Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-12-07

iteiS niuiSetl oetter t1an some one VINO
is guilty of manslaughter. not realizing
that the assassination of character Is
the worst kind of assassination. The
LAYER for washing In the ancient taber-
nacle was ut it's side FURNISHED like
looking glass, SO that those that ap-
preached that laver might see their
need of washing, and II by the gospel
looking glass we discovered our own
need of moral cleansing we would be
more economic of denunciation. The
most of those who go wrong are the
victims of circumstances, aud II you
and l had been rocked In the same in
iQuitous cradle and been all our lives
surrounded by the same baleful influ-
cnces we would probably have done
just as badly. perhaps worse.
Here is n man down i'm the ditch of
misdoing. \ self righteous soul comes
along and looks down at him and says:
There is n man down in the ditch. He
had no business TO fall into IT, He is
suffering the consequences OF his own
wrongdoing. No one but himself is to
blame" And the hard hearted man
passes on. But here comes a warm
y IL.
He says: There Is man down I'm the
ditch. must get him out God help
me to get him out" And. standing
there on the edge of the ditch. the good
man soliloquizes and says to himself,
IF had had as bad a father nnd moth
err as he had and all the surroundings
of my life had been as depra wing as
those that have cursed him, | myself
would probably have been down In the
ditch, and IL that man had been blessed
with as good n father and mother as /
have. and he had been surrounded by
the kindly influences which have en-
comprised all my days. he would prob
ably have been standing here looking
down ut me in the ditch" Then the
good man puts his knee to the side of
the ditch and bends over and says TO
the fallen one. Brother. give me your
hand" and with one stout grip lifts
him up TO God and heaven. There are
wounds of the world that need the
probe and the sharp knife aud severe
surgery, but the most OF the wounds
want an application of ointment or
salve, and we ought to have three or
four boxes of that gospel medicament
in our pocket as we go out into the
world. We all need to carry more of
the balm of Gilead'' aud less caustic.
more beuediction and less anathema.
When fipd n professed Christian man
harsh and merciless i'm his estimate of
others, | silently wonder II he has not
been misusing trust funds or beating
his wife. There is something awful
the matter with him.
Help Rear the Temple.
We also have need of patience with
slow results of Christian work. We
want TO see our attempts TO do good
Immediately successful. The world Is
improving, but improving ut SO DELHI
crate rate; why not more rapidity
and momentum? Other wheels turn
so swiftly; why not the gospel chariot
take speed electric? do not know. l
only know that II is Gods way. We
whose cradle and grave arc so near to-
gether have TO hurry up, but God, who
manages this world and the universe.
is from everlasting TO everlasting. He
takes 500 years to DO that which he
could do In five minutes His clock
strikes once In n thousand years While
God took only Il week to fit up the
world for human residence. geology re-
Neals that the foundations Of the world
were cons In being laid. and God
watched the glaciers, and the fire. and
the earthquakes. and the volcano as
through centuries and millcnnums they
were shaping this world before that
last week that put on the arborescence.
A few days ago my friend was talking
with gcologist- AS they stood near
pile of rocks my friend sys5 20 the
scientist, IL suppose these rocks were
hundreds OF thousands OF years I'm con-
struction" And the gcologist replied,
YES, and you might say millions of
years, for no one knows but the Lord.
and he won't tell" If II took so long
10 make this world nj the start. he not
surprised II II takes long while to
make IL over again now that Il has been
ruined. The Architect has promised
TO reconstruct 1t. and the plans are oil
made, and at just the right time 1t will
be so complete that II will be fit for
heaven to move In, IL, according to the
belief of some of my friends, this world
is TO be made the eternal abode OF the
righteous. The wall OF that temple is
going up, and my only anxiety is to
have the one brick that am trying TO
make for that wall turn out TO be of
the right shape and smooth on all sides,
so that the Master Mason will not re-
Ject IL or have much work with the
trowei TO get 1t Into place. am re-
sponsible for only that one brick.
though you may be responsible for
panel of the door or a carved pillar or
glitterlng dome. SO we are Gods
workmen. and all we have TO do is 20
manage our own hammer or AK or
trowel until the night comes In which
no man can work. and when the work
is all completed We will have n right TO
say rejoicingly: THANK God, was
privileged 10 help In the rearing OF that
temple! / had a part In the work OF
the worlds redemption
BE Patient Under wronu.
Again. we have need of patience IN
der wrong Inflicted. and who escapes IL |
In some form? 1t comes to oil people |
IN professional life In the shape of be- |
ing misunderstood. Because OF this. |
how many people fly to newspap ers for !
an explanation. You see their card |
signed by their own name declaring
they did not say this or did not do that. |
They fiuster and worry, not realizing |
that every man comes to be taken FOR |
what he is worth. and you cannot, by |
any newspaper pun. be taken for more |
than you are worth nor by any news |
paper depreciation be put down. There |
Is spirit OF fairness abroad In the |
world, and If you are n public man you
are classified among the friends or
foes OF society. Ii you are friend of |
society, you Will find plenty Of adher-
ents, and II you are the foe of society |
you cannot escape apprehension. Paul, |
you were right when you said, not |
more to the Hebrews than to us. Eye
have need OF patience" / adopted q
rule years ago which has been Of great
trs.a % IA