Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-03-09


Naomi's son she realized the fun re-
sponsibility of the relation. She was
ready to meet those responsibilities for
better or for worse.
The Old Frsbioned Ideas.
{ Her ideas OF marriage were a great
deal like the old fashioned ideas with
which our grandfathers and grand
mothers Were welded. They may have
started ont with little Of world,
goods but they had big balance In
the bank of trust. When they started
housekeeping they were both ready
and willing to put forth their hands to
lift the common burdens. The babies
came. and the fathers hammer and
saw made the crib. and the mothers
foot rocked il, aud the mothers needle
sewed the garments for the little
strangers. When sickness came they
nursed one another through it. When
financial trouble anu want came they
starved together and made the old
clothes do. Side by side they met the
storms of trouble. Side by side they
SMILED in the sunshine of prosperity.
They sobbed together. They sang to-
gether. They prayed together. Their
bodies, side by side. are now sleeping
in the little country graveyard, and
their spirits are now side by side in
heaven together For better or worse"
read their pllghted troth. "For better
or for worse" was Ruth's marriage
pledge to Naomi's son. May God help
US TO be true TO our marriage vows.
May we be true for our own sakes and
true for the sakes of those whose hap
piness is dependent upon our faithful
ness TO that plighted troth. But Ruth
measures up full to her religious stand
ard as well as to her love test and her
mental test. She stands before us the
noble example OF woman who has
surrendered her heart to the true God
as well as her life to the service of
those human beings who were dear to
her. And unless you can have this
commingling of the divine love with
the human love you cannot have either
man or woman meet the full require
ments which God or the world has de-
manded of them. Some time ago il
was my privilege TO spend holiday
With three children who had an infidel
and skeptic for father The mother
was dead. They were three beautiful
children. They were eXquiSitely dress.
cd. Their manners were perfect But,
though they We're only children, you
could see and feel something was lack
ing in their makeup. The spiritual
part of their lives was stunted They
had learned 10 love man. but they had
not learned to-ioye Jesus Christ Not
thus was Ruth She measures full to
the test of human love. She also meas
ures full to the divine test. Let me
draw figurativc picture OF what J
mean.
In the Lnnd of Moab.
1t was sad. sad sight IN one Of the
homes OF city OF the great and rich
country in the land OF Moab You
ought 10 know a little OF the history OF
that land. It's cities were as rich as
the cities OF Sodom and Gomorrah. and
the inhabitants Of these cities wcrejust
as vile as the Sodomites. They were
not only idol worshipcrs. but worse.
Their worship was similar to that
which was celebrated In the temple OF
Baal. In this home are three weeping
widows. Naomi is there and Orpah
and Ruth. Like pure, spotless dia-
monds, glittering amid the filth OF a
swine trough. is the purity OF this
home compared 10 the vileness ana sin
all around IT, Naomi now is speaking
TO her girls those beautiful words
found in the book OF Ruth: And Ma
omi said unto her two daughters in.
law. Go each TO her mothers house,
the Lord deal kindly with you as We
have dealt with the dead and with me-
Then methiuks can see Ruth turn her
great soulful eyes upon Naomi us she
says: Mother, why speak thus to me?
Thou didst give to me for n husband
thy dearly beloved son. But thou didst
10 more than all that. Thou didst
teach me about the God OF Moses and
or Joshua. Thor hast shown me the
way OF life and what the purity Of
the home means. II thou dost leave
me. then back TO idol worship / may
70. Nay. / will not abide here. With
er thou goest. will so, and where thou
lodgest, | will lodge; thy people shall
be my people, and thy God my God"
Do you not grasp what / mean? In
order TO worship the true God, Ruth.
gentle Ruth. was ready TO turn her
back upon the land OF her birth. She
was ready TO go forth into exile. ready
to starve and even die in order that
Naomi's God might be her God. Are
you and l ready TO suffer as did Ruth
TO be true disciple OF Jesus Christ?
All, sometimes we change our minds
In reference to a human love. There
beautiful story told that when Hen
~ NJ. Stanley started on his last great
trip across the African continent he
went with a heavy heart. for the only
woman he Mad ever loved did not love
him. But when he returned and met
her the first question he was asked bv
Miss Dorothy Tenant was this: "Mr.
Stanley, do you find London much
changed" And the intrepid explorer
quietly answered.: mo. l have not
FOUND London changed, and have not
changed, either" Then he looked her
gently in the eye as he said. Have
you changed?" With that the lannon's
model of Millais' great picture. entitled
Yes or Mop softly answered, "Yes. /
have changed" And the mo" of re.
fusai was changed to the YES" of
wedding bells. But, though some of us
may change in reference to the wooing
or a human love. Ruth never changed
IN regard to her allegiance to- the divine
love. She was ready to go into exile.
TO starve and even TO die, as she de-
ciared to Naomi, THY people shall be
my people, and thy God my God" Can
we, dare we, say as much? VIII we
give to God today our whole hearts.
ruil of devotion and self sacrifice?
And ,uhnt mo-. A.. ...-.-,I