Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-10-18

the German empire.
The Gospel Army.
The gospel army is not limited 10
any one nation. 1t is not restricted, as
other armies are. TO one sex. 1t Is not
decreased by the limitation of age. Old
men belong 10 it, Children belong to
It, Husbands and wives and brothers
and sisters belong to il. White and
red and black and yellow skinned
races, all belong to it This army is
made up of all kinds of people of all
churches. And yet, strange to say.
there are some mistaken men and wo-
men who think the gospel church is
not an army at all. They suppose 1t Is
a mere aggregation or few corporal
guards" whereas II Is numerically
greater than all the combined armies
OF England and Germany and France
and Italy and Austria and Russia and
Japan and China put together. II we
could only get all Christians to form
/ into line and march side by side and
keep step the pounding OF their united
/ feet would make this old earth trem-
bic. Great! Great! Infinitely great is
the gospel srmyl
That the host Is mighty one is dem
onstrated by the marvellous statistics
Of missions both home and foreign. 1t
was only few years ago comparative
ly that william Carey died. He died in
1884. Yet up to bis time but little was be-
ing done for the salvation Of the outside
world. 1t was only in the beginning OF
the last century that Ave humble stu
dents met behind haystack in VIII
Jamestown, Mass, to form the Ameri-
can Foreign Missionary society. Yet
there are today 2S,3S6 mission stations
in heather lands. There are organized
thousands of churches among the ma
tons cropping about in idol worship.
And there is not strategic point in
any Island or upon any continent which
today has not a gospel missionary
preaching there.
Study today your muster rolls of the
Christian Endeavor societies and your
Brotherhood of Andrew and Philip
and your Epworth league. Study to-
day your enrolment of denominational
churches. How the number swells!
Larger and larger it grows. Like st.
John in his vision of the other world
we can cry as we see this gospel army
marching, After this 1 beheld, and,
10, great multitude that no man
could number, of all nations and kim
dreds and peoples and tongues, stood
before the throne and before the Lamb.
clothed with white robes and palms in
their hands, and cried with a loud
voice, saying, Salvation to our Lord
which stitch upon the throne and unto
the Lamb" The first great fact which
ought to impress us as to the church
army Of Jesus Christ Is the infinite
numbers Of its marching soldiers.
An Army With Banners.
Next to the vastness of this army of
the church OF God 1 am impressed
with the banners which are fiuttering
over IL. You know that what the mill
tary uniform is to the soldier as an in
dividual the flag or banner is TO the
army as whole. 1t is the sign by
which the soldiers of one nation are
distinguished from the soldiers Of an
other nation. Because our own be-
loved American flag represents so
much you always find it the most hon
ored emblem in the camp or in the
Held. l was never more impressed
with this fact than some time ago,
when L went to the Preside, or army
quarter of San Francisco. 1 went there
with very important message to the
commandant of the post Colonel Lun-
deem, from the commanding general of
the coast Lieutenant General MacAr-
thur. Suddenly, while I was talking
to the colonel, the sunset gun was fired
and the post flag began to futter down.
At once Colonel Lundeen stopped talk
ing TO me and faced about and stood
ut attention before those falling colors.
Not one word would he speak until the
ceremony of lowering the flag was
ended.
The flag, the American flag. means
| so much. 1t is the protecting emblem
OF our national government. In time
| Of battle 1t is the great rallying point
for our soldiers. Where the flag goes
our soldiers always follow. When the
dag goes down confusion reigns; hence
one of the most dangerous yet most
honored posts In the army is that OF
color guardsman. SO precious are the
regimental colors that they are always
surrounded by the best and the bravest
soldiers when the regiment is in the
field.
Now, It is appropriate for the gospel
army to have Il flag like any other ar
my. What kind OF n banner is floating
over this great army of the church?
There is only one flag, and that is the
banner OF the cross Whatever you do.
wherever you go. there I'm the gospel
trmy you can always find the one ban
aer OF the cross. AS In other organized
armies, there are in the gospel forces
different regiments, which are cali
ed denominations. There is the Epis-
copalian regiment. the Baptist regi-
ment, the Presbyterian regiment, the
Lutheran regiment, the Congregation
al regiment and the Methodist regi-
ment. Every regiment has its own de-
nominational flag carried alongside OF
the flag of the cross. Is it not a glo-
rious thought that as the years go ON
there is an increasing tendency to
throw away our sectarian flags and
lift higher and higher the blood red
nag Of the atoning cross of Jesus
Christ?
An Advancing Army.
But there Is another fact about this
gospel army that / wish to emphasize.
1t is an advancing army, a conquering
army, an army upon the offensive.
But it is also an army that Is more
and more becoming possessed of purer