WHAT CHRIST IS TO US?

Episcopalian church claims to be the only true church. So with the Presbyterians, and the Methodists; and I don't know really what way to take." Thank God, we need not be in darkness about that. He tells us, "I am the way." The greatest mistake of the present day is, the following of this creed and that one, this church and that church; and a great many listen to the voice of the church, instead of the voice of God. The Catholic church, or any other, never saved a soul. The Son of God is the Savior of the world. The very name of Jesus can save his people from their sins. He is a real personal Savior; and if a man wants to become a Christian, let him put his eyes on that Savior, and he will be saved. You know that the children of Israel had a cloud going ahead of them. When the cloud moved they moved; when it stopped they stopped; and when it started they followed it. So, my friends, it is Jesus that is our way; and if we follow his footseps, we will be in the right church. Who could have led those chosen people through that wilderness better than God Almighty? He knew of all dangers and difficulties. When they wanted bread, he opened his hand and gave it them; when they wanted water, he commanded Moses to strike a rock, and, lo, the crystal stream gushed forth. Who could better lead them through the wilderness; and who could better lead us to heaven than Jesus? A great many people don't like the old way our fathers taught. Well, the people in the days of Jeremiah didn't like the old way; they hated it, and so he put them in slavery for seventy years. The good old way our fathers taught is better than our own

way.

People say this Bible was good enough for ancient days; but we have men of culture, of science, of literature now, and its value has decreased to the people of our day. Now, give me a better book, and I will throw it away. Has the world ever offered us a better book? These men want us to give up the Bible. What are you going to give us in its place? Oh, how cruel infidelity is to tell us to give up all the hope we have-to throw away the only book which tells us the story of the resurrection. They try to tell us it is all a fiction, so that, when we lay our loved ones in the grave, we bid them farewell for time and eternity. Away with this terrible doctrine. The Bible of our fathers and mothers is true; and the good old way is true. When man comes and tries to draw us from the old to the new way, it is the work of the devil. But men say we have outgrown this way. Why don't men outgrow the light of the sun? They shouldn't let the light of the sun come into their buildings should have gas; the sun is old, and gas is a new light. There is just as much sense in this as to take away the Bible. How much we owe the blessed Bible! Why, I don't think human life would be safe in this city, if it wasn't for it. Look at the history of the nations where the Bible has been trampled under foot. Only a few years

ago, France and England were pretty nearly equal. England threw the Bible open to the world; and France tried to trample it. Now the English language is spoken around the world, and its prosperity has increased, while it stands foremost among nations. But look at France. It has gone down and down, with anarchy and revolution. Let us not forsake the old way. The Chief Shepherd has gone in through the gates, and tells us to come in through him. When I was in Dublin, I heard of a little boy who, while being taught in one of the mission schools, had found Christ. When he got home he tried to talk to his father and mother about his Redeemer. The little fellow sickened and died; and when I was there, four years after the death of that boy, the father might have been seen night after night reading his Bible. If you had asked him what he was looking for, he would have told you he was looking for the way his little son had taken to get into heaven. He was trying to find the way. My friends, our elder brother has gone before us, and has taken his seat at the right hand of his God, and he won't leave us in darkness.

I remember, a number of years ago, I went out of Chicago to try to preach. I went down to a little town, where was being held a Sunday-school convention. I was a perfect stranger in the place; and on my arrival, a man stepped up to me and asked me if my name was Moody. I told him it was, and he invited me to his house. When I arrived, he said he had to go to the convention, and asked me to excuse his wife, as she, not having a servant, had to attend to her household duties. He put me into the parlor, and told me to amuse myself as best I could till he came back. I sat there, but the room was dark and I could not read; and I got tired. So I thought I would try and get the children and play with them. I listened for some sound of childhood in the house, but could not hear a single evidence of the presence of little ones. When my friend came back I said, "Haven't you any children?" "Yes," he replied, "I have one, but she's in heaven; and I am glad she is there, Moody." "Are you glad that your child is dead?" I inquired. He went on to tell me how he had worshiped that child; how his whole life he had been bound up in her, to the neglect of his Savior. One day he had come home and found her dying. Upon her death, he accused God of being unjust. He saw some of his neighbors with their children around them. Why hadn't he taken some of them away? He was rebellious. After he came home from her funeral, he said: "All at once I thought I heard her little voice calling me, but the truth came to my heart that she was gone. Then I thought I heard her feet upon the stairs; but I knew she was lying in the grave. The thought of her loss made me almost mad. I threw myself on my bed, and wept bitterly. I fell asleep, and while I slept I had a dream; but it almost seems to me like a vision. I thought I was going over a barren field, and I came to a river so dark and chill-looking that I

was going to turn away; when, at once, I saw, on the opposite bank, the most beautiful sight I ever looked at. I thought death and sorrow could never enter into that lovely region. Then I began to see beings all so happy looking, and among them I saw my little child. She waved her little angel hand at me and cried, 'Father, father, come this way.' I thought her voice sounded much sweeter than it did on earth. In my dream, I thought I went to the water and tried to cross it; but found it deep, and the current so rapid that I thought if I entered, it would carry me away from her for ever. I tried to find a boatman to take me over, but couldn't; and I walked up and down the river trying to find a crossing, and still she cried: 'Come this way.' All at once, I heard a voice come rolling down: I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.' The voice awoke me from my sleep;. and I knew it was my Savior calling me, and pointing the way for me to reach my darling child. I am now superintendent of a Sabbathschool; I have made many converts; my wife has been converted, and we will, through Jesus as the way, see one day our child."

Am I not speaking to some father to-night, who has some loved one in yonder land? Am I not speaking to some mother, who has a little one in that happy land? And if you could but hear their voice, would they not say: "Come right this way?" Am I not speaking to some here who have representatives there? There's not a son here, if he could hear his mother's voice, but who would be told to come right that way. Thank God, we have all our Elder Brother there. Nearly one thousand nine hundred years have passed since he went there; but he is as constant to us now as he was when first he went there. Dear friends, as he calls us up to him, let us turn our backs to this world. Let us take Christ as our Redeemer, as our Deliverer, as our Physician, as our Way, as our Truth, and as our Light. May the blessing of heaven fall upon us all to-night; and may every man and woman here who is out of the kingdom, accept him and press into his dominions.

CHRIST OUR KEEPER.

You that were here last night may remember that I was talking about what Christ was to us. I did not finish that subject, and want to take it up again. I want to speak of Christ now as our keeper. Many people in the inquiry rooms complained that they could not hold out; they commenced all right, but could not hold out. Of course they could not, if they tried to do so of themselves. But, thank God, they had a keeper. A man, when asked what persuasion he was, replied that he was of the same as St. Paul was, and he said: "I believe that he is able to keep that which is committed to him." That is a good denomination, and I recommend it to your attention. What is this keeping; what does it consist of? If one of you had $100,000 in your pocket, and knew that fifteen or twenty thieves had their eyes on you, and wanted to rob you, what would you do? You would find a safe bank, and put it in there and feel safe. Now, every one of you has a precious soul, which the devil is striving to rob you of, and you cannot be safe until you have given it into Christ's keeping. The lion of the tribe of Judah is the only one that can safely keep us.

What does the Word say? "I am the light of the world; if any man follow me he shall have the light of life." Why are so many of us in darkness? Because we will not follow the light-will not follow Christ. It does not matter who it is; a man of talent and intellect is no better than any one else, if he does not walk in the light. I remember, during the second year of the war, when things looked very bad for the country, they had a meeting, and every one spoke gloomily and hung their heads like so many bulrushes. One old man, though gray-bearded and with a face that literally shone-he was a man who looked like Moses-and he commenced to upbraid them that they did not look toward the Light; that they should remember that.if it was dark around them it was light higher up, where their Elder Brother was, and it only rested with them to climb higher. There is no darkness where Jesus is. Let us ask ourselves, let each one ask, "Am I a light in my family, among my companions ?" The Word said: "Ye are the light of the world." Are you, brethren? Just consider over it. Let us keep our loins girded and our lamps burning, or people will stumble over us. Oh, my friends, if the light in us be darkness, how great is that darkness. If we would light the world up, we must borrow the light; we must take no glory to

Corner Chicago Avenue and La Salle Street, Chicago, Ill.

This edifice, recently completed, had more helping hands in its erection, than perhaps any other similar building in the world. After the great fire, which laid in ashes Moody's Illinois Street Mission, he at once called upon the Sunday-school scholars of Christendom to contribute each "a brick" only, in this good cause. The response was hearty and general. In came the money, and up went the new church structure, which stands to-day a noble monument of child love and liberality. It is 120x100 feet, with nine rooms below, and a large auditorium and galleries above seating 2,500 persons. The entire cost was about $100,000. The Society now has a membership of 400 and a Sunday-school of 1,000 scholars.