I remember when Dr. Arnott, who has gone to God, was delivering a
sermon, he used this illustration. The sermon and text have all gone,
but that illustration is fresh upon my mind to-night and brings home the
truth. He said: "You have been sometimes out at dinner with a friend,
and you have seen the faithful household dog standing watching every
mouthful his master takes. All the crumbs that fall on the floor he
picks up, and seems eager for them, but when his master takes a plate of
beef and puts it on the floor and says, 'Rover, here's something for
you,' he comes up and smells of it, looks at his master, and goes away
to a corner of the room. He was willing to eat the crumbs, but he
wouldn't touch the roast beef--thought it was too good for him." That is
the way with a good many Christians. They are willing to eat the crumbs,
but not willing to take all God wants. Come boldly to the throne of
grace and get the help we need; there is an abundance for every man,
woman and child in the assemblage.
Young Moody Penniless in Boston is Warned by his Sister to "Beware of
Pickpockets."
I remember when I was a boy and went to Boston, I went to the postoffice
two or three times a day to see if there was a letter for me. I knew
there was not, as there was but one mail a day. I had not had any
employment and was very homesick, and so went constantly to the
postoffice, thinking perhaps when the mail did come in my letter had
been mislaid. At last, however, I got a letter. It was from my youngest
sister, the first letter she ever wrote to me. I opened it with a light
heart thinking there was some good news from home, but the burden of the
whole letter was that she had heard there were pickpockets in Boston,
and warned me to take care of them. I thought I had better get some
money in hand first, and then I might take care of pickpockets. And so
you must take care to remember salvation is a gift. You don't work for
salvation; but work day and night after you have got it. Get it first
before you do anything, but don't try to get it yourself. Look at what
Paul says in Ephesians: "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and
that not of yourself, it is the gift of God"--it is the gift of
God--"Not of works, lest any man should boast." There is one thing we
know: We have all got to get into heaven the same way. We cannot work
our way there; we have to take our salvation from God.
A Heavy Draw on Alexander the Great.
There is a story told of Alexander the Great. A general in his army was
a great favorite with him, and he told him to draw anything from his
treasury that he wanted. Well, he presented a bill to the treasurer, and
the treasurer wouldn't honor it. It was for such an enormous amount that
the treasurer was astonished. The General went rushing to the Emperor
and told him, and he called the treasurer and said, "Didn't I tell you
to honor the draft of the General." "But," replied the treasurer, "do
you understand its amount?" "Never mind what it is," replied the
Emperor, "he honors me and my kingdom by making a great draft." And so
we honor God by asking for grace in abundance. I tell you, my friends,
it is a pity there are so many half-starved, mean Christians around when
God says, "Come and get all you want."
A Long Ladder Tumbles to the Ground.
I remember hearing of a man who dreamt that he built a ladder from earth
to heaven, and when he did a good deed up went his ladder a few feet.
When he did a very good deed his ladder went higher, and when he gave
away large sums of money to the poor up it went further still. By and by
it went out of sight, and years rolled on, and it went up, he thought,
past the clouds, clear into heaven. When he died he thought he would
step off his ladder into heaven, but he heard a voice roll out from
paradise, "He that climbeth up another way, the same is a thief and a
robber." and down he came, ladder and all, and he awoke. He said if he
wanted to get salvation he must get it another way than by good deeds,
and he took the other way.