Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-02-27
LIES PRECIOUS
G|F IS NOT ON SALE,
SAYS MACLACHLAN
Pastor Declares Character,
Honor, Faith and High
Ideals Priceless.
GODS TABLE MARKET
OF POOR INDIVIDUAL
Things We Need Most Are
There Free of
Charge. ,Efsg /

! Rev. II. ID. c. Maclachlan, d. D.,
pastor OF the Seventh Street Chris
tian Church. delivered a sermon ON
the Poor Mans Market" yesterday
morning. He spoke in part as fol-
lows:
This is text I have always hest
tated to preach on. There is some
'hihg In 1t that Gays to me: 1 am the
last word. You cannot. with all your
preaching. improve on me. And IL
would be an impcrtincncc to try. lust
as no one except. perhaps. that err
RATE genius. George Bernard Shaw.
dreams OF bcttcring Hamlets solllo-
| guy. or RaphaclS Last Judgment. or
the Tai MHhal. or Demosthenas' Da
Corona, so no thought. however acute.
no imagination. however Respondent,
can nope to add single enhancing
TO touch to the PROJECTIONS of this an
cient gospel before the gospel"
Ana yet while we cannot repaint
the rainbow, or rcburnish the sun. wa
can call attention to the rainbow and
the SUM- and say: See, admire and love
'hem Tor yourself. We can do even
little more: we can suggest the hest
angles OF vision and indicate beau
ties that might otherwise be missed.
me prophets first appeal is
enthusiastically Oriental one-to
thirsty people: Ho, every one that
thirsteth. come ye to the water. Thirst
Is OF the East. No Westerner can
utter the word with the depth OF feel
ing that belongs to it's Eastern equiv
aren't y whole background OF life
was In 1t Cor the speakers and hear
ers OF this prophecy-a background
4 nd I,o LIT,
or parched lips and blisterinc sand
ana background OF agony and it
might be death.
| God In Essential TO Life.
But it Is OF another kind OF thirst
| that the prophet is thinkinr-tbc
souls thirst for God. The physical
longing has its counterpart in the
spiritual. AS water TO the parched
| tongue, so Is God to the soul. He is
essential To its life. Whether they arc
conscious of 1t or not, all men ara
athirst for God. All experience proves
.""'' mere Is no ultimate satisfac-
non IN the pleasure and pursuits OF
| earth. Vanity of vanities, all is van
tty is the last word OF even tbn No.,
successful life. IL 1t be not ccntered -
Goa. People rush hither and thither.
seeking they know not what. ana
| never hndinS II. because the real necL
oi their souls is God, and they can
never rest until they find themselves
III him. How accurately does another
prophet express this tragedy or $50.
MY people have committed two evils
'ney nave forsakcn me, the fountain
oi.s waters. and hewed them out
cS'erns, broken cisterns that can
| hoid no water"
And tho same is true, though In, a
somewhat different sense. even ~
| those who already know God. MANY
or whose lives are far below par, be-
cause they are unaware OF the real
iuliness and richness OF the divine
grace. They drink enough OF the
waters to keep them alive, but NOT
enough To invigorate them. Their
Souls are parched and dusty and dry.
lheF nave not discovered the foun-
| tain head, the secret springs. the hid
den cisterns. The Irrigation dltches
theE know. but they have never
buried their soul in the rushing
rivers or the goodness OF God
bht the prophet changes the figure
re that hath no money. cone We buy
ana eat. 1t is hunger now. ms wei,
as thirst: but the need is the same.
ana we need not further enlarge unon
IT, The thing to notice is that there
- something we can buy without
We liite OF any sort.
Many Things Money Can't Buy.
what is II? Well. perhaps, IL is NOT
any one thing. There arc in raeIi,v
many things that money can't buv.
None OF the things that are worth
| ,"os' III Ire are marketable. You can
buy beautiful pictures. but the sense
| or beauty. the capacity to apprecJata
'hem you cannot buy. The new-rich
can buy the ancient estate. bur not
! me PRIDE OF blood and soil that ia
.he heritage of the past. Character
nohor' faith' and high ideals are un-
purchasable. Above all, Won can't
p"'chase love. 1t is not for sale. IL
uhprlced. because 1t Is priceless.
iou can't earn mothers kiss. You
van pay for the love of God.
That is what the prophet Is talk
ing about-the pricelessness OF Gods
love. In effect. he says: You are paw
ing all sorts OF prices for all sorts
OF things that don't and can never
satisfy. You are sweating blood to
De happy and successful. when there
is right at your very doors happi-
ness and success for which You do
not nave TO pay a single shekeI" And
the message Is for today as well az
Tor the prophets time. We see the
same restlessness, the same SOUL
uhsatiSheu the same high
prices paid for that which satIsdeth
not And we need over and over
again TO remind ourselves that God
is Tree; that the table Of His love
IS spread for whatsoever will. that
'here is no question OF deserving IL.
no price: no bargain OF so much
so"dness' for so much grace: that
INC 'n,hss we need most is the thing
that costs US least
For cap and bells our lives we pay.
Ashes are gained by our whole
souls tasklng; "a
IT'S only heaven that lis given away,
IT'S only God may be had for the
asking"
Yet there Is meaning In that word
buy There Is sense In which vsa
do, and must. pay for the grace or
God. God does not fnsuR ms no ave.