Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-05-08
The TIMES-DISPATCH
SUNDAY SERMON
n Souls Suicide
by Rev. W. W. Weeks. -. d..
iastor OF Grace Street Baptist Church.

Matthew xix. 90: lie went away sorrowfu,.
| ihcre Is something peculiarly shocking i,
| me spectacle OF suicide. y brutal murder
"rouSes our indignation. and we clamor FOR
me punishment of the criminal. Fifty Is struck
uuihh 10y the shedding of innocent blood, and
we forget to tic merciful when Justice draws
her sword. But in the case of :, suicide tho
nation against the taking OF life is sof,ened
by our pity for the one who to escape from
MS misery leaps into open grave.
In ihc story OF the rich young ruler we have
the picture or souls suicide. Here is n
young man who caught glimpse Of the In :
mite possibilities of Iifc. and had Il real desire
to obtain them. lie sought in the RICH, place,
i"r ne came to Christ: he sought AT the righ
'lh'. Tor he came when he WAS young. lac
sought for the right thiug-ctcrnal life; and
hc sought In the right spirit. for he came run
hihE ana kncc!inG. revealing both carncstncss
ana humility; but when he learned the price
he t;irned away sorrowful
CONSIDER hrst what ihc voting man had. lie
ma" wealth. but that did not satisfy MIN. In
itself wealth is good. and a thing TO he de.
sirr'. tut there is soul need tina; wealth
cannot supply. The man God called Il fool
was TIA" one who though; that his soul could
he fed on corn. One needs Int To look into
inc faces OF many modern millionarios 10 be
convinced that they carr: hungry hearts. You
vii; find quite as many broken hearts under
fix ~ under calico. The rich can he quite
rs hungry as the poor.
This young man had rank hui his rank ala
not satisfy. There arc those who think that II
place among the -four hundred is NOR" to be
desired than to have ones name written In
the Lambs Book OF Life American parents
viii sell their daughters. and daughters viii
sell Themselves to half-starvcd rurts-dwarfcd
both In body and soul-bccausc they happen
to have Inherited titles while passing ~
young athletes who hav inherited brains
Added to his riches and his rank this Young
man had religion. hut II was a religion tina.
lott him hungry. He could look the Ten COM
ih"nh'nents In tho face without a blush. hut
he had never felt TIE thrill of personal
touch with God. lilo was like tho fnultless
statue that lacks the thr"bhlnE heart. tho
thinking brain, and the moving spirit TO make
it man
There were three things Jesus offered 10 this
yourr man. In the hrst place he offered him
u saviour come. follow Me" Here is whcr,
eternal life begins. only those who re ready
l. part with everything can receive the one
Trims nccdful. Our brilliant electric ligh; is
the rcsn, Of tho meeting OF two opposite cur
r'rts-the positive and the negative. At the
point whore the negative OF our sinfuIncss
and sclhshness and hunger meets tho positive
VI '"' HIhcc ana wisdom ana power, the
fire Of n new i!fc is kindlcd, and ono knows
above
lie was offered a cross. at the entrance of
nil true religion stands the altar. Along the
path Of sacrifice for others and along that
path alone does tho soul reach the goal OF a
perfect satisfaction. The young man was not
asked to throw away his wealth but TO use
II for the blessing OF tho world. We are en-
richcd not by what We take up for ourselves
but by what we give up for others.
Jesus also offered this man 4 destiny worthy
Q: the noblcs, soul. Thou shalt have treasure
III heaven" What hold for ourselves we
cannot tako with when we go hence but
what for others here is wealth laid
up for the hereafter.
What was il, then. that this young man
lacked?
He lacked "A true conception of what religion
really ~. lie thought IL negative piety
that avoided doing things that are wrong
according 10 Jesus, 1t IL positive service for
tn" great parable. this young man never fed
swine in the hcid tu, he nur,urcd n hog in
his own hrcast
He lacked eternal life. "iIc went away sor-
rowfuI." DO not put the emphasis on "sor-
rowful.' but the went away" One may
go away from Christ with II laugh and n Jest
or he may go away with bowed head and halt
ing steps but If he goes away all is lost that
is really worth while. In Ave minutes 1t was
all over There was just ripple on the
stream where another soul took the awful
plunge into the deep that separates forever
between Gods greatest offer and mans SUI
prcmc rejection.