Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-04-22

1t msst be an awful sensation for a
man who hse sacrificed his Christian
integrity 60 feel that he always has 10
live IN the "Clty or Dishonesty" upon
the Boulevard of Deceit" 1t must be
an awful thing to feel that every per-
son who comes in touch with you is
prompted to seek your friendship with
sinister desire. l once read OF a
heartrendlng scene During the BON
bardment OF Charleston. s. c., a young
girl in one OF the principal mansions
OF that fair city OF the south was stand
ing with her soldier lover before the
marriage altar. Just as the chaplain
was about to pronounce the twain one,
there sounded a ringing OF a shell. 1t
burst into the room, and the young
bride dropped dead ut the feet OF her
lover. Oh. that death was horrible.
terrific! That was Il tragedy. But the
scene of horror which met the young
bridegroom's eyes that night is not SO
horrible to me as must be the taunting-
ly agonizing feelings OF bad man who
thinks that every marriage altar Is
built upon the hard rock of selfishness.
that all friendly greetings are merely
the fawning words uttered by hypoc.
risy, that every one with whom we
walk is trying to overreach us as we
are trying to overreach him. God pity
the man who has lost his Christian in
tegrity! God pity the man who feels
he has to live upon the street of Self
Love" and to associate entirely with
neighbors who belong to the great fam
lily OF Hard Hearts"
But temporal success is again bought
at too high price when the desire for
one earthly goal obliterates all the tenn.
poral and spiritual blessings with
which we are surrounded. 1t is bough,
at too high price when man. to
gain that end, is willing to sacrifice
everything else he has on earth, and,
In the end, may lose the prize for
which he has struggled.
can imagine how Jephthah brooded
over the evil chapter OF his fathers
and mothers hfe which gave him birth.
i can imagine how be wanted to wipe
out that stain. especially to wipe It out
among a people that kept the records
OF family births generation after gen.
Grafton and century after century.
can Imagine this mighty man OF war
impulsively and hastily saying, 20
God, II only may be honored among
my people VIII give to thee as a burnt
Offering the first person that comes
out or my house to welcome me-" But
when his beautiful daughter, ROBBED In
white. was being bound to a stake.
and when the lighted torch was flung
among the fagots piled around her
beautiful limbs. and when the tresses
OF her hair floating in the winds We're
eaten up by the hot, kissing flames.
and when her dying shrek was heard
above the waflings OF the multitudes
that surrounded her funeral pyre. do
you believe the death OF his only child
could In any way make Jephthah hap
pier because the disgrace of his birth
was forever wiped out? Instead of
Jephthah being the head OF his family.
now, by the death OF his only child. he
was the last OF his race. / cnn imag-
Inc how man reared in poverty and
one who knew the cravings of hunger
might long for unlimited wealth-aye.
and be ready to make almost any sac
rtfce to achieve wealth but when
wealth must be purchased ut the price
or his own LIES blood is that wealth
worth the struggle and the deathf
Tho Divine Sacrifice.
THAT Is magnificent business
block l say to you. THAT property
must be worth great deal OF money"
Yes" you answer, "a fine property.
That property was built with flesh and
blood The man who owned it is now
dead from overwork," Yes, that is tho
sad commentary upon the methods by
which scores and scores OF our great
fortunes were gathered. The men who
made them were the men who were
not allowed to live long enough to en-
JOY them. Oh, my brother, like Jeph-
than. are you so anxious to achieve
temporal success that you are willing
to sacrifice your hearts life In order to
win It?
But though 1T is common custom TO
regard Jephthah as one OF the widest
characters or the Blble"-as DIR. Blaikie
once saba rough, needless man.
alike rash In vowinS and heartless In
fulhlling." yet by the burning pyre
built by this mans sin we see in the
dying girls face one of the sweetest
characters In all history. The father
represents the man OF the world. the
man or ambition. and In one sense the
man or selfish ambition and the man
or sin. The daughter represents, in
humble sense. the type OF Jesus. as she
died for sin I'm which she was not
participant. The one character signi- |
hes eternal disgrace. The other char.
acter represents n daughters sacrifi-
cial blood &owIng to wipe out that dis,
grace. Upon the gloom OF Jephthah's
painful history an ethereal brightness |
SHINES. What can be more beautiful"
once said DIR. Wiseman, more wonder
ful, than this pure and lovely maid
Drought up among bandits and far
from the tabernacle OF God. thus freely |
onering herself as thank Offering for |
the victories OF Israel? And who can |
fall TO see in the story OF the meek and |
self sacrificing maiden marvellous
ana mysterious adumbration OF bet
Ter sacrifice or another soul OF an only |
cniid. perfectly free and voluntary, and |
OF virgin holiness and heavenly purity.
the sacrifice OF Christ. who gave his
spotiess soul TO death for our sakes."
In this sweet story OF the lovely maid.
en- dying for her fathers sins can Won
not. man. learn the lesson of how
Christ died that you might live? VIII
you not accept that divine sacrifice as
an atonement for your sins?
Renounce SIN.
The human and divine sacrifices OF
HE! Who can overlook them? We
glory in the fact when a hero phys
lcaily dies to physically save mankind
when DR.. Robert Koch. the noted dis
coverer OF the bacIlli OF tuberculosis
advocated the Idea that the tuberculo.
Sis Of cattle was not infectious for man
and young bacteriologIst. to prove
mat theory false. inoculated himself
with the cattle tuberculosis germ and
died as a result OF the incubation. we
SAID: That Is glorious. that is grana,I
That young man died In order that we
might physically live. He died in order