Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-04-14

, experience Is Joy cannot understand
II. The exhil@s2 tion OF IL Is coucheIl
, for him In mystical and unknown
tongues. For years aud years I could
: not understand what Paul meant I'm
, his letter to the Romans felt he did
not mean what he slil. believed he
was only using nm exaggerated ora
torical figure of speech when he said,
'.For 1 could wish that myself were ac-
cursed from Christ for my brethren,
my kinsmen. according to the flesh"
The more | studied that passage the
more felt and do feel today that Paul
literally made this prayer: 20 Christ.
il there is no way to save my brothers,
my sisters. my friends, my people, but
by blotting my name out OF the book
OF life. then destroy me for their
sakesp' 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
iuguess to be sacrificed to save others
experienced by the new convert al
waysS
Was young Uamilton's death an I'M
| desirable one? No sooner were the
honor and life OF his father, Alexander
Hamilton, threatened in his political
warfare against Aaron Burr than his
| eldest son, the pride of his heart,
leaped forward and said, IF necessary
will die that my father shall live"
Three long years before the fatal duel
| at Weehawken, when the first secre-
tary of the United States treasury laid
down his life, his eldest boy died for
his fathers sake. DO you not believe
that when young Hamilton was dying
there came an unspeakable joy to him
because he was dying in his fathers
| stead? When Nathan Hale was led
forth to the gallows to be strangled as
spy, did he go there like n craven
murderer? Oh, no. He went with his
head up. His step was firm. A happy
smile was upon hts lips. He said, 'The
only regret that have In dying is that
i have but one life to lay upon the al
tar OF nay country" Yes, Nathan Hale
died happy. In dying he felt that he
was making it possible for his country
to i've. SO Paul was happy when he
said, 20 Christ, If 1t Is necessary for
me to spiritually die that others may
spiritually live, then blot my name out
Of the book OF life" Thus the JOY of
saving an immortal soul which comes
/ to the Christian is even greater than
that Joy which comes to penitent men
and women when they first give their
hearts TO Jesus Christ
The joy OF Saving Others.
Oh. apostateS; OH, we negligent and
1 c1 frr1 OH
| idly about in the market places when
Gods vineyards are filed with the rip
est clusters just ready for the pluck
ing, you have known I'm the past the
JOY OF salvation in the saving OF souls!
| Why, / can see even now the reflection
OF past Joy upon your faces as i'm the
time when you used to labor in the
Sunday schools and bring little chill
| dren to Christ. l can see you now
smiling as you used to do when you
| brought your friends TO the revival
meetings and labored with them to- ac-
cept Christ. i can see you now going
up TO your minister and earnestly and
rapturously saying: Pastor, keep on
praying. We will get them. They
| are bound 10 give their hearts TO Christ
We will get them yet" But now the
world and the flesh have crept I'm. You
do not work for souls as you used to
do. You do not have the old Joy OF
saving souls. oh, my friends, will you
not pray that this Joy may come to you
again: Lord, God, give me the old
thrill of being saved by thy sacrifice
But do more than this, Lord Give me
the joy OF saving some one else fol
thee. II II be necessary in order that
others may spiritually live. that must
spiritually die. then. as Paul wished
let me die for thine honor and glory"
But in this psalmist's prayer w,
would ind another joy. 1t is this
20 God, restore unto me the Joy OF
Christian fellowship with Christians
God, make me again love church
services and the prayer meetings and
the missionary gatherings and the con
vocation or the young people OF tho
Christian Endeavorers and Epwortl
| leagues and the Brotherhood OF An
drew and Philipi o God, may 1 de
sire 10 associate with thy disciples
more than to go with any other class
OF people on earth" You think thi.
is strange prayer to make? 1 do not
When make it, l know that one OF Tho
surest signs or the true Christian life
Is To be found in the desire OF n Chris
tan TO be where other Christians are
Yet, IL mistake not, some OF you new
er so TO the midweek prayer meetings
or TO Sunday schools or to our, Gotta 90
prayer meetings. You look upon these
meetings as bore. a drudgery, tire
some hour, wasted for duty's sake
When you go to these meetings you do
SO under protest. n-
4 Wrong Kind OF Likes. m
"Yes," you answer, II do look upon
these religious gatherings as bore
But am not responsible for my likes
and dislikes any more than I am to be
blamed because my favorite color Is
blue. my favorite fiower a carnation,
my, favorite musician Beethoven, my
| favorite novelist Thackeray, my favor
lite artist Rubens and my favorite poet
Longfellow or Tennyson. I like what
like and dislike what dislike, and i
cannot help 1t. Now, IL dislike 10 as
ISOLATE with the class OF people who
make up our distinctively religious
gatherings, such as are found in the
missionary society, am not to blame.
| 1 am no more TO blame than am be-
cause 1 dislike Goldfish or mackereI and
like apples and grape fruit" "a
All. yes, my brother, you are to
blame. You are individually response
bic for your likes and dislikes If you
do not care to associate with Christian
people in Christian gatherings, then it
is high time that you learned to enjoy
their society, and the quicker the bet
ter. Because l do not love them now
that is no excuse why I should not
learn to love these people. Supposing
was dyspeptic, supposing 1 had for
years been living on Holsters and veal
and ham and pork and cabbage and
highly seasoned salads and rich pas
tries, supposing on account OF my dys-
pepsia / was sent to a sanitarium.
what would be the first order of my
physicians? Put that man on the