The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-09-08
EXCUSES

LUZ 4 lt'Ah NNAAN VhH COY IL 't'N 49,
touched my case at all. None Of these
things ever troubled me: but the fact is.
cannot believe" Not long ago man
said to me, II cannot believe.
Whom 2" ! asked He stammered
and said again. Il cannot believe. " !
said. "Whom?n Well he said. II
cannot believe Whom - ! asked
again. At last he said, II cannot be.
lieye myself" well, you don't need
90. You do not need to put any conf
dence in yourself. The less you be-
lieve in yourself the better. But if you
tell me you cannot believe God, that is
another thing; and would like TO ask
YOU why?' If man Gays to
me, II have a great respect for you.
nave a great admiration for you: but |
do not believe worl you say ] say
to myself, II certainly do not think
much Of your admiration. - But this
is the way a good many people talk
about God. They say, Il have pro-
found reverence for God. the very name
Of God strikes awe to my heart, but |
DO not believe him. Why don't you
be honest and say at once you won be-
neve? There is no real reason why
men cannot believe God. l challenge
any iufdcl on the face OF the earth TO
put ms finger on one promise God has
ever made that be has not kept. Tie
idea of a man standing up in the after
noon of the nineteenth century and say
ing he cannot believe God Ny friend.
YOU have no reason for not believing
Him. If you say you cannot believe
man there would be some reason in
that, because men very often say what
is not true bat God never makes any
mistakes. Has He said il and shall lie
not make it good 2" Believe in God and
say as Job says: Though lie s!ay nc,
vet will trust Him Some meG talk
as if it were q great misfortune that
they do not believe They seem TO look
upon it as a kind Of inhrmity. and
think they ought to be sympalhizcd
with and pi'ied but bear in mind that
it is the most damniug sin in the world.
when he. the Holy Ghost. is come, he
will remove the world of sin. because
they believe not on me- That IS the
SIN of the very root OF sin. and q fruit
is bad. for the tree is bad. May God
open our eyes to see that lie is true.
anf may we be led to put cur fullest
trust in Christ.
But YOU say. Il do not know what it
Is to believe" That Is another excuse.
Wei. let me put it differently. Suppose
say trust him-iust take him at his
word. Believe that he really invites
you-thlt he wants you to come. u
YOU 40 not know what /, is 10 believe.
will you not just trust God ,
But here is another one who saws,
Il would like to come very much. but
ann afraid would not hold out.
Now. have bad a rule for "a number
of years that has been a great help 10
me-neyer to cross a mountain until
YOU come to it. You trust Christ Ia
save YOU now. The devil throws lit
tie straw across your path, and then
tries 10 magnify it and makes you think
il is a great mountain. Never mind
the mountains; trust him Co.
night to save you. Ii be can
save you tonight he can keel
YOU tomorrow. VIXEN you have sat
down at the banquet and had one good
feast-when you have had one inter
view with Christ you will not want tC
leave him. l accepted this invitation
twenty years ago, ard ] never wanted
to 90 back. have not had to keep my
self all these years. would have beeI
back in tw-uty-four hours if | had
But thank God, we do not have to keei
ourselves. The Lord IS my keeper, my
shepherd. shall not want. lie keep
as. Il takes the same grace TO keep ui
that it does to save US. And God hal
told US that My grace is sufficient tol
you.'
But some people are not at all afraid
of falling away. They are sure tina
God is quite able to save them anc
quite strong enough to keep them. Blu
when YOU ask them if they are Chris
tians they say, We'll, YOU know
would like to be, bat have no time.
lIfI were to 20 TO the door tonight
and take you by the hand and say NJ,
friend. why not accept OF the invitation
to-night?' some Of you would say
please Just excuse me now. / haN
really 10 time. have got some yer,
pressing business 70 attend to TO
morrow morning. aud have 4
90 home as fast as possiol
to get my nights rest. No
must excuse me. " And the mother
would say, I'VE have TO run HON
and put the children to bed; you mus
excuse me for this time. 50 thousand
and thousands say they have no time
be religious. But. my friends wha
have YOU done with all the time Go
has given you? What have You bee
doing all these months and years th'
have rolled away since he gave 70
birth? Is it true that you have DO time
, What did you do with the three hui
dred and sixty-fye days Of last year
Had YOU no time during all
these twelve months to seek the kinl
dom of GodY You spend twenty yeal
getting an education to enable you
earn a living for this poor fran bod
: 20 soon to be eaten up Of worms.-io
spend seven or eight years III ieatnin
a trade. that you may earn your dan