Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-08-05


lage church where his father and
mother now live. The school occu-
pied the first place in his thoughts,
and he would take any trouble to give
pleasure TO the children and attach
them to the cause of Christ Now he
never enters n Sunday school He is
preparing TO be n lawyer. After he
once gets his diploma he intends to go
back TO church work, but now he says,
Lord. suffer me first TO get an educa-
ton and then l will follow thee
That young girl living IN Chicago.
away from home. is now studying in
famous musical college to cultivate
her voice. She was once the leader of
her fathers choir. Her father is minis
ter and is spending the savings of life
time in giving his daughter n musical
education that she may be the better
able TO serve Christ. But, though there
are hundreds of struggling little
churches within q short distance of
where she lives which would be bless
ed by her singing, she now never en-
terS a prayer meeting. She rarely en-
ters church. She says, "Wait, Lord,
until 1 have acquired proficiency in
the art, and then Will sing for thee"
Mental Versus Spiritual Development
But these words of my text not only
apply TO the young people who are
sidetracking their gospel duties to make
way for their preparations for a pro-
fession- They also apply TO the busy
men and women who, I'm the prime
OF physical strength and mental power,
are like tired peasants staggering along
the highways under greater burdens
than 1t seems possible for them to bear.
When 1 speak thus 1 mean that this
text is applicable to nearly all men and
women in midlife. Why? Because 1
believe that most people are overwork-
ed. They are physically tired. They
are tired in the same way that my
grandmother was tired, who. as
farmers wife, bad TO rear thirteen
children. My father used to say: Il
never remember my mother except
with a tired look upon her face. AS a
little boy ! remember her coming 10
the table and, after all the children had
been served, turning 70 father and say
ing, David, l am too tired to eat"
How many other women have said the
same thing! Most people are over
worked in the struggle OF life. Yet
this text. o man, o woman. In the
prime OF your physical and mental
strength, applies to you. No right have
you TO sidetrack your duties to God
No right have you to say to Christ,
Lord. suffer me to do this or that.
and then will follow thee" Christ
should be first, rot last. Christ's COM
mand, no matter how or when il comes,
should be needed or obeyed: then all
other duties will fall into line In their
right places.
Christs command. Follow me-"
comes TO the tired merchant, the worn
out merchant. 1t comes to you even in
the whirl and the hustle OF business
life. 'Oh, no." you say, Il have no
time for Christ. My business absorbs
every atom OF my energy. am so
tired from my week day tasks that
am too weary to go TO church on Sun
day. Why, when 1 go, 1 fall asleep
during the sermon. II makes but little
difference TO me then who breaches the
sermon. Come down TO my store any
time and you will see how I am over
driven. There is n steady stream OF
men ia my outer office all the time.
must see them, 1t is work. work,
work until / am nearly dead" Yes,
my brother, in one sense what you
say is true. You are an oyerworked
man, but how much OF that labor that
SO fatigues you is voluntarily under
taken? Have you. as n Christian man,
the right TO give to your own concerns,
to your business and the world the
whole OF your time and energy? Have
you forgotten the claims that God has
upon you? Better leave undone some
OF the work you are now doing that
you may have strength TO serve him.
Why should you pot be willing to drop
some of that business dTudgery? Do
you not know that much OF that grind
ing, useless, selfish toll is making a
failure out of your life? The temporal
necessities OF life are very small. yet
thousands OF people plod Oh, and on.
and on, in a treadmill OF mercantile
drudgery, as though their very happI-
ness depended upon raising their store
from a four story TO q ten story dry
goods emporium.
A Rich Mans Failure.
Some time ago lady visited an old
school friend who had married a mer.
chant In one OF our eastern cities. That
night when they were seated together
for quiet chat she said, CLARA, how
Is your husband getting alongg' "Mis.
erably," answered the wife. why,
how is that? Is he not making a LOT |
or money! Is not this palace Of a |
home your own? Is not his name writ. |
ten high as one OF the great financIers
or this city!" "Oh, yes" answered the |
wife, John Is milking o lot OF money. |
lie Is already what some people call |
rich. But i certainly call him Door. |
When we started out In life we did not |
have much money. but we had enough |
for all our necessary wants. Besides.
we had plenty OF time for each other
ana for our friends and for our church.
John then only had a small store. He
would get home for supper on time.
Then all the evenings were ours. We
read together. We visited our friends
together. Some weeks John would
get OF a whole day. and together we
would take trip TO the country and
roam among the wild flowers. Our
were always spent together at
church and in the home. But now
John has sold himself to his work.
rarely see him. He works all day. he
works part or the night. He always
has some business engagement on SUM-
lay. lie makes lots OF money, but
then he only puts that money back into
The business, ana therefore II is not his
o use. He has to keep on working the
harder, to look after the bigger bust.
hess. i certainly think that John Is
making n failure out OF life. He is q
perfect slave to work, and we rarely
Zee each other for any OF our old good
ines"
But this text has still another appli-
,ation. 1t is word of reproof to peo-
lie who waste their time and strength
n useless remorse over their undutiful
conduct 80 parents who are now dead.