hot tears from her eyes streaming down her cheeks.
He would cry, and sometimes promise her he would
do better.
There was a time when sin made an impression
upon him; when the slightest little thing that was
wrong in heart was recognized, he said, “I am done
with it,” but what about today? That was when
he was first employed in the boiler factory. That
was in the early days of his experience. How’ about
it today? The time came when he felt differently.
The preacher’s message does not come to him, as
it once did. It may be more powerful, but it does
not affect him. You do not find the tears in his
eyes he once shed. You do not find him praying as
he once did. He has ceased to attend church. He
does not feel as he once felt when Mother came to
talk to him, though he loves her just the same.
Death knocks upon the door of his neighbor, and
the crepe is seen on the porch, but he does not
feel as he once felt. Oh, my dear man, have you be
gun to feel that way? Something is the matter.
What does it mean? It means there is a process
of spiritual and moral calcification going on within.
The heart has undergone a process of hardening.
Sin does not impress you as it once did. You have
become hardened .against the Spirit of God, and you
are not touched as you once were. You are not
impressed at all. Oh, may God help us! Do I
speak to a man who is about to reach the place
where the last sensation will be felt, where the har
dening will have been complete? Tomorrow, feel
ing will be gone forever.
“There is a line by us unseen,
That crosses every path,
God’s hidden boundary between—
His patience and His wrath.”
DOOMED AS DEAD.
I remember very well in the days gone by—it
was before I was a preacher—a splendid young
man. He was a prominent young lawyer, who was
highly respected by everybody. He loved God’s
people; liked to go to church, and gave liberally to
its support. He was a man of exemplary moral
character, but was not a Christian. A great revival
of religion was in our town. The leading lawyer
of the town was converted, a man seventy-five years
of age. It was expected the next to be saved would
be this young lawyer. Finally, one night in that
church when the preacher was exhorting the peo
ple to give their hearts to God, there was a woman
in the church who had her eyes fixed upon this
lawyer. She went to him, and sat down by him,
and asked him if he would not yield his heart to
Jesus, and confess Him that night. He said very
respectfully, “If you will wait until tomorrow
night, I will do it.” There was something else to
do but wait. Something said to him, “You have
played the fool. You have let a little woman scare
you into something you are not ready to do.” lie
took a train, and left the city. Something said to
him again, “You have played the fool twice. You
have let a little woman run you out of town, and
run you out of business.” He took the train back
to town, and got back by nine o’clock in the morn
ing. Nothing was said by him about it. That night
he was in the church. The invitation was given,
but he did not respond. The same Christian worker
came to him, and reminded him of his promise. He
said to her, “No, I will not go.” I shall never for
get when, after awhile, that man stood and said.
“Last night I was impressed. I promised to yield
tonight. Instead of that, the devil told me to leave
town. I did it. Then he told me I was a fool, that
I had run away from my business. Tonight I am
here. I haven’t a bit of feeling about my salva
tion.” Hundreds prayed for him, but he was un
touched. When the meeting closed, he was left
out. I saw him about three years ago. We talked
of past days, and I asked him about his soul. Said
he, “I have never had a whit of feeling about it
from that time to this. What it means I do not
know. ’ ’
I believe that man had hardened his heart until
he had gotten past impression. Without hope on
earth where we have churches and preachers and
praying and singing. He was only waiting the
breaking of the brittle cord of life.
Do you know I believe there are people to whom
I preach that are past feeling? It hurts me to talk
The Golden Age for December 13, 1906.
to you this way. I have tried to keep from it.
It is an awful truth, and the fact that it is awful
makes it the more concern about salvation! Christ
hangs on the cross, and bleeds, but no feeling! I
know some people say, “It is a pessimistic doctrine,
and it ought not to be preached. It may scare peo
ple away from the Lord.” The one thing I want
is to so impress some that they may come while they
have a chance.
Now, a word as I close. Who is the man past
feeling? You can answer the question just as well
as I can. You have, perhaps, already asked your
self the question, “Have I committed the sin unto
death?” Are you past feeling? Have you no feel
ing as I talk to you about this solemn truth? Have
you come to the place where you have no desire
about your salvation? Then it is you. But can you
say, “No, I am not past feeling. I know I ought
to give my heart to Jesus. I still have feeling.”
There is hope so long as that feeling lasts. But
when you cross the line between feeling and no
feeling, when the heart becomes paralyzed to the
touch of the Spirit, there is no hope.
Our London Letter.
10 Paternoster Row, London, E. C.
Although there is at present no outstanding ac
tivity along evangelistic lines, there are signs, so
an evangelist of experience tells me, that the com
ing winter will witness an unusually strong move
ment on the part of the churches and missions all
over the country, and the indications are that the
opening of 1907 will become memorable in the
Christian Church by a widespread revival. I hope
this friend’s estimate is an 'accurate one, and that
there is approaching a spiritual movement that will
destroy the apathy and indifference and ungodliness
that prevail so extensively. While missions on a
smaller scale are being held in many quarters, noth
ing so large as the Torrey-Alexander campaigns
is in progress, though one of the leading evangel
ists in England, writing from the large city of
Derby, tells me that he is having a wonderful time.
There is certainly much need of a general blessing,
and we are all praying that it may soon come.
There is no doubt that one of the greatest obsta
cles that the Church of Christ has to face is the
tremendous prevalence of the drink evil. It af
flicts every grade of society. Only this week, the
retiring Lord Mayor of London, Sir Walter
Vaughan Morgan, made the remarkable declaration
that but for cases of drunkenness, the city might
do with almost half the number of policemen at
present required. Nevertheless, he thinks that so
far as the city is concerned, the habit of drinking
is decreasing, especially among the better c’a s of bus
iness men. They drink much less at meals than
formerly. That may be so, hut still it must be ad
mitted that the evil is a terrible one and that its
hold upon every class is enormous. The Rev. Can
on Horsley, who is one of the leading authorities
on this question in the Church of England, was tell
ing a friend of mine within the past week or two
that in his opinion temperance is making undoubted
progress. He admits that there is a terrible amount
of drinking among women, and that is one of the
features that appeal to the reformer. Recently at
one of London’s police courts, the majority of the
offenders were women, and -that is a picture that is
not very encouraging. Temperance sentiment is
growing throughout the country, and. with a Liber
al Government in power, temperance workers are
looking for measures that will tend to the dimin
ishing of liquor consumption. It is true that a na
tion can never he made sober by acts of parliament,
but these can help considerably to reduce the drunk
enness that is such a blot on the fair name of
England.
I don’t know’ whether Baptists in America ever
perform their baptismal ceremonies in the open
air. but on this side these singular services are oc
casionally witnessed. On Sunday last, thousands of
people lined the banks of a Welsh river to witness
the baptism of a number of people. The candi
dates were of all ages. As they entered the
stream, which ia thermometer test showed to he 38
degrees, they were pressed beneath the chilly cur
rent. and while the ceremony w r as being performed
massed choirs on the banks sang revival hymns.
The officiating minister afterward declared that no
ill effects ever followed upon these immersions, and
the candidates camie down to the water full of the
fire of the faith which nothing could cool. This par
ticular river—the river Dee—has become a histor
ical stream in connection with Welsh baptisms,
and through its sacred waters a vast army passes
year by year to be pillars of strength in the
Church.
July of next year will witness an interesting gath
ering in London, arrangements having just been
made by thie Evangelical Alliance for the Eleventh
International Conference of Christians of all
countries. The secretary of the Alliance told me
a few days ago that the Conference will probably
bring to London representatives of the Evangelical
Alliance from all parts of the world, and that the
invitation, to be issued shortly, will embrace Chris
tians of all countries and Churches. Such a unique
spectacle of Christian unity, he added, should prove
an object lesson to thle Christian Churches in gen
eral and a stimulus to the cause of unity at home
much needed at the present time.
I have never selen any calculation of the amount
of money that must be given away every year in
London in support of charitable objects, but it must
run into millions of pounds. “There is nothing
like it in the world,” said thle secretary of one in
stitution to me today.” During the recent Boer war.
the societies that depend upon the contributions of
the public suffered to a great extent through the
subscriptions falling off, but there is happily an
improvement setting in. and from inquiries which
I have been making I find that the funds of the
various organizations are in an excellent state. It
is cheering to know that. I remember a New York
editor once expressing to me his astonishment at
the enormous number of agencies of a charitable
character in London, and he wondered how they all
found support. And yet they all got along and ac
complish excellent work. Every need seems to
have some provision made to meet it, and that is a
splendid tribute to the Christianity of the nation.
The religion of Jesus Christ makes men and women
go about doing good.
J. Kennedy Maclean.
Dr. Bernard’s Book.
The Work Once Delivered to the Saints, is the
striking title of a neat little volume of 98 well
printed pages, written and published by Dr.
H. R. Bernard, of Athens, Ga., and sold for 25 cents
a copy.
Although the purpose of this is somewhat re
moved from the purview of the Studio, yet it is so
full of keen and fresh interpretation of the Scrip
ture that our readers will enjoy its perusal.
Written primarily from a Baptist Viewpoint, and
to correct some practical blunders in the methods
of that great body of Christians, its principles will
be quite as valuable to all denominations, because
derived from Scripture.
There is not a dull line in the book, which con
tains therefore more interesting matter than the
average volume many times its size and cost.
Dr. Bernard is strictly an original student and
thinker, with courage enough to tell clearly what he
means. To read this book will open up many
chapters of the Bible in away to make it valuable
to those who may care nothing for the special theme
therein treated.
It would, however, seem impossible for any one
to read this bright monograph without receiving
fresh incitement to work more zealously for the
Master. The book is for sale by American Baptist
Publication Society, Atlanta, Ga. Price, 25 cents.
—Dr. W. 11. Young, in Bible Studio.
The Smith Family.
An old lady, traveling for the first time in a
large city, saw a glaring sign on the front of a
high building, which read, “The Smith Manufac
turing Company.”
As she repeated it aloud slowly she remarked to
her nephew: “Laws ’a’ mercy! Well, I’ve heard
tell of Smiths all my life, but I never knew before
where they made ’em!”—Tit Bits (London).
5