pt crying, 'O God, take away this load of guilt; I gave my clerks a
holiday, and just closed my office and locked the door. I fell down on
my face; I cried in agony to my Lord, 'O Lord, for Christ's sake take
away this guilt.' I don't know how it was, but it began to grow very
light. I said, I wonder if this isn't what they call conversion. I think
I will go and ask the minister if I am not converted. I met my wife at
the door and said, 'My dear, I've been converted.' She looked in
amazement. 'Oh it's a fact; I've been converted! We went into that
drawing-room and knelt down by the sofa and prayed to God to bless us."
The old Judge said to me, the tears trickling down his cheeks, "Mr.
Moody, I've enjoyed life more in the last three months than in all the
years of my life put together." If there is an infidel here--if there is
a skeptical one here, ask God to give you wisdom to come now. Let us
reason together, and if you become acquainted with God the day will not
go before you receive light from Him.

[Illustration: The Tower of Bable. GUSTAVE DORE. Genesis, xi.]

[Illustration: The Destruction of Sodom. GUSTAVE DORE. Genesis, xix.]

Reuben Johnson Pardoned.

I want to tell you a scene that occurred some time ago. Our Commissioner
went to the Governor of the State and asked him if he wouldn't pardon
out five men at the end of six months who stood highest on the list for
good behavior. The Governor consented, and the record was to be kept
secret; the men were not to know anything about it. The six months
rolled away and the prisoners were brought up--1,100 of them--and the
President of the commission came up and said: "I hold in my hand pardons
for five men." I never witnessed anything like it. Every man held his
breath, and you could almost hear the throbbing of every man's heart.
"Pardon for five men," and the Commissioner went on to tell the men how
they had got these pardons--how the Governor had given them, but the
Chaplain said the surprise was so great that he told the Commissioner to
read the names first and tell the reason afterward. The first name was
called--'Reuben Johnson'--and he held out the pardon, but not a man
moved. He looked all around, expecting to see a man spring to his feet
at once; but no one moved. The Commissioner turned to the officer of the
prison and inquired: "Are all the convicts here?" "Yes," was the reply,
"Reuben Johnson, come forward and get your pardon; you are no longer