Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-09-13
you not do thus7
The Worthiest Christian.

join the church, 1 cannot afford TO givs
much money, and the church does no,
want me unless l am able To paw.
Then L cannot attend church often.
2m SO bound down to the store and the
home that when Sunday comes l am
just too tired to go out Then 1 have
not any special ability. | cannot sing
or pray in public or teach Bible
class. 1t does not matter much wheth-
err Join the church or no. / might as
well stay out as to go there and be
perfect nonentity." No, my brother
and sister, you may make those ex-
cuses, but you know deep down in
your heart you are not telling the
truth. You know that the most infiu-
entail Christian men and women in
your life have not been the speakers
nor the wealthy men, They were not
men and women of great social promi-
nence, but they We're men and women
who went to church because they
could not stay away. There their Cos
pei faith beamed from their eyes and
smiled from their lips and greeted you
In a warm handshake. Though they
did not know ii at the time, they were
leading you to Christ in spite of your
selves. Now, as these humble Chris
tians of the past generation led you to
Jesus by their public professions, can
not you today lead others to Christ I'm
the same way?
But we must not stop here 1t is i'm
portant for Us to make q public pro.
fession of our faith in Jesus Christ.
1t Is also important for us to lead our
fellow men to Jesus by our business
dealings as well as by our public
prayers. A man cannot be a Christian
on Sunday and u sharp, scheming.
avaricious, unprincipled business man
during the week. He cannot be
true elder Of the church and pass the
sacred bread at the holy communion
and then as usurer or a produce ex-
change manipulation cheat the farmer
out of his yearly harveStings on week
days. He cannot be q servant of God
IN the church and yet deny him in the
store. And it is In the store that our
religion is put to its severest test. If
we are willing to give to God a con-
secrated pocketbook, there will be no
difficulty about God giving to us many
souls for our hire.
Christ In Business.
DO you see that young man standing
over there? Who is he? why" Won
answer, "he is one of my new clerks.
1 have just hired him. do not know
who he is, except that he has lately
been put upon our payroll" Is that all
you know about that young man?
Wei, l will tell you who that young
man Is. He is one & your spiritual
children. AS the SCULPTOR can take n
lot oil soft clay in his hand and mold IL
ana twist IL into the figure of the plas-
ter cast, so you today are molding the
spiritual life of that young man. He
is as putty in the hands of the glazier
He comes to you fresh from his moth
er's arms. He knows nothing about
the great wide world. You are to be
his next teacher. 1t makes n great
deal of difference to him whether YOU
go TO church. 1t also makes a great
deaf of difference whether YOU have
decreed that honesty and truth shall
remain supreme in your business es-
tablishment. If you allow your clerk
TO sell goods under false pretenses
you are going TO corrupt him. IL YOU
compel your employee to be true and
honest in dealing with your customers
you will make him true and honest and
pure. You did not think you were a
city set upon n hill. You did not know
your gospel light was shining before
men in the store. But today, as q bust
ness man, you are spiritual archer,
and you cannot help yourself. You
are fighting for or else you are lighting
against Christ in the store, and your
arrows are flying every whittier.
But If II Is important that we should
use our influence for Christ In our
financial dealings is 1t not also i'm
portant that we should use that infiu-
ence for Christ in our social inter
course? Indeed, / often think il more
important how we deal with our
fellow men for Christ in our social in
tercourse than in business, for then we
are able to study mems peculiarities
and find out ''the joints of their har-
ness" And every man has his vul-
nerable spot i'm which he can be reach
ed for Christ. When we meet men in
social Intercourse we find them of
their guard. Then il Is so easy to
bring them to Jesus il we can only
touch the right spot. never had this
fact SO powerfully presented TO me as
by an old friend, who was telling me
an incident connected with the laying
of the Atlantic cable.
Some years ago Charles Kingsley
was on lecturing trip through the
United States. He was IN company
with Cyrus w. Field, his friend of
many years. These two famous men.
with friend of my informant, were
travelling together in the same coach.
To tighten the tedium of the journey
Mr.. Field began to tell some of the in
cidents of the laying of the cable. He
mad completely failed to raise enough
money for the undertaking in America
Then he went to England for help,
out skepticism confronted him every
where. The people said an electric
current could not be sent distance of
5000 miles under the sea. 1T was an
impossibility. AT last, completely dis
couraged, he was about to come home
when he went to bid farewell to
Charles Kingsley. NO." said Mr..
kingsley, don't give up yet want
you to go and call on Lord So-and-so.
L believe he will help you out" ''No,"
said Mr.. Field; there is no need of go
ing. Lord So-and-so cares nothing for
scientific proposition. 1t would only
be wasted time" But at last, under
the persuasion of Kingsley, he decided
to go.
lie found the noble lord in his park
surrounded hY his dnc,S La LIZ. ...