one who is now under the sound of my voice do this? Are you
sure, my friend, that you love God more than the world, and that you
love your neighbor as yourself? What proof have you to give of this?
Jesus again says: "If ye love me, keep my commandments. He that loveth
me will keep my words." There can be nothing more perfectly in harmony
with human nature in all its phases than these declarations of our
Lord. Where is the subject that is unwilling to render obedience to
the prince or king that he loves? Where is the loving child that
refuses to obey its parents? I tell you that obedience is the test and
proof of love. Do you obey our Lord Jesus Christ? Do you say "No"?
Then, my dear friend, let me say to you, in all candor and love, you
do not love him. You may imagine that you do, but your imagination on
this point is a delusion. But perhaps you are ashamed to confess him.
Hear again what the Lord says: "He that is ashamed of me and my words,
of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he shall come in his
glory."

But perhaps you ask: "How am I to get rid of my chains?" Get rid of
them, my dear unconverted friend, just as Peter got rid of his. The
Lord is just as willing and as able to rescue you from the chains of
sin and the thraldom of bad habits as he was to rescue Peter from the
chains with which the Roman guard had bound him. The Lord came to him,
not in darkness, but in light. He brought the light with him. He never
works in darkness. Even when he was about to fashion the world, the
first thing he did was to throw a flood of light all over its wide,
chaotic surface. But the light which he caused to shine in the prison
did not wake Peter up, although it must have shone in his eyes. So he
smote him on the side, and no doubt shook him gently.

Peter opened his eyes and saw the light. The angel "raised him up,
saying, Arise up quickly." At the very first move he made to stand on
his feet, his chains got loose, and when he rose to his feet they fell
right off. This is the way you are to get rid of your chains. The Lord
comes to you as he is present now and says to you, "Arise up quickly,
and follow me." The very moment you firmly resolve to obey him in
love, that very moment will your chains begin to get loose; and when
you arise to follow him in the way his Word directs, they will fall
off.

You may here see how the Lord works with man. It is said the angel
raised Peter up; and at the same time, while he had hol