Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-01-10


nosed TO be dying. Whom did you call
upon for help? Whom did you promise
TO serve at that time? God Ten years
ago you were supposed to be lying upon
your deathbcd Had you died at thar
time. you would have left your family
pennllcss. Whom did you promise TO
serve II he made you well! God. Fiji
teen years ago you joined the church
during time OF religious awakening
Have you kept your pledges that you
made to Jesus Christ at that timer
NAY. nay" answered the merchant IN
his dream. But | will. From hence
forth will, | will" And from that mo-
ment the sinful merchant lived new
life. This ensuing year, like the memo
rable dream Of the sleeping merchant
is to open for you new life 1t is to
be a year when you shall endeaYor 10
fulfill the broken promises which you
long ago made to Jesus Christ.
Joys of the Coming Months.
Happy new year to you, sinful man.
Why happy? Because during the com
ing twelve months you shall Tor the
first time enjoy the sweet blessings ana
exhilarations Of Christian service. Ihe
iov Of self sacrificing Christian life
does not appeal to the average uncon-
secratcd man. He says to hlmselI'
"What is the good Of sacrihclng tor
other people? They never appreciate 1t
Nv doctrine Is to look after number one
and let number two look after himself.
The world will always ride willing
horse TO death Then the only ODse-
ouies that willing horse will ever get are
n scayenger's cart for hearse ana
glue factory for a crematory. No. no.
no. The beauties Of self sacrificing DO
not appeal to me- The more l have the
more people respect me- The less l
have the less they respect me. Inc
more | am willing to serve others the
more my motives will be misJudged
and | will be mlsrepresented."
Some time ago | was riding through
the country on long trip The team
of horses was composed Of big, pow
erful animal who was just as lazy as
he was big and strong. The second
was a little wiry animal who tugged
and pulled all day long. Yet, strange
to say, every time we came to a hill
the driver would take out his whip ana
begin to beat the little horse. At last l
protested. | said: "Why do you whip
that little horse? Why do you not hit
that big. lazy brute, who is always
tagging behind and hardly keeping his
traces taut?" "Oh," answered the driy'
er. 81 know you do not understand
much about horses when you ask nae
such n question as that The reason
hit the little horse Is because he Is the
willing horse. That big horse Is the
balky horse. If | hit him, he would
Immediately lie down and begin tc
kick this wagon all TO pieces. There
fore | whip the little willing horse tc
keep the big balky horse agoing." Ther
l soliloquized to myself, for at tha'
time l was not a truly converted man
"Ah. how true Is that of the world. II
a man tries to do anything for human
ity. he Is the willing horse. He Il
kicked and cuffed and cursed and
browbeaten. The balky horses, the
useless horses, the selfish horses, are
always the kindly treated horses anC
the happy horses"
But though | made that deduction
many years ago have now en-
tirely changed my mind. The willing
men OF the churches are always thu
happy men, The self sacrificing mel
are always the rich men spiritually
They are not the selfish men. They ar
not those who will grab and keep al
that they can. The Dead sea Is bite
and acrid and saline and repulslY
merely because 1t has no outlet and onl.
inlets. while the waters Of the noun
tain brook laugh and gurgle and SIM
merely because it lets all its water
run away toward the sea. VIII" d
you think was happier, Herod, blood
Herod. loathsome in mind and spirit
or Paul. who had given up his Who'll
life to Jesus? Herod, with jewels o.
his fingers, or the apostolic tentmakel
with his hands greasy with ropemaE
Ing? Do you think Napoleon was haI
pv? Napoleon Bonaparte, the sells
human monster, who used the map Q
Europe for chessboard; Napoleon, VIII
used to capture kings and queens will
out compunction; Napoleon, on his wa
70 coronation. who turned and bitterl
said in reference to the cheering Frenc
populace: BAH They would ours
! me to the gulllotine as gladly as the
would cheer me to a throne" Or woul
: YOU sooner have the happiness Of d
. Duff pleading for India, or David LILY
lngstone pleading for Africa, or Adon
ram Judson pleading for Burma,
John Patton pleading for the New Hel
rides? Who do you think today
happicr, the woman who Is only lvin
for social conquest or the Salvation A
l my girl, going with a loaf Of bread
one hand and a Bible in the other han
t k carry the gospel Of Jesus Christ int
t the slums7 Yes, my repentant frlen
t the ensuing year is to be a happy yet
for you. 1t is to be a year when yc
shall ouaff a chalice filed with Il
( ! sweetest nectar. You shall drink her
+ after out Of the golden goblet filed |
j those whose sorrows you have alley
ated and whose sobs you have turn'
/ into songs Of eternal rapture.
i The One Great Condition.
!, But all these deductions hinge upt
d one great condition. The ensuing ye
r is to be happy year for you becau
p from now on you are to depend entire
s upon divine strength to triumph ov
y your besetting temptations. La
t. wednesday night was not ia FIR
e. New Years eve when you started for
O. with good resolutions. Again and aga
Y have you attended solemn and owe
st whelming watch night services VIII
n these meetings were progressing III
g terest you began to feel how mean al