Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-04-15

and talking to Christ and waiting for
Christ to talk to us task instead or
an endless pleasure. oh, my friends,
do you want to feel again the exhilara-
ton which came over you OIL the day or
your conversion? Then make the pray
er of my text. Make 1t day In and day
out. Make 1t and continue to make 1t
as you rehearse all God has done for
you By the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Oh. that today we could have the thrill
which supged through us when we first
felt that God had purged us with hys-
SOD until we were clean, that he had
washed us until we were whittier than
snowl
Not the Only JOY.
But gratitude to God for what Christ
has done for us Is not the only
10y Of salvation that Is buried and
needs to be renewed. One Of these joys
that need to be resurrectcd Is the one
we used to find in Christian service.
No sooner were we converted than I'M
medlately we went forth to try to
save some one else. Then when we
brought brother or sister to the cross
there came over us another JOY which
we had not hitherto conceived, the JOY
of saving men and women for Christ.
There is no Joy on earth greater than
that. Not even the JOY Of being saved
ourselves can be compared to the JOY
of knowing that by the grace Of God
we have been able to save some one
else from perishing.
The man of the world who has never
experienced this JOY cannot understand
II. The exhilaration of it Is cOuched
for him in mystical and unknown
tongues. For years and years | could
not understand what Paul meant in
his letter to the Romans. | felt he dld
not mean what he said. | believed he
was only using an exaggerated ora
torlcal figure Of speech when he said'
For | could wish that myself were ac-
cursed from Christ for my brethren,
nv kinsmen, according to the flesh.
The more | studied that passage the
more felt and do feel today that Paul
literally made this prayer: 30 Christ
II there is no way to save my brothers,
my sisters, my friends, my people, but
by blotting my name out of the Dook
of life, then destroy me for their
sakesw In other words, Paul said
destroy me If by my spiritual death
others might spiritually live forever In
thee" And yet is not this joyful will
ingness to be sacrificed to save others
experienced by the new convert al
ways?
Was young Hamiltons death an un'
desirable one? No sooner were the
honor and life Of his father, Alexander
Hamilton. threatened In his political
warfare against Aaron Burr than bis
eldest son, the pride Of his heart
leaped forward and sald, "If necessary
| will die that my father shall live
Three long years before the fatal due
at Weehawken, when the first secre
tary of the United States treasury laid
down his life, his eldest boy died fol
his fathers sake. DO you not believe
.sct when young Hamilton was dying
there came an unspeakable joy to hin
because he was dying In his father
| stead? When Nathan Hale was lee
forth to the gallows to be strangled as
q SPY, did he go there Ike craVer
murderer? Oh, no. He went with his
head up. His step was firm. a happy
smile was upon his lips. He said, "Th'
only regret that 1 have in dying Is tha
have but one life to lay upon the al
tar Of my country" Yes, Nathan Hal'
died happy. In dying he felt that h'
was making it possible for his countr!
TO live. So Paul was happy when 1t
said. 80 Christ, If it is necessary TO
me to spiritually die that others ma!
spiritually live, then blot my name ou
of the book Of life" Thus the JOY o
saving an immortal soul which come
to the Christian Is even greater thai
that Joy which comes to penitent mel
and women when they first give thel
hearts to Jesus Christ.
The Joy of Saving Others.
Oh. apostates; oh, ye negligent ah'
slothful church members, standin
idlv about in the market places whe
Gods vineyards are filled with the riT
est clusters just ready for the pluck
ing. YOU have known in the past tn
ioy Of salvation in the saving of souls
WHY. I can see even now the reflection
of a past Joy upon your faces as In tn
time when you used to labor In tn
Sunday schools and bring little chi
dren to Christ l can see you nov
smiling as you used to do when 20
brought your friends to the revlva
meetings and labored with them to az
cept Christ. can see you now goin
I'D to your minister and earnestly an
rapturously saying: Pastor, keep o
praying. We will get them. The
are bound to give their hearts to Chris
We will get them yet" But now tn
world and the flesh have crept In. Yo
do not work for souls as you used
do. You do not have the old Joy
saving souls. Oh, my friends, will 70
not pray that this JOY may come to 70
again: Lord, God, give me the OF
thrill Of being saved by thy sacrifice
But do more than this, Lord. Give m
the Joy of saving some one else fC
thee. If 1t be necessary in order thf
others may spiritually live, that mus
spiritually die, then, as Paul wishe'
let me die for thine honor and glory"
But in this psalmlst's prayer W
would find another Joy. 1t Is thi
20 God, restore unto me the JOY
Christian fellowship with Christian
o God, make me again love churc
services and the prayer meetings an
the missionary gatherings and the col
vocation of the young people Of IL
Christian Endeavorers and Epwort
, leagues and the Brotherhood Of Al