The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1903-02-27

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 mythOloglcal goddess.
The chief reason why some OF Us do
not see the sweet faced Pauline mes
sengers. which we may call the Oppor-
tunities 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 com
munion with God to make the spiritual
preparation that Is necessary 10 tit 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, 10
die for the cause those opportunities
represent There is a 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-
tunity has arrived. PLATE was mentally
and spiritually able TO realize the ma
ture Of the opportunity OF his position.
He knew that Jesus was guiltless. He
saw clearly and distinctly what be
ought to do, but PLATE was not ready
to sacrifice for Christ his political ca
reer as governor OF Judaa. Therefore
PLATE. who saw his opportunity. en-
braced it not, but shrank from IT,
Christs disciples today often shrink
from making the same kind Of sacrifice
for Christian service which Richard
Fuller made when a young man. At
that time he 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, he 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 Z. Preston, Mr.. Calhoun's col
league in the United States senate,
went to his home TO plead with him.
Then young Fuller turned and said:
Preston. was living a selfish life,
eager only to win success and have
great name among men. Religion new
er entered my thoughts, and | was neg
ligent Of all 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 q man
OF honor. l can do nothing else but love
him In return and give my whole life
TO his service. Preston, does II seem
to you that l am acting irrationally!
NO. 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 yolun-
tary sacrifice which Garibaldi made
In the cause Of Italian freedom. They
demand the same kind Of sacrifice Co
lumbus made when he went from court
TO court begging money to buy few
ships that he might prove his theory
that the world was round. They need
the same kind Of voluntary sacrifice
that Luther made, that Savonarola
made. that John Knox made, that Lat
inner made and Ridley made, all OF
whom were ready TO lay down their
lives for the cause Of Christ
Great opportunities FOR Christian use
fulness may come TO you in an unex-
pected way, as they came TO a Chris
tan lady who was one day riding
along the streets Of Richmond. There
In the gutter lay a young man stupidly
drunk. She stopped her carriage and
bads her coachman lift him In. She
took that young man to her home. She
cared for him and started him out
again in life. BY her Christian exam
Die OF love she started him forth in his
great career, until William Wirt's
name became that Of one Of the fore
most Americans Of bis day. They may
come TO you in an unexpected way. as
they came to stephen Merritt during
business hours, when, by the grace OF
God. he was instrumental in starting
John G. Woolley out on his career OF
reform. They may come TO you as
they are daily coming, in unexpected
WAYS. to thousands Of lawyers and
and ministers and doctors
and wives and mothers and servants
and clerks. Therefore, as our oppof-
tunities for doing Christian service are
coming in so many different and I'M
expected ways. we should always be
on the lookout for them. We should
always be ready to grasp them and to
turn lDeLn 70 dNtVuhs a. oif Ne'tf 49,
4 life itself.
Great opportunities always love COM
oany and rarely travel alone. They
lre apt to be gregarious in their hab-
ts. Like troubles. they swim in
schools. They travel in herds. They
dy in nocks. Like the leader Of Hock
IF sheep, each great opportunity seems
10 be the bellwethsr Of a whole flock
Of other opportunities. Like the key
log in a river Jam, It seems to be the
precursor and sets free a whole river
ful Of other opportunities.
John J. Ingalls, tried 10 convey the
idea that II we would only seize the
one great opportunity Of our life that
would lead Us on from
power to power and from success TO
success. He tried to teach this lesson
in his posm called Opportunity" Let
me read to you from its magnificent
passages:
Master Of human destinies am T.
Fame. love and fortune on my footsteps
wait:
-f.fss ana fields I walk I uenetrate