, 1886-05-16

was gain getting. like this evening of my
day a great deal letter than | did the morn
ing. In the morning l greeiily devourod
the prey; but now il is evening, and / am
glorinuly dividing the spoil"
My friends. this world is a poor thing to
hunt 1t is healihful to go out in the woods
and hunt. 1t rekindles the luster of the eye.
1t strikes the brown OF the autumnal le,f
into the oh ok. 1t gives to the rheumatic
limbs a strength to leap like the roe. Chris.
tophcr North's pet gun, the muckle- mounte
Meg, going Off in the summer in the forests,
had its echo in the winter time in the co
quence that rang through the university
hall of Edinburgh. 1t IL health to &c
fu1ting in the fields; but I tell you that it is
be'ittling and bedwnring md belaminc
for n man to hunt this world The
hammer comes down on the gun cap
aud the barrel explodes and kills 10 in
stead of hat which You nre pursuing When
you-tu urn ont to hunt the world thu world
turns out 10 hunt you; and as many a sports
man aiming his gun at a panther's heart has
gone down under the striped claws, so while
you have been attempting to devour this
world, the world has been devouring you.
So it was with Lord Byron. So It was with
C~oleridge. So it WIS with Catherine of Rus
sin. Henry II vent out hunting for this
world and its lances struck through his heart.
Francis | aimed Mt the world. but the aSsas-
sins dag 'er put an end to his ambition anl
his life with one strokr. Mary. Queen OF
Scots, wrote on the window of her castle:
From the top fall my frust
Mishap hath laid m. In the dust.
The Q leen Dowager of Navarrs was offered
for her weddiny d1v n cost'y and beautiful
pair Of gloves and she put them on. hut they
were poisoned Gloves and'they took her life.
Is tier n hare hand of cold privntion than n
wnrin and poisoned glove of ruinous success
oh" saws some young man in the audi
e1ce, 81 believe what you arc preaching. I
am going to do that very thin In the
morning Of nv life l nm going to devour the
prev. AMI in the evening l shall divide the
snoil of Christian character. ] only want n
| tile while 10 sow my wild oats and then |
will be good" Young man, did o ever
take the census Of all the old peonlei How
many old people are there in your hou sel
One. two or non How many in a vas as
semblage like thi-l Only here and there n
rrav head. like the patches of snow here and
there in the fields on a late April dav. The
fact is that the tides Of the wears are so
st -onr that men 90 down under them before
they get to be sixtv, before they res 20 he
fftv. before thy get to be forty. before
they get to be thirty; and IL You.
young brother, reso've now that you
will spend the morning Of your days In de
vouring the prey. the probability Is that you
will never divide the snoil in the evening
hour. He VIC p%ostnones until cd aga the
religo on Of Jesus Chri-t postpone5 it forever.
Where are the men who, thirty years ngo,
resolved TO lecoms Christi1ns in old age.
putting 1t Off a certain number II
vearsf They rover got to he old.
The rail DAD collision or the steambcn
explosion or the slip on tina ic, or the falling
ladder or the sudden cold put an end to their
opportunities. They AVE never had an or
poriunity since and never will have an OPP
portunity again. They locked thu door Of
heaven against their soul and they threw
away the key; and if they could now break
Jail and come up shrieking to thi,
audience | do not think they would take
two minutes to persuade us all 10
repentance They chased the world
and they died in the chlss. The wounded
tiger turned on them They failed to take
the gam that they pursued. Mounted on a
swift courser they leaped the hedge. but thu
courser fell on them md cru. he'd them.
Proposing to barter their soul for the world
th,v lost both and get neither.
While this is an encouragement to old
people wto- are yet unparlohed, ii Is nc en-
c%ouragement to the young who are putting
off the day of grace. This doctrine thai the
old may be repentant is to he taken eau
tiously. 1t Is medicine that Kills or cures.
The same medicine given to diife ent patients
in one case saves life, md in the 9th r de-
it. This possibility OF repentance at
the close of life may cure the old man viii o
it kills the young. Be cautious in taking it.
Again, my subject is descriptive of those
who come to n sudden and radical change.
You have noticed how short a time it is from
morning 10 night in winter-eight or ten
You know that a winter day has a
very brief life. The heart of the longe,t
day beats twenty-four times, and then it is
dead. How quick the transition in the char
acter OF these B%,njaminites. in the morn
ing they shall devour the prey, and at night
they shall divide the spoil" Is it
that there shall be such n
Transformation in any OF our charactersl
Yes, n man may be at Z o'clock in the
morning an all-ievourin wording, and Mt
Z O'Clock at night he may be a peaceful, dis.
Christian Conversion is in
stan aneous. A man passes into the king
dom of God quicker than down the sky
runs the zigzlg lightning. A man may be
~ hDtaS 10 oCaA ~ a Bl1ib lldIN
years; that does not make him a Christian.
A man may pray n great while; thlt does
not make him n Christian. A man my re-
solve on the reformation of his character,
and have that resolution going on a
great while; that does not make
him a Christian. But the very in
slant when he filings his soul on the mercy
of Jesus Christ, that instant Il lustrntion,
emancipation, resurrection. Up to tnat
point he is going in the wrong direction,
after that point he is going in tn, right
Before that moment he is a child
OF sin, after that moment he is a child Of
God Before that moment h%ellwaid. after
that moment heayenward. B.fore that mo-
ment devouring the prey, after that moment
dividing the spoil Fivs minutes is as good
as five years. Ny hearer. you know very
well that tho best things YOU have
done you have lone in a fash.
You made up your mind in an instant
to buy or to sell or to invet or 10 stop or
to start. II you had missed that one chance
you would have missed it forever. Now
just as precl pitate and quick and spontaneous
will be the ransom OF your soul TINS morn
ing you are making a calculation. You nre
on the track OF some financial or social game.
VITA your zen or pencil you are pur. uing
IL ihN WY hhoihAhS Nou hIe utNA uilnB
the prey; but tonight you will he in a
mood. You find that all heaven is
offered You You wonder how You can ret
1t for yourself an for your family. Yon
wonder what resources it will give y u now
and hereafter. You are dividing peace and
com ort and satisfaction and Christian re-
ward in your soul. You are dividing tho
spoil
Ga Il Sabbath night at the close of tho
service | said TO some persons: when did
you first become serious about your soulf'
and they tod M: Tonight" And | said
10 oths $; When d d you give your heart
to Go1f' and they said: Tonight" Andl
said To stl otA .rS; "When did you resolve
An End TO Rome ~rrnping.
Edward Shepherd, of Harrisburg, Ill,