Godliness : being reports of a series of addresses delivered at James's Hall, London, W. during 1881Booth, Catherine Mumford
Religion
Godliness : being reports of a series of addresses delivered at James's Hall, London, W. during 1881
Booth, Catherine Mumford
Salvation Army -- Sermons; Sermons, English
I shall never forget the shock that came over me once in a large
gathering of Christian people, when a gentleman, who occupied a
somewhat prominent position, was giving out a hymn which contained a
verse something about spending one hour in watching with Jesus. He
stopped in the middle of this hymn, and said words to this effect: "I
am afraid we are verily guilty here. I do not know that I dare say I
ever watched one consecutive hour with Jesus in my life." I shall
never forget it. My cheeks burned with shame. I said, "Oh! my God, if
these are the leaders, we need not wonder at the people." A man
occupying such a position to dare to say it! The Lord have mercy on
him. No wonder the Lord's work is done in such a bungling way! I say
those who want to be successful in winning souls require to watch not
only days but nights. They want much of the Holy Ghost, for it is
true still, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and
fasting." We have grown wiser than our Lord now-a-days; but, I tell
you, it is the same old-fashioned way, and if you want to pour out
living waters upon souls, either publicly or privately, you will have
to drink largely at the fountain yourself, and have them very ready
to let out! If you have not, your talk will be as sounding brass or
tinkling cymbal. Oh! it makes my soul weep tears of blood to think of
the misdirected effort that will be put forth this very Christian
Sabbath. Plenty of labor, but how little comes of it?--all because it
is cramped, and ruined, and misdirected, for want of thought, and
prayer, and a single eye for the salvation of souls. May God rouse us
up to this, and make us willing to think, and labor, and learn, and
wrestle, and sacrifice, in order that we may do it.
Then, further, the second qualification for successful labor is
power to get the truth _home_ to the _heart_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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