The Art of Soul-Winning Part 6

STUDY XXIV.

TRACTS AND BOOKS.

Memory Verse: "And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein."--(Ezek. ii, 9.)

Scripture for Meditation: Eccl. xi, 1; 1 Tim. iv, 7-16.

The influence of a tract or of a good book can not be estimated. Rev. J.

Hudson Taylor, of the China Inland Mission, was converted in boyhood through reading a gospel tract which he found in his father's library.

"He had been frequently troubled about his soul, and had again and again tried to become a Christian, but had failed so often that he had concluded that there was no use in trying any more."

An agent of the American Tract Society relates the following:

"A man on a ca.n.a.l-boat received a tract, but to show his contempt for the tract and its giver, took out his penknife and cut it up into fantastic shapes. Then he held it up to the derision of the company.

"In tearing it apart, one of the pieces clung to his knee. His eyes were attracted by the only word on it--'eternity.' He turned it over, and there was the word 'G.o.d.'

"These ideas remained in his mind. He tried to laugh them off; then to drink, to play cards in order to banish them. But they still clung to him, and plagued him till he sought G.o.d and preparation for eternity."

There is an old true story about a tract, that should be told over and over again:

A Puritan minister named Sibbs wrote a tract called "The Bruised Reed."

A copy of this was given by a humble layman to a little boy at whose father's house he had been entertained over night. That boy was Richard Baxter, and the book was the means of his conversion. Baxter wrote his "Call to the Unconverted," and among the mult.i.tude led to Christ by it was Philip Doddridge. Doddridge wrote "The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul," and "the time would fail to tell" its blessed influence.

By it Wilberforce was converted, and of his life and labors volumes could be written. Wilberforce wrote his "Practical View of Christianity," and this led not only Dr. Chalmers into the truth, but Legh Richmond to Christ. Richmond wrote "The Dairyman's Daughter," which has been published in a hundred languages, and many million copies have been sold.

But he who would make the best use of good literature must be wise. How little tact some workers have! In a hospital a tract-distributor handed a leaflet on dancing to a poor fellow who had lost both limbs. Another zealous young man gave a tract on "The Tobacco Habit" to a beautiful cultured lady, the wife of a minister. A good supply of common sense is just as necessary to success in the use of this method as in any other.

STUDY XXV.

THE PRAYER LIST.

Memory Verse: "I will pray for you unto the Lord."--(1 Sam. vii, 5.)

Scripture for Meditation: Luke xviii, 1-8.

One of the highest privileges of the Christian life is the privilege of intercession for the unsaved. Every Christian may be an intercessor, and bear to the mercy-seat, in the arms of prayer, some unsaved friend every day. Have a prayer list. In a little memorandum-book write the names of those whom you are anxious to see saved. Spread these names before the Lord daily until your prayers are answered.

One of the greatest Christian movements of modern times started with a prayer-list carried in the vest-pocket of a commercial traveler, Mr.

E.R. Graves, traveling for a paper-house in New York City. He secured permission from a merchant to allow his name to be entered on his prayer-list. The merchant wrote his name in the traveler's book, and then proceeded to inform Mr. Graves that he had determined not to be a Christian, and that he had taken too big a contract if he expected to pray him into the kingdom. But the traveler simply said, "I confidently expect my prayer to be answered." When they met again the merchant had been converted, and, amid tears of rejoicing, another name was checked off the list. The merchant's name was Samuel M. Sayford. Mr. Sayford became a secretary in the Young Men's Christian a.s.sociation, and shortly after met C.K. Ober, then a student at Williams College, and pushed him out into a.s.sociation work. Mr. Ober, in turn, found John E. Mott in Cornell University, persuaded him to enter a.s.sociation work among students; and Mr. Mott, in the course of time, started on his journey around the world, organizing the World's Christian Student Federation.

STUDY XXVI.

WORK AMONG STUDENTS.

Memory Verse: "Now then we are amba.s.sadors for Christ, as though G.o.d did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to G.o.d."--(2 Cor. v, 20.)

Scripture for Meditation: 1 Cor. ii.

No more fruitful and important field for personal work can be found than in our educational inst.i.tutions, and Christian students who make soul-winning a habit of life may win many rich trophies for the Master.

Bishop H.W. Warren, when a Freshman in college, was led to an open confession of Christ through a Sat.u.r.day morning walk with a Junior, who talked to him about his soul.

Dr. J.W. Bashford, in _The Christian Student_, tells about "a Senior in the Ohio Wesleyan University who was smitten with conviction because he had neglected personal work for the Master. He intended to be a minister, but had been indifferent to the spiritual welfare of his student friends. He offered himself to Christ in full consecration, and made a list of sixteen friends for whom he felt personal responsibility.

He engaged in systematic personal work with these friends, and had the satisfaction before the year was completed of seeing every one of them begin the Christian life. Six of his sixteen friends entered the ministry, and some of them are even more talented and successful than the student friend who led them to Christ."

As a rule, young people during their college years are thoughtful and easily reached; but if not saved before they leave the college halls and begin the active work of life, they are almost certainly lost to the kingdom. How often, because of timidity or carelessness, Christian students and teachers allow this precious harvest time to go by, and lose the opportunity to win a soul for Christ!

A man, who is now an eminent and widely-known minister, says that he roomed with a young man at college for two years, and never said a word to him about his soul. When he was about to leave for home, his room-mate said, "Why have you not spoken to me about my soul?" Said the Christian student, "I thought you did not care for me to do so." The young man replied, "Why, that is the very reason I roomed with you, and there has never been a day for these two years that you could not have done so."

Let Christian students set out to win some trophies among their friends and room-mates for Christ. The results of faithful personal work may not be immediate or apparent, but the blessed Spirit of G.o.d will water the seed. For thirteen months a college student prayed for and urged a fellow-student to surrender to Christ, and died without seeing any result of his efforts. But the seed was faithfully sown, and the young man was afterwards converted, and became Bishop Hannington, the martyr bishop of Africa.

STUDY XXVII.

MEETING OBJECTIONS.

Memory Verse: "For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist."--(Luke xxi, 15.)

Scripture for Meditation: John ix, 1-41.

The zealous personal worker will be met by objections; but it must be remembered that these objections are often given for the sake of argument, and often for the sake of something to say. They should be squarely met, however, and answered; and the best way to answer such is by Scripture. There is not an objection advanced by the unconverted that can not be met and overcome by some pa.s.sage of Scripture. Just as Jesus in the wilderness met the tempter's arguments with "It is written," so we may meet every argument of the objector with the Word.

A faithful study of Christ's conversations with seeking souls, such as Nicodemus and the rich young man, will also be helpful.

Below are some of the objections usually given, with the Scripture references that may be used to meet them. This arrangement of texts is taken from "Personal Work," by S.M. Sayford, by consent of the publishers:

"I am good enough." (Gen. vi, 5; Ps. li, 5-7; Luke xviii, 19.)

"I am as good as most Christians." (Rom. xiv, 10-12; 2 Cor. v, 10; Rev.

xx, 11; xii, 15.)

"I have never done anything really bad." (Luke xvi, 15; James ii, 10.)

"I can not give up my pleasures." (Eccl. ii, 1; xi, 9; Ps. xvi, 11.)