Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-04-18

soldier or Grinnell any less OF a mer-
chant or West any less OF a painterl
Why, my friends, religion Is the best
security In every bargain; IL is the
sweetest note In every song; it is the
brightest gem Ia every coronet. M
time to be religious? Why, you will
have to take time TO be sick, to be
troubled, to die Our world is only the
wharf from which we are to embark
for heaven. No time to secure the
friendship OF Christ? No time to buy
lamp and trim 1t for that walk
through the darkness which otherwise
will be illumined only by the white
ness of the tombstones? No time to
educate the eye for heavenly splendors
or the hand for choral harps or the ear
for everlasting songs or the soul for
honor, glory and immortality? One
would think we had time for nothing
else
Other persons apologize for not enter
ing the Christian life because it is time
enough yet. That is very like those
persons who send regrets and say. Il
will come i'm perhaps at II or - O'Clock;
will not be there at the opening of the
banquet. but will be there at the
close" Not yeti Not yeti Now. I do
not give any doleful view of this life.
There is nothing In my nature, nothing
in the grace of God. that tends toward
a doleful view OF human life. | have
not much sympathy with Addison's de-
scription OF the vision OF Mira -
where he represents human life as be-
ing n bridge Of hundred arches and
both ends OF the bridge covered With
clouds and, the race coming on. the
most of them falling down through
the first span and all OF them falling
down through the last span. 1t is a
very dismal picture. have not much
which says. 'The sky is good and the
earth Is good; that which is bad is be-
tween the earth and the sky" But,
while we as Christian men are bound
to take cheerful view Of life, we must
also confess that life is q great uncer.
tainty and that man who says 81 can't
becomes Christian because there Is time
enough yet" Is running a risk infinite.
You do not perhaps realize the fact that
this descending grade of sin gets steep
er and sleeper and that you are gath
ering up q rush and velocity which
Rfter awhile may not answer 10 the
brakes.
The Delusfon In Delay.
Be not among those who give their
whole life to the world and then give
their corpse to God. 1t does not seem
fair that while our pulses are in full
play of health we serve ourselves
and serve the world and then make
God at last the present of a coffin. 1t
does not seem right that we run our
ship from coast to coast carrying car
goes for ourselves and then, when the
ship is crushed In the rocks, give to
God the shivered timbers. 1t is n great
thing for a man on his dying pillow TO
repent-better that than never at all;
but how much better, how much more
generous, 1t would have been il he had
repented fifty years beforei My friends,
you will never get over these procras-
tinations.
Here Is n delusion. People think. 81
can so on in sin and worldliness, but
after awhile viii repent and then il
Will be as though l had come Mt the
very start" What q mistakei No one
ever gets fully over procrastination. If
you give your soul to God some other
time than this, you will enter heaven
with only half the capacity for enjoy
ment and knowledge you might have
had. There will be heights or blessed.
ness you might have attained that
then you will never reach; thrones OF
glory on which you might have been
seated, but which you will never climb.
We will never get over pracrastination,
neither In time nor in eternity.
We have started on march from
which there is no retreat. The shadows
OF eternity gather on our pathway.
How Insignificant is time compared
with the vast eternity AS l was
thinking of this one day while coming
down over the Allegheny mountains ut
noon, by that wonderful pass which
you all have heard described as the
Horseshoe-a depression In the side OF
the mountain where the train almost
turns back again upon itself, and you
see how appropriate is the name Of the
Horseshoe-and thinking on this very
theme and preparing this very sermon.
1t seemed TO me as IL the great courser
of eternity speeding along had just
struck the mountain with one hoof and
gone on into illimitable space. SO short
is time, so Insignificant is earth, COM
pared with the vast eternity, This mo-
ment voices roll down the sky and all
the worlds Of light are ready to rejoice
at your disenthrallment Rush not into
the presence Of the King ragged with
sin when you may have this robe OF
righteousness. Dash not your foot to
pieces against the throne OF n crucified
Christ. Throw not your crown OF life
off the battlements. All the scribes OF
God are at this hour ready with vol
umes of living light to record the news
OF your soul emancipated.
copyright. lso2. Louis Klopsch, N. VI