The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-04-24


gone. Why should they stay any long
er? They have completed their work.
They have stripped the slain.
There is another way, however, OF
doing that same work. Here is man
who, through his sin, is prostrate. He
acknowledges that he has done wrong
Now is the time for you to go tothat
man and say: Thousands of people
have been as far astray as you are and
got back" Now is the time for you tG
go to that man and tell him of that ON
nipotent grace of God that is sufficient
for any poor soul Now is the time
to go to tell him how swearing John
Bunyan, through the grace of God,
afterward came the Celestial City,
Now is the time to go to that man and
tell him how profigate Newton came,
through conversion, to be world-re
nowned preacher of righteousness,
Now is the time to tell that man that
multitudes who have been pounded
with all the fails of sin and dragged
through all the sewers of pollution, at
last have risen to positive dominion OF
moral power.
You do not tell him that, do youf
No You say to him: "Loan you
money? No. You are down. You
will have to go to the dogs. Lend you
u dollar? | would not lend YOU five
cents to keep you from the gallows. You
are debauched! Get out of my sight,
now! Down; you will have to stay
down." And thus those bruised and
battered men are sometimes accosted
by those who ought to lift them up,
Thus the last vestige of hope is taken
from them. Thus those who ought to
go and lift and save them are guilty OF
stripping the slain.
The point | want to make is this;
Sin is hard, cruel and merciless. In.
stead of helping man up, it helps him
down; and when, like Saul and his
comrades, you lie on the field, it will
come and steal your sword and helmet
and shield, leaving you to the jacbal
and the crow.
But the world and Satan do not dc
all their work with the outcast and
abandoned. A respectable impenitent
man comes to die. He is fiat on his
back. He could not get up if the house
was on fire. Adroitest medical skill
and gentlest nursing have been fail
ure. He has come to his last hour.
What does Satan do for such man?
Why, he fetches up all the inapt, dis
agreeable and narrowing things in his
life. He says "Do you remember
those chances you had for Heaven and
missed them? Do you remember all
those lapses in conduct? Do you re.
member all those opprobious words
and thoughts and actions? Don't re-
member them, eh? I'll make you re.
member them" And then he takes all
the past and empties it on that death
bed, as the mail bags are emptied on
the post Office floor The man is sick.
He cannot get away from them.
Then the man says to Satan: "You
have deceived me. You told me that
all would be well. You said that.there
would be no trouble at the last. You
told me if l did 50 and so, you would do
so and so. NV you corner me up,
and submerge me in everything evil
"Ha! hat says Satan, II was only fool
ing you. 1t is mirth for me to see you
suffer. l have been for thirty years
plotting to get you just where you are.
1t is hard for you now-it will be worse
for you after awhile. 1t pleases me.
ia CT Ct, c1,
Come, now, will tear off from you the
last rag of expectation. | will rend
away from your soul the last hope. l
will leave you bare for the beating of
the storm. 1t is my business to strip
the slain"
While men are ia robust health, and
their digestion is good, and their
nerves are strong, they think their
physical strength will get them safely
through the last exigency. They say
it is only cowardly women who are
afraid at the last and cry out for God.
swat till come to die. will show
you. You won't hear me pray, nor call
for a minister, nor want a chapter read
me from the Bible" But after the man
has been three weeks in sick room his
nerves are not so steady, and his world
ly companions are not anywhere near
to cheer him up, and he is persuaded
that he must quit life; his physical
courage is all gone.
He jumps at the fall of teaspoon
in a saucer. He shivers at the idea of
going away. He says: "Wife, don't
think my infidelity is going to take me
through. For Gods sake don't bring
up the children to do as have done.
If you feel like it, wish you would
read a verse or two out of Fannie's
Sabbath-school hymn-book or New
Testament" But Satan breaks in and
says: "You have always thought re-
ligion trash and lie; don't give up at
the last. Besides that, you cannot, in
the hour you have to live, get off on
that track Die as you live. With my
great black wings / shut out that light.
Die in darkness. / rend away from you
that last vestige of hope. 1t is my
business to strip the slain"
You are fastening on toward the con-
summation of all that is sad. To-day
you stop and think, but it is only for
a moment, and then you will tramp on,
and at the close of this service you will
go out, and the question will be; "How
did you like the sermon?" And one
man will say: II didn't like it at ALL"
but neither of the answers will touch
Il l. 4 L1 q
you are going at thirty knots an hour
toward shipwreckl Yea, you are in
battle where you will fall; and while