Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-02-09
BE ON THE LOOKOUT
SERMON ON OPPORTUNITY BY REV
DR.. TAlMAcE IN NEW YORK.

SERMON ON OPPORTUNITY BY REV.
Or. TAlMAeE IN NEW YORK.
Things That Do Not Last-The Lesson In
tho Farm waEon-Opportuni That
Made Men rsmous-The Great Chance Of
A,f-yts Fruits.
New York, Feb 3,-Rev DIR. Tai
mage again found himself facing vast
audience at the Academy Of Music this
afternoon, while thousands surgea
around the entrances unable to gain adj
mission The Academy was crowded
shortly after 3 O'Clock. and the prelim-
mary service of song was participated
in by the throngs that filled the corri-
doris and by many of those at the doors
on both Irving place and Fourteenth
street as well. The distinguished divine
took for his subject Opportunity, "
the text selected being Galatians vi, 10.
"As we have therefore opportunity, let
Us do good. "
At Denver years age, An audience had
assembled for divine worship The pas
tor Of the church for whom was to
preach that night, interested in the
seating Of the people, stood in the pull
pit looking from side to side and when
NO more people could be crowded within
she walls he turned to me and said,
with startling emphasis, what an OPP
portunityr' Immediately that word be-
gan to enlarge. and while hymn was
being sung at every stanza the word
opportunity" swiftly and nightly
unfolded. and while the opening prayer
was being made the word piled up into
Alps and Himalayas Of meaning and
spread out into other latitudes and
iongitudes of significance until it be-
came hemisphere. and it still grew in
altitude and circumference until ii en-
ciroled other words and swept ont and
ON and around until it was as big as
eternity. Never since have ! read or
heard that word without being thrilled
with its magnitude and momentum.
Opportunity! Although in the text to
some it may seem mild and quiet
note. in the great gospel harmony it is
staccato passage. 1t is one of tho love-
liest and awfulest words in our Ian
guage Of more than 100, 900 words of
English vocabulary. "As We have OPP
portunity, let us do good.
Opportunity Defined.
What is an opportunity The lexi-
eographer would coolly tell you it is a
conjunction of favorable circumstances
for accomplishing purpose, but words
cannot tell what it is. Take 200 years
to manufacture definition, ard you
could not successfully describe it OPP
portunityl The measuring rod with
which the angel of the Apocalypse mea.
sured hoaven could not measure this
pivotal word Of my text. Stand on the
edgo Of the precipice of all time and let
down the fathoming line hand under
hand and lower down and lower down
and for a quintillion of years let it sink,
and the lead will not strike bottom
Opportunity But while do not at
tempt to measure or define the word ]
will. God helping me. take tho respon-
sibility Of telling you something about
opportunity
First. it is very swift in its motions
Sometimes within one minute it starts
from the throne Of God, sweeps around
the earth and reascends the throne from
which il started. Within less than 60
seconds it fulfilled its mission.
In the second place. opportunity
never comes back. Perhaps an oppor-
tunity very much like it may arrive,
but that one never. Naturalists tell US
Of insects which are born, fulfill their
mission and expire In an hour. but
many opportunities die so soon after
they are born that their brevity Of life
Is incaloulable.' What most amazes me is
that opportunities do such overshadow-
ing. far reaching and tremendous work
In such short earthly allowance. You
are business man OF large experience
The past s months have been hard on
business fuen. A young merchant at his
wits end came into your Office or your
house. and you said: Times are hard
now, but better days will come. ] have
seen things as bad or worse, but we got
out, and we will get out of this. The
brightest days that this country ever
saw are yet to come" The young man
TO whom you said that was ready fo1
suicide or something worse-namely,
fraudulent turn to get out of his de
spairful position. Your hopefulness in
spired him for all time, and 80 years
after you are dead he will be reaping
the advantage Of your optimism. Your
opportunity to do that ono thing fol-
that young man was not half as long
as the time have taken to rehearse it
Little Things That Decide Destiny.
In yonder third gallery you sit, man
OF the world, but you wish every body
well. While the clerks are standing
round in your store. or the men in your
factory are taking their noon spell, some
one says. Have you heard that one OF
our men has been converted at the re-
vival meeting in the Methodist church,
While it is being talked over you say;
well, do not believe in reviyals.
Those things do not last People &c,
excited and join the church and are nc
better than they were before wish
our men would keep away from those
meetings. Do you know, o man,
what you did in that minute of depre-
ciationF There were two young men in
that group who that night would have
gone to those meetings and been saved
for this world and the next. but you
decided them not to go. They are social
natures. They already drink more than
Is good for them and are disposed TO be
wild. From the time they heard you
say TINT they accelerated their steps on
the downward road. In ten years they
will be through with their designations
and pass into the great beyond. That
little talk Of yours decided their desti
ny for this world and the next You
had an opportunity that you misim-
proved. and how will you feel when
you confront those two immortals in the
last Judgment and they tell You of that
unfortunate talk Of yours that flung
them over the precipice? o man oi
SAH n