The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-04-09
PEOPLES FORUM
Drunken Man At Church.
Editor Nirginian;

f1ultor NlfglnIan:
Sir,-Having read some days ago your clip
ping from the Columbus Journal, headed
Drunken Man AT Church. ask that you kind
ly give little space in your valuable paper
for discussion of this incident.
In the first place, drunkards and other trans
gressors just the that ought to
want to charlottesville burning
question Of modern times is. and has been. How
can we get those who have never accepted
Christianity to ATTEND church,"
Our Lord told the phar1sees that He came to
save sinners and not saints they supposed
themselves to be.
Therefore. in spite of the eight open bars
which this man had to pass. he did go to church
and did stay to hear the sermon.
1t would that. like the moral young man
mentioned in the scriptures, he lacked only one
thing and that was to be pointed to the way
OF salvation"
We are told that when he asked where ne
should go" the minister did not know what TO
say"
This Is disgrace TO ministers. class. 1t
would seem that many of them have become so
blinded by tho things Of this world that they
have forgotten their high calling
The place for this minister is not at the polls.
but in his study, reading the word of God and
learning to point sinners to the Lamb OF God
who taketh away the sin of the world" This
minister could have suggested nothing better
than a policeman to escort this to church
and to and from home, so that he could pass
these eight bar-rooms.
This shows that he was worldly minded and
that in the rush of these outside matters. he
had forgotten his Lord.
In this good city, we have so licensed bars.
and vet thousands of people do not find that
they are IN any way inconvenience by their
presence.
/ What did Christ mean when he said MY
grace shall be sufficient for you?" Does it not
seem strange to you that this minister ala not
think to tell this poor drunkard that the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ was snfiicient Tor MN
and that the temptation to drink could ana
would be taken out of his heart, when he had
truly, given himself and his life to his Lord?
No wonder that to the outsiders the church
is a stumbling block. when our ministers or the
gospel are 30 busy attending the legislature that
they have forgotten how to preach. and when a
poor sinner asks what he must do and where
he must GO the minister does not know what
to say
Personally. / had rather he In the place of the
drunlard who wants to find Christ, than the
place Of the minister, who did not know what
say
My Bible says that the publican who smote
his breast and cried God be merciful to me-
n sinner" was justified rather than the pharisee
who thanked God that he was better than the
publican"
We cannot remove temptation from humanity.
hut the Lord can raise humanity above tesnpta-
ton.
Before our Lord entered the ministry he was
led ont into the wilderness, and was tempted of
the devil for forty days.
The devil asked him to remove the emptation
of hunger by commanding that these stones be
made bread; but the Lord said, man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of Cod
Drunkenness. with wine or whiskey, is not
hhe only drunkenness. Some men are made
drunk by success. by ambition some by
appetite.
The only antidote for all kinds Of drunken
ness and Gins Of all kinds comes from above and
is not man made.
we are not told that Chris made any effort
10 change or have changed any man-made
la wa W hfe was earth, btt told the phart
sees to render unto Caesar the things that are
Caesar $ an dto God the things which are Gods,
God wants heart service and His grace deals
only with the heart. God made all things, and
after he had made them. said that they were
good''--for mans use. not for abuse.
Christ in sending out 'the twelve said that
they should 20 out and tell all nations that he
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved"
My sympathies entirely with the church,
as originally founded and have been a mem
Der. though unworthy one, perhaps, for many
years. but l say that the methods that oh
tain in many instances in this day entirely
foreign to anything that j have taught by
the scriptures that all want follow and I
urge and beg that our ministers preach the
gospel to a sinful world, and do not forget that
any good that ia in any OF comes directly
through the grace OF 'our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ
not in the habit of writing for the public
prints, but felt that must speak in this
matter
Thanking you for your courtesy, / am
Yours very truly,
E. L. TAYLOR.
Richmond. Va. April Sth- IN