The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-08-14
1T MAY BE TOO LATE.
DANGER OF PUTTING OFF THE DAY
OF REFORMATION.


Rev. DIR. Talmsge Does Mat Believe That
There Is Any Chance OF Repentance and
Pardon Beyond the Grave-Shall We
Have Another Chance?
WASHINGTON, Aug. 9.-Dr. Talmage
today discusses a question that every
body some time discusses. 1t is one OF
tremendous import, Shall we have an
other chance? The text is Eccleslastes
xi, 8, IF the tree fall toward the south
or toward the north, in the place where
the tree falleth there it shall be. -
There is lowering hope III the minds
of vast multitude of people that there
will be an opportunity in the next world
of correcting the mistakes of this; that,
however complete a shipwreck we may
make of our earthly life. it will be on a
beach up which we may walk to pal
ace; that, as the defendant may lose his
case in circuit court and appeal it and
have it go up 70 the supreme court or
court of chancery and all the costs
thrown over on the other party, 30 a
man may lose his case in this world,
but in the higher jurisdiction of eternity
have the decision of the earthly case set
aside, all the costs RENTED and the de-
PENDANT be triumphant forever.
The object of my sermon is to show
you that common sense declares with
the text that such an expectation is
chimericaI. eff the tree fall toward the
south or toward the north, in the place
where the tree falleth there it shall
be-. :" There are those who say that, If
the impenitent and unforgiven man en-
tiers the next world and sees the disaster,
as a result Of that disaster he will turn,
the distress the cause of his reforma-
ton, but we have TO- 900 instances all
around about us of people who have
done wrong and disaster suddenly came
upon them. Did the disaster heal them?
No, they went on.
No Hope but In the Present.
There is man flung of designations.
The doctor says to ! /, Now, my
friend, if you don't stop drinking and
dom t stop this fast life you are living,
you will die " The patient thanks the
physician for his warning and gets bet
ter; he begins to sit up begins to walk
around the room, begins to go to bust
ness and takes the same round of grog
shops where he got his morning dram
and his evening dram and the drains
between. Down again. Same doctor.
Same physical anguish. Same medical
warning. But now the sickness is more
protracted, the liver more obstinate, the
stomach more irritable, the digestive
organs more rebellious. But still, under
medical skill, he gets better, goes forth.
commits the same sacrilege against his
physical health. Sometimes he wakes
mp to see what he is doing, and he
realizes he is destroying his family, and
that his life is perpetual perjury
against his marriage vows, and that
that broken hearted woman is SO differ
emit from the roseate wife he married
that her old schoolmates do not recoR-
nize her on the street. and that his sons
are going out in life under the taunt OF
q fathers drunkenness, and that his
daughters are going out i'll life under
the scarifcation CT a disreputable an
cestry. His nerves are all a-jangle.
From crown of head to sole of foot he is
one aching, rasping, crucifying, damning
torture Where is he? He is in hell On
earth. Does it stop him? All, no! After
awhile delirium tremens pours out upon
his pillow whole jungle of kissing
reptiles. His screams horrify the neigh
bors as he dashes out of bed crying,
stake these things off mel" He is
drinking down the comfort of his fa1l-
lily, the education of his children, their
prospects for the life to come. Pale and
convalescent he sits up Physician says
to him: Now, my good fellow, / am
going to have plain talk with you. II
you ever have an attack of this kind
again, you will die. l can't save you,
and all the doctors in creation can't
save you
The patient gets up, starts out, goes
the same round of dissipation and is
down again, ut this time medicines do
not touch his case. Consultations of
physicians say there is no hope. Death
ends the scene. That process of inebria-
ton and physical suffering and medical
warning and dissolution is taking place
within stones throw Of where you sit
and in every neighborhood of Christen-
dom. Pain does not reform. Suffering
does not cure What is true in regard
to one sill is true in regard to all sins,
and yet men are expecting i'll the next
life there will be opportunity for purga-
torial regeneration. Take up the printed
reports of the prisons of the United
States and find that the vast majority
of the criminals were there before, some
for two times, three times, four times,
six times; punished again and again,
but they go right On. Millions Of Incl
dents and instances working the other
way, and yet men think that in the
next world punishment will work out
for them salvable effects Why, you and
] cannot imagine any worse torture
from another world than we have seen
men in in this world, and without any
salutary consequence.
The Next Life.
Furthermore, the prospect of reforma
fion in another world is more improb-
able than here. Do you not realize the