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less than eight or nine, to my knowledge, have been taken away. How many will go in the coming eight weeks? Only think of it. Some of them now move through those mansions Christ has prepared for them; they are now walking down the crystal pavements of heaven; they may be walking to the tree of life and plucking its fruit. They are now with the redeemed and the Redeemer. They are now singing the sweet hallelujahs of heaven-a sweeter song than they ever heard on earth. But think of those who have gone to the dark caverns of hell-now with the fiends of darkness, now in the land where there is no hope, now listening to the wail of despair. You can accept salvation now. The idea of standing still, thinking you have time to accept Christ, is a delusion of the devil. Don't be deceived by Satan. We are in the current of time that is bearing us on to eternity. While we sleep and are unconscious, we are being borne swiftly to the judgment seat, and we may be there before we know. Look at that man on the river that runs to the rapids! Look at him as he drifts with the current on to death! In a few minutes he will be in eternity, and he is not aware of it. There are thousands here sweeping on to death and judgment. "Now is the accepted time." Escape to-night, and accept the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.

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But there is another "behold." Behold, I stand at the door and knock." He stands at the door of the sinner's heart and knocks. Does your heart thrill to-night, my friends. That is the Son of God knocking at your heart. You haven't to go down and bring Him up, nor go up and bring Him down. He is right here to-night. Is there a skeptical one doubts his presence here? What man could hold this immense audience during the past eight weeks but Him? Is there any political subject that could keep an audience every night for eight weeks as this has been kept? Or if a man came here to talk poetry or science, could he have such an assemblage? Surely it cannot be the singer or the preacher. There is an unseen power-a supernatural agency. It is the Son of God, my friends; and He is here to-night, and stands at your heart and says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock." If any one here hearkens to His voice and opens the door, He says with him, "I will come unto him and sup with him, and he with me." And no man, if he only enters to Him, will go down to the caverns of death and damnation; but if you reject Him, and shut and lock and bolt the door of your heart, He cannot come in, and, of course, you must perish. In one part of Scripture he says He "stands with his locks wet with the dew of the night." He stands now. A man in the inquiry room said he made a vow some years ago to come to Christ. He was knocking at his heart then, but for

thirty years he kept Him out.

Listen, sinners; A friend of mine

This week he let Him in. Think how merciful God is. He might have called that man away to eternity during those thirty years. perhaps He is making His last call to you. once said, when Christ came first he knocked pretty loud. The second time conscience was not so keen, and it was not so loud. When he came a third time His knock was fainter, and the fourth time fainter still, and the fifth time almost inaudible, till by and by He could not be heard at all. Is not that the case with some here? Christ stands knocking now. You may put Christ off—that is man's free will-but you cannot put death off. When he comes and puts his cold hand upon you, feeling for the cords of life, you cannot put him off. The question will then be settled for time and eternity, and then you must answer at the judgment seat. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Sinner, what will you do to-night? Young man, don't laugh! Don't make light of this question. One of two things you must do-either reject Him or receive Him: either keep Him out of your heart or take Him in.

And there is another "Behold." It is a behold they heard of in the days of Paul. You know when they heard that Paul was praying, it did not come from Damascus, from Rome, or Jerusalem; it came from heaven. "Behold, he is praying." I hope some are praying here to-night. Let the news go up to heaven, "Behold, he prays." and "Behold, she prays," and an answer will come. If you pray from the depths of your soul an answer will come to-night. If you want to accept on this, the last night of our meetings this week, the waters of life, you can. Just lift up your heart, and the message will go up, "Behold, he prays." Let all Christians here pray. Let there be a silent wave of prayer go up to heaven, and let those who have never prayed ask God for mercy. Let these little children pray, I like to hear children praying. Sometimes a child's prayers have more effect than any others. How many infidel fathers and mothers have been brought to Christ by their praying children. I remember while out in Kansas, while holding a meeting, I saw a little boy who came to the window, crying. I went to him and said: "My little boy, what is your trouble ?" "Why, Mr. Moody, my mother's dead, and my father drinks, and they don't love me, and the Lord won't have anything to do with me because I am a poor drunkard's boy." "You have got a wrong idea, my boy; Jesus will love you and save you and your father too," and I told him a story of a little boy in an Eastern city. The boy said his father would never allow the canting hypocrites of Christians to come into his house, and would never allow his child to go to Sunday-school. A kind-hearted man got his little boy and

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brought him to Christ. When Christ gets into a man's heart he cannot help to pray. This father had been drinking one day, and coming home he heard the boy praying. He went to him and said: "I don't want you to pray any more. You've been along with some of those Christians. If I catch you praying again I'll flog you." But the boy was filled with God, and he couldn't help praying. The door of communication was opened between him and Christ, and his father caught him praying again. If I catch you at it once more you leave my house." He thought he would stop him. One day the old temper came upon the boy, and he did something wrong and got flogged. When he got over his mad fit he forgot the threats of his father, and went to pray. His father had been drinking more than usual, and coming in found the boy offering a prayer. He caught the boy with a push and said, "Didn't I tell you never to pray again? Leave this house. Get your things packed up and go." The little fellow hadn't many things to get togethera drunkard's boy never has, and he went up to his mother's room. Good-bye, mother." "Where are you going?" "I don't know where I'll go, but father says I cannot stay here any longer. I've been praying again," he said. The mother knew it wouldn't do to try to keep the boy when her husband had ordered him away, so she drew him to her bosom and kissed him, and bid him good-bye. He went to his brothers and sisters and kissed them good-bye. When he came to the door his father was there, and the little fellow reached out his hand-"Goodbye, father; as long as I live I will pray for you," and left the house. He hadn't been gone many minutes when that father rushed after him. "My boy, if that is religion; if it can drive you away from father and mother and home, I want it." Yes, may be some little boy here to-night has got a drinking father and mother. Lift your voice to heaven, and the news will be carried up to heaven, "he prays." Yes, Paul prayed, and the news went, "he prayeth," and let all Christians lift their voices up to heaven, and let all who have not accepted Christ, cry, and he will hear you, "God be merciful to me a sinner." Let us unite in silent prayer.

BLESSED thought! for every one

At the cross there's room;
Love's atoning work is done;
At the cross there's room;
Streams of boundless mercy flow,
Free to all who thither go;
O that all the world might know,
At the cross there's room.

How to Conduct Inquiry Meetings.

'VE chosen as my subject this morning, "How to Hold an Inquiry Meeting; or, what are best-adapted texts of Scripture to be dwelt upon at these Meetings ?" Of course I am not going to quote all the texts that could be used, and to good advantage: I am just going to bring to mind some few of the best ones. And what I want first to call your attention to, if you are going to be successful in winning souls to Christ, is the need for discrimination in finding out people's differences. People are not the same in their wants spiritual more than temporal. What is good for one is rank poison for another. You can't treat all alike. I've a friend that always, when he is sick, drinks a lot of hot water, and goes to bed. Another says to me, just take this dose and you will get well. It don't make any difference what's the matter with you, this friend has one single remedy. So many have just one verse of Scripture. He's always quoting it. It fits his case, and he thinks it does everybody else's. A man I knew up in Wisconsin was converted under a railway bridge, and to this day he keeps urging people to go right down under that bridge if they want to get converted sure. But God never repeats Himself. No two thoughts are just alike, no two needs are just alike, no two sinners are going to come to Christ in the same precise way. Instead of looking for others' experiences, look for one for yourself. So when talking to persons in the inquiry-room, you must find out just these differences. Now, I am going to divide inquirers into classes or divisions this morning, and point out a few passages suitable for each.

The first class, I think, in point of numbers, is that of the doubters—those who are always in doubting castle. And these generally are among professing Christians. Oh, I think we shall make a different start with these when we get to Boston from what we did here. I'm convinced we made a mistake here in not opening the inquiry-rooms for professing Christians first. For twenty or thirty years they have been living on, making empty professions. Now, they just want to get off their crutches, and get to walking and running for Christ. I don't believe they can accomplish much; I know they can't, if they continue

in this half-dead state. If Christians haven't assurance, they are just stumbling-blocks-they are in the way of the work. How many hurts these professing Christians give, who show no sign of their faith! They have no joy in serving the Lord, and their children, with reason, say, "I don't want that kind of a religion." And here I want to call your attention to a proper⚫ remedy for this class, to be found in the book of John. That whole book was written for this one thing, to help people out of doubting castle, and teach them that they may know they are saved. Only Friday last I met a woman, a prominent member of a prominent church, who said it was presumption to say with certainty that we are saved. I said it was presumption to say that we are not saved, when we have the very word of the Lord Jesus Christ for it. Oh, if you will just read those precious words: "He that heareth my words and believeth on Him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life;" and then turn to those other divine words: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God :" if you will just read these sure words of God you will not talk about having no assurance as to your salvation. Just believe in the words of the Son of God, and you know right now that you are saved. You know right now, I say, and don't have to put it off till you are going to die. Therefore, I would talk to these doubting citizens about the Epistle of John. I would say to you, persuade them to take these words of Jesus: "They have passed from death to life." Oh, yes, it is the privilege of every child of God to know that he is saved.

The next class are the backsliding. They do not want so much assurance as reviving. I know a lady who has a homœopathic doctor's book, and whenever she is at all out of sorts she goes right to it. In spiritual things there is a good remedy for all sorts, and for the backsliders as well. Though they have left God, He makes a way for them to return. I have just turned down the leaves of my Bible at the second and third chapters of Jeremiah. I don't think any one can feel this way with that Bible in hand. "Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me that they have gone far from me, and have walked after vanity and are become vain ?" Now, what did Christ ever do against you? Did He ever lie to you? Did He ever abuse you? Did He ever deceive you? Only one man ever said that, and he was out of his head, and any one would know he was. No man can accuse Christ of any bias or offence. "What iniquity have you found in me?" None at all.

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