The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-07-25

never get them back. They are gone,
gone. You may be very sorry about
it, and God may forgive you, so that
YOU may at last reach heaven; but you
will never get over some or the mis-
haps that have come to your soul as a
result of your neglect OF early duty.
You may try to undo it; you cannot
undo it. When you had boys arms,
and boys eyes, and boys heart,
you ought to have attended to those
things. A man says at fifty years Of
age, 81 do wish I could get over these
habits of indolence" When did you
get them? At tweney or twenty-five
years of age. You cannot shake them
off. They will hang to you to the very
day of your death. IT young man
through long course of evil conduct
undermines his physical health, and
then repents of it in after life, the
Lord may pardon him; but that does
not bring back a good physical condi-
ton.
In this same category of irrevocable
mishaps put all parental neglect. We
begin the education Of our children
too late. BY the time they get to be
ten or fifteen we wake up to our mis-
takes and try to eradicate this bad
habit and change that; but it is too
late. That parent who Omits, in the
first ten years of the child's life, to
make an eternal impression for Christ
never makes it. The child will prob
ably go on with all the disadvantages
which might have been avoided by
parental faithfulness. Now you see
what mistake that father or mother
makes who puts off too late life adj
70 sicf sS y1,o
at fifty years Of age says to you, II
must be Christian;" and he yields
his heart to God and sits in the place
of prayer to-day a Christian. None of
us can doubt it. He goes home and
he says, Here at fifty years of age
have given my heart to the Saviour.
Now l must establish family altar"
What? Where are your children now?
One in Boston; another in Cincinnati;
another in New Orleans; and you. my
brother, at your iftieth year going to
stablish your family altar? Very
well; better late than never; but, alas,
alas that you did not do it twenty-five
years ago! IL
Wien I was in Chamouni, Switzer-
land, saw in the window of one of
the shops picture that impressed my
mind very much. 1t was a picture of
an accident that occurred on one of
the Swiss mountains. A company of
travellers, with guides, went up some
very steep places-places which but
few travellers attempted to go up.
They were, as all travellers arc there,
fastened together with cords at the
waist,so that if one slipped the ropes
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
precipice; but, after awhile one more
muscular than the rest stuck his heels
into the ice and stopped; but the rope
broke, and down, hundreds and thou
sands of feet, the rest went. And so
I see whole families bound together
by ties of affection, and in many cases
walking on slippery places of worldi-
ness and sin. The father knows it,
and the mother knows it, and they are
all bound together. After awhile they
begin to slide down sleeper and steep.
er, and the father becomes alarmed
and he stops, planting his feet on the
"Rock Of Ages" He stops, but the
rope breaks, and those who were once
tied fast to him by moral and spirit
ual Influences, 60 over the precipice
Oh, there is such thing as coming
to Christ soon enough to save oursel
YES, but not soon enough to save 9th
ers!
How many parents wake up in tn,
latter part of life to find out the mis-
take! The parent says: II have beef
too lenient," or II have been too Sc
we're in the discipline of my children
If had the little ones around m
again, how different would do!' Yo1
will never have them around again
The work is done, the. bent to til
character is given, the eternity is dc
. cided. I say this to young parents
! those who are 25 to 80 years of age
+ have the family alter tonight. HOY
, do you suppose that father felt as h
! leaned over the couch of his dyin
,, child, and the expiring son said t
him, 'Father, you have been very goo
to me. You have given me fine edl
;, cation, and you have placed me in
= social position; you have done every
y thing for me in a worldly sense; bu
: father, you never told me how to di
= Now am dying, and am afraid
+ In this category of irrevocable mi
- takes I place, also. the unkindnes
y, done the departed. When was a DO,
. my mother, used to say to me SON
=, times. "De Witt y gu will lbe sorry fl
. that when I am gone" And remen
= Der just how she looked, sitting Their
;. with cap and spectacles and the o.
= Bible in her lap, and she never sal
Z a truer thing than that, for I have O
:, ten been sorry since. While we hay
. our friends with us, we say unguar
u ed things that wound the feelings
u those to whom we ought to give not
- ing but kindness. Perhaps, the p
\. rent, without inquiring into the ma
e ter, boxes the child's ears. The lit
u one. who has fallen in the stree
z; comes in covered with dust, and,
u though the first disaster were n
T. enough, she whips. After awhile Il
+ child is taken. or the parent is take
E. or the companion is taken, and tho
E. who arc left say, "Oh, if we cou
only get back those unkind wore
st those unkind deeds; if we could on
N recall them" But you cannot &
'e them back. You might bow dow
8. over the grave of that loved one, al
m cry and cry and cry the white Ii
n would make no answer. The sta
T.