Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-08-15

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the ablest cornsels On which trial
would you be most znxiuus to have the
attendance Of all the witnesses? sOh, "
you would say, if there are to be two
trials. and the first trial does not amount
to much, the second trial being every
thing, everything depending upon that,
/ must have the most eloquent attorney,
and l must have all my witnesses
present, and will expend my money
on that If these men who are inn
penitent and who are wicked felt
there were two trials, and the first was
OF no very great Importance and the
second trial was the one Of vast and in
finite Importance, all the preparations
for eternity would be post mortem, post
funeral, post sepulchral, and this world
would be jerked off into impenitency
and godlessness. Another chance in an
other world means the demolition of
this world.
At the banquet.
Furthermore, my friends-for / am
preaching to myself as well as to you;
we are ON the same level, and though
the platform be a little higher than the
pew, it is only for convenience, and that
we may the better speak TO the people;
we are all OH the same platform, and
am talking to my soul while l talk to
yours-my friends, why another chance
in another world when we have declined
so many chances in this? Suppose you
spread a banquet and you invite a vast
number of friends, and among others
you send an invitation to man who
disregards =, or treats it in an obnox-
ious way. During 20 years you give 20
banquets, a banquet year; and you in
vlte your friends, and every time you
invite this man, who disregards your
invitation or sends back some indignity
After awhile you move into a larger
house and amid more luxuriant sur
roundings and you invite your friends,
but you do not invite that man to whom
30 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 that man another
invitation. For 20 years he has been
declining your offers and sending insult
for your kindness and courtesy, and can
he blame you? Can he come up to your
house on the night of the banquet?
Looking up and seeing it is finer house,
will he have any right to say: Let
me i'll. declined all those other offers,
but this is larger house, brighter
house, more luxuriant abode. Let me
in. Give me another chance?" God has
spread banquet of his grace before us.
For 500 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 spirit. Sup
pose we decline all these offers and all
this kindness. Now the banquet is
spread in a 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
any right to rap on the door Of heaven
and say, 81 ought not to be shut out of
this place; give me another chance2''
Twelve gates of salvation standing wide
for free admission all our life and then
when the II gates close we rush on the
bosses of Jehovah's buckler, saying,
'Give me another chancel'
A ship is to sail for Hamburg. You
want to go to Germany by that line.
You see the advertisement of the steam
er's sailing. You see it for two weeks.
You see it in the morning papers, and
you see it in the evening papers; you
see it placarded ON the walls Circulars
are thrown into your Office telling you
all about that steamer One day you
come down on the wharf and the steamer
has swung out into the stream You
say: "Oh, that isn't fair. Come back;
swing up again to the docks. Throw the
plank ashore that may come on board.
1t isn't fair. Lrwant to go to Germany
by that steamer. Give me another
chance. :" Here is magnificent offer for
heaven. 1t 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 to get on board, since it may
sail at any moment. Suppose we let
that opportunity sail away, and then we
look out and say: "Send back that OPP
portunity. want to take it; it isn't
Treating me fairly. Give me another
chance. Why, my brother, you might
as well go out and stand on the High
lands at the Navesink three days after
the Majestic has gone out and shout:
Captain, come back. / want to go to
Liverpool on the Majestic. Come back
over the sea, and through the Narrows,
and up to the docks. Give me another
chance. y You might as we'll do that as,
after the last opportunity of heaven has
sped away, try to get it back again.
Just think of i'll 1t came on me yester-
day in my study with overwhelming
impressiveness. Just think of it. All
heaven offered us as gratuity for
whole lifetime, and yet we wanting to
rush against God, saying, "Give me
another chance!" There ought to be,
there will be, no such thing as postum
nous opportunity.
You see common sense agrees with
my text in saying that ''if 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 stupendous
issues and makes all eternity whirl
around this hour. Oh, my soul, my
soull Only one trial, and all the prepa.
rations 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 intensifies the
value and the Importance of this chancel
Alexander and his army 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 surrender, and all would be
well, but if they let that light go out,
then the battering rams would swing
against the walls and there would come
disaster and demolition. Oh, my
friends, all you and need to do to pre-
pare for eternal safety is just to surren-
der to the King and Conqueror, Christ
Surrender hearts, surrender life, surren-
der everything. The great light keeps
burning, light kindled by the wood of
the cross, light flaming up against the
da,.Lv NIGHT Of c,,- Os,, and e1D,.,c-.- on