The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-07-07

I tiOn which came over you on the day OF
your conversion? Then make the pray
or Of my text Make IL day in and day
out Make it and continue to make II
as you rehearse all God has done for
you by the sacrifice Of Jesus Christ
Oh. that today we could have the thrill
which surged through us when we first
felt that God had purged Us with hys-
sop until we were clean, that he had
washed us until we were whittier than
snow
But gratitude TO God for what Christ
has done for us is not the only
JOY Of salvation that is buried and
needs TO be renewed. One Of these joys
that need 10 be resurrected is the one
we used to find In Christian service.
No sooner were we converted than I'm
| mediately we went forth TO try 70
save some one else. Then when we
brought brother or sister 20 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 20 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
IL. The eXhilaratlOn Of il is couched
/ for him I'm mystical and unknown
tongues. For years and years l could
not understand what Paul meant in
his letter 10 the Romans. | felt he did
not mean what he said. l 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,
| 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 plotting my name out Of the book
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
waysi
Was young Hamilton's death an I'M
desirable Onel 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
a spy, did he go there like a craven
murderer? Oh, no. He went with his
head up. His step was firm. a happy
smile was upon his lips. He said. "The
only regret that have In dying IS that
] have but one life to lay upon the al
tar Of my country" Yes. Nathan Hale
died happy. In dying he felt that he
was making It possible for his country
TO live. SO Paul was happy when he
said, 90 Christ, II IL 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
10 the Christian Is even greater than
that JOY which comes to penltent men
and women when they first give their
hearts to Jesus Christ.
But in this psalmist's prayer we
would find another Joy. 1t is this:
20 God, restore unto me the JOY Of
Christian fellowship with Christians!
o God, make me again love church
services and the prayer meetings and
the missionary gatherings and the con-
vocation Of the young people Of the
Christian EndeavOrers and Epworth
leagues and the Brotherhood of An
drew and Philip o God, may l de-
sire 10 associate with thy disciples
more than to go with any other class
OF people on earth" You think this
is a strange prayer 10 maker do not
When | make It, / know that one Of the
surest signs Of the true Christian life
is to be found in the desire Of a Chris
tian 10 be where other Christians are.
Yet IL mistake not, some Of you new
or 90 to the midweek prayer meetings
OF 10 Sunday schools or TO our cottage
prayer meetings. You look upon these
meetings as a bore, a drudgery. a tire
some hour, wasted for duty's sake.
When you 90 TO these meetings you do
so under protest
eyes" you answer. II do look upon
these religious gatherings as bore.
But am not responsible for my likes
and dlslikes any more than am TO be
blamed because my favorlte color Is
blue, my favorlte flower carnation,
my favorlte musician Beethoven. my
favorlte novelist Thackeray, my favor
ite artist Rubens and my favorite poet
Longfellow or Tennyson. like what
like and dislike what dislike, and
cannot help II. Now. II dislike TO as
soclate with the class Of people who
make up our distinctively religious
gatherings, such as are found in the
missionary society, am not TO blame
I am no more TO blame than am be-
cause dislike Goldfish or mackerel and |
like apples and grape fruit"
All. yes, my brother, you are to
blame. You are individually responsi- |
ble for your likes and dislikes. If you
do not care to associate with Christian |
people in Christian gatherings, then II |
is high time that you learned to enjoy |
their society. and the quicker the bet
fer Rpcausp I do NOT love them now