III

I remember that on one occasion we were holding meetings in an eastern city of forty thousand inhabitants; and a lady came and asked us to pray for her husband, whom she purposed bringing into the after meeting. I have traveled a good deal and met many pharisaical men; but this man was so clad in self-righteousness that you could not get the point of the needle of conviction in anywhere. I said to his wife: “I am glad to see your faith; but we cannot get near him; he is the most self-righteous man I ever saw.” She said: “You must! My heart will break if these meetings end without his conversion.” She persisted in bringing him; and I got almost tired of the sight of him.

But towards the close of our meetings of thirty days, he came up to me and put his trembling hand on my shoulder. The place in which the meetings were held was rather cold, and there was an adjoining room in which only the gas had been lighted; and he said to me, “Can’t you come in here for a few minutes?” I thought that he was shaking from cold, and I did not particularly wish to go where it was colder. But he said: “I am the worst man in the State of Vermont. I want you to pray for me.” I thought he had committed a murder, or some other awful crime; and I asked: “Is there any one sin that particularly troubles you?” And he said: “My whole life has been a sin. I have been a conceited, self-righteous Pharisee. I want you to pray for me.” He was under deep conviction. Man could not have produced this result; but the Spirit had. About two o’clock in the morning light broke in upon his soul: and he went up and down the business street of the city and told what God had done for him; and has been a most active Christian ever since.

There are four other passages in dealing with inquirers, which were used by Christ Himself. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3).

In Luke 13:3, we read: “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”