Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-12-27

and If / live the Lord shall be with me. :" Or
| the last words of Washington: 1T is well"
Or the last words of Mcintosh, the learned
and the great: "Happyw Or the last
word of Hannah More, the Christian
poetees: "Joyw Or those thousands of
Christians who have gone, saying: Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit Come, Lord
Jesus, come quickly" 30 death! where
is thy sting? o grave! where is thy VIC
tory!" Behold the contrast Behold the
| charm of the one, behold the darkness of
the other. Now, know it is very popular
in this day for young men to think there
is something more charming in skepticism
than in religion; they are ashamed of the
old-fashioned religion of the cross, and
| they pride themselves on their free think
ing on all these subjects. Ny young friends,
/ want to tell you what l know from OBJ
servation that while skepticism is beau
tiful land at the start, it is the great Sa.
hara desert at the last.
| Years ago a minister's son went off from
home to college At college he formed the
acquaintance OF a young man whom /
shall call Ellison. Ellison was an infidel.
Ellison scoffed at religion, and the minis.
ter's son soon learned from him the infidel-
ity, and when he went home on his vacation
broke his fathers heart by his depuncia-
tions of Christianity. Time passed on and
vacation came and the minister's son
went off to spend the vacation and was on
| a journey and came to hotel. The hotel
keeper said: Il am sorry that tonight
| shall have to put you in room adjoining
one where there Is a very sick and dying
man. l can give you no other accommo-
dation." CO." said the young college stu
| dent and minister's son, that will make no
| difference to me except the matter of SYM
patty with anybody that is suffering"
| The young man retired to his room, but
could not sleep, All night long he heard
| the grooming of the sick man or the step of
the watchers and his soul trembled. He
thought to himself: Now, there is only q
| thin wall between me and departing
spirit. How if Ellison should know how
| feel! How if Ellison should find out how
my heart futters. What would Ellison
say if he knew my skepticism gave way?"
He slept not In the morning, coming
down, he said to the hotel-keeper:
"How is the sick MANI" Co." said the
hotel-keeper, 'he is dead, poor fellow !!
The doctors told us he could not last
through the night" "Well," said the
young man, "what was the sick ones
name; where is he from?" ''Well," said
the hotel-keeper, che is from Providence
College" what is his name?" "Ellison."
ELLISON" o, how the young man was
stunned. 1t was his old college mate
dead without any hope.
1t was many hours before the young
man could leave that hotel. He got on his
horse and started homeward, and all the
way he heard something saying to him:
Dead! Lost! Dead! LOST" He came to
no satisfaction until he entered the
Christian life, until he entered the
Christian ministry, until he became one Of
the most eminent missionaries of the cross,
the greatest Baptist missionary the world
has ever seen since the days of Paul-no
superior to Adoniram Judson. Mighty
on earth, mighty in Observation-Disclosures
Judson. Which do you like the best, judi
sons skepticism or Judson's Christian
life?
o, if religion does so much for a man on
earth, what will it do for him in Heaven?
That is the thought that comes to me now.
If soldier can afford to shout 'Huzza 20
when he goes into battle, how much more
jubilantly he can afford to shout 'Huzza :"
when he has gained the victory! If
religion is SO good a thing to have
here, how bright thing it will be in
Heaven! l want to see that young man
when the glories of Heaven have robed
and crowned him. l want to hear him
sing when all huskiness of earthly colds is
gone, and he rises up with the great dox-
ology. want to know what standard he
will carry when marching under arches OF
pearl in the army of banners. want to
know what company he will keep in land
where they are all kings and queens for
ever and ever. If have induced one of
you this morning to begin a better life,
then l want to know it. l may not in this
world clasp hands with you in friendship,
l may not hear from your own lips the
story of temptation and sorrow, but will
clasp hands with you when the sea is
passed and the gates are entered.
That might WOO you to a better life,
and that l might show you the glories
with which God clothes His dear children
in Heaven, 1 wish 1 could this morning
swing back one of the twelve gates that
there might dash upon your ear one shout Of
the triumph, that there might flame upon
your eyes one blaze of the splendor. o,
when l speak of that good land, you in
voluntarily think of some one there that
you loved-father, mother, brother, sis
ter or dear little child garnered al
ready. You want to know what
they are doing this morning. 1 will
tell you what they are doing. Singing
You want to know what they wear. Twill
tell you what they wear. Coronets Of
triumph. You wonder why oft they look
to the gate Of the temple, and watch and
wait. 1 will tell you why they watch and
wait and look to the gate of the temple.
For your coming shout upward the news
to-day, for / am sure some of you will re-
pent and start for Heaven. o, We bright
ones before the throne, your earthly
friends are coming. Angels, posing mid
air. cry up the name. Gate-keeper Of
Heaven. send forward the tidirgs. Watch.
man on the battlements celestial, throw
the signal.
90" you say, religion I am going to
have; it is only a question of time" My
brother, 1 am afraid you may lose here in
the way Louis Philippe lost his empire.
The Partisan mob came around the Tuiler.
les. The National guard stood in defense
of the palace and the commander said to
Louis Philippe: ''Shall fire now! Shall
/ order the troops to fire? With one volley
we can clear the place" NO." said Louis
Philippe, mot yet" A few minutes passed
on, and when Louis Philippe, seeing the case
was helpless, said to the General: CHOW
is the time to fire." "No," said the General,
sit is too late now; don't you see that the
soldiers are exchanging arms with the citi-
zens? 1t is too late" Down went the
throne Of Louis Philippe. Away from the
earth went the house of Orleans; and all
because the King said: ''Not yet not yet"
May God forbid that any of you should
adjourn this great subject of religion, and