Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-02-23

Bad men Gnd women live n very short
life. Their sins kin them. | Know
hundreds OF good cid men. but do not
know half dozen lad old men. Whyi
They do not get old. Lord Byron died
at Misso,onghi ut SO years OF age. him
self his own Mazeppa, his unbridied
passions the horse that dashed with
him into the desert. Edgar a. Poe
died ut Baltimore at So years OF age.
The black raven that allghted on the
bust above his chamber door was de
lirium tremens,
Only this ard nothing more.
Napoleon Bonapartc lived only Just
beyond midlife. then died at St. Hell
ena. ana one OF his doctors said that
his disease was induced by excessive
snufling.- The hero OF Austerlitz. the
man who 10y one step of his foot i'm the
center of Europe shook the earth, kill
ed 10y n snuffbox! Oh. how many peo-
pie we have known who have not lived
out half their DAYS because OF their
designations and indulgences. Now
practical religion is protest against
I'LL dissipation OF any kind.
But" you say, professors of reli-
gion have fallen, professors of religion
have got drunk, professors of religion
have misappropriated trust funds, pro-
fessors of religion have absconded."
Yes, but they threw away their reli-
gion before they did their morality. If
n man on White Star line steamer
bound for Liverpool in mid-Atlantic
jumps overheard and Is drowned, Is
81,
lines capacity to take the man across
the ocean? And If n man jumps over
the gunwale of his religion and goes
down never to rise is that any reason
for your believing that religion has no
capacity TO take the man clear through?
In the one case II he had kept to the
steamer his body would have been
saved; In the other case II he had kept
to his religion his morals would have
been saved.
Healthy balance.
There are aged people who would
have been dead % years ago but for
the defenses and the equipoise of reli-
gion. You have no more natural re-
sistaace than hundreds of people who
lie in the cemeteries today slain by
their own vices. The doctors made
their case as kind and pleasant as they
could. and II was called congestion Of
the brain or something else, but the
snakes and the blue flies that seemed
TO crawl over the pillow In the sight Of
the dclirious patient showed what was
the matter with him. You, the aged
Christian man, walked along by that
unhappy one until you came to the
golden pillar of the Christian life. You
went to the right; he went to the left.
That is all the difference between you.
oh, IL this religion is a protest against
all forms OF dissipation then 1t is an H.
lustrious friend of longevity with
long life will satisfy him."
Again, religion is a friend OF longey-
ity in the fact that II takes the worry
out of our temporallties.- 1t is not work
that kills men; it is worry. When n
man becomes q genuine Christian, he
makes over to God not only his affec-
tons, but his family. his business, his
reputation, his body, his mind, his soul
everything. Industrious he will be.
but never worrying, because God is
managing his affairs. How can he
worry about business when In answer
TO his prayers God tells him when to
buy and when 10 sell. and, If he gain.
that is best and, II he lose, that is best?
Suppose you had supernatural
neighbor who came In and said: "Sir.
| want you 10 call on me In every OK
lgency. | am your fast friend. | could
fall back on S20.o0000O. | can foresee
panic ten years. l hold the control
ling stock In 30 OF the best monetary
institutions OF this country. Whenever
YOU are In any trouble call on me. and
1 will help you. You can have my
money. and you can have my influence.
Here Is my hand In pledge OF t." How
much would you worry about busi-
nessG Why. you would say, "I'll do
the best can. and then I'll depend on
my friends generosity for the rest"
Now, more than that Is promised to
every Christian business man. God
says To him: 81 own New York and
London and ST. Petersburg and Picking.
and Australia and California are mine.
L can foresee panic 1000 years. /
nave all the resources OF the universe.
and am your fast friend. When Won
get In business trouble or any other
trouble. call on me. and | will helm.
Here Is my hand in pledge of omnipo-
tent dellverance." How much should
that man worry? Not much. What
lion VIII dare 10 put his paw on that
Dahiel! is there not rest In this? Is
there not an eternal vacation In this?
God In Present.
asked God for blessing In a certain
enterprise. and he lost s., 700 in il. Eek.
plain that" will. Yonder is a fac
tory, and one wheel is going north and
the other wheel is going south, and one
wheel plays literally and the other
plays vertically. ! go TO the manufac-
turer, anu | say: "Oh, manufacturer.
your machinery Is contradiction.
why do you not make all the wheels
go one wayY' well" he saws. 81
made them TO so In opposite directions
On purpose, and they produce the right
result You go down stairs and ex-
anime the carpets We, are turning out
n this establishment and you will see"
so down on the other floor, and | see |
ne carpets, and ! am obliged to con- |!
.ess that though the wheels In that
actory go In opposite directions they
urn out beautiful result. and while | |
I'm standing there looking at the ex.
luisite fabric an old Scripture passage
omes Into my mind-"All things work
ogether for good to them who love
iod" Is there not rest In that? Is
mere not tonic In that? Is there not
ongevity In that?
suppose man Is all the time worried
pout ms reputation. One man says he
Ies' another says he is stupid. another
avs he Is dishonest. and half n dozen
establishments attack him.
no he Is In n great state OF excite
nent and worry and fume and cannot
ieep. but religion comes to him and
avs: Man. God is on your side; he
siil take care OF your reputation. If
iou be for you. who can no ooognst