<TITLE>10. Par 38-42</TITLE>L-38 Now, if I had this platform laying full of money, millions of dollars, and could pass it every bit away, just to see one more scene; and that is, if I could see my old dad enter that tent right there, come walking right down this way, and reach up his hand, and catch me by the hand, I'd give it, everything I ever had in my life, or ever would have, if I could just hold his hand one more time.
The real things of life are right around you; you don't see them. That's all. You don't know it till it's gone. That's right. If I could just once more see dad, but I can't; he's gone on.

L-39 On down through life, many times I... You seen in my little book there how the Angel of the Lord appeared back in those days when I set right on a keg, when I was only about eight years old, or nine, watching the whiskey still run all night long, and get right up and started down packing water back to this still.
And it was right down my road back from the pump where the Angel of the Lord spoke to me, said, "Don't you never drink, or smoke, or defile your body in any way; for there'll be a work for you to do when you get older." Like scared me to death.

L-40 I remember one day, my daddy was going down to the river, he and another man. I was trying to find favor with this man, 'cause he had a good boat. I wanted to pull the boat.
We got ten cents a dozen for finding bottles for them who was--the moonshiners that was fixing the whiskey. And I had a--an old paddle, and we'd... That river'd be up. We'd have to paddle, we didn't have no rudder on the old boat. And had to bail the water awhile and so forth, trying to get along to find the bottles, the brother and I.
And this man had a fine duck yawl. And I... He acted like he liked me, and I--I wanted to keep favor with him.

L-41 And we started across a little tree. And dad just set his leg across like that, to cross over the little blown down tree. And when he did, he stopped, pulled a little flat bottle of whiskey out of his pocket, handed it over to the next man to take a drink. And the other man taken a drink and handed it to me for me to take a drink. I said, "No thanks, I don't drink." I was about eight, nine years old.
He said, "What? A Branham and don't drink?" Most all Branhams died with their shoes on. So he... I said, "No, sir, I don't drink."
My daddy said, "No, I raised one sissy."
Oh, my. A sissy. I said, "Give me the bottle." And my daddy looked at me. I took the bottle, pulled the stopper out of it, just as determined to drink it as I am to finish up my service this afternoon. I turned that bottle up, and started to take a drink. When I did, I heard them leaves in that bush again going, [Brother Branham illustrates.--Ed.].
That's the way It appeared to me when at first, just like a roaring of leaves. Looked up and seen about the size of a barrel going back and forth through the trees. And there a human voice spoke to me and said, "Don't never smoke, or drink, defile your body." And I... Now, He said to me, "Don't smoke or drink."

L-42 Now, I'm not preaching against one thing or the other. He told me not to smoke or drink. If you smoke and drink and say you're a Christian, that's up to you and God. But He told me not to do it (See?), not to do it. And so I didn't.
I've heard many people say, "Well, I--I drink a little bit, a sociable drink. And I... And I use... I smoke, and it don't condemn me."
Well, maybe you just ain't went far enough yet. That's right. That's all. You get a little farther on and you'll--you'll understand. That's right. That's right. You won't have no desire for that.


<A HREF="P11">Next Page</A>