Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-08-21


movement on his last visit to this
country. 4 couple OF athletes OF the
University OF Edinburgh were about 10
sail as foreign missionaries. Their
classmates wanted to give them a big
farewell They hired one OF the lar
gest halls In the city. AS those athletes
were about 70 20 forth as missionaries
they prepared big religious service.
After these young men had departed a
few OF the Christian students left In
the college came together and decided
that they ought to hold such re-
ligious service every week. These
services were to be addressed for the
most part by the students themselves.
A committee was selected and arrange
ments made. Every student who was
asked to address that meeting had to
have two characteristics-the one, a
pure. noble life; the other. he had to be
a man OF plain speech. The only bar
TO an invitation tonddress that meeting
was eloquenee. IL man was known
to have the ''silvex tongue Of speech
he was compelled to keep golden
silence. Whit was the result of these
series Of meetings, held Sunday after
Sunday In old Edinburgh by plain, un-
assuming and. in most cases. by sone
TALENT students? Not only did crowds
OF students weekly all the hall. but
scores and hundreds OF young mer.
were brought to confess Christ. The
| like OF that religious influence had
never before been seen IN old Scotland,
although Edinburgh had been blessed
with pulpiteers whose names were
famous all around the world.
Then the result OF these meetings
began To spread. These humble. one
taleut young men In patches OF four
and Eve were sent to other colleges
and universities and also to villages
and towns. These plain young men.
by consecrated Christian lives, not
only moved Edinburgh. but also all
Scotland and all England and all
Wales and. to some extent, religiously
influenced the whole ;werld. Mark you,
my brother. that religious influence
was not started by Jonathan Ed
wards or a Robert McCheyne or a
| Frederick, Robertson, but by plain,
humble individuals. who were conse-
! Grating their lives to Jesus Christ IL
God can and did bless those modern
soshuas will be not bless US as indi-
viduals IL we here and now consecrate
our lives to his service and pray and
plead and work as we ought TO pray
and plead and work? He will, my
Christian brother. He will, be will
He will, even though we may be phys
ically and mentally workings. Ha
will II we will only throw ourselves
upon his divine and omnipotent
strength.
God will bless the old as well rs the
young. oh, how often In religious
work have heard this excuse given:
II believe that ought to give myself
| up TO religious work, but the trouble ia
/ am too old. have wasted the best
| part OF my life. I am too old to start
life over again." Some people may
think you are right in your decision: /
do not Even now there may be a
glorious time for you, oh, man, on,
woman, IL you will start In Christian
work just at the present time. L do
not believe IL is too late for you to
start TO serve Jesus Christ; not too
late even though for you the hour
hand OF the clock of time may be
pointing TO the twelfth hour and the
minute hand 20 five minutes or L.
o'clock.
Never Too Old For the Lord's Work.
How old was Moses when he began
10 lead forth the children OF Israel into
the wildernessi Was he young man ?
No. His hair must have been white.
His skin must have been wrinkled.
Michael Angeles wonderful chIsel has
cut him I'm stone as a giant. There
Moses sits in the Roman capital To-
day, with arms and back knotted If
muscles. with beard tossed OF tenn
pest. with features swarthy enough
10 frown down any mob and with fists
like siedge hammer. But with all
of Michael Angeles genius ne could
not change the facts. His chisel had 10
make Moses an old man. He had al
most passed his eightieth milestone OF
life when he went forth TO liberate the
children of Israel from Egyptian slav-
cry. How old was Joshua when the
mantle OF the dead Moses fell upon his
shoulders? He had already passed his
fourscore years and five. He was al
ready pressing on toward his nine
tieth milestone. So God has for you
and me. IL we only throw ourselves
upon his mercy, a mission OF Christian
usefulness He has II even though we
may be old men and women, with
many years or wasted opportunities to
our discredit.
BY an ex-member OF my church can
prove how God can bless n. redeemed
lie which has been cursed by many
years or sin. Some time ago poor
woman attended the services OF the
church OF which i was pastor. She
wished 60 Join, but the members Of the
session were very much I'm doubt about
letting her in She had been for fifteen
years dissolute character. Her face
was SCARED and scanned with her past
oebaucheries. She had by her side a
drunken husband and two, fiithily
Crossed children The session talked
with her and at last decided to place
her on probation for six months At
the end Of six months she ngain want
Ell TO join the church. and OF course We
admitted her. a short time after TINT
woman moved away and left our
church. A couple OF years ago, that
woman called upon me. At first did
not know her. Not only had the grace
or God cieansed her face, but the marks
or dissipation had almost entirely left
her countenance. Though she had not
what the average artist might call a
beautiful face, she certainly had a
good. honest. noble, Holy Spirit inspired
face Her whole life was changed. 1t
was now Christian life. of conse-
Grated usefulness. Oh, my brother and
sister, no matter how old you may be
ana now many wasted years are be-
hind. shall not God inspire you and lift
you up AS he changed that woman's
iifef Shall not the divine power guard
your remaining days as Moses and
Joshua's lives were protected?
Nearly every royal order has a royal
insignia. In Germany one or the most
honorable OF orders was that started
by King William called ''the Order of
the Iron Cross" Would that toa.x. Al, :