The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-12
Grace Street Baptist Church, Rich
Hond. Va,

AHc NonSeFsiOn Oh a Ghurcnlti;tH.
And he said, Who are thou, Lord I?
And he said, l am Jesus whom thou
perseeutest; IT Is hard Tor thee TO
kick against the prieks . Arise,
go into the city, and II hall DE told
thee what thou must do.--Aets i: J
and 6.
The man whose conversion we now
consider was already q jealous. ag-
gressive and intolerant advocate OF
religion. None could be more con-
scientious or confident than he, but
he was stranger to the new birth
and without saving personal knowl-
edge OF God. liz we may use Il mod
ern term for an ancient idea. ne was
a great churchman. but wholly igno-
rant of spiritual life. churchman
Is any religlonist who cares more for
his creed than for his Christ. The re-
liEious prosecutors have ever been
men who cared more ter success than
for souls. There Is no shell so hard
to penetrate with the truth as that
of the man who is inside the chuNil.
but outside of Christ In the gospel
war against sinners a Thousand shall
faii at his side and ten thousand at
his rignt hand, but the truth shall not
come nigh him, 1t is to be feared that
there are In the churches some mem
beers who are nnregenerate. The en-
inent DIR. Chalmers, OF Scotland.
preached the gospel for twenty years
before his conversion. His knowledge
of God was Intellectual only. When
converted. the Bible became a new
Book to him and his preaching a re-
sistiess propaganda of salvation. We
must possess before we profess. The
church Is far more like Iife-saving
station than like hospital, Soul
saving Is a hard and complex work
II requires at least three men to save
O man.
The first to be mentioned is
THE Inner Man
We call this one the conscience. Ia
telling the experience of his conyer-
sion to King Agrippa, Paul said that
In the heavenly vision which came TO
him 1t was said:.It Is hard for .hAe
to Kick agairgt the pricks," using The
figure Of a recalcitrant OK. This de-
scrtbes an experience with the con-
science. which Saul had prior TO that
vision, There IL much confusion as
TO the proper function OF the con-
science. Let ii be conceded at ance
that the conscience can say nothing
inteliigihle or authoritative unless our
moral natures have knowledge. All
must agree, ii seems to me. that the
conscience cannot be an original
source of knowledge. The heather
wife of India desires to be burned
alive on the funeral psre Of her dead
husband: and the mother, contrary
to the strongest affections OF the hI-
man breast. maternal hove, casts her
babe Into the sacred Ganges as an
act of worship, their consciences APP
proving because they do not know any
better
But when the moral nature l. in
formed the conscience performs sew
erai distinct ana most Important func-
tions which may, be briefly indicared.
II tells Us right from wrong just az
physical touch reveals to us that Ice In
cold and that fire buns. pointing out
clearly the eternal distinctions which
God has made between right and
wrong.
The conscience can also take an
other step into the moral realm, 1t
commands one to do right and forbsas
the doing OF that which is wrong. IL
not only knows how to use the indiea-
tive need. but also the imperative
'-rtocd. The young man who stood last
evening at the corner of the street.
looking first down the street toward
home where he should &c. and then
down the other street where he should
not go. heard strong cigar voice
within saying Go home, so not to
the other place.
Once more. Conscience approves
and applauds the right action when
done and bitterly condemns the evil
deed. Landscapes of ravfshing beau
ty. strains of angelic music, the rap
ture of loves Young dream, should not
be mentioned for sweetness along with
the ecstatie JOY of the soul which has
stood alone and suffered In the dis
charge of attr, when at length aa ap- I
proving conscience arrives on the
scene with her rewards. On the other
hands. Dante's bloud-curdling descrip-
tions of the anguish of the lost I'm
the lowest circles of the f.aferno Is /
comedy In comparison with the tor /
ture OF a deeply sinful soul under the |
lash of an awakened conscience
In the work OF soui-saving the next
to come IS
Tho son OF Man.
For soul 1t was real visit of the /
Son OF humanity. When Jesus Went
up TO heaven from the Mount Of
Olives he passed through the gates OF |
pearl and left them open. He came
back. He came TO Saul. The man
never doubted it. The visit made I
profound and lasting impression. The /
Holy Spirit has seen proper to re-
cord three accounts of this wonder I
full appearance. Probably Paul told /
II much oftener. 1t Is a valuable pre- |
cedent of telling ones experience and |
should be emulated. In all ages the /
custom has been blessed In the sal t
Sation of thousands of souls. There
shall never be wanting. let us trust. |
true men and women who gladly bear
'similar testimony. II Is not In world
Iy fashion and fieshiy pride to hush
the calf chorus OF grateful witnesses
to the power of the gospel to have 70 /
the uttermost all who come TO God
through Christ
Ever and anon this conviction rises
above all others that this same Jesus
who came to Saul In ready to come 10
all men and that he II mighty 70
save. Students OF science are telling
us that the power Of gravitatton Is
without limitation and inexhaustihle.
II new worlds, innumerable. they tell
us. should be created. the sun would
hold them all with perfect case BY the
same law which now obtains directly
as the product or their maSseB and I'M
versely as the square OF the distance
between them. Be that a. II may, at
least, we are confident that there Is
no limit TO the power OF Jesus 70 save.
Mr.. Spurgeon, walking on the banks
Of the Thames one day. saw this pla-
card over q bathhouss. mo dogst
washed here Thank God" aatd he.
there is no restriction against the
coming OF the fouiest sinner TO- that