Milford chronicle., 1885-01-16
TIE KINGS BUSINESS.
nm. TAIUAGF Makes A STRONG AP-
PEAL FOR REFORMATION.
lie HarrOvs His Audience by PictHring the
Fatal Delays OccasiOned BY Nat ~etiiihs
Their Spiritual Accounts Promptly


Fatal Delays OccasiOned by Not setting
Their Spiritual Accounts Promptly
"For [ brought not my own sword
nor nv own weapons with me, for the
Kings business required haste. IL
Samuel, xxi, 8.
eyes" said the Rev. Mr.. Talmage on
Sunday, after he had read the above
text to the usual large congregation,
.si;fs, -s5Dshort, and if we are to do tie
Kings business. must must make haste haste;
The last stroke Of the clock -
on the 3lst OF December is a most tIe-
mendous one, as it announces the death
of the old and the birth OF the new year
at the same time.
''In the text Just quoted Daniel apol-
ogized to Abimeleeh for having brought
neither sword nor weapon, because
pressed for time on the Kings business.
We are all on the Kings business, and
God is the universal King. We are
mortals and must make haste; but God
is a Being of infinite leisure; with an
eternity behind Him and an eternity IN
front of Him. For Him there is no
haste, no hurry, no precipitation.
''It seems now," continued the
preacher after going over the text more
fully, 'that the ghost of the past years
hover on our walls, which are the invis-
ible picture galleries Of souls. Christ IS
our King. He is the King wh2 always
lives, while the others die, Z Richard
III. is dead, Henry VIII. il dead, Peter
z.s Great is dead. Death himself IS the
blind NOR /.el Who in marching throuF
the graveyS q is continually stUr''
against Grove and o7roi'l S3ra'' O$5IRIEl
y rgue -ge- -.-.y dssath placed with a
CT L-,-l rg2T IA and the sceptre in
his hand, but they did not bring him
back to life; he was a dead King. Royal
and Imperial France was proud of her
palaces-her Tuileries, her Fontaine-
bleu, her Louvre, her TrianOn-but the
palaces of Christ are in the souls of His
children on earth and His saints in
Heaven. He IS the King Omnipotent,
with the archangels, cherubim and
seraphim for His armies.
"The Sultan of Turkey announced
that when in future he rode out, all his
subjects should have access to him; but
he found ere long this was impossible;
the pressure was too great and the way
to him was blocked up. But our King is
always accessible to the meanest of His
subjects. There is no back-stair APP
proaches, no Usher of the Black Rod;
the beggar and the prodigal can press
round him and exclaim: oh, Jesus
They are on the Kings business. Will
liam the Conqueror swept away forty
20
a deer park. He deemed hunting more
important than worship. So men in our
days neglect everything for business or
amusement. When the Day of Judg-
ment comes, can they make proper an
swers to the great question: Have you
done the Kings business 2
"'Let us make our fortunes now,
they say, 'and we shall consecrate the
rest of our lives to God. Up, man,
say; haste haste ! The Kings busi-
ness is neglected. When Basle was be-
leagured by invading hosts it was de-
termined one day to make a grand as
sauIt precisely at noon. Twelve did not
strike from the great city clock that day.
One struck instead, and the invaders
were so astounded they raised the siege
and departed. Since then, in cOmmem-
Grafton of the deliverance, by public
decree all the clocks in the city on that
anniversary pass from IL to 1, emitting
the midhour stroke.
"Hear me, all ye men and women,
shouted the preacher, in ecstacy. "Set
your clocks in advance, and hasten to do
the Kings business. Now-to-day-is
the time to look after yonr souls, for
see how many died yesterday who were
not permitted. 1t may be your time to-
morrow. Millions promise to make a
start next year-perhaps. If so, it will
not touch the 100000 who will die
during the year just opened.
After narrowing up the feelings OF the
still further, Mr.. Talmage
"Some who listen to me are
not Christians, and If questioned would
frankly say as much.
"Po them speak as a brother. Sup
pose a case in court. One day the de-
iendaut is not ready for the trial to go
on, another the plaintiff; then it is a wit
ness, and the next day it is perhaps the
Judge, and at last the costs become end
less. So it is with delaying from youth
to middle life and from middle life to
old age. 1t is an endless bill of costs.
The judgment may come any day, and
woe betide those not prepared for it.
'In our age the @al faculties fade
early. Our lF"s.IO asylums are filed
with beings held responsible for oppor-
tunities neglected when they had the
light. For one 1 would advise my hear
ers not to let the brilliant intellectual
torches go out until they have found the
road to Heaven.
"Some close the door of the soul in
Gods face and cry 'Begoner Go before
the ship sails. The Kings business re-
quires haste, haste. We all live on bor-
rowed capital and know not the day
whentit shall be called in. There are
many ways of getting out of this life,
hut all are rapid. The clock ticks this
moment and we live; the next and we
are in eternity There is no rectihca-
ton of blunders across the dead line, no
space in the grave to pray. These things
must be done here or not at all.