of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." This is just as much a command as that is, that Thou shalt not steal. It is just as much a command for us to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, as it is a command that we shall not swear. It is one of the commands of the Bible. Jesus, when he was down here, in that memorable sermon on the Mount, said: "Seek first the kingdom of God." That was to come first; it was to come in ahead of everything else. The Master's ways are not our ways. God's thoughts are not our thoughts. What we put last, God puts first; what we put first, he puts last; the whole thing is reversed. We say, we do not want to seek the kingdom of God first. We have a good many things that must be attended to, before we seek the kingdom of God. I know, if persons think they would like to be converted, they always think they have some preparations to make beforehand. Now, this is just as much a command to-day as it was so many hundreds of years ago. Do you think if he was on earth to-day, he would alter that command? Do you think he would say for you to put off your salvation for one hour? Do you think he would tell you to seek his kingdom at some future time? Every day we hear of persons dying suddenly; sometimes without God and without hope, because they have not obeyed this command to seek first the kingdom of God. One reason that people do not seek first the kingdom of God is this: that they do not believe that God is real, and that he has a kingdom, and that they can find him; but they make light of the existence of his kingdom. The whole living world is seeking for something. There is not a person in this world who is not seeking for something. Then why not seek for the best things? If people will so seek for temporal things, doesn't it serve to show that you do not believe that God is real; or else you would first seek the kingdom of God, and find it before any of these other things?

I heard, some time ago, of a young man who wanted to become a Christian. His father was a worldly man, full of ambition and a desire to get on. His son went to him and told him his wish. The father turned around in astonishment, put on a dissatisfied look, and said: "My son, you have made a mistake. You had better wait until you get established in business; wait till you get older; better wait till you make some money; there is plenty of time yet to become a Christian." Does any young man here believe that? You know what the rich man in the scripture said and did. That man had got well on in business; he had made lots of money; his goods were increasing every year. At last, after an unusually plentiful harvest, he found he had to build more barns and storehouses. He felt sure of being able to enjoy himself; he was happy and contented, as he thought how his bank account was swelling, "Soul, take thine ease, thou hast much goods laid up for many days." He never

thought of the future; the present was all he cared anything about. But in his fancied security, he heard the dread and startling summons, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee." He had to leave all these things behind him; death snatched him away, and he lost the heaven he had neglected to make sure of on earth.

I heard a story of a young lady who was deeply concerned about her soul. Her father and mother, however, were worldly people. They thought lightly of her serious wishes; they did not sympathize with her state of mind. They made up their minds that she should not become a Christian, and tried every way they could to discourage her notions about religion. At last they thought they would get up a large party, and thus with gayety and pleasure win her back to the world. So they made every preparation for a gay time; they even sent to neighboring towns, and got all her most worldly companions to come to the house; they bought her a magnificent silk dress and jewelry, and decked her out in all the finery of such an occasion. The young lady thought there would be no harm in attending the party; that it would be a trifling affair, a simple thing, and she could, after it was over, think again of the welfare of her soul. She went, decked out in all her adornments, and was the belle of the ball. Three weeks from that night she was on her dying bed. She asked her mother to bring her ball-dress in. She pointed her finger at it, and, bursting into tears said, "That is the price of my soul." She died before the dawn. Oh, my friends, if you are anxious about your soul, let everything else go; let parties and festivals pass. Seek ye first the kingdom of God; then all these things will be added unto you. God commands you to do it. If you are lost-if you die in your sin-whose fault is it? God has commanded you to repent, and to seek salvation at once.

Are any of you going to take the responsibility of putting it off? You complain because Christ is urged upon you; you complain because your friends are anxious about you. How can they be otherwise than anxious? You heard what Mr. Sankey said a little while ago, about the death of a husband of one of our choir. This morning, while I was preaching, he passed away. We prayed for him at the opening, and again at the close of that service; but he was gone before we got through. Three of the ushers have been taken away since I have been preaching here. When I got up here to preach this evening, I said to myself, "Perhaps it is my turn next." But, thank God, I have an interest up yonder. I can read my title clear there. I have sought and found Christ. But on the other hand, see how people go on day by day, and year by year, and disobey the command of God. They say there is plenty of time. Why, you hear every day of wills being upset, because the man's mind was proved not to be clear when he made the will on his death-bed. If

his mind is not clear enough when he is dying to settle his little affairs here below, is that a time to repent and make provision for eternity? Is it the time, when we are racked with pain and tortured with anguish, to turn our hearts to God? Is that a time to begin to think of salvation? Is it right or honorable to give the dregs of a wasted and misspent life to God? I tell you I have not much faith in death-bed repentances. I do not limit the power and mercy of God; but I do not believe in them. If there is one out of a thousand that is saved, there are nine hundred and ninety-nine that are lost. They think that they repent then; but they are scared and terrified. It is not repentance, it is fear; when they get better, they go right back again to their wicked ways.

We cannot scare people into repentance; they must be born in, not be scared in. Let us reason for a moment. Suppose you ask the advice of a friend on the earth as to whether you had not better repent now. While I am preaching, young lady, just ask your mother sitting beside you what you had better do. Whisper to her -I'll excuse you-ask her if you had not better seek the kingdom of God now. Young lady, there is not one in the wide, wide world who loves you as your mother. Would she not advise you to accept Christ? Now just ask her. Most of those who are not Christians will advise you to seek the kingdom of God now, this very minute. If I go up yonder and ask them in heaven, every one there would tell you to seek the kingdom now. Paul for three years preached upon immediate repentance. He besought his hearers with tears to turn from their sins and be saved. "Behold, now is the accepted time." That was what he preached. Yes, I leave heaven and earth and go down to the very borders of hell, and will ask them there if it is not better to repent now. They would all with one voice answer, "Yes, yes, YES!" The only time we ever heard from that place was to have a young man implore that word might be sent to his father's house, that his brothers there might be warned against neglecting salvation. Yes; the lost ones would tell you to escape, and seek the kingdom of God, and be saved. Why, then, heaven, earth and hell all unite in warning you to seek the kingdom of God. Why will you not do it then? Why not accept Christ this very day? Just think what will become of you if you do not.

When the Lawrence Mills were on fire, a number of years ago-I don't mean on fire, but when the mill fell in; the great mill fell in, and after it had fallen in, the ruins caught fire. There was only one room left entire, and in it were three Mission Sunday-school children imprisoned. The neighbors and all hands got their shovels and picks and crowbars, and were working to set the children free. It came on night, and they had not yet reached the children. When they were near them, by some mischance a lantern broke; and the ruins caught fire. They tried to put it out; but they could not succeed.

They could talk with the children, and even passed to them some hot coffee and some refreshments, and encouraged them to keep up. But, alas! the flames drew nearer and nearer to this prison. Superhuman were the efforts made to rescue the children; the men bravely fought back the flames, but the fire gained fresh strength and returned to claim its victims. Then piercing shrieks arose, when the spectators saw that the efforts of the firemen were hopeless. The children saw their fate. They then knelt down, and commenced to sing the little hymn we have all been taught in our Sunday-school days, oh, how sweet!

"Let others seek a home below,

Which flames devour and waves overflow."

The flames had now reached them; the stifling smoke began to pour into their little room; and they began to sink, one by one, upon the floor. A few moments more and the fire circled around them; and their souls were taken into the bosom of Christ. Yes; let others seek a home below if they will; but seek ye the kingdom of God with all your hearts.

When I was a young man, before I left my native town, I was at work in the field one day in company with a man, a neighbor of mine. All at once I saw him begin to weep. I asked him what the trouble was. He then told me a strange story-strange to me then, for I was not at that time a Christian. He said that his mother was a Christian when he left home to seek his fortune. When he was about starting his mother took him by the hand and spoke these parting words: "My son, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things else shall be added unto thee." "This," said he, "was my mother's favorite text." When he got into the town to which he was going he had to spend the Sabbath there. He went to church, and the minister took this very text, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." He thought it very strange. Well, he said he would not seek the kingdom then. He would wait until he got a start in life, until he got a farm and some money. Yet that text troubled him. Again he went to church, and to his amazement the sermon was on that very same text. He did not attend church for some time. At last he was induced again to enter the church, and behold! he heard the preacher take that very same text. He thought then it was God speaking to him, that his mother's prayers were being answered. But he coolly, calmly and deliberately made up his mind that he would not be a Christian. "I have never heard any sermon since," said he, "that has made any impression on me." I was not a Christian myself then, so I didn't know how to talk to him. The time came for me to leave home. I went to Boston, and there I became a convert. When I got to be a Christian, the first thing that came into my mind was that man. I made up my mind

to try to bring him to Christ. When I came home, I mentioned the name to my mother, and asked if he was living. "Is he living?" she exclaimed. "Didn't I write to you about him?" "Write me what?" "Why, that he had gone out of his mind and is now in the insane asylum." When I got up there, he pointed his finger at me. Says he, "Young man, seek ye first the kingdom of God." He had never forgotten the text. Although his mind was shattered and gone, the text was there.

My friends, do let that man speak to you. He is gone now. How much better it would have been for him to have followed his mother's prayer. The Spirit of God may be striving with some one tonight. I may be standing here for the last time. Let me plead with you once more to seek the kingdom of God, and seek it with all your hearts.

TRUST IN THE LORD.

"Trust ye in the Lord forever." ISAIAH, 26: 4.

My text this evening is just one short word-five letters in it"Trust." Five letters with five heads: Trust, whom to trust, when to trust, how to trust, and then who will trust him, and the result of trusting. Now, I have not come to-day to preach a sermon as much as I have to tell you how you can be saved. I see a good many here who have been in the inquiry-rooms during the past week, and have gone away with their heads down, sad and weary, carrying the burden, not leaving it all with Jesus. Now, God helping me, I want to make the way so plain that you can all be saved this evening.

Whom to trust! In that portion of scripture I have just read, we are told whom not to trust. We are told not to trust in the arm of flesh. "Cursed be the man that maketh the arm of flesh his trust," and Isaiah, in the 26th chapter, 3d and 4th verses, tell us whom to trust: "Thou wilt keep him' in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusted in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." Now, you cannot find any one who has put his whole trust in God but he has perfect peace. His soul is at rest. It is not tossed about upon every wave of doctrine, but it is at rest; because it is utterly impossible for anybody to put entire trust in God, and not have perfect peace.

That