Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-08-14
The Logic of It.

| means the ruin OF this. Now, suppose q
wicked man is assured that after life
time Of wickedness he can fix it all
right up in the future. That would be
the decentralization Of society, that
would De the demolition Of the human
race. There are men who are now kept
on the limits of sin by their fear. The
fear that if we are bad and unforgiyen
here it will not be well with US in the
next existence is the chief influence
that keeps civilization from rushing
back into semibarbarism, and keeps
semibarbarism flom rushing back into
midnight savagery, and keeps midnight
savagery from rushing back into oxtinc-
tion. Now, the man is kept On the linn
its Of sin. But this idea coming into his
soul, this idea Of another chance, he
says: go to, now. I'll get out Of this
world all there is in it. Come gluttony
and revenge and uncleanness and all
sensualities, and wait upon me. 1t may
abbreviate my earthly life by dissolute-
ness, but that will only give me heay-
enly indulgence on larger scale in a
shorter length Of time. l will overtake
the righteous before long, will only
come in heaven little late, and l will
be little more fortunate than those
who have behaved themselves on earth
and then went straight to the bosom Of
God, because will see more and have
wider excursion, and will come into
heaven via gehenna, via sheol"' Hear
ersl Readersl Another chance in the
next world means free license and the
demolition Of this Suppose you had a
case in court, and all the judges and all
the attorneys agreed in telling you the
first trial Of tit would be tried twice
the first trial would not be Of very
much Importance, but the second trial
would decide everything. On which
trial would you put the most expendi-
turel On which trial would you employ
the ablest counsel? On which trial
would you be most anxious TO have the
attendance of all the witnesses? "Oh,"
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
l must have the most eloquent attorney,
and / must have all my witnesses
present, and | will expend my money
on that II these men who are i'm
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 of into impenitency
and godlessness. Another chance in an
other world means the demolition Of
this world.
At the Banquet.
Furthermore, my friends-for l am
preaching to myself as we'll as to you;
we are on the same level, and though
the platform be little higher than the
pew, it is only for convenience, and that
we may the better speak to the people;
we are all on the same platform, and
am talking TO my soul while l talk 70
yours-my friends, why another chance
in another world when we have declined
so many chances in this? Suppose you
spread banquet and you invite a vast
number of friends, and among others
you send an invitation 70 a man who
disregards it, or treats it in an obnox-
ious way. During 20 years you give 20
banquets, banquet year; and you in
vite 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
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 that man another
invitation. For 90 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 in. / declined all those other offers,
but this is larger house, brighter
house. q more luxuriant abode Let me
in. Give me another chancey' God has
spread banquet Of his grace before us.
For S65 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 larger place. in the heavenly
palace. Invitations are sent out, but no
invitation is sent to us. Whyg Because
we declined oil those other banquets.
Will God be TO blamei 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 chance!'
Twelve gates Of salvation standing wide
for free admission all our life and then
when the ~ 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 10 the docks. Throw the
plank ashore that Imay come ON board
1t isn't fair. l want 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 10 take it; 1t isn't
treating me fairly. Give me another
chance. Why, my brother, you might
N \ kn al