Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-03-02

and suffer because he believed in him.
self?
Faith I'm Oneself.
But / find that faith has q broader
realm than even Its jurisdiction over
our physical bodies and our mental sue
cesses. 1t Is able to come TO us and
say: MAN, thou canst use thine own
fingers; thou canst cut the curtain
which separates the present from the
future, but thou canst also make men
work for thee, and without me thou
canst do nothing as social organism"
20 faith" / cry, 'what dost thou
mean? Art thou not simply gospel
messenger? Art thou the queen of
commerce? Dost thou as an empress
swing thy scepter over the busy marts
Of trader And faith answers: Thou
hast well said. / am ruler over all the
civilized world. Where commercial
man deals with man. or where man is
mound builder. or, where man floats
national flag, am faith. ruling, con
Quering faith"
Faith is everywhere practical in
mans relation to man. / decide to take
a trip from New York to California.
enter the railroad Office and purchase a
ticket. pay down my money. l prac-
sticaily say by that act: "Here. Mr.. Rail-
road President, is hundred dollars
y have faith in you that you will keep
your contract and take me to my des-
:tiaatiQh. After receive my monthly
wages take ny money to the bank
aR<t< say Here. Mr. Cashier, is my
money Put It out at interest have
faith IN you. / will trust you with my
alL'' Instead OF living the life of her
INIT and arming myself with pistol
md gun and bsrricading my home at
night. MS the New England settlers did
during the time OF the Indian upris-
ings in 1880. ! associate myself with
my neighbors into n nation. We cleo.
q president, governor and n mayor
We say TO these officials: you guard
US. You protect us. We have faith in
you and your government" The bust
ness world. the domestic world. the
political world. could not be run sue
cessfully n day. an hour. minute.
without faith. glorious and triumphant
faith.
Now. my friends, as rational faith is
such an essential for mans physical
and mental and social development, is
IL absurd for us TO assert that gospel
faith is an essential for mans spiritual
existence? We have logically proved
that when n man lives for himself or
when man walks with other men he
has TO walk with the evidence of the
things not seen. Shall man not walk
thus with God? And, my brother, If
man, in spite OF himself. is compelled
to trust man. In order to live in an
earthly and social sense, is It absurd
for man to trust God IN spiritual
sense2
II you have faith in an earthly par
emit. why should you not have faith In
heavenly Father7 Suppose you have
been Maynard boy. Suppose you
have been drunkard. gambler and
libertine. Suppose you have run
away from home and not had any re-
lations with the old homestead for
months-aye, for years. Then suppose
friepd meets you in distant city
and sends back home your address.
Then suppose your father sends 20 you
an earnest. loving letter. which goes
thus: Dear Charley--For months and
months your. mother and l have been
trying TO find you. Under the awful
strain OF worry your mother has bro
ken down. The doctors say she can only
last few weeks. Her one cry is: My
boy, my boy! oh, why does not my
boy come homer Come home. Charley.
Come home to your mother and TO me.
We will forgive all, IL you will only
let sin alone and come back to our
love-" Would you. not believe your IA
Their? Would you not have faith in his
forgiveness? Would you not take the
first train back to the old homestead
and throw yourself upon your mothers
sick bed. just as you used to do when a
little boy. and cry: "Oh. mother, moth
trl Forgive me. motherr' If you have
faith that an earthly parent will for
give your sins. then why have you not
faith in God? Why do you not throw
yourself upon his mercy and cry:
Lord. Jesus. forgive me! Lord. Jesus,
save meY' Is the picture which John
Bunyan drew OF his pardon at the
NAVoo VI 1Nouo &iitlSl bu ",
when he said, 80 saw in my dream
that Just as Christian came up with his
cross his burden loosed from Off his
shoulders and fe;i from or bis back
and began to tumble and so continued
toFdo till it canes 70 the mouth OF the
septIcher. when'it fell in. and I saw it
fNp moref"
~
1ctha pardon of-sin through the blood
OF the atoning Lamb Is not an sabsurd-
ity. Why should IL be an absurdity that
with God TO help you there is nothing
too great for you to do? We again
follow the same analogy. Suppose an
earthly parent should come to You
and say: my son.. Il am thy father. 1
want you TO go forth on q mission In
my name. All thata have shall be Civ
en- to you for help. I will support you;
will protect you; will care for you
as long as you are true to me-" Sup
pose your father should thus speak to
you why" you answer, "if my ia
ther spoke thus know he would spend
his last cent to help me and. if neces-