The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-05-08

II That bullet had moved an eighth OF an
inch Ia the right or TO tho left it would
have gos you. | am talking to those
who have been on the very verge of the
crave. Hero you are tonight, defying
God and denying his salvation.
Cont suddenly into eternity You
Old men hcro to night. God has been
merciful and warning you all your lives,
and all you lack of being in hell is just
pity tho man who rushes from every
claim Of God and leaps suddenly nto
hell at last. | know mon. / associate
with men and | know them in every
phase of life.
II know some of you are saying now,
Sam Jones, you can't frighten mo into
Christi nifty But, brother, look ND
that fated Connemaugh Valley; look at
fated Johnstown. Engineers went up
that valley and examined that dam
holding back tho wa.ers of that lake,
and they camo back and made their re-
port, saying, That dam is unsafe: we
They laughed at Thorn and said, You
are Il lot of land sharks. You want to
scare us and buy our land for nothing
They went back next spring and cXa-
mined that dam, and they came back
and said, we warn you people there is
danger
They laughed at them again and said
Scare lis if you dare Next fall they
examined tho dam again said, This dam
is cracked from bottom to top and will
break and turn the water o1se on YOU
some OF these days They replied,
That is an old chestnut: there is moth.
ing in it, A fow days after that a man
came galioping down that valley on
horseback, tho animal covered with
sweat. AS he came rushing down he
cried. Ely for your lives; tho dam is
broke and the water is coming Tho
people absolutely sat down and laughed
him 10 scorn and tho sound OF the
horses hoofs were scarcely out of hear
ing when down came the water and
1000 people were buried in the debris
under tho bridge and it required nearly
threo months to tt k their bodies out
tod Almighty, have mercy upon
the man who laughs at danger. l tell
you, my friends, | do not know where !
will die or how will die, but if God
werc TO give mo my choice | would go
quietly 10 my homo and lay down upon
my couch and there, in tho lingering
illness of two or three weeks with
kind, patitient, loving wife, ministering
to me; with my loving children stand
ing in sympathy about me; sinking
lower every day with timo TO talk to
wife and time TO counsel and advise her
as to each child; time to take each loved
one by tho hand and say many kind
and loving words and give counsel and
advice; and there in tho bosom of nv
family, sinking day after day, with time
and opportunity to talk of God and his
goodness and tell my loved ones 10 be
true 70 God and then at last when life
was ebbing low to motion wife and chill
dTen up to the bed and kiss them all good
night and then have my soul take its
light.
That would be my choice. There is
an old superannuated preacher in our
conference who spends much of his time
at my house, whore he is always VOL
come guest, and frequently when | am
at home he leads the family devotion,
and at night, when we are upon our
knees worshippiEg God, have heard
him III his prayer say, 'Oh, Lord God,
save us from sudden death this night
and he has never used that expression
that it did not make an Impression upon
me. Lord God, save us from sudden
death. 1t is an awful thing to die sud
denly. without moments warning,
without word of cousel TO children
and wife-hurried into eternity. 1t is
an awful thing.
IL believe the saddest hour, almost,
to me, was when had watched over my
wife in her fearful illness of seven
weeks, and one day our physician took
me on my porch and said, Jones. there
is nothing known to medicine that can
reach her case. She is beyond remedy
now. She has swung out beyond the
roach of my hand and my prescri ption, ;
and said, rs that SO, doctor, is that 20 '
l tell you the saddcst announcement
man ever had made to him is that which
says your wife has gone beyond RENE
dies.
when the doctor made this an
nouncenent to mo | went to the great
physician, the sYmpathiZing Jesus, and
went TO him in all tho confidence of
my heart and prayed and my wife lives
to day to bless my home and family.
No hope l wonder which man will 90
first; | wonder which girl will go first
l wonder If before the sun rises to-mor-
| row morning some of you will be in the
presence of God
"a little girl went with her mo her
to the cemetery and saw her father
buried and came back from the Gene.
terry and began to play in the flower
garden Presently the little three year
old child ran into The house and said,
Mamma, whore is papa?' And the bro
ken hearted mother said Darling, God
has sent and taken your papa away
The little child looked up into her
mothers face and said. Mamma, will
God send for us too?' Yes, darling, God
will send for us too replied the m other.
We'll, mamma, when will God send for
US" do not know, replied the mother.
Then said the little child, If you do
not know when God is going to send for
us hadn't We better get ready?
lord Jesus Christ, help everY NON.