of the vilest sinner, and put the hand of the wayward prodigal into that of the Father, and He died that you and I might be reconciled. If you take my advice, you will not go out of this ball to-night until you are reconciled. "Be ye reconciled." Oh, this gospel of reconciliation! My friends, come home to-night. Your Father wants you to come. Say as the prodigal did of old, "I will arise and go to my father," and there will be joy in heaven,

"Go

ye

PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." I wish you just to mark that text. It does not say, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the elect;" it does not say, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the rich," or to the learned, or to the unlearned; but "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." And I am one of those men that believe that God means what He says; that when God says, "Go and preach to every creature," He means that every man shall be invited to the gospel feast, and that none need be excluded, or that none need stay away. And if a man does not come, it will be because he is not willing to accept of the invitation. As Christ says, "Ye will not come unto Me, that ye might have life." It is not because men cannot come; it is because they will not come.

The devil does not want you to hear the text. That is just what gives life, the Word of God. The text is worth more than the sermo". Hear the proclamation, “Go ye into the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." That is plain language, is it not? It is so plain, that there is not any one here need misunderstand it: and, as I said before, Christ means what He says. He sends out His messengers to proclaim the glad tidings. Gethsemane is behind; the empty grave is behind; Calvary, in all its horrors, is now past; He is on His way back home to take His seat at the right hand of the Father. His little church is gathered round Him-a little handful of men, and He breathes upon them the Holy Ghost; and now this is His parting commission, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." I thank God for that text. I thank God that the commission is for us to proclaim it to every creature, and that every person in this wide, wide world is invited to the gospel feast.

Every one of God's proclamations is connected with that word "whosoever." I think it was Richard Baxter said he thanked God for that "whosoever." He would a good deal rather have that word

"whosoever than Richard Baxter; for if it was Richard Baxter, he should have thought it was some other Richard Baxter who had lived and died before him; but "whosoever " he knew meant him. I heard of a woman once that thought there was no promise in the Bible for her; she thought the promises were for some one else, not for her. There are a good many of these people in the world. They think it is too good to be true that they can be saved for nothing. This woman one day got a letter, and when she opened it she found it was not for her at all; it was meant for another woman that had her name; and she had her eyes opened to the fact that if she should find some promise in the Bible directed to her, she would not know whether it meant her or some one else that bore her name. But you know the word "whosoever" means every one in this house; that boy down there, that grey-haired man, and that young man right in the blush of youth. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." It does not leave out one. proclaim the glad tidings to every man on the face of the earth.

Go and

I was in Ohio a few years ago, and was invited to preach in the State prison. Eleven hundred convicts were brought into the chapel, and all sat in front of me. After I had got through the preaching, the chaplain said to me: "Moody, I want to tell you of a scene which occurred in this room. A few years ago, our commissioners went to the governor of the State, and got him to promise that he would pardon five men for good behaviour. The governor consented with this understanding-that the record was to be kept in secret, and that at the end of six months the five men highest on the roll should receive a pardon, regardless of who or what they were: if they were there for life they should receive a pardon. At the end of six months the prisoners were all brought into the same chapel where I had been preaching; and the commissioners came up, and the president of the commissioners stood up on the platform, and put his hand in his pocket, and brought out some papers, and said, I hold in my hand pardons for five men.'" And the chaplain told me he never witnessed anything on earth like it. Every man was as still as death; many were deadly pale, and the suspense was something awful. The commissioner went on to tell them how they had got the pardon; but the chaplain said to the commissioner, "Before you make your speech, read out the names. This suspense is awful." So he read out the first name, "Reuben Johnson will come and get his pardon ;" and he held it out, but none came forward. Ile said to the governor, "Are all the prisoners here?" governor told him they were all there. Then he said again, "Reuben Johnson will come and get his pardon. It is signed and sealed by the governor. He is a free man." The chaplain told me he looked right down where Reuben was, and he was looking all round to see the fortunate man who had got his pardon. Finally the chaplain caught his eye, and he said, "Reuben, you are the man." Reuben turned round and looked behind him to see where Reuben was.

The

The

chaplain said the second time, Reuben, you are the man; and the second time he looked round, thinking it must be some other Reuben. Now, men do not believe the gospel is for them. They think it is too good, and pass it over their shoulders to the next man. But you are the man to-night. This boy, this grey-haired man, this reporter, and every creature, are all invited. Well, the chaplain could see where Reuben was, and he had to say three times, "Reuben, come and get your pardon.' At last the old man got up and came along down the hall, trembling from head to foot; and when he got the pardon, he looked at it, and went back to his seat and buried his face in his hands, and the prisoners heard him weep to think he was a free man. When the prisoners got into the ranks to go back to the cells Reuben got into the ranks too, and the chaplain had to call to him, "Reuben, get out of the ranks; you are a free man, you are no longer a prisoner." And Reuben stepped out of the ranks. That is the way men make out pardons. They make out pardons for good character or good behaviour. But God makes out pardons for men that have not got any character, and who have been very very bad. He has got a pardon for every sinner in London if he will take it. I do not care who he is or what he is like. He may be the greatest sinner that ever walked the streets of London; but I come with glad tidings, and preach the gospel to every creature, "and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Every man is invited.

When Dr. Arnot, whom the Lord has just called home to his reward, was pastor of a church in Glasgow, he heard of a woman that he knew being in trouble. She could not pay her debts, and she could not pay her rent; so he went round to her house, thinking he would help her. He knocked at the door, and listened, and thought he heard some one inside; so he knocked again, but no one came. He knocked the third time very loud, and listened, but did not hear any one; all was still. After waiting some time, he made a great noise, and at last left the house. Some few days after, he met the woman in the street, and he said to her, "I was round at your house the other day. I heard you were in trouble, and could not pay your rent, and I went to help you." The woman said, "Was that you? I was in the house all the time; but I thought it was the landlord come for the rent, and as I had not got the money I kept the door locked." That woman represents a sinner. A sinner thinks God is coming to demand something. Instead of that, God comes to give and to bless. Christ comes to pay the debt. You all owe God a debt you cannot pay; and the gospel tells you that Christ came and paid it for you. You had better pull back the bolt, and let Him in to-night.

When we were in Dublin, I went out one morning to an early meeting, and I found the servants had not opened the front door; so I pulled back a bolt, but I could not get the door open. Then I turned a key, but the door would not open. Then I found there was

another bolt at the top; then I found there was another bolt at the bottom. Still the door would not open. Then I found there was a bar, and then I found a night-lock. I found there were five or six different fastenings. I am afraid that door represents every sinner's heart. The door of his heart is double-locked, double-bolted, and double-barred. Oh, my friends, pull back the bolts, and let the King of Glory in! He wants to bless you; He wants to cancel the debt; He wants you to be reconciled; He wants you to be saved. He does not wish the death of any, but that all may turn unto Him and live. What said the angels to those shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem ? 66 Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour."

Now I contend that men can hear no better news than this-that a Saviour has been given, and that God wants to save men; not that men shall be lost, not that men shall perish, but that a Saviour has been given to save us from our sins. Christ did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Look at Him at Nazareth. What did He do when He turned into the synagogue one Sabbath? He opened the book at the place where it is written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted." My friends, think of the broken hearts in London; and Christ says He is come to heal the broken-hearted. "He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives." Think of this, you poor drunkards, slaves to the infernal cup! I bring you good news to-night. The Son of God can set your soul free, and can make you free men. Is not that good news? Christ was anointed for that purpose. God sent Him to proclaim the glad tidings. I would to God that every man in this vast assembly would believe the gospel, and be saved! Oh that you would receive the Lord Jesus as your way, your truth, and your life! All you have to do is just to take Him.

This afternoon in the inquiry-room there were a great many who came up to inquire what they must do to be saved. A young lady among the number said to me, "Mr. Moody, I want to be saved. I wish you would tell me how." The tears trickled down her cheeks, and she said, "You do not know how I want to be saved!" I said, "My friend, you would know how to take a gift, would you not? If I offered you my Bible, you would know how to take it, would you not?" "Yes, sir," she said, "I should." "Salvation is a gift and just as you would take a present, you should take God's present. And God's present to you is His Son from heaven. Receive him." She said, "Mr. Moody, is that all I have got to do?" I said, "Yes, that is all you can do. You receive Him first." "But," said she, have I not got to ask for Him?" I said, “You need not do it. What is the use of asking for what God is offering?" Suppose I say to

this boy here," Look here, I want to give you my Bible," and the boy says, "I wish you would make me a present of the Bible. Will you give it me?" And I say, "Take it, take it," and he keeps asking for it. Now God is offering salvation to every sinner. You have nothing to do but to take it. Who will take salvation as a gift

to-night?

I was out on the Pacific coast, in California, two or three years ago, and I was the guest of a man that had a large vineyard and a large orchard. One day he said to me, "Moody, whilst you are my guest, I want you to make yourself perfectly happy, and if there is anything in the orchard or in the vineyard you would like, help yourself." Well, when I wanted an orange, I did not go to an orange-tree and pray the oranges to fall into my pocket; but I walked up to a tree, reached out my hand, and took the oranges. He said " Take," and I took. God says, "There is my Son; take Him." The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life."

66

Satan is down in the audience working while I am preaching. Satan says, "If you take it, you will have to give up too much. Do not you let that man get a power over you. Do not believe that man. If you become a Christian, you have got to give up so much.” Let me say-mark the words-God does not come here and ask any man to give up anything. The first thing God wants you do is to take; and after you have taken the new life, and got a new nature, old things will pass away, and all things will become new. I tried to stop swearing before I was converted, and the more tried the worse I became. But one night when Jesus met me, I just received Him, and I have had no desire to swear since. It stopped itself: I got something better. The things I once loved now hate; and the things I once hated I now love. There was a perfect change, a revolution in my life, when God revealed Himself to me; and since then His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. God does not come down and say, "Young man, give up this and that; " but He says, "There is my Son; take Him." There is the gift, and I tell you that there is not anything that God can give us that is worth more than the gift of eternal life. If you were allowed to choose yourself, you would ask for eternal life. You would rather have that gift than any other; and that is the gift that God wants to bestow upon you. God says, "Here it is, all in my Son. If you receive Him here, He will receive you yonder. If you reject_Him here, He will reject you yonder." He came unto His own, the Jews, and they would not have Him. "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." Now, the moment you receive_Christ, you get power to serve Him; the moment you receive the Lord Jesus, you get power to live for Him.

My wife had a schoolmate that had a little boy about four years old, and this beautiful little boy was one day cutting a piece of string with a penknife, and the knife went into his eye and put it out. My