The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-05-03

cry of child be heard; you will for
get business, you will forget discus
sion, you will forget everything, and
you will rush to render aid to those
who may be crying in their helpless
ness.
And there NAV be such people il
your own church. A friend of mine,
who was pastor of one of the larg-
est UNCONVENTIONAL churches in this
country, told me that in that church
was a man and woman, neither of
whom was a member of it, and they
contributed as literally for the cur
rent expenses as any member that he
had. He became burdened for their
salvation and he tried TO argue by
saying that it would be zeal before
knowledge if he would go and speak
to them and they might quit coming
to church.
If anybody Is so flnicky and touchy
and contemplate that you would get
mad If somebody asked you to be a
Christian, get up and go out and go
to the devil If you want to. | have
! no patience with them, absolutely
none. ] have no patience with a man
that becomes snlppish and mad be-
cause somebody wants him to 90 to
heaven instead of hell. It is no COM
/ pIiment to you, want to tell you!
And this man tried to argue with
the Lord, and the Lord said, who
knows more about this, you or me?"
And finally he said "Well, will ask
i him the next time l see him."
1t proved to be Sunday morning,
and he went down and took him by
the hand and said, u have come to
ask you to be Christians. You have
been coming here to hear me preach
regularly, but have never asked you
! personally"
! Touched by
Warm Appeal
He told me that the tears trickled
down their cheeks and he said, eve
have been coming to hear you preach
regularly for three years. We are not
members of your church, but we have
attended the social functions of your
members and we have contributed tc
every cause, as the books of the treas
urer will show, but not one of your
members has ever asked us to be
:, Christians
4 Certainly they could say of thai
church, mo one cares for our souls
only contributions to the current eX
penses."
I Perhaps there may be In your owl
home-perhaps you may have you
own husband whom you have never
spoken to, or your own children, o.
your friends, and they could use the
words of my text and say of that
you don't care for their souls"
/ will never forget, years ago, ou
in town of Illinois, l was leavins
: the tent one night at the close of tht
service, and among the number tina
left last was young sman of abou
II, to whom | was attracted by hi!
bright, snappy, cleancut-looking fea
lures and his mannerisms, and
walked down the street with him ant
: engaged him in conversation and pres
emily l put to him the inevitable Ques
ton. l said:
Are you a Christian"
He said, No"
1 said, you ought to be-"
He said, Eyes, know it; it is RICH
and it is the thing to do"
said to him, Are your father ant
mother alive?"
: He said, Both of them
Either of them a Christian"
Eyes; both members of the Meth
r odist church"
| Asks Him
r Pointed Questions
: My friend, DR.. Taylor, was the.
l pastor. l said, t"You have famil
1 prayer at homer"
i He said. NO"
/ do they ask a blessing at table
RI No"
Y Have you brother or sister,"
e Il have a sister"
I said els Shp ChriStian 92v
Of He said, 81 don't know. She teache
II the primary department at Sunda
J. school in the same church.
l said, Has your father or mothe
or your sister ever asked you to be
Christian?"
d We stood under the electric ligr
# in front of the courthouse 1t ha
) been 10 years ago: and the tear
rolled down his cheeks and he said I
O me, ''Mr. Sunday, as long as l can r
o member, my father nor my mothe
n nor my sister have never said or
- word to me about being a Christian
:. Do you believe they think l am lost.
e can see his sad face and ! ca
- hear the tones of his voice rir
- through my ears. Certainly he had
y right to pick up the words of my te,
y and look his own parent square
= the face and say to them, "You dor
= care about my soul, whether ! a
saved or lost"
Perhaps the text needs a little e
u PLANTATION before l go any furthe
y You may think you are unworthy, al
g it may be true. and that is the fir
ID thought toward getting worthy wi
% God Almighty, to realize that you a
10 unworthy. You know people estima
IN religion by what they see in the liv
e. of those who profess to be Christian
" Your life may be far from what
ID should be, but your life, my friend
he what you want it to be, for l belle
in God Almighty gives you every ince
tive in order to change it, to have
RS the way God wants it to be.
Sc You know a sermon given to
It audience will do its work God say
lie MY words shall not return unto \
re void"
d. no Sermon
X Ever is Wasted
he Nobody ever preached a truth to
Ill audience, my friend, that was waste
"a God said: 1T will not return to \
ey void" but if this world is ever to
ne won to Jesus Christ it will not
be done by an unpaid clergy or min
in try and if any preacher or evangel
thinks that his preaching is going
IN win the world, God Almighty will c.
nd on another Martin Luther to start {
cd other reformation and bring the {
ot world on her knees in repentan'
nf