Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-08-10
! MEANT 20 DO IT.
BY REV. c. Z. WALKER.

In the Asylum tor the Insane at
Taunt on, Mass, not long since, was
confined a strangely acting man. He
was harmless, yet at times perfectly
wild with his delirium. He would stand
for hours silent and almost motlonless,
then suddenly starting up with hand
uplitted, and with an expression Of
agony upon his countenance, rush
across the room, shouting, 4 meant to
do it l meant to do it! and then
settling back again into repose.
He had been employed as switch
N IN upon one of the railroads in the
Safe, but unfortunately slept at his
post, with a misplaced switch. The
express train came rushing on, was
thrown from the track and scene of
mangled human forms was taken from
beneath the wreck. He awoke when
too late. The memory of the terrible
calamity, caused through bis negligence
preyed upen him like an avenging
Nemesis until reason vacated her throne
and he was lett maniac to brood in
moody sileuee or in his wild delirium
20 pace his cell.
Of all the unsaved maltitudes in this
Gospel-enlightened land, how many are
cherishing the expectation Of some
future time when they shall set them
selves to seek the Lord. The number
of those are small indeed who really if
tend to live and die without an interest
in the great salvation provided through
Jesus Christ. The great sin of humanity
is simple neglect of Jesus and saliva
ton. They do not reject him, but
only let him alone, and that for a
s.ason. They admit his claims, bat
wait convenient season before they
recognize shen in their lives. The
fatal mistake is in presuming that it is
safe to live without Christ, when they
ale satisfied that it is not safe to die
without him. They mean to have
Christ with them when the shadows OF
the death valley are around their foot
steps, but somehow fancy they can live
well enough without his salvation.-
And SO while putting altar off the evil
day, and imagining in their fanced
security, that the future in its Gopel
privileges and opportunities for re-
pentance shall be as the present, OF
more favorable in its abundance, death
springs upon them, and they find it too
late forever. Men have gone on for
nineteen centuries repeating the mis-
take OF the rich fool, who, while pre-
pairing for the enjoyment of his ins
creased worldly possessions, hears with
the startling suddenness of thunder
crash from a clear sky, the terrible
summons of death.
4 did not mean to die so was the
exclamation OF a man of business whom
death arrested in pursuit Of wealth,
before he had begun to make prepara-
ton for the journey Of Immortality
With how many dying sinner has
such language expressed his bitter res
pentings in that to him terrible hour !?
So in the future. Men are not lost
through a willful and determined pur-
pose to spend eternity in rebellion
against God, but because they have too
long neglected the diyinely appointed
means for their salvation. An old
divine has said, The road to hell is
paved with good intentions. The
multltudes from earth, who haye gone
to swell the population of that dark and
hopeless realm, intended a different
destiny for themselves. And could we
but hear the voices from that other
world, above the sound of weeping
over hopes forever crushed, the
CRASHING of teeth in terrible despair,
and the walls of piercing anguish, we
might hear IN one loud chorus the
sadly terrible lament, 4 meant to be
saved meant to be saved! but LIES
Summer is past, eternal harvests are
gathered, and it is too late foreyer!'