Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-19
BILLY" SUNDAYS SERMON TODAY

does not do you any good. You are just
going through the form Of being a Chris
tan; you are In YuitinF God.
II never saw d revival movement yet
until Gods people fell on their knees
and renewed their vows Of Christianity.
There are n lot OF people that never
pray, that never ask n blessing There
are lots OF people that are negligent in
their religious duties who drift from
God they are here today; be the first
TO walk down the aisle and renew your
vows and covenants with God.
"lf we get run down spiritually. n we
become negligent, put yourselves on pub
lie record before the people; get right
with God. Personal work Is a difficult
form of work; more difficult than preach
ing, singing, attending conventions, Civ
ing your goods to feed the poor. The
devil viii let you have an easy time
until God asks you TO do personal work.
II is all right while you sing in the
choir, but Just as soon as you get out
and work for God the devil will be ON
your back and you will see all the fiimsy
excuses you can offer for not working
for the Lord. II you want to play into
the hands OF the devil begin to Offer
your excuses.
EMPTY PROFESSION.
what do you do that others do not
do? You say, I go TO church., so does
the saloonkeeper, You say, 4 30 to
church.. so do the girls from the red
light district. You say, Y give TO the
collection plate, so does the brewer, but
what do YOU do that he doesn't do; that
is the question the Lord asks. What do
ye more than others? Is It something
more than an empty profession OF faith?
Therefore the work of rescuing people
for Jesus Christ is hard and I hope 1t
will always be hard. I have no use for
the man or woman who Is looking foi
something easy TO do. 1t is like a woman
! met In Solita. Col. She sang in the
choir in the meetings there and she
came to me and said. 4 wish you would
talk to my husband about not being a
Christian. and | said: Have YOU talked
to him. She said No. ] said: NO,
ma'am, ! won't; the spirit of God is try
Ing to get YOU to go to him and you
are trying TO saddle the work off on
some one else She said: 4 think you
will have more influence with him than
/ have I said, How long have you
been married?' She said: Twelve years,
and 1 said, 1T is no compliment to you.
| come here a stranger and have a big
ger drag with your husband than you
have, Then YOU won't speak to HING
/ said, No, but | will pray for him.
You can go and do your part and If you
can't get him | will go
81 nagged at that woman for n solid
week. She would say, 1t is so hard
said: DO you like to sing in the cholr?'
She said. Yes | said, Then your idea
is to do the thing you like to do and the
thing YOU don't like to do you pass along
to somebody else. Well ! nagged at
her and almost had to drag her from
the platform to get her to do something
for Christ. Her husband sat down about
as far as that post there. on one end seat
and finally she went down and put her
arm about him and said: Jim, won't you
give your heart to God?' He burst into
tears and said: Kid, have been wait
ing for you for two weeks to ask me
that
II know a mother not personally. a
very fine woman. She brought up her
children In the knowledge and love of
Christ. She was lamenting TO a friend of
mine that she couldn't do much Christian
work and my friend found that not a per-
son had entered her home for years that
she had not asked them II they were a
Christian and talked to them about being
Christian. She was one of the best
Christian workers in the community, yet
her idea was to get on the platform Dis
abuse your mind that that is the way
YOU must work for God. Listen to this:
There are 100000 in this country between
the ages of 16 and 30 years. OF 70 OOO 600,
Protestant or Catholic, 100000 of them
go to church occasionally. and 100000
never darken church door from one
years end to another, They fill the sa-
looms, the haunts of vice and corruption,
and yet most young men have been
touched by some Sunday school infu-
ences. But you don't win them for God
and they so into tho world never won
for God.
SAVE BOYS AND GIRLS.
~ want TO tell you, If you want to solve
the problem for the future, get hold of
the young men and women now. Don't
let them grow up and become stoop-
shouldered, rummy-eyed, rheumatic old
men and then ask them to come to God
Get them for God now. Save your boys
and girls. Save the young man and
woman and you launch a lifeboat. At
the Iroquis fire In Chicago 600 people were
burned TO death. One young woman es-
capped, about II years of age. Her hair
was singed from her head, her clothes
were burned, her face blistered. She got
on street car to go TO her home in Oak
Park, where she lived She was wringing
her hands and crying Historically. A
woman said to her, Why. you ought
to be thankful you escaped with your
life. / escaped, but I didn't save any
body. There are hundreds that died. To
think that I escaped and didn't save any
body Yes, we built the tabernacle and
thousands come that never darkened the
church, and we didn't pry our lips open
and take their hand and ask them II they
wouldn't come to Jesus Christ. That Is
what Ia the matter with the church to-
day. They talk about this and they talk
about that
7, NJ. @. A. DRIFTING.
They are nghting ana talking about
the needs OF an institutional church. they
are having gymnasiums and soclals. But
don't forget the fact that salvation is the
prime end of everything. don't object
TO the gymnasium and all such things If
they make them a means to an end
But remember that salvation OF the soul
is the end which we need. That is what
is the matter with the church today-she
is losing sight OF that one fact The Y.
NJ. c. A, is drifting away from what II
used TO do for the people. don't object
TO the Y. M. c. A. I don't object to gym
JSICAL COMEDY SIT