some church, some particular minister, and not on Christ, who said, even at twelve years of age, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business." The life of Jesus was one succession of good works; and if we would follow his example, we cannot help working. "Be careful to maintain good works." J suppose that means you are to carefully maintain the church. Let me say to all, maintain the church. Let me say this especially to all young converts. I have heard that of these some say they can be Christians and not unite with the church; and I was told, last night, that one of them said I didn't belong to the church. That is a mistake. I tried, as soon as I was converted, to enter the church; but at first they would not let me; some doubted whether I was converted. But I have been in the bosom of the church ever since, and have never seen the day or the hour that I would be out of it. I believe it is the dearest institution on earth; that there is no institution to be compared with it. It was the church that Christ, died for, because he loved it so dearly.

If a man is born of God, he should take shelter in the church, that it may be to him a nursing mother. To do so, ought to be held not only the duty, which it is, but a glorious privilege. I have no sympathy with those people who stay out of the church and simply throw stones at it, and proclaim what it ought to be. If we can make it better, let us go in. Don't expect the Church of God upon earth to be without failings. If the church is cold, go in and warm it up. Let us each do what we can to make it better. And then the Sunday-school-let us make that better. Go out on the streets and get those children, and teach them the words of life; that is the way to maintain good works. Bible societies should be maintained; Bible reading should be maintained. Whatever the good work is, carefully maintain it. If you have wealth, send that money around; use the Lord's money for the Lord. I hope to see the day when men will seek investments for the Lord, as they now seek them out for themselves. If a man has a few thousand dollars to invest for himself, how he seeks out the best investment! On this very ground why should not Christian men seek out investments for the Lord? I don't believe any other investments will bring in better dividends. Yes, I hope the time is coming more and more, when rich men will "carefully maintain good works. And to all I say, see that everything that is good is maintained; cheer these young converts; do not be complaining; be just as careful-every one of you, new converts and all-be just as careful to "maintain good works" as to accept Christ.

Now, look at the 2d Epistle to the Thessalonians, 2d chapter and 17th verse: "Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work." Now what we want is to get "stablished," to have a settled plan or method of doing good works. I have been

a superintendent of Sabbath-schools for some years, and noticed this: that teachers who swung around from place to place, who took in Dr. Kittredge's church, then the First Methodist and then this and then that, have always proved failures. Now, I like these men that take hold of classes and don't give them up, and who are in their regular pew every Sunday, and are not drawn away by some eloquent preacher-some preacher from abroad, who happens to be filling a South-side or a North-side pulpit. Fifty-two Sundays in the year they are there; you know where to find them, they're right there at the accustomed post of duty. All the while, their influence increases. But these teachers, and others that are all the time running here and there, never accomplish much.

A good many people are like a bundle of shavings; a spark falls, and quickly the shavings are all gone, and there's left scarcely any ashes even. My friends, ten thousand such Christians are not worth one that makes constancy his motto. We don't want any revival Christians-got enough of them; don't want any Sunday Christians -got enough of them. What's wanted are these men "stablished" in good works, these men that hold on. A man that does one thing is a terrible man. The man who tries a hundred things fails at everything. If it is the Sunday-school, if God calls me there, I will stand by my post. If God calls me to lead a cottage prayer-meeting or read the Bible, I must win success there-I must hold on; and it won't be long before God will bring me success, for God has promised it: "You shall reap, if you God will try you; you faint not." will have some things to discourage you; but you must hold on. Next, please look at the 17th verse of the 3d chapter of Colossians: "Whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the father by him." Don't work, as your highest motive, to advance the Centenary Methodist church; don't work for the Third Presbyterian church, nor for the First Congregational church. If a man goes to work to exclusively build up the Congregational, the Presbyterian, the Baptist, or the Episcopal church; to build up exclusively any of the denominations, he is on the wrong path. It is not in the name of the church, but in the name of the Lord Jesus, that we are to do all things. If we do and suffer for him, God will bless us. When we come to God and ask a blessing for Christ's sake, don't you see what a power we've secured? For Christ's sake! Jesus as our advocate! In Detroit, at an international convention of the Young Men's Christian Association, Judge Olds was present as a delegate from Columbus. One evening, he was telling about the mighty power that Christians summon to their aid in this petition "for Christ's sake!" "In Jesus' name!" and he told a story that made a great impression on me. When the war came on, he said, his only son left for the army; and he became suddenly interested in soldiers. Every soldier

that passed by brought his son to remembrance; he could see his son in him. He went to work for soldiers. When a sick soldier came there to Columbus one day, so weak he couldn't walk, the Judge took him in a carriage and got him into the Soldiers' Home. Soon he became president of the Soldiers' Home in Columbus, and used to go down every day and spent hours in looking after those soldiers, and seeing that they had every comfort. He spent on them a great deal of time, and a great deal of money. One day he said to his wife: "I'm giving too much time to these soldiers; I've got to stop it. There's an important case coming on in court, and I've got to attend to my own business." He said he went down to the office that morning, resolved in future to let the soldiers alone. He went to his desk, and then to writing. Pretty soon the door opened, and he saw a soldier hobble slowly in. He started at the sight of him. The man was fumbling at something in his breast, and pretty soon he got out an old soiled paper. The father saw it was his own son's writing.

"DEAR FATHER,-This young man belongs to my company. He has lost his leg and his health in defense of his country, and he is going home to his mother to die. If he calls on you, treat him kindly,

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FOR CHARLIE'S SAKE."

"For Charlie's sake." The moment he saw that, a pang went to his heart. He got up for a carriage, lifted the maimed soldier in, drove home, put him into Charlie's room, sent for the family physician, kept him in the family and treated him like his own son. When the young soldier got well enough to go to the train to go home to his mother, he took him to the railway station, put him in the nicest, most comfortable place in the carriage, and sent him on his way home to his mother. "I did it," said the old judge, "for Charley's sake." Now, whatsoever you do, my friends, do it for the Lord Jesus' sake. Do and ask everything in his name, in the name of him "who loved us and gave himself for us."

And then again, lastly, be united. It is the greatest force of all to be of "one mind and one spirit." The boast of infidels has been, "Christianity has been all divided up." "Be," I beseech you, "of one mind and one spirit." If jealousy comes in among you, you cannot do great things. If one minister is used more than others, let us praise God for that; let us thank him that he has given divers gifts to men, all contributing to the glory of his name. This work, then, won't stop, but will go on. How many battles in the last war were lost just through jealousy in the officers? When I was in the South, they told me that they lost many and many a battle because jealousy got in among the generals. Just so, many battles are lost to God's people. All must be willing to do anything, that God's work may go on. When Grant's army lay in front of Richmond, after the battle of the Wilderness, when he was first repulsed, he

called his four leading commanders, one dark night, to consult with him. All advised him to retreat. The next morning early, an orderly came dashing to the four commanders, bringing word to advance in solid column without delay. That attack defeated the Southern column; and what did it was the steady, irresistible advance in solid column. So let the advance be made in the army of Jesus. Be not hearers of the Word any longer, but doers. Let every one do what he can to carry on this work; gird on your armor for the fight. I am told that during Napoleon's great wars, medals were struck off with a scene of battle on one side, and on the other, the simple words, "I was there;" and after Napoleon had died, and years had gone by, those old veterans would bring out their medals, and, talking about the battle, or the prowess of the great general, they would proudly tell how they were in the thickest of the fight-"I was there." Oh, my friends, rush forward to the thickest of the fight; and by-and-by it will be your boast, "I was there, I had a hand in that fight." And by-and-by-still keeping up the warfare, even in your gray hairs and tottering age-shall some one say of you: "He was a true soldier of the cross, and fell from the walls of Zion with the trump of God in his hand, and a shout of victory on his lips." May that be the end of every child of God here, in this Tabernacle, in this city. May we die-not in the wilderness-may we die with the trump of God in our hands, and with shouts of victory on our lips!

ON THE DEATH OF MR. P. P. BLISS.

"Therefore be ye also ready."

I expected to enjoy, this afternoon, coming around here and hearing our friend Mr. Bliss sing the Gospel and our friend Mr. Whittle preach. I was telling my wife, when I got home Friday night, that I was really glad I didn't have to work so hard on this Sabbath. I cannot tell you what a disappointment it has been to me. I have looked forward to those two men of God coming to this city. I had arranged and made my plans to stay over a few days, in order to hear and enjoy their services. Ever since I heard that I would have to take their place this afternoon, there has been just one text running in my mind. I cannot keep it out: "Therefore be ye also ready." You who have heard me preach the past three months, I think I will

bear witness to this, that I haven't said much about death. Perhaps I haven't been faithful in this regard. I'd always rather tell about life; perhaps there's not been warning enough in my preaching. But I feel that, if I should hold my peace this afternoon, and not lift up my voice and warn you to make ready for death, God mighty me aside and put some one else in my place; I must speak and forewarn you.

to me.

To-day has been one of the most solemn days in my life. The closing hours of every year, for the past ten or twelve years, have been very solemn to me. I think I never spent such a day as I have to-day. This world never seemed so empty, and men never looked so blind away from God, as they do to-day. It seems, as never before, that I cannot understand how life can go on in madness, how a man can keep away from Christ, when in just a stroke he is gone to eternity, and there is no hope. Those men I mean that really believe, intellectually, that the Bible is true; that if they die without regeneration, without being born again, they cannot see God's kingdom. How it is they can believe, and yet they can still stay away from Christ when such judgments are brought near to them, is a mystery I hope the words of the Lord Jesus will find their way to your hearts, as they have to mine; I hope you will hear him this afternoon saying: "Therefore, be ye also ready." He had been warning them; for in the verse preceding this text he said, "As in the days of Noah, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the flood came and took them all away." It came suddenly. How often the judgments of God come suddenly upon us. I want to call your attention to a few words we find in the Old Testament, in the 6th chapter of Jeremiah, at the 10th verse: "To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? Behold their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken; behold the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it." Also in the 33d chapter of Ezekiel, 4th, 5th and 6th verses: "Then whosoever hear the sound of the trumpet and taketh not warning, if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hands." Do you ask me, now, why I am so anxious to warn you? Because, if I don't, the blood of your soul will be required at my hand.

I want to warn you to-day; I want to plead with you to-day. And it is because I love you that I come to plead with you. I am sure there is nothing else that could induce ine to speak this afternoon. I felt rather like going into my room and locking the door,