“Tell to sinners round,
What a dear Savior you have found.”
If you should have any enjoyment to-night let others partake of the honey which you have discovered. God help you thus to live to his praise.
I am about to retire a few moments, while our friends get to their seats for the communion. Before I retire, I have a message to tell from the Messenger of the Covenant. He is willing to take a message from any poor, troubled, sin-burdened, conscience-stricken sinner in this Tabernacle. Has any one of you a message for him? The Lord Jesus Christ is willing to receive and stamp with his own blood-marked hand any earnest, heart-written message you are willing to send to God to-night. Is there any one who has this to send—”God be merciful to me a sinner?” What! Not one of you? Is there not a heart here that would say, “Lord save or I perish?” Surely there are some! Breathe thy desire out now silently; Jesus hears it; trust him to carry it to God. Believe that his blood can cleanse thee. Trust him, trust his merits to clothe thee. Trust especially his intercession to prevail for thee as the messenger of the covenant. Do it soul. “Oh but,” you say, “my hand is black.” Never mind, he will touch it and make it white. “Oh but I cannot pray.” He can pray for you. “Oh but I cannot plead.” He can plead in your stead. Tell him your wants. As Rowland Hill once did, so would I do with you. It is said that Rowland once had to put up in a village where there was no other house to put up at but a tavern; and having a pair of horses to bait, and going into the best room of the inn, he was considered to be a valuable guest for the night. So the host came in, and he said, “Glad to see you Mr. Hill.” “I am going,” was the reply, “to stay with you tonight; will you let me have family prayer to-night in this house?” “I never had such a thing as family prayer here,” said the landlord, “and I don’t want to have it now.” “Very well, then just fetch my horses out; I can’t stop in a house where they won’t pray to God. Take the horses out.” Now being too good a guest to lose, the man thinks better of it, and promises to have family prayer. “Ah but,” said Hill, “I’m not in the habit of conducting prayer in other people’s houses. You must conduct it yourself.” The man said he could not pray. “But you must,” said Rowland Hill. “Oh but I never did pray.” “Then my dear man you will begin to-night,” was the answer. So when the time came, and the family were on their knees, “Now,” said Rowland Hill, “every man prays in his own house; you must offer prayer to-night.” “I can’t pray, I can’t,” said the landlord. “What, man, you have had all these mercies to-day, and are you so ungrateful that you cannot thank God for them? Besides, what a wicked sinner you have been. Can’t you tell God what a sinner you’ve been and ask for pardon?” The man began to cry, “I can’t pray, Mr. Hill, I can’t, indeed I can’t.” “Then tell the Lord, man, you can’t; tell him you can’t pray,” said Mr. Hill, “and ask him to help you.” Down went the poor landlord on his knees. “O Lord I can’t pray; I wish I could,” “Ah! you have begun to pray,” said Rowland Hill, “you have begun to pray, and you will never leave off. As soon as God has once set you to pray, faint though it be, you will never leave off. Now I’ll pray for you.” And so he did, and it was not long before the Lord was pleased, through that strange instrumentality, to break the landlord’s hard heart and to bring him to Christ. Now I say, if any of you can’t pray, tell the Lord you can’t. Ask him to help you to pray; ask him to show you your need to be saved; and if you can’t pray, ask him to give you everything that you need. Christ will make as well as take the message. He will put his own blood upon your prayer; and the Father will send down the Holy Ghost to you to give you more faith and more trust in Christ.
May the Lord send you away with his blessing to-night. Amen.
