Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-01-24

what you need is a change OF heart
What you need Is to get close to God
What you need Is TO have so much
divine grace that you will think II n
sufficient amusement when you can
play a childhood game with your 1--WE.
year-Old daughter and when you can
enjoy an entertainment of magic lam
tern show made out OF an old sheet
hung up in your parlor. with the magic
lantern slides being run by your little
boy. II never pick n lily out of the gar
den," said n poor dressmaker I'm my
home some time ago. "but 1t says to Inc,
See how happy l am on account of
Gods goodness to me-" Why? Be
cause. like Enoch, she was walking
with God. And so, my brother and
sister, IL you once get your hearts
right with Christ, the smallest and the
most Insignificant things of life, like
the prattle of a child, the sight of two
little kittens tumbllng upon the floor,
the merrymakings of lot of boys play
ing baseball in the back lots, Will offer
to you an endless variety of amuse-
ment. oh, that you and could be
like Phillips Brooks and never out
grow our love of simple. innocent
pleasure. The ways of heavenly wis
dom "are ways of pleasantness, and
all her paths are peace"
Ways of Pleasantness.
The Christians ways are pleasant
also because they are full of peace As
he treads the path of life he has that
wonderful peace which passeth all I'M
Outstanding. and he says: There Is a
divine power guiding me and mine
Wherever l go and whatever do his
hand is leading me and his arm is de
Tending me. My path of life may ap-
pear checkered. but God will never let
me or mine get beyond the reach of
his protecting love. All things work
together for good to those that love
God" oh, my brother. can you not
feel what glorious peace comes over
the wayfarer in the journey of life
when he fully realizes that God is lead
Ing him and protecting him? He is on
the highway OF wisdom, and all "her
ways are ways OF pleasantness. and all
her paths are peace"
Some OF us have been travellers, and
we know only too well the disquietude
and the anxiety which come over us
when we realize that we have strayed
from the right path. And, on. the JOY
that wells up in the heart when we rec
ogn.-e some familiar place from which
we can find our way back home, Some
time ago l was camping in the wild
regions of Humboldt county, Cal. We
left the beaten paths and struck into
side road and went to the end of the
road, and there we pitched camp for
deer hunting. One morning about 3
o'clock we arose and started after
game. After awhile it began TO rain in
torrents, but still we kept on. Then.
after we had hunted for some six or
eight hours, we decided to make n
short cut over the mountains and get
back to camp. We climbed the noun
tain and pushed our way on for an
hour or two. Then the whole topogra-
ply of the country seemed to change.
We were lost! With no food and no
means to build campfire. with drip
ping clothes and empty stomachs. the
situation was anything but inviting.
How to get back to camp we did not
know unless we retraced our steps to
short cut. So back we went. Yet as
we tranped along everything was so
strange. At last, aftera long pull and
tug. we cried, "Safe at lastr' for we
had sighted some familiar landmarks.
And though we had still miles upon
miles TO travel and though the rain
was falling in torrents we cared not
For we knew each step we were tax
ing was leading US nearer home. 1t is
happy feeling, after one has been
lost for hours in the woods. to find
the familiar path that leads him back
to fire and food and blessed sleep.
Christ as Guide.
Well, the same feeling had when
| lost among the mountains OF Hum.
boldt county and then striking the
trail for home Is the feeling the Chris
tlan has when Christ becomes his
guide. In the first place he Is com
pletely lost. he Is lost on the noun
tains of SIM Every step he takes is O
step In the dark and seems to be lead
Ing him farther and farther away from
his Fathers house. AS he tramps
along In the lonely mountains of siI
the fierce eyed monsters OF trouble
leap out of the thickets and assail hin
and the loved ones he carries in his
arms, and 1t Is dark and growing
| darker every minute But suddenly
out of the darkness there comes the
figure OF q man. He has a beautiful
face. 1t is the face of man. and ye
II has on IL the signs OF divinity. III
1 n
eler and says: what! Lost? Lost il
he mountains of sin? Follow me, an(
I will lead thee back to thy Father.
h'mse." And as soon as that gentle
Christ takes our hands to guide us oul
anxiety disappears. Then perfect peac,
throbs in the heart. and trouble ant
despair give place to hope and tri
umph. Her ways are ways OF pleas
antness. and all her paths are peace"
| But there is another fact | want YOU
TO notice about these paths of gospe
| peace. They are the most healthful o
ell paths to travel. They will Civ,
tlearness to the eye. They will Civ,
breadth to the chest. They Will Civ,
strength to the nerves and the mus
cles. They will give wonderful resi-
iency to the brain. And they will maxi
men drink out of the fountain of per
petual youth. The simple fact is !,
great many people are sick not be
cause they need medicine. but becaus
they need the grace OF God in thei
hearts to make them tread the path
OF peace Then while they get spiritua
health they will find their physica