Evening journal., 1916-01-26
The Great Question
Sermon preached in the Tabernacle last night by Lyon

desk that morning to schedule was a
young man from the country, one Of
those big, awkward, ungainly chaps,
whose peculiar stoop and stride had
been acquired from following the
plow. Some of you city chaps
who boast of your gracefulness
and gentility. you who have never
done hard days work in your life,
and stick your feet under your faith
er's table three times a day, living
upon his earnings and reputation;
! you young city dudes who have to
smoke cigarettes to keep what little
! brains you have from spelling, you
sneer at some Of these farmer boys
and call them rubes. You say they
have hayseed in their hair. that they
are unsophisticated. they suppose
] that poker is played with billiard
( cues. Let me tell you that the large
| share Of the men who are doing
things in all departments of busi-
ness life were boys that were reared
on the farm. Some of you city chaps
will have to wake up and hustle. or
these awkward country boys will far
This young fellow was evidently
embarrassed as he stepped up to
my desk, and in answer to my ques-
ton as to what I could do for him,
he said. "Well. / would like to come
I to school here, but ! am afraid I
cannot" "Why not?" / asked. "The
fact is" said he. "I do not know
anything You have no classes low
/ oh 60 I -.
gin almost at the beginning. My
father died several years ago and
left me to care for mother and the
younger children, and all the school,
ing l got was a couple of months
each year in the winter, but now we
have moved to town, and 7 do want
TO get an education" well" I said.
my boy. ! will help you to-" "But
you have no classes that I am quail
ified to enter" he objected. I hap
pened 10 think that my wife had
promised to teach some of the young
er children living near the college
campus, who did not want to go clear
down to the public school. sug-
gested that he 60 in with them. He
said. THAT will just suit me exactly"
Many Of the students in that col
/ ANEN AA1AAuiN0 AAllN UAE AdA UOg AUA
awhile They said he was in the
kindergarten. But he did not have to
stay there very long. Soon he went
into the lowest academy class, and
so rapidly did he advance that before
the end of the first school year we
did not have a student in the school
that could keep up with him. He
was a regular giant to learn. Ger
/ Hnara oil r.N anHIarH 4
because he had desire to learn.
If I were a cook I would hate to
feed a dyspepsia, one of those fell
lows that comes to the table and picks
at this thing and the other, and is
never satisfied with anything.
would rather feed one Of these men
with an enormous appetite, who eats
everything i'm sight who eats and
eats and finally he leaves the table,
and that is about all he does leave.
The greatest man in Gods sight is
the man with the greatest appetite
for spiritual things. Why was David
man after Gods own heart. He re-
: veals it in the expression Of his
= own feelings when he said, "As the
I heart panteth after the waterbrOok
so panteth my soul after Thee, oh
God" BLESSED are they who hun
= ger and thirst after righteousness for
+ they shall be filed"
Let me make this a personal ques-
+. tion to you tonight If I were to
come down from the platform and
f speak to you individually as though
r YOU were the only one in this build
e ing and I would ask you. do you
1 want to be a Christian?" What would
5 YOU answer? Would you say truth
fully that you have no desire to be
( saved? If so, your condition is the
e most dangerous and the most des-
= perate for in a peculiar sense the
e objectionable sin is the sin that does
not want to be pardoned. II you
q do not want to be saved. there is nc
4 power on earth or in heaven thai
r can bring you into the Christian life
d against your will. But. If, on the
t other hand, you want to be saved
e there is no power on earth, yea there
L are not enough devils in hell TO keer
= YOU outside Of the Kingdom of God
- wilt thou he made whole?'
u The next step in the mans healing
n was the necessity of his cOnfessinf
$ his utter inability 10 help himself. %
y have no man to put me down into
t the pool He as much as said, "Whl
o yes sir. / would like to be made whole
IS il I could, but I cannot. For thirty
G eight years have been a poor, help
G less paralytic." You must get to tina
N point where you realize that yol
l. cannot save yourself. that II yOl
are saved Il will be through the power
n of God. Mark what the paralyti'
d says, "I have no man to put me int