and
with many of us he is striving now. We may not be willing to confess
it to our friends, but nevertheless it is true. In many ways he is
bringing to our attention the eternal interests of our souls, and this
is striving.

It is implied that men are resisting the Spirit of God. If this were
not so there could be no striving, and the text indicates that men may
continue so long to resist him and to sin against him that after a
while the door of mercy will close and hope be a thing of the past.

I

What is the striving of the Spirit? I have no doubt but that many are
asking this question seriously and fearfully and it is worthy of our
most careful consideration.

1. It is just God speaking to us and causing us to say to ourselves if
not to others, "Well, I ought to be a Christian; this life of
worldliness does not pay." There is nothing but an accusing
conscience, a weakened character and a blighted life as the result of
it. Do not for a moment think that this is just an impression that has
come to you; it is the voice of God and you would do well to hear it.
This striving of the Spirit is simply the Spirit of God seeking to
convince men that the only safe life is that which is hid with Christ
in God, safe not only for eternity--the most of us believe that--but
safe for time. Temptations are too powerful for us to withstand alone
and trials are too heavy for us to bear in our own strength. The
striving of the Spirit is just our heavenly Father graciously
attempting to persuade us to yield to him, sometimes by providences.

When but a lad my old pastor used one night an illustration from which
I never have been able to get away. It was the story of the old
fisherman who took his little boy with him to fish and found that on
his accustomed fishing grounds he was unsuccessful; so, leaving the boy
upon the little island, he started away to fish alone. The mists came
down in his absence and, missing his way, he lost his boy. He rowed
everywhere calling him and at last he heard him in the distance,
saying, "I am up here, papa; over this way." The fisherman found him,
but not quickly enough to enable him to escape the cold night winds,
and the boy sickened and died. The old fisherman said: "Every night
when I stood at my window I could see his outstretching hands and
always above the storm I could hear his voice calling me upward. I
could not but be a Christian." My mother had just a few weeks before
g