The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-01-25

within sight and reach OF the weakest
and the lowliest, II is so high that ii
keeps the best and the noblest men
and women with their faces turned
UPWARDS, always struggling for higher
ideals. The Christian Utilization Is
the greatest ever known in the world.
because the Christian civilization and
the Christian religion rest upon con-
ception of life which makes life one
unending progress toward higher and
better things You never get so high
that you can't get higher; don't you
-ss~<- T. lAs4sSSAl as~~sA u ~. = r. -
something for you to struggle to be-
yond where you are in the Christian
religion. You can reach other ideals
In other religions. ana when you get
there, why. that is finis. nothing more
to do. Ha. ha. ha! See?
All right. Now wait minute.
am not going deep into metaphysics:
don't get scared. Hers was despa-
rate resolve, hers was a desperate
case. So liz yours; so was mine. 1t
was the only thing she could do. II
she had had n dollar left to have tried
one more doctor. that procession
would never have been halted in tho
streets OF Capernaum; no, and she
couldn't be any worse off II she failed,
so she thought she'd make the ven
ture. Fenturing on Jesus Christ is
the best days work anybody ever did.
Try 1t and see what will come to
you. sir.
And now listen to me- This woman
had nobody to help her make her
plans. She did the best she could
TO make her own plans. II wasn't
much of plan, but 1t was the best
she could do. and bless God. It work
ed. The plan that puts Jesus Christ
in the center OF it always works. She
had tried lots of plans before, but
Jesus wasn't in them. That's the
reason she had been twelve years and
hadn't been healed. Now she made
a plan and she put Jesus In the plan
and she was healed instantly. Jesus
Christ never turns a poor soul away
that is seeking him because you may
not know all about the plan of saliva
ton or theology.
Bears Same Relation.
Listen. theology bears the same re-
lation to Christianity that botany
does TO flowers, the same thing.
Botany describes flower. Botany
may be off thousand miles. but that
doesn't touch the flower You can
reconstruct theology. but you can't
Christianity, not on your
life. Geologies are rewritten, bus they
are the same old rocks. the same old
rocks. Rotsnies are rewritten. same
old flowers. ASTRONOMERS are rewrit-
ten, same old stars. Physiologies are
rewritten, same old bones Heads up
here. feet down there. hands here
heart here. liver here. lungs there.
The blood pumps through President
Wilson's veins the same as yours
The blood pumps through the veins
hn b. s,l, 81
lionaire.
/ have no objections to a new the
ology IL its newness consists OF max
ing old truths more clearly under
stood, but if it's gewness consists in
trying to take the old truths out of
our hearts. then TO hell with their
theology. You can recast your the
ology. but you can't recast the truth.
The truth is the Bible, is the Word
OF God. Jesus Christ is the Son OF
God You are saved by faith in his
blood. You can recast your theology.
but you can't recast that truth, not on
your tintype. No.
Prayer Doesn't Save.
Wait a minute. II isn't a PRAYER
that saves you. il is Jesus in the
prayer. 1t isn't the sermon that saves
you. it is Jesus in the sermon. II
isn't the promise that saves you. il
is Jesus ~ the promise. 1t isn't the
that saves you, it is
Jesus in the confirmation. 1t isn't
the Apostles Creed that saves you. 1t
Is Jesus in the Creed that saves you. 4
1t isn't the confession that saves you
it is Jesus in the confession. 1t isn't
the mass that saves you, IL is Jesus
In the mass. IT isn't religion that
saves you. it lis Jesus in the religion
II isn't the baptism that saves you.
L is Jesus in the baptism. 1t isn't the
sawdust trail nor my handsake that
saves you, II is Jesus Christ in the
trail and my handshake
The scribes and the Pharisees that
Jesus. they were the best
heologians IN Jerusalem and the big
rest devils this side OF holt Yes. sir /
IN. along theological lines they could
pitt hairs. quarter them and white !
ZACH quarter to a point like q cam
,ric needle.
Oh. folks. nobody i S kept out of
heaven because they don't know any
hing about theologoy-not on your
life. She didn't want to be sick. No /
,ody wants to be bad. Oh, she was
helpless and quick: she didn't wait to !
row into it. You can't grow into II !
my more than the dead man ,@n
ONO back to life. i, isn't a matter of /
my InbGtEECtudl Or plSSit1t QsSelup- !
nent- We are going nuts these days
'ver "Be big! Re big" II makes me
lex. We have got that bug now. I.
m going to preach on 1t some time.
haven't got time now"
Now listen. She said: "If can I
My touch His clothes will he
ehole.".
She Didn't Know II.
The poor soul didn't know it. but =
he WINS away over In Alaska on her
All the highbrowS In thar
Inc will tell you so. She was putting I,
piece of cloth in the place OF Jesus.
1t was Christ that saved. not the
10th. She made her plans the best
he could. theology or no theology.
1t worked. for she was in
:" ntly healed and cleansed and saved.
he'd never been TO school where they
aught theology. 1t was a good thing.
1t had been. she never would have
often within ten miles OF Jesus.
But wait Bless her heart. the rea-
on she wanted to touch the garment
vas because Jesus Christ was in it
hat Is why she wanted to touch it,
'ou could have put Pc ter in there:
.ou could have put Peter in there;
ould have put John in there: you
ould have put the president in there:
on could have put the governor in
here: you could have put anyl