How to Win Souls

If we were more profoundly convinced of man’s responsibility we should be marked by more deep-toned earnestness. How we should look at men in the light of eternity! How we should yearn after their souls, even to tears! With what zeal and vehement power should we both publicly and privately declare eternal realities.  

And then if in addition, an equally profound conviction of divine sovereignty took possession of us; if we were fully convinced of the absolute necessity of the Spirit’s work in souls, and that nothing in the way of persuasion or emotion apart from that work has any lasting value, what reliance upon God it would produce!

Instead of feverish insufficiency there would be entire dependence. We should be lifted above a hundred and one un­worthy methods ; for the work is God’s and not ours. We should let the mere arts of the revivalist severely alone. Instead of bending our energies so much to working up people's emotions in public we should spend much more time in waiting upon God in private that the blessing might come down — and He would not fail us.

We might not be able to enrol so many professions on earth, but there would be more divinely wrought conversions registered in heaven.

F.B.H.