Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-10-05


bodies OF those other endangered ones
can be. oh. skepticism is a dark land,
There are men who would give a thou
sand worlds. IL they possessed them. to
get back TO the placid faith OF their "a
theirs and mothers. and IL is our place
TO help them. and we may help them,
never through their heads. but always
through their heayts. These skeptics,
when brought 20 Jesus. will be might
ily effective. far more SO than those
who never examined the evidences OF
Christianity. Thomas Chalmers was
once n skCptic. Robert Hail a skeptic.
Robert Newton skeptic. Christmas
Evans skeptic. But when once with
strong hand they took hold of the char
lot of the gospel they rolled IL on with
what momentum.
Ii | address such, men and women to-
I day. | throw out no SCOT. L implead
them by the memory of the good old
days when ut their mothers knee they
said. Now | lay. me down to sleep"
and by those days and nights OF scar
let fever In which she watched you.
giving you the medicine In Just the
right time aud turning your pillow
when II was hot and with hands that
many years ago turned TO dust soothed
away your pain and with voice that
you viii never hear again, unless you
join her In the better country. told you
TO never mind. for you would feel bet
ter 10y and by, aud by that dying couch
where she looked so pale and talked so
slowly, catching her breath between
the words. and you felt an awful lone
Illness coming over your soul-by al,
that beg you TO come back and take
! the same religion. 1t was good enough
for her: It Is good enough for you. Nay.
have better plea than that plead
by al the wounds and tears and blood
and groans and agonies and death
throes OF the Son of God. who ap-
proaches you this moment with torn
brow and lacerated hands and whip
ped back mud saying. Come unto me
ell We who are weary and heavy laden.
and will give you rest"
Help the Drowning.
Again. there Is field Of usefulness
but little touched, occupied by those
who are astrsy In their habits. All
northern nations, like those of North
America and England and Scotland
that is. in the colder .climates-are dew
astated by alcoholism. They take the
fire TO keep up the warmth. In south
ern countries, like Arabia and Spain.
the blood is so warm they are not
tempted to fiery liquids The great
Roman armies never drank anything
stronger than water tinged with vine
gar. but under our northern climate the
temptation TO heating stimulants is
! most mighty, and millions succumb.
When mans habits so wrong, the
church drops him, the social circle
drops him. good influences drop him
we all drop him. OF all the men who
get of the track but few ever get on
again.
Near my summer residence there is a
life saving station on The beach. There
are all the ropes and rockets. the boats.
the machinery, for getting people off
shipwrecks. One summer l saw there
IL or 90 men who were breakfasting
after having just escaped with their
lives and nothing more. Up and down
our coasts are built these useful atrtlc-
lures. and the mariners know IL, and
they feel that II they are driven into
the breakers there will be apt from
shore TO come n rescue. The churches
or God ought 70 be so many life saving
stations. not so much TO help those who
are In smooth waters. but those who
have been shipwrccked. Come. let us
run out the lifeboatsl And who will
man them? We do not preach enough
TO such mon. We have not enough
/ fpfth I'm fhnfs. L.. 10
they come TO hear us we arc lahorious-
ly trying 20 show the difference be-
tween sublopsarianism and supralap-
sarianism. while they have n hundred
vipcrS OF rcmorse and despair coilinC
around and biting their Immortal spi--
Its. The church is not chiefly for good
ish sort or men. whose proclivi.ies are
all right and who could get 10 heaven
praying and singing IN their own
homes 1t is on the beach TO help the
drowning. Those bad cases are the
cases that God likes to take hold of.
lie can save big sinner as well as n
small sinner. and when n man calls
earnestly 20 God for help ne will go out
to deliver such one. II it Were neces-
sery, God would come down from the
sky. followed by all the artillery OF
heaven and million angels with
drawn swords. Get 100 such redeemed
men In your churches, and nothing
could stand before them. for such men
are generally warm hearted and enthu-
siastic. No formal prayers then. No
heartless singing then. No cold con-
ventionallsms then
The Gospel Ship.