CHAPTER IX.

WHY MUST I GIVE UP MY WILL?

ANY persons pray and labor to become

MAN

Christians, but do not succeed, simply because they do not surrender their wills to God. The provisions of the gospel are ample, Christ is willing to receive, and the Father waits to embrace them in the arms of his love; still the peace and joy of sins forgiven are unknown to them.

These persons are sincere, and really want to become Christians; but, alas! many of them live and die only seekers-never finding Christ.

Many wonder how this can be so: the reason is, the will is not given up.

The seat of the rebellion against God is in the will. Generally, the seeker after Christ gives up all the larger objects, but clings to some little thing, in itself of no importance. He will let go of the mountain, but cling to the straw — not realizing that the will can have as firm a hold upon the straw as upon the mountain.

We often near men speak in this way: "I will follow thee, but" or, "I will give up all, except—” or again, “I will do anything else." Such seekers will not find the light until all conditions are left out.

The following incidents are given to illustrate what I have said; they also show all the importance I attach to what is sometimes called "machinery," or "measures," in a meeting.

I.

Some years ago, while engaged in a meeting in Massachusetts, I met with a lady who had been an earnest and sincere seeker after Christ for five years.

She had been greatly prejudiced against what she called an "anxious seat;" and had been taught that God's pardoning love could be found in one place as well as another, and, consequently, the particular seat in a meeting-house could make no difference.

This was true; for the Savior will receive the penitent soul at one time or place as readily as at another at home alone as soon as in public, and in a front seat no more freely than in any other.

"If this is so," said she, "why ask me to take an anxious seat?" The matter seemed so clear to her own mind, that she deliberately said, "I will never go to an anxious seat to be converted."

With this feeling, she had prayed and wept, and sought Christ for five years; but all in vain. Her prayer had been, "Thou knowest, O Lord, I desire to be a Christian, and that one seat is as good as another. O, then, take me as I am a poor, lost, helpless sinner!

'Nothing in my hand I bring;

Simply to thy cross I cling.""

When no answer came to her prayer, she was almost led to question the reliability of the promise, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

As the revival progressed, a large number of her friends and acquaintances were converted. Nearly all of the choir, of which she was a prominent member, had found Christ precious many of them had gone to the front seat.

Sometimes she seemed almost angry, and at other times was bathed in tears; but still she said, I will not go to an anxious seat."

66

At last, one evening, after scores had gone forward for prayer, she, while sitting almost alone in the place occupied by the choir, yielded the controversy, and said, "I will give up, and do what I have so long said I would not, and if Jesus will take me any sooner on the front seat than here, I will go there."

But she learned that the difficulty was not in any particular part of the house, but in her will; that when this was given up, and she was willing to go anywhere or do anything that would not disgrace a sinner, then, and not till then, would the Savior accept her.

As she came near the desk, having walked the whole length of the main aisle, I asked her if she had come to take the oft-rejected anxious seat. She replied that she had. Finding that every front seat was occupied, I said to her, "If your will is given up, Christ will receive you in one place as soon as another."

She then went to a little foot-bench near the desk, and had hardly taken her seat before she felt that her sins were forgiven, and Christ was her Savior. The long-sought-for peace was found at length, without her taking the anxious seat; but not until she was willing, and had made an effort to take it.

Thus we see that the will must be given up before conversion, and that all there is in any measure, or change of seats, or position, is to test the will, and assist the anxious soul the sooner to give up all to Jesus.

II.

The folly of saying "I will not" is further illustrated in the case of a business man, of good

moral character, who became interested in one of our meetings in New York.

He told us that he had been praying and seeking to become a Christian for fifteen years, but had said he never would go to a front seat for prayer

he knew better than to do that; others had found Christ without this public demonstration, and he could.

It was true others had found Christ, and he could, without any public expression of this kind; but it is also true that no one can be converted to God until he is willing to yield every point.

Thus determined, this man had sought, through those long years, the Christian's hope; but all in vain. He was willing to take other steps, which most persons would think equally unpleasant, but was not willing to go to anything called an "anxious seat."

One evening he stood up in a large assembly, and, with deep feeling, asked the pastor to pray for him. They kneeled together, while the pastor prayed fervently for his conversion the man seeming to realize his lost condition, but still saying he did not believe in going to any particular seat; but no relief came.

At length I asked if there was not something which he had not given up. He said he had given up all except a foolish thing, as he viewed it; and