Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-07-27

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THANK Cod Thank God Thank
Cod" Sometimes. like a bashfuI boy
he would slip into M meetings hoping
that | should not see him. He seemed
to long sometimes to worship in the
audience and not be called to the pull
pit He would come in quietly and
stay hidden until some word of Scrip
ture or of prayer touched him. Then,
/ before he know IL, a THANK Godw
would be ringing from his church pew.
Then every one would smile and say,
That's Francis Murphy" because no
one could ever say Thank God" Just
as Francis Murphy did During all his
last sickness. in his delirlum he would
keep rubbing his hands and with a
sweet smile keep murmuring, Thank
God" Why, do you know, | have
heard him say Thank God" so much
that | believe he has got me into the
same glorious habit of thanking God
for everything. And whereas | used
to count my troubles and name them
one by one, now. under the influence of
that sainted spirit, have begun to
count my blessings. And as my bless
in8s are crowding me In multitudlnous
numbers, am saying, Thank God"
The Secret Of His Strength.
But, leaving aside these personal in
cidents, we would take step forward
and analyZe the direct cause of his
work as a temperance reformer How
did Francis Murphy win thousands
and tens Of thousands to the better
lifef Through continually, emphatical-
ly and Overwhelmingly driving home
10 the sinful heart mans direct respon-
sibility to God. He was saying:
Christ came to save you. Christ will
save you. Christ will save you now.
BY his help will you come forward and
sign the pledge and make a covenant
with Christi" He did not bother
much about prohibitive laws. He did
not work much through legislative
halls But he tried to bring the sinful
heart Of man In close touch with a low
Ing and a forglving Saviour.
Now, we have been hearing a great
deal about the temperance work of
this day. We have heard about the
prohibition movement and the anti
saloon movement and the women's tenn
perance organizations, and they are all
good. No one wished all these differ
cnt movements godspeed more than |
did Francis Murphy. But. though |
Francis Murphy was In sympathy with |
any movement that would help stop |
The liquor evil. he put the chief en- |
phasis Of his labors upon bringing the |
Individual man In touch with Christ |
and saving man AS an individual and |
not In the bulk And Francis Murphy |
was right This world will never be
saved from the curse Of intoxicating
rink through the legislative halls Of
)ur state and national capitals. II II
s to be saved at all. It must be saved
)y the saving power Of Christ and the
influence of the pledge. Do you sup
bose you could make this a Christian
lation merely by passing strict Sab
)atic laws or by building new churches
IN every street cornerf No. Tenn
,erance laws are right in themselves.
But. after ALL the mightiest work Of
he temperance refOrmers Of the future
S to do what John B. Cough did and
erry McAuley did and Samuel Had
ey did and Francis Murphy did. and
hat is to bring sinful man by the old
ashlOned pledge IN touch with the
aving grace Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He Set Them to Work.
But there IS one more thought that
orces itself upon us. Francis Murphy
ecame the successful temperance re-
ormer he was because no sooner did
e win convert and get man to sign
ne pledge than at once he got that
ian on his feet and brought him to
le platform and made him go to work
nd save other drunkards. No sooner
Id Francis Murphy get Gospel grip
pom man than at once he pulled him
pom his feet and made him go TO work
)r temperance My brother, can we
OF today learn that divine lesson1
an we not learn that we are develop
] spiritually not more by what Christ
oes for us than by what we are will
lg to do for Christ?
How many of those whom Francis
Turphy brought to Christ must have
zen on the other side TO greet him
erhaps that welcome Is best pictured
a dream which his daughter had the
ght when he was about to pass
way. She dreamed she was looking
} into the heavens II was a beauti-
i, clear night and the twinkllng stars
emed to be everywhere Every star
emed to her TO represent the shining
ce OF some immortal whom her fa-
er had won to Christ. Oh. there were
ousands and tens OF thousands of
ese smiling faces And right In the
nter Of all she saw her fathers face.
was lighted up with the sweetest of
llles And there he was. surrounded
constellation Of shining faces,
ch one a star in his crown
Have we met here simply to say a q
W pleasant words about our departed
ved one? Nay. II might not seem
'eyerent | would say that we should
ell In this service as the disciples Of &
l must have felt when they were In ci
e upper chamber in Jerusalem await. fo
9 the coming of the Holy Spirit after 81
e ascension Of Christ from Mount te
ivet They were not there to mourn pl
cir departed Master They were ~
ere to get inspiration for their work. n,
1t should be with us when any sue II,
ssful worker drops out Of the ranks. a
Is labor is finished, but the work Is te
t completed. Who will take it up
d carry it forward? May we conse-
ate our lives to the great temperance
)rk as never before. May we say, -
iOd helping me, | will live for the
rpOse of saving men clear down in
e mire Of sin. as have never done Il
fore" Do you say that? Then, my
ends, think the spirit of Francis