Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-01-05

as WEI as townrd the future and the
promised land.
How good God ,has been. 10 Moses.
How good be hasi been % Us. lie, US
for moment go back "a the scenes OF
our infancy. as Moses thoughts turned
TO the river Nile and to Egypt Did we
not then have some one 10 love US and
provide for us during the days OF our
childhood; When Eliphalet Mott. the
groat president OF Union college, be.
came n very old man. he lapsed into a
beautiful second childhood. Day by
day. his faithful wife used to sing the
same lullabies with which his mother
once sangThim to sleep. When the
white haired patriarch became restless
at night. lshe would gently place her
hand upon his wrinkled forehead and
softly sing Isaac Watts old hymn:
.-. Hush. my dear: lie still and slumber;
Holy angels guard thy bed:
Heavenly Blessings without number
Gently falling on thy head.
Then the old man would close his
eyes like a-little, babe. He continually
kept calling over the names eof bis
mother Sand sfa5her and sisters and
brothers. e.And when hesconducted fam
lily prayers for the last time he closed
with the simple evening prayer, Now
/ lay me down 10 sleep; 1 pray the
Lord my soul to keep" AS he fived
over again the, scenes OF Vchildbood a
strange peace came to-his soul. So with
Moses So with vs.. The associations OF
Childhood spenlsf to -,ss OF tho Aintinite
love and care that were about us then
and encourage us ta hope that they
will be with us 10 tile end. %
Then. like Moses. we turn our eyes
from Egypt toward TIE wilderness.
What Is the strange storm there in our
young manhood and middle life? is II
a ralnstorm? No. IL looks more like q
snowstorm. And yet. ns we reach up
and gather handful OF the falling
flakes they DO not melt in our hands.
though they are as white as the driven
snow. No, my friends. that is not n
snowstorm railing in the wilderness.
II is shower or mamma which we sec
and feel. That Is the provision God
made for you in the years ef your will
derness wanderings, which has been
sufficient for you and your family 10
this day. Has there been day IN
your past life WHEN that mamma failed 2
There have been crises In your life. as
there were in the life of Noses per-
haps financial crises hut, day BY day
and week by week. year by year, God
has fed you Has be not. my brother
All. 1t IS a mighty fact for you at your
time OF life TO be alba 70 stand upon
Pisgsh's heights and say. sGod has
taken care OF me all the way through
life. yea. all the way through" II.
A .Beau,Ifua legend. +
Sometimes, we did not understand
how God was going TO feed us when
the cupboard was empty. But feed Us
and ours he always did. There is o
beautiful Legend told about the convent
OF st. Sabina OF iiome.- Many years
ago when ST Bominic- was ~ the head
OF this convent the food gave sat,
What were the inmates TO do? Gomez
said the leader; Get us go into the re.
fectory and sit down Mt the table. II
we cannot provide food for ourselves
God will do so for u.s." With that ST.
Dominic and his friarsi went to- the re-
fectory and sat down. Then the leader
lifted his hands aud made a prayer like
this: go God we itaaIs ttlse fer the
food which, thou hast given us IN the
past, and we thank thee for the food
which thou art going to give to us
now" No sooner had the blessing been
said thans behold two beautiful an
gels appeared clothed In While. The
one bore q, basket of bread, the, other q
pitcher of wine. They Silently placed
|, the basket and the pitcher upon the ta.
BILE and then Disappeared Then St
Dominic turned TO his friars and said
"Eat, children. swhatA God hath sent you
by his angela That is oHiyi n legend
but ii isial legend which. iD a -hgurativs
sense, has been seen in our lives as
well as I'm that OF Moses. Sometimes
we could not see where our next meal
was to come from. but come II always
did. God has fed us ais truly as I'm the
| legend he was SUPPOSED to have fed the
inmates of ST. Sablna convent Stand
We not upon Pisgah's heights today
| care are reaching out fore you, THANK
| God today FOR the food he has given tC
you to eat, fer the clothing he has given tC
! you to wear and for the houses in which
you and yours have lived. The supera,
, bCndances hnve not always been yours
but the temporal necessities have al
4 ways been supplied. Day by day, week
by week, month by month. year by
/ year. the mamma has fallen at your feet
and at the feet OF your dear ones.
But the Pisgah heights offer to us an.
other retrospect. Looking away back
into the dim past. we now can see how
1 our seeming troubles and mIsfortunes
b have been the means OF, drawing us
closer and closer to God and to his
leadings.. They have been not STUN.
bling blocks. but stepping stones ID
higher Spiritual attainment. God has
always led us up to his mountain tops
OF Inspiration by first leading as down
into the deep valleys of despair. 1t IS
Jn!y by casting us down that he is able
pto oiifti US up. Let me Illustrate my
thought by Moses life. I. .iiorT
ls Standing upon the top Of ,Pisgah TO,
/ day, | see the great iawgiyer turning
I his eyes toward Egypt ! lie is watch.
4 ing groups OF .mep going around.
%What Is Tie matter. MesesY", ask
do you see. anything stranger" "Yes,
answers 'tle mighty leader. W"I see
men as ofticers 6fsthe law hunting my
, nfeg One hundred and twenty years
ago the Hebrew slaves began TO mul
tiply so rapidly that Pharaoh declared