The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-24
SHOULD NOT WORRY ON
MYSTERY OF RELIGION

| MIOInI vi MlIulUu
Evangelist Sunday. TN Hfs Afternoon
| Sermons, Pol1cs Fun at the
| Scientists.
II may preach jabbering. iiliterate
jargon," said Billy Sunday at the first
afternoon service yesterday. but 1
am making war on the devil In the
best and only way I know how"
| The evangelist did not slack up
the fight one minute while making
this concession, but continued through
the two afternoon meetings from be-
ginning to end to fall the devil and
his institutions. The mystery in the
Christian religion was ms theme at
| the o'clock service, and At the over
flow meeting he delivered another
powerful warning to fee from the
wrath TO come.
| The auditorium was not flied 70
| capacity ut either service yesterday
and less than thir ty-five converts were
welcomed during the time, but the
and enthusiasm which has marked
his preaching heretofore.
| Gods plan OF salvation was the
! keynote Of his two sermons. No enc
! doubts how Sunday feels on tho sub-
| ject because he said:
The man who rejects Gods plan
Is ~ big q fool as the gry who tries
TO steal second witt. nobody out and
the bases full"
| From John TIA was taken his firsk
text: THE world WIS made flesh
| and dwelt among US" The evange-
list began by explaining away several
| doubts which have arisen concerning
| the incarnation. life and deity OF
Christ. and took occasion to mention
| the Christian church which deals with
the difficulty "intellectuar' peopis
have IN understanding the doctrines
! laid down for them.
Mystery In Life
| "Tf you believe only that Won un-
| derstand you are a foot" raid Sun.
day. I'm admit there Is mystery in
our religion There In more mystery
in other religions. Everything has
the mystery Of life? who can tell me
how God took hydrogen and oxygen.
| two gases, and made water? All
you know Is how to dring It and !
suppose youll die of thirst because
| you don't understand water7 Not
on your life. And there are . whole
lot Of fools who will not believe In
! stand II.
IF you do not worry about the
mysteries all around you why do you
pine about the mysteries OF reiigion?"
he continued Medicine Is . mystery
to all except q doctor--al you know
about It is that quinine Ia good for
the ague and that sulphur h good
! for the itch. A scientist thinks he
, knows il all. but he cannot tell you
| the mysterious tia connected with
the word of God. Our religion Is one
| of trust and belief which Is given as
/ by the Bible. If you cannot osftevo
| that, then you cannot believe testi-
mony and you might as we'll scrap all
! the history handed down to US"
| He poked incessan, fun at the
| Hcientists, . He initiated an astruno-
| mer peering at sunspots. and told a
I story of farmer who wondered at
; 80 many mysterious things that he
! forgot 10 piow his land and nearly
starved to death. His moral was that
| II was better 70 t&ks~ ufsfA;hofnatsa
things like religion and sunspots as
they came instead OF trying to under
| stand them.
Jesus Christ received a tribute fron
/ Sunday the greatest teacher tlae
world has ever known. and he claimed
| that all intelligent people on earth be"
| lieved In the Ideal Man.
/
"a progressive man II a Christian.
| while an inftdei is not progressive
/ he IL just swelled up like a poisoned
puppy" said Billy.
How shall We escape IL we neg
/ lcct 50 great salvation from He.
brcws "a. was the text of Billy sur
days second sermon yesterday after
| noon The doctrine OF reward and
punishment Tor good and evil was
| hz es a
Christianity.
God originated the square deal"
| said Sunday. Future life II the re-
ward for q Christian: everlasting hell
the punishment for an unsAved SIN
| Speaking Of the he'll on earth which
has been question. Of ethics for
many years Billy Sunday thought the
punishment OF an earthly hell en-
tirely inadequate. "A sinner gets
some hell on this earth. but not
enough. God gives him little pun
iKhment on account. but that Isn't =
circumstance 70 what he win set "
hold" continued Billy. "Bscause
Jesus Christ. St. Paul. St Peter. "a
| vancrola and many other righteous
men suffered the worst possible earth
/ ly hell, yet they were God'a best serv-
ANTS, and there are many ainSerS- Mh0,
1 Ole IN the hlOSG Oh ~ 8SSEbb NS0t ~
| earthly pleasure and afYluence. but
they get theirs about ten minutes
| after they die and forever after!"
! The pfecipice At the brink OF the
| etcrnAI pit was described IN ngurA-3
! tive language by the preacher Who
then ENLARGED upon the different atti-
f, tudes Of different people about the
| danger OF he'll. you do not have TO
| understand II. The precipice b there
| whether you believe It or not" hes
sAid. 'rHell has . polyglot popula
tion; hobo rubs shoulder with mil
| lionaire. there are highbrows andl
! lowbrows, young and old. male and
| female. The Pharisees are there AndI
that triumphant laugh Of theirs has3
| besn = fried grin for 1000 years
| they aren't gloating now. no. not"
Germans Attack PCSCn.
London, Feb. 23.--A dispatch to-