The wonderful life and works of Dwight L. Moody; a ... review of the marvelous career of the most remarkable religious general in history

Front matter

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Introduction

BY H. W. THOMAS, D. D., Pastor of People's Church, Chicago.

D WIGHT L. MOODY would have been a marked man in almost any field of active affairs, and simply because of his large natural abilities. That he was great as an evangelist was owing mainly to his special adaptation to that form of work ; his glad and entire consecration to it, and his wonderful power to use others, to marshal and control forces to inspire minds and hearts with his own purpose and earnestness.

Brother Moody understood well the power of numbers, of large assemblies, and the value of sympathetic emotion. Hence he did not go forth alone to gather and reach the outside world, as did Wesley; but sought and secured the united action of the preachers, the members and choirs of the evangelical churches, and this he could do sincerely because he saw nothing vital in the Hnes that differentiated the denominations, and felt that their coming together would be helpful to each; that the com-

INTRODUCTION.

mon life of all would be quickened and enlarged.

No one, perhaps, has done so much to lessen the lines of separation, and so much to unite all in the great law and life of love. Had he sought to found a new denomination, this united action would not have been possible, for the movement would naturally have been looked upon as competitive. Brother Moody did not wish to found another denomination; he thought there were too many already; but he did, and wisely, too, look to the perpetuation of his own spirit and work in one central church and through the educational power of training schools, and in this was successful through his singular ability to reach men of large means, and to bring other workers into the field.

There will not be another Moody; as there will not be another Beecher, Simpson or Philips Brooks; it is not Nature's God's way of working. Brother Moody filled a needed place in his time; other minds and hearts will come forth for the needs of new conditions.

We all loved and honored Brother Moody, and pray that his inspiration, his consecration, his great love for man and God, may be caught up and carried forward to bless a world.

H. W. THOMAS.

DWIGHT L. MOODY.

By JOHN V. FARWELL.

I never felt so small as when requested to give in words, as an observer from its beginning until his translation, some sort of a digest of Dwight L. Moody's character.

While lying in his coffin in the Northfield church, that gust of wind that opened enough of one window blind to let in the light of the sun on his kindly face, suggests to my mind that only the mind of God — the only source of light of life — can measure a mind and heart aflame with the inspiration of the Almighty, from whence he drew his power for daily use in his work.

Environment and want of education under such a heavenly ray of light, was no obstruction to his being lifted out of weakness into a power sufficient to confound the mightiest men, who had any less communion with God.

Look at yonder dirty pool, too foul for use. We expect nothing from it to help mankind.

Look again. The sun, with its silent chemistry, has in due time drawn it up into heaven's blue, and on fhe very spot where it cursed the earth, is a garden of flowers, watered by its dew drops, and in the heavens above is God's rainbow of promise, painted by its mystery of heavenly art while on its way to earth, to water that garden of the beautiful, and fields plowed and planted by man, that the earth may bring forth bread for the hungry.

The natural man with his earthly lusts and passions is that dirty pool, only needing the potentialities of heaven's light and heat to transform its stagnant elements into the beautiful and useful.

Mr. Moody was thus transformed by his own deliberate choice, placing himself under the hands of the Almighty, to be used in His vineyard.

Thus equipped, his works were well done, and it may be well said of him, ^'Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, for their works do follow them."

A mighty man has finished his work on earth. The oldest book in existence records, "There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding." Moody's spirit-— or mental ability — was naturally of a superior order. Had he taken up politics he would have made an exceptional statesman. Having taken up with Christ as

Lord for his life work, the inspiration of the Almighty gave him a power in Christian work second to no one in the apostolic succession from Saints Peter and Paul until December 22d A. D., 1899, measured by the results of his ministry, practically surrounding the globe in its influence, and nearly so in his travels.

The key to the understanding of all this is that Moody's body, soul and spirit, by his own deliberate choice, were consecrated to that ministry. He once heard a man say, *'The world has yet to see how much one man, wholly consecrated to God, can accomplish in this world for Him." "Then," said Moody, "I will be that man, for I can consecrate my all to Him."

He began his work as a mission Sunday-school drummer, and from that graduated in regular succession into Superintendent of one of the largest mission Sunday-schools in the city, President of the Young Men's Christian Association, and the world's exangelist, the highest office in Christ's ministry.

When he left a successful business for this calling, he had accumulated about $12,000, all of which was invested in mission enterprises at the time he was most busy with the work of the Y. M. C. A. A little prayer meeting of three asked for wisdom to procure a building for that association, and in answer Mr. Moody began and finished the first building ever erected for the use of a Y. M. C. A. on earth, representing Christian union, and in his work in Chicago, after returning from his London mission, he raised the money to free it from debt, after having been twice burned to the ground, but for this timely effort of his the present magnificent temple of the Y. M. C. A. would not be one of the world's best material monuments of Christian unity (for which he stood) that was ever erected.

The lineal descendants of his first enterprise, the North Market Hall Mission Sunday-school, are the Bible Institute and the Chicago Avenue Church, now filled to its utmost capacity twice every Sunday to hear the plain testimony of Jesus, which theangelsaidto John was "the spirit of prophecy," or preaching; and conversions follow every service as a rule, and some times scores and hundreds attend the second meeting which follows the evening service.

Being dead, he yet speaks through these institutions as clearly as did the angels when they sang "Glory to God in the Highest" and "On earth Peace and Good Will to Men," at the birth of Christ, through whose Life more abundant now given to men, that song is to be perpetuated through the agency of such men to the end of time.

The meaning of the removal of such workmen from the harvest field at such a time as this is beyond our ken, when, instead of one removal a regiment of them seems to be needed for fields white for the harvest, and the world one as it never was before by the power of steam and electricity, as well as the power of Christian civilization in the strongest nations on earth. Yea, and when there are calls on Moody's desk from Europe and America that would require months, if not years, to fill if he were here to do it.

Why.^ God only knows.

List of Illustrations.

PAGE.

Dwight L. Moody Frontispiece

"The Sower" 20

Moody Family Gathering, 1867 29

Period Pictures of Mr. Moody 39

The Old and the New 49

Mr. Moody's Missionary Pony 59

North Side Tabernacle 77

P. P. Bliss 87

Ira D. Sankey 97

Mr. Moody's Characteristic Attitude. 115

Mr. Moody on a Morning Drive 125

Free Church Assembly Hall, Edinburgh 135

Exhibition Hall, Dublin 153

Haymarket Opera House 171

Characteristic Page from Mr. Moody's Bible 182

Farewell Meeting at Glasgow 189

Chicago Avenue Church 207

Interior of Chicago Church 225

The Empty Chair 243

The Bible He Preached From 261

Moody Bible Institute 279

Bible Institute Library 297

Contents

CHAPTER. PAGE.

I. Ancestors of Mr. Moody — Statement that every other Moody family contained a preacher — Three great Moody's, one in the seventeenth, one in the eighteenth, and one in the nineteenth century 21-33

II. Moody's early life — Left to the care of his mother at four — Eldest brother runs away — Some early escapades — First trip away from home 34-46

Chapter I

THE ANCESTORS OF MR. MOODY.

Dwight L. Moody descended from a line of ministers. It has been said that every other Moody family contained a preacher. Some of them have been men of great force and character, and have made more than a passing impression on New England history. The family has been noted for longevity, and the extent of the literary attainments of its members; their bold persevering habits; their spirit of enterprise, their independence of mind and character, irrespective of the popular will, and for the similarity and purity of their religious faith. The average age of seventeen ancestors of Mr. Moody, ranging from the year 1633 to 1847, was 67 years.

Mr. William Moody, the principal progenitor of the Moody family in New England, came according to the best records obtainable, from Wales, in 1633, wintered at Ipswich, and removed to Newbury with the first settlers of that place in 1635. Here he was admitted a Freeman and received a grant of ninetytwo acres of land. There is a tradition that he was a blacksmith by trade, and another that he was a saddler, and it is very probable that he did a little of both. It is known, however, that he was the first person in New England to adopt the practice of shoeing oxen to enable them to walk on the ice, and he even 21 acquired the appellation "The learned blacksmith. ' '

Since the Moody family came to America it has never lacked an exceptionally great preacher of the gospel. Joshua belonged to the Seventeenth century, Samuel to the Eighteenth, and Dwight to the Nineteenth.

Rev. Joshua Moodey, a son of William Moody, although he spelled his name differently, was born in England in 1633, about a year before his father came to this country. He received his early education at Newbury, and was prepared for admission to college by Rev. Thomas Parker. He was a graduate of Harvard in 1653, after which he began the study of divinity and early began to preach. He began his ministerial labors at Portsmouth, N. H., early in the year 1658, at which place he laid the foundation and eventually gathered the first Congregational church in that place. As a minister he was considered zealous and faithful and for many years the church flourished under his pastoral care, during which time he distinguished himself by his independent and faithful manner of teaching and the strictness of his church discipline. Mr. Moodey became involved in a dispute with Mr. Cranfield, who was lieutenant-governor of the province, and who did not like the minister because he thought he stood in the way of his schemes for personal aggrandizement. In 1684 a Scotch ketch had been seized by a collector and carried out of the harbor in the night. The owner, a member of the church, swore upon the trial that he had not a hand in sending her away and that he knew nothing about it, but the * circumstances were such that there was strong suspicion that he had perjured himself. He found means, however, to settle the matter with Cranfield and the collector, but Mr. Moodey judged it necessary to do something to vindicate the honor of his church, so he requested of the Governor copies of the evidence for the purpose of instituting an examination.

Cranfield ordered the minister to desist and threatened him with the consequences in case of refusal, but Moodey would not be intimidated and preached a sermon upon swearing and the evil of false swearing. The Governor in order to wreak his vengeance determined to put the uniformity act into operation; by a statute then in force, ministers were required to admit to the Lord's Supper all persons who should desire it, who were "of suitable years and not vicous. " Cranfield gave notice that he and several others intended on the following Sunday to partake of the sacrament. His demand was not complied with, in consequence of which Moodey was indicted and imprisoned for thirteen weeks. After his persecution in Portsmouth he fled to Boston and was received in open arms by the members of the First Church. Even while at Portsmouth he took a great interest in Harvard college and succeeded in raising a fund of sixty pounds a year for seven years to erect a brick building on the Harvard ground. On the death of President Rogers, July 2, 1684, he was elected his successor, as president of Harvard College. He modestly declined the offer, preferring his situation as assistant minister in the First Church. He was a strong opponent to superstition, was involved in innumerable arguments and did much in securing the release of persons who were arrested in Salem and Boston for witchcraft. He went back to Portsmouth in 1692 after many solicitations from his old flock. He died on the 4th of July, 1697, in the 65th year of his age, and his funeral sermon was preached by Dr. Cotton Mather.

Rev. vSamuel Moody of the First Parish of York, Maine, was the fourth son of Caleb Moody of Newbury, and a grandson of William Moody, who came from England. He was born at Newbury on the 4th of January, 1675, and was a nephew of Rev. Joshua Moodey. Of his early life little is known, but he finished his education at Harvard when he was twenty-two, and graduated with honors in the year 1697. The next year he commenced preaching in York and was regularly ordained, and settled over the First Parish in that place in December, 1700, where he continued an eminently useful and successful minister of the gospel for nearly fifty years.

He was a man noted for his piety and was greatly beloved and no less feared by the people of his charge. He was distinguished alike for his eccentricities, his zeal as a man of God, his remarkable faith and fervency in prayer, and his uncommon benevolence. Histories of religion in New England place him as the equal of any gentleman of the clergy of that day. Previous to his settlement at York, the whole town had been destroyed by the Indians, fifty people having been killed and one hundred taken captive.

He petitioned the Earl of Bellemont, who was then Governor-in- Chief, and through him the council and representatives of the province assembled in June, 1699, for a competent maintenance as a chaplain to the garrison at York, in which position he had served for upward of a year, and the council granted him twelve pounds out of the public treasury.

He was a man of prayer, and remarkable for his importunity at the throne of grace. An instance of his power of prayer, is one cited against the French fleet in 1746. France had fitted out a ffeet with the intention of destroying the British colonies. This fact was known in this country, and as the colonists could not expect any aid from England, of course they were very much exercised over the event. Moody had recourse to prayer. He appointed a day for the purpose, praying against this fleet, and he brought to view the expressions made use of in the Scriptures against Sennacherib; "Put a hook in his nose and a bridle in his lips ; turn him back again by the way that he came, that he shall not shoot an arrow here nor cast up a bank ; but by the way he came, cause him to return." By and by the old gentleman waxed warm and raised his hands and his voice and cried out, "Good Lord, if there is no other way of defeating their enterprise, send a storm upon them and sink them in the ship. ' ' It was found afterward that not far from that time a tremendous tempest burst upon that fleet, and foundered many of them. A remnant of the fleet got into Halifax, and the commander was so disheartened, thinking all the rest were lost that he put an end to his own life, and the second in command did the same, and the third in command was not competent for the undertaking. A mortal sickness prevailed among the survivors, and great numbers of them laid their bones in Halifax. They finally packed their all and went back to France without striking a blow.

His faith was emulated in the Nineteenth century by his descendant. A story is told of him that he believed that if he asked the Lord, He would provide for every living thing. One morning his wife told him they had nothing for dinner. He replied that this was nothing to her: what she had to do was to set the table as usual when the dinner hour came. Accordingly, when the hour came, she set the table, spread the cloth and put on the plates, and just then a neighbor brought in a good dinner all cooked.

On another occasion Mrs. Moody told him on vSaturday morning that they had no wood. ' ' Well, ' ' he replied, "I must go into my study and God will provide for us." During the day a Quaker called in and asked for Mr. Moody. Mr. Moody appeared and the Quaker said to him, "Friend Moody, I was carrying a load of wood to neighbor A. B., and just as I got opposite thy door my sled broke down, and if thee will accept of the wood, I will leave it here. ' ' Mr. Moody told him it was very acceptable as he was entirely out.

His daughter, who lived in Massachusetts, told of the time when her father was officiating in the pulpit of her husband, who was a minister. At the time great ravages were being made by the canker worm, which well-nigh destroyed everything green. On Sunday morning when they went to the meeting house, the canker worms were so numerous that one could scarce set down his foot without crushing them by the score. Mr. Moody's text was from Mai. iii: 2, "I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes. " As he warmed up he seemed filled with a sort of prophetic fire and appealed to his hearers as follows: '* Brethren, here is the promise of God. Do you believe it? Will you repose full confidence in it? I believe it and feel an assurance in my soul that God will bring it to pass. "

It was noticed that when the service, which was long, had been -finished, the destoyer had disappeared. Not one of the insects that had been so multitudinous was seen around. Historians say that they were seen lying dead in little windrows on the shore of the creek, which ran through the town.

In another particular the modern Evangelist emulated his distinguished ancestor. The latter refused to receive a stipulated salary, but rather chose to live on the voluntary contributions of the people. It has been said that he literally knew not anything that he possessed. In one of his sermons he mentioned that he had been supported for twenty years in a way most pleasing to him, and that he had been under no necessity of spending one hour in a week in care for the world. Yet he was sometimes reduced to want, though his confidence in God never failed him.

His benevolence was unbounded. His wife, as well as others, thought he was too lavish of his little, when anyone applied to him for assistance in distress. To put a check upon his liberality and give him time to consider, she made him a new purse, but when she had put the change into it she tied the strings into several knots, so that he might have time for reflection while untying them. Not long after this a poor person asked him for alms. He took out his purse and attempted to untie the strings, but finding it difficult, he told the person he believed the Lord intended he should give him the whole, so he gave the purse and change together. The old lady's experiment on this occasion was rather a losing one.

Once when he was going to Boston to attend a great convention or conference, he saw a poor man in the hands of the officers, who were taking him to jail for debt. Father Moody inquired the amount for which he was to be imprisoned, and found that he had sufficient to defray the debt, which he immediately did, and the poor man was liberated. He then turned to one of his Elders who accompanied him and said that he must depend upon him to bear the expense of the journey, as he had nothing left. The Elder ventured respectfully to question the propriety and prudence of his conduct in thus rendering himself so dependent, but the old clergyman replied: "Elder, does not the Bible asy, 'Cast thy bread upon the waters and thou shalt find it after many days?' " Towards evening they reached the city and the talent and piety of Boston came out upon Boston Common to see the famous Father Moody. The Elder related the morning adventure and after they had retired to their lodgings, a waiter brought Father Moody a sealed packet. He opened it and found it contained the precise sum which he had given to the poor man in the morning. He turned to the Elder and exclaimed: "I cast my bread upon the waters in the morning and behold it is returned to me in the evening. ' '

His aptness for quoting and applying Scripture was known to be proverbial. He had a habit when

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C- li S performing table service, of quoting some passage of Scripture descriptive of the food provided; one of his parishoners desired to know what he could find in the Bible to suit Shell-fish, and provided a dinner of clams and invited Mr. Moody to dine with him. In returning thanks after the refreshment, he blessed the Lord that he not only furnished supplies from the produce of the fields and flocks and herds, but permitted them to "suck of the abundance of the seas and of the treasures hid in the sand. "

He was an extremely eccentric old fellow and numerous anecdotes are related on this particular phase of his character. At a certain time his church got into difficulty. At a church meeting, finding it difficult to get along, they concluded by his advice to adjourn for a season and pray for light and direction. On the next Sabbath, Mr. Moody preached from the following text: 2 Chron. xx: 12. "Neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee." After some introductory remarks, he stated this for his doctrine: "When a person or people are in such a situation that they know not what to do, they should not do they know not what, but their eyes should be unto the Lord for direction. ' '

On another occasion while the old gentleman was on a journey to the Western part of Massachusetts, he called on a brother minister one Saturday, with a view to spending the Sabbath with him if agreeable. The man appeared very glad to see him and said: "I should be very glad to have you stop and preach with me to-morrow, but I feel almost ashamed to ask you." "Why, what is the matter?" said Mr. Moody. "Our people have got into such a habit of going out before the meeting is closed, that it seems to be an imposition upon a stranger." "If that is all, I must and will stop and preach for you," was Mr. Moody's reply. When the Sabbath day came, and Mr. Moody had opened the meeting and named his text, he looked around on the assembly and said : "My hearers, I am going to speak to two sorts of folks to-day, saints and sinners. Sinners, I am going to give you your portion first, and I would have your good attention. ' ' When he had preached to them as long as he thought best, he paused and said: "There, sinners, I have done with you now; you take your hats and go out of the meeting house as soon as you please. ' ' But they tarried and heard him through.

He was remarkably successful as a minister, and many revivals were held in his church during his ministry, and it is said to have contained between 300 and 400 members when he left it. His greatest revival, perhaps, was in 1741. The exact number he affiliated with his church will perhaps never be known, as the records were destroyed when the church was burned the next year.

The old man had as his guest that year the Rev. George Whitefield, the celebrated young minister, whose talents and fervent piety drew from the congregation to which he preached the strongest expressions of praise.

In 1745, two years before his death, he accompanied the American army as chaplain of the celebrated Cape Breton expedition. The old man, when Louisburg was taken, shouldered an ax and went up to the images in the churches and actually cut them down, as he had told his friends he would when he left home.

He published several books, among which were ** The Doleful State of the Damned, especially Such as go to Hell from under the Gospel," "Judas, the Traitor, Hung up in Chains to give Warnings to Professors that they Beware of Worldlimindedness and Hypocrisy; a Discourse concluding with a Dialogue," "A Sermon Preached to Children After Catechizing in the Town of York (Me.) July 25, 1 72 1," "The Way to Get out of Debt, and the Way to Keep out of Debt. "

Critics who have read these books declare that they compare well with those of Baxter.

He died at the age of ninety, and the family were assembled in the room at the time, his son Joseph sitting behind him on the bed, holding him up in his arms. When he had ceased to breathe, the people in the room began to remark that he was gone, and his son exclaimed in a loud voice: "And Joseph shall put his hands upon thine eyes." He then put his hands around and closed his eyes, and laid the lifeless body back on the bed.

His remains lie buried in the common burying place near the meeting house in York, and on his tombstone is this inscription : ' ' For his farther character read Corinthians, 3d Chapter, and first six verses. ' *

CHAPTER 11.

MOODY'S EARLY LIFE.

D wight Lyman Moody was born in the town of Northfield, Mass., February 5th, 1837. He was the sixth child of Edwin Moody and Betsy Holton, who were married January 3, 1828. Nine children in all blessed the union of this couple, seven being sons and two daughter-S. The homestead consisted of several acres of typical Massachusetts land, most of which was of a stony character, and covered by a mortgage. The father tilled his acres in their season and at other times worked at his trade as a stonemason. According to the best accounts, he was not a successful business man, and the latter part of his life, as his family increased, was burdened with debts. His crushed spirit and business reverses caused his death after a few hours' illness. Dwight was then only four years old, but the shock of that death made an impression upon him which he declared he had never forgotten. The death of the father was followed soon after by the birth of a twin boy and girl. Thus Mrs. Moody was burdened with the care of a large family, the eldest of whom was only fifteen years. The old puritan idea, coupled with a mother's love, made her anxious to keep her brood together, and she bravely set about caring for them all, and contrived to have each of the little 34 hands earn something toward their support. They were taught to till the garden and do odd jobs for the neighbors. She was a strict Unitarian of the old school, a creed much different from that professed in that denomination in latter days. She was a firm believer in the Bible and its teachings, and drew therefrom the inspiration to make the life of her children dearer to the great Creator. It was her daily task and pleasure to teach them a little Bible lesson, and the Sabbath morning found them wending their way to the church service and Sunday school.

The eldest of the children was a boy of rugged mien who had an inclination to break away from his mother's apron strings. He had read the literature of the plains, and wandered off into the world, as he thought, to seek a fortune. This was one of the great sorrows of the Moody family. The mother never lost hope ; she was ever praying for the return of her boy. As time went on, the preparations for his home-coming were added to year by year. This was especially true of Thanksgiving time, a festival dear to the hearts of all New Englanders. For years no tidings of the wandering boy reached the mother; night after night her sleep was disturbed by a dread vision of him lying somewhere in the great cold world ; perhaps suffering, while she had enough for comfort. She was constantly sending to the little postoffice for a letter; sometimes two or three times a day. She never stated that she expected a letter from "him" — it was not necessary that she should do so, as the children learned by instinct that he was constantly in her mind. By common consent, his name was never mentioned, except in the mother's prayer, and then, when in the family circle, only by inference.