The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-07
WHY MEN FAIL To
VISIT COOS HOUSE
Rev. j. j. Wicker, Pastor of leigh
Street Baptist Church. Gives Rea-
sons Why Pews Are Empty.

At the regular morning services
yesterday. Rev. J. j. Wicker. OF the
Leigh Street Baptist church, brought
out the real reatons why men fail TO
J. stand in line in order to secure a seat
HE text was, AS the hart panteth
after the water brooks. so panteth
my soul after Thee, o Cod. Psalm
S3:i. The common people heard
Him gladly" Mark I2:37 60
He said in part:
Men do not like to 60 TO church.
Hundreds go just because il is their
duty" Multitudes scarcely go at ali
! A very small excuse will keep the aver
age saint away from the place of
worship. Why is this? Man is re-
/ Internationally SO. 60 where you
win, and YOU win find religion. Still
men do not love to so 10 church.
There must be a real reason. Men go
where they love to go, no matter what
! the cost. Men do what they wish TO
do, no matter what the sacri1ice,
There il something satisfying about
the church or it would die, Ii lives
on the free will of the people and
has no power 10 force men. This Is
a wonderful testimony TO the power
OF the church. And yet it IL not Il
place that men stand in line" seek
ing 4 seat--even though Il is free
There is something wrong some =
where, Where and what is it, /
asked brilliant young college stu
dent to name the trouble for me. He
replied; Wen, the fact is the
preacher does not think enough 20
make what he says interesting l
asked myself: why Is 1t that man,
with great hungering after God, and
the church, the best appointed place
on earth 90 feed that hunger---why
should he not rush when the door IS
opened at the hour of Worship" I
! look here and there and find large
congregations who seem fairly salts
fed with what they get out Of the
service, but 1t IL not the rule. by any
means. In nearly all places you must
drum up" the crowd or you will
are SHINY attended, The task of the
church is great whfn YOU come TO get
ting the crowd.
1 We read in Gods word OF men who
cried out for God. 30. that knew
where to End Him. My soul long
eth after Thee. o God" With this
longing the churches ought TO be
Ecrowoed. And yet | must confess that
have often gone to service and was
more ihan. glad when the preacher
got to his finally" 1t is not worth
while to abuse the people. They 20
where they get what they want.
Preachers are Just like other people,
and they, too. seek what they enjoy,
1 Christ Always Had a Crowd.
The multitude heard Him gladly
Why2 He gave them the very thing
they wanted They never grew tired
when He preached They rushed
from one side Of the lake to the other
10 hear Him, He had to push His
boat out from the shore to keep the
crowd from pressing upon Him, They
hung upon His lips. His words met
the hunger of their souls He loved
men. He had compassion" on the
crowd. And wherever Christ is to-
day there is a crowd. The question,
then, Ia not how to get the crowd TO
church, but how TO get Christ there.
He is the desire OF all nations" II
Ia not strange that women washed
His feet with their tears: that men
gladly gave their lives for His glory
that mon sold all they had and laid
1t at His feet The most loved man
IN the world today is the man who
brings Jesus TO the hungering world.
! Jesus Christ reveals men to them
selves. He did this in private and in
public. along the highway, in the
home and in the city. BY night and
h2 day He showed the individual "a.l
things that ever did' II was the
10y of the man when He could say,
Come, see Him" He reveals the
meaning OF life. death and things to
come"
He reveals men to shcir fellows. This
is the foundation of our modern altru-
lam. He taught real brotherhood. The
multitude long oppressed heard Him
gladly" The one man who did not like
10 hear Him was the man who would
sell his own soul for the things that
perish. Yet nothing will satisfy the
soul OF man like ministering to others.
Selfish. stinsS people are miserable and
millions cannot make them happy.
People love 70 hear a man who can love
| ther into nberaiity. and lead them in
doing good.
Jesus revealed God to men This !,