The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-04-03

gong nome. ne passes Scanoldlng
just as gust of wind strikes it. and
plan!; falls. Dead, and outside the
ark! Or. riding in the park, reck-
less vehicle crashes into him, and his
horse becomes unmanageable, and he
shouts, whoa, whoar and takes an
other twist in the reins, and plants
his feet against the dashboard and
pulls back. But no use. 1t is not so
much down the avenue that he flies as
on the way to eternity. Out of the
wreck of the crash his body is drawn,
but his soul is not picked up. 1t
fled behind swifter courser into the
great future. Dead. and outside the
ark! Or some night he wakes up with
a distress that momentarily increases
until he shrieks out with pain. The
doctors come in, and they give him 20
drops, but norelief; 40 drops, so drops,
60 drops. but no relief No time for
prayer. To time to read one of the
promises. No time to get single sin
pardoned. The whole house is aroused
in alarm. The children scream. The
wife faints The pulses fail. The
heart stops. The soul flies Dead, and
outside the ark!
have no doubt that derision kept
many people out of the ark. The world
laughed to see man go in and said:
Here is man starting for the ark.
Why, there will be no deluge. If there
is one, that miserable ship will not
weather it. Aha, going into the ark!
Well, that is too good to keep. Here,
fellows, haye you heard the news? This
man is going into the ark" Under this
artillery of scorn the mans good resolu-
'tion perished.
And so there are hundreds kept out
by the fear of derision, The young man
asks himself: What would they say at
the store tomorrow morning if
should become a Christian? When 1
go down to the club house, they will
shout, Here comes that new Christian.
Suppose you will not have anything to
do with us now. Suppose you are
praying now. Get down on your knees
and let us hear you pray. Come, now,
give us touch. Will not do it, eh?
Pretty Christian, you arep" Is it not
the fear of being laughed at that
keeps you out of the kingdom of
God? Which of these scorners will
help you at the last? When you lie
down on dying pillow, which of them
will be there? In the day of eternity
will they bail you out?
My friends and neighbors, come in
right away. Come in through Christ,
the wide door-the door that swings
out toward you. Come in and be
saved. Come and be happy. THE
Spirit and Bride say, Come" Room in
the ark! Room in the ark!
But do not come alone. The text
invites you to bring your family
1t says, Thou and thy sons and thy
wife" You can not drive them in.
If Noah had tried to drive the
pigeons and the doves into the ark,
he would only have scattered them.
Some parents are not wise about
these things. They make iron rules
about Sabbaths, and they force the
catechism down the throat as they
would hold the child's nose and force
down a dose of rhubarb and calomel.
You can not drive your children into
the ark. You can draw your children
to Christ, but you can not .coerce them.
The cross was lifted, not to drive but
to draw. "If be lifted up will draw
all men unto me-" AS the sun draws
up the drops of the morning dew, so
the sun cf righteousness eXhales the
tears of repentance.
Be sure that you bring your husband
and wife with you. How would Noah
have felt if, when he heard the rain
gathering on the roof of the ark, he
knew that his wife was outside in the
storm? No; she went with him. And
yet some of you are on the ship 'out-
ward bound" for Heaven. But your
companion is unsheltered. You re-
member the day when the marriage
ring was set. Nothing has yet been
able to break it. Sickness came, and
the finger shranll, but the ring staid
on. The twain stood alone above the
child's grave, and the dark mouth of the
tomb swallowed up thousand hopes,
but the ring dropped not into the open
grave. Days of poverty came, and the
hand did many hard days work, but
the rubbing of the work against the
ring only made it shine brighter.
Shall that ring ever be lost? Will the
iron clang OF the sepulcher gate crush
it forever? l pray God that you who
have been married on earth may be to-
gether in Heaven. Oh, by the quiet
bliss of your earthly home, by the
babes cradle, by all the vows of that
day when you started life together,
beg you to see to it that you both get
into the ark.
Come in, and bring your wife or your
husband with you-not by fretting
about religion or dingdonging them
about religion, but by consistent life
and by a compelling prayer that shall
bring the throne of God down into
your room. Go home rand take up the
Bible and fead''it together, and then
kneel down and cofnmend your souls
to Him who has watched you all these
years, and before you rise. there will
be a 1uttering of. wings over your
head, angel crying to angel, Behold,
they pray" r@.h .,; ,t.A!s>
But. this does not include all your
family. Bring the children too. God
bless the dear children! What would
our homes be without them? We may
have done much for them They have
done more for.us What salve for a
wounded heart there is in the soft palm
of a child's handl Did harp or flute
ever have such music as there is in a
child's good night?" From our coarse,
rough life the angels of God are often