Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-09-01

NoNS Sohe VI his eastern friends out TO
see the city sights AS a church Off
Ger. do you ever sin thus? Wednesday
evening comes around. IL Is PRAYER
meeting night. A card party or a
dance Is TO be given the sane evening.
Which will you choose 10 attend ?
These Illustrations are not imaginary.
These conditions meet us as church
members almost every month OF our
lives In deciding how we shall solve
the amusement question, nearly all OF
us decide whether we Will be positive
Christians or negative modern I.aodi-
ceans, cursed by lukewarm aIlegi-
anee to God. Gods loathlng for such
characters is nnmltigated. In effect.
he says: "The murderer. the BIAS
phemer. the thief and the social out
cast are not so injurious as you are.
Men know them for what they are, but
you misrepresent religion, you commit
the outrage OF misrepresenting me to
the world. You should be the light OF
the world. but you are misleading
lights" Let me read TO you Gods own
words in reference to the ancient
church OF Laodicea: at know thy
works. that thou art neither cold nor
hot. I would thou vert cold or hot.
So, then. because thou art lukewarm
and neither cold nor hot will spew
thee out of my mouth"
Could any Dlenunciation be more
powerfully expressed?
Dying Church.
Oh. that today the churches OF the
Lord Jesus Christ would become more
positive upon the questions that are
making so many church members luke
warm Christians! Some time ago
read of an artist who was asked to
paint a picture OF a spiritually dying
church. He painted church building,
cathedral-like in its proportions. This
prosperous church had its tall towers,
its stained glass windows and it's
wealthy parishioners assembling for
worship. but near the front door Of
this fashionable church the artist
painted n collection box marked 'For-
eign Missions" Over the aperture of
this box the artist drew a simple
spiders web. The idea Of that artist
was self evident. But, though that was
n powerful picture, do not believe the
artist pictured the greatest curse c.
our modern Laodiceans by which Sa-
tan destroys the spirituality OF our
prominent churches. This evil Is not
found in the collection plates, but In
the church members laxity in refer
ence TO amusementS. When a man be.
comes Indifferent to God in reference
to his pleasures, inevitably he becomes
Indifferent to all other deeds.
Lastly, remark that the lukewarm
Christianity OF our modern Laodiceans
is demonstrated in reference TO the
protested disciples Of Jesus Christ.
neglecting to win their brethren from
their sins. III the negative Christians
are spending an evening with a party
OF friends, they may not tell the lewd
story themselves, but they will not re-
buke that story when they hear some
one else telling ii. IL they see another
travelling the crowded paths OF sin.
they may not follow, but they do not
go forth and as Christian friend saw:
Brother, this is not the way TO
Christ. Let me lead you into the right
path. In other words, in their friend
ship to Christ they are like n chame-
leon-changing their colors to suit their
surroundings.
WomRn's stony Heart
The religion of these modern I.aod-
iceans Is like the wavering friendship
OF Marie Louise. one OF the most con-
temptible characters of all history.
The second wife OF Napoleon Bona
parte chung to no one. She had n
heart OF putty. As soon as she left her
fathers palace she forgot her father.
her brothers and sisters and her step
mother. When her husband was de-
throned. Napoleon Bonaparte at once
passed out of her life. She had no fur
Their use far him and almost immedi-
ately formed an affection for Count
Neippert. one OF NapoIeon's bItterest
foes. She would not write 10 her ex-
lied husband, and when Napoleon re-
turned from Elba she was In mortal
terror lest her sins should find her out.
When the king of Rome her only son.
was dying, his mother cared no more
Tor him than II he had been peasants
child. When Count Neippert died. Ma
RE Louise almost ut once formed n
sinful alliance with another member OF
the Austrian court. Her heart seemed
TO have turned from n heart OF putty 10
one OF stone. Her affections were "A
the waters or the shallowest of brooks.
which could gurgle and smile no mat
ter what sun shone upon them. Her
loving power was as dead as is the
heart OF dried up mummy which has
been buried thousand years In one OF
the Egyptian pyramids and is now nut
under glass case In the Cairo muse
um- So with some OF us. Like Marie
Louise, we smile on God when we are
with God; we smile on Gods enemies
when We are with Gods enemies. We
are never Gods true, firm disciples.
we never uphold him. We never fight
Tor him. We are never ready to die
Tor him as Christ died for US. Oh
mat we might be faithful to God I'm re-
buking the sins OF others as well as
true to him in reference to the per-
sonar actions OF our own livesi
would that we might be as true To
GODS love In every way as DIR. Joseph
eN e7ACAN I. WAS frn0
IN MS noble affection for dumb brutes.
Some years ago DIR. Leidy was lectur-
ing on natural history to the students
OK Swarthmore college. about ten
miles out of Philadelphia, where he
lived. To illustrate his subject he took
into the classroom three little mnd tur-
Ties out OF nearby pond. After the
lecture he locked these sIittIe turtIas ar,
In his laboratory. intending to turn
them loose next day. That night DIR
Leldy was summoned to Germany by
cable. He had to catch the early boat
Tor New York next morning. There
was no train out that night to the col
iese town. SO, rather than let his liz
Tie friends. the mud turtles, starve TO
death In the closet of which he only
had the key. DIR. Leidy walked over
the Pennsylvania hills to the college
town and then walked back and caught
the early morning train for New York
n hn 20 h..