Our heart sinks within us as we look over this sea of faces and wonder how we are going to hold this crowd that this man seems to have in the hollow of his hand.  Somehow these men must be gripped and held to the last.  “Boys, what was the greatest battle of the war?” we ask.  “Was it the brave stand of little Belgium at Liege?  Was it the splendid retreat of the little British army from Mons?  Was it the battle of the Marne, when the French and British struck their first offensive blow?  Was it the great stand at Ypres, or the defense of Verdun, or the drive on the Somme?  What is your hardest battle?  Is it not within, in the fight with passion?  Now is the time to challenge every sin that weakens a man or the nation.  How about drink?  Is it a friend or foe?  How about gambling?  How about impurity?” Here we mass our guns on the greatest danger of the war.  In five minutes the room is quiet, in ten minutes we have the ear of every man in the hut, the last man has stopped talking, and now the battle is on.  They are gripped on the moral question; how can we get them to the religious issue?  These men have the root of religion in their souls, but they do not know it.  They believe in strength, in purity, in generosity.  We show that they are often falling before temptation, but the very things that they most admire are all found in their fulness in Jesus Christ.

Now we make use of a simple illustration.  We hold up a gold coin hidden in our hand and offer it as a gift.  “Who will take me at my word and ask for this gift?” At last a man rises in the back of the hall, there is a little scene, and then a burst of applause as he receives it and goes to his seat.  “Now why didn’t you come?  Some of you didn’t believe me, some were ashamed to come up before everybody and ask for it, some were just waiting; and so all lost your chance.  Once again I offer a gift.  Here is something more valuable than all the gold on earth—­heaven to be had for the asking; the free gift of God is eternal life.  Why don’t you come?  For the same three reasons.  Some of you don’t believe, some are afraid to show their colors, some are just waiting.  You will soon start for the front to take your place in the trenches.  Are you ready for life or death?  What will you do with Jesus Christ?”

We have had them forty minutes now and many a man is listening as for his life.  We hold up the pledge card of the war roll.  “How many of you are willing to take your stand against drink, gambling, and impurity, to break away from sin, and to sign the war roll, which says:  ’I pledge my allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour and King, by God’s help to fight His battles and bring victory to His Kingdom’?  Who will take his stand for Christ and sign tonight?” Here and there all over the house men begin to rise.  A hundred come forward to get cards and sign them.  Then every head is bowed and in the stillness we pray for these boys; for they are mere lads, with ruddy checks, fresh from the farm or the city.