The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-04-19

Of a statesman, or Havelocls any less Of
Q soldier, or Grinnell any less of mer-
chAnt, or West any less of a painterP
Religion Is the best security In every
bargain, 1t is the sweetest note in every
song, 1t is the brightest gem in every
coronet. No time TO be religiousl Why,
you will have to take time to be sick,
TO be troubled, to die. Our world il
only the wharf from which we are to
embark for Heaven. No time TO secure
the friendship of Christ. No time to
buy lamp and trim it for that walk
through the darkness which otherwise
will be illumined only by the white
ness OF the tombstones. No time to edu-
cate the eye for heavenly splendors, or
the hand for choral harps, or the ear
for everlasting songs, or the soul for
honor, glory and immortality. One
would think we had time for nothing
else.
Other persons apologize for not enter
ing 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 perhaps at II or 10
o'clock; will not be there at the open
ing of the banquet, but will be there
at the close" Not yeti Not yeti
Now, do not give any doleful view
Of this life; there is nothing in my
nature, nothing in the grace of God,
that tends toward a doleful view of
human life. I have not much sym
pathy with Addison's description Of the
Vision Of Mirza," where he represents
human life as being bridge Of q hun
dred arches, and both ends of the
bridge covered with clouds, and the
race coming on, the most of them fall
ing down through the first span, and
oil Of them falling down through the
last span. 1t 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
sky"
But while we as Christian people are
bound to take cheerful view of life,
we must also confess that life is o great
uncertainty, and that man who says,
II can't become Christian because
there is time enough yet" is running q
risk infinite. You do not perhaps
realize the fact that this descending
grade Of sin gets sleeper and sleeper, and
that you are gathering up rush and
velocity which after awhile may not
answer to the brakes. o, 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 serve ourselves
and serve the world, and then make
God at last the present of a coffin. II
does not seem right that we run our
ship from coast to coast carrying car
goes 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 pillow to
repent-better that than never at all;
but how much better, how much more
generous, it would have been If he had
repented fifty years beforel My
friends, you will never get over these
Demonstrations.
Here is delusion. People think, "I
can go on in sin and worldliness, but
after awhile will repent, and then IL
will be as though l had come at the
very start" That is a delusion. No
one gets fully over procrastination. II
you give your soul to God some other
time than this, you will enter Heaven
with only half the capacity for enjoy
ment and knowledge you might have
had. There will be heights of blessed
ness you might have attained, you will
never reach thrones Of glory on which
you might have been seated, but which
you will never climb. We will never
get over procrastination, neither in
time nor in eternity. We have
started on. u march from which
there Is no retreat. The shadows OF
eternity gather on our pathway. How
insignificant is time compared with the
vast eternityi / was thinking of this
while coming down over the Allegheny
mountains at noon, by that wonderful
place which you have heard described
as the Horseshoe Bend-a depression in
the side of the mountain where the
train almost turns back again upon
itself, and you see how appropriate Is
the description Of the "Horseshoe"-
and thinking on this very theme, and
preparing this very sermon, 1t seemed
TO me as II the great courser of eternity
speeding along had just struck the
mountain with one hoof and gone on
into illimitable space. So short Is
time, so insignificant is earth compared
with the vast eternityl
This morning, voices roll down the
sky, and all the worlds Of light are
ready TO rejoice at your disenthrall'
ment. Rush not into the presence Of
the King ragged with sin, when you
may have this robe Of righteousness.
Dash not your foot TO pieces against
the throne Of crucifed Christ. Throw
not your crown OF life off the battle
ments. All the scribes of God are this
moment ready with volumes of living
light TO record the news of your soul
emancipated.