able to
persuade them to come. They see the good of it now, sir, you see.'

Never have I heard any man pray more earnestly for a blessing than Mr.
Christie did that day, but I do not think even he prayed more earnestly
than I did. My whole heart went out to God that day, for was it not my
first Sunday on the right side of the line?

And then came the address, and I never noticed a congregation more
attentive than was that one gathered on the shore that September
morning. I can remember even now a good deal of the sermon.

'WE KNOW,' he said; 'those are strong words, confident words. It is not,
_We imagine_, or _We think_. It is not even _We hope_, that would be
wonderful; but it is something clearer and far more distinct than that;
it is WE KNOW.

'If I were to ask you fishermen, you visitors, you mothers, you little
children, this question, "Do you _imagine_ you are on the shore
now? Do you _think_ you are here to-day? Do you _hope_ you are
listening to me?" what would you answer me?

'You would say, "Mr. Christie, it is not a case of imagining, or
thinking, or hoping; we _know_ we are here; we are sure of it."

'Now notice, that is the strong, confident word used in my text to-day.
The holy apostle John stands side by side with all of us who have come
to Christ, and he bids us join with him in these glad, happy, thankful
words, "We know that we have passed from death unto life." We know, we
are persuaded, we are sure, that we are on the right side of the line.
We know that we have left the company of the servants of sin, and are
now the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.

'Dear friends, I would now ask each of you very earnestly, Can you say
that? Can you take your stand by the apostle John, and say, "_I
know_ that _I_ have passed from death unto life?"

'I think I hear some one answer in his heart, "Well, that's a great deal
for any man to say, and I don't see that any man can know in this life
if he is saved or not; when he gets to heaven he'll know he is all
right, but not till then."

'Now look again at my text. It does not say, "We _shall_ know"; it
does not say, "We hope soon to know"; but it speaks in the present. It
runs thus: "We _know_ that we have passed from death unto life." So
you see it _is_ possible, nay, it is right, that you and I should,
one by one, take up the words and say, "_I know_."

'Do I hear some one saying in his heart, "I do wish I could say that? I
should be a happier man if