h language. God blessed it to the
saving of my soul." And yet this was the very hymn he had despised.

I want to take up this little word "Come!" Sometimes people forget
the text of a sermon; but this text will be short enough for any one
to remember. Let me ring out a chime of Gospel bells, every one of
which says, "Come!" The first bell I will ring is,

COME AND HEAR!

"Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live;
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David." "Incline your ear," God says. You have sometimes
seen a man who is a little deaf, and cannot catch every word, put
his hand up to his ear and lean forward. I have seen a man sometimes
put up both hands to his ears, as if he were determined to catch
every word. I like to see that. This is the figure that the prophet
uses when he says on God's behalf, "Incline your ear."

Man lost spiritual life and communion with his Maker by listening to
the voice of the tempter, instead of the voice of God. We get life
again by listening to the voice of God. The Word of God gives life.
"The words that I speak unto you," says Christ, "they are spirit,
and they are life." So, what people need is--to incline their ear,
and hear. It is a great thing when the Gospel preacher gets the ear
of a congregation--I mean the inner ear. For a man has not only two
ears in his head; he has also what we may call the outer ear, and
the inner ear--the ear of the soul. You may speak to the outward
ear, and not reach the ear of the soul at all. Many in these days
are like the "foolish people" to whom the prophet Jeremiah spoke:
"Which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not." There
are many in every congregation whose attention I am not able to
secure for five minutes together. Almost any little thing will
divert their minds. We need to give heed to the words of the Lord:
"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

You remember when Peter was sent to Cornelius, he was to speak to
him words whereby he and his house were to be saved. If you are to
be saved, it must be by listening to the Word of God. Here is the
promise: "Hear; and your soul shall live."

There was an architect in Chicago who was converted. In giving his
testimony, he said he had been in the habit of attending church for
a great many years, but he could not say that he had really heard a
sermon all the time. He said that when the minister gave out the