The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-11-30

world, but the assassin's dagger put an end
to his ambition aud his life at one stroke
Mary Queen Of Scots wrote on the window
OF her castle
From the top Of al my trssf
Mishsp hath laid me IN the dust.
The Queen Dowager OF Navarro was offered
for her wedding day q costly and besutifu,
pair OF gloves, aud she put them on but thev
were poisoned gloves, and they took her life
Better bare hand OF cold privatlon than a
warm and poisoned glove OF ruinous success.
on says some young man in the audience.
u believe what you are preaching. am
going to do that very thing. In the morning
OF my life 1 am going to devour the prey.
and ia the evening shall divide the spoils
! OF Christian character. l only want n little
while to SOW my Wild oats, and then will
be good"
Young man. did you ever take the census
OF all the old peoplep How many old people
are there In your house2 One, two or none?
How many in vast assemblage like this?
Only here aud there gray head. like the
atcnes oil snow here aud there in the fields
on late April day. The fact "a that the
tides OF the years are so strong that men go
down under them before they get to be sixty.
before they get 90 be fifty. before they get TO
be forty. before they get To be thirty and II
you. my young brother. resolve now that you
will spend the morning OF your days in de.
vouring the prey the probability Il that you
hour. He who postpones until old age the
religion OF Jesus Christ postponcs It forever.
Where are the men who. thirty years ago,
resolved to become Christians in old age.
putting II OF certain number OF years.
They never got 90 be old. The railroad col.
lision. or the steamboat explosion. or the
slip on the ice. or the falling ladder. or the
sudden cold put an end to their opportuni-
ties. 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 on
them. They failed to take the game they
pursued. Mounted on n swift courser, they
leaped the hedge. but the courser fell on
them and crushed them. Proposing to bar
ter their soul for the world. they lost both
and got neither
While this Is an encouragement to old peo'
pie vino arc still unpar ioned. II ~ no en-
couragcment to- the young wac are putting
on the day OF grace. This doctrine that the
old may be- repentant Is to be taken eau
tiously. II IL medicine that kills or cures.
The same medicine given o different patients
In one case IL saves life and in the other II
destroys It, This possibility OF repentance
az the close OF life may cure the old man
while II kills the young. BE cautious in tax.
ing IL.
Again, my subject IL descriptive OF those
who come to sudden and radical change.
You have noticed how short time II is
from morning to night only seven or eight
hours. You know that the day has very
brief life. Its heart beats twenty-four times,
and then II is dead How quick this transi-
ton In the character OF these Beniamites
''In the morning they shall devour the prey.
and at night they shalt divide the spoils.' Is
II possible that there shall be such trans.
formation in any of our characters! Yes. "a
man may be at O'Clock IN the morning an
all devourlug wording. and Mt : o'clock az
night he may be peaceful distributive
Christian.
Conversion IL 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 n great many
years thar does not make him n Christian.
man may pray great while ;that does not
make him a Christian A man may resolve
on the reformation of his character aud have
that resolution going on great while, thar
does not make him CHRISTIAN. But the
very instant when he filings his soui on the
mercy OF Jesus Christ, that instant Is lustra-
ton, emancipation, resurrection. Up 10
that point he is going in tine wrong direc-
ton latter that point he 10 goiny Ia the right
direction. Bsfore that moment he IL n child
of sin after that moment he IL child OF
God. Before that moment devouring the
prey after that moment dividing the spoil.
Five minutes Is as good as five years.
My hearer, you know very well that the
Oest things you have done you have done in
fash. You made up your mind IN an in
slant to buy. or to sell or To invest. or tn
stop. or to start. II you had missed that one
'hance. you would have missed II forever.
Vow. just rs prscipitate aud quick and spon-
taneous will be the ransom OF your soul.
some morning you were making calcula-
ion. You got on the -track of some financial
,r social game. With your pen or pencil you
we're pursuing 1t. That very morning you
A.Nsg rAnas ha lint fluf nj,
you wera in different mood. You found
hat all heaven was offered you. You won
iered how you could get II Tor yourself and
or your family. You wondered what
sources II would give you now and hereafter.
You are dividing peace and comforts and sat
sfaction and Christian reward in your soul.
You are dividing the spoil.
One sabbath night at the close OF the SER
vice l said TO some persons. when did you
drst become serious about your soul?' And
hey told me. Tonight. And ! said 10
others, "When did you give your heart II
iod?" And they said. Tonight" And |
said to still others. ''When did you resolveto
Ierve the Lord all the days OF your life?"
And they said. "ro-night." | saw by the
yayety OF their apparel that when the grace
of God struck them they were devouring the
prey. but | saw also in the flood Of joyful
ears, and in the kindling raptures on their
brow. and In their exhilarant and transport
ing uiterances. that they were dividing the
spoil.
II YOU have been In this building when the
lights are struck at night, you know that
with one touch OF electricity they are all
blazed. Oh, | would 10 God that the dark
uess OF your soul might be broken up, and
that by one quick. overwhelming, instanta-
neous fash OF illumination you might be
brought into the light and the liberty of the
sons OF God
You see that religion is different thing
from what some OF you people suppose. You
thought IL was a decadence You thought
religion was msceration. You thought II
was highway robbery that IL struck one
down and let him half dead that il plucked
out the eyes that il plucked out the plumes
Of the soul that Il broke the wing and
crushed the beak as IL came clawing with its
olacS talons through the AIR. No, tnat - not
religion.
What is religion? II is dividing the spoil. !
II is taking defenseess soul and panoply- |
ing II for eternal conquest. IL isthe distribu.
ton OF prizes by the kings hand every medal !