Connecticut western news., 1899-05-25

balances, Having the form of godli-i ness, but denying the power thereof. . Weighed and found wantingl
 Two Great Questions.
 Still the balances are suspended. Are there any others who would like to be weighed or who will be weighed Yes: here comes worldling He gets into the scales. can very easily see what his whole life is made up of. Stocks, dividends, percentages, "buyer ten days" "buyer 80 days" "Get in, my friend, get into these balances and be weighed-weighed for this life and weighed for the life to come. He gets in. 1 find that the two great questions in his life are, "How cheaply can buy these goodsH" and "How dearly can l sell themf'' I find he admires heaven because it is land of gold, and money must be ''easy." I find. from talking with him, that religion and the Sab. bath are an interruption. vulgar in terruption, and he hopes on the way to church to drum up new customer All the week he has been weighing fruits, weighing meats, weighing ice. weighing coals, weighing confections. weighing worldly and perishable com modities, not realizing the fact that he himself has been weighed. "On your side the balances o worldlingi l will give you full advantage. put on your side all the banking houses, all the storehouses, all the cargoes, all the in surance companies, all the factories all the silver, all the gold, all the money vaults, all the safe deposits-all on your side. But it does not add one ounce, for at the very moment we are congrat- ulating you on your fine house and upon your princely income God and the angels are writing in regard to your soul, Weighed and found want ingr
 But must go faster and speak of the final scrutiny. The fact is, my friends. we are moving on amid aston ishing realities These pulses which now are drumming the march of life may, after awhile, call halt We walk on a hair hung bridge over chasms. All around us are dangers lurking, ready to spring on us from ambush. We lie down at night, not knowing whether we shall arise in the morning. We start out for our occupations, not knowing whether we shall come back. Crowns being furnished for thy brow or bolts forged for thy prison. Angels of light ready to shout at thy deliverance or fends of darkness stretching out skele- ton hands to pull thee down into ruin | consummatei
 Before the Judge.
 Suddenly the judgment will be here. The angel with one foot on the sea ard 1 the other foot on the land will swear by him that liveth forever and ever that time shall be no longer; tBehcld, he comeSh with clouds and every eye shall see him." Hark to the jarring of the mountains Why. that is the setting down of the scales, the balances. And | then there is a flash as if from cloud, but it is the glitter of the shining bal | ances, and they are hoisted, and all na- tions are to be weighed. The unforgiven get in on this side the balances They may have weighed themselves and pro nounced a fattering decision. The | world may have weighed them and pro nounced them moral Now they are I being weighed in Gods balances-the balances that can make no mistake. All the property gone. all the titles of dis | tinctiop gone all the worldly successes | ,one. There is soul, absolutely noth- | ing but soul, an immortal soul. nev- CT dying soul, soul stripped of all i worldly advantages, soul on one side the scales. On the other side the bal i ances are wasted Sabbat ths, disregarded sermons, 10, 900 opportunities of mercy | and pardon that were cast aside. They are on the other side the scales, and there God stands, and in the presence of men and devils, cherubim and arch nngel he announces, while grooming earthquake and cracking confagration and judgment trumpet and everlasting storm repeat it. Weighed and found wantingr'
 In the Scales.
 But, say some who are Christians Certainly you don't mean to say that we will have to get into the balances Our sins are all pardoned, our title to heaven is secure. Certainly you are not going to put us in the balancesf'' "Yes, my brother. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and on that day you are going to be weigh I ed. Oh, follower of Christ you get into the balances. The bell of the judgment is ringing. You must get into the bal ances. You get in on this side. On the other side the balances we will place all the opportunities of good which you did not improve, all the attainments in 1 piety which you might have had, but which you refused to take. We place them all on the other side They go down. and your soul rises in the scale. You cannot weigh against all those inn perfections Well, then, we must give l you the advantage, and on your side the scale we will place all the good deeds words you have ever uttered. Too light yeti We'll, we must put on your side all the conservation of your life. all the holiness of your life, all the prayers of l your life, all the faith of your Christian fife. Too light yet Come mighty men of the past and get in on that side the scales Come, Payson and Doddridge and Baxter. get in on that side the scales and make them come down, that this righteous one may be saved. They come and they get in the scales Too light yet Come, the martyrs, the Lati- mers, the Wyclifs, the men who suf- fered at the stake for Christ. Get in on l this side the Christians balances, and see if you cannot help him weight it aright They come and get in. Too lightl Come. angels of God on high. Let not the righteous perish with the wicked. They get in on this side the balances. Too light yet put on this side the balances all the scepters of light, all the thrones of power. all the crowns of glory. Too light yet But l just at that point, Jesus, the Son of God: comes up to the balances, and he puts one of his scared feet on your side, and the balances begin to tremble