The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1909-03-04


There is no work like il.
Once more. soul-winning should be
the business of life with every Christ
ian because it is the work that brings
the most abundant reward. There is
another verse which / wish might
sink into your heart 1t is Dan. xii.
3, "They that be wise shall shine as
the brightness of the armament, and
/ they that turn many to Righteousness
as the stars for ever and ever" Some
people want to shine down here. Men
and women, 1t is not worth while.
The brightest star in any earthly ga
/ laxy will soon fade. The brightest star
ia financial armament, the brightest
star in the POLITICAL armament, the
brightest star in the social armament.
how long will they shine? Only a
few years, and then they will go
out forever. -
/ 1t don't pay to shine down here.
1t does pay to shine up there. They
that shine up there shall shine as
the stars for ever and ever Men
and women, we could not, most of
us, shine down here II we wanted to,
but thank God, there is not one of
us who can't shine up there. There is
only one way to shine up there, and
that is by saving the lost, by bring
ing them to saving knowledge Of
Christ I" -
Before close l must tell you
story - About twelve miles from
where | live. twelve miles from the
city of Chicago, is the suburb Of
Evanston, where there is a large
Methodist university, think the
largest university of the Methodist
denomination in America; at all
events, a very great university Years
ago. before the college had blossomeS
into a great university. there were
many students in ii, and among them
two young country boys from the State
of Iowa-strong vigorous fellows, and
one of them was a famous swimmer.
Early one morning word came to the
college that down on Lake Michigan,
just off the shores of Evanston. there
was a wreck. 1t proved to be the
Lady Elgin. The college boys with
everybody in town hurried down to
the shores of Lake Michigan. Off yon-
der in the distance they saw the Lady
Elgin going to pieces. Ed. Spencer,
this famous swimmer, threw off all
his superfluous garments. tied a rope
round his waist, threw one end to his
comrades on the shore, sprang into
Lake Michigan, swan out to the
wreck. grasped one that was drowning
and gave the sign to be pulled ashore.
And again, and again, and again he
swan out and grasped a drowning
man or woman and brought them
safe to shore, until he had brought
to shore a seventh, an eighth, NINTH
and a tenth. Then he was utterly eX-
hausted. They had built fire OF
logs upon the sand. He went and
stood by the fire of logs that cold
bleak morning, blue, pinched, tremb-
ling. hardly able TO stand. He stood
before that fire trying to get a little
warmth into his perishing members.
As he stood there he turned and look
ed round on Lake Michigan, and Off
in the distance, near the Lady Elgin,
he sew men and women still strug-
g-ing in the water He said, Boys l
am going in again" "No, no, Ed
they cried. cit is utterly vain TO
try; you have used up all your
strength. you could not save any
body; for you to jump into the lake
will simply mean for you to commit
suicide" "Wcll," he said, boys they
ara drowning. and | will try anyhow.
Ard he started to the shore OF the
lake. His companions cried, NO no.
Ed. no. don't try" He said, Il Will
and he jumped into Lake Michigan
and battled out against the waves
and got hold Of a drowning man that
was SJrCBBluB III enO
again and again until he had
brought an eleventh, twelfth a
thirteenth. a fourteenth, and a M
tenth safe to shore. Then they pull
ed him in throuh the breakers lie
could scarcely get to the fire on the
beach. and there trembling, he stood
before that fire trying to get little
warmth into his shivering limbs. AS
they looked ct him it seemed as
IL the hand OF death was already
upon him. Then he turned away
from the fire again, and looked over
tn. lake, and as he looked away OH
wonder in the distance he saw a
spar rising and falling upon the
waves. He looked at it with his Keen
eve. and saw a mans head above
the spar. He said. Boys, there's
a man trying to save himself" He
looked again and saw a woman's head
beside the mans. He said, Boys
there's a man trying to save his
wife" He watched the spar as II
1t