The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-09-07


with you, and your friends and your
associates. The way you go they will
go. If we are not saved, we will never
save any one else.
How to get saved? Be willing to ac-
cept Christ, and then accept Him in
simultaneously and forever Get on the
rock first, and then you will be able to
help others upon the same rock. Men
and women have been saved quicker
than I have been talking about it
What! Without a prayer? Yes
What! Without time to deliberately
think it over? Yes. What! Without
tear? Yes, believe. That is all. Be.
lieve what? That Jesus died to save
you from sin and death and hell, WIZ
you? Do you? You have. Something
makes me think you have. New light
has come into your countenances.
Welcome! Welcome! Hail! Hail!
Saved yourselves, how are you to save
others? BY testimony. Tell it to your
family. Tell it to your business asso-
ciates. Tell it everywhere. We will
successfully preach no more religion,
and will successfully talk no more re-
ligion than we ourselves have.
l confess to you that my one wish is
to serve this generation, not to antag-
onize it, not to damage it, not to rule
it, but to serve it. l would like to do
something toward helping unstrap its
load, to stop its tears, to balsam its
wounds, and to induce it to put foot
on the upward road that has at its
terminus acclamation rapturous, and
gates pearline, and garlands amaran-
thine, and fountains rainbOwed, and
dominious enthroned and coronated,
for cannot forget that lullaby in the
closing words of my text: David,
after he had served his own generation
by the will of God, fell on Sleep"
What lovely sleep it was. Unfilial
Absalom did not trouble it. Ambi-
tious Adonijah did not worry it. Per-
scouting Saul did not harrow it. Exile
did not fill it with nightmare. Since
red-headed boy, amid his fathers
focks at night, he had not had such
good sleep. At seventy years of age
he laid down to it. He had had many
troubled sleep, as in the caverns of
Adullam, or in the palace at the time
his enemies were attempting his cap
ture. But this was a peaceful sleep,
calm sleep, restful sleep, glorious
sleep "After he had served his gener-
alton by the will of God, he fell on
sleep"
Away with all your gloomy talk
about departing from this world! IL
we have served our generation it will
not be putting out into the breakers;
it will not be the fight with the King
of Terrors; it will be going to sleep.
A friend, writing me from Illinois,
says that Rev. DR.. Wingate, president
of Wake Forest College, North Caro-
| lima, after a most useful life, found his
last day on earth his happiest day, and
! that in his last moments he seemed
to be personally talking with Christ
as friend with friend, saying, 80, how
delightful it is! l knew you would be
with me when-the time came, and L
knew it would be sweet, but / did not
know it would be as sweet as this"
The fact was, he had served his gener-
alton in the gospel ministry, and by
the will of God he fell asleep.
! Why will you keep us all so nee-
vous talking about that which is only
dormitory and a pillowed slumber,
canopied by angels wings? Sleepl
Transporting sleep! And what a
glorious awakening! You and have
sometimes been thoroughly bewild-
cred after long and fatiguing jour
ney; we have stopped at a friends
house for the night, and after hours
of complete unconsciousness we have
opened cur eyes, the high-risen sun
full in our faces, and before we could
fully collect our faculties, have said:
'Where am l.; whose house is this, and
whose are these gardens?" And, then,
it has, flashed upon us in glad reality.
And should not wonder if, after we
have served our generation, and by the
will of God, have fallen on sleep, the
deep sleep, the restful sleep, we should
awaken to blissful bewilderment, and
for a. little while say: "Where am 1?
What palace is this? Why, this looks
like Heaven! 1t is; it is. Why, there
is building grander than all the cas'
ties of earth heaved into monument
of splendor-that must be the palace
of Jesus. And look there at those
walks lined with foliage more beauti-
full than anything ever saw before,
and see those who are walking down
those aisles of verdure. From what |
have heard of them, those two arm
and arm must be Moses and Joshua,
him of Mount Sinai and him of the
hating sun over Gideon. And those
two walking arm in arm must be John
and Paul, the one so gentle and the
other so mighty.
"But must not look any longer at
those gardens of beauty, but examine
this building in which l have just
awakened. / look out of the window
this way and that and up and down,
and l find it is a mansion of immense
size in which 1 am stopping. All the
windows of agate and its cononnades
of porphyry and alabaster. Why, |
wonder if this is not the House of
many Mansions, of which I used to
read? 1t is; it is. There must be
many of my kindred and friends in
this very mansion. Hark! Whose are
those voices? Whose are those bound
ing feet? 1 open the door and see,
and lol they are coming through all
the corridors and up and down all the
stairs, our long-absent kindred. Why,
there is father, there is mother, there
are the children. All well again. All
young again. All of us together
again. And as we embrace each other
with tbe cry. Never more to part,