Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-07-18

cause You yourself have seen the phan-
toms OF delirium tremens moving them
selves Alright I'm the cup until at last
they would bite like n serpent and sting
like an adder. Struggling Christians.
you who have had an evil past, you
can plead for Christ In the highways
and the hedges OF sin as the saints
who had an evil past could speak in
Caesars palace. Those saints today
are now placing their hands of holy or
dination upon your head that you may
go forth and save your sinful fellow
men.
announcement For the Unfortunate.
| would also encourage today those
Christians who are compelled by force
OF circumstances to live and work with
| evil associates. Perhaps the young
man who Is standing behind the same
counter with you i'm the store is an in.
| fidel: perhaps some of your classmates
at school or in college are out and out
scoffcrs against the word of God; per
haps your own father and brothers are
| unbelievers and every day your faith
I'm Jesus Christ is made an object OF
ridicule: perhaps. what is the worst Of
all. you find that you are married to q
| man who never negiects an opportu-
nifty to ridicule your Bible. You have
found out also that your husband is
having n peruicious and spiritually de-
StrOying influence over your children.
What are you going TO do-leave these
evil associates? Sometimes such a
course is possible; sometimes it is not.
1t evidently was not possible for the
ancient saints to have left Caesars pal
ace. else they would have done SO. 1t
Is most natural to suppose that those
saints would have instantly fed from
che Roman capital during the time of
Neros persecution III they could have
run away with honor and self respect.
But i'm all probability most of those
saints said TO themselves something
like this: "No; cannot, 1 will not, got
1t would be cowardly for me to desert
my Lord and Master. l will stay here
| and keep on testifying for Christ, IL
need be. until my body is burned at
the stake or eaten by the wild beasts
IN one OF The arenas. And stay In
Rome these saints did, and die q mar
tyr's death most of them also did. So
it may be your Christian duty to keep
on living for Christ and testifying of
his love in place OF persecution and
among companions who make Christ
an object of daily ridicule, as did the
prosecuted young Roman officer whose
epitaph can still be read in one of the
Roman cemeteries in these words: 'He
lived long enough to shed his blood for
Christ"
Now, want you, my Christian
| friends, you who are experiencing
these dnily prosecutions, to fully real
lie that not one drop of blood which
fell from the Christian martyrs OF
C9sar's ancient palace was ever shed
in vain. From those prosecutions the
great influence of the church of Jesus
Christ was started. From those per-
sccutions were lighted the gospel
torches which are today shedding
their glorious rays all round the world.
From those prosecutions came not so
much Paurs death and the death Of
the saints in Caesars palace as the
eternal life of millions upon millions
( of immortal souls. SO il you, o per-
secuted Christian, only keep true to
the gospel faith in the difficult places
where you are stationed you may not
only win your father and mother and
husband and children for God, but you
may win thousands upon thousands OF
| immortal souls for Christ - beings
whose names you have never read
and whose glowing faces perhaps you
shall never see until you look upon
| them among the redeemed before the
| great white throne.
Familiar Faces In Caesars Palace.
So, / repeat, this glorious text brings
the salutauons OF the saints in Caesars
palace TO the rich and the poor, the
high and tho low, the old and the
young alike. 1t brings it's salutations
TO the rich and the great men. There
were many great men and women in
Caesars household who were without
doubt members OF the household of
faith. Nero's household, intellectually
and financially, was the noted court of
| its day. And some OF the saints in
| CAESARS palace must have been mum
bered among the princes and prin-
cesses OF the realm and among the
| great commanders of the Roman le-
| gion, the cabinet officials and the Nom
bers of the privy council. SO we find
today, among the great and the IA
nous OF the earth, there have been
saints in Caesars palace. Witness vii
liam Mckinley, shot down by an as
sassin's bullet, calmly turning his face
toward his invalid wife. saying, Gods
will, not ours, be done" Witness
Stonewall Jackson, leaving his army
hat outside OF his tent as a sign that he
did not wish TO be interrupted because
he was then on his knees to God in
prayer. Witness Neal Dow and Fred
erick Robertson and William Il. Glad
stone and Thomas Chalmers and join
knox and whole army of earthly
saints OF whom the world was not
worthy. These are some OF the famous
modern saints who have already wor
immortal fame by laying down theil
lives for Christ.
But also find that i'm Nero's ancient
palace there were slaves as we'll as
rich mobiles. There were menials who
had to perform the most humble serv
ices, as well as generals who command
ed Nero's armies or prime ministers
who decided the international policies
or financial ministers who levied tn,
taxes. There were the cooks and tho
chambermaids. There were the porter.
and the gardeners and the messengers
the private guards and the negro serv
ants. as well as the white servants
There were the scullions, as well a.
the ladies In waiting, who stood by thu
empress side, and the saints in Caesar.
palace were in all probability found il
the kitchen as well as in the parlor il
the servants livery as well as in til,
courtier's uniform. All of which prove
that God is ready to honor the man o.
one talent, If he is a saint, just n.
much as he honors the man of ten tai
ents who makes spiritual use of hi.
genius.
My hearers, no matter what our wall
Of life may be, will you today be .
saint of God and throw yourself upoI
the pardon and the mercy of Christ
VIII you here and now dedicate you
life TO the Saviour even If that dedica