The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-12-05

Huu tafiy udlo w "a b@Sh |
after higher treasure"
DEyoUREp BY THE WORLD.
From that time they did not care whether
walked or rode IL Christ walked with
them; nor whether they lived In a mansion
or in o hut II they dwelt under the shadow
of the Almighty; nor whether they were
ROBBED in French broadcloth or In homespua
II they had the robe Of the Saviour's right.
nor IL they were sandalled with
morocco or calfskin II they were shod with
the preparation of the Gospel. Now you
see peace on their countenance. Now that
says: what q fool / was to be en-
chanted with this world. Why, ! have
more satisfaction in five minutes in the serv-
ice of God than I had in all the first years
of my life while 1 was gaingetting. like
this evening of my day n great deal better
than / did the morning. In the morning /
greedily devoured the prey, but now it is
evening, and 1 am g~loriously dividing the
spoil"
My friends, this world is q poor thing to
hunt. 1t is healthful to go out in the woods
and hunt. 1t rekindles the luster of the
eye. 1t strikes the brown Of the autumnal
leaf into the cheek. 1t gives to the rheu-
matte limbs tho strength to leap like a roe.
Christopher North's pet gun, the muckle-
mould Meg, going off in the summer in the
forests had It's echo in the winter time in
the %eloquence that a n through the uni
versity halls Of Edinburgh. 1t is healthy
to 90 hunting in the fields, but I tell you
that it is belittling and bedwarfing and
belaming for q man to hunt this world.
The hammer comes down on the guncap.
atead Of that which you are pursuing.
When you turn out to hunt the world,
the world turns out to hunt you, and as
many a sportsman aiming his gun at a
panther's heart has gone down under the
striped claws, so while you have been at
tempting to devour this world !he world
has been devouring you. So 1t was with
Lord Byron. So it was with Coleridge. So
II was with Catherine Of rrssia. Henry
II went out hunting for this world, and it's
lances struck through his heart. Francis
I aimed at the world, but the assassin's
dagger put an end to his ambition and his
life at one stroke. Mary Queen Of Scots
wrote on the window of her castle:
From the top OF oil my trust
Mishap hath laid mo in tho dust.
SALVATION POSTPONED FOREVER.
The queen dowager of Navarro was Of
fered for her wedding day n costly and beau
tiful pair Of gloves, and she put them on,
but they were poisoned gloves, and they
took her life. Better a bare hand Of cold
%privation than q warm and poisoned glove
of ruinous success. "Oh," says some young
man in the audience, II believe what you
are preaching. l am going to do that very
thing. In the morning of my life l am 60
ing to devour the prey, and in tho evening
I shall divide the spoils of Christian char
acter. l only want q little whilo to SOW my
wild oats, and then will be good"
Young man, did you ever taxi the census
Of all the old people3 How many old peo-
pie are there in our house? One, two or
none3 How many in n vast assemblage
like thisf Only here and there a gray head,
like the patches of snow here and there in
the fields on n late April day. The fact L.
that the tides of the years are SO strong THAI
men go down under them before they get
to be 60, before they get to be 80, before
they get to be 40, before they get to be 30;
and II you, my young brother, resolve nj '
that you will spend the morning of your
days in deyouring the prey the probability
IL that you will never divide the spoils
In the evening hour. He who postpones
until old age the religion of Jesus Christ
postpones 1t forever.
Where are the men who, 80 years ago, re-
solved to become Christians in old age, put
ting it off a certain number of years3 They
never got to be old. The railroad collision,
or the steamboat explosion, or the slip on
the ice, or the falling ladder, or the sudden
cold put an end to their opportunities.
They have never had an opportunity since,
and never will have an opportunity again.
They locked the door Of heaven against
their soul, and they threw away the keys.
They chased the world, and they died in the
chase. The wounded tiger turned or them.
They failed to take the game they pursued.
Mounted on u swift courser, they leaped
the hedge, but the courser fell on them and
crushed them. Proposing to barter their
soul for the world, they lost both and got
neither.
LIES RIFF DAY.
While this is an encouragement to on
people who are still unpardoned, it is no
encouragement to the young who are put
ting off the day Of grace. This doctrine
that the old may be repcntant is to be tax.
en- cautiously. 1t is medicine that kills or
cures. The same medicine given to differ.
ent patients, In one case 1t saves life and in
the other it destroys it. This possibility Of
repentance at the close of life may cure the
old man while it kills the young. Be eau.
tious in taking it.
Again, my subject is descriptive of those
h come to a sudden and radical change.
You nave noticed how short a time it is
from morning to n~ight-only seven or
eight hours. You know that the day has
a very brief life. Its heart beats "a times.
and then 1t Is dead. How quick this transi-
ton in the character of these Benjamitesl
I'm the morning they shall devour the
prey, and at night they shall divide the
spoils." Is it possible that there shall be
such a transformation in any of our char
acters9 Yes, n man nay be at Z O'Clock in
the morning an all devouring %worldling,
and at 7o'clock at night he may bea peace
full, d~istributive Christian.
Conversion is instantaneous. A man
passes into the kingdom of God quicker
h down the sky runs zigzag lightning.
A man may be anxious about his soul for a
great many years; that does not make him
a Christian. A man may pray q great
while; that does not make him n Christian.
A man may resolve on the reformation of