Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-01-09

Immediately lie down and begin TO
kick this wagon all TO pieces. There
fore L whip the little willing horse 10
keep the bic balky horse agoing." Then
1 soliloquized TO myself. for at that
time was not truly converted man:
"Ah. how true Is that OF the world. II
man tries to do anything for human
ity. he is the willing horse. He is
Kicked and euifed and cursed and
browbeaten The balky horses, the
useless horses. the selfish horses. are
always the kindly treated horses and
the happy horses"
But though / made that deduction
many years ago l have now en-
tirely changed my mind. The willing
men of the churches are always the
happy men. The self sacrificing men
are always the rich men spiritually.
They are not the selfish men. They arc
not those who will grab and keep all
that they can. The Dead sea is bitter
and acrid and saline and repulsiye
merely because il has no outlet and only
iDlets. while the waters of the noun
tain brook laugh and gurgle and sing
merely because ii let's all its waters
run away toward the sea. Who dc
you think was happier. Herod, bloody
Herod, loathsome in mind and spirit,
or Paul, who had given up his whole
life 70 Jesus? Herod. with jewels on
his fingers, or the apostolic tentmsk er.
with his hands greasy with ropemak-
ing? Do you think Napoleon was hap
by? Napoleon Bonaparte. the selfish
human monster, who used the map OF
Europe for a chessboard; Napoleon, who
used 20 capture kings and queens with
out compunction; Napoleon, ON his way
to coronation, who turned and bitterly
said in reference to the cheering French
populace: bah! They would curse
me to the guillotine as gladly as they
would cheer me to a throne" Or would
you sooner have the happiness of DIR.
Dun pleading for India, or David Liv-
ingstone pleading for Africa. or Adoni-
ram Judson pleading for Burma, or
John Patton pleading for the New Heb
rides? Who do you think today is
happier, the woman who is only living
for social conquest or the Salvation Ar
my girl. going with loaf Of bread In
one hand and Bible In the other hand
TO carry the gospel Of Jesus Christ into
the slumsf Yes, my repentant friend,
the ensuing year is to be a happy year
for you. 1t is to be a year when you
shall Quaff a chalice filled with the
sweetest nectar. You shall drink here
after out Of the golden goblet filed by
those whose sorrows you have nllevi-
ated and whose sobs you have turned
into songs OF eternal rapture
The One Great Condition.
But all these deductions hinge upon
one great condition. The ensuing year
Is TO be happy year for you because
from now on you are to depend entirely
upon divine strength to triumph over
your besetting temptations. Last
"Wednesday night was not the first
New Years eve when you started forth
with good resolutions. Again and again
have you attended solemn and over
whelming watch night services. While
these meetings were progressing In in
terest you began to feel how mean and
contemplate your life had been. You
then and there said to yourself: az will
quit my sins. l will stop drinking and
swearing and Sabbath breaking and ali
my evil thoughts and deeds. Yes. 1
will, even IL 1 have to cut or my right
arm"
Each January we all make fresh reso-
iutions- Some years ago preached n
sermon called New Years Resolu-
TONS i made up that sermon from the
answers received from friends whom
1 met. Every one would accost with
this same sentence. what is your New
Years raco1utio,, Co,,>.> x..~..ra
this, some that and some the other
thing. But many answered me thus: al
have not got any. 1 have made so many
New Years resolutions In the past and
broken them that 1 do not intend to
make any more" But 1 did not then
and do not now believe they were tell
Ing the truth. do not believe there Is
man or woman or child who now an
proaches New Years day who does not
make some new resolution. But the
trouble Is after you have made your
New Years resolutions you go out I'm
your own strength and try to battle
with your old temptations, and then
you are flung again and again. But.
my brother. this year is going to be a
different year from all others. You
You know you cannot win n spiritual
success In your own strength. There
fore you are ready to conscientiously
ask God to help you in the struggle of
life. He will do 1t. Yes, he will give
you the divine strength which will new
er, never fail. Cling to him, my brother
Cling to him as Jacob wrestled with the
angel In prayer, and he will bless you
and never let you fall.
But I bethink myself that there is
something for which to congratulate
the praying band of Christian workers
who surround me and also for the re-
pentant man and repentant woman.
You came Into this church today I'm.
different to the Lord Jesus Christ
You have now surrendered your heart
TO him. You came into this room prac-
tcally an enemy OF the cross. You
are now buckling on the armor to Join
our gospel ranks and to become one of
our Christian comrades. We have read
how the French king sent forth Mar
shall Ney with the royal troops to cap
ture Napoleon after his escape from
the island Of Elba. When the soldiers |
came In sight Of the unarmed and de- |
throned ruler, Napoleon, instead of |
running. turned and threw back the
lapel OF his coat as he cried, "Men,
VIII you shoot your EMPEROR With |
that Marshal Ney threw down his
sword at Napoleon's feet, and all the |
soldiers began to weep and cry, Long |
live the EMPEROR And the soldiers
who went forth to capture a pretender
10 the throne returned to Paris to drive |
Louis Philippe out OF the Tuileries. |
Ihat was dramatic. But today more
dramatic scene is taking place within
the walls OF this church. You came
here an enemy OF Jesus Christ. You
today are going to join with us and
hight for the Divine Master. oh. shall
we not cheer? Shall we not praise
God for your advent to our company?
Shall we not look upon your reinforce
ment as presage for us of a happy