Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-02-27
REV. RUSSELL CECIL
SAYS LIFE NEVER ENDS
Present and Future Canno, Be
Separated, According to
Speaker.
NO SACRIFICE roo t;uEAr
fHstor states There Arc Many WIN
seem 80 Think More Of Personal
Liberties Than the Service They
Owe TO God.

Entering Life MANNED" was the
subject Of the sermon OF Rev. w.
Russell Cecil. -. D.. pastor of tho
second Presbyterian Church.
DR.. Cecil spoke, in part. as fol-
lows:
Jesus. in His teaching. had much
To say about the future life. There
~ disposition in the present day
TO discount the Importance Of the
ihthr" lie and to magnify tn. i'm
r"riancc OF The prescn, life. IL is
raintained BY some that our chief
concern should he to save this life.
anu " we succeed In that we may
tc Indifferent In regard To the future
life. which Will take care Of itsc,f.
jesus. however. In magnifying the
future life. did not discount this
NE. The truth ~ in Ills teaching
and IL should also lac in ours ,uJ
the two should not be separated We
have. indeed. but one lif.. II begins
mere, and. inasmuch as We are i'm
mortal beings. our life never comes
TO AN end
According l" the teaching Of Jesus.
The chief thing for every human hc
ing 10 do Is "a strive to enter iut,
NE. Or. Az He elsewhere puts II
'Atrive Ia enter In a, the straiuh,
gate. This is The vital thing. and
the thing "f prim. Importance. lie
Went 80 FAR az I" say To the seventy
after they returned from tho mis-
sion OF preaching the Gospel to the
10 ople. and gan to report 10 Him
how devils were subject unto them
III His namc--iic said: "In this re-
Jcicc not that the spirits are subject
unto YOU. tNt rather rejoice because
your names are written In heaven"
Jesus had Il great deal TO say abou,
heaven. and the future life in heaven.
about In" kingdom OF heaven and
me kingdom OF God. aud His
Fathers house: and from His point
OF view tn" vita! ehing for every
human being was TO bend all Of Ills
energies To enter into that life which
God has for those that love Him.
Tn" man who failed Of that life
would be lost. the loss was irr-parae
Die. ana the consequences were to he
Suffered in he'll.
No Sacrifice Too Great
What does Jesus mean by enter
ne into life manned. or halt, or with
only one eye"
lie means that no sacrifice is/too
great for one who would eutcr into
life, or. in other words who would
become Christian. People often
''"l Ike IL means too much of a
sacrifice for them To confess Chris,
"hd Join the church. and they eX-
cLsH themselves on that score. some
times they take the position that
they are too busy or that they ar.
ihb"ring under the pressure OF grca
burdens. and that in order To become
Christians IL would he necessary for
'h"m To consume so much precious
time III the worship and work OF
H." church. IL would he necessary
Tor them 10 curtail their liberties
anG that. altogether. IL is costly
thing Ia be tru. followers OF Christ
some seem 10 think that these earth
~ privileges are superior TO the
spiritual values that ar. offered 10
us by the Savior. heard a man
"HI'iain his unwiilngncss to become
Christian and join the church be-
cause he did not get enough out 81
u. What h. meant was that he did
not get enough temporal and ma
tcriai benefit out Of il. lie was look
ing at the whole subject from self
ish point OF view. ]; was not how
much spiritual good might come to
him, or how useful he nigh, hecom.
IN helping others. Those were en-
t!icly eliminated from his considera-
ton OF the subject II is not un-
usual for persons TO come To the
minister and wish To enter the
church on certain conditions, which
they wish to he understood. They
are not willing to make the sacrifice
which Christ requires of those who
follow Him: If any man will come
after Ne. let him deny himself. ana
take up his cross, and follow Me
IL" IaH* down the conditions. He is
IN" one who prcscribcs the sacri-
flee which We must endure: and tn.
point which He makes is that no
sacrifice ~ too great for one who
would enter into life. ii you take
the position that YOU can only he
a Christian provided YOU can do Ger
tain things YOU like. whether they
be right or wrong. you CERTAINLY
cannot enter into life in the sense
that Jesus would have us under
stand it.
J; is also true that even If enter
ing into life cost the believer q great
sacrifice. that sacrifice may contrib
ute to his spiritual welfare. Would
II have been any serious loss to the
rich young ruler il he had needed
the words OF Jesus when he came
asking the question, What good
thing shall do that may inherit
eternal life?" and received the an
swer: Go. sell what thou hast and
give to the poor, and come follow
Me. and thou shalt have treasure In