The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-01-24
OUR SUNDAY COLUMN.
Original and Otherwise, Pre-
pared by Mark.
NO. ".

idou nCCh. nav JOu AONO yOUA
business more than tho service of the
Lord. You have Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and
Saturday for business, but you be-
grudked the Lord one hour of week
night to testify your interest in things
spiritual. II couldn't take the time"
you say.
Poor dying SOUL haven't you learned
that the Christian is not his own, but is
duty to glorily. God in his body and
spirit, which are Gods? When a church
member-a Christian-begins to talk
about not having time to give the Lord
one hours service in seven days, it is
very manifest that the world is his
master. Haven't got time" means l
haven't got any heart in the matter.
1t means l haven't any inclina-
ton in that direction. 1t means
ABSORPTION in business to such degree
as to make the church member neglect
full of all means of grace and Indifferent
to all the claims of his church and his
God. knew half a dozen men in Roa-
noke last year who didn't have time to
attend the prayer meeting; didn't have
time for family worship; didn't have
G1lu0 lOr uSNOUlOu, ulQU HaV0
time for Bible reading; didn't have
tive for anything but business, business,
business. But there came time when
they had to take time and let their bust
ness shift for itself. They had to take
time to go home and be sick; they had to
take time for funeral; they'll had to take
time to leave their business and report
at the bar of God. And they haven't
returned to their business yet. The
places that knew them once know them
no more forever. 1t will be the case
with others who read this column before
the close of 1892. Men have TO drop
business when the call of death comes.
When the pale horse stops at the door,
the busy man must suspend operations
and mako the journey. No excuse will
be offered-no excuse will be received.
BUSINESS, no matter how pressing and
important; pleasures, no matter how
enjoyable, must be given up when death
comes and says Come with me-
Today the merchant is busy behind
his counter, his heart absorbed in s .les
and percentage; tomorrow the firm is
closed and tho black flag angling on the
door tells the passer-by that the busy
merchant has retired forever from busi-
ness. To-day the mechanic plies his
tools; tom orrow his shop i, closed, or
these tools, in other hands, are used in
building his coffin. To-day the farmer
tills the soil; tomorrow his bones mipgle
with the clods of earth Today the live,
ambitious real-estate man is busy
showing customers choice pieces of
property in choice localities; to- morrow
he selects his own little lot-six by
three-in Fairview or City Cemetery,
and closes business. To-day the pleas
IirQ-Ganlxnr 10 Arip IN = he of
gay pursuits, fond delights and wicked
practices Of the world; tomorrow noon
days sun becomes midnight gloom; the
winding sheet enwraps the form of the
once gay and blooming young lady, and
the unEelenting grave claims che body
OF the fast young man Death calls, rise
and follow me, and all leave their bust
ness and their pleasure Immediately,
and take time and 60 Oh, church mem
Der, take time for your prayer meeting.
Your absence is noted. Sometimes
your unconverted business partner or
associate in Office steps into the week
night prayer meeting and wonders
whore you are. Your frs quent absence
from church and neglect of church
duties is doing moro to dishonor Christ
lures of Bob Ingersoll. "Ye are
sort of witness for Christ do you
make? What honor comes to Christ in
the testimony of an empty seat on Sun,
day, coupled with your absence and
silence on Wednesday night? What
sort of light does stay-away church
member flash for Christ? Oh, negli-
gent church member, come out on the
Lords side. You have been on the
side OF the world, and Indifference. and
self, and convenience long enough.
Como out now on the Lords side and
learn the Joy and comfort of consecra-
ton. Cease trying to break up the
prayer meeting. 81 am not trying to
break up the prayer meeting
you say. But you are, and you
know you are trying to break up the
prayer meeting majority of pro-
fessed Christians are trying to break up
majority of professed Christians practi-
cally object to meeting for prayer. They
say by staying away, without any cause,
that such meetings ought not to be- at
tended, and thus they are trying to
break up the church prayer meeting.
0 brother, sister, God will break you up
in business. and break you up in health.
and break you up in soul prosperity and
number you with transgressors if you
do not stop trying to break up the
church praSe or meeting. Some church
members wonder at their Ill health and
bad luck and lack of spiritual comfort,
when the wonder is that they 90 not
have more bad luck and adversely. They
are living for self and not for God. The
longer 1 live in Roanoke the more /
am convinced that many of the Roam
oke church members will be found
sadly and ruinously wanting when
they come to be weighed in tho balances