“PLAYING THE FOOL”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18443, 29 March 1922, Page 8

“PLAYING THE FOOL”

A “BIG” MAN’S ADDRESS. MR. VIRGO AT THE Y.M.C.A. On Sunday afternoon there gathered a large number of young men, and not a few old-young men, at the invitation of the Y.M.C.A. authorities, to hear an adress by Mr J. J. Virgo, C.B.E. Mr Jno. McMillan presided, and introduced Mr Virgo. After the opening exercises the meeting was placed in the hands of Mr Virgo, who proceeded to discourse upon his chosen subject, “Playing the Fool.” At the outset, the speaker traversed the circumstances of the utterance of the mighty King Saul. A mighty man physically—and happy the man should be if he is so favoured by God —handsome, popular, successful in battle, he became self-confident, an oft time fatal occurrence in a life—and caused him to place God out. of his programme. What happened? He forfeited his crown, nay rather, and more unfortunate still, he forfeited God’s favour. Although it spelt hopelessness in the sight of Saul, and his subsequent acts caused him to treat it so, it was not necessarily so, but nevertheless it was an awful position for any man to be in. Bad in the eyes of the community, how terrible the lapse in the sight of God. Saul was let down by jealousy: his unbridled passion had brought him ruin. This great big man had played the fool and his end was suicide. How different it might have been! Bringing the subject right into the midst of his hearers, the speaker proceeded to show in a number of instances how it is possible to play the fool, e.g. (1) making a mock of sin; (2) mocking the claims of religion, and (3) rejecting the position offered by Christ. Regarding the first aspect, the speaker commenced with a question —what is sin, and why speak about it at all—at any rate in a gathering of respectable men? But he reminded the audience that the subject was a very real one to each young fellow. The old adage, “Sow a thought, etc.,” still had its meaning for life to-day, and whatsoever 1 a man sowed in his youth that he' would reap in his old age if not sooner. Had they ever read of Ps. 32 or Ps. 51? What was the thing that pained Christ most in the agonies of the Crucifixion—rot the nails, not the crown of thorns, not the spear. He died of a broken heart, and it was sin that caused it. It is only fools who mock at sin—this most unpopular subject of which none care to speak. Did they not note the hiss of the serpent in that word sin—S-in? Sin is the most damnable, the most costly thing in God’s universe. The speaker proceeded to speak of an incident which had come under his notice as a visitor to a hospital. A young man lay very ill in bed; Mr Virgo had made repeated endeavours to visit him, but the young fellow would have none of it. His only opportunity came when the patient lapsed into unconsciousness, and he was shown into the ward. The young fellow came to for a while, and Mr Virgo appealed to him tor an indication as to how he could help him. It was no use. The young man had no need of him and his end was one of life’s tragedies. He had been making a mock of sin—and now it had cost him his body, his mind, his reputation, his character, and, most ot all, his soul, all because he had been making a mock of sin. And yet some thought ■ that to sin was an exhibition of manlimss; they would euter into its clutches lor the sake of popularity; they would even come to the belief that it was the right thing to do wrong. Any fool could no wrong! When church-going is spoken of, it is met with the answer they do not want to be called “Goody Goody”—surely it is better to be termed “Goody Goody” Ilian its counterpart, “Baddy Baddy.” It is the cry of the weakling, and its contents is utter rubbish. Is it easier to hold fast or to drift ? It is easier to drift. Is it easier to go to church than to stay away from church—but the fight is worth while. The speaker instanced a personal experience on the river Murray, and which was full of point and illustrative that it is easy to go with the tide," but difficult to swim against it. Cease to twit the fellow about church-going and striving to lead a good lite —any fool car. do wrong, make a mock of sin. Sin is responsible for our gaols, mental asylums, for mothers’ hearts broken, forefathers’ broken frames. The question is an individual one—what are you—in the dark? Now religion is not a matter of rights nor ceremonies. Jesus had cause to reprimand a number ot self-righteous people one time and to tell them straight that ‘ I know that you have not the love of God in you.” Religion is the response of man’s nature to the all wise, the eternal, the invisible. It is the response of human nature to the will of the higher. It is not a matter of intellect or will —it is a matter for the practical lite —it is the matter of religion or the man. Religion is the mainspring of r.d men ot real prominence, although some might think of exceptions to the rule. Every nation has some religion. There is no nation and no community but has some conception of reward and punishment. But there is no religion like the religion of Jesus, with its rec: perative power. In Jesus is the full exemplification of what religion can be. It gives hope for the most irreligious character. They all knew of kite-fly-ing: what would they think of anyone who suggested to a lad flying his kite to cut the string and it would fly higher than ever; they would know its higher flight would be momentary and that a few moments would see the kite a mass of wreckage on the ground. And yet some will give su/ advice to the young lad —why cling or suffer himself to cling to his mother’s apron strings. What a fool to bind himself to his mother’s apron strings —let him cut adrift and fly—let him see how far he can soar. Soar away only to crash among the briars of passion and lust, the result of irreligious life and defective character. The religion of Jesus Christ attracts. Firstly it renews men’s nature. Other religions are not this. For the Chinese should he fall into a pit he is helpless, he will be met in any call for help that he was foolish to fall into the pit. The foolishness and sorrow might be repeated with the suggestion that if the unfortunate man would reach up

half way the would-be helper will reach down the other half to help him. In Christ there are no “half ways.” The speaker went on to speak of a man who had much ton learn. This man had the habit of coming to his home of a morning and winter or not, at eix o'clock he would demand admittance and request “a couple of hours with the old book.” The worst man the speaker ever knew was “Ted the Snag”—and a veritable snag he was too. A big man, and a dangerous man, nothing was too bad for him in his home relations or otherwise. And then a change came over him. A reformed young woman was speaking in a mining camp and asking for men to take Jesus Christ as their Saviour. There was one man in the' audience, pacing up and down—for it was not for him to be sitting down in a religious meeting—he was thinking deeply on what was said by the young woman, and he decided to make the “great surrender.” And what a renewing power Christ lecame to Ted the Snag, no longer the dangerous man but one beautifully transformed by the power of Christ; but what of the fifty years which were lost? What might this man not have been if these had been saved! Secondly, the religion of Jems Christ has “resisting” strength. The average young fellow when the example of Jesus is pointed to, remarks, “But Jesus was different.” Yes, Jesus was tempted—but he was’ without sin. He was able “not ; to,” and that is what the religion of Jesus Christ can do for you—it will give you resisting strength to meet the desires which arise out of sin. Through prayer he will be able to resist the worst temptation, . he will be able to restrain the thoughts which precede the temptation. The speaker spoke of a remarkable incident in the life of a man to whom swearing was as natural a thing as eating. Then an accident occurred to him in haymaking—and wonder of wonders, he did not swear. The change was remarkable and he ha I to run to the nearest neighbour to tell him of the “miracle” in the barn. And thirdly, the reliigon of Jesus has a refining influence. A young lad is in a Y.M.C.A.—he is lonely and he is reading. The Y.M.C.A. man takes him home, leads him to a job. He starts to be religious and set the right conception of Jesus right at the beginning. A big meeting is held in the Theatre Royal—a fellow rushes into trouble—No. 1 leads No. 2to Jesus. This was t’’- result of the good work of years past in the Y.M.C.A., when a good turn was done for a lad. Some fellows meet the matter with a “Don’t know where they are,” -.-’’at with one denomination and another laying claim to them. The position is that if they e’-e. Christ His proper place - —the other things will then right themselves. The v. ole thing was summed up in really “wanting to be saved.” Of four i~stances of men who had come under the influence of the lad mentioned in the address one had developed into one of the be preachers in New Zealand, another preaches in the largest church in Australia, a third x- s made good in America, where i.e is ale ays ready to lend a helping hand to all in need, a fourth died in China in the Boxer riots—all the result of he’/irg a boy one night. Thus is evidenced the power of religion. A third aspect of playing the fool is “Being ashamed of Jesus.” The speaker illustrated his point of ungratefulness in an instance of a man being saved from drowning one bitter cold night, in the efforts towards which the rescuers suffered discomfort and danger. The rescued man met his rescuers with the basest of ingratitude ; s he strode away into the darkness. But the rescuer remembered an instance in his own experience which went to combat the annoyance of ingratitude which he had experienced that night. He had come to realise the meaning of though we were dead in trespasses and sins Christ had died for us. The position then was—Do we thank Christ, or are we ashamed of Him? At a beach in .Scu’h Australia, a boy was in danger of ’rowning; at great effort ho is sa -ed, b t a man is so Injured he is deformed for life—a hunchback. Years pass by and the hunchback’s son goes to boarding school; one day he sees his father approaching and he runs for dear life—he is ashamed of the one who saved him. What o? Christ — are we ashamed of Him? It is playing the fool, and there is no greater force. The speaker made a great appeal to his hearers to have done with sin and ignoring of Christ and religion. T have the pluck to stand up for the -iglit. It was in all points a great address by a bighearted Christian man, and more’s the pity that its message could not have been broadcasted that every lad in the land could hear it and have the warning ever ringing, “What you sow thus shall you also reap.”