Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-09-20

At that time was young boy and
physically very much fatigued from
sightseeing. 1 had crawled into bed
thoroughly tired out and almost In
stantly had fallen into one of those
deep sleeps which come to healthy
boys and girls after long days
tramp. Suddenly l awoke I'm the early
hours OF the morning. Like Paul in
his vision. i knew not at first whether
l was In the flesh or out of the flesh.
From everywhere and yet from no
where there seemed to roll into my
room great tidal waves of harmony.
The volume was so great and yet the
time so perfect that the voices sound
ed like the chorus of many waters.
Louder and louder swelled the song.
L leaped out of bed to see what was
the matter Then 1 heard the tramp.
tramp, tramp of long line of soldiers
marching. AS these soldiers marched
they sang with their deep, powerful
Teutonic voices As they sang they
kept step to the music So in Dayid's
journey of life the laws of God were
the songs by which he kept step after
he had left the old homestead.
David the Anointed.
In the first place, there was that
overwhelming bugle call by which Da-
vid was set aside when yet a mere lad
as the future king of Israel. Oh, could
David ever cease to praise the law OF
God for that tremendous day In his
history when Samuel came into the
home Of his father Jesse and poured
the amounting oil upon his headi For
days and weeks and months do you
not believe he pondered over his COM
| ing glory2 When he was an aged
king, with his hair white as the al
mond tree in blossom, do you not be-
lteve he still gloried in the fact that
God had set him aside as one TO fill
throne? And yet has there no
amounting come TO us? Has not each
one of us been set apart to do some
| special work which cannot be done by
any one else? We have not been called
to fill throne, but we have been call
ed, as David was, to serve our genera
ton and to testify to others that ii is
good to obey the statutes of God.
Then, like David, we should glory
In the fact that God has not only de-
tailed us for an especial work of life,
but also because God has cared for us
and guided us ara protected us while
we are doing that work. That would
be careless father who would tell a
son to so and do something and then
not care for the welfare of the child
while he was carrying out the paren-
| tai orders. SO Gods divine protection
during all of DavId's life and during
| all of our lives has been lowering over
us and helping us upon our feet when
we have fallen and bringing us back
to the straight path of virtue when we
have wandered away and been caught
in the entangled thickets of sin. DO
you wonder that David gloried i'm the
old divine commandment which said.
This book of the law shall not depart
| out of thy mouth but thou shalt medi-
tate therein day and night that thou
mayest observe to do according to all
/ that is written therein, for thou shalt
make thy way prosperous and then
thou shalt have good successT'
II Does Not Pay.
And today would especially i'm
/ press upon the young the fact that
God still protects and cares for those
| young are so nearslghted that they
cannot understand this. Life in its
earlier days seems to be such strug-
gle for most young people that at
times they do not think it pays to be
! good. Thus some OF them play the
fool, as did David down in King
Achish's court. But, my young friend.
1 have n wide and varied experience.
and want TO tell you that it never
pays to break one of Gods laws. And
/ also want You TO know that some of
the trials and troubles OF life OF which
you are now complaining are yet to be
The keynotes which are TO sound forth
your most glorious and happy songs OF
| praise.
But there is one word In reference
TO my text to which want to draw
your attention. 1t is the last word:
'Thy statutes have been my song In
the house OF my pilgrimage" Now,
what Is the pilgrimage? "Oh," you
answer, "a pilgrimage Is q journey; it
Is long tramp; it is a long, weari-
some, tiresome trip" Is that your
definition Of pilgrimage? Then, my
friend, 1t Is wrong definition, for you
have only told me half the truth. IT'S
true. pilgrimage is a journey. But 1t
Is distinctively a journey to a shrine.
Now. what was the sacred place to-
ward which the pilgrimage OF David
was heading? Why, there is only one
rational answer: 1t Is the sacred place
OF heaven. 1t was toward the sacred
place where Christ and all Dayid's
| dear ones were to greet him. 1t was
not pilgrimage which began at the
cradle and ended at the grave, but 1t
was pilgrimage which began at the
cradle and ended at the great white
throne of God. oh, was It not glori-
Gus destiny toward which the ancient
psalmist was heading? 1t was to en-
ter the presence of the God whose stat
( utes had become songs to him. That is
the man who will enjoy heaven. Not
the man to whom the laws OF God are
burdensome and painful, but he whose
delight it is to obey and serve God.
To him, even in this world, there come
echoes OF the songs of heaven. His
ears acquire miraculous power. Why.
as he listens he can hear all the re-
deemed of heaven singing their songs
OF triumph. Yes. the statutes of the
law have been his song so long that
he can catch the songs of the heavenly
lands Christian, as you are now,
can you not catch faint whisper Of
your dear ones singing in the other
world?
Through the harsh voices of our day