, 1876-12-31

| ed IN the name OF the nnIed c1ues u lAe
Stata to the Legislature, where it will pros
sibly meet with no objection.
THAT B0ARDINa-H0UsE BILL.
| AIr. MOODY is fortunately practical
Christian. He goes for the substance and
not for the shadow. He is very 81 orthodox
| in his be1ief,-no sharpest-sighted critic has
! yet faulted him in thatrespect; but he holds
that religion is more than the learning to re-
peat the catechism or the asserting to care
| fu1ly-drnwn creed. In the New Testament,
he admires JAMES as well as PAUL; that level
headed JAMES, who insisted that faith which
| had no works Was very corpse-like. PAUL
| said, as it were, that milk was an admirable
| article Of diet; and so numerous "believers +"
went around displaying white liquid which
they called milk, and Of which they drank
copious draughts, Now, said JAMES,
just set few quarts of your
milk" over night, and let Us see
how much cream can be skinned from it in
the morning. # it raises no cream don't
bring the article around here. "Show me
thy faith without thy works, and will show
thee my faith by my works." P1ain1y, Mr.
Moody's reading has been in that part Of the
New Testament, for, last Thursday, he
came down in the noon prsyer~meeting with
hard hit at the merely theoretical and sen
timental converts, whose repentance was
principally imaginary. There we're many
such, he said, in these days, in whose con-
version he had but little faith. They liked
to go With the current, which just now hap
pens to set in the direction Of the Taber-
nac1e; but soon these special servicesswill
cease, and then it will appear whether they
have any real Christian principle. And then
he gave telling illustration, as usual
Before quoting his illustration, however,
it must be promised that Mr.. MooDx has not
been living in Chicago for fifteen or eighteen
years IN vain. He has seen things, and
known men. He is aware that the city is
full Of hotels and boarding houses that
large percentageo OF the population has week
" board-biu to pay; that inpecunious clerks
occupy third, fourth, and ffth-story rooms;
that young married couples, with their for
tunes yet to make, prefer having good-sized
front chamber to keeping house; and that
old couples, whose children have grown up,
are addicted to q similar practice. And so
he felt sure that, among the thousands then
before him, there were host OF boarders.
He knew, too, what the besetting sin of
many boarders is, to-wit.: not to be
prompt in. paying their bills; and some
times not to pay. them at all! And now,
said the thoughtful and practical Brother
MooDx to himself. g. These boarders are
protesting to be penitent for their sins.
They have been thronging the Tabernacle
and haunting the inquiry meetings, 1nd tes-
tifying among the converts. wonder
whether they have works as well as fnith !;
whether they read JAMES on justification as
carefully as they do PAUL; whether, profess
ing to have made their peace with God, they
have taken pains also to make peace with
their 1andlady. I shouldn't wonder if they
had forgotten all about this latter considera-
ton. People are apt to do precisely that
thing. They repent Of sin, but they cling to
sins. Their idea Of religion is impractical
aud sentimental, mere poetry, music, e1-
citement, and gush- must come down up
on that style Of converts"
And he did come down on them. Fasteu-
ing his eye on some supposed delinquent in
the audience, he thus publicly impaled the
miserable man 'sHere is man c1aiming !
to be convert, and be hasn't paid that |
board-bill which be has besn owing for some
time, when he knows that he could have raised |
the money for it if he had chosen. He is |
cheating some poor widow, it may be, out Of |
her living, and yet calling himself disciple !
Of JESUS CHR1sT." That WAS an arrow dan-
gerous to shoot into Chicago audience. It |
was certain to hit some one. Likely as not ]
it would wound many. Let US hope that it !
did, and with good moral effect. But it was
just like Mr.. MooDx to discharge it whizzing
pto the crowd. He has his culver
full of such Arrows. It was only carry
ing out the same principle which he applied
10 that Ohio fugitive from justice, who, pro-
Tossing to be penitent for his theft, was sent !
back to make restitution and to take his ten
years Of imprisonment. Mr. MooDY's idea
If religion is the true one; it cuts deep, like
he Gospel which he breaches, and knows no
distinction of sinners. Board-biHs must be
3aid by his converts, or he will not acknowl-
,dge them.
OF course other classes Of professed peni-
ents will take the hint, without the neces-
aty Of their being named by MIR. MoopY.
Boarding house keepers are sometimes sin
lers as well as their boarders. They have
lubious reputation with the landlords. and
'lso with the butchers and grocers. If any
# them have been converted, their old land
of whose houses they have moved
n arrears TOR rent, and to whom they have
lever paid penny since-will be
cry glad to hear of it, to have
hem "bring forth fruits meet for repent
nce." And all the old debtors, whose cred
tors have long waited in vain and in despair
Or the glad sight of payment, should hail
bis new departure, and prove their faith by