The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-08-19

indi"aitv. After awhile you move
into a larger house and amid more
luxuriant surroundings, and you IN
vite your friends, but you do not in
vite that man TO whom 20 times YOU
sent an invitation to the smaller
house. Are YOU to blame? You would
only make yourself absurd before
God and man to send chat man anoth-
er invitation. For 20 years he has
been declining your offers and send.
ing insult for your kindness and cour-
tesy, and can he blame you2 Can he
come up to your house on the night
Of the banquet? Looking up and See
ing it in finer house, will he have
any right to say: Let me in. de-
clined all those other offers, but this
is larger house, brighter house, a
more luXuriant abode. Let me in.
Give me another chance2' God has
spread r banquet of his grace before
US. For 3G5 days Of every year since
We knew the difference between our
right hand and our left he has invited
us by his providence and by his spir
it. Suppose we decline all these Of
fers and all this kindness. Now the
banquet is spread in \ larger place, in
the heavenly palace. Invitations are
sent out, but no invitation is sent to
US. Why? Because we declined all
those other banquets. Will God be
TO blame? Will we have the right to
rap on the door of heaven and say:
Il ought not to be shut out of this
place; give me another chance"
Twelve gates OF salvation standing
wide for free admission all our life
and then when the IL gates close we
rush on the bosses Of JehcVah's buck
Ter, saying, Give me another
chance"
s ship IS to sail for Hamburg. You
want to 60 TO Germany by that line.
You see the advertisement Of the
steamers sailing. You see it for two
weeks. You see it IN the morning pa,
pers and you see it in the evening pa
pers. You see IL placarded On the
walls. Circulars are thrown into your
Office telling you all about that steam
er. One day you come down on the
wharf, and the steamer has swung
out into the stream. You say: "Oh,
tha. isn't fair. Come back; swing up
again to the docks. Throw the plank
ashore that may come on board. 1t
isn't fair. I want to go to Germany
by that steamer. Give ne another
chance" !" Here is magnificent offer
for heaven. It has been anchored
within our sight year after year, and
year after year. and year after year,
and all the benign voices of earth and
heaven have urged US tc .-et on board,
since it may sail atanJ r.onent. Sup.
pose we let that opportunity sail away,
and then we look out and say: Send
back that opportunity. want to take
it. Il isn't treating me fairly. Give
me another chance" Why, my broth
er, you might as well go out and stand
on the Highlands at the Navesink
three days after the Majestic has gone
out and shout: Captain, come back.
l want to go to Liverpool on the Ma.
:jestic. Come back over the sea and
through the Narrows and up to the
docks. Give me another chance" "
You might as well do that as, after the
last opportunity OF heaven has sped
away, try to get it back again. Just
think of itl It came on me yesterday
in my study with overwhelming inn
pressiveness, Just think of it. ALI
heaven offered US as gratuity for
whole lifetime, and yet we wanting to
rush,sgainst God, saying, "Give me
another chance" There ought to be,
there will be. no such thing as post
humous opportunity.
You see common sense agrees with
my text in saying that 'ig the tree fall
toward the south or toward the north,
in the place where the tree falleth
there it shall be-" You see this idea
lifts this world from an unimportant
way station to platform of stupen
dous issues and makes all eternity
whirl around this hour. Oh, my soul my
soul. Only one trial and all the prepa-
ration for that trial to be made in this
world or never made at all. Oh, my
soul, my soul! You see this piles up
all the emphasis and all the climaxes
and all the destinies into this life. No
other chance. Oh, how that intensi-
fes the value and the importance of
this chance. Alexander and his ar
my used to come around city, and
they would kindle great light, with
the understanding that as long as that
light was burning the city might sur
render and all would be well, but if
they let that light 60 out then the bat
tering rams would swing against the
walls and there would come disaster
and demolition. Oh, my friends, all
you and I need to do to prepare for
eternal safety is just to surrender to
the King and Conqueror, Christ. Sur
render hearts, surrender life, surren-
der every thing. The great light keeps
burning, light kindled by the wood of
the cross, light flaming up against the
dark night of our sin and sorrow.
Oh, let US surrender before the light
goes out and with it our last opprtuni
ty of making our peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh,
my brother, talk aboutanother chance,
this the supernal chance. In time of
Edward II, at the battle of Mussel-
burg, a private soldier saw that the
Earl of Huntley had lost his helmet
The private soldier took off his helmet
and went up to the Earl of Huntley
and put the helmet on his head. Now,
the head Of the private soldier uncov
cred, he was soon slain, while his COM
mander rode IN safety through and
out Of the battle. But it is different
in our case. Instead Of a private Of
fering helmet to an earle, it is the
King of heaven and earth offering
crown to an unworthy subject, the
King dying that We might live! Oh,
tell it to ths points Of the compass,
tell it to day and night, tell it to earth
and heaven, tell it to all the centuries
and all the millenniums that God has
given usa magnificent chance in this
world that we need nc other chance