High God. We are made perfect in Christ, clothed in his garments; we are made sons and daughters of God. We have a birthright, and it is a name. We are not only born into the family of God, but adopted. When we are born into the family of God, and become partakers of his nature, we take his name. The only way to get into that family is to be born in; we cannot educate ourselves in or work our way in. It is the work of Goa that takes us in. No man until he is born of God can say really that he is a Christian.

Another thing we get in the new way. We do not walk in the same way as before we were converted. A man or woman who professes Christianity and yet goes on in the old way has not been born again. When we are born again, we are born in a new way; and Christ is that way himself. We give up our way, and take his. The old way leads to death, the new way to life everlasting. In the old way, Satan leads us; in the new way the Son of God leads us. We are led by him, not into bondage and darkness, but into the way of peace and joy. A great many people tell us that they do not believe in the Old Testament, or in much of the New; but they believe in the Ten Commandments, and the Sermon on the Mount. Some say this because they have heard others say it; and I have met people who could not tell what they believed, except that it was what their ministers believed. They have no time to read the Word of God, though they have time to read all the novels of the day. Let me say to you people who believe in the Sermon on the Mount and nothing else, that we are told of a broad and a narrow way, the broad that leads to death, and the narrow to life eternal. Which way is yours, my friend? Are you in the narrow way that leadeth into life eternal, or in the broad way that leads to death? There are a great many that do not want to give up the broad way, because they like their own way; they do not like to give up the amusements of the world. There are plenty of churches in the broad way; for you can get almost any kind of preaching, now-a-days. They want men that will tell them everything is going on smoothly, that everybody will be saved, and the Lord is going to take them all into heaven. They can find that kind of preaching. A good many say: "I don't like that narrow, bigoted man that preaches the narrow way; I believe we will all be swept into heaven, whether we want to be or not. But some shake their heads and say they think they will be put into purgatory, and be punished perhaps a million of years. I would rather bow to Scripture. I can find no chance of repentance in the grave. But even if it were so, why not repent here? Is sin so sweet that you cannot give it up? The broad way is filled with unhappiness. God does not want us to do that which will bring ruin upon ourselves and upon others. If we live as God would have us, we mount higher and higher every year. That is taught in the Word of God. How is it with those who serve Satan? How dark and hard it is.

There is no praying down the broad way, though they may say prayers. They do not believe in conversion. Look down the two ways, and decide to-day which way you will take.

No one

With the new birth, we also get a new tongue. There is, perhaps as much trouble caused in the world by slandering as by drinking. That question was brought up at the dinner table to-day; and we came to the conclusion that there were about as many dark and miserable homes resulting from slander as from drink. If a person is born of God, he has a new tongue, and he will not go out and slander people. If you love a person, you cannot slander him. Many a man has gone to his grave with a broken heart, because he has been slandered and lied about, perhaps by those who professed to be friends. When we are born of God, we get a new tongue, and there will be no slandering with it. The tongue that is blaspheming to-day may be praising God to-morrow. We get a new tongue when we get a new heart; and then we get a new song. can sing the song of the redemption till he has been born again. I do not know but a man can sing a lie as well as speak it. Now, though I have heard "Rock of Ages," perhaps once a day for twenty years, I could not start it; but I can sing in my heart just as well as Mr. Sankey, or anybody else. I cannot get it through these thick lips, but it is in my heart; and, by and by, I want to sing around the throne the song of Moses and the Lamb. I want to sing of him who redeemed me with his precious blood. Every true church is a singing church. Such a church won't hire three or four women to do their singing; they burst right out singing. And by and by you will see them on resurrection morning, coming from their sepulchres singing. This is the only thing we have heard of that they do in heaven.

The next thing we get is new food. If a man is converted, he is not going to live on the New York Ledger, and dime novels. I be lieve that one of the things that are poisoning the people is this miserable stuff. If we are born of God, we want better than that. When we have read the Bible through three or four times-and when we have done that, we will find it has spoiled nearly every other book for us. Another thing that a man gets is new friends. I thank God every day for the friends he has given me. 1 cannot go into a city or town but the best people in it gather around me. Thank God for Christian friends. My friends, if you want true friends, you want the friends of Jesus Christ. When I received Christ, I thought I got a great boon. I thought it was the best gift I ever received; and I used to wonder if he would continue that precious to me. But I can say without exaggeration that he has been a thousand times more to me than I thought he would be. If you want to know how to become a Christian, just receive Christ; and you will get everything in him. If you will let him into your

heart, he will bless you and save you. There is the new birth, the new creation, the new nature. Have you got them? Then the new name-have you got that? Can you say you are a child of God? Have you got into the new way? Have you got the new song in your mouth? Are you living on this heavenly food? Have you got new friends? May God help us to get all these things, and this will be the best Sabbath you have spent up to this time.

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

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You that have been here the last three Sunday mornings remember that I have been talking about Christ. Three weeks ago, this morning, we were looking at Christ in the Old Testament, and how the prophecy was fulfilled in regard to his coming; and the next Sabbath we were talking about his birth: and last Sunday of John, the forerunner to introduce him; and you remember that I have spoken here, during the last three months, of his birth, his life, his miracles, his parables, his death, his burial, his resurrection and his ascension. Now, this morning I want to talk about his coming again. (A voice: "Amen!") There is more said in the Epistles about the Lord Jesus Christ returning to this earth than there is about baptism. There is no denomination, no church scarcely, but that lays great stress upon that order; and God forbid that I should anything that would give you to understand that I look upon it lightly. I think that every order that the Lord has given us, and ever commanded us to do, ought to be carried out literally; but we find that this doctrine has been, as it were, laid aside by the churches sometimes they have forgotten all about it. But I don't know anything that will quicken the Church to-day so much as this precious doctrine of our Lord's return. (A voice: "Amen.") If I read my Bible correctly, in the Epistles baptism is referred to thirteen times and the Lord's return upwards of fifty times. So that it is not an unscriptural idea that I want to bring before you this morning. If the Word of God doesn't teach it, my friends, don't you receive it; but let us be ready and willing to bow to Scripture, because we read that all Scripture is given by inspiration; that we are not to be one-sided Christians, and take up one truth and harp on that all the time; but we are to take up the whole Word of God.

Just turn to the 2nd epistle of Peter, the 1st chapter and 19th

verse: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation." No private interpretation. It is for the whole Church of God-the whole family of God. "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

Now you know Gabriel came down to announce the conception of Christ, and angels came to announce his birth: angels came to announce his resurrection; angels came to announce his return. When those apostles stood there gazing up into heaven, two angels dropped down there. "And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them: "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen; remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." Yes, thank God, he is coming again, just as he went. (A voice: "Amen!") We are going to see him in person; he that left this world blessing it for that is the way he left this world, blessing it-is coming back to bless his own church and to receive them that have waited for his return. If you read the 26th chapter of Matthew, the 64th verse, you will find that it was just this very thing that caused his death. When the high priests asked him who he was, and if he was the true Messiah, what does he say: "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." That was enough. The moment they heard that, they accused him of blasphemy and condemned him to death, just because he said he was coming again. "Ye shall see me coming in the clouds of glory."

Now, let me say that this doctrine has suffered a good deal from those who claim to be its friends, because they set a time-a certain day-for his coming. Now, we read here in Matthew, 24th chapter and 30th verse, that no man knows when he shall come.. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." It seems to me that the devil is all the time trying to counterfeit these precious truths, so that the mass of Christians will not believe it. Now, there it is clearly taught that the day and the hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven. Now, when a man comes and tells you that he knows when Christ is coming that he is coming next year, or in 1980, or in any particular year or at any particular time, he has got no truth for that assertion. "The day and the hour knoweth no man." I think if we

knew the day and the hour of his coming, we wouldn't be watching for his coming. All through the Scripture we are told to watch for his coming.

"Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." And then we are also taught that his coming shall be sudden. We find in that 24th chapter, 35th verse: "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark. And knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Now, we have that order that the time of his coming is unknown; that he is coming unexpectedly. In another place it says that he is coming like a thief in the night. He is coming suddenly; but let us bear in mind that he is coming, because that word has gone out.

Now, I can imagine some of you say, "He is coming to us when we die." But that is not what is taught here. Death is not the coming of the Lord. Just turn to the 21st chapter of John, 18th verse: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldst; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me." Now, the thought I want to call your attention to is this; that Christ didn't look to his death and his coming as one and the same thing. He kept them distinct. His coming is one thing; his death is another. You and I may be summoned away before Christ comes; but I am not taught anywhere in the Scripture to look for death. That is not in the Scripture. We are told to look for the coming of the Lord. Now, Peter wanted to know what John should do. "Jesus saith unto him, If I will that be tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me." That is, you are to follow me,and not look to see what this disciple or that disciple is going to do. "Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die; yet Jesus said not unto him, he shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" There is a difference between death and his coming. Now, I think that we make a great mistake in saying that death is the coming of the Lord. Death is one thing; and the coming of the Lord is another. Why, the year of jubilee will burst upon this world by and by; and we shall come up out of our graves. That is distinct and separate from death. It will be all life then. We shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye. Enoch was one type of life, he was caught up into heaven. Elijah was translated from earth to heaven, in a fiery chariot. These two represent