 chapter 14 of life and death this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org life and death by Catherine Booth chapter 14 how to consecrate how is it that so many people go to meetings and hear about this consecration and faith and then fail in carrying it out in their lives what is the hindrance it seems to me that this is largely because they do not receive what God has revealed as to what the life of his real followers ought to be they fritter away the teachings of the Bible and of the Holy Spirit on this question I believe that the Spirit of God does show people how they ought to live how they ought to labor how they ought to sacrifice and suffer for the salvation of men but instead of obeying his teaching and becoming co-workers with God they say oh that is too high for me it will cost me too much it will be too much trouble it involves too much sacrifice I cannot do it I cannot receive that way of putting it so they read books or go to see those who are supposed to be leading Christians in order to get a second opinion after God has given them his opinion they try and find excuses for themselves they know sufficiently well what is God's will concerning them but they try to find an easier way I am told that I have a practical mind and I am glad I have I hope I shall keep it to the end I believe that any other kind of mind will be found to have been a snare when we get before the throne of God because Jesus Christ is going to be intensely practical in that day he is not going to say in as much as he thought it or in as much as he felt it or in as much as he intended it or in as much as he promised it but he is going to say in as much as he did it I want to be among the doers and I want you to be among the doers now dear friends are you prepared to receive this life of absolute practical bearing of the shame and the losses the suffering and crucifixion involved in following the Christ are you willing to be cast out by fathers and mothers brothers and sisters fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law aunts and cousins from circles and society and to be boycotted by those around about you in order that you may thus follow Christ in the regeneration of the spirit are you prepared to accept it do we all accept it have you accepted God's version of the life of a saint or are you seeking all round for excuses to make it a little easier if the latter then that fly in the pot will make all your ointment to stink that flaw in the foundation will topple over any edifice of your resolutions and determinations your promises or prayers or faith and you will be no better for these meetings but worse what we have to come to is to accept God's will for our lives but in many cases people won't do this they won't accept the hardship which following Jesus Christ involves they like ease and comfort but to follow Jesus Christ in the way he lays down involves a great deal of hard work it involves the continual use of all our faculties not allowing any of them to lie by trust not using any of them either mental or physical merely for our own gratification we are his servants we are his children we are his husband men and he will demand the increase of all the faculties he has given us now do we accept this are we willing to go and work hard for God are we willing to use our brains making them think and plan and scheme for God instead of for our own selfish interests are we willing to use our time our influence our money for the promotion of his interests if you are you will make a mark on London and England in that one particular alone are we willing to use our families for this end oh how guilty thousands of Christian parents will stand before God as to the purpose they have towards their families the training they have given and the use they have made of their children it is not the first purpose of their hearts to train their children for God their great purpose is educating them after the elements and fashion of this world they make it manifest by devoting six or seven hours a day to having them trained in earthly learning as being the primary consideration while they leave the impression on the minds of the children that the things that belong to the kingdom of God are only secondary do you accept God's plan for yourself for your family for your business and for your money now this is the point it is all contained in that you must accept God's plan you must choose it and say yes Lord I will have this one ambition motive and desire to live for thee alone you must not only say it but act it out I affirm before you tonight the salvation army was its endless ramifications its permanent results and its influence upon the populations of the earth is the result of the acceptance of this principle by two single individuals and their determination to act them out in their own lives and to so train and inspire their children that they also should act them out if God can bring so much out of a couple of people embracing those principles and acting them out without their knowing how he was going to do it what could he not do with thousands of such people if they would only put themselves in his hands what could he not do with you about you say the circumstances are so different we are such different individuals how do you know it is not the quality of the instrument you place in the hands of God which determines its usefulness it is the full surrender you make of it it is not the quality of the agent but it is God's having the full disposal the undisputed sway in using him sometimes it pleases God to do more with a weak instruments than he does with the strong ones will you let him have you what God wants is for you to put yourself thus practically into his hands now we want this meeting to have this result we want you to believe with that faith which produces action do you accept this plan are you willing to follow the teaching the Holy Spirit are you willing to take that Harry or that Mary of yours and begin tomorrow a new plan of education a new system of training and to train those children only for God and his kingdom that is the test oh I covered the children for God this generation is at the best a poor mongrel affair I want a generation trained from their babyhood for God and inspired from their cradle was one ambition that they are to live and suffer and die if need be for his glory and to have no other business but the extension of his kingdom in the world you can make your children that if you will I'm certain of it I am as confident of it as that I stand here you can make such children if you will if you are co-working with God if you won't make your children hypocrites by teaching them sentiments which you never intend them to carry out if you let their practice keep pace with what you teach you will make some such and God will use them as saviours of the world but you must do your part will you begin tomorrow will you begin with your business tomorrow how many of you businessmen I wonder have some matters that you count little things that rise up in your consciences to condemn you perhaps it is not an unlawful business but is there anything unlawful in your mode of doing it is there something about which your conscience is constantly saying you know that is not square that is not right you know you would not like Jesus Christ to investigate that some thing which you would excuse by saying but I must live I could not compete with that shop over the way or was the under manufacturer over the water if I did not allow this I must do it where is the must that is one of the devil's musts Jesus Christ did not say you must he said you must not he said you must obey him and keep a conscience void of offense and be able to look straight up into the face of your heavenly father and know that your ways please him do you accept this with its consequences never mind about competing with anybody God does not keep you in the world to compete with all the rogues and vagabonds in it but to represent the world him who was pure and spotless undefiled and separate from sinners and to assert and extend his kingdom in the earth no man ever helped his kingdom by a single dishonest action or by anything that would not bear his smile do you accept that will you go and begin tomorrow morning by putting out of your mode of doing business those things for which your conscience condemns you will you say never mind whether I save or lose money whether I prosper or fail I'm going to be a Jesus Christ man in my business and trust him to look after the consequences do you accept that you who work for God do you accept God's choice for your service oh what stories I have revealed to me in letters from backsliders and others who are hid away in holes and corners the world over who have lost the favor and presence of God in their own souls and all power to serve him and how do you think they lost it by refusing to obey God's call or some particular kind of work they were willing to do anything else but not that particular thing to which he called them they were willing to shoulder any other cross but not that particular one and so they got wrong and have been wrong ever since they are wondering about as poor backsliders because they would not do that work to which God called them now some of you have a call in your heart to some special worker field do you accept it if not your faith will be but faith without works which will be dead face and obedience must go together will you go away believing and resolving the very first opportunity to obey this is what God wants then you may believe as much as you like then you can just put your hand out to God and have what you want he won't give his spirit by limit unto you then he won't hold you back from any of the glorious enterprises to which your soul gushes out but he will say be it unto thee according to their faith and what you now would deem impossible what you now would look upon as vain and romantic shall be accomplished by you will you say I accept that plan for myself my time my influence my money my children my home and my future I accept it if so you can take hold of his hand you will be in perfect harmony and make lame every promise made to the saints you have then a victorious faith a faith that dares to presume on the promises of God a faith that dares to step out when there appears to be no possibility of God performing his word to you the faith that dares to stand on the naked promise and say now Lord I'm right with you I have given up all and I claim all I open my mouth it is empty you will fill it I take this step I do not know where I'm going anymore than Abraham did but you know now I trust you to lead me forth does your heart say that if so you may claim the blessing now end of chapter 14 chapter 15 of life and death this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Larry Wilson life and death by Catherine Booth what is the Salvation Army nothing short of a thorough going belief in the truth set forth in the foregoing addresses could explain the history of this remarkable organization the great successes it has attained or the bitter animosity with which it is regarded by so many in July 1865 William Booth deeply impressed with the awful indifference prevailing amongst the masses in the east of London determined to devote himself to some special effort for their salvation he believed that there had been an atonement made sufficient for every sinner and that by true repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the very worst might enter upon a new life he did not think that there was the slightest hope of permanently improving the condition of any of the prodigals whom he saw abounding around him other than by leading them to see the cause of all their misery in their neglect of God and so persuading them to turn to him with full purpose of heart trusting in the same holy ghost who had for many years been blessing his labors as a minister he went out into the streets and was very soon able to rejoice over many rescued from their evil ways and ready to serve God with all their might having laid a good foundation by requiring not merely an ascent of the mind to the statement of certain truth but a thorough submission of heart to abandon and separate from all evil and to serve the new master with all diligence he soon had around him a number of earnest laborers willing to devote their leisure hours their strength and any money they could spare from their scanty earnings to the service of the truth these were plain men and women and they spoke out plainly and fearlessly to all with whom they came in contact not only in the open air and indoor meetings but in their workshops at home and wherever they could meet with their fellows and the consequence was that the little band steadily grew and spread from point to point until it had at the end of 1883 528 cores or stations and 245 field outposts with 103 cores abroad amongst the tens of thousands now marching in the rank of the salvation army are multitudes of the most wonderful trophies of saving grace men and women who having run into sin with all possible greediness and having forgotten God altogether were attracted by some of the peculiar outward appearances of the army to its meetings and there aroused a deep concern about their souls and led to cry for deliverance to the only savior the extreme diligence shown in impressing the truth on the attention of the people at all the meetings of the army has often led to an accusation of attempting to substitute excitement for a deep heart work but surely our sewing is best judged by the reaping and something more than excitement is necessary to produce a force of men and women who deny themselves all personal comfort and ease and separating themselves from all their old friends come out in all weathers night after night to do their utmost for the rescue of others whom they see to be perishing around them it is indeed with an intense constant realization of the great spiritual truths to which these addresses refer that causes such earnest action on the part of almost all those who are engaged in the work of the army brought time after time face to face with thousands who are they believe halting within sight of the open gate of mercy and also within a step of the wrath to come our officers and soldiers press the people at every meeting to yield themselves without further delay to the savior so that it is no fiction to use the phrase theology of the battlefield with regard to our services each meeting is a real fight with the powers of darkness and thank God the fight generally becomes a victory it is quite true that the vast majority of the men and women who have daily opportunity to speak at our meetings are ignorant of the language of scripture and indeed of all religious phrase theology to a very great extent but they are thoroughly pervaded with these great truths which as we have shown are so all important and speaking not in the set phrase theology of any school but as the spirit gives them utterance in the natural language of everyday life they so warn and touch the common people that thousands of them are week after week led to the savior's feet the reality of the work thus done has been super abundantly attested in seasons of trial it must be a true and not a false faith which can enable rough men who have been accustomed to drink and swear and fight and delicate women to go through storms of abuse and even to endure all sorts of violence without retaliation amongst the more than one thousand five hundred officers who have given up their lives to the work there are very few have not at one time or another known what it is to enjoy true peace amidst the most stormy scenes of opposition out of doors there is no doubt that a great deal of animosity aroused against the army has been caused by its constant plain speaking as to judgment as well as mercy but we prefer any sort of war of this kind no matter what it may cost us before the false peace which is to be got by compromise with the world or by allowing the guilty to perish unwarned the use of the army of brass bands flags uniforms startling announcements and a number of other peculiar means of attracting the people are all attributable to the knowledge that the multitudes are perishing and that all ordinary means have utterly failed to arouse them to a sense of their danger it is notorious thank God that in every part of the world to which it has gone the army has succeeded in assembling together crowds of the most ignorant and rough and Lee kind thus proving that the means made use of have been admirably fitted for the accomplishment of the purpose in view do you wish to know more of the army see it for yourself read its publications and if you desire special information it will always be cheerfully given if you apply to headquarters end of chapter 15 end of life and death by Catherine Booth