The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1906-02-07

doubtful pleasures. Respiration, very rapid in
lar affairs. Temperature, nigh at the suggestion of
material gain or emolument. No time for prayer
meeting. Too busy to attend to the family altar
Look out! You are losing your credit" Chris
tan. Your paper" is going to protest. Wake
up soon or you will wake up bankrupt
Two reasons for waking up given by Paul in
his letter to the church members of Rome One of
them is because "the night is far spent" (Ro xiii
ll). By this he means that the forces of evil are
losing their grip. Sometimes we hear it said that
missions failure" "the temperance move
ment is failure 'cvic reform is a failure" All
wrong the only failure is sin; and that is failure
foredoomed from the foundation of the world And
life becomes failure when sin infects it with pes
simism. If wants to be in at the death of
the red dragon, he must wake up.
And the other of Paul's reasons is because "the
day is at hand.'' This means that when sin goes
out, Righteousness comes in and Christ with it.
There's fount about to stream
There's light about to CLEAN,
There's midnight darkness changing into
day;
Men of thought and men of action
Clear the wayl"
third reason for awaking is the fact that our adj
versary sleeps The prince of this world is
always on the qui vive Saloons "open night and
day." church about twelve hours a week on the aver
age. Craftsmen never take their hands off the
throttle of the machine; reformers wake up and
then, strike a blow and take another nap. If the
world had but the righteous to look after it. the
devil would have come to the throne long ago; but
there is good God all
A fourth is because eternal issues are at
stake Souls perish in mid-Africa while Christians
discuss the question: 'Do missions pay?' John Doe,
Christian, has been in business with Richard Roe
for the last twenty years and really doesn't know
whether his partner has any religious convictions
not!'' Henceforth let man blame Nero for
fddling while Rome in flames. If religion
anything it means everything 1t means life
death, heaven hell
And Il fifth reason for awakening from spiritual
apathy and Indifference is because shall
come this way again. In one of Murillos pictures
represents monk writing with feverish haste.
The legend that having been interrupted by death
while preparing his autobiography he permitted
to return and complete it. That never happened,
ever will. whatsoever thy hand indeth do, do it
with thy might for there is work device in the
grave whittier thou goest" Our probationary life
is being lived once for all On my study wall hangs
a card on which is printed DO IL nOlo.'
DO we want revival? Here is the tombstone.
DO we want to up, ourselves? eff every
church member just like me, what sort of
church would my church beH" 1 remember, when L
was boy, having to pinch myself to keep from going
to sleep in church. Possibly that would be good
thing for some of us to be doing just
Out of the shadow of the olive trees comes Christ,
with the bloody sweat of his agony upon him; and
bending the Sleeping forms his three disciples
he asks, could ye not watch with me hour?"
Is there pathos there, for such have lost the
fine edge of their conviction and devotion? 1t is
high time to awake. the fields white for the
harvest; the sickle at hand the voice of the hus
bandman calls Awake, Awaksl"