Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-06-15

moving. Her tongue is hanging from
her mouth; her strength Is almost gone
But on IN the distance she sees the
water. She limps on to the bank: she
wades down; she DIPS her parched lips
into the cool stream: then she plunges
In and swims out. Aha! She is saved:
she Is saved! Yes. she Is saved. Just
as the poor. wounded. bleeding human
soul can be saved by Gods love II that
soul will plunge just once In the
water brooks of divine mercy and love.
The Wounded Deer.
what" you say, ''can the poor
wounded deer be saved by the water
brooks as well as the strong deer?'
Yes. my friend. He can be saved if he
can only get TO the water brooks. And
the same skepticism which you have
about the poor wounded deer escaping
the dogs some people have about the
poor wounded human deer escaping the
hounds OF sin. We, as gospel teachers.
must proclaim the truth that Gods
water brooks are not only for those who
are socially respectable. but also for
those who are social outcasts. There Is
beautiful story told how one dark
night London missionary was sum-
moned to go TO one OF the worst houses
OF Ill repute In the English metropolis.
MARY is dying" cried the messenger.
Come quick. Mary is dyingw The
London missionary hurried on his coat
and started out. He reached the house
and assembled the stairs and came to
the room where this poor Magdalene
was about 60 pass away. There he
found the room flied with girls lust
Ike herself. The dying girl had her
mead piilowed upon one OF her friends
arms. and this fallen woman was talk
Ing TO her In words something like this:
Mary, dear. put your faith In Jesus.
Don't be afraid. He died for Just such
poor women as you and me. Put your
faith In Jesus, dear, and be will never
let you perish" All, could any minister
OF the gospel preach trner gospel
than that: These divine water brooks
are not for those who are simply well
and strong. They are for the wounded
deer They are for those that are
wounded by sin. Art thou not such a
one. my brother and sister? Have not
thy tanks been torn and bleeding from
conflict with the enemy IN the past?
Come TO the water brooks. Come TO
Gods water brooks now and be saved.
"As the bart panteth after the water
brooks. so pantett my soul after thee.
o God"
In Circle.
There are two other facts to which
still want TO call your attention. The
first Is that water brooks not only
saved the hunted deer by throwing the
dogs OF the trail. but also by making
II possible Cor the deer TO run 10
straight line away from the dogs. /
was very much surprised 10 End out
that these water brooks are 20 the deer
what the compass is to a hunter IN the
woods-!t keeps the deer from travel.
Ing IN o circle.
The pursued deer unless drawn by
the scent OF water always runs In a
circle. No sooner has a deer been shot
at and the dogs been turned loose than
az once the deer unless he has the guild.
Ing scent OF water seems to lose his
reasoning faculties. He will run like
the wind. lie will run on and on-five.
ten. fifteen or even twenty miles-but
unless he can scent the water brooks
from afar he will always travel In a
circle and come back TO the very place
where the hunter first shot M him
back to the place where he will be shot
at again. This circling flight OF the
1eer is universally recognized. Some
Of the different state legislatures have
enacted game laws which make il a
felony for any man to hunt the deer
by the means OF hounds. Why? IL
they did not make such law the
deer OF those states would soon be ex-
terminated. The crcling flight OF the
deer makes 1t very simple matter for
a few hunters TO stand in one place
and shoot at the running game again
and again until the deer have been en-
tirely slaughtered.
All, my friends. as thought OF the
poor deer travelling In a circle how
quickly my mind thought OF man as
human bart travelling in a circle
without the aid OF the divine water
brooksl We think at times that by
our own strength we can overcome our
sins. Do We? Alas. we seem to travel
In q circle Is not that old taste OF
liquor coming backg Is not that old
desire of s:n continually gathering
strength and assa.ling US harder and
bitterer. every time? lf we have not
the aid OF the divine water brooks are
we not continually travelling In a cir.
cle1 There is only one sure way for
you TO escape sin. and that is 10 plunge
into the divine water brooks. But
more than that, there Is only one way
for you 10 keep. free from sin in the
future. and that Is toNscent Gods wa.
ter brooks from afar. for II you do |
not as sure as you 1--we you will circle |
around, The circle may be large or |
small. but II Is certain to be a circle.
and you will come back to that very
SIN which nearly destroyed you some
weeks or some months or some years |
ago.
The Hidden Fawns.
But IL IT is impossible for the deer to |
save his own life from the pursuing |
bounds 1t IS even less possible for him |
TO save the life of his young by his
own strength. The deer knows he can.
not do this. and so his chief duty to-
ward his young is to conceal them dur. |
Ing their years OF helplessness. Then. |
as soon as the ysang are strong enough, |
he leads them 10 the water brooks and |
teaches them how they can there es- |
cape the hounds, First they conceal !
the young. Did you ever see the birth |
chamber of little fawn? The guides
tell you 1t is very hard to get into the |
royal palaces of Europe to see the pri- |
yate rooms where the princes and !
princesses of the royal houses OF Eng |
land and Germany and Italy and Rus.
sia were born. but 1t is not more difH. !
cult than TO find the birth chambers OF !