Arizona republican., 1899-01-27
WILL YOU ENTER INTO IT
MT. Moody's Earnest Plea for All Men to Become Christians The Putting Off of the Momentous Step x
 Most Serious Fault.

his clothing was the coarsest, consist ing of skins of wild beasts and fast ened with leather girdle. How he got start I don't know. Probably he finds some shepherds tending their f1ocks out on the plains and goes and speaks his text: Repent ye. for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And when he left them they said among themselves: What a strange man this is. Did you ever hear any one preach like that? The Pharisees and Sadusees are not like him. What strange coat he wears, fastened with a leather gir- dle. Why, the prophet Elijah had one like that
 Don't we read that Elijah shall re- turn? And so these simple shepherds think that Elijah is among them again, and they spread this report 4nd the next day there are hundreds to hear him. Soon the news reaches the cities. Men leave their fishing nets and their gram fields and listen to this strange man crying repentance, and then bap- tism, and I imagine Herod could see the crowds and he thinks to himself, T wonder what all this means? I'll see what's going on.'
 "One day when John is preaching to that vast multitude he sees the Roman governor and a guard of Roman sol- diers approaching. What is their that preacher?And the people who have been listening to John, say with bated breath, 'Herod's coming. Will he silence this preacher?
 But John is not afraid; he goes right on preaching and Herod stands in his chariot to listen, and these words fall from the speakers Tpps: He's just at hand; I'm His forerun- ner.' Herod says, That's treason; there's no king but Caesar But the speaker goes on, Do violence to no man. And to the publicans he says. Don't take anything unlawful We'll says Herod, that's good advice. We have always had trouble with these publicans; the country would be a good deal better off if they'd take his advice. I guess I won't stop him. He goes home, but that night he can't sleep a voice keeps ringing in his ear, Repent ye, for the kingdoms of heaven is at hand
 f'He is glad to see the light of day, but the voice still calls to him, Re pent ye.' And so he decides he will go again and hear him. The first time he went for Rome, and the sec ond time he goes for Herod. And he
  Herod becomes one of the audience just as you are who have been coming to these meetings night after night.
 One day Philip might have stood near the chariot praying and watching, and Herod's forehead began to itch Do you know what that means?''
 To answer his own question MT. Moody related a personal experience. He said that upon one occasion while preaching on the streets of town in Illinois he noticed man drive up. sit in his buggy and listen to the sermon. He came again and again, and one evening MT. Moody noticed that the mans forehead was itching in the usual way, and his fingers found their way to his eyes to wipe away a tear. Upon inquiry he found that the man was the richest and also the vilest man in the community
 MT. Moody saw that he was interest ed in the meeting and he decided to visit the man. He called upon him and found that the reports were only too true, but before they parted the man was on his knees and inquiring the way of salvation. Some years later they met in California and MT. Moody was delighted to find that he had been Tor many years an active church work CT. When asked about the old habit Of swearing, if it was hard to give it up, Why, mo- replied the man. When 1 let Christ into my heart I had no further desire to swear" Now" con t1nued MT. Moody, T hope some of ytgI will be like that man.
 You sometimes hear people say, Well, I'll go and hear that man preach and if it doesn't do me any good. it won't do me any harm Oh, man and woman, if you have been impressed by something you have heard here, and the impression wears away, you'll be seven times as hard as you were be- fore. If you have your mind made up that you'll not be a Christian, don't hear another sermon or listen to an- other song of Zion. for 1t will make your condition all the harder.
 Don't you believe Herod's con demnation was all the harder because he had listened to John? But there was the same trouble with you as with Herod. If there had been then some Of those milk and water Christianm we have now they would have said John, Now, John, you can't talk