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TOPIC: Spurgeon - C.H. - Sermons from Luke (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 47 LUK 19:5 Effectual Calling
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Effectual Calling
March 30, 1856
by
C. H. SPURGEON
(1834-1892)
"When Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him,
Zaccheus, make haste and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house."-
Luk_19:5.
Notwithstanding our firm belief that you are in the main well instructed in
the doctrines of the everlasting gospel, we are continually reminded in our
conversation with young converts, how absolutely necessary it is to repeat
our former lessons, and repeatedly assert and prove over and over again those
doctrines which lie at the basis of our holy religion. Our friends,
therefore, who have many years ago been taught the great doctrine of
effectual calling, will believe that whilst I preach very simply this
morning, the sermon is intended for those who are young in the fear of the
Lord, that they may better understand this great starting point of God in the
heart, the effectual calling of men by the Holy Spirit. I shall use the case
of Zaccheus as a great illustration of the doctrine of effectual calling. You
will remember the story. Zaccheus had a curiosity to see the wonderful man
Jesus Christ, who was turning the world upside down, and causing an immense
excitement in the minds of men. We sometimes find fault with curiosity, and
say it is sinful to come to the house of God from that motive; I am not quite
sure that we should hazard such an assertion. The motive is not sinful,
though certainly it is not virtuous; yet it has often been proved that
curiosity is one of the best allies of grace. Zaccheus, moved by this motive,
desired to see Christ; but there were two obstacles in the way: first, there
was such a crowd of people that he could not get near the Saviour; and again,
he was so exceedingly short in stature that there was no hope of his reaching
over people's heads to catch a glimpse of him. What did he do? He did as the
boys were doing-for the boys of old times were no doubt just like the boys of
the present age, and were perched up in the boughs of the tree to look at
Jesus as he passed along. Elderly man though he is, Zaccheus jumps up, and
there he sits among the children. The boys are too much afraid of that stern
old publican, whom their fathers dreaded, to push him down or cause him any
inconvenience. See him there. With what anxiety he is peeping down to see
which is Christ-for the Saviour had no pompous distinction; no beadle is
walking before him with a silver mace; he did not hold a golden crozier in
his hand: he had no pontifical dress; in fact, he was just dressed like those
around him. He had a coat like that of a common peasant, made of one piece
from top to bottom; and Zaccheus could scarcely distinguish him. However,
before he has caught a sight of Christ, Christ has fixed his eye upon him,
and standing under the tree, he looks up, and says, "Zaccheus, make haste,
and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house." Down comes Zaccheus;
Christ goes to his house; Zaccheus becomes Christ's follower, and enters into
the kingdom of heaven.
1. Now, first, effectual calling is a very gracious truth. You may guess this
from the fact that Zaccheus was a character whom we should suppose the last
to be saved. He belonged to a bad city-Jericho-a city which had been cursed,
and no one would suspect that any one would come out of Jericho to be saved.
It was near Jericho that the man fell among thieves; we trust Zaccheus had no
hand in it; but there are some who, while they are publicans, can be thieves
also. We might as well expect converts from St. Giles's, or the lowest parts
of London, from the worst and vilest dens of infamy, as from Jericho in those
days. Ah! my brethren, it matters not where you come from; you may come from
one of the dirtiest streets, one of the worst back slums in London but if
effectual grace call you, it is an effectual call, which knoweth no
distinction of place. Zaccheus also was of an exceedingly bad trade, and
probably cheated the people in order to enrich himself. Indeed, when Christ
went into his house, there was an universal murmur that he had gone to be a
guest with a man that was a sinner. But, my brethren, grace knows no
distinction; it is no respector of persons, but God calleth whom he wills,
and he called this worst of publicans, in the worst of cities, from the worst
of trades. Besides, Zaccheus was one who was the least likely to be saved
because he was rich. It is true, rich and poor are welcome; no one has the
least excuse for despair because of his condition; yet it is a fact that "not
many great men," after the flesh, "not many mighty," are called, but "God
hath chosen the poor of this world-rich in faith." But grace knows no
distinction here. The rich Zaccheus is called from the tree; down he comes,
and he is saved. I have thought it one of the greatest instances of God's
condescension that he can look down on man; but I will tell you there was a
greater condescension than that, when Christ looked up to see Zaccheus. For
God to look down on his creatures-that is mercy; but for Christ so to humble
himself that he has to look up to one of his own creatures, that becomes
mercy indeed. Ah! many of you have climbed up the tree of your own good
works, and perched yourselves in the branches of your holy actions, and are
trusting in the free will of the poor creature, or resting in some worldly
maxim; nevertheless, Christ looks up even to proud sinners, and calls them
down. "Come down," says he, "to-day I must abide in thy house." Had Zaccheus
been a humble-minded man, sitting by the wayside, or at the feet of Christ,
we should then have admired Christ's mercy; but here he is lifted up, and
Christ looks up to him, and bids him come down.
2. Next it was a personal call. There were boys in the tree as well as
Zaccheus but there was no mistake about the person who was called. It was,
"Zaccheus, make haste and come down." There are other calls mentioned in
Scripture. It is said, especially, "Many are called, but few are chosen." Now
that is not the effectual call which is intended by the apostle, when he
said, "Whom he called, them he also justified." That is a general call which
many men, yea, all men reject, unless there come after it the personal,
particular call, which makes us Christians. You will bear me witness that it
was a personal call that brought you to the Saviour. It was some sermon which
led you to feel that you were, no doubt, the person intended. The text,
perhaps, was "Thou, God, seest me;" and the minister laid particular stress
on the word "me," so that you thought God's eye was fixed upon you; and ere
the sermon was concluded, you thought you saw God open the books to condemn
you, and your heart whispered, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I
shall not see him? saith the Lord." You might have been perched in the
window, or stood packed in the aisle; but you had a solemn conviction that
the sermon was preached to you, and not to other people. God does not call
his people in shoals, but in units. "Jesus saith unto her, Mary; and she
turned and said unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master." Jesus seeth
Peter and John fishing by the lake, and he saith unto them, "Follow me." He
seeth Matthew sitting at the table at the receipt of custom, and he saith
unto him, "Arise, and follow me," and Matthew did so. When the Holy Ghost
comes home to a man, God's arrow goes into his heart: it does not graze his
helmet, or make some little mark upon his armour, but it penetrates between
the joints of the harness, entering the marrow of the soul. Have you felt,
dear friends, that personal call? Do you remember when a voice said, "Arise,
he calleth thee." Can you look back to some time when you said, "My Lord, my
God?" when you knew the Spirit was striving with you, and you said, Lord, I
come to thee, for I know that thou callest me." I might call the whole of you
throughout eternity, but if God call one, there will be more effect through
his personal call of one than my general call of multitudes.
3. Thirdly, it is a hastening call. "Zaccheus, make haste." The sinner, when
he is called by the ordinary ministry, replies, "To-morrow." He hears a
telling sermon, and he said, "I will turn to God by-and-bye." The tears roll
down his cheek, but they are wiped away. Some goodness appears, but like the
cloud of the morning it is dissipated by the sun of temptation. He says, "I
solemnly vow from this time to be a reformed man. After I have once more
indulged in my darling sin, I will renounce my lusts, and decide for God."
Ah! that is only a minister's call, and is good for nothing. Hell, they say,
is paved with good intentions. These good intentions are begotten by general
calls. The road to perdition is laid all over with branches of trees whereon
men are sitting, for they often pull down branches from the trees but they do
not come down themselves. The straw laid down before a sick man's door causes
the wheels to roll more noiselessly. So there be some who strew their path
with promises of repentance, and so go more easily and noiselessly down to
perdition. But God's call is not a call for to-morrow. "To-day if ye will
hear his voice, harden not your hearts: as in the provocation, when your
fathers tempted me." God's grace always comes with despatch; and if thou art
drawn by God, thou wilt run after God, and not be talking about delays. To-
morrow-it is not written in the almanack of time. To-morrow-it is in Satan's
calendar, and nowhere else. To-morrow-it is a rock whitened by the bones of
mariners who have been wrecked upon it; it is the wrecker's light gleaming on
the shore, luring poor ships to destruction. To-morrow-it is the idiot's cup
which he fableth to lie at the foot of the rainbow, but which none hath ever
found. To-morrow-it is the floating island of Loch Lomond, which none hath
ever seen. To-morrow-it is a dream. To-morrow-it is a delusion. To-morrow,
ay, to-morrow you may lift up your eyes in hell, being in torments. Yonder
clock saith "to-day;" everything crieth "to-day;" and the Holy Ghost is in
union with these things, and saith, "To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden
not your hearts." Sinners, are you inclined now to seek the Saviour? are you
breathing a prayer now? are you saying, "Now or never! I must be saved now?"
If you are, then I hope it is an effectual call, for Christ, when he giveth
an effectual call, says, "Zaccheus, make haste."
4. Next, it is a humbling call. "Zaccheus, make haste and come down." Many a
time hath a minister called men to repentance with a call which has made them
proud, exalted them in their own esteem, and led them to say, "I can turn to
God when I like; I can do so without the influence of the Holy Ghost." They
have been called to go up and not to come down. God always humbles a sinner.
Can I not remember when Gold told me to come down? One of the first steps I
had to take was to go right down from my good works; and oh! what a fall was
that! I have pulled you down from your good works, and now I will pull you
down from your self-sufficiency." Well, I had another fall, and I felt sure I
had gained the bottom, but Christ said "Come down!" and he made me come down
till I fell on some point at which I felt I was yet salvable. "Down, sir!
come down, yet." And down I came until I had to let go every bough of the
tree of my hopes in despair: and then I said, "I can do nothing; I am
ruined." The waters were wrapped round my head, and I was shut out from the
light of day, and thought myself a stranger from the commonwealth of Israel.
"Come down lower yet, sir! thou hast too much pride to be saved. Then I was
brought down to see my corruption, my wickedness, my filthiness. "Come down,"
says God, when he means to save. Now, proud sinners, it is of no use for you
to be proud, to stick yourselves up in the trees; Christ will have you down.
Oh, thou that dwellest with the eagle on the craggy rock, thou shalt come
down from thy elevation; thou shalt fall by grace, or thou shalt fall with a
vengeance one day. He "hath cast down the mighty from their seat, and hath
exalted the humble and meek."
5. Next, it is an affectionate call. "To-day I must abide in thy house." You
can easily conceive how the faces of the multitude change! They thought
Christ to be the holiest and best of men, and were ready to make him a king.
But he says, "To-day I must abide in thy house." There was one poor Jew who
had been inside Zaccheus's house; he had "been on the carpet," as they say in
country villages when they are taken before the justice, and he recollected
what sort of house it was; he remembered how he was taken in there, and his
conceptions of it were something like what a fly would have of a spider's den
after he had once escaped. There was another who had been distrained of
nearly all his property; and the idea he had of walking in there was like
walking into the den of lions. "What!" said they, "Is this holy man going
into such a den as that, where we poor wretches have been robbed and ill-
treated. It was bad enough for Christ to speak to him up in the tree, but the
idea of going into his house!" They all murmured at his going to be "a guest
with a man who was a sinner." Well, I know what some of his disciples
thought: they thought it very imprudent; it might injure his character, and
he might offend the people. They thought he might have gone to see this man
night, like Nicodemus, and give him an audience when nobody saw him; but
publicly to acknowledge such a man was the most imprudent act he could
commit. But why did Christ do as he did? Because he would give Zaccheus an
affectionate call. "I will not come and stand at thy threshold, or look in at
thy window, but I will come into thine house-the same house where the cries
of widows have come into thine ears, and thou hast disregarded them; I will
come into thy parlour, where the weeping of the orphan have never moved thy
compassion; I will come there, where thou, like a ravenous lion hast devoured
thy prey; I will come there, where thou hast blackened thine house, and made
it infamous; I will come into the place where cries have risen to high
heaven, wrung from the lips of those whom thou hast oppressed; I will come
into thy house and give thee a blessing." Oh! what affection there was in
that! Poor sinner, my Master is a very affectionate Master. He will come into
your house. What kind of a house have you got? A house that you have made
miserable with your drunkenness-a house that you have defiled with your
impurity-a house you have defiled with your cursing and swearing-a house
where you are carrying on an ill-trade that you would be glad to get rid of.
Christ say, "I will come into thine house." And I know some houses now that
once were dens of sin, where Christ comes every morning; the husband and wife
who once could quarrel and fight, bend their knees together in prayer. Some
of my hearers can scarce come for an hour to their meals but they must have a
word of prayer and reading of the Scriptures. Christ comes to them. Where the
walls were plastered up with the lascivious song and idle picture, there is a
Christian almanack in one place, there is a Bible on the chest of drawers;
and though it is only one room they live in, if an angel should come in, and
God should say, "What hast thou seen in that house?" he would say, "I have
seen good furniture, for there is a Bible there; here and there a religious
book; the filthy pictures are pulled down and burned; there are no cards in
the man's cupboard now; Christ has come into his house." Oh! what a blessing
that we have our household God as well as the Romans! Our God is a household
God. He comes to live with his people; he loves the tents of Jacob. Now, poor
ragmuffin sinner, thou who livest in the filthiest den in London, if such an
one be here, Jesus saith to thee, "Zaccheus, make haste and come down; for
to-day I must abide in thy house."
6. Again, it was not only an affectionate call, but it was an abiding call.
"To-day I must abide at thy house." A common call is like this: "To-day I
shall walk in at thy house at one door, and out at the other." The common
call which is given by the gospel to all men is a call which operates upon
them for a time, and then it is all over; but the saving call is an abiding
call. When Christ speaks, he does not say, "Make haste, Zaccheus, and come
down, for I am just coming to look in;" but "I must abide in thy house; I am
coming to sit down to eat and drink with thee; I am coming to have a meal
with thee; to-day I must abide in thy house." "Ah!" says one, "you cannot
tell how many times I have been impressed, sir, I have often had a series of
solemn convictions, and I thought I really was saved, but it all died away;
like a dream, when one awaketh, all hath vanished that he dreamed, so was it
with me." Ah! but poor soul, do not despair. Dost thou feel the strivings of
Almighty grace within thine heart bidding thee repent to-day? If thou dost,
it will be an abiding call. If it is Jesus at work in thy soul, he will come
and tarry in thine heart, and consecrate thee for his own for ever. He says,
"I will come and dwell with thee, and that for ever. I will come and say,
Here I will make my settled rest,
No more will go and come;
No more a stranger or a guest,
But master of this home."
"Oh!" say you, "that is what I want; I wan an abiding call, something that
will last; I do not want a religion that will wash out, but a fast-colour
religion." Well, that is the kind of call Christ gives. His ministers cannot
give it; but when Christ speaks, he speaks with power, and says, "Zaccheus,
make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house."
7. There is one thing, however, I cannot forget, and that is that it was a
necessary call. Just read it over again. "Zaccheus, make haste, and come
down; for to-day I must abide at thy house." It was not a thing that he might
do, or might not do; but it was a necessary call. The salvation of a sinner
is as much a matter of necessity with God as the fulfilment of his covenant
that the rain shall no more drown the world. The salvation of every blood-
bought child of God is a necessary thing for three reasons; it is necessary
because it is God's purpose; it is necessary because it is Christ's purchase;
it is necessary because it is God's promise. It is necessary that the child
of God should be saved. Some divines think it is very wrong to lay a stress
on the word "must," especially in that passage where it is said "he must
needs go through Samaria." "Why," they say, "he must needs go through
Samaria, because there was no other way he could go, and therefore he was
forced to go that way." Yes, gentlemen, we reply, no doubt; but then there
might have been another way. Providence made it so that he must needs go
through Samaria, and that Samaria should like in the route he had chosen. So
that we have you any way. "He must needs go through Samaria." Providence
directed man to build Samaria directly in the road, and grace constrained the
Saviour to move in that direction. It was not "Come down, Zaccheus, because I
may abide at thy house," but "I must." The Saviour felt a strong necessity.
Just as much a necessity as there is that man should die, as stern a
necessity as there is that the sun should give us light by day and the moon
by night, just so much a necessity is there that every blood-bought child of
God shall be saved. "To-day I must abide at thy house." And oh! when the Lord
comes to this, that he must and he will, what a thing it is with the poor
sinner then! At other times we ask, "Shall I let him in at all? there is a
stranger at the door; he is knocking now; he has knocked before; shall I let
him in?" But this time it is, "I must abide at thy house." There was no
knocking at the door, but smash went the door into atoms! and in he walked:
"I must, I shall, I will; I care not for your protesting your vileness, your
unbelief; I must, I will; I must abide in thy house." "Ah!" says one, "I do
not believe God would ever make me to believe as you believe, or become a
Christian at all." Ah! but if he shall but say, "To-day I must abide at thy
house," there will be no resistance in you. There are some of you who would
scorn the very idea of being a canting methodist; "What, sir! do you suppose
I would ever turn one of your religious people?" No, my friend, I don't
suppose it; I know it for a certainty. If God says "I must," there is no
standing against it. Let him say "must," and it must be.
I will just tell you an anecdote proving this. "A father was about sending
his son to college; but as he knew the influence to which he would be
exposed, he was not without a deep and anxious solicitude for the spiritual
and eternal welfare of his favourite child. Fearing lest the principles of
Christian faith, which he had endeavoured to instil into his mind, would be
rudely assailed, but trusting in the efficacy of that word which is quick and
powerful, he purchased, unknown to his son, an elegant copy of the Bible, and
deposited it at the bottom of his trunk. The young man entered upon his
college career. The restraints of a pious education were son broken off, and
he proceeded from speculation to doubts, and from doubts to a denial of the
reality of religion. After having become, in his own estimation, wiser than
his father, he discovered one day, while rummaging his trunk, with great
surprise and indignation, the sacred deposit. He took it out, and while
deliberating on the manner in which he should treat it, he determined that he
would use it as waste paper, on which to wipe his razor while shaving.
Accordingly, every time he went to shave, he tore a leaf or two of the holy
book, and thus used it til nearly half the volume was destroyed. But while he
was committing this outrage upon the sacred book, a text now and then met his
eye, and was carried like a barbed arrow to his heart. At length, he heard a
sermon, which discovered to him his own character, and his exposure to the
wrath of God, and riveted upon his mind the impression which he has received
from the last torn leaf of the blessed, yet insulted volume. Had worlds been
at his disposal, he would freely have given them all, could they have
availed, in enabling him to undo what he had done. At length he found
forgiveness at the foot of the cross. The torn leaves of that sacred volume
brought healing to his soul; for they led him to repose on the mercy of God,
which is sufficient for the chief of sinners." I tell you there is not a
reprobate walking the streets and defiling the air with his blasphemies,
there is not a creature abandoned so as to be well-nigh as bad as Satan
himself, if he is a child of life, who is not within the reach of mercy. And
if God says, "To-day I must abide in thy house," he then assuredly will. Do
you feel, my dear hearer, just now, something in your mind which seems to say
you have held out against the gospel a long while, but to-day you can hold
out no longer? Do you feel that a strong hand has god hold of you, and do you
hear a voice saying, "Sinner, I must abide in thy house; you have often
scorned me, you have often laughed at me, you have often spit in the face of
mercy, often blasphemed me, but sinner, I must abide in thy house; you banged
the door yesterday in the missionary's face, you burned the tract, you
laughed at the minister, you have cursed God's house, you have violated the
Sabbath; but, sinner, I must abide in thy house, and I will!" "What, Lord!"
you say, "abide in my house! why it is covered all over with iniquity. Abide
in my house! why there is not a chair or a table but would cry out against
me. Abide in my house! why the joists and beams and flooring would all rise
up and tell thee that I am not worthy to kiss the hem of thy garment. What,
Lord! abide in my house!" "Yes," says he, "I must; there is a strong
necessity; my powerful love constrains me, and whether thou wilt let me or
no, I am determined to make thee willing, and thou shalt let me in." Does not
this surprise you, that Christ not only asks you to come to him, but invites
himself to your table, and what is more, when you would put him away, kindly
says, "I must, I will come in." Only think of Christ going after a sinner,
crying after a sinner, beginning a sinner to let him save him; and that is
just what Jesus does to his chosen ones. The sinner runs away from him, but
free-grace pursues him, and says, "Sinner, come to Christ;" and if our hearts
be shut up, Christ puts his hand in at the door, and if we do not rise, but
repulse him coldly, he says, "I must, I will come in;" he weeps over us till
his tears win us; he cries after us till his cries prevail; and at last in
his own well determined hour he enters into our heart, and there he dwells.
"I must abide in thy house," said Jesus.
8. And now, lastly, this call was an effectual one, for we see the fruits it
brought forth. Open was Zaccheus's door; spread was his table; generous was
his heart; washed were his hands; unburdened was his conscience; joyful was
his soul. "Here, Lord," says he, "the half of my goods I give to the poor; I
dare say I have robbed them of half my property-and now I restore it." "And
if I have taken anything from any one by false accusation, I will restore it
to him fourfold."-away goes another portion of his property. Ah! Zaccheus,
you will go to be to-night a great deal poorer than when you got up this
morning-but infinitely richer, too-poor, very poor, in this world's goods,
compared with what thou wert when thou first didst climb that sycamore tree;
but richer-infinitely richer-in heavenly treasure. Sinner, we shall know
whether God calls you by this: if he calls, it will be an effectual call-not
a call which you hear and then forget but one which produces good works. If
God hath called thee this morning, down will go that drunken cup, up will go
thy prayers; if God hath called thee this morning, there will not be one
shutter up to-day in your shop, but all, and you will have a notice stuck up,
"This house is closed on the Sabbath day, and will not again on that day, be
opened." To-morrow, there will be such-and-such worldly amusement, but if God
hath called you, you will not go. And if you have robbed anybody (and who
knows but I may have a thief here?) If God call you, there will be a
restoration of what you have stolen? you will give up all that you have, so
that you will follow God with all your heart. We do not believe a man to be
converted unless he doth renounce the error of his ways; unless, practically,
he is brought to know that Christ himself is master of his conscience, and
his law is his delight. "Zaccheus, make haste and come down, I must abide at
thy house." And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. "And
Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I
give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false
accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is
salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For
the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Now, one or two lessons. A lesson to the proud. Come down, proud hearts, come
down! Mercy runneth in valleys, but it goeth not to the mountain top. Come
down, come down, lofty spirit! The lofty city, he layeth it low even to the
ground, and then he buildeth it up. Again, a lesson to thee, poor despairing
soul: I am glad to see thee in God's house this morning; it is a good sign. I
care not what you came for. You heard there was a strange kind of man that
preached here, perhaps. Never mind about that. You are all quite as strange
as he is. It is necessary that there should be strange men to gather in other
strange men. Now, I have a mass of people here; and if I might use a figure,
I should compare you to a great heap of ashes, mingled with which are a few
steel filings. Now, my sermon if it be attended with divine grace, will be a
sort of magnet: it will not attract any of the ashes-they will keep just
where they are-but it will draw out the steel filings. I have got a Zaccheus
there; there is a Mary up there, a John down there, a Sarah, or a William, or
a Thomas, there-God's chosen ones-they are steel filings in the congregation
of ashes, and my gospel, the gospel of the blessed God, like a great magnet,
draws them out of the heap. There they come, there they come. Why? because
there was a magnetic power between the gospel and their hearts. AH! poor
sinner, come to Jesus, believe his love, trust his mercy. If thou hast a
desire to come, if thou art forcing thy way through the ashes to get to
Christ, then it is because Christ is calling thee. Oh! all of you who know
yourselves to be sinners-every man, woman, and child of you-yea, ye little
children (for God has given me some of you to be my wages), do you feel
yourselves sinners? then believe on Jesus and be saved. You have come here
from curiosity, many of you. Oh! that you might be met with and saved. I am
distressed for you lest you should sink into hell-fire. Oh! listen to Christ
while he speaks to you. Christ says, "Come down," this morning. Go home and
humble yourselves in the sight of God: go and confess your iniquities that
you have sinned against him; go home and tell him that you are a wretch,
undone without his sovereign grace; and then look to him, for rest assured he
has first looked to you. You say, "Sir, oh! I am willing enough to be saved,
but I am afraid he is not willing." Stay! stay! no more of that! Do you know
that is part blasphemy-not quite. If you were not ignorant, I would tell you
that it was part blasphemy. You cannot look to Christ before he has looked to
you. If you are willing to be saved, he gave you that will. Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and be baptized, and thou shalt be saved. I trust the Holy
Spirit is calling you. Young man up there, young man in the window, make
haste! come down! Old man, sitting in these pews, come down. Merchant in
yonder aisle, make haste. Matron and youth, not knowing Christ, oh, may he
look at you. Old grandmother, hear the gracious call; and thou, young lad,
Christ may be looking at thee-I trust he is-and saying to thee, "Make haste,
and come down, for to-day I must abide at thy house."
This File Provided by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board (BBB)
Box 314
Columbus, New Jersey, USA 08022
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