The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-12-01
THE LONDONDERRY SITTER,
o'clock at night he may be a peaceful,
distributiye Christian.

OCloCh Nv HlSHt no may bV PtsseNiu',
distributive Christian.
Conversion is instantaneous, A man
passes into the kingdom of God quicker
than down the sky runs zigzag lightning.
A man may be anxious about his soul
for great many years; that does not
make him a Christian. A man may pray
a great while; that does not make him a
Christian. A man may resolve on the
reformation of his character and have
that resolution going on great while;
that does not make him Christian, But
the very instant when he filings his soul
on the mercy of Jesus Christ, that in
slant is lustration, emancipation, resur-
rection, Up to that point he is going in
the wrong direction; after that point he
is going in the right direction, Before
that moment he is a child Of sin; after
that moment he is child of God, Be-
fore that moment devouring the prey
after that moment dividing the spoil.
Five minutes is as good as FIVE years.
My nearer, you know very well that
The best things you have done you have
Zone in flash, You made up your mind
in an instant to buy, or to sell, or to in
vest, or to stop, or to start, If You had
missed that one chance, you would have
missed it forever. Now, just as precipi-
tate and quick and spontaneous will be
the ransom Of your soul. Some morning
you We're making calculation. You sol
on the track of some financial or social
game, With your pen or pencil you
We're pursuing it. That very morning
you were devouring the prey, but that
very night You We're in different mood.
You found that all heaven was offered
you. You wondered how you could get
it for yourself and for your family. You
wondered what resources it would give
you now and hereafter. You are diyid.
ing peace and comfort and satisfaction
and Christian reward in your soul. You
are dividing the spoil.
One Sabbath night at the close of the
sermon | said to some persons, when
did You first become serious about your
4 soulY And they told me, Tonight. y
And | said TO others, when did you
give your heart to God?" And they said
Tonight" And said to still Others,
when did You resolve to serve The
Lord all the days of your liie?" And
they said, Tonight" | saw by the
gayety Of their apparel that when the
grace of God struck them they were de
vourins the prey; but saw also in the
flood of joyful tears, and i'll the kindling
raptures on lhyir brow, and in their ex-
hilarant a-l transporting utterances
that they were dividing the spoil.
I If you have been in this building when
the lights arc struck at night, you know
that with one touch of electricity they
/ are all blazed. Oh, would to God that
! the darkness OF your souls might be
broken up, and that by one quick, over
J whelming, instantaneous fash of illumi.
nation you might be brought into the
light and the liberty of the sons OF God
! RELIGION DEFINED.
! You see that religion is different
thing from what some of you people sup
! posed. You thought it was a deca hence
/ You tho9 Eht religion was maceration
/ You though. it was highway robbery
that it zsruck one down and left lin
half dead; that it pluclzed out the eyes
that it plrcked out the plumes Of the
soul; that it b.oke the wing and crashed
the beall as it came claHing with its
! black talons through the air. No. that
| is net religion.
What is religion? It is dividing the
spoil It is taking d defenseless .pul
and panoplying it for eternal conquest
| 1t the distribution of prizes by tbs
kings hand--every medal stamped witt
a coronation 1t is nn exhilaration. al
expansion. 1t is imparadisation. It il
enforcement. Religion makes MAJ
master Of earth, of death and hell. 1t goes
forth to gather the medals of victory
won by Prince Emanuel, and thediadems
Of heaven, and the glories of realms ter
restrial and celestial, and then, aftel