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

an of eishty-six. lay dying the watch
ers stood apxiously about her bed. AS
soon as she had breathed her last. and
the attending physician pronounced her
dead. her eldest son, Edward, was
greeted with the acclamation. Long
live the kingr' Rulers may come and
rulers may so. but the government goes
on. no matter what human hand may
grasp the scep,er. When our first mar
tyred president fell i'm Ford's theater.
James A. Garfield. who twenty years
later dropped under an asssssin's bull
let. powerfully said, Abraham Lincoln
uay be shot, but the government at
Washington still lives" Like true
government, the gospel work OF the
past generation shall never die. II
must live on In the world. II is for us
10 continue II in our gospel faith and
in our Christian lives. -
In the fourth chapter OF Mark, Christ
compares Christian work TO sower
going forth to sow. Some of that seed
will surely fall upon good ground.
which Will yield some thirty. some
sixty. some a hundred fold 1t must
reproduce itself multipotently in the
human lives OF the succeeding genera
tions- When Dwight L. Moody died
did his work die7 Without doubt Mr.
Moody was the greatest evangelist OF
the past century. His personality not
only appealed to sinners. but also to
the greatest Christian workers OF his
day. His voice and pen raised vast
sums of money for Christian work.
He was gospel messenger who
stirred England and America on his
evangelistic tours. He built the famous
Moody institute at Chicago. lie built
gathered among the Massachusetts
hills college men rs well as ministers
in annual conference for prayer and
communion with God and for the study
of the Bible. Suddenly, aye, rs a flash,
Mr.. Moody was struck down by the
death angel One day ON his way to
hold great eyangelistic services In Kan
sas City, the next day upon his death
bed What was the result OF Mr.
Moody's deathf Has any great evan.
gelist been found TO take his placer
"Ah, no." you answer; mot one, not
oner Well, my friend. IL no one has
been able TO take Mr.. Moody's place l
can tell you this one truth-NIr. Moody
when living was never as powerful as
Mr. Moody when dead. The Chicago
institute and Moody church have never
been so great IA they are today. The
institutions ut Mortified We're never
doing better work than ut the present
time And. what Is more. the very sum-
mer after Mr.. Moody died the mightiest
Northfeld conference ever known up
to that time was held. I'm spite of the
fact that the most eloquent tongue
and the best poised brain and the big
gest heart Mortified ever produced
We're lying silent I'm the grave. Mr.
Moody's gospel seed planting yielded
forth some thirty. some sixty aud
some hundred fold. IL was Gods
work. and Gods work alone.
God VIII BIes. Our work.
When Charles ii. Sturgeon died did
his work die? oh, no. God is still
blessing the mission of the Metropol-
itan tabernacle and OF the London
Pastors college. He IN still blessing
the work of Charles III. SpurCeop be
cause II was intrinsically inspired By
the Holy Spirit lie In blessing 81
through Spurgeons successors. God
Will raise us up as modern Joshuas IL
we only live for him. He will bless m
our lives the work OF the Christian
mon and women with whom we have
come into contact in the past. He will
make US an essential link I'm great
chain of Christian Influences which
shall reach through all eternity.
God will bless the lives OF modern
Christian workers even through the
death of his servants. Death Is often
spiritual pruning hook. 1t lops of
certain branches OF the great tree of
the human RICE In order that other
branches may better develop and grow
We are all ready 20 recognize the use
fulncss OF q pruning hook sn a tenn
poral sense. Why can we not do this
In spiritual scnsey
To the spiritual weakIing the death
Of the strong Christian is not always
n misfortune, but a blessing. Let me
illustrate this truth In a simple way:
Some years ago there lived In your
town noble. true man, who was the
father OF large family. Suddenly he
bereft home not only sympathized
with the widow because she had lost
her husband, but because she seemed
TO have no visible means OF support.
Her eldest So. was nothing. he
was q dollhouse plant He had de-
pended in the past entirely upon his
father Mentally and morally be SEEM
ed 10 be entirely UNITED TO assume the
responsibilities OF the home. But hard
ly had the father died when a change
came over the boy. Instead OF being
clinging vine he stifrened into q stall
wart oak. He went to work to supply
bread for that family OF little ones.
He became the STAFF upon which his
mother leaned. II was the death OF bis
father that developed him. 1t was the
hillock OF paternal grave by which
the son was able to find his stepping
stones 10 throne. God, believe,
often uses the sharp pruning hook Of
death TO spiritually develop his unde-
veioped children. He takes away his
Moses in order to throw the spiritual
responsibilities upon his Joshuas. He
says TO us one and all: 'It II not right
lean upon your fathers and mothers
spiritual life! You must learn to lean
upon my divine arm, and mine alone.
And In the leaning will protect thee
and care for thee. as I did for your
Christian parents"
The Sweetest Notes Of God.
The sweetest gospel music Is more
often found to be the echo OF a dirge
than to come from fantasia or SER
enade or dithyramb. Mozarts Last
Requiem" composed for his own OBJ
sequies, was his masterpiece. A beau
tiful legend teaches this: Many years
ago German knight wanted to change
the towers OF his castle into great
@olian harp. When the strings were
first strung from the towers no sound
came therefrom. No note was struck,
because the slender fingers OF the spir-
its OF the summer winds were not
strong enough to bend the strings, al