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3. And once more in regard to th is promise. Note th e words, “an d weep- eth .” It is no t enough to know th e Word of God and it is no t enough to sow th e Word of God: if you would have a bounteous harvest, if you would come “ bringing your sheaves w ith ” you, you must, as you sow- your seed, w ater it w ith your tears. Not only does th-e Word of God teach, bu t experience also abundantly proves th a t it is th e Word of God th a t is given w ith a h e a rt full of love for sinners, a love th a t shows itself in tears of sympathy for th e sinner’s sorrow s and tears of pain over th e sin n e r’s sin and stubbornness, th a t bears fru it in souls saved. Here is where many m issionaries in th e foreign field fail and many preachers a t home fail, they have no deep h eart-felt love th a t leads to te ars for those to whom they preach and w ith whom they work. One of the m ightiest soul-w inners among the outcasts th a t th is country ever saw was Colonel George Clark, th e founder of th e Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago. Col. C lark worked faithfully a t his bus iness six days of th e week th a t he m ight preach th e Gospel w ithou t pay seven nights in the week. Every n igh t they would g ath er in th e Pacific Garden Mis sion, four or five hundred men, mostly of th e down-and-out class. They would hang upon every word C.ol. C lark spoke, though he was no t an in teresting speak er, indeed a very ordinary and common place speaker. I never heard him give an original though t in all my life, and yet those -outcasts would sit all the evening and hang upon his words. Some of th e most b rillian t speakers in Amer ica would go there, bu t could not hold th a t crowd, bu t Col. C lark always could. I studied these strange phenomena and finally found the explanation of them. They knew th a t Col. Clark loved them , th a t he would give his la st penny for them , th a t he would wear his life out for them , as he actually did. Col. Clark was a man much given to tears as he spoke. He was a large, powerful man, weigh ing perhaps 250 pounds, and tears from such a man seemed out of place and a fte r a while he became ashamed of his many te ars and held them back. But he found th a t w ith the drying up of his tears he lost his power; and he went to God and cried, “Oh God, give me back my te ars,” and God gave him back his tears and gave him back his power. Young men and women, cultivate a real, h ea rtfe lt love for those among whom
you work. Ask the Holy Spirit to make real to you th e ir lost condition and to make vivid to you th e ir coming doom if they are no t saved. I t Is n o t th e one who knows th e most h u t th e one who loves th e most who wins th e most. I th in k I would make a good missionary to th e Chinese, for I love th e Chinese; I confess I love them more th a n I do any other people. B u t look to God to give you a tear-bringing love fo r any people among whom you work. IV. Jam es 1:5. The fo u rth G reat Prom ise of God fo r th e Bible S tudent an d th e Soul-winner you w ill find in Jam es 1 :5 : “If any of you lack wisdom, le t him ask of God, th a t giveth to all m en liberally, and upb raideth n o t; and it shall be given him .” This top is a g reat prom ise for th e Bible stud en t and Soul-winner. To be a successful stud en t of the Word one needs “w isdom” and to be a successful Soul-winner, one needs g reat “wisdom” and tact. This prom ise tells how to get th is wisdom, ask fo r it. “ If any of you lack wisdom, le t him ask of God, th a t giveth to all men liberally, and upbraid eth no t; and it shall be given him .” W hat to do is pu t in one word, “ ask,” definite believing prayer. The next two verses say, “But let him ask in faith , nothing doubting; for he th a t doubteth is like th e surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. For le t n o t th a t m an th in k th a t he shall receive anything of th e Lord.” Our prom ise tells us very clearly of Whom to ask. It is p u t in two words, “of God.” Be very clear about th at. There is much asking th a t is not really “ of God.” Men pray, bu t they do not really get into th e presence of God, and “ ask of H im .” Be sure you do every tim e you pray. And no te carefully of w h at God to ask, t h e .“God, Who giveth to all liber ally and upb raid eth no t.” There is only one God Who does th a t, the God and F a th e r of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. There is much th a t is called praying in these days th a t is not unto Him. Prof. Theodore Gerald Soares, “ Professor of Hom iletics and Religious Education” and “Head of D epartm ent of P ractical Theology” a t th e University of Chicago, says, “The m ental sta te of peace, exultation and resolution which issue upon th e exercise of prayer are due to th e release of conscious tension.” T hat certainly is' no t praying to the “God, Who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth no t,” even if th e w riter is a theological professor. P resident
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