THE KING’S BUSINESS 115 Great Revivals and Great Evangelists Harry Moorehouse—Continued J. H . H U N T E R
as I d id n o t know w h e th e r I w an ted him o r not. A fte r I a rriv ed a t Chi cago I go t a le tte r saying h e h ad ju st a rriv ed in New Y o rk an d he w ou ld com e an d p re a ch . I w ro te him a co ld letter, asking -him to call on m e if he cam e west. A few d ay s a fte r I g o t a le tte r stating h e w ould b e in Chicago n ex t T hu rsd ay . I d id n ’t know w h a t to d o w ith him. I said to th e officers of th e chu rch : ‘T h e re is a m an com ing from E n g lan d a n d h e w an ts to preach . I am going to b e ab se n t T h u rsd a y an d F riday . If y o u will le t him p re a ch on tho se d ay s I will b e b a c k on S a t u rd a y a n d tak e him off y o u r h a n d s.’ T h ey d id n o t care a b o u t his p re a c h ing, b e ing a stra n g e r; b u t a t m y re q u e st th e y le t him preach . O n my re tu rn on S a tu rd a y I w as anxious to h e a r how th e p eo p le liked him an d I ask ed m y w ife how th a t young E ng lishm an g o t along. H ow d id th ey like him. She said th ey liked him v e ry much. ‘H e p reach es a little d if fe ren t from w h a t you do. H e tells th e p eo p le G o d loves them . I th ink you w ill like h im .’ I said h e was w rong. I th o u g h t I could n o t like a m an w ho p re a c h e d c o n tra ry to w h a t I w as p reaching. I w en t d ow n S a t u rd a y nigh t to h e a r him , b u t I h a d m ad e up m y m ind n o t to like him , b ecau se he p re a c h e d d ifferen t from me. The People Brought Their Bibles. “H e to o k his te x t an d I saw ev e ry b o d y h a d b ro u g h t th e ir B ibles w ith them . ‘N ow ,’ h e says, ‘if you will tu rn to th e th ird c h a p te r o f J o h n an d th e six teen th verse, you w ill find m y
in G re a t B ritain a lon e d id G o d use H a rry M oorhouse, b u t in th e U n ited S tates also. In d e ed h e w as known, lov ed an d h o n o re d as m uch on this side o f th e A tlan tic as on th e o ther, if n o t m ore. T o som e of ou r re ad e rs it m ay b e a surprise to learn th a t it was to this hum b le little L ancash ire la d th a t our own Dw igh t L. M oody ow ed his b e com ing a stu d en t a n d p re a c h e r of th e B ible in w h a t w as th e n a new fashion. T h is w as th e sim ple p lan of searching th e Scrip tu res fo r w h a t th ey h a d to say on a sub ject, in stead of th e p revailing m e th o d o f select ing one verse a n d p ro c e ed in g to bu ild up a serm on on it. U ntil he listened to H e n ry M oorhouse, Mr. M oody h a d follow ed th e trad itio n a l w ay ; b u t a fte r his own soul was stirred to its d e p th s b y th e W o rd of G o d p re sen ted in this sim ple w ay he a d o p te d it, an d G o d m a d e him a m an m ighty in th e Scriptures. Seven Sermons on John 3 :16 . H ow these tw o m en. o f G o d w ere d raw n to g e th e r c an b e st b e to ld in Mr. M oody ’s own g raph ic w o rd s: “ In 1867, w h en I w as p reach ing in Dublin, in a larg e hall, a t th e close o f th e service a y oung m an w ho did n o t look ov e r seven teen , th o u g h he w as o lder, cam e up to m e an d said he w ou ld like to go b a c k to Am erica w ith m e a n d p re a ch th e Gospel. I th o u g h t he could n o t p re a ch a n d I said I w as u n d e c id ed w hen I cou ld go back . H e ask ed m e if I w ould w rite to him w h en I w ent, an d he w ou ld com e w ith me. W h en I w en t I th o u g h t I w ou ld n o t w rite to him
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