The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-01-19

have on others, they will have confidence
In our Christianity. A lady came to me
once and said, "Mr. Moody, l wish you
would tell me how i could become q
Christian" The tears Were rolling down
her cheeks and she was in very favorable
mood, "but," she said, ~ don't want to
be one OF your kind" "Well," said,
"Have got any peculiar kind? What
Is the matter with my Chris
tianity ?" "Well," she said, "my
father was doctor and had large
practice, and he used 20 get so tired that
he used to take US tc,the heater. There
was large family of c rls and we had
tickets for the theaters Ia. &c or four times
week. suppose we were there a good
deal oftener than we were In church. /
am married to lawyer and he has large
practice. He gets so tired that he takes
us out to the theater," and she says, ~ am
far better acquainted with the theater and
theater people than with the church and
church people, and don't want to give
up the theater." "Well," said, "did you
ever hear me say anything about theaters?
There have been reporters here every day
for all the different papers, and they are
giving my sermons verbatim In one paper,
Have you ever seen anyt hirg in the sermons
against the theaters 2" She said, "Why,
no." "Well,n said, "I have seen you in
the audience every afternoon for several
weeks and have you heard me say any
thing against theaters ?" No, she hadn't.
''Weil," . I said, "then what made you
bring that up?" "Why, Isupposed you
didn't believe in theaters." "What made
you think that ?" Why" she said, "Do
you ever go ?v "No." "Why don't
you GOT" "Why, because / have got
something better. Iwould sooner go out
into the street and eat dirt than do some
OF the things used to do before became
a Christian" Why!" she said, 60 i don't
understand" Never mind" ! said,
"When Jesus Christ has the pre-emin-
ence you will understand IL all. He didn't
come down here and say we shouldn't go
here and we shouldn't go there, and lay
down lot OF rules; but he laid down
great principles. Now, He says II you
love Him you will take delight in pleasing
Him." And / began to preach Christ
to her. The tears started again.
She said, 81 tell you, Mr.. Moody, that
sermon yesterday afternoon just broke
my heart. admire Him and want to be
a Christian, but don't want to give up
the theaters." said, "Please don't
mention ,gain. i don't want to talk
about & It 4, / want to talk to you
about Oh. So j took my Bible and
read TO he. about Christ. But she said
again, "Mr. Moody, can go to the thea
ter il / become Christian?" "Yes,"
said, "you can go to the thea
ter just as much "a you like IL you
are real true Christian. "Well,"
she said, al am glad you are not so
narrow minded as some" She felt quite
relieved to think that she could go to the
theaters and be a Christian. But ! said,
"If you can go to the theatre for the glory
Of God, keep on going, only be sure that
you go for the glory of God. IL you are
Christian you will be glad to do whatever
will please Him. really think she be-
came Christian that day, the burden had
gone, there was joy; but just as she was
leaving me at the door she said, 81 am
not going to give up the theater :" In
a few days she came back to me
and said, "Mr. Moody, under
stand all about that theater busi-
ness now. went the other night. There
was large party at our house and my
husband wanted us to go, and we went;
but when the curtain lifted every thing
looked so different. / said to my hus-
band, "This is no place for me. this is hor-
rible. lam not going to stay here, am
going home" He said, "Don't you make
fool of yourself. Every one has heard
that you have been converted and
IL you go out, it will be all
through fashionable society. beg of you
don't make fool OF yourself by getting
up and going out" But said, ~ have
been making q fool of myself all Of my
life." Now the theater hadn't changed,
you know, but she had got something
better and she was going to overcome the
world. When Christ has the first place
in your heart you are going to get victory
over the world. II you want to get VIC
tory give Christ the first place in your
heart. Just do whatever you know will
please Him.
When ] was in the old country went
to place where there was more whisky
distilled than in almost any other place i'm
Scotland, and opened up on whisky the
best knew how. A young man who had
had a large distillery left him by his father
came to me and said that II could show
him one passage of Scripture that con-
demned the distilling of whisky he would
give it up. j said could give you good
many.
But / just gave him one: "All that We
w, w ~ ioI tho SioiJ VI oous Distiii
your whisky for the glory of-God.- I
would like to have you distill one hundred
barrels OF whisky and then pray to God
to bless them to your fellow men. The
idea OF man praying to God about
whisky! Now; we don't won't to 60
anywhere where we cannot pray
II we are Christians and / am talking to
Christian people-anything that is con-
trary to that just give it up. think
good many people now want Christian
ity without the cross. They want
cross, but they don't want
TO pass through Gethsemane, they Just
want to get upon the Mount OF Transfig-
uration without taking up the cross.
There is only one royal wsy, and that is
by the way OF Calvary. We have got to
deny ourselves some OF these things IL we
are going to be victorious Christians.
There Is somebody who is covetous.
There is more said in the Bible against
covetousness than against intemperance.
IL. L. l.f H.. L