Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-03-27
SIN SOUL SICKNESS.
MACLACHLAN SAYS
Declares Secret Sorrows De-
crease Efficiency, Wear
Out Lives.
EFFORT is PARALYZED
EFFORT is PARALYZED
Thousands of Young Men
Here, Above All Things,
Need Confessor.

Emphasizing tina. sin is sickness
Of the soul Rev. II. ID. G. Maclach-
Ian. pastor OF Seventh Street Chris
tian Church. In his sermon last night.
declared that secret sorrow wears
out lives. decreases efficiency and
parnlyzcs effort.
DR.. Maciachlan urged that certain
types OF sin cntrench themselves in
the suhconscious mind like some
malevoicnt demon, disorganlzinr the
entire mind and producing nervous
disorders that incapncita,c their vic
lin for the serious work OF tho
world. These are bu. symptoms OF
the real disease. the speaker said.
the deep-seat-d havoc wrought far
below The surface by sin
lie declared that people thus az
hictcd are intensely miserable. their
lives burden they can scarcely
make shift, to carry. and what they
need far more than the psychopathic
specialist ~ a spiritualist specialist.
who shall he able to throw opcn the
windows OF their soul and say:
There is tho scat of your trouble
here IL tho hidden sore and bring
them for healing To the Great Ply
aiclans.
Many vIrtIm. Of Wrong Habits.
others afflicted Dr. MaClachlan
said. arc victims for the most art Of
wrong habits-persons who are per-
fcctly conscious Of their sins. but
who keen 1t ia themselves and SUI
fer all the agony o. lonely. helm
less struggle and conscience that
lights only the fires OF hell in their
bosoms. To them the mere telling Of
their sin would he relief, Or. Mac
lachlan said. hut whom shall they
tell? shame closes their lips. How
few would listen sympatheticaily.
How few would have tho tact. wiz
dom. SKIN TO treat the confidence az y
sacred thing, and perhaps. by their
sympathy and out OF the funds Of
their own experience. open for them
% door OF escape.
III Continuing. he said In part:
There are thousands OF young men.
right here In our own city. who need
above all things confessor, one to
whom they can talk az frankly as
;hcy do to their own souls We know
the tragedies after they have hap
rcncd, but before they have culml-
mated. In the process Of their happen
ing. plain. heart-,o-hcart talk. a
frank confession OF weakncss-how
many tragedies they Nigh, have pre-
vented
jesus WINS -TronbIc Clerk
And what IL true of sin is true also
Of all other kinds OF trouble. Jesus
was The trouble clerk" OF His day.
All sorts OF people came to Him with
all sorts OF troublcs-;hc blind, the
lame, the sick. the bmrdcned. tho hum
Gry, the anxious minded the per-
picked. And they would still come to
Him II they only knew the way. That
Ia
Science. New Thought. etc. flourish
In our midst. They offer relief to
that very class OF sick and weary
souls.
And the world is full OF sick souls.
II is a fatal mistake TO conclude as
we so often are apt to do. that be-
cause there is calm on the surface
there is no turmoil beneath. because
the bloom is on the cheek. there is
no eating pain within. The flush
may he Nestle. read somewhere Of
circus clown, in the olden days.
whose wife had just died. but had
To go Into tho ring and crack his
jests-thc loudest and merriest of his
career SO there arc people all
around us who go about their daily
tasks with n smile on their lips. and
not even their dearest friends know
mat underneath is "A soul sick and
weary unto death. The secret sorrow
ihrobs and throbs; the secret habit
binds and binds: the secret burden
brushes and crushcs; the secret hun
ger gnaws and gnaws. The prouder
the soul. the less 1t tells.
Need Same One to Point Why.
What they need. above all things
is for some human being like them
selves 10 play the part OF the sou,,
rhysician-io diagnose their trouble
and bring them again into touch with
Him. Their souls are WANDERING In
maze. and they need some one 10
point the way out. Their problems
are human problems, and they need
the touch OF human sympathy and
understanding 10 help them solve
them. This is the true pricstly func-
ton, upon which the author OF the
Hebrews puts his Anger so uncrring-
~. when he writes: I'VE have not
IAN high priest who cannot be touched
with the feeling OF our infirmities
but was. in all points. tempted like
as We are. yet without sim" And
again: Who Himself suffered being
tempted that He might be able Ia
succor them that are tempted"