kingdom." All these sweet passages are brought to the remembrance of
God's people, and they help us to rise out of the fog and mist of this
world. O, what a comforter is the Holy Spirit of God!

THE FAITHFUL FRIEND.

The Holy Spirit tells a man of his faults in order to lead him to a
better life. In John xvi, 8, we read: "He is to reprove the world of
sin." Now, there are a class of people who don't like this part of the
Spirit's work. Do you know why? Because He convicts _them_ of sin;
they don't like that. What they want is some one to speak comforting
words and make everything pleasant; keep everything all quiet; tell
them there is peace when there is war; tell them it is light when it
is dark, and tell them everything is growing better; that the world is
getting on amazingly in goodness; that it is growing better all the
time; that is the kind of preaching they seek for. Men think they are
a great deal better than their fathers were. That suits human nature,
for it is full of pride. Men will strut around and say, "Yes, I
believe that; the world is improving; I am a good deal better man than
father was; my father was too strict; he was one of those old
Puritanical men who was so rigid. O, we are getting on; we are more
liberal; my father wouldn't think of going out riding on Sunday, but
we will; we will trample the laws of God under our feet; we are better
than our fathers."

That is the kind of preaching which some dearly love, and there are
preachers who tickle such itching ears. When you bring the Word of God
to bear upon them, and when the Spirit drives it home, then men will
say: "I don't like that kind of preaching; I will never go to hear
that man again;" and sometimes they will get up and stamp their way
out of church before the speaker gets through; they don't like it. But
when the Spirit of God is at work he convicts men of sin. "When He
comes He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of
judgment; of sin"--not because men swear and lie and steal and get
drunk and murder--"of sin because they believe not on Me."

THE CLIMAX SIN.

That is the sin of the world. Why, a great many people think that
unbelief is a sort of misfortune, but do not know, if you will allow
me the expression, it is the damning sin of the world to-day; that is
what unbelief is, the mother of all sin. There would not be a drunkard
walking the streets, if it were not for unbelief; there would not be a
harlot walk