St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-04-13

he is getting out plans to build larger.
You ride by that farm and you would
say what prosperous farmer. If you
had gone into his house you would have
found him faring sumptuously every
day. You would find that he had the
best of everything that money could
buy. His soul is going to take it easy
in this world. He had not thought
about the future.
Now you can see him one night in his
drawing-rOom at work on his plans.
The doors are locked and bOlted to keep
out the thieves, for undoubtedly they
had thieves in those days, and a
man that had the reputation of being
rich had to take pretty good care of his
house. There he was, safe and secure,
laying out plans. While thus engaged
stranger enters. There is no rap at
the door. He lays his hand upon the
door knob, he turns it, opens the door
and comes i'll. He stands before him
and he goes to lay his cold. icy hand
upon him and take him captive. l see
the rich man turn pale, and hear him
cry out, ''Oh, Death, have you come for
me ?" "Yes." "Have | got to die to-
night ~ Yes" "Give me little time
TO arrange my affairs don't hurry me
Off" eyes, | must take you now"
"But you came in unexpectedly" "But
you have had many warnings. You
have attended many funerals. You
have had one warning after another,
and now your time is come" He per-
haps tries to bride death, but death
cannot be bribed. "The time is come
you must 60" Look at the man. How
alarmed and terrified he is. He had
prepared for everything but death. Oh
how many men in this city are guilty
of the same neglect to-day! They plan
very well from the cradle to the grave,
but they never get beyond that. They
do not lay up treasures in Heaven.
And how many that the world calls rich
die beggars. See that rich man plead
ing for his life, like the queen that Of
fered millions for an inch of time, but
too late. Oh how much he would give
to have his days heightened out few
years or few months. But no, he
must go. Death had Overtaken him.
We may try to forget this, but let us
keep this in mind, that death is upon
your track and mine. He is bearing
down on each one of us tonight. 1t is
only question of time. We can all
be sure that death will overcome us.
Are you ready B? Are You living for
another world, or is your soul set on
things down here? Have You lived all
these years without taking any thought
about the future Death puts his hand
OH him and the man is in another world.
Perhaps he had great funeral. They
might have got some minister to pro-
| Il. h,l 4 l.,
up as an example to other men. He,
perhaps, commenced poor and accumu-
lated all that wealth by his own energy.
He might have been held up as bea-
con light, but what mistake! what a
wreck He died without God and with
out hope. The world called him rich.
They might have built magnificent
monument over his dead body, but the
Lord wrote the epitaph. 1t has come
down these 5000 years, and as long as
the Gospel is preached the story will be
told about the rich man. "Thou fool''
that is what Christ said.
l heard of Il rich man dying a few
years ago, and death broke in upon him
suddenly as upon this rich man in the
Scripture. When he was told he was
dying he sent in great haste for his
family physician. He said that what
the other doctor said was true, that he
could not live. He wanted an attorney
to come and make his will, but he could
not get it quite finished A little child
that could not understand about his
going away came to the bedside, and
when she heard about father giving
away the homestead she said, '9Papa,
have you home in the land where YOU
are going ~ That question struck right
down into his heart He had no home
i'll heaven. He died a pauper; he en-
tered eternity beggar. We are pill
grIms and strangers here; this life is
but minute compared with eternity.
Death is no stranger to us. Look at
the hearse winding through these streets
of Boston every day. If you could sum
mon the dead here you would find Il
much younger audience than we have
heIe now. He is calling them all around
us. Six millions die annually in this
world. While am preaching IA good
many pass away. Death is all around
us doing his work, and how few are
preparing to meet him. o may God
wake us up so that we may be ready
and watching for the Son of Man, and
III tnc CoulbS vi uedUn 10 take us away.
Some men tell us that we can repent
after death, but where do you see it in
Scripture? Then why take such risk
l never saw any one but admitted that
that may not be true. Well, why take
such a chance? Suppose, now, there is
just one chance out of a million. Now
bear IN mind there is only one chance
out of million that there may be IA
chance of repenting beyond the grave.
Can you afford to take that chance ?
Isn't it the hight of madness to take that
one chance? Isn't it folly to put off
the subject any longer7 Prepare to
meet thy God" Are you ready to meet
him If not, why not get ready to-
night? Say, young man, why not this
very hour say, II will prepare to meet
my God ?" 1t can be done. If man
is in Christ he is a new creature. Let
death come then-He has overcome
death and the grave. There is victory
then.
Tho d.,