The Penn's Grove record., 1894-06-15
PENN'S GROVE. N. j.. FRIDAY. JUNE ID. 1894.
REV. DIR.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.


TexT: 'Teiix trembled AMI answered, Go
thy way for this time. When / have n con-
venient season I will call for ~thee."-Acts
XIV, Is.
A city of marble was Cinslrea-wharves OF
marble, houses of marble, temples of mar
BILE. This being the ordinary architecture OF
the place, you may imagine something ottho
splendor of Governor Felix's residence. In
a room of that palace, floor tessellated, win
dows curtained, ceiling fretted. the whole
scene afluent with Tyrian purple and stat
ues and pictures and carvings, sat a very
dark complexioned man Of the mann OF Fee
lix, and beside him 4 woman Of extraordi-
nary beauty, whom he had stolen by break
ing up another domestic circle. She was
only eighteen years OF age. n princess by
birth, and unwittingly waiting for her doom
that OF being buried alive in the ashes and
scoriB OF Mount Yesuvius. which in sudden
eruption one day put an end to her abomi-
nations.
Well, one afternoon Drusilla. seated in the
palace, weary with the magnificent stupidi-
ties of the place, says to Felix: 'You have
q very distinguished prisoner, l believe, OF
the name of Paul. Do you know he is one
of'my countrymen? Ishould very much like
to SEQ him, and / should very much like to
hear him speak, for have heard so much
about his eloquencc. Besides that the other
day, when he was being tried in another
room OF this palace md the windows were
open, / heard the applause that greeted the
speech Of Lawyer Tertullus as he denounced
Paul. Now, 1 very much wish ] could hear
Paul speak. Won't you let me hear him
speak?' eyes" said Felix, 81 will. L will
order him up now from the guardroom. -
Clank. clank. comes a chain up the marble
stairway, and there is a shuttle at the door,
| and in comes Paul, q little Old man, prena-
turely old through exposure, only sixty years
OF age, but looking as though he were eighty.
He bows very courteously before the COVER
nor and the beautiful woman by his side.
They say "Paul. we have heard a great deal
about you speaking. Give us now n spect-
| men of your ~eloquence." Oh. if there ever
| was a chance for a man to show off. Paul
| had a chance therel He might have har-
| angued them about Grccian art, about the
| wonderful waterworks he had seen at Corinth.
| about tho Acropolis by moonlight. about
| prison life in Philippi, about ''what | saw in
| Thessaloniea," about tho old mythologies,
| but ''NoI' Paul said to himself. Il am now
on the way TO martyrdom. and this man and
| woman will soon be dead, and this is my
! only opportunity TO talk 70 them about the
things of eternity"
And Just there and then there broke in
| upon the scene n peal of thunder. 1t was the
voice of a Judgment day speaking through
the words of the decrepit apostle. As that
| grand old missionary proceeded with his re-
marks tho stoop begins to go out of his
shoulders, and he rises up, and his counte
! nance is illumined with the glories OF afuture
| life, md his shackles rattle and grind as he
| lifts his fettered arm and with ii hurls upon
\ his abashed auditors the bolts OF Gods in
| dignation. Felix grew very white about the
lips. His heart beat unevenly. He put his
1 hand to his brow as though to stop the
4 ntrinlynacc on1 uinlnnpn OF his thOnphtg- HA
drew his robe tighter about him, as under a
sudden chill. His eyes glare, and his knees
shake, and as he clutches the side of his
chair in a very paroxysm Of terror he orders
the sheriff to take Paul back TO the guard
ROOM. "Felix trembled and said Go thy way
for this time. When i have a convenient
season, / will call for thee"
A young man came one night to our SER
vices, with pencil in hand, to caricature the
whole scene and make mirth of those Wlo
should express any anxiety about their so !,
but [ met him at the door, his face ' ~
white, tears running down his check, as he
said, "Do you think there is any chance Tor
me2" Felix trembled, and so may God grant
it may be so with Others.
propose to give you two orthree reasons
why l think Felix sent Paul back to the
| guardroom and adjourned the whole subject
of religion. The first reason was, lie did not
want to give up his sins. He looked around.
There was DrusilIa. He knewthat when he
became a Christian he must send her back to
Azzius, her lawful husband, and no said to
himself, ~ will risk the destruction of my
immortal soul sooner than | will do that
How many there are now who cannot get to
be Christians because they will not abandon
their sins! In vain all their prayers and all
their ch~urchgoing. You cannot keep these
darling sins and win heaven, and now some
OF you will have to decide between tho WINE
cup and unlawful amusements and llsclVl-
Gus qualifications on the one hand and eter-
nal salvation on the other
Delilah sheared the locks Of Samson Sa-
lomo danced Herod into the pit Drnsllla
blocked up the way to heaven for Felix. Yet
when | present the subject now | fear that
some OF you will say mot quite yet. Don't
be so precipitate in your demands. havea
few tickets yet hat ! haVctO use. / nave a
few engagements that | must keep. / want
TO stay a little longer in tho whirl of con
viyialIty--a few moro outlaws oil uhcieau
laughter, a few more steps on the road Ia
death, aud then, sir, | will listen to what you
say. GO thy way for this time, Nlol l
have Il convenient season, L will call loE
thee"
Another reason why Felix sent Panl to the
guardroom and adjourned this subject was
he was so very busy. In ordinary times nc
found the affairs of state absorbing, bu
4 thcoo hPhVN Val ANhSAh AAitAA y any go 49,
land was ripe for instruction. The Sicarli
a band of assassins. were already prowiint
around the palace, and suppose he thought
81 ant attend to religion while l am 81
pressed by affairs of state" 1t was bushes:
among other things that ruined his soul, anC
l suppose there are thousands OF people who
are not children OF God becausethey have sc
much business. 1t is business in the store
losses. gains, unfaithful employees.
1t Is business in your law otiec-sub
pHnas, writs you have TO write out, papers
you have to file, arguments you have Il
mako 1t is your medical profession, witt
its broken nights and the exhausted ankle
ties OF life hanging upon your treatment. II
Is your real estate office, your business with
landlords and tenants and the failure oil mer
TO meet their obligations with you, Aye
with some of those who are here 1t is the an
noyance of the kitchen. andthe sitting room.
and the parlor-the wearing economy ottry'
ing TO meet largo expenses with a small in
come. Ten thousand voices OF cuisines,
business. business" drown the voice OF the
eternal Spirit. silencing the voice Of the ad'
vancing judgment day, overcoming the voice
of eternity, and they cannot hear they can
not listen. They say, G thy way for this
time" Some of you look upon your goods,
look upon you profession, you look upon
your memorandum books, and you see the
demands that are made this very week upon
your time and your patience ana your
money, and while / am entreating you about
your soul and the danger Of procrastination
you say "Go thy way for this time. When
l have a convenient season, will call for
thee"
oh, Felix, why be bothered about the AZ.
fairs of this world so much more than about
the affairs OF eternity2 Do you not know
that when death comes you will have to stop
business, though i 1t be in the most e~xacting
period'of it-between tho payment of the
money and the taking Of the receipt The
moment he comes you will nave TO go. Death
waits for no man, however high, however
low, viii you put your office, will you put
your shop in comparison with the affairs oil
an eternal world, affairs that involve
thrones, palaces. dominions eternal? Will
you put 200 acres OF ground against i'm
mensity? Will you put forty or fifty years OF
your life against millions of ages2 Oh, Felix,
you might better postpone everything else,
for do you not know that the upholstering
OF Tyrian purple in your palaca will fade,
and the marble blocks of CpSarea will
erumble, and the breakwatcr at the beach,
made of great blocks OF stone sixty feet
long, must give way before the per-