Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-01-04


cifui In your word Of warning. for the
day may Come when you may need
some one to be lenient and excusatory
To you. There may be somewhere
ahead OF ycu temptation SO mighty
that unless you have sympathetic treat
meot you may so under. "Oh, no.
says some one; 81 am too old for that"
Bow old are you? oh" you say. 81
have been so long In active business
life that am clear pas, the latitude OF
danger. There Is man 10 Sing Sing
! penltentiary who was considered the
soul Of honor until be was 80 years OF
age and then committed a dishonesty
that startled the entire commercial
world
Divine Architecture.
In mentioning fine arts people are apt
to speak OF music and painting and
sculpture and architecture. but they
| forget to mention the finest of all the
fine arts. the art of doing good. the ART
of helping others. the art OF saving
men. An art to be studied as you
study music. for II is music In the fact
that II drives out moral discord and
substitutes eternal harmony. An art to
be studied like sculpture, for II Is sculp-
ture In the fact that IL builds q man moi
In cold statue, but In Immortal shape
that Will last long after all peDtelicau
marble has crumbled An art to be
studied as you study architecture. for Il
Is architecture In the fact that it builds
| for him house OF God. eternal In the
heavens. But an art that we cannot
fully learn unless God helps us Our
selves saved by grace divine. we can &C
forth to save others, and with tender.
ness and compassion and a pity that
we could not otherwise exercise we car
pronounce the warning word with mag
nliicent result The Lord said TO the
prophet Amos. Amos. what secst
thouY' and he answered. "a basket OF
summer fruit" hut | do not think
Amos saw In that basket OF summer
| fruit anything more inviting md lus.
cious than many a saved man has seen
~ the warming word of SOME hearty.
common sense Christian adviser, for q
word fifty spoken Is like apples Of gold
In baskets of silver"
SO also is word of invitation potent
and beautiful Who can describe the
drawing power Of that word, so small
and yet so tremendous, Conner" 1t is
u short word, but its influence is as
long as eternity; not a sesquipedallan
word spreading Its energy over many
Esyllaeles, but monosyllablc. Whether
ceiling In wrong direction or right d.
reetion many have found IL Irresistible.
1 A-I
of dissipation and dissoluteness. 1t is
responsible for the denominations that
curse the earth Inquire at the door of
prisons what brought the offender
there and at the door OF almshouses
what brought the pauper there and at
the door Of the lost world what was the
cause OF the Incarceration, and IL the
inmates speak the truth they will say,
The word come brought us here"
Come and drink. Come and gamble.
Come and sin. Come and die. Pro-
nounce that word with one kind of I'm.
Election, and you can hear I'm It the toll
Ing of all the bells Of conhagration and
woe.
The chief baker I'm prison I'm Pha-
raoh's time saw I'm dream something
quite different from apples OF gold in
baskets of silver, for he said 10 Joseph.
Il was also In a dream, and. behold, /
had three white baskets on my head.
and In the uppermost basket there was
all manner of baked meats for Pha-
raoh, and the birds did eat them out Of
the baskets upon my head" Joseph in
terpreted the dream and said IL meant
that the chief baker should be behead-
ed, and the birds would eat his fesh.
So many man has In his own bad
habits omens OF evil that peck ut him
and foretell doom and death.
Mighty word.
But. oh, the power of that word
come" when Alright utteredl We do
well when we send young men into
schools and colleges and theological
seminarics and by nine years OF in
struction and drill hope to prepare
them TO sound Alright that sweet and
enraptur!ng and heaven descended
word come" The gospel we believe
In Is gospel OF come" That word
speak all the churches. That word is
now building thrones for conGuerors
and FURNISHED coronets for kings and
queens That word is TO sound so clear.
ly and impressively md divlnely that
the day Is advancing when all nations
shall respond; I'VE comet We comev
And while the upper sleeps toward
God and heaven Will be thronged with
redeemed souls ascending there will
not be one solitary traveller on the road
or sin and death.
In the Kremlin at Moscow is what "a
called the king OF Bells" but 1t is a
ruined bell, and IL has sung no sound
for near 200 years. Ii is CT feet In cir
conference, and In height Ii Is more
than ten times the height or the aver.
age men. and II took a score OF men TO
swing Its brazen tongue. 1t weighs
200 tons. On the 10Th OF June. I7O6. In
great IRE 1t fell and broke. 1t broke
at the part which was weakened by the
jewels which the ladies OF Moscow
threw into the liquid metal Mt the cast
Ing. The voices OF that bell are forey.
er hushed- 1t Will never ring again Ell
Their at wedding or obseQuy or corona.
tion- What majestic and overpowerIns
silence! Enthroned and everlasting
quietudel One walks around Il full OF
wonder and historical "Reminiscences and
solemnity. On 1t are figures In relief
representing car and empress and
Christ and Mary and the evangelists.
But as stood before ii last summer
bethought myself OF greater bell and
one still ringing. 1t is the gospel bell
ages ago hung on the beam OF the
cross 1t has vaster circumference and
with mightier tongue sounds across
seas and continents and awakens ech.
oes amid Alpine and Himalayan and
Sierra Nevadan ranges. The Jewels of
affection thrown into 1t at It's casting
by ransomed souls OF earth and heaven
have not weakened 1t. but made It
stronger and more glorious EvangeL
lists and apostles rang 1t. and martyrs
lifted their hands through the flames
to give 1t another sounding. 1t will |
ring on until all nations hear II and |
accept Its Invitation, Come. comew 1t |
al F-V