The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-05-08

the depot as compared with the place
for which we are bound2 Now, my
friends, this world ia only stopping
place on the way to momentous destl-
nation and yet how many OF us sit
down as though we had come to the final
depot; when our stopping here is, as
compared with our stopping there, as is
twenty minutes to twelve hours-yes, as
the one huudredth part Of second COM
pared with ten thousand million years.
Would Spain sell US Cuba for bushel of
wheat? Would England sell us India
for ton of coal? Would Venice sell us
all her pictures for an American school
boys sketch? All that would be bet
ter bargain for England, Spain and Ven
ice than that man makes who gives bis
eternity for time. Yet, how many men
there are who are saying tonight: Give
me the worlds dollars and you may have
the eternal rewards. Give me the worlds
applause and you may have the gaTlands
of God. Give me twenty, or forty, or
sixty years of worldly successes, and |
don't care what becomes OF the future. !
am going into that world uninsured. l
take the responsibility. Don't bother
me about your religion. Here have the
two worlds before me this one and the
next. / have chosen this. 20 away
from me, God and angels, and all
thoughts of the futurep Men actually
making that choice. There are others
who have done far differently. When
they tried to bride with money Martin
Luther, some one said: There's no use
trying to do that; that Dutch beast cares
nothing for Gold" When they tried by
giving him Cardinals hat to bribe Sa'
vonarola, he stood up in his pulpit and
cried out: II will have no red hat save
that of martyrdom, Celored with my own
blood"
These men chose Christ amid great
prosecutions, but how many there are in
this day, where Christianity seems to be
popular who are ashamed Of Christ, and
not willing to bear hardships, the seem
ing hardships of religion And alas! for
them, for long after the crush of this
worlds demolition, they shall find that
in all these years they were turning their
backs on the palaces of heaven, scrab-
bling on the door of this worlds treas
ure.house, the saliva of a terrific luna
cy on their lip-horribly and overwhel-
mingly playing the fool.
Once more | say to you that these men
play the tool who, while they admit the
of religion, set it down for
future attendance. Do you know how
many times the word NOW" occurs in
the Bible2 Over 200 times. One of the
shortest words in the bible, and yet one
of the grandest in meaning and ramif.
cations. When does the Bible say is the
best time TO repent? Now. When does
the Bible say that God will forgiveP
Now. When does God say is the only
safe time to attend to matters of the soul?
Now. But that word row melts away as
easy as a snowflake in the evening rain.
Where is the "noW" of the dead of last
year, The now of the dead of last
The now of the dead of last
week? The now of the dead of yester.
day?
Time picked it up in its beak and flew
away with it,
Swammerdam and other naturalists
tell us there are insects which, within the |
space ofone minute, are born, fulfill their |
celebrate their nuptials and die;
but this wonderful now" is more short.
lived than they. 1t is a fash, stroke, a |
glance. It's cradle is its grave. If men
,atch it at all it is with quick clutch,
Millions of men have lost their souls i'm.
Mortal because they did not understand |
he momentum and the ponderosity of
If that one word.
All the stratagetic powers of hell are
.xerted in trying to subtract from the en-
'rgy and emphasis of that word, They |
,ay it is only word of three letters,
while there is better one of eight let.
They say: "Throw
way this small word and take this other
rand one!" And so men say: "Give us
tomorrow and take away now" and
,etween those two words is the Appian
way Of death, and a great multitude
hrong that road, jostling and elbowing
ach other, fastening on, swifter and
wifyer, to die. For how much would
-ou walk the edge of the roof of your
louse? For how much would you come
ut on the most dangerous peak of the
latterhorn and wave your cap? You
ay: "No money could induce me to do
t." And yet you stand this morning
With one foot on a crumbling moment,
nd the other foot lifted, not knowing
where you will put it down, while the
istanCe between you and the bottom of
be depth beneath you no plummet can
MEASURE, no arithmetic calculate, no wing
f lightning cleave.
And yet the Bible tells us that unless
man have a new heart he can uot get
lto heaven; AID some of you are not
eeking for that new heart.
In Mexico, sometimes the ground
pens suddenly, and man standing near
ne gap can see down an appalling dis.
lDCe But oh, if this morning, at your
,et, there should opeu the chasms of the
,st world, how you would fling yourself
ack and hold the sod, and cry, "God,
i've me-now now now!
l greet you this morning, my brother,
the very gate of eternity. Some Of us
ay live longer and some of us a shor-
n tine, but at the longest, life is 80
lort that feel we all stand to day on
le door sill Of the great future. The
ext step and all the angels of God can
Ot undo the consequences. Will your
Kit from this life be a rising or falling2
be righteous 60 up. The Savior helps y
lem. Ministering spirits meet them. v
he strong faith in God, like that which t.
onewall Jackson had when, in his ex,
ring moments, he said: " Let us cross
'er the river and lie down under the
ade."
But to leave this world unprepared is
lling-falling from God, falling from
,pe, falling from peace, falling from
,aven Swiftly falling, wildly falling,
rever falling; and so it was with one
40 had been eminent for his intelli-
nee, but who had omitted all prepara-
tions for the future world and had .