* C. H. Spurgeon. ^ A. Smellie, In the Secret Place, 9.
276 THE WINNING OF SOULS
nature springs spontaneously from it. And that which to the believer himself is fruit becomes to others a tree. From the child of God there falls the fruit of holy living, even as an acorn drops from the oak ; this holy living becomes influential and produces the best results in others, even as the acorn becomes itself an oak, and lends its shade to the birds of the air. The Christian's holi- ness becomes a tree of life. It yields shade and sustenance to all around.
^ I remember in the Rijks-Museum at Amsterdam seeing a picture, " The Soul -Fishers " — a very crude and naive affair, boats manned by monks tossing on the billows, and the monks, equipped with fishing-rods, hauling out as many as they could of the in- numerable souls perishing in the waters. That is an extremely crude pictorial rendering of a truth which concerns us all — not merely one class or profession. We can all win souls, touch lives to finer issues, and that by nothing more miraculous than by our own daily walk. The one transforming uplifting force whose attraction never fails to tell is personal goodness, doing its work without advertisement, diffusing its fragrance without an eye to effect or consciousness of an audience ; the one contagion that cannot be stamped out is what has been called the contagion of character.^
(2) We must be wise in the knowledge of the human heart. In their inmost nature the heart of a child and the heart of a man are much alike ; you may study one in the other, and to know one is to know the other. And here we are speaking not of that know- ledge which can be had only by great labour and research, but of that which any one may gain who, with a prayerful, sympathiz- ing nature, goes out into the world, and keeps his eyes open. We have no need to purchase costly volumes in order to possess this wisdom, the books we are to read lie all about us ; and within ourselves we carry what ought to be to us an open volume — our own hearts. No doubt it needs patience and practice to be able to speak a word in season ; here, as elsewhere, we must learn to do well ; but then how precious is the result, upon what a vantage ground we are put for casting our net to purpose ! The teacher who knows how his children live, who has taken the measure of their several characters, can give to each his portion of meat in due season as none other can ; he has an incalculable advantage
* J. Warschauer, The }Vay of Understanding, 236.
PROVERBS XL 30 277
over the preacher, in that he can deal in personal applications ; he need not draw his bow at a venture, for he can urge his point of rebuke or entreaty right home.
3. The wise man will have a passion for souls. He knows that he must take men one by one. The gospel plan is that people are to be saved, not in masses, but individually. Telling of Jesus before crowded audiences may be inspiring to a speaker, but it is face to face, hand to hand, work that reaches the heart. Christi- anity always has grown and always will grow on this line of personal finding. A wins B, B wins C, and C wins D ; thus " the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." The feet of every one of us who love the Lord Jesus were turned to the Cross through the influence of some one person — some neighbour, friend, mother, teacher, or pastor. In the first chapter of the Gospel of John how strikingly is this point demonstrated ! There stands that rugged, kindly faced wilderness preacher with two of his disciples. He humbly introduces to them the Lamb of God ; then Andrew " findeth " the Messiah ; then he first " findeth " his brother Simon : Jesus then " findeth " Philip, and Philip " findeth " Nathanael. The wise man who is to win souls one by one must have a passion for soul-winning.
^ The true soul-winner must be an enthusiast. This is not a task which the perfunctory and the lethargic can perform. Those are not victories achieved by the man who is prompted only by a cold sense of duty. On the altar of the heart the fires must blaze at white heat. " With a rush the intolerable craving must shiver throughout me like a trumpet-call." The thought of the depths to which souls may fall and of the heights to which they may rise, the conviction of the responsibility laid on me to benefit them, the summons of One who deserves a thousand times more than I can repay Him — these motives are to give hands and feet and wings to my endeavour. I cannot gain recruits for science, unless its fairy tales have enchanted my own mind ; or for history, unless I have followed its turnings and windings through the centuries ; or for poetry, unless I am fascinated by its melody and music; and it is useless trying to gain recruits for Christ, till Christ is personally my Chiefest and my Best. My sin, my death, my hopelessness, His forgiveness, His redemption, His glory : the vital meaning of these the Gospel and the Holy Ghost must teach