Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-04-10

one ever hear from YOU agaiu?" But
DE Witt Talmage answered: Father. 1
must 20. II is my duty to 20. be-
lieve God is calling me 10 that field
And 10 go I'm his name he will bless
me" God did bless him. And SO.
farmers and farmers wives, God will
| also bless and is blessing the Christian
WORK OF your Christian children I'm the
same way II he has called them TO live
in a great city.
Palm Sunday emphasizes the fact
that the easiest way TO capture n city
| for God is 10 so after the masses. Who
are the masses? They are the most OF
folks They arr the common people
! who for the most part al our churches.
And yet they are the common people
who today. II they are only reused with
! holy enthusiasm can conquer this old
world for Christ. They can do II as
easily rs the commoo people who came
out 10 greet Jesus on l'alm Sunday
made the Pharisees and the high
! priests hirellugs ct that time afraid TO
| lift tAeir threatening fingers or to do
Jesus any harn. Today that religious
| Organization which is most spiritually
influential fo- Jesus is the church
which appeals 20 the employee ns well
as to the employer. 10 the poor mans
| hut as well as Ia the rich mans pal
| 6co 20 IN" artisan au1 the mechanic
AID The laborer rs well as To the mer-
Chant prince. the capitalist or the man
dressed in broadcioth.
Power of the Common People.
IL t,,a -
mon peoplei II we could only by the
power of the Holy Spirit enlist the
sommon people TO fight for Jesus
| christ, under the standard OF the cross,
,hore would be no doubt as to the ultt
mate condition of our nation. When
Robert G.. lngersoll was a candidate
for the gubernatorial chair of Illinois
he was defeated for the nomination
Why? Because IL ne had been nomi
mated every church pulpit would have
become a political rostrum. Every lit
tie meeting house and prayer meeting
room would have been filed with Chris
tan workers. who would have worked
and voted against him. Thus, II w,
could only inspire the great mass OF the
church members, made up of the com
mon people, with holy enthusiasm fol
Christ, 1T would mean our political sal
walton. 1t would mean the extinction
Of the saloon. Then no Christian would
vote for candidate unless he emphat
ically stated he would do all in his
power TO drive out the destroying demi-
john. IL would mean the publication
OF the home and OF the church. The
heart of the common people rings true
when il is not misled. No wonder
that 1t was among them that Jesus
passed the most OF his earthly minis
try. They were the first to recognize
him. From them came the first mem
bers Of his church. and It is with feel
ings of gratitude to them that we re-
member that II was they who gave to
our Lord the only public welcome and
reclamation that he ever received.
But Palm Sunday also throws into
our raptured eyes the sunrise of Easter
dawn. as well as II overshadows our
heavens with the dark clouds of the
blacklist Of all BLACK Fridays" Palm
sunday practically says to US: You
may have 10 carry your cross and bear
your burdens and suffer your death as
Jesus Christ had 60 sutfer.and die. but
you may also. like Christ. have your
cmancipa ton and resurrection and ul-
innate triumph. This was the reason
why the ancient Christians chiseled
the palm leaf upon their tombstones.
This was the reason why they also had
the palm as the symbol or martyrdom.
IL meant victory-victory in the name
OF the Lord Jesus, victory over this
world. victory over sin. 1t meant the
kind OF victory that St. John described
in Revelation when he cried out. AFT
er this beheld. and. 10, q great multi
tude which no man could number.
stood before the throne aud before the
Lamb, clothed with white robes and
palms In their hands" Cicero de-
scribed an athlete who had won n
great number OF prizes as "a man OF
many palms" So today as we see the |
palm branches thrown under the feet |
OF Christ we know that they may be |
future symbols. They may remind us |
or the palms or many heavenly re-
wards.
The Triumph of the Palms.
What happy day that will be when
Christ greets his loved ones I'm heaven.
ly lands and gives to them their victo.
rious palms-the palms of reward for
all their past sufferings and trials and
SACRIFICES which were undergone for
him! When Agrippa. the grandson OF
Herod the Great. expressed n wish
that Caligula might some day sit upon
the Roman throne, Emperor Tiberius
was angered. He threw Agrippa into
ioathsome dungeon. There he Ian.
guished week after week and month
after month. but when the passing
time did place Caligula upon the throne
then the new emperor went in person
and opened the prisoners gates. He
robed Agrippa in royal purple; he gave
him palace in which to live; he took
the heavy chains which had once man.
aclad the prisoners feet and weighed
them. and for every heavy link of iron
he gave 10 him u heavy link Of gold.
Our Divine Master on that happy day
or the rewardings In heaven will give
10 each Que OF his suffering children
greater compensation than ever Elm.
peror Caligula gave 10 the ragged pris-
oner Agrippu. Jesus will clothe us I'm
white not only the symbol OF victory,
49, ~ lac III HiIkt tile lew
els OF our crown out OF the crystallized
tears we have shed I'm his service, and
IN each one OF our hands Christ will
place n painl-the palm or victory. the
palm OF never ending joy. Oh, Chris
Ian brother. do not worry because you
have 10 suffer for Jesus! Ii means a
palma waving. Triumphant palm.
The palm is such a suggestive symbol
~ victory that today would that we
might have had this pulpit decorated
With palm branches as an object lesson.
Then. after the service is over. would
have you, members OF this congregu-
Ion, each take n palm leaf home, as
he priests allow the worshipers to do
his day in Catholic churches. Then.
after you had gone to the quietude of
your own homes, | would have had Won
ook long and earnestly at that palm
eaf and decide what You are to do.
Would you accept the palm leaf as the