Evening journal., 1916-01-31

Itdlnl Ol tttIUdl NlldS. one iiANNh AhN
cover and then the pigeon, frigthenerl
by the darkness OF the shoe box,
luttered around little and fell right
down into the grave on top OF the
coffin.
And yet. some people say, This isl
a good enough church for me-" Are
you trusting in a big funeral be-
cause you have paid your dues, and
are you trusting to your philanthropy
10 your money. your culture or your
great name on earth, to give you
everlasting life? Then you are build
ing your hopes OF salvation on the
sand. There is no other name where
by we can be saved except the name
Of Jesus Christ. the Son Of God. and
If you are trusting in. anything else.
you are lost. lost. eternally lost
There wasn't a very big crowd at
Lazarus funeral. He couldn't pay the
price They probably had to call in
passersby from the street to carry
The coffin to the wagon which
was to convey II to the lonely lot In
the graveyard. Yet the gates Of
heaven opened wide to receive Laz-
uras when he joined the throng
around the Great White Throne.
Was In Great Torment
We are told the rich man in hell
lifted up his eyes in torment Some
say this could not be possible since
after death he had no physical body.
Friends. the greatest agony is not
PHYSICAL. Il is mental. Suppose to-
night you are thousands of miles
away from your loved ones and you
had a vision Of murderers breaking
into your house and cutting their
throats. and you hear their screams
Of suffering and agony. Talk about
torture II wouldn't be anything to
you to thrust your hand into the fire
until it was burned Off. beside that
\ agony OF mind. But you say this Is
/ fgurative. Well. II the figure Is SO
strong. what must the reality be?
There are going to be a great many
surprises at the judgment day. The
rich man says, Send Lazarus to cool
my tongue. for ] am tormented,' and
Christ said that Abraham told him
something like this: "Yes. you lived
There i'm Wilmington. You had a
chance TO be saved. You heard the
invitation at the taberncle. but II was
your pride or wealth or ease or po-
litical honors that kept you from
coming right out and taking a stand
:, for Jesus Christ You had your in
ming, but now it is too late. Poor
Lazarus didn't have the chance yot
had. but he lived up to the light nc
had. You didn't. Now he is comfort
ed and you are tormented, and be
sides all this, Between us and yo'
there is a great gulf fixed!"
Does that sound. my friends, as
though everyone was going to be saved
There are three words which ! wan
TO impress indelibly on your mind
and whatever else you forget. ! wan
- you to get these so permanent.
e. fixed in your memory that they vii
Z shine out in the darkness OF night
b They are. Great. Gulf. Fixed"
4 Between the lost and saved ther
s is a gulf Now, this gulf is dihel
b ence in desires, in ambitions. pur
= poses. ideals. Tell me what you wal
e TO be and III tell you what you al
= going to be. The old philosoph'
said. "Be careful what you wish fol
N IL you are not careful your wish wi
,s come true"
,r Some one has said that character
! what man is in the dark. VIII
y would you be If you had chance?
n all hindrances we're removed and yC
T. icould be just what you chose, VIII
N would you want TO be?
q On the Inclined Plane.
y This gulf is also difference
!. ideals. Life is like an inclined plan
> Infinitely near and yet infinitely "a
4 away up at one end Of the plane
n God and happiness and salvation. II
a initely near and yet infinitely far o
\ at the other end is disObedience
/ God. sin. Satan. damnation and dealt
n Every human soul is somewhere o
that plane care not how high u
YOU may be financially. politically, {
~ socially yes. even morally, II you al
pointed downward away from God,
= is only going to be a matter of tim
- before you get farther and farth'
. away from God. But ] care not no
- low down you may be, financially, Il
tellectually. socially or morally.
~ you are pointed upward toward &C
= and Christ and righteousness an
, obedience. il is only a matter OF tin
y when you are going TO get nearer an
= nearer to God.
The question is not. where you ar
Z but 1t Is a question Of which way yC
10 are pointed What Is conversion?
is that command that we used 20 ha'
when we drilled under the West Poll
"a officers. II is About Face Wh'
3 you are pointed away from God an
1i Christ. About Face and turn towa
% Christ. That is conversion and Il
sl beginning Of everlasting life.
De II a great gulf. because it is co
r stantly widening. You are near
heaven or hell tonight than you we
iS last night. It is a great gulf b'
~ tween the lost and the saved.
- Don't you let anyone tell yon it
50