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

this: would like to live my NE over
again just as IL Is. I would like to 60
back into the past and be born In the
same cradle and have the same broth
ers and sisters. 1 would like again
to go TO the same schools and marry
the same girl and have the same chill
dren. 4 would like to have my life ex-
actly reproduced as IL has been in the
past Then. my friend. I want to tell
you that your life, II II were to be re-
produced just rs 10 was. would be a
great disappointment to you a
twice told tale" is never as interesting
theysecoud time as it Is the first time
II Is told. Let me ILLUSTRATES: M
A Twice Told Tale.
For many years my father led very
busy life. Pleasure had but little In his
existence. He went from engagement
to engagement. from duty to duty. But
during these years of work he kept
one hope ever before him He wanted
to go back aud live little while close
to nature. as he an when a boy. .Oh.' .
said he . thousand fines. az we could
only get big carriage and take all the
children along and 90 camping through
she RiarRta-ps- Thep- NE would -picnic
4e wDqos by dsy ana sfeep ua6er
me shE36W os the trees by nignS g
wSh. Milne d.d come when that ef.
ten banned dream was,to come tie.
|yxwer< sPes eia& fpAt enDsssfysn Die
eponntalps OF old Virginia.. Father pus
aif his chndfen INTO ca iweesnv and we
sfsffed. Wa tr&8sssa ynreusk Che
woods as he did when . bog Ger suss
two days: The first day was stsfiing
hot II ended in terrific thunder.
storm. which, frightened all the chill.
fren and think himself included. The
next day the milk soured: that meant
no coffee. While father was eating his
lunch ON log he saw crawling up be-
tween bis legs snake. lifting its head
10 strike. That ended our outing That
ended the beautiful dreams OF boyhood
days. T. De Witt Taimage. the father
OF lot Of babies. did not want to be
T. De Witt Talmage. the farmers boy,
eating In the woods and sleeping on
hard boards. Thus with US. We may
put q halo about the past. but the past
was never as bright or a. happy az Is
the present. Yea would not live your
life over again IL in order to do Il you
had to surrender the blessings now at
hand. 49,. H.. ..-...-..f--
uag serresderfns the Past.
Our past lives cannot be lived with.
out snrrendering the present: but,
thank God. I'VE can live oaIt the future
with the present and the past to a
great extent combined into one. Ard
we can combine, the present and he
past IA the year which is to come by
guarding ngninsts the most awful mis-.
take We made in past years. We have
tried TO light the battle or life alone.
We have tried to conquer In our
own strength rather than in :, the
strength OF the Lord God Almighty.
who has always promised to sustain
Us IL we would put our trust Ia him.
We can now grip a hold OF the arm or
the Almighty God IL we will.--And oh.
my friends III we put our trust in
Christ do you not believe that with his
help we could during the coming years
overcome many, OF the mistakes Of the
pastg We can make the past. purified
OF its evils. live and breathe again in
we only enter the new year with
Christ's help We should be able to undo
many OF tie wrongs OF the past. be.
sides taking advantage of the blessed
opportunities OF the future.
Not only that, but still another bless
Ing may he ours. In Christ we may be
able to live again tturing the years OF
the coming eternity with those who
have made the past years for us so
happy. We shall not be 1t that time
like the old lady who lived for many
years In the city or Los, Angeles. She
died there at eighty-fouro years of age
IN November. 1iOJ. When she died II
wns found out that for the last TWEEN
ty-eight years OF her life she had con-
cealed In her attic the dead body of her
Oldest daughter. This was the body of
young girl or twenty seven years,
who had breathed her last In the far
east. and her body had been shipped
from amherst. Mass, TO the home of
her mother IN the far@west For nearly
thirty long years this broken hearted
mother had chung 10 the body OF her
child andtcarried it wberevse she went
50 some OF us have, been clingng to
The desA 0sdtess ct ar sldNsia Dnes
vn4e<ye~ hurried many. msAy years
sgArA6f af We MN only give our
heafn &4ftst hers ADD -nav on the
la@ sSNs6Ays &C shs yeWSUhssa wilr
sorpe Sd<y gsse four iowa oasA Valve
bach tsSSs, Thsa we Will not have to
chodse bet&eeuc wife and nother or
husband and father or brother and
chttd. Then w. shall have them ALI to-
gether again. Then the past ana the
present and the futare shall be united
into one. Then father and mother.
brother and sister. wife and husband.
children and grandchisdren shall all ms.
semble together before, the throne OF
God to forever sing the song OF Moses
and the Lamb. Oh. my friends. will
you LEI your past life live again IN
Christ? ,0l. 0t'T
JoyfsI Rndfns.
Thus In closing this sermon ON the
last Sunday OF the year l do not feel
a sense OF sadness such as l have of.
ten felt upon similar occasions IN the
past. Whenever I have attended the
watch night meetings Of previous New
Years ewes the ringing of the he'll
when the clock struck l2 has always
sounded to me like the touIng of a
dirge. 1t has been to me a death
kneA 1t has been like the tolling of
the; bell when the hearse enters t1,e
cemetery AS the clock struck 1. 9. 3.
T. 0. u. .. Z. y. 10. IL. AZ. II seemed to
CALI Dead and gone. The years OF
1900 and 1891 and 1901 and ioOa sud
1904 and 1905 are dead and gone,
They are dead and gone forever! Hear
1t. ye living! Deal and gone foreverr'
Hut as hear the clock striking the
midnight hour tonight II will not be a
dirge, but a promise Of reunion. II
VIII ring: The year OF 1905 is not
dead aand gone forever Thou shalt
meetsit with Its sanctified joys and
sorrows. Thou shalt meet 1t again
smiling with the faces of those who
have made thy last twelve months
happy and bIessed. Thou shalt p,..f