Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-10-19

prayer.
MR.. MooDY'S DISCOURSE
After another hymn, Mr.. Moody read a
part of the third chapter OF John. contain
ing the interview of Nicodemus with Christ.
and took for his text, the third worse ::
Except man be born again he cannot see
the Kingdom of God" The most solemn
question man can ask himself Is. Have |
been born AGAR? ?" There is but one way
into Gods Kingdom-the new birth, What
is born flesh, remains flesh. God does not
change that but the spirit must be chang
ed. There is no palmer doctrine in the
Bible than that OF regeneration. But we
see persons who call themselves Christians
awfully "mixed'' over it. You ask one II
he is a Christian, and perhaps he replies :
Il am trying to be" 1t il a. If
YOU should ask man II be IL
native American. and he should
say, 81 am trying to be" II he is Chris
tiau. be is one, and it is of God, and not OF
himself. Another replies that he goes reg
ularly to church. Well. so does the devil.
lie is here to-day. trying to divert people,
minds from the Word OF Truth. and if a man
goes regularly to church it does not follow
that he hears the words of the preacher. \
man in Chicago told me he had been to
church for forty years, and never heard a
sermon until after he was converted. lie
was an architect, and had always been
building churches when he was in one, till
God changed his heart. Another says, |
belong to the Church but Church mem
bership is not being born again. Some peo-
pie read their Bibles regularly. but that is
not the new birth. Baptism and con-
frmatIon and Church membership are all
/ L. T.. . - % hrtr hrn
musty Church records to find out if you are
| His. Have you been born again; got the
new life become partaker of Gods nature
That is the question. Many man has OBJ
served all these forms of religion and gone
down to death unconyerted. Nicodemus
was teacher of the law. a D. D.. or Ii. D.,
but that was not enough. Christ told him
he must be born again-born of the Spirit,
because God il spirit. Many make the
mistake Of trying to make over themselves !;
but that il Gods work. Alone
in creation and redemption, he Is
also alone IN regeneration. There IL
a mystery about it, which We cam reason
| out One man who comes to church to get
blessing may get it, while the man next
him in the pew gets none. 1t l., As Christ
told NlcOdemus, like the wind which
bloweth where it listeth. How or why it
all is so we are not told. God is not going to
make known all His thoughts to Us at once
they will be study for eternity. But that
| it is 50, we know. Suppose you should say
there is no such thing as the wind because
you cannot see the wind. We see the ell
fects of the spirit rs plainly ns the etiect' OF
the wind. |, said Mr.. Moody. have felt the
spirit rcgenerating--one night going to bed
a swearing man. and getting up next morn
ing Il praying one, have never sworn
since-haye felt no desire to. | rose dill
ferent man. Regeneration Is u TACT
Now. unless this regeneration takes place
in You, you cannot see Gods kingdom.
You can see earthly kingdoms, but not Ills.
You may see the Prince of Wales but not
the Prince of Peace. except as Judge Of the
quick and dead You may see the great
trees OF California but not the Tree of Life.
You may see fair rivers but not the River OF
God. God has the right to say who shall
dwell in his Kingdom. And Heaven would
not be Heaven for the unrenewed. The
man who cannot enjoy an hour on earth
with Gods people In prayer and praise.
could not enjoy Heaven. Heaven Is pre-
pared place for u prepared people, and 1t
would he Hell to the unchanged, wicked
man.
How are We to get into the Kingdom?
Christ answered this. lie told Nlcodemus
how hosOever believeth in Him hath
everlasting life" Christ can wash sin
away, and will do it il we look to Him.
Mr.. Moody hero described, IN his own pc
culiar and graphic style, the scenes IN the
camp of the lsraelitcs when Moses lifted up
the brazen serpent, that the dying ones
might look and live. lie emphasized the
freeness of the offer. HhoSoercr believeth
in the Son of Man shall not perish. Some
say that too simple. They can't take the
Lord at His word 1t is as II dying Israel
tie had refused to look upon the brazen ser
pent, the sight of which WAS curing thou
sands, because he had intellectual doubts
and difficulties. and could not understand
how the sight could cure.
lie closed with the touching story Oi the
diving soldier alter the battle OF Murirccs'
boro, to whom he read this passage, when
PRAYERS and other exhOrtatons had failed;
and who found in it the Word OF Life, who
repeated with his dying lips, ''Whosnever.
etc, said that It WAS enough, and died at
peace in believing,
The story left few dry eyes IN the house.
The sermon closed with the I'D hymn. 81
hear Thy welcome voice.
At the close OF the service, an inquiry
meeting WIS htId III tne ChhI''l ''i'N, "
which number OF tho audience stayed.
SUNDAY EVENING.
The rainy evening did not prevent another
OVERLOOKING house. The audience filled the
pews. aisles and extra seats IN the vesti
bule, and the doors were closed some twenty
minutes before eight After the usual IN
troductory services Of singing and prayer.
Mr.. Moody said that he found Mt the in
guiry meeting two or three persons who
were troubled about points in the afternoon
sermon. One was disturbed because ho
could not tell just when he was converted.
Ii il of little consequence when or how men
are converted. il they only are converted.
Many man cannot tell Just at what hour
he experienced II change OF heart. Some
are converted in infancy. and we ought to
bring up our children 30 that they all come