Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-10-28


they are at heart Drawer. but when a
man has a wife and children depend
ent upon him for daily bread be guards
his life more carefully on their ac-
count and does not run into any useless
dangers" Now. my friends, when a
true father is careful not TO run into
physical dangers. fearing he may de
prive his wife and children of their
daily bread, is not man by the same
law OF reasoning the more unwilling TO
run into spiritual dangers and tempta-
tons if he realizes that the joys of 9TH
ers. In a spiritual sense, are wrapped
up i'm his own joys and that sorrows
in other lives will be caused by his
sins? Lord Bacon, i'm one OF his match
less essays, once said, After a man
marries he surrenders into the hands
OF success his wife and children as
hostages" BY that Lord Bacon meant,
Every man who is married is handi-
capped i'm the race Of life" He meant
that n man becomes timid when he has
n wife and children. In the crises OF
life, when success is won by the man
who casts everything into the scale,
is afraid to risk the future of his wife
and children. But he overlooked the
fact that his love for his family will
keep him from running foolish risks.
So when a man enlarges his circle and
makes the welfare of others his con-
Germ he has an inspiration to better,
truer, nobler life. He shrinks from
wrongdoing because he knows that he
will injure others by his example. The
ascetic has only himself to consider,
but the man who has entered into 9TH
er mems joys and sorrows knows that
his fall or his good life may affect the
lives of others.
what the Scripture Means.
But how is Christian sympathy to
enter truly into the existence OF an
others life? First. my text says, RE
joice with them that do rejoice" Do
you know what that means? Why, the
Interpretation is simple enough to I'M
derstand. 1t means when you see an
old school friend getting ahead in life,
when you see n brother succeeding at
the law or In medicine or in the pulpit,
when you see a sister living in a finer
house than yours or driving in a car
riage while you walk. or when you
know that your brother-in-law is able
TO take his family and children to the
country TO get back the flush OF health
to their pale cheeks. while you cannot
afford TO go, that you must not be jeal-
Gus Of their successes. If you are
minister and you hear of another
al, ar.sah ho1A To-
gathering in new converts by the
scores. you are to go 10 the minister of
that church with warm, loving gos-
pei handshake and say: Brother, 1
congratulate you. We are praying for
you and the great good you are doing.
May God bless your new members and
make them mighty agents for Christi
1t means that II you are a candidate
for some office and another Is elected
TO the presidency OF that society in
your stead then you are to pitch I'm and
work just us hard for the successful
outcome of your successful rivals adj
ministration as you would have work
ed for your own, and, furthermore, not
only work just as hard for the new
man, but be Just as happy i'm his cue
cesses as you would have been In your
own successes.
"Oh," says some one. with n quick
gasp. Il did not know this text meant
as much as that. That Is pretty bitter
medicine for an average disciple TO
swallow. cannot understand how
George II. Mcclellan would feel very
kindly toward Major General Burn
side. who superseded him after the
battle OF Antietam. Neither is II nat
ural for a Seward or n Chase to be
enthusiastic over the election OF n
Lincoln. or course there have been
some great, big hearted, noble men,
like Samuel Adams. who were ready
to stay I'm the background and push
other men to the front, as Samuel
Adams did Hancock and John Adams
and Otis and Joseph Warren and Quin-
ey. But, for the most part. men work
best In any great cause when individ-
uully they are working for themselves.
1t is not natural for young lady at a
reception TO be particularly pleased
when most of the young men are hoy
ering about her rivals chair as a
swarm OF bees might circle about a
beautiful flower. Neither is II natural
for any one to truly rejoice In anothers
success when that success In one sense
seems TO undermine his own success"
Yes, my friend, you are right. Ii Is
not natural for sinful man TO "re-
joice with those that do rejoice" But
the gospel or Jesus Christ can make
what is unnatural for sinful man nat
ural for redeemed man. 1.-The hard
est act OF life is to get any man TO be
willing to completely sink his indiyid-
uality in n cause" once wrote General
Samuel Armstrong. the founder and
first principal OF the Hampton insti-
tute. lit is comparatively easy to get
rich men to endow q scholarship or to
erect building or TO do this or that
for which their names will be known
far and wide, yet il is almost impossi-
bic TO get any man 10 give his money
TO help out the ordinary running ex-
penses OF college, which have to be
met and must be met right away"
Difficult, is II, to rejoice with man
when he rejoices and to help on his
success? Yes, but / believe the grace
OF the Lord Jesus Christ is even able
TO accomplish that wonder, and IL can
accomplish it, D man. In your heart,
so that you can go to your successful
brother and say: Brother, give me
thy hand. I rejoice with you In your
success. How can help that success
TO become greaterf"
Why Not Re5oicef
And why should you not rejoice In
your brothers success? When does
your brother need your true help and
friendship more than when he is scor-
ing success? Is not the time of sue
cess just the time when he is most apt
TO be thrown Off his guard and destroy
ed by evil temptations? Is not that
the critical moment when the Satanic
tempters are ready to scrape and fawn
about him, as the seductive young fat
terers did about Rehoboam when he
went TO Shechem to be crowned. as
they did about young King Charles III.
AFTER the English restoration, as they
u