Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-11-16

1Ou endowed MIN Win this freedom.
warning him OF the consequences OF
using it TO do wrong. Yet how have
men abused II, 1t is as when boy
leaves his fathers house and goes out
into the world. His father might keep
him at home under parental restraint,
but that would not be the way to
make a man of him. He must 60 out
and learn TO resist temptation. Some
lines he learns only by bitter expert
ence what are the consequences OF
yielding. SO God left man free, and
the first use he made of his freedom
was to disobey. God says TO him:
Man, you are Il free agent. You can
do as you will. 1 have made thee rul-
er over the beasts of the fields and
over the birds of the air and the fish
of the sea and also over your own
actions. You are made after my
image. You are an Independent being
I'm your own domain or sphere. You
are independent as long as you live on
earth. but do not forget that there is
day OF judgment"
A Free Ascent.
oh. II Is an swfuf fact for q man
to be free agent. 1t is an awful re-
sponsibility for man TO be able to do
as he would and that the higher power
does not interfere to stop him from
doing wrong. The other day L was
talking to one of the ministers of the
west. During our conversation he told
me that years ago he had broken down
with nervous proStration. For nearly
five years he had suffered the fortunes
of an inferno. All night long he would
have strange apparitions come to him.
And one evening" he said, IT was GO
ing home. 1t was winter. The river,
along the banks of which 1 was walk
ing. was fun of ice. And 1 remember
how looked at those flowing waters
and said: There is peace in that wa
ter; there is peace from these trou-
bling Dreams" Then he said: mo
sooner did / say this than my very
hair stood up in horror. My Cod 1
said, am l going TO be untrue to my
better self? Am going to drown my
self in yonder river and leave my wife
and children to battle with the world
aloneY 1 knew that only one step
more and 1 would have been helpless
amid yonder merciless ice and flowing
waters" AS that man had the power
to throw himself into that river, SO we
have the power to destroy ourselves
morally, physically and spiritually II
we will. God made us all free agents.
In our own domain we are kings. We
can leap off the precipice OF sin IL we
will. God has made us in his own
image. We are born free agents and
can do as we choose. but for what we
do we must give account to God.
Not without Guidance.
But, though God has made us free
agents, he has not left us without guild
ance. He has put within each one of
us Il moral and spiritual compass.
This moral and spiritual compass is
called conscience. 1t tells us what we
ought to do. 1t distinguishes for us
The difference between wrong and
right And, like every other compass,
it would keep us Off the rocks OF evil
and guide us into channels of justice
and purity and truth. God puts within
each one OF us n moral and spiritual
compass which shows us when we do
wrong, for we are made after Gods
| image. Therefore God has given to
us the means to be just and true and
good, as he is just and pure and true
aud good.
| But, alas, alas, Instead OF following
the headings OF our conscience we have
wandered or into the paths OF sin. We
have done what our conscience has
warned us not TO do. Today our con
science is pleading with us to do right,
as loving mother would plead with
n hayward child. 1t is taking us by
the hand and saying: Wont you give
up your sins? Won't you try to undo
the wrongs you have done others
Won't you follow the leadings of Jesus
Christi That conscience of ours will
never stop its pleadings with us TO do
| right. 1t has, too, the power to punish
IL Is said that when Professor Web
ster Of Harvard college was awaiting
his trial for killing a brother professor
he called into his cell one day the ward.
en- OF the jail and said: Cannot YOU
stop the other prisoners from insulting
me? Every little while one OF them
keeps calling, Webster, you are muir.
derer. You are bloody man." Tho
warden made an investigation Hs
said. II Will stop It." But he could no,
stop II, for the words which Webster
heard came not from the other prison
ers' cells, but were spoken by his own
conscience. So all about US we hear
the words of our conscience pleading
with us to avoid evil and repent of our
sin. Our conscience finds n voice In the
street faggings and the walls and the
bedposts and the chairs, which is call.
ing to us, as 1t did to Professor Web
ster In the Boston jail, saying: 'sYou
are sinner. You must repent and re.
nounce your sin. You must come to
Christ" We are made in Gods image
God has put conscience within us for q
purpose. We should obey 1t, for we
can never be truly happy until we are
| pure and true and good and Just, as
God is pure and true and good and
just. Are you ready today to obey the
pleadings OF your conscience?
Not only did God create man with a
conscience; he also made man capable
in his pure state of enjoying the bless.
ing of his presence. He seems to
come to man and say: 'Man, If thou
wilt only become pure, as / am pure,
1 viii take thee some day to myself.
1 will receive you into heaven, where
there are joys forevermore" There
Is evil in the world; do not yield to 1T.
And In his tenderest tones he encour-
ages US with the promise, HE that
overcometh shall inherit all things, and
I will be his God, and he shall be my
son." We are made after his image.