CHRIST, WITH A CROSS by Dwight Lyman Moody

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · May 6, 1880

CHRIST, WITH A CROSS.

By Dwight Lyman Moody

IN one of his recent St. Louis discourses, reported in the Globe-Democrat, Mr. Moody made use of this apt illustration:—

There is a story in Roman history of a young Roman who was in the Roman army, and he was to be promoted; but the officer right under him came to the king, and he says: “Look here, this man that you are going to promote is a Christian, and by the law of Rome he has no right to hold an office.” and so the young man was called into the presence of the monarch, and an inquiry was made if it was true that he was a Christian. He told the king that he was. “Well,” says the king, “I will give you three hours to give up Christ and Christianity. You can have the place in that time if you will do that; but if not, your head must come off.” A Christian bishop in the city heard of him and he went to that young officer. He was a young man of great wealth and position and beauty. He took him into the church of God, and he put his sword alongside the Bible and he said to the young man: “What is your decision? Is it for the Bible? If it is, you must give up life. If it is for the sword, you will have honor for a little while. Rome will delight to honor you. Now, what is your decision?” The young man says, “That Bible is my decision.” It cost him his life to confess Christ. In three hours from that time that young man was beheaded.

Would to God that we had men of that stamp at the present day: men who are willing to confess Christ even if it cost their lives; men who are willing to confess him even if it costs everything they have; men who are not ashamed to own their Lord and master. And I want to say right here that if we begin to confess Christ, just the moment we begin to take him and confess him and own him as our Lord and Master we will have men all around us beginning to inquire what they must do to be saved. I never knew it to fail.