The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-01-15

nothing but mildew and blight
rand pestilence. God is capable OF
doing great things II you will give
him a chance to work through you
Prepare your hearts and minds to
bring forth fruit. Look at your
heart See where you are. Prepare
your hearts and minds. Examine your
state Of mind. See where you are.
or. as my friend Tom Watson says.
HheEo1 you ere at. g-zz---@- 80 u
Examine the state OF your. mind.
Consider your sins. Look back over
the past. It's good thing, Look at
your present. Take individual sins
and name them. Take pencil and
paper and write them down. A gen
eral confession of ain will never do.
They were committed one by one.
lot them. Write them down. Say.
Lord, lie. neighborhood gossip.
proud" Oh mercy. chalk them down.
l don't know what they are. It's
none of my business. But say. Lord.
here 1t II; weasel-eyed, see moro
through q keyhoie than through a
door four blocks away"
Sins OF Omission.
And then. sins Of omission--things
that you have omitted to- do that you
should have done. That Is the great
trouble today. Oh. the want OF love
for God. Say. lady. II you found
the affection and love Of your hns-
band: he was buying her coats and
hats and dresses. feeding her on beef
steak. taking her out joy-ridiny--
just tell me on the square, You needn't
answer--wouldn't It alarm you II
you saw some other woman wriggling
and worming her infamous carcass
In the affection of the man, who. I'M
der the perfume Of the orange bios
long AZ the sky and waves were blue!
Don't you think God Almighty's
got little feeling. and when God
sees the devil is worming his miser-
able old carcass into your anectton.
and you work harder to advance the
interest OF the devil. you work harder
to make somebody drunk than
sober. You work harder to ruin some
body than to bring them to Jesus
mighty's aiarmed7 Then stir your
self and examine your heart
Want Of love for God! Want OF
love for the Lord. Now. some OF
you neglect yonr Bible. and there
are cases vhero some Of YOU for
weeks and months haven't read the
Bible. I'll bet there are hundreds OF
SOu mere IulS aIteTUOOu VINO MAVEN
looked into the Bible. Hundreds OF
you never look into the Bible except
when q baby is born or some member
OF the family dies or gets married.
and then you make a family record
to keep the family record straight
That's right! Oh deari Then. no
wonder your life Is spent In wrang-
ling. No wonder 1t Is q happy-gU-
lucky, cider chalk -and-vinegar kind.
Instances Of Unbelief.
Then unbeiief. oh. my! Instances
where you have blamed God In
stead Of blaming yourself. Don't
blame God. God isn't to blame. God
never did anything wrong. He can't
You are wrong. not the Lord. Don't
try to saddle It Off on the Lord.
No. not at all. Don't charge God
with lying about his promises when
you didn't fulnll the conditions under
which God promised to bless you.
The trouble wasn't with tho Lord.
God promises to give you water II you
dig well. II you don't 1t IL mp to
you. The Lord promises to give q
crop il you plant seed. II you don't
!. don't blame the Lord.
Don't neglect prayers. There are
| times when prayers really offended
God because you carried enmity in
| your heart.
| Then the want of love for the soula
| Of men. How little compassion there
or we sit by men and women and rub
/ elbows with them. and we know II
they died they'd be in he'll before
s o'clock. The want of love for
the souls Of people lost: You never
| say anything for want of love for the
! souls OF people. Many days Jon have
never even prayed. There Is no day
when you haven't eaten. There is
no day when yon didn't dress. when
days 80 by! Days 60 by and you
never pray or read the Bible. yet II
you die you want God to take you 70
Heaven. and growi II he didn't. You
haven't done anything for the Lord.
! on Their Guard.
20 Lord. revive Thy work. And
then. In the last place. your own life
the neglect to watch your own
| conduct-you have been OF your
guard; sinned before the Church: sin.
ned before the world: sinned before
God. You have neglected self-denial
Oh, there are multitudes OF people
WHO do what doesn't require self
denial on their part. They won't
deny themselves any comfort They
will deny themselves no convenience
to advance the cause OF Jesus Christ
On, there arc people today that vii
do nothing that will cause them &c
suffer reproach for Christs sake
Then you are aenonenity. And woe
unto thee when all men speak vel
of you. One of the worst things thu
preacher can say over your body wher
you are in the coffin Is, He has nj
enemies" II you lived the way yor
ought to live. you bet your life yot
will have plenty Of them. and the,
win be the right kind. too.
Woe unto thee when all mer
speak well Of you" but IL the saloon.
/ keeper and the brewer and that gane
! said anything against mo then "a
know I wAs not At fault. II they
said anything in favor OF me. then
I'd know I was going tn he'll.
'sWoe Unto Thce.''
WOE unto thee whom all men speal
tweti Of thee. Blesssa are ye when meE
rcvile you and persecuts you and say
all manner Of evil against you falsely
for my sake. Rejoice and be exceed.
ing glad. for great 10 your reward II
heaven. For SO persecuted they tn,
prophets that were before you"
Everybody that's ever fought FOL
Jesus Christ has had to become ths
object Of vsnemous wiiiheationss
20 Lord. revive, thy work" Ont
thing more; sins Of commission. worlds