The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-01-03
I. FL lei TIME.
The Dawning Of the New Year a
a Theme in many pulpi,s.
REV. .RsBICGER's DISCOURSE,
SUNDAY MORNING AT THE THIRD
PREsBYTER1AN CHURCH = a
STRONG ARGUMENT FOR THE
IMPROVEMENT OF EVERY
HouR-aiAN SHOULD GRASP
THE OPPORTUNITIES PRE-
sENTED TO HIM OF MAKING
\ THE WORLD BETTER IRE.
DEFINING THE TINE"
SUNDAY MORNING AT THE THIRD

SCENTED TO HIM OF MAKING
1.-THE WORLD BETTER IRE.
DEFINING THE TIME"
The new year was theme from
many pulpits yesterday. An able dis
K course dealing with the beginning OF
IN the gear. and the necessity OF making
u good use OF heetlng time, was delivered
yesterday morning, at the Third Pres
Ssbyterian church, by the pastor, Rev. II.
r. z Bigger. His text, "Redeemlng the
time" taken from Ephesians. $40, was
elaborated into q strong, practical ar
n cument for one to grasp. opportunities.
Mr.. Bigger said d.
The sun of eighteen hundred and
ninety.seven has gone down the Nori-
fzon of time. The great clock OF eter-
n nifty. whose dial records the ages as they
come and go, has struck the knell OF
1.-THE old year and at the same instant
announced the birth OF the new year.
n At this season OF the year our minds
\ are solemnly turned to consider tho
Injecting character of time and our aw-
yEful responsibility OF improving It..
q Thine Is the ch:syal!s Of eternity" On
y the dial Of All Souls Oxford there Is
I this inscription: THE hours perish and
. are laid to our charge" Ignatius, when
Z he heard a clock strike, was accustom-
Il ed 10 say: Nov have one more hour
Il to answer for Have you ever thought
ssof the estimate God putson time? Some
one has said that God who Is so lavish
In all other gifts to the men, never gives
us but one moment at time. We must
;take 1t from his hands, fill It with what
I'VE have Of good or evil, and return 1t
to him before another Is entrusted TO
! us. 5
Listen to Christ as he lovingly, yet
4 solemn!y, urges his disciples to constant
vigilance; watch. therefore, for ye
know neither the day nor the hour
wherein the Son Of Man cometh" Hear
a Paul In our text, pleading With the
careless, voluptuous EDhcsians to .rs-
deem the time" May the sacred voices
s from Judea and Rome ring In our ears,
( and may they awaken us 10 a reallza-
4tlon OF the eternal Issues and awful re-
sponsibilities which cluster about the
moments Of our lives. Friends, just
( stop and consider the moment now
passing. How soon 1t is past, The in
slant which marks Its presence rings
the knell Of it's departure 1t Is no SOON
er present than gone. In the very act
of looking at it, we lose It, While we
seek 10 measure 1t we exhaust it. "Hu-
& man thought, and perhaps even angel
& &c. is not quick enough to catch 1t when
on the wing" When past, It never re-
turns. And yet life is made up Of just
Z this material.
ss7f II Is wicked TO waste time; and yet a
X few weeks ago a prominent paper, In
4 reviewing a recent work by noted au-
z thor, said, by way of commentator,
7 ahat few books were better adapted ito
enliven dull hours, and kill dragging
time" than this. Think OF 1t! A work
no aim TO elevate or benefit Its
4 readers. no blow struck at the wrong, no
hand stretched out to protect the eight.
no other purpose than ia kill the pre-
d c!ous, solemn moments. each laden
With eternal possibilities. Such work
E isa curse to the reader, rather than a
help to him. Mrs. SiSaurney says: Lost
wealth may be restored by industry, the
wreck of health regaincd by temper
e ance. forgotten knowledge restored by
study, alienated friendship smoother In
80 ,forgetfulness; even forfeited reputa-
ton won by pen!tence and virtue But
z whoever looked again upon his vanish
ed hours, recalled his slightest years.
stamped them with wisdom, or cffaccd
J from Heavens record, the fearful blot
Etof wasted time" To Illustrate, let US
~ rnnli yuf AL
into bank, as you 90 money, and drJ "
5sit out on checks as sou want it. You
81 say thatis impossible True; 1t cannot
4 be done. But is there not moral III the
4 idea. Open your eyes and read. The
moral is n!ain-it you cannot get your
waste time back. then DO not wastcit.
\, Oh, then. let us redeem the time"
Many a poor man would be glad TO re-
2s deem at the close OF life, the sums
(which In youth he has thrown away;
land many an ignorant man. in the de-
cay of his strength, has still more rca-
3 son to lament the time which he once
when he might have learned
ITO become wise unto salvation" A
slight excuse Is enough for man while
+ death seems distant. He quiets his con-
science while he says: II am busy; AM
Z hard working; | am constantly EN-
4 ployed; and God is not 'auStere'; he
will not expect much where little has
4, been given" But this Is seen at last TO
II be vain device of Satan, when death
q actually comes and finds the soul I'M
x prepared; much business done. but
none of that which was most ncedful;
none of that which might have been
Il performed. IL all the fragments of time
had been gathered up and employed for
az The purpose which they were given to
s serve. There Is much truth In the fol-
) lowing lines, written by Young:
"'Youth is not rich In time; 1t may be poor:
i,5Part with II as sparlng: pay
~. No moment. but In purchase OF !ts worth;
And what Its worth. asl: dcath-5cd3;
i&ist they can tell"
Standing over the border-linc OF this
" new year. doubtless, many OF us realize
n that there are hours, yes, It may be
days, In the year that has just closed.
* that are not marked by worthy
thoughts, words and actions. Now there
sre two ways OF treating this past and
rs irrevocablc time. jeremiah sat amid the
ruins Of Jerusalem, walls ;a.own
down.. temple DESTROYED al, the fair city
5S given over to dcsolatiOn, only beating
breast and fillinc the days with a
tempest OF hewailinr, E:zera came ct
ESlast. with his hehrc as ful OF sorrow for
81 the desolation OF Jerusalem rs was Jcr-
emiah's. but he pat n!rosc,f . once to
Il work and soon the walls ross again,
n and the temple began 10 shine once
more on Mount Morlah.
i1s Tho two men are tynir5t OF two