Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-09


portunty for doing good once gone is
gone forever" My father used to love
to picture lost opportunities as a flock
Of last years migrating birds, which
when gone cannot be brought back.
remember well how he once stood in
the Brooklyn tabernacle crying with a
loud voice to the lost opportunities
these words: "Come back, o We past
opportunitiesl Come back! Come
back" Then in an almost inaudible
whisper he said: II hear no hutter Of
any wings. l fear my voice has not
carried far enough-yea, fear these
lost opportunities for doing good will
never, never come back" The old Ro-
mans used to believe that Opportunity
was messenger who had lock Of hair
growing upon her forehead and that
the rest of her head was bald They
also believed she had wings upon her
feet and that she could fly swifter than
the winds. They believed that If OPP
portunity was not grasped by the fore
head she could not be caught again,
because her wings could outspeed even
the flight of n meteor. The Latin sym
Dol Is good one 1t is better than
that of the flight of migrating birds.
Sometimes the migrating birds of last
year do return and nest again in the
old orchards where they once raised
their young, but great opportunities
for doing good to others once gone are
gone forever. Others may csme, but
never those that are past; never, never,
never!
Momentous Is the fact that the past
opportunities for doing good will never
come back. There is many man
here who would be willing to cut off
his right arm if he could only bring
back some OF them. | once read of a
father who in anger drove his son out
of his home. The boy, on account of
the fathers bitterness, plunged into a
life of sin. A few years later he was
dying in enc Of the London tencments.
Just before his last breath was drawn
he told the city missionary who he
was and why he was dying. Then he
sent to his irate parent these farewell
words: Tell father that l could have
died happy II he only had been willing
to forgive me. Ask him to forgive me
even If l am dead" The missionary,
MS soon as he had closed the dead boys
/ eyes. went to the rich fathers home.
When he first met the parent and said.
Il have come from your boy" the IA
TIERS rage knew no bounds. He ex-
claimed in anger: Don't talk to me
about my son. l never want to see his
face again while he is alive" But
when the missionary said, you will
never see you boys face again while
he is alive-he is dead" the father
broke down and sobbed like q child.
He then said that he did want his boy
back And when he heard the dying
message his remorse was greater than
he could bear. All the remainder of
his earthly life that father kept brood
ing and regretting the severity of his
treatment of his child But his sorrow
was useless. He could not bring back
his dead boy. He could never undo
the past wrong. His opportunity was
gone and gone forever.
The Ever Present Opportunity.
Mr.. Moody in one of his sermons de-
scribed how hayward son who had
broken his mothers heart went back
one dark night to the homestead. Aft
err roaming around the place where he
had spent his childhood he went out
to the village graveyard. There, in the
darkness of the night, he felt around
the family plot until he found new
made grave. There he lay fat upon
the mound Of earth, moaning and call
ing to the dead mother that he wanted
her to forgive him. But her ears could
not hear nor her lips speak. The way
ward boy, who had killed her, had lost
his opportunity in this world to receive
her forgiveness. Oh, my friends, as
this Pauline word opportunity" means
SO much, will you not beware how you
misuse it, how you i'll treat it, how yoy
spurn the chances for Christian useful
ness which God is ready to give to al
his children and specially to them who
will love and obey him?
But bethink myself that, as a pas
tor, ! have today an Infinite opportu
nifty which may never come to me-
again. | have an opportunity to pre-
sent Jesus Christ to some young maj
or woman here who Is not member
Of the Christian church, as We're tn,
friends to whom Paul wrote his Gala
tan letter. My brother or sister,
want you to come into the Fellowship
of the Lord Jesus Christ so that 20,
| may have a part in these eOSDel ODDOr
tunities. | plead with you earuestl.
that you will confess Jesus Christ to
day and become one Of his disciples
even though no one may have spoken
to you Of religion for many years. 70,
were brought up in Christian home
but when that home was broken up OF
account of your parents death 20,
drifted away from the church ant
from the teachings you learned n
your mothers knee. You have no
been to a church service for years. !
may be because you were coolly treat
ed in one of the large city churche
when you first came to town Blu
last night when you were alone II
your room you took down the old fam
lily album. Perhaps that was the frs
time you had looked at the book 70
months. Then you became homesicl
for the old scenes Of your childhood
Then you opened some of your dea
mothers letters, now yellow from age