The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-11
We FAIL TO R[C]GN|zE
OUR DEBTS To CHRIST
DIR. Lloyd r. Wilson Makes Earnest
Plea For Lost Souls in Grace
Street Baptist Church.
BLIND TO OUR BEST INTEREST
Pastor Declares That Many Who Fail
10 Come to God Do Not Possess
Moral Characterization Life Mat !
ter of Choice.

Having for his theme why Are
gu Not a Christian - Rev. Lloyd T.
Wilson. d. D.. preached an interesting
sermon last night before a large con-
gregation In Grace Street Baptist
Churcn. His text was: And We will
not come unto Me. that We may have
, life. john 3: 40.
DR.. Wilson said n part.
Christ was addressing She Jews
when he uttered these words. and IL
IS interesting to note the setting OF
the text He had Just said unto them.
! 'Ye search the Scriptures because ye
think that in them ye have eternal
! life: and these are they which bear
witness of ma And 1t was following
this that He declared, And ye will
not come unto Me. that We may have
! life Herein Is the superiority of the
| Christian religion over all others: It
| Is a religion OF life-life spiritual and
eternal He that hath the Son hath
life Outside OF Christ men are dead
IN trespasses and In sin. II matters
little what man believes or what he
does or how he lives unless he trusts
in Jesus Christ as q personal Saviour.
He alone can give life Tho trouble
+ with the Jews was their failure to
come to Christ and that Is the trou-
bic with the great majority OF mon
today. They do not absolutely reject
the Bible. In fact many of them
claim to believe 1t. but they refuse to
submit themselves to the Lord Jesus
Christ, and so strange. inconsistent
and tragic is the ultimate issue. "Ye
Will not come unto Me- that ye may
have life"
The sad tone of this solemn charge
corresponds with and does much to
explain the pathetic lament of Christ
over Jerusalem This appeal to the
VIII OF man was apparently entirely
. misunderstood and ended for the time
in failure. They would not come
Everything was prepared. but they
were not ready or willing to accept
even so rich blessing as eternal life.
though 1t was offered a free gift
from the hands OF :he Son OF God
Himself. Is 1t any wonder that thts
Is the refrain Of the whole Bible? 'Ye
will not, 'Ye would not What could
have been done more to My vineyard
that have not done In it?' 4 called
and ye refused I wrote the great
things OF My law and We have counted
them as strange things But the
saddest and strangest thing about 1t
is that even In this enlightened day
there are so many who hear the APP
peal OF the gospel and still refuse to
accept the Christ How any sane man
can be satisfied away from Christ in
this day Is enough to make sad tho
very heart of God.
. I desire to address myself 10 such
mon this evening ! want to ask them
a timely and important question:
question that Is personal and practi-
cal and well worthy Of their most
serious consideration
A Timely Question.
why Is It that you are not Il
Christian What is your answer
Is 1t because you think 1t impos-
sihle for you to become g. Christian?
If SO. 1 assure you that you are badly
mistaken. God does not demand the
impossible of any man. He has made
the way possible for the weakest of
men to become Christians
''Do you say 1t Is because OF the tn
consistencies Of profcssed Christians.
or do you answer me that you fail to
see the need OF It. or that it requires
too much? These are only excuses.
my friends. Your case Is a sad one,
but you have not properly diagnosed
1t. My text tells you the trouble,
! Y on VIII not come unto Christ But
! there are things that stand in the
way of your coming, And these things
give US the answer to the question
have put to you this evening. WIN
: you let these answer the question for
) you?
The Answer to the Question.
There are just four things in your
way. These must be gotten rid of:
/ Il. The first thing is the sin Of your
i heart and lie that you are unwilling
TO confess and give up. You are in
, Satan's grasp, but do not know It
You are blind TO your. own best in
terests and DO not realize 1t. You can
, never become ii Christian until you
d
, for His help. Sin must be given up
/, + before YOU CEn become Il Christian
and this you refuse to do.
-. The second thing Is your fail
, are to recognize the fact Of your debt
of gratitude to God. The sin of In
, gratitude is an awful thing. The God
, in whose hands thy breath il and
glorited.' That is heavens indict-
ment against you and you can offer
no excuse.
.3 third thing is utter indif-
ference to Gods call. If you would
only take time to think. you would
become a Christian in little while,
- The last thing. and that which
is. no doubt. the main thing. in your
way is lack of moral courage. The
Christian life is IL matter OF choice
You have been given this power, We
are all invested with this high pre-
rogative of personal freedom. This Is
the dignity of our human nature.
Thi9 eXalts humanity. There Is a
grandeur in the possession Of intel
ligence. There Is n grandeur in the
simple consciousness OF pleasure and
pain. But there is something grander
still, and that is poor. frail, mortal
man IN his power of choice. Gods
Word says, Choose We, and yet you
viii not choose. Whose fault is 1t,
then. that You are not a Christian?
Let me warn you. then, dear
friends. do not fail to make this
= choice. You can Ill afford to neglect
1t longer, ! entreat you. eternity
bound traveller. make this choice to-
night: tomorrow may be too late"
l. DRUNK WHEN WED.
Wife, Seeking Divorce, Says She