  glad  God  won't  let  a  man  lie  down  and  sleep  his 
way  to  hell.  In  spite  of  dissipation,  in  spite  of 
gayeties,  in  spite  of  temporal  pleasures,  there  are 
moments  when  God  arrests  you  and  shows  you 
what  you  are,  and  who  you  are,  and  where  you  are 
going.  I  imagine  that  every  thing  in  the  universe 
has  its  purpose.  There  is  not  an  agency  but  what 
is  working  to  an  end.  I  think  that  bar-rooms,  and 
ball-rooms,  and  card-tables,  and  a  thousand  things 
I  might  mention,  are  but  so  many  influences  to  keep 
a  man's  mind  off  of  himself.     A  man  infatuated 

240 


Sowing  and  Reapinq.  241 

with  the  game  of  progressive  euchre  never  thinks 
wlio  he  is,  or  what  he  is,  or  where  he  is  going.  A 
man  looking  at  the  gay  jim-jams,  you  might  say,  on 
the  stage  at  the  theater,  is  attracted  by  the  sight, 
and  never  sees  himself.  A  man  steeped  in  and 
stupefied  by  whisky  loses  sight  of  himself;  and  these 
are  agencies  employed  by  the  devil,  and  by  devilish 
men,  to  make  you  shut  your  eyes  to  youi*self ;  but 
sooner  or  later,  ever  and  anon,  God  makes  you  stop, 
wakes  you  up  and  shows  you  what  you  are.  And 
now,  brother,  if  you  are  a  good  man,  you  know  you 
are  a  good  man ;  if  you  are  not  a  good  man,  you 
know  you  are  not  a  good  man,  and  that's  the  end  of 
logic  on  this  question. 

We  say,  in  the  second  place,  it  is  absolutely  im- 
possible for  a  man  continuously  and  successfully  to 
practice  a  fraud  upon  his  neighbor.  Now,  your 
neighbor  knows  you,  and  a  great  many  things  he 
has  never  told  you.  Somehow  or  other  if  there's 
any  good  about  you,  your  neighbors  will  find  it  out, 
and  if  there's  any  thing  bad  about  you  they'll  find 
it  out,  too. 

If  you  were  to  dress  up  in  disguise  to-morrow 
night  and  go  to  your  neighbor's  house  and  get  him 
to  talk  about  you,  and  spend  an  hour  with  him  on 
this  subject,  you  'd  leave  that  house  with  your  face 
buried  in  your  hands,  and  you  'd  say :  "  Well,  well, 
well,  I  had  no  idea  in  the  world  that  that  man 
knows  me  as  well  as  he  does."  You  'd  be  aston- 
ished along  on  that  line.  O,  how  much  we  know 
about  each  other,  and  how  false  we  are  toward 
each  other.    There 's  many  a  person  in  this  world 

21— B 


242  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

that  will  fawD  around  you  and  flatter  you  to  get 
your  money,  or  influence,  or  something;  but  they 
can  look  clear  through  you,  and  they  know  you ; 
and  when  the  day  comes  they'll  tell  it,  too.  You 
mark  what  I  say. 

Do  you  know  that  the  worst  enemies  you  have 
in  the  world  are  those  who  were  once  your  best 
friends?  They  ran  with  you  until  they  found  you 
out,  and,  my,  my,  what  a  contempt  they  have  for 
you  now!  You  can't  practice  a  fraud  on  your 
neighbor.  This  estimate  of  a  man  is  pretty  fair  at 
last;  and  I  want  to  say  to  you  if  your  neighbors 
all  concur  in  the  fact  that  you  won't  do,  I'll  take 
their  word ;  if  they  concur  in  the  fact  that  you  are 
upright,  and  generous  and  noble,  I'll  take  their 
word.  Mark  you,  you  are  known  in  this  commu- 
nity as  you  are.  That's  a  sad  revelation  to  some 
of  you.  You  'd  be  astonished  to  know  how  many 
people  have  seen  you  going  into  certain  places  at 
doubtful  hours,  too ;  doubtful  places  where  a  decent 
man  can't  go.  You'd  be  astonished  to  know  how 
many  could  write  your  life  and  history.  You  are 
practicing  a  fraud  up>on  nobody. 

Then  we  say,  in  the  next  place,  it  is  absolutely 
impossible  for  a  man  to  practice  a  fraud  upon  God 
Almighty.  He  knows  you  through  and  through. 
He  knows  where  you  live,  what  your  name  is,  how 
old  you  are,  and  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are 
numbered.  He  not  only  hears  every  word  you  say, 
but  he  knows  the  motives  of  your  life.  This  is  the 
meaning  of  the  expression  here:  "Be  not  deceived; 
God  is  not  mocked."   You  know  yourself;  your 


[ 


.  Sowing  and  Reaping.  243 

neighbor  knows  you ;  God  knows  you.  This  is  one 
text  that  the  world  assents  to  whether  you  be  Jew 
or  Gentile,  whether  you  be  atheist  or  deist,  Chris- 
tian or  infidel.  Do  you  know  that  all  humanity 
gathers  on  it  as  a  common  platform,  and  all  agree 
to  the  truth  of  this  proposition  that,  '^  whatsoever 
a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap?'' 

This  text  is  not  true  simply  because  I  find  it  in 
the  Bible;  but  it  would  be  as  true  if  Hume,  the 
historian,  or  if  Bacon  were  its  author  as  it  is  true 
when  God  is  its  author.  Really,  brethren,  leaving 
out  the  question  of  God,  we  know  this  text  is  true. 

^'  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also 
reap.''  This  world  around  us,  brethren,  is  but  the 
photograph,  a  counterpart  of  the  immortal  world. 
Now  we  know  this  text  is  true  in  physical  things, 
for  whatsoever  I  sow  as  a  farmer  I  reap.  Like  be- 
gets like.  If  I  go  out  in  my  garden  and  sow  a  row 
of  lettuce,  I  do  n't  expect  any  thing  but  lettuce  from 
the  time  the  seed  drops  from  my  hand  until  it  is 
gathered  for  the  table.  I  go  into  my  garden  and 
plant  a  row  of  potatoes,  and  I  do  n't  expect  any 
thing  but  potatoes.  If  I  go  into  my  field  and  plant 
corn,  from  the  time  the  seed  is  covered  up  in  the 
furrow  until  the  ear  is  gathered  for  the  barn,  I 
do  n't  expect  any  thing  but  corn,  If  I  go  out  into 
my  field  and  sow  wheat,  I  don't  expect  any  thing 
but  wheat.  Whatsoever  I  sow,  that  I  reap.  I  want 
to  call  your  attention  to  another  fact  along  here. 
Like  not  only  begets  like,  but  multiplied  produc- 
tions follow.  I  plant  one  grain  of  corn  and  I 
gather  eight  hundred  grains.     Some  years  ago  one 


244  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

of  our  leading  pastors  in  our  State  told  me  himself 
that  there  sprouted  in  his  garden  a  seed  of  oats.  He 
let  it  grow  on  and  spread^  and  mature ;  and  he  said^ 
"  I  pulled  up  that  bunch  of  oats  all  growing  from 
one  seed^  and  carried  it  to  my  back  veranda^  and 
sat  down  and  counted  the  grains,  and  there  were 
eight  thousand  seven  hundred  of  them.  They  all 
came  from  that  one  single  grain.''  I  believe  it  is 
a  true,  plain,  literal  fact  which  he  stated. 

You  take  that  eight  thonsand  seven  hundred 
grains  of  oats  and  sow  it;  next  summer  you  have 
forty  bushels.  Take  that  forty  bushels  and  sow  it, 
and  you  have  one  thousand  six  hundred.  Take 
the  one  thousand  six  hundred,  and  then  begin  to 
multiply  in  this  way,  if  such  a  thing  were  possible, 
and  you  would  have  this  world  a  hundred  feet  deep 
in  oats  in  two  or  three  decades. 

Now,  brother,  listen.  Like  not  only  begets  like, 
but  look  at  the  multiplying,  increasing  nature  of 
every  thing  you  sow.  Back  yonder  in  the  Garden 
of  Eden,  six  thousand  years  ago,  Adam  dropped 
one  little  seed  of  sin  in  the  garden,  and  now  to-day 
this  world  is  foul  with  sin  and  full  of  woe. 

Now,  there  is  a  sense  in  which  we  are  immortally 
sowing.  Every  man  is  going  through  this  world 
with  a  basket  of  immortal  spiritual  seed  on  his 
arm,  and  every  step  he  takes  in  life  his  hand  goes 
down  into  the  basket,  and  he  scatters  the  seed  to 
the  right  and  to  the  left,  not  out  on  your  prairie 
lands,  or  down  on  the  red  hills  of  Georgia,  but  in 
human  hearts,  and  they  grow  up  and  mature,  and 
there  is  a  harvest  from  the  sowing  that  has  been 


Sowing  and  Reaping.  245 

done  in  the  preceding  months  and  years.  O,  brother^ 
as  I  look  at  this  city  to-day,  and  see  it  reeking  with 
iniquity,  I  say,  "  O,  my  God,  what  a  sowing!  O, 
what  a  harvest  there  is  in  this  citv  to  sadden  the 
heart  of  God  and  make  angels  weep !" 

Every  word  of  my  mouth  is  a  seed;  every  act 
of  my  life  is  a  seed^  and  it  falls  in  ground  that  will 
produce  and  reproduce,  and  we  are  sowing  and  reap- 
ing, and  sowing  and  reaping  until  by  and  by  comes 
the  harvest ;  and  then  the  time  of  weeping,  or  the 
time  of  rejoicing,  when  we  shall  bring  in  our  sheaves. 

When  a  Catholic  woman  went  to  her  devout 
priest  in  confessional,  and  said  to  him,  ^^  I  have 
talked  between  my  neighbors,  and  I  have  got  the 
community  in  a  perfect  uproar;  neighbor  is  mad 
with  neighbor,  and  it  is  caused  by  what  I  said," 
the  priest  listened  through,  and  said,  "  Now  I  have 
heard  your  confession.  I  give  as  a  penance  now 
that  you  go  and  gather  a  basket  of  thistle-seed  and 
go  between  each  house  and  Tiouses  in  the  commun- 
ity, and  scatter  the  thistle-seed  to  the  Aght  and  to 
the  left  along  your  pathway."  Next  morning  she 
came  back  and  said,  ^'  I  have  done  as  you  told  me. 
I  pray  for  absolution."  "  No,"  the'priest  said.  "Be- 
fore I  absolve  you  I  want  you  first  to  go  and  gather 
up  all  this  seed  you  have  scattered  by  the  way- 
side, and  put  it  in  a  basket  and  bring  it  back  to 
me."  "O,"  said  the  despairing  woman,  "I  can 
never  do  that."  "Neither,"  said  the  priest,  "can 
you  ever  undo  the  mischief  you  have  done  in  your 
community  by  scattering  your  bad  talk  and  com- 
munications among  those  neighbors." 


246  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

O,  brother,  it 's  mighty  easy  to  scatter,  but  O, 
how  hard  it  is  to  pluck  up  and  bring  back  again. 

Can  you  take  back  that  oath  you  swore  yes- 
terday? It  dropped  in  the  ears  of  a  little  boy,  and 
that  boy  will  scatter  oaths  for  fifty  years  to  come. 
You  might  afford  to  be  wicked  and  sow  evil  seed 
if  you  were  shut  up  in  some  lonely  island  all  by 
yourself  but  in  this  community,  where  every  man 
touches  another  man,  where  little  children  play 
around  you  as  you  walk  along  the  streets,  where 
your  examples  are  seen  and  felt  by  all  men,  I  warn 
you,  brother,  you  sin  with  a  vengeance  when  you 
do  wrong  in  this  city  of  many  thousands  of  people. 

"  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also 
reap."  There  is  a  very  general  sense  in  which  this 
is  true.  Now,  I  want  you  to  answer  one  question 
for  me.  If  I  sow  bar-rooms  and  whisky,  what  will 
I  reap?  Will  you  answer  it  in  the  halting,  stag- 
gering gait  of  every  drunkard  that  curses  this  city 
to-night?  If  I  sow  whisky  I  shall  reap  drunkards. 
Do  you  doubt  it?  Is  there  a  man  here  to-night 
that  says,  "  That  logic  won't  do  ?"  Is  there  one  ? 
I  do  n't  care  whether  you  sow  whisky  at  your  wine 
suppers,  or  whether  you  sow  beer  for  your  health ; 
I  care  not  what  your  excuse  may  be;  every  glass 
drunk  by  yourself,  and  passed  to  others,  is  sowing 
a  seed  that  shall  produce  a  harvest  of  drunkards  that 
will  curse  this  country  when  you  are  dead  and  gone. 
Do  you  know  that  every  bar-room  means  ten 
steady  drinkers?  I  am  told  that  there  are  in  this 
city  thirty-three  hundred  bar-rooms.  If  you  can 
put  out  two  or  three  hundred  bar-rooms,  or  five  or  six 


Sowing  and  Reaping.  247 

hundred^  or  a  thousand  bar-rooms  with  high  license, 
I  want  to  tell  you  how  you  can  .put  them  all  out^  and 
put  them  out  forever — and  that  is  with  prohibition. 

Now,  I  ask  every  intelligent  man,  if  you  have 
ten  steady  drinkers  for  each  of  these  bar-rooms, 
ten  men  who  have  crossed  the  line  and  will  die 
drunk  as  certain  as  those  bar-rooms  stay  in  your 
city,  will  you  not  have  thirty-five  thousand  human 
beiugs  that  to-night  are  marching  into  druukards' 
graves?  I  verily  believe,  and  I  utter  it  with  the 
conviction  of  my  soul,  that  in  less  than  fifby  years 
from  to-day  our  children  will  look  back  on  us  for 
licensing  whisky  as  the  most  blatant  barbarians  that 
ever  cursed  the  world. 

Talk  about  civilization,  prate  about  liberty, 
boast  about  intelligence!  God  Almighty  let  our 
children  live  and  die  idiots,  if  you  call  the  present 
outgmwth  of  things  the  product  of  intelligence,  and 
liberty,  and  freedom! 

Sow  whisky,  reap  drunkards.  They  have  reaped 
your  husband,  may  be,  sister.  They  have  reaped 
your  boy,  may  be,  mother.  They  have  reaped  your 
neighbor,  may  be,  friend.  Call  me  a  fanatic ;  say, 
"There  is  a  religious  enthusiast;"  then  go  and 
shoulder  your  drunkards  and  bear  them  to  the 
judgment-bar  of  God. 

Sow  whisky,  reap  drunkards.  Do  you  deny  it? 
Can  you,  my  brother,  be  a  party  to  the  sowing  of 
the  seed  that  will  produce  drunkards  when  God 
himself  has  said,  "  No  drunkard  shall  enter  the  king- 
dom of  heaven?'^  Will  you  tie  your  own  brother, 
hand  and  foot,  and  cast  him  out  of  the  reach  of  the 


248  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

arm  of  Gk)d  ?  Can  you  do  that  ?  Every  license  to 
every  bar-room  in  this  city  is  furnishing  the  tether 
by  which  your  brother  is  bound  hand  and  foot  and 
cast  where  God's  arm  can  never  reach  him.  I  '11 
tell  you  another  thing.  We  have  lain  low  and  said 
nothing,  until  to-night  the  strongest  power  in 
Anierica  is  the  whisky  power.  The  Congress  of 
the  United  States  just  stands  and  trembles  in  its 
presence.  The  legislatures  of  three-fourths  of  these 
States  stand  and  tremble  in  its  presence,  and  the 
pulpits  of  this  country  say,  "  I  do  n't  want  to  preach 
politics."  What's  the  matter  with  them?  The 
liquor  question  is  no  more  a  political  question  than 
is  '^  Thou  shalt  not  steal "  a  political  question. 

Sow  whisky,  reap  drunkards.  My  most  earnest 
prayer,  my  greatest  longing,  is  to  live  to  see  the 
day  in  this  grand  country  of  ours  when  there  is 
nothing  to  break  a  mother's  heart  or  to  make  a  wife 
weep  her  life  away;  when  there  is  nothing  in 
America  that  will  make  a  man  stagger,  and  make 
an  honest  m^n  steal  and  a  sensible  man  a  fool. 
Every  lewd  house  in  this  city  is  bottomed  on  your 
bar-rooms;  every  gambling  hell  in  this  town  is  bot- 
tomed on  your  bar-rooms;  and  when  you  put 
whisky  out  of  America  you  will  put  out  of  it  the 
gambling  hells  and  lewd  houses,  and  those  arc  the 
three  biggest  guns  of  hell  turned  loose  upon  our 
country.  They  fire  often  enough  to  kill  more  of 
our  race  than  all  other  guns  put  together.  Men  and 
boys  go  from  the  bar-rooms  to  the  gambling  hell, 
and  from  the  gambling  hell  to  the  shameless  houses, 
just  as  naturally  as  a  living  man  breathes. 


Sowing  and  Reaping.  249 

But  we  go  on.  Sow  cards  and  reap  what?  In- 
dustriouS;  hard-working  boys  ?  Sow  cards  and  reap 
farmers?  Sow  cards  and  reap  first-class  mechanics? 
Sow  cards  and  reap  lawyers  ?  No !  no  !  a  thousand 
times  no !  But  sow  cards  and  reap  gamblers.  Corn 
never  grew  from  corn  and  wheat  never  grew  from 
wheat  more  legitimately  than  the  sowing  of  cards  in 
your  household  will  produce  a  harvest  of  gamblers. 
''  I  can  't  see  any  harm  in  the  world  in  a  social 
game  of  cards,"  you  say.  I  repeat  what  I  have  said 
frequently,  that  nine  gamblers  out  of  eveiy  ten  that 
I  have  ever  met  were  from  the  homes  of  so-called 
Christian  people.  That  is  a  fact.  What  does  that 
teach  us  ?  It  teaches  us  this :  that  in  the  boyhood 
of  your  sons  you  teach  them  a  passion  for  games 
and  gambling  that  in  their  afler-Iife  they  can 
never  overcome.  God  pity  a  man  that  can  ^t  run 
his  home  without  a  deck  of  cards !  Some  of  you 
say,  "  I  must  have  amusement  for  my  children ;  I 
shall  bring  cards  to  my  house  ;  and  I  am  going  to  put 
a  billiard-table  in  there,  too."  A  billiard  table  in  a 
private  house  !  As  God  is  my  judge,  in  all  my  re- 
lations of  life  I  never  have  seen  a  first-class  billiard 
player  that  was  worth  the  powder  and  lead  that  it 
would  take  to  kill  him.  Now,  what  do  you  say  ? 
"  O,  1  believe  in  having  a  billiard  table,  and  cards, 
and  wine,  and  all  that  sort  of  things."  You  say, 
"  Why,  give  these  to  the  children,  and  let  them 
have  them  now,  and  they  won't  care  any  thing  about 
them  after  a  while."  Just  give  your  hogs  some  good 
slop  every  morning  for  a  week,  and  on  the  same 
principle  they  will  just  get  so  they  won't  care  any 


250  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

thing  about  slop  at  all!  Why,  they  won't  look 
at  it! 

Sow  cardsy  reap  gamblers.  O,  what  a  life  you 
project  upon  this  world  when  you  train  a  boy  up 
who  has  no  respect  for  God,  and  his  greatest  passion 
is  to  sit  down  with  a  deck  of  cards  before  him ! 
And  Paul  hit  on  this  point,  brethren,  when  he  said, 
'^  I  would  have  you  wise  unto  that  which  is  good 
and  simple  concerning  evil."  What  did  he  mean  ? 
Blessed  are  they  that  do  n't  know  how  to  do  any 
sort  of  meanness.  Their  parents  have  never  taught 
them  how,  and  they  have  never  learned. 

Then,  again,  we  say,  sow  profanity  and  reap 
blackguards.  I  can  put  up  with  any  other  sort  of  a 
case  better  than  I  can  with  one  of  those  cursing, 
swearing  men.  He  is  to  me  the  most  contempt- 
ible animal  that  walks  this  earth  —  a  cursing 
man,  a  man  that  can 't  talk  business,  can  't  talk  any 
thing  without  injecting  his  oaths,  the  most  venom- 
ous, into  his  conversation.  I  have  thought  many  a 
time  that  every  swearing  man  ought  to  command 
some  lonely  island  to  himself — get  off  like  Robin- 
son Crusoe,  and  curse  it  out  among  the  goats. 

Sow  whisky,  reap  drunkards;  sow  cards,  reap 
gamblers;  sow  profanity,  and  reap  a  debauched 
race.  Then,  again,  we  say — ^and  we  are  following 
this  logic  out,  and  it  is  as  resistless  as  the  tide,  and 
as  clear  as  the  mind  of  God — sow  parties  and  reap 
balls ;  sow  balls  and  reap  germans ;  sow  germans 
and  reap  spider-legged  dudes;  and  sow  a  spider- 
legged  dude  and  reap  a  thimbleful  of  calves'-foot 
jelly.     I  tell  you,  my  congregation,  to-night,  that 


Sowing  and  Reaping.  251 

certain  roads  lead  to  certain  places^  and  I  ask  70a 
to  mark  the  assertion. 

Whatsoever   a   man   soweth^  that  shall  he  also 

m 

reap.  Listen  to  me,  brethren.  Of  all  the  creation 
of  God,  the  greatest  moral,  mental,  physical  mon- 
strosity in  the  universe  is  the  natural  product  of 
fashionable  society,  the  dude  and  the  dudine;  and 
you  never  catch  a  dude  and  a  dudine  marrying  one 
another.  They  will  spoil  two  houses  in  spite  of 
creation.  I  have  never  known  them  to  take  to  one 
another,  have  you  ? 

Sow  whisky,  reap  drunkards.  Sow  social  evils 
and  social  amusements,  and  the  natural  product  is  a 
lot  of  young  people  in  the  community  that  are  shift- 
less and  helpless  and  powerless,  and  that  will  be  a 
dishonor  to  their  parents  all  the  days  of  their  lives. 

Now,  follow  this  line  out.  If  I  sow  to  the  flesh, 
I  shall  of  the  flesh  reap  corruption.  This  is  inev- 
itable. If  I  sow  to  the  Spirit,  I  shall  of  the  Spirit 
reap  life  everlasting.  Now,  we  can  not  undo  what 
we  have  done  by  any  power  in  the  world  ex- 
cept to  change  the  sowing.  That  is  it.  The  only 
process  that  will  overcome  the  evil  that  you  have 
done  is  to  change  the  sowing.  Mother,  if  you  have 
been  teaching  your  daughter  worldliness,  teach 
Christ,  and  peace,  and  heaven  to  her  from  this  time 
on.  Father,  if  you  have  been  playing  cards  with 
your  boys,  change  the  sowing,  and  go  to  reading 
the  Bible  and  praying  with  your  boys.  Mother,  if 
you  have  been  taking  your  girl  off  into  amusement, 
change  the  sowing,  and  take  your  girl  to  prayer- 
meeting  and  to  the  Church  and  to  God. 


252  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

In  my  town^  when  I  was  growing  up,  I  was  a  sort 
of  leader  among  the  boys.  I  reckon  I  led  many 
a  boy  off  fr9m  right.  But  I  will  say  this  much : 
As  soon  as  I  was  converted  I  commenced  changing 
the  sowing ;  I  commenced  sowing  good.  I  have 
preached  in  my  town  in  the  churches;  I  have 
preached  on  the  streets;  I  have  preached  under 
bush-arbors  and  under  tents;  and  last  year,  at  our 
bush-arbor  meeting,  God  gave  me  the  last  friend  of 
my  boyhood  days  to  join  the  Church  and  go  to 
heaven  with  me.  Thank  God,  there  is  n't  a  being 
in  this  world  that  I  ever  led.  astray  but  whom  I 
have,  under  God,  been  instrumental  in  turning 
around  and  bringing  back  to  Christ.  I  am  prouder 
of  that  than  of  any  fact  in  my  life  to-night,  except 
Christ's  pardon  of  my  own  sins. 

Sow  to  the  Spirit  and  you  shall  of  the  Spirit 
reap  life  everlasting.  Now,  if  you  will  pardon  me, 
I  will  make  a  little  personal  allusion  here.  I  want 
you  to  think  about  it  when  you  go  home  to-night, 
and  I  want  every  mother  and  every  father  to  take 
this  incident  home  with  them.  It  is  a  little  family 
history  that  I  want  to  give  you  all. 

A  few  years  ago,  iSve  or  six  years  ago  now,  just 
a  little  earlier  than  this  in  the  year,  wife  and  I  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  old  Grandfather  Jones.  He  is 
now  living  and  praying  for  me,  and  no  doubt  does  so 
every  day  in  my  town,  Cartersville.  That  old  man 
summoned  us  all  down  to  his  double  log  cabin  in 
our  county,  for  he  is  a  poor  man  now  and  has  al- 
ways been  a  poor  hard-working  man,  to  celebrate 
his  golden  wedding.     At  first  I  did  n't  think  much 


Sowing  and  Reaping.  253 

about  ity  but  the  day  before  the  weddiag  I  said : 
"  Wife,  let  us  get  in  the  buggy  and  go  down  to 
old  grandfather^s  golden  wedding,"  We  went  down 
there,  a  family  gathering  of  children,  grandchildren 
and  great  grandchildren,  and  we  all  gathered  after 
dinner  in  the  big  room,  as  it  was  called.  The 
large  room  was  twenty-four  feet  square,  I  believe, 
or  near  that.  And  after  dinner  the  old  grandfather 
and  grandmother  sat  in  the  center  of  the  room,  and 
all  the  children  and  grandchildren  and  great- 
grandchildren gathered  around  them  in  a  double 
circle,  and  the  old  man  said :  ^^  Now,  children,  I 
donH  know  how  much  longer  I  will  be  with  you, 
but  I  want  to  give  you  a  little  history  and  some 
statistics.  We  have  been  married,  your  mother 
and  grandmother  and  myself,  fifty  years  to-day,  and 
we  have  lived  all  this  time  in  holy,  happy  wedlock. 
When  I  was  a  twelve-year  old  boy  my  mother  and 
father  both  died,  and  I  was  bound  out  until  I  was 
twenty-one  years  old.  When  I  was  sixteen  years 
old  the  Methodists  started  a  protracted  meeting  in 
the  settlement,  and  I  went  out,  and  God  converted 
my  soul,  and  I  joined  the  Church.  In  a  year  or 
two  they  made  a  class-leader  out  of  me,  and  in 
another  year  they  made  me  an  exhorter,  and  before 
I  was  twenty-one  years  old  they  made  a  Meth- 
odist preacher  out  of  me,  and  I  have  been  a  local 
Methodist  preacher  now  for  nearly  fifty  years. 
When  I  was  twenty-one  I  married  this,  my  wife, 
and  we  have  lived  happily  together  for  fifty  years. 
The  night  we  moved  into  our  humble  home,  the 
first  night  after  our  marriage,  I  got  down  the  old 


254  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

Bible  and  read  a  chapter  and  started  family  prayers, 
and  I  have  prayed  night  and  morning  in  my  home 
for  fifty  years.  Nothing  ever  kept  me  from  this 
duty.  I  have  preached  the  Gospel  in  my  poor  way 
for  nearly  fifty  years.  I  have  been  tempted  many 
a  time  to  give  it  up  and  quit.  I  have  been  tempted 
that  I  was  doing  no  good ;  but  I  have  prayed  on 
and  praised  on,  and  now,'*  he  said,  "  here  are  these 
statistics :  There  are  fifty -two  of  us  in  all,  children, 
grandchildren,  and  great-grandchildren.  Twenty- 
two  of  that  number  have  crossed  over  to  the  other 
side,  and  sixteen  of  the  twenty-two  were  children, 
infants,  and  have  gone  safe.  Six  were  adults,  and 
they  all  died  happy  and  went  home  to  heaven." 
And  one  of  that  number  he  was  talking  about,  I 
had  the  honor  to  call  my  father.  O,  I  saw  him 
literally  shout  his  way  out  of  this  world.  "  Now," 
said  the  old  man,  ^^  twenty-two  of  them  are  safe  in 
heaven.  There  are  thirty  left,  and  every  one  of  the 
thirty  left  who  are  old  enough  to  know  right  from 
wrong,  have  been  converted  and  have  joined  Church 
except  one."  O,  how  I  have  prayed,  and  wrestled, 
and  prayed,  and  had  my  heart  bleed  about  that  poor 
fellow,  until  at  last  (rod  has  saved  him,  and  he  is  a 
preacher  of  the  Gospel  now  himself.  The  old  man 
said,  "  Now,  I  do  n*t  care  much  whether  I  go  on  up 
and  live  with  them  or  stay  here  with  you  all.  I 
am  ready  whenever  God  shall  call." 

Precious  old  grandmother,  she  has  joined  the 
hosts  up  yonder.  I  went  off  from  there  and  said  to 
my  wife :  "  Wife,  grandfather  said  every  one  that 
died  had  gone  to  heaven,  and  those  that  were  here 


Sowing  and  REAPiNa.  255 

were  all  on  the  way  but  one.  I  have  been  wanting 
to  go  to  heaven  all  my  life^  and^  God  helping  me 
now,  I  can  not  afford  to  miss  heaven/' 

Now,  that  poor  old  man  is  in  Cartersville  to- 
night, a  hopeless  crippl^the  balance  of  his  life  from 
a  fall  a  few  weeks  ago.  He  was  very  low  when  I 
was  preaching  at  Nashville,  and  when  I  got  back  to 
Cartersville  and  walked  over  to  his  humble  home, 
he  took  my  hand  and  said,  '^  God  bless  you,  my 
grandson ;  I  did  n't  believe  God  would  let  me  die 
until  I  saw  you  again."  They  write  me  now  from 
my  home,  "  Grandfather  says  he  is  praying  for  you 
every  day."  Thank  God  Almighty  for  such  an  an- 
cestor as  he  is.  Four  of  that  old  man's  boys,  my 
uncles,  are  preaching  the  Gospel  to-day.  I  have 
two  brothers;  they  are  both  preachers,  and  I  want 
to  teach  my  children,  if  God  shall  call  them  to 
preach,  to  go  on.  And  if  all  of  us  together  can 
gather  a  million  sheaves,  we  will  put  them  all  in 
that  old  grandfather's  crown  and  tell  him,  "Grand- 
father, you  are  the  blessed  one  that  taught  us  the  way 
to  God,  and  passed  religion  down  to  four  generations." 

Thank  God  for  such  a  home  as  my  old  grand- 
father's was  and  is.  Thank  God  that  I  belong 
to  a  religious  family.  Brethren,  if  I  had  lived  in 
some  families,  nothing  on  earth  could  have  saved 
me.  But  my  grandmother  prayed  for  me,  my  mother 
did,  my  father  did,  and  my  grandfather  did,  and 
when  I  was  breaking  away  from  every  band  that 
could  hold  me  to  God  and  rushing  headlong  to  hell, 
God  threw  my  precious  father  in  my  pathway  and 
let  me  bid  him  good-bye,  and  then  I  turned  around 


256  8am  Jones'  Own  Book. 

and  said,  ^*  God  being  my  helper,  I  am  going  to 
heaven  with  all  who  are  going  in  that  direction  of 
the  family  to  which  I  belong." 

God  help  you  mothers  and  fathers  to  begin  a  re- 
ligious home.  God  help  yt>u  to  settle  it  now  and 
forever.  I  intend  to  live  a  Christian  life  and  set  a 
good  example  to  my  children,  because  Grod  has  said 
if  I  sow  to  the  Spirit,  I  shall  of  the  Spirit  reap 
everlasting  life. 


Sayinqs. 


Let  me  say  to  you :  If  you  can 't  help  but  one 
family  in  town,  let  that  be  the  family  which  needs  the 
help.  I  have  got  a  profound  contempt  for  folks 
who  are  always  helping  those  that  do  n't  need  any 
help. 

'  I  BELIEVE  the  greatest  moral  monstrosity  in  the 
universe  is  an  impious  woman.  I  can  understand 
how  men  can  be  wicked;  I  can  understand  how 
men  can  be  wicked  and  turn  their  backs  on  God, 
and  live  in  sin ;  but  the  greatest  moral  monstrosity 
is  a  woman  with  the  tender  arms  of  her  children 
around  her,  their  eyes  looking  up  into  her  eyes  with 
innocence  and  love,  and  that  mother  despising  God 
in  her  heart. 


J 


i 


Sermon  xix. 

PARTAK8RS  OK  THE   DIVINED    NATURB. 

"According  as  his  divine  power  hath  given  unto  us  all 
things  that  pertain  unto  life  and  godliness,  through  the 
knowledge  of  him  that  hath  called  us  to  glory  apd  virtue ; 
whereby  are  given  unto  us  exceeding  great  and  precious 
promises ;  that  by  these  ye  might  be  partakers  of  the  divine 
nature,  having  escaped  the  corruption  that  is  in  the  world 
through  lust"-— 2  Petbb  i,  3,  4. 

THE  first  thing  we  notice  in  these  verses  is  that 
according  unto  the  divine  power  God  hath  given 
unto  us  all  things  that  pertain  to  life  and  godliness. 
God  is  the  source  of  all  life,  physical,  intellectual, 
and  spiritual.  He  is  not  only  the  source,  but  the 
preserver  of  all  life.  I  am  not  only  redeemed  by 
grace,  but  I  live  by  grace.  I  was  born  by  grace, 
and  I  have  lived  up  to  this  hour  by  grace,  and  I 
shall  ultimately  be  saved  in  heaven  by  grace.  Unto 
God  be  all  praise,  and  all  glory,  because  he  is  the 
source  of  all  life,  and  he  is  the  benefactor  who  pre- 
serves all  life. 

But  I  might  say  at  this  point  that  there  are  con- 
ditions upon  which  I  may  live  physically,  and  if  I 
meet  them  I  live.  There  are  conditions  upon  which 
I  perpetuate  intellectual  life,  and  if  I  meet  those 
conditions  I  live  intellectually.  There  are  condi- 
tions upon  which  I  live  spiritually,  and  if  I  meet 
those  conditions  I  live  spiritually.  Peter  says  we 
become  "partakers  of  the  divine  nature.*'  What 
are  we  to  understand  by  this  expression?  I  may 
22— B  267 


258  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

discuss  more  intelligently^  and  perhaps  more  satis- 
factorily^ the  results  of  a  converted  or  renewed  life ; 
I  may  consider  more  widely  the  manifestations  of  a 
renewed  heart  than  I  can  discuss  the  nature  of 
these  renewals — the  how,  the  why,  and  the  where- 
fore. O,  how  deep  this  water  becomes  when  you 
get  out  in  it!  Whenever  I  reach  the  point  of  this 
text  I  say,  "Father,  take  my  hand;  lead  me;  I  do 
not  know  the  way,  but  thou  knowest  the  way. 
Lead  me  unto  the  way  of  everlasting  life.'' 

Brethren,  there  are  some  things  we  know,  and 
some  things  we  do  not  know,  and  some  things  we 
never  will  know  here.  But  I  thank  God  I  won  't 
have  much  to  do  in  the  other  world  but  to  learn, 
and  have  facilities  that  Harvard  and  Yale  never 
give  any  man.  I  am  going  to  practice  what  I  do 
understand  in  this  world,  and  study  what  I  do  n't 
understand  in  the  next.  I  am  satisfied  that's  the 
best  way  we  can  dispose  of  these  things  we  can  't 
understand.  Let's  practice  the  Ten  Command- 
ments, and  live  upon  a  level  with  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  here,  and  then  hereafter  we  will  study 
the  mysteries  with  the  Teacher  who  understands 
and  who  can  explain  them.  We  may  have  the  ca- 
pacity for  learning,  but  there 's  no  one  here  who  can 
teach  these  things.  Science  proposes  to  tell  us  some 
things;  science  has  to  deal  with  tlie  past  and  pres- 
ent; but  when  I  get  to  talking  with  scientists  about 
the  future,  they  do  n't  know  any  more  about  it  than 
I  do.  Science,  after  she  burrows  five  thousand  feet 
down  deep  into  the  earth,  does  not  know  what  is 
beyond  that  point,  because  she  has  not  been  there^ 


Paktakers  op  the  Divine  Nature.    259 

and  after  science  has  gone  up  in  the  air  two  and  a 
half  miles  she  does  not  know  what  is  up  beyond 
there^  because  she  has  never  been  up  there ;  and 
when  it  comes  to  the  great  questions  of  eternity, 
heaven,  and  hell,  science  knows  as  little  about  them 
as  any  six-weeks-old  babe  in  this  city. 

It  is  well  enough  for  us,  brethren,  to  take  in 
hand  and  practice  what  we  understand ;  and,  after 
all,  it  is  not  the  mysteries  of  the  Book  that  disturb 
me ;  but  I  will  tell  you,  the  part  of  the  Book  that 
troubles  me  is  the  Ten  Commandments  and  the  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount.  O,  how  hard  it  is  for  me  to 
live  upon  a  level  with  them ;  and  I  never  will  be 
satisfied  with  myself  in  time  or  eternity  until  I  can 
live  upon  a  dead  level  with  the  Ten  Command- 
ments and  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

When  a  man  comes  to  me  and  tries  to  draw  me 
out  on  the  mysteries  of  the  Bible,  I  say  to  him, 
"  Sir,  how  are  you  on  the  Ten  Commandments  ?'* 
My  friends,  let  us  get  straight  with  them,  and  let 's 
go  on  up.  Let 's  not  try  to  get  in  the  senior  class 
at  college  until,  at  least,  we  have  studied  awhile  in 
the  freshman.  That 's  a  good  idea !  Let 's  not  try  to 
explain  the  mysteries  until  we  understand  and  prac- 
tice the  plain  things  of  the  Book. 

Do  you  enforce  the  command,  ^^  Thou  shalt  not 
steal  ?"  If  you  do  n't,  you  ought  to  do  as  the 
preacher  did  in  Maine,  where  the  business  of  the 
community  was  to  get  out  and  market  logs,  and 
where  the  great  sin  of  the  community  was  stealing 
logs.  This  preacher  preached  about  it,  but  without 
success,  until  at  last  he  found  he  must  fit  his  text  to 


260  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

the  settlement  in  which  he  lived^  and  so  he  said: 
"  Brethren,  my  text  to-day  reads,  ^  Thou  shalt  not 
steal — logs/ ''  Good  Lord,  help  us  to  make  the  prac- 
tical things  of  Christianity  clear  and  plain,  then  the 
Lord  help  us  all  to  live  up  to  those  things,  for  if  I 
would  be  a  scholar,  I  must  be  a  practical  worker  of 
righteousness  in  time. 

"Partdkers  of  the  divine  nature/'  Brethren, 
let 's  talk  sensibly.  I  grant  you  this  much,  breth- 
ren, that  when  you  get  on  to  this  question  of  regen- 
eration and  of  renewed  nature,  being  born  again, 
you  are  in  the  very  whirlpool  of  the  mysterious  in 
Christianity.  I  do  not  think  Jesus,  when  he 
preached  his  own  Gospel  among  men  for  three 
years,  ever  mentioned  the  doctrine  of  regeneration 
more  than  once;  and  he  did  it  then  at  midnight  to 
one  man,  and  that  man  the  most  intelligent  of  his 
day ;  and  when  Jesus  mentioned  it  to  him  he  stag- 
gered back  and  said,  "  How  can  these  things  be  ?" 
Jesus  told  him,  *^  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  list- 
eth.  Thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not 
tell  whence  it  cometh  nor  whither  it  goeth."  My 
brethren,  if  this  thing  could  be  explained  to  men, 
Jesus  would  never  have  let  Nicodemus  walk  off 
without  a  full  explanation  of  the  whole  question  ; 
but,  instead  of  explaining  it,  Christ  seemed  to  push 
him  off  with  the  simple  illustration.  Now,  why 
should  I  get  on  to  the  divine  side  of  the  question, 
and  try  to  explain  it  to  you  ?  Christ  himself  did 
not  do  it,  and  why  should  you  as  a  preacher,  or  I 
as  a  preacher,  attempt  to  do  the  thing  that  Christ 
himself  did  not  attempt  to  do  ? 


Partakebs  op  the  Divine  Nature.  2G1 

"  Partakers."  When  Christ  announced  the  doc- 
trine of  the  new  birth  to  Nicodemus^  he  did  it  for 
all  the  world  and  for  all  ages.  But  be  careful  how 
you  broach  that  subject^  brethren^  and  do  nH  con- 
fuse men  with  it.  That 's  the  point  I  'm  driving 
at.  I  like  the  way  Peter  touches  on  that  question 
here,  when  he  says^  *^  Partakers  of  the  divine  na- 
ture.'' Being  bom  again  means  simply  born  from 
heaven,  or  lifted  up.  I  say  that  a  man,  until  he  is 
bom  from  above,  can  no  more  live  a  life  in  the 
spirit  of  Christ  Jesus  than  a  rock  can  live  the  life 
of  a  plant,  or  a  plant  can  live  the  life  of  an  ox,  or 
an  ox  can  live  the  life  of  a  man.  That  which  is 
born  of  flesh  is  flesh.  If  you  ever  get  to  the  spirit 
you  will  have  to  be  lifted  up.  That 's  the  idea.  A 
man  can't  catch  hold  of  his  boot-straps  and  lift; 
himself  up,  that's  a  settled  proposition;  and  the 
only  hope  of  the  race  is  the  extended  hands  of  God 
that  lift  us  up,  and  I  'm  not  troubled  about  the 
Lord  being  able  to  lift  me  up,  or  being  willing  to 
lift  me  up,  but  ray  great  concern  is,  will  I  ever  push 
my  hands  up  to  God,  that  he  may  take  me  and  lift 
me  up?    That's  the  question. 

"  Partakers  of  the  divine  nature."  Let  us  sup- 
pose a  case,  and  let  us  suppose  a  sensible  man,  forty 
years  old,  if  you  please.  *  He  is  a  sensible  merchant, 
a  sensible  cit;izen,  a  sensible  father — in  fact,  a  sensi- 
ble man  altogether.  Now,  it  matters  not  what  was 
the  primal  cause  of  his  spiritual  concern,  whether  it 
was  the  death  of  a  good  wife  or  the  burial  of  one 
of  his  children,  or  the  pungent  words  of  an  earnest 
preacher,   or  one   of  the  sweet  songs  of  Zion^  or 


262  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

the  kind  words  of  a  little  girl.  But  all  at  once 
that  man  says  in  his  soul,  '^  I  am  wrong.  I 
am  out  of  harmony  with  myself.  I  am  out 
of  harmony  with  God.  My  life  has  not  been 
right.  I  am  sorry  for  it.  I  wish  I  were  right.  I 
would  give  the  world  if  I  were  what  I  ought  to  be." 
He  is  pondering  now.  He  is  thinking.  Somehow 
or  another^  just  as  soon  as  he  gets  alone^  this  ques- 
tion recurs  again.  It  goes  to  bed  with  him  and 
gets  up  with  him  ;  it  goes  to  the  breakfast-table  with 
him^  and  goes  to  his  business  with  him,  and  he 
thinks  and  thinks,  and  the  more  he  thinks  the  more 
utterly  he  is  displeased  with  himself,  until  by  and  by 
he  begins  to  conceal  himself  somewhere,  and  reads 
the  Bible.  Suppose  he  is  a  lawyer ;  a  Bible  has 
been  lying  on  the  table  in  his  office  for  ten  years, 
and  he  never  endeavored  to  conceal  it  from  the 
gaze  of  those  who  came  to  his  office,  but  he  conceals 
the  book  now.  He  hears  a  knock  at  the  office  door, 
and  he  hastily  conceals  the  Bible  under  the  pile  of 
books  on  the  table  before  the  client  enters,  and 
covers  it  up  with  his  Greenleaf  and  Blackstone  and 
other  law-books.  As  long  as  he  was  a  mean  sinner 
he  did  n't  care  who  saw  the  Bible  in  his  office,  but 
now  when  any  one  comes  in  he  wants  that  Bible  hid. 
What  *s  the  matter  with  him?  T  '11  tell  you.  Ev- 
ery time  any  man  comes  into  the  room  the  Bible  turns 
with  its  index  finger  to  him  and  says,  "  Look  at 
this  rascal  here!  What  a  scoundrel  he  is!"  And 
he  wants  it  out  of  the  way ;  he  does  n't  want  to  be 
seen  reading  it;  he  doesn't  want  it  to  be  seen  in 
his  office,  and  if  he  prays  at  all,  he  will  go  off  into 


1 

i 


Pabtakers  op  the  Divine  Natuke.    263 

Rome  secret  place.  IF  he  goes  out  into  the  solitude 
of  the  woods  to  pray,  the  least  cracking  of  a  stick 
or  a  twig  in  the  woods  will  make  him  jump  up; 
he  would  n't  be  seen  praying  for  any  thing  in  the 
world.  Poor  fellow !  But  he  prays,  and  angels 
could  not  see  a  gladder  thing  in  heaven  than  to 
look  down  on  a  fellow  and  say,  "  Behold,  he  pray- 
eth."  He  has  got  so  far  along  that  he  prays  now. 
He  goes  on  in  this  way  for  a  day  or  two,  growing 
more  and  more  dissatisfied  with  himself,  until  finally 
he  addresses  a  note  to  the  preacher.  May  be  it's 
the  very  preacher  of  whom  he  said,  "  I  Ml  never 
listen  to  that  man  again."  The  preacher  comes 
around  to  see  him,  and  he  says :  '*  Sir,  there 's 
something  wrong  with  me.  I  do  n't  know  what  it 
is.  I'm  out  of  harmony  with  myself,  and  I'm 
growing  more  and  more  heartily  dissatisfied  with 
myself  every  day.  I  do  n't  know  what 's  the  mat- 
ter with  me  at  all."  The  preacher  talks  with  him 
and  encourages  him.  He  goes  to  Church,  and  now 
he  is  at  the  altar,  perhaps,  to  be  prayed  for ;  and, 
may  be,  six  weeks  pass,  but  all  at  once  he  turns 
loose  all  earthly  hope  and  all  earthly  plans,  and 
falls  into  the  arms  of  Omnipotent  love^  and  realizes 
"  I  am  a  saved  man." 

Now  you  ask,  "When  was  he  saved?  When 
did  he  become  partaker  of  the  divine  nature?" 
Was  it  when  he  looked  up  and  said,  "  Glory  to 
God?"  Was  it  when  he  wrote  that  note  to  the 
preacher?  Was  it  when  he  was  hiding  the  Bible 
that  day?  Was  it  when  he  was  down  on  his 
knees  praying?     Was  it  when  he  went  to  bed  and 


264  Sam  Jokes'  Owk  Book. 

could  n't  go  to  sleep  that  night  ?  No.  That  man 
was  made  a  partaker  of  the  Divine  nature  when  he 
said  that  first  day,  "  I  am  wrong,  I  wish  I  were 
right.  I  would  give  all  the  world  if  I  could  get 
right  with  God.''  The  Divine  nature  touched  his 
heart  and  the  dead  man  lived  again,  and  it  could 
never  die  again  until  it  struggled  into  life  and  joy 
and  peace  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Brother,  do  you  see  that?  Is  there  a  man  here 
that  never  had  a  touch  of  the  Divine  nature  in  his 
dead  soul?  Have  n't  you  felt  dissatisfied  with  your- 
self? Listen,  brother !  The  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  said  by  some  to  be,  when  touched  and  moved  by 
the  Divine  nature,  willfully  to  drive  from  your  heart 
the  only  thing  that  can  perpetuate  your  life  and 
carry  you  to  joy ;  and  he  who  stabs  the  only  in- 
fluence that  can  save  him,  is  a  man  who  commits 
suicide  upon  his  own  mortality.  Brethren,  if  you 
have  it,  cherish  it  for  all  time ;  give  heed  to  it  and 
foster  it.  Take  care  of  every  divine  touch  on  your 
soul,  and  let  it  live  on  until  it  is  like  a  rose,  blos- 
soming out  into  beauty  and  perfection. 

Now,  let  us  escape  "  the  corruption  that  is  in 
the  world  through  lust."  God  has  given  us  his 
great  blessing;  and,  brother,  don't  you  trouble 
yourself  about  the  Lord's  readiness,  and  willingness, 
and  ability,  for  all  you  need  to  do  in  the  universe 
is  to  trouble  yourself  about  whether  you  will  co- 
operate with  God  in  this  great  matter.  Here,  I  see 
a  man  as  he  ascends  the  narrow,  rocky,  difficult 
pathway  up  the  Alps;  on  and  on  he  goes,  until  at 
last  I  see  he  reaches  a  point  in  the  pathway  that  is 


Paktakehs  op  the  Divine  Nature.    265 

impassable ;  he  is  on  this  narrow  cliff  and  he  can  no 
more  pass  that  point  than  he  can  fly.  And  that 
man^s  personal  means,  in  so  far  as  the  reaching  of 
the  top  of  the  mountain  is  concerned,  are  exhausted. 
He  can't  get  any  further.  But  he  has  a  guide 
along,  and  his  guide  says  to  him,  "  Now  you  can 
pass  that  rock,"  and  the  guide  lies  down  on  the  rocky 
path  and  pushes  out  his  brawny  arm  and  hand,  and 
says,  "  Step  on  this  hand  here  and  I  will  pass  you 
up  and  around  that  rock,  and  you  can  step  safely 
on  the  other  side,"  and  the  guide  pushes  his  sleeves 
back,  and  the  man  steps  on  the  brawny  arm  and 
hand  of  the  guide,  and  passes  safely  round,  and 
presses  on  his  journey  to  the  mountain  top.  There 
is  a  point,  brother,  in  every  man's  experience  that 
he  reaches  before  he  goes  to  heaven,  where  human 
power  gives  way;  but  blessed  be  God,  the  divine 
Savior  lies  down  and  tells  you,  "Step  on  this 
hand,  and  I  will  pass  you  safely  round,  and  you  can 
pursue  your  way  to  glory." 

Did  you  ever  step  in  the  Savior's  hand,  breth- 
ren ?  If  you  have  n't,  you  have  to  do  it  before  you 
can  get  to  glory.  Put  that  down  !  I  will  tell  you ; 
Christ  passed  me  around  that  rocky  place,  but  I 
had  to  go  to  it  before  Christ  could  help  me  to  get 
around  it;  and  before  that  I  had  to  press  the 
balance  of  my  way  alone,  stepping  on  the  pave- 
ment as  I  walked.  Christ  helps  a  man  only  where 
he  can  not  help  himself  I  never  pray  for  any  thing 
but  that  I  do  my  best  to  answer  ray  own  prayer, 
and  right  where  I  get  out  of  breath,  that's  where 

God  comes  and  finishes  up  the  job  for  me.     It's  all 

23— B 


266  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

foolishness  to  pray  God  to  do  something  for  a  man 
that  he  can  do  for  himself. 

I  wish  I  could  see  five  hundred  stalwart  men 
and  women  here  to-day  rise  up  and  say,  "  God 
has  touched  my  heart,  and  it  shall  blossom  into 
eternal  life.  I  have  the  resolution,  the  purpose, 
the  desire  to  be  good,  and,  God  helping  me,  I  start 
out  on  that  line  to-day.''  Well,  some  of  us  say, 
"  How  is  it  that  some  men  get  along  easier  than 
others  ?  See  here !  Here 's  a  man,  and  it 's  no 
trouble  for  him  to  live  right.  He  can  get  along 
without  trouble  in  the  world,  but  I  have  the  hardest 
time  of  it  of  any  poor  fellow  on  earth."  Brother, 
I  '11  tell  you.  Largely  your  trouble  is  owing  to  the 
fact  that  you  never  started  in,  and  you  never  meant 
any  thing  when  you  did  start.  Look!  See  that 
engineer  on  his  engine.  At  the  movement  of  one 
muscle  of  his  arm  on  the  throttle,  that  engine  rolls 
along  sixty  miles  an  hour.  He  shuts  off  the  throttle, 
turns  the  air-brakes'  lever,  and  the  engine  slacks 
up  and  trembles  and  stops.  '^  What  an  easy  thing 
it  is  to  run  an  engine,"  you  say ;  "  why  it 's  the 
easiest  thing  I  ever  saw  in  my  life."  But  you  '11 
have  to  go  behind  the  throttle,  brethren,  before 
you  '11  get  the  secret  of  that  rapidly  nmning  and 
easily  controlled  engine.  If  you  will  get  up  here 
I  '11  show  you.  A  few  years  ago  you  could  see 
hordes  of  hard-working  men  digging  and  tunneling 
those  mighty  hills  yonder,  and  filling  up  the  valleys, 
and  cutting  mighty  trees  down  and  hewing  cross- 
ties  from  them ;  you  could  see  miners  far  below  the 
ground  digging  the  iron  ore;  you  could  see  brawny 


Partakers  of  the  Divine  Nature.    267 

meD  at  the  furnaces  dumpiDg  and  smelting  that  ore ; 
you  could  see  the  poor  fellows  working  at  the  pud- 
dling furnaces^  almost  burning  up  with  the  intolerable 
heat;  and  again  down  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth 
you  could  see  myriads  of  colliers  busily  digging  the 
coal  that  is  to-  fill  that  engine  tender,  and,  brethren, 
if  you  will  only  go  behind  that  engine,  you'll  not 
think  it's  so  easy  to  run  one.  You  say  Christian 
people  get  along  easy ;  but  you  go  behind  their  lives, 
go  underground,  I  might  say,  and  see  how  they  pray 
and  strive ;  and  how  much  they  give,  and  how  much 
they  have  suflfered.  If  you  will  go  behind  and  see 
their  conscience,  you  won't  think  it's  such  an  easy 
task  to  live  right  after  all."  You  must  get  behind 
the  throttle  to  get  at  the  secret  of  how  easy  it  is  to 
run  an  engine,  and  you  must  get  at  the  inside  of  a 
Christian  life  to  see  how  it  moves  to  the  good 
world ! 

I'll  tell  you,  if  you'll  start  out  to-day  and  do 
as  the  best  man  in  this  Church  does  for  the  next 
six  months,  you  'II  be  as  good  as  he  is  when  the  six 
months  are  passed.  No  man  can  be  religious  with- 
out living  religion,  and  no  man  can  live  religion 
without  being  religious.  The  rule  works  both  ways. 
If  the  means  of  grace  won't  take  a  man  to  God, 
then  what's  the  use  of  the  means  of  grace?  If 
family  prayer,  secret  prayer,  that  Bible,  joining  the 
Church,  baptism,  takings  the  sacrament — if  all  those 
things  won't  take  a  man  to  God,  what  are  they  for? 
That 's  the  way  to  talk  it!  If  that  street  out  yonder 
does  not  lead  on  down  town  to  the  bridge  across  the 
river,  if  it  is  n't  a  highway  to  reach   a  destination^ 


268  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

then  what's  it  fit  for?  What  do  you  want  with  a 
street  if  you  ain't  going  where  that  street  leads? 
What  do  you  want  with  means  of  grace  if  it  isn't 
to  take  you  where  you  want  to  go  ? 

When  Matthew  made  the  trip  to  the  good  world, 
where  did  he  start  from?  He  was  what  we  would 
terra  down  South  after  the  war,  a  "  scalawag."  You 
know  what  a  scalawag  is,  do  n't  you  ?  Well,  scala- 
wag was  the  term  we  applied  *  to  a  Southern  man 
who  held  office  under  the  Federal  Government. 
Matthew  was  a  Jew  holding  office  under  the  Ro- 
man Government.  I  reckon  Matthew  was  consid- 
ered then  a  scalawag.  Christ  came  along  when 
Matthew  was  sitting  at  the  seat  of  customs — he 
was  a  sort  of  tax-gatherer — and  Christ  said  to 
Matthew,  "  Follow  me."  Now,  brother,  if,  when 
Matthew  shut  up  his  tax-book  and  took  after  Christ, 
he  did  n't  have  religion  what  did  he  have  ?  He 
had  it  as  sure  as  you  live ;  and  when  a  man  quits 
his  meanness  and  gets  to  doing  right,  what 's  the 
matter  with  him  if  it  is  n't  religion  ?  Did  you  ever 
know  an  old  sinner  to  do  that  ?  Some  say,  "  Well, 
I  know  he  's  religious  because  he  shouted."  Yes, 
and  I  've  known  men  to  shout  a  mile  high  in  Au- 
gust and  be  drunk  before  the  first  day  in  October. 
Here  are  two  fellows  who  join  the  Church  to-day ; 
one  of  them  shouts,  "  Glory  to  God,"  and  the  other 
is  as  mum  as  can  be.  Next  Sunday,  when  the 
preacher  takes  up  a  missionary  collection,  the  mum 
fellow  gives  him  five  hundred  dollars,  and  the 
shouting  fellow  a  nickel.  Which  has  the  best  re- 
ligion ? 


1 


Partakers  of  the  Divine  Nature.     269 

''  Partakers  of  the  divine  nature^  having  escaped 
the  corruption  that  is  in  the  world  through  lust. 
And  besides  this  giving  all  diligence."  Be  busy  in 
your  religious  life  ;  be  faithful  to  your  vows.  Start 
to-day  and  say,  "  In  heaven  I  shall  rejoice  because 
I  started  in  earnest,  I  carried  it  on  in  earnest; 
and,  therefore,  God  will  say,  ^  Well  done,  thou  good 
and  faithful  servant ;  enter  thou  into  the  joys  of 
thy  Lord/  "  Grod  bless  you  all,  brethren,  and  help 
you  to  get  started  in  the  way  of  everlasting  life.  God 
never  saw  a  minute  since  you  were  born  when  he 
was  more  willing  to  save  you  than  now.  You  will 
never  see  a  minute  in  your  future  when  he  is 
more  ready  than  now  and  more  willing  than  now. 
Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready.  The  Lord  help 
you  to  come  to-day  and  give  yourself  to  him,  and 
say,  '^  The  question  is  settled  now  for  time  and 
eternity." 

Sayings. 

ReIjIGION  is  like  measles ;  if  it  goes  in  on  you, 
it  will  kill  you.  The  trouble  with  a  great  many 
Christians  in  this  city  is,  religion  has  gone  in  on 
them.     Keep  it  broke  out  on  hands,  feet,  and  tongue. 

We  may  give  ourselves  to  the  Church — that  is 
helpful ;  we  may  give  ourselves  to  good  associa- 
tions— that  is  helpful;  but  there  is  no  self-dedica- 
tion that  is  worth  much  in  this  world,  except  that 
self-dedication  that  gives  the  life  to  God. 


Sermon  XX. 

THE    GRACE    OK    QOD. 

**  For  the  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  hath  ap- 
peared to  all  men."-— Titus  ii,  11. 

I  LIKE  this  term  "  grace."  There  is  a  fullness 
of  meaning  about  it  that  ties  me  to  it.  The 
grace  of  God!  Thank  God  for  that  word.  Grace,  in  the 
plainest,  commonest  sense  among  men,  gives  us  about 
this  idea — kindness  unmerited,  undeserved  favor,  and 
goodness.  We  are  not  only  redeemed  by  grace,  but 
something  more;  we  are  born  by  grace,  we  are  pre- 
served by  grace,  we  shall  be  raised  from  the  dead  by 
grace,  and  we  shall  be  introduced  into  the  kingdom 
everlasting  by  grace.  It  is  grace  that  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  our  salvation,  and  grace  is  the  cap-stone.  It  is 
grace  that  started  me  upward,  and  grace  has  brought 
me  safe  thus  far,  and  grace  will  take  me  home  to  God. 
I  appreciate  very  much  the  old  hero  who  said,  when 
his  wife  walked  into  his  room  and  saw  him  gather- 
ing up  the  covers  from  his  bed  into  a  bundle  and  tak- 
ing it  into  his  hand,  '^  O,  precious  husband,  what 
are  you  doiaig?  Are  you  distrait?"  "No,  wife,  I 
am  gathering  up  all  my  good  works  in  one  bundle 
and  casting  them  from  me,  and  lashing  myself  only 
to  the  plank  of  free  grace,  and  I  will  swim  to  glory 
on  it."  That  is  the  only  good  rgute  after  all — ^free 
grace. 
270 


The  Gbac£  of  God.  271 

Now,  this  free  gmce  is  from  a  gracious  Father. 
It  is  not  only  what  I  receive  for  nothing,  but  what 
I  can  take  for  the  asking.  How  gracious  is  Christ 
when  we  can  but  just  see  the  hand  that  dispenses, 
and  the  gracious  heart  that  ix)urs  forth,  like  the  gush 
of  a  river.  My  Father,  your  Father,  that  Father 
who  has  called  me  and  you ;  who  went  out  to  look 
after  me,  and  who,  when  he  found  me,  brought  me 
back,  has  promised  to  be  with  me  to  the  end. 

While  I  was  in  my  house,  some  time  ago,  this 
little  incident  stirred  my  heart  very  much.  The 
nurse  came  in  to  breakfast.  She  was  only  sixteen 
years  old.  She  was  not  just  the  kind  of  nurse  that 
my  wife  wanted,  but  she  was  a  good-natured  creature. 
After  breakfast  I  was  there  in  the  room,  reading, 
and  my  wife  said  to  her,  "You  can  go  home  and 
tell  your  mother  that  I  do  n't  want  you  any  longer, 
and  tell  her  to  come  over  and  I  will  pay  her  the 
balance  of  your  wages."  I  did  not  hear  her  re- 
treating footsteps  until  I  looked  up  and  saw  the 
tears  running  down  the  face  of  the  girl  as  she 
turned  toward  my  wife  and  said,  "  Mrs.  Jones, 
please  ma'am,  do  n't  turn  me  away.  I  know  I  am 
the  poorest  servant  that  you  ever  had,  but  please  let 
me  stay.     I  will  do  the  best  I  can.'' 

I  said,  "  Wife,  look  at  those  tears.  Do  help  the 
poor  thing  if  you  can."  And  then  I  fell  to  think- 
ing in  this  way  :  "  Look  at  me !  I  have  been  the 
poorest  .servant  that  Jesus  Christ  ever  had ;  and  if 
Christ  should  say  to  me,  *  You'can  go ;  I  do  n't  want 
you  any  longer,  I  discharge  you  from  my  service,'  I 
would  fall  down  at  his  feet  and  say  to  him,  'Blessed 


272  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

Master,  I  am  the  worst  servant  that  you  ever  had ; 
but  O,  Lord,  do  n't  turn  me  off.  Do  n't  drive  me 
away  I ' " 

O,  blessed  Lord,  blessed  be  the  name  of  Christ,  he 
never  does  discharge  a  loving,  servant  who  offers  to 
do  the  best  he  can.  Let  us  die  in  his  service.  O, 
the  glory  of  living  and  the  grandeur  of  doing  in  his 
service !  This  Christ  is  our  Father.  The  Father- 
hood of  God  and  the  common  paternity  of  men  ex- 
plain a  great  many  things  to  us  in  this  world.  O, 
what  a  blessed  Father.  It  is  a  glorious  thing  for 
the  entire  family  of  men  to  look  up  into  a  Father's 
face  and  listen  to  a  Father's  loving  words.  God, 
my  Father !  Can  there  be  any  thing  sweeter  than 
this  thought?  Can  there  be  any  thing  more  inspir- 
ing? Yet  there  is  something  sweeter  still.  There 
is  something  more  inspiring  still.  The  Bible  rep- 
resents God  as  our  Brother.  O,  elder  Brother,  with 
all  thy  goodness  and  perfection,  with  all  thy  warn- 
ing voice  and  with  all  thy  advisory  commands, 
blessed  Son  of  man,  I  adore  thee.  But  God,  ray 
Mother!  Let  me  hurry  to  put  my  arms  around 
thee  and  fold  my  heart  to  thy  great  loving  heart. 
God,  my  Mother,  the  Mother  of  us  all !  And  all 
these  came  from  the  grace  of  God.  Your  Father, 
your  Brother,  your  Mother,  your  best  Friend — this 
grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation !  Blessed  be 
God  for  that  grace  that  bringeth  salvation. 

Now,  let  us  take  the  text.  There  is  no  meta- 
physics in  it.  Let  us  talk  on  its  practical,  plain, 
common-sense  teachings,  and  its  words  will  be  worth 
remembering — this  "  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  sal- 


The  Grace  of  God.  273 

vation/'  this  grace  coming  from  a  loving  Lord,  this 
grace  coming  through  the  Son  of  God,  to  fallen 
men.  Grace  !  I  can  not  estimate  what  tliis  grace 
is  worth  to  the  human  race.  I  can  estimate  any 
thing  in  tliis  city.  I  can  estimate  how  much  its 
real  estate  is  worth.  I  can  estimate  how  much  its 
bonds  are  worth.  I  can  estimate  how  much  its 
railroad  stock  is  worth.  I  can  estimate  their  worth 
by  their  market-  value.  But  I  can  not  estimate  the 
worth  of  this  grace  of  God  by  what  it  costs,  but 
only  by  what  it  brings.  Brothers,  we  are  not  re- 
deemed by  corruptible  things,  by  silver  and  gold ; 
but  by  the  precious  blood  of  the  Son  of  God ;  that 
blood  which  has  never  failed  us  from  the  time  the 
bloody  sweat  burst  from  Christ^s  brow  in  Gethse- 
mane,  and  it  will  never  fail  us  until  the  recording 
angel  dips  his  pen  for  the  final  record.  He  has 
said  to  us,  ^^  Peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men." 
That  blood  was  shed,  brother,  that  grace  might 
abound  to  us  all  in  all  its  fullness ;  for  God  loved 
us  so  much  that  he  gave  Christ  to  us  to  redeem  us. 
He  nothing  extorts  from  us,  but  bestows  kindness 
upon  us.  God  loved  me  with  all  the  depths  of  his 
heart,  and  because  God  loved  me,  Christ  died  for 
me.  And  that  is  the  idea.  That  is  the  record.  This 
grace  comes  through  the  all-blessed  Son  of  God.  It 
comes  to  me,'  and  it  comes  to  you ;  and  it  comes  not 
to  bring  any  one  short  of  salvation. 

Now,  the  jgrace  of  God  makes  me  first  feel  my- 
self a  sinnexr.  That  is  great  grace.  That  is  won- 
derful grace.  It  is  the  grace  of  God  that  gives  me 
a  right  to  stand   among  the  people  of  God.     But 


274  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

listen.  The  grace  of  God  briDgeth  salvation  in  all 
its  incomprehensible  sense  to  you  and  to  all  men. 
Thank  God  for  that  glorious  expression;  now  we 
have  what  we  seek.  It  is  for  all  mankind.  How 
gracious  this  sympathy.  It  knows  no  political  di- 
vision. The  African  sun  may  turn  the  Ethiopian 
black;  the  Mexican  sun  may  turn  the  Indian  yellow, 
but  before  God  they  stand  disenthralled  through  the 
universal  efficacy  of  the  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ. 
That  grace  brings  salvation  to  all  men,  in  all  ages, 
who  believe  in  Him.  Thank  God  I  can  be  recorded 
on  the  book  of  everlasting  life,  if  I  say  that  I  believe 
that  Jesus  died  for  me.  I  thank  God  I  can  believe 
that  he  died  to  save  not  only  me,  but  my  wife  and 
my  children.  He  died  for  you  and  your  wife  and 
children,  and  for  all  of  us. 

Blessed  be  God  for  a  Gospel  that  comes  to  save 
the  race  and  all  the  race.  And  I  fully  believe,  my 
brothers,  that  if  in  the  vast  universe  of  God  to-day 
there  was  one  man  who  could  not  be  saved  other- 
wise, Christ  would  come  back  here  again  and  go 
up  to  Calvary  and  shed  his  blood  once  more  to  re- 
deem that  man's  soul.  But  I  can  not  believe  that 
Jesus  Christ  came  to  this  world  and  shed  his  pre- 
cious blood  to  redeem  some  of  us  and  refused  to  die  for 
some  others.  No,  that  is  not  compatible  with  the 
loving  heart  of  God,  much  less  with  the  word  and 
the  justice  of  God.  I  believe  in  the  elect  and  the 
non-elect,  but  I  believe  that  the  elect  here  are  those 
who  seek  God,  and  that  the  non-elect  are  those  who 
won't  seek  God.  And  it  is  for  you  to  look  out  for 
election,  and  not  God's  business. 


The  Grace  of  God.  275 

"  The  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  hath 
appeared  unto  all  men.'^  I  believe  that  if  we  are 
lost,  at  least  we  shall  walk  through  the  halo  of  the 
rainbow  of  God's  mercy  gilding  our  vision,  and  the 
waters  of  salvation  purling  in  our  ears.  I  believe, 
too,  that  there  will,  at  the  last,  be  a  crown  in  heaven, 
a  palm  of  victory,  that  will  no  head  cover,  around  no 
brows  be  wreathed.  I  believe  that  there  will  be,  for 
each  lost  soul,  a  golden  harp  from  heaven  whose 
strings  no  fingers  shall  ever  touch.  If  I  am  lost  at 
last  I  can  charge  it  to  no  other  source  in  the  uni- 
verse except  that  I  would  not  be  saved. 

"  The  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  hath 
appeared  unto  all  men."  Now  God  created  man  on 
a' common  platform,  and  when  he  redeemed  me  he 
redeemed  all  upon  a  common  platform.  And  if  one 
man  falls  within  it  all  fall  within  it,  and  when  God 
lifts  up  one  man — blessed  be  his  holy  name — all 
men  are  lifted  up.  I  used  to  hear  the  old  hard- 
shell preaching  about  the  covenant  of  God  with 
Christ,  to  save  some  and  to  doom  the  rest.  If  there 
is  an^  covenant  of  that  kind  between  the  Father  and 
Son,  I  have  read  my  Bible  through  in  vain.  It  is 
"  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  to  all  men." 
And  you  will  never  bring  on  any  millennium  that  is 
not  based  on  that.  You  can  not  bring  it  on  any 
other  plane  than  a  Gospel  that  will  save  the  whole 
race  of  man.  It  will  save  one  just  as  certainly  as 
another.  I  sometimes  think  that  Christ  seems  to 
glory  in  getting  hold  of  one  of  those  hard  cases  we 
see  sometimes,  and  showing  how  God  can  make  him 
into  one  of  the  nicest,  cleverest,  and  most  delightful 


276  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

fellows  in  the  whole  country.  I  like  that  kind  of 
grace,  and  that  sort  of  Gospel.  Now,  do  you  want 
that  kind  of  a  Gospel  in  this  city?  Do  you  want 
such  a  Gospel  here  as  that  which  the  grace  of  God 
brings  to  men  ?  Do  you  want  a  Gospel  that  will 
start  you  right?  Do  you  want  a  Gospel  that  will 
make  you  lead  a  sober  life?  Do  you  want  a 
Gospel  that  will  make  men  pay  their  debts  and  tell 
the  truth  ?  The  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  does  that, 
and  all  that;  yes,  and  a  thousand  times  more  than 
that.  Do  you  want  such  a  Gospel  ?  If  you  do, 
then  brace  up,  take  hold  of  it,  and  pitch  into  the 
work  of  getting  it  with  all  your  might.  You  have 
a  chance  to  get  it  now.  Whosoever  wills  can  do  it. 
Every  one  will  have  to  tote  around  his  own  load. 
Every  one  will  have  to  fight  his  own  battle.  Do  n't 
try  to  do  as  other  people  do.  Will  you  act  regard- 
less of  what  your  set  does?  Will  you  help  to  save 
sinners?  You  can  never  save  a  man  until  you  can 
show  him  his  need  of  being  saved,  until  you  can 
show  him  that  he  is  a  sinner.  And  the  only  way 
is  to  just  show  him  that  he  is  a  sinner,  and  show 
him  how  to  go  to  God,  and  then  men  will  go  to 
God.  May  God  gird  your  loins  for  the  fight^  for 
to  God  will  belong  the  victory. 


SERMON   XXI. 

I^IVINQ     SOBBRLY,    RIQHTEOUSLY,    AND 

OODLY. 

"  Teaching  us  that,  denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts, 
we  should  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly  in  this  present 
world."— Titus  ii,  12. 

BETWEEN  the  first  lesson  in  grace  and  eternal 
glorification  hereafter  there  are  a  good  many  les- 
sons to  be  learned^  and  a  great  many  duties  to  be 
performed.  Grace  does  not  come  gathering  us  all 
up  into  a  huddle^  and  then^  by  some  omnipotent 
force,  catching  us  around  and  carrying  us  into 
glory,  just  as  we  are.  Jesus  Christ  said  :  "I  go  to 
prepare  a  place  for  you."  Blessed  Christ!  I  will 
leave  that  all  to  thine  own  taste  and  thine  own 
wisdom.  This  much  I  feel  sure  of:  If  I  get  there 
at  all  it  will  be  a  grand  place  prepared  for  us.  My 
only  concern  now  is  whether  I  am  ready  for  such  a 
home  as  Christ  is  going  to  prepare  for  me.  That's 
the  point.  And,  after  all,  heaven  is  a  prepared 
place  for  the  prepared,  and  the  only  question  with 
us  is,  Can  I  ever  be  suited  for  such  a  place? 

Brother,  will  you  give  earnest  attention,  prayer- 
ful attention,  to  this  question  of  preparation? 
"Teaching  us!"  Ah,  what  a  teacher  Christ  was! 
He  taught  us  things  that  Socrates  never  dreamed 
of  and  Plato  never  thought  about.  O,  what  a 
teacher  he  is!     Go  sit  at  his  feet  and  learn  things 

that  shall  make  you  wise  unto  eternal  life.     This 

277 


278  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

Christ  came  teaching  us  tliis.  What  is  the  matter 
with  the  world?  It  won't  listen;  it  won't  be 
taught.  The  great  trouble  in  this  nineteenth  cen- 
tury is  not  the  inculcation  of  truth  so  much  as  it  is 
the  extraction  of  error.  The  great  trouble  is  not 
that  the  truth  is  not  preached,  but  there  is  no  room 
for  the  truth.  Why,  the  head  of  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  in  this  country  is  already  chock  full  of 
errors — brimming  full,  as  we  say  sometimes — and 
it  is  a  philosophical  statement  that  no  two  sub- 
stances can  occupy  the  same  space  at  the  same  time; 
and  in  a  man  with  his  head  full  of  error  there  is 
no  room  for  truth.  Every  man  in  these  latter  days 
is  full  of  his  own  notions. 

That  brother  out  there  says:  *'It  is  my  opinion 
that  there  is  no  harm  in  a  social  game  of  cards :  it 
is  a  scientific  game."  Another  says :  "  It  is  my 
opinion  there  is  no  harm  in  a  social  dram,  and 
there  isn't  any  harm  in  club  life."  Now,  one  of 
the  wiseLst  men  and  most  prudent  men  in  this  city 
told  me  of  your  leading  club :  "  That  institution  is 
manufacturing  drunkards  every  day;"  and  no  harm 
in  club  life!  Well,  if  you  defend  that  proposition, 
brother — and  I  call  you  brother,  and  you  are  as 
much  my  brother  as  any  Methodist  in  this  town, 
and  I  like  you,  too^I  have  got  nothing  against 
you ;  I  am  just  after  that  devilment  you  are  carry- 
ing on,  and  that  is  all.  If  I  can  strip  you  of  that  I 
would  as  soon  run  with  you  as  any  other  man  in 
this  town;  but  I  am  not  going  to  run  with  you 
until  you  do  shut  off  some  things.  If  I  did  I 
would  be  no  better  than  you  are.    Why,  my  brother, 


Sober  and  Righteous  Living.         279 

you  must  have  mighty  little  sense  left  if  "you  think 
there  is  no  hiirm  in  an  institution  that  has  a  bar- 
room in  it.  Now,  what  do  you  say?  You  will 
have  to  go  out  of  the  English  language  and  the 
realms  of  rhetoric,  and  the  finest-spun  theories  of 
earth,  and  beyond  all  the  climaxes  of  rhetoric, 
ever  to  defend  any  thing  that  has  that  hellish  insti- 
tution in  it — a  bar-room.  How  are  you  going  to 
defend  a  thing  that  has  a  bar-room  in  it?  How 
can  I  defend  myself  in  the  moral  government  of 
my  home?  Now,  for  instance,  my  neighbor  has  a 
bar-room  in  his  house,  and  I  say  to  him,  "This  is 
demoralizing  to  your  children."  He  says,  "  O,  but  I 
have  the  prettiest  pictures  in  my  home  you  ever 
saw,  and  we  have  the  nicest  suppers  there,  and  we 
have  the  nicest  social  times."  "  Well,  your  pictures 
and  your  suppers  are  all  right,  l)ut  how  about  your 
bar-room?"  "O,  well,  I  tell  you  the  truth:  no- 
body goes  in  there  except  those  that  want  to."  And 
then  the  dear  things — the  clubs  have  entertainments 
for  ladies!  They  lock  up  all  those  places — the 
nicest,  you  know — and  carry  the  ladies  all  through 
it,  and  the  ladies  are  charmed  with  it.  "Why, 
this  is  one  of  the  nicest  places  I  ever  saw."  O, 
the  gullibility  of  a  woman!  Well,  I  would  as 
soon  be  gulled  a  little  as  to  be  as  miserable  as  some 
of  you  would  be  if  you  knew  the  fact.  Sister,  just 
be  gulled  on.     It  is  more  pleasant. 

Then  some  say,  "  It  is  my  opinion  that  I  can  be 
as  good  out  of  the  Church  as  I  can  in  the  Church, 
and  it  is  my  opinion  that  there  is  no  harm  in  a 
dram.     There  is  no  harm  in  a  social  dance,  and  I 


280  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

can  stay  at  home  and  read  my  Bible  and  be  as  good 
as  if  I  go  to  Churcli ;  and  my  opinion  is  this,  that, 
and  the  other;"  and  so  it  goes  on  until  every  one 
of  us  in  this  country  is  full  of  his  own  opinions. 
You  haven't  got  a  thinking  man  in  this  city;  but 
every  man  in  town  is  full  of  opinions.  One  or  two 
great  minds  do  the  thinking  for  Europe ;  one  or  two 
great  minds  do  the  thinking  for  this  continent;  and 
yet  all  humanity  is  chock  full  of  opinions,  and  we 
become  encased  in  these  opinions,  and  we  can  't  be 
reached.  To  show  you  how  it  is,  see  that  old  farmer 
sitting  yonder  in  his  cabin,  smoking  his  pipe  quietly 
and  honestly;  and  you  see  that  electric  cloud  pass- 
ing over  his  house,  and  it  deposits  the  bolt  down 
with  crushing  power  upon  the  cabin,  and  it  strikes 
the  lightning-rod,  and  runs  up  the  chimney  and 
runs  down  and  throws  itself  off  into  the  earth. 
And  the  old  farmer  sit^  and  smokes  his  pipe  just  as 
if  nothing  had  happened.  You  see  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  flashing  in  its  beauty  and  power  above 
the  heads  of  the  multitude,  and  it  descends  in  soul- 
saving  power  and  strikes  this  outside  encasement  of 
your  opinion,  and  runs  down  and  throws  itself  off 
into  the  earth,  and  you  stick  your  thumbs  in  your 
vest-holes,  and  you  go  out  and  say,  "  That  preacher 
has  his  opinion,  and  I  have  mine."  You  are  not 
touched  any  more  than  a  stump  or  a  log.  That  is 
the  truth  about  it. 

"  My  opinion !  My  opinion !"  Where  did  you 
get  your  opinions?  You  got  them  from  some  old 
colonel  or  some  old  judge,  that  just  loves  to  sit 
around  corners  and  give  his  opinions  about  so  and 


Sober  and  Righteous  Living.        281 

so.  "  That  is  my  opinion/'  and  the  old  colonel 
has  just  got  that  fresh  from  hell.  Then  that  young 
buck  goes  out  on  the  street,  and  he  says,  "  My 
opinion.''  He  has  just  got  that  from  the  old  col- 
onel, you  know.  When  he  says  that  he  tells  a  lie. 
They  are  not  his  opinions.  Where  did  you  get 
your  opinions?  Folks  like  you  were  coming  to 
this  country  fifty  years  ago  saying,  "  It  is  my  opin- 
ion there  is  no  harm  in  a  dance;  in  my  opinion  there 
is  no  harm  in  a  social  game  of  cards,  and  in  my 
opinion  there  is  no  harm  in  a  dram."  There  is 
less  originality  about  your  sort  than  any  class  of 
people  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  You  are  not  only 
wicked  and  mean,  but  you  have  got  no  originality 
about  you.  I  have  often  wondered  why  sinners  in 
this  country  did  n't  get  up  something  new.  They 
always  quarrel  with  us  preachers  about  originality. 
We  have  got  nothing  new,  they  say.  I  wish  you 
would  rack  out  a  few  new  views  on  your  side.. 
Have  you  got  any?  I  will  tell  you  what,  if  you 
will  just  turn  your  opinions  around  on  the  back 
track,  and  put  the  dogs  after  them,  the  dogs  will  tree 
them  in  hell.  That  is  right  where  they  come  from. 
I  will  tell  you  another  thing.  They  are  going  back 
there  some  of  these  days,  and  they  are  going  to  take 
you  with  them  if  you  do  n't  learn.  That  is  their 
business  up  here — to  go  for  your  sort  and  take 
you  back  to  perdition  with  them.  Where  did  you 
get  your  opinion  about  no  harm  in  a  dram?  I 
know  you  never  got  it  out  of  the  Bible,  for  it  says, 
"  Look  not  on  it,"  much  less  drink  it.  Where  did 
you  get  your  opinion  that  there  is  no  harm  in  a 

24— B 


' 


282  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

social  game  of  cards  ?  Did  you  get  that  from  the 
wrecked  and  ruined  lives  of  thousands  of  men  who 
to-night  have  wasted  their  lives  and  are  ready  for 
the  last  step  to  perdition  ?  Where  did  you  get 
your  ideas  about  a  social  dance  ?  O,  I  beg  you  to 
look  upon  the  virfue  of  thousands  of  women  that 
has  been  danced  away  in  the  history  of  America,  and 
then  tell  me  there  is  no  harm  in  the  social  dance? 
Will  yoii  look  at  these  questions  ?  Will  you  ?  "  No 
harm  in  this,"  and  "no  harm  in  that!" 

Now,  I  am  going  to  drop  back  on  a  proposition 
that  I  will  stand  on  in  time  and  in  eternity :  No 
man  and  no  woman  has  a  right  to  an  opinion  on  a 
moral  question.  Now,  I  do  n't  say  he  has  no  right 
to  an  opinion  on  a  geological  question,  or  an  astro- 
nomical question,  or  a  doctrinal  question,  but  I  say 
on  a  moral  question.  Look  here !  The  only  way 
to  tell  whether  a  thing  is  crooked  or  straight  is  to 
put  the  straight  edge  to  it,  and  not  be  guessing  at 
it.  And  God's  blessed  Book  speaks  in  unniistakable 
terms,  and  tells  me  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong, 
and  I  am  making  worse  than  an  idiot  of  myself  sit- 
ting down  and  giving  my  opinion  upon  any  moral 
question.  Brother,  you  take  the  straight  edge  and 
that  will  determine  the  straightness  or  crookedness 
of  any  proposition  in  the  universe!  What  is  your 
opinion  worth  after  all?  Let  us  see  what  opinions 
are  worth,  anyhow.  It  is  my  opinion  that  this  glass, 
which  I  now  lift  in  my  hand,  is  a  gold  tumbler. 
Does  my  opinion  of  this  tumbler  change  it  the  least 
particle  in  the  world  ?  The  tumbler  speaks  for  itself. 
It  is  glass,  "and  that  fellow  standing  behind  it  is  a 


Sober  and  Righteous  Living.         283 

fool  if  he  thinks  it  is  gold,"  do  n't  you  say  so  ?  My 
opinion  of  a  thing  does  n't  change  it  one  way  or  the 
other.  A  thing  is  true  or  false  in  itself^  and  my 
opinion  does  n't  change  it.  Now,  if  a  thing  is 
right  it  is  right ;  if  it  is  wrong  it  is  wrong,  whatever 
may  be  my  opinion. 

'*Ah,"  but  says  another,  "  I  am  honest  in  my 
opinion."  Well,  let 's  try  it  again.  "  Honest  in 
my  opinion !"  I  am  honest  in  my  opinion  that  that 
is  a  gold  tumbler.  The  tumbler  says,  "  I  speak  for 
myself.  I  am  glass,  and  there  is  an  honest  fool 
behind  me  talking  about  it."  You  see,  do  n't  you, 
I  am  very  honest  about  it.  Well,  I  will  show  you 
how  far  a  man's  honesty  will  take  him.  In  Macon, 
Ga.,  one  of  the  prominent  physicians  of  that  town 
had  a  patient  very  low,  and  at  twelve  o'clock  at 
night  he  visited  the  patient  and  left  a  prescription  to 
send  immediately  to  the  druggist.  When  the  pre- 
scription was  filled,  the  attendant  was  to  give  it  ac- 
cording to  direction.  The  next  morning  the  doc- 
tor returned  early  and  saw  the  patient  was  worse. 
"Did  you  send  for  that  prescription?"  he  says. 
"Yes."  "Did  you  give  it  to  her?"  "No." 
"  Why  ?"  They  walked  to  the  mantel  and  took  a 
note  accompanying  the  prescription,  in  which  the 
druggist  said,  "I  fill  this  prescription  and  send 
it  to  you,  but  it  would  be  certain  and  sudden  death 
for  any  one  to  take  it."  The  doctor  read  it,  and  he 
says,  "This  is  an  insult.  Bring  me  some  water, 
and  I  will  show  you  whether  it  would  kill  or  not." 
He  drank  the  prescription  down,  and  I  think  it  was 
only  thirty  minutes  until  he  was  dead  and  past  all 


284  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

recovery.  He  was  just  as  honest  about  it  as  a  man  evei 
wjas  about  any  thing  in  the  world,  but  that  poison  in 
there  did  n't  care  whether  he  was  an  honest  fool  or  a 
dishonest  one,  you  see.     It  did  its  work  all  the  same. 

And  now  all  this  talk  about "  honesty  in  this,  or  in 
that  opinion  ''  is  n't  worth  a  cent  in  the  world.  The 
question,  brother,  is,  have  you  gone  to  the  straight 
edge  and  had  this  determined  ?  That  is  it.  Now, 
this  grace  comes,  "  teaching  us  that  denying  un- 
godliness and  worldly  lusts  " — the  first  lesson  grace 
ever  teaches  the  poor  sinner  is  this,  that  you  are 
wrong,  and  you  ought  to  get  right.  I  can  recollect 
it  just  as  well,  thirteen  years  ago,  that  this  grace 
came  like  a  mighty  influence  to  my  heart.  I  saw  in 
all  the  depths  of  my  nature  that  I  was  not  right.  I 
saw  that  my  life  was  all  wrong,  that  my  character 
was  wrong,  and  that  all  the  tendency  of  my  being 
was  wrong.  That  is  the  main  point  in  a  man's  life,  to 
see  that  he  is  wrong — and  then,  blessed  be  God,  there 
is  but  one  more  thing,  and  that  is  to  see  how  to 
get  right,  and  then,  with  the  will  of  a  consecrated  man 
behind  it,  heaven  will  be  at  the  end  of  your  journey. 

"  Denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts."  Real 
Christianity  has  two  forces — rather  it  is  negative  and 
positive,  Christianity  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word  is 
negative  goodness  and  positive  righteousness.  If  neg- 
ative goodness  is  religion,  then  let 's  get  some  blocks 
of  wood  for  our  members,  and  defy  earth  to  bring  a 
charge  against  them.  But  negative  goodness  and 
positive  righteousness  are  like  the  two  poles  in  an 
electric  battery ;  you  must  get  the  positive  and  the 
negative  together  before  there  is  power. 


Sober  and  Righteous  Living.         285 

Honest  principle  and  honest  practice  are  what 
we  want  in  this  country.  Righteousness !  What 's 
a  man's  Presbyterianism  or  Methodism  worth  hare 
now  on  the  market?  How  much  can  a  Presby- 
terian hypothecate  his  religion  for  in  this  town,  and 
how  much  can  he  draw  on  it  here?  That's  the 
way  to  talk  it!  Hear  me !  You  go  down  town  to- 
morrow and  go  to  a  banker  and  say,  "  Mr,  So-and- 
so,  I  want  to  borrow  five  thousand  dollars."  "  Yes. 
Can  you  give  any  nickel-plate  security  for  it?*' 
"  No.  I  have  none  at  all,  but  I  'm  a  Presbyterian.*' 
"  You  are,  eh  ?"  "  Yes,  I  'm  a  Presbyterian." 
"  Well,  sir,  you  can  't  borrow  any  money  on  that 
around  here."  That's  the  way  it  will  be!  Well, 
here  's  another  man  that  want^  to  borrow  money, 
and  he  goes  down  town  to  the  banker  and  says, 
"  I  'm  a  Methodist,  sir,  and  I  want  to  borrow  so 
much."  "  Well,  sir,"  the  banker  will  say, "  you  can 't 
borrow  on  that  sort  of  a  commodity  around  here,  sir." 
Brother,  try  to  get  a  merchant  to  credit  you  on 
your  religion.  "  You  *re  a  member  of  the  Church, 
are  you  ?"  he  *11  say.  "  Yes,  sir."  "  Well,  I  can  *t 
let  you  have  any  money  on  your  Methodism;  it's 
not  worth  a  cent  in  this  town." 

Talk  about  Bob  Ingersoll.  He  hasn't  been  in 
ray  way  of  getting  men  to  Christ  any  more  than 
a  broom  straw !  Bob  does  n't  get  in  the  way,  but 
these  thousands  of  members  of  the  Church  do.  There 's 
hardly  a  sinner  out  of  the  Church  that  some  mem- 
ber of  the  Church  hasn't  acted  the  dog  with,  and 
every  time  you  preach  Christ  to  that  old  sinner,  he 
racks  out  a  carcass  of  some  member  of  the  Church 


286  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

and  says,  "You  make  him  settle  his  honest  debts 
with  me,  and  I  '11  be  religious."  That 's  where  the 
rub  comes  in,  brethren.  It's  not  Bob  lugersoll, 
its  dishonesty  between  man  and  man  in  the  Church 
and  out  of  the  Church.     That's  it! 

You  want  to  get  a  religion  in  this  country  that  is 
running  on  a  "  straight  edge."  Do  what  we  say  we'll 
do !  If  there  's  any  thing  I  like  it 's  for  a  fellow 
to  strike  a  gait  to  heaven,  keeping  it  up  all  the  way, 
never  slacking  up,  but,  if  any  thing,  rather  quicken- 
ing it  a  little.  If  you  start  out  in  a  trot,  God  bless 
you,  do  n't  drop  back  into  a  walk.  If  you  start  in  a 
walk,  hold  that  pace,  or  else  go  in  a  double-quick. 

There's  many  a  fellow  who'll  go  to  New  York 
city  and  do  things  he  would  n't  do  here  at  home 
for  any  amount  of  money.  A  man  who  will  act  in 
that  way  is  like  a  fellow  I  heard  of  down  in  Pauld- 
ing County,  Georgia.  One  day  the  preacher  asked 
him  to  come  up  and  give  his  soul  to  God,  and  the 
fellow  said,  "I  guess  you're  mistaken  in  the  man. 
I  don't  live  in  this  county.  I  live  in  another 
county."  There's  a  great  deal  of  that  sort  of  char- 
acters in  this  world,  brethren.  A  man  that  is  just 
as  good  in  one  place  as  he  is  in  another  under  all 
circumstances,  everywhere,  is  a  sober-minded  man ! 
He  lives  soberly.  We  don't  mean  a  man  who  does 
not  drink  whisky.  Any  fool  in  this  town  knows 
he  can't  be  religious  and  drink  whisky. 

Red  liquor  and  Christianity,  as  I  have  said 
many  a  time,  won't  stay  in  the  same  hide  at  the 
same  time.  As  one  goes  down  the  other's  com- 
ing out,  sure!  I  know  that!     "But,"  you  say,  "I 


Sober  and  Righteous  Living.         287 

drink  it  for  my  health/'  Yes^  and  the  devil  would 
as  soon  have  you  ruin  yourself  in  that  way  as  in  any 
other^  all  he  wants  is  to  get  you!  Talk  about  a 
Christian  drinking  whisky  !  If  I  were  a  sinner  I  M 
never  drink  whisky,  much  less  drink  it  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Church.  Whenever  I  see  a  member  of  the 
Church  going  into  bar-rooms  and  frequenting  beer- 
gardens  and  beer-saloons,  I  expect  soon  to  see  him 
have  the  sign  of  it  on  his  nose.  I  'm  so  glad 
liquor  paints  its  own  sign.  A  Christian  drinking 
whisky  !  "  Soberly"  has  no  reference  in  the  world 
to  liquor — it  does  not  get  down  that  low,  but  it 
refers  to  a  man  going  on  his  way  rejoicing;  the 
same  man,  every  day  in  the  week,  and  everywhere, 
and  as  religious  abroad  as  he  is  at  home — that  is 
what  we  call  a  sober-minded  man,  a  man  who 
takes  the  broad  view  of  life,  and  regulates  his  life 
every  day  by  the  precepts  of  the  Lord.  Job  was 
a  sober-minded  man.  Look  at  him  there  as  he 
goes  into  this,  that  and  the  other  difficulty.  He 
goes  along  through  them  all  a  straight  cut  all  the 
wav.  Sober-mindedness  to  a  Christian  is  what 
governors  are  to  a  stationary  engine.  See  that  sixty- 
inch  saw  out  there  in  the  woods ;  it 's  going  to  run 
through  a  big  log ;  and  as  it  moves  along,  the  little 
governor  lifts  up  and  feeds  more  steam  to  the  piston- 
head,  and  the  saw  wades  througli  that  log  and  runs  out 
at  the  other  end,  and  the  little  governor  lets  down, 
and  the  saw  runs  the  same  revolution  to  the  minute 
whether  it 's  in  the  log  or  out.  That 's  what  we 
call  sober-mindedness,  and  Job,  when  he  had  lost 
all  of  his  worldly  property  and  lost  all  of  his  chil- 


288  Sam  Joxes'  Own  Book. 

dren,  lost  his  health — all  was  gone;  I  see  him  run 
out  of  every  difficulty,  saying,  "  Though  He  slay 
me,  yet  will  I  trust  him,''  and  he 's  running  the 
same  number  of  revolutions  to  the  minute  as  he 
was  in  wealth,  and  health,  and  prosperity,  and  bless- 
edness in  the  Lord. 

That 's  what  we  want  in  this  country — sobriety. 
I  will  bear  a  bit,  and  hope  a  bit,  and  endure  a  bit 
unto  the  end.  We  want  a  Christianity  that  can  go 
to  the  dungeon,  and  take  the  stripes  and  the  im- 
prisonments, and  take  crucifixion  even,  like  Peter. 
Look  at  him,  how  they  brought  him  to  the  cross; 
and  when  they  were  nailing  him  to  it,  he  said, 
"  Do  n't  crucify  me  with  my  head  upward,  but 
crucify  me  with  my  head  hanging  downward,  for  I 
am  not  worthy  to  die  like  unto  my  Lord;"  and  it  is 
said  he  hung  with  his  head  downward  and  preached 
the  Gospel  for  two  days  and  nights.  There's  so- 
briety in  the  grandest  sense  of  the  word  I  I  wish 
we  could  all  get  saved  and  die  sober  in  this  sense. 

The  next  thing  is  righteousness ! — Soberly  as  to 
myself,  righteously  toward  my  neighbor.  Brother, 
I  believe  in  a  religion  that  straightens  me  out  all 
right  and  makes  me  straight  with  the  world  I 
Righteousness  means — what?  It  means  straighted- 
ness,  right-mindedness !  I  've  seen  a  mechanic 
turn  a  great  long  sixteen-foot  plank  on  edge  and 
run  his  joiner  and  smoother  over  it  a  time  or  two 
and  shave  off  a  strip  as  fine  as  tissue  paper  from 
one  end  to  the  other.  That 's  straight  now !  When 
you  get  your  life  in  such  shape  that  God  can  run 
his  smooth ing-plane  over  it  and  cut  a  shaving  as 


Sober  and  Righteous  Living.         289 

thin  as  tissue  paper  from  one  end  to  the  other  of  it 
you  ^re  getting  right  then. 

I  want  to  see  the  Church  of  God  Almighty  get 
honest!  IM  like  to  see  a  good  many  of  these 
deacons  and  elders  get  to  disgorging  some  of  this 
ill'gotten  money  they  've  got  piled  up  in  this  town ! 

This  city  strikes  tlie  key-note  for  the  price  of 
every  thing,  nearly — meat,  and  all  that  the  poor 
African  in  the  South  and  the  poor  white  man  in 
the  North  must  perpetuate  the  lives  of  himself  and 
his  family  with.  If  you  're  a  member  of  the 
Church  I  want  to  peel  some  of  the  bark  off  you 
to-night.  I  mean  the  Christian  men  who  are  gam- 
bling on  the  bread  and  the  meat  of  the  poor  negroes 
and  white  people.  God  bless  you,  your  Stock  Ex- 
change is  going  to  throw  out  enough  wood  to  feed 
the  communistic  fires  of  damnation  in  this  country. 
Mark  what  I  tell  you  !  You  keep  on  speculating 
on  the  meat  and  bread  of  the  poor  people,  and 
you  Ml  catch  it  some  of  these  days !  I  know  the 
sentiment  I'm  talking  now  will  be  called  communis- 
tic. But  it  is  not  so.  I  never  uttered  a  com- 
munistic sentence  in  my  life !  I  'm  down  on  it,  and 
I'm  doing  my  level  best  to  keep  you  from  piling 
up  the  file*  that  will  burn  you,  every  thing  you 
have,  some  of  these  days.  What  right  have  you  to 
speculate  on  the  commodities  on  which  we  live  in 
this  country  ?  I  do  n't  want  any  of  that  sort  of 
money  piled  up  for  my  children.  You  may  pile  it 
np  for  your  children,  but  it'll  ruin  th^m,  sure,  after 
you're  dead  and  gone.     I  don't  want  to  live  in  a 

house  and  raise  my  children  on  money  procured  by  any 
25-B 


290  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

such  influences — influences  which  to  say  the  least, 
are  questionable  from  a  Christian  standpoint. 

I  tell  you,  my  congregation,  let's  have  some 
righteousness  running  through  this  country.  The 
Church  has  gravitated  down  until  we  \e  got  so  low 
now  you  can  't  ditch  the  Church  off  to  save  your 
life.  We  're  backing  water  on  it.  It 's  a  fact ! 
Gretting  down  too  low  !  Honesty !  Honesty !  I  '11 
tell  you  what  I  want.  I  want  every  man  who  pro- 
fesses to  be  a  Christian  to  get  his  money  honestly, 
and  I  'd  rather  have  an  honest  dollar  bill  than  to 
have  a  questionable — to  say  the  least — million-dol- 
lar bond. 

''  Teaching  us  that  denying  ungodliness  and 
worldly  lusts,  we  should  live  soberly,  righteously, 
and  godly  in  this  present  world."  That  presents  to 
us  two  plain  propositions— quit  wrong  and  do  right. 
Then  let's  say,  after  these  two  questions  are  set- 
tled, we  will  start  out  to-night  to  live  soberly, 
righteously,  and  godly  in  this  present  world.  So- 
berly! I  like  a  sober-minded  Christian,  one  that 
goes  on  his  way  smoothly,  persistently. 

I  '11  tell  you  what  you  want  in  this  city,  and  in 
every  other  place  in  America,  too :  we  want  a  re- 
vival of  honesty — not  a  revival  of  shouting  or  sing- 
ing, but  of  honesty !  I  'm  down  on  homestead  laws, 
down  on  bankrupt  laws,  and  on  all  that  thing.  "  O," 
you  say,  "  that  won't  do.  It  '11  leave  men  without 
a  dollar  in  the  world."  God  bleas  you,  I've  been 
there  many  a  time  myself.  Many  a  time  I  did  n't 
have  a  dollar  in  the  world,  and  had  a  wife  and  four 
or  five  little  children  to  feed.     What's  the  matter 


Sober  and  Righteous  Living,         291 

with  you?  Would  you  rather  have  a  miUion  dis- 
honest dollars  in  your  pocket  than  have  an  honest 
dollar?  I  would  n't.  If  I  handle  money  at  all,  let 
it  be  honest  money  I 

I  '11  tell  you  another  thing !  Whenever  a  man 
who  owes  money  can  live  in  a  fine  house,  and  board 
with  his  wife,  and  be  agent  for  his  wife,  he  ought 
to  have  his  name  changed,  and  take  his  wife's  name. 
Agent  for  his  wife!  I'd  want  to  find  my  shroud 
and  get  in  it  before  I  could  be  agent  for  my  wife. 
I  'm  never  going  to  be  agent  for  my  wife  or  board 
with  my  wife ;  I  'm  going  to  have  her  board 
with  me! 

This  question  of  honesty,  brethren,  must  be 
brought  down  to  plain,  simple  propositions.  You 
speculators,  if  you  run  the  price  of  bread  and  meat 
up,  are  taking  the  dollars  and  cents  out  of  the  pock- 
ets, and  the  food  out  of  the  stomachs,  of  the  poor  of 
this  land,  and  if  you  run  it  down — then  for  you 
what?  La,  me,  I  can't  pray,  to  save  my  soul,  when 
one  of  you  speculators  gets  gobbled  up  I  I  can 't 
help  looking  on  and  saying,  "Gone,  thank  God." 
I  try  my  best  to  feel  sorry  for  one  of  those  fellows, 
but  I  never  could  get  up  any  sympathy  for  'em. 

Right  is  right !  Wrong  is  wrong  I  That 's  the 
truth  about  it !  Honesty  is  the  bed-rock  on  which 
we  build,  if  we  build  at  all !  I  know  what  I  'm 
talking  about,  too.  Righteousness  I  I  don't  be- 
lieve in  your  homestead  or  bankrupt  laws.  I've 
been  to  where  I  paid  the  last  dollar  I  could 
pay  at  all ;  I  still  was  a  hundred  dollars  in  debt, 
but  I  never  took  advantage  of  the  homestead  law  or 


292  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

the  bankrupt  law.  I  '11  tell  you  another  thing : 
when  I  started  out  on  a  poor  circuit,  preaching  in 
Georgia,  men  who  could  have  held  me  up  said,  **  I 
could  have  more  confidence  in  that  fellow  if  he 
would  pay  his  debts."  Right  then  my  precious 
wife,  though  raised  far  above  that  plane,  was  doing 
her  own  cooking,and  ironing,  and  all  her  own  house- 
work, and  I  was  cutting  wood  and  doing  every  thing 
I  could  to  help  her,  out  of  the  poor,  meager  salary 
I  was  getting ;  and  I  saw  at  last  my  wife  reach  the 
point  where  she  did  n't  have  a  good  dress  to  wear, 
and  I  did  n't  have  any  thing  to  my  name  but  an 
old  coat,  but  I  'd  pay  two  dollars  and  a  half  out  on 
a  note  I  owed,  and,  thank  Grod,  I  paid  the  last  dol- 
lar. You  can  pay,  too,  if  you  try  ;  but,  and  under- 
derstand  me,  if  you  can  pay,  and  do  n't  do  it,  Ood 
will  put  you  in  hell  for  it,  and  you  needn't  go 
mouthing  around  here  on  any  other  proposition 
either !  If  you  can  't  pay  your  debts,  do  your  level 
best,  and  if  you  can 't  pay  a  thousand  dollars,  pay 
a  copper  cent ;  do  your  best,  pay  every  nickel  you 
can,  and  God  will  bless  you  and  take  you  to  heaven 
yet,  but  he  won't  take  these  people  to  heaven  in  a 
day  who  can  pay  their  debts  and  do  n't  do  it.  If 
you  will  just  do  your  duty  and  live  right,  and  pay 
your  debts,  God  will  look  after  your  sort.  God  help 
you  to  make  a'  start  for  glory  to-night  I 


Sermon  XXI I. 

PURITY     OK     HEART 

"  Bat  the  wisdom  that  is  Irom  above  is  first  pure."— James 
III,  17. 

CHRISTIANITY  proposes  to  do  nothing  less  for 
us  than  to  give  us  pure  hearts.  There  is  no 
such  thing  as  a  pure  life  emanating  from  any  other 
source  than  a  pure  heart.  About  the  hardest  thing 
a  man  ever  tried  to  do  is  to  be  a  good  man  with  a 
bad  heart — to  be  a  Christian  without  religion.  Put 
old  patches  into  new  garments  and. they  rend  every 
time;  put  new  wine  in  old  bottles  and  they  break 
every  time.  To  be  a  good  man  without  a  good 
heart  is  the  most  np-hill  work  a  man  ever  under- 
took in  this  world.  I  see  a  great  many  lives  that 
are  wrong,  and  I  can  see  that  the  only  hope  of 
those  lives  is  in  the  purity  of  heart  given  by  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see 
God/'  No  corrupt  tree  can  bring  forth  good 
fruit.  No  good  tree  can  bring  forth  corrupt 
fruit.  A  salty  fountain  can  not  bring  forth  sweet 
water.     O  Lord,  give  me 

"A  heart  in  every  thought  renewed, 

And  full  of  love  divine ; 
Perfect,  and  right,  and  pure,  and  good, 
A  copy.  Lord,  of  thine. 

283 


294  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

"O,  for  a  lowly,  contrite  heart, 
Believing,  true  and  clean, 
Which  neither  life  nor  death  can  part 
From  him  that  dwells  within." 

Now,  brother,  has  your  heart  been  in  the  cleans- 
ing fountain  ? 

"The  wisdom  that  cometh  from  above  is  first 
pure.'^  O,  Lord,  wash  my  heart,  and  I  shall  be 
whiter  than  the  snow.  Do  you  know  what  that 
means?  A  great  many  Churches  do  not  put  any 
stress  upon  what  we  call  a  pure  heart,  a  clean  heart; 
but  I  thank  God  that  the  grand  old  doctrine  of 
Christian  purity  still  lives  in  the  world ;  that  there 
is  enough  water  in  the  river  of  love  to  wash  the 
last  speck  of  dirt  out  of  the  human  soul.  I  thank 
God  for  that  grand  old  Bible  doctrine  that  still 
lives  among  men.  Find  me  a  Church  that  does  n't 
accept  it,  and  I  '11  show  you  a  first-class  literary 
club — the  Lord's  crocheting  society,  or  something 
of  that  sort.  I  've  seen  Churches  put  on  airs  and 
strut  around,  and  call  themselves  the  Church  of 
God,  and  they  've  come  up  at  last  to  be  nothing  but 
the  Lord's  crocheting  society;  and  if  they  go  to 
heaven  with  any  material  to  work  on  they  wouldn't 
be  there  three  months  until  they'd  have  all  the 
angels  hung  full  of  lace.  Crocheting  society !  O, 
they  '11  get  up  the  nicest  little  suppers  for  the 
Church,  and  little  grab-bags,  and  they'll  have  the 
nicest  little  entertainments  in  the  world,  and  run 
the  nicest  little  socials,  and  all  that  sort.  But, 
when  it  comes  to  rolling  up  their  sleeves  and  pitch- 
ing in  to  rescue  the  perishing  and  save  the  fallen, 
"  O,  no,"  they  say ;  "  we  never  do  that  sort  of  work 


Purity  of  Heart.  295 

at  all.  But  we  had  a  nice  little  supper  at  the 
church  last  evening."  The  idea  of  a  Church  having 
a  supper  or  an  entertainment  to  raise  money!  It's 
a  di.sgrace  to  God's  cause  on  the  earth.  I  do  n't 
blame  you,  good  sisters — it 's  that  or  nothing  with 
you — but  I  blame  your  stingy  husbands. 

A  Church  of  purity!  Purity!  The  wisdom^ 
the  religion  that  comes  from  above  is  first  pure— « 
pure  religion,  a  religion  that  is  pure  in  thought, 
and  pure  in  life,  and  pure  in  all  manner  of  conver- 
sation. I  recollect  in  one  town  where  I  was  preach- 
ing, to  illustrate  the  point,  I  met  a  young  man  on 
the  street  one  day,  and  he  said  to  me :  '^  Mr.  Jones, 
Mr.  So-and-so  is  never  going  to  hear  you  preach 
any  more."  I  asked  him,  "Why?"  "Because  he 
says  you  are  the  vulgarcst  man  he  ever  heard  talk 
in  his  life  in  the  pulpit."  "And  who  is  this  man 
that  says  so?"  I  asked.  And  the  young  man  said 
that  "  It  is  Mr.  So-and-so,  a  bar-keeper  down 
town."^  A  bar-keeper!  And  do  you  notice,  "To 
the  pure  all  things  are  pure."  I  was  preaching  a 
very  close  sermon  on  the  sins  of  society,  and  an  old 
husband  got  up  and  walked  out  of  the  church  with 
an  angel  clinging  on  his  arm,  and  he  said  to  her: 
"  Wife,  I  would  not  have  had  you  hear  that  batch 
of  vulgarity  for  a  thousand  dollars."  And  she  an- 
swered :  "  Why,  I  thought  it  was  the  sweetest  ser- 
mon I  ever  heard  in  my  life."  To  the  pure  all 
things  are  pute. 

I  wish  some  of  the  low-bred  people  that  have 
called  me  vulgar  in  this  city  would  get  to  be  decent 
themselves,  and  then  they  would  not  hear  the  vul- 


296  Sam  Jones'  Owk  Book. 

garity  in  what  I  say.  It  is  not  what  I  say  that  is 
vulgar,  but  it  is  how  they  have  been  bred.  *^  To 
the  pure  all  things  are  pure."  O,  for  pure  society, 
and  pure  hornet,  and  pure  Churches,  where  all  things 
are  pure,  and  then  it  would  never  be  necessary  for 
such  thiugs  to  be  discussed. 

The  religion  that  comes  from  above  is,  first, 
pure;  for  you  get  that  sort  in  the  Bible.  Have  you, 
brethren,  got  the  religion  that  makes  you  pure  in 
your  heart,  and  pure  in  your  life,  and  pure  in  all 
manner  of  conversation  ?  That  is  the  first  thing  to 
see  to,  and  that  is  the  grandest  thing  of  all — a  pure 
heart,  and  that  heart  the  sovereign  of  all  your  life 
and  actions.  Have  that,  and  it  indeed  shall  make 
your  life  pure. 

Religion  is  "  first  pure,  then  peaceable."  That 
is  the  second  point.  I  wish  that  we  could  see  that 
we  nre  often  too  quiet  in  this  country.  Jesus  Christ 
said  himself,  '^  I  came  to  send  fire  upon  the  earth. 
I  came  to  put  parent?  against  children,  and  children 
against  parents,  and  neighbor  against  neighbor." 
There  can  be  nothing  accomplished  in  this  life  with- 
out warfare — without  fighting  for  it.  Now,  do  n't 
understand  me  as  wishing  to  make  an  incendiary 
speech,  and  ordering  you  to  bring  out  pistols  and 
guns.  I  have  the  utmost  contempt  for  all  that  sort 
of  thing.  The  fighting,  the  warfare,  that  I  talk 
about  is  the  fight  of  the  forces  of  good  against  the 
forces  of  evil.  And  the  strongest  force  is  going  to 
triumph  every  time. 

Let  me  offer  an  illustration  of  what  I  mean  by  a 
pure  and  peaceable  mind.     Suppose  that  the  devil 


Purity  op  Heart.  297 

were  elected  mayor  of  this  city  by  an  overwhelming 
majority;  and  suppose  that  the  common  council 
had  been  imported  from  pandemonium  as  aldermen 
and  councilmen.  Do  you  know  of  any  other  spot 
in  town  where  they  could  put  another  bar-room? 
Have  they  not  got  them  already  just  as  thick  as  if 
the  devil  were  actually  running  the  town  ?  Could 
you'support  any  more  if  you  had  them  ?  That  is 
the  way  to  look  at  it.  I  do  n't  think  that  the  devil 
would  try  to  open  another  even  if  he  had  his  alder- 
men running  it.  They  have  got  now  all  that  thd)r 
can  look  after.  Do  you  reckon  if  the  devil  and  his 
councilmen  from  pandemonium  had  a  saloon-keeper 
brought  before  a  judge  of  this  city  they  would  let 
him  be  fined  for  the  offense  charged  against  him 
less  than  five  dollars?  Come  down  to  facts.  Do 
you  believe  they  would,  brethren  ?  Do  you  believe 
that  lewdness  in  this  city  would  be  allowed  to  escape 
with  less  than  a  dollar  fine?  Do  you  believe,  my 
hearers,  that  if  the  devil  himself  were  having  the 
thing  done  up  for  him  in  this  city  in  person  he 
could  do  it  better  than  it  is  being  done  by  his 
agents?  We  want  warfare  in  this  town.  We  want 
soldiers ;  not  those  that  fight  with  the  sword,  but 
those  who  carry  on  a  fight  in  which  evil  is  overcome 
with  good  deeds.  God  make. good  men,  efficient 
workers,  and  soldiers  of  the  cross  as  thick  in  this 
city  as  bar-rooms  are!  and  then  we  will  take  the 
initiative  for  Christ,  and  overcome  evil  with  good. 
I  tell  you,  my  congregation,  when  we  look  out  on 
this  city,  I  do  n't  say  my  first  prayer  is,  "  God  save 
uud  keep  the  city  in  holiness,"  but  "God  save  her 


298  8am  Jones'  Own  Book. 

from  herself!"  She  is  cutting  her  own  throat  and 
committing  suicide.  You  can  not  put  the  stabs  of 
four  thousand  saloons  in  a  city  without  doing  any 
thing  else  but  kill  it.  You  can  not  sprinkle  lewd- 
ness through  the  streets  in  this  city,  as  God  has 
sprinkled  the  heaven  with  stars,  and  do  any  thing 
else  but  commit  suicide  for  your  city. 

"First  pure,  then  })eaceable."  Now,  I  want 
peace,  and  I  thank  God  for  all  the  peace  we  have 
in  the  world.  But,  brothers  and  sisters,  as  long  as 
yDU  are  peaceable,  and  things  are  as  they  are,  you 
have  no^the  religion  that  comes  from  above.  For 
it  says,  first,  pure,  and  then  all  other  things  follow 
it.  When  you  are  this,  then  you  can  proclaim  a 
peace  with  God  that  shall  smile  upon  you,  and  per- 
petuate itself  forever.  But  we  don't  want  any 
peace  now.  That  would  be  just  what  the  saloon- 
keeper would  like  you  to  do^to  keep  your  peace ; 
to  keep  your  mouth  shut,  and  create  no  stir  about 
it.  They  cry,  "  Peace  !  peace  1  Do  n't  raise  any 
issue  here." 

Now,  have  you,  my  brethren,  a  clearly  defined 
moral  issue  in  this  town,  or  have  you  only  a  moral 
question  ?  Suppose  all  your  ministers  were  to  turn 
themselves  loose  in  the  discussion  of  the  issue  next 
Sunday  morning,  and  were  to  throw  into  the  en- 
emy's camp  the  hot  shell  and  canister  of  the  Bible. 
Suppose  the  preachers  were  to  turn  upon  any  evil 
in  this  city.  If  they  would,  the  walls  of  the  fort 
would  fall,  and  the  white  flag  would  be  run  up.  O, 
me,  how  much  are  we  to  blame  in  this  city  for  this 
state  of  things !     In  my  town  is  a  harness-maker^a 


Purity  op  Heart.  299 

good,  plodding  member  of  the  Church.  One  day 
the  Baptist  pastor^  Brother  Hayden^  called  upon 
him,  and  he  'said  to  Brother  Hayden:  "The  bar- 
rooms of  Cartersville  are  prospering,  and  you  preach- 
ers are  to  blame  for  it."  "  What  do  you  mean  ?" 
indignantly  asked  Brother  Hayden.  ^^  I  mean  what 
I  say."  "  Explain  yourself,  sir."  "  Brother  Hay- 
den, you  have  got  four  hundred  members  in  your 
Church ;  the  Methodist  preacher  has  four  hundred, 
and  the  Presbyterian  two  hundred,  and  any  man  in 
Cartersville  ought  to  have  known  that  with  those 
thousand  members  with  you  for  the  work  of  God, 
you  could  have  raised  an  issue  and  got  the  evil  out 
of  Cartersville  if  you  wanted  to."  Brother  Hayden 
slipped  away  full  of  that  brother's  words,  and  he 
went  to  the  Methodist  parsonage,  and  he  told  his 
Methodist  brother  what  the  harness-maker  had  said 
to  him,  and  they  talked  it  over,  and  then  he  went 
to  the  Presbyterian  brother  and  told  him,  and  talked 
it  over  with  him;  and  the  very  next  Sunday  the 
few  pulpits  of  Cartersville  turned  loose  on  whisky 
shops,  and  when  the  next  election  came  and  went, 
the  whisky  was  gone  forever.  Thank  God,  the 
pulpit  has  not  lost  its  power !  It  has  just  lost  its 
voice — ^that's  all.  Now,  my  brethren,  let  us  for 
twelve  months,  for  twelve  weeks,  in  this  city,  take 
up  the  big  question,  and  let  us  pour  in  the  hot 
grape  and  cannister  on  these  things. 

"First  pure  and  then  peaceable."  Peaceable! 
Brethren,  we  do  n't  want  any  peace  in  any  sense  un- 
til we  have  rid  ourselves  of  those  things  that  are 
cursing  our  city  and  our  neighbors.     Let  us  have 


300  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

war,  and  carry  our  warfare  on  our  knees  through  this 
city.  Then  let  us  carry  the  city  to  the  mercy-seat 
of  God,  and  then  to  heaven.  Let  us  carry  on  the 
war  until  we  get  pure,  and  then  peace  shall  reign. 

Pure,  peaceable,  and  gentle !  I  like.gentle  Chris- 
tians and  gentle  horses.  I  wonder  if  that  word 
doesn't  mean  the  same  thing  in  both  places,  for 
there  is  not  a  more  valuable  thing  than  a  gentle 
horse.  He  is  not  worth  so  much  for  his  looks  or 
his  gait,  but  he  is  perfectly  reliable.  Could  we  only 
be  as  faithful  in  our  place  as  a  gentle  horse  is  in  its 
place !  A  gentle  horse  you^  can  hitch  to  any  thing 
in  the  world,  and  it  is  perfectly  safe  hitched  up  any- 
where. But  I  will  tell  you  an  animal  that  I  despise 
more  than  any  other  animal  is  a  malicious  horse. 
He  won't  work  at  any  thing,  excepting  with  one  of 
those  fancy-striped  buggies,  and  then  he  will  go. 
But  hitch  him  to  a  wagon,  and  he  won't  pull  even 
the  traces  tight.  Many  a  man  is  like  that  horse. 
He  never  saw  a  prayer-meeting.  If  you  hitched 
him  to  a  prayer-meeting,  he  would  run  away  with 
it.  If  you  hitehed  him  to  a  family  prayer,  it  would 
take  three  wagons  to  take  in  the  pieces  ailer  he  got 
through  with  it.  He  never  had  a  Christian's  collar 
on,  and  yet  he  has  professed  to  be  on  the  Lord's  side 
for  years. 

"First  pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle."  Now, 
brothers,  I  want,  to  ask  you  in  all  love,  are  you 
what  God  calls  a  gentle  Christian.  Are  you  a 
gentle  Christian  in  the  sense  that  you  do  the  Lord's 
works,  whatever  he  wants  you  to  do,  and  whenever 
and  wherever  he  wants  you  to  do  it?  That  is  what 


Purity  of  Heart.  301 

we  call  a  gentle  Christian  in  the  best  sense  of  that 
word.  When  I  say  a  gentle  Christian  I  don't 
mean  any  of  those  quiet  fellows  who  never  open 
their  mouths.  That  is  not  the  sort  of  gentleness 
the  apostle  means  when  he  speaks  about  '^  gentle.'' 
Some  of  you  are  mighty  gentle ;  so  gentle  that  the 
devil  has  nothing  to  fear  from  you.  You  never 
said  a  word  against  him  in  all  your  life.  You  are 
silent  when  you  ought  to  be  talking,  and  talking 
when  you  ought  to  be  silent. 

The  religion  from  above  is  first  pure,  then  peace- 
able, gentle,  and  '^easy  to  be  entreated."  I  like 
that  sort  of  religion  that  you  do  n't  have  to  sit  long 
with,  and  beg  with,  and  plead  with  in  order  to  get 
a  few  dollars  or  a  few  good  works  done.  I  like 
the  Christianity  that  says  to  my  call  upon  it :  "  Put 
my  name  down  for  any  amount  you  need.  Call 
upon  me  for  what  you  want."  That  is  "  easy  to  be 
entreated;"  that  is  easy  to  be  induced  to  take  the 
proper  steps  in  any  movement;  that  is  willing  to 
do  any  thing  and  any  work  that  is  for  the.  good  of 
others.  If  a  preacher  says :  "  I  will  tell  you  what 
I  want  you  to  do.  I  want  you  to  take  charge  of 
such  and  such  a  thing,"  you  want  to  say,  "  I  will 
do  any  thing  for  the  Lord  and  for  the  salvation  of 
souls  to  God." 

I  was  once  riding  along  behind  a  man  in  the 
pine  woods.  His  wagon  was  stuck  in  the  mud 
and  remained  stock  still.  It  was  mired  down,  and 
when  the  driver  got  off  and  pried  one  wheel  up,  he 
had  no  one  to  drive  the  horses,  and  he  was  in  a 
bad  fix  because  his  team  bad  balked.    But  about 


302  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

the  same  time  I  got  up  with  him^  a  gentleman  came 
riding  hj  on  a  mule^  and  he  told  the  fellow  to  go 
again  and  pry  up  the  wheel,  saying,  "  I  will  drive 
your  team  for  you.''  The  gentleman  then  took  a 
switch  and  went  to  the  balky  mule  and  whipped  it 
until  it  stood  firm  against  the  traces,  and  then  he 
licked  the  other  mule  until  it  leaned  against  the 
traces;  and  as  each  would  drop  back,  he  would 
make  it  stand  against  the  collar,  and  as  soon  as  he 
pulled  at  the  heads  of  the  mules  they  carried  the 
wagon  out  of  the  deep  mire  as  if  it  had  been  a 
thing  of  life.  My  brothers  I  want  to  see  every  man 
of  you  lean  against  the  collar  which  is  around  your 
city,  and  if  we  do  that  we  will  carry  the  whole 
thing  out  of  the  mud,  and  carry  this  city  to  God. 
Why  not?  Now,  some  of  you  have  probably  got 
your  dignity  outraged  by  my  talking  about  collars 
and  horses  in  connection  with  yourselves.  Let  us 
talk  about  souls,  and  how  to  get  them  out  of  the 
mire  of  sin. 

» 

Now,  in  this  lesson  we  draw  about  this  picture 
as  &>  what  I  must  be  like.  First,  I  must  be  pure 
in  my  heart  and  life.  I  must  be  peaceable  in  my 
nature.  I  must  in  all  my  ways  be  gentle.  I  must 
be  easily  entreated,  and  must  be  all  these  things 
without  partiality  and  without  hypocrisy.  I  will 
tell  you  what  some  of  us  say  we  would  like  to  have 
in  our  meetings.  "  I  would  like  to  have  Colonel 
So-and-so,  and  Judge  So-and-so,  and  Major  So-and- 
so  in  this  meeting."  Now  I  do  n't  go  much  on  these 
colonels  and  judges  and  majors,  so  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned.    What  do  you  want  with  them?     Brother, 


PuKiTY  OP  Heart.  303 

Hister,  this  is  where  I  stand,  "  without  partiality  and 
without  hypocrisy."  There  is  not  a  poor  tramp 
begging  his  way  through  this  town  that  I  am  not  as 
glad  to  see  coming  to  get  his  soul  saved  as  I  am  to 
see  the  richest  man  in  this  city.  His  soul  is  worth 
just  as  much.  The  others  are  valuable.  '^They 
make  us  preachers  work  ourselves  to  death/^  said  a 
preacher  to  me.  "  In  a  town  I  was  in  there  was  a 
rich  old  colonel ,  and  he  was  not  a  member  of  the 
Church,  and  I  said  to  myself,  I  will  angle  for  him. 
And  I  angled  for  him  for  about  three  weeks,  but  I 
never  got  him.  But  I  got  about  sixty  other  first- 
class  sinners.  And  the  next  year  I  said  again  I 
would  angle  for  him,  and  I  did  angle  for  him  about 
four  weeks,  but  I  did  n't  get  him,  but  I  got  forty 
converts;  and  the  next  year  I  was  determined  to 
get  him,  and  I  angled  for  him  for  four  weeks,  but 
couldn't  get  him,  but  I  got  in  seventy-five  other 
sinners.  And,  Brother  Jones,  those  two  hundred  souls 
would  not  have  been  brought  to  Christ  if  it  had  not 
been  for  Colonel  So-and-so."  Old  colonels  are  good 
nest-eggs.  They  make  preachers  work  themselves 
to  death  trying  to  get  them.  There  has  been  many 
a  poor  fellow  got  into  the  fold  of  Christ  in  this  way. 
I  open  the  door  of  grace  to  every  body ;  but  if  there 
is  any  body  that  I  want  to  see  come  to  God  it  is  the 
poor  fellow  who  never  had  any  thing  in  the  world, 
who  never  will  have  any  thing,  and  who  will  die 
as  poor  as  he  has  lived.  The  poor  are  the  ones 
I  want  to  get  in.  I  want  to  tell  you  that  it  is  the 
tramp  and  the  poor  men  and  the  humble  classes 
that  need  religion  and  they  feel  its  influence  the 


304  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

most  when  they  get  it.  A  young  lady  who  be- 
longs to  one  of  the  wealthy  families  of  this  city 
said,  when  she  was  invited  to  come  to  this  meeting: 
"  What  do  you  want  me  to  come  to  the  meeting  for? 
It  is  poor  folks  who  get  religion."  She  did  not 
think  it  was  for  rich  folks  to  have  it.  O,  what  a 
transition  it  must  be  from  a  four-story^  marble- 
front  mansion,  down  to  the  depths  of  damnation  at 
one  leap!  O,  what  a  fearful  thing  that  is!  And 
thousands  such  as  she  are  making  that  leap  every 
day.  God  help  us  to  do  what  we  can  for  them,  as 
well  as  for  the  poor  of  this  great  city.  Christ  said 
himself, "  The  poor  ye  have  always  with  you."  Let 
us  go  among  them  and  bring  them  to  Christ ! 

Now,  just  one  word  and  I  am  done.  When  I 
was  in  Louisville  at  one  of  the  meetings,  fifteen 
men  were  taken  to  the  front  pew  and  knelt  there  as 
penitents.  There  never  had  been  fifteen  such  char- 
acters in  that  house  of  God  in  all  its  history.  They 
were  ragged  and  dirty.  O,  how  degraded  they 
were.  One  of  them  was  a  man  named  Harney,  a 
son  of  the  editor  of  the  Louisville  Democrat,  He 
told  me  that  he  had  been  drunk  thirty  years.  While  I 
preached,  the  pastor  talked  with  the  poor  fellows 
and  prayed  with  them,  and  when  he  was  about  to 
dismiss  the  congregation,  he  said  :  "  Brethren,  you 
see  these  poor  ragged  and  dirty  men.  They  are 
seeking  religion.  It  is  just  as  necessary  to  put 
clothes  on  them  and  make  them  cleanly  as  it  is  to 
pray  with  them.  Now  I  want  these  official  men  to 
take  them  to  the  bath-rooms  and  barber  shops,  and 
dress  them  up  neatly."     This  was  done,  and  the 


PuKiTY  OP  Heart.  305 

next  day  and  night  when  they  were  at  the  meeting 
you  would  not  have  known  them  again.  And  these 
fifteen  men  were  converted  to  God.  Now^  what 
was  the  result  ?  I  was  there  twelve  months  after  that, 
and  thirteen  out  of  those  fifteen  men  were  as  bright, 
useftil  Christians  as  any  I  met  in  that  city.  One 
of  them  had  backslidden,  another  had  died  happy  and 
gone  home  to  heaven,  and  the  pastor  of  the  Church 
told  me :  '^  I  have  had '  no  more  active  man  than 
Mr.  Harney  has  been."  For  five  years  he  had  been 
one  of  the  principal  clerks  in  the  Louisville  and 
New  Albany  depot,  and  now  he  was  sound  and 
well  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind. 

That  is  the  kind  of  religion  we  want  in  this 
town.  This  is  the  kind  of  religion  we  are  going  to 
give  you  Christians.  We  are  going  to  tell  you  to 
go  down  if  you  want  to  go  up.  The  way  up  is 
down.  God  help  us  to  throw  our  arms  around  the 
perishing  of  this  city.  And  let  us  work  for  the  poor 
fellows;  and  when  a  poor  fellow  comes  up  here, 
let  us  take  \^\m  to  Christ.  I  have  seen  a  whole 
community  moved  by  one  of  those  old  colonels 
getting  saved.  I  saw  every  body  in  the  meeting 
crying,  because  the  old  colonel  came  to  God.  Let 
us  cry  over  these  poor  fellows*  Let  us  do  our  duty 
by  them. 

May  God  bless  you  in  your  home  life,  and  may 
he  orown  you  with  everlasting  life. 
26— B 


Sermon  xxill. 

PRISOKKR3  WITHOUT  HOPK. 

«  Turn  you  to  the  stronghold,  ye  prisoners  of  hope ;  even 
to-day  do  I  declare  that  I  will  render  double  unto  thee." — 
Zech.  IX,  12. 

BRETHREN,  there  are  many  words  in  this  text 
we  might  dwell  at  length  upon.  They  arc  rich 
in  their  meaning  to  us.  But  the  special  words  we 
want  to  direct  your  attention  to  are  these :  "  Ye 
prisoners  of  hope/'  And  we  stand  squarely  upon 
the  word  of  God  and  upon  the  pages  of  that  Book 
we  have  just  laid  down.  If  you  say,  "  That  is  not 
the  word  of  God/'  then,  sir,  I  shake  hands  with 
you  with  an  affectionate  adieu  at  this  point  of  the 
service.  I  have  no  Gospel  to  preach  to  you  to- 
night if  you  deny  that  the  word  of  God  is  the  truth 
of  God.  I  get  this  text  from  that  book,  "  Pris- 
oners of  hope.''  This  expression  presupposes  that 
there  are  prisoners  without  hope,  and  when  I  turn 
over  the  pages  of  the  Book  I  have  just  laid  down,  I 
find  there  are  three  classes  of  prisoners  without  hope. 
The  first  class  we  mention  are  the  angels  who 
sinned  against  God  and  kept  not  their  first  estate, 
but  were  cast  down  in  chains  of  everlasting  dark- 
ness to  await  the  final  judgment  day;  and  while 
atonement  was  made  for  man,  and  offers  of  mercy 
and  pardon  were  given  to  men,  those  angels  cast 
down  in  their  dark  and  doleful  estate,  this  moment 

are  still  without  a  ray  of  hope   or   a   spark   of 
306 


Prisonebs  Without  Hope.  307 

heavenly  day.  While  the  sweet  songs  of  the  Gospel 
make  melody  in  our  hearts^  and  while  the  Gospel  of 
love  and  promise  is  offered  to  fallen  man,  we  are 
assured  by  that  Book  that  no  glimmering  light  or 
ray  of  promise  has  ever  pierced  the  dark  dungeons 
of  despair  that  hold  in  their  chains  these  lost  and 
damned  spirits.  But  we  know  not  how  to  sympa- 
thize with  angels.  Angels  are  unlike  men;  they 
know  not  and  they  have  not  gray  hairs,  and  wrinkles, 
and  old  age,  and  graves,  and  death  as  we  have.  We 
never  see  an  angel,  we  know  not  how  to  talk  with 
an  angel ;  but,  brother,  while  they  are  in  chains  of 
everlasting  darkness,  let  us  look  upon  the  picture 
and  shudder  and  dread,  lest  it  may  be  true  that 
men  from-  America  will  take  up  their  eternal  abode 
with  those  lost  and  damned  spirits  in  hell  forever. 

There  is  another  class  of  prisoners  without  hope, 
and  that  is  men — men  who  lived  here  and  died  in  this 
city  amid  its  Gospel  privileges,  and  have  lived  and 
died  without  hope  and  without  God  in  the  world. 
If  that  Book  teaches  any  truth  plainly  and  pointedly 
it  is  this :  There  is  no  knowledge,  or  device,  or  re- 
pentance in  the  grave  whither  we  are  all  tending. 
This  is  a  world  of  sowing — that  of  reaping.  This 
is  a  world  of  character-building — that  at  the  judg- 
ment a  place  of  award  and  assignment.  The  good 
go  to  heaven,  the  bad  go  to  hell.  I  believe  all 
Bible-reading  men  believe  in  punishment,  and  the 
only  point  at  which  men  who  revere  and  read  the 
Bible  differ  at  all,  is  in  the  duration  of  the  punish- 
ment. Some  men  say  it  is  not  eternal,  and  when 
you   prove    to   my   mind   that   punishment   is  not 


308  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

eternal;  then  with  the  same  logic  you  prove  that 
heaven  is  not  eternal.  The  same  adjectives  that 
apply  to  hell  apply  to  heaven.  "  These  shall  go 
away  into  everlasting  punishment^  these  into  eternal 
bliss.''  But;  afler  all,  brethren,  I  am  not  so  much 
interested  as  to  the  duration  of  hell.  I  will  answer 
your  question  as  to  the  duration  of  hell,  if  you  will 
answer  me  a  question :  "  How  long  will  sin  last  ?'' 
If  you  will  tell  me  how  long  sin  will  last,  then  I 
will  tell  you  how  long  hell  will  endure.  When  in 
the  history  of  America,  or  in  the  history  of  eternity, 
will  the  lie  you  told  yesterday  be  any  thing  else 
than  a  lie?  When  God  can  make  things  that 
ought  not  to  have  been,  as  they  ought  to  have 
been,  then  I  can  tell  you  when  sin  shall  be  wiped 
out  of  the  universe.  And  it  isn't  a  question  of 
eternal  fire,  but  it  is  a  question  of  eternal  sin,  of 
eternal  remorse,  and  eternal  regret ! 

If  we  are  taught  any  thing  plainly  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, it  is  that  what  we  do  for  eternity  we  must 
do  for  this  life.  Mother,  look  me  in  the  face.  Have 
you  ever  prayed  for  your  wayward  boy  since  he 
breamed  his  last?  Have  you  ever  knelt  at  his 
grave  and  said,  "  O,  God,  save  my  boy  from  hell 
and  save  him  in  heaven?"  Wife,  have  you  ever 
knelt  at  the  foot  of  your  husband's  grave  and  prayed, 
"  Gracious  Father,  forgive  his  sins  to-day  and  take 
him  to  heaven?"  Listen  to  me  a  moment.  I  care 
not  what  the  record  of  your  prayers  may  have  been 
previous  to  his  last  breath,  none  of  us  have  prayed 
for  loved  ones  since  they  breathed  their  last. 
Mother  does  not  pray  for  son,  wife  does  not  pray 


Prisoners  Without  Hope.  309 

for  husband,  father  does  not  pray  for  loved  ones  who 
are  dead.  No,  the  common  sense  of  hnmanity 
teaches  us  that  as  the  tree  falleth  it  shall  lie  for- 
ever. There  is  nothing  in  eternity  that  can  undo 
the  evil  deeds  of  time,  and  if  you  live  and  die  im- 
penitent you  have  settled  the  question,  and  settled 
an  eternal  issue  that  involves  the  loss  of  your  soul. 
"  Prisoners  without  hope."  The  old  couplet 
may  be  true,  that 

**  While  the  lamp  holds  out  to  bum, 
The  vilest  sinner  may  return." 

But  when  fate  snufis  the  candle  and  it  goes  out,  it 
is  out  forever.  None  of  us  looks  to  the  fact  that 
there  is  a  chance  beyond  the  grave.  Brother,  will 
you  meet  me  in  your  thoughts  at  this  point;  all  the 
time  that  I  have  to  prepare  for  eternity  is  between 
this  and  my  grave ;  between  this  and  my  shroud ; 
between  this  and  my  last  breath.  The  great  issues 
of  eternity  that  involve  eternal  happiness  or  eternal 
damnation  are  wrapped  up  in  the  few  hours  between 
me  and  my  dying  couch.  Will  you  face  that  fact 
a  few  moments,  and  look  in  the  face  of  that  propo- 
sition, and  will  you  settle  your  mind  squarely  on  it 
while  we  discuss  these  fearful  questions  to-night? 

Your  heart  in  your  bosom  is  but  a  drum  beating 
your  funeral  march  to  the  grave,  and  every  heart- 
stroke  is  numbered,  and,  when  numbered,  is  proof 
of  the  fact  that  your  heart  shall  beat  one  time  less 
in  all  this  world  before  you.  Brother,  suppose  you 
knew  that  clock  that  sits  upon  your  mantel  at  home, 
ticking  away  each  fleeting  second,  would  stop  before 
you  got  home  to-night,  and  you  were  to  know  that 


310  8am  Jones'  Own  Book, 

if  that  clock  stops  while  you  are  away  that  you 
will  never  see  your  home  again,  and  you  will  be 
carried  in  a  corpse.  Brother,  if  that  little  pendulum  in 
your  bosom  stops  beating  before  I  am  through  preach- 
ing, if  you  have  come  here  impenitent,  then  you 
shall  be  a  prisoner  without  hop«  forever.  Is  it  true 
that  the  gasp  or  two  of  the  last  dying  moments 
are  the  only  things  between  me  and  that  doleful 
state  of  everlasting  despair — "a  prisoner  without 
hope  ?" 

I  have  preached  the  Gospel  in  twenty  different 
States,  perhaps,  in  America,  and  I  may  preach  it 
in  every  State  in  America.  Thank  God  for  open 
doors!  I  may  preach  the  Gospel  in  China.  If 
God  were  to  call  me  there,  I  would  go  as  willingly 
as  I  came  to  this  city;  but  there  is  one  place, 
brethren,  I  have  never  preached,  and  there  is  a 
spot  on  which  I  never  intend  to  preach,  and  that 
is  at  the  cemetery.  I  will  never  stand  among  the 
tombstones  of  earth  and  beg  dead  men  to  come  to 
God  and  love.  But  God  has  spared  you  from 
among  the  dead  and  brought  you  to  this  hall  to- 
night to  hear  the  Gospel.  Will  you  wisely  consider, 
and  well,  the  proposition ;  that  gray-headed  man  sit- 
ting here,  this  gray-haired  woman,  this  young  man — 
will  you  consider  to-night  that  just  a  few  more 
passing  days  and  the  question  of  eternity  with  you 
will  be  settled  forever?  I  notice  in  reading  the 
papers  that  more  than  one  man  I  have  preached 
to  earnestly  has  gone  to  eternity,  and,  young  as  I 
am  in  the  ministry,  I  have  preached  the  Gospel 
to  thousands  of  men  who  have  rejected  it,  and  to* 


X 


Prisoners  Witho.ut  Hope.  311 

night  they  are  prisoners  without  hope  forever.  O, 
sad  thought !  In  Knoxville^  Tenn.^  I  pointed  my 
finger  one  night  at  a  man^  without  special  aim^  of 
course,  and  said,  "  It  is  now  or  never  with  *you,^' 
and  two  weeks  after  I  left  the  city  I  got  a  letter 
from  a  friend  saying,  "  The  man  you  dropped  your 
finger  on  that  night  died  last  night,  and  he  said, 
*  It  was  then  or  never  with  me,  I  saw,  and  I  sur- 
rendered my  heart  to  God,'  and  he  died  happy  in 
the  faith,  and  has  gone  home  to  heaven/' 

O,  sir,  trifle  not  with  the  extraordinary  means 
of  grace;  trifle  not  with  the  truths  that  will  bring 
thousands  of  souls  to  Jesus  Christ;  trifle  not  with 
the  meeting  where  the  sermons  are  repreached  to 
almost  a  million  of  souls  through  those  secular  pa- 
pers. God  has  brought  to  bear  on  you  extraor- 
dinary means  to  save  you  from  hell,  and  may  you 
give  yourselves  to  God  before  these  extraordinary 
means  leave  you  forever.  God  has  thrown  these 
services  between  you  and  your  grave;  God  has  put 
this  gracious  revival  between  you  and  your  coffin, 
and  will  you  overleap  all  these  things  and  die  a 
sinner  and  pass  into  eternity  unsaved,  a  prisoner 
without  hope,  forever? 

Brother,  let's  you  and  I  say,  "  If  there  is  but  one 
man  who  goes  to  heaven  out  of  this  meeting,  God 
helping  me,  I  am  going  to  try  to  be  that  man. 
If  there  are  only  a  half  dozen  saved,  I  will,  with 
God's  mercy,  be  one  of  them."  O,  sir,  rush  into 
the  open  gate,  and  find  mercy  and  peace  while  it  is 
called  to-day.  You  may  trifle  with  me  and  the 
meeting,   and  the  calls  of  mercy;  you  may  trifle 


312  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

with  the  prayers  of  God's  people ;  but  while  you 
trifle  with  us  you  are  trifling  with  God,  and,  above 
all  things,  you  are  trifling  with  your  immortality, 
and  you  can  not  afford  that.  Friends,  may  be  this 
sermon  and  this  service  to-night  are  put  between 
you  and  this  eternal  issue  that  shall  settle  the  ques- 
tion forever.  Will  you  take  the  time  and  meet  the 
issue  squarely  to-night,  and  say :  "  Whatever  other 
men  do,  I  do  not  intend  to  die  impenitent  ?''  As 
the  rabbis  used  to  say,  every  man  ought-  to  get  re- 
ligion one  day  before  he  dies ;  and,  for  fear  you  die 
to-morrow,  had  n't  you  better  seek  religion  to-day  ? 
But  there  is  another  class  of  prisoners  without 
hope.  They  are,  thirdly,  men  and  women  who  live, 
and  walk,  and  talk  to-day  in  this  city  that  are  just 
as  certain  to  be  damned  as  they  walk  and  talk  to- 
day. Do  you  know  there  are  whole  families  in  this 
town  that  not  one — father,  mother,  son,  or  daugh- 
ter— has  ever  been  religious?  This  is  the  saddest 
thing  you  can  say  about  any  family  God's  sun  ever 
shone  upon.  Neither  father  nor  mother,  son  nor 
daughter — not  one  of  them — ever  made  any  preten- 
sions to  being  religious!  And  I  can  tell  you  another 
thing:  I  could  be  irreligious  four  years  as  a  hus- 
band, twenty  years  as  a  son,  and  twenty-four  years, 
I  say,  as  a  brother  or  a  sister ;  but  I  could  not  be 
irreligious  twelve  months  with  a  precious  child 
looking  up  in  my  face.  When  you  talk  to  a  man 
of  sense  about  his  children,  if  you  do  not  arouse  his 
conscience  and  probe  his  soul  it  is  because  he  is 
dead  already  to  every  thing  that  is  ennobling  and 
promising. 


Pbi8on£bs  Without  Hope,  313 

There  are  noble  citizens  all  around  this  town ; 
they  are  men  of  prominence^  men  of  means,  men  of 
influence,  and  there  they  ar^^prominent  to-day  on 
the  side  of  the  devil.  I  was  asking  to-day  what 
Church  Mr.  So-and-so  belonged  to.  "  He  does  not 
belong  to  any,  but  he  attends  a  certain  one." 
"Well,  what  Church  does  his  wife  belong  to?" 
"  None  at  all."  I  can  see  how  a  man  can  be  Christ- 
less  and  godless,  but  the  profoundest  enigma  in  the 
universe  to  me  is  a  godless  mother — a  mother  with 
innocent  children  hanging  about  her  neck  I  O, 
mother,  are  you  here  to-night?  If  you  are  I  pro- 
nounce you  the  most  fearful  monstrosity  in  all  the 
moral  universe  of  Grod. 

Prisoners  without  hoi)e!  Whole  families  irre- 
ligious! And  do  you  not  know  right  here  a  father, 
and  son,  and'  grandson,  not  one  of  whom  for  three 
generations  has  ever  been  religious  ?  Look  at  that 
picture.  I  will  tell  you  another  thing  :  If  you  will 
take  a  boy  or  a  man  whose  grandfather  and  father 
never  were  religious,  and  who  is  himself  irreligious, 
I  would  almost  as  soon  preach  the  Gospel  to  a  horse 
or  to  an  ox  as  to  preach  to  that  grandson. 

"The  iniquities  of  the  father  shall  be  visited 
upon  the  children  to  the  third  and  fourth  genera- 
tions." What  a  sad  thought  that  is!  Shut  out 
heaven  to  your  children  and  to  your  granr^children  1 
There  are  families  in  this  town  who,  if  this  meeting 
were  to  be  protracted  in  every  church  in  this  city, 
and  in  every  theater,  every  rink,  every  hall,  would 
never  put  their  feet  in  those  places.  They  have  de- 
liberately, not  with    their  tongues,  but   in   all  the 

27— B 


314  8am  Jones'  Own  Book. 

thoughts  and  acts  of  their  mental  and  moral  consti- 
tution, said,  ^'  For  time  and  eternity  I  never  intend 
to  try  to  be  religious!"  Prisoners  without  hope! 
Why,  sir,  when  I  walk  these  streets  and  take  the 
hand  of  a  man,  and  feel  in  my  heart,  ^'  There  is  a 
man  that  never  intends  to  repent,  who  intends  to 
die  as  he  is,  I  would  as  soon  shake  hands  with  a 
dead  man  as  to  shake  hands  with  him.  He  is  al- 
ready dead  to  all  that  is  true,  and  noble,  and  good. 
He-  is  dead  to  heaven,  and  dead  to  God,  and  dead  to 
the  blood  of  Chrjst,  and  dead  to  every  thing  except 
the  excruciating  pains  of  eternal  damnation.  O, 
what  a  thought,  what  a  thought !  A  prisoner  with- 
out hope!  He  may  be  walking  on  the  street;  may 
be  sitting  in  the  hall  to-night.  Will  any  man  in 
this  audience  to-night  say  that  every  man  here  will 
be  saved?  If  there  is  only  one  to*  be  eternally 
damned,  which  one?  I  wonder  which  man  it  is 
sitting  and  looking  at  me  to-night  that  is  just  as 
certain  to  be  damned  as  he  hears  my  voice  this  mo- 
ment. O,  sir,  is  it  you?  is  it  you?  A  prisoner 
without  hope ! 

I  praise  God  for  preserving  me  through  a  wicked 
life  up  to  twenty-four  years  of  age.  I  praise  him 
in  time,  I  shall  praise  him  in  eternity,  that  he  kept 
me  alive  until  I  found  peace  with  him  and  felt 
that  he  was  my  Father  and  my  Friend.  I  can  look 
back  over  my  past  life  at  the  flash  of  a  pistol  in 
my  face,  the  dirk  in  some  enemy's  hand,  the  crash 
in  some  railroad  accident ;  I  can  see  where  I 
just  missed  death  by  a  hair's  breadth.  O,  my 
GJod,  if   I    had    gone  unprepared  as  I   was  then! 


Pkisoners  Without  Hope.  315 

O,  blessed  Savior,  I  praise  thee  to-night  that  I 
found  the 

"  Foantain  filled  with  blood 

Drawn  from  Inimanuers  veins ; 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood 
LcN9e  all  their  guilty  stains." 

Thank  God,  I  live  to  see  the  day  when  I  can 
testify  to  the  world  that  Jesus  Christ  hath  power 
on  earth  to  forgive  sins.    I  will  praise  him  forever. 

A  prisoner  without  hope !  Will  you  go  through 
to  the  benediction  of  this  revival  service  and  stand 
out  as  a  monument  of  what  indifference  and  reck- 
lessness and  prayerlessness  can  do  for  a  man?  Will 
you  do  that?  Can  you  afford  to  do  that?  Can 
you?  If  we  live  right  and  die  right,  even  while 
our  friends  mourn  around  our  dying  bodies  they 
rejoice.  When  Bishop  Marvin,  the  grandest  man 
the  Church  of  the  South  ever  had,  returned  from 
his  tour  around  the  world  and  came  back  home  and 
died  in  his  own  quiet,  peaceful  home,  and  his  wife 
gave  up  to  God  the  best  husband  and  father  and 
preacher  the  South  ever  knew,  she  looked  upon 
his  pale  corpse  and  clapped  her  hands  together  and 
said,  ''God  is  so  good  to  me  to  let  my  husband  go 
to  heaven  from  his  own  quiet  home.'*  The  very 
fact  that  he  passed  out  into  heaven  was  the  source 
of  infinite  gratitude  to  his  wife. 

I  heard  Dr.  Haygood  say,  "  I  stood  by  the  death- 
bed of  Bishop  Pierce,  our  grand  old  Georgia 
bishop,  but  he  did  not  die ;  I  know  he  did  not  die. 
He  talked  to  me  up  to  the  very  edge  of  the  grave, 
and  I  almost  literally  saw  him  sweeping  out  of  this 


316  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

world  into  the  arms  of  God."     Die!    No,  sir;  no, 
sir.     If  I  had  had  any  doubts  of  the  immortality 
of  the  soul,  they  would  have  been  removed  in  the 
first  town  I  was  a  pastor  at.   Dr.  Ingraham,  a  quiet, 
peaceful,  good  man,  a  kind   neighbor,  who   loved 
God  and  loved  all  mankind,  was  stricken  with  that 
fearful  disease,  consumption.     And  finally  he  was 
taken  down  to  his  bed,  and  for  three  long  months 
he  was  a  hopeless  invalid,  and  death  came   hour 
after  hour  and  stripped  his  bones  of  their  flesh  and 
muscles.     There    he    was,   under  the    potsherd  of 
death,  until  death  had  robbed  him  almost  literally 
of  every  ounce  of  flesh.     I  believe  he  was  the  thin- 
nest man  I  ever  looked  into  the  face  of  when  death 
had  done  its  worst  upon  him.     The  morning,  when 
death  walked  into  his  room  and  drove  the  dagger 
to  his  heart,  he  pushed  his  bony  arms  behind  him 
and  raised  himself  up,  and  just  as  death  struck  him 
the  last  blow  he  said,  ^'  Life,  eternal  life !"  and  swept 
out  of  his  body  to  go  home  to  God.     O,  brother, 
the  man  that  can  meet  the  dagger  of  death  and  cry 
^^  eternal  life"  is  proof  to  all  mankind  that  we  shall 
live  beyond  the  dying  moment.     Ah,  me,  to  live 
beyond  that  time,  and  not  to  die  beyond  that  time! 
A  prisoner  without  hope!   The  lost  soul!   Lost! 
lost!  lost!    Brother,  can  you  meet  your  dying  min- 
utes without  making  your  peace  with  God?  If  you 
can,  you  are  a  braver  man  than  ever.  I  want  to  be 
in  time  or  eternity.     And  to  the  poor  wandering 
one  to-night  let  me  say  just  one  word  more.     Turn 
to  the  stronghold.     The  gates  of  mercy  are  open. 
You  need  not  die,  you  need  not  be  lost.     But  turn 


Peisoners  Without  Hope.  317 

to  the  stronghold.  And  what  does  God  say?  "Even 
to-day  I  will  render  double  unto  thee/'  And  may 
God  draw  reluctant  hearts  to  himself  to-night  and 
bring  us  all  to  heaven  I 


Sayinqs. 

Everybody  ought  to  keep  good  company.  There 
is  not  an  angel  in  heaven  that  w5uld  not  be  cor- 
rupted by  the  company  that  some  of  you  keep. 

I  LIVE  here  a  prisoner  of  hope,  but  at  last  I 
shall  overleap  the  circle  of  friends  above  my  dying 
couch,  and  my  spirit  shall  be  free  and  mix  with  the 
freemen  of  heaven  forever!  As  long  as  the  star 
of  hope  shines  over  my  pathway  I  am  ready  for 
every  good  work. 

Every  man  in  the  world  ought  to  be  in  the 
Church  of  God.  When  I  see  men  out  of  the  Church 
I  want  to  save  them.  To  you  men  who  drink, 
swear,  and  break  the  Sabbath,  let  me  say :  I  have 
a  right  to-day  to  get  as  drunk  as  any  man  in  this 
city.  I  have  just  as  much  right  to  steal  something 
to-day  as  anybody.  Who  gave  you  the  right  to  get 
drunk  and  swear?  Who  gave  you  the  right  to  tell 
lies?  Who  gave  you  the  right  to  profane  God's 
name?  I  have  just  as  much  right  as  you  to  do  it. 
I  won't  do  it;  you  ought  not  to  do  it,  and  you 
know  it. 


Sermon  XXIV- 

I  THOUGHT  ON   NIY  WA.YS. 

"  I  thought  on  my  ways,  and  turned  my  feet  unto  thy  tes- 
timonies. I  made  haste,  and  delayed  not  to  keep  thy  com- 
mandments."— PsA.  cxix,  59,  60. 

THE  commercial  travelers  of  America^  or  per- 
haps the  more  refined  name  is  ^^  the  angels  of 
commerce/'  are  unlike  the  angels  of  old.  Their 
visits  were  "few  and  far  between/'  but  your  visits 
are  every  day  and  everywhere.  Your  name  is  le- 
gion. I  suppose  you  number  three  hundred  thou- 
sand in  the  United  States.  What  an  army  that 
is !  What  a  power  for  good  or  evil  in  the  morals 
of  America !  What  a  power  for  good  or  evil  in  the 
commercial  interests  of  America  I 

If  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  had  an  army  of  three 
hundred  thousand  active  agents — as  active  in  preach- 
ing love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  good- 
ness, and  faith,  as  you  are  in  pushing  the  sale  of 
your  goods,  it  would  not  take  Christ  long  to  bring 
America  to  his  feet,  and  my  greatest  desire  and 
earnest  prayer  to  God  is  that  the  day  may  come 
when  you  will  carry  your  "grip-sack"  in  one  hand 
and  your  Bible  in  the  other  and  do  business  for 
both  worlds  on  every  trip  and  everywhere. 

I  have  been  thrown  a  great  deal  with  commercial 
318 


I  Thought  on  My  Ways.  319 

men.  I  am  a  sort  of  drummer  myself.  I  lead  a 
sort  of  drummer's  life.  I  spend  very  little  time  at 
home.  It 's  a  great  sacrifice.  My  children  see  very 
little  of  me.  My  wife  sees  very  little  of  me.  God 
forbid  that  in  my  absence  from  my  wife  and  chil- 
dren there  should  ever  be  any  wandering  away  from 
them.  I  never  want  to  see  the  day  come  in  my 
life's  history  when  my  wife  shall  detect  any  differ- 
ence, any  impatience,  any  restlessness  when  I  am 
at  home. 

The  curse  of  a  traveling  man's  life  is  this:  Yqu 
are  from  home  so  much  that  you  can  hardly  be  at 
home  when  you  get  home.  How  many  of  you  have 
brought  tears  of  blood,  almost,  to  your  wife's  cheeks 
by  your  treatment  of  her,  by  your  selfishness  and 
indifference  to  your  home?  Home  I  Home!  The 
sweetest  place  on  earth ! 

"  Be  it  ever  so  humble,  there 's  no  place  like  home." 

My  wife  has  a  claim  upon  me,  my  children  have 
a  claim  upon  me.  And  as  a  commercial  man  in 
one  sense  I  can  talk  to  you  commercial  men,  and 
say  this  to  you :  Not  only  would  I  spurn  and  scorn 
an  act  that  is  unfatherly  and  unhusbandly  when 
I  am  at  home — but,  brother,  when  you  go  home 
show  your  wife  that  home  is  the  sweetest  spot  on 
earth,  and  peace  and  joy  will  reign  in  that  home. 

Well,  there 's  another  thing.  The  question 
comes  up,  "  If  you  have  never  been  a  commercial 
man  you  do  n't  know  how  hard  it  is  for  a  com- 
mercial man  to  be  a  Christian." 

I  have  received  one  letter  that  I  want  to  read 


320  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

to  you,  before  I  go  into  the  text.  The  writer  says: 
"  I  am  a  New  York  *  drummer.'  I  believe  in  Jesus 
Christ,  my  Savior.  For  some  years  I  thought 
I  could  not  sell  goods  without  drinking  with 
my  trade,  but  finding  it  a  dishonor  to  my  Lord, 
I  wrote  down  in  my  order-book,  *  No  more  drinks, 
of  any  kind,  so  help,  me  God,'  and  God  blessed  me. 
And  I  did  the  same  with  smoking,  and  ever  since 
I  wrote  that  down  I  have  never  used  tobacco  in 
any  form.  Hallelujah !  I  want  to  offer  you,  my 
brother,  my  sympathy  and  help,  for  I  know  what  a 
terrible  struggle  it  is  to  quit  tobacco;  but  God  is 
not  unrighteous,  and  he  will  give  you  more  joy  than 
tobacco  ever  gave.  Just  tell  the  drummers  that 
God  saved  me  and  kept  me  from  sin  and  tobacco, 
and  his  grace  is  sufficient  for  me." 

You  see  how  he  puts  it — ^^*sin  and  tobacco."  I 
rather  like  that.  Now,  he  says  after  having  given  up 
sin  and  tobacco,  *'  I  sell  as  many  goods,  to  the  t^est 
trade,  as  any  man  on  the  road." 

That 's  a  great  declaration,  brother,  and  if  it  is 
necessary  in  order  to  be  a  successful  drummer  that 
a  man  must  be  a  blackguard,  and  a  dram-drinking, 
and  a  dirty  story-telling  one — if  that 's  essential  to 
be  a  first-class  drummer,  I  would  rather  be  a  third- 
rate  dog  than  a  first-class  drummer. 

Now,  brethren,  I  wanted  to  read  this  letter  in 
the  first  place  because,  if  I  can  establish  the  fact  that 
there  is  just  one  pure,  good  man,  there  is  a  living, 
walking  demonstration  of  the  fact  that  we  can  all 
be  religious— every  one  of  us.  When  you  find  only 
one  man  in  a  calling  who  is  good  it  is  a  demon- 


I  Thought  on  My  Ways.  321 

stration  that  every  man  in  that  same  calling  can  do 
that  same  thing  and  be  good. 

Now,  we  come  to  the  text,  "  I  thought  on  my 
ways."  Brethren,  inconsiderateness  is  the  curse  of 
the  world.  Men  wonH  think  about  the  right  things. 
They  will  think  about  stocks,  and  bonds,  and  money, 
and  trade,  and  about  what  they  will  do,  and  what 
they  will  wear,  and  what  hotel  they  will  put  up  at, 
and  by  which  route  they  will  go.  They  will  think 
about  every  thing  in  all  the  enterprises  of  life,  ex- 
cepting about  their  ways,  their  manner  of  living, 
their  acting,  and  where  they  are  going  to  for  time 
and  eternity.  And  now  if  we  can  spend  a  few 
minutes  in  wise,  candid,  considerate,  and  conscien- 
tious thought  on  this  matter  we  shall  be  benefited 
by  this  service. 

"  I  thought  on  my  ways."  Are  my  ways  the 
ways  of  a  wise  man?  Would  a  sensible,  wise, 
thoughtful  man  live  as  I  am  living?  Would  he 
go  where  I  am  going?  Would  he  do  as  I  am  do- 
ing? Would  he  talk  as  I  am  talking?  Would  a 
wise,  prudent,  careful,  sensible  man  run  on  the  line 
that  I  am  running?  You  know  your  lives,  breth- 
ren. You  know  how  you  have  been  running  during 
the  past  two  months,  during  the  past  four  months, 
during  the  past  year,  during  the  past  ten  years. 
You  know  how  you  have  talked  and  acted  on  the 
road.  Will  you  run  your  mind  back  and  ask  your- 
self the  question  :  "  Are  ray  ways  wise  ?  Have  I 
done  the  best  I  could?  Have  I  lived  the  best  life 
that  I  could  ?  Have  I  been  prudent  in  the  selec- 
tion of  my  comrades?    Have  I  been  wise  in  my 


322  8am  Jones'  Own  Book. 

conduct  in  the  midst  of  their  company  ?  Am  I  wise 
at  day-time  and  at  night-time^  and  in  all  my  ways? 
Does  wisdom  control  me  in  my  life,  in  my  words? 
Does  it  control  my  character  ?  Am  I  seeking  al- 
ways the  best  means  for  the  best  end  ?"  That  is 
wisdom.  Knowledge  is  one  thing,  wisdom  is 
another.  Wisdom  is  the  skillful  application  of 
knowledge;  the  employment  of  the  best  means  to 
secure  the  best  ends.  Now,  knowing  that  I  can  go 
to  New  York  is  one  thing ;  and  then  wisdom  steps 
up  into  the  province  of  knowledge  and  selects  the 
nearest  route,  the  best  route,  the  fisistest  train,  the 
most  expeditious  way  to  reach  it. 

Now,  here  I  am  a  moral  being.  I  have  been 
selling  goods  for  thirty  years,  but  I  must  quit  that 
some  time.  I  have  to  die;  and  when  I  quit  selling 
goods,  I  want  to  be  able  to  look  back  and  say  in 
the  midst  of  my  family,  "  I  have  never  done  any 
thing  that  dishonored  God  or  degraded  my  own  be- 
ing." And  no  drummer,  no  commercial  traveler, 
can  expect  any  thing  valuable  in  his  latter  life  where 
he  has  previously  resorted  to  bad  means  to  reach 
his  ends,  I  do  n't  care  what  sort  of  an  end  that  may 
be.  I  have  received  letters  that  have  brought  ques- 
tionable transactions  and  questionable  ways  to  my 
notice  on  the  part  of  commercial  men.  Some  of 
you  use  the  bottle,  some  of  you  play  cards  and 
gamble — that  is,  you  say,  you  put  up  just  enough  to 
make  it  interesting.  And  some  of  you  use  means 
that  I  could  talk  very  plainly  to  you  about,  if  it 
were  not  for  those  innocent,  pure  faces  with  bonnets 
over  them  here  to-day. 


I  Thought  on  My  Ways.  323 

"  I  thought  on  my  ways."  Brethren,  I  have 
Been  the  day  when  I  could  be  devilish,  and  mean, 
and  do  a  heap  of  bad  things,  but  I  can  say  honestly 
this  thing,  that  a  man  could  never  hire  me  to  do 
mean  things  by  the  month.  I  never  got  that  low 
down  from  God.  I  never  was  on  the  market  for 
sale.  I  never  propose  to  let  myself  out  to  do  any 
one's  dirty  work.  I  always  had  as  much  of  my 
own  as  I  could  stand.  And  I  will  tell  you  another 
thing — the  man  who  would  ask  you  to  do  those 
things  that  are  wrong  in  themselves  in  order  to 
push  his  ti*ade,  is  the  man  that  sooner  or  later  will 
become  your  worst  enemy,  and  he  will  never  give  a 
dollar  to  your  wife  and  children  after  he  has  ruined 
and  debauched  and  damned  you.  The  man  that 
does  evil  that  good  may  come,  is  only  going  [to  do 
evil  to  you  in  the  end,  and  bid  you  a  final  farewell 
when  you  cease  to  be  useful  to  him ;  do  n't  you  for- 
get that.  "  Well,"  you  say,  "  what  are  we  to  do." 
Well,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  say  to  that.  When 
there  is  no  reputable,  decent,  honorable,  upright 
employment  in  this  country  for  me  to  get,  I  am 
going  to  emigrate  to  the  poor-house  and  die  there. 
I  would  rather  be  an  honest,  pure,  and  upright  man 
dying  in  the  poor-house,  than  be  a  man  who  has 
to  make  himself  disreputable  and  be  dishonest  in 
his  own  eyes  in  order  to  make  a  living.  I  feel 
that,  and  no  man  can  be  reputable  when  he  uses 
bad  means  to  a  good  end.  It's  no  matter  how 
good  the  end  is  as  long  as  the  devil  himself  runs 
that  way  to  earth.  He  wants  you  to  push  trade  in 
that  way.     There  is  only  one  line  of  business  that 


324  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

you  can  run  that  way  properly,  and  that  Is  the 
liquor  traffic.  If  I  were  running  for  that  sort  of 
business  I  would  run  it  pretty  lively.  Every  town 
I  came  to  I  would  get  them  all  drunk.  I  would 
get  my  business  well  started  in  that  way  in  every 
community  I  went  into.  I  will  tell  you  another 
thing.  There  is  not  enough  money  in  this  world  to 
hire  me  to  sell  whisky  and  beer.  And  Gk)d  Al- 
mighty will  hold  you  responsible  as  a  paid  minion 
of  those  fellows  who  are  trying  to  damn  this  coun- 
try if  you  let  yourself  out  for  any  such  business. 
I  tell  you,  that  for  all  the  drunkenness  and  the  evil 
and  the  fearful  misery  and  the  wrecking  of  homes 
brought  on  by  whisky  in  this  country,  the  manu- 
facturer of  whisky,  the  wholesale  dealer,  the  drum- 
mer who  is  hired  by  him,  and  the  saloon-keeper 
who  deals  it  out,  are  responsible.  I  am  angry  with 
whisky,  but  I  am  not  angry  with  any  man  that  ever 
drank  it  or  ever  sold  it.  I  do  n't  get  mad  with  men. 
I  get  mad  with  demijohns,  bottles,  and  that  sort  of 
thing,  and  I  get  mad  with  every  thing  that  will 
hold  whisky. 

"  I  thought  on  my  ways.''  My  life ;  what  is  it? 
Am  I  a  wise  man  ?  Am  I  wise  in  the  selection  of 
my  occupation  ?  Am  I  wise  in  the  carrying  on  of 
my  occupation?  Am  I  wise  in  the  best  sense  of  the 
word?  And  then  we  stop  and  ask  ourselves  this 
question:  Am  I  an  honest  man  of  business?  ^^  An 
honest  man  is  the  noblest  work  of  God."  O,  brother, 
an  honest  man  is  worth  his  weight  in  gold  any- 
where. And  when  you  are  so  honest  your  employers 
will  find  you  and  they  will  double  your  wages.  And 


I  Thought  on  My  Ways.  325 

how  many  of  yoa  have  been  turned  off  on  that  line  ? 
I  will  tell  you  there  are  just  hundreds  of  firms 
waiting  for  some  of  you  of  that  kiud  to  be  turned 
off.  "  1  have  thought  on  my  ways."  Am  I  honest 
and  candid  ?  If  tliere  is  any  miserable  thing  to  do 
I  would  not  be  hire^  to  do  it.  It  won't  pay.  You 
will  never  get  rich  in  misrepresenting  things.  You 
may  go  on  for  a  while,  but  you  will  be  like  the 
fiirmers  getting  rich.  Every  pound  they  grow  costs 
ten  cents.  They  can  not  get  eight  for  it.  The  only 
way  they  explain  this  style  of  doing  things  is  to  say 
they  make  so  much  off  of  it.  If  it  were  not  for  that 
they  would  be  ruined. 

Determine  first,  to  work  for  none  but  an  honest 
house.  You  drummers  have  the  power  in  your 
hands  to  reform  all  the  houses  that  do  business 
through  your  agency.  All  that  you  have  to  do  is  to 
say  to  dishonest  houses,  '*  We  won't  get  business  for 
you,  and  when  you  employ  a  man  that  is  willing  to 
do  your  dirty  work  we  will  boycott  you  and  adver- 
tise you  as  scoundrels  everywhere  we  go."  If  you 
drummers  took  a  stand  like  that  what  a  grand  thing 
it  would  be.  You  would  say,  "  Such  an  agent  shall 
not  travel  on  the  road.  That  house  shall  not  be 
represented  on  the  road.  We  won't  have  our  fra- 
ternity degraded  with  any  such  concern.  That  is  a 
good  thing.  My  way  is  honest.  I  deal  honestly. 
I  do  honestly." 

Then  again  I  stop  and  ask  myself.  Are  my  ways 
pure  or  impure?  Purity  is  one  of  the  greatest 
blessings  that  ever  crowned  a  life.  O,  brother, 
about  the  dirtiest  thing  in  this  universe  is  a  really 


326  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

dirty  drummer — dirty  in  conversation^  dirty  in  his 
thoughts,  dirty  in  his  life.  O,  brethren,  let  me  say 
to  you  to-day,  live  as  pure  fnen.  Never  say  a 
word  anywhere  that  you  could  not  say  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  parlor  full  of  ladies.  And  never  go  to  a 
place  that  you  do  n't  want  yoiy  sister  or  wife  to  go 
to.  And  whatever  you  do  let  your  love  and  vows 
to  your  wife  be  kept  as  sacred  as  the  word  of  God 
is  sacred.  And  I  beg  you,  brethren,  to  preserve 
the  integrity  and  purity  of  your  characters  and  be 
pure  men  everywhere  you  go. 

"  I  thought  on  my  ways "  to  see  whether  they 
were  pure  or  impure.  I  thought  upon  my  ways  as 
a  father.  There  is  many  a  commercial  traveler  in 
this  country  that  is  the  father  of  a  precious  group 
of  little  ones  at  home.  Father,  what  is  your  in- 
fluence over  these  precious  ones?  What  is  your  ex- 
ample to  them  ?  What  is  your  light  before  your 
children  ?  I  have  thought  many  a  time  of  that 
father  who,  traveling  through  the  snow,  when  he 
had  got  one  hundred  yards  from  his  house  heard 
his  little  son  cry  out,  "  May  I  go  with  you  ?"  and 
he  said,  "  Yes."  The  father  walked  on,  but  directly 
he  turned  and  looked  back  and  said  to  his  child, 
"How  are  you  getting  along?"  "Finely,  papa;  I 
am  putting  my  feet  in  your  tracks."  And  the  little 
fellow  was  jumping  from  one  track  to  another 
where  his  father's  feet  had  been.  The  father  was  a 
wicked  man.  As  he  walked  along  in  the  snow 
with  the  voice  of  the  little  boy  in  his  ears,  repeat- 
ing, "I  am  putting  my  feet  in  your  tracks,"  he  said 
to  himself,  "God  helping  me,  I  will  straighten  out 


I  Thought  on  My  Ways.  327 

my  tracks.  I  will  turn  right  about,  and  lead  my  boy 
in  a  purer^  nobler^  and  better  track  all  the  rest  of 
my  days.'' 

Now,  father,  let  me  tell  you  that  your  boys  are 
putting  their  feet  in  your  tracks.  They  will  go 
to  the  same  house  that  you  go  to.  They  will  drink 
at  the  same  place  that  you  drink  at.  They  will 
gamble  with  the  same  cards  that  you  gamble  with, 
and  if  you  live  long  enough  they  will  follow  your 
track  when  they  become  men  unless  you  so  alter 
your  life  that  you  will  be  indeed  a  father  to  your 
children.  When  a  man  gets  so  that  he  does  n't  love 
his  children,  when  he  gets  so  that  the  pride  of  his 
heart  is  not  with  his  children,  then  he  is  indeed  be- 
yond the  reach  of  any  thing  that  I  can  say  to  him. 

Then,  in  addition  to  that, "  I  thought  on  my  ways" 
as  a  husband.  I  have  received  a  letter  from  a  lady 
in  this  city.  It  was  a  long  letter,  a  sad  letter,  a 
heart-ache  letter,  a  letter  that  meant  a  great  deal. 
God  forbid  that  my  wife  should  write  of  me  and  of 
my  sins  in  that  way.  This  lady  says :  "  We  lived 
happily  together  for  more  than  ten  years.  In  the 
last  few  years  the  growing  indifference  of  my  hus- 
band— he  has  been  on  the  road  so  much — almost 
breaks  my  heart.  I  could  not  bear  it  if  it  were  not 
for  the  love  of  God  in  my  heart ;  and  I  pray  every 
day  that  God  will  help  me  to  bear  it,  and  make 
me  as  good  a  wife  as  it  is  possible  for  me  to  be." 
A  growing  indifference!  Now,  I  was  head-over- 
heels  in  love  with  my  wife  when  I  married  her,  but 
I  love  her  a  hundred  times  better  now.  They  cir- 
culated the  story  about  me,  in  some  town  I  was  at 


328  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

that  I  had  quitted  my  first  wife.  Well,  I  never 
had  but  one  wife,  and,  God  helping,  I  will  never 
have  but  one.  I  am  like  the  Irishman  who  said, 
"  I  hope  I  will  never  live  to  see  my  wife  married 
again.''  Many  a  fellow  in  this  State  has  lived  to 
see  that,  and  some  of  them  have  lived  to  marry 
them  again  themselves  after  being  divorced  from 
them.  Somebody  told  me  the  other  day  that  a 
judge  granted  a  fellow  a  divorce  six  minutes  after 
he  walked  into  the  court-room.  That  is  a  disgrace 
in  any  civilized  country  where  such  a  thing  is  pos- 
sible. I  tell  you  that  when  you  let  up  on  your 
matrimonial  relations,  right  then  you  let  up  on  the 
very  foundations  of  your  life.  There  is  not  a  doubt 
about  that.  Well,  I  happened  myself  to  get  a  good 
wife,  I  do  n't  know  how.  But  if  I  had  got  a  bad 
one  I  would  have  stuck  to  her  through  thick  and 
thin.  I  would  not  want  to  have  her  divorced  from 
me  and  get  her  off  upon  some  other  fellow.  Now, 
'^  I  thought  upon  my  ways ''  as  a  husband.  I  thought 
of  the  vows  that  I  had  taken  that  I  would  love  and 
cherish  and  keep,  and  that  I  would  always,  even 
unto  death,  be  true  to  her  that  I  had  plighted  my 
vows  to.     I  thought  upon  my  ways  as  a  husband. 

And  then  "  I  thought  upon  my  ways  "  as  a  citizen. 
Now,  every  man  in  this  country  is  a  good  citizen  or 
a  bad  citizen.  You  know  what  a  bad  citizen  is? 
Now,  suppose  every  body  were  like  him,  what  sort 
of  a  country  would  we  have  here?  Suppose  every 
body  drank  whisky  like  him,  what  sort  of  a  country 
would  we  have  here?  Suppose  every  body,  you  can 
say  to  yourself,  told  as  many  lies  as  I  do,  or  was  as 


I  Thought  on  My  Ways.  329 

unfaithful  to  his  wife  as  I  am,  what  sort  of  a  coun- 
try would  we  have?  Brother,  did  you  ever  look 
at  your  duty  as  a  citizen  ?  Did  you  ever  consider 
that  you  are  either  a  blessing  or  a  curse  to  your 
country  ?  Did  you  ever  consider  you  are  a  part  of 
the  body  politic,  and  that  it  takes  just  one  hundred 
thousand  good  citizens  to  make  a  city  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  people  a  good  city,  and  that  it 
does  n't  take  any  more  or  any  less  ? 

Then  "  I  thought  on  my  ways  "  as  a  Christian. 
I  thought  of  the  vows  I  had  taken  to  God.  I 
thought  of  the  promises  I  made  to  God.  I  thought 
over  this  whole  question.  Now,  brother,  let  us 
come  close  to  these  thoughts.  No  matter  how  much 
you  think  or  how  little  you  think,  God  help  you  to 
think  enough  to  do  as  David  did  when  he  said : 
"  I  made  haste,  and  delayed  not  to  keep  thy  com- 
mandments. I  thought  on  my  ways,  and  turned 
my  feet  unto  thy  testimonies."  Brother,  I  want  to 
say  to  you  this :  I  am  like  the  old  lady,  who,  when 
a  man  asked  her  which  is  the  way  to  heaven, 
answered:  '^Just  turn  to  the  right,  and  keep 
straight  forward,  and  you  will  get  there."  Now, 
what  we  want  you  to  do  is  to  turn  to  the  right, 
and  make  haste  and  delay  not  to  keep  the  com- 
mandments of  God ;  and,  if  you  have  seen  that  your 
ways  are  not  right,  turn.  Do  it  at  once.  Just  think 
of  Alexander  Stephens,  of  Georgia,  who  died  a  gov- 
ernor. "  I  made  it  the  one  great  rule  of  my  life," 
he  said,  "  when  I  found  I  was  in  the  wrong  road, 
to  turn   right  and  keep  there."     If  we  are  wrong, 

turn  around  and  go  right.     If  we  are  right,  keep 
28— B 


330  8am  Jones^  Own  Book. 

to  the  right,  and  keep  straightforward,  and  keep  so 
during  the  balance  of  our  life,  and  take  no  more 
time  to  consider  when  you  find  you  are  wrong. 

Make  haste  and  delay  not.  But  you  say :  ^^  I 
want  time  to  consider.  I  want  to  do  this  thing, 
and  I  want  to  do  the  other  thing  first."  You  do  n^t 
want  to  do  any  thing,  except  to  quit  your  mean- 
ness and  turn  to  God.  There  was  one  of  the  in- 
quiry women-workers  (I  do  n't  know  what  you  call 
them)  who  sat  down  before  a  penitent;  and  she 
said :  "  You  need  not  be  in  a  hurry.  I  was  a  year 
and  one-half  in  getting  religion,  and  you  will  be  in 
good  luck  if  you  get  it  in  a  year  and  one-half 
Now,  the  devil  sent  her  in  there.  There  are  a  good 
many  doing  that.  How  long  a  time  does  a  man 
need  to  turn  ?  It  is  done  in  a  second.  If  you  have 
not  lived  right  there  is  but  one  course  for  you  to 
take.  Make  haste  and  turn  around.  You  have  no 
time  to  waste. 

"  When  I  first  sent  letters  of  condolence,"  said 
the  noble  secretary  of  your  institution,,  "to  the 
wives  and  children  of  deceased  drummers,  it  was 
merely  mechanical.  It  was  nothing  but  sounding 
brass  and  tinkling  cymbals;  but,  thank  Gk>d,  Mr. 
Jones,  I  am  on  the  side  of  Christ  now,  and  right 
where  I  can  pour  out  Christian  sympathy  and  love 
into  bereaved  and  sorrowing  hearts."  O,  brother, 
that  is  a  point.  Some  of  you  say :  "  I  have  been 
thinking  of  being  a  Christian,  but  I  think  I  had 
better  put  it  off.  I  do  n't  want  to  take  any  stand 
until  about  twelve  months  from  now.  They  say  I 
must  not  hurry  about  the  thing."     I  reply,  brother, 


I  Thought  on  My  Ways.  331 

run  up  the  flag  right  where  you  are,  and  let  the 
world  see  that  you  intend  to  do  right.  Turn 
around !  Now,  who  wants  to  do  right — to  turn 
around,  to  go  the  other  way?  Can  you?  Ought 
you?  Will  you?  Is  it  best  to  turn?  You  must 
haste  to  do  it  while  you  can.  In  a  few  more  days 
some  of  you  will  be  very  near  that  point  where  no 
man  ever  did  turn.  A  few  more  days  in  those 
depths,  a  few  more  days  of  that  debauchery,  a  few 
more  days  of  drunkenness,  and  cursing,  and  licen- 
tiousness, will  put  you  where  you  can  not  turn,  and 
that  is  the  saddest  thing  ever  said  about  any  man — 
he  can  not  turn !  O,  thank  God,  you  can  turn  to- 
day !  The  grandest  period  in  a  man's  life  is  when 
he  walks  up  and  gives  himself  to  God. 

Brother,  I  read  yesterday  in  a  commercial  paper 
these  words :  "  Feed  your  farm,  and  your  farm  will 
feed  you."  Now,  what  we  want  is  to  give  ourselves 
to-day  to  God  and  his  righteousness,  and  God  will 
give  himself  to  us ;  and  then  we  will  realize  that  it 
is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. 

Give  all  you  are  and  all  you  get  and  you  shall 
receive  it  back  from  God.  Give  yourselves  to  a 
better  life ;  and  may  God's  blessings  rest  upon  the 
commercial  travelers  of  this  city  and  of  America, 
and  on  your  wives  and  widows  and  children,  forever 
and  ever. 


Sermon  XXV. 

OONKEDSSION    AND    PARDON. 

"  Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is  foi^ven,  whose  sin 
is  covered.  Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom  the  Lord  im- 
puteth  not  iniquity,  and  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile."— 

PSA.  HXXUf  1,  2. 

DAVID  surveyed  the  whole  field  of  human  con- 
duct, and  swept  the  horizon  of  thought  as 
much  as  any  man  before  him^  or  any  man  after  him. 
He  took  in  the  whole  situation,  and  he  said,  '^  If 
you  want  to  be  happy,  if  you  want  to  be  contented, 
if  you  want  joy,  if  you  want  peace,  secure  the  for- 
giveness of  your  transgressions.  If  you  are  a  par- 
doned man  you  are  a  happy  man.  If  you  are  un- 
pardoned you  are  unhappy." 

Really,  brethren,  as  we  get  further  into  life,  we 
find  there  is  nothing  really  here  to  make  a  man 
happy.  Lord  Byron,  with  a  capacity  of  earthly 
enjoyment  that  perhaps  you  and  I  know  nothing  of, 
was  sitting  quietly  and  meditatively  on  one  occa- 
sion shortly  before  his  death,  and  a  friend  said  to 
him :  "  My  lord,  what  are  yon  thinking  about  so 
solemnly?"  "I  was  just  trying  to  recollect  and 
count  up  the  happy  days  of  my  life."  "  How  many 
days  did  you  count?"  Said  he,  "  I  can  count  only 
eleven  days  of  actual  happiness;  and  I  was  just 
wondering  if  I  would  live  long  enough  to  make  out 
one  more  happy  day,  and  say  that  I  have  had  twelve 
332 


Confession  and  Pardon.  333 

such  days  in  my  ]ife.''  This  was  a  man  who  had 
lived  in  wealth.  There  was  not  a  cup  of  pleasure 
he  had  not  drunk  of.  With  a  genius  that  gave  life 
to  every  enjoyment,  with  an  influence  that  swept 
along  the  social  circle  and  moved  all  the  intellectual 
features  of  the  lives  around  him,  and  with  an  appetite 
for  earthly  things,  he  said,  "  I  have  had  but  eleven 
happy  days.''  I  reckon  he  must  have  seen  these 
Tiappy  days  before  he  was  eleven  years  old ;  but  he 
did  n't  tell  when  he  had  experienced  them. 

This  old  Epicurean  theory,  which  is  but  modern 
science  turned  inside  out,  is  to  ''  eat,  drink,  and  be 
merry,  for  to-morrow  you  die."  There  never  was 
any  thing  in  the  universe,  brother,  more  fatal  and 
false,  than  to  seek  happiness  from  this  old  Epicurean 
theory,  the  most  selfish  in  the  world.  Look  at  it — 
**  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry."  I  am  glad  that  in  the 
kingdom  of  God  we  do  not  have  to  eat  or  drink. 
The  Epicurean  theory  is  the  father  of  all  gouts  and 
drunkenness  in  the  universe.  Now,  David  teaches 
us  a  different  philosophy.  Here  is  happiness  in- 
deed, but  it  does  not  consist  in  what  we  eat  or 
drink.  A  man  may  be  happy  whether  he  has  little 
or  much.  St.  Paul  was  happy  in  prison,  and  did 
not  care  what  sort  of  bed  he  had  to  sleep  on,  or 
what  he  had  for  supper  or  breakfast,  but  he  said, 
whatever  was  set  before  him,  "  To-day  I  will  take 
dinner  with  God  and  the  angels." 

"  Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is  forgiven ;" 
not,  Blessed  is  that  man  who  lives  in  a  four-story 
house ;  not.  Blessed  is  that  man  who  has  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars  to  his  credit  in  bank ;  not.  Blessed 


334  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

is  the  man  that  owns  the  most  railroad  stock  and 
government  bonds.  No,  sir.  If  you  are  seeking 
happiness  in  that  direction,  it  is  like  trying  to 
satiate  your  thirst  by  drinking  salt  water — the  more 
you  drink  the  more  you  want,  and  when  you  get 
filled  up,  you  will  want  water  ten  times  more  than 
you  did  before.  If  you  want  to  be  happy,  you 
must  obtain  the  favor  of  God.  And  the  way  to  ob- 
tain it,  is  to  seek  God's  pardon. 

This  strong  ground  and  high  ground  David 
takes — happy  is  the  man  who  is  pardoned  for  all 
his  past  transgressions. 

Then,  "  Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom  the  Lord 
iraputeth  not  iniquity."  Brother,  my  relations  to 
God  are  determined  by  my  loyalty  to  him — that 's  the 
truth  at  last.  If  I  know  my  boy  is  through  and 
through  loyal  to  his  father,  I  do  not  walk  around 
watching  him  all  the  time;  if  he  is  playing  marbles 
or  whistling,  I  ain't  bothered  about  him.  Now  in 
the  same  way,  the  Lord  doesn't  look  so  much  at 
what  a  fellow  does  as  at  what  makes  him  do  it. 
He  doesn't  look  so  much  at  how  many  times  he 
has  fallen,  but  how  hard  he  has  tried  to  get  up. 
God  does  n't  deal  with  us  as  to  the  exact  words  and 
deeds,  but  as  to  the  motives,  altogether.  Do  you 
believe  that  ?  If  that  is  n't  so,  how  could  Jesus 
have  said,  "Whosoever  hateth  his  brother  is  a 
murderer?"  A  great  many  people  commit  sin,  and 
they  say,  "The  Lord  knows  my  motive  was  good, 
though."  Yes,  but  the  trouble  is,  you  have  n't  got 
any  motive. 

"  Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom   the  Lord  im* 


Confession  and  Pardon.  335 

puteth  r.ot  iniquity/'  and  that's  the  man  that  God  can 
trust.  He  does  n't  have  to  watch  him.  The  Lord 
tells  the  servants  of  men  not  to  be  eye-servants, 
that  require  constant  watching.  Brethren,  I  just 
want  to  live  so  that  the  Lord  does  n't  have  to  watch 
me  every  day  a»  if  he  were  doubtful  of  my  integrity, 
so  that  he  can  say,  "  I  know  that  you  have  been  all 
right."  Some  of  you  look  as  though  you  would 
like  very  much  for  him  not  to  look  afler  you  for  a 
month  at  a  time. 

Brother,  when  there  is  a  man  in  your  em- 
ploy and  you  never  look  over  his  accounts,  you 
know  that  man  is  correct,  and  whatever  the  error 
may  be  you  know  you  can  not  attribute  it  or 
trace  it  to  that  servant.  God  works  on  that  plan, 
and  let  us  live  on  it.  God  himself  has  confidence 
in  you,  and  you  know  your  motives  are  pure  and 
your  loyality  is  unchallenged. 

Now,  listen  further.  "  In  whose  spirit  there  is 
no  guile."  Here  you  have  the  whole  matter  of 
uprightness  pointed  out  to  you.  I  like  a  guile- 
less man.  Just  think  of  the  guile  of  this  world.- 
I  passed  by  a  dentist's  shop  the  other  day,  and  he 
had  an  artificial  set  of  teeth  with  plugs  in  all  of  them. 
I  asked  him,  "  What  do  you  put  those  plugs  into  arti- 
ficial teeth  for  ?"  He  answered,  "  To  make  them  look 
more  natural."  Think  of  that!  Do  you  see  the  guile  ? 
And  there  is  guile  in  every  thing  now.  Now,  let 
me  tell  you,  if  there  is  any  thing  in  this  world  that 
I  detest  it  is  guile.  Guile !  A  person  that  is  one 
thing  to-day  and  another  thing  to-morrow ;  who  is 
one  thing  in  one  place  and  another  thing  in  another 


336  Sam  Jones'  Owk  Book. 

plsoe,  I  despifie.  If  there  is  any  thing  that  I  ad- 
mire about  a  thiDg  it  is  that  it  is  real  on  both  sides, 
that  it  is  real  on  the  oatside  and  ou  the  inside.  I 
want  to  know  of  a  man  that  he  would  not  make 
a  diflerent  loolcing  man  in  the  sight  of  God  than 
he  does  in  the  sight  of  his  friend.  I  want  to  have 
a  man  pure  at  the  top,  pure  in  the  center,  pure  at 
the  bottom,  and  pure  all  over. 

Brother,  in  the  sight  of  Gud  you  are  a  trans- 
parent man.  He  can  see  through  you.  I  have  a 
contempt  for  a  man  who  has  any  thing  in  him  to 
hide.  I  believe  in  having  no  wrong  side  and  no 
right  side  to  a  character.  It  should  be  all  right. 
I  like  that.  But  poor  old  human  nature  is  so 
made  up  that  no  man  knows  every  thing.  Some 
will  say  in  their  hearts,  "  If  our  pastor  knew  these 
things  about  me,  what  would  he  say  ?  If  our  pas- 
tor found  this  out,  what  would  he  say?  If  our 
Church  heard  of  this  thing,  what  would  they  say  7" 
O,  listen;  God  hath  already  found  it  out.  Be  what- 
you  are  through  and  through.  Let  the  first  half- 
inch  of  earth  about  you  be  just  like  every  other 
half-inch  clear  down  to  the  bottom.  Some  pieces 
of  humanity  are  put  up  like  some  bales  of  cotton 
down  South.  They  put  the  nice,  white  cotton  out- 
side, and  in  the  center  they  put  the  dog-tail  cot- 
ton— the  worst  cotton  there  is.  And  some  human- 
ity is  put  up  on  the  same  principle  exactly.  There 
is  many  a  Methodist  and  many  a  Baptist  in  this 
with  the  nicest  part  of  his  character  on  the 
e,  but  he  will  bring  the  price  in  the  market 
n  proportion  to  the  depth  you  can  reach  into 


Confession  and  Pardon.  337 

his  character.  Dealers  have  got  a  method  of  find-' 
ing  out  what  a  bale  of  cotton  is  right  through. 
Aud^  brother^  some  of  these  days  God  will  show 
you  what  you  are  through  and  through. 

Now,  I  will  tell  you  auother  thing.  A  guile- 
less, transparent  man  will  make  a  heap  of  enemies, 
because  a  heap  of  folks  will  misunderstand  him. 
They  think  that  if  he  is  just  like  that  on  the  out- 
side he  must  be  worse  on  the  inside,  and  so  they 
will  think  he  is  a  bad  fellow,  because  he  does  not 
look  right  to  them  on  the  outside,  and  they  decide 
he  must  be  terrible  on  the  inside.  Do  n't  judge 
people  that  way.  A  guileful  man  will  say  to  you 
that  every  body  has  his  price,  that  you  can  buy 
every  body.  Now,  he  is  just  telling  his  own  ex- 
perience, and  putting  himself  in  the  market.  He 
says  to  you,  "  Just  give  me  a  tolerably  good  price 
and  I  will  sell  myself."  And  that  sort  of  a  man 
can  be  bought.  If  you  are  in  need  of  him  you  can 
buy  him. 

David  tells  us  that  he  sinned  against  God,  and 
kept  silence,  and  would  not  confess;  and  that  by 
reason  of  his  refusal  to  confess  his  sins,  "  day  and 
night  the  hand  of  God  was  heavy  upon  him,  and 
his  moisture  was  turned  into  the  drought  of  Sum- 
mer." O,  what  striking  figures  he  uses  here !  And 
right  along  here  we  find  in  this  territory  the  whole 
question  on  this  point  opened  up  to  us.  A  man 
walks  up  in  front  and  takes  his  seat  in  the  peni- 
tents' chair;  he  walks  into  the  inquiry  room  and 
says,  "I  confess  to  God  and  man  that  I  am  not 
right."     He  gives  us  his  hand,  and  opens  his  heart 

29— B 


336  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

place,  I  despise.  If  there  is  any  thing  that  I  ad- 
mire about  a  thing  it  is  that  it  is  real  on  both  sides, 
that  it  is  real  on  the  outside  and  on  the  inside.     I 

want  to  know  of  a  man   that  he  would  not  make 

» 

a  different  looking  man  in  the  sight  of  God  than 
he  does  in  the  sight  of  his  friend.  I  want  to  have 
a  man  pure  at  the  top,  pure  in  the  center,  pure  at 
the  bottom,  and  pure  all  over. 

Brother,  in  the  sight  of  God  you  are  a  trans- 
parent man.  He  can  see  through  you.  I  have  a 
contempt  for  a  man  who  has  any  thing  in  him  to 
hide.  I  believe  in  having  no  wrong  side  and  no 
right  side  to  a  character.  It  should  be  all  right. 
I  like  that.  But  poor  old  human  nature  is  so 
made  up  that  no  man  knows  every  thing.  Some 
will  say  in  their  hearts,  "  If  our  pastor  knew  these 
things  about  me,  what  would  he  say  ?  If  our  pas- 
tor found  this  out,  what  would  he  say  ?  If  our 
Church  heard  of  this  thing,  what  would  they  say  ?" 
O,  listen;  God  hath  already  found  it  out.  Be  what- 
you  are  through  and  through.  Let  the  first  half- 
inch  of  earth  about  you  be  just  like  every  other 
half-inch  clear  down  to  the  bottom.  Some  pieces 
of  humanity  are  put  up  like  some  bales  of  cotton 
down  South.  They  put  the  nice,  white  cotton  out- 
side, and  in  the  center  they  put  the  dog-tail  cot- 
ton— the  worst  cotton  there  is.  And  some  human- 
ity is  put  up  on  the  same  principle  exactly.  Th^re 
is  many  a  Methodist  and  many  a  Baptist  in  this 
town  with  the  nicest  part  of  his  character  on  the 
outside,  but  he  will  bring  the  price  in  the  market 
just  in  proportion  to  the  depth  you  can  reach  into 


Confession  and  Pardon.  3J7 

his  character.  Dealers  have  got  a  method  of  find- 
ing out  what  a  bale  of  cotton  is  right  through. 
And^  brother^  some  of  these  days  God  will  show 
you  what  you  are  through  and  through. 

Now,  I  will  tell  you  another  thing.  A  guile- 
less, transparent  man  will  make  a  heap  of  enemies, 
because  a  heap  of  folks  will  misunderstand  him. 
They  think  that  if  he  is  just  like  that  on  the  out- 
side he  must  be  worse  on  the  inside,  and  so  they 
will  think  he  is  a  bad  fellow,  because  he  does  not 
look  right  to  them  on  the  outside,  and  they  decide 
he  must  be  terrible  on  the  inside.  Do  n't  judge 
people  that  way.  A  guileful  man  will  say  to  you 
that  every  body  has  his  price,  that  you  can  buy 
every  body.  Now,  he  is  just  telling  his  own  ex- 
perience, and  putting  himself  in  the  market.  He 
says  to  you,  "  Just  give  me  a  tolerably  good  price 
and  I  will  sell  myself."  And  that  sort  of  a  man 
can  be  bought.  If  you  are  in  need  of  him  you  can 
buy  him. 

David  tells  us  that  he  sinned  against  Grod,  and 
kept  silence,  and  would  not  confess;  and  that  by 
reason  of  his  refusal  to  confess  his  sins,  "  day  and 
night  the  hand  of  God  was  heavy  upon  him,  and 
his  moisture  was  turned  into  the  drought  of  Sum- 
mer." O,  what  striking  figures  he  uses  here !  And 
right  along  here  we  find  in  this  territory  the  whole 
question  on  this  point  opened  up  to  us.  A  man 
walks  up  in  front  nnd  takes  his  seat  in  the  peni- 
tents' chair;  he  w(\lks  into  the  inquiry  room  and 
says,  '^  I  confess  to  God  and  man  that  I  am  not 
right."     He  gives  us  his  hand,  and  opens  his  heart 

29— B 


338  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

to  the  love  of  God.  He  is  confessing  his  sins  in  pub- 
lic. Brother,  if  you  have  siuned  against  God,  go 
to  God  and  confess  it.  "  I  kept  silence,"  says  David, 
''and  my  bones  waxed  old  through  my  roaring  all 
the  day  long;  for  day  and  uiglit  thy  hand  was 
heavy  upon  me."  Listen  to  me  now,  you  who 
have  not  had  peace  of  mind  for  these  ten  days,  for 
months.  Days  seem  years  when  your  mind  is  on 
yourself,  because  you  are  miserable.  David  told 
what  his  trouble  was,  what  your  trouble  is ;  and  he 
said  because  of  it,  "  My  moisture  was  turned  into 
the  drought  of  Summer."  I  have  learned  how  a 
person  feels  by  seeing  how  the  fields  are  in  a 
droughty  season.  Our  garden  is  dried  up,  and 
every  green  thing  droops,  and  the  best  land  produces 
only  about  ten  per  cent  of  a  crop.  We  have  only  ten 
per  cent  of  a  crop  of  grain.  As  I  look  out  upon 
the  orchard  leaves  and  the  corn  I  understand  how 
drought  has  laid  hold  of  this  crop.  The  poor 
farmer  suffers  for  it.  Brother,  a  drought  of  this 
kind  may  only  last  for  weeks,  but  a  drought  in  the 
human  heart  may  be  one  that  will  last  forever* 
''  My  moisture  is  turned  into  the  drought  of  Sum- 
mer." O  to  see  the  drought  of  Summer  upon  the 
hearts  and  lives  of  professing  Christians,  and  upon 
those  out  of  the  Church,  and  to  see  their  spiritual 
nature  droop,  and  wilt,  and  wither,  and  die  imder 
a  drought  that  is  brought  upon  them  by  their  own 
voluntary  conduct  and  action !  Where  is  there  a 
man  that  won't  confess?  We  come  to  him  to-night 
asking  him  to  seek  the  Lord,  and  he  says,  ''  I 
do  n't  want  to  come  up."     What  he  means  is,  "  I 


Confession  and  Pardon.  339 

do  n't  want  to  confess ;''  that  is  the  trouble.  When 
a  fellow  gets  willing  to  confess  he  will  go  and  do 
it  before  any  thing  else. 

The  Lord  says,  "  He  that  confesseth  shall  find 
mercy .'^  "  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful 
and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from 
all  unrighteousness."  Sin  is  a  debt :  "  Forgive  us 
our  debts  as  we  forgive  our  debtors."  Now,  we 
will  start  out  with  that  proposition.  If  I  owe  a 
man  a  dollar,  I  have  to  meet  that  debt  with  a  hun- 
dred cents,  or  with  bankruptcy.  I  must  do  one  or 
the  other.  Now,  down  South  our  farmers  are  fur- 
nished by  merchants  or  warehousemen  with  money 
and  provisions  to  last  until  they  make  their  crops. 
The  farmer  comes  to  the  merchant  and  mortgages 
his  farm,  his  buildings,  and  horses,  and  stock,  and 
crop,  and  draws  money  and  provisions  to  use  during 
the  year.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  goes  into  town 
and  pays  about  sixty-six  cents  on  the  dollar,  and 
when  he  has  paid  this  amount  he  says  to  the  mer- 
chant, "  You  must  carry  the  other  thirty-three  cents 
over  to  the  next  year."  The  merchant  holds  the 
mortgage  on  his  farm  and  stock,  and  carries  him 
over  to  the  next  year.  The  next  year  the  same 
thing  is  repeated,  and  he  carries  over  another  thirty- 
three  per  cent,  making  sixty-six  per  cent  for  the 
two  years.  And  then  he  does  the  same  thing  the 
third  year;  there  is  another  thirty-three  per  cent 
added  to  his  indebtedness.  The  next  year  I  see 
the  sheriff  with  a  paper  in  his  hand,  crying, 
"This  plantation  for  sale."  What  does  it  mean! 
It  means  that  the  mortgage  is  due,  and  the  offi- 


340  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

cers  of  the  court  are  selling  the  owner  out  to  pay 
his  debts. 

Now,  brother,  I  will  say  this  much :  to  get  into 
debt  financially  is  about  the  worst  thing  that  a  man 
can  do.  A  man  had  better  die  than  get  into  debt, 
and  I  speak  that  with  all  the  honesty  of  my  nature. 
Death  is  better  than  debt.  Spurgeon  has  declared 
as  the  three  greatest  evils,  "Dirt,  the  devil,  and 
debt."  By  the  grace  of  God,  I  hope  to  conquer  all 
the  three,  and  make  my  way  to  heaven.  Dirt,  the 
devil,  and  debt!  I  don't  know  which  is  the  worst. 
Soap  will  do  away  with  the  first,  and  by  prayer  and 
faith  you  can  get  rid  of  the  second ;  but  the  third 
one,  debt,  is  a  mighty  hard  thing  to  manage.  Now, 
when  you  owe  a  dollar,  you  have  got  to  pay  out 
that  dollar,  or  meet  bankruptcy — one  thing  or  the 
other.  The  best  thing  is  never  to  get  into  debt. 
Do  n't  owe  any  body  any  thing.  And  I  will  tell 
you  another  thing.  A  man  that  will  buy  a  luxury 
on  a  credit  is  a  fool.  And  when  a  man  will  buy  a 
luxury,  when  he  at  the  same  time  owes  an  honest 
debt,  he  is  a  rascal.  I  know  what  I  am  talking  about. 
I  tell  you  that  during  the  first  years  of  my  religious 
life,  I  grappled  with  debt  until  it  almost  took  the 
last  drop  of  blood  out  of  my  body.  When  I  was 
preaching  on  a  $600  a  year  salary,  as  soon  as  I  got 
my  quarterly  dues,  I  paid  every  nickel  that  I  could, 
though  I  knew  that  my  wife  did  not  have  a  single 
good  dress.  I  paid  money  out,  though  I  had  hardly 
a  coat  on  my  back.  And  I  will  tell  you  another 
thing.  I  would  have  had  no  rest  for  that  money  I 
owed  if  I  had  bought  myself  a  coat  and  my  wife  a 


Confession  and  Pardon.  341 

dress,  because  people  would  have  said,  "You  see 
Jones  has  money,  but  he  won't  pay  it  back  to  his 
creditors."  The  same  God  that  said,  "  Thou  shalt 
not  steal,"  tells  us  "Owe  no  man  any  thing  but  to 
love  one  another."  And  yet  a  great  many  people 
think  that  they  are  all  right  when  they  do  not  pay 
their  debts,  and  tbey  simply  say  that  they  owe  them. 
They  think  that  it  is  not  stealing,  even  though  they 
are  able  to  pay  them.  I  believe  that  I  would 
rather  have  a  man  steal  from  me  when  I  am  sleep- 
ing than  have  him  steal  from  me  when  I  am  look- 
ing at  him. 

Now,  brother,  as  sin  is  a  debt,  the  best  thing  to 
do  in  the  world  is— do  n't  sin  at  all.  That  is  best, 
and  thank  God  it  is  possible.  "  Yes,"  but  you  say, 
"I  can't  help  sinning."  You  can  help  it  just  as 
well  as  you  can  keep  from  getting  into  debt— <lo 
you  know  that?  Am  I  obliged  to  get  into  debt  to- 
day or  to-morrow?  *  Which  sin  am  I  obliged  to 
commit  to-day  or  to-morrow?  "You  are  not  like 
me,"  you  hear  people  say;  "  I  can  not  live  without 
sin."  Whenever  you  hear  a  person  say  that,  you 
may  know  he  is  falling  into  sin  more  deeply,  and 
that  he  has  made  provision  for  it.  Well,  I  say,  the 
best  thing  in  the  world  is,  do  n't  do  wrong.  But 
if  you  do  happen  to  slip  and  do  wrong  the  best 
thing  is  to  fall  down  and  repent.  Do  n't  let  it  get 
cold  before  you  have  repented  of  it.  I  believe  it  is 
a  good  idea  if  you  sin  on  the  sidewalk,  to  drop 
down  on  the  sidewalk  and  repent  then  and  there. 
A  man  ought  to  be  able  to  repent  and  to  pray  any- 
where that  he  can  afford  to  sin.    The  best  thing  for 


1 


342  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

you  to  do  when  you  do  wrong  is  to  exclaim :  "  Now, 
Lord,  I  am  sorry,  but  I  repent  right  now." 

That  was  one  good  thing  about  David.  He  got 
out  of  the  right  path  and  did  wrong  frequently; 
but  as  soon  as  Nathan  would  drop  his  finger  upon 
him  he  would  sink  down  and  go  to  repenting  with 
all  his  might  and  soul  on  the  spot.  That  is  the 
next  best  thing — to  repent  on  the  spot  for  the  sin 
there  committed.  If  you  do  n't  do  that  then  you 
will  probably  say,  "God  helping  me,  I  won't  go  to 
sleep  any  night  until  the  day's  unworthy  transac- 
tions are  repented  of."  That  is  the  way  that  fellow 
on  the  plantation  got  bankrupt — putting  off  paying 
his  debts  and  letting  them  run  one  year  after  an- 
other. Now,  brother,  here  is  a  member  of  the 
Church,  and  he  is  letting  his  sins  go  on  without  re- 
penting of  them  week  after  week  and  month  after 
month,  and  year  after  year,  until  they  are  piled  up 
mountain  high;  and  he  walks  up  to  the  preacher 
and  tells  him  to  take  his  name  off  the  Church  book, 
and  the  poor  fellow  goes  into  temporal  and  spiritual 
and  eternal  bankruptcy  and  gives  it  up  forever.  And 
do  you  know  there  are  hundreds  of  just  such  cases 
as  that? 

"  But,"  you  say,  "  Mr.  Jones,  what  are  you  going 
to  do  with  the  doctrine  of  final  perseverance?"  I 
tell  you  the  doctrine  of  final  perseverance  won't  hold 
good  here.  But  that  is  the  only  exception,  thank 
God,  in  the  universe.  The  doctrine  of  final  perse- 
verance will  hold  true  in  every  other  instance.  You 
know  how  a  poor  fellow  in  debt  for  money  will 
get  despondent  and  discouraged.    And  it  is  the  same 


Confession  and  Pardon.  343 

witii  a  poor  fellow  whose  sius  are  allowed  to  accumu- 
late, aud  he  makes  no  effort  to  get  rid  of  them.  Sin 
is  a  debt  you  have  to  meet  at  the  mercy-seat  of  God 
with  an  honest,  open  confession,  or  you  will  have  to 
meet  it  in  the  judgment  with  eternal  bankruptcy  of 
your  soul.  Now,  which  will  you  do?  If  you  have 
sinned,  brother,  the  best  time  for  you  to  repent  is 
just  now.  You  can  not  afford  to  put  it  off  any 
longer. 

Brother,  I  do  not  want  to  do  wrong  at  all,  but 
if  I  do  I  want  to  repent  at  once — repent  right  now. 
Aud  you  would  better  not  go  to  sleep  to-night  with  a 
consciousness  that  you  have  unpardoned  sins  hang- 
ing over  you.  Whether  you've  been  in  sin  forty 
years  or  thirty  years,  brother,  if  you  will  not  see 
yourself  in  the  light  of  truth  to-night,  despair  will 
take  possession  of  your  soul.  If  all  of  the  sins  you 
have  committed  were  scattered  out  among  the 
people  in  this  city,  there  would  be  enough  to 
damn  them. 

Now,  brother,  let's  you  and  I  begin  to  look 
over  ourselves.  God  helping  me,  I  will  have  a  re- 
ceipt, written  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  all 
my  sins  are  forgiven.  You  would  better  trifle  with 
anything  of  a  temporal  nature  than  with  these  debts ; 
but  confess  them  at  once,  and  obtain  pardon. 

I'll  tell  you  another  thing,  brother:  When  you 
go  to  confession,  go  to  the  bottom.  I  '11  give  you 
an  instance,  and  what  I  shall  say  some  of  you,  per- 
haps, will  not  like.  In  one  of  the  Southern  cities 
there  was,  perhaps,  as  respectable  a  woman  as  ever 
moved   in   the   high   circle  to  which  she  belonged. 


344  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

She  became  iDterested  in  a  revival  going  on/ and 
gave  lier  heart  to  God,  and  on  the  Saturday  after- 
noon before  she  was  to  be  received  in  the  Church 
she  sought  one  of  the  best  women  in  that  town  and 
said  to  her: 

*'  I  Ve  come  to  talk  with  you.  To-morrow  morn- 
ing I  'm  going  to  join  the  Church — the  Church  you 
belong  to ;  and  I  say  to  you  I  have  given  my  heart 
to  God,  and  have  repented  of  my  sins,  but  I  shall 
be  disgraced  to-morrow  when  my  name  is  read  out 
to  the  people/' 

"  Why,"  said  the  lady,  "  what  do  you  mean  ?" 

*'  I  mean  this :  I  have  lived  a  false  life ;  I  am 
living  a  falsehood.  You  know  my  little  son  Willie, 
ten  years  old  ?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  lady. 

"  Well,  you  know  I  am  called  Mrs.  So-and-so. 
My  name  is  not  Mrs.  So-and-so,  but  it  is  Miss  So- 
and-so  ;  and  so  it  shall  go  on  the  register  of  God's 
Church.     I  will  go  to  the  bottom." 

God  pity  us  if  there  is  any  thing  wrong,  what- 
ever it  is;  let  us  go  down  to  the  bottom,  and  out 
with  it.  That  woman  had  to  do  it  or  be  damned. 
Yon  can  not  live  a  false  life  and  be  a  Christian. 
Go  down  to  bottom  facts.  Say,  "  I  will  go  to  the 
bottom  if  it  disgraces  me  among  men ;  but  I  Ml  put 
myself  right  before  God  and  his  holy  angels." 
That's  what  that  woman  did.  And,  whenever  you 
see  a  man  or  woman  who  would  rather  please  God 
than  to  have  all  the  cheers  and  honors  this  world 
can  bestow  upon  him  or  her,  you  can  thank  God 
that  there   is  one   honest   man,  that  there   is  one 


Confession  and  Pardon.  345 

honest  woman^  who  has  come  down  to  bottom 
facts. 

O,  brother,  if  we  could  just  spend  one  honest 
hour  before  God !  and  every  man  of  us  ought  to 
])ray  God  on  our  knees  in  confessing  these  sins  that 
are  piled  up  upon  us,  and  which  will  inevitably 
doom  OS  in  the  end  if  we  do  not  repent.  That 
is  what  we  want — confession.  God  will  listen 
and  save. 

David  said,  "  I  acknowledged  ray  sin  unto  thee, 
and  mine  iniquity  have  I  not  hid.*'  There  is  the 
whole  process  of  salvation  in  a  single  line :  I  have 
acknowledged  ray  sins,  I  have  confessed  my  trans- 
gressions unto  God.  I  know  only  one  chance  for  us 
poor  mortal  beings,  and  that  is,  an  honest  confession 
before  God.  Two  brothers  went  to  battle.  One 
was  shot  down.  The  other  exclaimed,  "  Thank 
God,  my  brother  was  ready,  and  had  given  himself 
to  the  Lord !"  Brothers,  sisters,  let  us  so  live  and 
die,  having  our  peace  made  with  God,  that  it  may  be 
said  of  us,  "  Thank  God,  he  was  ready  1"  Let  us, 
you  and  I,  get  ready,  live  ready,  and  die  ready. 


Sayings. 

There  ar&  problems  and  questions  in  your  home 
life  that  no  one  but  God  cj\n  settle  wisely  and  cor- 
rectly. If  you  will  know  God  personally,  and  will 
adjust  yourself  fully  toward  God,  then  all  the  love 
and  grace  of  his  heart  will  be  poured  into  your  heart 
and  life  day  by  day. 


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^  •*  ite.™^    ^^ 


Sermon  XX VI. 

-A.   NR>?V   ORKATURK   IN    CHRIST. 

"Therefore,  if  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  crea- 
ture."—2  Cor.  V,  17. 

I  TRUST  that  the  good  Spirit  to-day  may  give 
us  his  presence  and  his  help  in  the  discussion 
of  this  wonderful  text.  For,  after  all,  brethren,  if 
Christ  Jesus  be  any  other  than  the  Son  of  God  and 
the  personal  Savior  of  man,  then  our  preaching  is 
vain  and  our  faith  is  vain,  and  we  are  still  in 
our  sins. 

Whatever  else  may  be  said  of  us,  I  am  glad  that 
more  men  are  asking,  "  Who  is  Christ  ?'' ''  What  is 
Christ  ?^^  to-day  than  in  any  day  in  this  world's  his- 
tory. There  have  been  more  lives  of  Christ  written 
since  I  was  born  than  were  ever  written  before. 
In  the  last  three  decades  there  have  been  more 
men  trying  to  answer  these  two  question^and  not 
only  more  men,  but  the  most  gifted  men  this  world 
ever  knew,  are  asking,  "Who  is  Christ?"  "What 
is  Christ?''  and  I  believe  the  most  philosophical 
statement  in  answer  to  these  questions  is  about 
this:  Christ  is  the  living  personal  embodiment  of 
wisdom,  of  justice,  of  love,  of  mercy,  of  truth,  of 
purity,  and  all  the  attributes  and  characteristics 
which  make  the  character  of  God  lovely. 

Christ  is  not  a  sentiment,  brother!     He  is  not 

347 


348  8am  Jones'  Own  Book. 

simply  an  historical  person,  but  Christ  is  a  living 
presence.  The  creed  of  a  Church  is  but  a  garment 
we  put  about  Christ,  and  there  is  no  more  life  in  a 
creed  than  there  is  life  in  this  coat  I  have  on.  I 
am  glad  that  my  salvation  and  your  salvation  does 
not  depend  upon  our  belief  in  this  creed  or  in  that 
creed.  And  I  sometimes  think  we  make  an  idol 
of  our  creed  and  our  Church.  Our  creed  !  I  have 
known  ministers  to  spend  more  time  in  the  defense 
of  their  creed  than  they  did  preaching  Christ  to 
dying  men.  I  am  sorry  for  any  preacher  that  has 
a  creed  which  needs  a  defense.  I  would  much 
rather  have  a  creed  that  all  men  who  want  to  be 
religious  can  assent  to. 

It 's  not  faith  in  a  creed  that  saves.  The  Meth* 
odist  creed  can  not  be  swallowed  by  a  great  many 
intelligent  men.  The  Presbyterian  creed  has  never 
gone  down  some  very  good,  wise  men.  The  Cath- 
olic creed  does  not  suit  others^  nor  will  the  other 
creeds  suit  others;  and  when  we  come  to  boil  this 
question  down  to  a  sensible  proposition,  brethren, 
we  find  at  last  that  God  does  not  say,  "  Whosoever 
believes  in  the  five  points  of  Calvinism  shall  be 
saved."  He  never  put  salvation  on  that  proposi- 
tion. He  did  not  say  that  "  Whosoever  believeth  in 
falling  from  grace  shall  be  saved,"  nor  "  Whoso- 
ever believeth  in  immersion  shall  be  saved,"  nor 
"  Whosoever  believeth  in  sprinkling  shall  be  saved," 
nor  yet  "  Whosoever  believeth  in  final  perseverance 
shall  be  saved,"  nor  "  Whosoever  believeth  in  the 
infallibility  of  the  pope  shall  be  saved,"  nor  "  Who- 
soever believeth   in  apostolic   succession   shall    be 


A  New  Creature  m  Christ.         349 

saved:"  but  ''Whosoever  believeth  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  shall  be  saved/'  And  it's  faith  in  a 
person,  and  not  in  a  creed^  that  saves  the  soul. 

It  is  very  ridiculous  to  me  to  hear  a  Methodist 
preacher  speaking  on  infant  baptism  and  all  the  lit- 
tle babes  in  town  asleep^  and  half  of  the  grown 
people  in  town  going  to  hell.  I  could  never  see 
where  the  wisdom  of  such  a  movement  as  that  came 
in.  I  have  sometimes  been  disgusted  with  seeing  a 
Baptist  preaching  "  much  water,"  and  a  majority  of 
his  crowd  going  where  they  can  not  get  a  drop  to 
cool  their  parched  tongues;  or  seeing  an  Episcopa- 
lian minister  ringing  the  changes  on  apostolic  suc- 
cession, while  a  great  many  of  his  flock  ought  to  be 
looking  out  where  they  are  going  to,  rather  than 
where  they  came  from. 

That 's  a  very  serious  question  to  me.  I  am  not 
so  much  interested  about  whence  I  came  as  to 
whither  I  am  going.  That 's  it.  The  doctrine  of  a 
man  preaching  that  "mine  is  the  only  Church, 
mine  is  the  first  Church,"  contains  no  saving  power. 
A  great  many  very  nice  people  assemble  together, 
and  call  themselves  "  our  Church,"  and  "  the 
Church,"  and  really  they  are  nothing  more  or  less 
than  a  religious  crocheting  society.  They  can  do 
almost  any  little  thing — get  up  nice  suppers,  or  run 
a  Church  entertainment  oi*  fair,  or  any  such  thing. 
They  are  first-class  on  that  line ;  but  if  we  get  after 
them  about  visiting  the  sick,  rescuing  the  perishing, 
and  saving  the  fallen,  they  say,  ''O,  we  never  do 
any  thing  like  that  in  our  Church."  I  have  thought 
sometimes  that  if  the  Lord  were  to  take  that  crowd 


350  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

to  heaven  as  they  are,  it  would  not  be  six  months 
before  they  would  have  all  the  angels  rigged  out  in 
lace.  The  Lord  be  merciful  towards  us,  and  help 
us  to  be  truly  good ! 

After  all,  brethren,  what  is  my  Methodism,  and 
your  Presbyterianism,  and  Episcopalianism,  and 
Baptism?  It  is  nothing  more  than  a  duster  we  put 
on  over  our  cloth  coat,  to  keep  off  ^me  of  the  dust 
and  dirt  of  earth,  and  when  we  get  to  the  pearly 
gates,  we  will  pull  off  our  dusters  and  walk  in  with 
our  dress  coats — we  will  never  carry  our  dusters  in 
with  us,  you  may  put  that  down ;  and  is  it  not  ab- 
surd that  we  should  quarrel  over  the  color  and 
quality  of  our  dusters  down  here  ?  O,  for  a  Church 
universal,  that  loves  God  with  all  its  heart,  and 
soul,  and  power,  and  in  which  we  can  get  along 
with  one  another  in  spite  of  the  little  difference  of 
the  color  of  the  dusters !  Would  n't  it  be  a  good 
idea  to  have  such  a  Church  universal? 

Here,  my  brother;  when  you  come  to  this  one 
single  question  of  all  questions,  it  is  not  faith  in 
a  creed,  nor  membership  in  a  Church,  but  it  is  your 
relation  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  that  brings  salva- 
tion. That's  it.  Now,  you  will  say,  "Why,  Mr. 
Jones,  you  make  light  of  the  Church."  No,  no,  I 
do  not  any  more  than  I  make  fun  of  my  coat ;  but 
I  put  my  coat  in  its  right  place.  The  crowned  in- 
strumentalities in  religion  are  all  sent  from  God, 
for  our  good,  and  are  eflScient  means  to  bring  us  to 
God.  But  there  is  only  one  sufficiency,  and  that  is 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ.     Let  us  meet  that  fact. 

When  a  Church  reaches  the  point  where  its  ser- 


A  New  Creature  in  Christ.  351 

vices  are  all  formal^  where  there  is  nothing  but 
formality^  then  religion  with  it  is  nothing  more  than 
what  you  see  represented  in  a  watermelon  patch — 
a  scare-crow  put  up  on  a  forked  stick.  But  where 
Christ  rules  and  reigns  in  the  hearty  there  is  love 
and  life  and  movement. 

Who  is  Christ?  The  living  personal  embodi- 
ment of  truth.  He  is  all  wisdom^  all  mercy,  and 
all  forgiveness.  Well  now,  brother,  St.  Paul  said: 
"I  am  crucified  with  Christ;  nevertheless,  I  live, 
yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me."  The  same  de- 
sire, purpose,  and  resolution  that  moved  Christ  him- 
self should  move  me.  The  wisdom,  justice,  mercy, 
purity,  and  love  of  Christ  have  been  imparted  to  me 
as  a  Christian,  and  now  with,  wisdom,  mercy,  love, 
and  truth,  I  manifest  to  the  world  what  it  is  to  be 
a  Christian.  That  man  is  the  best  Christian  who 
is  the  most  like  Christ.  Perhaps  you  remember 
having  heard  of  that  heathen  who  came  to  America, 
and  finally  when  he  bade  farewell  and  stepped  on 
the  ship  at  San  Francisco  that  was  returning  him 
to  his  native  country,  he  looked  out,  and  said,  "  In 
all  Christendom  I  have  found  no  man  like  Christ." 
What  a  commentary  on  this  Christian  continent! 
"I  have  found  no  man  like  Christ.* 

Now,  brother,  if  a  Christian  is  any  thing,  he  is 
wise.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  difierence  between 
knowledge  and  wisdom.  I  have  seen  very  knowing 
men  who  were  very  foolish  men.  Wisdom  is  the 
skillful  application  of  knowledge — it  is  the  right 
use  of  what  you  know,  of  what  you  have  in  hand. 
Wisdom  is  doing  the  best  thing  in  the  best  way. 


352  Sam  Jones'  Own  Bootc. 

Now  a  Christian  is  wise  in  this ;  he  will  adapt  the 
best  means  to  the  best  ends  always.  The  water  of 
the  river  of  life  is  as  clear  as  crystal,  and  thank 
God,  any  body  who  drinks  of  it  and  has  eyes  to  see, 
may  see  the  spring  from  which  it  flows. 

Wisdom!  Do  you  live  on  a  wise  plane  and 
plan?  Do  you  in  your  heart  mean  to  live  as  you 
profess,  to  deny  yourself  and  take  hold  upon  Christ? 
Are  you  wise  in  your  religious  profession  and  prac- 
tices every  day?  Do  you  counsel  your  family  in 
godly  matters?  Do  you  pray  in  your  family,  read 
your  Bible,  visit  the  sick,  help  the  destitute  and 
needy,  comfort  the  afflicted  ? 

Now  look  here,  brother;  are  you  really  honest 
in  proposing  to  get  to  heaven?  Will  you  adopt 
every  plauk  in  your  platform  as  a  Christian  that 
has  helped  others  to  be  Christians  indeed?  If  you 
are  honest  in  your  purpose  to  get  to  heaven  you 
will  adopt  every  such  plank,  and  help  to  lead  others 
to  Christ  and  to  hold  Christianity  up. 

I  said  once,  while  preaching  in  a  Southern  city, 
that  a  man  who  would  not  pray  in  his  family  had 
no  more  religion  than  a  horse.  Some  rose  up  in 
arms  against  me  and  were  about  to  put  me  out. 
The  next  day^I  walked  down  to  the  store  of  a 
leading  Methodist  there.    He  accosted  me,  and  said: 

*'  Mr.  Jones,  did  you  say  last  night  that  a  man 
who  would  n't  pray  in  his  family  did  n't  have  any 
more  religion  than  a  horse?"  • 

I  said,  "  Yes,  I  did." 

"You're  mistaken,  sir,"  said  he.  "I've  got  as 
much  religion  as  you  have,  and  I  do  n't  pray  in  my 


A  New  Creatuke  in  Christ.         353 

family/'  And  he  was  about  to  jump  on  me;  aud 
if  he  had  had  much  religion  he  would  not  have 
wanted  to  do  that^  would  he? 

I  said,  "Look  here,  do  you  know  what  re- 
ligion is?" 

"Well,"  he  ireplied,  "you  say  what  it  is/* 

Said  I,  "  It  is  loyalty  to  God." 

He  said,  "  That 's  so." 

"  Now,"  said  I,  "  let  us  take  a  sensible  view  of  it. 
Is  not  my  loyalty  to  my  duty  a  test  of  my  loyalty 
to  God  ?" 

"  Yes,  that 's  good  logic." 

"  If  I  am  disloyal  to  my  duty,  can  I  be  loval 
to  God?" 

"No." 

"Can  a  disloyal  man  be  religious?" 

"  I  never  looked  at  the  thing  in  that  way,"  said 
he ;  and  when  he  went  home  that  night,  he  said  to 
his  wife:  "Wife,  get  down  the  family  Bible,  and 
let  us  have  prayers,  and,  God  helping  me,  we  will 
always  have  them  and  try  to  do  our  whole  duty." 

There 's  many  a  fellow  in  this  country  who  thinks 
he  has  religion,  when  it  is  just  something  he  has 
eaten.     But  religion  is  loyalty  to  God. 

A  preacher  came  to  me  once,  and  said:  "Jones, 
you  say  that  any  man  who  has  got  religion  will 
pray  in  public?" 

"  Yes,"  said  I. 

"  Well,  the  best  man  I  We  got  in  my  Church 
won 't  pray  in  public." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "that  man  is  either  a  hypocrite, 

or  he  has  no  pastor  to  instruct  him." 
30-B 


354  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

That  preacher  went  off  as  mad  as  a  hornet 
with  me. 

0 

Now,  hear  me,  brethren,  whenever  the  best  means 
are  brought  to  bear  upon  your  conscience,  you  have 
got  to  adopt  them  or  backslide,  one  or  the  other. 
You  have  to  do  what  God  demands,  or  violate  his 
will.  And  wisdom,  says,  I  must  adopt  that  plank 
in  my  platform.  These  people  would  do  their  duty 
much  better  if  you  put  thumb-screws  on  them.  We 
know  that  if  a  man  is  dii^loyal  to  a  plain,  distinct 
duty,  he  can  not  be  loyal  to  God.  Do  n't  you  have 
these  old  sinners  point  their  fingers  at  you  at  the 
judgment  bar  of  God  and  say  you  were  lacking  in 
your  duty.  Take  care,  brethren,  and  do  n't  let  it 
be  said  that  your  lack  of  duty  damned  any  man. 
Talk  to  your  people,  tell  them  their  duty,  even  if 
they  choke  you  for  it.  This  is  the  very  essence  of 
Christianity — loyalty  to  God. 

I  was  pastor  seven  or  eight  years  of  my  life,  and 
my  mind  and  memory  run  back  to-day  over  tlie 
different  men  and  women  of  the  Churches  I  was 
pastor  of,  and  I  can  almost  put  my  finger  on  every 
one  I  expect  to  meet  in  heaven,  if  I  get  there.  It 
is  those  men  and  women  who  were  loyal  to  God. 
I  tell  you  that  is  a  serious  question  to  think  of. 

Some  folks  do  n't  like  the  Methodist  Church  be- 
cause it  changes  its  preachers  every  three  years. 
But  when  you  stay  ten  or  fifteen  years  at  the  same 
place,  you  ought  to  get  scared  and  say :  "  I  wonder 
if  some  other  preacher  could  not  do  more  than  I 
could." 

Well,  Christianity  means  justice.     A  Christian 


A  New  Creature  in  Christ.  355 

ought  to  be.  a  just  man.  He  ought  to  be  just  to 
his  wife,  just  to  his  children,  just  to  his  neighbor, 
just  to  every  body.  O,  how  innocent  we  seem. 
We  hear  people  say:  "You  would  better  be  just 
before  you  are  generous."  It  is  ten  thousand  times 
easier  to  be  generous  than  it  is  to  be  just.  I  can 
give  a  poor,  old  woman  a  ten  dollar  bill  much 
easier  than  I  can  beg  my  friend's  pardon  for  an  in- 
jury I  have  done  him.  I  can  give  a  check  for  a 
hundred  dollars  for  a  charitable  purpose,  and  it 
doesn't  hurt  me;  but  when  my  little  Bob  runs  into 
my  study  while  I  am  busy  writing  or  reading,  and 
I  say  to  him,  "Go  out  of  here,  Bob;  I  told  you  not 
to  come  in  here  and  bother  me;"  the  little  fellow 
goes  out,  and  my  conscience  says,  "  You  have  been 
unjust  to  that  boy,"  and  I  sit  there  feeling  as  mean 
as  a  dog.  I  go  out  and  find  him,  and  see  him  sit- 
ting on  the  porch-steps,  crying.-  I  take  him  up  on 
my  lap  and  kiss  him  and  beg  his  pardon.  It  is 
hard  to  do,  but  I  say :  "  Bob,  papa  was  cross  and 
rough  to  you  just  now,  but  you  will  forgive  him, 
won't  you?"  And  the  dear  little  fellow  clings  to 
my  neck  and  says,  "  Papa,  you  must  forgive  me,  for 
mamma  told  me  njt  to  go  in  there."  You  see, 
wife  had  found  out  that  there  was  an  old  bear  in 
there,  and  was  trying  to  keep  h^r  children  out. 

Justice!  You  all  know  how  that  is,  don't  you, 
brethren?  Justice!  I  will  be  just  to  my  wife, 
and  beg  her  pardon  if  I  have  been  uncouth.  I  will 
be  just  to  all.  If  I  trample  upon  the  feelings  of  a 
dog,  I  will  pet  and  feed  him,  and  show  him  I  am 
sorry  for  it.     Justice  makes  a  fellow  do  the  clean 


356  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

thing.  A  Christian  must  be  a  just  man;  not  sim- 
ply pay  his  debts  and  pay  what  he  owes^  but,  brother, 
there  are  some  debts  men  won't  pay.  Let  liie  tell 
you  that  in  simple  love  and  justice  you  ought  to 
meet  every  claim  of  humanity  upon  you. 

A  Christian  ought  to  be  just,  and  he  ought  to 
be  a  pure  man.  A  great  many  people  are  very  fas- 
tidious and  have  a  great  deal  of  mock-modesty 
among  them,  but  are  very  impure  people.  I  have 
found  that  out.  I  could  stop  right  here  and  say 
some  things  that  would  bum  like  fire.  I  have  no 
doubt  in  my  mind  there  are  people  in  this  city  who 
have  criticized  Sam  Jones  as  being  vulgar.  Sam 
Jones  may  be  plain  and  outspoken,  coarse  if  you 
will,  in  his  sermons,  but,  thank  God,  he  is  pure  in 
his  life.  And  if  I  am  going  to  be  vulgar  any- 
where, it's  going  to  be  when  I  am  handling  that 
sort  who  say,  "Unto  the  pure  all  things  are  pure." 
I  preached  at  a  famous  watering-place  once,  and  I 
got  on  the  subject  of  dancing.  I  simply  told  the 
plain,  naked  truth;  I  said  that  if  many  a  girl  in 
Georgia  could  have  gone  to  the  rooms  of  the  young 
men  and  listened  to  what  they  said  about  them  after 
the  dance  they  would  never  put  their  feet  into  a 
ball-room  or  dance  again.  What  I  said  at  that 
famous  watering-place  aroused  a  tumult.  They 
called  me  vulgar,  obscene,  vicious,  ill-bred,  and  all 
that,  but  they  came  back  to  the  meeting,  however. 
And  the  girl  who  had  the  lecherous  arm  around 
her  waist,  thought  that  all  I  had  said  was  vulgar 
and  ill-bred  ;  but  the  girl  who  was  pure  indeed, 
paid,  "  Mr.  Jones,  that  sermon  was  a  good  one,  and 


A  Nfiw  Creature  in  Christ.  357 

in  perfect  harmony  with  my  ideas."  "Unto  the 
pure  all  things  are  pure."  It  is  not  so  much  who 
is  the  preacher^  and  what  he  is  sayings  as  who  is 
listening. 

Purity!  I  know  what  it  is  to  call  a  precious 
woman  "mother!"  I  know  what  it  is  to  call  a 
precious  woman  "my  wife!"  I  know  what  it  is  for 
my  sweety  innocent  daughters  to  put  their  arms 
around  my  neck  and  imprint  the  kisses  of  purity 
upon  my  cheek ;  and  as  God  is  my  judge,  in  so  far 
as  mind  and  muscle  goes,  no  man  in  America  will 
stand  to  the  death  any  more  readily  to  defend  the 
purity  of  the  women  of  this  country  than  the  man 
now  speaking  to  you.  I  would  build,  if  necessary, 
a  wall  a  mile  high  around  the  virtue  of  every  girl 
this  country  has  in  it  to-day.  To  those  very  per- 
sons who  say,  "  he  is  vulgar  and  ill-bred,"  the  day 
may  come  in  their  history  when  they  will  be  sorry 
that  such  was  ever  said  by  them. 

I  will  tell  you  another  thing.  If  I  had  a  company 
of  ten  thousand  angels  to  preach  to  to-day,  every 
word  I  uttered,  in  all  of  its  applications  and  its  ety- 
mological sense,  should  be  as  pure  as  heaven  ;  but 
why  preach  thus  to  men?  Our  Savior  himself 
preached  to  men,  and  I  have  thought  a  thousand 
times  his  sermon  would  not  have  had  so  much  in 
it  about  adultery  and  a  great  many  wicked  things 
if  he  had  been  preaching  to  angels.  God,  keep  me 
pure,  and  then  keep  me  dead  honest  in  dealing  with 
souls,  and  help  me  to  strike  right  straight  out  from 
the  shoulder.  I  want  to  take  a  plumb-straight  rest 
for  my  gun,  and  if  I  hit  a  fellow  anywhere  else  but 


358  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

in  heart  or  head^  I  will  step  up  to  him  and  apolo- 
gize^ and  tell  him  I  meant  it  to  be  a  dead  shot. 
And  if  you  think  I  hit  you  by  accident,  you  were 
never  more  mistaken  in  your  life.  The  shot  was 
sent  with  design  to  hit. 

And  the  Christian  must  be  a  forgiving  roan. 
Thank  God  for  the  disposition  of  the  heart  I  have 
to-day,  through  grace,  that  makes  me  utterly  incap- 
able of  malice  aforethought.  I  feel  sorry  for  those 
Christians  who  are  unforgiving  in  their  nature. 
There  are  mothers  and  Hfathers  who  won't  forgive 
their  children,  and  sisters  and  brothers  who  won't 
forgive  each  other.  God  pity  them.  A  lady  once 
came  to  me,  and  said:  "My  mother  won't  speak  to 
me.  .  I  wish  you  would  say  something  about  mothers 
whose  unforgiving  disposition  will  not  let  them  even 
speak  to  their  daughters."  I  said  in  my  next  ser- 
mon, "  You  mothers,  who  are  unforgiving  to  your 
children,  come  with  me  to  the  zoological  garden, 
and  watch  the  lioness  how  she  fondles  her  whelp; 
and  you  could  see,  if  opportunity  should  arise,  how 
she  will  give  her  very  life  for  it.  Watch  the  tigress 
as  she  stands  over  her  cubs  with  guarding  and  lov- 
ing eye.  I  will  show  you  the  house  cat,  how  she 
tenderly  carries  her  kittens  about  in  her  mouth  ; 
and  when  you  have  spent  an  hour  in  the  zoological 
garden,  then  just  look  at  yourself,  and  see  what  an 
old  bear — or,  rather,  what  an  unnatural  creature — 
your  children  have  for  a  mother." 

Ah  me,  what  is  it  in  heaven  or  earth  that  could 
prevent  my  speaking  to  one  of  my  children?  As 
Christians  we  are  brothers  and  sisters— some,  por- 


A  New  Creature  in  Christ.  359 

Iiaps^  step-brothers  and  sisters — ^but  brothers  and 
sisters,  nevertheless. 

Thank  God  for  the  power  to  forgive  in  the  name 
of  Christ.  Jesus  said  that  we  must  not  bear  malice 
towards  our  enemies,  but  "  love  your  enemies,  bless 
them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you, 
and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully  use  you  and 
persecute  you." 

The  first  year  I  began  preaching  I  had  two  or 
three  fights.  I  did  not  have  any  better  religious 
sense  than  to  want  to  figh^  when  a  man  did  not 
treat  me  right.  But  I  used  to  wonder  if  the  Lord 
Jesus  would  want  me  to  pray  for  and  do  good  to 
and  encourage  a  man  in  his  meanness.  If  I  could 
whip  him,  I  thought,  I  would  do  him  a  great  deal 
of  good.  But  I  found  out  at  last  that  Jesus  was 
not  trying  to  protect  the  rascal,  but  was  protecting 
me.     Love  your  enemies. 

The  beat  way  in  the  world  to  kill  an  enemy  is 
to  love  him  to  death,  and  you  do  n't  have  to  bury 
him  and  make  a  widow  out  of  his  wife. 

O,  what  a  stupendous  fact  this  is, — what  a  pat- 
tern !  If  this  world  had  had  any  response  in  it, 
Christ  would  have  loved  it  to  death  long  ago.  He 
taught  us  how  to  love.  When  he  was  buffeted,  he 
buffeted  not  again ;  when  he  was  reviled,  he  reviled 
not  again.  Alexander  the  Great,  Charlemagne,  and 
Napoleon  each  gathered  around  himself  great  armies 
and  marched  them  against  their  enemies,  and  at- 
tempted to  conquer  the  world  by  force  and  blood, 
and  each  died  a  wretched  death.  When  Jesus  Christ 
wanted  to  conquer  this  world  he  went  up  on  Cal- 


360  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

vary  and  suflfered  and  died  for  it.  Napoleon  founded 
his  kingdom  and  empire  by  force  on  that  which 
perisheth,  but  Jesus  founded  his  on  love,  and  mill- 
ions would  die  for  it. 

"  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you, 
do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them 
which  despitefuUy  use  you  and  persecute  you/' 
That  is  the  Christian  spirit — doing  good  for  evil, 
overcoming  evil  with  good.  The  only  principle  in 
this  world  that  will  overcome  evil  is  good.  Evil 
with  evil  is  a  Kilkenny  cat  sort  of  business,  and 
each  will  hurt  the  other  equally.  Overcome  evil 
with  good. 

Thank  God  for  a  weapon  that  not  only  knocks 
my  enemy  down,  but  restores  him  to  me  as  a  friend. 
The  best  way  in  the  world  to  get  the  advantage  of 
a  man  is  to  love  him.  He  that  loves  the  most  is 
the  man  who  has  the  most  immortal  capital.  God 
measures  you  off  a  lot  in  size  and  dimensions  on 
the  streets  of  the  New  Jerusalem  by  the  amount  of 
love  which  you  have  to  pay  for  it.  God  gives  us 
all  enough  love  for  a  million-acre  field  in  heaven, 
and  we  will  have  elbow  room  then.  Love  much, 
and  God  will  give  you  plenty  of  room  in  heaven. 
Thank  God,  I  have  nothing  to  forgive  any  man. 
I  am  determined  upon  this  much,  never  to  get  mad 
with  any  man  until  he  treats  me  worse  than  I  have 
treated  my  Lord. 

Let  us  bear  in  mind  that  our  hopes  for  time  and 

eternity   rest   upon   our   acting    upon    those    sweet 

words, — 

"  Simply  to  thy  cross  I  cling," 


A  New  Cbeatube  in  Christ.  3G1 

Or,  better  still, — 

"Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus." 

God  bless  you  all,  and  preserve  you  ever  in  his 
love! 


Briek  Sayinqs. 

In  a  Georgia  town  a  number  of  girls  married 
men  to  reform  them,  and  now  the  town  is  full  of 
little  whippoorwill  widows. 

The  greatest  rascals  are  those  who  are  scrupu- 
lously honest.  If  I  see  a  man  walk  across  town  to 
pay  a  nickel,  I  watch  him. 

A  HORSE  that  will  pull  on  a  cold  collar  will  do 
to  depend  on — and  the  best  Christians  are  those 
who  never  need  "  warming  up.'' 

Whisky  is  a  good  thing  in  its  place,  and  that 
place  is  in  hell.  If  I  get  there  I  will  drink  all  I 
can  get,  but  I  won't  do  it  here. 

The  capacity  of  a  woman  for  making  every  body 
about  her  uncomfortable  can  not  be  calculated  by 
any  known  process  of  arithmetic. 

The  Churches  of  Nashville  furnish  whisky  to 
the  surrounding  country.  Some  of  our  wholesale 
liquor  dealers  belong  to  the  Church. 

The  matter  of  Church  doctrine  is  an  accident. 
If  my  mother  and  Brother  Witherspoon's  mother 
had  swapped  babies  he  might  have  been  a  Meth- 
odist preacher. 

31— B 


Sermon  XXVI I. 

A.  NB>?V  CRKATURHJIN  OHRISX. 

"Therefore,  if  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  crea- 
ture."—2  Cor.  V,  17. 

CHRIST  JESUS  was  a  man,  and  in  referring  to 
his  relation  to  our  race,  he  spoke  of  himself 
as  "  the  Son  of  man."  "  These  works  that  I  do 
demonstrate  that  I  am  divine.  Now  I  would  not 
have  you  forget  that  I  am  also  the  Son  of  man." 

We  have  Christ  in  two  manifestations,  and  I 
wish  we  had  more  of  him  in  a  third.  We  have 
Christ  in  his  works,  and  we  have  him  in  his  words. 
We  have  books  written  on  the  latter.  Rudolph 
Stier,  on  the  Words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  is,  perhaps, 
one  of  the  most  valuable  books  in  a  preacher's 
library.  I  have  been  panting  and  hungry  a  long 
time  for  a  book  on  the  Thoughts  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
Really  when  I  look  at  his  works,  I  wonder  and " 
say,  "  Behold !"  Then,  when  I  read  his  words,  I 
say, ''A  man  that  could  talk  like  that,  of  course 
could  work  like  that;"  and  when  I  get  into  the 
great  thoughts  of  Christ,  then  I  say,  "  The  words 
and  works  of  Christ  are  the  mere  bubbles  on  the 
great  ocean  of  his  life.  He  who  thought  like  Christ 
could  surely  work  like  Christ  and  talk  like  Christ." 

Christ  Jesus  is  a  great  deal  more  to  us,  brother, 

than  we  have  ever  realized.     Really  the  wealth  of 
362 


A  New  Creature  in  Christ.          363 

the  universe  is  hidden  in  Christ.  Now  I  would 
not  stand  here  and  study  Christ;  I  would  not  stand 
here  with  all  the  infirmities  and  difficulties  that  en- 
compass me^  with  the  seen  things,  and  study  the 
Lord  JesuSy  but  I  would  go  where  Jesus  is,  and 
study  the  universe;  and  a  man  who  stands  where 
Jesus  is  understands  things  very  differently  from  a 
man  who  stands  here  and  studies  them. 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  great  telescope  to  the  Chris- 
tian's eye.  He  not  only  brings  the  unseen  things^ 
which  are  afar  off,  down  to  where  I  may  reach  them, 
but  he  is  also  the  great  microscope  to  the  Christian's 
eye,  so  that  the  things  that  are  close  to  me  I  can 
see  a  thousand  times  better  when  I  look  through 
Christ. 

Christ  in  his  works  and  in  his  words,  Christ  in 
his  thoughts,  in  the  unfailing  purity  of  his  social 
life,  his  grandeur  of  intellectual  life  in  the  whole 
sum  of  his  life,  is  an  examplar  for  all  men.  O 
Jesus,  thou  art  all  in  all,  and  from  thee  and  through 
thee  I  may  see  all  things  in  the  light  God  sees 
them. 

"If  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature.'* 
I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  was  born  of  the  Virgin 
Mary.  I  believe  that  he  was  God.  I  believe  that 
he  was  man.  I  believe  we  needed  this  God-Man. 
Jesus  Christ  is  a  mediator — one  who  works  between 
two  parties.  I  think  it  was  Bishop  Morris  who  put 
this  in  the  strongest  way.  Hie  said,  "  Jesus  was 
the  mediator,  the  one  between  the  two,  and  Jesus 
was  divine,  and  Jesus  was  human,  and  he  laid  the 
left  hand  of  his  humanity  on  the  shoulder  of  man^ 


364  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

and  then^  reaching  up^  caught  the  shoulder  of  God 
with  the  right  haud  of  his  diviuity,  and  lie  brought 
God  and  man  together.'*     We  needed  Christ. 

And  I  believe  another  tilings  brother.  I  believe 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  not  only  came  and  lived 
among  men^  but  he  fared  largely  as  other  men  did 
and  do.  Jesus  Christ  suffered  and  died  for  what 
he  was  and  for  what  he  said  and  for  what  he  did. 
That 's  true.  And  Jesus  Christ  died  as  naturally  as 
St.  Paul  died,  and  St.  Paul  died  a  natural  death. 
Do  you  want  to  know  what  I  mean  by  this?  I 
mean  that  in  that  day,  in  the  fullness  of  the  time, 
when  Jesus  came,  it  was  death  to  any  man  to  preach 
righteousness  and  live  it  before  the  people.  And 
Jesus  came  and  suffered  the  penalty  of  his  righteous 
life  and  his  righteous  words.  Now,  on  this  question, 
I  want  to  say,  brethren,  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God,  the  Savior  of  men,  suffered  the  penalty  of 
his  words  and  his  works.  It  was  death  to  the  Grod- 
man.  It  was  death  to  those  who  loved  this  God- 
man,  to  talk  and  preach  as  he  did.  Then  I  see 
Jesus  on  that  cross  as  he  suffers  and  dies;  and,  lis- 
ten, brother,  on  that  cross  I  see  the  divinest,  grand- 
est manifestation  of  God's  love  to  man.  If  you 
want  to  draw  out  from  the  deepest  depth  all  that's 
true  in  me,  listen.  You  see  Christ  on  that  cross. 
I  have  heard  men  say  that  Jesus  hung  on  the  cross 
to  satisfy  the  claims  of  divine  justice.  I  have  heard 
them  say  Jesus  was  hung  on  that  cross  to  ap()ease 
God's  wrath  against  man ;  hut  I  will  tell  you  my 
conception  of  it,  and  this  little  bundle  of  paper,  the 
Bible,  which  I  hold  in  my  hand,  is  with  me.     Jesus 


A  New  Ceeature  in  ChIiist.  365 

Christ  was  not  tliere  to  satisfy  claims  of  divine  jus- 
tice. He  was  not  there  as  a  target  of  divine  wrath. 
No.  Would  you  make  me  believe  that  God  was 
angry  with  humanity  six  thousand  years  ago,  and 
that  the  only  way  to  keep  him  from  killing  out  the 
whole  concern  was  to  put  his  only  Son  on  the  cross 
and  sacrifice  him?  I  do  not  believe  God  suffered 
bis  Son  to  be  crucified  because  he  was  mad  with  men, 
but  that  Jesus  came  and  died  because  of  God's  love 
for  man.  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his 
only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him 
might  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 

God  doesn't  love  me  because  Christ  died  for  me, 
but  Christ  died  for  me  because  of  God's  unspeakable 
love  for  me.  Now  you  are  getting  your  theology 
right  on  this  question,  and  you  can  knock  all  the 
infidelity  out  of  this  country  by  this  great  New  Tes- 
tament doctrine.  Love!  "  Herein  is  love,  not  that 
we  loved  Him,  but  that  he  loved  us,  and  sent  his 
Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins."  And  this 
old  idea  we  have,  that  God  does  not  love  any  body 
but  good  people,  won't  do.  Some  people  get  this 
idea  in  their  heads,  and  the  first  thing  you  know 
they  think  they  have  a  corner  on  the  grace  of  God, 
and  are  trying  to  run  a  monopoly  on  the  love  of 

heaven. 

Hear,  my  brethren ,  God  loves  every  man  in  this 
universe.  I  will  take  this  view.  The  sun  in  mid- 
heaven  shines  on  every  thing  alike.  It  shines  on 
the  verdant  valleys,  on  the  bold  mountain  peaks. 
It  pours  its  vivifying  rays  on  growing  grain,  fruits, 
and  flowers,  as  well  as  on  the  stricken  oak,  or  blasted 


366  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

Iree^  and  sterile  ground.  It,  shines  on  all  alike. 
Why?  Because  it  is  its  nature  to  shine  on  every 
thing.  God's  name  as  well  as  nature  is  love^  and 
God  loves  every  thing  that  comes  under  the  burn- 
ing rays  of  his  love.  God  loves  all  men.  He  loved 
me  just  as  much  before  I  was  converted  as  he  loves 
me  now.  If  he  had  not,  I  never  would  have  been 
converted.  It  is  God's  nature  to  love,  and  you  can 
not  make  it  out  that  God  is  mad  with  men.  O 
thou  infinite  God  of  love  and  mercy,  of  long  suffer- 
ing and  goodness,  show  us  all  that  thou  hast  never 
dealt  with  us  in  anger,  but  always  in  love. 

God  loves  us,  brethren,  and  Jesus  Christ  was 
not  hung  on  the  cross  as  a  target  of  divine  justice, 
or  to  placate  divine  anger,  but  as  the  manifestation 
of  God's  love  to  dying  men.  That's  it.  I  hope  I 
am  orthodox,  brethren !  I  hope  I  am.  If  I  am 
not,  I  will  tell  you  this  much,  I  can  love  God  more 
with  this  view  of  the  divine  atonement  than  I  can 
with  any  other;  and  you  must  let  me  have  my  way, 
because  I  can  get  along  better  on  that  than  on  any 
other  ground.  We  won't  quarrel  about  it.  You 
may  take  the  other  view  of  it  if  you  like,  or  mix 
the  two  together  if  you  please,  but  I  love  Him  be- 
cause he  first  loved  me.  He  is  a  loving  Savior;  a 
loving  Savior,  living;  loving,  dying;  loving,  going 
to  the  grave;  loving,  rising;  always  filled  with  love 
for  me. 

"Now,  if  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new 
creature."  Jesus  was  emphatically  a  new  creature 
in  the  world.  There  was  none  like  him  before,  nor 
any  like  him  since.     Jesus  prayed,  "Father,  as  wc 


A  New  Creature  in  Christ.  367 

are  one,  grant  that  these  people  may  be  ali  one  with 
us."  All  are  merged  into  one  in  Christ— one  in 
purpose,  one  in  desire,  one  in  intention,  one  in  love, 
one  in  purity,  one  in  faith,  one  in  forgiveness,  one 
in  pardon.  It  is  a  oneness  in  sentiment,  purpose, 
virtue,  desire,  love,  and  purity. 

You  see  two  men  walking  along.  You  say 
these  two  men  have  the  same  purposes,  the  same 
interests,  the  same  desires,  every  thing  the  same. 
When  you  hit  one,  you  hit  both.  The  bar-keepers 
in  this  city  are  all  one.  If  you  raise  your  voice 
against  one  of  them,  they  will  all  rise  up  against 
you.  You  hit  one  of  them  in  denouncing  their 
traffic,  and  you  hit  them  all.  Their  interests  are 
identical.  I  wish  I  could  say  that  when  you  hit 
one  Christian  in  this  town,  you  hit  all;  but,  instead 
of  that,  when  you  hit  one,  the  rest  all  say,  "  I  am 
glad  it  was  not  me."  Thank  God,  though  we  can 
not  know  like  him,  and  can  not  have  power  like 
him,  one  thing  we  can  do,  and  that  is,  love  like  God. 
And  that  is  the  grandest  of  his  attributes — love. 

Now,  brother,  being  in  Christ  Jesus,  presupposes 
a  longing  for  Christ.  I  said  before,  Jesus  Christ  is 
not  a  sentiment.  He  is  a  divine  person,  and  in  the 
divinity  of  his  person  he  embraces  all  wisdom,  jus- 
tice, mercy,  love,  and  purity.  Of  all  of  these  attri- 
butes Christ  is  the  living  embodiment,  and  he  who 
is  in  Christ  the  most  necessarily  partakes  most  of 
these  divine  characteristics. 

The  Scriptural  term  for  this  longing  is  "hunger- 
ing and  thirsting  afler  righteousness."  That  is  a 
healthful  and  religious  state.     David  said :  "As  the 


368  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

hart  panteth  after  the  water  brooks,  so  panteth  my 
soul  after  thee,  O  God/'  Hunger  of  the  soul  is  a 
hunger  for  Christ.  The  sense  of  hunger  and  of 
thirst  of  the  body,  how  intense  it  is.  Did  you  ever 
locate  the  sense  of  physical  hunger?  A  little  boy 
once  said  to  his  father,  "  Papa,  I  feel  so  hungry." 
"  Son,"  said  the  father,  "  how  do  you  feel  when 
you  are  hungry  ?"  "  I  feel  like  chewing  something," 
said  the  boy.  So  the  organs  of  the  appetite  are 
where  to  look  for  physical  hunger.  Now  where  do 
I  locate  the  sense  of  spiritual  hunger  ?  It  is  in  the 
heart.  My  heart,  my  soul  panteth  after  the  living 
God.  This  longing,  this  intense  burning  desire,  O 
Christ,  nothing  can  satisfy  but  thyself. 

See  that  baby  boy ;  how  ho  cries  and  kicks  and 
screams!  His  nurse  endeavors  to  pacify  him  by 
offering  him  his  little  toys  and  playthings,  but  he 
says :  "  I  do  n't  want  my  toys."  She  offers  him 
marbles,  but  he  cries,  "I  don't  want  any  marbles." 
After  she  has  exhausted  all  her  resources  to  quiet 
him,  and  he  still  cries  and  refuses  to  be  comforted, 
the  little  fellow's  mother  comes  in.  The  instant 
his  eyes  light  upon  her  his  crying  ceases;  he  rushes 
up  and  is  caught  in  her  loving  arms.  He  "just 
wanted  mamma."  He  did  not  want  any  thing  else ; 
and  with  her  his  soul  was  satisfied.  And,  brother, 
whenever  a  soul  gets  to  the  point  in  its  childlike 
simplicity,  that  the  devil,  the  world,  and  the  flesh, 
with  its  cards,  and  dancing,  and  theaters,  and  all 
its  other  allurements  can  not  satisfy  it,  qnd  it  says, 
"  I  do  n't  want  that,  I  want  my  Savior,"  he  is  sure 
to  come  and  abide  with  that  soul. 


A  New  Creature  in  Christ.         369 

The  way  to  get  the  fullness  of  Christ  is  to  empty 
your  heart  of  every  thing  that  rejects  Christ  and 
his  affinities.  Always  lean  to  those  things  that  are 
Christ's.  Let  your  prayer  be,  "  Lord,  help  me  to 
turn  each  idol  out  that  dares  to  rival  thee.''  How 
many  can  say  now,  "  I  would  rather  have  Christ  for 
my  portion  than  all  else  besides?" 

Being  in  Christ  not  only  presupposes  a  longing 
for  Christ,  but  a  fleeing  to  Christ.  O,  blessed 
Christ,  I  will  run  upon  the  swiftest  feet  of  faith 
to  meet  thee.  O,  dear  Lord,  I  tried  until  I  could 
try  no  more  to  remain  away ;  my  soul  became  im- 
patient, and  I  could  stay  no  longer ;  show  me  thy 
way.  I  will  rush  into  thine  arms  of  waiting  love. 
Thank  God  for  that  purpose  of  my  soul  that  makes 
me  go  out  in  search  of  my  Lord.  I  will  search 
for  him.  I  am  so  glad  that  I  never  let  the  grass 
grow  up  in  my  pathway  between  my  Lord  and  me. 
The  devil  shall  never  come  between  my  Savior  and 
myself. 

I  saw  some  time  ago  an  illustration  of  how  the 
devil  works  among  his  crowd,  by  an  old  colored 
preacher  down  South.  He  laid  three  objects  on  his 
Bible,  and  he  said:  " Now,  brethren,  I'm  a-going 
to  show  how  de  debbil  works  de  Christuon.  Here's 
de  Savior,  here's  de  Christuon,  and  here's  de  deb- 
bil. Now  when  de  Christuon  move  up  to  Christ, 
den  de  debbil  he  move  off;  de  Christuon  move 
nearer  Christ,  and  de  debbil  he  move  furder  .off; 
den  de  Christuon  sort  o'  back-slides,  den  de  debbil 
move  up ;  de  Christuon  gets  furder  and  furder  away 
from  Christ,  and  de   debbil  moves  up  closer  and 


^ 


370  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

closer  to  him,  and  de  first  thing  you  know,  de 
debbil  jump  over  him  and  get  right  between  him 
and  Christ;  and  when  he  gets  over  dar  between  you 
and  Christ  he's  got  you,  and  den  he'll  say,  *  Now 
I's  got  you,  sure.'"  This  is  a  living  illustration. 
Never  let  the  devil  get  between  you  and  your  Lord. 
Say  to  him,  *^  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan  ;  you  shall 
never  come  between  me  and  my  Lord." 

Then  running  to  Christ!  Thank  God  for  the 
privilege  of  going  to  Christ.  Is  there  trouble  any 
where?  Take  it  to  the  Lord  in  prayer.  What  a  Friend 
we  have  in  Jesus !  Thank  God,  brother  I  I  have  been 
at  times  in  such  tight  places  that  I  could  not  do  a 
thing  in  the  world  but  pray;  and  thank  God  that 
was  all  I  needed  to  do.  Just  leave  it  all  with  the 
Lord.  That's  what  we  call  rushing  to  the  Lord  in 
prayer. 

O,  my  brother,  if  I  wanted  to  divide  the  armies 

of  Satan  and  put  all  perdition  to  flight,  I  would  not 

order  down  a  legion -of  angels  and  all  the  artillery 

of  heaven;  but  I  will  tell  you  what  I  would  do:  I 

would  fall  on  my  knees  in  prayer  to  God. 

**  And  Satan  trembles  when  he  sees 
The  weakest  saint  upon  his  knees/' 

A  man  can  fall  into  no  harm  while  he  is  on  his 
knees  praying.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  man  get- 
ting drunk  on  his  knees?  Did  you  ever  hear  of  a 
man  stealing  while  on  his  knees  in  prayer?  I  will 
tell  you,  your  trouble  is,  you  have  not  been  on  your 
knees  enough. 

Ah,  me!  how  Satan  has  tempted  me,  how  the 
passion  for  drink  has  come  on  and  almost  over- 


A  New  Creature  in  Christ.         371 

whelmed  me;  but^  thank  God,  I  have  found  his 
grace  sufficient  to  sustain  me.  Those  people  who 
say,  I  can  not  help  drinking;  or^  I  can  not  help 
doing  this  or  that  when  tempted, — I  know  what 
the  matter  with  them  is:  you  don't  do  enough  of 
this  knee-work  I  am  talking  about.  I  hear  people 
say,  "I'm  afraid  to  join  the  Church,  I'm  afraid  I 
can't  hold  out,  I'm  afraid  I'll  swear  or  drink  or 
do  something  wrong;"  and  I  have  said  to  them,  "I 
never  have  been  afraid  of  but  one  thing  eince  I 
joined  the  Church,  and  that  is,  I  am  afraid  I  won't 
pray  enough."  I  am  omnipotent  when  leaning  on 
the  arm  of  God  in  prayer.  If  you  want  to  whip 
the  devil,  just  fall  on  your  knees  in  prayer. 

Being  in  Christ  pre-supposes,  again,  submission 
to  Christ.  O,  how  we  want  our  own  way !  How 
jealous  we  are  of  what  we  call  our  privileges!  How 
we  kick  and  rear  if  we  can  not  have  our  own  way, 
and  how  we  rave,  and  pitch,  and  tear  if  we  don't 
get  it!  Why,  we  fall  out  with  our  preacher  and 
abuse  him  like  a  pick-pocket  if  he  attempts  to 
abridge  "our  privileges."  Ah,  we  are  jealous  of 
these  "  privileges."  You  touch  them,  and  you  get 
your  foot  into  it.  I  sail  into  you  on  your  dram- 
drinking,  theater-going,  card-playing,  and  dancing, 
and  the  town  rises  up  in  arms  against  me;  but  it  is 
the  hit  dog  that  hollers,  you  may  put  that  down. 
If  you  go  and  break  a  drunkard's  jug,  he'll  get 
mad,  every  time;  but  his  wife  won't.  If  we  sail 
into  these  people  who  do  these  things  I  have  the 
utmost  pity  and  sympathy  for  them,  and  I  do  be- 
lieve, my  brethren,  the  poor  people  are  so  deluded 


372  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

and  persuaded  by  the  world,  that  they  donH  see 
any  harm  in  the  things  they  are  doing.  Let  us  get 
them  to  reading  books  that  have  sense  in  them — I 
mean  religious  sense.  If  I  have  got  but  a  little 
sense,  good  Lord,  let  it  be  religious  sense. 

I  heard  a  man  say  once,  "  Myself  and  my  wife 
never  had  a  squabble  in  our  lives — ^never  had  a 
quarrel — only  when  she  wanted  to  have  her  own 
way.''  Well,  who  isn't  lovable  that  way?  The 
devil  himself  is  agreeable  enough  when  he  has  ev- 
ery thing  his  own  way.  Listen :  I  am  sorry  for 
Christian  people  who  have  reserved  rights.  Relig- 
ion is  like  that  pearl  of  great  price,  which,  when 
found,  the  buyer  sold  all  that  he  had  and  purchased. 
And,  brother,  thank  God,  from  the  day  I  gave  up 
sin  to  this  hour,  I  never  had  a  reserved  right. 
I  say,  "  Lord,  I  will  do  any  thing — every  thing." 
I  have  invested  my  all  in  it.  All  that  I  have  is  in 
this  Book,  and  if  it  does  n't  break  I  am  a  million- 
aire through  all  eternity.    That 's  the  way  to  talk  it. 

Submission  to  Christ!  Do  as  he  tells  you  to  do. 
You  are  a  most  humble  member  of  your  Church  un- 
til your  preacher  says  something  that  touches  you, 
and  off  you  fly,  and  say :  "  If  I  can 't  live  in  peace 
here,  I  '11  go  and  join  another  Church."  Or  per- 
haps some  good  sister  says,  "  My  husband  and  I 
were  talking  about  this  the  other  night,  and  we 
ain't  going  to  stand  this  sort  of  thing."  Sister! 
God  bless  you ;  go  over  there,  and  have  the  best 
time  you  can  while  you  are  here. 

A  gentleman  said  to  me  that  at  a  meeting  of  an 
official  board  of  his  Church,  at  which  his  wife  and 


A  New  Creature  in  Christ.         373 

himself  were  present,  rum  was  passed  around,  and 
every  one  present,  members  of  the  board,  including 
the  pastor  of  the  Church,  except  the  gentleman  who 
told  me  and  his  wife,  drank  of  it.  A  preacher  who 
will  indulge  in  such  things,  not  only  with  his  mem- 
bers, but  privately,  belongs  to  the  devil  from  his 
hat  to  his  heels.  I  know  when  I  did  that  way  I 
belonged  to  the  devil,  and  I  do  n't  care  whether  the 
man  is  a  preacher  or  not,  the  test  of  his  allegiance 
to  Christ  is  how  he  lives. 

Christ  says,  "  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me, 
Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.^'  Now  you  say,  "  Mr.  Jones,  you  ought  not 
to  be  so  rough  on  the  ministers."  Well,  I  called 
no  Aames,  and  I  would  not  tell  my  preaciier  that 
'^  Jones  is  hitting  at  him."  It's  an  insult  to  tell 
him  that  he  is  being  hit. 

Then  we  say  again,  that  being  in  Christ  Jesus 
presupposes  union  with  Christ.  "I  am  the  vine, 
and  ye  are  the  branches,"  says  Christ.  Did  you 
ever  go  into  a  vineyard  and  examine  the  vines  and 
branches?  Did  you  ever  see  how  closely  in  vital 
forces  they  were  united?  how  the  very  vitality  of 
the  branch  was  determined  by  the  vine?  If  united 
to  Christ,  he  and  myself  are  one,  one  in  all  things, 
in  earnestness,  in  energy,  in  goodness,  in  mercy,  in 
purity,  in  truth. 

Being  in  Christ  Jesus  presupposes  also  all  the 
affinities  which  control  one's  life  —  his  likes,  his 
looks,  his  thoughts,  his  tastes,  his  all.  It  is  a  re- 
ligion, assimilation  with  the  character  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  doing  like   him,  thinking  and   being 


374  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

« 

like  him.  Blessed  Christy  give  us  a  religion  that 
makes  us  like  thyself^  and  then  we  shall  be  Chris- 
tians in  the  grandest  sense.  Our  blessed  Lord 
loved  the  sinners  and  died  for  them.  Let  us^  breth- 
ren, imitate  our  divine  Lord,  and  do  the  best  we 
can  for  the  sinning  and  erring  ones  around  us. 


BRIEK  SAYINQS. 

A  Christian  who  will  do  things  in  New  York 
that  he  would  not  do  at  home  is  a  very  poor 
Christian. 

It  takes  less  sense  to  criticise  than  to  do  any 
thing  else.  There  are  a  great  many  critics  in  the 
asylum. 

I  don't  think  much  of  dignity.  My  observa- 
tion is  that  the  more  dignity  a  man  has,  the  nearer 
dead  he  is. 

When  the  doctor  says  you  can't  live  but  an 
hour  you'll  want  just  such  a  preacher  as  myself 
talking  to  you. 

When  you  find  a  man  that  is  first-class  for 
some  one  thing,  you  will  find  him  pretty  good  for 
every  thing  else. 

There  is  more  religion  in  laughing  than  in 
crying.  If  religion  consists  in  crying  I  have  the 
best  boy  in  the  world. 

If  any  of  you  do  n't  like  the  way  these  services 
are  going,  there  are  three  doors — ^you  are  cordially 
asked  to  leave. 


SERMON  XXVIII. 

WORKING  TOQE^THER   KOR   GOOD. 

"And  we  know  that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to 
them  that  love  God,  to  them  who  are  the  called  according  to 
his  purpose." — Rom.  viii,  28. 

WHY  am  I  in  this  world  ?  I  had  no  choice  as 
to  the  time  or  the  circumstances  of  my  coming 
into  it  The  question  of  environment  is  a  question 
that  was  decided  for  me — that  temptations  should 
beset  me ;  that  difficulties,  sometimes  insurmount- 
able^  should  present  themselves ;  that  obstacles,  over 
which  I  might  not  go,  should  be  in  my  way.  After 
all,  this  question  has  aroused  the  imagination  and 
escaped  the  lips  of  many  a  man — "Why  am  I  in 
this  world  of  so  much  sin  and  so  much  suffering? 
What  am  I  doing  here?"  And  the  most  patient 
man  the  world  ever  saw  cursed  the  day  he  was 
born. 

Brethren,  if  a  man  looks  on  the  things  that  are 
seen,  and  not  on  the  things  that  are  unseen,  it  is 
not  much  trouble  to  get  up  a  state  of  mind  to  curse 
the  day  when  he  was  born ;  but  a  man  who  looks 
at  the  unseen  and  determines  what  the  seen  things 
are  by  the  unseen  things,  then,  thank  God,  he  blesses 
the  day  he  was  borli  into  a  world  of  such  provi- 
dences and  privileges.  Ten  thousand  men,  may  be, 
had  walked  along  the  highway  and   had  seen  that 

block  of  marble.     It  had  been  gazed  upon  by  thou- 

375 


376  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

Bands  of  eyes,  but  they  saw  simply  a  block  of  stone; 
but  Michael  Angelo  came  along  and  saw  what  they 
did  not  see.  He  saw  an  unseen  something  in  it, 
and  he  sat  down  at  that  block  with  chisel  and  mal- 
let in  hand,  and  the  first  thing  they  knew,  he  had 
hewn  out  an  angel,  which,  if  God  had  breathed  the 
breath  of  life  into  it,  might  have  sat  near  the  throne 
of  God  and  adorned  heaven  with  its  beauties.  He 
saw  an  angel  there  that  others  did  not. 

I  tell  you,  brethren,  when  I  simply  look  at 
rough-hewn  nature,  as  I  see  it,  I  am  astonished 
that  I  am  here;  but  when  I  see  God  with  the  mal- 
let and  chisel  of  his  goodness,  as  he  begins  to  hunt 
for  the  angel  that  is  in  me,  and  I  realize  that  if  I 
lie  still  under  the  strokes  of  God's  hammer,  some 
of  these  days  God  will  hew  that  angel  out  of  me, 
then  I  realize  that  in  this  world  it  is  possible  to 
make  an  angel  out  of  every  such  a  being  as  I  am. 

After  all,  brethren,  it  is  to  the  unseen  that  we 
must  look.  I  walk  into  a  great  work-shop,  and  I 
see  in  there  pieces  of  timber,  boards,  carpenter^s 
tools,  saws,  planes,  and  machinery  at  work,  I  say, 
"What  is  all  this?  It's  confusion  and  disorder  to 
me.  What  do  they  mean?"  The  architect  looks 
at  me,  and  says,  "  Wait  about  three  months,  and  I 
will  show  you  what  it  all  means."  And  I  wait 
three  months,  and  there  is  a  palatial  residence  that 
grew  out  of  the  disorder  in  that  work-shop.  I  did 
not  know  what  it  all  meant,  but  the  architect  did. 
In  this  world  of  temptations  and  trials  and  griefs 
and  tears,  sick-beds  and  good-byes,  we  do  not  un- 
derstand these  things,  but  the  great  Architect,  who 


ilETROfJI-irAM  CHUR2H,  lOHaSTO 


Working  Toqetheb  for  Good.         377 

18  working  out  the  problem  of  eternity,  understands 
them  all^  and  if  we  only  stand  still,  he  will  show 
us  the  mansions  '^  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in 
the  heavens/' 

I  wish  we  had  faith  to  look  on  and  see  God  at 
work. 

And,  brother,  really,  I  believe  I  am  willing  to 
turn  the  matter  over  to  the  good  Lord.  I  tried  to 
run  the  thing  according  to  my  own  notion  twenty- 
four  years,  and  I  declare  to  you,  I  wound  up  in 
disgust.  I  said,  I  am  willing  to  turn  this  thing  over 
to  any  body.  But  I  found  nobody  but  God  to 
take  it  off  my  hands  in  the  condition  I  was  in^  and 
it  is  astonishing  how  he  is  working  things  into  or- 
der out  of  chaos.  The  process  in  this  world  is  to 
take  from,  and  not  to  add  to.  Michael  Angelo 
never  added  any  thing  to  the  marble  block ;  he  just 
cut  it  away  and  chipped  it  off,  until  finally  there 
was  an  angel,  sure  enough.  Now,  brother,  you  lie 
still  under  fire,  and  let  God  chisel  off  the  rough 
and  rugged  points  and  angles  of  your  nature,  and 
let  grace  work  you  down  to  where  you  ought  to  be, 
and  you  will  be  beautiful  enough  to  charm  heaven 
after  a  while.  * 

Human  nature  wants  something  added,  but  God 

wants  to  take  away  all  those  things  that  damage 

you  in  time  and  in  eternity,  and  if  you  let  God  hew 

off  and  take  away  all  that  ought  to  be  taken  off,  he 

will  see  to  it  that  eternal  life,  in  all  its  purity  and 

glory,  is  imparted  to  you.     Let  no  one  say  the  Lord 

doesn't  do  any  thing  for  him  but  hew  off  things 

from  him,  that  God  doesn't  put  any  thing  on  to 
32— B 


378  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

him;  for  God  imparts  to  man  some  things,  and 
those  things  are  all  necessary  for  a  pure  and  holy 
life,  for  time  and  for  eternity. 

I  suppose  our  text  is  one,  of  all  texts,  the  hard- 
est to  be  understood.  "All  things  work  together 
for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  to  them  who  are 
the  called  according  to  his  purpose.*'  You  see  it  is 
in  the  present  tense ;  the  work  is  going  on  now,  and 
for  all  who  love  God.  In  order  that  we  may  the 
better  understand  it,  let  us  notice  some  of  the 
terms.  "All  things  work  together  for  good  to 
them  who  love  God."  Good !  What  do  you  mean 
by  good  ?  There  is  no  wonder  you  do  not  under- 
stand the  text,  you  have  interpreted  it  wrongly. 
If  you  have  interpreted  it  wrongly,  there  is  no 
sense  in  it.  With  a  wrong  interpretation,  there  is 
not  a  word  of  truth  in  it;  but  if  you  interpret  it 
wisely,  it  is  the  divinest^  grandest  truth  of  all. 

Suppose  you  interpret  it  this  way:  "All  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  who  have  riches." 
That  would  not  be  true,  because  many  of  the  poor- 
est people  in  the  world  are  God's  people,  and  they 
never  have  any  thing;  they  live  from  hand  to 
mouth  day  by  day.  'And  if  that  were  true  then  re- 
ligion would  be  something  we  could  buy — "the 
rich  would  live,  and  the  poor  would  die" — ^but  it 
is  not.  I  am  so  glad  that  it  doesn't  take  money 
to  get  religion,  for  I  was  bankrupted  with  all 
worlds,  and  I  never  would  have  gotten  it  if  it  re- 
quired money  to  have  it.  It  doesn't  take  any 
thing  to  purchase  religion,  but  it  takes  a  good  deal 
to  keep  up  repairs  after  you   have  got  it.     Well, 


Working  Together  for  Good.        379 

you  can 't  get  to  New  York  quickly  or  easily,  with- 
out a  cent.  You  might  foot  it  every  step  of  the 
way  and  beg  your  bread,  but  that ^8  a  hard  route; 
but  you  can 't  go  on  a  Pullman  sleeper,  with  all  the 
conveniences  and  comforts  at  hand,  without  money. 
And  that  ^s  the  difference  in  the  routes  or  manner 
of  traveling.  One  is  easy  and  restful,  and  the 
other  is  exhausting  and  uninviting. 

Hear!  There  is  not  a  man  in  the  world  who 
values  the  stated  meetings  of  the  Church  and  the 
work  of  the  pastors  more  than  I  do.  I  was  eight 
years  a  pastor  myself.  Thank  God  for  every  pastor 
and  all  Church  organization  in  this  country.  Sup- 
pose there  was  nothing  in  this  country  but  evangel- 
ists ;  you  would  be  in  a  bad  fix. 

What  is  an  evangelist?  He  is  just  an  extra 
hand  at  the  harvest,  to  throw  the  cradle.  If  you 
had  not  prepared  the  ground,  sowed  your  seed,  and 
protected  the  growing  crop,  you  would  have  had  no 
use  for  evangelists.  Remember  our  Father  saith, 
"  One  man  soweth  and  another  reapeth,  and  let  him 
that  soweth  and  him  that  reapeth  rejoice  together;" 
and  "  He  hath  given  to  some  prophets,  and  to  some 
evangelists,  and  to  some  pastors."  It  takes  more 
patience,  and  courage,  and  fortitude  to  make  an 
efficient  pastor  than  it  does  to  make  a  hundred 
evangelists.  It's  a  nice  thing  to  go  around  throw- 
ing your  harvest  cradle  into  somebody  else's  wheat. 

No  man  values  the  work  of  a  pastor  more  than 
I  do;  but,  brother,  I  think  our  membership  is  very 
much  like  locomotive  engines.  An  engineer  told 
me  once  that  after  every  trip  the  engine  went  into 


380  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

the  shops;  her  machinery  was  overhauled,  the  bolis 
tightened;  but,  he  said,  about  every  four  years  she 
must  go  into  the  round-house  and  be  taken  all  to 
pieces,  overhauled,  and  made  new  again.  So  with 
our  membership;  every  time  they  come  to  the 
house  of  God  we  overhaul  their  religious  machinery 
and  tighten  the  bolts  of  their  purposes,  but  ever 
and  anon  these  revival  occasions  are  but  the  grand 
round-houses,  where  our  membership  are  taken  all 
to  pieces  and  overhauled  from  head  to  foot.  I  said 
to  the  engineer,  "How  do  you  know  when  an  engine 
needs  this  thorough  overhauling  V^  He  said,  "  When 
she  gets  so  she  can 't  make  schedule  time  and  carry 
the  loads."  So  frequently  our  membership  is  run 
down  in  its  love  and  faith  and  hope,  to  where  it 
doesn't  make  schedule  time  towards  the  good  world, 
then  it's  time  for  a  revival.  This  community  now 
has  many  a  Christian  in  it  that  can't  make  schedule 
time,  and  surely  they  need  overhauling.  The  devil 
can  run  a  mile  while  many  of  you  are  pulling  on 
ymir  boots,  and  revival  meetings  are  almost  useless 
unless  you  have  perennial  revivals,  and  they  are 
things  of  beauty  and  joy  forever. 

An  old  brother  once  said,  "  God  showed  what 
he  thought  of  money  by  the  people  he  gave  it  to." 
That  was  death  on  those  who  strive  after  riches 
alone.  "All  things  work  together  for  the  riches  of 
God's  people."  That  won't  do,  brother,  for  some 
of  God's  people  are  the  poorest  people. 

Suppose  we  say  then,  that  "  all  things  work  to- 
gether for  the  health  of  God's  people."  That  won't 
do  either.     The  best  peoi)le   I   have  ever  seen  are 


Working  Together  for  Good.        381 

those  who  have  suffered  the  most.  It  is  the  bruised 
violet  that  sends  forth  the  sweetest  odor.  The 
sweetest  Christians  are  those  most  deeply  aflBicted. 

It  is  a  right  good  thing  to  be  sick  occasionally. 
It  helps  almost  any  man  to  shake  him  over  a  cofSn 
for  awhile  and  then  turn  him  loose;  and  when  he 
is  turned  loose  he  will  hit  the  ground,  running  a 
mile  a  minute.  But  take  a  great,  healthy,  two 
hundred  pound  fellow,  fat  and  saucy,  and  it's  mighty 
hard  to  keep  him  straight — that's  a  fact.  David 
said,  "  It  is  good  for  me  that  I  have  been  afflicted." 
The  best  people  I  have  ever  met  were  the  most 
afflicted  people.  And  God  never  said  that  all 
things  shall  work  together  for  the  health  of  his 
people. 

Well,  there  is  another  thing.  Suppose  we  inter- 
pret this  way :  "All  things  shall  work  together  for 
the  happiness  of  God's  people."  He  does  n't  say 
that.  I  have  seen  God's  people  under  the  most  se- 
vere gloom  and  despondency,  with  the  deepest  and 
darkest  clouds  hanging  over  them.  I  have  seen 
the  purest  and  most  loyal  Christians  I  ever  met 
with  clouds  of  sorrow  upon  them  that  would  have 
crushed  my  own  heart,  and,  thank  God,  I  can  be 
just  as  good  when  I  am  miserable  and  despondent 
and  gloomy,  as  when  I  am  happy  and  joyous.  It 
is  not  how  you  feel,  but  how  you  do  that  makes 
you  a  Christian. 

Some  people  think  they  are  backsliders  when 
they  get  a  little  gloomy  or  a  little  unhappy  about 
things.  Brother,  it's  no  sin  to  be  tempted.  You 
may  feel  divers  temptations,  but  stand   firm  like  a 


382  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

man^  and  fight  them  off.  Some  of  the  best  fights  I 
have  ever  made^  when  it  looked  as  if  God  had 
withdrawn  his  presence  from  me,  have  been  fights 
that  I  have  won.  Happiness  is  the  normal  state  of 
a  Christian,  but  when  sorrow  and  gloom  overtake 
him  let  him  recollect  Job,  and  say,  "Though  he 
slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him." 

Sup}K)se  we  interpret  the  text  to  read,  "All 
things  shall  vork  together  for  the  honor  of  God's 
people."  A  great  many  of  God's  people  in  this 
world  never  received  any  honor;  and  there  are 
women,  pure,  Christly  women,  who  have  never  been 
seen  in  their  works  of  charity  and  deeds  of  kind- 
ness; but,  sister,  when  you  get  to  heaven,  God  will 
announce  to  all  worlds  that,  "  here  is  one,  who,  in 
feeding  the  hungry,  in  relieving  the  thirsty,  in  cloth- 
ing the  naked,  in  visiting  the  prisoner,  and -in  wait- 
ing on  the  sick,  because  she  did  it  unto  the  least  of 
my  brethren,  did  it  unto  me." 

There  are  many  poor  humble  Christians  in  this 
world  who  never  had  any  body  to  clasp  their  hands 
for  them  in  welcome,  but  the  angels  in  heaven  will 
clap  their  hands  as  they  watch  their  good  works. 
Even  while  no  man  cries  hosannas  for  you,  you  are 
working  under  the  sympathy  of  God  and  the  smiles 
of  angels.  Go  on  and  do  your  duty,  whether  you 
meet  the  applause  of  men  or  not. 

And  after  all,  brethren,  the  difference  between  a 
great  man  here  and  great  success,  and  a  street  car 
mule,  is  very  little.  They  are  very  much  alike  in 
some  things.  You  know  a  street  car  mule  always 
walks  and  the  crowd   rides.     You  know  whenever 


WoRKiNO  Together  for  Good.        383 

you  see  a  man  of  much  reputation^  he  is  doing  the 
pulling  and  the  crowd  is  doing  the  riding.  Aud 
there  is  anotlier  thing  about  them  that  is  alike. 
Just  as  soon  as  the  street  car  mule  dies^  the  com- 
pany gets  another  in  his  place  that  will  do  just  as 
well.  So  it  is  with  a  man  ef  much  reputation; 
you  work  him  to  death  and  then  pat  another  right 
in  his  place. 

At  the  close  of  our  series  of  services  in  Cincin- 
nati;  a  gentleman  came  into  my  room  and  said^ 
''  Mr.  Jones^  I  come  from  men  of  business  and  men 
of  means  to  say,  that  if  you  will  stay  here  thirty 
days  longer  we  will  give  you  twenty  thousand  dol- 
lars." Said  I,  "Yes,  that's  just  about  enough  to 
buy  a  solid  silver  casket  to  bury  me  in,  and  have 
my  name  engraved  on  it,  and  ship  my  body  home 
to  my  wife.  And  you  will  meet  and  pass  a  set  of 
resolutions  a  yard  long,  lauding  my  name  and  char- 
acter, and  publish  it  as  a  historical  fact,  that,  'Sam 
Jones  preached  his  last  sermon  in  our  town.*  Now 
wouldn't  that  be  a  joke  on  me?"  "O,  we'll  do 
wonders  for  you  if  you  '11  stay." 

Well,  brother,  listen ;  they  will  work  a  man  to 
death,  pass  resolutions  about  him,  ship  his  body 
home  to  his  wife,  and  then  publish  it  that,  "  he 
preached  his  last  sermon  to  us."  Brother,  go  on  in 
your  humble  way  in  the  service  of  God.  I  know 
it  is  a  great  thing  to  be  like  George  Whitefield,  to 
throw  your  blade  into  any  and  all  of  the  harvest 
fields  of  the  Lord ;  but,  brother,  go  out  into  the 
harvest  field  with  your  little  jack-knife,  and  say, 
"  Good  Lord,  I  am  doing  my  best."     And  harvest 


384  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

time  means  a  busy  time.  Every  body  is  busy,  the 
old  gentleman^  the  old  lady,  and  all  doing  some- 
thing— all  busy.  And,  brother,  during  a  season  of 
a  revival  of  religion  every  Christian  ought  to  be 
very  busy,  little  and  big,  old  and  young.  The  har- 
vest does  n't  last  long,  but  work  must  be  done.  If 
you  do  n't  cut  the  wheat,  it  will  fall  down.  There 
is  many  an  old  sinner  tottering  on  the  verge  of 
ruin,  and  if  we  don't  cut  him  down,  he  will  fall 
into  perdition  forever.  You  've  got  to  be  in  a  hurry 
about  this,  brother. 

"And  we  know  that  all  things  shall  work  to- 
gether for  the  honor  of  God's  people  " — that  is  n't 
it.  We  know  God's  people  are  not  people  of  a 
great  deal  of  honor,  or  fame,  as  the  world  looks 
upon  it.  I  am  glad  of  it,  too.  Why,  a  man  never 
gets  to  a  position  of  honor  in  this  country  until  he 
is  covered  with  mud  from  head  to  foot.  You  may 
take  the  case  of  any  President  in  the  White  House. 
His  term  of  service  is  four  years,  and  it  takes  him 
the  four  years  he  is  there  to  wash  off  the  mud  he 
got  on  him  while  on  his  way  to  that  exalted  station. 
I  ain't  running  much  on  that  sort  of  honor.  And 
if  I  ever  told  the  truth  in  my  life,  I  would  rather  be 
a  humble,  earnest,  efficient  preacher  of  the  Gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  than  to  be  the  President  of  the 
United  States  in  the  White  House  with  all  his 
money,  this  minute.  I  would  not  swap  places  with 
him.  "But,"  you  say,  "that  won't  do;  every  body 
would  like  to  be  President."  I  do  n't  want  to  be. 
I  may  have  done  a  heap  of  devilment  in  my  life, 
and  I  don't  want  it  uncovered  any  more;  but  just 


Working  Togetheb  fob  Good.        ?^85 

as  soon  as  I  got  to  be  President  they  would  uncover 
it  immediately — ^the  game  wouldn't  pay  for  the 
powder  and  shot.  And  my  wife  is  as  foolish  as  I 
am.  I  saw  in  a  newspaper  where  a  reporter  had 
been  talking  to  her,  and  she  said,  '^  I  had  rather  be 
the  wife  of  Sam  Jones  than  the  wife  of  the  Presi- 
dent  of  the  United  States.''  Some  of  you  sisters 
who  are  turning  up  your  noses  at  Sam  Jones,  do  n't 
you  forget  that. 

''All  things  work  together  for  the  honor  of  God's 
people" — it  doesn't  say  that,  brethren.  But  what 
does  it  say?  There  is  but  one  word  in  this  universe, 
and,  thank  God,  it's  the  grandest  word  that  heaven 
ever  gave  to  man.  It  covers  all  for  all  worlds — 
Listen : 

''AH  things  work  together  for  the  salvaiion  of 
them  who  love  God."  This  is  what  our  text  means. 
Thank  God  for  this  grand  truth.  Now  I  can  un- 
derstand ;  now  I  can  see  through  it. 

Brother,  what  is  salvation  ?  It  is  the  good  of 
heaven.  It  is  the  aummum  bonum.  It  is  the  all 
good,  and  of  all  worlds.  There  is  nothing  good  on 
earth  and  in  heaven  that  is  not  covered  with  that 
word,  "salvation."  "All  things  work  together  for 
the  8alv<Uion  of  them  who  love  God."  Whatever 
there  is  in  honor,  happiness,  riches,  or  health,  thank 
God,  if  you  lean  on  him  in  your  ways  and  words, 
he  promises  salvation  in  it;  and  that  is  what  we 
are  all  going  for,  brethren. 

"All  things  work  together  for  salvation  to  them 
who  love  God."  I  wish  I  had  time  to  go  into  that 
thought  thoroughly — ^the  love  of  God  to  us — ^we 

3»— B 


386  Sam  Jonbb'  Own  Book. 

could  talk  a  month  on  it.  Whenever  I  think  of 
the  love  of  God  I  am  lost  in  wonder  at  his  great 
compassion^  until  I  cry  out,  "O  my  Father,  how 
unbounded,  how  inconceivable  is  thy  love  to  us/' 

"All  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  who 
love  God/'  God  makes  all  his  forces  work  to  and 
converge  at  that  point,  where  they  must  bring  sal- 
vation to  you  if  you  love  him.  God  is  an  active 
God.  I  will  tell  you,  my  brother,  as  I  look  about 
me  in  this  vast  world  and  around  me,  I  see  how 
God  has  put  his  power  and  energy  upon  and  into 
every  thing.  I  see  it  in  the  cyclone  and  in  the 
storm.  He  made  the  sun  to  shine  by  day  and  the 
moon  to  be  a  light  by  night,  and  the  rivers  to  flow, 
and  the  flowers  to  bloom,  and  he  made  all  nature  to 
manifest  his  power  and  activity ;  and  amid  the  rush 
of  the  world  and  the  stillness  of  the  stars,  God 
looks  down  and  says,  "Why  stand  ye  here  idle? 
Look  at  all  nature,  how  she  rushes  and  stirs.  What 
are  you  standing  there  for?''  That's  it.  God  is 
all  activity,  and  he  says,  "All  things  work  together 
for  good  to  them  who  love  him." 

Many  a  time  we  wonder  wlmt  good  can  there  be 
in  this  or  in  that  thing  that  happens,  and  say, "  There 
certainly  can  not  be  any  good  in  this;"  but,  brother, 
when  you  step  up  into  the  light  of  God's  love,  and 
look  back,  you  will  say,  "  Glory  be  to  God,  every 
thing  worked  together  for  my  salvation."  You 
can  not  understand  it  from  the  end  you  have  been 
looking  from,  but  when  you  get  to  heaven  you  will 
say,  "  I  see  it  all  now ;  I  could  not  see  it  from  the 
other  end,  but  I  see  it  now  from  this  end." 


WOEKINQ  TOGETHEB  FOR  GoOD.  387 

"All  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  who 
love  God/'  We  will  put  it  in  this  way :  Let  us  go 
to  our  homes;  doubtless  each  of  us  has  a  clock  on 
his  mantle.  Well,  I  '11  take  my  clock  at  home  all 
to  pieces,  and  when  I  endeavor  to  put  it  together 
again  I  find  I  have  enough  wheels  left  out  for  three 
clocks  of  the  kind.  '  I  do  n't  understand  it.  That 
clock  was  made  by  a  clock-maker,  and  it  must  be 
put  together  by  a  clock-maker,  and  he  must  put  all 
the  wheels  in  the  right  place,  and  there  must  be 
just  a  certain  number  of  cogs  in  each  wheel.  There 
is  one  wheel  in  that  clock  that  has  sixty  cogs,  and 
if  you  put  sixty-one  or  fifty-nine  cogs  in  it  you  will 
never  get  it  to  keep  time.  God  knows  how  many 
cogs  to  put  in  the  wheels  of  our  lives,  doesn't  he? 
I  take  off  the  face  of  a  clock  and  look  in  at  it.  I 
see  one  great  wheel  turning  slowly,  and  another 
wheel  turning  faster,  and  one  wheel  turning  back- 
ward and  another  forward,  and  I  say,  You  can't  tell 
me  that  this  thing  is  keeping  time,  for,  look !  some 
of  the  wheels  are  turning  backwards — ^this  thing 
can 't  keep  time ;  but  I  put  the  face  on  again,  and 
I  put  my  ear  to  it,  and  listen,  and  I  hear  it  going, 
"  tick,  tick,  tick,"  and  I  hear  it  strike  the  hours, 
then  I  say,  "  It  does  keep  time,  sure  enough." 

Now,  look  here,  brother,  God  says,  "All  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  who  love  God." 
You  have  lost  the  best  wife  a  man  ever  had — that 
was  one  of  those  big  wheels  turning  slowly.  O  the 
sadness  of  your  heart  and  home.  Adversity  came, 
and  swept  away  your  fortune;  that  was  the  small 
wheel  turning  backwards,  and  you  said,  "O  how 


388  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

can  this  work  for  roy  good?^'  God  never  said  every 
one  thing  works,  but  ^^all  things  altogether  work 
together  for  good  to  them  who  love  God/'  God 
blesses  you  with  prosperity — that's  one  of  the  little 
wheels  going  faster.  One  of  your  children  died, 
and  that's  one  of  the  little  wheels  going  backward; 
but  when  God  puts  them  all  together  with  his  own 
roaster  hand,  he  sits  in  heaven  rapt  in  the  contem- 
plation of  his  wonderful  work  well  done.  Now, 
brother,  let  the  problems  of  life  be  worked  out  by 
our  Father  in  heaven,  and  his  blessings  shall  be 
upon  you. 

I  am  so  glad  God  understands  me  and  knows 
me  and  leads  me,  and  I  am  so  glad  when  God  says, 
"All  things  are  working  together  for  your  good." 
There  is  but  one  thing  in  the  universe  that  is  an 
exception  to  this  rule,  and  that  one  thing  is  sin. 
God  never  made  sin  work  for  the  good  of  any  one. 
God  himself  can  not  make  sin  work  for  any  body's 
good.  Until  God  can  make  what  ought  not  to 
have  been,  so  that  it  ought  to  have  been,  he  can 
not  make  sin  work  for  good  to  any  man. 

I  used  to  think,  as  a  boy,  when  my  father 
whipped  me  that  I  would  ask  him  why  he  did  it, 
but  I  found  out  before  I  was  twenty-one  years  old 
that  my  father  was  trying  to  whip  the  devilment 
out  of  me. 

Do  n't  resist  God ;  take  whatever  he  puts  on  you. 
Do  n't  run  away  or  fight ;  just  fold  up  your  hands 
and  lean  towards  God,  and  rush  up  to  God,  and 
may  be  he  won't  strike  a  lick. 

Precious  Father!  thou  art  always  right;  thou 


Working  Togetheb  foe  Good.        389 

can'st  Dot  make  a  mistake ;  thou  art  all  love ;  thoa 
can'st  work  no  hardship  to  me,  and  if  I  trust  thee 
all  will  be  well.  Brother,  let  us  get  that  sort  of 
faith  in  God. 

Now,  then,  on  the  score  of  gratitude  and  thanks- 
giving, let  us  start  out  on  that  line.  The  way  to 
get  more  good  is  to  thank  God  for  that  which 
you  have.  That  was  a  grand  old  man,  an  old 
Presbyterian  pastor,  of  whom  I  have  read.  He  was 
the  idol  of  his  people  and  a  blessing  to  his  city. 
After  years  of  faithful  service,  all  at  once  he  com- 
menced bleeding  from  his  lungs,  and  hemorrhage 
after  hemorrhage  followed.  Every  time  he  tried  to 
preach  it  grew  more  violent,  until  finally  his  phy- 
sician said  to  him,  ^^  It  will  cost  you  your  life  to 
attempt  any  further  service.  You  must  quit  the 
pulpit  now,  and,  perhaps,  forever.^^  That  was  sad 
news  to  him,  and  a  few  days  after  the  leading  elder 
of  his  Church  came  to  him,  and  said :  ^'  The  new 
pastor  is  coming  in  and  you  must  vacate  the  par- 
sonage; but  the  best  place  in  my  house  is  at  your 
disposal,  and  you  and  yours  shall  be  cherished  in 
my  wife's  heart  and  in  my  own,  and  shall  have  a 
home  as  long  as  you  all  shall  live.''  That  was 
worthy  of  the  elder,  and  in  a  few  days  he  moved 
the  old  pastor  and  his  family  to  his  home.  In  a 
short  time  the  old  pastor's  only  child  was  taken 
suddenly  ill,  grew  worse,  and  then  died.  "What  a 
stroke  was  that!  A  few  days  again,  and  the  old 
pastor's  wife  was  stricken  with  some  eye  trouble, 
and  she  became  totally,  hopelessly,  blind.  One  day 
after  this  new  affliction  the  pastor  walked  out  in  the 


390  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

pleasant  evening,  and  when  he  returned  to  his  room 
his  wife  heard  his  footsteps  and  hurried  up  to  him^ 
put  her  hands  on  his  shoulders,  and  turned  her 
sightless  eyes  up  to  his  face,  and  with  teara  well- 
ing up,  that  would  not  have  stained  an  angel's 
cheek,  said,  "  Husband,  I  have  gained  a  great  vic- 
tory since  you  l^ft,  and  have  made  up  my  mind  to 
submit  to  God."  He  said,  "  O  precious  wife,  what 
great  victory?    Did  you  gain  it  understandingly ?'* 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  wife. 

"  Well,  let  us  see ;  we  have  the  best  home  here 
any  body  ever  had." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  good  woman. 

"Wife,  will  you  submit  to  that?" 

"Yes,  husband." 

"  Well,  we  have  the  best  friends  God  ever  gave 
any  body." 

"  Yes,  that  is  true." 

"Will  you  submit  to  that?" 

"  Yes,"  she  said. 

"Well,  we  have  a  darling  daughter  in  heaven^ 
sitting  now  under  the  shade  of  the  tree  of  life  to 
be  with  God  forever.    Will  you  submit  to  that?" 

"Yes,  yes,"  she  said. 

"Then,  wife,  we  have  all  the  precious  promises 
of  God  to  be  ours  every  day.  Will  you  submit  to 
that?" 

"  Yes,  O  yes." 

"  Well,  God  is  going  to  come  afler  a  while  to 
take  us  both  to  heaven  to  live  and  reign  with 
Christ.     Will  you  submit  to  that?" 

"O,  my  husband,  hush,  hush;  I'll   never  say 


Working  Together  for  Good.        391 

any  thing  more  about  submission  as  long  as  I  live. 
I'll  praise  God  the  balance  of  my  life.^' . 

And,  brother,  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  submit  to 
the  will  of  God.  Even  with  home*  and  all  gone, 
submit  yourself  to  God  without  a  word  of  murmur 
or  a  thought  of  reproach.  ^'  I  will  just  praise  God 
always.''  And  in  the  direst  extremities  of  life  we 
can  thank  God  for  ten  thousand  blessings  we  re- 
ceive from  him. 

I  will  tell  you  when  we  reflect  upon  the  good- 
ness of  God  to  us  we  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  our- 
selves to  be  talking  about  our  ^'crosses  and  our 
losses."  Let  us  have  that  kind  of  religion,  even 
though  we  lose  all  that  we  have  and  love  here;  we 
can  love  God  and  submit  with  patience  and  grati- 
tude to  his  will.  God  bless  you,  my  brethren,  and 
keep  you  according  to  his  perfect  will. 


BRIEK  SAYINQS. 

I  HAVE  known  women  too  poor  to  own  a  pair 
of  shoes — but  I  never  knew  one  to  be  too  poor  to 
own  a  looking  glass. 

I  HAVE  seen  preachers  who  looked  as  sad  and 
solemn  as  if  their  Father  in  heaven  was  dead  and 
had  n't  left  'em  a  cent. 

Heaven  is  the  spiritual  center  of  gravity  for 
all  things  good;  hell  is  the  spiritual  center  of 
gravity  for  all  things  evil. 

You  don't  believe  what  you  don't  understand? 
Do  you  understand  why  some  cows  have  horns  and 
some  are  muley? 


Sermon  XXIX. 

PROFESSION    AND    F^RAOTICE. 

"  Many  will  Bay  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  have  we 
not  prophesied  in  thy  name  ?  and  in  thy  name  have  cast 
out  devils?  and  in  thy  name  done  many  wonderful  works? 
And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew  you: 
depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity."— Matt,  vii,  22,  23. 

IT  is  not  advantages^  but  disadvantages^  that  make 
a  man.  Many  a  time  you  hear  a  man  say^  ^'  I  'm 
going  to  lay  by  something  for  my  children;  they 
shall  never  undergo  the  hardships  that  I  under- 
went/' But  he  does  n't  know^  you  see,  that  those 
very  hardships  that  he  underwent  made  him  what 
he  is,  and  that  if  he  lays  by  and  endows  his  chil- 
dren, the  probability  is,  they  won't  have  money 
enough  to  pay  for  their  funerals,  when  the  time 
comjBs  to  bury  them.  God  save  this  country  from 
an  endowed  Church,  and  the  Church  from  an  en- 
dowed member.  The  one  will  soon  be  a  failure, 
the  other  will  soon  be  in  the  cemetery,  or  vice  versa. 
I  have  never  known  a  prosperous  endowed  Church, 
and  very  few  endowed  sons.  I  say  it  is  disadvant- 
ages that  develop  the  man.  It  is  hindrances,  not 
help,  that  make  success.  Almost  any  body  can 
come  to  a  meeting  on  a  fair  Sunday,  but  earnest 
people  only  come  out  on  stormy  days. 

I  have  been  sitting  here,  brethren,  revolving  in 

my  mind  what  is  the  best  evil  to  run  on  this  morn- 
302 


Profession  and  Practice.  393 

ing.  What  is  the  best  thing  to  do?  Now,  I  like 
expressions  like  this :  '^  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul, 
and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  his  holy  name." 
"What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  his 
benefits  towards  me  ?  I  will  take  the  cup  of  salva- 
tion and  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord."  "I 
will  bless  the  Lord  at  all  times;  his  praise  shall  be 
continually  in  my  mouth."  ''My  soul  shall  make 
her  boast  in  the  Lord."  People  are  afraid  to  say 
much  about  their  religion.  They're  afraid  some- 
body will  consider  them  Pharisees. 

Well,  now,  brother,  I  think  you  would  do  just 
as  well  to  give  over  any  such  notion  as  this  of 
being  considered  a  Scriptural  Pharisee.  I  don't 
know  any  body  here  that  is  likely  to  be  one.  Do 
you  know  any  body  that  fasts  twice  a  week  and 
gives  one  tenth  of  every  thing  he  possesses  to  the 
Lord?  So  now,  it  is  possible  that  you  might  be 
considered  a  Pharisee,  but  I  do  n't  suppose  you 
ever  were  within  a  thousand  miles  of  being  one. 
You  have  n't  got  that  near  yet.  Do  you  know  any 
who  fast  twice  a  week,  and  give  abundantly  to 
God  ?  If  there  are  any  such  persons,  they  're  com- 
ing along  to  where  they  might  be  considered 
Scriptural  Pharisees.  A  great  many  things  are 
worse  than  being  a  Pharisee.  I  believe  that  being 
afraid  you  will  be  called  one,  when  you  ain't  worthy 
of  being  called  one,  is  worse  than  actually  being 
one.  To  say  the  least  of  it,  there  was  a  strong  dis- 
position in  the  minds  of  the  Pharisees  to  tote  fair 
with  God;  and  I  say  to  you,  that's  our  difficulty — 
toting  fair  withjGrod;   giving  God  such  a  portion 


1 


394  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

of  my  time  as  he  ought  to  have,  such  a  portion  of 
my  money  as  he  ought  to  have^  and  such  a  portion 
of  my  influence  as  he  ought  to  have.  Very  few 
people  will  do  that — very  few. 

Our  Christianity,  somehow  or  other,  has  been 
converted  largely  into  a  sort  of  begging  arrange- 
ment— everlastingly  receiving  and  holding  on  to 
what  we  get.  I  went  to  a  good  old  woman's  house 
once,  and  she  put  me  up  stairs  in  a  room,  and  there 
was  an  old  chest  in  the  room — a  large  chest,  the 
top  of  which  was  sprung  up.  I  had  a  curiosity  to 
know  what  the  old  soul  had  in  there,  and  I  just 
raised  the  lid  and  looked.  It  was  about  four  dozen  « 
of  the  nicest  counterpanes  you  ever  saw  in  your  life. 
But  she  did  n't  have  a  single  one  on  any  bed  in  the 
house  that  I  saw  at  all ;  and  I  wondered  in  my  soul 
why  this  old  woman  did  n't  put  some  of  these  on 
the  beds.  But  I  heard,  after  that,  that  another 
gentleman  went  in  there — it  was  n't  myself — ^and  he 
dropped  a  coal  of  fire  off  a  match,  or  a  cigar,  or  a 
pipe,  and  set  fire  to  the  old  lady's  counterpanes 
and  burned  the  whole  business,  and  was  like  to 
have  burned  the  house  up.  That  was  a  natural 
consequence  of  keeping  counterpanes  packed  up 
that  way.  I  do  n't  say  that  in  some  great  case- 
ment in  your  heart  you  have  got  a  thousand  good 
sermons,  and  good  resolutions,  and  good  purposes 
packed  away,  and  the  lid  of  the  thing  is  springing 
up,  it  is  so  full ;  but  you  have  n't  got  a  single  one 
on  your  tongues  that  you  might  speak  words  of 
cheer  and  kindness;  on  your  feet,  that  you  might 
walk   in  the   paths   of   righteou^ess.      Just   say, 


Profession  and  Pbaotice.  395 

**  Every  sermon,  instead  of  being  packed  away  in 
the  casement  of  my  heart,  I  believe  I  will  spread 
out  on  my  tongue,  and  hands,  and  feet,  and  make 
it  indeed  not  only  an  adornment  to  my  life,  but  a 
blessing  to  my  neighbor/^  Now  we  have  been  pack- 
ing away  sermons,  and  we  are  everlastingly  intent 
on  receiving. 

Well,  now,  a  man  gets  out  of  religion  just  in  pro- 
portion as  he  puts  into  it.  A  man  gets  off  his  farm 
just  in  proportion  as  he  puts  into  it.  A  man  that 's 
everlastingly  drawing  off  his  farm  and  never  putting 
any  thing  in,  is  headed  to  agricultural  bankruptcy. 
'A  man  that's  everlastingly  drawing  on  his  religion, 
and  never  putting  any  thing  in  it,  is  headed  to 
spiritual  bankruptcy.  I  believe  that.  Now,  I 
infer  that  most  of  us  here  are  professed  Christians, 
and  we  are  here  to  receive  something.  There 
appears  to  be  a  type  of  Christian  in  the  world  who 
has  every  pocket  empty  every  time  he  comes  to 
hear  about  God.  He  has  every  hand  empty,  and 
his  mouth  wide  open,  to  get  something.  He  is  one 
of  those  receiving  Christians,  like  an  old  pond  with 
water  draining  in ;  the  pond  takes  in  every  thing, 
but  has  no  outlet  in  the  world.  You  know  a  pond 
or  a  lake  that  has  no  outlet,  only  tends  to  breed 
miasma,  mosquitoes,  and  tadpoles,  and  such  like, 
and  in  religious  life,  when  it  catches  every  thing, 
and  has  no  outlet,  it  breeds  division  in  the  Church 
and  selfishness.  I  hear  a  great  deal  said  about 
'^self — the  worst  and  most  miserable  picture  of 
hell.  Hell  is  nothing  but  selfishness  on  fire.. 
Brethren,  it  is  not  what  we  receive;  it  is  what  we 


396  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

give  out,  that  keeps  us  spiritually  alive.  There 
was  a  good  old  woman  who  got  up  at  the  camp- 
meeting  and  said  she  was  going  to  fly  to  heaven, 
and  she  jumped  up,  and  gave  a  flop,  and  down  she 
came.  Every  body  laughed,  and  she  jumped  up, 
and  brushed  the  straw  olf  her  dress,  and  said, 
*'  Well,  ye  need  not  be  laughing ;  my  trouble  was  I 
did  not  get  the  right  flop.''  There  is  a  good 
deal  in  the  right  ^^flop."  Religion  in  a  big  meet- 
ing is  not  the  best  religion  in  the  world.  You  can 
not  fly  to  heaven  from  a  revival.  Revivals  I  reviv- 
als !  A  great  many  people  think  they  are  the  best 
things  in  the  world.  Brother,  in  a  sense,  they  may 
be  very  good,  but  they  are  not  the  best  things  in 
the  world.  A  revival  like  this  may  be  likened,  in 
a  sense,  to  a  conversation  I  heard  between  a  sewing 
machine  agent  and  a  merchant.  A  gentleman  was 
talking  sewing  machines  to  the  merchant,  and  he 
talked  with  a  vengeance.  I  listened,  and  I  said, 
*'  O,  if  I  could  only  preach  Christ  as  that  fellow 
talks  sewing  machines."  By  and  by,  the  merchant 
said,  "  I  would  take  all  the  machines  you  have,  if 
I  could  talk  'machines'  as  you  can."  The  agent 
said,  "  When  I  sell  a  lady  a  machine,  I  say  very 
little  about  it.  All  I  do  is  to  put  the  machine  up, 
and  show  her  how  to  thread  the  needle,  and  let  her 
learn  the  rest  from  the  book  of  instructions."  At 
the  revival  we  show  you  how  to  thread  the  needle, 
and  here  is  the  Book  of  Instructions  to  guide  you 
in  every  thing  to  success  in  life.  Revivals  can 
only  start  you,  but  God  says,  "  Continue  patiently 
in  well  doing,"  and  says,    "  Well  done,  thou  good 


PbOFESSIOK  ANB  PRACTIdt.  397 

and  faithfal  servant/'  Well  finished!  There  is  a 
heap  in  a  good  start.  There  is  a  great  deal  more 
in  carrying  a  thing  on  well^  but  wlien  it  comes  to 
"  Well  done^  it  is  finished/'  you  are  right. 

Now,  brother,  there  is  more  real  joy  in  giving 
a  cup  of  cold  water  in  the  name  of  Christ  than 
there  is  in  receiving  any  thing  at  the  hands  of 
another.  Sometimes  we  value  a  present,  not  so 
much  by  its  intrinsic  value  as  by  the  person  who 
gives  it  to  us.  I  have  known  a  souvenir  of  some 
sort,  a  present  not  worth  fifty  cents  if  its  associa- 
tions are  taken  away ;  but  a  person  would  not  take 
thousands  for  it.  This  was  a  gift  of  a  precious 
mother,  on  her  dying  bed.  This  was  the  gift  of 
the  best  friend  you  ever  had.  Brethren,  God's 
gift»  to  his  children  are  invaluable.  This  Bible 
was  given  me  by  God.  You  can  not  price  such 
presents  as  that,  and  yet  God  is  giving,  and  giving, 
and  giving;  and  what  have  we  shown  in  return? 
Lord,  thou  hast  fed  me  this  day  upon  thy 
bounty;  and  to  show  thee  I  am  grateful  for  it,  I 
am  going  to  feed  some  other  one. 

The  best  way  to  get  God  to  help  you  is  for  you 
to  pitch  in  and.  help  every  person  else  thsit  needs 
help.  The  Lord  helps  men  that  help  somebody 
else.  The  Lord  works  on  a  contrary  line  to  self- 
ishness every  time.,  You  hear  a  fellow  say,  "I 
have  about  as  much  as  I  can  do  to  get  to  heaven 
myself.  I  have  no  time  to  fool  with  other  people." 
Take  him  now,  and  follow  him  up.  It  is  the  truth. 
He  has  all  he  can  do  to  get  himself  to  heaven. 
He  has  the  biggest  job  of  any  man  I  know  of. 


398  8am  Jokes'  Own  Book. 

Really  I  would  rather  run  forty  locomotives,  direct 
twenty  cyclones,  and  look  after  forty  earthquakes, 
than  look  after  two  hundred  pounds  of  the  genu- 
ine selfishness  that  wears  breeches,  and  looks  like  a 
man.  It  is  about  the  toughest  job  a  man  could 
undertake,  to  rule  a  genuine,  solid  lump  of  pure 
concentrated  selfishness.  Do  n't  get  shocked  at  any 
of  these  things.  I  am  talking  about  natural  his- 
tory now.  These  animals  live  all  about  in  these 
days.  "You  may  not  be  familiar  with  them,"  as 
the  old  darkey  says,  "  but  they  lie  'round  as  sure 's 
you  live."  Really,  some  of  us  are  too  decent  to  be 
religious,  anyhow.  That  is  the  fact  about  it. 
There  are  plenty  of  people  here  in  churches  too 
decent  to  be  religious. 

I  read  a  clause  this  morning  in  one  of  the 
papers,  about  what  a  preacher  said  in  St.  Paul. 
He  is  preaching  to  a  fashionable  church.  They 
drove  up  in  their  carriages.  At  the  meeting  he 
said,  "  Brethren,  if  Jesus  Christ  were  on  earth,  and 
followed  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  as  he  did  in  his 
youth  among  men,  there  is  not  one  of  my  members 
who  would  speak  to  him,  and  he  could  not  come 
into  the  respectable  society  of  this  town  until  he 
got  into  a  carriage  to  attend  the  divine  service, 
and  joined  some  town  club."     Do  you  believe  that? 

Now,  Jesus  Christ  is  represented  in  the  person 
of  every  poor  man  in  this  town.  Do  you  know 
that  when  Old  Hickory  Jackson,  President  of  the 
United  States,  sent  over  to  France  to  know  by  his 
representative,  what  France  was  going  to  do  about 
the  American    claims,  they  treated  his  messenger 


Profession  and  Practice.  399 

with  indignity,  and  when  Old  Hickory  received 
the  message,  that  they  said  they  would  not  pay  the 
claim,  he  shook  his  fist  towards  France,  and  said, 
"By  the  eternal,  if  they  don't  pay  it,  I  will  make 
them  do  it."  Do  you  get  the  idea?  Whenever 
France,  or  any  other  country,  so  heaped  an  indig- 
nity upon  the  ministers  of  the  United  States,  they 
heaped  that  indignity  upon  the  government  of  the 
United  States.  When  you  meet  some  Christian 
people  in  this  town;  whom  you  do  n't  run  with, 
and  associate  with,  because  they  do  n't  happen  to 
have  as  much  as  you  have,  you  heap  indignity  upon 
Jesus  Christy  and  he  will  resent  it  with  all  the  force 
of  heaven,  earthy  and  hell. 

Why,  we  move  in  strata.  Some  of  you  good 
women  know  there  is  a  certain  stratum  you  run 
with.  There  may  be  thirty  or  forty  ladies  in  the 
Metropolitan  Church,  about  a  dozen  of  whom  you 
call  upon,  and  about  half  a  dozen  you  are  really 
intimate  with.  Take  the  Metropolitan  Church, 
with  all  her  history,  and  if  we  were  all  called  up 
to  heaven  to-morrow,  it  would  take  the  angels  two 
or  three  weeks  to  get  you  all  introduced  to  each 
other.  It  would  just  keep  the  angels  busy  awhile. 
Now,  what  sort  of  religion  do  you  call  that?  When 
two  or  three  bon  ton  members  get  off  to  themselves, 
you  might  overhear  something  like  this:  "I  can 
tell  you  why  I  never  met  her.  She  was  cook  with 
Mrs.  So-and-so,  and  we  never  associate  with  this 
sort."  Sister,  what  are  you  going  to  do  in  heaven? 
Won't  you  hate  to  run  with  your  cook  in  glory? 
Is  it  not  true  that  there  are  some  too  decent  to  be 


1 


400  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

religious  ?  The  hopeful,  brotherly,  cheerful  Christ- 
ian ity  is  unselfish.  This  is  what  we  want  in  this 
world. 

I  was  in  Milledgeville,  Georgia,  preaching  once, 
when  I  struck  the  idea  of  brotherly  kindness.  I 
used  this  illustration  just  as  it  happened  to  come 
upon  my  mind,  and  I  said,  ''Here  is  Mrs.  A.  She 
lives  in  a  beautiful,  palatial  home.  She  has  the 
best  servants  in  the  town,  the  best  husband,  and 
every  thing  she  could  wish  for.  She  gets  sick,  and 
I  sit  on  a  portico  opposite  the  home.  I  say, 
'  What  does  it  mean  by  all  these  ladies  going  in 
and  out  of  that  home  ? '  A  nd  as  I  sit  there  for  a  few 
minutes,  there  comes  an  elegant  waiter,  covered 
with  its  liniMi  towel,  and  I  ask,  'What  is'  the  mat- 
ter over  there?*  'Well,  Mrs.  So-and-so  is  sick, 
and  the  neighbors  are  calling  on  her  with  their 
waiters,  and  nice  things  fixed  for  her.'  I  say,  'I 
declare,  there  are  the  cleverest  people  here  I  ever 
saw  in  my  life.  I  have  seen  nothing  comparable  to 
that.'  And  the  first  thing  I  know  the  door  bell 
is  mu£3ed.  The  doctor  says  she  must  not  have 
company,  and  I  call  in  for  a  few  minutes  to  know 
how  she  is  getting  on.  When  the  elegant  waiters 
are  going  into  her  sick-room,  I.  understand  she 
said:  'Take  them  to  the  kitchen,*  and  I  hear 
that  when  they  went  out  to  the  kitchen,  the  serv- 
ants had  a  good  time  over  the  waiters.  They  are 
sending  in  things,  and  that  woman  has  a  better 
cook  in  her  place,  and  better  things  than  any  one 
else,  and  she  does  not  need  a  thing  in  the  world. 
But,"    said   I,  "there's    old    Sister  Snipe,  living 


Profession  and  PRAcrriCE,  401 

down  there  on  the  hill  side^  in  a  little  log  cabin. 
She  got  sick  three  weeks  ago,  and  I  never  saw  any 
body  going  there  to  call  on  her,  aDd  she  was  a 
member  of  the  same  Church.  And/'  said  I,  "  I 
never  heard  the  doctor  tell  her  she  M  better  not  re- 
ceive company  for  so  many  weeks,  and  I  never  saw 
the  waiter  going  up  to  her  house."  Well,*youMl 
hardly  believe  it,  but  at  the  end  of  that  service,  an 
old  lady  came  up  to  me,  and  said,  "  God  bless  you, 
Mr.  Jones ;  you  just  gave  them  the  truth.  I  have 
laiu  sick  three  weeks  many  a  time,  and  no  one  of 
them  ever  came  near  me."  "  Why,  what's  your  name, 
sister?"  I  asked.  "Snipe,"  she  said;  "I  thought 
you  knew  me.  I  live  up  in  the  little  log  cabin  on 
the  hill  side."  Well,  I  never  was  more  surprised 
in  my  life.  Old  Sister  Snipe  was  there  "  boda- 
ciously,"  as  they  say,  and  I  just  happened  on  the 
truth. 

O  brothers  and  sisters^  do  good  to  them  that 
need  it  most.  Thank  God  for  the  unselfish  Chris- 
tianity that  makes  me  see  in  every  man's  face  the 
beaming  eyes  of  a  brother,  and  that  makes  me  see 
in  every  woman's  face  the  countenance  of  a  sister. 
Suppose  we  were  brothers  and  sisters,  indeed; 
would  any  man,  could  any  creature  upon  this 
world  do  aught  to  spoil  the  life  or  the  character 
of  a  sister  or  brother  ?  There  's  where  the  world 
.  has  missed  it.  We  won't  be  brothers  and  sisters. 
God  wants  us  to  be.  And,  brethren,  the  more  un- 
fortunate your  brother  is,  the  more  kind,  and  the 
more  faithful  you  should  be  to  him.     I  want  to  see 

a  religion  that  gives  us  something  to  do,  and  is  n't 
34— B 


402  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

everlastingly  catching  at  something.  Why,  if  your 
religion  were  like  grapes,  and  would  not  keep  but 
two  or  three  months,  why,  bless  your  soul,  what 
would  become  of  you?  'T would  all  go  off  on 
your  hands  like  the  grapes.  Just  get  up  and  get 
at  work,  and  not  let  your  religion  decay  on  your 
hands.  O  brethren,  religion  not  used  is  religion 
misused.  I  wish  you  could  see  that.  ''What 
shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  his  benefits 
toward  me?''  Some  of  you  say,  "I  got  a  deal 
yesterday.  I  wonder  how  much  more  I  shall  get 
to-day."  "  What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for 
all  his  benefits  toward  me?"  Let's  look  around  to- 
day, and  say,  each  one  of  us,  "As  God  is  my  judge, 
I  am  going  to  do  something  for  God;  I  am  going 
to  do  good  to  somebody  to-day."  I  have  gone 
home  from  a  revival  many  a  time  very  hungry, 
because  passive  religion  is  not  the  best  religion  in 
the  world.  When  I  got  home,  I  would  say  to  my 
wife,  "How  is  poor  old  Aunt  Ann  up  the  hill?" 
She  was  a  poor,  old  negro  woman,  ^y^^^g  from  the 
cancer,  and  my  wife  had  been  feeding  her  from  her 
table  for  months.  My  wife  says,  "She's  a  great 
deal  worse."  I  often  used  to  visit  the  old  woman. 
She  IS  in  heaven  to-day.  "Well,"  said  I,  "then 
you  get  on  your  bonnet,  and  let 's  go  up  and  see 
her."  And  we  would  go  up  the  hill  and  see  Aunt 
Ann,  and  we  would  sit  by  her  bedside  and  sing 
hymns,  and  read  the  Scriptures,  and  pray  to  God ; 
and  when  we  went  away,  we  did  so  feeling,  sure 
enough,  as  if  we  had  been  to  heaven.  The  last 
time  I  visited  her,  I  left   a  dollar  or  two  in  her 


Profession  and  Peactice.  403 

poor,  withered  hand^  and  she  said^  as  she  turned 
her  shrunken  eye  on  me,  "Young  master''  (she 
always  used  to  call  me  so),  "  when  I  get  to  heaven 
it  won 't  be  long  before  I  '11  tell  the  angels  how 
good  you  have  been  to  me,"  and  the  consciousness 
that  I  have  done  good  to  one  poor,  old  negro 
woman  is  as  much,  and  more,  to  me,  as  the  biggest 
revival  meeting  I  ever  saw  running  under  my 
ministry. 

I  tell  you,  brethren,  good  religion  is  n't  in  great 
big  crowds,  where  they  're  preaching.  It 's  over 
yonder,  by  the  bedside  of  that  sick  woman,  or  by 
the  side  of  a  destitute  friend,  trying  to  soften  his 
troubles  with  kindness.  That's  good  religion.  I 
meet  a  poor,  old  negro  on  the  road,  and  stop  him, 
and  say,  "  Uncle,  here 's  a  half  dollar  piece  for 
you."  And  as  I  go  on,  the  old  negro  says,  "  Good 
Lord,  bless  dat  man.*  He's  jus'  like  an  angel 
dropped  down  from  heaven,  to  come  right  here, 
and  gib  me  dis  half  dollar,"  and  that  night,  when 
I  go  to  bed,  the  eagle  on  the  half  dollar  piece 
turns  into  a  nightingale,  and  sings  me  to  sleep. 
Have  you  ever  been  along  there,  brethren?  I 
paid  five  dollars  for  a  hat  one  day.  It  wasn't  a 
good  one,  and  I  never  got  any  satisfaction  out  of 
that  hat — never  had  any  enjoyment  from  it.  I 
gave  half  a  dollar  to  an  old  negro,  and  got  more 
enjoyment  from  that  act  than  from  all  the  hats  in 
town.  I  wish  we  could  see  that  religion  would 
help  us  along.  Blessing  others !  That 's  religion. 
I  am  just  going  to  leave  these  thoughts  with  you 
for  you  to  think  over.     I  tell  you,  brethren,  there 


404  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

is  something  in  this  line  of  things  for  every  one  of 
us  to  go  home  and  think  about.  Ask  yourself, 
"Who  would  think  about  me, if  I  were  to  die?"  Let 
me  give  you  an  illustration  I  've  given  frequently. 
I  was  called  to  the  bedside  of  a  sick  man  one  day. 
"  Mr.  Jones,"  he  said,  "  I  want  to  be  honest  with 
God."  "  You  mean,"  I  said,  "  you  want  me  to 
pray  for  you  to  get  well?"  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  But," 
I  said,  "  I  can  't  pray  for  you  to  get  well.  Sup- 
pose God  should  ask  me  why  I  wanted  you  to  get 
well,  what  should  I  say?  You  know  you  ain't 
fit  for  a  thing  in  this  round  world,  that  I  -  ve  ever 
found  out.  You  won't  pray,  you  won't  pay,  and  I 
know  nothing  to  bank  on,  if  I  ask  God  to  keep 
you  alive."  Well,  brethren,  it  just  scared  him  up. 
He  said,  "  Brother  Jones,  do  you  need  any  corn  ?" 
I  said,  "  I  do  n't  need  any  particularly,  but  I  guess 
I  could  do  with  a  little."  ^^Well,"  he  said,  "I'll 
send  you  'round  a  load  or  two  in  the  morning." 

I  tell  you,  brethren,  there  's  nothing  like  tap- 
ping a  fellow  when  he's  down.  You  can  work  on 
him  then.  Some  of  you,  if  you  thought  you  were 
dying,  would  want  your  pastor  to  pray  for  you  to 
get  well,  and  if  the  pastor  were  to  do  as  you  wanted 
him  to  do,  and  the  Lord  were  to  ask  him  why  he 
wanted  you  to  get  well,  I  wonder  what  answer  he 
would  be  able  to  make  the  Lord.  Some  of  you 
ain't  fit  for  a  thing  in  this  round  earth,  but  just  to 
come  up  and  get  your  rations.  Think  of  a  soldier 
that  does  nothing  but  come  up  and  draw  his  rations! 
The  poorest  kind  of  a  soldier  is  the  fellow  that  never 
fired  a  gxin,  or  went  to  the  front,  but  is  still  draw- 


Profession  and  Practice.  405 

ing  his  rations.  The  Lord  deliver  us  from  that 
sort  of  soldiers!  Let^s  take  these  things  home, 
and  fit  them  to  our  lives.  I  am  not  banking  on 
the  fact  that  I  am  a  revivalist,  or  that  I  preach  to 
men,  and  move  them,  but  on  the  fact  that  God  can 
use  me  for  little  things,  and  that  my  name  is 
written  there.  That  is  the  secret  of  a  true  Chris- 
tian joy.  The  glorious  fact  is  that  the  cheerful  part 
of  my  religion  is  not  seen  by  men,  and  that  my 
name  is  written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life. 
What  avails  me  if  thousands  are  converted?  It  is 
said  that  Judas  Iscariot  was  the  most  earnest 
preacher  of  the  twelve.  God  help  us  to  get  the 
sort  of  religion  that  will  bless  other  people.  And 
the  Lord  wants  us  to  have  that  sort.  I  can 't  do 
any  thing  for  God,  who  is  independent  in  himself. 
I  can  't  aid  him  in  any  way,  personally,  to  him. 
But,  brother,  I  will  tell  you  how  you  can  do  it. 
*'  Come,  ye  blessed.'*  Master,  why  dost  thou  say  to 
me,  "Come,  ye  blessed?"  Because  —  listen  —  "I 
was  an  hungered,  and  ye  fed  me;  I  was  naked,  and 
ye  clothed  me.  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me." 
"Lord,  when  did  we  ever  see  thee  sick,  and  visited 
thee,  or  hungry,  and  fed  thee,  or  naked,  and 
clothed  thee  ?"  "Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto 
one  of  the  least  of  these,  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it 
unto  me."  Brethren,  if  you  want  to  help  Christ,  go 
and  look  for  some  poor  folks  that  love  Christ,  or 
ought  to  love  him.  Jesus  says ;  "A  cup  of  cold 
water,  given  in  my  name,  shall  not  lose  its  reward." 
That's  it.  There  are  a  great  many  impostors.  A 
great  many  people   hang  around   revivals  just  for 


406  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

the  loaves  and  fishes.  So  they  did  in  the  days  of 
Christ.  Bat  I  would  rather  help  ninety-nine  ini- 
postorsy  and  one  genuine  case^  than  let  one  genuine 
case  go  unblest.  The  truth  of  the  business  is^ 
organized  charity  is  the  only  real  charity  in  the 
world — that  charity  that  thinks  of,  and  thinks 
into  the  cases,  and  thinks  out  the  difficulties  of 
those  who  need  help,  and  puts  them  where  they 
can  assist  themselves.  But,  brother,  let  us  bless  the 
people  of  this  town  this  week.  Let  us  go  into  it 
with  our  sleeves  rolled  up,  and  our  hearts  on  fire 
with  love  to  God  and  man.  That 's  what  you  want. 
We  have  had  hardly  enough  conflict  in  this  mill- 
ing. Wc  have  n't  had  as  much  as  usual  of  the  ^'  I 
do  n't  like  this,"  and  '*  I  won't  put  up  with  that." 
They  are  firing  on  us  from  the  towns  surrounding. 
But  have  you  ever  noticed  how  a  cannon  sounds  in 
a  grave-yard?  There  's  a  peculiar  ring  to  it.  When 
a  fellow  shoots  a  gun  from  the  cemetery,  it  has  a 
sort  of  guttural  tone,  and  seems  to  have  crept  from 
the  tomb.  But  I  say,  brother,  I  never  was  afraid 
of  ghosts,  or  cannons,  or  any  thing  else  inside  of  a 
cemetery.  But  now,  when  you  come  out  with  the 
living,  there  may  be  a  battery,  but  do  n't  you  be 
disturbed  by  the  cannonading  of  a  cemetery.  It  is 
just  a  sound,  that's  all.  I  suppose  some  of  you 
may  see  the  point,  and  some  may  not;  but  I  mean 
it.  To  see  an  old  fellow  poke  up  his  head  till  he 
raises  his  tomb  -  stone,  and  say,  "Be  quiet  there," 
and  then  pull  his  head  back  in,  and  let  his  tomb- 
stone down!  Be  quiet  there,  do,  boys;  you  will 
make  infidels.     May  the  grave-yards  be  kept  en- 


Profession  and  Practice.  407 

closed,  and  the  inhabitants  not  let  out  on  iis.  Think 
on  these  things  as  you  go.  Work  and  pray,  and 
when  the  cemeteries  shall  give  up  their  dead,  let  it 
not  be  said  of  us  that  we  were  dead  before  the 
breath  left  us,  but  that  we  lived  while  we  did  live, 
and  died  in  peace,  and  at  last  went  home  and  found 
the  Lord. 


SAYINGS. 


The  speed,  and  momentum,  and  destination  of 
a  cannon  ball  are  to  be  determined  always  by  how 
much  powder  is  behind  it;  and  your  speed  and 
course  to  the  good  world  will  depend  a  great  deal 
upon  how  you  start. 

Talk  about  reason  and  common  sense;  if  you 
will  just  let  your  common  sense  and  your  reason 
run  over  the  past  to-night,  and  look  upon  you  in  the 
present,  you  Ml  say,  "  Well,  surely  God  has  poured 
his  blessings  upon  me,  and  I  ought  to  give  him 
the  homage  of  my  heart,  and  the  fidelity  of  my 
life.'' 

Let  's  quit  singing  the  "  Sweet  By  and  By," 
and  sing  the  sweet  now  and  now.  In  joy  make 
home  pleasant.  Make  home  pleasant  I  A  thing 
of  joy  is  a  thing  of  beauty  forever,  as  well  as  a 
thing  of  beauty  is  a  thing  of  joy  forever.  Try  to 
be  joyous  and  pleasant  for  a  whole  week.  Keep 
your  faces  straight,  and  if  they  get  out  of  shape, 
let  it  be  with  a  great  big  smile  as  broad  as  the 
double  doors  on  your  parlor.  I  like  a  smile  a  mile 
long  sometimes. 


Sermon  XXX. 

DBI^IQHXINQ  IN  THB  UORJD, 

"  Delight  thyself  also  in  the  Lord ;  and  he  shall  give  thee 
the  desires  of  thy  heart"— Psa.  xxxvii,  4. 

THERE  are  moral  forces  in  the  world,  brethren, 
just  as  there  are  physical  forces.  About  two 
years  ago,  I  was  walking  on  the  railroad  track  just 
above  my  town,  with  the  pastor  of  our  Church.  He 
was  a  younger  man  than  myself.  '^  Jones,^'  he  said, 
''we  will  have  a  cyclone  this  afternoon  about  two 
o'clock."  I  said,  "Have  you  gotten  out  your  al- 
manac yet?"  "  No,"  he  replied.  "  Well,"  I  said, 
"if  you  have  got  so  that  you  can  predict  storms  and 
cyclones,  you  ought  to  get  out  one."  "I  am  not 
joking,"  he  said;  "do  n't  you  see  how  the  wind  has 
changed?  Just  now  it  was  in  our  faces;  now  it's 
at  our  backs ;  in  another  minute  or  two  it  will  be 
on  our  right,  and  then  on  our  left.  You  look  out 
about  two  o'clock."  Well,  we  went  out  and  took 
dinner  with  my  brother,  and  then  he  drove  us  into 
town  in  his  buggy.  We  got  home  just  about  two 
o'clock.  My  brother  was  around  at  the  back,  and 
we  heard  him  suddenly  shout,  "Look!  look!"  We 
ran  out  to  the  back  door,  and  there  was  one  of  those 
fearful  cyclones,  carrying  houses,  and  trees,  and 
almost  every  thing,  in  its  sweep.     I  stood  watching 

it  in  its  deathly  course,  and  it  passed  just  a  mile 
408 


ST    PAUI.  SHITHCH,  CINCIKNATL 


Delighting  in  the  Lord.  409 

below  us.  It  was  just  about  four  hundred  yards 
wide,  and  looked  like  a  thousand  coal-burning  en- 
gines chained  together.  "There's  your  cyclone," 
said  I  to  the  pastor.  "  I  will  tell  you  why  it  had 
to  come,"  he  said,  "  because  conditions  met.  When- 
ever the  proper  conditions  meet  we  shall  have  a 
cyclone." 

Now,  brethren,  I  just  want  to  say  that  wherever 
conditions  meet  you  will  have  a  moral  cyclone  that 
will  uproot  the  evil  of  the  whole  community,  and 
lay  bare  the  giants  of  sin  in  the  land.  We  do  n't 
want  a  small  whirlwind,  or  a  little  blow,  but  a  grand 
spiritual  cyclone.  Let  you  and  me  go  to  work  and 
get  up  conditions,  and  whenever  they  meet  you  will 
have  a  cyclone.  I  have  seen  a  few  of  them.  It  is 
a  grand  sight  to  see  a  physical  cyclone  doing  ite 
work,  but  it  Is  a  grander  sight  to  see  a  spiritual 
cyclone  in  operation.  It  is  a  grand  sight  to  see  the 
gray-headed  old  man,  steeped  in  vice  for  seventy 
years,  come  to  the  stool  of  repentance,  and  throw 
himself  on  the  mercy  of  God ;  and  it  is  a  grand 
sight  to  see  a  whole  family  gathered  up  and  brought 
into  the  arms  of  the  Church  and  Heaven.  What  a 
grand  thing  to  see  conditions  meet  so  that  God  can 
bless  people  in  a  spiritual  cyclone. 

Now,  brethren,  I  never  tried  to  be  heterodox  in 

my  life.     I  always  tried  to  be  orthodox,  but  never 

cared  much  about  it.     I  have  found  out  that  every 

body   that  agrees  with  me  is  orthodox,  and  every 

body   who   does   not   agree   with    me  is  heterodox. 

How  are   we  to   get  the  standard  of  orthodoxy? 

Who  is  to  tell  us  who  is  right  and  who  is  wrong? 
35— B 


410  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

But  experience  is  worth  a  great  deal.  Sometimes 
theology  gets  very  muddy.  If  my  boy  were  called 
to  preachy  I  would  not  send  him  to  a  school  of 
theology,  but  to  a  school  of  manology.  Our  preach- 
ers know  a  good  deal  about  God,  but  very  little 
about  men.  Did  you  ever  notice  that?  I  will  say 
again,  and  I  want  to  be  understood,  there  are  two 
sides  to  the  Gospel,  just  as  there  are  two  sides  to 
farming.  God's  side  of  farming  is  raining  and 
shining ;  and  man's  side  to  farming  is  plowing  and 
hoeing,  and  planting.  There 's  many  an  old  farmer, 
now,  that  would  like  to  swap  sides  with  God.  He 
thinks  it  so  much  easier  to  rain  and  shine  than  to 
plow  and  hoe.  And  it 's  much  that  way  in  religion. 
"  O,  Lord,"  says  an  old  sinner,  "  if  you  will  come 
down  and  quit  uncleanncss  in  me,  I  will  do  the 
blessing."  I  am  so  glad  he  won't  do  it — ^so  glad 
he  has  fixed  it  so  that  you  have  to  do  the  cleaning 
thing  before  he  will  bless  you. 

There  are  a  great  many  things  we  would  like  to 
have  changed  in  this  world.  That  old  fellow  out 
there  says:  "  Now,  if  God  had  fixed  it  so  that  there 
should  have  been  no  death,  what  a  blessing  it  would 
have  been !"  Now,  if  some  prophet  here  were  to 
get  up  and  announce  to  you  all  as  the  latest  news 
from  Heaven  that  nobody  was  to  die  in  this  city  for 
a  hundred  years,  I  would  just  close  up  this  meeting 
right  off;  what  would  be  the  use  in  carrying  it  on 
if  none  of  you  had  to  think  any  thing  about  dying? 
But  just  about  ninety-five  years  from  now  if  I  were 
to  come  back  this  way  I  'd  be  able  to  get  up  a  great 
meeting,  for  you  'd  be  saying  to  yourselves,  "  I  've 


Delighting  in  the  Lord.  411 

got  to  think  about  death  now ;  I  may  die  in  five  years' 
time;  it  is  better  to  get  ready/'  If  death  were 
abolished  here  for  a  hundred  years  the  grass  would 
grow  up  in  front  of  every  church  in  this  town,  and 
there 's  not  a  preacher  here  who  would  get  fifty 
dollars  salary  next  year.  These  environments 
around  us  were  put  here  by  God.  Let  us  light  on 
them  as  the  honey-bee  does  on  the  flower,  and  with 
velvet  tread  let  us  walk  as  it  does.  Do  n't  mar  the 
beauty,  but  extract  the  fragrance.  You  live  in 
these  environments,  and  use  them  well.  God's  love 
is  abroad  in  the  land,  and  he  that  believeth  and 
liveth  shall  never  die.  The  best  way  to  get  away 
from  God  is  to  run  up  toward  God;  and  the  best 
way  to  live  is  to  die ;  and  the  best  way  to  be  happy 
is  to  get  very  miserable  about  your  meanness.  Con- 
ditions meet.     Delight  thyself  in  the  Lord. 

Now  to-day  we  are  trying  to  get  up  conditions. 
I  like  a  cheerful,  happy,  bright-faced  religion.  I 
have  seen  very  good  people  with  sad  countenances 
and  solemn  looks.  I  can  remember  when  I  was  a 
little  boy  an  old  Methodist  preacher  used  to  come 
to  our  house  and  look  solemn  and  dignified,  and 
when  he  cocked  his  eye  round  and  looked  me  in  the 
face,  I  thought  as  how  the  devil  would  get  me,  sure, 
in  about  two  minutes.  I  was  afraid  of  him.  Look 
here.  If  to  be  sad  and  unhappy,  and  solemn  and 
droopy  is  religion,  I  never  want  to  die  without  it, 
but  I  do  n't  want  it  until  just  the  minute  before  I 
die.  I  would  not  be  loaded  with  it  from  now  until 
I  die  for  any  thing  in  the  world.  An  unhappy,  sad 
Christianity !     I  do  n't  blame  young  people  for  not 


412  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

catching  on  to  religion  of  that  sort.  As  the  boys 
say :  Yon  will  never  get  up  a  "  mash ''  with  the 
young  folks  on  that  line.  Never!  God  is  my  Father. 
I  am  his  child.  He  loves  me;  I  love  him.  Breth- 
ren, I  love  my  children.  They  call  me  "father/* 
and  I  call  them  sons  and  daughters.  Do  you  know^ 
when  they  come  around  me  with  glad  faces,  I  am 
happier  than  at  any  other  time  in  the  world  ?  And 
whenever  one  of  them  comes  up  looking  sad  and 
droopy,  I  know  he  has  done  something  mean  or  is 
sick,  and  I  either  brush  him  or  give  him  a  dose  of 
medicine  on  the  spot.  It  is  perfectly  unnatural  for 
one  of  my  children  to  go  around  droopy  when  he 
is  all  right. 

Now,  brethren,  some  of  you  do  n't  believe  in  en- 
joying yourselves  and  looking  happy.  Well,  if  I 
have  paid  my  debts  and  done  right  all  the  week,  on 
Sunday  when  I  go  to  church,  I  want  to  wear  a 
smile  as  broad  as  heaven.  But  if  you  have  been 
making  money  by  gouging  a  widow  or  in  any  other 
mean  way,  and  telling  lies  and  drinking  whisky, 
you  ought  to  be  as  solemn  as  a  paid  mourner.  But  if  I 
have  done  my  duty  and  gone  along  and  done  well,  O, 
my  Father  in  heaven,  no  angel  shall  outsmile  me, 
or  no  angel  outjoy  me.  Religion  never  was  designed 
to  make  one  pleasure  less.  I  love  a  happy,  cheerful 
Christianity.  I  am  happy  here;  I  will  be  there. 
I  am  happy  on  my  journey.  I  thank  God  there  is 
not  only  water  enough  in  the  river  of  life  to  wash 
the  last  speck  of  dirt  out  of  a  soul,  but  joy  enough 
and  over  to  keep  every  one  happy  on  the  way  there. 
If  God  could  not  have  made  every  one  happy  here 


Delighting  in  the  Lord.  443 

He  would  have  knocked  the  devil  in  the  head  and 
boxed  him  up  long  ago. 

Some  people  are  never  happy  unless  they  are 
very  miserable.  They  just  know  there  is  something 
wrong  when  they  feel  well.  An  old  fellow  said  to 
me  once  :  "  I  like  to  sing  sometimes,  to  make  my- 
self feel  humble.'^  I  said,  "  You  old  dunce !  yon 
do  n't  know  the  difference  between  feeling  humble 
and  feeling  mean.''  It  takes  a  metaphysician  to  tell 
the  difference  between  the  two.  "  Delight  thyself 
in  the  Lord^  and  he  will  give  thee  the  desires  of 
thy  heart."  Delight  yourself!  Sister,  suppose 
you  had  a  servant,  and  every  time  you  bade  her  go 
and  do  something  she  went  off  moping  and  growl- 
ing ;  you  would  keep  her  about  a  week,  and  then 
say  to  your  husband,  "  I  am  going  to  settle  up  with 
that  girl ;  I  do  n't  want  her;  I  would  rather  do  the 
work  myself;  she  mopes  and  growls  to  do  the  least 
thing."  I  think  sometimes,  when  the  Lord  tells  us 
to  do  things  and  we  go  off  to  do  them  moping  and 
growling,  that  he  says  to  an  angel :  "  Erase  his 
name  from  among  my  servants.  I  would  rather  go 
down  and  do  the  work  myself  than  have  such  a 
servant  as  that."  Sister,  once  you  had  a  happy, 
bright-faced  servant,  and  when  you  would  bid  her 
do  a  thing  she  always  did  it  with  a  smile.  When 
you  handed  her  a  new  dress  one  day  your  husband 
asked  you  if  you  were  going  to  give  her  every  thing. 
You  say,  "  Well,  she  is  so  cheerful  and  happy  I 
can  't  refuse  her  any  thing,"  I  suppose  sometimes 
one  of  the  angels  asks  the  Lord  if  he  is  going  to 
give  some  people  every  thing,  and  he  replies  that 


414  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

they  do  his  work  so  cheerfully  and  pleasantly  that 
he  can  't  refuse  them  any  thing.  Down  in  Colum- 
bus, Georgia,  one  of  the  pastors,  a  happy,  bright 
brother,  walked  into  the  post-office  one  morning 
and  asked  for  his  mail.  The  postmaster  asked  him 
inside.  "  Do  you  see  these  boots,"  he  said,  pointing 
to  a  handsome  pair  of  new  boots  on  his  feet ;  "  what 
do  you  think  of  them?"  "They  are  very  good." 
"  Well,"  said  the  postmaster,  "  you  go  to  such  and 
such  a  place  and  let  them  take  your  measure.  I 
want  you  to  have  a  pair  made  just  like  them." 
The  pastor  said,  "  I  do  n't  need  any  boots  specially. 
What  does  it  mean  ?  "  "  Well,  it 's  not  because  I  Ve 
heard  you  preach  so  often,  but  because  you've  put 
your  head  in  at  my  window  about  300  days  during 
the  year  and  given  me  a  pleasant  smile." 

"  Delight  thyself  in  the  Lord,  and  he  will  give 
thee  the  desires  of  thy .  heart."  In  Monticello, 
down  where  I  Was  pastor,  a  carriage  manufacturer 
called  up  his  hands  for  a  final  settlement,  and  when 
he  had  paid  them  all  off  he  called  to  a  yellow- 
colored  boy  of  about  twenty,  and  said,  "Harry, 
come  here;  here  is  a  $20  gold  piece  for  you." 
"  What 's  that  for  ?  you  paid  me,"  said  Harry.  "  It 's 
because,"  said  the  master,  "  I  called  you  up  at  all 
times  of  the  day  and  night,  and  sent  you  off  on  all 
sorts  of  errands,  and  never  saw  you  except  with  a 
smile  on  your  face.  This  is  for  the  way  you  did 
your  work;  not  for  what  you  did." 

Motive  has  a  good  deal  to  do  with  all  this  thing. 
If  I  speak  with  the  tongue  of  men  and  of  angels, 
and   do   a    thousand   other   things,   and   have   not 


Delighting  in  the  Lord.  415 

charity — a  loving,  gentle,  submissive  spirit — what 
does  it  amount  to?  If  you  will  do  gladly  and 
cheerfully  what  the  Lord  gives  you  to  do,  he  will 
not  only  pay  full  price  for  what  you  have  done,  but 
will  pay  you  over  again  for  the  way  you  have  done 
it.  A  cheerful  man  is  to  the  world  what  oil  is  to 
the  engines  of  a  workshop.  He  keeps  away  friction 
and  makes  things  run  smooth.  I  believe  if  yctu 
do  n't  benefit  a  man's  soul  by  preaching  to  him,  you 
have  done  some  good  if  you  have  improved  his 
body.  -It  is  mighty  hard  for  a  man  with  a  physical 
infirmity  to  be  religious.  Beecher  said  irreverently — 
and  Beecher  says  many  a  good  thing — that  when 
his  liver  got  out  of  fix  the  kingdom  of  heaven  got 
out  of  fix  for  him.  That  is  irreverent,  but,  as  we 
say  down  South,  "  There 's  gum  in  it."  Before  I 
commenced  living  and  enjoying  myself  as  I  do  now, 
I  was  thin  and  sallow,  and  look  at  me  now. 
"  Laugh  and  grow  fat "  on  your  way  to  glory. 
"Delight  thyself  in  the  Lord,  and  he  will  give 
thee  the  desires  of  thy  heart."  I  believe  in  a  happy, 
cheerful  Christian.  I  believe  that  the  happiest 
people  in  the  world  ought  to  be  Christians,  and  that 
Christians  ought  to  be  the  happiest  people  in  the 
world,  and  enjoy  themselves  more  than  any  people 
on  earth. 

Mope  'round  here  just  as  if  your  Father  in 
heaven  had  died  and  left  you  nothing  in  his  will 
and  you  are  an  eternal  orphan!  If  some  of  my 
children  looked  as  some  of  you  people  do  some- 
times, I  would  n't  want  to  hear  them  call  me 
"father"  in  company  where  any  body  could   hear 


416  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

thcni.  Let 's  get  the  idea  out  of  our  head  that  a  sad 
face  means  a  clean  hearty  that  a  solemn  look  means 
purity  of  life,  that  dignity  and  usefulness  are  synony- 
mous terms.  When  a  man  is  full  of  sin  he  needs  a 
good  deal  of  dignity  to  hold  him  up.  The  more 
dignity  a  man  needs  and  employs,  the  less  he  has  of 
other  things  much  better  than  dignity.  I  am  going 
to  be  as  dignified  some  day  as  any  man  in  this 
crowd.  It  will  be  when  I  am  laid  out  in  ray  coffin. 
I  will  be  as  straight  and  composed  then  as  any 
body.  I  never  expect  to  be  dignified  *until  then. 
The  more  dignified  a  fellow  is  the  nigher  he  is  d^ad. 
Did  you  ever  notice  that?  I  said  it — I  mean  it. 
What  is  dignity  ?  It  is  the  spread  of  a  shroud.  I 
fancy  I  hear  some  sister  say  about  me,  "  He  is  so 
dreadfully  out  of  propriety  in  every  thing.'^  Do 
you  know  what  propriety  means?  See  now.  Did 
you  ever  see  a  fellow  go  right  up  to  a  thing 
straighter  than  I  do  ?  I  have  more  propriety  than 
any  fellow  you  ever  saw.  Only  you  do  n't  know 
what  propriety  means.  Your  ignorance  gets  you 
into  a  heap  of  trouble.  It  does  that.  Your  idea 
of  propriety  is  this :  You  go  down  and  look  into  a 
shop  window,  and  see  a  hat  bent  and  twisted  and 
crooked  until  it  will  fit  your  foot  as  well  as  your 
head.  That  is  your  propriety.  O,  for  a  little 
more  real  dignity  in  the  pulpit,  and  more  propriety 
among  our  members !  What  is  true  dignity  ?  To 
maintain  with  earnestness  and  fidelity  the  claims  of 
God  upon  hunmnity ;  and  true  propriety  is  to  go 
right  up  to  a  thing  and  strike  at  it  without  any 
circumbendibus. 


Delighting  in  the  Lord.  417 

Do  you  ever  go  to  prayer-meeting  on  Wednes- 
day nights?  Some  places  in  the  United  States  you 
go  in  and  you  see  the  brothers  and  sisters  drop  in 
one  by  one  until  there  are  about  seventeen  of  them 
sitting  in  seventeen  different  seats  of  the  church. 
And  one  looks  as  if  he  came  from  China,  and 
another  as  if  he  came  from  Africa,  and  a  third  as 
if  he  belonged  to  Greenland,  and  so  on.  By  and 
by  the  preacher  comes  in,  looking  sad  and  solemn. 
"  Brethren,'*  he  says  in  the  solemnest  of  tones, 
"  we  are  in  the  house  of  God,  and  it  behooves  us  to 
be  solemn.*'  Then  he  solemnly  announces  a  hymn, 
and  solemnly  kneels  down  in  prayer.  Then  he  will 
get  up  off  his  knees  and  read  a  chapter  about  the 
mountains  trembling  at  His  presence,  and  so  on. 
You've  been  along  there.  Then  he'll  throw  the 
meeting  open  for  a  talking  meeting.  One  brother 
over  there  will  get  up  and  say,  "  It  looks  to  me  as 
if  I  've  had  more  temptations  in  the  past  week  than 
ever  before ;  it  seems  as  if  I  must  be  getting  along 
poorer  in  my  religious  life."  Then  another  brother 
will  look  at  another  as  much  as  to  say,  "  It 's  your 
turn  now ;  I  talked  last  week,  and  if  you  can  't  do 
any  better  'n  I  did  you  had  better  keep  your  seat." 
Then  they  all  sit  round  and  look  solemn  at  one 
nnother;  then  they  have  another  song  and  prayer,- 
and  then  they  call  on  old  Brother  A,  and  he  gets  on 
the  bended  knees  of  perishing  humanity,  and,  if  one 
may  speak  for  all,  they  've  had  a  bad  time  of  it. 
Then  the  brother  dismisses  the  meeting,  and  tells 
them  all  to  be  sure  and  come  back  next  Wednesday 
night.     They  all  go  away,  and  thank  God  they  have 


418  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

been  growing  in  grace.  I  'd  as  lief  try  to  make  a 
shade  tree  out  of  the  leg  of  that  bench  as  to  try  to 
grow  in  grace  on  that  line.  Brethren,  I  want  to  go 
to  the  prayer  service  with  joy  in  my  heart.  I  want 
to  be  able  to  say,  "  I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto 
me,  Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord."  I  want 
to  see  the  people  of  God  go  into  the  house  of  God 
with  a  rush,  and  conduct  their  meetings  with  a  rush. 
Our  Christianity  is  too  slow.  Half  of  us  never  get 
up  with  an  old  sinner  until  he  is  dying,  or  dead 
drunk,  or  too  sick  to  move.  Then  we  catch  up 
with  him.  Nine  out  of  ten  of  these  nineteenth 
century  sinners  can  run  a  mile  while  we  are  fasten- 
ing ourselves.  I  have  known  a  preacher  who  did  n't 
expect  to  do  any  thing  but  worry  the  living  and 
bury  the  dead.  And  that 's  about  all  he  did  do. 
As  soon  as  an  old  sinner  got  down  to  die,  he  M  go 
and  cry  over  him  and  talk  about  the  Christian  life, 
and  at  last  perhaps  heM  get  him  to  give  to  God  the 
last  remnants  of  a  miserable  life. 

Brethren,  have  an  aggressive,  earnest,  cheerful 
Christianity,  full  of  life.  Christianity  is  life  or  it 's 
nothing.  Life!  Life!  And  your  words  and  works 
and  actions  and  conduct  are  but  the  fruits  which 
hang'  upon  that  tree  which  is  your  life.  Be  a  cheer- 
ful, happy  Christian.  Go  home  and  make  home 
happy.  Go  home  and  make  the  wife  happy.  Go 
home  and  make  the  children  happy.  O,  brethren, 
if  there 's  a  place  on  earth  that  ought  to  be  an 
Eden  it  is  home.  I  hate  to  see  a  man  who  '11  stand 
behind  the  counter  all  day,  and  smile  on  every  lady 
that  comes  in,  and  wait  on  her  politely,  and  then 


Delighting  in  the  Lord.  419 

will  go  home  and  look  cross  as  a  bear  at  his  wife, 
and  never  say  a  word  to  her  until  bedtime,  and 
then  go  off  to  bed  having  no  more  to  say  to  her 
than  if  she  had  n't  any  existence  at  all.  I  never 
did  like  that  kind  of  a  fellow  that  was  kind,  and 
graceful,  and  polite  to  every  woman  but  his  own 
wife.  Yes,  and  some  of  you  Ul  sit  there  now  and 
look  as  innocent  as  if  you  never  heard  of  such  a 
thing.  Sister,  that's  a  fact,  isn't  it?  And  to  see 
a  lady — I've  seen  a  few  in  America,  polite  and 
graceful  to  every  gentleman  she  meets  and  yet  she 
is  n't  cheerful  and  pleasant  with  her  husband.  Good 
Lord  help  me  always  to  say  it — if  there 's  one  wo- 
man in  this  world  that  I'll  be  polite  and  pleasant 
with,  by  the  grace  of  God,  it  shall  be  my  wife,  and 
the  mother  of  my  children.  If  I  do  n't  treat  any 
but  one  family  of  children  right,  by  the  grace  of 
God  it  shall  be  my  own  family  of  children.  I  tell 
you,  brethren  and  sisters,  the  more  religion  you 
have,  the  better  husband  you  are  going  to  be,  the 
better  father  you  are  going  to  be,  the  better  mother 
you  are  going  to  be,  the  better  children  you  are 
going  to  be.  That  is  what  we  want  to  make 
our  homes  happy — Christianity  in  all  its  force 
and  life  and  power.  Delight  yourself  in  the  Lord. 
Let  religion  be  your  joy,  and  teach  your  children 
by  your  life  and  example  that  religion  is  not  only 
designed  to  make  yoi^  blessed,  but  it  is  the  most 
blessed  thing  in  the  world. 

Now,  how  can  I  get  every  thing  I  want?  By 
delighting  myself  in  the  Lord— going  along  cheer- 
fully and  doing  whatever  the  Lord  tells  me  to  do. 


420  8am  Jones*  Own  Book. 

I  dare  say  it^  and  I  say  it  with  a  thankful  heart 
and  with  all  humility,  I  do  n't  believe  there 's  a 
brother  here  that  has  done  as  much  work  in  quan- 
tity— a  heap  of  you  beat  me  in  quality,  but  I  yield 
the  palm  to  any  brother  in  this  town  on  that — ^but 
I  believe  I  have  done  more  ministerial  pulpit  work 
than  any  living  man  within  the  past  ten  years.  I 
have  preached  four  times  a  day,  an  hour  at  a  service, 
right  along  for  weeks  and  months  together.  And 
if  you  ask  me.  How  have  you  stood  so  much  work? 
I  can  tell  you  that  the  only  reason  I  know  is  that 
I  have  gone  steadily  and  cheerfully  and  done  the 
work  God  wanted  me  to  do.  An  old  brother  will 
get  up  in  the  pulpit  and  say.  Woe  is  me  if  I  preach 
not  the  Gospel.  God  never  called  him  to  preach. 
It 's  a  lie !  It 's  a  lie !  Well,  you  say,  St.  Paul  said : 
"Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  Gospel."  St.  Paul 
said:  "Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  any  thing  else  but 
the  Gospel,"  but  he  never  said :  If  God  will  let  up 
on  me,  I  Ml  quit.  He  did  n^t.  He  said :  "  I  count 
not  my  life  dear  unto  myself.  I  count  all  things 
but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of 
Christ  Jesus  my  Lord,  and  for  the  privilege  of 
doing  the  work  God  gives  me  to  do."  But  you  get 
up  in  the  pulpit  and  make  out  you  Ml  quit  preaching 
if  only  the  Lord  will  let  you  get  to  heaven  without. 
You  ain't  fit  to  preach.  A  man  that  would  rather  do 
any  thing  else  than  preach  is  n't  fit  to  preach.  Breth- 
ren, the  first  time  I  preached  there  was  trepidation 
and  fear  in  my  heart  and  quivering  in  my  frame. 
For  many  months  I  was  troubled  because  I  feared 
I  could   not  preach  as  God  wanted  me  to  preach, 


Delighting  in  the  Lord.  421 

and  the  only  fear  or  trouble  I  have  ever  had  is, 
not  that  I  have  got  to  preach,  but.  Am  I  right  in 
every  thing  I  have  got  to  say?  I  want  to  tell  you 
that  if  in  America  there  were  a  law  passed  to  pro- 
hibit preaching,  I  would  take  the  first  steamship  for 
some  other  country,  where  I  could  preach  the  Gos- 
pel of  Jesus  Christ.  I  would  n't  live  anywhere  I 
could  n't  preach,  I  like  it  that  well.  And  when 
you  get  a  fellow  liking  any  thing  it 's  astonishing 
how  much  of  it  he  can  stand  up  to.  It  is  that. 
To  preach  Christ  twice  a  day  is  n't  much  of  a  job. 
But  I  have  known  a  preacher  used  up  preaching 
religion  twice  a  week.  After  his  two  sermons  on 
Sunday  he  would  n't  be  fit  for  any  thing  next  day 
with  "  the  Mondays."  I  have,  as  true  as  you  live. 
But  I  believe  he  could  preach  Christ  twice  a  day 
and  it  would  n't  hurt  him.  A  great  big  strapping 
preacher  with  the  Mondays!  He  sits  round  the 
house  a  perfect  nuisance  all  day  Monday,  and  his 
wife  says,  "The  Lord  knows  I  hate  to  see  Sunday 
coming  around  for  I  know  Monday  is  coming  too." 
The  Lord  deliver  us  from  the  Mondays !  I  never 
had  a  touch  of  them  in  my  life.  1  thank  God  for 
the  grace  that  delivered  me  from  the  Mondays  all 
my  religious  life. 

Brethren,  if  you  want  all  that  heart  can  desire, 
get  along  to  be  a  happy,  cheerful  Christian,  and 
God  will  give  it  to  you.  You  need  n't  doubt  that. 
Listen.  "He  will  give  thee  the  desire  of  thy  heart." 
Give  you  every  thing  you  want.  Who  is  the  hap- 
piest, richest  man  in  the  world?  The  man  who  has 
every  thing  he  wants.     Brethren,  I  believe  I  can 


422  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

say  a  trnth^  and  I  say  it  to  the  honor  and  glory  wf 
God.  Listen:  I  have  gone  along  cheerfully  for 
weeks  and  weeks  doing  the  will  of  Grod  cheerfully, 
happily,  in  my  work  and  I  believe^  if  any  time  in 
any  week  you  had  asked  me,  What  do  you  want?  I 
could  not  have  told  you,  to  have  saved  my  life.  It 
did  n't  seem  that  I  had  a  want  in  this  universe. 

Thou,  O  Christ,  art  all  I  want:— 
More  than  all  in  thee  I  find. 

O,  brothers,  there  is  the  secret,  the  great  secret 
of  a  happy  life  in  Christ  Jesus — ^I  have  found  my  all. 
And  I  may  say  another  thing  to  you :  You  might 
make  me  the  highest  in  the  land,  give  me  riches 
and  honor,  make  me  wholly  blest  in  this  world,  give 
me  a  happy  dying  hour,  and  I  might  be  taken  to 
heaven,  and  as  I  walk  down  the  golden  streets  arm 
in  arm  with  my  Father,  and  he  walks  into  a  mag- 
nificent mansion  and  shows  me  all  its  beauties 
adorned  by  angel's  hands,  and  shows  me  into  every 
apartment  of  that  beautiful  mansion  in  the  skies, 
and  when  he  has  shown  me  all  its  apartments  he 
turns  to  me  and  says: — Farewell  forever,  I  will 
never  see  you  more  and  you  will  never  see  me  more, 
I  would  be  im  eternal  orphan  in  heaven;  heaven 
itself  would  be  but  the  home  of  an  orphan  if  God 
is  gone  forever.  But  if  I  have  God  on  earth  I  have 
heaven  here.  There  is  nothing  on  earth  that  I 
desire  but  God,  and  heaven  itself  has  nothing  better 
than  God.  Brethren,  have  God  in  your  heart  here, 
have  God  for  your  heritage  here,  and  then  you  have 
all.     If  a  man  has  God  in  his  heart,  he  is  to  him 


Delighting  ts  the  Lord.  423 

righteousness  and  peace  and  wealth  and  strength 
and  life  and  hope  and  heaven.     He  is  all  of  it. 

I  want  to  say  to  you  that  during  the  first  years 
of  my  religious  life,  I  did  n't  understand  things. 
I  was  a  very  ignorant  creature.  I  am  ignorant  yet; 
very  ignorant — ^but  it  does  n't  become  many  of  you 
to  say  so,  because  you  do  n't  know  as  much  as  I  do. 
I  make  an  honest  confession.  I  did  n't  understand 
a  great  many  things.  And  I  was  sometimes  un- 
happy because  I  didn't  understand  these  things. 
I'll  tell  you  my  life  when  I  first  started.  For  the 
first  months  and  years  of  my  religious  life,  when 
wife  would  get  sick  and  suffer,  I  would  say :  "  Well, 
surely  God  doesn't  love  me.  Just  look  how  wife 
suffers."  When  one  of  my  little  children,  would  get 
sick  and  swing  like  the  pendulum  of  a  clock  between 
life  and  death,  I  would  say:  "God  does  n't  love  me, 
or  my  precious  child  wouldn't  suffer  that  way." 
Again,  when  a  little  prosperity  would  come  I  would 
say  :  "  God  loves  me  now ;  we  're  all  well,  and  have 
plenty  to  eat  and  wear."  Then  again,  when  adver- 
sity would  come  and  as  a  poor  preacher  I  would  n't 
have  a  dollar  in  the  world,  I  would  say:  "God 
can  't  love  me  or  I  would  n't  be  going  round  with- 
out a  dollar."  And  so  I  was  happy  or  miserable 
in  proportion  to  the  things  I  saw  round  me.  Hap- 
piness is  a  distinct  thing  from  joy.  "  Happiness  " 
comes  from  the  same  word  as  "  happen,"  so  that 
"happiness"  only  "  happens  "—depends  upon  for- 
tuitous circumstances  and  fortuitous  circumstances 
alone  may  bring  happiness.  If  things  happen 
right,  I  am  happy.     But  joy  has  its  source  from  a 


424  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

different  quarter.  I  have  quit  looking  at  the  things 
seen  and  have  taken  to  looking  at  the  things  un- 
seen. When  a  man  can  get  his  eye  on  the  things 
unseen  he  is  a  millionaire. 

Let  me  give  you  an  illustration.  Here  is  an 
ocean  steamer  leaving  New  York  for  Liverpool. 
I  get  aboard.  She  weighs  anchor  and  moves  out. 
To-day  is  clear,  the  next  day  is  cloudy ;  one  day  is 
calm,  the  next  stormy ;  one  day  I  am  well,  the  next 
day  I  am  sick ;  one  day  I  can  eat,  the  next  day  I 
can't;  one  day  I  am  cheerful  conversing  with  my 
friends,  the  next  day  I  am  moping  about.  These 
are  the  things  known  and  seen.  But  wait.  What 
are  the  things  unseen?  Away  down  underneath 
that  grand  old  ship  is  her  mighty  propeller  pushing 
her  right  on  to  Liverpool,  no  matter  whether  I  am 
sick  or  well,  no  matter  whether  it  is  clear  or  cloudy, 
no  matter  whether  it  is  calm  or  stormy,  no  matter 
whether  I  am  talking  to  friends  or  moping  about, 
no  matter  whether  I  am  happy  or  miserable,  that 
grand  old  propeller  is  pushing  the  ship  right  on  to 
Liverpool,  and  probably  I  have  never  seen  the  pro- 
peller from  the  time  I  left  New  York  to  the  time 
I  reach  Liverpool.  No  matter  if  wife  is  well  or 
sick,  no  matter  if  children  live  or  die,  no  matter  if 
they  are  sick  or  well,  no  matter  if  I  am  poor  or 
rich,  no  matter  if  I  am  happy  or  miserable,  I  say — 
O,  God,  let  me  feel  the  everlasting  arm  underneath 
me,  lifting  me  closer  to  thee  every  day  and  hour. 
And  now  my  song  is: — 

Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee, 
Nearer,  to  thee; 


Delighting  in  the  Lord.  425 

E'en  tho'  it  be  a  cross 

That  raiseth  me, 
Still  all  my  song  shall  be 
I^earer,  my  God,  to  thee. 
Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee. 

Nearer  to  thee  I 

Thank  Ood  for  the  unseen  arm  that  lifts  a  world 
to  heaven.  Brethren,  get  that  arm  underneath  you, 
and  be  lifted  up  the  balance  of  your  life. 


Briek  Sayings. 

Riches  are  as  much  in  the  way  of  religion  as 
poverty. 

You  must  have  eyes  to  see  the  sun,  and  you 
must  keep  your  eyes  open. 

If  you  will  show  me  a  praying  pew,  I  will 
show  you  a  powerful  pulpit. 

It  takes  a  first-class  preacher  and  a  first-class 
hearer  to  get  up  a  first-class  sermon. 

It  ^8  as  much  your  duty  to  get  ready  to  hear, 
as  it  is  my  duty  to  get  ready  to  preach. 

You  can  H  lay  down  your  religion  to-day  and 
take  it  up  again  to-morrow  and  go  on  with  it. 

Brother,  God  knows  just  each  chord  of  your 
nature,  and  knows  what  one  to  play  upon  when  he 
wants  the  sweetest  music. 

O,  brothers,  let  you  and  me  realize  that  if  we 
ever  get  to  heaven  there  must  be  a  process  of  mak- 
ing symmetrical  and  beautiful  a  character  otherwise 

very  unlovely  indeed. 
36— B 


Sermon  xxxi. 

BORK  OK  GKDD 

"  Whosoever  is  born  of  God  doth  not  commit  sin." — 
1  John  hi,  9. 

THIS  iS;  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  difficult  texts 
in  the  Word. of  God.  I  know  it  gave  me 
more  trouble  for  years  of  my  religious  life  than  all 
the  other  verses  of  the  ^ible.  The  cold  chills  ran 
over  me  many  a  time  when  I  read  it.  This  verse 
for  years  of  my  religious  life  was  a  two-edged 
sword  cutting  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  joints  and 
marrow.  But,  thank  God,  these  latter  years  this 
verse,  which  was  once  a  sword,  is  now  bread.  A 
man's  moral  condition  determines  for  him  what  the 
Gospel  is  to  him.  If  there  are  swords  in  the  Word 
of  God  you  have  made  them  so.  God  intends  every 
word  that  proceedeth  out  of  his  mouth  to  be  bread. 
I  'm  not  going  to  preach  a  sermon  on  sanctification. 
I  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  sanctification,  but  I  am 
just  going  to  talk  good,  old-fashioned  religion  to- 
night, without  dividing  it  into  the  fii*st  and  second 
blessing.  There  is  one  class  of  men — the  first  bless- 
ing did  nothing  for  them — and  that  class  need  the 
second  blessing  bad.  But  to-night  we  are  talking 
of  good,  old-fashioned  religion. 

"  Whosoever  is  born  of  God  doth  not  commit 
sin.*'     If  I  were  to  say  to  you  an  honest^  man  can 
426 


Born  of  God.  427 

• 

not  steal^  a  truthful  man  can  not  tell  a  lie,  a  sober 
man  can  not  get  drunk,  every  body  would  believe 
me.  Well,  I  say,  if  an  honest  man  as  an  honest 
man  can  't  steal,  and  a  sober  man  as  a  sober  man 
can 't  get  drunk,  and  a  truthful  man  as  a  truthful 
man  can  't  tell  a  lie,  then  logic  forces  us  to  the  con- 
clusion that  a  Christian  as  a  Christian  can  not 
commit  siu.  ^ 

Now,  if  this  text  is  a  climax,  we  can  only  get 
to  this  climax  by  going  up  a  ladder  to  it.  We 
must  climb  up  with  the  context ;  and  the  first  rung 
in  the  ladder  is  this :  "  Behold  what  manner  of  love 
the  Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us."  "  Beloved,  now 
are  we  the  sons  of  God."  I  can  explain  the  fact 
that  you  and  I  are  here  to-night  on  no  other  hy- 
]M)thesis  except  that  God  is  our  Fdther  and  we  are 
his  children.  If  I  am  the  son  of  the  Lord  God 
Almighty,  and  he  is  my  Father,  then  I  belong  to 
the  noblest  family  of  the  world.  It  is  worth  some- 
thing to  a  man  to  belong  to  a  good  family.  I  am 
not  talking  about  what  we  call  Bourbon  blood  in 
our  country.  I  never  saw  a  boy  that  was  very 
proud  of  his  father  that  the  father  was  not  ashamed 
of  him.  I  am  not  talking  about  that  kind  of  blood, 
understand.  But  still  it  is  often  a  good  thing  for 
a  young  man  that  he  belongs  to  a  good  family. 
Many  a  boy  has  drifted  to  the  very  verge  of  de- 
struction in  dissipation  and  wickedness,  and  in  some 
thoughtful  moment  a  kind  friend  walks  up  and 
takes  him  by  the  hand,  and  says,  "Young  man,  I 
knew  your  father.  He  was  a  princely  man.  I 
knew  your  mother.     She  was  a  noble,  true  woman. 


428  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

With  such  a  father  and  such  a  mother,  why  do  y.ou 
behave  as  you  do?^*  "It  is  true/'  replies  the 
youth,  "  my  father  was  a  princely  man  ;  my  mother 
was  a  noble,  good  woman;  and  by  the  grace  of 
God  I  reform  my  life  at  this  hour.  I  will  never 
again,  God  helping  me,  do  any  thing  to  bring  dis- 
grace on  the  names  of  my  noble  father  and  mother." 
God  pity  a  boy  thgik  will  take  the  name  of  his 
precious,  pure  mother,  and  of  his  noble  father,  and 
smirch  and  disfigure  it  by  a  godless,  dissipated 
life.  Now,  brethren,  I  am  the  son  of  God  Almighty •. 
I  am  not  heir-apparent  to  a  kingdom,  but  I  am 
joint  heir  with  Jesus  Christ,  and  herr  of  all  things. 
There  is  royal  blood,  glory  be  to  God!  And  I  will 
say  another  thing.  When  a  man  speaks  out  before 
the  world  and  professes  to  be  a  son  of  the  Lord 
God  Almighty,  this  old  world  doffs  its  hat  and  says, 
"  You  have  made  a  great  profession.  You  say  you 
are  the  son  of  God  Almighty;  now  act  like  the  sou 
of  a  noble  King.  Act,  and  talk,  and  give,  and  go, 
and  come,  and  be  like  one."  Now  see !  This  old 
world  will  not  let  us  profess  to  be  religious  and 
then  live  just  as  they  live  without  having  a  con- 
tempt for  us.  That  is — old  sinners  are  not  satisfied 
with  us  unless  we  live  better  than  they  do.  J)id 
you  ever  notice  that? 

Now  you  hear  a  man  say,  "  I  can  't  live  without 
sin."  Yes,  and  if  you  '11  watch  him  you  Ml  cat<;h 
him  at  it;  he's  made  provision  for  it.  Now,  let's 
be  sensible  along  here  and  look  at  it  in  a  common- 
sense  way.  Suppose  you  go  home  to-night  and 
make  a  list  of  the  sins  you  can  't  help  committing, 


Born  op  God.  429 

and  when  you  pray  say :  "  O,  Lord,  save  me  from 
all  other  sins  but  "these  I  have  on  my  list.  I  know 
you  can  'fc  save  me  from  these.  I  ^11  go  right  on 
committing  them;  but,  please,  Lord,  do  save  me 
from  every  other  sin."  You  would  n't  do  that. 
Let  us  look  at  this  thing  in  a  common-sense  way. 
I  ni  suppose  a  case,  and  of  course  it 's  only  a  sup- 
posed case.  Here  is  a  good  woman ;  her  sin  is 
tattling.  On  Monday  morning  she  gets  her  house 
in  order,  then  she  says:  "Here,  children,  you 
keep  house  for  a  while.  Your  mother  is  a  poor 
sinner,  and  her  sin  is  tattling,  and  she  has  to  run 
over  to  the  next  neighbor's  and  tattle  a  little." 
How  would  you  like  that  sort  of  logic  ?  Comiug 
down  to  plain  facts,  here  's  a  brother  whose  sin  is 
overreaching  in  trade.  Suppose  he  were  to  say  in 
the  morning,  "Well,  wife,  I'm  off  to  business.  I 
do  n't  know  when  I  shall  be  home.  I  have  to 
cheat  somebody  to-day,  and  I  can 't  help  it,  to  save 
my  life."  His  wife  and  children  would  have  an  in- 
quest on  him  to  see  if  he  ought  n't  to  be  sent  to  the 
lunatic  asylum. 

The  idea  of  necessary  sin*  is  an  absurdity  to 
start  with.  A  member  of  my  Church  said  to  me 
once  :  "  Brother  Jones,  I  have  one  trouble  ;  I  will 
curse  when  I  get  mad;  I  can  't  help  it."  I  said, 
"Can't  you  help  it  sho'  nuff?"  "No,  I  can't." 
"Well,"  said  I,  "go  right  on.  The  Lord  won't 
bother  you  about  it,  and  I  won't.  You  lam  in 
whenever  you  get  ready,  and  you  cuss  away,  if  you 
can  't  help  it."  "  Well,  but,"  he  says,  "  I  might 
help  it."     "Well,"  I  said,  "  if  you  can  help  it  th. 


430  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

Lord  will  put  you  in  hell  for  it,  and  I  ^1  turn  you 
out  of  my  Church  for  it/'  And  that 's  the  point  I 
want  to  make  on  you.  If  you  can  't  help  it,  go  on^ 
go  on!  But  if  you  can  help  it,  you  had  better 
look  out. 

I  overhauled  my  life  about  four  years  ago,  and 
found  I'd  quit  every  sin  I  wanted  to  quit,  and 
those  I  did  n't  want  to  quit  I  was  still  running.  A 
preacher  in  my  State  once  said  in  the  pulpit  that  a 
man  could  n't  live  without  sin.  If  I  'd  been  there 
I  'd  have  felt  inclined  to  jump  up  at  that  point  and 
ask  him  to  ''  name  the  sin  a  man  could  die  com- 
mitting and  get  to  heaven,  or  take  that  back.  I  'm 
not  going  to  give  you  any  such  chance  as  that  to 
inveigle  my  soul  into  hell."  Do  you  believe  me 
when  I  say  every  man  of  us  has  as  much  religion 
as  we  want?  Do  you  believe  that?  Religion,  what 
is  it?  It  is  a  matter  of  choice,  choice,  choice! 
What  does  choice  mean  ?  It  means  to  take  this  and 
reject  that.  It  does  n't  mean  desire.  Now  what  is 
holiness?  What  is  the  purity  talked  about  in  this 
text?  I  '11  tell  you.  It  is  a  hundred  cents  on  the 
dollar,  doing  right  every  time  you  get  half  a  chance 
and  refusing  to  do  wrong  under  any  circumstances. 
It  is  n't  doing  right  ninety-nine  times  out  of  a  hun- 
dred. You  can 't  bank  on  a  man  like  that,  because 
you  can  't  tell  to  save  your  life  when  he  is  going  to 
do  wrong.  I  want  a  fellow  to  refuse  to  do  wrong. 
I  feel  like  an  old  woman  who  found  fault  with  her 
husband  about  getting  drunk,  and  he  promised  he 
would  n't  get  drunk  that  day,  but  he  came  home 
drunk  as  a  coot  that  night.     She  said:  ''Just  look 


BoBN  OP  God.  431 

at  you  now,  and  after  your  promise  too/'  "  Well/' 
he  said,  "  I  did  n't  go  to  get  drunk."  "  But  did 
you  go  not  to  get  drunk."  That  is  just  the  word. 
That  is  religion — to  want  to  avoid  the  thing  that 's 
wrong  and  to  do  the  thing  that 's  right. 

O,  these  little  silly  excuses  you  make  for  staying 
away  from  prayer-meeting,  for  not  praying  in  your 
families,  for  not  paying  your  debts.  Brother!  I 
want  to  be  understood  about  that  debt  business.  If 
you  can 't  pay  your  debts  and  want  to  pay  them 
you  have  the  sympathy  of  God  and  the  angels.  But 
if  you  can  pay  your  debts  and  won't,  God  will  put 
you  in  hell  for  it.  You  can  take  that  for  what  it 's 
worth.  The  same  God  that  says,  "  Thou  shalt  not 
steal,"  says  "Owe  no  man  any  thing,  but  to  love 
one  another."  I  believe  I  'd  rather  a  fellow  would 
steal  any  thing  I  've  got  when  I  'ra  asleep  than  buy 
of  me  on  credit  and  not  pay  me.  Because,  if  he 
steals  it  when  I  'm  asleep  I  say  it 's  clear  gone,  and 
I  do  n't  know  who  took  it,  and  I  ain't  meeting  him 
every  little  while.  But  if  it 's  the  other  way,  he  's 
sticking  himself  in  my  way  and  breaking  up  my 
religious  enjoyment  everywhere  I  go.  I  despise  a 
fellow  like  that.  I  have  known  men  get  into  debt 
that  way,  and  the  next  thing  you  hear  from  them 
i8,  that  they  are  agents  for  their  wives.  Think  of 
a  great  big  ship  of  a  man  towed  round  by  his  wife 
as  her  "agent!"  I'll  tell  you.  Brother  I  As  God 
is  my  judge  I'll  never  sign  my  name  as  agent  for 
my  wife.  Understand  that.  I  believe  my  wife 
loves  me  well  enough  and  loves  my  character  well 
enough  that  if  she  were  worth  ^100,000  and  I  owed 


432  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

$99,000,  she  would  say :  "  Husband,  take  it  and  pay 
your  debts;  I  would  not  have  your  honor  stained 
for  all  the  money  in  the  world."  And  you  fellows 
that  are  agents  for  your  wives  try  to  get  your  wives 

to  settle  up  for  you. 

We  can  afford  any  thing  else  as  a  Church  rather 
than  to  carry  these  men  who  are  not  clean  in  their 
business  and  practical  life  before  the  people.  These 
old  sinners — you  preachers  say  these  are  in  your 
way.  You  are  lower  down  than  ever  I  was  if  you 
let  that  sort  get  in  your  way.  Do  you  hear  that? 
A  fellow  can 't  be  in  your  way  unless  he  's  ahead 
of  you.  And  when  a  man  gets  low  enough  down 
for  that  sort  to  be  ahead  of  him,  I  never  would 
tell  it  again  while  I  lived.  If  I  were  you,  I  'd  shut 
my  mouth  and  say  no  more  about  it.  I  would. 
Brethren,  there's  but  one  attitude  toward  sin  for 
the  Christian,  and  that's  the  attitude  of  abhor- 
rence. Lord,  Lord,  teach  us  to  know  that  every 
sin  in  this  universe  has  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
upon  it,  then  evei^  Christian  when  it  is  brought 
into  his  presence  will  cry :  "  Take  it  out  of  my 
presence.  It  has  the  blood  of  my  precious  Savior 
upon  it.  I  loathe  it.  I  hate  it.  I  will  not  touch 
it."  Brethren,  I  say  that  repentance  precedes  be- 
lief, and  I  believe  repentance  means  I  'm  done,  I  Ve 
quit ;  and  a  man  that  has  n't  quit  those  things  has 
not  only  never  been  converted,  but  he  has  never 
repented.  He  is  still  in  the  bonds  of  iniquity.  Grod, 
pity  a  man  that  has  not  got  religion  enough  to  keep 
him  enjoying  life  without  running  into  the  sins  of 
the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil. 


Born  op  God.  433 

Every  Christian  should  be  as  jealous  of  his 
purity  as  the  little  ermine  is  of  his  fur.  The  er- 
mine is  the  most  fastidious  little  animal  in  the 
world.  He  is  as  white,  almost,  as  the  driven  snow. 
The  only  way  they  can  capture  it  is,  when  it  comes 
from  its  den,  to  sprinkle  mud  and  dirt  on  its 
path,  and  when  the  little  ermine  comes  back  and 
sees  the  mud  and  dirt,  it  will  lie  down  and  subject 
itself  to  capture  and  death  before  it  will  surrender 
one  of  its  little  white  hairs.  O,  brethren,  we  want 
Christians  who  will  die  before  they  will  surrender 
their  Christian  character. 

That  is  the  line  we  want  to  get  on.  Because, 
brethren,  sin  is  worse  than  death.  There  is  nothing 
in  death  to  harm  a  good  man ;  sin  damns  soul  and 
body  for  ever.  Do  you  recollect  that  time  when 
the  devil  had  come  from  going  to  and  fro  in  the 
earth  and  walking  up  and  down  upon  it?  God 
said,  "Have  you  beheld  my  servant  Job?  I  can 
bank  on  him  ;  I  can  trust  him."  The  devil  looked 
up  in  the  face  of  his  Maker,  and  said,  "Job  is 
wealthy,  and  he  is  serving  you  for  what  he  has  got. 
Take  away  his  property,  and  he'll  curse  you  to 
your  face."  And  God  said,  "  Take  every  thing  he 
has  away  from  him,  but  do  n't  lay  your  hand  on 
him."  And  one  messenger  runs  up  to  Job,  and  tells 
how  his  cattle  have  been  destroyed,  another  how 
his  sheep,  and  another  how  his  camels  were  de- 
stroyed, and  finally  runs  in  a  messenger  and  tells 
how  every  one  of  his  children  was  destroyed.  And 
when  the  last  earthly  prop  had  been  swept  away  he 

stood  there  before  God  and  said  :   "The  Lord  hatli 
37— B 


434  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

given,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away;  blessed  be 
the  name  of  the  Lord.''  And  the  devil  stood  aghast^ 
and  said,  "  Why,  Adam  fell  the  first  lick  I  made  at 
him ;  that  innocent  being  that  God  had  made,  the 
first  lick  I  made  at  him  down  he  came.  And  here 
is  Job,  whose  last  earthly  prop  has  been  taken 
away,  and  he  is  as  loyal  to  God  as  he  was  in  all  his 
wealth  and  glory."  Then  he  said  to  the  Lord  :  "  If 
you  '11  let  me  take  his  health  away,  he  '11  curse  you 
to  your  face."  The  Lord  says :  "  I  can  bank  on 
Job ;  I  'm  sure  of  him.  Take  his  health  away,  but 
leave  the  breath  of  life  in  him  ;  do  n't  take  away 
his  life."  And  the  devil  set  in  on  him.  The  next 
we  hear  of  Job  he  is  down  on  an  ash-bank  scrap- 
ing himself  with  a*  potsherd.  And  his  wife  came 
to  him  and  said,  '^Your  breath  is  a  stench  in  my 
nostrils;  curse  God  and  die."  And  Job  answered: 
"  Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him." 
And  the  devil  stood  aghast,  and  said :  "  Well,  well, 
just  look  at  that.  I  have  done  all  I  can  do,  and 
Job's  as  loyal  as  in  the  days  of  his  prosperity." 

Then  the  devil  went  and  got  Job's  friends, 
with  Job's  wife  thrown  in — and  the  devil  makes  a 
big  jump  on  a  fellow  when  he  gets  his  wife — and 
he  pitched  in  on  him  with  his  wife  and  his  friends. 
They  said  to  him,  "  It 's  your  character  we  're  after. 
You  've  got  nothing  left  but  your  character,  and 
we  're  going  to  take  that  from  you.  It 's  your 
meanness;  it's  your  sins  that  have  done  this."  Old 
Job  heard  them  strike  him,  and  he  said,  ^'  I  have 
maintained  mine  integrity.  I  have  done  the  clean 
thing."    And  God  came  up  and  walked  with  Job, 


BoBN  OP  God.  435 

and  he  blessed  him  more  in  his  latter  days  than  in 
his  former  days. 

O^  brethren^  be  good  so  that  God  can  bank  on 
you,  and  you  will  be  pure,  and  God's  richest  bless- 
ings will  rest  upon  you.  The  Lord  bless  you 
preachers,  and  put  you  on  a  platform  where  God 
can  bank  on  you  everywhere  and  every  day.  My 
brethren,  to-day  I  can  say  that  if  I  am  not  loyal  to 
God  I  do  n't  know  it.  Since  I  was  converted  I 
have  not  seen  a  minute  that  he  could  not  command 
every  drop  of  my  blood,  every  minute  of  my  time, 
every  passion  of  my  soul,  every  dollar  of  my  money. 
O,  come  up  higher ;  get  where  God  can  make  some- 
thing out  of  you.  Then  you  will  enjoy  peace  and 
prosperity,  and  you  shall  be  a  blessing  to  your 
native  land.  O,  brethren,  a  Christian  ought  to  be 
like  the  larks  of  Scotland.  The  sweetest-throated 
birds  that  ever  warbled  a  song  are  said  to  be  the 
larks  of  Scothmd.  They  roost  upon  the  grass  of 
the  fields,  and  early  in  the  morning  the  Scottish 
farmer  walks  through  the  fields,  and  he  flushes  the 
larks,  and  they  begin  to  rise,  and  circle  as  they  rise, 
and  sing  as  they  circle,  and  it  is  said  the  highest 
note  of  the  lark  is  its  sweetest  note,  and,  listening 
to  its  last  sweet  tone,  it  seems  as  though  the  heaven 
bent  down  and  mingled  its  melody  with  the  melody 
of  the  throat  of  the  lark. 

Brethren,  let  us  get  up,  and  circle  as  we  rise, 
and  sing  as  we  circle.  Let  us  sing  a  victory  over 
sin  and  death  and  hell.  Let  us  be  loyal  to  God. 
Now  every  Church  member  of  a  Church  in  this 
house   that  will  pray,  "  Lord,  get  me  up  to  where 


436  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

you  are;"  every  man  in  the  Church  or  out  that 
wants  to  have  religion^  and  will  have  it  if  he  gets 
it,  I  want  you  to  stand  up  and  join  us  in  a  short 
pt9|rer.     The  Lord  help  you  and  bless  you. 


Briek  Sayinos. 

The  wife  either  makes  or  unmakes  her  husband. 

It  is  the  little  things  in  this  life  that  keep  up 
the  worry. 

There  are  few  men  in  this  world  better  than 
their  wives. 

A  Christian  girl  runs  a  great  risk  when  she 
marries  a  worldling. 

Let  's  make  it  fashionable  to  love  God  and  keep 
his  commandments. 

God  pity  the  woman  that  has  no  more  sense 
than  to  marry  a  man  that  drinks. 

When  you  have  spent  all,  it  seems,  so  far  as  you 
are  concerned,  that  nobody  else  has  any  thing. 

God  pity  a  mother  that  has  to  send  her  children 
to  a  dancing  school  to  learn  grace  and  manners. 

God  pity  the  mother  that  has  raised  up  a  lot  of 
kicking  animals — animals  that  bite  and  kick  too. 

A  MAN  wants  a  soul  big  enough  for  God  and ' 
the  angels  and  all  men  to  come  in  and  live  with  him. 

The  girl  that  will  marry  a  boy  whose  breath 
smells  with  whisky,  is  the  biggest  fool  angels  ever 
looked  at. 


SERMON  XXXII. 

OLSA.ISlI^E^SS     OK     HKARX. 

"  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God ;  and  renew  a  right 
spirit  within  me.  Cast  me  not  away  from  thy  presence ; 
and  take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me.  Restore  unto  me  the 
joy  of  thy  salvation,  and  uphold  me  with  thy  free  spirit. 
Then  will  I  teach  transgressors  thy  ways,  and  sinners  shall 
be  converted  unto  thee." — ^Psalm  li,  10-13. 

"/Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God,  and  re- 
\^  new  a  right  spirit  within  me"  Then,  and 
not  till  then,  will  I  teach  transgressors  thy  ways, 
and  sinners  shall  be  converted  unto  thee.  Now 
if  David,  with  all  his  authority  as  king  of  Israel, 
with  all  the  advantages  and  facilities  he  could  com- 
mand, needed  this  in  order  that  sinners  might  be 
converted,  I  reckon  we  are  free  to  admit  that  we 
can  do  nothing  until  we  get  the  thing  he  talked 
about.  We  have  got  no  prestige,  and  very  few 
facilities,  and  really  we  're  not  much  any  way. 

Now,  let 's  drop  back  a  little  and  see  what  he 
wanted,  in  order  that  sinners  might  be  converted 
unto  God.  He  said,  "  Hide  thy  face  from  my  sins 
and  blot  out  mine  iniquities."  I  think  it  very  fool- 
ish for  me  to  get  down  on  my  knees  and  ask  the 
Lord  to  do  something  for  another  fellow  he  's  never 
done  for  me.  I  do  really,  brethren ;  it  *s  not  only 
foolish  but  wicked  for  me  to  pray  to  God  to  save 

437 


438  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

the  sinners,  when   may  be  I  am  myself  one  of  the 
biggest    in   town.      And    usually,   people  are  con- 
verted on  a  dead  level   with   the  Christian  people 
standing  round   them   at  the  time  of  their  conver- 
sion.    You  say  some  people  have  been  powerfully 
converted.     Well,  if  that  be  true,  every  body  stand- 
ing round  at  that  time  had  been  already  powerfully 
converted.     Let  me  illustrate  what  I  mean,  because 
I  w&nt  to  be   understood.     Suppose  that  down  in 
the  mountains  of  North-east  Georgia,  where  people 
are  very  ignorant,  a  Methodist  preacher  in  that  ter- 
ritory will  run  a  revival   for  two  weeks  and  have 
fifty  converts.     I  want  to  tell  you  a  conversion  in 
North-east  Georgia  does  nH  amount  to   nearly   as 
much  as  it  does  in  the  enlightened  settlements.     It 
means  that  that  minister  has  got  fifty   people  to 
profess  religion,  and  to  come  into  the  Church — who 
will   pay  twenty-five  cents  a  year  to  the  preacher 
and  five  cents  a  year  for  missions.     Do  n't  you  call 
that  a  tolerably   low  conversion,   now,  to  say  the 
least  of  it?    One  man  will  get  religion,  and  shout 
a  mile  high;  but  another  will  say  nothing  about  it, 
and  come  next  day  and  give  a  thousand  dollars  for 
foreign   missions.     You  can   bank   on    that  fellow. 
It  does  n't  cost  any  thing  to  shout ;  it 's  the  cheapest 
exercise  in    religion   of  all — except  singing.     You 
can  shout  all  night  for  a  nickel.     That  '11  about  pay 
for  kerosene  oil   to  keep  the  light  up.     I  say,  my 
brother,   let   you   and    me   get  up  as  high  as  God 
wants  us  to  be,  and  then  every  soul  that  -we. bring 
to  Christ  will  be  on  a  level  with  us.     Now,  sister, 
if  your  girl  were  to  come  down  this  morning  and 


Cleanness  op  Heart.  439 

get  religion  as  you  Ve  got  it,  would  it  do  much 
for  her? 

Just  bring  facts  where  they  belong.  If  your 
boy  were  to  get  religion  and  get  it  as  you  have  it, 
would  n't  he  be  a  sight  ?  You  know  whom  I  ^m  talk- 
ing to.  You  canH  hurt  a  good  man  by  talking  that 
way.  I  'm  not  talking  to  good  men  or  women.  I 
do  n't  call  any  names,  but  every  one  knows  his  own 
number,  and  just  as  soon  as  you  strike  it  he  knows 
it.  Your  converts  in  this  meeting  are  going  to  be 
grand,  and  lofty,  and  glorious  just  in  proportion  as 
you  who  profess  religion  are  yourselves  upon  a  high 
plane.  If  you  were  a  penitent,  and  a  man  came  to 
you  in  whom  you  had  no  confidence  he  could  do  you 
no  good  at  the  altar.  Many  a  penitent  has  been 
knocked  cold  and  stiff  at  the  altar,  because  some- 
body has  approached  him  he  had  no  confidence  in, 
somebody  he  knew  to  be  a  hypocrite.  There 's  a 
sort  of  spiritual  intercommunion,  and  a  man  that 
does  n't  live  right  has  no  power  over  a  sinner.  I 
can  't  explain  it,  just  as  I  can  't  explain  how  a  horse 
knows  when  his  driver  is  afraid  of  him.  But  the 
horse  knows  it  every  time.  I  just  know  it;  that's 
all  I  can  say  about  it. 

Suppose  you  were  to  buy  a  house  and  lot  and  an 
elegant  residence,  pay  the  money  and  get  the  deeds, 
and  the  day  you  were  to  go  in  the  gentleman  said, 
"Here's  the  key  to  eight  rooms;  I  have  reserved 
two  rooms."  "  Did  n't  I  buy  the  house  ?  "  "  Yes." 
" Well;  what  do  you  mean ? "  "I  want  to  keep 
four  tigers  in  one  room  and  the  other  I  want  to  fill 
with   reptiles.     I  want  them  to  stay  here."     You 


440  8am  Jones'  Own  Book. 

say,  "Well,  ray  friend,  if  you  mean  what  you  say 
I  would  not  have  your  house  as  a  gracious  gift. 
You  want  me  to  move  my  family  into  a  house  where 
one  room  is  full  of  tigers  and  the  other  full  of 
snakes/'  Many  a  time  we  turn  over  our  whole 
heart  to  God,  and  when  he  comes  in  we  have  re- 
served some  rooms  for  the  wild  beasts  of  pride  and 
the  hissing  serpents  of  iniquity.  Let  me  tell  you, 
brethren,  I  won't  ask  God  to  come  and  live  in  a 
house  that  I  won't  let  my  family  live  in.  Empty 
every  room  in  the  house,  and  then  the  heart  is  the 
center  of  gravity  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  he  will  come 
in  and  live  with  you.  How  many  people  have  am- 
bition and  pride  in  a  sense  in  which  God  himself 
excuses  it?  I  like  to  see  a  well-dressed  woman,  for 
instance — not  a  gaudy-dressed  woman.  I  wish  silk 
were  cheaper  than  cotton,  for  I  think  it  is  much 
better,  I  wish  every  servant  girl  could  wear  silk 
all  the  time,  because  she  looks  better  in  it.  I  say 
I  commend  pride  of  character  and  pride  of  dress. 
I  think  I  ought  to  dress  so  that  nol>ody  will  notice 
what  my  clothing  is  at  all.  There  are  women  in 
this  town,  you  look  at  them  from  first  to  last,  and 
all  you  see  is  their  rig.  If  my  daughter  had  only 
one  dress,  that  should  be  a  whole  one.  If  it  lacked 
any  thing  at  all,  I  should  cut  it  off  at  the  bottom 
and  never  at  the  top. 

Religion  will  make  the  floor  clean  and  the  pillow- 
case shine  as  bright  as  snow  in  its  purity  and  white- 
ness. Cleanliness  is  next  to  godliness,  and  filth  is 
next  to  perdition.  Spurgeon  said,  "  There  are  three 
enemies  that  I  have  fought  all  my  life — dirt,  debt. 


Cleanness  of  Heart.  441 

and  the  devil/'  A  clean  heart  likes  clean  hands 
and  clean  words  and  a  clean  life.  Let  us  look  at 
our  hearts  this  morning.  Is  there  lurking  in  the 
cells  any  thing  contrary  to  the  Spirit  of  our  divine 
Lord?  Some  of  you  holiness  people  have  got  a 
clean  hearty  but  you  have  not  got  a  right  spirit. 
You  're  clannish^  and  you  do  n't  like  a  fellow  if  he 
does  n't  agree  with  you.  Some  of  you  will  get  up 
and  go  out  of  a  church  if  the  pastor  does  n't  preach 
to  suit  you.  Now,  the  more  religion  a  man  has, 
the  more  he  loves  the  pastor  and  the  Church  of 
Gk)d,  and  the  more  he  will  do  for  them.  If  you  get 
too  much  religion  to  love  your  pastor  and  do  your 
duty  to  your  Church,  you  may  have  a  good  deal  of 
religion,  but  very  little  sense.  Now,  the  Lord  sees 
how  a  fool  can  find  his  way  to  heaven.  The  Lord 
has  a  side  door  that  he  lets  some  people  in  at. 
When  I  was  on  the  train,  I  noticed  some  fellows 
that  the  conductor  never  asked  for  a  ticket — little 
fellows,  like  that — and  if  some  of  us  fellows  will  get 
right  in,  the  Lord  won't  notice  us  because  we  are 
so  little. 

A  clean  heart  is  one  thing;  a  right  spirit  is 
another  thing.  It  is  a  kind  spirit,  a  forgiving  spirit, 
a  gentle  spirit.  That's  it.  Get  a  wrong  spirit  in 
you,  and  let  it  dominate  your  life,  and  you  are  a 
ruined  man  as  certain  as  God  reigns  in  heaven.  I 
recollect  once  two  of  my  brothers  in  my  Church  fell 
out.  They  were  both  stewards,  I  think.  I  could  n't 
get  them  to  settle  their  diflSculty,  all  I  could  do. 
Then  I  tried  to  get  them  to  fight  it  out,  but  they 
would  n't  fight.     I  did  n't  know  what  to  do  with 


442  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

them.  Finally,  when  a  revival  broke  out  in  the 
Church  one  morning  I  looked  over,  and  they  had 
each  other  in  their  arms  hugging  each  other.  I  had 
a  talk  with  one  of  them  as  soon  as  I  could.  I  said, 
"  You  \e  got  sense;  now  I  want  to  ask  one  question. 
How  did  you  pray  while  you  were  feeling  mad  with 
that  brother  ?"  "  Well,"  he  said ;  "  I  Ve  acted  the 
rascal,  but  I  have  n't  acted  the  fool.  I  have  n't 
been  on  my  knees  since  I  got  mad."  I  '11  put  up 
with  a  fellow  acting  the  rascal,  but  when  he  gets  to 
mixing  things  and  acting  the  fool  too,  he  's  getting 
in  mighty  bad  shape  then.  I  made  this  proposition 
at  a  woman's  meeting  once  I  Every  body  that 's 
mad  with  any  body  stand  up,  and  before  they 
thought,  about  twelve  jumped  right  up.  But  they  sat 
down  again  mighty  quick.  It  was  the  impulse  of 
their  nature.  I  suppose  if  I  were  to  put  the  same 
question  here,  about  fifty  of  you  would  jump  up. 
You  would  if  you  answered  the  impulses  of  your 
heart.  Well,  you  say,  you  have  been  mad  too. 
Mad  about  what  ?  Well,  I  've  had  a  fight  or  two 
since  I  became  a  preacher.  I  thought  it  as  much 
my  duty  to  defend  myself  from  assault  since  I  be- 
came a  preacher  as  before.  I  've  been  mad  enough 
to  strike  a  man  or  two.  The  last  fight  I  had  I  got 
in  the  fire,  and  the  sparks  flew  right  off  me,  and  I 
thought,  God  will  turn  me  into  hell  forever.  I 
made  a  vow.  I  said,  O  Lord,  I  '11  never  get  mad 
again  with  any  body,  unless  he  treats  me  worse  than 
I  have  treated  vou.  See  how  God  treats  us.  And 
the  idea  of  a  man  that  God  has  forgiven  ten  thou- 
sand talents  jumping  on  another  fellow  about  a 


Cleanness  of  Heart.  443 

nickel  and  beating  him  half  to  death  is  preposterous. 
That 's  a  poor  business^  is  n't  it  ? 

And  I'll  tell  you  another  thing..  This  getting 
mad  is  the  poorest  business  in  the  world.  Do  n't 
you  know  Jesus  settled  this  question  when  he  said, 
*^If  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him;  if  he  thirsty 
give  him  drink."  I  said  when  I  started  in  religion, 
if  a  man  slandered  me  or  injured  me,  Why  does 
the  Lord  tell  me  to  pray  for  him  ?  I  wish  the  Lord 
would  let  me  go  for  him  and  whip  him.  He'd  stop 
then.  But  instead  of  letting  me  knock  him  down 
and  stamp  on  him,  I  'm  to  pray  for  him.  I  had  n't 
gone  very  far  when  I  found  the  Lord  did  n't  want 
to  protect  the  rascal  that  had  injured  me,  but  to  pro- 
tect me.  Alexander  tried  to  conquer  the  world,  and 
died  a  conquered  wretch  himself;  Naj^leon  tried  to 
conquer  the  world,  and  died  in  exile.  Wheu  Jesus 
wanted  to  conquer  the  world,  he  walked  up  on  Cal- 
vary and  died  for  his  enemies,  and  thank  God,  Jesus 
will  conquer  this  world  yet,  to  a  man.  It  is  not 
simply  the  words  you  use,  but  the  spirit  of  the  man 
that  uses  the  words  that  gives  you  influence  with 
sinners.  I  've  had  men  say  to  me — I  simply  speak 
of  this — "  If  I  were  to  talk  like  you,  Brother  Jones, 
they  'd  ride  me  out  of  town  on  a  rail."  I  say  to 
them.  If  I  talked  like  myself  with  your  spirit, 
they  'd  ride  me  out.  Somehow  a  fellow  knows 
whether  you  like  him  or  not.  If  a  fellow  thinks 
you  like  him,  he'll  let  you  skin  him  from  head  to 
foot  and  take  his  hide  to  the  tan-yard,  and  he  '11 
walk  along  with  you  all  the  way  begging  for  his 
hide.     If  you  know  any  man  on  the  face  of  God's 


444  8am  Jones'  Own  Book. 

earth  that  I  do  n't  love^  bring  him  to  me^  and  I  will 
hug  him  till  he  hollers.  If  you  know  any  woman 
I  don't  love,  I  will  send  for  my  wife  and  let  her 
hug  her  till  she  hollers.  I  felt  for  a  long  time  just 
as  the  fellow  said  he  felt  when  his  sweetheart  ac- 
cepted him :  '^  I  felt  just  as  if  I  had  nothing  against 
any  body  in  the  world."  If  I  had  an  enemy  in 
this  town  I  would  n't  let  the  sun  go  down  until  I 
had  hunted  him  up  and  settled  the  question. 

Brotherly  love  and  kindness !  Where  you  find 
divisions  and  bickerings,  you  will  find  there  that 
the  Church  of  God  will  never  thrive.  A  man  once 
bought  a  farm,  and  the  neighbors  said,  "  You  can't 
live  with  your  next  door  neighbor.  He  is  a  terror 
to  the  settlement.  That 's  what  the  other  man  sold 
out  for.  He  will  torment  you  to  death."  The  new 
man  said,  "If  he  fools  with  me,  I  will  kill  him." 
Well,  they  told  the  bad  neighbor  this,  and  it  made  him 
worse  than  ever.  He  would  cripple  his  stock,  and 
throw  rocks  at  his  children.  There  was  not  a  mean 
thing  in  the  world  he  would  n't  do.  The  new  neighbor 
would  send  him  quarters  of  sheep,  and  care  for  his 
stock,  and  give  his  children  apples  and  books,  and 
kind  words.  One  day  the  bad  neighbor  was  coming 
home  with  a  load  and  he  got  stalled  on  a  big  hill. 
The  new  neighbor  came  and  helped  him  out  and 
ofiered  to  do  any  thing  he  could  for  him.  The  man 
dropped  to  his  knees  and  said,  "  You  said  you  were 
going  to  kill  me,  and  you  have  knocked  me  cold 
and  dead ;  and  I  'm  going  to  make  you  the  best 
neighbor  you  ever  had  in  your  life."  You  see,  if  you 
kill  a  fellow  with  love,  you  do  n't  have  to  bury  him. 


Cleanness  of  Heart.  445 

Get  the  right  spirit  toward  Christians,  and  you 
will  soon  get  the  right  spirit  toward  sinners.  Talk 
about  the  Salvation  Arm^  beating  drums  and  kick- 
ing up  a  noise.  Show  me  the  Church  in  this  town 
that  has  reformed  seventy-five  poor  drunkards  in 
the  last  twelve  months.  See  an  old  D.  D.  sitting 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  with  a  silver-tipped  fish- 
ing-pole, and  a  silk  line,  and  silver  sinkers  and  a 
steel  hook.  You  walk  up  to  him  and  you  say, 
"Brother,  how  many  fish  have  you  caught?^'  "O, 
I  Ve  not  caught  any,  but  I  ^ve  got  some  mighty 
fine  bites."  Well,  brother,  bites  won't  make,  a 
breakfast.  Well,  that  D.  D.,  after  a  while,  will  take 
in  his  line  and  go  a  little  way  down  the  creek,  and 
there  's  a  little  fellow  with  a  red  shirt  on,  and  "  Sal- 
vation Army  '^  on  his  cap.  He 's  fishing  with  a 
crooked  stick,  and  a  cotton  line,  and  a  rock  sinker, 
and  a  pin  hook.  "  Just  look  at  that  pole  and  that 
line !  I  would  nH  fish  with  that ! "  The  little  fel- 
low puts  his  hand  in  the  water  and  pulls  out  a  fine 
string  of  fish  an  arm  long,  and  says  to  the  D.  D., 
"  Where 's  your  fish  ?  "  "  O,  I  hain't  got  any  fish, 
but  I  Ve  got  a  heap  more  pole  than  you.''  Brother, 
it  does  not  matter  what  you  're  fishing  with,  but  how 
many  fish  you  have  got;  that's  it.  Some  people 
think  God  loves  Christians  better  than  sinners,  but 
the  fact  is  God  loves  sinners  no  less  than  he  does 
Christians.    The  Lord  loves  sinners  and  hates  sin. 


Sermon  XXXIII. 

I  KNO\?V  THY  WORKS. 

''Unto  the  Angel  of  the  Church  of  Ephesus,  write: 
These  things  saith  he  that  holdeth  the  seven  stars  in  his 
ri^ht  hand,  who  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  golden 
candlesticks:  I  know  thy  works  and  thy  labor  and  thy 
patience  and  how  thou  canst  not  bear  them  which  are  Qvil ; 
and  thou  hast  tried  them  which  say  they  are  apostles  and 
are*  not,  and  hast  found  them  liars ;  and  hast  borne,  and  hast 
patience,  and  for  my  name's  sake  hast  labored  and  hast  not 
fainted.  Nevertheless  I  have  somewhat  against  thee,  because 
thou  hast  left  thy  first  love.  Remember,  therefore,  from 
whence  thou  art  fallen,  and  repent  and  do  the  first  works ; 
or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly  and  will  remove  thy 
candlestick  out  of  his  place,  except  thou  repent. — Revbla- 
TION  II,  1-5." 

"  T  KNOW  thy  works."  I  believe  all  orthodox 
X  Christianity  starts  out  with  the  proposition 
that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  he  is  omniscient  and 
omnipresent  and  omnipotent ;  and  when  I  stand  up 
here  and  read  the  words  of  this  text,  "  I  know  thy 
works,''  that  is  enough  to  bring  every  man  of  us  to 
his  feet  with  a  tremor  in  every  fiber  of  his  being. 
I  believe  it  would  be  wise  for  every  man  to  write 
upon  the  lintel  and  door-posts  of  his  house,  and 
upon  every  shelf  of  his  store  and  business  place, 
"Thou  God  seest  me."  He  not  only  sees  me,  but 
he  knows  me.  He  knows  who  I  am.  He  knows 
my  name.     He  has  numbered  the  very  hair  of  my 

446 


I  Know  Thy  Works.  447 

head,  and  tells  me  that  not  a  sparrow  that  chirps  in 
the  thicket  falls  to  the  groand  until  he  has  signed 
its  death  warrant.  There  is  this  awful  thought,  that 
if  I  am  unfaithful  either  in  motive  or  life  God 
knows  it;  and  this  blessed  thought,  every  step  I 
take  to  visit  the  sick  or  relieve  the  needy,  God 
counts  them  all  and  says,  '^  Be  not  weary  in  well 
doing,  for  in  due  season  you  shall  reap  if  you  faint 
not."  Brother,  I  'm  so  glad  I  'm  not  to  be  Judged 
by  men  or  angels.  This  world  can  see  my  faults 
and  my  shortcomings.  This  world  can  see  the  frail- 
ties of  my  nature.  But  none  but  God,  only  God's  eye, 
has  seen  how  earnestly  I  pray  and  how  I  long  to  be  like 
Christ.     Thank  God,  he  knows  me  from  head  to  foot. 

We  very  frequently  misjudge  each  other,  mis- 
understand each  other,  but,  brother,  God  never  made 
a  mistake.  He  not  only  hears  every  word  and'^sees 
every  act,  but  he  analyzes  every  motive  of  my  life. 
I  know  you !  I  know  you  1  O,  brother  I  Let  *s 
realize  that  all  things  are  open  and  naked  before 
the  eyes  of  Him  with  whom  we  have  to  do.  If  you 
will  only  accept  three  facts:  In  the  first  place,  God 
made  me ;  therefore,  in  the  second  place,  he  knows 
me;  and  in  the  third  place  he  loves  me,  then  you 
will  realize  this  further  fact:  I  'm  brought  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  gracious  Father  who  knows  me,  and 
knows  which  wheel  of  my  make-up  will  break  down. 

The  strength  of  a  ship  is  in  the  weakest  plank 
in  its  build ;  the  strength  of  a  chain  is  in  its  weak- 
est link,  and  the  strength  of  a  character  in  its  weak- 
est point.  Mr.  Davis,  the  President  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy,   was  imprisoned  for  months  after  the 


448  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

cruel  war  in  the  territory  of  what  he  considered  his 
enemies.  Relating  his  experience^  he  said  it  was 
hard  to  be  away  from  wife  and  home;  hard  to  be 
in  prison ;  but  that  which  was  most  unbearable  in 
his  prison  life  was  that  every  conscious  or  uncon- 
scious moment,  ho  matter  what  he  was  doing,  no 
matter  whether  waking  or  sleeping,  the  burning 
eyes  of  a  sentinel  were  fixed  upon  him.  So  if  I  do 
wrong  or  live  wrong,  the  most  terrible  thing  in  my 
life  is  to  feel  that  the  burning  eyes  of  God  are  upon 
me.  If  I  go  about  to  preach ;  if  I  kneel  down  to 
pray ;  if  I  sit  down  in  my  room ;  if  I  walk  the 
streets,  every  moment  the  burning  eyes  of  the  Great 
I  Am  rest  upon  me;  and  when  I  am  filled  with  this 
thought,  I  fall  down  and  say,  '^  God  be  merciful  to 
me ;  my  life  won't  bear  such  a  scrutiny,  my  motives 
won't  bear  such  a  scrutiny,  as  that." 

"I  know  thy  works.'*  I  know  what  Church 
you  belong  to.  I  not  only  know  what  Church  you 
belong  to,  but  I  know  when  you  joined.  I  know 
what  vows  you  took.  I  know  whether  you  have 
been  faithful  to  those  vows  or  not.  I  know  your 
relations  to  your  pastor.  I  know  your  relations  to 
the  Church  work.  You  shall  be  rewarded  accord- 
ing to  what  you  have  done,  whether  it  be  good  or 
evil.  There 's  this  thought  in  connection  with  the 
judgment.  Every  time  Christ  prefigured  the  judg- 
ment, the  man  was  condemned  by  something  that 
he  neglected  to  do.  You  know  the  man  that  did 
not  have  on  the  wedding  garment,  and  they  cast 
him  out.  What  for?  There  was  but  one  charge; 
he  neglected  to  have  on  the  white  garment.     You 


I  Know  Thy  Works.  449 

remember  the  poor  fellow  against  whom  his  lord 
pronounced  this  doom :  ^^  Bind  him^  and  cast  him 
out/'  He  had  one  talent  given  him.  Did  he  steal 
the  talent?  No^  he  brought  it  back.  What  was 
he  condemned  for?  Just  because  he  did  not  get 
usury  for  it.  Those  five  foolish  virgins,  why  were  they 
condemned  ?  Was  it  because  they  had  no  lamps,  be- 
cause they  were  'nt  kind,  good,  hearty  people?  No ;  it 
was  just  because  they  neglected  to  have  oil  in  their 
lamps.  Brethren  and  sisters,  let  God  tell  us  this 
morning,  "  I  know  thy  works  ; "  but  do  nH  let  him 
tell  us,  "  I  know  your  idleness,  your  indifierence, 
your  carelessness,  your  prayerlessness." 

"Brethren,  what  are  we  doing  now?  We  pay 
our  preacher.  That 's  right.  We  give  to  missions. 
That 's  right.  We  give  to  the  poor.  That 's  right. 
But,  brethren,  the  grand  work  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  world  is  to  pitch  in,  roll  up  its 
sleeves,  and  bring  the  world  to  God.  That's  it. 
God  could  convict  every  sinner  in  this  city  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye.  Why  doesn't  he  do  it?  It 
is  his  mercy  that  keeps  him  from  doing  it.  Sup- 
pose God  struck  every  man  in  this  town  blind  in  an 
instant.  We  would  grope  through  the  streets,  one 
saying,  "  Show  me  the  way  home,"  and  another, 
"  Why,  I  do  n't  know  my  own  way  home ;  I  am  in 
as  bad  a  fix  as  you  are."  And  if  at  twelve  o'clock 
to-day  every  sinner,  in  this  town  were  convicted, 
there  would  n't  be  enough  Christians  here  to  show 
them  the  way  to.  Christ ;  they  would  wander  back 
into  sin,  and  their  last  state  would  be  worse  than 
the  first.     God  never  goes  outside  of  the  Church  to 

38— B 


450  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

do  any  thing.  Do  you  understand  that?  I  am  as 
much  dependent  on  the  Church  to  help  me  to  win 
souls  to  Christ  as  I  am  dependent  on  God  for  the 
help  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  How  many  converts  did 
God  have  in  China  or  Japan  before  the  missionaries 
went  there.  I  can  not  tell  you  why  Christ  has  ad- 
justed the  means  and  method  of  grace  as  he  has. 
But  I  know  no  man  in  America  ever  was  brought 
to  Christ,  except  directly  or  indirectly  through 
the  Church. 

We  had  a  great  revival  once  in  the  lumber 
regions  of  Maine.  There  was  a  man  there  that  had 
never  been  to  church  in  his  life,  and  would  n't  as- 
sociate with  Christian  people.  And  the  good  Spirit 
permeated  the  community  so  it  took  hold  upon  this 
man,  and  he  surrendered  his  heart  to  God,  became 
religious,  got  up  in  the  meeting,  and  told  how  God 
had  saved  him.  He  was  called  on  to  pray.  He 
had  never  heard  a  public  prayer  in  his  life.  He 
got  down  and  said,  '^  Good  Lord,  you  have  had  such 
good  luck  on  me,  please  try  your  hand  on  some  of 
those  other  sinners."  Was  n't  that  a  grand  prayer? 
It  was  the  first  prayer  he  ever  prayed,  but  it  was  a 
good  one,  was  it  not?  "O,  Lord,  you  have  had 
such  good  luck  on  me,  try  your  hand  on  some  of 
these  other  poor  sinners."  Brother,  there  was  an 
earnest  and  sensible  putting  of  his  feelings — a  thou- 
sand times  grander  than  those  elegant  prayers  you 
frequently  hear  in  public. 

"  I  know  thy  works ! "  Listen,  "  She  hath  done 
what  she  could."  He  hath  done  what  he  could. 
There 's  a  commendation  I     Let  me  say  right  here — 


I  Know  Thy  Works.  451 

I  ^11  boil  it  down  into  one  sentence  —  Heaven ! 
Heaven  is  just  the  other  side  of  where  a  fellow 
does  his  best.  There 's  where  heaven  is  if  you 
want  to  know.  I  believe  Christianity  is  nothing 
more  or  less  than  doing  the  best  you  can  under  the 
circumstances.  I  believe  that  will  stand  the  test. 
I  wish  I  could  get  people  to  see  that  heaven  is  the 
home  of  every  man  who  has  done  his  best  on  earth. 
Strait  is  the  road  and  narrow  the  way  that 
leadeth  into  life,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it. 
Brother,  resolve  now,  by  the  grace  of  God,  if  there 
be  but  two  men  saved  on  this  earth  that  you  will 
be  one  of  them,  and  that  you  will  get  to  heaven. 

"I  know  thy  works;"  I  .know  what  you  are 
doing.  We  have  run  Christianity  on  sentiment 
until  it  is  about  played  out  in  some  portions  of  the 
world.  Sentiment!  We  have  got  lots  of  Sunday- 
go-to-meeting  religion.  I  -don't  know  how  many 
other  things  you  have  got  in  this  city,  but  you  have 
Sunday  piety  in  this  town.  Now  I  never  said  you 
did  h't  have  every-day  piety,  but  I  am  satisfied  you 
have  a  good  deal  of  Sunday  piety.  I  believe  that. 
I  Ml  tell  you  another  thing.  I  believe  your  piety 
may  be  something  like  your  residences — with  all  the 
beautiful  brick,  and  windows  in  the  front  of  the 
house,  and  when  you  get  around  to  the  rear  they 
don't  look  so  well.  Did  you  ever  notice  that  you 
are  like  a  system  of  underground  railways?  Did 
you  ever  hear  any  thing  like  that  in  this  city? 
Thank  God,  the  Lord  has  the  surface  railroad  in 
this  town,  but  the  devil  has  a  big  long  charter  on 
the  underground  line,  and  a  fellow  can  go  almost 


452  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

anywhere  he  pleases  here  by  the  underground  line. 
Do  you  know  that?  You  can't  take  a  surface  rail- 
way in  this  city  and  ride  to  a  lewd  house,  but  you 
do  n't  have  to  go  far  on  the  underground  to  get  to 
one.  Lord  God !  awaken  us  and  show  us  that  this 
world  ought  to  belong  to  God  from  the  farthest  star 
down  to  the  very  gates  of  hell !  Show  us  that  there 
is  no  room  nor  place  for  underground  railways  to 
be  suffered  by  Christian  people. 

"  I  know  thy  works."  I  know  how  you  go  at 
it.  It  is  perfectly  natural  for  people  to  put  their 
best  foot  foremost.  Is  n't  it  ?  Well,  brother,  if  I 
can  have  religion  only  one  day  in  the  week,  I  am 
going  to  have  it  about  Wednesday  or  Tuesday. 
You  see,  the  whole  lot  of  you  can  fall  back  and 
have  Wednesday  religion,  and  I  won't  miss  you 
much  on  Sunday,  because  so  many  of  you  have 
religion  on  that  day,  Wednesday  Christianity  isn't 
any  worse  than  any  other  sort.  That's  the  truth. 
If  we  do  n't  get  any  Sunday  Christianity  out  of 
these  meetings  we  won't  be  heard  of,  but  if  we  get 
a  few  Saturday  or  Wednesday  Christians,  we  will 
do  some  good  in  the  meetings.  I  know  you !  You  're 
just  as  good  in  one  place  as  you  are  in  another ; 
just  as  good  or  as  bad  on  Friday  as  on  Sunday  1 
All  right!  I  think  of  all  times  in  the  world  we 
get  less  credit  for  being  pious  on  a  Sunday,  because 
we  can 't  do  much  else  then.  And,  sisters,  is  n't  it 
a  fact  that  Sunday  furnishes  us  a  splendid  day  to 
show  what  the  milliner's  shop  has  done,  and  the 
hat-rack  ?  Does  n't  it  furnish  us  a  splendid  day  to  see 
and    to  be  seen?     And   if  it  is  new  bonnets  and 


I  Know  Thy  Works.  453 

drezss  on  the  part  of  my  neighbors,  the  big  thing  is 
to  see  them,  but  if  I  have  it  on  the  big  thing  is  to 
be  seen. 

I  am  not  going  out  of  my  path  this  morning  to 
talk  about  you,  good  sisters,  but  I  Ul  tell  you  where 
I  got  this  joke  on  you.  In  Louisville  there  was  a 
woman  whose  husband  was  a  very  pious  man.  God 
took  him  to  heaven.  He  left  his  wife  means  to  live 
comfortably.  She  rebelled  against  God,  and  did 
much  that  was  contrary  to  his  will.  I  was  preach- 
ing in  Louisville,  and  she  was  listening  to  me  one 
night.  She  was  convicted  of  her  sins.  She  went 
home,  and  to  her  room,  and  knelt  down  by  her  bed- 
side. I  saw  her  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock.  She 
came  to  the  parsonage  where  I  was  staying.  "Sir,^' 
she  said,  "I  went  home  last  night  with  all  the  hor- 
rors of  the  damned  pressing  on  my  soul.  I  knelt 
down  and  prayed  until  I  heard  the  clock  strike  one, 
and  then  two,  three,  and  four,  and  just  as  it  was 
about  to  strike  five,  God  came  with  the  precious 
baptism  of  salvation  on  my  soul.  I  have  been  so 
happy  since  that  I  do  n't  know  whether  I  am  in  the 
body  or  out  of  it."  Afterwards  she  said  to  me,  "  I 
have  gone  into  Church  many  a  time  dressed  from 
head  to  foot  in  all  the  latest  fashions  of  our  city, 
and  while  God's  people  were  praying,  I  was  looking 
around  and  wondering  what  the  people  thought  of 
my  dress,  or  cloak,  or  hat."  You  see  woman-nature 
is  everywhere  mightily  alike,  and  if  you  have  n't 
done  that  yourself,  why  it 's  because  you  got  relig- 
ion before  you  started  in  dressing  well.  There  may 
be  something  in   that.     I  '11  tell  you  the  kind  of 


454  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

woman  I  like—  a  woman  who  will  walk  down  here, 
to  one  of  your  dry-goods  stores  and  ask  the  price 
of  some  elegant  piece  of  goods.  "  Four  dollars  a 
yard,"  says  the  shopman.  "  Four  times  twenty  are 
eighty.  That's  a  beautiful  piece  of  goods.  My 
husband  gave  me  $100  this  morning  to  invest  in  a 
new  dress.  This  dress  I  have  on  has  a  few  splotches 
on  it,  but- 1  am  going  around  to  the  Orphans'  Home 
and  shall  give  it  that  $100,  and  wear  this  dress  all 
through  the  season.  I  don't  care  if  every  body 
who  sees  me  laughs  at  me." 

I  could  give  you  another  incident.  I  was  preach- 
ing in  Atlanta,  Georgia,  in  the  interest  of  my 
Orphans'  Home.  I  called  for  contributions  and 
scattered  cards  through  the  audience.  A  gentleman 
at  the  back  of  the  church  filled  one  up  for  a  good 
round  sum.  His  wife  cast  her  eyes  over  and  saw 
what  he  was  writing.  He  told  me  about  it  next 
day.  He  said^:  "Just  a  few  days  before  you 
preached  my  wife  asked  me  for  a  sealskin  cloak.  I 
told  her  I  wished  she  'd  make  the  one  she  had  do 
for  the  present,  as  I  was  pretty  close  run,  but  next 
Fall  I  'd  get  her  a  fine  one.  She  saw  what  I  wrote 
on  that  card,  and  when  we  got  out  of  the  Church 
she  said,  '  Husband.'  Then  I  knew  something  was 
a-coming."  You  can  always  tell  whether  your  wife 
means  business  by  what  she  calls  you.  Sometimes 
she  says  "husband,"  sometimes  "honey,"  and  some- 
times plain  "John."  "She  said,  'Do  you  recollect 
last  week  I  asked  you  to  get  me  a  cloak  ? '  *  Yes  'm.' 
'  And  what  did  you  tell  me?'  'I  told  you  I  was  a 
little  hard  run,  and  I  wished  you  'd  wait  till  next 


I  Know  Thy  Works.  456 

Fall,  and  IM  get  you  a  fine  one/  'Well/  she  said, 
*I  M  rather  see  you  give  that  money  to  the  Orphans' 
Home  than  have  the  finest  cloak  that  was  ever 
imported. ' " 

I  wish  we  had  more  of  that  sort  of  women  who 
do  not  live  for  themselves,  but  live  for  humanity. 
The  proudest  attitude  I  ever  saw  my  wife  in  was 
when  a  poor  creature  was  leaning  upon  her,  and 
that  poor  creature  would  have  fallen  down  if  wife 
had  n't  supported  her.  How  many  people  in  this 
world  are  doing  no  more  than  toting  their  own 
skillet?  People  will  say  they  do  n^t  like  such  slang. 
The  trouble  is  they  do  n't  know  what  is  slang,  and 
I  ain  't  responsible  for  your  ignorance.  I  want  you 
to  notice  that.  There  isn't  a  purer  word  in  the 
language  than  "tote."  It's  a  Saxon  word  and 
means  a  great  deal,  and  a  skillet  is  one  of  the  most 
useful  things  I  ever  knew  in  the  South.  I  knew  a 
woman  who  fried  her  meat  in  the  skillet  and  baked 
her  bread  in  the  skillet,  and  washed  her  dishes,  and 
I  understand  that  once  she  washed  the  baby  in  it; 
but  I  do  n't  know  that — I've  heard  it.  So  you  see 
I  'm  keeping  within  the  range  not  only  of  the  pure 
but  of  the  useful.  The  Lord  deliver  us  from  sel- 
fishness ;  it  '11  ruin  us  sooner  or  later. 

I  hurry  on ;  "  And  how  thou  hast  tried  them 
which  say  they  are  apostles  and  are  not,  and  thou 
hast  found  them  liars."  Brethren,  it  is  as  much 
our  duty  to  condemn  the  evil  as  it  is  to  love  the 
right.  Now,  we  have  a  kind  of  an  easy-going 
Christianity  in  this  country  that  speaks  well  of 
every  thing.     Well,  when  you  speak  well  of  every 


456  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

thing  you  speak  well  of  nothing.  If  you  speak 
well  of  every  body  you  speak  well  of  nobody.  If 
every  body  's  good,  then  nobody 's  good.  A  man 
that  gets  drunk  and  whips  his  wife^  and  steals  the 
money  she  *s  been  sewing  for  to  buy  bread  for  the 
children — if  he 's  good,  then  nobody  's  good. 

I  am  criticised  for  the  hard  manner  in  which  I 
speak  of  Church  members.  I  rfepeat  what  I  have 
said  many  a  time.  The  best  men  in  the  world 
are  professed  Christians,  and  the  meanest  men  in 
the  world  are  professed  Cliristians.  When  I  talk 
about  mean  men,  if  it  does  n't  happen  to  stick  you, 
I  don't  mean  •you.  I  ain't  talking  about  good 
members  when  I'm  talking  about  bad  ones.  You 
'say  I  do  n't  give  you  credit  for  what  you  do.  Well, 
the  Lord's  giving  you  credit,  and  he  is  the  one 
that's  going  to  settle  with  you;  but  if  1  can  tap 
you  up  along  the  line  anywhere,  won't  that  be 
good  ?  If  you  've  got  a  lazy  mule  in  your  team  any- 
where, that 's  the  one  to  tap  up.  I  visited  a  Church 
once,  and  just  before  I  got  there  the  pastor  had 
arraigned  his  dancing  and  card-playing  members, 
and  turned  out  about  twenty-five  of  his  leading 
members.  And  they  came  down  on  him  with  a 
vengeance.  Just  about  three  weeks  after  the  trial 
and  expulsion  of  those  godless  members  I  came 
along  by  appointment  with  him.  I  preached  about 
being  ^*  first  pure,  then  peaceable."  I  just  struck 
a  bee  line  right  along  in  there,  and  the  first 
thing  I  knew  those  godless  members  of  the  Church 
commenced  seeking  for  grace,  and  they  would  rush 
up  in  the  Church  and  throw  their  arms  round  the 


I  Know  Thy  Works.  457 

pastor's  neck  and  shout,  and  shout;  and  the  pastor 
would  holler  and  cry,  and  say,  "Glory  to  God;  if 
a  man  tries  to  please  God,  he  will  make  even  his 
enemies  to  be  at  i)eace  with  him/'  I  wish  I  could 
see  the  Church  thoroughly  cleansed.  There  is  not  an 
old  sinner  in  this  city  that  some  Church  member 
has  not  acted  the  dog  with  him,  and  made  him  say, 
"  If  this  is  religion,  I  do  n't  want  religion/'  Some 
member  of  the  Church  has  cheated  him  or  told 
him  lies  or  done  something.  Now,  let's  see  to  it 
that  you  and  I  are  not  the  fellows  that  have  done 
that.     That 's  the  point. 

Now,  I  am  the  last  man  to  take  up  with  these 
old  sinners  and  try  to  excuse  them  in  any  way,  and 
you  know  it,  too;  and  you  know  that  when  I  talk 
to  irreligious  people  I  talk  to  them  as  candidly  as  I 
talk  to  you.  Let 's  take  up  the  dancer.  I  do  n't 
know  the  rules  of  Methodism  in  Canada;  but  in 
the  Methodist  Church  in  the  United  States,  when  a 
member  joins  he  has  to  promise  that  he  will  obey 
the  rules  of  the  Church,  and  we  have  a  rule  against 
worldly  amusements;  and  when  my  Church  mem- 
bers dance,  and  they  come  to  me  .and  say,  "  Mr. 
Jones,  will  you  turn  me  out  of  your  Church  for 
dancing?"  I  say,  "No!  I  will  turn  you  out  for 
lying,  because  you  promised  not  to  dance,  and  you 
have  been  dancing ;  and  I  'II  make  out  a  case  of 
lying  against  you."  And  in  the  States  every  member 
of  the  Methodist  Church  promises  to  support  its  in- 
stitutions. I  say  to  the  stewards,  "If  you  find  a 
i&an  or  woman  in  the  Church  that  does  not  support 

its  institutions  turn  him  out,  not  because  he  doesn't 
39— B 


458  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

support  them^  but  because  he  has  lied.  He  prom- 
ised to  pay^  and  if  he  does  n't  do  it^  he's  a  great  big 
walking  liar  wherever  he  goes."  I  believe  in  call- 
ing things  by  their  right  names.  Lord !  Lord  ! 
those  little,  trifling,  no-account,  shilly-shally,  dilly- 
dally members  of  the  Church  that  do  that  sort  of 
thing,  the  sooner  you  take  them  out  of  the  Church 
the  better  you  are.  What  are  you  worth,  anyhow  ? 
My  I  My  I  one  good,  solid,  earnest  Christian  man  or 
woman  is  worth  a  million  of  you !  Or,  in  other 
words,  the  more  of  your  sort  we  have,  the  worse 
off  we  are.  Such  a  Church  reminds  me  of  old  Dr. 
Reland.  When  somebody  asked  hira,  "  Do  n't  you 
own  five  hundred  acres  of  land  ?"  "  No,  no,"  he 
said ;  "  I  'm  not  so  poor  as  that ;  I  own  only  two 
hundred."  Some  people  in  our  country  own  so 
much  land  that  it  keeps  them  poor  to  pay  taxes  on 
it,  and  a  good  many  Christians  are  loaded  down  in 
the  same  way. 

Here  is  a  mother  with  ten  children— one  thirty, 
one  twenty-eight,  one  twenty-six,  one  twenty-four, 
and  so  on  down  to  the  youngest,  who  is  sixteen. 
Little  fancy  fellows  they  are,  who  have  never  grown 
an  inch  since  they  were  a  day  old.  There  are  three 
or  four  of  them  in  a  trundle  bed,  two  or  three  more 
in  her  lap,  one  here  and  another  there,  and  the  rest 
of  them  in  the  big  cradle.  They  've  never  grown 
one  bit.  Would  n't  you  be  sorry  for  that  poor  old 
mother?  All  she  can  do  is  to  trot  from  the  cradle 
to  the  trundle-bed,  to  and  fro,  to  and  fro,  with  a 
spoon  and  a  bottle  of  soothing  syrup  in  her  hands, 
and  there 's  many  a  preacher  in  this  country  that 's 


I  Know  Thy  Works.  459 

just  dealing  out  loads  of  soothing  syrup  to  his 
people.  O,  Lord,  rid  our  Churches  of  trundle-bed 
trash.  We  have  too  much  of  it.  Little,  little  fel- 
lows !  You  know  babies  can 't  talk.  Well,  you 
can  't  talk  to  the  Lord — and  babies  can  't  walk ;  you 
can  't  walk  half  a  mile  without  Christ.  Babies  can 't 
work.  You  have  folded  your  hands  ever  since  you 
joined  the  Church.  How  like  a  baby  you  are. 
One  of  the  best  characteristics  of  the  baby  is  that  he 
always  sucks  a  bottle.  I  suspect  you  have  very  little 
dram  drinking  in  the  Church  here.  But  I  have 
smelt  liquor  around  this  platform  since  I  have  been 
here,  and  the  smell  came  from  persons,  too,  who 
looked  like  Church  members.  I  don't  want  any 
dram-drinking  up  at  this  meeting.  If  you  will  have 
your  drams,  don't  come  round  here  pretending  you 
are  going  to  save  souls;  you've  never  been  saved 
yourself.  How  can  I  tell?  When  I  was  converted 
it  cut  me  loose  from  dram-drinking,  and  a  Christian 
can't  drink  whisky— or  beer  either— in  my  judg- 
ment. Members  of  the  Church  can ;  members  of 
the  Church  do. 

Brethren,  hear  me  to-day ;  I  say  the  best  prepa- 
ration for  a  revival  is  not  prayer,  but  clean  out 
God's  Church,  so  that  he  can  come  down  and  walk 
and  talk  in  your  midst.  There  are  elements  in  this 
town  you  '11  never  harmonize.  Both  are  selfish 
elements,  and  selfishness  antagonizes  itself.  But  if 
every  man  who  employs  others  were  to  say,  "  Those 
in  my  employ  are  my  brothers,  and  I'm  going  to 
treat  them  as  such ;"  and  if  every  one  who  works 
for   another   were  to  say,  "My  employer  is   my 


460  8am  Jones'  Own  Book. 

brother,  and  I  'm  going  to  work  for  him  as  any 
brother/'  would  n't  we  have  a  better  and  happier 
state  of  affairs  ?  O,  Lord,  show  us  we  are  brothers. 
A  great  many  of  you  act  toward  one  another  as  if 
you  were  step-brothers,  and  that 's  about  all.  If 
you  have  a  member  in  the  Church  who  has  nothing 
but  money,  he  is  the  worst  curse  your  Church  has 
got.  If  an  old  colonel  worth  fifly  or  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars  comes  up  to  the  altar,  you  ought 
to  see  that  preacher  dance.  I  was  preaching  in 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  when  Brother  J.  C.  Morris 
was  there — a  most  Christly  man.  When  I  called  up 
the  penitents,  I  noticed  that  he  went  direct  to  the 
ragged  dingy  sinners,  and  talked  and  prayed  with 
them.  I  said,  "  Brother  Morris,  how  is  it  you 
do  n't  seem  to  take  any  notice  of  a  decent  sinner ; 
but  if  there 's  a  raggedest,  triflingest  looking  man 
you  can  find,  you  go  to  him  ?"  Said  he,  "  Brother 
Jones,  there  is  always  plenty  of  people  to  look  after 
the  rich  sinners ;  but  I  am  so  glad  my  precious 
Savior  died  for  these  poor,  lost,  ruined  sinners."  •  In 
the  meetings  in  my  own  town  I  said,  '^  I  know  some 
of  you  are  poor,  and  you  work  every  day  for  what 
you  eat  next  day.  I've  got  five  hundred  dollars  in 
the  bank,  and  it  is  just  for  your  sort,  and  you  can 
have  bread  and  meat  as  long  as  this  meeting  lasts." 
When  the  meeting  was  closed  I  did  n't  have  a  dollar 
in  the  bank ;  but  God  fed  my  family,  and  I  got  old 
Sam  Jones  out  of  that  hole,  I  did  that.  Do  you 
reckon  I  would  take  five  hundred  dollars  for  him? 
There  are  people  that  would  be  here  this  morning 
if  they  had  clothes.     You  say  they  are  of  no  ao- 


I  Know  Thy  Works.  461 

count.  Well,  if  your  father  should  die  to-morrow, 
you  would  be  one  of  that  cla8S  as  soon  as  you  have 
worn  out  the  clothes  you  have  got. 

God  help  us  to  see  there  are  some  unfortunate 
in  the  world.  I  never  invested  a  dollar  for  Christ 
in  my  life  that  I  did  n't  get  a  rich  reward  for  it. 
The  only  speculating  I  do  is  in  poor  whites  and 
poor  colored  folks,  and  I  've  made  many  a  dollar  off 
of  them.  I  recollect  one  widow  said  to  me,  with 
tears  in  her  eyes,  that  she  had  not  a  lump  of  coal 
for  the  Winter.  I  sent  her  up  a  third  of  a  carload 
of  coal.  A  day  or  two  after  that  the  president  of 
a  coal  company  wrote  to  my  wife  and  said :  "  I  ship 
you  a  carload  of  coal,  and  may  it  warm  your  house 
as  your  husband's  sermons  warmed  my  heart."  I 
made  two-thirds  of  a  carload  of  coal  clear  ofl^  that 
old  woman.  Do  you  ever  speculate  on  that  plan? 
I  have  taken  a  poor  fellow  sometimes  and  bought 
him  a  suit  of  clothes,  or  a  part  of  a  suit,  and  but  a 
day  or  two  afterwards  a  tailor  says  to  me,  "  Mr. 
Jones,  step  into  my  shop,''  and  I  go  inside  and  he 
measures  me  for  a  suit  of  clothes  worth  three  times 
as  much  as  the  suit  I  had  given  away,  and  I  make 
thirty  dollars  off  that  one  man.  And  you  can  do 
this  all  along.  I  just  mention  these  things  to  en- 
courage you.  Recently,  when  I  was  in  Baltimore, 
I  went  just  outside  the  city  to  preach  for  a  poor 
pastor  whose  Church  paid  him  only  four  hundred 
dollars  a  year.  Four  hundred  dollars  a  year!  And 
they  were  paying  a  base  ball  pitcher  five  thousand 
dollars  a  year.  I  got  mad.  There  was  too  much 
difference  between  the  salary  they  paid  this  pastor 


462  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

aod  the  salary  they  paid  their  base  ball  pitcher.  I 
said  to  the  audience  to  which  I  preached,  "  Let  *8 
give  this  man  something."  "  Now,"  said  I ;  "  I  am 
going  to  speculate  on  him.  Down  goes  my  ten 
dollars.  I  will  make  money  on  him  poor  as  he  is.'' 
And  just  as  the  service  ended,  a  gentleman  handed 
me  a  note  from  a  lady  who  was  sick  and  never  ex- 
pected to  get  up  from  her  bed  again,  and  she  wanted 
to  see  me.  And  I  went  with  the  gentleman  to  call 
on  the  lady,  and  I  had  n't  gone  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
before  the  gentleman  said  to  me :  ^^  Mr.  Jones,  I  put 
one  hundred  dollars  in  my  pocket  this  morning  to 
give  away.  I  have  given  away  only  fifty  dollars; 
will  you  take  the  other  fifty  dollars  ?"  "  Well,"  I 
said;  ^Mf  it  will  accommodate  you  I  don't  mind 
doing  so,"  and  1  did  so.  And  there  I  In  less  than 
an  hour  I  had  made  a  clear  forty  dollars  on  that  poor 
pastor.  Have  you  ever  tried  it  ?  The  Lord  help  us 
to  see  there  is  something  in  doing  our  duty. 

Now,  let  us  spend  a  few  minutes  over  the  last 
clause  of  the  text,  "  Nevertheless,  I  have  somewhat 
against  thee,  because  thou  hast  left  thy  first  love." 
Brother,  what  is  the  first  love  distinctive?  Listen. 
Here  is  a  lost  ship  wrecked  among  the  icebergs  of 
the  Northern  Ocean.  A  rescuing  party  comes  near. 
They  lower  their  boats  and  climb  upon  the  wreck. 
They  go  from  deck  to  deck,  and  as  they  go  to  each 
man  they  find  him  frozen  stiff  and  cold.  Finally, 
they  find  one  man  who  shows  signs  of  life,  and  they 
take  him  to  the  ship  and  try  every  means  in  their 
power  to  resuscitate  him.  They  work  away  for  two 
hours,  and  at  last  they  see  his  lungs  expand,  and  he 


I  Know  Thy  Works.  463 

draws  in  one  breath  of  air.  What  do  you  suppose 
he  says?  ^'  I  am  so  glad  you  found  me  before  I 
died?"  No;  no.  What  then?  "I  am  so  much 
obliged  to  you  for  rescuing  me  from  such  a  death?" 
No ;  nothing  of  the  kind.  As  he  draws  in  that 
breath  of  air,  he  says,  ^^  There 's  another  man  on 
board  that  may  be  saved  I"  And  just  as  that  man 
thinks  of  his  friend  with  first  returning  life,  so  the 
mind  of  him  who  has  truly  entered  into  the  King- 
dom of  Christ  reverts  at  once  to  the  others  in  the 
ship  that  he  has  left,  that  may  yet  be  saved. 

I  was  literally  born  again.  I  began  preaching 
at  once,  and  have  been  at  it  ever  since.  I  hear  men 
say  that  I  have  n't  religious  feeling,  religious  fervor, 
but,  brethren,  it  is  the  consuming  fire  of  my  nature 
to  go  and  save  men  from  the  devil  and  hell.  I  was 
converted  in  August,  and  I  worked  until  November, 
when  conference  met.  I  did  nH  believe  they  'd  take 
me,  but  they  did,  and  when  I  heard  my  name  read 
out  appointed  to  Van  Wert  Circuit,  I  was  the  hap- 
piest man  this  side  of  heaven.  A  friend  said  to 
me,  "  Do  you  know  how  much  that  circuit  paid  its 
preacher  last  year?  They  paid  just  sixty-five  dol- 
lars." Well,  I  worked  in  that  circuit  that  paid 
sixty-five  dollars  the  year  before,  as  hard  as  a  poor 
fellow  ever  did  for  Christ.  Nobody  said  then,  Sam 
Jones  is  preaching  for  money.  They  did  n't !  They 
didn't!  They  didn't!  Nobody  said  it  then.  I 
believe  if  every  man  knew  the  facts  to-day  they  'd 
say  it  no  quicker  now  than  they  did  then.  When  a 
lecture  bureau  in  New  York  would  send  word  to 
me,  '^  We  will  go  into  indefinite  time  with  you  at 


464  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

five  huudred  dollars  a  night."  Now,  will  a  man  re- 
fuse a  lecture  engagement  as  long  as  he  likes  at  five 
hundred  dollars  a  night  and  come  here  to  preach 
the  Gospel  if  he  ^s  after  money?  I  do  n't  know  how 
much  you  are  going  to  pay,  and  I  do  n't  care.  I 
can  say  this  much,  that  every  dollar  that  God  gives 
me  shall  be  used  to  his  glory,  if  I  know  what  his 
glory  is.  If  I  were  after  money,  I  would  take  the 
lecture  platfbrm. 

You  say,  "  Jones,  that  ^s  a  mighty  big  tale  you  're 
telling.'^  O,  well,  a  short  time  ago  a  gentleman 
telegraphed  me,  "What  are  your  terms  for  a  lec- 
ture?" I  said  five  hundred  dollars — I  thought 
that  would  shut  him  off.  He  answered  back,  "Your 
terms  are  satisfactory."  If  a  fellow  were  after 
money,  would  n't  he  run  that  line?  But,  brethren, 
I  would  rather  spread  the  Gospel  to  poor,  lost  sin- 
ners for  fifteen  cents  a  day  than  take  the  lecture 
bureau  at  a  thousand  dollars  a  night.  Glory  to 
God,  I  am  in  line  with  my  heart  when  I  am  talk- 
ing to  sinners.  Some  of  you  say,  "Mr.  Jones,  I 
can  't  believe  that.  Some  people  won't  believe  this 
is  any  thing  but  a  lie."  I  can  say  this  with  a  clear 
conscience.  In  all  my  correspondence  everywhere, 
I  have  never  demanded  a  dollar  nor  made  a  con- 
tract. I  always  carry  enough  money  with  me  to 
pay  my  way  back  home.  I  tell  Brother  Small, 
"  Do  n't  you  ever  start  anywhere  without  a  round- 
trip  ticket,  for  you  may  have  to  walk  back."  I 
marched  off*  there;  but  a  great  many  people  are 
idle  and  curious  about  some  things,  and  I  haven't 
a  thing  to  hide  from  any  man.     I  want  the  back 


I  Know  Thy  Works.  465 

of  my  house  as  elegantly  finished  as  the  front.  I 
want  my  back  yard  as  clean  as  my  front  yard.  I 
want  every  room  in  my  house  as  clean  as  my  parlor. 
Plenty  of  women,  if  you  came  through  the  back 
yard  into  their  house,  would  get  mad.  They  would 
say,  "Just  look  at  that  fool."  Madame,  if  your 
back  yard  were  as  clean  as  your  front  yard  what 
would  you  care?  It's  just  a  question  of  dirt,  don't 
you  see?  "Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love;  I  have 
somewhat  against  thee."  Let's  get  back  to  that 
hour  we  first  believed.  Let  us  bless  others  with 
kind  words  and  sympathetic  conduct.  I  wish  every 
man  to-day  would  select  some  soul  and  say,  I  am 
going  to  hunt  up  this  soul  and  try  to  win  it  to 
Christ.  I  wish  you  would  say,  "  I  know  a  person 
that  I  think  I  can  influence,  and  I  am  going  to 
try."  There 's  nothing  like  getting  something  to 
stand  on.  Now,  I  '11  illustrate  that.  A  good  old 
presiding  elder  came  home  one  day,  and  his  wife 
said  to  him:  "Husband,  the  cow  is  sick.  It's  a 
good  cow,  and  if  it  dies  we  can 't  afford  to  buy  an- 
other. I  've  done  every  thing  I  can  for  her,  but  I 
think  she's  going  to  die."  Said  the  elder:  "Have 
you  prayed  for  her?"  "  No,"  she  said ;  "  do  you  think 
that  would  be  any  good?"  "Well,"  said  the  old 
elder,  "have  you  got  any  thing  to  stand  on ?  Have 
you  given  away  any  of  the  cow's  milk  and  butter?" 
"Yes,"  she  said,  "I've  given  a  quart  of  milk  to 
old  Brother  Scott  every  day,  and  butter  when  I 
could  spare  it."  "Well,"  said  her  husband,  "I 
guess  you  can  stand  on  the  butter  and  milk,  and 
pray  to  the  Lord  and  he'll  hear  you."     Next  morn- 


466  8am  Jones^  Own  Book. 

ing  the  cow  was  better.  Her  mistress  had  stood  on 
the  batter  and  milk^  and  prayed  to  the  Lord.  If 
you  have  any  thing  to  stand  on,  the  Lord  will  hear 
your  prayer.  Get  something  to  stand  on.  The  Lord 
help  you  to  understand  these  things  and  to  be  use- 
ful in  the  world ! 


Brief  Sayinos. 

The  poorest  kind  of  a  soldier  is  the  fellow  that 
never  fired  a  gun  or  went  to  the  front,  but  is  still 
drawing  his  rations.  The  Lord  deliver  us  from 
that  sort  of  soldiers  ! 

There  are  a  great  many  impostors.  A  great 
many  people  hang  around  revivals  just  for  the  loaves 
and  fishes.  So  they  did  in  the  days  of  Christ.  But 
I  would  rather  help  ninety-nine  impostors  and  one 
genuine  case  than  let  one  genuine  case  go  unblest. 

I  AM  not  banking  on  the  fact  that  I  am  a  re- 
vivalist or  that  I  preach  to  men  and  move  them, 
but  on  the  fact  that  God  can  use  me  for  little 
things,  and  that  my  name  is  written  there.  That  is 
the  secret  of  a  true  Christian  joy.  The  glorious 
fact  is,  that  the  cheerful  part  of  my  religion  is  not 
seen  by  men,  and  that  my  name  is  written  in  the 
Lamb's  Book  of  Life.  What  avails  me  if  thousands 
are  converted  ?  It  is  said  that  Judas  Iscariot  was 
the  most  earnest  preacher  of  the  twelve.  God  help 
us  to  get  the  sort  of  religion  that  will  bless  other 
people. 


Sermon  XXXIV. 

ONEi     HKART    AND    ONK    AATAY. 

"  And  I  will  give  them  one  heart,  and  one  way,  that 
they  may  fear  me  forever,  for  the  good  of  them,  and  of  their 
children  after  them.'' — Jeremiah  xxzii,  39. 

I  WANT  to  say,  brethren,  in  the  first  place,  that 
whatever  trouble  or  difiBculty  or  defeat  I  may 
have  suffered  in  the  past,  arose  either  from  ray  ig- 
norance of  God's  law  and  God's  way  of  doing 
things,  or  else  I  have  known  the  way  and  would  n't 
be  guided  by  it.  You  may  rest  assured  of  this 
fact:  that  if  God  made  man,  and  God  loves  man, 
and  God  proposes  to  advise  man,  then  the  only 
hope  I  have  to  escape  all  that  may  harm  me  here 
or  hereafter  is  in  the  implicit  following  of  the  things 
the  Lord  says  for  me  to  follow.  When  the  builders 
of  a  road  lay  the  track  for  an  engine,  that  engine's 
safety  and  its  all  depends  on  its  staying  on  the 
track ;  and  many  a  man  has  found  out  to  his  loss 
of  life,  and  his  loss  of  limb,  that  a  locomotive  en- 
gine when  it  quits  the  track  is  not  only  a  very 
helpless  thing  as  to  its  direction,  but  a  fearful  thing 
in  danger.  The  Lord  knows  me  and  he  knows  what 
I  ought  to  do,  and  when  to  do  it,  and  how  to  do  it. 
And  I  tell  you,  my  brethren,  if  you  will  run 
over  your  past  life,  you  will  see  that  all  your  trouble 

has  arisen  from  one  of  these  causes-wither  you  did 

467 


468  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

not  know  God's  law,  you  I  knew  it  and  did  not  obey 
it.  I  know  we  have  people  that  think  they  can 
run  themselves^  but  I  have  overtaken  a  few  of  this 
sort,  and  I  know  just  how  they  wind  up.  But  there 
are  people  in  this  world  that  have  sense  enough  to 
know  they  have  n't  got  sense  enough  to  run  them- 
selves successfully.  This  booK  ought  to  be  our 
guide ;  and  now  let  us  hear  these  four  or  five  lines 
to  the  good  of  our  souls : 

"I  will  give  them  one  heart."  The  first  thing 
that  I  want  to  say  about  the  heart  that  the  Lord 
proposes  to  give  his  people  is  that  it  is  a  pure  heart. 
You  can  not  be  a  good  woman. or  a  good  man  with 
a  bad  heart.  The  best  thing  you  can  say  about  any 
body  in  the  world  is  to  say  that  is  a  good-hearted 
person ;  and  the  meanest  thing  you  ever  said  about 
any  person  is  to  say  that  he  is  bad-hearted.  It  is 
the  heart  which  determines  what  your  life  is  and 
what  your  conduct  will  be.  "  I  will  give  them  one 
heart ;"  and  the  heart  that  God  gives  his  people  is 
a  heart  pure,  in  every  thought  renewed. 

Then  it  is  a  heart  full  of  love.  I  have  often 
wondered  where  God's  great  storehouse  of  music  is, 
from  which  he  supplies  every  vocal  chord  and  from 
which  the  spheres  may  draw  their  charming  melodies. 
But  I  need  not  wonder  where  God's  great  store- 
house of  love  is.  Glory  to  his  name,  it  is  the  heart 
of  God!  There  is  the  great  reservoir  of  his  love. 
I  know  not  how  to  estimate  God's  love  to  me. 
Only  I  look  around  me  and  I  see  that  mother.  She 
has  twined  her  heart-strings  about  the  worst  boy 
she  has;  she  follows  that  boy  with  tears  and  prayers 


One  Heakt  and  One  Way.  469 

until  he  dies^  guilty  before  God  and  man ;  and  then 
she  follows  him  to  the  grave^  and  she  will  go  to 
that  grave  week  after  week.  I  say  I  can  only  know 
what  this  love  of  God  is  as  I  can  see  the  love  of  a 
mother^  the  love  of  a  wife,  the  love  of  a  brother, 
the  love  of  a  sister ;  and  when  I  see  such  undying 
devotion  as  manifested  by  wife  and  sister,  I  just  say 
if  that  woman  will  stick  to  that  man  that  way  with 
just  a  little  nature  of  God  in  her  heart,  how  much 
must  God's  great  heart  love  us  I  Wonderful  fact ! 
"  I  will  give  them  one  heart,"  but  it  shall  be  a  pure 
heart,  a  heart  full  of  love  to  one  another  and  devo- 
tion, a  heart  full  of  sympathy  for  those  who  need 
sympathy. 

I  wish  I  had  time,  on  occasions  like  this,  just  to 
give  an  hour  to  one  feature  of  the  text,  and  talk 
about  that  word  "  sympathy."  Above  all  creatures 
in  the  world,  women  should  sympathize  with  each 
other.  I  will  tell  you  there  is  a  work  in  this  town 
to  be  done  that  none  but  women  can  do.  None  but 
women  ought  to  do  it,  and  if  women  don't  do  it,  it 
will  never  be  done.  If  it  is  not  done  there  will  be 
a  loss  of  hundreds  of  souls.  And  that  is  the  work 
of  saving  the  poor  lost  women  of  this  town.  I  say 
to  you  that  Jesus  Christ,  as  he  stood  in  the  presence 
of  that  multitude  who  accused  the  guilty  woman, 
and  looked  at  the  multitude  accusing,  said,  '^  You 
that  are  without  sin  cast  the  first  stone."  The  mul- 
titude stood  and  looked,  and  he  said,  '^  All  who  have 
not  done  worse  in  the  sight  of  God  than  this  woman 
has  done  in  the  sight  of  God,  you  throw  the  stones 
at  her."    The  whole  crowd  looked  around,  and  Jesus 


470  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

looked  at  the  woman  with  a  heart  full  of  sympathy, 
and  said,  "  No  man  deems  you  a  greater  sinner  than 
himself,  and  now  I  say  unto  you,  go  and  sin  no 
more."  Let  me  tell  you — and  I  will  say  this — the 
best  way  to  get  along  with  a  sinner  is  not  to  meas- 
ure that  sinner  by  yourself.  That  is  not  a  good 
plan,  to  measure  a  sinner  by  yourself.  You  say, 
"  We  can  put  up  with  that  fellow,  as  he  sins  just 
like  us;"  and  when  he  has  done  something  you 
do  n't  do,  you  jump  on  him  in  a  minute.  I  tell 
you,  you  want  to  get  down  to  the  humble  point, 
where  you  can  work  things.  You  see  a  sin  com- 
mitted, and  you  say,  "  O,  what  a  horrible  sin  I"  Bat 
take  yourself  off  to  one  side,  and  put  a  few  ques- 
tions like  this  to  yourself:  "Now,  I  haven't  done 
like  that  fellow,  but  have  n't  I  done  something  else 
Just  as  bad  in  the  sight  of  God  as  that  person  has 
done?"  It  is  just  as  bad  to  tell  a  lie  as  it  is  to  be 
guilty  of  uncleanness.  And  who  has  not  told  a  lie? 
We  must  realize  this  point,  that  all  sins  are  great 
sins,  and  if  you  have  committed  a  sin  of  any  sort 
you  are  a  sinner  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  that  is 
about  all  you  can  say  of  any  body — sinners  in  the 
sight  of  God.  I  would  like  to  see  growing  out  of 
this  work  of  Christ  one  hundred  Christian  women 
who  will  consecrate  themselves  to  this  work  of  re- 
deeming every  poor  lost  woman  in  this  town.  I 
would  like  to  see  that.  I  will  tell  you  that  work 
will  never  be  done  until  you  consecrate  yourself  to 
it.  I  knew  in  some  of  the  larger  towns  and  cities 
of  the  United  States  the  best  women  I  have  ever 
met  in  my  life  were  women  who  were  consecrated 


One  Heart  and  One  Way.  471 

to  that  work.  Any  man  might  be  prond  of  calling 
such  a  woman  his  wife,  and  any  community  might 
well  be  glad  to  have  such  a  woman. 

I  will  give  them  not  only  one  heart,  but  I  will 
give  them  a  pure  heart — a  heart  full  of  sympathy. 
Sympathy  is  a  grand  thing.  I  went  home  one  day 
and  my  wife  was  looking  very  sad,  and  I  said, 
"  Wife,  what  would  you  want  V^  She  says,  "  I  feel 
like  I  want  sympathy.^'  I  said,  "  I  will  go  down 
town,  and  if  I  can  help  you  I  will  buy  f  100  worth 
of  sympathy.  You  shall  have  what  you  want  as 
long  as  I  have  a  cent.''  That  is  a  sad  calamity,  but 
you  can  't  buy  sympathy  with  money.  You  can  buy 
horses  and  carriages  if  you  have  the  money,  but 
you  can 't  buy  sympathy.  Sympathy  comes  through 
the  cross,  gushing  into  the  hearts  of  Christian 
people.  I  will  give  you  this  little  incident:  When 
we  were  at  Loveland  camp- meeting,  close  to  Cin- 
cinnati, I  always  regarded  or  looked  towards  Sam 
Small  as  my  brother,  an<J  I  have  loved  him  as  if 
he  was  my  own  born  brother ;  but  when  I  saw  him 
at  that  camp-meeting  with  his  arms  around  a  poor 
drunken  fellow,  and  walking  along  with  him  under 
the  eyes  of  a  thousand  people,  trying  to  hold  him 
up,  I  felt  prouder  of  Sam  Small  that  moment 
than  if  he  were  preaching  the  grandest  sermon  I  ever 
heard  him  preach  in  my  life.  It  takes  brains,  may 
be,  to  preach  a  grand  sermon,  but  it  takes  heart  to 
make  you  put  your  arms  around  a  poor  drunken 
fellow  with  a  thousand  people  looking  at  you  while 
you  are  doing  it.  It  does  that.  Lots  of  us  might 
get  around  behind  a  house  and  help  a  poor  drunken 


472  8am  Jones'  Own  Book. 

fellow ;  but  who  wants  to  be  seen  walking  with  him 
with  a  thousand  people  looking  on?  He  is  our 
brother.     Look  after  him,  brother. 

I  will  tell  you,  my  sisters,  this  Christly  spirit 
will  make  you  rescue  the  perishing  and  save  the 
fallen.  It  will  help  us  Christian  people,  and  give 
us  something  to  do.  A  man  told  me — I  was  riding 
with  him  in  a  carriage  yesterday — '*  I  do  n't  go  to 
prayer-meetings,  and  am  seldom  at  church  Sunday/' 
I  said,  "  What  are  you  doing  ?"  He  replied,  "  I 
am  working  for  Christ  all  over  the  town  on- Sun- 
day." My,  my  I  how  many  people  here  in  this  city 
never  have  any  thing  to  do  with  religion  but  to  put 
on  a  bonnet  and  race  right  over  to  church.  Sym- 
pathy! All  before  the  looking-glass,  and  that  is 
the  only  idea  they  have  of  the  world  of  religion. 
I  reckon,  sister,  if  a  religious  idea  struck  you  at 
midnight,  you  would  get  up  and  go  to  church.  I 
never  have  a  religious  idea  until  I  start  to  meeting. 
Lord  be  merciful  to  us  with  such  a  religion  as  that — 
always  receiving  and  never  giving  out  any  thing. 

"  I  will  give  them  one  heart.''  I  want  to  say  a 
word  about  that  word  "  one."  Do  you  know  that 
whenever  God  comes  down  and  we  let  him  have  his 
way,  we  have  one  heart  in  common?  Suppose  every 
body  in  this  church  had  one  heart  about  prayer-meet- 
ing, do  n't  you  see  how  things  would  go?  Suppose 
every  body  had  one  heart  about  family  prayer  and 
duty.  How  the  prayers  would  go  up  from  every 
Methodist  family  in  the  town!  One  heart ;  one  heart! 

And  then  God  comes  right  along  with  the  other 
proposition,  I  will  give  one  heart,  but  it  shall  be  a 


One  Heabt  and  One  Way.  473 

pure  heart,  a  consecrated  heart,  a  sympathetic  heart; 
and  not  only  will  I  give  them  one  heart,  with  love 
for  all  that  is  good  and  hatred  for  all  that  is  bad, 
but  he  says  I  will  give  them  "  one  way."  What 's 
the  matter  here  in  this  city?  I  don't  know  but 
one  thing,  and  that  is  the  members  of  the  Church 
have  about  twenty  different  ways  of  trying  to  get  to 
heaven.  There 's  old  Sister  Fashion.  She 's  trying 
to  get  to  heaven  by  the  millinery-shop,  and  she 
thinks  she 's  on  the  road  to  glory  with  her  whole 
family  rigged  out  in  lace.  Then  there 's  old  Sister 
Worldliness.  She's  running  through  ball-rooms 
and  dancing  and  cards.  There's  a  brother  who 
says,  '^I  am  going  through  trashy  literature,"  and 
another,  "  I  am  going  the  way  of  avarice.  I  want 
to  make  money  till  I  am  the  richest  man  in  town." 
Down  in  my  own  town,  a  few  days  ago,  I  said, 
"  Friends  and  neighbors,  you  all  know  me.  I  was 
raised  among  you.  There 's  a  whole  lot  of  us  in 
town  trying  to  get  to  heaven — about  nine-tenths  of 
us.  But  I  am  going  to  fall  out  of  the  whole  busi- 
ness, because  you  have  got  so  many  routes.  God 
says  he  will  give  us  one  way,  and  you  have  got 
about  twenty  in  this  town.  Let  us  come  together. 
All  you  dancing  Methodists  and  Presbyterians  and 
Baptists,  I  want  you  to  meet  us  next  Wednesday 
night,  and  I  want  you  all  to  be  ready  to  testify.  If 
you  say  dancing  is  conducive  to  piety,  and  you  enjoy 
religion  more  the  night  after  a  dance  than  before, 
testify  to  that  and  we  '11  all  adopt  dancing,  and  we  '11 
have  movable  benches  in  the  church,  and  instead 

of  prayer-meeting  we  '11  have  a  dance  every  Wednes- 
40— B 


474  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

day  night.  If  it 's  a  good  thing  let 's  adopt  it  and 
have  one  way.  If  progressive  euchre  conduces  to 
piety  and  makes  us  love  God  and  our  neighbors 
more,  get  up  and  testify  so  and  we  'II  all  adopt  it. 
There 's  another  crowd  over  there  that  say,  '  I  do  n't 
see  any  harm  in  having  wines  on  my  table.'  Do 
you  feel  more  pious  when  you  're  drunk  ?  If  you 
do^  testify  to  it  and  we  '11  all  adopt  wine-drinking 
and  put  a  bar-room  in  the  house  of  every  Church 
memberMn  town.  If  it's  a  good  thing,  the  more 
of  it  the  better.     Will  you  testify  ?" 

How  many  dancing  members  in  this  town  would 
go  up  inside  of  the  judgment  bar  of  God  and  say 
dancing  is  conducive  to  piety  ?  Who  would  say 
that  in  progressive  euchre,  with  the  prize  up  and 
the  game  going  on,  you  could  give  thoughts  to 
heaven  and  find  out  your  union  with  God  ?  Let 's 
come  to  an  understanding.  Which  is  the  best  way 
to  run  the  thing?  Let's  all  agree  on  one  way. 
Some  of  you  are  going  to  miss ;  some  of  you  are 
going  to  get  left  right  along  on  the  way  you're 
going.  And  I  '11  tell  you  how  I  feel.  When- 
ever a  man  gets  up  to  talk,  he  gets  my  ear  every 
time.  That  old  man  is  talking  about  his  experi- 
ence. He  says,  "  Family  prayer  has  been  the  stay 
of  my  soul  since  I  entered  into  wedlock."  I  think 
to  myself,  I  need  a  stay,  and  I  will  adopt  family 
prayer  as  one  of  the  planks  in  my  platform.  An- 
other old  churchman  says,  "  Three  times  a  day  I 
pray  in  secret  and  call  upon  God,  and  it  has  been  a 
help  and  strength  to  me."  Then  I  say,  "  I  need 
strength  and  help,  and  not  less  than  three  times  a 


One  Heart  and  One  Way.  475 

day  will  I  get  on  my  knees  before  God  and  pray 
for  strength  and  grace  to  help  me  in  my  life/'  An- 
other Christian  says,  "  I  read  the  Bible ,  it  is  the 
man  of  my  counsel,  and  its  precepts  guide  me,  and 
I  never  make  a  mistake  when  I  trust  it."  I  say, 
"  I  want  to  be  saved  from  mistakes ;  I  want  to  be  a 
Bible  Christian ;  the  Bible  shall  be  the  man  of  my 
counsel."  Another  says,  "  The  weekly  prayer-meet- 
ings have  been  a  stay  to  my  soul."  I  say,  *'  I  want 
a  stay  too;  I  will  adopt  that,  and  I  will  never  be 
away  from  weekly  prayer-meeting  without  sending 
my  pastor  a  certificate  from  the  physician  that  I 
was  not  able  to  be  out."  I  wish  we  had  religion  on 
that  line.  If  some  of  you  were  to  drop  off  the  pier 
and  wake  up  in  heaven,  you  would  say,  "  What,  I  in 
heaven — I  'm  astonished,  for  I  had  no  idea  I  would 
ever  get  here."  No,  you  won't  get  astonished.  Nobody 
ever  went  to  heaven  by  accident.  Nobody  ever  went 
to  sleep  indifferent  in  religion  and  waked  up  in  heaven. 
"  I  will  give  them  one  heart  and  one  way."  I 
will  show  that  not  only  can  they  love  God  and  love 
each  other,  but  I  will  show  that  Christian  people 
fall  into  line  with  each  other,  all  marching  hand  in 
hand,  without  quarreling  and  going  wild.  Some 
people  may  say  that  there  is  no  harm  in  dancing. 
Some  think  there  is.  Some  think  there  is  no  harm 
in  playing  cards.  Some  think  there  is.  Some  think 
there  is  no  harm  in  a  little  brandy.  Some  think 
there  is.  Some  think  they  can  go  to  church,  and 
can  be  religious,  and  do  this,  that,  and  the  other.  I 
will  tell  you,  my  brethren,  if  any  thing  in  this  world 
were  needed  here  it  is  this  coming  together.     Let 


476  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

us  get  together  on  these  grand  Gospel  propositions 
and  say,  if  we  can  not  agree  let  us  divide  up,  each 
squad  agreeing.  Would  that  not  be  a  good  idea? 
Suppose  the  progressive  euchre  party  should  with- 
draw and  build  a  church  to  be  called  the  progress- 
ive euchre  Church.  I  would  like  to  be  at  one 
of  their  revivals.  I  reckon  they  would  have  a 
sockdologing  time  at  their  revivals.  I  wish  they 
would  get  me  to  run  it  for  them.  About  the  first 
three  days  you  would  see  more  hides  on  a  pole  than 
ever  you  ^aw  at  one  meeting-house  in  three  days. 
Then  the  dancing  crowd  will  have  to  go  over  and 
set  up  for  themselves  and  hire  their  preacher.  And 
when  revival  time  comes  the  dancing  crowd  is  going 
to  have  a  revival  of  religion.  Would  it  not  be  a 
grand  sight  to  go  over  and  look  at  them?  La,  me! 
there  is  only  one  way  to  get  things.  Every  man 
should  help,  and  go  his  one  way  to  righteousness 
and  holiness. 

"  I  will  give  them  one  heart  and  one  way."  We 
will  have  one  way  of  doing  things.  Men  have  di- 
visions in  the  Churches,  and  sometimes  nearly  split 
the  Church  open  with  these  divisions.  I  tell  you 
the  closer  we  get  to  one  view  on  every  question 
pertaining  to  God  and  righteousness  the  better. 
That  is  what  we  want.  "I  will  give  them  one 
heart,  one  way,  that  they  may  fear  me  forever." 
There  is  but  one  way  we  can  fear  God  and  keep 
his  commandments.  Then  those  who  get  in  that 
way  walk  in  that  way.  Then,  good  sisters,  you  are 
fearing  him  forever,  for  your  good  and  for  your 
children's  good. 


One  Heabt  and  One  Way,         477 

Now,  I  am  going  to  say  a  word  or  two  in  con- 
clusion on  this  last  proposition — for  your  good,  for 
your  children's  good.  I  believe,  brethren,  as  par- 
ents, before  doing  any  thing  we  should  stop  right 
still  and  say:  "  Is  this  best  for  me?''  and  the  next 
question  we  should  ask  is:  ''What  effect  will  this 
have  upon  my  children  ?  "  Good  father,  do  n't  you 
know  soon  you  are  going  to  lie  down  and  die? 
Do  n't  you  know  in  a  few  more  days  you  have  to 
shake  hands  with  your  children  and  bid  them  good- 
bye forever?  Think  before  each  act  and  each  word 
comes  up.  Stop  and  say  :  "  Is  this  the  best  for  my 
precious  children?  Will  it  be  best  for  them  when 
I  am  dead  and  gone?"  That  is  the  way  to  talk  it. 
There  are  some  parents  who  are  listening  to  my 
voice  right  now.  It  is  time  for  you  to  halt  and 
begin  to  think  something  about  your  children.  You 
have  run  your  selfishness  and  your  own  ideas  of 
things,  and  perhaps  that  child  of  yours  is  ruined  by 
it.  And  now  it  is  time  for  us  to  bring  up,  halt, 
and  see  exactly  how  the  thing  lies.  For  your  good, 
for  your  children's  good,  listen.  It  will  be  for 
your  good,  as  for  all  of  us,  to  have  one  heart  and 
one  way,  and  let  us  all  face  into  line.  That  is  the 
best  thing  for  you,  and  then  whatever  is  best  for  you  is 
best  for  your  children.  It  will  be  for  your  good,  and 
for  your  children's  good.  Our  children  step  on  our 
corns,  it  is  said,  when  they  are  young,  but  they  get 
up  in  our  hearts  when  they  get  older;  and  I  tell 
you,  as  I  look  upon  my  children  at  home,  the  all- 
absorbing  thought  with  me  is :  "  My  God,  what  will 
become  of  my  children  when  I  am  dead  and  gone?'^ 


478  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

I  can  not  put  my  hands  on  little  Bob's  head  and 
say,  "This  little  boy  will  be  safe  in  heaven."  I 
can  not  put  my  hands  on  Paul's  head  and  say, 
"This  boy  will  never  die  drunk."  I  can  not,  to 
save  my  life.  I  would  give  all  things  in  this  world 
if  I  could  throw  my  arms  around  my  children  to- 
day, and  say  for  a  certainty  that  these  children  are 
all* as  sure  to  be  safe  in  heaven  as  that  they  live  and 
breathe  at  home.  I  believe  I  would  shout  the 
balance  of  my  hours  in  this  world  if  I  could  just 
settle  that  fact. 

"What  is  going  to  become  of  my  childrea?" 
I  tell  you  you  won't  be  here  much  longer  with 
them,  and  they  are  going  to  quote  you  and  talk 
about  you  after  you  are  dead  and  gone.  I  have 
seen  children,  and  filled  their  hearts  and  heads  with 
Gospel,  and  brought  them  down  to,  "  What  will  you 
decide  ?"  and  they  have  stated  boldly,  "  Mr.  Jones, 
my  father  was  as  good  a  man  as  ever  lived,  and  he 
did  not  object  to  dancing,  and  this,  that,  and  the 
other  thing."  Not  only  have  you  thus  set  a  bad 
example  to  them  here,  but  you  have  locked  and 
barred  the  gates  of  heaven  in  their  faces  forever. 
Now,  sir,  my  children  may  quote  me  in  a  thousand 
things,  but  they  shall  not,  never  one  of  them,  go 
astray  in  worldliness  and  say,  "My  father  thought 
there  was  no  harm  in  it."  I  am  going  to  denounce 
now  and  forever  every  thing  that  can  lead  a  soul 
away  from  good,  or  debauch  a  human  being.  Just 
for  the  sake  of  a  giddy,  foolish  hour  you  're  sub- 
jecting your  children  to  the  perils  of  eternal  damna- 
tion.    Here,  look  at  that.     What  is  there  in  a  game 


One  Heart  and  One  Way.  479 

of  cards?  What  is  there  in  having  a  dance?  What 
is  there  in  going  to  a  theater?  What  is  there 
in  it;  sister?  You  will  find  out  that  you  have 
sold  out  yourself  and  your  family  too  cheap.  Here 
is  a  man  sitting  on  the  pinnacle  or  cone  of  a 
five-story  building.  He  sits  there  whittling  with  a 
little  penknife  which  cost  only  fifty  cents^  but  it  is 
a  beautiful  little  knife^  and  all  at  once  the  knife 
slips  out  of  his  hands  and  slides  down  to  the  edge 
of  the  building  and  stops.  He  sits  and  looks  at 
that  knife  and  says :  '^  I  am  sorry  I  let  that  knife 
slip  out  of  my  hand ;  I  believe  I  '11  go  down  and 
get  if  "But  you  might  slip  and  fall  off;  it's 
very  near  the  edge."  "I  know  that,  but  people 
have  gone  that  near  the  edge  and  not  fallen.  It  is 
true  the  knife  is  worth  only  fifty  cents,  and  it  is 
risking  a  good  deal ;  but  I  think  I  can  get  it  and 
not  fall  off."  "But  if  you  fall,  it  is  death." 
"Well,  I  know,  but  I  am  going  to  be  careful." 
And  he  crawls  down  to  the  edge  and  grasps  the 
knife,  and  just  as  he  grasps  his  knife,  his  hold  loos- 
ens and  he  falls  and  is  crushed  to  jelly  on  the 
rocks.     But  he  got  the  knife. 

I  say  to  a  woman,  "  Do  n't  go  to  that  dance, 
sister ;  it  might  be  the  cause  of  the  first  downward 
step  of  your  daughters."  "  But,"  she  says,  "  other 
people  have  had  dances,  and  their  children  have 
•come  out  all  right."  "Yes,  but  it  might  be  the 
downfall  of  your  daughters,  and  their  damnation." 
"  Well,  that  is  true,  but  I  am  not  afraid  of  my 
daughters."  So  she  has  the  dance,  and  every  one 
of  her  children  wakes  up  in  hell  at  last;     But  they 


480  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

had  a  dance  at  the  house  last  night.  God  keep  us 
from  going  to  hell  without  a  particle  of  reason  for 
it.  For  one  champagne  supper  a  drunkard  has 
been  started  to  hell.  It  was  just  one  little  drink 
of  champagne;  and  while  the  warning  voice  said, 
"  Do  n^t  drink  it^  do  n^t  drink  it/'  he  did  drink  it,  and 
Avoke  up  in  hell  at  last.  But  he  got  the  drink  of 
champagne.  Isn't  that  consolation  for  a  fellow? 
Suppose  you  send  your  daughter  to  a  dancing- 
school,  and  she  gets  to  be  the  nicest  dancer  in 
town.  Then  suppose  she  wants  to  find  a  place  as 
music-teacher.  Why  do  you  want  to  add  some- 
thing to  her  education  that  will  bar  her  out  of  every 
honest  job  that  she  would  apply  for  ?  I  advertise 
for  a  teacher  in  my  family ;  and  if  I  had  a  young 
lady  recommended  by  every  governor  of  every 
State  in  the  Union,  and  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  by  all  the  preachers  in  the  coun- 
try testifying  to  her  culture  and  goodness;  and  if 
they  just  added  this  postscript,  ^'  She  's  a  first-class 
dancer,"  the  whole  concern  might  go.  I  would  n't 
bring  such  a  one  into  my  house  to  train  and  ed- 
ucate my  children. 

I  hope  you  will  think  over  this  matter.  It  is 
time  you  are  beginning  to  think.  I  will  do  it  for 
my  good  and  for  my  children's  good.  Let's  "  right 
about "  in  these  things,  and  say,  "  I  want  that  one 
heart  and  one  way,  for  my  good  and  for  my  chil- 
dren's good." 


E.  a  EXCELL, 


Sermon  XXXV. 

THB&     BEDST     THINQQ     I^A^ST. 

"  But  thou  hast  kept  the  good  wine  until  now."— John 
II,  10. 

THERE  are  two  questions  which  come  up  nat- 
urally^ legitimately,  and  inevitably  between  the 
employer  and  the  employe.  There  can  be  no  such 
thing  as  an  intelligent  contract  for  labor  to  be  per- 
formed without  the  asking  and  answering  of  these 
questions.  If  you  seek  to  employ  a  man  to-morrow 
the  first  thing  he  will  ask  is,  ''What  sort  of  work 
do  you  want  me  to  do?"  And  when  he  has  got  a 
satisfactory  answer  to  this  question  he  says,  ''  And 
what  will  you  pay  me  ?"  These  two  questions  are 
at  the  basis  of  all  contract  labor. 

There  are  a  great  many  people  here  to-night, 
perhaps,  who  boast  that  they  were  never  in  the  em- 
ployment of  any  body,  but  there  is  a  very  important 
sense  in  which  every  one  of  us  here  is  a  servant. 
We  shall  all  get  wages,  and  pay-day  is  coming.  I 
say  it  is  a  fact  that  all  men  must  recognize  that  we 
are  servants,  that  we  are  all  serving  masters.  And 
I  suppose  the  first  thing  each  of  us  ought  to  do  is 
to  settle  the  question — Whose  servant  am  I?  Lis- 
ten :  ''  No  man  can  serve  two  masters ;  ye  can  not 
serve  God  and  mammon.'^     And  again,  ''He  that 

41— B  481 


482  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

is  Dot  with  me  is  against  me.'^  And  even  that  was 
not  strong  enough,  and  He  said  again,  ''He  that 
gathereth  not  with  me  scattereth  abroad.'^  I  am  on 
one  side  or  the  other.  I  am  either  the  servant  of 
the  Lord  God  or  the  servant  of  the  devil.  There 's 
no  neutral  ground.  You  would  be  astonished  at 
the  number  of  men  in  this  city  who  say  they  are 
neither  on  one  side  nor  the  other ;  who  claim  that 
they  are  not  serving  either  God  or  the  devil.  I 
tell  you  one  thing.  If  you  say  that,  it  argues  that 
you  are  scarcely  responsible  for  your  actions;  you 
may  get  into  heaven  after  all  on  the  plea  of  non  est 
factum,  as  the  old  lawyer  said.  What  a  moral  mon- 
strosity is  such  a  man  as  that! 

How  can  I  determine  whether  I  am  serving  the 
Lord  or  not?  "Have  you  given  your  heart  to 
God  ?*'  "  No.''  "  Have  you  kept  God's  command- 
ments?" "No."  Then  you  are  not  serving  Gt)d. 
And  as  soon  as  you  settle  the  question  that  you  are 
not  the  servant  of  the  Lord,  you  determine  that  you 
are  the  servant  of  the  devil.  And  now  I  want  to 
ask  you.  What  sort  of  work  does  he  want  you  to 
do?  He's  got  a  way  of  making  you  work  for 
him,  without  telling  you  what  he  wants  you  to  do 
for  him.  I  '11  tell  what  work  he  has  for  you — ^to 
proiane  the  name  of  God,  to  lead  a  licentious  life, 
to  break  the  Sabbath  day,  to  do  those  things  that 
are  wrong  and  degrading  to  soul  and  body,  to  make 
your  wife  weep  tears  of  blood,  to  give  a  bad  exam- 
ple to  your  children,  to  make  your  neighbor  think 
less  of  you,  to  dishonor  God,  and  finally  to  doom 
your  soul.     Isn't  that  the  work?     Ask  every  stag- 


The  Best  Things  Last.  483 

geriDg  drunkard,  every  miserable  liar,  every  poor, 
licentious  wretch  that  walks  the  streets  of  this  town, 
and  they  '11  tell  you  it  is.  And  I  need  n't  go  out 
and  hunt  up  the  rakes  and  ofiscourings  of  the  town. 
I  can  take  you,  and  you'll  say:  "Yes,  sir;  that's 
the  sort  of  work  the  devil  wants  me  to  do."  And 
not  only  that,  but  he  pays  you  for  it. 

Now,  if  I  must  do  such  disreputable,  dishonor- 
ing work  as  that  I  must  have  good  wages.  Now, 
what  wages  does  the  devil  pay  ?  Listen  I  An  aching 
conscience,  a  wretched  life,  and  damnation  in  the 
end.  Those  are  the  wages  the  devil  pays.  Just 
before  I  was  coming  away  from  my  room  this  even- 
ing a  gentleman — ^and  he  was  a  gentleman  born  and 
bred — came  to  me  with  tears  running  down  his  face, 
and  told  me  how  anxious  he  was  to  see  me.  "  Mr. 
Jones,"  he  said,  "is  there  any  way  in  the  universe 
out  of  my  difficulties  ?  I  came  near  going  into  my 
room,  just  before  starting  out  to  see  you,  and  I 
thought  of  blowing  my  brains  out.  I  have  stood  it 
as  long  as  I  can."  He  told  me  that  he  would  be 
here  this  evening,  and  he  may  be  within  the  sound 
of  my  veicc  now.  Now,  what 's  the  matter  with 
that  man?  The  devil  has  his  foot  on  him,  and  is 
stamping  on  him.  "The  wages  of  sin  is  death." 
O,  how  many  men  I  've  had  to  rush  around  to  my 
room,  sometimes  at  midnight,  and  at  one  hour  or 
other,  and  with  trembling  and  despair  say  to  me, 
"  O,  sir,  I  know  you  have  seen  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands saved,  but  was  there  ever  a  man  delivered 
standing  where  I  am  ?"  Glory  to  God !  I  believe 
Jesus  Christ  takes  the  greatest  pleasure  of  all  in 


484  Sam  Joneb'  Own  Book. 

saving  the  most  lost  man  in  the  world^  and  so  gain- 
ing the  greatest  victory  of  all  over  the  devil.  I 
used  to  doubt  God's  ability  to  save  sometimes,  but 
after  the  Lord  came  down,  fourteen  years  ago,  and 
saved  me,  I  have  been  believing  in  the  omnipotent 
grace  of  €rod  from  that  day  to  this.  If  I  get  to 
heaven — and  I  'm  making  my  calculations  to  get 
there — ^you  need  n't  come  up  with  any  excuses  that 
you  were  too  bad  to  be  saved.  "  The  wages  of  sin 
is  death."  Pay-day  is  coming.  If  you  serve  the 
devil  you  shall  have  your  wages  in  the  eternal  de- 
spair of  devils. 

But  let 's  turn  the  picture  a  little.  Thank  God, 
there 's  a  heaven  as  well  as  a  hell ;  there 's  a  Savior 
as  well  as  a  tempter.  Am  I  the  servant  of  the 
Lord  God  Almighty  ?  What  does  he  want  me  to 
do  for  him  ?  To  love  mercy  and  to  do  justly ;  to 
walk  humbly  before  him ;  to  cultivate  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit — love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentle- 
ness, goodness,  faith ;  to  do  those  things  that  will 
make  my  neighbor  and  my  wife  and  my  children 
think  more  of  me  than  ever;  to  honor  Christ's  name 
and  bless  the  world.  *'  Why,  Master,"  you  say, "  if 
I  do  such  works  as  that  I  do  n't  want  any  pay.'' 
But  the  Master  says,  "  If  you  do  those  things,  you 
shall  not  only  have  cash  enough  to  last  you  as  long 
as  you  live,  but  when  you  die  I  '11  take  you  into 
my  own  home  and  you  shall  live  there  with  me  for- 
ever and  ever." 

Now,  can  any  body  controvert  any  single  propo- 
sition that  I  have  made  here  ?  I  have  stated  nothing 
but  the  simple  truth,  and  if  it  is  the  truth,  how  is 


The  Best  Things  Last.  485 

it  that  the  devil  has  a  servant  ia  this  universe? 
Look  here ;  would  you  work  for  the  devil  and  board 
yourself — at  least,  I  was  going  to  say  board  your- 
selves— but  some  of  you  let  your  wives  and  mothers 
board  you.  Do  you  tell  me  a  man  in  his  right 
mind  will  jump  with  booted  feet  upon  his  wife's 
breast,  and  crush  the  heart's  blood  out  of  her? 
Will  a  man  in  his  right  senses  debauch  his  body 
with  liquor,  when  already  the  fumes  of  damnation 
have  been  ignited  in  it?  If  a  poor  wretch  cuts  his 
throat  or  blows  his  brains  out,  you  say,  ''He's 
crazy ;"  but  if  he  takes  a  weapon  of  the  devil  and 
stabs  himself  to  the  soul  day  after  day,  you  think 
nothing  of  it.  You  crazy  dunce  I  Can  't  you  see 
the  devil  isn't  paying  you  properly?  Quit  him, 
quit  him,  quit  him,  and  come  over  with  me!  These 
goody-goody  fellows  that  do  n't  serve  God  and 
do  n't  serve  the  devil,  as  they  claim,  but  try  to  stick 
on  the  fence  all  the  time,  with  their  hands  in  their 
pockets,  are  too  mean  for  any  thing.  They  're  be- 
neath the  contempt  of  the  devil,  and  he  just  does  n't 
care  to  give  them  any  thing  to  do.  If  I  were  going 
to  hunt  out  the  smallest  character  in  God's  universe 
I  'd  catch  such  a  one  as  this,  if  I  could  get  a  hook 
small  enough  for  him  to  swallow. 

You  're  a  mighty  small  animal  in  God's  universe 
if  you  're  not  for  the  devil  and  won't  serve  God. 
You  've  met  the  sort  of  man  I  'm  talking  of.  This 
IS  it:  "Here  's  Mr.  So-and-so,  who  belongs  to  the 
Church  and  won't  pay  his  debts;  and  here's  Mr, 
So-and-so,  who  does  n't  belong  to  any  Church,  and  he 
pays  his  debts.     I  think  I  'd  rather  be  Mr.  So-and- 


486  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

so,  and  not  belong  to  any  Church."  Have  n't  you 
heard  somebody  say  that?  Haven't  you  thought 
that  way  yourself?  If  I  know  myself,  I  '11  be  on 
one  side  or  the  other.  How  mad  St.  Paul  must 
have  been  when  he  was  going  down  to  Damascus 
to  persecute  the  Christians.  He  fought  with  all  his 
might  against  tiie  Church,  and  then  turned  right 
over  to  the  other  side,  and  fought  on  the  side  of  the 
Church  until  the  day  of  his  death,  and  was  able  to 
say  at  the  close  of  his  life,  "  I  have  fought  a  good 
fight."  O,  I  hate  a  man  on  the  fence !  You  get 
up  the  question  of  prohibition  in  this  town,  and 
he'll  say,  "I  won't  vote  at  all;  I  don't  know 
which  would  be  the  best  thing.  I  haven't  made 
up  my  mind."  I  have  ten  times  as  much  respect 
for  the  loud-mouthed  anti-prohibitionist  as  for  the 
man  who  says  he  won't  take  either  side.  Listen ! 
Rally  around  your  aldermen  that  stand  for  good 
order  and  the  right,  and  until  you  get  a  vote  on 
prohibition — it  may  be  a  year  or  two  before  you  get 
that — ^you  hit  the  snake  a  lick  on  the  tail  until  you 
can  hit  it  on  the  head.  Let's  have  some  fun  out 
of  it  while  it 's  going  on.  Be  on  one  side  or  the 
other.  Have  an  opinion  of  your  own,  even  if  you 
get  your  head  broken  in  consequence.  Be  a  man 
with  a  cracked  head.  What  if  you  should  get  your 
head  cracked  !  It 's  not  the  first  that 's  been  broke, 
by  many  a  head.  Be  on  one  side  or  the  other.  If 
it's  a  good  thing  go  in  for  it  heart  and  soul,  and 
help  it  on,  and  if  it 's  a  bad  thing  fight  it  with  all 
your  might.  I  respect  you  when  you  go  that  way. 
But  these  little  fellows  in  the  moral  universe  who 


The  Best  Things  Last.  487 

have  DO  courage  and  no  nothing,  I  have  no  patience 
with.  God  help  you  to  wake  yourselves  up  and 
convict  you  on  the  eternal  question  as  to  which 
master  you  are  serving. 

The  text  is  a  simple  illustration  of  the  thought 
I  want  to  impress  on  you.  It  is  an  illustration  of 
the  Lord's  economy.  The  Lord  gives  the  worst 
things  first  and  the  best  things  last,  and  he  gives 
you  better  and  better  all  through  the  days  of  eter- 
nity ;  and  the  devil  gives  you  the  best  things  first, 
and  then  gives  you  worse  and  worse  until  there 's 
nothing  left  but  damnation.  Put  yourselves  now  and 
forever  on  God's  side.  Though  saturated  with  sin, 
attracted  with  its  seductive  charms,  and  led  astray 
by  it,  let  the  Spirit  of  Grod  teach  you  to  loathe  it, 
and  your  loathing  will  be  followed. by  the  calm  of 
justification  and  the  certain  hope  of  salvation ! 


Briek  Sayinos. 

The  trouble  with  humanity  is,  men  dislike  so 
much  to  give  themselves  to  God  just  as  they  are; 
and  the  point  of  all  salvation  is,  turn  yourself  over 
to  God  just  as  you  are,  and  let  him  make  out  of 
you  what  you  ought  to  be.  That  is  the  secret  of 
giving  yourself  to  God. 

The  lines  of  my  orthodoxy  are  the  steel  rails 
that  I  have  got  out  of  the  Bible  and  laid  down ;  and 
I  have  either  got  to  keep  the  tracks  or  go  over  the 
rails.  I  might  as  soon  run  ofi^  the  tracks  of  a  rail^ 
road  as  to  run  out  of  God's  order  of  things. 


SERMON  XXXVI. 

BEING    IN    CHRIST   JHSUS. 

"  There  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation  to  them  which 
are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  bat  after 
the  Spirit."— RoM.  viii,  1. 

THE  words  to  which  we  direct  your  special  at- 
tention this  afternoon  are  the  words^  ^'  In 
Christ  Jesus."  I  might  refer  you  for  a  moment  to 
the  context.  "For  we  know  that  the  law  is  spir- 
itual; but  I  am  carnal^  sold  under  sin.  For  that 
which  I  do  I  allow  not ;  for  what  I  would^  that  do 
I  not ;  but  what  I  hate^  that  do  I.  If  then  I  do  that 
which  I  would  not^  I  consent  unto  the  law  that  it 
is  good.  Now,  then^  it  is  no  more  I  that  do  it,  but 
sin  that  dwelleth  in  me.  For  I  know  that  in  me 
(that  is,  in  my  flesh)  dwelleth  no  good  thing;  for 
to  will  is  present  with  me,  but  how  to  perform  that 
which  is  good  I  find  not.  For  the  good  that  I 
would,  I  do  not;  but  the  evil  which  I  would  not, 
that  I  do.  Now  if  I  do  that  I  would  not,  it  is  no 
more  I  that  do  it,  but  sin  that  dwelleth  in  me.  I 
find  then  a  law,  that  when  I  would  do  good,  evil  is 
present  with  me.  For  I  delight  in  the  law  of  God 
after  the  inward  man.  But  I  see  another  law  in 
my  members  warring  against  the  law  of  my  mind, 
and  bringing  me  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin 
which  is  in  my  members.     O,  wretched  man  that  I 

488 


Beinq  in  Christ  Jesus.  489 

am!  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this 
death  ?  I  thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
So  then  with  the  mind  I  myself  serve  the  law  of  6od^ 
but  with  the  flesh  the  law  of  sin.''  Now  follows  the 
first  verse  of  the  eighth  chapter^  and  I  say,  breth- 
ren, 1  believe  very  much  in  the  sentiment  of  the 
old  preacher  who  said  if  we  do  not  get  out  of  the 
seventh  chapter  of  Romans  into  the  eighth  the  devil 
will  get  us. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  force  in  the  comment 
of  that  old  brother.  I  believe  we  have  lots  and 
lots  of  people  all  over  in  this  nineteenth  century 
who  have  put  up  and  camped  out  in  this  seventh 
chapter  of  Romans.  I  do  n't  believe  it  is  a  good 
locality  to  live  in.  I  know  that  a  much  more  fertile 
and  glorious  locality  may  be  found  in  the  eighth 
chapter  of  Romans.  Now,  St.  Paul  in  these  verses 
I  read  gives  us  a  very  exact  logical  analysis  of  the 
law  of  God  and  its  bearing  upon  conscience  and 
conduct.  One  of  the  strongest  expressions  here  is^ 
"For  the  good  that  I  would  I  do  not;  but  the  evil 
which  I  would  not,  that  I  do.  Now  if  I  do  that 
which  I  would  not,  it  is  no  more  I  that  do  it,  but 
sin  that  dwelleth  in  me."  I  believe  St.  Paul  here 
was  giving  expression  to  the  feelings  of  an  unsaved 
man.  I  know  this  was  my  experience  exactly  before 
I  found  the  cross.  I  am  satisfied  in  my  own  mind 
that  a  great  many  other  brothers  who  have  found 
the  cross  thought  themselves  right  in  this  latitude. 

Now,  brother,  there  is  no  such  thing  in  this 
universe  as  necessitated  sin.  If  you  are  obliged  to 
do  a  thing  there  is  no  sin  in  it.     There  is  no  sin  in 


490  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

a  thing  you  can  not  keep  from  doing.     In  all  laws 
and  courts  that  I  know  any  thing  about^  I  have 
learned  that  the  will  must  go  with  the  deed,  and  to 
kill  a  man  is  not  murder  unless  it  can  be  proved 
that  it  was  done  with  "malice  aforethought" — un- 
less the  intention  to   kill  can  be  proved.     There  is 
a  great  deal  of  difference  between  saying  "  I  have 
not  sinned  in  five  years/'  and  saying,  as  the  psalm- 
ist did,  "I  have  not  willingly,  or  willfully,  departed 
from  thy  law."     Now,   when   I  come  face  to  face 
with  the  law  of  God,  I  find  that  law  is  nothing  but 
a  mirror  into  which  I  can  look  and  read  the  reflec- 
tion of  my  image  just  as  T  am.     I  can  hold  a  mirror 
up  before  me,  and  I  can  see  the  specks  and  spots 
on  my  face ;  but  if  I  want  to  wash  them  off,  I  have 
to  hunt  something  else  besides  a  mirror.     There  is 
nothing  in  a  mirror  to  take  them  off.     The  law  of 
God  shows  me  how  imperfect  I   am,  and  it  shows 
me  the  splotches  and  blotches  on  my  character,  but 
if  I  want  to  remove  these  splotches  and  blotohes  I 
must  hunt  up  something  else  besides  the  law  to  do 
it.     It  is  powerless,  but  God  sent  his  Son,  through 
whom  we  may  be  saved. 

And  now,  St.  Paul  wound  up  these  fearful  verses 
with  these  words :  "  O,  wretched  man  that  I  am ; 
who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death? 
I  have  heard  preachers  say  the  literal  translation  of 
that  means  simply  "a  dead  body  chained  to  you. 
O,  what  a  load  to  carry  about,  and  how  offensive 
that  load  must  be !  Thank  God  for  that  cross  where 
I  first  saw  the  light,  and  the  burden  of  my  heart 
was  rolled   away  by   faith.     Thank  God  for  those 


n 


99 


Bkiko  in  Chbist  Jbbus.  491 

precious  words,  and  they  are  true  to  every  one  that 
trusts  in  the  Word  of  Grod.  Now,  it  is  Christ,  not 
the  law.  I  believe  in  keeping  the  law  there  is  great 
reward.  I  believe  in  preaching  the  Ten  Command- 
ments, and  it  is  a  mighty  poor  Christian  that  does  n^t 
live  up  to  a  dead  level  with  the  Ten  Command- 
ments. I  believe  in  keeping  the  law  of  God,  and  I 
believe  it  is  possible  for  us  to  walk  by  God's  law. 
^^  There  is  now  no  condemnation  to  them  that 
are  in  Christ  Jesus.'*  Who  is  Christ?  What  is 
Christ?  Where  is  Christ?  In  answer  to  the  first 
question,  we  might  say  intelligently  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  living  personal  embodiment  of  wisdom,  and 
justice,  and  love,  and  truth,  and  mercy,  and  forgive- 
ness, and  all  the  attributes  that  make  the  character 
of  God  lovely.  A  great  many  of  us  regard  Christ 
as  a  sentiment.  You  know  what  a  sentiment  is. 
We  have  'What  we  call  religious  sentiment.  When 
you  say  a  man  has  religion,  what  do  yon  mean  ?  If 
you  mean  when  you  say  "  I  have  got  religion,"  that 
"I  have  opened  the  door  of  my  heart,  and  let  the 
Savior  come  in,"  you  mean  a  great  deal;  but  if  you 
mean  you  have  opened  your  heart  to  a  religious 
sentiment,  got  happy  at  meeting  one  day,  I  do  n't 
know  whether  you  mean  much  or  not.  I  have  seen 
fellows  shout  the  whole  day  and  night  when  they 
joined  the  Church,  but  somehow  or  other  I  think 
they  shouted  it  all  out  on  the  spot.  The  steam  in 
the  boiler  of  a  locomotive  engine  either  means  noise 
or  it  means  power.*  If  you  lift  the  safety  valve  and 
let  the  steam  blow  out  that  way  it  is  a  nuisance;  if 
you  let  it  work  out  through  the  cylinders  and  steam- 


492  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

chesty  you  have  got  power  to  move  a  train  of  cars  a 
mile.  Well,  now,  if  I  have  got  a  religion  of  aenti- 
ment,  and  let  it  out  through  my  mouth,  there  is  not 
much  in  that;  but  if  I  make  it  go  through  my  feet 
and  fingers,  there  is  something  in  it. 

There  is  one  kind  of  an  engine  that's  always 
a  nuisance  to  me,  and  that 's  these  little  switching 
engines  down  here  by  the  station.  They  run  up 
and  down  side-tracks,  shoving  cars,  and  that 's  all 
they  do  from  week  to  week  and  from  month  to 
month.  They  're  always  getting  in  the  way  of 
wagons  and  scaring  horses.  But  when  I  see  a  grand 
locomotive  start  to  the  sea-coast  cities,  there  is  music 
in  her  whistle.  There  is  something  that  says  she  is 
determined  to  land  her  passengers  at  their  destina- 
tion on  time.  There  's  a  great  deal  in  that.  There 
are  a  great  many  of  us  Christians  that  are  just 
switching  backwards  and  forwards  on  side-tracks. 
There  's  many  a  one  that  you  preachers  will  never 
see  again  until  the  next  big  meeting— everlastingly 
switching  along  big  meetings  and  going  nowhere. 
There 's  many  an  old  lady  here,  who  is  mighty 
feeble,  but  she  's  been  going  to  these  meetings  ever 
since  I  came  here. 

I  say  religion  is  not  a  sentiment.  It's  not  a 
gush.  It's  not  being  baptized,  or  joining  the 
Church.  But  religion,  Bible  religion,  is  opening 
the  heart,  taking  in  Christ.  "  But  as  many  as  re- 
ceived him,  to  them  he  gave  power  to  become  the 
sons  of  God."  That  's  what  religion  does  for  us — 
introduces  us  into  the  sonship  and  family  of  God. 
Now,  when  I  say  I  have  Christ  I  mean  by  this,  if 


Being  in  Caeist  Jbbus.  493 

Christ  is  the  living  personal  embodiment  of  wisdom 
and  justice^  love,  mercy,  truth,  and  forgiveness, 
and  all  those  blessed  attributes,  then,  when  I  get 
Christ,  glory  to  his  name,  I  get  all  these  things — 
wisdom,  justice,  love,  truth,  mercy,  forgiveness. 
In  the  first  place,  then,  a  Christian  ought  to  be  a 
wise  person.  Do  you  know  what  wisdom  is  in  its 
true  sense?  It  is  the  skillful  use  of  the  knowledge 
at  hand.  It  is  doing  the  right  thing  at  the  right 
time.  It  is  doing  the  best  thing  under  the  best 
circumstances  that  life  affords.  In  other  words, 
religion  will  make  me  take  those  things  in  any 
religious  life  that  will  help  me  to  God,  and  elim- 
inate those  things  that  will  hinder  and  retard  my 
religious  growth.  There  is  a  fellow  trying  to  get  to 
heaven  without  family  prayer.  He  thinks  he  goes 
through  this  world  just  like  a  fellow  trying  to  steal 
a  march  on  Providence,  and  get  into  heaven  and 
make  God  out  a  liar.  ''At  last  I  am  in  heaven,  and 
I  never  did  so  and  so.''  I  would  hate  to  sneak  into 
heaven  in  that  way.  I  won't  say  a  fellow  can  not 
get  to  heaven  without  praying  in  his  family,  but  I 
will  say  you  will  never  get  there  without  saying 
you  wished  you  had  done  it.  Here  is  a  fellow  there 
who  thinks  the  big  road  is  not  good  enough,  and  he 
goes  through  the  woods  to  get  a  better  road.  He 
strikes  out  through  the  woods,  and  before  he  gets 
to  where  he  is  going  he  comes  back  on  the  big  road, 
with  his  clothes  all  torn  and  wet  where  he  has 
jumped  over  holes  and  swum  rivers,  and  he  comes 
back  on  the  road  with  his  clothes  and  hide  all  torn, 
and  says,  ''  How  I  wish  I  would  have  come  all  the 


1 


494  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

way  by  the  big  road,  I  would  have  saved  myself 
so  many  hardships  with  which  I  have  met/'  Breth- 
reOy  you  can  not  take  a  nigh  cut  on  a  straight  road 
to  save  your  life.     You  can  put  this  down. 

I  use  family  prayer,  secret  prayer,  and  every  sort 
of  prayer,  just  as  a  bird  does  its  wings.  I  use  it 
just  like  the  engine  with  its  wheels — ^to  roll  on. 
That  is  it.  They  are  wheels  for  me  to  roll  on. 
The  difference  betwee.n  a  stationary  engine  and  a 
locomotive  engine  is  just  a  question  of  the  one  hav- 
ing wheels  and  the  other  not.  There  is  many  a 
little  old  stationary  Christian  in  this  country.  Did 
you  ever  see  a  saw-mill  run  by  a  stationary  engine  ? 
It  runs  a  saw.  It  can  not  go  anywhere.  It  can 
not  do  a  thing  but  run  a  wheel  for  somebody  else* 
The  truth  is,  many  of  you  Christians  are  running  a 
saw-mill  somewhere  instead  of  being  a  grand  locomo- 
tive on  the  highway  to  heaven.  You  are  a  little 
stationary  engine,  set  down  on  the  roadside  some- 
where for  infidels  and  scoffers  to  laugh  at.  Up  and 
get  your  wheels  of  duty  under  you,  and  roll  on  them 
forever.  Wisdom  and  knowledge,  then,  are  two 
very  different  things.  I  have  seen  a  great  many 
people  who  knew  a  great  deal,  but  they  have  as 
little  wisdom  as  all  the  fools  I  ever  saw  in  my  life. 
An  educated  fool  is  a  most  ridiculous  fool.  Many 
a  fellow  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  highest  college 
in  this  country  has  not  got  sense  enough  to  pre- 
serve him.  He  is  in  an  awfully  bad  fix,  isn't  he? 
He  is  really  a  first-class  doctor.  He  is  intimate 
with  anatomy  and  medicine,  but  he  has  no  more 
sense  a'bout  him  or  wisdom  about  him  than  to  pour 


Being  in  Christ  Jesus.  495 

into  his  throat  a  fluid  that  will  burn  the  vital  parts 
of  his  beings  as  when  he  pours  whisky  down  his 
throat.  I  say  I  have  seen  a  poor  old  negro  down 
South  that  could  not  read  or  write,  but  he  would 
pray  and  sing  night  and  morning  with  his  wife  and 
children,  and  when  I  go  to  his  house  the  first  thing 
he  would  think  about  after  supper  would  be  to  say 
to  me,  ''  I  wish  you  would  read  a  few  chapters  in 
the  Bible.  We  can  pray  and  sing,  btit  we  can  not 
read  the  Bible/'  I  have  looked  at  that  ]X)or  old 
colored  man  and  thought.  If  you  can  not  read,  you 
have  more  genuine  wisdom  about  you  than  nine- 
tenths  of  the  members  of  the  Church  who  can  read. 
And  that  is  the  truth.     Yes,  it  is. 

Then  we  should  all  possess  the  spirit  of  forgive- 
ness. Above  all  creatures  in  the  world,  I  feel  sor- 
riest for  the  people  who  bear  malice  in  their  hearts. 
Listen :  when  Christ  was  reviled,  he  reviled  not 
again.  If  you  do  not  forgive  in  person  it  hurts  you 
more  than  any  body  else.  Christians  must  possess 
the  spirit  of  love  and  the  spirit  of  forgiveness,  the 
spirit  of  peace  and  the  spirit  of  joy.  If  I  have 
Christ  in  my  heart,  there  is  not  an  element  in  his 
character  that  I  may  i\ot  bring  in  with  him. 
Christ  Jesus  is  the  living,  personal  embodiment  of 
wisdom  and  justice.  Where  is  Christ?  Glory  to 
his  name,  he  lives  in  the  hearts  of  his  people ;  he 
lives  in  the  hearts  of  his  people.  I  tell  you  I  am 
sick  of  this  idea  of  worshiping  a  Christ  of  eighteen 
hundred  years  ago,  or  worshiping  one  that  is  going 
to  come  a  little  later.  I  believe  they  call  this  com- 
ing the  Second  Advent.     I  tell  you,  my  brother. 


496  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

Christ  is  not  only  the  Christ  that  did  come^  but  the 
Christ  that  is  coming ;  and  he  is  the  personal^  in- 
dwelling Christ  in  my  soul,  and  I  do  n't  have  to 
wait  for  the  Second  Advent.  Thank  Gk)d^  it  has 
already  come ;  that  Christ  came  once^  and  he  came 
to  stay,  and  will  stay  with  you  always^  until  the  end 
of  the  world.  And  have  you  Christ  dwelling  in 
your  heart  of  faith  ?  I  do  n't  like  that  old  doctrine, 
"  If  you  seek  it  you  can  *t  iSnd  it ;  if  you  find  it 
you  have  n't  got  it ;  if  you  've  got  it  you  can 't  lose 
it ;  and  if  you  lose  it  you  never  had  it"  I  like  the 
Methodist  doctrine  that  says^  "  If  you  seek  it  you 
will  find  it ;  if  you  find  it  you  've  got  it;  if  you  've 
got  it  you  '11  know  it ;  if  you  know  it  you  need  n't 
lose  it,  and  if  you  lose  it  you  had  it."  Lord  help 
us  this  afternoon  to  take  Christ  as  he  is  and  as  he 
has  promised  himself  to  be. 

Being  in  Christ  Jesus  presupposes  a  longing  for 
Christ.  In  Scripture  it  is  called  hungering  and 
thirsting  aft;er  righteousness,  with  the  promise, 
"They  shall  be  filled."  My  heart  panteth  for  the 
living  God,  as  the  hart  panteth  for  the  water- 
brooks.  Brother,  there  is  no  more  healthy  religious 
feeling  than  that  wliich  hungers  after  God,  holiness, 
and  right.  Longing  for  Christ — I  love  to  see  a 
soul  hungering  for  Christ.  I  love  to  see  a  soul 
looking  up  to  heaven  and  saying,  "  O  Christ,  I  long 
for  thee.  Come  into  my  soul."  And  when  other 
suitors  press  us,  when  pleasures  call  us,  wave  them 
off,  Jesus  never  comes  to  the  soul  until  the  soul 
says,  "  I  do  not  want  any  thing  but  thee ;  nothing 
but  thee  will  satisfy  my  heart."     And  I  love  to  see 


Being  in  Christ  Jesus.  497 

a  soul  looking  up  to  Christy  and  when  wine  suppers 
and  cards  and  dances  are  offered^  spying;  ^^  I  do  n^t 
want  them;  I  want  Christ.  My  soul  perishes 
without  him/' 

Being  in  Jesus  presupposes  another  thing.  It 
presupposes  running  to  Christ.  Christ  meets  you 
half-way.  The  cross  is  just  half-way  between  heaven 
and  hell.  I  like  that  song^  "  We  Ml  all  go  out  to 
meet  him  when  he  comes.''  I  want  to  know, 
whenever  danger  comes,  that  Christ  is  my  refuge, 
and  I  can  run  to  him.  In  olden  times,  when  a 
man  had  violated  the  law,  the  first  thing  he  thought 
about  was  a  city  of  refuge.  He  thought,  ^'  If  I  can 
just  reach  that,  there  is  no  power  on  earth  that  can 
hurt  me."  Many  a  time  when  danger  assails  and 
temptations  unite  against  me,  the  first  thing  I  think 
of  is  Christ,  my  refuge,  and  I  run  there  with  all 
my  might.  Brother,  do  you  know  how  to  reach 
Christ  ?  The  way  of  prayer  is  the  way  to  Christ. 
I  will  tell  you  another  thing.  Whenever  you  start 
to  Christ  in  time,  he  will  meet  you  half-way. 
Sometimes  Jesus  doesn't,  may  be,  look  upon  us 
when  things  are  going  along  smoothly;  but  when 
you  get  into  trouble  Christ  will  see  your  trouble  or 
danger,  and  he  will  help  you  out.  Always  run  to 
Christ  for  refiige. 

Being  in  Christ  presupposes  submission  to  Christ. 
Being  in  Christ  also  presupposes  union  with  Christ. 
I  wish  every  body  would  take  Christ  into  copartner- 
ship with  him.  Suppose  every  business  man  were 
to  say,  ^'The  Lord  is  the  senior  partner  in  this 

business,  and  if  I  do  any  thing  wrong  the  Lord  will 
42— B 


498  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

dissolve  the  partnership  and  ruin  me/'  I  wish  they 
would.  I  wish  all  of  us  preachers  would  take  the 
Lord  into  partnership  and  say^  "  Lord^  if  I  do  any 
thing  little  or  selfish^  turn  me  out.''  My,  my !  there 
would  be  a  heap  of  us  bankrupted^  brethren.  O, 
for  an  unselfish  man  that  wants  the  Lord  to  have 
his  way!  It  takes  a  great  deal  of  religion  to  see 
one  Church  getting  forty  new  members  out  of  a 
meeting,  and  you  getting  only  one  and  being  able 
to  enjoy  it.  Enjoy  it,  I  mean.  Of  course  we  have 
got  religion  enough  to  suffer  it,  but  I  'm  talking 
about  enjoyment.  My,  my !  how  much  religion  it 
takes  right  along  there.  I  know  it,  because  a 
preacher  told  me  so  once.  But,  brethren,  Method- 
ism in  this  city,  for  instance,  is  a  unity,  and  if  forty 
members  join  our  brother's  Church,  Methodism  is 
forty  members  stronger  than  it  was  before.  Let  us 
work  for  one  another's  interest.  I  can  not  help 
God  and  humanity  without  helping  myself. 

There  are  a  great  many  preachers  in  this  town 
that  are  waiting  for  the  second  advent.  I  saw  yes- 
terday that  Mr.  Talmage  prophesied  that  it  will 
come  in  sixty  years.  But  there  won't  be  one  of  the 
old  sinners  of  to-day  living  in  sixty  years.  There 
never  was,  and  there  never  will  be,  a  grander  day 
or  a  grander  time  in  this  world's  history  to  save 
sinners  than  the  day  we  are  occupying  now.  I 
heard  a  fellow  say  he  wished  he  had  lived  a  hun- 
dred years  ago.  I  do  n't,  because  I  would  be  get- 
ting old  now,  and  would  have  to  die  in  a  few  days. 
I  am  glad  I  was  born  just  in  the  year  that  I  was. 
I  am  in  my  prime  in    the   very  noontide  place  in 


Beino  in  Christ  Jesus.  499 

this  world's  history.  I  like  that.  I  want  to  stay 
here  just  as  loug  as  I  can.  I  do  n't  believe  there 
is  an  angel  in  heaven  who  would  not  rather  be 
down  here  now  winning  souls  to  Christ;  if  he  had 
the  opportunity.  Union  with  Christ — ^that  is  it. 
"I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches.''  There  is 
union  between  the  stem  of  the  vine  and  the 
branches.  Union  with  Christ,  my  brethren,  is  just 
the  same  as  the  relation  between  the  vine  and  the 
branches.  Are  we  united  to  Christ  in  the  great 
love  of  humanity  and  the  great  eflfort  to  save  hu- 
manity ?  Brother,  to-day  God  calls  upon  humanity 
to  help  him  to  help  suffering  humanity. 

And,  lastly,  we  might  talk  a  little  about  having 
affinity  for  Christ  Jesus.  Christ  said,  '^  Blessed  are 
the  pure  in  heart."  I  believe  I  may  be  so  intimate 
with  Christ,  blessed  be  his  name,  that  I  can  talk  over 
the  characteristias  of  his  divine  character  and  his 
divine  person.  Did  you  ever  visit  the  Central  Park, 
New  York?  When  they  were  surveying  that  Park 
the  engineers  got  to  an  immense  heap  of  rock  in  the 
Park.  They  stood  and  thought.  They  did  not 
know  what  to  do  with  these  rocks.  It  would  cost 
thousands  of  dollars  to  move  them.  They  were 
standing  one  day  discussing  the  matter  when  a  lady 
walked  up;  and  hearing  the  conversation,  she  said: 
"  I  will  tell  you  what  to  do  with  these  rocks. 
'  Plant  honeysuckles  and  other  vines  about  them,  and 
they  will  climb  up  and  shade  them."  The  engin- 
eers thought  this  was  the  very  thing,  and  they 
planted  honeysuckles  and  other  vines  around  these 
rocks  and  now  the  most  lovely  and  fragrant  place 


500  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

in  Central  Park  is  where  these  rocks  stood.  Take 
the  characteristics  of  Christy  that  blessed  Christ, 
we  have  been  talking  about,  and  plant  them  around 
this  ugly  and  jagged  nature  of  yours  and  blend^ 
them  into  your  heart,  and  your  character  will  grow 
like  the  grand  character  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


BRIEF  SAYINQS. 

Love  is  not  only  the  divinest  and  sublimest,  but 
the  most  omnipotent  power  in  the  world. 

Self-dedicatory  love  is  the  very  bed-rock  and 
foundation  upon  which  you  can  build  a  happy  mar- 
ried life. 

I  WANT  to  see  a  religion  that  gives  us  some- 
thing to  do,  and  isn't  everlastingly  catching  at 
something. 

If  your  husband  loves  whisky  better  than  he 
loves  you,  you  had  better  get  away  from  him — the 
sooner  the  better. 

If  you  want  to  help  Christ,  go  and  look  for  some 
poor  folks  that  love  Christ,  or  ought  to  love  him. 
Jesus  says:  ^^A  cup  of  cold  water  given  in  my 
name  shall  not  lose  its  reward." 

Organized  charity  is  the  only  real  charity  in 
the  world — that  charity  that  thinks  of  and  thinks 
into  the  cases,  and  thinks  out  the  difficulties  of 
those  who  need  help,  and  puts  them  where  they 
can  assist  themselves. 


SERMON    XXXVII. 

OONKEtSSION  AND  KORQIVBiNBSS. 

''  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive 
us  our  sins  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness." — 
1  John  i,  9. 

THIS  text  IS  the  whole  of  the  human  side  of  the 
Gospel.  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  other 
side.  God  explains  himself.  Gk)d  is  his  own  in- 
terpreter, and  whatever  of  the  Gospel  is  on  the 
human  side  of  this  question  it  is  mine  to  talk  about 
and  yours  to  heed  and  obey. 

"  If  we  confess."  Let  us  interpret  this  word, 
without  any  injury  to  the  text,  "  If  we  repent  of 
our  sins,"  etc.  Bepentance  to  a  man  in  this  world 
on  his  way  to  a  better  world  is  just  what  the  alpha- 
bet is  to  a  man  of  learning.  When  a  little  boy  I 
sat  on  mother's  knee,  and  she  taught  me  A,  B,  C, 
and  so  on  down  to  Z.  Finally  she  said,  "  Now, 
you  know  your  letters  perfectly,  you  may  go  to 
spelling,"  and  I  turned  the  alphabet  pages  over  and 
said,  "  Good-bye,  old  A,  B,  C ;  I  'm  done  with  you 
now."  But  when  I  turned  over  on  the  next  page 
I  saw  a-b,  ab,  i-b,  ib,  and  so  on,  and  found  that  I 
could  not  spell  even  the  smallest  of  words  without 
the  alphabet.  And  so  I  went  on  until  I  got  to  my 
grammar  and  arithmetic,  and  still  found  that  I  could 
not  do  any  thing  without  the  alphabet.  Then  in 
601 


502  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

the  Latin  language  every  progressive  step  was  made 
through  the  alphabet ;  and  so  with  Greek ;  and  the 
man  who  goes  through  college  finds  that  his  very 
last  step  is  through  the  alphabet;  and  when  they 
give  him  his  diploma  they  can  't  give  it  to  him 
without  using  the  alphabet  from  first  to  last.  Then 
the  man  takes  the  profession  of  law^  and  he  finds 
the  pages  of  Blackstone  and  Greenleaf  and  Story 
covered  with  the  letters  of  the  alphabet^  and  the 
further  he  goes  on  the   more  he  uses  the  alphabet. 

And  so  I  repeat,  What  the  alphabet  is  to  a  man 
of  learning,  repentance  is  to  a  man  going  to  heaven. 
The  first  good  thing  I  ever  did  was  to  go  down  on 
my  knees  and  repent ;  and  I  have  been  repenting 
ever  since.  The  last  thing  I  want  to  do  in  this 
world  is  to  go  into  a  hearty  repentance  before  God, 
and  then  go  right  on  to  heaven  on  the  grace  given 
me  in  repentance.  David  was  a  man  after  God's 
.own  heart.  David  was  a  great  sinner,  but  he  was 
a  first-class  repenter.  He  could  sin  with  a  venge- 
ance, and  then  repent  with  a  vengeance.  The 
question  is  not  how  many  times  you  fell  down,  but 
how  hard  you  tried  to  get  up  after  you  had  fallen; 
and  I  believe,  after  all,  there  is  not  much  harm  ia 
a  fall  if  you  do  it  like  an  India-rubber  ball,  bounce 
higher  than  you  were  before.  Simon  Peter  fell 
once,  but,  bless  your  life,  he  bounced  higher  than 
ever  before. 

Now,  brother,  we  will  drop  back  on  the  word 
of  the  text;  we  want  to  be  so  plain  that  any  little 
girl  or  boy  in  the  house  can  understand  it.  I  want 
to  say  that  when  you  talk  sense  in  a  practical  way. 


Confession  and  Forgiveness.         503 

you  catch  the  uDderstanding  of  every  body  from  the 
premier  to  the  child^  from  the  shrewdest  lawyer  to 
the  A,  B,  C  scholar  at  school.  That  is,  if  you  tulk 
plain  facts  and  truth.  I  do  n't  believe  my  business 
is  to  prove  any  thing  is  true  that  is  true,  but  to  set 
forth  truth  in  a  practical,  sensible  aspect.  And  I 
believe  that  is  about  the  biggest  job  on  a  preacher's 
hands  to-day.  God  does  n't  want  any  body  to  prove 
any  thing  that  is  true.  An  old  brother  said  to  me 
one  day,  "  I  can  't  get  'em  to  come  and  hear  me 
preach.  They  won't  come."  "  Well,"  I  said ;  "  if 
you  had  a  drove  of  hogs  and  you  call  'em  up  a  few 
times  and  pour  a  bucket  or  two  of  water  over  them 
and  send  them  off,  why,  when  you  call  'em  again 
they  'II  just  say,  '  Boo  I  I  won't  come.'  But  if  you 
give  them  a  bucket  of  slop  every  time  you  call  them, 
they  '11  soon  get  so  they'll  just  stay  there  and  wait 
for  you."  Well,  sir,  that  old  fellow's  mad  with  me 
to  this  day.  He  said  I  compared  human  beings 
with  hogs.  But  sometimes  a  fellow  is  n't  mad  about 
what  he 's  mad  about.  Did  you  ever  notice  that? 
Let 's  get  truth  so  that  we  can  hold  to  it. 

Now,  taking  a  practical  and  common  sense  view 
of  this  whole  business,  we  may  say  that  if  a  man 
does  confess  his  sins,  that  is  proof  he  is  quit  of 
them,  for  a  man  will  not  confess  before  he  is  quit. 
I  '11  show  you.  You  get  that  red-nosed  gentleman 
at  the  back  there  and  ask  him,  does  he  drink  whisky  ? 
He  '11  tell  you  "  No,"  because  he  does  n't  know  one 
thing  from  another.  I  want  to  see  one  man  who 
drinks  whisky  and  never  told  his  wife  a  lie  about  it. 
I  '11  give  you  a  ten-dollar  bill  for  him,  but  you  '11 


504  Sam  Jones^  Own  Book. 

have  to  get  somebody  to  prove  your  veracity.  I 
made  a  proposition  once  at  a  meeting  that  any  man 
who  drank  whisky  and  never  told  his  wife  a  lie 
about  it  should  stand  up,  and  one  man  jumped  up. 
I  said,  "  Old  fellow,  you  're  a  baclielor,  I  '11  lay  my 
life.''  And  so  he  was.  Well,  you  take  that  man 
who  has  been  drinking  whisky  to  excess,  and  make 
him  quit  it  and  give  his  heart  to  God^  and  then, 
every  time  he  gets  up  in  public  service,  he  says, 
"Brethren,  I  was  the  worst  drunkard  you  ever  saw. 
I  drank  and  debauched  myself  till  I  was  a  disgrace 
to  my  family  and  to  the  community."  He  has  quit 
now.  How  do  you  know?  Because  he  confesses. 
Whenever  a  man  goes  to  confessing,  that 's  the  best 
proof  he  has  quit.  Take  that  old  man  there.  He 's 
a  gambler  and  a  blackleg.  Ask  him,  "  Do  you 
gamble  ?"  He  says,  "  I  do  n't  know  one  card  from 
another."  Let  him  get  religion  and  then  he  '11  say, 
"  Brother,  I  was  the  worst  gambler  in  this  city.  I 
used  to  play  cards  and  gamble  on  Sunday  evenings." 
You  see,  when  he  has  quit,  he'll  confess  it;  when 
he  has  not  quit,  he  '11  die  before  he  '11  confess  it.  A 
man's  reformation  never  goes  deeper  than  his  con- 

w 

fession. 

Confession — that  is,  repentance — means  "  I  've 
quit;  I  have  done."  A  good  many  people  think 
repenting  means  to  mourn,  to  cry,  and  to  weep. 
There  's  no  particle  of  mourning  or  sorrow  or  weep- 
ing in  repentance.  Will  some  brother  quote  me  a 
passage  of  Scripture  that  denies  the  proposition? 
One  fellow  wants  to  quote,  "  a  godly  sorrow  that 
worketh  repentance."     Well,  when  a  thing  works  a 


Confession  and  Forgiveness.         505 

thing  that  is  n't  the  thing,  is  it  ?  Sorrow  is  no  more 
a  part  of  repentance  than  my  coat  is  part  of  Sam 
Jones.  I  'm  glad  I  got  one,  but  it  is  n't  me.  I  'm  glad 
I  have  one^  but  I  M  be  as  much  Sam  Jones  without  it 
as  with  it.  Here 's  a  boy  twenty-one  years  old.  His 
father  has  $100,000  in  different  sorts  of  bonds  that 
he  wants  to  give  him.  Now,  that  boy  is  getting 
drunk  and  carousing,  and  living  a  blackguard's 
wicked  life,  and  every  night  he  goes  home  and 
blubbers  and  blubbers,  and  says,  "  Father,  I  'm  sorry 
I  got  drunk  again  to-night."  Finally  his  father 
says  to  him,  "  Look  here,  you  've  got  either  to  quit 
drinking  or  to  quit  blubbering.  I  can  't  stand  both." 
Next  evening  the  boy  comes  home,  cool,  sober.  He 
says,  "  Father,  I  've  drunk  my  last  drop.  I  '11  do 
as  you  want  me  to  do  in  the  future."  "  Give  me 
your  hand,  son,"  the  father  says.  *'  You  have  re- 
formed, and  now  you  need  n't  blubber  at  all.  All 
the  blubbering  in  the  world  did  n't  do  you  any  good 
so  long  as  you  kept  on  getting  drunk."  It  isn't 
blubbering;  it's  quitting. 

One  of  your  book-dealers  has  a  book,  he  tells 
me,  of  mine  on  "  Quit  Your  Meanness."  I  do  n't 
know  what  the  book  is  worth,  but  I  know  that  the 
title  is  worth  a  fortune  to  a  man  who  will  do  as  it 
tells  him  to  do.  In  one  of  the  States  where  we 
were  preaching,  they  said :  "  Brother  Jones  and 
Brother  Small  are  not  preaching  any  thing  but  ref- 
ormation." Well,  do  you  know  any  thing  this 
country  needs  as  badly  as  that?  It  is  my  business 
to  preach   reformation ;    God's  business  to   preach 

regeneration.     You  see  a  little  man  racking  around 
43— B 


506  Sam  Jokes'  Owk  Book. 

this  country  preaching  ^^  You  must  be  bom  again  I" 
That 's  about  half  he  preaches.  Poor  little  fellow ! 
He 's  running  on  the  profoundest  question  of  God's 
side.  I  am  trying  to  do  as  my  Savior  did.  He 
knew  what  was  best.  He  touched  on  it  but  once^ 
and  then  it  was  at  midnight^  and  when  there  was 
but  one  man  to  hear  him^  and  that  man  one  of  the 
most  learned  and  intelligent  of  his  day ;  and  when 
Jesus  mentioned  it  to  him^  Nicodemus  said :  "  How 
can  this  thing  be?''  And  Jesus  waved  him  off  with 
a  simple  illustration^  seemingly  sorry  he  had  men- 
tioned it  at  all.  I  preach  repentance^  and  God 
preaches  regeneration. 

O^  how  tired  I  get  sometimes  listening  to  a 
^  little  fellow  trying  to  explain  the  unexplainable ! 
When  I  see  a  man  dive  out  into  that  water^  if  he 
hasn't  got  gourds  under  each  arm,  I  say,  "Good- 
bye, you  are  gone ;  you  are  gone."  I  say,  brothers, 
little  boats  should  keep  near  the  shore;  the  large 
ones  can  venture  further.  I  do  know  what  repent- 
ance means;  I  do  n't  know  what  regeneration  means, 
so  that  I  can  tell  you  about  it.  But  God  knows, 
and  God  is  his  own  interpreter,  and  he  will  make 
it  plain.  Now,  you  '11  go  away  from  here,  some  of 
you,  and  say,  "  Jones  does  n't  believe  in  regenera- 
tion." If  you  do  say  that,  you  '11  tell  a  great  big 
lie,  sure  's  you  're  born.  I  do  believe  in  it,  when 
God  made  me  a  new  creature  in  Christ  just  fourteen 
years  ago.  I  do  believe  in  regeneration,  but  I  let 
God  preach  that  side  of  the  Gospel.  I  shall  stay  on 
our  side.  There 's  fish  there,  and  I  like  to  fish 
where  there  is  fish.     Brethren,  the  Lord,  I  say. 


Confession  and  Forgiveness.  507 

touched  this  question  but  once^  and  then  at  mid- 
nighty  when  but  one  man  was  present^  though  he 
had  opportunities  to  preach  it  to  great  masses ;  and 
we  have  no  evidences  at  all  that  he  ever  touched  it 
again.  But  when  he  touched  it^  it  was  as  the  key- 
note of  eternal  life.  Let's  you  and  I,  then,  get 
them  to  repent,  and  God  will  do  the  rest.  That 's 
the  division. 

If  we  repent  of  our  sins — that  is,  "  confess  "  our 
sins — "  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us."  What 
is  my  part?  To  repent.  Listen  I  The  heart  that 
is  empty  of  sin  is  as  the  center  of  gravity  to  Jesus 
Christ.  He  always  comes  to  it ;  and  repentance  is 
the  means  by  which  you  can  empty  the  heart  of 
every  sin  of  your  life.  Some  folks  think — and  that 
is  one  of  the  objections  I  have  to  a  Gospel  only  half 
told — some  folks  think  the  Lord  will  do  every  thing, 
and  that  the  Lord  will  quit  all  your  sins  for  you. 
If  you  Ve  been  telling  lies,  you  Ve  got  to  quit  tell- 
ing lies.  The  Lord  won't  quit  your  telling  lies  for 
you;  and  he  won't  quit  your  drinking  whisky  for 
you.  If  you  've  been  swindling  your  neighbor,  you 
must  straighten  it  out  with  him,  and  quit;  you  must 
not  expect  God  to  straighten  out  your  meanness 
with  your  neighbor.  It  is  your  part  to  quit  your 
meanness,  and  God's  part  to  cleanse  you  and  forgive 
you.  Just  so  here.  Is  there  any  thing  in  the  grace 
or  promises  of  God  that  can  keep  a  man  sober  with 
a  half  gallon  of  whisky  in  him  all  the  time  ?  That 
brings  the  thing  home.  Is  there  any  thing  in  God's 
grace  or  mercy  to  make  a  man  truthful,  when  the 
man  won't  give  over  lying?     Talk  about  this  little 


508  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

imputed  righteousness  business.  Brethren^  it  is  a 
sort  of  gum-elastic  cloak  that  you  are  trying  to 
stretch  over  bar-rooms  and  ball-rooms,  and  every 
thing  else  in  the  universe.  I  believe  this  idea  of 
imputed  righteousness  is  a  scheme  of  the  devil  to 
win  you  away  from  your  own  purity,  and  expect 
God  to  be  good  for  you,  when  you  know  you  are 
not  good.  If  this  is  what  you  mean  by  imputed 
righteousness,  I  do  n't  believe  a  word  of  it.  Eter- 
nal righteousness  comes  through  Jesus  Christ.  If 
yon  sit  down  and  wait  for  God  to  quit  drinking 
whisky  for  you,  and  to  quit  telling  lies  for  you, 
when  all  the  time  your  neighbor  can  't  rely  on  a 
word  you  say,  you  are  making  a  mistake  so  long  as 
eternity. 

There  ^are  a  great  many  people  in  this  world 
who  think  that  sin  is  off  in  a  wilderness,  and  that 
it  is  a  very  difficult  matter  to  get  to  heaven  from 
there.  Brethren,  there  is  but  one  road  in  God's 
moral  universe,  and  every  man  in  the  world  is  in 
that  road.  Heaven  is  at  one  end  of  it  and  hell  at 
the  other.  The  question  is  n't.  Which  road  are  you 
on?  but,  Which  way  are  you  going?  Heaven  and 
hell  are  the  antipodes  of  each  other  in  this  road. 
Every  sinner  who  has  his  back  turned  on  heaven  is 
going  to  hell,  and  every  Christian  has  his  back 
turned  on  hell  and  is  going  to  heaven,  walking  for 
the  celestial  city.  And,  brethren,  all  that  any  sin- 
ner in  this  house  has  to  do  is  to  turn  around  in  the 
road  he 's  in.  What  does  convert  mean  ?  "  Con," 
altogether,  and  "  verto,"  I  turn.  Conversion  is  my 
part  of  the  work,  regeneration  God's  part.     You 


Confession  and  Foegiveness.  509 

convert  yourself,  and  when  you  convert  yourself 
God  regenerates  you.  "  Converto/'  I  turn  alto- 
gether. I  turn  my  back  on  sin  and  the  devil,  and 
make  for  God.  That's  it.  I  wish  you  could 
see  that. 

Brother  George  Smith  down  in  our  State— a 
fine  preacher,  but  a  metaphysician-was  preaching 
one  day  on  repentance,  and  was  splitting  hairs  a 
mile  long  between  evangelical  repentance  and  some 
other  sort  of  repentance,  and  an  old  pastor  in  the 
audience  —  a  fine  preacher  himself,  and  uncle  of 
George  Smith-^ould  not  stand  it  at  last;  so  he  said, 
"  George,  you  sit  down,  and  let  me  tell  these  people 
what  repentance  means."  "  Of  course  I  will,  Uncle 
John,''  replied  George;  "I  '11  sit  down  any  time  to 
hear  you."  Uncle  John  was  lame,  and  he  got  down 
from  his  seat  to  go  up  to  the  pulpit.  As  he  was 
going  up  the  aisle  he  said,  '^  I  '11  tell  them  just  what 
it  means;"  and  he  kept  on  saying  on  his  way  up 
the  aisle,  '^  I  'm  going  to  hell ;  I  'm  going  to  hell ; 
I  'm  going  to  hell,"  until  he  got  to  the  top  of  the 
aisle.  Then  he  turned  right  round  and  retraced 
his  steps  down  the  aisle,  saying,  as  he  did  so,  ^^  I  'm 
going  to  heaven;  I'm  going  to  heaven;  I'm  going 
to  heaven;  I'm  going  to  heaven."  Then  he  got 
into  his  seat  again  and  said,  "Now,  George,  I  have 
told  them  what  repentance  means,  and  you  can  go 
on  with  your  sermon." 

O,  how  tired  I  get  when  a  metaphysician  gets 
hold  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  want  to  do 
just  as  Uncle  John  did.  I  want  to  tell  you.  I  was 
seeking  religion  a  whole  week,  and  never  made  any 


510  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

progress  at  all.  I  had  just  scattered  the  sins  I  could 
get  along  best  without,  and  at  the  end  of  the  week 
I  seemed  further  from  God  that  at  the  first.  All  at 
once  I  saw  the  futility  of  doing  as  I  was^  and  I 
gathered  up  all  my  sins  and  threw  them  from  me 
and  turned  my  back  on  them  and  walked  off;  and 
I  walked  over  the  river  of  resolution^  and  I  set 
fire  to  the  bridge,  and  as  the  last  expiring  sin 
dropped  into  the  water,  I  said,  '^Heaven  or  noth- 
ing," and  as  soon  as  I  had  passed  over  the  river,  I 
was  in  the  arms  of  God  and  a  saved  man. 

^^If  we  repent  of  our  sins  he  is  faithful  and  just 
to  forgive  us."  Brothers,  do  you  want  any  thing 
stronger  and  better  than  that  to  bank  on?  It  is 
like  the  platforms  over  the  pools  on  the  stock-farms 
out  West.  Here  is  a  blessed  promise  of  the  river 
of  life.  Many  of  those  sinners  who  try  to  clinjb 
up  some  other  way  than  the  right  say  there  is  no 
river  of  life  there,  but,  glory  to  God  I  the  pressure 
of  my  weight  of  sin  on  the  platform  forces  the 
water  right  out  into  my  lips,  and,  glory  to  God  I  I 
need  never  be  thirsty  again.  Here 's  the  promise, 
"If  we  confess  our  sins,"  etc.  There's  many  a 
man  pardoned  and  does  n't  know  it  because  he 
does  n't  feel  it.  I  tell  you  there 's  mighty  little 
about  feeling  in  the  Book.  It  is  not  a  question  of 
feeling.  I  '11  tell  you  how  to  get  feeling.  You  just 
get  up  out  of  your  wicked  life,  and.  go  and  do  the 
things  God  tells  you  to  do,  and  you  '11  get  feeling. 
What  is  feeling?  Moral  perspiration.  What's 
physical  feeling?  Physical  perspiration.  If  you 
get  up  and  throw  down  your  sins,  the  moral  per- 


Confession  and  Forgiveness.  511 

spiration  will  break  out  on  you  from  head  to  foot. 
That 's  what  we  call  feeling. 

I  '11  tell  you  another  thing.  Sin  not  only  makes 
a  man  a  rascal^  but  it  makes  him  a  fool.  I  take  a 
man  by  the  hand,  and  ask  him  to  give  himself  to 
God.  "  Mr.  Jones/'  he  says,  "  I  M  do  it  if  I  had 
feeling."  "  You  fool !"  I  say,  "  what 's  the  matter 
with  you  ?  It 's  not  feeling  you  want.  Your  idea 
of  feeling  is  something  to  blubber  over.  It 's  re- 
pentance you  want."  When  you  say  "  feeling," 
what  do  you  mean?  There's  only  one  sensible 
answer,  "  Serious  thought  about  my  soul."  If  you 
have  that,  then  you  have  all  the  feeling  necessary  to 
make  you  a  Christian  man  and  to  take  you  to 
heaven. 

"  If  we  confess  our  sins."  Now,  brethren,  what  is 
faith?  Faith  is  just  taking  God  at  his  word.  One 
of  the  grandest  old  men  I  ever  heard  tell  his  expe- 
rience said,  ^^  Brethren,  I  started  in  this  new  life  to 
be  just  what  the  Lord  in  his  grace  should  make 
me.  I  said  I  am  going  to  pray  over  my  whole  na- 
ture in  sections.  Lord,  I  want  to  be  sincere  from 
head  to  foot.  And  the  Lord,  came  to  me  with  the 
grace  of  sincerity  and  since  that  time  I  have  been 
sincere  to  God  and  to  man.  The  next  thing  I  did 
was  to  pray,  Lord,  help  me  to  believe  thy  word.  I 
can't  believe  it  as  I  would.  And  all  at  once  it 
seemed  as  if  the  Lord  came  right  down  on  me  and 
said,  ^  I  heard  you  asking  me  to  help  you  believe 
my  word.  What  do  you  mean  ?  I  am  the  Lord, 
and  can  not  lie.  Get  up  and  take  me  at  my  word, 
and  I  will  bless  you  every  day  of  your  life.' "     Well, 


512  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

now,  ain't  you  a  pretty  fellow,  asking  the  Lord  to 
help  you  believe  his  word  ?  I  '11  tell  you  what  you 
remind  me  of.  "  Bob,"  I  say  to  my  little  fellow, 
"you  go  and  get  me  a  drink  of  water,  and  I'll 
give  you  a  dime."  But  Bob  comes  up  around  me, 
feeling  to  see  if  I  've  got  the  dime,  and  he  never 
thinks  of  the  drink  of  water.  Many  a  time  I  've 
seen  the  promise  hanging  over  your  head,  if  you 
will  do  so-and-so  while  you  are  standing  around 
wondering  if  the  Lord  meant  what  he  said.  The 
Lord  pity  us  and  help  us  to  go  out  and  do  what  he 
means  us  to  do !  Brother,  you  can  bank  on  this 
promise. 

Down  in  Tennessee,  in  one  of  the  principal  cities 
there,  I  saw  a  leading  judge  at  my  meeting  every 
night,  and  I  said  to  him,  "  You  are  are  a  sensible 
man ;  what  are  you  trying  to  do  here  every  night — 
trying  to  get  religion  ?"  "  Yes,"  he  says.  "  Have 
you  confessed  your  sins?"  I  asked  him.  "Yes," 
he  says.  "Then  you  are  a  pardoned  man,"  I  told 
him.  "How  do  you  know?"  he  asked  me.  "Be- 
cause," said  I,  "  God  says,  ^  If  we  confess  our  sins, 
he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins.'  Have 
you  confessed  ?"  "  Yes."  "  Well  then,  you  are 
pardoned."  Afterwards,  at  the  close  of  the  meeting, 
I  said,  "  Every  pardoned  sinner  come  up  here," 
and  the  judge,  with  a  face  all  radiant  with  joy,  came 
up  and  said,  "I  take  God  at  his  word.  I  just 
would  not  believe  what  God  had  said." 

But  if  you  just  pardon  an  old  sinner  and  leave 
him  there,  it's  like  washing  a  hog  and  leaving  him 
to  wallow  in  the  mud  again.     The  old  sinner  if  left 


Confession  and  Forgiveness.         513 

to  himself  would  be  as  bad  again  inside  a  month. 
Brethren,  let  me  give  you  this  fact :  It  is  your  busi- 
ness to  repent  and  God's  business  to  pardon  you. 
"  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to 
forgive  us.''  There  is  something  better  than  that. 
After  I  was  converted  and  pardoned  I  used  to  be 
troubled  nearly  to  death  how  I  could  ever  hold  up 
my  head  in  heaven.  The  Lord  has  seen  all  my 
meanness,  and  how  can  I  ever  walk  the  golden  streets 
with  my  head  up  ?  But  I  read  on  and  found  that 
he  will  not  only  pardon  our  sins,  but  will  separate 
them  from  us  as  far  as  the  east  is  from  the  west. 
What  a  glorious  thing  it  is  to  get  so  far  from  sin  I 
And  on  another  day  I  read,  ^^  He  will  blot  out  our 
sins  from  the  book,  and  remember  them  no  more  for- 
ever." Isn't  that  precious?  But  I  never  under- 
stood what  he  meant  until  I  was  preaching  at 
Louisville,  one  day,,at  the  church  of  Brother  Morris. 
He  had  been  converted  seventeen  years  before  that, 
and  up  to  that  time  had  been  a  wicked,  dissipated, 
carousing,  wretched  youth.  But  at  the  time  I  met 
him  he  was  the  most  saintly  man  I  ever  saw  in  my 
life.  One  night  he  told  the  people  how  he  used  to 
gamble  and  drink  and  fight,  and  when  the  service 
was  over  old  Sister  Morris,  his  mother,  came  up  to 
him  and  said,  "  What  made  you  say  that,  Jimmy  ? 
You  never  did  any  thing  of  that  sort  in  your  life." 
And  I  learned  that  the  precious  mother  had  forgot- 
ten all  about  his  past  life.  He  had  been  seventeen 
years  good,  and  the  precious  mother  had  blotted  his 
wrong-doings  out  of  her  memory.  I  have  cursed 
and  swore  and  drunk  and  done  a  thousand  mean 


514  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

things ;  but^  brother,  I  will  walk  the  golden  streets 
as  if  I  never  done  a  mean  thing  in  my  life,  and  if 
any  body  says  such  a  thing  to  me,  I  shall  just  refer 
them  to  the  Lord. 


Briek  Sayings. 

A  WORKING  girl  is  just  as  good  as  the  girl  who 
does  n't  do  any  thing  in  the  world  but  let  her  mother 
wait  on  her. 

If  there  is  a  thing  in  this  world  I  have  the  pro- 
foundest  contempt  for,  it's  the  infernal  dancing- 
master  going  through  the  land  despoiling  the  young 
people  of  our  country. 

Election. — "  Whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of 
the  water  of  life  freely."  I  like  that  grand  "  who- 
soever ''  there.  I  have  read  a  great  deal  about  elec- 
tion, but  I  think  I  have  found  out  from  God's  Word 
what  is  meant  by  election.  The  "elect"  are  the 
" whosoever- wills,"  and  the  "non-elect"  are  the 
"  whosoever-won'ts." 

The  Judgment. — When  God  says  "Depart," 
the  sentence  is  written,  and  shall  sparkle  forever 
upon  the  tablets  of  eternity.  And  the  issues 
being  eternal,  and  there  being  no  after  jurisdiction 
or  revisionary  control,  no  higher  court  to  which  we 
can  appeal,  we  say  God  will  not  hurry  matters  on 
that  occasion.  God  will  give  every  soul  ample  time 
and  opportunity  to  bring  out  all  the  "pros"  and 
"  cons  "  on  that*  occasion. 


SAMUEL  W.  SUALL. 


DELIVERANCE  FROM  BONDAGE. 


A  Temperance  Sermon 


BV 


Si^NIUKI^   W.    8MAI^£» 


I  HOPE  you  will  give  me  your  prayerful  atten- 
tion to-night.  What  I  shall  say  shall  be  based 
on  the  sixteenth  verse  of  the  third  chapter  of  Acts : 

"  And  his  name,  through  faith  in  his  name,  hath 
made  this  man  strong,  whom  ye  see  and  know;  yea, 
the  faith  which  is  by  him  hath  given  him  this  per- 
fect soundness  in  the  presence  of  you  all." 

On  one  occasion  there  came  into  the  market- 
place of  a  far  Eastern  city  an  jaged,  decrepit,  and 
travel-stained  man,  who  was  a  stranger  to  them  all. 
He  wandered  through  the  vast  bazaar  without  seem- 
ing to  regard  or  take  notice  of  the  vast  stores  of 
merchandise,  wealth,  and  accumulated  wondrous 
handicraft  of  the  people.  Aimlessly  he  threaded 
his  way  about  in  that  multitude  until  he  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  people.  Suddenly  he  stopped 
before  one  of  the  booths,  where  hung  gilded  cages, 
in  which  had  been  imprisoned  birds  of  precious 
plumage  and  sweetest  song.  They  were  fluttering 
their  little  wings  against  the  bars  of  their  prison, 
and  he  listened  intently  that  he  might  haply  catch 
some  note  of  their  song  ;  but  they,  thus  imprisoned, 
refused  to  give  forth  any   of  the   melody  of  their 

515 


516  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

throats,  but  struggled  and  struggled  impatiently 
and  ineffectually  against  their  imprisonment. 

Suddenly  the  old  man  put  his  hands  in  the  folds 
of  his  garment,  and  drew  therefrom  coin  of  a 
strange  realm.  He  asked  the  price  of  a  cage.  He 
bought  it,  and,  opening  the  door,  he  turned  the 
feathered  songster  loose,  and  it  fluttered  its  wings, 
so  long  untried,  and  for  a  little  while  balanced  its 
slight  body  in  mid-air,  until  nature  restored  its 
powers  of  equilibrium,  and  then  it  mounted  up,  and 
up,  and  up, 'and  with  a  glad  song  of  joy  circled 
above  the  heads  of  the  multitude,  until  it  caught 
sight  of  the  distant  cloud-capped  mountain,  where 
its  home  had  been,  and  then,  with  its  precious  mel- 
ody flowing  from  its  soul,  it  winged  its  way  into  the 
far  and  ethereal  distance,  and  was  lost  to  sight. 
Thus  one  by  one  he  bought  these  little  birds,  and 
thus  one  by  one  he  loosed  them,  and  they  repeated 
the  glad  notes  of  surprise,  and  took  the  same  course 
back  to  their  native  mountain  fastnesses.  He  seemed 
to  take  a  greater  pleasure  and  a  sweeter  joy  as  each 
little  prisoner  regained  its  liberty,  and  the  tears 
streamed  down  his  travel-stained  and  dust-covered 
face. 

Those  who  stood  by  said  to  him,  "  Why  dost 
thou  do  these  strange  things?"  He  said  to  them 
in  reply,  with  a  look  of  charity  and  joy  indescrib- 
able on  his  face,  "  I  ^vas  once  a  prisoner  myself, 
and  I  know  something  of  the  sweets  of  liberty." 

I,  brethren,  was  once  a  prisoner  myself,  and  now 
I  have  tasted  something  of  the  sweets  of  liberty  in 
Christ,  and  with  the  precious  coinage  of  his  mercies 


Deliverance  from  Bondage.  517 

and  his  promises  I  would  stand  before  this  multi- 
tude to-night  and  purchase  from  the  willing  hearts 
of  men  the  liberty  of  their  souls  from  a  bondage 
more  despicable  and  deadly,  and  more  repressive 
of  the  natural  melody  of  men's  souls,  than  were 
these  gilded  cages  to  the  birds  of  this  far  Eastern 
mart. 

I  have  been  under  the  bondage  of  sin,  a  bond- 
age that  was  galling  every  moment  almost ;  a  bond- 
age from  which  there  was  eliminated  every  element 
of  joy,  and  from  which  there  seemed  to  be  at  times 
no  avenue  of  escape. 

If  you  will  pardon  me,  I  will  refer  to  myself. 
I  will  tell  you  something  of  my  experience,  because 
I  would  have  my  young  compatriots  know  it,  and 
know  it  to  the  good  of  their  souls.  I  would  have 
my  fellow-men  who  are  in  middle  life,  with  fami- 
lies, hear  it.  I  would  have  these  veteran  fathers  of 
this  community  hear  it. 

I  was  well  bom.  I  was  given  by  kindly  par- 
ents all  the  true  and  the  religious  culture  that  a 
boy  could  have  in  a  loving  home.  I  was  instructed  in 
right  speaking;  I  was  encouraged  in  right  doing;  I 
was  inspirited  at  times  to  consider  myself  a  child  of 
God,  and  to  recognize  in  my  youth  my  responsibil- 
ity to  him. 

And  when  I  had  left  my  mother's  side,  and  had 
left  my  father's  counsel,  and  left  the  old  hearth  tree 
and  the  family  altar,  and  gone  out  into  the  avenues 
of  the  world,  seeking,  first,  an  education,  and  after- 
ward position  and  piosperity,  I  fell  into  evil  ways. 
With  the  strong  and  lusty  passions  of  youth,  with 


518  S.v^r  Jones'  Own  Book. 

those  whom  I  mingled  I  found  there  were  courses 
and  ways,  there  were  allurements  and  temptations^ 
that  were  strange  to  me ;  and  I  stood  reliant  only 
upon  myself,  forgetting  the  prayers  and  teachings 
of  mother  and  father,  and  I  was  eager  for  a  place, 
eager  for  the  pleasures  of  this  world,  eager  for  the 
happiness  and  the  enjoyments  that  I  saw  about  me. 
And  thus  I  easily  fell  in  allurements,  thus  easily 
fell  from  virtuous  thoughts  and  virtuous  acts,  and 
from  the  virtuous  course  of  my  life. 

The  great  bane,  as  I  look  back  over  my  life,  and 
conjure  up  the  recollections  of  my  past — the  great 
bane  of  all  my  sinfulness,  the  great  moving  cause 
of  all  the  moral  iniquities  I  committed — was  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  this  great  gorgon-headed  evil 
that  is  devouring  so  many  of  the  people  of  this  land, 
and  sowing  broadcast  sin  and  sorrow  in  this  chosen 
nation  of  ours — the  sin  of  intemperance. 

I  thought  that  it  would  be  manly  to  do  as  nearly 
every  man  I  saw  about  me  did.  I  thought  there 
would  be  some  addition  to  my  pleasure  and  expe- 
rience by  going  with  them  into  their  drinking  places 
and  indulging  with  them.  I  felt  all  the  time  that 
I  had  strength  of  will  enough,  that  I  had  force  of 
character  enough,  to  protect  me  from  the  excesses 
that  I  could  see  other  men  had  fallen  into.  I  believed 
that  when  I  reached  a  dangerous  point,  if  I  ever 
did,  I  could  put  on  the  brakes  of  my  nature  and  stop. 

I  went  away  to  college,  and  there  again  fell  into 
evil  courses.  I  struggled  at  times  with  the  innate 
manhood  that  was  in  me,  and  attempted  to  throw 
off  the  growing  appetite  for  these  things.     When  I 


Deliverakce  from  Bondage.    519 

came  away^  after  I  had  graduated^  and  began  to 
enter  among  men  and  their  pursuits^  and  endeav- 
ored to  acquire  a  profession^  I  thought  still  that  I 
must  mingle  with  my  fellow-men  ;  have  some  par- 
ticipations in  their  customs  and  in  their  habits ;  that 
I  must  bring  myself  into  some  sort  of  agreement 
and  harmony  with  their  ideas  of  social  enjoyments^ 
and  I  yielded  again  and  again  to  the  temptations 
thus  presented;  and  again  and  again  I  fell  from  my 
rectitude,  and  away  from  ideas  that  lingered  with 
me  of  what  was  right  and  proper.  And  thus,  day 
after  day,  these  passions  grew  stronger  and  stronger 
within  me. 

I  could  feel  and  see  that  I  was  falling,  falling 
falling  all  the  time.  I  saw  that  there  would  not  be 
left  in  me  strength  enough  to  save  me,  and  I  was 
unconscious  at  times  of  the  fearful  length  to  which 
I  had  fallen ;  but  I  would  not  look  at  the  picture  I 
knew  I  was  presenting  to  others.  I  went  on  and  on. 
I  went  until  I  brought  tears  from  the  eyes  of  my 
precious  mother,  until  I  brought  fearful  lines  to  her 
face,  until  I  brought  gray  streaks  into  her  beautiftd 
hair,  until  I  had  brought  the  lines  of  care  about  her 
loving  eyes ;  and  until  I  knew  I  was  dragging,  drop 
by  drop  the  life-blood  from  her  devoted  heart.  I 
knew  that  my  strong  and  manly  father  was  suffering 
on  my  account  tortures  that  he  would  not,  in  his 
courage,  let  the  world  know  were  gnawing  at  his 
heart  and  at  his  soul. 

I  knew  how  it  went  out  to  me  ;  how  it  followed 
me  abroad  in  other  lands,  and  I  knew  that  the  fail- 
ing of  his  step,  and  the  silvering  of  his  hair,  and 


520  Sam  Joxrs'  Own  Book. 

the  deepening  of  the  Hneg  of  grief  about  his  mouth; 
that  had  so  oflen  spoken  golden  words  of  counsel, 
were  due  to  the  course  and  ways  into  which  I  had 
fallen,  and  to  the  apparent  hopelessness  of  my  ever 
coming  out  of  them,  and  being  reformed  and  being 
renewed  in  mind  and  in  body. 

O,  I  shall  never  feel  satisfied  short  of  the  ability 
in  heaven  to  make  obeisance  at  their  feet  and  crave 
their  pardon,  -which  I  know  has  long  since  been 
granted  me,  and  which  I  shall  ever  see  beam  on 
their  angelic  faces  until  I  am  in  my  grave. 

I  married  a  lovable  woman.  I  married  one  who 
was  proud  of  disposition;  one  who  had  high  and 
noble  traits  of  character;  one  who  had  quick  and 
responsive  sensibilities;  one  to  whom  the  very  taint 
of  any  thing  that  was  disreputable  was  like  a  knife- 
stab  to  her  heart;  but  I  disregarded  the  love  and 
devotion  of  that  precious  wife.  I  went  on  and  on, 
unheeding  her  counsel,  disregarding  her  prayers, 
and  from  day  to  day  getting  grosser  and  grosser  in 
my  appetites,  and  getting  more  brutal  in  my  insen- 
sibility to  her  pleadings  and  her  prayers.  And 
when  children  came  to  bless  my  home,  even  the 
sight  of  them  in  their  little  cradles,  unconscious  in 
the  first  moments  of  their  life,  and  with  the  smiles 
of  God  drawing  responsive  smiles  from  them,  I 
found  it  impossible  for  me  to  know  that  I  was  doing 
that  which  would  sooner  or  later  bring  shame  and 
sorrow  and  degradation  upon  those  innocent  babes; 
and  as  they  grew  from  year  to  year  their  voices 
came,  and  they  prattled  about  me ;  it  was  only  at 
distant  intervals  that  I  began  to  regard  the  future 


Deliverance  from  Bondage.    521 

that  was  stretching  far  off  iu  the  distance  before 
them^  and  which  I  must  make  either  one  of  peace 
and  pleasure^  or  one  of  despair  and  wretchedness. 

And  year  after  year  I  went  on  and  on  in  this 
course  of  sin  and  wickedness,  and  the  light  of  my 
home  went  out.  The  love  of  my  wife*  gave  way, 
but  the  process  of  murder  of  affection  could  not  last 
forever;  and  I  saw  at  last,  it  seemed  to  me,  that  she 
had  returned  it  to  the  sepulcher  in  which  she  had 
laid  it  away  in  its  tear-bedewed  cerements  forever. 
I  could  see  that  the  love  and  affection  of  my  chil- 
dren were  turning  from  me  daily,  seemingly  by  in- 
tuition. They  saw  I  was  not  he  who  was  appointed 
to  be  their  father  in  the  manifestations  of  father- 
hood that  I  made  to  them.  I  could  know,  and 
know  with  a  treble  emphasis,  that  drove  unutter- 
able horrors  into  my  soul,  but  it  seemed  only  to 
drive  me  further  and  further  into  despair,  that  they 
would,  at  my  coming,  flee  from  my  presence  far 
away  into  the  darkest  and  remotest  parts  of  the 
house,  for  fear  of  the  consequences  of  meeting  their 
father. 

I  had  friends,  friends  in  position,  friends  high  in 
authority,  friends  who  were  true  and  steadfast  to 
me ;  but  they,  too,  were  unable  to  paint  to  me  any 
picture  that  would  allure  me  from  the  one  I  was 
painting  with  my  own  hand  in  the  horrible  colors 
of  hell  itself  They  would  point  me  to  a  goal  that 
my  bleared  and  confused  vision  would  not  see. 
They  would  endeavor  to  lift  me  up  on  plains  of 
hope  and  sensibilities  of  ambition  that  I  had  ceased 
to  be  sensible  of,  as  being  worthy  of  achievement. 

44— B 


522  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

They  would  endeavor  to  control  my  appetite^  and 
find  it  as  useless  as  to  bind  with  a  cotton-woven 
string  the  raging  Uon  of  the  arid  and  tempest-swept 
desert. 

I  had  at  times  my  lucid  intervals^  when  there 
would  come  memories  of  mother's  prayer,  of  father's 
counsel,  of  wife's  tears,  and  of  children's  mute  and 
helpless  look ;  and  I  would  say  to  myself,  "  I  will 
summon  to  my  aid  all  the  powers  of  my  soul  and 
manhood,  and  I  will  put  under  foot  this  monster 
of  hideous  mien  that  is  dragging  me  down  into 
degradation,  into  social  ruin,  and  taking  a  fast  hold 
upon  my  soul,  and  which  sooner  or  later  will  drag 
it  a  trophy  into  hell.  I  would  summon  all  my 
powers,  only  to  find  that  I  was  weaker  than  a 
babe  in  the  arms  of  so  strong  a  passion  as  I  had 
awakened. 

I  would  go  to  physicians,  and  ask  them  in  the 
name  of  my  family  and  future  to  do  something 
for  me,  if  indeed  there  had  been  found  medicines 
on  earth  to  minister  to  a  mind  diseased  and  an  appe- 
tite debauched,  and  they  would  exhaust  their  knowl- 
edge and  their  skill,  and  hundreds  and  thousands 
of  dollars  did  I  spend  in  the  endeavor  to  reinforce 
will,  manhood,  and  my  own  powers  of  represrion, 
but  all  in  vain. 

There  were  antidotes  that  were  published  abroad 
in  the  world,  and  with  the  use  of  which  cures  are 
guaranteed,  but  all,  all  in  vain.  I  spent  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  dollars,  and  hours  and  days  of 
time,  and  I  purchased  advertised  efficient  and  war- 
ranted cures  for  drunkenness,  and  I  was  as  fiiithful 


Delivekance  fbom  Bondage.    523 

in  the  application  of  them  as  ever  human  being 
was ;  but  it  was  all  in  vain !  in  vain ! !  in  vain ! ! ! 

There  was  no  medicament  in  them  to  cure  my 
aroused  passion  and  appetite. 

I  went  so  far  that  my  wife,  under  the  laws  then 
existing  in  Georgia,  had  written  by  the  judge  of  the 
couii;  in  which  I  was  the  official  short-hand  re- 
porter, a  legal  notice,  couched  in  the  language  of 
the  law,  and  had  this  notice  served  upon  every 
dealer  in  liquors  in  the  city  of  Atlanta,  warning 
them,  under  penalty  of  the  law,  not  to  let  me  have 
their  damning  fluid  over  their  counters;  and  yet, 
outlaws  as  they  were,  disregarding  my  interest, 
disregarding  my  wife's  pleadings  and  the  tears  of  * 
my  children,  and  disregarding  the  very  law  of  the 
land,  they  still  continued  to  supply  me  with  the 
horrible  draught  for  which  my  inmost  nature  seemed 
craving  with  insatiety. 

I  even  employed  attendants  and  detectives,  who 
followed  me  as  I  went  about  on  my  business  in  the 
streets  of  my  city,  and  they  followed  me  with  the 
purpose,  and  were  employed  for  the  purpose,  of 
keeping  these  men  who  would  not  keep  the  law 
themselves  from  furnishing  me  with  whisky;  and 
yet  I,  in  conjunction  with  them,  was  able  to  hood- 
wink and  defy  detectives  and  law. 

Further  and  further,  deeper  and  deeper,  I  was 
sinking;  I  was  getting  hopeless  for  business;  hope- 
less for  all  social  standing;  hopeless  for  all  the 
temporal  interests  of  this  world ;  hopeless  for  eter- 
nity ;  and,  in  the  very  madness  of  my  disordered 
brain,  and  in  my  very  soul,  there  seemed  at  times 


524  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

no  avenue  of  escape  at  all  from  this  self-imposed 
bondage,  except  through  insanity  on  the  one  hand^ 
and  through  suicide  on  the  other. 

I  saw' that  my  wife  and  children  had  given  up 
all  hope ;  they  did  not  know,  from  day  to  day,  how 
I  would  come  home  to  them.  They  had  seen  me 
brought  there,  day  after  day,  time  after  time,  in- 
sensible and  unable  to  recognize  them,  from  the  in- 
fluence of  this  deadly  and  poisonous  drug.  They 
had  seen  me  when  I  was  brought  in  and  laid  on 
my  bed  covered  with  blood,  and  it  seemed  as 
though  my  days  were  indeed  numbered,  and  that  I 
would  soon  fall  in  the  midst  of  my  iniquity.  They 
had  seen  me  when  I  was  brought  home  with  the 
wounds  of  the  knife  and  pistol  on  my  body,  and 
they  had  heard  the  rumors  from  the  streets  and 
dives  of  the  dangers  with  which  I  had  been  con- 
stantly surrounded  of  late.  To  them  it  seemed  as 
though  there  was  no  avenue,  no  loophole,  of  escape  for 
me  from  a  terrible  death.  There  was  not  the  sign 
of  hope  or  spirit  beaming  out  from  their  beautiftil 
faces.  They  knew  not,  from  day  to  day,  whether  I 
would  live  to  greet  them  another  day.  They  knew 
not  whether,  if  my  life  was  prolonged,  they  would 
be  able  to  procure  the  very  necessities  of  life  from 
day  to  day. 

They  knew  not  at  what  hour  the  very  shelter 
that  shielded  them  from  the  storm  and  from  the 
heat  would  be  removed  from  over  their  head,  and 
they  removed  from  under  its  shelter.  There  were 
visions  of  uncertainty,  of  the  sheriflF  to  dispossess, 
of  the  heartless  landlord  to  distrain  for  rent,  of  the 


Deliverance  from  Bondage.  525 

debtor  to  come  and  take  all.  There  was  no  future 
ahead  of  them^  except  a  future  of  impenetrable 
gloom,  through  which  seemed  to  come  nothing  but 
warnings  of  deeper  woe  and  agonies  yet  to  come. 
O,  Lord,  how  good  thou  wast  to  me!  thou  hast 
given  me  relief  from  that  bondage  at  my  seeking. 

At  last  there  came  a  time  when  I  seemed  to 
have  reached  the  limit.  Something  strange  im- 
pelled me  to  take  my  little  children,  as  a  loving  act, 
an  act,  it  seemed  to  me,  of  reparation  for  neglects 
of  weeks  preceding,  and  go  upon  the  train  to  Car- 
tersville,  where  Brother  Jones  was  preaching  to 
immense  audiences,  and  from  which  the  report  had 
come  that  there  were  many  and  many  hundreds, 
and  even  thousands,  who  were  coming  back  into 
harmony  with  God.  And  as  I  sat  upon  the  plat- 
form, endeavoring  to  take  in  stenography  the  words 
as  they  fell  irom  his  lips,  it  seemed  to  me  that  God 
had  inspired  him  to  preach  upon  one  certain  line. 
He  preached  it  with  that  faith  which  is  his  alone; 
he  preached  it  with  that  fidelity  which  is  his  dis- 
tinguishing characteristic;  he  preached  with  the 
earnestness  and  with  the  conviction  that  broke 
down  the  casements  of  my  heart  and  went  home  to 
it.  When  he  had  finished  those  words  of  Conscience ! 
Conscience !  Conscience !  and  of  Record !  Record ! 
Record !  of  God,  the  infinite,  the  all-seeing  and 
the  ever-judging  God,  came  home  to  me. 

I  went  away  from  there  troubled  in  mind  and 
soul.  I  went  home,  and  back  into  the  devious 
ways,  back  into  the  bar-room,  back  into  the  open 
highways,  back  to  the  maddening  pool,  in  order  to 


526  Sabi  Jones'  Own  Book. 

get  away  from  the  torments  I  was  suffering  from 
an  awakened  conscience.  But  they  would  not 
leave  me.  I  could  find  no  solace  where  I  had  often 
found  insensibility.  I  could  find  no  relief  in  pota- 
tions where  I  had  often  found  indifference  and 
capability  to  take  on  a  cool  exterior.  There  was 
nothing  there  to  give  me  surcease  from  the  sorrow 
in  my  bosom ;  and  I  went  on  and  Dn  until  the  sec- 
ond day,  on  Tuesday,  at  noon,  I  went  into  my 
library-room,  fell  upon  my  knees,  buried  my  face 
in  my  hands,  and  I  pleaded  with  Christ  that  he 
would  let  me  cling  to  his  cross,  lay  down  all  my 
burdens  and  sins  there,  and  be  rescued  and  saved 
by  his  compassion ;  that  I  might  be  washed  in  his 
blood,  and  that  my  sins,  though  they  were  scarlet, 
might  be  white  as  snow. 

I  wrestled  for  four  long  hours,  in  as  much  agony 
as  I  ever  suffered.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  when 
I  had  reached  a  conclusion,  when  I  had  come  to 
understand  that  there  was  nothing  of  earth  that 
could  avail  me,  least  of  all  with  Christ,  then  I  gave 
myself  entirely  to  him,  made  an  unconditional  sur- 
render, and  that  moment  he  seized  my  soul.  He 
dipped  it  in  the  stream  which  was  white  and  pure, 
and  the  light  of  heaven  shone  in  upon  me. 

In  my  new-found  joy,  I  rushed  into  the  presence 
ot  wife  and  children.  I  proclaimed  the  glad  tidings 
to  their  astonished  ears,  and  they  could  hardly  be- 
lieve it,  though  they  saw  that  some  great  revolution 
had  taken  place.  They  knew  not  whether  it  was 
a  surrender  to  Christ,  or  whether  it  had  been  a 
surrender  to  madness. 


Deliverance  fkom  Bondage.    627 

But  when  I  went  out  that  evening,  I  had  three 
thousand  circulars  printed  and  distributed  all  over 
Atlanta,  telling  the  people  I  had  found  my  Savior ; 
I  had  made  peace  with  God,  and  that  I  would  live  a 
life  of  righteousness  ever  after,  and  desired  to  make 
a  proclamation  for  once  and  irrevocable.  They 
gathered  at  seven  o'clock  upon  the  public  streets 
that  night,  and  there  before  them  I  proclaimed  the 
fact,  and,  blessed  be  God,  I  have  been  proclaiming 
it  ever  since  with  increased  joy,  and  with  the  cer- 
tainty that  my  salvation  is  complete. 

Returning  home,  I  could  see  that  Jesus  had 
knocked  at  the  tomb  of  my  wife's  life,  as  it  did  at 
that  of  Lazarus,  and  had  called  it  forth  in  all  its 
pristine  strength  and  beauty,  and  its  bloom  and 
blossom  has  been  my  pathway  ever  since.  I  could 
see  that  my  children  had  found  tongue  to  sing  the 
joy  and  praise,  and  their  hearts  had  been  set  attuned, 
as  they  never  had  been  before,  to  the  melody  of 
childhood,  singing  to  the  ears  of  fatherhood.  I 
could  see  that  there  was  gladness,  wherever  I  went, 
upon  the  faces  of  friends  and  acquaintances ;  and, 
when  the  news  had  gone  abroad  in  the  land,  they 
who  had  known  me  abroad  sent  me  their  glad  con- 
gratulations and  their  encouragement. 

Blessed  be  God  that,  from  the  day  he  reached 
down  and  lifted  me  up  from  the  horrible  pit  and  the 
miry  clay,  and  established  my  feet  upon  the  rock 
of  Christ  that  is  higher  than  we,  I  have  been  going 
on  from  joy  to  joy,  a  bird  of  liberty,  singing  the 
praises  of  my  Redeemer. 

And  so,  having  been  thus  saved  and  thus  healed, 


528  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

I  would  call  you  who  are  in  that  terrible  bondage 
to  seek  relief  of  the  same  great  Physician^  and 
to  draw  your  medicine  from  the  same  infidlible 
spring. 

What  are  we  doing  with  ourselves?  O,  how, 
when  we  look  abroad  in  this  land,  we  can  see  how 
intemperance  is  becoming  the  great  national  vice, 
and  how  it  is  becoming  the  fell  destroyer  of  so  many 
thousands  and  thousands  of  our  loved  ones.  What 
are  we  doing  with  these  bodies  of  ours?  "What, 
know  ye  not  that  your  body  is  the  temple  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  which  b  in  you,  which  ye  have 
of  God,  and  ye  are  not  your  own?''  Fellow- 
men,  fellow-men,  let  me  bring  you  to  the  contem- 
plation of  the  fact  that  these  bodies  of  ours  are  the 
temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  that  they  were 
fashioned  after  the  architecture  of  his  great  brains, 
by  the  great  Being  who  is  the  architect  of  the 
universe. 

These  bodies  he  made  of  the  dust  of  the  earth, 
and  these  bones  of  his  rock ;  he  made  us  with  veins 
and  with  arteries,  and  filled  them  with  the  blood 
from  the  seas  of  his  providence ;  he  gave  us  breath, 
which,  like  the  wind,  cometh  and  goeth  and  scat- 
tereth;  which  cometh  we  know  not  whence,  goeth 
we  know  not  where ;  he  gave  us  sight  for  all  the 
beauties  and  grandeurs  of  the  world,  and  inflamed 
it  with  fire  from  the  center  of  his  storehouse  of  fire ; 
he  gave  us  thoughts,  like  the  clouds,  for,  like  them, 
they  move,  and  as  they  play  in  the  sunlight  of  right- 
eousness, are  transformed  into  beauty,  whether  it  be 
the  beauty  of  the  dawn,  presaging  what  is  to  come. 


Deliverance  from  Bondage.  529 

or  the  beauty  of  the  sunset^  presaging  the  glorious 
death  toward  which  we  tend. 

And  we  can  make  these  minds  of  ours  reflect 
the  light  of  heaven,  or  they  can  have  the  light  of 
heaven  withdrawn,  and  be  dark  and  dismal  and 
foreboding  as  the  storm-clouds,  from  which  the 
mutterings  of  heaven  come  and  roll  the  thunders  of 
agony  that  spread  destruction  and  death  upon  us. 
And  in  these  temples  he  has  placed  the  Holy  Ghost 
in  spirit  for  us,  and  we  are  its  custodians,  the  priests 
of  these  temples;  and  when  we  degrade  and  defile 
them,  we  are  degrading  and  defiling  the  architec- 
ture of  God  and  his  chosen  resting-place  in  us. 

O,  what  a  touching  instance  it  was  when  the 
favorite  son  of  TertuUian  died !  His  companions 
were  bearing  his  corpse  to  the  cemetery  upon  their 
shoulders,  and  as  they  went  along,  occupied  with 
their  thoughts  of  sorrow  and  grief,  they  stumbled 
by  the  way,  when  the  grief-stricken  father,  noticing 
it,  called  out  to  them :  ^^  Young  men,  beware  how 
you  walk ;  you  bear  upon  your  shoulders  the  temple 
of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

So  with  us.  We  go  about  bearing  with  us  the 
temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  we  are  recreant  to 
our  own  creation,  recreant  to  our  own  destiny,  re- 
creant to  the  great  God  who  fashioned  us,  recreant 
to  the  great  God  who  made  us  his  temples,  when 
we  defile  these  bodies  of  ours,  and  ruin  them  with 
the  licenses  of  our  baser  natures  and  our  depraved 
appetites. 

One  time  Diogenes  saw  a  young  man  going  to 
a  place  of  revelry,  where  drinking  was  the  custom, 

45- B 


530  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book.- 

and  from  which  men  who  went  in  sober  and  rational 
beings  emerged  besotted,  and  not  knowing  their 
way.  He  seized  upon  the  young  man,  carried  him 
to  his  friends,  and  informed  them  that  he  had  res- 
cued their  precious  boy  from  a  great  and  awful 
danger.  So  it  would  be  well  if  we  had  friends  who 
would  thus  rescue  us.  But  there  are  times  when 
friends,  as  I  told  you,  can  have  no  influence,  and  no 
Diogenes,  however  wise,  however  honest,  however 
mindful  of  his  neighbor,  could  restrain  us  from 
going  into  these  places. 

But  how  many  Diogeneses  it  would  take  to  seize 
upon  those  that  night  after  night  and  day  after  day 
are  going  into  these  places  of  danger  and  ultimate 
death  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati !  O,  let  us  seek  to 
save  ourselves  through  the  only  influence,  the  only 
medicament,  and  the  only  Physician  that  this  uni- 
verse afibrds  us! 

What  is  intemperance  doing?  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  marshal  here  before  you  the  figures ;  you  can 
see  it  all  about  you. 

Young  man,  you  know  that  you  started  in  your 
intemperate  habits  just  as  I  did.  You  know  what 
influences  have  led  you ;  you  know  what  ambitions 
you  thought  you  could  cultivate  by  listening  to 
them;  you  know  how  you  have  run  out  and  gone 
into  these  places  with  like  ideas  of  strength  and 
ability  to  control  yourselves  just  as  I  had.  And 
now  you  are  buoyant  in  the  consciousness  that  you 
think  that  at  any  time  you  can  slap  on  the  brakes 
of  your  nature,  and  save  yourselves  from  degrada- 
tion that  you  see  upon  the  planes  just  below  as. 


Deliverance  fbom  Bondage.    631 

Beware,  beware  of  that  fatal  cup.  There  are 
fathers,  middle-aged  ;  they  know  what  intemperance 
will  do.  They  are  listening  to  me  to-night,  and 
they  started  on  that  road  just  as  I  started ;  but  if 
they  have  not  reached  the  same  length  to  which  I 
went,  they  are  on  the  high  road  to  it.  They  can 
already  know  that  they  are  not  received  where  once 
they  were  welcome  guests ;  they  know  that  they  are 
passed  every  day  on  the  streets  of  Cincinnati  by 
men  who  formerly  regarded  them  with  esteem  and 
claimed  them  as  friends.  They  know  that  avenues 
were  once  open  to  them  of  usefulness,  and  which 
are  now  closed  upon  them  forever  on  account  of 
their  habits,  their  companionship,  and  their  places 
of  resort.  They  know  that  the  happiness  of  their 
fiimilies,  once  complete,  is  now  gone,  apparently 
forever.  They  know  that  the  blanched  cheek  of 
that  wife,  that  the  constant  redness  of  eye  when 
they  enter  home,  that  the  fleeing  children,  are  all  evi- 
dences of  the  steady  growth  of  the  evil ;  and  they 
have  grown  just  in  proportion  as  they  have  gone 
deeper  and  deeper  into  this  besotted  condition. 

There  are  old  men  here  to-night  who  have  led  a 
long  life,  it  seemed,  of  moderation,  and  who  thought 
that  they  were  exemplifying  the  ability  of  a  man  to 
drink  and  drink  and  drink,  and  yet  preserve  his 
manhood  and  his  honest  position ;  but  they  can  see 
that  their  excesses  are  notonly  sapping  the  foundations 
of  their  health  ;  they  can  feel  that  they  are  untimely 
gray ;  they  can  feel  that  they  have  diseases  in  them* 
that  they  would  not  have  had  but  for  their  intem- 
perance; and  they  can  see  before  them  no  life  that 


532  8am  Jones'  Own  Book. 

is  leading  them  on  and  brightening  their  way  as 
they  go.  But  they  are  seeing^  upon  the  other  hand — 
and  if  they  are  honest  with  themselves^  they  will 
confess  it  to  their  souls^— that  they  are  losing  the 
powers,  and  that  sooner  or  later  they,  too,  must 
sink  into  the  lowest  depths  of  degradation,  and  be 
untimely  cut  off,  and  go  to  hell  to  everlasting  death. 

Families  and  individuals  —  cities —  prostrated. 
There  is  nothing  that  is  so  glaring  about  them  as 
intemperance,  which  sweeps  over  them  like  the 
storm  over  a  forest,  day  after  day  and  night  after 
night.  Thank  God  that  my  city  of  Atlanta  has 
redeemed  herself  under  the  white  banner  of  temper- 
ance, with  the  cross  of  Christ  on  it !  Thank  God, 
she  will  shine  as  a  city  set  upon  a  hill,  giving  a 
light  to  this  nation  !  Ohio  to-day  is  giving  full 
liberty  to  the  whisky  dealers  to  debauch  and  damn 
the  most  precious  sons  of  your  loins  and  your  house- 
hold. 

God  can  not  bless  a  people/  who  are  thus  recre- 
ant to  themselves  and  thus  recreant  to  their  duties, 
both  to  humanity  and  to  God.  Thank  God  that 
old  Georgia  is  rapidly  redeeming  herself,  and  that 
after  a  while  she  will  still  be  lying  in  the  very 
apron  of  this  nation,  a  redeemed  State  from  the  tyr- 
any  of  alcohol,  and  that  she  will  raise  her  banner 
and  commend  it  in  its  purity  to  every  State  in  this 
nation,  as  it  blazons  with  the  legend  of  Wisdom, 
Justice,  and  Moderation,  under  the  broad  and  glit- 
tering arch  of  the  Constitution. 

Nearly  twenty-five  years  ago  misguided  men  in 
the  South  fired  the  first  shot  upon  Fort  Sumter  that 


Deliverance  fbom  Bondage.         633 

awakened  this  entire  nation,  and  led  to  refonn,  and 
led  to  liberties,  and  led  to  the  release  of  slaves  from 
bondage,  led  to  what  no  man  had  contemplated  as 
being  capable  of  realization.  It  marshaled  the  most 
impregnable  arms  of  this  continent,  and  that  shot 
reverberated  all  through  civilization.  I  tell  yoii 
that  whatever  were  the  disasters  of  war,  it  struck 
the  shackles  from  six  million  slaves ;  but  to-day,  in 
a  holier  and  grander  cause,  by  the  approving  smile 
of  God,  old  Georgia  has  fired  a  gun  upon  the  Sum- 
ters  of  sin  and  intemperance  in  this  country  that 
will  arouse  this  whole  nation ;  and  we  will  batter 
down  these  forts  of  intemperance,  whether  they  are 
in  Cincinnati,  Chicago,  or  New  York. 

The  army  of  God  in  this  nation  is  on  the  march. 
And  you  may  listen  here;  and  if  you  have  not  the 
courage  and  the  Christian  zeal,  we  will  come  and 
break  down  the  barriere ;  we  will  pound  down  the 
forts  of  the  demon  of  alcohol,  and  we  will  release 
you  from  this  terrible  bondage. 

In  the  midst  of  influences  like  this,  with  these 
facts  staring  them  in  the  face,  statesmen  of  this 
country  are  too  cowardly  to  seize  upon  this  great 
question,  and  make  it  a  question  of  public  policy  for 
the  Christian  people.  Politicians  go  wandering 
about  among  the  lower  classes,  and  talk  and  rant 
about  personal  liberty  and  sumptuary  laws,  as  though 
they  had  a  right  to  give  laws  to  these  people,  when 
these  smiling  scoundrels  are  only  seeking  popularity 
and  applause  from  the  foolish  and  depraved. 

Scientists  are  disputing  and  debating,  when  all 
history  and  all  true  science  have  demonstrated  that 


534  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 


no  curse  is  greater  upon  a  people  than  to  have  the 
saloons  and  the  dissemination  of  these  deadly  com- 
pounds in  the  community.  These  whisky  dealers 
are  outlaws;  they  are  against  the  law;  they  are 
anomalous  creatures,  and  the  anarchists  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  If  they  would  disobey  and  disre- 
gard the  laws  in  my  case,  they  will  do  it  in  yours, 
and  they  will  do  it  in  the  case  of  every  precious 
son  you  have  got,  of  every  living  father  you  have 
got,  of  every  devoted  husband  you  have  got  in  this 
country. 

Churches  meet  in  conventions,  meet  in  confer- 
ences, meet  in  assemblies,  meet  in  synods,  and  pass 
resolutions  on  the  subject  of  temperance,  and  yet  the 
very  ministers,  it  seems,  in  places,  are  unwilling  to 
enforce  the  declarations  and  laws  of  their  own 
Churches  against  their  own  members,  notwithstand- 
ing that  right  here  in  Cincinnati  ministers  of  the 
Gospel  have  been  disrobed  through  its ,  influences, 
and  Churches  have  been  debauched. 

And  thus  our  very  rulers,  law-makers,  public 
men,  and  public  teachers  are  thus  indifferent  or 
cowardly  in  the  face  of  an  evil  like  that,  while  the 
red-winged  and  fiery-eyed  Zamael  of  these  distillers 
and  brewers  of  the  country  is  sweeping  over  this 
land  and  laying  low  in  horrible  death  the  first-born 
of  American  homes,  as  the  angel  did  at  the  command 
of  God  in  the  land  of  Pharaoh  centuries  ago.  And 
every  man  and  every  v^oman,  especially  in  America, 
has  a  direct  personal  interest  in  seeing  the  banner 
of  Christ  triumph  over  the  sign  of  the  beer  barrel 
and  the  whisky  worm.   • 


i  ! 

I   I 

r 
I 


Delivebance  fbom  Bondage.    635 

Is  there  an7  thing  needed  to  arouse  the  humanity 
and  the  patriotism  of  you  people  to  the  iniquities 
that  are  being  thus  committed  in  your  midst^  and 
the  sad  havoc  that  is  being  made  in  your  homes  ? 
If  I  to-night  were'  to  call  around  me  a  staff  of 
bailiffs  and  furnish  them  with  subpoenas^  I  could 
send  them  into  the  streets^  and  into  the  back-yards^ 
and  into  the  slums  and  alleys  and  tenement  districts 
of  Cincinnati^  and  I  could  send  to  Walnut  Hills, 
and  to  Mount  Auburn,  and  Avondale,  and  Mount 
Adams,  and  other  of  your  respectable  and  high- 
toned  suburbs  of  Cincinnati,  and  from  the  palaces 
of  your  richest  down  to  the  humblest  huts  and  dens 
of  your  poorest,  and  examine  the  widows  and  the 
orphans  that  whisky  has  made,  and  array  them  here 
in  grand  mass  by  the  thousands,  with  their  weeping 
eyes,  with  their  dismal  recollection,  with  their 
mourning,  with  their  hearts  crushed  and  bleeding, 
and  they  would  say  to  you,  "  If  you  are  men,  in 
the  name  of  God  and  humanity,  rise  in  your  might 
and  drive  this  monster  out  before  he  destroys  and 
ruins  your  homes  too.^' 

If  we  but  heed  these  witnesses,  and  are  true  to 
ourselves,  to  our  children,  to  humanity,  and  to  God, 
we  can  destroy  this  flaming  monster,  and  soon  be 
able  to  sing  out  to  men  and  angels  that  our  people 
are  redeemed,  regenerated,  and  disenthralled  from 
the  fatal  powers  of  the  dragon.  Then  we  will  be 
blessed  by  our  Father  in  heaven  with  a  posterity 
given  to  paths  of  righteousness  and  lives  of  Chris- 
tian endeavor  and  achievement. 

Our  sons  shall  grow  up  in  strength  and  honor, 


536  Sam  Jones*  Own  Book. 

and  wear  the  Christian  armor.  Their  feet  will  be 
shod  with  the  preparation  of  the  Gospel^  their  loins 
be  girded  about  with  truth,  their  bodies  guarded  by 
the  breast-plate  of  faith,  their  shield  be  righteous- 
ness, their  manly,  sun-lit  brows  be  crowned  with 
the  helmet  of  salvation,  and  their  good  right  arms 
will  wield  the  trenchant,  victorious  sword  of  the 
Spirit,  which  is  the  Word  of  God. 

Our  daughters  will  grow  up  in  beauty  and  come- 
liness of  Christian  graces.  Their  feet  will  be  san- 
daled with  truth  and  faith ;  their  limbs  be  clothed 
with  robes  of  purity,  on  which,  in  silver  and  gold 
and  prismatic  hues,  will  be  embroidered  the  record 
of  their  good  deeds ;  their  waists  will  be  encircled  with 
the  golden  girdle  of  strengthening  prayer;  their 
bosoms  shielded  by  the  bodice  of  innocence  cover- 
ing the  virtuous  heart,  on  which  burn  vestal  fires 
of  love ;  from  their  shoulders  will  drop  the  mantle 
of  humility,  and  their  hands  will  dispense  the 
golden  showers  of  charity  upon  the  one  side  and  of 
mercy  upon  the  other ;  their  throats  will  be  wrapped 
with  the  pearls  of  precious  words ;  their  lips  will 
give  forth  sweet  songs  of  praise  to  God ;  their  eyes 
will  ever  turn  in  trust  to  the  great  white  throne, 
whose  radiance  will  glint  in  the  folds  of  their 
tresses,  and  presage  the  crown  of  immortal  life  that 
shall  press  their  brows  in  Paradise. 

And  these  two  shall  dwell  in  the  splendors  and 
happiness  of  the  palace  of  purity,  that  rears  its 
walls  and  dome  around  and  over  every  true  and 
consecrated  Christian  heart.  They  will  go  up  to  it 
over  the  broad  white  flag-stones  of  perfect  desires; 


Deliverance  fbom  Bondage.    537 

they  will  olimb  up  its  grieat  steps  of  geometrically 
and  systematically  fashioned  purposes  and  ambi- 
tions; they  will  pass  between  the  grand  columns 
of  strength  and  wisdom  that  stand  before  the  Gate 
Beautiful^  with  its  golden  welcome,  "All  that  is 
pure  may  enter  in;"  and  in  the  hall  of  consecration 
they  will  put  on  the  insignia  of  their  heaven-given 
prerogatives,  and  pass  on  into  the  rotunda  of  a 
righteous  life,  and  up  into  the  throne-seats  of  honor 
in  the  East  From  that  exalted  place,  they  may 
oontemplate  with  rapture  the  idealized  tableaux  of 
the  virtues  of  their  lives.  Here  the  picture  of 
Truth — ^a  fair  maiden  drawing  from  her  exhaustless 
well  the  waters  of  sincerity  that  are  poured  out  for 
the  ennobling  and  refreshing  of  all  people,  and  over 
her  the  glittering  legend:  ^^ Magna  est  Veritas  et 
pretxdebit,*^  There  is  the  tableau  of  Faith,  clinging 
to  the  rock-rooted  cross  that  towers  heavenward, 
and  around  which  the  wild  waves  of  worldliness, 
woe,  and  passion  surge  unavailing,  their  highest 
spray  not  touching  even  the  hem  of  her  garments. 
Yonder  is  seen  the  fair  form  of  Virtue,  her 
beautiful  feet  standing  amid  the  treasures  of  the 
upturned  cornucopia  of  fortune,  her  bands  folded 
in  peacefulness  across  her  lovely  bosom,  and  her 
golden  hair  blown  into  a  halo  about  her  head  by 
the  breezes  that  are  bom  in  the  hills  of  happiness. 
Here  again  is  figured  the  faultless  goddess  of 
Justice,  standing  upon  the  uppermost  pole  of  the 
earth,  holding  the  scales  of  God's  earthly  impartial- 
ity, and  weighing  out  the  dues  of  men  in  harmony 
with   eternal  truth.    Over  her  the  constellations 


538  Sam  Jones'  Own  Book. 

gather  and  glitter  in  the  edict  of  Jehovah :  ^^FkU 
justitiay  mat  codumP^  There  again  is  the  sweet 
face  of  Charity,  swift-paced  to  carry  succor  and  life 
to  the  hovel  of  the  poor,  the  cots  of  the  sick  and 
cells  of  the  wretched.  And  next  comes  the  picture 
of  gentle  and  tender-hearted  Mercy,  soothing  the 
cares,  relieving  the  burdens,  reconciling  the  hearts, 
and  ministering  to  the  redemption  of  all  the  souls 
of  God's  children.  And  here  is  the  grand  portrait 
of  the  strong,  manly  apostle  of  Temperance,  the 
embodiment  of  health,  vigor,  energy,  and  philan- 
thropy ;  a  giant  in  all  good  works,  and  approved 
servant  of  heaven. 

Over  in  the  West  is  the  grand  horologe  of  Time, 
counting  out  the  moments  of  life  in  a  monotone 
psean  of  patience  and  labor,  while  its  great  pendu- 
lum swings  through  an  arc  that  reaches  from  the 
cradle  to  the  tomb. 

In  the  center  is  the  Christian's  altar,  on  which 
praises  and  prayers  turn  to  worshiping  incense  and 
pervade  the  place  with  heavenly  odors. 

Up  in  the  high  center  of  the  vast  dome  blazes 
the  Sun  of  righteousness,  that  lightens  forever  the 
splendid  scene.  Looking  into  it,  the  eye  of  faith, 
strengthened  like  the  young  eaglet's,  can  discern 
the  transfigured  cross  of  Calvary,  pointing  the  soul 
to  its  home  and  rest  around  the  throne  of  God  in 
heaven. 

Who  are  these  that  thus  reign  and  rejoice? 
They  are  the  Prince  Christian  and  Princess  Chris- 
tiana of  the  kingdom  of  Gk)d  on  earth.  They  are 
the  heirs  apparent  to  everlasting  life  and  the  im- 


Deliverance  fbom  Bondage.    539 

perishable  possessions  of  the  King  of  kings !  God 
direct  us  with  his  wisdom  to  so  live  and  use  our 
lives  as  to  endow  our  children  with  these  titles  and 
these  palaces  of  purity  on  earth — these  inheritances 
of  the  meek^  and  pure,  and  temperate,  and  dutiful, 
in  ^^  the  city  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God/^ 


THE  END.