rer light as to His ways with man, and as to how He is able to save,
to the uttermost, all who come unto Him. The instances going to show
that men were not cured of the appetite for strong drink in a moment of
time by prayer and faith, were too many and too sorrowful not to force
this conviction upon the mind of every thoughtful and observant
Christian man and woman. And, so, even while many sincere and
self-devoted workers in this cause still hold to the view that God can,
and will, if the faith be strong enough, change a man in an instant of
time, and with no co-operation of his own beyond this act of faith, from
vileness to purity--from a love of evil to a love of good--the sounder,
safer and more Scriptural doctrine that, if a man would be saved from
the enemies of his soul, he must fight and overcome them in the strength
which God gives to all who will ask and receive, is the one now more
generally preached to reformed men; and, as a result, the number of
those who stand fast in the new life to which they have attained, is
steadily increasing.
THE APPETITE FOR DRINK NOT TAKEN AWAY IN A MOMENT.
Still, far too widely in this Gospel work of saving fallen men from the
power of appetite, is the delusive idea held out that if a man will
"give his heart to Christ," as it is called; that is, pray humbly,
sincerely and in faith to have his sins forgiven, and his soul purified
from all evil by an application of Divine grace; God will, in answer to
this prayer alone, and in an instant of time, take away the appetite for
drink which has been for years gradually gaining the mastery over him.
We have heard a man declare, in the presence of an assemblage of men who
had been slaves to drink, and who were seeking for a way of escape, that
God had, in answer to his prayers, destroyed in a moment the appetite
which had long held him in a close bondage; and that, if they would come
to Him and give Him their hearts, He would work in them the same miracle
of spiritual healing. As we listened to his confident speech, we felt
how great was the danger in which he himself stood, and how much better
it would have been for his hearers if he had kept silent.
HOW MANY ARE REALLY SAVED.
Facts are solid things, and weigh heavily in the scale of argument. They
are not always pleasant to look at; but it is weakness to ignore them.
Let us take a few facts in connection with this Gospel temperance work.
The first of these came to our knowl
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