Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-03-05

greatest of his disciples and martyrsF
| Have not the Peters who denied him
thrice and the Pauls who were once
the greatest prosecutors OF his follow
ers been willing to seal their testi-
mony for Christ with their lifeblood!
Who was Richard Baxter, who wrote
"Saint's RestT Once a notorious sim
ner Who was John Bunyan, the
dreamer of immortal dreams? Once
notorious sinner Who was Father ray
lor. the great sailor preacher OF Bos-
ton? Once notorious sinner VINO
were Harry Munroe and Jerry NC
Auley and Peter Cartwright and John
Somerville and John b. Cough? All
once notorious sinners All, it is worth
while for us to take long journey III
we can only send forth woman OF
Samaria" as a messenger OF Jesus
Christ 1t is worth while to go long
distances-aye, very long distance
II like the good Ananias, we can only
say to the chief Of sinners, Brother
Saul. the Lord. even Jesus that appear
cd INTO thee in the way as thou cam
est, hath sent me that thou mightest
receive thy sight and be filled with the
Holy Ghost" 1t is far easier for Jesus
Christ to save a seventy deviled sinner
who knows that he is all wrong than to
save so called respectable" sinner
who thinks that he is all right.
Christ was the Saviour of the social
outcast at the Samaritan well. Yet
the strange fact remains that most
Christian evangelists seem to act upon
the supposition that it is easier to save
the so called little sinner than the
big. We seem to be unwilling to reach
ont after the outcasts. Mr. Beecher In
one Of his sermons tells how reform
cd criminal, an eX-convict, who had
been n counterfeiter, once came TO MIN
o. oon,nIate discoura cement. "Mr.
Reecher" said he, "the good people
will not have anything to do with me.
I seem to receive sympathy from none
but the worst Of folks" oh, ye work
ers for Jesus, carry the bread of
lifev to those who know they are hun
pered and water of life" to those
who know they are athirst! Seek the
seventy deviled social outcasts down by
the Samaritan well.
EccIesiasticaI Prejudice.
Another reason why Christ must
needs 20 through Samaria" was that
he wanted TO reprove ecclesiastical ano
religious prejudice. The disciples oi
John the Baptist and Of Jesus were an
tagonistic and jealous Of each other
lust as the Episcopallans and the Pur1
tans were bitter during the third year
of the Plymouth settlement. Ihey
were bitter in the same way that the
Established Church and the Methodist'
were bitter against each other during
John Wesley's life. They were bitter
as the Baptists and the Presbyterlan'
were bitter against each other in this
country 100 years ago. The disciples
of John the Baptist angrily declared
that John had baptized more followers
than Jesus Christ, while the followers
of Jesus angrily replied that Christ mac
baptized more disciples than John. L
was in order to stop this bitterness tina
Jesus left Judaa and started north to
ward Lake Galilee and went by thu
way of Samaria. Christ was ready L
do almost anything to stop the interna
dissensions among those who would ul
timately accept him as their Saviour
and their Christ. Cannot we all realize
that no church can rightly accomplish
q sanctihed glorious work for the Mas
ter unless that church has complete
> gospel harmony within its own ranks?
. Absolutely necessary Is It for Chris
tian people to love one another befor'
they can as church welcome the maj
of the world into their midst with th'
"everlasting peace Of the gospel" An(
, vet. my brother, there are scores anC
|, hundreds of churches in this lane
|, which are practically a source OF dis
I sension to the world instead of a Chris
tan harmony. They are rent and tori
! into factions by internal strife. Th
n Young Peoples society is pulling
e against the session; the session is find
n ing fault with the board Of trustees
n the Ladies' Aid society Is sulking be
: cause its members do not like the min
e ister's wife; the choir loft is in opel
/ mutiny because the minister will no
let the quartet sing as much as tne'
Y want. Instead Of the Christian peopl
T of the church getting together AM
+ praying for each other and trying [
n help each other for the good of tn
n church they are now magnifying eac
e others faults and minifying eac
. others virtues
Danger of Small Evils.
Want of gospel harmony in a churcl
although it be composed of only a lon
series of little frictions and disturb
u ances. will after awhile suck out tn
- life's blood and kill the usefulness
!, a church. Indeed, the little churc
u disturbances, like the little sins of III
are more to be dreaded than the gref
= church tornadoes, which may arise an
y subside in a day. Major Waddell,
70 his book Of travels, once illustrated tn
~ infinite damage which multitudinor
o. collection of small evils may accom-
e plish. In the Teester valley OF tn
N Himalayas he found small leech,
,r thicker than knitting needle. Bu
ot though very small, this little leech wa