Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-02
CONFESSION
Sermon by
REV. FLOYD w. TO0IkISS.
rcxti st. Luke XIX. LILO.

We go to Him as to Il great physician.
j do not talk about my ailments to
one who can neither understand nor
help. but 1 go to doctor who has
made tho human body his study and
who knows of remedies which can be
applied. So when ] am sick Of soul
through sin doubt or fear or dis
couragement l go 10 Him who can un-
derstand 1t all even better than ]. and
who can and will help me. This is
the real meaning Of confession. And
what a comfort it Is that can come
to God and simply tell Him every
thing. AS we grow older we learn
more and more tho useicssness and
even the danger Of talking much about
ourselves to other people. or asking
for sympathy and understanding; not
because people generally are unsym-
pathetic or unreliable, but because they
know go little and can do so little.
or course, there is gloomy side to
this experience which leads people to
bear needless burdens of suspicion and
TO eat out their own hearts in spiritual
isolation. and this is all wrong. Be-
cause we are limited in our powers is no
reason why we should not use these
powers to the limit. because men can
not comprehend my motives or my
ideals gives me no excuse for living
like rocluse and feeling suspicious Of
every one. But we should learn that
God is our best friend and that TO
Him we can open our hearts fearlessly.
bids Us TO CONFESS OUR
FAULTS TO ONE ANOTHER
ST. James bids confess our faults
one 10 another DANES v. l6), but he
refers especially to the wrongs we
commit against each other, which We
should frankly acknowledge and for
which we should ask pardon. He does
not refer to confession to a man of
our Hinfulness. II is harmful, and his
tory proves 1t, to confess to Il minis-
ter and think he can sccur- pardon
Tor US Christ has opened the way so
that we can come at once through Him
TO God. There Is only one Mediator;
there Ia only One Who can give par
don and peace. The veil OF the Tenn
pie. shutting off the Holy OF Holes
into which the High Priest alone could
enter, was rent in twain when Christ
died No longer can any one keep
YOU out from Gods presence. my
friend. You can come 10 Him freely,
and lie invites You to come, for He
longs 10 help you.
We are TO confess our sins to God.
And this confession must be full and
honest. II may vary In It's character
Sometimes II Is a relief to tell God in
detail all the sins, little and great,
according 10 human measurement, that
we have committed. Al other times
when We are burdcned with q sense of
sinfulness IL brings relief to cry as did
the penitent publican: God be merci-
full To me. sinner!" Hut we should
keep nothing back, nothing should be
covered up. and we should make no
excuse. Often L confession to God is
spoiled by our poor endeavor to frame
some excuse.
We must leave excuses to God He
Knows all about the temptations and
the difficulties that make IL hard for
Us TO do right. and II there IL anything
III the way OF cNtcEuation He Will low
inSly note it, Eut He cannot pardon
unless we arc absolutely honest and
frank with Him. for we are not ready
TO receive pardon when we dIsseinble
with God and deceive ourselves IT is
the pure in heart" that is the sin
cere. who see God. Ana indeed. when
We confess any one sin there should go
with that confession an acknowledge
ment OF our complete unworthiness
one single sin communicates and poi
sons our whole nature. We are sick
all over when one par; of our body Is
sick. and wise physicians treat the
whole system for local disturbance
SO when We confess TO God, IL is not
only the one sin which we confess but
II Is the whole miserable condition into
which that one sin has thrown US. We
need purihcation and pardon which
shall make us perfectly whole.
MAY TELL OUR TROUBLES
AND TRIALS TO GOD
But confession has to do with a great
many things other than sins. We want
TO tell our troubles and trials to God
and pour out our complaint to Him.
We want to reason with Him (Isaiah l.
1S), ask Him why we are afflicted and
tell Him frankly of our doubts and
fears. We need never be afraid to
speak right out" II our Father. lie
asks MS to come and let our hearts tell
the story without reserve. love to
read DaVid's Psalms and see how he
talked with God And Job did the
same thing. Blessed be His name, He
loves us So and He knows that we find
relief in thus talking to Him and so
prove ourselves rcaoy to receive His
help. y. T. Wills, in mis- poem, "Absa-
lom." has a passage which has often
helped me 10 pray:
Oh! when the heart is full, when Bit
ter thoughts
Come crowding thckly up for utter
ance,
And the poor common ords of cour-
teSy
Are such very mockery.--how much
The bursting heart may your Itself In
prayer!
And prayer always means this pour
ing out of the soul to God. Sometimes
/, is sorrow that burdens us, and we
cast 1t with tears at the dear Lords
feet Sometimes 1t is joy. and we look
up with shining face. and tell Him
about it. and He rejoices with u.s. Some
times it is our work, and in our per-
plcXity and loneliness-for no one can
possibly understand our emotions-we
find relief In asking Him all about II.
Sometimes 1t is our friends. and some
times. alas! some member of our family
for whose welfare our hearts are fair
ly breaking. All this is prayer. All this
is confession. And nothing makes our
Christianity so real and Gods love
for us so sure q thing as this telling
the whole story while fIe listens.
FEW PEOPLE KNOW THE
REAL POWER OF PRAYER
And out Of all this faith grows. II
wonder, when T hear people talk about
prayer, IL they really know what
prayer is and II they have ever tried 1t.
The stereotyped repeating of words
morning and night, or the asking God
to help, or even the formal confessing
of sin can never make us know the
mower Of prayer. 1t Is not a mere sub