Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-10-01

ther or his great grandfather was aDie
10 do 1t Is saying to us: Man. II the
length OF your life is to be estimated
by the amount Of work you shall be
able to accomplish l will let you live
longer than did Jacob, who died OF old
age at one hundred and forty-seven, or
Isaac, who lived one hundred and eighty
years, or Abraham, who lived to be
one hundred and seventy-hve years,
or Noah, who lived to be nine hundred
and fifty years, or Methuselah, VINO
only lacked thirty-one years OF being
one thousand years old. ! Will let you
live so long that what your ancestors
, accomplished In the course OF ther
lives will seem to be as nothing TO
what you shall be able to accomplish"
The twentieth century speaks thus not
to one man, but to all.
Advantages of an Inventive Age
This inventive age has literally dou-
bled and qIadrupled and almost In
fnitely multiplied the material pro-
ducing power of man. Think OF the
facilities of communication Suppos-
ing wish to plead the cause of Christ
with some friend clear across the
American continent sit down anu
pen my appeal. In few minutes II Is
in the postman's hands. A little later
II is in the mail wagon on It's way to
the depot Soon it is in the mail car
going at lightning speed over the noun
tains and across the alkali deserts and
across the rivers until it Is dropped In
the eastern home. 1t has taken only
few days for that message to reach
its destination in the east, and In a
few days longer an answer comes back
to me that my appeal has been read,
and under Gods blessing II has been
made effectual to the salvation OF
soul Think how many times such an
effort might be multiplied and how
largely the facilities of communication
might be utilized for the spread of the
gospel!
You must see that all these Increased
advantages OF man can be made TO
act and react nightly for good In the
coming campaign of the church or
Christ against sin. Matthew Simpson,
the great bishop of the Methodist
church. once delivered lecture to
show how God Is preparing the way
for the glory of his coming millennium
in the inventions and the social move
ments of everyday life. The other day
a book came into my hand entitled
"The Romance OF Invention" But no
romance of inventions has ever been
written which can fully depict the
| Christian romance Of the uses to which
these inventions can be applied in the
extension of Chrst's kingdom as Bish-
op Simpson explained them. One item
alone Of that lecture comes to my
mind. | speak 1t in my own language,
as | recall II from a blurred memory.
The Methodist orator wanted to show
how every modern facility was appro-
priated and used in the late civil war.
The sewing machine had just been in
vented. 1t was employed to insure the
soldiers being properly clothed. The
steam engine was utilized to carry the
armies quickly to the scene of conflict
so that the carnage might sooner end
The modern Improvements 10 arms
were adopted. and SO the terrible de-
struction Of life In single combats by
the old fashioned ak and spear was
avoided. And as man used modern IN
yentions for carrying out his purposes
SO might God use the terrible curse oil
slavery itself for the benefit OF the
colQred race. The negro torn from bis
African home and sold as a slave
might be Christianized in the land ol
his bondage and return as missionary
to carry the tidngs OF the gospel tC
his people still on the banks Of the
Kongo. Can we not believe. as die
Matthew Simpson, that In the inven
ton of the sewing machine, the type
writer, the telephone, the steamboat
the electric car, in the great fOundrie'
and factories, in improved fire arms
and the wonderful printing press, Civ
ing birth to newspaper and magazine
the church of the Lord Jesus Chris
can have an increased power spiritu
ally for the spreading of the gospel o
Jesus in the coming years campaigI
against sin?
Enemies From within.
| find the church of tne Lord jesus
splendidly equipped materially ant
Temporarily for this winters campaign
against sin. But, more than that. ! tnt
that there never was a time when tn
great evangelical churches were 81
thoroughly in accord on the funda
mental doctrines OF Christianity. In III
pulpit and In the pew those doctrine
are held firmly intelligently and de
voutly, and Christ as the Saviour
the world has the whole souled allie
glance of his people. Before @ genera
goes forth to invade an enemy's copr
try It Is very important for, him {
know that his own soldiers are loya
to bis country's standards and are
. one heart, one mind and one purpose
" q Christian church goes fort
into d winters campaign against sin
, Is Just as important for its pastor
know that his people are Of on
, thought and one mind in reference
the great cardinal doctrines of tn
church. A thousand enemies outside
, a generals camp are not so dangerou
a menace as one traitor inside Of tn
r guarding sentinels' lines. A thousan
, blatant infidels attacking the churc
> OF Jesus Christ in infdel conventio
: hall or by saloon counter are not
, formidable as the so called freethinl
! ing liberal who is attacking the churc
Of God as a member Of that church
e as an ordained minister of that churcl
a Some time ago before famous Ne