Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-01-24
GOOD ROADS AND BAD.


mandments."-Ps. cxix, y,
Dwellers in the country know much
about bad roads. They know the rough
road, the dangerous road, the steep,
the stony road. But there are worse
roads than are to be found in the
widest county.
As we are beginning new year, a
new period of life, it is important to
know which road to avoid and which to
take. And among the bad roads we
must avoid, put first unbelief.
That is a very bad road indeed. For
the man who does not believe in the
love of God and the salvation of Jesus
Christ is travelling in the dark. Could
there be anything more miserable
than to travel through life's journey
without love or hope, and with death
and the grave to end it all? To the man
who never opens his Bible, never says a
prayer, never enters a church-what is
life? A dark, cheerless road; very
bad road indeed.
Then there is self-deception. That
is dangerous road. You meet man
and he tells you where he is going. You
know he is on the wrong road, but he
laughs you to scorn. He walks in the
way of his own choosing. He says
Gods way is too hard for him; too
narrow, there is too much climbing to
be DONE He does not wish to be
hedged in by rules and commandments:
he likes his own way best ''All the
ways of a man are clean in his own
eyes" Yet such people deceive them
selves: they say; II like my way be-
cause it is an easy way" Alas, not So
it gets rougher and worse as they &c
on. You cannot travel straight on q
crooked road. There is only one way
of Salvation, the right road-the King
highway.
Then there is bad company. That is
dirty, dangerous road, and it ends in
destruction. More people have been
ruined by bad company than by any
thing else. From the day when Eve
listened to the serpent's whisper till
yesterday, when you listened to your
companions evil words, the result has
been ever the same. Nothing is so in
fectious as sin.
You cannot keep the company of a
drunkard without becoming drunkard
yourself, nor stay with the profane and
unclean unless you wish to be like
them. You cannot touch pitch and not
be defled.
Many man is ruined by the COM
pany of goddess, careless or silly wo-
man. The wisest and strongest have
fallen in this way. Delilah ruined
Samson; his heather wives ruined Sol
ONION; Jezebel ruined Ahab. Just as
good woman is the greatest blessing
in the world, bad woman is a plague
spot in mans life.
Beware friends, of how you get int
the dangerous road of bad company
Beware of those who mock at religion
If one sneers at the Bible, and laugh,
at prayer, avoid him as you would d,
poison; for he is poison, and will pollut,
all that is good in you; and you becom
as bad as himself
Avoid those who use bad language
1t is more dangerous than the small
pox. Avoid the sin of drunkenness
''At the last it stingeth like an adder.
Avoid those who disobey their parents
No good comes of one who is ashame
of his father.
And what is the good road? The way o
Gods Commandments way of holi
ness. That Is good road, and pleasant
When we tread that path we are happ
because we know where it leads. 1t
the Kings highway, and it leads to tn
Royal city, and to our home, whic
Jesus has prepared for us. 1t leads u
to the friends gone before, and VIII
are awaiting us there. The tiny hand
of the little child, the worn thin hand
of the wife, the strong hands of tn
father, beckon us on. Ahi brother
Gods road is a good road, true an
tried-keep to it. When our journey
done we shall feel tired, and be glad t
rest. People will say that we are deaG
but we shall only be sleeping. w
shall have left behind the wornou
garment of the body, and by and b
shall wake up in the presence of Goo
and he satisfied