Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-02-23

Suppose one OF your sons should come
to you aud say: Father. intend TO lie
and steal and get drunk and defy
every moral law. intend to break my
mothers heart and defy Jour authorl-
ty and make your name a byword ana
ridicule through the community. Then
l expect you to honor me ana do for
me just as much as you would do for
the rest OF the children" What would
you do2 What would you say? All. IL
you are true. a Just parent, can tell
you what you would say. You would
look your boy In the face and answer.
My son. as long as you are true to me
and true TO your mother and true to
your sisters and true to yourself ven
shall be looked upon as member of
my family. All that I have then Is
yours But IL you persist in being I'M
true TO US and untrue to yourself YOU
must leave my house and leave me.
You have forfeited your rights of SON
ship. and you cannot be looked upon
as one OF my children" Has not God
right to do the same with us?
1 will put this truth in even q more
startling way. Let us suppose YOU are
judge upon the bench Your own
son. your own flesh and blood. n moral
degenerate. Is brought before you for
trial In your own heart you feel that
he has done wrong and Is not repent
ant OF his sins and will do wrong again
II he gets the chance. What would
YOU do as wise aud just Judge?
Would you say, MY son, thou art
freeF' No. You would do Just as the
late Recorder Smyth of New York did
scores and hundreds of times. Speak
Ing TO me one night in New York CITY.
he said: "rhey say judges have no
hearts All, they have hearts! But
as just judges, what are they to doP
l have had several young men and
young women come before me for trial
and sentence who were sons and
daughters OF my Intimate friends. I
would have done anything that was
just to save them But what could I
dos ] knew they were guilty. knew
they ought to so TO jail for their own
good as we'll as for the good of their
fellow men. l sentenced them even
though to do it seemed to be tearing
Would not you have done as Recorder
Smyth did. even though the criminals
before YOU were your own children
Now. God rs loving Father has
made all possible provision for the
salvation of his children by the blood
or Jesus Christ. He has said: Come.
repent of your sins, come i'm my Sons
name. and ] viii forgive all and take
you back into my family. and l shall
be your Father. But If you do not re-
pent, IL you do not give up your sins,
then as just Father and just Judge
L will say. Ye must all likewise per-
ish." Is the great cardinal condition
or salvation through Christ by giving
up OF all sin an absurdlty? All. nv
brother. no longer cling to the false
belief that God has sent n Saviour 10
deliver us only from punishment
Christ came to save us from sin. Tic
viii save the worst sinner who will
renounce his sim but he will~not save
any who cling to their sins. he saves
every prodigal who comes into the old
homestead of heaven as one OF Gods
own repentant ones.
Another Misleading Argument.
But Satan does not stop here. Hc
comes TO us and says: "Salvation by
Christ's blood is all right for n sinner
but you are not sinner. What is the
good OF n man squeezing through the
bankruptcy court to escape his lust
debts il he has no debts to pay? VIVA,
IS the use OF man talking about par
don through Chrst's blood when he has
never sinnei? OF course you have dona
minor wrongs. You have committed
insignificant moral misdemcanors. but
you have never murdered man. You
have no blood money upon your fingers.
In the sight OF God you are not n sim
ner any more than your sainted mother
was sinner" Thus says Satan 10 us.
And many OF us have begun TO argue
ourselves into the belief that we are
almost moral and spiritual perfection.
lists, even as the pharisce OF old thought
himself TO be when he arose in the tenn
pie and thanked God he was not rs
other men. But though we may have
tried In the past to delude ourselves
into the belief that we are all right
morally and spiritually somehow the
supposition does not look so bright TO
us now when we begin to think of
standing before the Judgment seat of
Christ We know away down i'm orr
hearts that we would not like to. tell
the world all the evil thoughts that
nave passed through our minds and
all the evil deeds we have done or all
or our sins OF omission. The world
may not suspect us OF these sins. Rut
some day we shall have to be Judged
Tor all the actions and the thoughts OF
our lives. Then what are we going To
10 II We have not received pardon
through Christ? For God shall bring
every work into Judgment with every
secret thing. whether it be good or
whether 1t be evil"
But as last resort Satan comes TO
US and says: "Ah, yes, of course. we
grant that you have q bad past. Rut
don't worry. You are like q child who
has had a bad attack of diphtheria
which has left the heart q little weak
The child il he takes care OF himself
VIII outgrow his physical infirmity.
You VIII outgrow your spiritual weak
nesses. You are spiritually getting her
Ter every day. Besides. IL death does
come crawling around, why, then YOU
can repent in toto. and all will be well.
Don't worry. Everything will turn out
all right" Have not you heard Satan
speaking to you in this way? / have
my brother. Have not you? Now
what are the facts? You know that
whiie you are living away from Christ