Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-08-10

( on the planet at the present time who
I has had more. Hear 70. men ard boys.
! women and girls. all the fun Is on the
side OF right Sin may seem attractive.
| but IL Is deathful and like the man
chineel tree whose dews are poison.
Gus. The only genuine happiness is In
u Christian life.
No Pleasure In Sin.
There they 80. two brothers. The one
was converted a year ago i'm church
! one Sunday morning during prayer or
sermon or hymn. No one know 1t at the
time. The persons on either side of
him suspected nothing. but I'm that
young mans soul this process went on:
Lord. here l am. a young man amid
the temptations OF city life. and | am
afraid to risk them alone. Come and
be my pardon and my help. Save me
from making the mistake some of NV
comrades are making. and save mo
now" And quicker than a fash God
rolled heaven into his soul. He is inst
as jolly us he used to be. is lust rs
brilliant as he used to he. He can
strike bah or catch enc as easily rs
before he was converted. With gup
or fishing rod in this summer vacation
ne Is just as slSillful as before. The
world Is brighter to him than ever.
He appreciates pictures. music, inno-
cent MARTY, social life. good Jokes
ana mas plenty OF fun. glorious fun.
BUT his brother Is going down hin. In
the morning his head aches from the
champagne debauch. Everybody sees
he Is in rapid descent What cares
he for right or dccency or the honor
or his family name? Turned out of
employment. depleted i'm health, cast
down in spirits. the typhoid fever
strikes him in the smallest room on
the fourth story OF fifth rate board
ing house. cursing God and calling for
his mother and fighting back demons
from his dying pillow. which is be-
sweated and torn to rags. He piunges
out of this world with the shrek of a
destroyed spirit. Alas for that kind of
run. 1t Is remorse. Ii is despair. IL
is biacknesS of darkness IL is woe
amending and long reverbcrating and
crushing as though all the mountains
OF all continents rolled on him in one
avalanche. Ny soul. stand back from
such fun. Young man. there is no fun
In shipwrecking your character. no fun
In disgracing your fathers name.
There is no fun in breaking your moth
| er's heart. There is no fun in the
physical pangs of the dissoiute There
is no fun in the profigate's deathbed.
| There is no fun i'm an undone eterni-
~. ParacelsuS. out of the ashes of a
burnt rose. said he could rccreatc the
rose, but he failed i'm the alchemic I'M
dertaking, and roseate life. once burn
cd down in sin. can never again be
made TO blossom
Measured by Gcd.
oh. this plumb line Of the everlasting
right God viii throw il over all our
lives to show us our moral reflections.
God will throw it over all churches 60
show whether they are doing useful
work or are Instances of idlcness and
pretense. he will throw that plumb
line over all nations 60 demonstrate
whether their laws are Just or cruel.
their rulers good or bad, their ambi-
tons holy or infamous. God is now
throwing that plumb line over this re-
public. and il is 4 solemn time with
this nation. and whether we keen his
/ Sabbaths or dishonor them. whether
righteousness or iniquity dominate.
whether we are Christian or infidcl.
whether we fulfil our mission or refuse,
whether we are for God or against him,
Will decide whether we shall as a ma
ton go on i'm higher and higher career
or go down i'm the same grave where
Babylon and Nincveh and Thebes are
sepulchcred.
But. say you. Elf there be nothing
but plumb line. what can any of us
do, for there is an old provcrb which
truthfully declares. III the best mans
faults were written on his forehead
1t would make him pull his hat over
his eyes What shall we do when.
according 60 Isaiah. God shall lay
Judgment TO the line and righteous.
ness the plummcty" All, here is
where the gospel comes In with n
Saviour's righteousness to make up
for our deficits. And while see hang.
ing on the wall plumb line. see also
hanging there cross. And while the
one condemns us. the other saves us,
IL only we will hold TO IL. Aud here
and now you may be set free with n
more glorious liberty than Hampden
or Sidney or Kosciusko ever fought for
Not out yonders or down there or IN
here. but just where you are you may
get It.
"he invalid proprietrcss OF n wealthy
estate I'm Scotland visited the continent
OF Europe To get rid of her maat!ics,
and she went TO Baden Baden and
tried those waters and went 10 Carls-
bad and tried those waters and went
to Homburg and tried those waters
and instead OF getting better she got
worse and In despair she said TO
physician. What shall | do?'' His re-
| ply was: Medicine can do nothing for
you. You have only one chance. and
that is the waters of Pit Keathly,
| Scotland" us il poSsibley' she re-
piled. why. those waters are on my
own estate" She returned and drank
OF the fountain at her own gate and
i'm two months completely recovered.
Oh. Sick and diseased and SHINING and
| dying. why go trudging all the world
over and seeking here and there relief
| for your discouraged spirit when close
| by ana ut your very feet and at the
door Of your heart. aye, within the
very estate of your own consciousness,
the healing waters OF eternal life may
be had and had this very hour. this
very minute? Blessed be God that over
against the plumb line that Amos saw
is the cross, through the emapcipating
power OF which you and may live
and live forcverl
copyright. 1900. by Louis klopschl
Jacobs Well.
At the foot of Mount GeriZim. in