The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-05-03

the friendship OF Christ. NO time TO buy a
lamp and trim il for that walk through the
darkness which otherwise will be illumined
only by the whiteness Of the tombstonas.
No time to educate the eye for heavenly
splendors or the hand for choral karps, or
the ear nor everlasting songs, or the soul for
honor, glory and immortality. One would
think we had time for nothing else.
Other persons apologize for not entering
the Christian life because it is time enough
yet. That is very like those persons who
send their regrets and say: II will come in
there at the opening Of the banquet. but 1
will be there at the close" Notyet! Not
yet!
Now, I do not give any doleful view OF
this life. There is nothing in my nature,
nothing in the grace of God, that tends to-
ward doleful view Of human life. have
not much sympathy with Addison's descr'p.
ton Of the "Vision Of Mirza." where he rep
resents human life as being bridge or a
hundred arches, and both ends OF the bridge
covered with clouds, and the race coming
the first span, and all of them falling down
through the last span. It is very dismal
picture. have not much sympathy with
the Spanish proverb which says, THE sky
is good, and the earth is good-that which
is bad is between the earth and the sky"
But while we Christian people are bound
to take a cheerful view of life we must also
confess that life is great uncertainty, and
that man who says, II can't become g
Christian because there is time enough yet,
is running q risk infinite. You do not per-
haps realizs the fact that this descending
grade OF sin gets sleeper and sleeper, and
that you are gathering up rush and veloc-
ity which after awhile may not answer to
the brakes Oh, my friends. be not among
those who give their whole life to the world
and then give their corpse to God. 1t
does not seem fair while our pulses are in
full play of health that we servo our.
selves and serve the world and then make
God at last the present Of coffin. 1t does
not seem right That we run our ship from
coast to coast carrying cargoes for ourselves,
and then when the ship IS crushed on the
rocks give to God the shivered timbers. 1t
is great thing for man on his dying pil.
low to repent-better than never at all-but
how much better, how much more generous,
it would have been il he had repented tlty
years beforet My friends, you will never
set over these procrastiuation
Here is delusion. People think, ~ can
20 on in sin and woridliness, but after awhile
will repent, and then 1t will be as though
lhad come at the very start" That IS
delusion. No one ever gets fully over pro-
crassnation. If you give your soul to God.
some other time than this, you will enter
heaven with only half the capacity for en-
joynent and knowledge you might have
had. There will be heights Of blessedness
you might have attained, you will never
reach; thrones ofgIory on which you might
have been seated, but which you will never
climb. We will never get over pro-
crastination. neither in time nor in eter.
nifty. We have started on a march from
which there is no retreat The shad
ows of eternity gather on our path.
way. How Insignificant is time compared
with the vast eternity! I was thinking of
this while coming down over the Allegheny
Mountains at noon, by that wonderful place
which you have all heard described as the
'Horsehoe-a depression in the side OF the
mountain where the train almost turns backs
again upon itself. and you see how appro-
pirate Is the description Of the Horseshoe
and thinking on this very theme and prepar.
ing this very sermon it seemed to me as II
the great eourser Of eternity speeding along
had just struck the mountain with one hoof
and gone into illimitable space. So short is
time, so insignificant Is earth, compared with
the vast eternity!
This morning voices roll down the sky,
and all the worlds Of light are ready to re-
ioice at your disenthrallment. Rush not
Into the presence Of the King ragged with
sin when you may have this robe OF right.
eousness. Dash not your foot to pieces
against the throne OF crucifed Christ.
Throw not your crown OF life of the battle
ments. All the scribes OF God are thie mo-
ment ready with volumes Of living light to
record the news Of your soul emancipated.