The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-01-30
GOD WILL
Continued from Page One. }


the story, God is willing to do his
part. but he isn't going to stand for
MS people to lie around. and fan
themselves while he is working in the
sun to save their souls and the souls
of those they love.
And in the second part of his text,
Take ye away the stone.'' he proved
that God Is not going to do for men
the things men oan do for themselves.
When He had reached the sepulchre
or Lazarus He did not roll the stone
from the door. but turned to Martha
and Mary and commanded them to do
so. They could do that-that was
their part In the saving OF their
brother. They could roll away the
stone, but they could not raise Lag
arus from the dead. That was the
task OF Christ.
And in the lesson for the people
OF today. Mr.. Sunday pointed out that
Christ is calling upon every man and
woman to do the things they can do
He is willing to do for them what
they cannot do themselves. but never
until they have done all they could to
help Him.
| There are a lot of Lazaruses in
Richmond" Mr.. Sunday accused his
hearers. when he went on to tell them
OF the dead people of the church.
/ There arc thousands of church peo-
Pile in Richmond" he declared, who
eat three meals every day without
ever thanking God for n morsel of
| food. why, that's what cow does.
what hog does. For Gods sake, be
something more than a brute!"
i Martha was person who went out
! to meet Jesus. Mr.. Sundays appeal
is TO the Marthas OF Richmond to go
out and meet Jesus, and take their
friends TO him, and He will save their
souls and heal them from ain.
You who SOW In tears shall reap In
joy" he reminded the crowd. but de-
clared that the eye of the church to-
day are as dry as the desert OF Sahara.
| Billy made his usual reference to
| the attitude of certain kinds of peo-
pie Ia this city. as well as In all the
other places In which he has preached
to his style of preaching, his manner
isms. his vocabulary. and his SLANG
There Is that dirty. black-hearted
bunch in every town that hates a
breaches, hates church stceple, hates
the Y. M. c. A.. hates everything good"
and he recalled the type of churchgoer
who could not 60 to hear hin, preach
because he is so crude. 30 slangy." and
says such horrid things" He always
brings his audience almost to tears OF
laughter when he acts the part of one
OF these society women who are op.
posed to him because he isn't afraid to
tell them they are going to the devil.
You have the best chance now to
show your grit on Jesus" Sunday said
hut Christ will never come TO this or
lanv other city until the entire family
OF God go out to meet him Oh. God
how the church Is tying the Lords
hands nowadays instead of getting out
and doing what she ought to do, Every
sinner must come as an Individual
can't save you. and you can't save your
Husbands. Religion is personal mat.
ter the same as everything else Is a
personal matter--food. water. air. med
itcine.
Now Lazarus was dead and wha,
was needed was for someone to see
Jesus. believe In organizations. In
societies. ! believe in the pastorate
R"t what Ia needed today is personal
contact on the part Of the individual
with Jesus Christ"
Secondhand Religion.
'Mary's religion was second hand
Billy said. That's what's the matter
with lot of you today. You dom,
live so that God can show his power
Through you. so you can learn from per-
sonai experience. You know food is
good, Why? That's experience, be.
cause you have eaten it. But you
don't know anything about God All
you know about Gods power Ia what
you heard some body tell you or you
read in a a book. In the name OF God,
why don't you live SO that you can
get II first hand from the Lordr'
The invitation was not given in the
afternoon service, as II never IL. ex-
cept Sunday afternoon. MFR. Sunday
closed his sermon with a brief prayer,
beginning with. Say. Jesus" and con
tinufng for moment In terms never
used by any other minister Of the Cos
pei In this city while speaking to the
Deity. The absence OF the formal
thou and thee" Is marked In Sundays
prayer. when he speaka to God as
'you.' and often resorts to slang In
addressing the Savior. But he tells
those who don't like what he SAYS not
to come to the auditorium, because
their places could be easily filled By
the hundreds who are always turned
away from the building unable to get
seats.