794
THE KING’S BUSINESS
greatest preachers of modern times had his influence utterly ruined, with a man he greatly desired to win for Christ, and over whom he had gained a position of rare op portunity, by that man’s discovery that he smoked, though the man himself was a smoker. At a great religious gathering an earnest minister was trying to lead one of the'stenographers to Christ. “Do you think Dr. Blank is a Christian?” she asked, nam ing the most prominent man in the gather ing, a very earnest and gifted preacher. “Yes, certainly.” “I don’t,” she replied, and then referred to his smoking. The judg ment was unjust, you say. Yes, but it shows .how the use of tobacco robs ministers and other Christian men of power and influence with thousands for whom Christ died and who are worth saving. An aged but still vigorous and very prominent minister and educator once presided at a ministers’ meet ing at which the writer spoke in another land. In the course of the address I re ferred to the use of tobacco, using the argu ment just given with a number of specific illustrations. At the close of the address this prominent servant of God, a man about 80 years of age, said: “I have used to bacco all my life; I can’t see any harm in it now, but there is an argument I can’t get around and I give it up today.” When I left that city this stalwart and honored servant of God came to me and took my hand in both of his and with tears running down his rugged Scotch cheeks thanked me for the blessing that had come into his own life.
bad smell lingers in his room for others to breathe and be sickened upon long after he has left. The man who smokes in a hotel occupies that room long after he has paid for it and infringes upon the rights of the clean gentleman or lady who hires it the night after he is supposed to have left. Prac tically every smoker sooner or later be comes regardless of the feelings, rights and sufferings of clean people. He renders the hotel, the observation car, the restaurant, the steamer deck, the home, almost unbear able for the people who have sense enough not to smoke. Oftentimes the man who smokes in his .home sends his wife or his babes to premature graves by the tobacco smoke which he forces them to breathe. We know of no other habit that is so utterly selfish and regardless of the rights of others as the smoking habit. We are tempted to give definite illustrations from the shameful conduct of prominent ministers of the Gos pel. Fourth, because no one can smoke with out robbing himself of influence with some body. In a world such as we live in, where there is so much to be done in winning others to Christ and thus saving them from an eternal hell, and so few to do it, every true minister of the Gospel and every true Christian requires every ounce of influence that he can gain, and will gladly give up anything that will rob him of influence with anybody. There can be no honest doubt that smoking will rob any minister or any Chris tian of influence with some one. One of the
------------$------------
EVANGELISTIC WORK
nDHERE is splendid opportunity for Christian men and women to aid in the support of the Bible Institute, by con tributing to one or more departments of the work concerning which ireports are found in each number of this magazine. A vast amount of effort is exerted continu ously in many directions, but all looking
toward the common end of bringing the tidings of Salvation to every man and wo man. While this work MUST be con tinued, it is supported exclusively by vol untary contributions, and all persons are invited to help. Contributors may indicate which department they wish to help; other wise, all funds will go to the general work.
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online