The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-02-24

They must so live and act that other
people will feel that spiritual fircs are
burning within them and that those
spiritual fires are cleansing the impuri-
ties out Of our lives. The greatest puri-
fer on earth is fire. As we are appoint
ed TO lead others to the Christian al
tars we must guide them by a fame
which is pure, because Christs fires
have burned and are burning within
Us.
But though the divine fame within
us is absolutely essential for the send
ing forth Of n divine light out of our
lives. how many OF Christ's professed
disciples neglect imparting the holy
fires within themselves which are al
ways burning at Gods mercy seat. In
one Of the heather temples Of the east
| saw a fire which, the priest told me,
had been In existence hundreds OF
years. Those priests never allow that
fire TO 20 ont. Have we always Kept
the divine fame burning within MS!
BY diligent and mceasing prayer, by
continual reading Of Gods word. by
holy communications with Gods saints
by a pure gentle. true, forgivng spirit,
have we always fed the necessary fuel
TO the fires Of our spiritual lifet Like
Enoch. have we been continually walk
ing hand iu hand with GodF DO not
think for one instant that You can i'm
pose upon the world an earthly flame
as a heavenly light
A musician told me recently that she
could intuitively feel when she WAS
playing whether or not the members Of
her audience loved music. II there
were twenty listeners present and nine
teen were merely pretending 10 bc low
ers Of harmony. she would play over the
heads Of those nineteen TO the twenti-
eth. who loved music for music's sake.
SO I'm your life God knows whether
your light is a divine flame. and man
also intuitively can separate the earth
~ light from the divine. Oh. so called
Christian disciples. before You attempt
TO lead others to the cross get the di-
vine fires burning within you at the al
tars Of your own hearts. BE not like
the FIVE foolish virgins with lamps. but
with no divine oil for their lamps.
Pray. pray. pray. Plead, plead. plead
at the altars Of mercy for this light!
He only can make the spiritual fires
burn within you.
When the divine fires begin TO burn
within us, what happens: Their infu-
ence exerts itself all around MS. Their
power is felt by the people with whom
we come i'm contact Their quickcning
rays fall on fields that we know not
Of and nourish and develop seed that
may have been carried from remote
sources. Many years ago Mr.. Beecher,
homeslck and lonely, was wandering
through an Alpine village, where. To his
surprise. he found some Of the Ameri-
can flowers growing I'm the gardens OF
the Swiss hamlets far from their ma
tive soil. When our gospel light be-
gins TO shine it will develop spiritual
plants in fields or rocky soil and in
mountain ravines. far from the places
we ever expect to find them.
Did you ever stop to think that spir-
itual seeds are great deal like the
common seeds we plant in our gardensf 2
Their development depends not more
upon the soil than the sunbeams which
kiss them. what Is the matter with
my garden" ask neighbor. Il have
bought exactly the same kind Of seed
as you. | have faithfully .watered the
ground every morning and evening. l
have dug out all my weeds as soon as
they poked their green heads above the
surface Of the earth Yet here am |
with few struggling plants looking
for all the world as though they were
diving from fatal attack Of typhoid
in hospital Of flowers. while YOU
have roses galore and great. sturdy flo
raj beauties that are scattering their
incense every whittier" "Ah." answers
my neighbor, you have starved your
plants for light. You have not given
them the suns rays. Make your garden
not under the shadow Of wall. Dig II
in a place where the first sunbeam
which dances over the eastern hills can
play hide and seek among your roses.
Give them sunlight Flowers, like veg
etables and harvest fields. must have
light. They must have lightr' All men
have their spiritual seeds within them.
even the lowest of social outcasts.
These seeds may be developed. But
what they need is spiritual light II
you are the light Of the world. il may
be your privilege Icy the grace Of Col
10 quicken them into life. They are
dormant now, hut when the light inn
planted in your soul shines upon them
they may awake into vigorous life and
bear fruit to the glory Of God What
sinful man needs is gospel light. divine
light, spiritual light.
II this deduction is true. would be
careful how your spiritual light touches
that drunkard or that beggar or that
woman with n faded shawl who goes
00WU MllNfi Allf NhNiArhAs 4 NFNN' Wv
careful how you speak to that man
who cheats you I'm business and has
lied about you The ancient Romans
had a custom OF placing a lighted lamp
in the cofiins Of their dead. During
tho pontlfcate Of Paul Ill. when the
coffin was dug mp containing the body
Of Tulla, the daughter Of Cicero, the
amous orator such a lamp was found
among her bones. II was a strange
idea 10 give the dead a light on their
path beyond the grave Better far is
the Christian hope that the divine
light kindled during life in their souls,
will shed its rays on their path to the
heavenly haven.
our divine light is a quickenlng and
Transforming light II is also guild
ing light. Ii not only calls into spir-
itual activity those human seeds buried
in the quagmires Of sin; it guides to
Christ those wandering souls which,
a.