Latest / Philosophy and Faith / 18 - Go Into the Highways and Hedges - Christ's Object Lessons

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18 - Go Into the Highways and Hedges - Christ's Object Lessons · Philosophy and Faith

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Speaker 1: Chapter eighteen, Go into the highways and hedges. The Savior
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Speaker 1: was a guest at the feast of a pharisee. He
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Speaker 1: accepted invitations from the rich as well as the poor,
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Speaker 1: and according to his custom, he linked the scene before
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Speaker 1: him with his lessons of truth. Among the Jews, the
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Speaker 1: sacred feast was connected with all their seasons of national
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Speaker 1: and religious rejoicing. He was to them a type of
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Speaker 1: the blessings of eternal life. The great feast at which
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Speaker 1: they were to sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
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Speaker 1: while the gentiles stood without and looked on with longing eyes,
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Speaker 1: was a theme on which they delighted to dwell. The
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Speaker 1: lesson of warning and instruction which Christ desired to give.
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Speaker 1: He now illustrated by the parable of a great Supper,
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Speaker 1: the blessings of God, both for the present and for
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Speaker 1: the future life. The Jews thought to shut up to themselves,
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Speaker 1: they denied God's mercy to the Gentiles. By the parable,
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Speaker 1: Christ showed that they were themselves at that very time,
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Speaker 1: rejecting the imitation of mercy, the call to God's kingdom.
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Speaker 1: He showed that the invitation which they had slighted was
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Speaker 1: to be sent to those whom they despised, those from
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Speaker 1: whom they had drawn away their garments, as if they
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Speaker 1: were lepers to be shunned. In choosing the guests for
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Speaker 1: his feast, the Pharisee had consulted his own selfish interest.
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Speaker 1: Christ said to him, when thou makest a dinner or
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Speaker 1: a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither
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Speaker 1: thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors, lest they also bid
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Speaker 1: THEE again, and a recompense be made THEE. But when
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Speaker 1: thou makest a feast, call the poor the name the lame,
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Speaker 1: and thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense THEE.
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Speaker 1: For thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the Just.
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Speaker 1: Christ was here repeating the instruction he had given to
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Speaker 1: Israel through Moses. At their sacred feasts. The Lord had
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Speaker 1: directed that the stranger, and the fatherless and the widow,
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Speaker 1: which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat
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Speaker 1: and be satisfied. These gatherings were to be as object
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Speaker 1: lessons to Israel, being thus taught the joy of true hospitality.
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Speaker 1: The people were throughout the year to care for the
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Speaker 1: bereaved and the poor, and these feasts had a wider lesson.
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Speaker 1: The spiritual blessings given to Israel were not for themselves alone.
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Speaker 1: God had given the bread of life to them that
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Speaker 1: they might break it to the world. This work they
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Speaker 1: had not fulfilled. Christ's words were a rebuke to their selfishness.
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Speaker 1: To the Pharisees, his words were distasteful. Hoping to turn
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Speaker 1: the conversation into another channel, one of them, with a
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Speaker 1: sanctimonious air, exclaimed, blessed is he that shall eat bread
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Speaker 1: in the Kingdom of God. This man spoke with great assurance,
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Speaker 1: as if he himself were certain of a place in
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Speaker 1: the kingdom. His attitude was similar to the attitude of
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Speaker 1: those who rejoice that they are saved by Christ when
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Speaker 1: they do not comply with the conditions u bond which
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Speaker 1: salvation is promised. His spirit was like that of Balam
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Speaker 1: when he prayed, let me die the death of the righteous,
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Speaker 1: and let my last end be like his. The Pharisee
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Speaker 1: was not thinking of his own fitness for heaven, but
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Speaker 1: of what he hoped to enjoy in heaven. His remark
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Speaker 1: was designed to turn away the minds of the guests
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Speaker 1: at the feast from the subject of their practical duty,
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Speaker 1: he thought to carry them past the present life to
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Speaker 1: the remote time of the resurrection. The just Christ read
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Speaker 1: the heart of the pretender, and fastening his eyes upon him,
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Speaker 1: he opened before the company the character and value of
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Speaker 1: their present privileges. He showed them that they had a
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Speaker 1: part to act at that very time in order to
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Speaker 1: share in the blessedness of the future. A certain man,
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Speaker 1: he said, made a great supper and bade many. When
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Speaker 1: the time of the peast arrived, the host sent his
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Speaker 1: servant to the expected guests with the second message, come,
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Speaker 1: for all things are now ready. But a strange indifference
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Speaker 1: was shown. All with one consent began to make excuse.
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Speaker 1: The first said unto him, I have bought a piece
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Speaker 1: of ground, and in its needs go and see it.
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Speaker 1: I pray THEE have me excused. And another said, I
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Speaker 1: have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to
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Speaker 1: prove them. I pray THEE have me excuse. And another said,
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Speaker 1: I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
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Speaker 1: None of the excuses were founded on a real necessity.
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Speaker 1: The man who must needs go and see his piece
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Speaker 1: of ground had already purchased it. His haste to go
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Speaker 1: and see, it was due to the fact that his
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Speaker 1: interest was absorbed in his purchase. The oxen, too had
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Speaker 1: been bought. The proving of them was only to satisfy
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Speaker 1: the interest of the buyer. The third excuse had no
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Speaker 1: more semblance of reason. The fact that the intended guest
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Speaker 1: had married a wife need not have prevented his presence
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Speaker 1: at the feast. His wife also would have been made welcome.
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Speaker 1: But he had his own plans for enjoyment, and these
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Speaker 1: seemed to him more desirable than the feast he had
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Speaker 1: promised to attend. He had learned to find pleasure in
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Speaker 1: other society than that of the host. He did not
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Speaker 1: ask to be excused, made not even a pretensive courtesy
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Speaker 1: in his refusal. The I cannot was only a veil
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Speaker 1: for the truth I do not care to come. All
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Speaker 1: the excuses betray a preoccupied mind. To these intended guests,
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Speaker 1: other interests had become all absorbing. The invitation they had
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Speaker 1: pledged themselves to accept was put aside, and the generous
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Speaker 1: friend was insulted by their indifference. By the Great Supper,
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Speaker 1: Christ represents the blessings offered through the Gospel. The provision
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Speaker 1: is nothing less than Christ himself He is the bread
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Speaker 1: that comes down from Heaven, and from him the streams
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Speaker 1: of salvation flow. The Lord's messengers had proclaimed to the
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Speaker 1: Jews the Advent of the Savior. They had pointed to
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Speaker 1: Christ as the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
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Speaker 1: sin of the world. In the feast he had provided.
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Speaker 1: God offered to them the greatest gift that Heaven can bestow,
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Speaker 1: a gift that is beyond compiled. The love of God
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Speaker 1: had furnished the costly banquet and had provided inexhaustible resources.
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Speaker 1: If any man eat of this bread, Christ said, he
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Speaker 1: shall live forever. But in order to accept the invitation
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Speaker 1: to the Gospel feast, they must make their worldly interests
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Speaker 1: subordinate to the one purpose of receiving Christ and his righteousness.
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Speaker 1: God gave all for man, and he asked him to
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Speaker 1: place his service above every earthly and selfish consideration. He
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Speaker 1: cannot accept a divided heart. The heart that is absorbed
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Speaker 1: in earthly affections cannot be given up to God. The
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Speaker 1: lesson is for all time. We are to follow the
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Speaker 1: Lamb of God. Whithersoever he goeth. His guidance is to
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Speaker 1: be chosen, his companionship valued above the companionship of earthly friends.
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Speaker 1: Christ says, he that loveth father or mother more than
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Speaker 1: me is not worthy of me, and he that loveth
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Speaker 1: son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
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Speaker 1: Around the family board, when breaking their daily bread, many
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Speaker 1: in Christ's day repeated the words, blessed is he that
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Speaker 1: shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God. But Christ
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Speaker 1: showed how difficult it was to find guests for the
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Speaker 1: table provided at infinite cost. Those who listened to his
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Speaker 1: words knew that they had slighted the invitation of mercy
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Speaker 1: to them. Worldly possessions, riches, and pleasures were all absorbing
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Speaker 1: with one consent. They had made excuse. So it is
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Speaker 1: now the excuses urged for refusing the invitation to the
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Speaker 1: feast cover the whole ground of excuses for refusing the
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Speaker 1: gospel invitation. Men declare that they cannot imperil their worldly
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Speaker 1: prospects by giving attention to the claims of the Gospel.
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Speaker 1: They count their temporal interests as of more value than
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Speaker 1: the things of eternity. The very blessings they have received
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Speaker 1: from God become a barrier to separate their souls from
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Speaker 1: their creator and redeemer. They will not be interrupted in
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Speaker 1: their worldly pursuits, and they say to the Messenger of mercy,
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Speaker 1: go thy way, for this time, when I have a
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Speaker 1: convenient season, I will call for THEE. Others urge the
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Speaker 1: difficulties that would arise in their social relations should they
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Speaker 1: obey the call of God. They say they cannot afford
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Speaker 1: to be out of harmony with their relatives and acquaintances.
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Speaker 1: Thus they prove themselves to be the very actors described
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Speaker 1: in the parable. The master of the feast regards their
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Speaker 1: flimsy excuses as showing contempt for his invitation. The man
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Speaker 1: who said I have married a wife, and therefore I
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Speaker 1: cannot come represents a large class. Many there are who
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Speaker 1: will allow their wives or their husbands to prevent them
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Speaker 1: from heeding the call of God. The husband says, not
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Speaker 1: obey my convictions of duty, while my wife is opposed
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Speaker 1: to it. Her influence would make it exceedingly hard for
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Speaker 1: me to do so. The wife hears the gracious call come,
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Speaker 1: for all things are now ready, and she says, I
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Speaker 1: pray THEE have me excused. My husband refuses the invitation
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Speaker 1: of mercy. He says that his business stands in the way.
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Speaker 1: I must go with my husband and therefore I cannot come.
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Speaker 1: The children's hearts are impressed. They desire to come, but
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Speaker 1: they love their father and mother. And since these do
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Speaker 1: not heed the gospel call, the children think that they
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Speaker 1: cannot be expected to come. They too say, have me excused?
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Speaker 1: All these refuse the Savior's call because they fear di
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Speaker 1: vision in the family circle. They suppose that in refusing
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Speaker 1: to obey God, they are ensuring the peace and prosperity
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Speaker 1: of the home. But this is a delusion. Those who
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Speaker 1: sow selfishness will reap selfishness. In rejecting the love of Christ,
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Speaker 1: they reject that which alone can impart purity and steadfastness
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Speaker 1: to human love. They will not only lose heaven, but
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Speaker 1: will fail of the true enjoyment of that for which
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Speaker 1: heaven was sacrificed. In the parable, the giver of the
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Speaker 1: feast learned how his invitation had been treated, and, being angry,
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Speaker 1: said to his servant, go out quickly into the streets
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Speaker 1: and the lanes of the city, and bring in hither
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Speaker 1: the poor and the maimed, and the halt and the blind.
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Speaker 1: The host turned from those who despised his mounty and
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Speaker 1: invited a class who were not full who were not
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Speaker 1: in possession of houses and lands. He invited those who
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Speaker 1: were poor and hungry, and who would appreciate the bounties
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Speaker 1: provided the publicans and the harlots. Christ said, go into
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Speaker 1: the Kingdom of God before you. However wretched be the
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Speaker 1: specimens of humanity that men's and turn aside from. They
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Speaker 1: are not too low, too wretched for the notice and
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Speaker 1: love of God. Christ longs to have care worn, weary,
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Speaker 1: oppressed human beings come to him. He longs to give
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Speaker 1: them the light and joy in peace that are to
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Speaker 1: be found nowhere else. The various sinners are the objects
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Speaker 1: of his deep earnest pity and love. He sends his
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Speaker 1: Holy Spirit to yearn over them with tenderness, seeking to
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Speaker 1: draw them to himself. The servant who brought in the
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Speaker 1: poor and the blind reported to his master, it is
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Speaker 1: done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
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Speaker 1: And the Lord said, unto the servant, go out into
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Speaker 1: the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in,
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Speaker 1: that my house may be filled. Here. Christ pointed to
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Speaker 1: the work of the Gospel outside the pale of Judaism,
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Speaker 1: in the highways and byways of the world. In obedience
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Speaker 1: to this command, Paul and Barnabas declared to the Jews,
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Speaker 1: it is necessary that the word of God should first
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Speaker 1: have been spoken to you. But seeing ye put it
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Speaker 1: from you and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life. Lo,
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Speaker 1: we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord
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Speaker 1: commanded us, saying I have set thee to be a
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Speaker 1: light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation
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Speaker 1: unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles
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Speaker 1: heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of
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Speaker 1: the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal
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Speaker 1: life believed. The gospel message proclaimed by Christ's disciples was
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Speaker 1: the announcement of his first advent to the world. It
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Speaker 1: bore to men the good tidings of salvation through faith
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Speaker 1: in him. It pointed forward to his second coming in
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Speaker 1: glory to redeem his people. And it set before men
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Speaker 1: the hope through faith and obedience of sharing the inheritance
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Speaker 1: of the saints in light. This message is given to
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Speaker 1: men to day, and at this time there is coupled
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Speaker 1: with it the announcement of Christ's second coming, as at
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Speaker 1: hand the signs which he himself gave of his coming
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Speaker 1: have been fulfilled, and by the teaching of God's word,
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Speaker 1: we may know that the Lord is at the door.
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Speaker 1: John in the Revelation foretells the proclamation of the Gospel
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Speaker 1: message just before Christ's second coming. He beholds an angel
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Speaker 1: flying in the midst of heaven, having the Everlasting Gospel
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Speaker 1: to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and
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Speaker 1: to every nation and kindred and tongue and people, saying
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Speaker 1: with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to Him,
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Speaker 1: for the hour of his judgment is come. In the Prophecy,
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Speaker 1: this warning of the Judgment, with its connected messages, is
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Speaker 1: followed by the coming of the Son of Man in
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Speaker 1: the clouds of heaven. The proclamation of the Judgment is
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Speaker 1: an announcement of Christ's second coming as at hand, and
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Speaker 1: this proclamation is called the Everlasting Gospel. Thus, the preaching
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Speaker 1: of Christ's second coming the announcement of its nearness is
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Speaker 1: shown to be an essential part of the Gospel message.
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Speaker 1: The Bible declares that in the last days men will
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Speaker 1: be absorbed in worldly pursuits, in pleasure and money getting.
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Speaker 1: They will be blind to eternal realities. Christ says, as
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Speaker 1: the days of Noah were, So shall also the coming
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Speaker 1: of the Son of Man be. Or As in the
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Speaker 1: days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking,
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Speaker 1: marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah
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Speaker 1: entered into the ark and knew not until the flood
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Speaker 1: came and took them all away, So shall also the
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Speaker 1: coming of the Son of Man be. So it is
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Speaker 1: today men are rushing on in the chased for gain
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Speaker 1: and selfish indulgence, as if there were no God, no heaven,
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Speaker 1: and no hereafter. In Noah's day, the warning of the
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Speaker 1: flood was sent to startle men in their wickedness and
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Speaker 1: call them to repentance. So the message of Christ's soon
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Speaker 1: coming is designed to arouse men from their absorption in
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Speaker 1: worldly things. It is intended to awaken them to a
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Speaker 1: sense of eternal realities, that they may give heed to
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Speaker 1: the invitation to the Lord's table. The Gospel invitation is
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Speaker 1: to be given to all the world, to every nation
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Speaker 1: and kindred and tongue and people. The last message of
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Speaker 1: warning and mercy is to lighten the whole earth with
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Speaker 1: its glory. It is to reach all classes of men,
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Speaker 1: rich and poor, high and low. Go out into the
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Speaker 1: highways and hedges, Christ says, and compel them to come
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Speaker 1: in that my house may be filled. The world is
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Speaker 1: perishing for want of the gospel. There is a famine
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Speaker 1: for the word of God. There are few who preach
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Speaker 1: the word unmixed with human tradition. Though men have the
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Speaker 1: Bible in their hands, they do not receive the blessing
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Speaker 1: that God has placed in it for them. The Lord
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Speaker 1: calls upon his servants to carry his message to the people.
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Speaker 1: The word of everlasting life must be given to those
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Speaker 1: who are perishing in their sins. In the command to
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Speaker 1: go into the highways and hedges, Christ sets forth the
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Speaker 1: work of all whom he calls to the minister in
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Speaker 1: his name. The whole world is the field for Christ's ministers.
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Speaker 1: The whole human family is comprised in their congregation. The
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Speaker 1: Lord desires that his word of grace shall be brought
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Speaker 1: home to every soul to a great degree. This must
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Speaker 1: be accomplished by personal labor. This was Christ's method. His
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Speaker 1: work was largely made up of personal interviews. He had
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Speaker 1: a faithful regard for the one soul audience. Through that
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Speaker 1: one soul, the message was often extended to thousands. We
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Speaker 1: are not to wait for souls to come to us,
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Speaker 1: we must seek them out where they are. When the
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Speaker 1: word has been preached in the pulpit, the word has
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Speaker 1: but just begun. There are multitudes who will never be
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Speaker 1: reached by the Gospel unless it is carried to them.
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Speaker 1: The invitation to the feast was first given to the
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Speaker 1: Jewish people, the people who have been called to stand
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Speaker 1: as teachers and leaders among men, the people in whose
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Speaker 1: hands were the prophetic scrolls for telling Christ's advent, and
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Speaker 1: to whom was committed the symbolic service foreshadowing his mission.
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Speaker 1: Had priests and people heeded the call, they would have
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Speaker 1: united with Christ's messengers in giving the Gospel invitation to
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Speaker 1: the world. The truth was sent to them that they
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Speaker 1: might impart it when they refuse the call. It was
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Speaker 1: sent to the poor, the maimed, the halt and the blind,
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Speaker 1: publicans and sinners received the invitation. When the Gospel call
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Speaker 1: is sent to the gentiles, there is the same plan
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Speaker 1: of working. The message is first to be given in
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Speaker 1: the highways to men who have an active part in
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Speaker 1: the world's work, to the teachers and leaders of the people.
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Speaker 1: Let the Lord's messengers bear this in mind. To the
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Speaker 1: shepherds of the flock, the teachers divinely appointed. It should
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Speaker 1: come as a word to be heeded. Those who belong
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Speaker 1: to the higher ranks of society are to be sought
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Speaker 1: out with tender affection and brotherly regard. Men in business life,
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Speaker 1: in high positions of trust, men with large inventive faculties
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Speaker 1: and scientific insight, men of genius, teachers of the Gospel
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Speaker 1: whose minds have not been called to the special truths
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Speaker 1: for this time, These should be the first to hear
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Speaker 1: the call to them. The invitation must be given. There
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Speaker 1: is work to be done for the wealthy. They need
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Speaker 1: to be awakened to their responsibility as those entrusted with
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Speaker 1: the gifts of heaven. They need to be reminded that
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Speaker 1: they must give an account to him who shall judge
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Speaker 1: the living and the dead. The wealthy man needs your
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Speaker 1: labor in the love and fear of God. Too often
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Speaker 1: he trusts in his riches and feels not his danger.
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Speaker 1: The eyes of his mind need to be attracted to
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Speaker 1: things of enduring value. He needs to recognize the authority
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Speaker 1: of true goodness, which says, come unto me, all ye
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Speaker 1: that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
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Speaker 1: you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me,
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Speaker 1: for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye
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Speaker 1: shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is
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Speaker 1: easy and my burden is light. Those who stand high
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Speaker 1: in the world for their education, wealth, or calling are
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Speaker 1: seldom addressed personally in regard to the interests of the soul.
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Speaker 1: Many Christian workers hesitate to approach these classes. But this
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Speaker 1: should not be If a man were drowning, we would
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Speaker 1: not stand by and see him perish because he was
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Speaker 1: a lawyer, a merchant, or a judge. If we saw
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Speaker 1: persons rushing over a precipice, we would not hesitate to
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Speaker 1: urge them back, whatever might be their position er calling.
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Speaker 1: Neither should we hesitate to warn men of the peril
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Speaker 1: of the soul. None should be neglected because of their
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Speaker 1: apparent devotion to worldly things. Many in high social positions
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Speaker 1: are heart sore and sick of vanity. They are longing
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Speaker 1: for a peace which they have not. In the very
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Speaker 1: highest ranks of society are those who are hungering and
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Speaker 1: thirsting for salvation. Many would receive help if the Lord's
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Speaker 1: workers would approach them personally with a kind manner. A
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Speaker 1: heart made tender by the love of Christ. The success
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Speaker 1: of the Gospel message does not depend upon learned speeches,
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Speaker 1: eloquent testimonies, or deep arguments. It depends on the simpleelicity
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Speaker 1: of the message and its adaptation to the souls that
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Speaker 1: are hungering for the bread of life. What shall I
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Speaker 1: do to be saved? That is the want of the
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Speaker 1: soul thousands can be reached in the most simple and
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Speaker 1: humble way. The most intellectual, those who are looked upon
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Speaker 1: as the world's most gifted men and women, are often
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Speaker 1: refreshed by the simple words of one who loves God
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Speaker 1: and who can speak of that love as naturally as
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Speaker 1: the worldling speaks of the things that interest him most deeply.
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Speaker 1: Often the words well prepared and studied have but little influence,
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Speaker 1: But the true, honest expression of a son or daughter
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Speaker 1: of God, spoken in natural simplicity, has power to unbolt
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Speaker 1: the door to hearts that have long been closed against
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Speaker 1: Christ and his love. Let the worker for Christ remember
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Speaker 1: that he is not to labor in his own strength.
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Speaker 1: Let him lay hold of the throne of God with
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Speaker 1: faith in his power to save. Let him wrestle with
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Speaker 1: God in prayer, and then work with all the facilities
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Speaker 1: God has given him. The Holy Spirit is provided as
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Speaker 1: his efficiency. Ministering angels will be by his side to
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Speaker 1: impress hearts. If the leaders and teachers at Jerusalem had
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Speaker 1: received the truth Christ brought, what a missionary center in
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Speaker 1: their city would have been back slid, and Israel would
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Speaker 1: have been converted. A vast army would have been gathered
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Speaker 1: for the Lord. And how rapidly they could have carried
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Speaker 1: the Gospel to all parts of the world. So now,
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Speaker 1: if men of influence and large capacity for usefulness could
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Speaker 1: be won for Christ, then through them, what a work
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Speaker 1: could be accomplished in lifting up the fallen, gathering in
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Speaker 1: the outcasts, and spreading far and wide the tidings of salvation.
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Speaker 1: Rapidly the invitation might be given and the guests be
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Speaker 1: gathered for the Lord's table. But we are not to
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Speaker 1: think only of great and gifted men, to the neglect
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Speaker 1: of the poorer classes. Christ instructs his messengers to go
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Speaker 1: also to those in the byways and hedges, to the
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Speaker 1: poor and lowly of the earth. In the courts and
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Speaker 1: lanes of the great city, in the lowly byways of
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Speaker 1: the country are families and individuals. Perhaps strangers in a
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Speaker 1: strange land, who are without church relations, and who in
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Speaker 1: their loneliness, come to feel that God has forgotten them.
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Speaker 1: They do not understand what they must do to be saved.
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Speaker 1: Many are sunken in sin. Many are in distress. They
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Speaker 1: are pressed with suffering, want, unbelief, despondency, disease of every
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Speaker 1: type afflicts them, both in body and in soul. They
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Speaker 1: long to find a solace for their troubles, and Satan
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Speaker 1: tempts them to seek it in lusts and pleasures that
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Speaker 1: lead to ruin and death. He is offering them the
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Speaker 1: apples of sodom that will turn to upon their lips.
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Speaker 1: They are spending their money for that which is not bread,
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Speaker 1: and their labor for that which satisfieth not. In these
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Speaker 1: suffering ones we are to see those whom Christ came
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Speaker 1: to save. His invitation to them is ho every one
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Speaker 1: that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that
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Speaker 1: hath no money, come ye buy and eat yea. Come
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Speaker 1: buy wine and milk without money and without price. Hearken
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Speaker 1: diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good.
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Speaker 1: And let your soul delight itself, and fatness incline your
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Speaker 1: ear and come unto me here, and your soul shall live.
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Speaker 1: God has given a special command that we should regard
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Speaker 1: the stranger, the outcasts, and the poor souls who are
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Speaker 1: weak in moral power. Many who appear wholly indifferent to
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Speaker 1: religious things are in heart longing for rest and peace.
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Speaker 1: All they may have sunk into the very depths of sin,
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Speaker 1: there is a possibility of saving them. Christ's servants are
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Speaker 1: to follow his example. As he went from place to place,
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Speaker 1: he comforted the suffering and healed the sick. Then he
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Speaker 1: placed before them the great truths in regard to his kingdom.
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Speaker 1: This is the work of his followers. As you relieve
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Speaker 1: the sufferings of the body, you will find ways from
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Speaker 1: ministering to the wants of the soul. You can point
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Speaker 1: to the uplifted Savior and tell of the love of
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Speaker 1: the great physician, who alone has power to restore. Tell
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Speaker 1: the poor desponding ones who have gone astray that they
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Speaker 1: need not despair. Though they have erred and have not
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Speaker 1: been building the right character. God has joy to restore them,
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Speaker 1: even the joy of his salvation. He delights to take
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Speaker 1: apparently hopeless material those through whom Satan has worked and
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Speaker 1: make them the subjects of His grace. He rejoices to
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Speaker 1: deliver them from the wrath which is to fall upon
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Speaker 1: the disobedient. Tell them there is healing, cleansing for every soul.
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Speaker 1: There is a place for them at the Lord's table.
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Speaker 1: He is waiting to bid them welcome. Those who go
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Speaker 1: into the byways and hedges will find others of a
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Speaker 1: widely different character who need their ministry. There are those
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Speaker 1: who are living up to all the light they have,
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Speaker 1: and are serving God the best they know how. But
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Speaker 1: they realize that there is a great work to be
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Speaker 1: done for themselves and for those about them. They are
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Speaker 1: longing for an increased knowledge of God, but they have
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Speaker 1: only begun to see the glimmering of greater light. They
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Speaker 1: are praying with tears that God will send them the
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Speaker 1: blessing which by faith they discern. Afar off in the
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Speaker 1: midst of the wickedness of the great cities, many of
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Speaker 1: these souls are to be found. Many of them are
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Speaker 1: in very humble circumstances, and because of this they are
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Speaker 1: unnoticed by the world. There are many of whom ministers
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Speaker 1: and churches know nothing, but in lowly, miserable places. They
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Speaker 1: are the Lord's witnesses. They may have had little light
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Speaker 1: and few opportunities for Christian training, but in the midst
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Speaker 1: of nakedness, hunger, and cold, they are seeking to minister
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Speaker 1: to others. Let the stewards of the manifold grace of
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Speaker 1: God seek out these souls, visit their homes, and, through
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Speaker 1: the power of the Holy Spirit, minister to their needs.
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Speaker 1: Study the Bible with them, and pray with them. With
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Speaker 1: that simplicity which the Holy Spirit inspires. Christ will give
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Speaker 1: his servants a message that will be as the bread
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Speaker 1: of Heaven to the soul. The precious blessing will be
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Speaker 1: carried from heart to heart, from family to family. The
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Speaker 1: command given in the Parable to compel them to come
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Speaker 1: in has often been misinterpreted. It has been regarded as
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Speaker 1: teaching that we should force men to receive the Gospel,
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Speaker 1: but it denotes rather the urgency of the invitation and
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Speaker 1: the effectiveness of the inducements presented. The Gospel never employs
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Speaker 1: force in bringing men to Christ. Its message is ho
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Speaker 1: every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. The
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Speaker 1: Spirit and the Bride say, come, and whosoever will let
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Speaker 1: him take the water of life freely. The power of
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Speaker 1: God's love and grace constrains us to come. The Savior says, behold,
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Speaker 1: I stand at the door and knock. If any man
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Speaker 1: hear my voice and open the door, I will come
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Speaker 1: in to him and will sup with him, and he
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Speaker 1: with me. He is not repulsed by scorn or turned
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Speaker 1: aside by threatening, but continually seeks the lost one, saying,
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Speaker 1: how shall I give thee up? Although his love is
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Speaker 1: driven back by the stubborn heart, he returns to plead
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Speaker 1: with greater force. Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
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Speaker 1: The winning power of his love compel souls to come
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Speaker 1: in and to Christ. They say, thy gentleness hath made
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Speaker 1: me great. Christ will impart to his messengers the same
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Speaker 1: yearning love that he himself has. In seeking for the lost,
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Speaker 1: we are not merely to say come. There are those
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Speaker 1: who will hear the call, But their ears are too
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Speaker 1: dull to take in its meaning. Their eyes are too
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Speaker 1: blind to see anything good in store for them. Many
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Speaker 1: realize their great degradation. They say, I am not fit
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Speaker 1: to be helped. Leave me alone. But the workers must
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Speaker 1: not desist in tender pitying love. Lay hold of the
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Speaker 1: discouraged and helpless ones. Give them your courage, your hope,
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Speaker 1: your strength by kindness, compel them to come of Some
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Speaker 1: have compassion making a difference, and others save with fear
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Speaker 1: pulling them out of the fire. If the servants of
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Speaker 1: God will walk with him in faith, he will give
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Speaker 1: power to their message. They will be enabled so to
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Speaker 1: present His love and the danger of rejecting the grace
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Speaker 1: of God, that men will be constrained to accept the gospel.
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Speaker 1: Christ will perform wonderful miracles if men will but do
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Speaker 1: their God given part in human hearts. To day, as
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Speaker 1: great a transformation may be wrought as has ever been
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Speaker 1: wrought in generations past. John Bunyan was redeemed from profanity
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Speaker 1: and reveling, John Newton from slave dealing to proclaim an
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Speaker 1: uplifted savior. A Bunyan and a Newton may be redeemed
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Speaker 1: from among men to day. Through human agents who cooperate
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Speaker 1: with the divine, many a poor outcast will be reclaimed,
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Speaker 1: and in his turn will seek to restore the image
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Speaker 1: of God and man. There are those who have had
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Speaker 1: very meager opportunities, who have walked in ways of error
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Speaker 1: because they knew no better way, to whom beams of
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Speaker 1: light will come as the word of Christ came to Zacchius.
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Speaker 1: To day, I must abide at the house. So the
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Speaker 1: word will come to them, and those who were supposed
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Speaker 1: to be hardened sinners will be found to have hearts
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Speaker 1: as tender as a child's, because Christ has deigned to
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Speaker 1: notice them. Many will come from the grossest error and sin,
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Speaker 1: and will take the place of others who have had
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Speaker 1: opportunities and privileges but have not prized them. They will
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Speaker 1: be accounted the chosen of God elect precious, And when
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Speaker 1: Christ shall come into his kingdom, they will stand next
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Speaker 1: his throne. But see that ye refuse not him that speaketh.
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Speaker 1: Jesus said, none of those men which were bidden shall
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Speaker 1: taste of my supper. They had rejected the invitation, and
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Speaker 1: none of them were to be invited again. In rejecting Christ,
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Speaker 1: the Jews were hardening their hearts and giving themselves into
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Speaker 1: the power of Satan, so that it would be impossible
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Speaker 1: for them to accept his grace. Now, if the love
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Speaker 1: of God is not appreciated and does not become an
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Speaker 1: abiding principle to soften and subdue the soul, we are
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Speaker 1: utterly lost. The Lord can give no greater manifestation of
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Speaker 1: his love than He has given. If the love of
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Speaker 1: Jesus does not subdue the heart, there are no means
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Speaker 1: by which we can be reached. Every time you refuse
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Speaker 1: to listen to the message of mercy, you strengthen yourself
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Speaker 1: in unbelief. Every time you fail to open the door
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Speaker 1: of your heart to Christ, you become more and more
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Speaker 1: unwilling to listen to the voice of Him that speaketh.
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Speaker 1: You diminish your chance of responding to the last appeal
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Speaker 1: of mercy. Let him not be written of you as
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Speaker 1: of ancient Israel. Aphrahim is joined to idols. Let him alone.
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Speaker 1: Let not Christ weep over you as he wept over Jerusalem,
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Speaker 1: saying how often would I have gathered thy children together
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Speaker 1: as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings,
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Speaker 1: and you would behold? Your house is left unto you desolate.
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Speaker 1: We are living in a time when the last message
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Speaker 1: of mercy, the last invitation, is sounding to the children
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Speaker 1: of men. The command go out into the highways and
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Speaker 1: hedges is reaching its final fulfillment to every soul. Christ's
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Speaker 1: invitation will be given. The messengers are saying, come, for
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Speaker 1: all things are now ready. Heavenly angels are still working
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Speaker 1: in cooperation with human agencies. The Holy Spirit is presenting
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Speaker 1: every inducement to constrain you to come. Christ is watching
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Speaker 1: for some sign that will betoken the removing of the
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Speaker 1: bolts and the opening of the door of your heart
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Speaker 1: for his entrance. Angels are waiting to bear the tidings
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Speaker 1: to Heaven that another lost sinner has been found. The
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Speaker 1: hosts of heaven are waiting, ready to strike their harps
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Speaker 1: and to sing a song of rejoicing that another soul
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Speaker 1: has accepted the invitation to the Gospel feast. End of
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Speaker 1: Chapter eighteen.