Evening journal., 1916-01-04

perfect no one sees it but holds only
the view beyond Il is only an i'm
perfect and blemished pane that calls
attention to itself. / heard a young
lady one remark TO her escort, as she
was passing out from a religious ser
. vice. referring to the preacher My,
wasn't ne elegantly dressed AT
least for one hearer, that sermon
missed the mark
When a telegraph messenger brings
+ to your house a message, you are not
so much concerned with the appear
ance OF the messenger as with the
appearauce Of the message. A very
poor vehicle can bring a valuable
package.
heard Henry Varley say that one
morning he was coming out OF the
Dublin Gardens with Mr.. Moody. Just
ahead Of them we're two Christian
workers busily engaged in conversa-
tion. One OF these remarked TO the
other: "Tho world has yet to see what
God can do with man wholly given
up to His cause" Mr.. Moody turned
TO him and exclaimed earnestly: Var
lev ! want to be that man." have
often wondered at the secret Of the
power of Gypsy Smith. | know il was
not due to his especial intellectual at
tainment and culture. because he die
not learn to read until after he was
,, 21. One evening at a Christian con-
ference. in the midst of a brief ad-
dress, he turned to another Christian
worker upon the platform and said
lei believe / have got to that point
where ! can derive just as much salts
faction from your success in the
Lords work as can from my own"
IL takes a mighty big man to say "A
thing Of that kind and mean it.
Was Full OF Courage.
In the third place. John evidenced a
true spirit of earnestness and courage.
He impressed the people that he was
dead in earnest, and earnestness is al
ways attractive. Many people that
preach and pray do IL as though they
did not believe one-half OF what they
said. II you have a brand Of religion
that you cannot throw your whole
heart into cast il aside and get one
that you can Some people are worse
of than the devil for you must ad-
, mire his earnestness, and that is none
than you can say of some other folks
you know.
Jesus once said of John, that he
was burning and shining light. Many
people want to shine that do not want
to burn But the law OF compensa-
tion is just as true in religion as In
anything else, that everything costs.
, We get the heat In the house at the
, expense OF the coal i'm the cellar.
When Judson started to Burmah, he
: exclaimed, Il want to burn out for
= Christs sake" "A year of Europe,
said TennysOn, "is worth a cycle OF
Cathay." II does not make so much
difference how long we live but it
does make all the difference in the
l world how we live while we are liv-
! ing. want to die in the harness.
!, The courage of John, also, was es-
[, pecially commendable. He said to
! King Herod, 1T is not lawful for thee
!, y TO have thy brothers. wife" He knew
this statement would cost himhis head
y but he never faltered. General vii
n liam Booth, of the Salvation Army, II
Il speaking to the Chicago ministers on
d. day said Some times when / an
Z speaking TO great audiences, SCI
y some well dressed. evidently wealthy
hearer sitting with that sleek. SNUG
self-satisiied look upon his face. a
much as TO say, You never touchel
l. met I feel like going down ant
e grabbing him by the shoulder an'
J. saying, you old beggar, l mean you!
Ohl for preachers like Nathan AM
II John the Baptist. who will give sucl
4 plain. personal. pointed, pungent mes
d sages that will cause their hearers &
T. tremble. / hope the preaching fror
H. this platform during the comin
n weeks will strike out so straight fror
y the shoulder that Il will make NOR
o than one hearer squirm. A sermon
81 that does not make somebody ma
y is not much Of a sermon. / woul
IL rather wheel my trunk down to tn
4 station in wheelbarrow and pay m
" fare back home than TO compromis
with my conscience TO please som
sensitive sinner.
i Let us note in the next place, nc
III only the man, but also the messag'
al The burden OF the theme OF John wa
y the necessity for preparation. "Pr'
We pare We the way of the Lord" We So
the importance of preparation Ia over
e culture This was the lesson in tli
"a parable of the seed and the sowe
"a The difference was not in the vitalit
:, OF the seed or in the character {
~ the sower, the fault was in the sol
=. This same principle is operative
business. The problem in our da
n. Is not so much position for prepari
y. ton as preparation for position. To
= many want 20 cut across lots to su,
~ cess. They put all their goods in tt
store windows and have nothing le
for the shelves. Some preachers fll
~, all their ammunition in their first fe
~ sermons and then they are as emp
~ as last years bird nest or a burne'
IN out volanco. Young people. IL you ha'
ur but ten years to live. better sper
seven years OF the ten in preparatio
mt then you can do more in the oth'
ISL three years than II you had work,
Dr. the whole ten years without prepar
III ton. Success consists in getting
lat good ready. And no where is this IA
I'm more true than in religion. The re-
.ry son MANY a man receives no hlessir
on from the pastors sermon on SundS
IN. is because he goes to the service vi
ow prepared, unreceptive. He is like