The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-03-12

paradised loved ones. You are now,
let us say, twenty years or ten
years or one year of from celestial con-
junction. Nowsuppose you went back
in your earthly life thirty years or
forty years or Atty years, what an
awful postponement of the time Of re-
unionl II would be as though you were
going 10 San Francisco TO q great ban
quet and you got to Oakland, four or
five miles this side Of 1t, and then came
back to Hoboken or Harlem to get bet
ter start; as though you were going to
England to be crowned and having
come in sight of the mountains of Wales
you put back to Sandy Hook In order to
make better voyage. The further on
you get inlife, If Christian, the nearer
you are to the renewal of broken up
companionship. No; the wheel Of time
turns in the right direction, and 1t is
we'll that 1t turns so fast. Three hundred
and sixty-hve revolutions in year and
forward, rather than three hundred and
sixty-hve revolutions in a year and back
ward. But hear ye! hear vel while !
tell you how you may practically live
your life over again and be all the better
for it. You may put into the remaining
years of your life all you have learned
OF wisdom in your past life. You may
make the coming ten years worth the
preceding forty or fifty years. When .
man says he would like to live his life
over again because he would do so much
better, and yet goes right on living as
he has always lived, do you not see he
stultifles himself? He proves that II he
could go back he would do almost the
same as he has done. II man eats
green apples some Wednesday incholera
time and Is thrown into fearful cramps,
and says on Thurfsay: 81 wish | had
been more prudent IN my diet; oh, II |
could live Wednesday over again." and
then on Friday eat apples just as green,
he proves that It would have been no
/ advantage for him to live Wednesday
over again. And II we, deploring our
past life and with the idea Of improve
ment, long for an opportunity to try 1t
over again, yet go on making the same
mistakes and committing the same sins,
we only demonstrate that the repeti-
tion OF our existence would afford no
improvement. II was green apples be-
fore, and II would be green apples
over again. As soon as ship captain
strikes a rock in the lake or sea he
reports it and buoy is swung over that
reef and marines henceforth stand of
from that rock And all our mistakes
in the past ought to be buoys warning
us to keep in the right channel. There
is no excuse for us II we split on the
same rock where we split before. Going
along the sidewalk at night where ex-
cavations are being made, we frequently
see lantern on framework, and We
turn aside, for that lantern says, keep
out OF this hole. And all along the
pathway OF life lanterns are set as warn
ings, and by the time NC come to mid
life we ought TO know where 1t is safe
to walk and where 1t is unsafe.
Besides that, we have all these years
been learning how to be useful, and in
the next decade we ought to accomplish
more for God and the church and the
world than in any previous four decades.
The best way TO atone for past Incidence
or past transgressions is by future as
siduity. Yet you often find Christian
men who were not converted until they
we're forty or fifty, as old age comes on,
saying: "Well, my work is about done,
and 1t is time for me to rest" Thoy
gave fortyyears OF their life to Satan and
the world, little fragmSnt Of their life
TO God, and now they want to rest.
Whether that belongs to comedy OF
tragedy say not. The man who gave
one-half OF his earthly existence 10 the
world and OF the remaining two-quarters
one 10 Christian work and the other to
rest would not, suppose, get very
brilliant reception in Heaven. II there
are any dried leaves in Heaven they
would be appropriate for his garland; or
II there is any throne with broken steps
1t would DO appropriate for his corona
tion; or any harp with relaxed string
It would be appropriate for his fn-
gering. My brother, you give nine
tenths OF your life TO sin and Satan
and then get converted and then rest
awhile in sanctihed laziness and then 60
up to get your heavenly reward, and
warrant you It will not take the cashier
OF the royal banking house great while
to count out to you all your dues. He
will not ask you whether you will have
1t in bills OF large denomination or small.
/ would like TO put one sentence Of my
sermon in italics, and have 1t under
scored, and three exclamation points at
the end OF the sentence. and that SEN
tenco is this: As we can not live our
lives over again, the nearest we can
come TO atone for the past Is by re-
doubled holiness and industry in the fu'
ture.
II this rail train Of life has been de-
tanned and switched of and is far be-
hind the time table, the engineer for the
rest OF the way must put on more pres
sure OF steam and 60 mile a minute In
order to arrive at the right time and
place under the approval of tho con-
ductor and directors.
As supposed IL would be, there are
multitudes Of young people listening "a
this sermon on whom this subject ha:
acted with the force OF q galvanic bat
terry. Without my saying q word u
them, they have soliloquized, saying
Gas one can not live this life ovei
again, and can make only one
trip, must look out and make nc
mistakes; have but one chance, and
I must make the most Of it,