Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-08-11

IatnerS house. Not from man to beast
but from evil monsters to Gods saint
ship. has been their redemption. trans
formation. RECONSIDERATION aud spiritu-
alization
IL some Of us could not feel that God
saves the vilest and the lowest and the
chief OF sinners, we could not feel that
The Can OF the Good was for US
There is natural law that water
cannot rise higher than It's source. 1
go down into the valley and find the
brooks leaping over the rocks. / see
the creeks and the rivers, with their
great serpentine coils. bending and
winding through the meadow lands. I
see waters tumbling over miller's
wheel and, like circus rider from the
top of Bushkill or Minnehaha falls.
leaping through their hoops OF gold.
which the sunbeams IN the forms OF
rainbows have lifted for them 10 play
with. know the water in the valley
can do all this because the source OF
that water is higher than meadow
lands Those waters come from reser-
voirs OF clouds which have emptied
themselves upon yonder mountain side.
But in our own strength we have no
highlands. IL left 10 ourselves we are
nothing but a bare. bleak Sahara des-
ert, filed not with life, but with death.
But IL the spiritual waters can rush
down from the mountain sides and
cleanse and purify. and turn into spir-
itual Gases the bleak. bare, sinful des-
ert lives OF some of the men and wom-
en- we have known, the spiritual waters
rushing down from Gods heights can
easily purify and cleanse and change
Us into spiritual GASES. Yes, our bleak,
bare. sinful lives-bleak and bare as
the most repulsive Of all Sahara des.
erts-ean be completely changed. Truly
THE Call OF the Good comes nightly
aud overwhelmingly to us from the
redeemed lives of the Davids, and the
Peters. and the Magdalenes. and the
Zacehaeuses we see about us on every
hand.
A Call to Sinners.
1.-The Call OF the Good" I'm its high
est development means 1.-THE Call to
Come to Christ" am not now ex-
tending this invitation to the saints.
but TO the sinners; not 70 the angels
living In the white mansions OF the
new Jerusalem or singing in the celes-
tial choir lofts. bat to the wild beasts
OF the human race-to those who have
wandered farther and farther away
until they think that even Christ him.
self has ceased to love them or to care
for them. / offer IL not so much In
the homes of purity as upon the wild
mountain sides of sin, i'm the thickets
Of evil and In the cold billiards. Of de-
SPAR. Remember, Christ comes to us
not so much as Judge, but as a
Saviour, rescuer, a redeemer VIII
YOU listen TO the Divine Call of the
GoodT VIII you be purged with
hyssop until you are clean? VIII you
be washed in the atoning blood until
your garments become whittier than the
driven snow?
Christ would save even the lowest
and the vilest lie would save Paul.
the chief of sinners. even as he would
save the gentle John He would do for
us in spiritual way what that Indian
mother in physical sense tried to do
for her little daughter many years ago
upon one OF the ice foes OF Lake Hu-
ron. This mother was an Indian
squaw OF Manitoulin island. of the
Ojibway tribe. She was standing up-
on the ice near TO the shore one even
ing. Suddenly the ice upon which she
stood parted. and the block blew ont
into the lake. Next morning the In
dams found her frozen body. with her
dead baby by her side. But before the
mother died this Indian squaw took
or her own clothes and wrapped them
about her baby. Then with her naked
body she lay down upon the ice to
shield her child from the fierce winds
and cuddled the little one close under
her naked breast So the divine Christ
has come 10 us. He has laid down his
life as n sacrifice for us. He has
placed his body between us and the
evil results OF our sins. and today
upon the cross he says: "Oh. sinner.
come to me: live In me- I have died
that you might live forever In God and
with Godw
Men and women who, AS wild beasts
OF passion. are roaming over the HILL
sides OF sin, will you not heed this
divine invitationl VIII you let the
blood OF an atoning Saviour be shed In
vainl From being a sinful, human
beast and spiritual outcast will you not
be changed into one OF Christ's glori-
fed spirits Of earth and heaven. which
shall live under the divine benediction
and dwell with your redeemed ones
forever and evcrf THE Call OF the
Good" is hOre. Listen. DO you hear
it2 Will you answer its summons
nowi
Jesus. take this heart OF mine.
Make IT pure and wholly thine.
Thou hast bled and died for me;
will henceforth live for thee.
Copyright. 1885, by Louis RIopsch.J