The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-04-02


Star line?' Shall the engineer OF .
lightning express, who at station mis-
read the telegram Of train dispatcher
and went into collision, and for that has
been put down to the work OF engineer
Ing freight train, say, II never will
again mount an engine unless l can run
O vestibule express?" Take what you
have Of opportunity left. Do your best
with what remains. Your shortest win
ter day is worth more to you than can bo
the longest day Of previous summer.
Your opportunity now, as compared
with previous opportunities, may be
small as rat-terrier compared with the
lion which at Matabosa, fatally wounded
by the gun Of David Livingstone, In its
death agony leaped upon the missionary
explorer, and with its laws crushed the
bone of his arm to splinters, and then
rolled over and expired, but, "better is
a living dog than dead lion"
My text also means that the condition
OF the most wretched man alive is better
than that Of the most favored sinners
departed. The chance Of these last is
gone. Where they are they can not
make any earthly assets available.
After Charlemagne was dead he was set
in an ornamented sepulcher on golden
throne. and crown was put on his cold
brow, and scepter In his stiff hand, but
that gave him no dominion in the next
world. One Of tho most intensely in
teresting things saw last winter in
Egypt was Pharaoh OF olden times, the
very Pharaoh who oppressed the Israeli
ties. The inscriptions on his sarcopha-
gus, and the writing on his mummy band
ages, prove beyond controversy that he
was the Pharoah Of Bible times. All
the Egyptologists and the explorations
agree that 1t is the old scoundrel him
self. Visible are the very teeth with
which he gnashed againstthe Israelitish
brick makers. There are the sockets Of
the mercilesseyes with which he looked
npon the overburdened people Of God.
There is the hair that foated in the
breeze of the Red Sea. There are the
very lips with which he commanded them
to make bricks without straws. Thou
sands OF years afterwards, when the
wrappingsof the mummy were unrolled,
old Pharaoh lifted up his arm as II in
imploration, but his skinny bones can
not again clutch his shattered scepter.
He is a dead lion. And is not any man
now living, in the fact that he has OPP
portunity Of repentance and salvation,
better of than any Of those departed
ones who by authority or possessions or
influence, were positively leonine, ard
yet wicked?
What thing to congratulate you on
is your life Why, it is worth more than
all the gems Of the universe kindled into
one precious stone. am alivel What
does that mean? Why, 1t means that l
still have all opportunity Of being saved
myself, and helping others to be saved.
To be alive! Why, 1t means that have
yet another chance TO correct my past
mistakes, and make sure work for
heaven. Alive, are we2 Come, let Us
celebrate II by new resolutions, new
self-examination, new conservation, and
a new career. The smallest and most
insignificant today Is worth TO us more
than fiye hundred yesterdays. Taking
advantage Of tho present, let US get par
don for all the past, and security for al
the future. Where are our forgiven
sins? don't know. God doesn't know
either. He says, "Your sins and In
iauities will remember no more"
What encouragement In the text FOL
all Christian workers. Despair OF NJ
ones salvation. While there is life
there Is hope. When In England
Young lad v as xed for class in Sunday
school, the superintendent said: Better
20 out on the street and get YOU
own class" She brought In q ragged
and filthy boy. The superintendent
rave him good apparel. In I
70 W Sundays he absented himself. In
quiry discovered that In street ngn'
he had his decent apparel torn on. h'
was brought in and . second time 70
Specially clad. After q few Sundays ht
again disappeared, and 1t was found ina
he was again ragged and wretched
"Then," said the teacher, we can az
nothing with him." But the superin
tendent fitted him up again and startet
him again. After a while the gospe
! took hold OF him and his hear
changed. He started for the minis
try and became a foreign mission
, ary and on heathen grounds liye'
, and translated the Scriptures ant
preached, until among the most Illus
trious names OF the church on esrtl
and in heaven is the name Of gloriou
: Robert Morrison. Go forth and sav
the lost, and remember however de
i PRAYED, however ragged, and howeve
|, iilthy and undone child Is, or a maj
: Is, or woman Is, they are worth al
effort. | would rather have their or
portunity than any that will ever b
given 10 those who lived In magnihcen
! sin and splendid unrighteousness AM
l then wrapped their gorgeous tapestr
around them and without . prayer e1
, pired, Better is living dog than
} dead iion."
: In the great day II will be found tina
, the last shall be first. There are In th
: Trog shops and tho haants OF iniquit
to-day those who will yet be models
holiness and preach Christ 10 the people
, In yonder group Of young mon wh
} came here with no useful purpose ther
q Is one who will yet live Tor Christ an
|. stranger eaohing, and hs said: "Th
. last time | was In this church was hftee
I years ago, and the circumstances wsr
4 peculiar. Three young men had con'
expecting 70 disturb the service, and the
r had stones In their pockets which the
. expected 10 hurl At the preacher. On
. Of the young men referred TO refused
A take part in tho assault, and the otherI
: In disgust at his cowardioe, left th
building. One Of the three was hange
for forgery. Another is in prison COZ
; demned for murder. was the thirt
. but the grace Of God saved me-" M
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