The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-27


autumnal leaf into the cheek II gives 10
the rheumatic limbscthe strength to leap
like = roe. Christopher NOrth's pet gun,
the muckle-mOu d-Meg, going off in the
summer in the forests, had its echo In the
winter time III the elOquence that rang
/ through the university halls Of EJlu-
burgh. 1t is healthy to 90 hunting IN the
/ fields: but ] tell yO4. that it IS bellttilng
/ and bedWarGug and belamlng for a man
to hunt this world. The hammer comes
down on the gun cap and the barrel ex-
] plOdeS and kills YOU, instead of that which
you are pursuing. When you turn out to
| hunt the world, the world turns out to
I hunt YOU; and, as many a sportsman aim
/ ing his gun at a panther heart, has gone
down under the striped claws, so. while
you have been attempting TO devour this
| world, the world has been devOuring you.
So it was with Lord Byron. So it was
/ with Coleridge. So IL was with Gather
inc, of Russia. Henry II went out hunt
ing for this world, and its lances struck
| through his heart. Francis ! aimed at
| the world, but the assassin's dagger put
an end to his ambition, and his life
with one stroke. Mary, Queen of Scots,
wrote on the window OF her castle:
From the top of ali my trust
Mishap hath laid me in the dust
The queen dOwager of Navarro was Of
fered for her wedding day a costly and
beautiful 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 a warm and poisoned
! glove of ruinous success. oh says
! some young man in the audience, 81 be-
! lieve what you are preaching. I am going
! to do that very thing. In the morning of
/ my life | am going to deyOur the prey,
| and in the evening | shall divide the spOns
| of Christian character. / only want
! little while to sow my wild oats, and then
| ! will be good Young man, did you ever
| take the census of all the old people How
many old people are there in your house,
! One, two, or none! How many in a vast
! assem- blage like this Only here and
| there a gray head, like the patches of
! snow here and there in the fields on a late
! April day. The fact is that the tides of the
! years are so strong, that men 90 down
under them before they get to be sixty,
| before they get to be fifty, before they
! get to be forty, before they get to be
thirty; and if you, my young brother, re-
solve now that you will spend the morn
! ing of your days in devouring the prey,
| the probability is that you will never di-
! vide the spOils in the evening hour. He
| who postpones until old age the religion
! of Jesus Christ, postpOnes it forever.
| Where are the men who, thirty years
| ago, resolved to become Christians in old
| age, putting il off a certain number of
] y
| railroad collision, or the steamboat eX-
/ plOsion, or the Slip on the ice, or the fall
! ing 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 he2 zen against
| their soul, and they threw away
! the keys. They chased the world, and
they died in the chase, The wounded
! tiger turned on them. The failed to take
| the game they pursued. Mounted on a
! 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
| While this IS an announcement to old
! people who are still unpardoned, it is no
! announcement to the young who are put
! ting of the day of grace. This doctrine
that the old may be repentant is to
be taken cautiously 1t is medicine that
kills or cures. The same medicine, given
| TO different patients, in one case it 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 cautious in taking it,
Again; my subject is descriptive of
those who come to "a sudden and a radical
change. You have noticed how short a
time it is from morning TO night-only
seven or eight hours. You know that the
10Y lao q NCIN VI IG1 lllC. us utdIb DtdbS
twenty-four times and then it is dead
| How quick this transition in the charac-
ter of these Benjamites! In the morn
ing they shall devour the prey, and at
night they shall divide the spoils'' Is it
possible that there shall be such a trans
| formation in any of our characters? Yes,
a man may be at seven O'Clock in the
morning an all-devouring wording, and
at seven o'clock at night he may be a
peaceful, distributive Christian Con-
version is instantaneous A man passes
into the Kingdom of God quicker than
down the sky runs zig-Zag lightning. A
man may beanXious about his soul for a
great many years; that does not make
him a Christian. A man may pray a
him a Christian. A man may resolve
on the reformation of mis- char
acter, and have that resolution going on
a great while; that does not make him a
Christian. But the very instant when he
filings his soul on the mercy of Jesus Christ,
that instant is lustration, emancipation,
resurrection. Up to that point he is TO
ing in the wrong direction; after that
point he is going in the right direction
Before that moment he is child of sin ;
after that moment he is child of God
Before that moment devouring the prev
after that moment dividing the spoil
Five minutes is as good as five years MY
nearer, you KNOW very well JndJ the best
things you have done you have done in u
flash. You made up your mind in an in
slant to buy, or to sell, or to
invest, or TO stop, or to start
If you had missed that one chance,
you would have missed it forever.
Now just as precipitate, and quick, and
spontaneous win be the ransom of youl
soul. Some morning you were making a
calculation. You got on the track OF some
financial or social game. With your per
or pencil you were pursuing it. That very
morning you were levouring the prey: but
that very night you were in different
mood. You found that all heaven was
offered you. You wondered how vol
could get it for yourself and for youl
family. You wondered what resources il
would give you now and hereafter. Yol
are dividing peace, and comfort, and salts
faction and Christian reward in YOU
soul. You are dividing the spoil.
One Sabbath night, at the cl ose of tn,
service, said to some persons: when
did you become serious about your soul -
And they told me: Tonight" And
said to others "When did you give youl
heart to Cod" And they said: ITO
night" Aud l said to still others: ''WheI
did you resolve to serve the Lord all the
days of your lifel" And they said To
night" saw by the gayety of their ap