The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-07-29

rade, give me s. dropl' The comrade
shook up the canteen and said, '"There
isn't drop of water in the canteen.
ooh" said the dying soldier, chats not
what | want; feel in my knapsack fol
my Bible" And his comrade found the
Bible and read him few of the gra-
cious promises, and the dying soldier
said: ''Ah, that's what | want. There
isn't anything like the Bible for dying
iOldier, is there, my comrade?' Oh,
blessed book while we live. Blessed
/ book when we die.
remark, again, we must seek God
through church ordinances. what, y
say you, cant man be saved without
going to church, | reply, there are
men, | suppose, in glory, who have never
seen church; but the church is the or
dained means by which we are to be
brought to God; and If truth affects us
when we are alone, it affects us more
nightly when we are in the assembly
the feelings of others emphasizing our
own feelings. The great law of sympa-
thy comes into play, and truth that
would take hold only with the grasp of
a sick man beats nightly against the
soul with thousand heart throbs.
When you come into the religious cir
Gle, come only with one notion, and
only for one purpose-to find the way to
Christ. When see people critical about
sermons, and critical about tones of
voice, and critical about sermonic de-
livery, they make me think of man in
prison. He is condemned to death, but
an officer of the government brings a
pardon and puts it through the wicket
of the prison, and says: "Here is your
pardon, Come and get it," "What!
Do you expect me to take that pardon
offered with such voice as you have,
with such an awkward manner as you
have? | would rather die than so COM
promise my rhetorical notionsr' All,
the man does not say that; he takes it!
is handed to him. And if this morning
that pardon from the throne of God is
offered to our souls, should we not seize
it, regardless of all criticism, feeling
that it is matter of heaven or hell?
NOW IS THE TIME.
But come now to the last part of my
text. 1t tells us when we are to seek
the Lord. "While he may be found"
When is that? Old age? You may not
see old age. Tomorrow? You may not
see tomorrow. Tonight? You may not
see tonight. Now! Oh, if could only
write on every heart in three capital let
tiers that word N-O-W-now!
Sin is an awful disease. hear people
say, with the toss of the heal and with a
trivial manner, ooh, yes, I'm sinner. "
Sin is an awful disease. 1t is leprosy.
1t is dropSy. 1t is consumption. 1t is
all moral disorders in one. Now you
know there is crisis in disease. Per
haps you have had some illustration of
it in your family Sometimes the physi-
clan has called and he has looked at the
patient and said: THAT case was simple
enough, but the crisis has passed. If you
had called me yesterday or This morning
could have cured the patient tits too
late now; the crisis has passed" Just
so it is in the spiritual treatment of the
soul; there is crisis. Before that, life!
After that, death! Omy dear brother,
as you love your soul, do not let the
crisis pass unatteL ded to
There are some here who can remem-
Der instances in life when if they had
bought certain property they would
have become very rich. 4 few acres
that would have cost them almost moth
ing were offered them. They refused
them. Afterward large village or
city sprang up on those acres of ground
and they see what mistake they made
in not buying the property. There was
an opportunity of getting it. 1t never
came back again. And So it is in re-
gard to mans spiritual and eternal
fortune. There is a chance; if you let
that go, perhaps it never comes back.
Certainly that one never comes back.
There is a time which mercy has set
for leaving port, If you are on board
before that you will get passage for
heaven. If you are not on board you
miss your passage for heaven. AS in
law courts case is sometimes adjourned
from term to term, and from year to
year, till the bill of costs eats up the en-
tire estate, so there are men who are adj
journing the matter of religion from
time to time, and from year to year,
until heavenly bliss is the bill of costs
the man would have to pay for it.
Why defer this matter, O my dear
nearer? Have you any idea that sin will
wear out? that it will evaporate? that it
will relax its grasp? that you may find
religion as man accidentally finds
lost pocketbook? All, no! No man ever
became Christian by accident or by
the relaxing of sin. The embarrass-
ments are all the time increasing. The
hosts of darkness are recruiting, and the
longer you postpone this matter the
sleeper the path will become. l ask
those men who are before me this morn
ing whether in the ten or fifteen years
they have passed in the postponement
of these matters they have come any
nearer God or heaven?
FLY FOR REFUGE.
would not be afraid to challenge this
whole audience, so far as they may not
have found the peace of the Gospel. in
regard to that matter. Your hearts,
you are willing frankly to tell me, are