The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-03-18
FARMvILLE, VA FRIDAY, MARCH 49, 1904

smart as 1 am he would never have
lost his money. Now he is Just as poor
as the rest Of us, and he can no longer
live in fine house or have his daugh-
ter taking music lessons or his son 20
10 college" But let man make a sue
cess; let him strike a big profit in
real estate investment let him have a
$1,000 income when we have only
81 900 and it will take n mighty on
slaught Of Christian grace in our hearts
TO throttle the demon Of envy guawing
within our breasts.
The true friend is never "out Of sight
out of mind" His love can be likened
TO the trembling movements OF tire
magnetic needle. No matter which
way the ship turns. that needle always
turns toward the north pole 40 mat
ter which way the true friend goes
his hearts needle always points toward
his absent brother.
But, Oh, how easy # is TO forget our
absent friendsl How easy TO get care
less about sending the tender saluta-
tions OF affection which ST. John sent
TO his beloved Galus when he wrote.
Greet the friends by name" How
easy when sickness comes or death
comes into the home 10 neglect the
written words Of sympathy When
we are afar of, how easy amid pressing
cares not to send the letter of encour-
agement and advice and warning
which would help keep that young
man from turning TO the left into the
path Of sin when he should keep
straight in the narrow path of virtue,
My brother. are you doing your duty.
your Christian duty. TO that absent
friendf You know you had a mighty
influence for good when you were by
his side. Shall you drop that infu
ence for good merely because you can
not touch his hand or appeal 10 him ex-
cept through the influence Of the writ
ten page?
True friendship is proof, also. not
only against absence. but survives
death itself. The widow Of your friend
and his fatherlcss children. his brother
and sister and all whom ne loved will.
if you are true friend. have claims
on YOU which you will recognize. When
David became king Of Israel. one of the
first things he did was TO send mes
sengers through the length and breadth
Of his kingdom TO see If there was any
Of Sauls family living 10 whom he
could show kindness. for his friend
JOnathan's sake. One was found. a son
Of his dead friend He was a cripple
and David took him and made pro
vision for him in his palace. He did
this for the sake of his dead friend
o brother. is there in your life a friend
ship that death has sunderedf Was
there some Jonathan who loved you
and whom you lovedi Was there one |
who helped you when you were start |
ing I'm business or who stood by You In |
some trouble? Perhaps that friend has |
left a wife who needs help. son who /
is struggling with the world, a daugh- |
ter who needs protection. Let your love |
90 ont TO them in loving service. You |
can do nothing for Jonathan dead. but |
for those whom he loved better than |
his life you may do much. How better |
can you prove yourself a true friend |
than by helping them for his sake: |
He may be awaiting their arrival i'm |
the land Of blessed reunion. Let them
20 there to tell him how your love for /
him frightened their lives.
Thus the Glove altar is not 10 be a |
despised altar. We should love the hu-
man race collectively We should love
the Lord our God with all our strength
and our neighbor as ourselves. But /
that does not mean all the members Of
the human family should occupy the
same sacred thrones i'm our hearts.
Christ came to save a world. but Christ
again and again wended his way out
Of Jerusalem over the Judgan hills 10
lodge in Bethany with Mary and Mar
tina and Lazarus, who were his true
friends. Christ came to save world,
but when he partOok Of the last sup
per he gathered about him the twelve.
even though he knew one OF these was
a traitor Thus you should have your
sacred friends I'm Christ You should
have those sacred friends as Paul had
them and John had them and Peter had
them. We should have those Christian
friends about us who will lift us up
instead Of dragging us down-friends
with whom we can laugh and sing and
romp and play; friends with whom we
can while away a vacation. but also
true friends, with whom we can re-
joice in their prosperity, and with whom
we can weep over the casket, and with
whom we can kneel In prayer-true
friends, who are true to rs because
they are true 10 Christ. Thus I bid
you do as St John commanded Gaius.
Greet the friends by name" Greet
them collectively. Hold fast to them
MS individuals.