I have spoken a great many times in New York city, but I believe that I never preached the gospel here but once. That was twelve or fifteen years ago down at the Tombs. I have spoken a great many times in different parts of the city, but I have never preached the gospel but once. I have tried to arouse Christians up to work.
People are in the habit of thinking that anything that is in the way of a religious meeting is the gospel, but they are mistaken. I have had quite a number of letters from Christians complaining because I don’t preach the gospel to the people. Now, I believe I was converted years before I knew what the gospel meant. Now the word means “good spell,” or in other words “God’s spell.”
The gospel is good tidings, tidings not of condemnation and sentence, but of pardon and peace. Christ came into the world to bring good news. Did you ever see or hear any one that didn’t like to hear good news? The gospel is good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, “for unto us is born, in the city of David, a Savior.” I don’t believe that better news ever fell upon the ears of mortal man, than the news of the gospel.
Now any man can preach, but all are not anointed to the preaching of the gospel. Yonder is a man who preaches law, yonder one who preaches philosophy, another science, another ethics, all preachers, but not of the gospel. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.”—MOODY.
