The Washington times., 1917-02-05

today as He did in the olden times.
We pastors have very little to do with
the arrangements OF this meeting. 1t
is Gods work. Christ is visiting
Washington now. anu if you don't
see in thse series of meetings. the
spirit of Christ there is something
wrong with your religiOn-your Wis
! ion has been blinded by the God OF
| this world.
Vision TO See God.
Vision is a great thing. II you
| had vision you would see God in
every grain of dust, in every blade
of grass on the earth. Never a spar
row dies but that the Son of God
does not go to the funeral. He is in
the weed as well as in the rainbow
! He places in the heavens. He's
nearer you than the glasses you wear
on your nose. He's nearer you than
the friend by your side; nearer than
the book you hold in your hand. You
could see him if you had vision"
The preacher then. took up Fac
cheus. the chief sinner of Jericho, and
his conversion. He explained Fac
cheus' position-a high position-in
Jericho, by giving the present war as
an illustration. Zaccheus was a tax
collector for the Romans: he collect
cd from his own people tribute money
to pay to the Roman government. He
was hated, the preacher said, by his
own people. He told of how Zaccheus,
on account of being diminutive in
stature, had climbed a tree, deteTm-
ined to see Christ, "for he had made
up his mind" 'Zaccheus had often
heard of Christ" Mr.. Smith said.
through Hrs work with the people of
Palestine.
Crowds Keep Many Away.
To-day we have the same oppor.
tunity to see Christ that Zaccheus
had. All we've got to do is to make
up our minds. l wish we had people
enough to stand up and be decent, and
say we wanted Christ. Therell be a
day when you'll need Him. You won't
have any crowd to cheer you in the
judgment: you'll stand alone at His
bar and answer for every single sin
you've committed. The crowd won't
be there. And the crowd is what
keeps a lot of you away from God. 1t
wasn't easy for Zaccheus to see
Christ. He had the same obstacles
you and / have.
4 lHt CTO"u--d OO-
stacle. Any fool can line himself up
against a bar, but it takes a man to
turn down a crowd. There's not a
man in this crowd but what will say
he believes in Christ, but there are
plenty of them who won't live Him.
The most despocable thing under the
sun is to admit Him and fail to fol-
low Him.
"sIn Costs Too Much
Then, too, Zaccheus was dwarfed
by birth. We have that, too. today.
We see the club-footed, the blind, the
MANNED children-all the result Ct
their mothers or fathers sin. They
have the blood OF a drunkard or a
harlot in them; they are born half
damned. But the Bible says we won't
have to answer for our fathers or
mothers sin. 1t costs too much to
sin. Sin builds all your hospitals,
your jails, your asylums: sin is the
undertaken at your funerals.
THE story tells us that Jesus saw
Zaccheus in the tree and called to him
to come down. Christ heard the cry,
and He needed it. He would pluck
the stars from the armament, the
planets from the heavens, rather than
let your cry for mercy go unheeded.
He knows all the heartaches. He
knows that date you have for tomor-
row night. He knows the smutty
story your indulge in. He knows that
letter you have in your pocket, which
you wouldn't let be read before
Washington audience for a million
dollars.
Will Mean Changed Home.
suppose zaccheus should have said,
when Christ called to him to come
down, 1 don't believe in these revival
services and had told Christ that he
lived at 4TG Fifth avenue, what would
Christ have answered? / imagine He
would have said: 'Zaccheus, / am
passing this way only once. am
picking up the old-timers of a broken
world and am building a bridge which
the world may pass over free to eter-
nifty
As sure as you accept Him thereTI
be changed home: your home will
have a new father. God will make
you remember your marriage vows to
that little woman who has gone down
into deaths gate and brought back a
bundle OF love. You'll make the wife |
happy, men: and women, you'll make |
the husband rejoice. and both of you
will give the children new parents.
II preached in an Indian town two
years ago, and a lawyer of the city |
was converted. He went home to his |
wife early that night-he had been |
staying out until early morning. His |
wife saw the change and asked him |
what was the matter. He told her |
that he had taken his stand for |
and she was so happy that she |
took the two beautiful little girls |
from their beds and in their night |
gowns placed them on his knees. She |
kissed him and said: Frank, / can't /
pray, but let's say the Lords prayer |
II ask you to give the children a
chance"