?" "Yes," he replied.

"How long has this been, then?" asked his companion.

"Exactly a week," he answered; "for a whole week I have tried to get
out my Bible to read to you, but I have never done so till now."

"Well," said his friend, "it is a strange thing. _I was converted on
the some night_, and I too was ashamed to take my Bible out."

You are ashamed to take your Bible out and say, "I have lived a
godless life for all these years, but I will commence now to live a
life of righteousness." You are ashamed to open your Bible and read
that blessed Psalm, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." You
are ashamed to be seen on your knees. No man can be a disciple of
Jesus Christ without bearing His cross. A great many people want to
know how it is Jesus Christ has so few disciples, whilst Mahomet has
so many. The reason is that Mahomet gives no cross to bear. There are
so few men who will come out to take their stand.

I was struck during the American war with the fact that there were so
many men who could go to the cannon's mouth without trembling, but who
had not courage to take up their Bibles to read them at night. They
were ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the power of God
unto salvation. "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him
will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever
shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which
is in heaven."

4. The "I Will" of Service.

The next _I will_ is the "I will" of service.

There are a good many Christians who have been quickened and aroused
to say, "I want to do some service for Christ."

Well, Christ says, "_Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men_."

There is no Christian who cannot help to bring someone to the Savior.
Christ says, "And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me";
and our business is just to lift up Christ.

Our Lord said, "Follow Me, Peter, and I will make you a fisher of
men"; and Peter simply obeyed Him, and there, on that day of
Pentecost, we see the result. Peter had a good haul on the day of
Pentecost. I doubt if he ever caught so many fish in one day as he did
men on that day. It would have broken every net they had on board, if
they had had to drag up three thousand fishes.

I read some time ago of a man who took passage in a stage coach. There
were first, second and third-class passengers. But when he looked into
the coach, he saw all the passenge