The Irish standard., 1892-11-26

md he falls II nth bud i sa
into tho snaIs q the devil, slll -s5s
tiyated with tie pleasures that M round sg
him. His companions are 4 iipvlal crowd 81 81
and fine lot Of fellows, who aa s. Il
not have 8 good time when you are able #
Lot us drink and be merry for stto-mor-
row We die. All! TO morrow we die. !" .I
They stop not to consider the conse-
quences Of such a death, or think for one
moment that there is God looking
down upon them in their sinful habits.
They place in enc hand sin and its false
joys, and in the other the eternity Of
Heaven and the eternity of hell; they
weigh them, and having dared pro
nounce the two eternities as overbalanced,
they chose sin--swallow iniquity like
water, and they die in their impenitenoe.
True to the education which he had re-
ceived in his childhood, he becomes q
successful man in the world. He has an
abundance of this worlds eoods. He
has become iaured to the habits of sin.
He blasphemes the name OF God when it
is convenient for him. He spends the
Sundays and holidays of obligation in
debauchery; and SO he travels along the
broad path to hell and his eternal dam
nation. But there is an end to this path,
which he finally reaches. The goods
and pleasures which he obtained in this
world begin to melt sway like 8 MORN
ing fog before the powerful rays of tho
rising sun. Disease contracted from his
sinful habits begins to consume his body.
He endeayors to drive away the anguish
OF soul and body by intemperance. He
neglects all his affairs and his friends
neglect him At last he stands on the
brink of that awful chasm OF death with
the sinner on one side and God On The
other. In moment he passes it, he ia
in the presence OF God. Oh! my friends,
what All awful moment that is for the
sinner. He hears his sentence Of con-
domination from the mouth Of God.
"Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever
lasting fire, which was prepared for the
devil and his angels" And why has he
received this sentence? Because he had
exchanged his soul for the pleasures Of
this world, be is cast into everlasting
fire, where he will suffer unceasing pun
ishn1ent for all eternity.
Oh. my friends. how great sacrifice
men make when they suffer the loss OF
their souls for the vanlties of this life,
| which is but a few days on this earth, when
they will be before God, who will be
the final Judge Of all their present life on
| this earth, and who will decide whether
their future life shall be one of happiness
| or of misery. For man will reap what
he has sown. He who sows in the flesh
and lives only according TO bad desires
and evil passions, will reap only misery;
but he who sowS in spirit and lives only
according to the law of God and of con-
science will reapli'e everlasting.
We have seem, my friends, how i'm
portant is our salvation, and how foolish
it is to lose our souls for thes good or
evil affairs of this life. God does not
require us to neglect the affairs of this
| world, which are essential for the vel are
of mankind. He only demands that we
use and acquire them by legitimate
means, so as not to allow them to inter
fere with our most important affair, that
is our eternal salvation. DO we ever
ask ourselves, "What if we gain all the
pleasures and goods of this earth, are we
able to enjoy more than what we actually
wear and consume to keep body and soul
together" We may satisfy ali the pas
sions and desires of the flesh, many Of
which are injurious to our vital powers.
We may possess vast riches which may
please our vanity to some extent, but
they will likewise increase our desire for
more. We may ,)n,aas tina few days we
have on this earth Wholly ausslppM in
these affairs and be forgedul !. Q Il End
of our soule, but think Of wLst .pssr g3rd,
has said, What shall it profit at:lSassis:AsIe
| gain the whole world, and loseshtetlttws,
| soul, or what shall man givessin OK \
chane for his soul?"
Ny friends, the days of cur life pass
and fly away; and what at last remains
! of this earth? They have passed az
ships which leave no trace behind them.
GAS ship that passeth through the
waves, whereof, when it is gone by, the
trace cannot be found" Let US ask Of
the many rich men, learned men, princes,
emperors, who are now in eternity, what
remains of ill their pomps, luxuries and
grandeurs they enjoyed in this lise'
All reply ''nothing,'' nothing" Begin
this day to forsake the broad way of the
world. which surely ends in hell Begin