The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-03-14

"isms" and "schisms." Maybe you
even teach In the Sunday School. You
return thanks for everything that
would apparently stamp you az a
Christian, even pray. but you won't
ever be a Christian until you obey
God.
| had rather you pray than damn. l
had rather have you pray when you
are sick and scared than curse. But
tts no use for sinner to pray for
blessings. God will listen to a sinners
prayers for forgiveness. You have to
repent and do what He tells you be-
fore you can so to Him and ask Him
for blessings Become as a child, be
born again. then ask Him for blessings
and YOU will get them.
Every sinner prays when he IS In
danger It's better for him to pray
then than not at all. But prayer
won't do you any good unless you
pray with your soul. That's the only
prayer God will hear. Prayer without
Christ is like trying to climb a greasy
pole on the Fourth OF July. You make
all the motions Of climbing, and yet
you do not get a foot from the earth
You cannot reason Christianity into
the heart. You can reason yourself
INTO wanting to be. you can reason
yourself into resolving to be, but that
Is as far as you can go. If you are
in the church and are not quite sure
you are Christian. you can put 1t
down you are not one If you want
to find out go to a good oldfashioned
prayer meeting. When yon get there.
If you feel like man sitting in n
poker game with bobtail straight
TO draw to and six pat hands out
against him. you can be sure you
are no Christian.
III tell you what to do--hunt up
the authority on the subject. If you
were sick, who would you go to,
blacksmith? No, you'd TO doctor,
to an authority on sickness; a man
who had given his life TO learning
how to cure ills of the body. II you
were in need of a man to defend
you In court who would yon go to7
A lawyer an authority on law, and he
would look mp your case in his law
books and advise you. II you wanted
81 house built. you would go to con-
tractor. This ia religious PROPOSE
ton. Let's go to some one who makes
a profession along this line. Let us
go TO some minister, ask him what we
must do to be saved.
Calls Bible Highest Authority.
He takes down the highest authority
known in the civiI,zed werld-the
word of God--and ne reads:
become as little children, We cannot
enter the Kingdom Of heaven"
That's the road, and that's the only
one mapped out for you and for me,
God treats oil alike. He doesn't fur
nish one plan for the banker and
another for the janjtor who sweeps
out the bank. The same sun warns
the rich man that warns the poor
man. He has the same plan for one
that He has for another
It's the law, you may not approve
OF it, but that doesn't make any
difference. This question Of salvation
is question of Gods law Yet you're
lust big fool enough to think you
know more about the scheme of re-
demption than the preacher. Its
Gods law. What do you know about
the Bible? Some of you here claim
to have. literary taste. and yet you
never have read II. From purely n
literary standpoint there Is more good
reading in the Bible than In all other
works put together; you read Brown
ing. and Chaucer. and Emerson--and
Marie Corelii--but not the Bible. 1t s
the purest English ever written.
What does converted mean?
1t means completely changed. Con-
verified Is not synor, fr,,as with re-
formed. Reforms are from without
conversion within.
Conversion Is a complete surrender
to Jesus. It's willingness to do what
He watns you to do. Unless you
have made complete surrender and
are doing His will, it win avail you
nothing IL you're reformed 10000
times and have your name on every
church record in Philadelphia. You
must become as little children.
The faith of Il little child in its
parents is the highest emblem of faith
known to humanity Except ye be
dren." That Is the condition God
sets. That is His law. There is no
appeal from 1t now. The Bible is
written. The statute Of limitations is
passed.
You admit it's good for the other
fellow. The other fellow will admit
1t Is good for you. After all. are
you sure you're not the one.
What is good for you Is good for
the other fellow; what is good for the
other fellow Is good for you.
Maybe you come home late. with
your breath perfumed: maybe you
come with 1t deadened by coffee, lemon
peel or cloves to keep the stink OF
whisky OF your breath, and when
your wife asks you where you've been.
you get angry and lie to her and say
you've been to the lodge.
Old Lodge Gag" fs a IAe.
That's a lie; you haven't been any
where near the lodge.
No wonder your wife didn't seem
affectionate, no wonder she didn't
appear happy, no wonder she doesn't
seem to enjoy your company. no Won
der her eyer are red when she gets
up.
Get the love of Christ in your heart.
come out on the Lords side and sur
prise yourself by seeing how your wife
VIII love you and how you Will love
your wife. your home and your chill
dren. Let Gods sunshine come in and
the clouds will disappear.
Except We be born again" You
must have absolute faith In God and
Jesus Christ, They are the absolute
essentials. You are just as good as
telling God that He made q mistake
when He made them the essentials.
God hasn't got any time to come down
here and argue with you old sinners.
You must have faith Suppose you
We're i'll a country you didn't know;
didn't even know the points of the
compass. Well. you come to q cross
roads with q signpost. One sign point
ed to one road and 1t said ito Pitts
burg" another to the other ana It
said ito New York" Would you stop
and argue with that signpost until you
convinced 1t that II was wrong? II