The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-04-05

J mad come, the last month, the last week,
| the last day, the last hour, the last mo-
ment Ii ~ awful dash an ocean drop
ped from the sky and another rolled up
from beneath, and God rolled the earth
and sky into one wave of universal de-
struotion.
: Outside the Ark.
So men now put off going into the
ark. They say they will wait 90 years
first. They will have little longer time
with their worldly associates. They will
wait until they get older. They say:
"You cannot expect man of my at
tainments and of my position to sur
render myself just now. But before the
storm comes will go in. Yes, will.
know what am about. Trust mel! Aft
er awhile, one night about IL O'Clock,
going home, he passes scaffolding just
as gust of wind strikes it, and plank
falls. Dead, and outside the ark Or,
riding in the park, reckless vehicle
crashes into him, and his horse becomes
unmanageable, and he shouts, whoa
whoaP' and takes another twist in the
relns and plants his feet against the
dashboard and pulls back But no use,
1t is not so much down the avenue that
he flies as on the way to eternity. Out
OF the wreck of the crash his body is
drawn, but his soul is not picked up. 1t
fled behind swifter courser into the
great future. Dead, and outside the ark!
,, Or some night he wakes up with dis
tress that momentarily increases until
he shrieks out with pain. The doctors
come in, and they give him 20 drops, but
no relief; 40 drops, 30 drops, 60 drops,
but no relief. No time for prayer. No
time to read one of the promises. No
time to get single sin pardoned The
whole house is aroused in alarm. The
children scream. The wife faints. The
pulses fail. The heart stops. The soul
flies Dead, and outside the ark!
l have no doubt that derision kept
many people out of the ark The world
laughed to see man go in and said.
Here is man starting for the ark.
Why, there will be no deluge. If there
is one, that miserable ship will not
weather it. Aha, going into the arki
Well, that is too good to keep. Here,
fellows, have you heard the news? This
man is going into the arkP' Under this
artillery of scorn the mans good resolu-
tion persisted.
And so there are hundreds kept out
by the fear of derision. The young man
asks himself: "What would they say at
the store tomorrow morning if should |
become Christian? When l go down
to the clubhouse, they will shout, Here
comes that new Christian. Suppose you
will not have anything to do with us
now. Suppose you are praying now.
Get down ON your knees, and let us hear
you pray. Come, now, give us touch.
Will not do it, eh? Pretty Christian, you |
arel'" Is it not the fear of being laugh
I'd at that keeps you out of the kingdom |
of God? Which of these scorners will |
help you at the last? When you lie down |
on dying pillow, which of them will be
there? In the day of eternity will they
bail you out?
An Invitation.
My friends and neighbors, come in
right away. Come in through Christ,
the wide door-the door that swings |
out toward you. Come in, and be saved.
Come and be happy. 1.-THE Spirit and
the Bride say, Come" Room in the ark
Room in the arkl
But do not come alone. The text in
vites you to bring your family. 1t says,
'"Thou and thy sons and thy wife" You
cannot drive them in. If Noah had tried
to drive the pigeons and the doves into
the ark, he would only have scattered
them. Some parents are not wise about
about Sabbaths, and they force the cate
chism down the throat as they would
hold the child's nose and force down
dose of rhubarb and calomel. You can.
not drive your children into the ark.
You can draw your children to Christ,
but you cannot coerce them. The cross
was lifted not to drive, but to draw.
eff I be lifted up, will draw all men
unto me-. AS the sun draws up the
drops of the morning dew so the sun of
righteousness exhales the tears of re-
pentance.
Be sure that you bring your husband
and wife with you. How would Noah
have felt if, when he hear d the rain pat
tering on the roof of the ark, he knew
that his wife was outside in the storm?
No; she went with him. And yet some
of you are on the ship outward bound"
for heaven. But your companion is I'M
sheltered. You remember the day when
the marriage ring was set. Nothing has
yet been able to break it. Sickness came,
and the finger shrank, but the ring staid
on. The twain stood alone above the
child's grave, and the dark mouth of the
tomb swallowed up thousand hopes,
but the ring dropped not into the open
grave Days of poverty came, and the
hand did many hard days work, but
the rubbing of the work against the ring
only made it shine brighter. Shall that
ring ever be lost? Will the iron olang
of the sepulcher gate crush it forever?
I pray God that you who have been mar
ried on earth may be togsther in heav-
en-. oh, by the quiet bliss of your earth
ly home, by the babes cradle, by all
the vows of that da- when you started
life together, l beg you to see to it that
you both get into the ark.
For the Whole Family.