The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-11-29

nn hl-ueYourilg WorldllnR, anu az
o clock at night he may be o peaceful
distributive Christian. Conversion is
instantaneous. A man passes into the
kingdom Of God quicker than
down the sky runs zigzag light
ming. A man may be anx-
ious about his soul for 4 great many
years; that does not make him Chris
tan. A man may pray great while;
that does not make him Christian. A
man may resolve on the reformation OF
his character, and have that resolution
going on great while; that docs not
make him 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 going 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. Be-
fore 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 best things you have
done you have done in flash. You
make up your mind in an instant TO
buy, or to sell, or to invest, or to stop,
or to start II you had missed that one
chance you would have missed 1t for
ever. Now just as precipitate and
quick, and spontaneous will be the
ransom of your soul. Some morning
you were making calculation. You
got on the track of some financial or
social game. With your pen or pencil
you were pursuing 1t. That very morn
ing you wore. devouring the. prey; but
that very night you were In different
mood You found that all Heaven was
offered you. You wondered how you
could get it for yourself and your
family. You wondered what resources
! It would give you now and hereafter.
You are dividing peace, and comfort,
, and satisfaction, and Christian reward
inyour soul. You are dividing the spoil
One Sabbath night, at the close Of
, the service, I said to some persons
r when did you first become serious
, about your soulp' And they told me
8 "To.night." And l said to Others
I "when did you give your heart to Godr'
r And they said: Tonight" And sait
D to still others: "When did you resolve
6 TO serve the Lord all the days Of you
! lifeP" And they said: Tonight"
I saw by the gayety Of their apparel tina
y when the grace of God struck then
d they were devouring the prey; but
a saw also, in the flood of joyful tears
i and in the ldndling raptures on thei
Q brow, and in their exhilarant an
n transporting utterances, that they wer
o dividing the spoil. II you have bee
It in this building when the lights ar
h struck ut night you know that with on
u touch Of electricity they are all blazet
e o, would TO God that the darkness
* your souls might be broken up, an
It that by one quick, overwhelming, II
n stantaneous flash of illumination 20
te might be brought into the light an
Is the liberty of the sons Of God!
You see that religion is a differer
thing from what some of you peop
supposed. You thought 1t was d
y !. cadence; you thought religion WI
y ~ maeeration; you thought 1t was higl
"a "a way robbery; that it struck one dow
!. - and left him half dead; that 1t pluck'
= out his eyes; that it plucked out u
- plumes Of the soul; that IL broke Il
wing and crushed the beak as 1t can
:, clawing with its black talons thrcue
=. the air. No, that is not religion. VIII
o. is religionP 1t is dividing the spoil
a 1t is taking a defenseless soul al
iis panoplying 1t for eternal conquest
Is the distribution of prizes by Il
"A Kings hand; every medal stamps
"a with coronation. IL lis an exhilaratio
"a an expansion. II is imparadisation.
80 is enthronement Religion makes
-. man master Of earth, Of death and he
aa IL goes forth to gather the medals
81 victory won by Prince Emmanuel, Al
~ the diadems Of Heaven, and the glori
~ of realms terrestrial, and then, aft
10 ranging all worlds for everything tn
~ Is resplendent, II divides the spo
tr What was IL that James Turner, t
~, famous English evangelist, was dol
~ when, in his dying moments, he sa
~ 'Christ is ALI Christ Is allV' Why,
was entering into light; he was rour
-, ing the Cape of Good Hope; he "
~ dividing the spoil. What was the ag
,r Christian Quakeress doing, when
80 eighty years of age she arose In {
~. meeting one day and said; THE til
No. of my departure is come. My gra
~ clothes are falling off," She was
for viding the spoil.
l She longed with wings to dy away,
'er And mix with that eternal day.
On, What Is Daniel now doing, the II
lip tanner? and Elijah, who was drawn
he the flaming coursers? and Paul,
or rattling OF whose chains made kir
op- quaker and all the other victims
we food, and fire. and wreck, and gull
'ed tine-where are they? Dividing
ui' spoil. -,
icy Ten thousand times ton thousand,
he In sparkling raiment bright
Tho armies OF the rsnsomed saints
Thropg up the sleeps OF light
% ,S Tis finished, oil is finished,
ut Their fight with death and sin;
the Lifthigh your golden gates,
I'M. And let the victors In.
he o, what a grand thing II Is TO b
er. Christianl We begin now TO divide
70 spoil, but the distribution will not
Il completed 10 all eternity. There 4
,ho poverty-struclS soul, tll e is q busine
~. d.,,oliad eo,,I thara Ia m ain-atrr