BOOTH
William Booth (1829-1912),
founder of the Salvation Army:
On one of my journeys, as I
gazed from the coach window, I
was led into a train of thought
concerning the condition of the
multitudes around me. They
were living carelessly in the most
open and shameless rebellion
against God, without a thought
for their eternal welfare. As I
looked out of the window, I
seemed to see them all . . .
millions of people all around me
given up to their drink and their
pleasure, their dancing and their
music, their business and their
anxieties, their politics and their
troubles. Ignorant - wilfully
ignorant in many cases - and in
other instances knowing all
about the truth and not caring at
all. But all of them, the whole
mass of them, sweeping on and
up in their blasphemies and
devilries to the Throne of God.
While my mind was thus
engaged, I had a vision.
I saw a dark and stormy ocean.
Over it the black clouds hung
heavily; through them every now
and then vivid lightening flashed
and loud thunder rolled, while
the winds moaned, and the
waves rose and foamed, towered
and broke, only to rise and foam,
tower and break again.
In that ocean I thought I saw
myriads of poor human beings
plunging and floating, shouting
and shrieking, cursing and
struggling and drowning; and as
they cursed and screamed they
rose and shrieked again, and
then some sank to rise no more.
And I saw out of this dark angry
ocean, a mighty rock that rose up
with it’s summit towering high
above the black clouds that
overhung the stormy sea. And all
around the base of this great
rock I saw a vast platform. Onto
this platform, I saw with delight
a number of the poor struggling,
drowning wretches continually
climbing out of the angry ocean.
And I saw that a few of those
who were already safe on the
platform were helping the poor
creatures still in the angry waters
to reach the place of safety.
On looking more closely I found a
number of those who had been
rescued, industriously working
and scheming by ladders, ropes,
boats and other means more
effective, to deliver the poor
strugglers out of the sea. Here
and there were some who
actually jumped into the water,
regardless of the consequences
in their passion to "rescue the
perishing." And I hardly know
which gladdened me the most -
the sight of the poor drowning
people climbing onto the rocks
reaching a place of safety, or the
devotion and self-sacrifice of
those whose whole being was
wrapped up in the effort for
their deliverance.
As I looked on, I saw that the
occupants of that platform were
quite a mixed company. That is,
they were divided into different
"sets" or classes, and they
occupied themselves with
different pleasures and
employments. But only a very few
of them seemed to make it their
business to get the people out of
the sea.
But what puzzled me most was
the fact that though all of them
had been rescued at one time or
another from the ocean, nearly
everyone seemed to have
forgotten all about it. Anyway, it
seemed the memory of its
darkness and danger no longer
troubled them at all. And what
seemed equally strange and
perplexing to me was that these
people did not even seem to
have any care - that is any
agonizing care - about the poor
perishing ones who were
struggling and drowning right
before their very eyes . . . many of
whom were their own husbands
and wives, brothers and sisters
and even their own children.
Now this astonishing unconcern
could not have been the result of
ignorance or lack of knowledge,
because they lived right there in
full sight of it all and even talked
about it sometimes. Many even
went regularly to hear lectures
and sermons in which the awful
state of these poor drowning
creatures was described.
I have always said that the
occupants of this platform were
engaged in different pursuits
and pastimes. Some of them
were absorbed day and night in
trading and business in order to
make gain, storing up their
savings in boxes, safes and the
like.
Many spent their time in amusing
themselves with growing flowers
on the side of the rock, others in
painting pieces of cloth or in
playing music, or in dressing
themselves up in different styles
and walking about to be
admired. Some occupied
themselves chiefly in eating and
drinking, others were taken up
with arguing about the poor
drowning creatures that had
already been rescued.
But the thing to me that seemed
the most amazing was that those
on the platform to whom He
called, who heard His voice and
felt that they ought to obey it - at
least they said they did - those
who confessed to love Him much
were in full sympathy with Him in
the task He had undertaken -
who worshipped Him or who
professed to do so - were so
taken up with their trades and
professions, their money saving
and pleasures, their families and
circles, their religions and
arguments about it, and their
preparation for going to the
mainland, that they did not listen
to the cry that came to them
from this Wonderful Being who
had Himself gone down into the
sea. Anyway, if they heard it they
did not heed it. They did not care.
And so the multitude went on
right before them struggling and
shrieking and drowning in the
darkness.
And then I saw something that
seemed to me even more strange
than anything that had gone on
before in this strange vision. I
saw that some of these people
on the platform whom this
Wonderful Being had called to,
wanting them to come and help
Him in His difficult task of saving
these perishing creatures, were
always praying and crying out to
Him to come to them!
Some wanted Him to come and
stay with them, and spend His
time and strength in making
them happier. Others wanted
Him to come and take away
various doubts and misgivings
they had concerning the truth of
some letters He had written
them. Some wanted Him to come
and make them feel more secure
on the rock - so secure that they
would be quite sure that they
should never slip off again into
the ocean. Numbers of others
wanted Him to make them feel
quite certain that they would
really get off the rock and onto
the mainland someday: because
as a matter of fact, it was well
known that some had walked so
carelessly as to loose their
footing, and had fallen back
again into the stormy waters.
So these people used to meet
and get up as high on the rock
as they could, and looking
towards the mainland (where
they thought the Great Being
was) they would cry out, "Come
to us! Come and help us!" And all
the while He was down (by His
Spirit) among the poor
struggling, drowning creatures
in the angry deep, with His arms
around them trying to drag them
out, and looking up - oh! so
longingly but all in vain - to those
on the rock, crying to them
calling, "Come to Me! Come, and
help Me!
And then I understood it all. It
was plain enough. The sea was
the ocean of life - the sea of real,
actual human existence. That
lightening was the gleaming of
piercing truth coming from
Jehovah’s Throne. That thunder
was the distant echoing of the
wrath of God. Those multitudes
of people shrieking, struggling
and agonizing in the stormy sea,
was the thousands and
thousands of poor harlots and
harlot-makers, of drunkards and
drunkard makers, of thieves,
liars, blasphemers and ungodly
people of every kindred, tongue
and nation.
Oh what a black sea it was! And
oh, what multitudes of rich and
poor, ignorant and educated
were there. They were all so
unalike in their outward
circumstances and conditions,
yet all alike in one thing - all
sinners before God - all held by,
and holding onto, some iniquity,
fascinated by some idol, the
slaves of some devilish lust, and
ruled by the foul fiend from the
bottomless pit!
"All alike in one thing?" No, all
alike in two things - not only the
same in their wickedness but,
unless rescued, the same in their
sinking, sinking . . . down, down,
down . . . to the same terrible
doom. That great sheltering rock
represented Calvary, the place
where Jesus had died for them.
And the people on it were those
who had been rescued. The way
they used their energies, gifts
and time represented the
occupations and amusements of
those who professed to be saved
from sin and hell - followers of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The handful
of fierce, determined ones, who
were risking their own lives in
saving the perishing were true
soldiers of the cross of Jesus.
That Mighty Being who was
calling to them from the midst of
the angry waters was the Son of
God, "the same yesterday, today
and forever" who is still
struggling and interceding to
save the dying multitudes about
us from this terrible doom of
damnation, and whose voice can
be heard above the music,
machinery, and noise of life,
calling on the rescued to come
and help Him save the world.
My friends in Christ, you are
rescued from the waters, you are
on the rock, He is in the dark sea
calling on you to come to Him
and help Him. Will you go? Look
for yourselves. The surging sea
of life, crowded with perishing
multitudes rolls up to the very
spot on which you stand. Leaving
the vision, I now come to speak
of the fact - a fact that is as real
as the Bible, as real as the Christ
who hung upon the cross, as real
as the judgment day will be, and
as real as the heaven and hell
that will follow it.
Look! Don’t be deceived by
appearances - men and things
are not what they seem. All who
are not on the rock are in the
sea! Look at them from the
standpoint of the great White
Throne, and what a sight you
have! Jesus Christ, the Son of God
is, through His Spirit, in the midst
of this dying multitude,
struggling to save them. And He
is calling on you to jump into the
sea - to go right away to His side
and help Him in the holy strife.
Will you jump? That is, will you go
to His feet and place yourself
absolutely at His disposal?
A young Christian once came to
me, and told me that for some
time she had been giving the
Lord her profession and prayers
and money, but now she wanted
to give Him her life. She wanted
to go right into the fight. In other
words, she wanted to go to His
assistance in the sea. As when a
man from the shore, seeing
another struggling in the water,
takes off those outer garments
that would hinder his efforts and
leaps to the rescue, so will you
who still linger on the bank,
thinking and singing and praying
about the poor perishing souls,
lay aside your shame, your pride,
your cares about other people’s
opinions, your love of ease and
all the selfish loves that have kept
you back for so long, and rush to
the rescue of this multitude of
dying men and women.
Does the surging sea look dark
and dangerous? Unquestionably
it is so. There is no doubt that
the leap for you, as for everyone
who takes it, means difficulty and
scorn and suffering. For you it
may mean more than this. It may
mean death. He who beckons
you from the sea however,
knows what it will mean - and
knowing, He still calls to you and
bids to you to come.
You must do it! You cannot hold
back. You have enjoyed yourself
in Christianity long enough. You
have had pleasant feelings,
pleasant songs, pleasant
meetings, pleasant prospects.
There has been much of human
happiness, much clapping of
hands and shouting of praises -
very much of heaven on earth.
Now then, go to God and tell Him
you are prepared as much as
necessary to turn your back
upon it all, and that you are
willing to spend the rest of your
days struggling in the midst of
these perishing multitudes,
whatever it may cost you.
You must do it. With the light that
is now broken in upon your
mind and the call that is now
sounding in your ears, and the
beckoning hands that are now
before your eyes, you have no
alternative. To go down among
the perishing crowds is your
duty. Your happiness from now
on will consist in sharing their
misery, your ease in sharing their
pain, your crown in helping them
to bear their cross, and your
heaven in going into the very
jaws of hell to rescue them.
Now what will you do?
--- "Jesus came to them and said,
“All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples
of all nations, baptising them in
the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the
age.” (Matt 28, 18-20)
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SALVATIONAL PRAYER
Oh Lord God in heaven who has created me, I now acknowledge my sins before thee and I'm sorry for all my sins and repent of them all today, please forgive me through your Son Jesus Christ who died for me and rose again. Lord Jesus Christ, I now receive you into my life as my Lord and Personal Saviour, please put my name in the book of life and help me to be with you in heaven forever and ever. Amen.
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