Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-07-13


Nearly all the nations rich in it-rock
salt spring salt sea salt. Christ. the
Creator OF the world. when he uttered
our text knew IL would become more
and more significant as the shafts were
sunk. and the springs were bored. and
the pumps We're worked. and the crys-
tails were gathered. So the grace of
God is abundant IL is for all lands.
for all ages. for all conditions. IL seems
TO undergirl everything-pardon for
the worst sin. comfort for the sharpest
suffering. brightest light for the thick
EST darkness. Around about the salt
lakes OF Saratov there are 10000 men
toiling day and night, and yet they
never exhaust the saline treasures
And IL the l.6C0.0OO.O0O of our race
should now cry out to God for his mer-
cy there would be enough for all-for
those furthest gone i'm sin, for the muir.
derer standing on the drop of the gal.
lows. IL Is an ocean of mercy. and If
Europe and Asia. Africa. North and
South America and all the islands of
the sea went down i'm il today they
would have room enough to wash and
come up clean. Let no man think that
his case is too tough a one for God to
act upon. Though your sin may be
deep and raging, let me tell you that
Gods grace is a bridge not built on
earthly piers. but suspended and SPAN
ming the awful chasm of your guilt.
one end resting upon the rock of eter-
nal promises aud the other on the foun-
dations of heaven. Demetrius wore n
robe so incrusted with jewels that no
one after him ever dared to wear il,
but our King. Jesus. takes Off the robe
of his righteousness, q robe blood dyed
and heaven impaired, and reaches il
out TO the worst wretch In all the earth
and says: Put that onl Wear il nowi
Wear it forever
The Grace Of God.
Again. the grace of God is like salt
in the way we come ut it The salt on
the surface is almost always impure
that which incruSts the Rocky noun
tains and the South American pampas
and in India-but the miners go down
through the shafts and through the
dark labyrinths and along by galleries
of rock and. with torches and pickaXes,
find their way under the very founda-
tons Of the earth to where the salt lies
that makes up the nations wealth. To
get to the best saline springs of tie
earth huge machinery goes down. bor-
ing depth below depth. depth below
depth. until from under the very roots
of the mountains the saline water sup
plies the aQueduct. This water is
brought tc the surface and is exposed
III tanks to the sun for evaporation. or
it is put in boilers nightly heated. and
the water evaporates, and the salt
gathers ut the bottom OF the tank. The
work is completed, and the fortune is
made. SO with the grace of God. 1t is
to be profoundly sought after With
all the concentered energies of body.
mind and soul we must dig for il. No
man stumbles accidentally on ii. We
need 20 so down TO the very lowest
strata OF earneStneSS and faith 70 end
IL. Superficial exploration will not turn
II up. We must strive and implore and
dig until we strike the spring foaming
with living waters. Then the work of
evaporation begins. and as, when the
saline waters are exposed to the sun
the Napors float away, leaving nothing
but the pure white salt at the bottom
OF the tank. so, when the Christians
soul is exposed TO the Sun OF Righteous.
TESS. the vapors of pride and selfish
ness and worldliuess float of and there
is chiefly left beneath pure white holl.
ness of heart. Then. as i'm the case of
the salt the furnace is added. Blazing
troubles, stirred by smutted stokers OF
darkness, quicken the evaporation OF
worldliness and the capitalization OF
grace.
Powerful Preventative
Have you not been in enough trouble
10 have that work go on? / was read.
ing OF Aristotle. who said there was
held OF flowers in Sicily so sweet that
once hound. coming on the track OF
game, came TO that field and was be-
wildered by the perfumes and so lost
the track. oh, that our souls might
become like "a field which the Lord
hath blessed and exhale so much OF
the sweetness OF Christian character
that the hounds OF temptation, coming
ON our track. might lose il and 20 howl !
ing back with disappointment!
But remark again that the grace of |
God Is like the salt i'm its preservatiye |
quality. You know that salt absorbs
The moisture of articles of food and |
infuses them with brine which pre-
serves them for long while. Salt is
the great antiputrefactor OF the world. |
EXperimenters, in preserving wood. |
have tried sugar and smoke and air I
tight jars and everything else. but as
long rs the world stands Christs words /
VIII be suggestive, and men will admit |
thnt as great preservative salt Is |
good" But for the grace OF God the
earth would have become n stale car !
cass long before this. That grace is |
the only preservative Of laws and con- |
stltutions and literatures. Just as soon !
as a government loses this salt of di-
VINE grace IT perishes. The philosophy |
or this day. so far as IL is antagonIstic
TO this religion. putrefies and stinks. |
i ne great want of our schools OF learn
Ing and our Institutions of science To-
day is not more Leyden jars and gal
vanic batteries and spectroscones and /
apparatus, but more of
mat grace that Will teach our men of
science that the God of the universe Is
the Cod OF the Bible. How strange ii
Is that in all their magnificent sweep
or the telescope they have not seen the
morning star OF Jesus and that in all
their experiments with light and heat
they have not seen the light and felt
the warmth of the Sun of Righteous.
ness! We want more Of the salt OF
Gods grace in our homes, in our
schools. in our colleges, In our social
lie, In our Christianity, And that
which has it will live; that which has
II not will die. | proclaim the tenden.
cy OF everything earthly to putrefac-
tlon and death. the religion of Christ
the only preservative.
My subject is one of great cougratu.
lation to those who have within their
souls this gospel antiseptic. This salt