Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-09-28


servant drew the kings sword and
drove 1t into bis own heart. And as
his spirit was about to speed away the
servant said. MASTER, i will 20 and
tell the dead that thou wilt soon be In
their midst" ''Oh," You say, that
was beautiful devotion. That servant
was willing TO give up all for his king"
So must we sacrifice IL we are to hear
our divine king speak to us in the Sc
cret place OF thunder. We must be
willing to give up all for him. We
must be ready to climb every noun
tain OF difficulty for his honor and
glory. SO likewise whatsoever he be
OF you that forsaketh not all that he
hath he cannot be my disciple"
Forsaking All For God.
The psaimist In all probability cared
but little for the scientific causes OF the
thunderstorm. In his time the national
and international systems OF weather
buresus had not been established.
There were not then, a. now, weather.
outpostS or observatorles stationed all
aronnd the werld connected with tele-
graph wises. In our day, no sooner
does storm start south from Alaska
than the great ganglion or nerve center
at Washington - made cogn,xant OF
the. fact. and the danger signals are
lifted along the coast to warn Ameri-
can shipping. In all probability David
knew nothing about the different strata
OF air overhead. He did not know that.
Just as the scientist today drops faith
ON line into the ocean and finds diff
ferent currents OF water In a straight
line nowing above or underneath each
other In different directions, SO the
aeronaut In his balloon finds different
currents OF air In the atmosphere over
head blowing In different directions.
But this one fact the psalmist knew
about a thunderstorm-it represented
an atmospheric change. Before the
storm came the hot valleys would be
blistered. Then the droughts would be
parching the grass and drying up the
water holes. Then the sheep would be
from hunger and thirst. But
no sooner did the echoing OF the storm
sound forth from the secret place of
thunder than at once the hot, blasting
air became cool. Then the reservoirs
or the clouds were emptied OF their
waters. Then all nature began to TEEN
and TO smile and to hum and to sing
with life. So in the secret place OF
thunder. when God speaks to us. our
natures will be changed. Being sinful.
we shall become pure. Being morally
crooked, we shall become straight. Be
ing spiritually, dead, we shall become
spiritually resurrected. Though your
sins be as scarlet they shall be white
Us snow. Though they be red like GRIM
son they shall be Us wool" Oh. the
miraculous change which comes into
mans sinful nature as soon as the sin
ner comes into touch with Christ's love
10 Gods secret place or thunder.
Harmony with Man.
But In the secret place of thunder
man Is not only brought into right bar-
mony with God. but also into right
harmony with man. There we are
taught to love the Lord our God with
all our heart and soul and mind. But
we are also taught there to love our
neighbor as ourselves. And In no
place on earth does n man try more TO
help bis neighbor than when be Is In
tue mountains. The valleys are the
places where man too often lives for
himself. The Wild mountains are the
places where man lives for others. II
you are In trouble in the high hills you
can always go TO the first man you
meet aud he will help you out OF that
II IL Is possible for him 50
10 de. There Everybody Is honest.
There everybody tries to help others.
We had our goods carried up into
the bills by a teamster. Where did
he leave them? BY the public road
side. There they lay hour after hour
unlocked. Scores and hundreds of peo-
pie passed them. and no one touched
them They have four legged thieves
In the mountains. The Wild cattle will
come and steal your grain, but there
are no two legged thieves In the noun
tains called men. There every one Is
1onest. IF you want anything from
lown Just give the money to the first
pan you fnd going there" said gen.
lieman to me. "Teii him what you
want and he will set IL for you and
bring you back the right CHANGE L
tested this honesty OF the mountainecr
again and again aud never found il to
rail. Thep the kindnesses OF the peo-
Pile! Oh. how kind they are. II you
have q sick horse. as 1 had, they will
hitch up their horse and bring You
FOUR goods. II you are hungry YOU
IAN ind food at their tables. II they
have only one loaf OF bread they are
Always willing to give you half. Kind
aess. Kindness. kindness, brotherly aud
'isterly kindnesses are to be found ev-
anywhere. In the mountains. Oh. why
10 we not learn to help each other in
ne valleys and iOwiands. as the noun
aineer Ii always willing to help his
,eighbor among the hills? Yes. in the
'ecret place OF thunder man not only
earns to love the Lord his God with
I'll his heart and soul and mind. but he
liso learns to love and to help his
leighbor as he would his own child.
But there Is still another fact about
hese mountains that i would have
'ou bear well In mind. Gods secret
lace OF thunder is not circumscribed.
There are many secret places of thun-
ler Just as mountains seem to over
op mountains. so for man there should |
ways be higher secret places OF thun-
Ter, to which he should always be
irving to go. This fact also Is most !
Illustrated among The hills.
while was on my way tramping I |
aoked up and saw where a storm was
aging IN Little Bear valley. "Oh," |
aid TO myself. III could only climb
y there AID sit by the cradle of that |
tQrm Tine passed on, aud was
bic to climb up to-where the storm
Eas born I'VE had an awful electric
torn here q few days ago." said a