Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-02-21

have really no grace In their hearts,
aud he Is completely swindled He is
SO overcome that he cannot get out OF
town during the week. He stays In
town over Sunday, goes into some
church to get Christian consolation,
when what Is his amazement to End
that the very man who hands him the
poor box I'm the church is the one who
relieved him OF his money! But never
mind: the deacon has his black coat on
now. He looks solemn and goes home.
talking about 1.-THE blessed sermon" II
the wheat In the churches should be
put into hopper, the first turn of the
crank would mske the char fly, I tell
you. Some OF these men are great
sticklers for gospel preaching. They
say: You stand there In bands and sur
plice and gown and preach-preach
like an angel-and we will stand out
here and attend to business Don't
mix things. Don't get business and re-
ligion In the same bucket. You attend
to your matters, and we will attend to
ours" They do not know that God
sees every cheat they have practiced In
the last six years; that he can look
through the iron wall OF their fireproof
safe; that he has counted every dis
honest dollar they have In their pocket,
and that day OF judgment will come.
These inconsistent Christian men will
sit on the Sabbath night in the house
service Brock OF ages cleft for me" and
then when the beuediction is pronounc-
ed shut the pew door and say as they
so out: 'Goodby, religion. III be back
next Sunday"
think that the church Of God and
the Sabbath are only an armory where
we are to get weapons. When war
comes. IL n man wants to fight fer his
country. he does not go to Troy or
Springfield to do battling, but he goes
there for swords and muskets. I look
upon the church of Christ and the Sab
bath day as only the place and tine
where and when we are 20 get armed
for Christian conflict, but the battle
field Is on Monday. Tuesday. wednes-
day. Thursday. Friday and Saturday.
st Martins and "Lenox" and "Old
Hundredtb" do not amount to anything
unless they sing all the week. A ser
mon is useless unless we can take II
with us behind the plow and the coun-
ter. The sabbath day is worthless IL
II last only twenty-four hours.
The Work Nearest ut Hand.
There are many Christians who say:
I'VE are willing TO serve God, but we
do not want to Go 1t In these spheres
about which we are talking, and sc
seems so insipid and monotonous- If
we had some great occasion, If we had
lived In the time OF Luther, II we had
been Paurs travelling companion, II
we could serve God on n great scale.
we would do It, but we can't In this
everyday life" l admit that great
deal OF the romance and knight Grant
ry Of life have disappeared before the
advance or this practical age. The an
cient temples Of Rouen have been
changed into storehouses and smithies.
The residences of poets and princes
have been turned into brokers' shops.
The classic mansion OF Ashland has
been cut up into walking sticks. The
groves where the poets said the gods
dwelt have been carried out for fire.
wood The muses. that we used to read
about have disappeared before the i'm
migrants ax and the trapper's gun.
and the man who is waiting for a life
bewitched with wonders will never
lind IL. There Is. however, field Of
Endurance and great achievement, but
1t Is In everyday life. There are Alps
TO scale. there are Tablespoons to swim.
there are fires TO brave, but they are
all around us now. This is the hardest
kind OF martyrdom to bear.
Ii took grace TO lead Latimer and
Ridley through the fire trlumphantly
when their armed enemies and their
friends were looking on. but IL re-
quircs more grace now TO bring men
through persecution when nobody ia
looking on. ] could show you I'm this
city n woman who has had rheuma-
tism for twenty years who has en-
dured more suffering and exhausted
more grace than would have made
twenty martyrs pass triumphantiy
through the fire. II you are not faith
full imam insignificant position In life,
you would not be faithful in a grand
mission. II you cannot stand the bite
OF nudge. how could you endure the
breath OF n basilisk?
10 not think that any work God
gives you to do In the world Is on too
small scale for you to do. The whole
universe is NOT ashamed to take care
OF one little flower. Plato had a fable
which i have now nearly forgotten,
but II ran something like this: He said
spirits OF the other world came back
to this world to find body and find a
sphere OF work. One spirit came and
took the body OF king and did his
work; another spirit came and took the
body OF poet and did his work; after
awhile Ulysses came. and he said:
"Why. all the fine bodies are taken,
and all the grand work is taken. There
Is nothing left for me-" And some one
replied. "Ah, the best one has been left
for you" Ulysses said. whats that?"
And the reply was. ''The body OF
man. doing a common work
and for common reward" A good
fable for the world and just as good
l~otC ioi tue ChurCu- w uttneT we eat
or drink or whatsoever We do, let us
do il TO the glory OF God. 50
Religion of Everyday Life.
Again, we need to bring the religion
OF Christ into our commonest trials.
For severe losses. for bereavement, for
trouble that shocks like an earthquake
md that blasts like storm, we, pre-
scribe religious consolation; but, bust
ness man, for the small annoyances of
ast week how much Of the grace of
God did you apply? "Oh." you say.
these trials are too small for such ap-
My brother. they are shap-
ng your character, they are souring
Tour temper. they are wearing out your
and they are making you less
md less OF man. go into a sculp-
or's studio and see him shaping
statue. He has n chissi In one hand
md mallet In the. other. and he gives
very gentle stroke-click click, click!
say. why don't you strike harder?v
Oh he rCplipa .thef would oho ~ ar