The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-15


I cOrrespOnded with the advantages given ?
| How has IL been with you? You may
make resolutions for the future, but past
! opportunities are gone. In the long pro-
I cession Of future years all those past mo-
ments Will march; but the arch-angef s
trumpet that wakes the dead will not
wake up for you one Of those privileges.
Esau has sold his birthright. and there is
not wealth enough in the treasure-hou
Of heaven 20 buy it back again What
does that mean? IL means that If you
are going 20 get any advantage out Of this
! Sabbath day. you will have 10 get II before
the hand wheels around on the clock to
twelve tonight. 1t means that every mo-
ment Of our life has two wings, and that
IL does not fly. Ike a hawk, in circles,
but in a straight line from eternity to
eternity. II means that though other
chariOts may break down. or drag heav-
lily, this one never drops the brake. and
never ceases to run. II means that while
at other feasts the cup may be passed to
US and we may reject IL, and yet after a
while take IL. the cup-bearers 10 this
feast never give us but one chance at the
chalice. and, rejecting that. we shall find
no place for repentance. though we seek
It carefully with tears"
There is one more class of sins that put
In this category Of irrevocable sins and
that is lost opportunities of usefulness.
Your business partner is a proud man. In
lieve in Christ" and he will say, You
mind your business, and I'll mind mine"
But there has been afflictiOn in the house.
hold. His heart is tender. He is looking
around for sympathy and solace. Now is
your time. Speak, speak, or forever hold
your peace. There IS a time in farm-life
when you plant the corn and when you
SOW the seed. Let that go by. and the farm
er will wiring his hands while other hus-
bandmen are gathering in the sheaves.
You are in a religious meeting, and there
is an opportunity for you 10 speak a word
for Christ. You say, Il must do it," Your
cheek fiushes with embarrassment. You
rise half way, but you cover before men
whose breath is in their nostrils, and you
sag back, and the opportunity is gone, and
all eternity will feel the effect of your ST.
lence. Try TO get back that opportunity
You cannot find 1t. You might as well try
to find the fleece that Gideon watched, or
take in your hand the dew that came
down on the locks Of the Bethlehem shep-
herds, or to find the plume OF the first
robin that went across paradise. 1t is
gone; II is gone forever. When an oppor-
tunity for personal repentance or Of doing
good passes away, you may hunt for II;
you cannot find it. You may fish for It; 1t
will not take the hook. You may dig for it;
you cannot bring 1t up. Remember that
there are wrongs and sins that can never
be corrected; that our privileges fly not
in circles. but In a straight line; that the
lightnings have not as swift feet as our
privileges when they are gone, and let an
opportunity of salvation go by us an inch,
the one hundredth part of an inch, the
thousandth part of an inch, the millionth
part of an inch; and no man can overtake
It. Fire winged seraphim cannot come up
with 1t. The eternal God himself cannot
catch it.
stand before those who have glori-
GUS birthright. Esau's was not so rich as
yours. Sell il once and you sell 1t forever
l remember the story of the lad on the
Arctic some years agc-the lad Stewart
Holland. A vessel crashed into the Arc
tic in the time of a fog, and it was found
that the ship must go down Some of che
passengers got off in the lifebOats, some
got off in RATS; but 300 went to the
bottom. During all those hours of calan-
ity, Stewart Holland stood at the signal
gun, and it sounded across the sea, boom.
booml The helnlsman foTsook his place,
the engineer v as gone. and some tainted
end some prayed and some blasphemed.
and the powder was gone, and they could
no more set off the signal gun. The lad
broke in the magazine and brought out
more powder, and again the gun boomed
over the sea. Oh, my friends, tossed on
the rough seas of life some have taken the
warning, have gone off in the lifeboat,
and they are safe; but others are not max
Ing any attempt to escape. So l stand at
this signal gun of the Gospel, sounding
the alarm, Beware! Beware! Now is the
accepted time: now is the day of saliva
tion." Hear 1t that your soul may live.