Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-12-01

since, and never will have an opportunity
again. They locked the door of heaven
against their soul. and they threw away the
keys Taey chased the world and they died
in the chase. The wounded tiger turned on
them They failed to take the game they
parsued. Mounted on swift courser, they
leaped the hedge, but the courser fell on
them aud crushed them. Proposing to bar
ter their soul for the world, they lost both
and got neither.
While this IS an announcement TO old peO-
! pie who are still unpar1oned. II IS no en-
| couragemept 10 the young who are putting
off the day OF grace This doctrine that the
old NAV be repentant is 10 be taken eau
tiouslv. It is medicine that kills or cures
The same medicine given TO different patients
In one case it saves life and In the other II
DESTROYS it. This possibility OF repentance
| at the close of life may cure the old man
while II kills the young. Be cautious IN tax
ing it,
| Again. nv subject is descriptive OF those
who come to a sudden AMI radical cAanSt.
You have noticed how short Il time 1t j.
from morning to night only seven or eight
hours. You know that the day has a very
brief life. Its heart beats twenty-iour times,
and then il is dead How quick this trans'-
tion in fine character OF these Beniamites
"In the morning they shall devour the prey.
and at night they shall divide the Spots. Is
II possible that there shall be such trans
| formation in any of our characters? les.
| man NAV be az O'Clock in the morning an
all devourng wording, AMI at O'Clock at
night he may be a peaceful distriOutlNe
Christian.
| Conversion is instantaneous. man passes
into the kingdom OF God quicker than down
the sky runs zigzag lightning. man may
| be anxious about his soul for a great many
years that does not make him q Christian
| A man may pray a great while that does not
| make him a Christian. \ man may resolve
on the reformation of his character and have
| that resolution going on a great while thar
does not make him a Christian. But the
very instant when he filings his soul on the
mercy Of Jesus Christ, that instant IS lustra-
ton, emancipation. resurrection. Up TO
! that point he is going in the wrong dIrec-
| ton latter that point he is going in the right
direction. Before that moment he is child
of sin after that moment ne is child OF
| God. Before that moment devourlnS the
| prey after that moment dividing the spoil.
| Five minutes is as good as five years
NV nearer. YOU know very well that the
| best things you have done you have done IN
a fash You made up your mind IN an IN
| slant to buy, or to sell. or TO invest. or 10
stop. or TO start If you had missed that one
| chance. YOU would have missed it forever.
w,
taneous will be the ransom Of your SOU.
Some morning Won were making a calcula-
| ton. You got on the track OF some financial
or social game With your pen orpencI You
we're pursuing it. That very morning you
we're devouring the prey. but that very night
YOU were in a different mood. You found
| that all heaven was offered you. You Won
| dered how you could get it for yourself and
for YOUR family You wondered what re-
i 4 ,o..rr ap,Ih ~ ffr
You are dividing peace and comiorisand sat
isfaction and Christian reward in your sou.
You are dividing the spoil.
One Sabbath night at the close OF the ser
vice | said to some persons. "When did you
first become serious about your SOU! An
they told me- Tonight. And / said TO
others. when did YOU give your heart 10
God? And they said. Tonight. And
said to still others. "When did YOU resolyeto
serve the Lord all the days OF Your life:
And they said "TO-ni;hi. | saw 10y tho
gayety of their apparel that When the grace
OF God struck them they were devourinS the
prey. but ] saw also in the fool of joyful
tears and in the kndlinc raptures on their
brow. and in their exhilarant AMI transport
ing utterances that they were dividing the
spoil.
II YOU have been in this building wnen the
lights are struck at night yOa know that
with one touch OF electricity they are al
blazed. Oh [ would to God that IN" darN-
ness OF your soul might be broken mp. AMI
hat by one quick. overwhelming instania-
neous fash Of illumination you might DE
brought into the light and the liberty Of tine
sons Of God
You see that religion is a different thinS
from what some Of you people suppose. You
thought il was decadence. You thought
religion was maceratiOn. You thought 10
was highway robbery that it struck one
down and left him hall dead that 1t plucked
out the eyes that it plucked ont the plumes
of the soul that it broke the wing and
crushed the beak as it came ciawin; with it7
black talons through the air. No. tnIt l. not
religion.
What is religion? 1t is dividing the spoil
II is taking q defenseless soul and panOpN-
ING it for eternal conquest. IT j. the distribu-
ton of prizes 10y the king hand. every medal
stamped with coronation. IL is an eNhllar-
alton, expansion. 1t j. lmpara1i~ltloG. IL
is enthrOnement Religion makes mah
master OF earth. Of death and hell. II goes
forth 10 gather the medals Of victoyw won by
Prince Emanuel, and the diadems OF heaven.
and the glory OF realms terrestrial ana cel-,-
tial. and then. after ranging all worlds Tor
everything that j. respondent. 1t divides tn'
SPOTS.
What was it that James Turner. the IA
nous English evangelist. was doing wnen m
his dying moments he said Chris l. aI
Christ is ally' Why. ne was entering into
light. He was rounding the Cape OF Cool
Hope He was dividing the spoil. what
was the aged Christian Quakeress dong
when at eighty years OF age sac arosr III me
meeting one day and said The time OF my
departure is come. Ny grave clothes as
falling off, She was dividing the spoil.
She longed with wing. to Nv awas
And m vita that eternal day
What is Daniel now doing. the lion tanner,
and Elijah. VINO was drawn by the Aiming
coursers. AMI Paul. the rafting OF whose
chains made kings quake, and all the o,her
victims of flood ana IRE and wrecs an gull
lotine-where are they? Dividing the spod.
Ten thousa times ten thousand.
In Sparkling raiment brigl.
Tne armies Of the rdns,m.d SAINTS
Throng mp the si.eps ol Hgni
lis ished all is finished.
Their fight with death fnd sin.
Lift higl your golden gates
And let the yictOrs 20.
Oh. what grand thing it is to be a Chris
tian. We begin now to divide the spoil. but
the distribution will not be completed TO all
eternity. There is poverty struck SOU
there is a business despOied soul. there is
sin struck soul. there is a bereaved sou -
why do YOU not come and get the Spots OF
Caristian character the comfort the Joy the
peace. the salvation that I am sent TO Oiier
yen in my Masters name?
Though your knees knock together in
weakness. though your hand tremble in
fear. though your eyes rain tears OF uncon-
trolable weeping come and get the spol.
Rest for all the weary. Pardon for all the
guilty. Rescue for all the bestormed. Life
forall the dead. | verify believe that there
are some who have come in here downcast
because the world is against them. AMI be-
cause they feel God is against them, VINO
will 20 away saying;
Icame TO Jesus as was.
Weary and worn and sad
fOun In Him resting place,
And He has made me glaf.
Though you came in children Ofthe world.
you may 90 away heirs IF heaven. Though
this very autumnal morning you were de-
vouring the prey, now, all worlds witness
ing, you may divide the spoil.
Bllndgirl's Buzz.
Blindman's buff under the new
name of blindgirl'J buff is in our
midst. This is the way it is done.