38 True Wisdom

True Wisdom "He who wins souls is wise."Proverbs 11:30 Who is a wise man? This question was proposed in ancient times, and various are the answers it has received. In the estimation of some, it is the man who amasses wealth;
of others, it is the man of science;
of others, the man that gains popularity and rises to high honor among his fellow men;
but the answer of God is, "He who wins souls is wise." To win souls is difficult. It must he so — for Satan enslaves them; he has possession of them, and leads them captive at his will. Error deceives them, they are all naturally under the influence of deception; therefore they call darkness light, and light darkness; they put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. The world misleads them, they follow the multitude, are led away by custom, and are bewildered and confused by the general consent of mankind. Madness is in the heart. Every sinner is insane. No one naturally has right views of any important subject. In conversion, the man comes to himself. Then he thinks aright, feels aright, and acts aright; but not before. If the soul is . . .
enslaved by Satan,
blinded by error,
deceived by the world,
chained down by carnal customs,
and is in a state of insanity —
it must be a difficult work to win souls.

They are to be won from Satan — who will not easily part with them. They are to be won to God — from whom they are alienated, and against whom they indulge the bitterest enmity. They are to be won by the truth of the beauties — of which they have no conception, and to enjoy which they have no taste. They are to be won that they may be useful to others — but selfishness reigns in them supreme and without a rival. To win them, therefore, will require study — we must think, and think, and think again.

It will require labor — we must toil and strive to the utmost of our powers.

It will require skill — we must therefore seek wisdom, and turn it to some practical account when we have it.

It will require perseverance — it is well-doing, and we must not be weary in well-doing. As the fowler patiently waits and watches until the birds are snared; as the angler patiently perseveres until the fish is caught; as the racer urges forward until the prize is gained — so does the wise man persevere, until the soul is won. He fixes his eyes upon it, he makes up his mind to gain it; he pushes forward with his heart set upon it; he uses all likely means until it yields to the power of truth.

If we would win souls — we must beware lest we prejudice them against our holy religion; lest we alienate them from us — by anything in our spirit, conduct, or conversation; lest we awaken the suspicion in their minds that we are not sincere, or in earnest, or that religion is not really what we have said it is.

If we would win souls — we must be winning. Kindness, courtesy, earnestness, and sympathy affect the heart. A drop of honey will attract more flies than a pint of vinegar; and the sweet spirit of love will win a soul, when the sour spirit of controversy would drive it far from us. Affectionate preachers are generally successful preachers; so also are affectionate teachers, and affectionate Christians.

If we would win souls — we must be self-denying; a selfish man will not be a successful soul-winner; if self is our end, our efforts will end in failure.

If we would win souls — we must be prayerful; means are inefficient, human efforts alone are powerless. If we win souls, it must be "by the power of the Spirit of God," and the truly wise man knows this, he realizes it, therefore he seeks it by prayer, and expects it to crown his efforts to the Lord’s glory.

If we would win souls — we must also vary the means; if one effort fails, we must try another; a wise man will become all things to all men, that he may gain the more. The inducement is powerful. We must be either wise men — or fools. Our pursuits display our principles. The wise man makes the winning of souls his object — and his wisdom appears in his choice. He selects from a number of objects one that is worthy of him. He is concerned for the welfare of the body — but he fixes principally on the salvation of the soul. Nothing is as valuable as the soul, nothing as important as its salvation. No employment so honorable, or so calculated to glorify God as this. His wisdom appears in his success — he accomplishes what is so difficult. His wisdom will appear in the prize he gains. His reward will be a crown, the souls he wins will form his crown: hence the apostle calls the Philippians his "joy and crown" (Php 4:1). They will be his glory and joy. Therefore the same apostle says, "What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For you are our glory and joy" (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20). He will be clothed with peculiar splendor, for "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:3). My dear young friends, choose this employment. Having made your own calling and election sure, may this be your business — to win souls to God. In so doing, you fall in with God’s plan of grace; you engage in the same work as the Son of God; you co-operate with the Holy Spirit; you will be associated with the holiest and most honorable of your fellow-men. Attempt this work . . .
by teaching the young,
by conversing on the gospel with sinners,
by having this object always in view,
by writing to your relatives, friends, and acquaintances who reside at a distance from you,
by distributing God’s Word, religious tracts, and handbills.

Keep this object constantly before your mind, make it the business of your life — so will you live usefully, escape a thousand snares into which idle professors fall, and die happy in the Lord. To win a soul, is to do that which will count for eternity, and will reflect honor upon you forever. Let us all, then, engage in this work anew. Let us make everything subservient to this. Let us encourage each other in this glorious enterprise, and do all we possibly can, which at best is but little. The time is coming when the mere money-getter, the man of science, the worldly philosopher, and the man whose object is worldly greatness and carnal honors — will be proved to be fools indeed; and those who have devoted their time, property, and various talents to win souls to God — will be pronounced as the only wise and consistent men. For this, then, let us study,
for this let us pray,
for this let us toil,
for this let us be willing to suffer,
for this let us live and die.

Let us keep this object daily before the mind’s eye, and at this let us constantly aim; so that if asked by any, "For what do you teach? or for what do you pray? or for what do you live? or what do you most earnestly desire?" We may be able honestly and instantly to answer, "that I may win souls for God!"