Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-09-15

rererence TO God we see everywherei
Here, for Instance, are all the doubts
men have In reference to the mysteries
or the Bible. Was there ever a com
pass which needed TO be surer or truer
In the dark and almost impenetrabIe
forests than the star OF bethlehem to
guide the mental doubters cut OF the
mysteries of Gods providence? Here
are all the mysteries of sorrow. The
doubter perhaps has lost little child
or the mother of his children. He can
not understand why God took his loved
ones. Shall we pass over these mys-
teries OF sorrow with n mere wave of
the hand? Here are all the shortcom-
ings OF Christians which blind the
doubter's eyes. Perhaps some elder
OF church has cheated him In bust
ness deal Shall not the doubter be
talked to lovingly In reference TO that
matter and shown how there have been
Judases among Chrlst's professed fol-
lowers at all times? Yes. Christ wants
to draw to his arms those who are
mentally blinded He would have US
lead them as carefully as I saw the
other day a boy leading his little
brother OF eight summers, who was
blind in both eyes, across a country
field. As / saw these two boys going
past me there We're tears In my eyes
for an especial reason. As they were
passing was told that only year
before that little boys eyes were as
good as yours or mine But his own
brother, who was then leading him.
while hunting one day had aceIden-
tally discharged his gun and shot his
brothers sight away. 20 God" 1
said to myself. "can the that some Of
us, by our own sins Of commission or
sins of omission, have made some of
thy children mentally blind to thy Iove?"
Can 1t be that doubters and skeptics
and GgnOstics and mental antagonists
to God are resisting him today merely
because we will not take away the
bands which are binding their eyes
because there Is no one to uncover
their eyes-as the disciples of old took
or the bands from the eye sockets of
helpless Lazarus? o God, today give
us more sympathy for the honest
doubterl Inspire US with holy zeal 10
try TO scatter these doubts away when.
ever and wherever they are!
Bound Hand and Foot.
But as go up to the open tomb where
slept the dead Lazarus find that not
only was he blinded. but his move.
ments were restrained. His resUrrect.
ed body has its graveclothes bound
around the arms and the hands. the
legs and the feet and the stomach. as
well as around the forehead, the
lips and-the eyes. Indeed. so helpless
was Lazarus physically that he could
not have stepped out OF his crypt OF
the tomb, as you and 1 would throw
back the bedclothes Of n morning and
leap out upon the floor, but he must
have had to give lurch and roll out
upon the stones of the tomb. Then he
struggled to his feet and stood like n
statue. Thus stood Lazarus resur.
rected body. AS l go on up and ex-
nmine the mans bound hands and feet
say to myself, Yes; how much I'm
symbol does Lazarus look as n man
bound hand and foot with financial
debit" The man in financial distress
sometimes cannot make one move II
he would. So believe Christ's words,
Loose him and let him CO." have their
application in reference to a financial
liberation as well as a mental or in
tellectual. How much OF n financial
liberation many people need but few
OF us have any adequate conception.
Financial liberation IN needed In the
store. The temptations OF business
life are mighty. Here Is n merchant
who has been left an executor OF n
friends estate. For years and years
he has led an honorable life. But the
hard times have come. The people
who once bought his goods cannot
buy them now. for they have no money
with which TO buy. "Oh," he says to
himself, 'if 1 can only tide myself
over this winter l know everything
win come cut right" Shall he sur
renderl Shall he hand over 20 his
creditors the store and walk out a
bankrupt or shall he borrow some
or the money OF his friends estate
and put II into his business7 1t is all
well enough for you to denounce the
incorporation Of trust funds. But.
eupposlng you were In that mans place
and your creditors were knocking at
your door. what would you DO? fear
YOU might do Just as thousands OF
men have done In the past who have
been bound hand and foot with the
graveclothes OF debt. You would be
dishonest as they were dishonest. The
financial temptation would ding you.
Poverty Versus Crime.
Or take another view or the same
subject. Surprising you are not a
merchant, but a clerk or q laborer.
On account OF the hard times you
have lost your position In the store or
the mine. Surprising you have tramped
the streets day after day looking for
work and never have been able TO
ind It. And then, supposing hunger
Is beginning TO gnaw at your vitaIs
and the bitter cold to send its chills
playing ''hare and hounds" up and
down your back. what would you do?
You may have learned what cold and
hunger are when some time you were
out hunting or tramplng through the
woods and you were lost. You re-
member how you tramped on and on
until you became faint from lack OF
food, and perhaps your lips became
| swollen for water to drink, but
there was no water, no food, no
house In sight. How, then. did you
look at life? Does n hungry man, a
cold man, have the same chance for
virtue and honesty and purity as a
well fed man and a warm man? Oh,
my friends, II you and ever find a
time when we can relieve some Of
these financial distresses / believe we
viii take away large per cent OF
the crimes aud the dlshonesties OF the
world. Indeed, I know what say is
true. Most men are not dishonest for
mere pleasure, but only when they
have become brutalized by hunger and
bodily wants and financial necessities.
The majority Of men are honest at
heart.
This truth was forced upon me some
months ago In powerful way. I met
one OF the boys Of one Of the old farm
ers OF my Bushhill church, where 1
preached for two summers as a theo-
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