Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-11-15
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gle OF a man who desires liberia ton
from the enthrallment of evil aud
shows how he may be set free; text,
Proverbs xiii, 30: when shall i
awake? I will seek II yet again"
With an insight into human nature
such as no other man ever had, Solo
mon in these words is sketchinG the
mental processes of man who has
STEPPED aside from the path of recti-
tude and would like to return. Wish
ing for something better he says:
"When shall 1 awake? When shall
get over this horrible nightmare OF in
iquityT' But seized upon by uneradi-
Gated appetite and pushed down hill
by his passions he cries out: II Will
seek it yet again. 1 will try 1t once
more"
About q mile from Princeton, n. J.,
there IS skating pond. One winter
day, when the ice was very thin, a
farmer living near by warned the
young men of the danger OF skating at
that time. They all took the warning
except one young man He, i'm the
spirit of bravado, said. boys, one
round more" He struck out on his
skates, the ice broke, and his lifeless
body was brought up. And in all mat
tiers of temptation and allurement IL is
Tot prolougation that is proposed,
but only just one more indulgence. just
one more sin. Then comes the fatality.
Alas for the one round morel 81 will
seek it yet again"
n.,w- ~ y,
giant literature addressed to young
men, pointing out to them all the dan
gers and perils OF life. Complete maps
OF the voyage of life-the shoals, the
rocks, the quicksands. But suppose a
young man is already shipwrecked,
suppose he is already OFF the track.
suppose he has already gone astray-
how can be get back? That is a ques-
ton that remains unanswered. and
amid all the books of the libraries l
find not one word on that subject. To
that class OF persons this day address
myself.
You compare what you are now with
what you were three or four years ago,
and you are greatly disheartened. You
are ready with every passion Of your
soul 90 listen to a discussion like this.
BE Of good cheer! Your best days are
yet TO come. / offer you the hand OF
welcome and rescue. I put the silver
trumpet OF the gospel TO my lips and
blow one long, loud blast, saying.
whatsoever will. let him come, and
let him come now" The church of
Cod is ready to spread banquet upon
yeur return, and all the hierarchs OF
heaven fall into line OF hammered pro-
ccssion over your redemption.
Moral Grnvitation Overcome.
Years ago, and while yet Albert
Barnes was living, / preached I'm his
pulpit one night TO the young men of
Philadelphia. In the opening OF my
discourse l said, 80 LORD, give me one
soul tonightw At the close of the serv-
ice MIR. Barnes introduced a young
man, saying. This is the young man
you prayed for" But 1 see now It
was too limited prayer. offer no
such prayer today. 1t must take In
wider sweep. Lord. give US all these
souls today for happiness and heavcnw
So far MS God may help me propose
TO show what are the obstacles to your
return and then how you are to sur
mount those obstacles. The first diff
Guilty In the way OF your return is the
force or moral gravitatiop. Just rs
there is natural law which brings
down TO earth anything you throw into
the air, so there is a corresponding
moral gravltation. 1 never shall forget
prayer heard a young man make In
the Young Mems Christian association
or New York. With trembling voice
ana streaming eyes he said: 20 God,
thou knowest how easy IL Is for me to
do wrong and how hard 1t Is for me to
do right God help mer' That man
knows not his own heart who has new
er felt the power OF moral gravitation.
In your boyhood you had good asso-
ciates and bad associates. Which most
impressed you? During the last few
years you have heard pure anecdotes
ana Impure anecdotes. Which the cas-
lest stuck to your memory? You have
had good habits and bad habits. To
which did your soul more easily yield?
But that moral gravitation may be re-
sisted. Just as you may pick up any
thing from the earth and hold 1t in
your hand toward heaven, just so, by
the power or Gods grace, q fallen soul
may be lifted toward peace, toward
pardon, toward salvation. The force
or moral gravitation is In every one of
us. but also power in Gods grace TO
overcome that force.
The next thing in the way of your
return Is the power of evil habit.
know there are those who saw II Is
very easy FOR them to give up evil hab-
ffG Il h1I
man given TO intoxication, who knows
1t Is disgracing his family, destroying
his property and running him body.
mind and soul. If that man, being an
intelligent man and loving his family.
could easily give up that habit, would
he not do so? The fact that he does
not give 1t up proves that 1t is hard to
give 1t up. 1t Is a very easy thing to
sail down stream. the tide CARRYING
you with great force. but suppose you
turn the boat up stream-is ii SO easy
then TO row 1t? AS long as we yield to
the evil inciinations in our heart and
TO our bad habits we are sailing down
stream, but the moment we try to turn
we put our boat In the rapids inst
above Niagara and try to row nm
stream.
Force of Habit.
A physician tells his patient that he
must quit the use of tobacco, as it is
destroying his health. The man re-
phes' L can stop that habit easy
enough. He quits the use of the weed.
nc goes around not knowing what to
90 with himself. He cannot add IN a
column OF figures; he cannot sleep
nights. 1t seems as If the world had
turned upside down. He feels his busi-
ness is going to ruin. Where he was
knd and obliging he is scolding and
iretful. The composure that Character
ized him has given way to n fretful
restiessness, and he has become a COM
pete Midget. What power is it that has
Ioiieu Il wave or woe over the earth
and shaken portent In the heavens?
lie has quit tobacco. After awhile he
says. 81 am going to 10 nc 49,.