Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-04-26


atonement. his intercession-what gio-
rlous themesi DO we exercise faith?
Christ is its object. Do we have love?
II fastens on Jesus Have we a fond
ness for the church? IL Is because
Christ died for il. Have we hope OF
heaven? 1t Is because Jesus went
ahead. the herald and the forerunner.
Saved Through Christ.
The royal robe of Demetrlus was so
costly. SO beautiful. that after he had
put IL of no one ever dared put IL on.
But this robe OF Christ, richer than
that. the poorest and the wannest and
the worst may wear. where sin
abounded grace may much more
abound"
oh, my sins. my SINS" said Martin
Luther 10 Staupitz: my sins. my sinsr'
The fact Is that the brawny German
student had found a Latin Bible that
bad made him quake, and nothing else
ever Gid make him quake. and when he
found how. through Christ. he was
pardoncd and saved he wrote TO
friend. saying: Come over and join us.
great aud awful sinners saved by the
~
slender sinner. and you don't much ex.
tol the mercy of God. but we who lave
been such very awful sinners praise
his grace the more now that we have
been redeemed" Can Il be that you
are so desperately egotiStical that YOU
feel yourself in first rate spiritual trim
and that from the root Of the hair to
the tip of the toe you are scarless and
immaculate? What you need is look
lug glass and here IL Is in the Bible.
Poor and wretchpd and miserable and
blind aud naked from the crown OF the
head TO the sole of The foot. full OF
wounds and purifying sores. No
health in us. And then take the fact
that Christ gathered up all the notes
against us and paid them and then of.
fered US the receipt.
And how much we need him in our
sorrowsl We are independent of cir.
cumstances If we have his grace. Why,
he made Paul sing in the dungeon. and
under that grace St. John from desolate
Patmos heard the blast of the apoca-
lyptic trumpets. After oil other cam
dies have been snuffed out this is the
light that gets brighter and brighter
unto the perfect day, and after, under
the hard hoofs OF calamity. all the
pools OF worldly enjoyment have been
trampled into deep mire. at the foot Of
the eternal rock. the Christian. from
cups of granite. lily rimmed and vine
covered. puts out the thirst of his soul
The Final Hour.
Again | remark that Christ Is above
all in dying alterations. I have not
any sympathy with the morbidity
abroad about our demise The emperor
Of Constantinople arranged that on the
day of his coronation the stonemason
should come and consult him about his
tombstone that after awhile he would
need. and there are men who are mon
omanical on the subject OF departure
from this life by death. aud the more
they think OF Ii the less prepared are
they TO 20. This is an unmanliness not
worthy or you. not worthy OF me.
Saladin, the greatest conqueror of his
day. while dying ordered the tuuic be
had on him to be carried after his
death OF n spear at the head of his
army, and then the soldier ever and
that Is left of Saladin, the emperor and
conquerorl or all the states he con-
quered, of all the wealth he accumu-
lated. nothing did be retain but this
nhroudT have no sympathy with
such behavior or such absurd demon
stration. o. with much tina. we hear
uttered In regard TO departure from
this life to the next. There is COM
mon-sensical idea on this subject that
you and need TO consider-that there
are only two styles OF departure
a thousand feet underground. by
light OF torch tollIng In miners shaft.
n ledge or rock may fall upon us. and
we many die n miners death. Far out
at sen. falling from the slippery rat.
lines and broken on the haly.rds. we
may die sailors death. On mission
OF mercy In hospital, amid broken
bones and reeklng leprosies ard rag.
ing fevcrs. we may die a phllanthro
pist's death. On the field OF battle.
serving God and our country. siugs
through the heart, the gun carriage
may roll over us, and we may die n
patriots death. But, after all, there
are only two styles OF departure-the
death OF the righteous and OF the
wicked, and we all want to die the
former.
God grant that when that hour comes
you may be ut homei You want the
hand Of your kindred in your hand.
You want your children to surround
you. You want the light on your pill
low from eyes that have long reflected
your love. You want the room still.
You do not want any curious strangers
standing around watching you. You
want your kindred from afar TO hear
your last prayer. / think that Is the
wish or all of us. But is that all? Can
earthly friends hold us when the bill
lows or death come up TO the girdle?
Can human voice charm open heavens
Gatef Can human hands pilot us
through the narrows OF death into
heavens harbor? Can an earthly
friendship shield us from the arrows
OF death and in the hour when satan
shall practice upon US his Internal
archery? No, no. Alas, poor soul, If
that is all! Better die in the wilder
ness, far from tree shadow and far
from fountain, alone. vultures circling
through the air waiting for our body,
unknown to men and to have no burial
IL only Christ would say through the
solitudes. II Will never leave thee; i
will never forsake thee" From that
pillow of stone a ladder would soar
heavenward, angels coming and going,
and across the solitude and the barren
ness would come the sweet notes of
heavenly minstrelsy.
On Zion Heights.
Gordon Hall. far from home, dying
in the door of a heather temple, said,
GLORY 10 thee. o Godr' What did dy-
Ing Wilberforce say to his wife? Come
and sit beside me and let US talk OF
heaven. l never knew what happiness
was until found Christ" What did
dying Hannah More say? ITO go to
heaven. think what that Isl To go to
Christ who died that / mioht Uvat