The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-03-08

T comfort and encouragement in some
measure from the nominal sons Of
God
But that he comes TO church is a
fact to be recognized. / think, by all.
Moreover, we are distinctly interested
to know what he does when he comes
into the holy place Of worship. What
does he do there
II think one OF the first things the
devil would do ON getting to church
would be TO find out every supersensi-
! tive person there. and try az far as
possible to intensity that constituencies
until DEMONSTRATION and misappiica :
, ton of everything that IN done be-
comes the rule of their lives. The devil
wants no richer field than this. There
are many people who are looking for
something 10 he said or done that may
be construed into either a personality
CT taken as an Intentional thrust.
"A man came to me once after a
: sermon and said that I had picked him
! out for an example in illustrating my
point. He was disgruntled and felt
that what had said was intended sole
~ for him. l showed my friend that
the particular reference TO which he
referred had been written by me four
years previous 10 that time But
told him. If ii strikes you. then you
VIII have to stand IL. II you see q
brick coming and fail TO get out OF
the way, you MUS stand the conse-
auences.' lie was supersensitive. I
believe. however that the incident
brought him closer to God
IF / have said anything here to-
night that may apparently hit some
one. | feel that I am giving satan a
swat
"1f there should happen 70 be any
differences among the people OF the
church, large or small: any disagree
faents. mild or bitter, satan would find
( them out and exaGgerate them until
'molehtlis became mountains. and un-
| til mild disagreement became bitter
strife.
Criticism and Fxufthndsns
If lie can get some body mad. how
happy he is Plain speech 10 a source
of offeuse to many. and round about
speaking Is a matter of criticism.
Many preacher who is careful about
these things is between the devil and
the deep blue sfa
Satan is also the chief promoter of
criticism and faultandins. Censorious-
ness Is the devta's own weapon.
Most critics are destructive. They
car tell you the defects in every struc-
ture, bat never think of the remedy
500 tHEAf Gt164}H&Aiol.
The critics Of men and institutions
are the same. IT takes great deal
of sense to build. A fool can destroy.
Influence is n great and precious
thing. Its construction requires years
IT'S destruction may he matter Of
minutes, TIE critics chief weapon is
inaenao. He does not come sauarely
into the open, He uses faint praise and
concludes with a yelled charge.
"FauItanding. carning are poisonous
and hurtfui IN the extreme Who does
this? This devil and his agents only.
And never is the devil more pleased
than when he gets people wrsngling
among themselves. thus creating dis
cord and discomfort and hatred--3ust
what he wants.
beware the knocker.
The devil loves the knocker lie
grtns whenever he hears a man knock
Ing another man, or a condition. or a
scheme. A knocker sees things from
the wrong end. lie pushes man
when he is down. The devil and his
agents always do this. They cannot
boost and help raise the man who
is down or who is going down. But
they knock
Beware the knocker He is an
agent or the devil.
The devil also comes TO church 10
secure inattentton.
"tD If he can induce some one to
go to sleep.
"tal Or to wander off after secular
things.
"tal To idly talk or write about other
things instead Of paying attention 10
the worship of God.
Il have heard many sermons, some
good. some Indifferent. but / have never
heard one In which I could not find
at least one grain of comfcrt--one
good thing.
Satan loves the procrastfnator. He
reveis in the man who puts off doing
things. II he can induce man to
defer action. he is a happy devil.
The business of the church Is to
follow the example of Christ and
scourge the devil from the temple
doors. Let's put him out. Let's drive
him away from the port of Richmond
colossal job, but let's tackle IT"