Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-08-18

THE Y
alone; secondly. all the members or
that future church In their private
lives must be>renectlng the light OF
the gospel as found Ina the light OF
Jesus Christ
RenectiaE the Light.
Most OF US see this symbol TO cur
own shame. o moon. thou fair
checked. laughing eyed, golden Tipped
moonl . moon, thou beautiful queen
OF the night. who doth carry GO Ian
tern, yet whose face Is agow with
light because the SUMS rays have
kissed thy forehead as the skin OF
Moses shone when he descended from
Mount Sinai, after talking face to face
with Godl d moon. thou dear friend.
who kept vigil with rue as Ipaced the
ships deck under the Southern Cross
and babe thee carry messages OF love to
my dear ones by the moaning seas OF
an Atlantic coast. Is my life reflect
ing the divine life OF Christ as thou
dost reflect the light OF the sun? Is
Is Graded I'm my brain, every hope,
every desire, every deed, an echo, a re-
Election OF my Saviour's life. who gave
up his life that sinful man might live?
The moon is speaking to the church
members today. With her mellowed
light she Is signaling this message:
Church members, when you preach
Christ and live Christ then Christ's
church shall be a conquering church."
Men and women. as church members,
will you I'm the daytime be clear as
the sun and I'm the night be fair as the
moon. which God has sent as an evan
gelist to us TO teach us the need OF
purity?
But we must not stop here Having
clear voiced pulpit and cOnsecrated
pew. what shall we find? At once the
outside world will begin to crowd the
church doors even as doves Zee to
their windows. The new converts will
come to Christ by the hundreds and
the thousands. There is absolutely
no doubt about It, The chief reason
why men and women are not coming
TO Christ today is because most Of the
men OF the world believe our profess
sion OF religion to be sham and
moekery. Give us u purified church
and an honest and consistent church
membership and the new converts shall
crowd the seats I'm such numbers tina.
whole communities will be born IN q
day.
a Personal History.
Never was I more impressed with
this conviction than on one occasion
by the recital Of n personal history of
great American minister whom
love we'll. For some years he had
been preaching i'm one OF our southern
cities. The church seemed to be spir-
itually dead. The people loved him
with all the cordiality OF the south
and socially did everything for him:
still he could not move them with the
message OF his Master. one day a
friend came TO him and said: DOC
tor, the reason you cannot move this
city for God is not because the men
OF the world do not believe In the
Saviour. but they do not believe I'm
the men and the women who are men,
bers OF your church. Your church
people. they say. are no different from
any other kind Of people. They gam
BILE, they drink wine, they dance. they
so 10 the theater. their names are the
most prominent among the society col
umns Of the city newspapers" Then
that friend told his pastor this story:
Some OF the chief members OF the
church had formed themselves into n
social club. TO meet each week and
play cards. Each member was to con
tribute weekly so much money. and
this money was to be taken by the
hostess OF the week and q prize was
to be bought. to be presented to the
winner OF the night. One week the
hostess forgot 10 buy the prize. In
stead she took the money and piled IL
up on the center or the table. and
the winner OF the evening took the
cash instead OF the prize which ought
TO have been purchased. The winner
that night was the president OF the
Christian Endeavor society OF his
church and the wife OF one OF the
elders. The history OF that nights
play has gone all over the town." said
the informant. Now, doctor. what is
the difference between those women
playing for cash and playing for n
picture or n vase? They are gamblers
any way you look at It."
My friend went into his pulpit next
Sunday and told that story. In his.
sermon he said: Friends, are not
church members to be any different
from the men and women or the
world? VIII you stand In the way OF
the spiritual success OF this church by
the worldliness OF your own llvesf' A
mighty reaction set in. Those church
members at once ceased their worldli-
ness, their card playing. thoater going,
dancing and other destroying acts OF
SIM They gave themselves to Gods
work. The resuit--a wave or spirit
ual influence swept over the city and
the whole state. Men and women.
shall we have this spiritual upheaval
In our own churches? As conquer
Ing army terrible with banners, shall
this church membership move out
upon this city? We can move thus II
we consecrate our own lives. The sin
fui world today Is not doubling Christ:
1t is doubling our professions. We
say. Il love God" yet we are not will
Ing TO live for God.
Reasons For Failure.
The scenes or q great church tri-
umph which shall yet be Witnessed In
our land If church members are true to
their disc:pIeship Will be marvelously
witnessed in the triumphs OF the
church of the Lord Jesus Christ In
foreign lands The reason our foreign
missionaries are not accomplishing
what they should is not due 10 their
lack OF faIthfulness and conservation
IL is not due TO any defect in the doc
trine they are preaching. 1t Is due
almost entirely 10 the sinful white
man who enters heather lands along.
side OF the Christian missionary. With
every ship that sets sail from our
shores carrying the white mans Bible
mere 20 also the white mars cask
or whisky and the white mans sins.
III the white man were true TO God. II