Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1895-07-26

tages, which might have heen avoided "
parental faithfulness. Now YOU ser what 4
mistake that father or mother makes who
puts Oh 10 late life adherence to Christ
Here y man who al nfty years Of age says
q YOU. 81 must be a Christian " and he
, Yields his heart TO God aud sits In the place
81 prayer to-day Christian. None Of rs
|, can doubt IL. He goes home. aud he sayS
Here al any years Of age I have given nv
. heart To- the Saviour. Now / must establish
family altar" WHAT Where are Your
children now One In Boston, another in
Cincinnati, another In New Orleans and YOU.
my brother, al your flitieth year going To-
establish your family altar Very we'll. bet
ter late than never. but alas. alas, that You
did not DO IL TWENTY-FIVE wears ago!
| When | was in JnAmouni. Switzerland
saw Ia the window OF one Of the shops "A
picture that impressed my mind very much
IL was a picture Of an accident that occurred
On the side OF one ot the Swiss mountains
A company of travellers, with guides, went
up some very steep places-places which but
few travellers attempted to 20 up They
Were, rs all travellers are there, fastened to-
gether with cords at the waist, 80 that II one
slipped the rope would hold him, the rope
fastened To the Others. Passing along the
most dangerous point, one Of the guides
slipped and they all started down the preci-
plce. But after awhile one more muscular
than the rest struck his heels into the lee
and stopped, bat the rope broke and down
hundreds and thousands Of feet the rest
went.
And so / see whole families bound to-
sether by ties of affection aud in many cases
walking ON slippery places of worldliness
and sin. The father knows it, and the
mother knows it, and they are bound all to-
gether. After awhile they begin to slide
down sleeper and sleeper. and the father
becomes alarmed, and he stops, planting his
4 feet on the "rock OF ages. He stops but
the rope breaks. and those who were once
tied fast 10 him by moral and spiritual in
/ fuences go over the precipice. Oh, there Is
such thing as coming to Christ soon enough
| to save ourselves, but not soon enough TO
save others.
How many parents wake III in the latter
part Of life to find out the mstakel The par
/ ent SAYS, II have been too lenient" or IL
/ have been too severe in the discipline of my
! children. IL had the little ones around me
again, how different | would dol" You will
never have them around again. The work is
/ done; the bent to the character is given; the
eternityis decided. saythis to young par
ents. those who are twenty-five and thirty
or thirty-tive years OF age-havc the family
altar tonight. How do you suppose that
father felt as he leaned over the couch of his
] dying child and the expiring son said TO
him: Father, you have been very good 10
me. You have given me n fine education.
and you have placed me in fine social po-
sition; you have done everything for me in
q worldly sense but, father. YOU never told
me how to die. Now | am dying, and am
afraid"
In this category of irrevocable mistakes |
place also the unkindnesscs done the de-
parted. When | was a hoy, my mother used
to say to me sometimes. de Witt, you will
be sorry for that when | am gone" And
remember just how she looked. sitting there
with cap and spectaces and the old Bible in
her lap, and she never said a truer thing than
that, for l have often been sorry since.
While we have our friends with us we say
unguarded things that wound the feelings of
those TO whom we ought to give nothing but
kindness. Perhaps the parent. without in
quirlng into the matter, boxes the Child's
ears. The little one, who has fallen in the
street, comes in covered with dust, and as
though the first disaster were not enough she
whips it. After while the child is taken,
or the parent is taken, or the companion is
taken, and those who are left say "Oh
if We could only get back those unkind
words, those unkind deeds! II we could
only recall them But You cannot get
them back. You might bow down over
the grave OF that loved one and cry and
cry and cry. The white lips would make no
answer. The stars shall be plucked out OF
their sockets, but these influences shall not
be torn away. The world shall die, but
there are some wrongs immortal. The
moral Of which is. take care Of your friends
while you have them. Spare the scoldine.
BE economical OF the satire. Shut up in
dark cave from which they shall never swarm
forth all the words that have sting in them
You will wish you had some day--very soon
you will, perhaps tomorrow. Oh, yes.
While with firm hand you administer par
entail discipline also administer It very
gently, lest some lay there be little slab
In the cemetery and on 1t chiseled. "Ou-
Willie" or "Our Charlie" and though you
bow down prone in the grave and seek
place OF repentance and seek il carefully
with tears, you cannot find it.
There is another sin that / place in the
class Of irrevocable mistakes, and that il
lost opportunities of getting good. never
cometo a Saturday night but | can AGO dur
Tag that week that have missed opportun-
itics OF getting good. | never come to MP
birthday but can see that have wasted
many chances OF getting better. never So
home on Sabbath from the discussion of
religious theme without feeling that might
have done 1t In a more successful way. How
Is it with you? Il you take certain number
OF bushels Of wheat and scatter them overa
certain number OF acres of land, you expect
Il harvest in proportion to the amount OF
seed scattered. And ask you now, Have
the sheaves of moral and spiritual harvest
corresponded with the advantages given;
How has il been with youl YOu may make
resolutions for the future, but past opportun.
tiles are gone, In the long procession OF future
years Ali those past moments will march but |
the archangeFs trumpet that wakes the dead |
VIII not wake IN Tor y0n one of those priyi- |
leges. Esau has sold his birthrght. and there
IS not wealth enough in the treasure houses |
OF heaven to buy II back again What does |
that mean? 1t means that if you are going to |
get any advantage out Of this Sabbath day |
you viii have to getit before the hand wheels |
around On the clock to IL tonight. 1t means |
'hat every moment OF our life has two wings, |
ana that it does not fly like a hawk in cir. |
Giles, but in a straight line from eternity to
eternity. 1t means that, though other
chariots may break down or drag heavily
TINS one never drops the brake and never
ceases to run. 1t means that while at other
leasts the cup may be passed to US and we
may reject it, and yet after awhile take if.
the cupbearers to this feast never give us but
one chance at the chalice, and rejecting that
We shall "flnd no place for repentance
though we seek it carefully with tears"
Ihere is one more class of sins that | put
Ia this category OF irrevocabe sins and that
Is lost opportunities OF usefulness Your
business partner is proud man. In ordi-
nary circumstances say to him, Believe in
Christ and he will say, "You mind your
business aud I'll mind mine" But there has
been afitction in the household. His heart
Is tender. He is looking around for SYM
pathy 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 20 bv,
and the farmer will wiring his hands while
other husbandmen are gathering in the
sheaves. You are in religious meeting.
and there is an opportunity for you to speak
a word for Christ. You say, II must do it."
Your cheek Pushes with embarrassment.
You rise half way, but you cover before men
whose breath is in their nostrils, and YOU
sag back, and tho opportunity is gone,
and all eternity will feel the effect
of your silence, Try to pet haoL