APRIL 15, 1916 



333 



A. I. Root 



OUR HOMES 



Editor 



What then shall I do with Jesus, that is called 

 Christ? — Mat. 27:22. 



Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. — 

 M.\T. 16:16. 



And whosoever liveth and helieveth on me shall 

 never die. Believest thou this? — John 11:26. 



While T write an evangelist by the name 

 of Stoug'h is stirring the city of Tampa by 

 a series of sermons; and, as a result, hun- 

 dreds are coming forward and accepting 

 Christ as the " Son of the Living God."* 

 From the Tampa Morning Tribune, March 

 24, I clip as follows : 



Comparing some of the politicians of Hillsborough 

 County to Pontius Pilate, Evangelist Stough preach- 

 ed a strong sermon on the words of Pontius Pilate, 

 "What then shall I do with Jesus?" 



As he neared the close of his sermon Dr. Stough 

 said that every man left the tabernacle after having 

 either made a decision for or against Christ. 



" The question of this text is not that of a Chris- 

 tian, but of a non-Christian, and is asked of a non- 

 Christian crowd. Today no question is more vital, 

 no question is asked more than the one of this text. 

 Gladstone was visited at one time by an American 

 just at the time of Armenian atrocities. The Pre- 

 mier was walking with the American when the latter 

 asked as to what was the greatest need of the day 

 for England, and Gladstone, without any hesitancy 

 whatever, replied, ' You know there is but one ques- 

 tion, it is that of Christianity, and, when my nation 

 becomes convinced that that question is right she 

 will answer every other question before her.' 



"He was right; and remember that he who was 

 the greatest statesman of his time was so keen of 

 perception that all questions were gathered up in 

 the one and exclusive question of Christianity. 



QUESTION WOULD SETTLE WAR. 



" If the question what we shall do with Jesus 

 were settled tonight the war in Europe would be 

 settled insfanter. The main issue in Tampa, in 

 Hillsborough County, is what we are going to do 

 with Jesus. While here I shall arraign the men 

 who are responsible for having this city wide open, 

 and having held open, the sluice gates of vice and 

 corruption. I shall not hesitate to strike wrong in 

 high or low places or wherever it exists; but the 

 chief question after all is, what are we going to do 

 with Jesus ? 



" I want all to understand that I am not here as 

 a reformer by any means or as a political propa- 

 gandist. There is a question that is far greater than 

 the one of who is going to be the next mayor of 

 Tampa or who will represent this district at Talla- 

 hassee or at Washington. Reduce all the issues to 

 the last analysis if you will, and the question is, 

 what is Tampa, what is Hillsborough County, going 

 to do with Jesus, who is called the Christ? WTiat 

 are you citizens, what are you heads of families, 

 what are you individuals going to do tonight with 

 Jesus, who is called the Christ ? 



" Don't let the little politicians dust your eyes. 

 I am not here, as they clai-n, as an agent of the 

 Anti-saloon League or any party, altho I am inter- 

 ested in anythinij that will work for the betterment 

 of the nation. I am an evangelist of the cross of 

 Jesus Christ. 



* We clip the following from the Christian Herald : 

 "Evangelist Henry W. Stough and party closed a 

 six-weeks' campai'.:n in .Ml-ni'ir City early in Febru- 

 ary, and lf)no conversions are reported. The Stough 

 party went from Atlantic City to Tampa, Pla. 



LET OFFICIALS ANSWER. 



" I want to ask the mayor of your city what he 

 is going to do with Jesus, who is called Christ? I 

 want to ask the sheriff, the chief of police, and 

 every policeman and every candidate for office what 

 he proposes to do with Jesus; and if he answers this 

 one question correctly he will answer all the rest in 

 the right manner. 



" Jesus Christ is on trial these days. These are 

 no common hours for Tampa. These are God's par- 

 ticular hours. The heart of God is concerned. This 

 appeal for an answer to this question is made to the 

 individual as well as to the comm^mity at large. No 

 man can dodge or sidestep this most momentous 

 question. Acceptance or rejection of God depends 

 upon the answer to this question. 



" Dr. Torry, while preaching in the Moody church 

 in Chicago, one Sunday morning, said that if the 

 wickedest woman in Chicago were to come to Christ 

 he would be ready and willing to accept her. Torry 

 little knew when he spoke these words that there 

 was such a woman, or one of the lowest class, seat- 

 ed under the balcony in the church. She had not 

 been within a church in years. She heard what the 

 preacher said and said to herself, ' I wonder if he 

 means me.' After the service she slipped up the 

 aisle and found Christ while kneeling with the great 

 preacher. 



"There are people who pride themselves on the 

 fact that they have been living decent and respect- 

 able lives. After the gospel of Christ has been 

 preached 1900 years they stHl say that, since they 

 live decent and respectable lives, it won't go so hard 

 for them in the hereafter. 



"That was spawned and spewed in hell; and if 

 it were true that the living of a moral life would 

 get a person into heaven, then Christ would have 

 been an imposter and the church would be simply a 

 teacher and a publisher of lies. No man ever gained 

 heaven and eternal life without first answering this 

 question and answering it right. 



" Morality is not Christianity. Neither is Chris- 

 tianity morality alone. Morality is only one of the 

 frnits of Christianity. God does not damn people 

 because they are bad, nor does he save them because 

 tihey are good. All of us have sinned and come 

 short of the glory of God. If there is any damning 

 done at all, man does it himself in not giving the 

 right answer to this text. 



ONLY WAY TO SECURE PEACE. 



" Don't be deceived. You will never find peace 

 until you come to the foot of Calvary's cross. It is 

 a momentous question. 



" I have the profoundest respect and pity for 

 Pontius Pilate. He is one of the wonderful charac- 

 ters in the pages of this book. Did you ever study 

 him? He is one of the keenest, clearest, and brain- 

 est men of the crowd that stood against .Jesus. He 

 is a man who spoke little, but what he did say has 

 come down to us thru the centuries. 



" Oh what a chance Pilate had! If he only would 

 have done so, his name might have come down thru 

 the ages synonymous with those of Jesus. He could 

 have championed his cause. Pilate had a wonderful 

 chance and lost it. He knew of .Jesus ; and yet, if 

 yoii never knew of Jesus before you came in this 

 tabernacle tonight, I have said enough tonight to 

 send you either to heaven or to hell. 



" Pilate had a conscience that warned him three 

 times, and you have a conscience. Then Pilate had 

 a wife who warned him, and you have friends that 

 have warned you and who have been praying for 

 you. 



" There are tlirce things that kept Pilate froTU 

 answering the question aright: He was a vacillator. 

 He was a typical Hillsborough County politician. 



