Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-04-18


men and women who have drifted
away into skepticism. throw out no
scon; l rather impiead you by the
memory or those good old times when
you knelt at your mothers knee and
said your evening prayer and those
other days or sickness when she watch
ed ali night and gave you the medi-
cines at just the right time and turned
the pillow when IL was hot and with
hand long ago turned to dust soothed
your pains and with that voice you
VIII never hear again unless you join
her in the better country told you new
er mind. you would be better by and
by, and by that dying couch where she
talked so slowly. catching her breath
between the words-by all those mem
cries | ask You to come and take the
same religion. 1t was good enough for
her; it is good enough for you. Aye.
1 make better plea: By the wounds
and the death throe of the Son OF God,
who approaches you in infinite love
with torn brow and lacerated hands
and whipped back, crying. "Come unto
me. all We that labor and are heavy
laden. and i will give you rest!"
Another Apology.
Other persons apologize for not en-
tering the Christian life because OF the
incorrigibility OF their temperament
Now. we admit 1t is harder for some
people TO become Christians than for
others. but the grace of God never
came to mountain that ii could not
climb or TO an abyss that 1t could not
fathom or 10 a bondage that 1t could
not break. The widest horse that ever
trod Arabian sands has been broken to
bit and trace. The maddest torrent
tumbling from mountain shelving has
been harncssed TO the mill wheel and
the factory band. setting a thousand
shuttles all a-buzz and a-clatter. And
the widest. the haughtiest, the most
ungovernabie mau ever created by the
grace OF God may be subdued and sent
ont on ministry of Kindness. as God
sends an August thunderstorm to wa
ter the wild flowers down in the grass.
Peter. with nature tempestuous as the
sea that he once tried TO walk, at Que
look from Christ went out and wept
bitterly. Rich harvcsts of grace may
grow on the summit of the jagged
steep. aud focks of Christian graces
may find pasturage in fields OF bramble
and rock. Though your disposition
may be all a-bristle with fretfulness.
though you have a temper a-gleam
with quick lightnings. though your
avarice he like that Of the horse leech.
crying. "Giver' though damnable inn.
purities have wrapped you in all con.
Stunning fire, God can drive that devil
out Of your soul, and over the chaos
and the darkness he can say. LET
there be light" Converting grace has
lifted the drunkard from the ditch and
snatched the knife from the hand of
the assassin and the false keys from
the burglar and in the pestiferous lanes
Of the city met the daughter of sin IN
der the dim lamplight aud scattered
her sorrow and her guilt with the
words. Thy sins are forgiven; go, and
sin no more" For scarlet sin q scarlet
atonement.
Other persons apologize for not en-
tering the Christian life because OF the
inconsistencies of those who profess
religion. There are thousands OF poor
farmers. They do not know the nature
OF soils or the proper rotation OF crops
Their corn is shorter in the stalk and
smaller in the ear. They have ten
less bushels 10 the acre than their
neighbors. But who declines being q
farmer because there are so many poor
farmers? There are thousands Of in
competent merchants. They buy at the
wrong time. They get cheated in the
sale OF their goods. Every bale OF
goods is TO them a bale OF disaster
They fail after awhile and go out OF
business. But who declines TO be n
merchant because there are so many
Incompetent merchants7 There are
thousands OF poor lawyers. They can.
not draw declaration that will stand
the test. They cannot recover Just
damages. They cannot help n defend
ant escape from the injustice OF his
prosecutors. They are the worst i'm.
pediments against any case in which
they are retained. But who declines to
be lawyer because there are so many
incompetent lawyers? Yet there are
tens Of thousands OF people who decline
being religious because there are so
many unworthy Christians. Now i
say 1t is illogical. Poor lawyers are
nothing against Jurisprudence: poor
physicians are nothing against medi.
cine; poor farmers are nothing against
agriculture, and mean, contemplate
professors OF religion are nothing
against our glorious Christianity.
False Lights 10 De Avoided.
Sometimes you have been riding
along on summer night by a swamp
and you have seen lights that kindled
over decayed vegetation-lights which
are called jack-o'-lantern or will-o'-
the-wisp. These lights are merely pol
sonous miasmata. My friends. on your
way 10 heaven you will want better
light than the will-o'-the-wisps which
dance on the rotten character Of mort
bund Christians. Exudations from poi
sonous trees in our neighbours garden
Will make very poor balm for our
wounds.
Sickness will come, and we will be
pushed out toward the Red sea which
divides this world from the next, and
not the inconsistency OF Christians. but
the rod OF faith, will wave back the wa
tiers as a commander wheels his host.
The Judgment will come, with its thun-
der shod solemnities. Oh, then we will
not stop and say, There was n mean
Christian; there was a cowardly Chris
tan: there was an impure Christian"
In that day as now, eff thou be wise,
thou shalt be wise for myself. but II
thou soonest thou alone shall bear it."
Why, my brother. the inconsistency OF
Christians. so far from being an argu-
ment to keep you away from God
ought to be an argument TO drive you
TO him. The best place for skiilful
doctor Is in neighborhood where there
are al poor doctors. the best place for
an enterprising merchant to open his
store is in a place where the bargain
makers do not understand their bust
ness, and the best place for you who
want to become the illustrous and
| complete Christian, the best place fol-
| you is TO come right down among us
who are so incompetent and so incon-
i