Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-06-08
Calnage
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Tairnase. D. d.


Sermon the preacher shows the won.
aerful power that is within the reach
Of those who accept the Invitation and
realize the promise In the text, Mat
thew vi. 33. And sill these things shall
be added unto you
What is a promissory note? why"
you answer, "it Is a written agreement
made by one man in the interests of
another man." There are many forms
OF promissory notes. just the same as
there are many forms of wills and last
testaments, but as rule the legal form
of promissory note Is written thus:
Ninety days after date promise to
pay to the order Of Mr.. So-and-so 5000
at the First National bank of New
York city, with interest at the rate OF
per cent per annum. Value received. -
What, ask, can anybody write n
promissory note and get 5000 on q
written agreement like thst9 -"Oh. no.
you answer. laughing. me man can
get money at the bank on, prcmls-
sorry note unless he Is known to be q
wealthy man or he can put up some
property as collateral or unless he Is
able to get some friend to Indorse his
note whose name Is sufficient guar
antee that this promissory note will be
paid. IL it was not for this fact every
dead beat in town would be .nocking
to the banks and to the rich men to
borrow money, and our banks and cap
italists would be bankrupted almost in
day." In other words, a promissory
note is OF value only when it Is signed
by a name which Is a satisfactory
guarantee that the note when 1t comes
due will be paid in full.
Well, then, my friends, this promis-
sorry note OF my text is one Of the
grandest and best and most wide
sweeping notes ever written. The
name of the Lord God Almighty Is at
the bottom of it. Christ Is the King
who stands the guarantee that 1t shall
be paid in full. What a glorious prom
issory note IL is! Christ's name is the
most potent and glorious In ali history.
In the records OF the centuries you
cannot find one instance where Christ
has broken his promises. Now Christ
says, eff We will stop worrying about
what you shall eat and drink and
about what you SHAH wear and about
the house in which you shall live and
IL you will seek me first and follow
me. all these things will be added unto
YOU" Are you ready TO accept this
text as promissory note? II so, let
us run over few of the temporal and
spiritual blessings which Christ is
ready to give to us IL we earnestly and
prayerfully follow him.
Chrfst's Promise.
Christ stands today In the first place
as the willing deliverer from all tenn
poral anxieties. He comes to us and
says. Friend, 1 will feed you; will
clothe you; / will house you for today"
But this promise does not appeal to US
very much. Why? Most OF us know
where today's dinners are to come
from. But ii is the dinner of tomorrow
or of next week or OF next year that
is worrying us. Then Christ says: az
will not only guarantee you a full cup
board, full wardrobe and bed In
which to sleep tonight, but will prom
Use you these temporal gifts as long as
you live upon earth. 1 will promise
them for You next winter, next year.
ter, twenty. fifty years from now. IL
you arc alive. i will promise you all
these things IL you will only trust me
and live for me-" Then we look I'D In
wonder and say, what, Lord, wilt
thou take away from me this awful
anxiety In reference to the future nc
cessities OF life IL trust theeY, Then
Christ answers: Il will, I will. Thus I
VIII do for all my disciples who obey
me-" Then IL we are true disciples OF
Christ we say: 20 God, 1 thank thee
for taking this responsibility of the
future on my shoulders. roll INV
heavy burdens down at thy feet" Are
You and I ready to do this to Christ
andsaccspt him at his word?
Have not the burdens In reference to
the physical necessities of life. been
awfuliy hard to carry?. During the
first half OF your business life most Of.
your earnings went into bread and
butter and meat. snd lts aud ,hSs<na,
rent. read an address deliy Sft{f
some time ago by one Of the mSxt,brity
liant women OF this country. She was
making a plea for women to learn how
to cook. so that they could reduce the.
expenses OF the kstchen to ;fhe mini
mum. II n wife had to do her. own
cooking. then she should learn to do
IL economically. II she had hired serv-
ants, then by personal knowledge she
should compel her cooks MOTTO waste
the food. Then this noted female speak
er made this impressive statement:
women, you should learn how to do
your work in life well, for nearly
four-fifths Of oil an average mans in
come is spent by his wife in meeting
the butcher. the baker, the grocer, the
clothier bills and the house rent" Is
not that a startling assertion? Yet 1t
Is true. For the first fifteen years of
your business life practically all of
your money was Immediately spent to
meet the bare physical necessities of
your family's existence. No wonder as
the money came In so slowly and went
out so rapidly the sharp iron pfow Of
care furrowed your face with wrinkles
and bleached your black hair into sill
yer and gray.
The Turn In the lane.
But the old proverb says. 1T IL
long lane which has no turning.
Though the lane of financial struggle
was long. yet a: last It turned. It turDs
1t last Tor almost every one. rou
cleared of most or your debts-aye, all
ar them. Your income began to ex-
coed your outgo. although your domes-
tic expenses were enlarging every
year. You were investing your, money
To bring forth Its @ per cent annually
when suddenly the crash came. The
old lane had turn But, alas, IKE
boomerang. 1t turned so completely
that 1t went around In circle. 1t
brought you TO prosperity. Then.