Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-10-11

rigid course OF preparation and mex
orable training.
The Christians Preparation.
This premise being true. II Is essen
tIal that the Christian should conse
crate his life to Christ In order to be
prepared for the great opportunities OF
Christian service. II Is very impor.
tant for you and me to live close to
Christ, to feel the touch Of Christi
amounting hands upon our hearts. to
feel the touch Of his loving lips on our
cheeks. the touch Of his amounting foot
upon our feet. before we can go forth
successfully OH our mission Of Chris
tian service. Many failures In the
this lack Of spiritual preparation. Fail
Ing such preparation. we cannot rec.
ognlze our opportunity when II comes.
An ancient sculptor once chlseled the
statue Of the. NEUROLOGICAL goddess
called Opportunity" with yelled
face He said THE reason covered
Opportunity's face was because so few
are able to recognize her when she
stands by their side" The sculptor
was wrong in part as well as right In
part He should have blinded the eyes
OF the onlOoker rather than the farsee-
Ing eyes Of the Psychological goddess.
The chief reason why some of US do
not see the sweet faced Pauline mes
sengers. which we may call the Oppor
tunlties OF Christian service. is because
most OF US are spiritually blinded by
our past sins. because most of US are
not willing by prayer and earnest CON-
muniOn with God to make the spiritual
preparation that Is necessary to ft us
Alright for gospel work.
But more than mere equipment Is
necessary. Great opportunities are
willing to bless those only who are
ready to sacrifice and. II need be, to
die for the cause those opportunities
represent There Is wide difference
between being mentally. physically and
spiritually equipped to meet a great
opportunity and being willing to make
the sacrifice that is essential for the
success Of that cause after the oppor-
tunlty has arrived. PLATE was mentally
and spiritually able 10 realize the ma
ture Of the opportunity OF his position.
He knew that Jesus was guiltless. He
saw clearly and distinctly what he
ought to do, but PLATE was not ready
to sacrifice for Christ his political ca.
reer as governor OF Jud@a. Therefore
PLATE, who saw his opportunity, en-
braced 1t not. but shrank from 1t.
Thomas Cranmer. when the days of
persecution came, saw what his oppor-
tunity was for true service for Christ,
but In order to escape the fires Of mar
tyrdom he testified falsely concerning
his belief in his Lord and Master, and
when he was finally led to the stake,
in spite Of his recantation, he gave this
as his valedictory to the world: NOW
come to the great thing that trou-
bleth my conscience more than any
other thing that ever said or did, and
that Is the setting abroad Of writings
contrary to the truth that thought
I'm my heart, and, forasmuch as my
hand offended In writing contrary to
my heart, therefore my hand shall first
be punished. II | may come to the
fire, II shall first be burned" And his
tory declares that when the fires Of
martyrdom were kindled about Thomas
Cranmer, In atOnement for his past
sins and his failure to live up to bis
opportunity, the dying prelate thrust
his right hand into the leaping flames
and saw 1t wither away. So there are
many men who are mentally equipped
for great opportunities OF Christian
service who might also be spiritually
equipped for those same opportunities
were they not unwilling to make the
sacrifice which true conservation de-
mands. They are unwilling to do for
Christ that which they know they
ought to do.
Make the Sacrifice.
Christ's disciples today often shrink
from making the same kind OF sacrifice
for Christian service which Richard
Fuller made when young man. At
that time be was the most promising
Junior member Of the South Carolina
bar. He was the pride Of the city and
the future hope Of the state. But, be-
ing converted. be Immediately turned
his back on political preferment, re-
nounced public life and declared that
he would consecrate his life thence
forth to the gospel ministry. His
friends tried to dissuade him. Hon.
William e. Preston, Mr.. Calhoun's col
league In the United States senate,
vert to his home to plead with him.
Then young Fuller turned and said:
Preston, was living selfish life.
eager only to win success and have q
great name among men. Religion nev'
er entered my thoughts. and | was neg.
ligent Of oil duty to God Suddenly
my eyes were opened. discovered
Gods great love to me. saw that
Jesus Christ had left heaven and come |
to earth and died to win my love. This
act has so impressed me that. as man
Of honor, can do nothing else but love
him In return and give my whole life
to his service. Preston. does II seem |
to you that am acting lrrationally"
mo, Fuller" exclaimed Senator Pres |
ton; you are right You are the ra-
tional man. and we are the irrational,
because most Of US do not live up to |
our Christian opportunities. We do
not do for Christ what we well know |
we ought to do" The grandest oppor-
tunities Of Christian service demand
the complete and voluntary surrender
of our whole lives to Jesus Christ
They demand the same kind Of volun'
ary sacrifice which Ga-ibaldi made
n the cause of Italian freedom. They |
lemand the same kind Of sacrifice Co
umbus made when he went from court
o court begging money to buy few
hips that be might prove his theory
hat the world was round. They need
he same kind Of voluntary sacrifice
hat Luther made, that SaYonarOla |