Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-02-05

men VINO deserted GtdeonS standard
at the frst opportunity the Hebrew
commander gave them to skulk home.
The church should be tremendously
organized army. II is not only possible
thereby 20 hurl n solid front against
the Satanic foe, but also by preponder-
ance OF numbers, concentrated in one
move, to make. as the Bible says. a
little one become a thousand and q
small one a strong nation" Concentra-
ton In military parlance. means not
only conquest, but generally the COM
plete mystification and disorganization
OF an opposing foe. IL by sure mathe-
NAUTICAL calculation the military chief
tain can drive as a batterlng ram ten
offensive men against one man on the
defensive. the successful outcome OF the |
conflict becomes an assured fact
Power OF the Prayer Meeting.
1t was by the successful concentra-
ton Of forces against his enemies and
by the lightning rapidity OF HIS move
ments that Napoleon Bonaparte won
his great victories. During all the mil
itary career Of the Little Corsican"
his armies were outnumbered by those
OF his opponents. But one day we find
the brillian military genius attacking
one wing OF the Austrian army. The
next day we find him attacking another
wing of the Austrian army. One day
he Is falling upon the defenseless 1tal-
ian fields by boldly scaling the Alps.
Another day we see him concentrating
his artillery fires upon a separated part
OF the German army. Napoleon with
Ia
the face OF the earth ten years before
he met his fate at Waterloo had he at
tempted to battle his enemies In bulk.
He beat Austria and Italy and Ger
many and Spain by defeating his foes
by detail-piecemeal He did 1t by the
power of military concentration. This
was the way Frederick the Great car
ried on his wars OF many years. This
was the way Washington and Nathaniel
Greene won their victories, and IL was
In this way that "Stonewall" Jackson,
with n small force at his back, became
the terror OF every northern commander
campaigning upon Virginia soil So,
my friends, as Gideon marshaled his
three hundred, the church soldiers
should be a united band. They must
be able TO hurl all their spiritual
strength against the Satanic Zoe In one
place and at one time.
How can this great forward move
ment of q single church against sin be
concentrated and conserved? First. by
all the church members every seven
days answering church roll at the mid
week prayer meeting. "Wednesday
night prayer meeting is even more Inn |
l.
IL is by the commingling OF prayers
that the spiritual forces OF a church
become infiamed with the holy zeal and
all conQuering gospel enthusiasm. It Is
TO that roll call that the members OF
the church must give diligent heed.
Concentrated church membership at the
midweek prayer meeting is OF over
whelming importance. I know OF what
L speak. During my life have observed
the ways OF two kinds OF churches
In the one 1 have seen a mighty Cos
pei conquest going on month in and
month out. Why7 The people attend
ed the midweek prayer meeting. In
the other kind OF church spiritual re-
suits were never assured. Why? The
people. no matter how the pastor beg
ged and pleaded, failed to attend the
midweek prayer meeting. A church
with a full prayer meeting means a
spiritually conQuering church. A church
with an empty prayer meeting means
spiritually dead church. Hear II, We
pewsl Hear IL! The spiritual success
OF every church Is to be decided by
whether ity members will regularly
assemble. as did the first church In the
upper chamber OF Jerusalem. to pray
together earnestly week by week for
the manifestation OF the power OF the
Holy Ghost.
Concentrate Church Forces.
The concerted forward movement OF
church, In the next place. must be
manifested In the united voices OF its
members lifted in songs OF praise and
In fits gospel energy. oh, yes, the very
best voices trained by our musical col
leges are never too good to be allowed
TO sing I'm the church choir. But the
church members have no more right,
in this gospel movement, to lot the
choir do all the singing than the pew
has to expect the pulpit to do all the
praying. Methodist pews have sung as
many immortal souls into glory as
Methodist pulpits have won by preach
| ing. Let everything that breatbes
praise the Lordv' In every service let
the old fashioned hymns be given out
and let all the people sing. Yea, shout
forth your gospel battle songs like the
sound OF many waterst Concentration
or the church forces In prayer meeting
means spiritual conquest for Christ.
Concentration Of the songs OF praise In
one great congregational chorus means
also spiritual conquest fer Christ.
The concerted strength OF the church,
In the next place, should make that
church unit In its belief In the au-
thority OF Gods revealed word and
also In Its protest against sin, wherever
found When the three hundred eide
onites went forth to battle. their most
effective weapons We're lighted lamp
concealed within pitcher and a trum-
| pet I'm the right hand. The lamp light
ed can be used as the symbol OF gospel
faith, as revealed in Gods word. The
| trumpet can be used as the symbol OF
the voice OF q Christian church protest
ing against q world STEPPED In sin.
Plenty OF room in every Christian
church for all repentant sinners saved
by Christ's blood, but no Rooms for Rny
man who will not accept the sacrificiai
blood OF Jesus Christ and who will not
protest against sin. wherever found.
The Christian church FAUST be q unit
in its Calvary belief, and It must be q
unit IN Its protest against sin M
AS in every other army. the Christian
army rnf5af have n rounfarsi0u Wheu
belonged to the United States army,
during the spanish-Ameriean war,
there were certain times could not
pass I'm or out Of the camp without
giving the countersign. 80 we find
that all the Christian churches have
countersign. That eountsrsigp Is one
word of five letters, and that one word
is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Jesus! Jesus.
who is our Saviour; Jesus. who lived
and died and rose again to redeem the