Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-06-19

It you car spirituaifze the future! You
con make your last earthly days hon
ored days In heaven and on earth, be-
cause they have been lived for God
and to help your sinful fellow man.
'Whpsoevcr will, let him come and
take Of the water of life freely" That
means you; that means me. Wo can
all come.
NO" you answer. II win not. can
not, I dare not come to Christ now. l
have had too black past. have
sowu too many evil seeds to the flesh.
feel a great deal like that young col
lege boy who was dying from an acci-
dent in Edinburgh. When the chap
lain kne1t by his bedside and said, MY
lad. will you repent Of your sins and
look to Christi he answered: No, sir.
have served the devil all my life, and
served him well, and now at this last
moment would not be so mean as to
ask Christ to take my broken down
body and my wreck Of life. No, sir,
would not be so mean"
Sow TO the Spirit Now.
your sinful past, is that right? Is
that what Christ would have you do ?
If you had a hayward boy, and he had
run away from home and trampled
upon your bleeding heart for many
years, would you want him to stay
away and die hardened against you
and bitter merely because he had been
sinful and maynard? No! II you
knew where he was dying today, you
would take the very first train to him.
You would 60, If necessary, without
even q change of garments. You would
walk up and down the train while 1t
was in motion, because your anxiety
would not let you sit still, and you
would rush into the hospital and rush
to the ward and throw yourself by his
bed Just to give him a kiss Of love and
pardon. SO Jesus today begs you to
live for him and come to him. NV
brother, will you let the cross be the
pillow to change your heart? Will you
take the good seed in your hand and
go forth to SOW to the Spirit. so that
You may reap life everlasting?
When John Todd was lying upon his
dying bed, he had'a strange vision. All
angel seemed to lead him up and VI
until the dying han stood upon the
heights Of great mountain. Then the
angel asked him, Dying man. dost
thou see anYthing?" And as Johr
Todd shaded his eyes to look he saw
away of in the distance a fend incar
nate The face of that fend had upon
1t the look Of uhutterable woe The
features were 50 hideous and the sui
ferings of this lost spirit were so great
that John Todd hid his face in his
hands, crying: Enough. enough
cannot look any longer. Then The
angel turned and said. That lost spirit
o dying man, would have been your
own had NOT your soul been cleanset
by the blood of tie Lamb" Then tho
angel Of the Lord said, "Look. O dy
ing man, lookv' And as John Todd
lifted his eyes again, behold, there Wa.
seen another spirit. 1t was garmentct
with a robe as white as the drive,
snow. The eyes were as loving as the
purest love could express. The lips
were moving in joyful praise. Tho
hands were clasped about the figure OF
cross. Then again spake the ange
of the Lord, Dying man, that Is 70 be
your redeemed spirit, your spirit cleans
ed by Christ's blood, your spirit which
shall never die" Then John Todd
awoke. He said he knew not whether
he had seen vision or had been talk
ing face to face with Christ.
So, like John Todd's vision, this ser
mon teaches two lessons: The one
points down the road over which arc
dragged the tares that are to be burned
in the everlasting fires. The Other
points down the road over which the
sheaves OF wheat are triumphantiy
carried into the gospel granaries. May
the prayers Of our loved ones and the
sacrifice Of Christ plead prevailingly
with us not to sow corruption, but life
everlasting. Yet all human beings are
free agents to do as they will. They
can accept or reject Christ. They can
gather either harvest For whatso
ever a man soweth. that shall he also
reap"
copyright, 1902 Louis Klopsch N. VI