Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-11-13
God in this world has invited us

A w ouo OuNQueG sOI his grace. ne
invited us by his Providence and his spirit
S69 days of every year since we knew our
right hand from our left. II we declined
IL every time. or treated the invitation
With indifference, and gave twenty or
torey or fifty years of indignity on our
part toward the Banqueter, and ut last He
the banquet in a more luxuriant
and kingly place, amid the heavenly gar
oens' have we a right to expect Him to in.
viSe US again, and have we a right to
Him il He does not invite us? II
Twelve gates of salvation stood open
twenty years or fifty years, for our adj.
mission, and at the end of that time thew
are closed, can we complain of it aud saw:
"1nese gates ought to be open again. Give
US another chance" II the steamer is to
san for Hamburg, and we want to get to
Germany by that line, and we read In
every evening and every morning news.
paper that it will sail on a certain day. for
w weeks we nave that advertisement
before our eyes, and then we go down to
the docks fifteen minutes after II
has showed off into the stream
and say: "Come back. Give me another
cnance. ltis not fair to treat me in this
way. Swing up to the dock again, and
.hrow u the planks, and let me come on
ooard." Such behavior would invite ar.
rest as a mailman. And if. after the COS.
pei ship has lain at anchor before our
eyes for years and years, and wears. and,
all the benign voices of earth and Heaven
nave urged us to get on board, rs she
mlgn5 sail away any moment, and after
awhile she sails without us, is it common
sense to expect her to com, back: You
might as we'll go out on the Highlands at
Neversink and call to the Aurania
after she has been three days out.
and expect her to return, as to cali
back an opportunity for Heaven when it
once has sped away. All Heaven offered
us as a gratuity and for lifetime we refuse
TO take it, and then rush on the bos ses of
buckler demanding another
chance. There ought to be, there can be.
tnere will be, no such thing as post.
humous opportunity. Thus our common
sense agrees with my text: "If the tree
falls toward the south or toward the
north, in the place where the tree falleth
there it shalt be."
You see that this idea lifts this world up
from an unimportant way station to a
platform of stupendous issues, and makes
all eternity whirl around this hour.
But one trial, for which all the preparation
must be made in this world, or
never never made at all. That
piles up all the emphasis and all the
climaxes and all the destinies into life
here. No other chance! Oh, how that aug
ments the value and the Importance of
this chance! Alexander, with his army,
used to surround a city and then would
lift a great light in token to the people
that. if they surrendered before that light
went out all would be we'll, but if once the
light went out then the battering rams
would swing against the wall, and demoli.
tion and disaster would follow. Well, all
we need to do for our present and ever.
lasting safety is to make surrender to
Christ, the King and Conqueror; surren.
der of our hearts, surrender of our lives,
SURRENDERED everything. And he keeps a
great light burning-light of gospel
invitation, light kindled with
the wood of the cross and flaming up
against the dark night of our sin and sorrow.
Surrender while that great light continues
to burn, for after it goes out there will be
no other opportunity of making peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Talk of another chance! Why, this is a su.
pernal chance. In the time of Edward
W., at the battle of Musselburg, a private
soldier, seeing that the Earl Of Huntley
had lost his helmet, took off his own he'll.
met and put it upon the head Of the Earl,
ana the head of the private soldier un.
covered, he was soon slain, while his com.
mander rode safely out of the bat.
tie. But, in our case, instead Of a
private soldier offering his helmet to an
Earl, it is a King putting his crown
upon an unworthy subject, the King
dying that we might live. Tell it to all
points of the compass. Tell it to night and
day. Tell it to all earth and Heaven. Tell
it to all centuries, all ages, all %milleniums,
that we have such a magnificent chance in
this world that we need no other chance
in the next.
A dream: / am in the FURNISHED judg.
ment hall Of the last day. A great white
throne is lifted, but the Judge has not yet
taken it. While we are waiting for his
arrival, I hear immortal spirits in conver-
sation: "What are you waiting here for:~
says a soul that went up from Madagascar
to a soul that assembled from America. The
latter says: II came from America, where
forty years l heard the Gospel preached,
and the Bible read. and from the prayer I
learned in infancy at my mothers knees
until my last hour, I had gospel
advantage, but for some reason l did not
make the Christian choice, and I am here
waiting for the Judge to give me a new
trial, another chance" ''Strange," says
the other, II had but n gospel call at
Madagascar, and accepted it, and do not
need another chance" "Why are you
hereW says n who on earth had the
feeblest to one who had great brain and
silvery tongue, and scepters Of influence.
The latter responds: ''Oh, knew mora than
my fellows. I mastered libraries, and
had learned titles from colleges and
my name was a synony m for eloqu nee
and power. And yet I neglected my souls
and I am here waiting for a new
trial." s'StrangeW says n of the
feeble earthly capacity. II knew but lit
tie of worldly knowledge, but l knew
Christ aud made him my partner and I
nave no need OF another chance" Now the
ground trembies with the approaching
chariot. The great folding doors of the
Celestial ushers. s.Stand back, and let
throughIS He takes the throne, and,
looking over the throng of nations, he