Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-10-02
LETTER FROM ONE OF THE
UNSANCTIFIED.

Opuer tne ABOVE heading the 20.
ton'ac Progress last week has q com.
municstion signed "Old Time Re.
iigion" that is worth reproducing
The way ssnctificatiopists are play.
ing havoc with the Methodist
churches, as established, in the upper
Northern Neck, in Essex aud Spot.
sylvania is caution. In fact il
is stirring things to such an extent
that the matter will sooner or later
become burning issue before the
Virginia Annual Conference. This
same Evangelist Strause, that has so
upset Westmorelsnd and King George
Methodists, will be recalled as having
accompanied Mr.. Schoolfield to Mar
win Grove on his last visit. Strause
was not at all favorably received
there. We reproduce the communi-
cation in the Progress:
IF we cay we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth Is not In us.'
There are a certain kind of POM
pous, smooth-bored preachers who
weep over the sins of the world with
one eye while watching the contribu-
ton box with the other, who go
around preaching "sanctification, |"
and pouring, like modern Cladius
OF Denmark, the deadly poison of
this doctrine into the ears of their
congregations, and telling them that
"verily, verify 1 say unto you, unless
ye become sanchfed, ye cannot enter
the kingdom of God." And unlike
the biessed Lord-who, when a GER
tain ruler said unto Him "Rabbi.
what must do to be saved" an
swered, "Why callest thou me good?
There is none good save one," etc.
these "sanctifcationists" accept the
"Rabbi" as justly their due, and
when asked "whst must we do to be
saved" begin to bring the force of
their articulating organs into play
withan energy that would make Paul
and Barnsbas weep, preaching "sauc-
tifcation." They tell us that they
are "sanctifed" and that they have
no temptations; that it is impossible
for them to sin, and, in short, that
they are just as good as Jesus Christ
ever dared to be.
With regard to temptations this
scribe viii say that we do not believe,
nay, we know, that no mai, woman
or child, can pass through this avale
of tears" without them. No matter
II a man starts out in life with mind
and heart as pure rs the untainted
water OF mountain brook, and with
q determination as firm as q wall of
adsmant, the devil will surely find
some tempting morsel for which the
devilish appetites of frail humanity
crave, and he will sooner or later
tumble headlong into the pit.
We do believe, however, that a man
may so live and guard his ways that
ne may avoid great deal of the evil
that besets his path, and that by the
forgiveness Of an all-forgiving God
his weary soul may rest at last in
eternal peace in heaven. But when
he looks back over the path which he
has trod he will not be able to say
that he has not come "through many
dangers, tolls and snares."
We learn that some have jumped
at "sanctification" like little fish
at q big bait, and have been caught
through the gills of ignorance and
landed on the shores of the "right-
eous." Some Of these converts, p
we are Informed, have become TOO
piousto finish the harvesting of their
crops. saying that they would leave
that work for God, and they are now
moping around with countenances|
suggsstlve of one in need of dose of
waiting for the chariot of
lire to convey them to the better
world. They may see "chariot of
fire" but We doubt if it will have an
upward tendency. And if they
should be taken to heaven we don't
know where they would be enter
tanned, as there won't be any portion
OF Abraham's bosom consecrated
enough on which to recline their
"sanctifief' heads, and the mansion
which God went to prepare for ms
will have to be remodled and new
suit of rooms added for the accom-
modation of His pious guests.
ln conclusion we will say that
we'll take our chances by way of
"the old time religion" We have
the utmost confidence in the "Old
Ship of Zion," and we believe that
by the grace of an all gracious God
she will take US safely over.
OLD TINE RELIGION.
He Learned - Great Truth.