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GLEANINGS IN BKE CULTURE. 



71S 



wasted any precious moments in this sort of 

 folly. If you are dealing with a higliway 

 robber, or a man bent on committing crime, 

 it is quite another thing. It is right for you 

 to pray for the burglar who gets into your 

 house at night, and it may be right for you 

 to take his life while yon pray. I do not 

 thinii that any of Christ's words mean that 

 w'e sliould practice non resistance where we 

 are tlealing with men who have deliberately 

 decided to commit crime. 



Now, before closing this paper 1 want to 

 give you anotiier illustration of the way in 

 wliich the blood of Ciirist cleanseth from 

 all sin. I want to tell you a little story that 

 I tried to tell you once before. The reason 

 why I tell it again is because it applies so 

 completely to this question often asked — 

 Can a thoroughly bad man — a hardened 

 criminal, for instance — be reached so as to 

 make him over into a thoroughly good man 

 and a Christian ? Some ten or twelve years 

 ago a man in the neighboring town of Ak- 

 ron robbed the American Exi)ress Co. of a 

 very large sum of money. If I remember 

 correctly, the sum was" about $1(3,000. I 

 know buti little of this young man's early 

 history, but I take it for granted that he had 

 been for years in Satan's training, and had 

 become intemperate. ieckless,and dissolute. 

 and all the.se tilings. No one commits a 

 crime like this unless he has had years of 

 liractice, and gone down by gradual steps. 

 He was smart and shrewd — in fact, so 

 much so that nothing could ever be proved 

 against him. .Vfter a long and expensive 

 trial he was acquitted, and the express com- 

 pany gave it up in despair. After the trial 

 was over he was free to go where lie pleased, 

 and to indulge to his heart's content in all 

 that this world can furnish ; that is. so far 

 as things go that can be purchased with 

 money. T do not know that he ever found 

 satisfaction and happiness in paying out his 

 ill-gotten gains or not. It was about the 

 time of Moody's successful work in Chicago; 

 and although hardened criminals seldom go 

 to religious meetings, for some reason or 

 other this young man followed the crowd to 

 hear Moody. Perhaps out of curijsity, he 

 thought he would see what this man who 

 was making such a great excitement had to 

 offer. Perhaps, to his great astonishment, 

 he heard of something that God has in store 

 for liis children, that money will not buy. 

 Under the influence of God's divine Spirit, 

 Moody's eloquence touched the heart of 

 even such a hardened sinner as this one. I 

 can imagine that he, may be for the Hrst 

 time in his life, got just a glimpse of a hu- 

 man life devoted to Christ and his service, 

 instead of to self and the gratification ot 

 selfish desires. He remained after meeting, 

 among the inquirers, and finally confessed to 

 Ml'. Moody his crime, and asked him what 

 he should do to be saved. Mr. Moody, as a 

 matter of coiuse, told him to carry back the 

 stolen money — at least, what there was 

 left of it. 



" But," said our friend, '• I should be at 

 once arrested and .sent to prison." 



" And that is exactly where you want to 

 go," replied Moody. 



''No, I don't," replied the stranger. 



'' Tiien you must go back to Satan and his 

 service; for the only road to salvation for you 

 is to make restitution, and submit to the 

 law." 



I can imagine that a long talk followed. 

 (Jur friend was slowly groping out of the 

 darkness into light, lie was counting the 

 cost. I tell you, my friends, it would be a 

 good thing for us if we would count the cost 

 a little more than we do sometimes. Christ 

 said, '• Which of you, intending to l)uild a 

 tower, sittetii notdow)i lirstandcountelh the 

 cost, whether he have sufficient to finish itV" 

 Tlie end was, that he promised to go home 

 and give himself up. Moody electrified the 

 audience one evening by telling tliem the 

 simple story, so far as I have told it, and re- 

 marking at its close that the young man who 

 committed the crime was then present in 

 the audience. When the time came for him 

 to start home, he went to Moody, a good 

 deal disturbed, and declared that he could 

 not go back home and ^ive up the money, 

 unless Moody himself would go along with 

 him. Moody replied : 



•■ I can not go with you, my friend, and I 

 don't need to go. The Lord Jesus, whom 

 you are now trusting, will be with you and 

 sirengthen you. While he is with you, Sa- 

 tan can not get you off from the track. 

 You will nut turn coward, and desert, for I 

 will pray for you. Follow straight in the 

 patli of duty — give yourself up, pay the pen- 

 alty according to the requirements of the 

 law, and peace in this world, and eternal 

 life in the world to come, are before you." 



Cnderthe inspiration of these kind words 

 our frientl went forward ; and every step he 

 tcok toward the right, encouraged and 

 strengthened him to take the next step. 

 The old .self was dropping away. His self- 

 ish passions and selfish purposes were dying 

 a natural death. The old life was dead, and 

 he was entering upon the new birth, even 

 as the words of our text say. 'i'he words t(j 

 Nicodemus, when he came on that visit by 

 night, were true — '" Ve must be born again, 

 if ye will enter the kingdom of heaven." 

 Is there any more beautiful or encouraging 

 sight in tliis wide universe than that of the 

 new-born Clnistian V 



Our friend went back to the express office 

 where he had been employed, and handed 

 over the money. Those who had fought 

 him in the lawsuit were aghast with as- 

 tonishment. I>ike the disciples of old, they 

 doubtless said within themselves, " What 

 manner of man is this, that not only the 

 winds and the seas obey him, but by his 

 words the thief who has evaded Justice 

 comes back and restores the stolen prop- 

 erty V " After he convinced them that he 

 took the money — that is, if any evidence 

 were needed— they were still more astonish- 

 ed to hear him demand that he be sent to 

 the penitentiary, and punished as the law- 

 directs. Such a" thing was unheard of ; and 

 when the officers of tlie law, after investiga- 

 tion, declared that one who had been tried 

 and acquitted could not be punished, our 

 friend looked disappointed and troubled. 

 No doubt the world called him crazy ; but, 

 my friend, the best common sense tliat ever 

 shone forth from human eve was in his 



