The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-03-02
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN b1v1NE's SUN,
<DAY SERMON.
Subject: s:Op2ortunity."

S-AAS~1AS~So
Subject: s:Opportunity."
Text: Gas We have therefore oppcrtun
ey, let rs DO good." vi, 10.
At Denver years ego An audience had as,
sembied for divine worship The pastor OF
the church for whom was to preach thai
night, interested in the seating OF the peo
pie, stood In the pulpit looking from Aoe te
side, end when no more people could DC
crowded within the walls he turned to me
and said, with startling emphasis, "What en
oppotunity!'' Immediately tha tword began
20 enlarge. and while hymn was being sung
at every stanza the word opportunity"
swiftly and nightly unfolded, and while the
opening prayer was being made the word
piled un into Alps and Himalayas OF mean
ing and spread out into other latituces and
3onsitades Of significance until 1t became
hemisphere, and it still grew In altitude and
circumference until it encircled other words
and swept out and on and around until 1t
was az big az eternity. Never since have
read cr~ heard that word without being
chilled with its magnitude and momentum.
Opportunity! Although in the text to some
&c may seem mild and quiet note, IN the
great gospel harmony 1t is staccato pas
sase. It Is one Of the lovellest and awfutest
words in our Language Of more than 100000
words Of English vocabulary. GAS we have
opportunity, let Us do good
What Is an opportunity? The le9cographer
would coolly tell you it is conjunction OF
favorable circumstances for accomplishing
purpose, but words cannot tell what 1t Is.
Take 1000 years to manufacture definition,
ol dAacrShA
Opportunity! The measuring rod with which
thesngel OF the Apocalypse measured heaven
could not measure this pivotal word OF my
text. Stand on the edge Of the precipice OF
all time and let down the fathomiDS line
hand under hand and lower down and lower
down and for q ouintilion Of years let it
sink, and the lead win not strike bottom. Op-
portunity! But while do not attempt to
measure or define the word will, God help
ing me, take the responsibility OF telling you
something about opportunity.
First, 1t Is very swift in its motions. Some
eimes within one minute it starts from the
throne Of God, sweeps around the earth and
reascends the throne from which it started.
Within less than sixty seconds 1t fulfilled its
mission.
In the second place, opportunity nevel
BONES back. Perhaps an opportunity very
much like It may arrive, but that one never.
Naturalists tell Us ct insects which are born,
fulfn their mission and eXpire in an hour.
but many opportunities die so s0on after
thew are born that their brevity Of life is in
caiculable. What most anazes me IS that op-
portunities do such overshadowing, far
reaching and tremendous work in such short
earthly allowance. You are business man
Of large experience. The past eighteen
months have been hard on business men. A
young merchant at his Wits end came into
yo1r Office OF your house, and you said:
'sTimes are hard now, but better days will
come. have seen things as bad or worse,
but we got out, and We will get out Of this.
The brightest days that this country ever saw
are yet to come" The young man to whom
you said that Was ready for suicide or some
thing worse-nanely, fraudulent turn to
get out Of his despairful position. Your
hopefulness inspired him for all timeS Sand
thirty years after you are dead he will be
reaping the advantage Of your optimism.
Your opportunity to do that one thing for
that young man was not half as long as the
time ! have taken to rehearse It.
In yonder third gallery you sit, man OF
-tha- -%es!d, but you wish everybody well.
While the clerks are standing round IN your
store, or the men in your factory are taking
their noon spell, some one says: "Ha7e you
heard that one Of our men has been con-
verted at the revival meeting in the
Methodist Church?'' While it Is being talked
over you say: ssWel, do not believe n re-
virals. Those things do not last. People
get excited and join the church and are no
better than they we're before. I wish our
men would keep away from those meetings"
Do you know, o man, what you did in that
minute of depreciation? There were two
young men in that group who that night
would have gone to those meetings and
been saved for this world and the next, but
you decided them not to go. They are
social natures. They already drink more
than is good for them and are disposed to be
wild. From the time they heard you say
that they accelerated theirsteps on the down
ward road. In ten years they will be through
with their destinations and pass into the
great beyond. That little talk of yours de-
eided their destiny for this world aad the
next. You had an opportunity that you mis-
improved, and how will you feel when you
confront those two immortals in the last
Judgment and they tell you Of that unfortu-
nate talk Of yours that fuuG them over the
precipice? o man Of the world, why did you
not say In that noon spell Of conversation:
sGood! I am glad that man has got re-
Hgion. Iwish had 1t myself. Let US all 50
tonight. Come on. I will meet you at the
church door at s o'clock?' You see, you
would have taken them all to heaven, and
you would have got there yourself. Oppor
eunity lost!
The day left our country home to loos
after myself we rode across the country, and
nv father was driving. OF course I said
nothing that implied how felt. But there
are hundreds Of men here who from their
own experience know how I felt. At such
fine young nan must be hopeful and even
impatient to get into tho battle OF life for
himself, but to leave the homestead where
everything has been done Tor you, your father
or older brothers taking your part whenyo
were imposed en- by larger boys, and your
mother always around when you got the cold
With mustard applications for the chest or
herb tea to make you sweat off the fever and
sweet mixtures in the cup by the bed to stop;
che cough. taking sometimes 100 much OF It
because It was pleasant to take. and then to-
60 out, with 10 one to stand between YOU
and the world, gives one choking sensauoE
at the throat and home sickness before you:
have got three miles away from the old folks.
There was OF the day spoke OF silence for
long while. and then my father began to.
tell how good the Lord hnd been to him IN,
slckness and In health, and when tines OF
hardship came how Providence had always
provided the means Of livelihood for tho
large household, and he wound up by say!
sne, s'Do Witt, have always found 1t safe t9
trust the Lord" My father has been dead
thirty years, bu. in all the crises Of my life;
and there have been many Of then-l have
felt the mighty boost Of that lesson in tbs
farm wagon, "De Witt, I have always found
it sefe to trust the Lord" The fact was my
father saw that was his opportunity, and he
smproveA It.
This Is one reason why on an enthusias-
sie friend Ct all Young Mems Christian As
cociations. They get hold OF so many, youne
men ;rst arriving in the city and while the,
are very impressionahle. md it is the best 90,
potunity. Why. how big the houses LOOKED
TO US as wc first entered the great city. GCd SO
many peoplo! It seemed some meeting :Eust
have Just closed to fl the streets in that way;
AID then the big placards announcing all
STYLES Of amusenents and so many OF them OF
the same night and every night. sfter our boy
hood had been sDeat in regions where only
cuce or twice Ii q whole year there had been
IN entertainment in school-house or chu-chl
That js the oOportUpitv Start that innocent