Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1895-07-18

when she Is | s years of agCl All, no! In
many respects that is the time they close
life. In nine cases out of ten all the ques-
tons of eternity arc decided before that
Talk about u majority of men getting
their fortunes between 30 and 4O They
get or lose fortunes between 10 and 90
When you tell me that a man is just begin
ming life l tell you he is just closing it,
Tho next 30 years will not be of as much
Importance to him as the first 20.
Parental Neglect.
Now, why do l say this? Is it for tho
annoyance Of those who have only bale
full rctrospeoton? You know that is not
my way. l say it for the benefit of youn .
men and women. l want them to under
stand that eternity is wrapped up in this
hour; that the sins of youth we never get
over; that you are now fashioning the
mold in which your great future is to run
that minute instead of being 60 seconds
long, is made up of everlasting ages. You
see what dignity and importance this gives
to tho life of all our young folks. Why, in
the light of this subject, life is not some
thing to bc FILTERED away, not something
to be smirkcd about, not something to be
danced out, but something to be weighed
in tho balances of eternity. Oh, young
morrow, will reach over 10, 600 ycars-nyc,
over the great and uncnding eternity.
You may. after awhile, say: Il am very
sorry. Now have got to be 80 or 40 years
of age, and do wish had never commit
ted those sins. - What does that amount
to? God may pardon you, but undo those
things you never will, you never can.
In this same category of irrcvOcahle mis-
takes l put all parental neglect. We begin
the education Of our children too late BY
the time they get to he 10 or 10 we wake
up to our mistakes and try to eradicate
this bad habit and change that, but it is
too late. That parent who omits, in tho
first ten years of the child S life - make
an eternal impression for Christ, never
makes it. Tho child will probably go ON
with all the disadvantages, which might
have been avoided by parental faithfulncss.
Now you sec what n mistake that father or
mother makes who puts off to late life ad-
hcrcnce to Christ. Here is n man who at
30 years of age says to you, Il must be u
Christian and he yields his heart to God
and sits in tho place of prayer today IA
Christian. None of us can doubt it, He
goes home and he says Here at 80 years
of age have given my heart TO the ;ia-
viour. Now l must establish II family al
tar. ;" What? Where are your children
now? One in Boston; another in Cincin-
natl; another in New Orleans. and you,
my brother, at your ffticth year going To
establish your family altar: Very well;
better lato than never, but alas, alas, that
you did not do it 20 years ago!
When l was in Chamouni, Switzerland,
l saw in the window of one of the shops .
picture that impressed my mind very
much. 1t was Il picture of an accident that
occurred on the side of one of the Swiss
mountains. a company of travellers, with
guides, went up some very steep places
places which but few travellers attempted
10 go up. They were, as all travellers are
there, fastened together with cords at tho
waist, so that if one slipped, tho ropa
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 prccipice, but after
awhile one more muscular than the rest
struck his heels into the ice and stopped,
but the ropo broke and down, hundreds
and thousands of feet, the rest went.
And so | see whole families bound to-
gethcr by ties Of affection and in many
cases walking on slippery places of world
illness and sin. The father knows it, and
the mother knows it, and they are bound
all together. After awhile they begin tc
slide down sleeper and sleeper, and tho IA
Their becomes alarmed and he stops, plant
ing his feet on the Rock of Ages" He
stops, but the rope breaks, and those who
We're once tied fast to him by moral and
spiritual influences go over the prccipicc.
Oh, there is such Il thing as coming tC
Christ soon enough to save ourselves, but
not soon enough TO save OF hers