The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-03-12
THE END OF TINE.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON
The Angel That Stood Wi'h One
Foot Upon The Land and o"e upon
the Sea

&: and 6: "And the angel which l saw
stand upon the sea and upon the eaFth
lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware
by Him that liveth forever and ever, who
created heaven, and the things that. therein
are, and the earth, and the things that
therein are. and the sea, and the Things
which are therein, that there should De
time no longer.
Ou theme i trife threadbarc, but per-
hans none the less profitable on that ac-
count. 1t is an easy matter to make
bomily on time but not all homlles are as
much to the point as that OF the court Jes-
ter Jsccaes:>
<'GooG morrow. foo" Quoth l.
-'Cail me not fool till heaven hath sent NE
fortune
And then ne drew dial from his poke,
And. lookinc on it with !ack-luster eye,
Saws very v:;se.y. 1T is ten O'Clock;
Tncs MAJ we see," Quoth he, how the
word wags;
'Tis brt m hou- ago since it was nine;
And after one honr more twill he eleven,
Ard so. from hoIr to hour, we ripe and
ipe,
Ard tken. :,om hour to hour, we rot and
rot;
And thereby hangs tale"
J.rt this melancholy tale" engage US for
a while. The issues OF interminab!e aeons
may depend upon the attention we give to
the cir:,ing hands on the dia!. BE who
leans arigAt the lessons OF time IS ready
to me It the RESPONSIBILITIES of eternity.
But whaa is time? Time IS money"
they say. So far so good, if We would real
ize il. A man went into Bonjamin Frank:
Inns book store and inquired the price OF
q volume. "One dollar" was the clerk $
answer. "CaIl your employer" said the
wou!d-be purchaser. When Franklin was
asked the price Of the volume ne answered,
--Ope Dollar and quarter" Why, your
bnt you called INC from my printing press
and am charging you for my time. The
man ar:ued and demonstrated IN vain.
Presently he said, Now. Mr.. Franklin,
really what Is your lowest figure for this
book "One dollar and hall" Pre-
posterousl You only asked me dollar
and quarter" eyes, but my time is val
1iable, and every minute sends the. book
mp" This was sound philosophy and good
business. If our days and hours were all
marked with price in plain figures we
We have no such scruple about wasting
time as we would have in throwing gold
ea-,es into the sea.
But time Is more than money. 1t is the
stuff that life is made Of" 1t stands for
privilege, opportunity. responsibility. Judg-
ment, heaven or he'll. You may throw
away a dollar and earn another, but no
two moments overlap. The last one said
farewell forever; the next is-already gone!
Time is talent, a talent of gold stamped
with the image and superscription OF the
King. God made it, as He made the trees
and mountains, and He owns it. He has
49,, kAl "a 30 20 ka al
Him. s'Will man rob God? Yet We have
ROBBED Me, saith the Lord of hosts" The
misrepresentation or misuse of days and
hours and moments is as really dishonest
as tae tapping of an employers till. This
Is serious matter, and gives US sufficient
food for thought, If our question were
pushed no further. But we cannot stop
here.
/ asked an aged man with hoary hairs,
Wrinkled and curved with many worldly
cares,
1sTimc is the warp of life," he said, 30 ten
The young; the fair, the brave to use it
j asked the mighty angel and silvery
spheres,
Those bright chronometers of passing
They answered, "rime is but a meteor's
And bade me for eternity prepare.
Z asked the-mighty angel who shall stand
One foet on sea. the other on the land;
Mortal" he cried, "the mystery is DER;
Time was. time is, but time shall be no
!, more"
A step further brings US to the inquiry,
What is time. for? or to what, end has tins
momentous trust been reposed in US: Let
1t be understood that time is not for us TO
live in. We are not ephemera; we live for
ever. Time Is given us Tor preparation.
This is only the antechamber of life, where
we stand waiting until the door opens and
we pass IN. Death is the angel that opens
the door. The only reason why we fear
death is because we know that as time
aeaves us eternity finds US. Death ends
probation. We cross the line with our
characters chrystalized: ''He that is unjust,
Let him be unjust still; he that is holy, let
him be holy still" These are our school
days; death is Commencement" Here
we serve>an apprenticeship; death is going
70 work.
The other day young newspaper re-
porter said to me, on my refusing an inter
view: at wish you would help me along.
Tm on probation, and whether / get en-
or not depends upon my sue
cess In this sort OF thing. l wonder how
some of the people who are now wasting
their probation can expect to be taken
into service in the kingdom of God. What
can they do? Let the great Employer ask
them, "What can you do" How will it
seem to answer, II can sell dress goods;
can lead the german; can make money or
;speld it.; can drive a bargain; l can sail
a schooner or run an engine; can re
ceive' and 'entertain;' can make money"
These may be good as far as they 60, but,
in all soberness, how far do they 60 as a
preparation for the tasks of heaven? Do
yoS know, friend, how to comfort the grief
stricken and rescue the wandering? How
to minister to the need OF the wounded
traveller on the Jericho road? How to give
the cup Of cold water to one of Gods little
ones? How to point penitent sinner to
the lamb of God? How to speak the
praises Of the One altogether lovely: How
to sing "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God AL.
mighty" IF not, what a bewildering sort
of place heaven would be to you What
are you fit for? Heaven is no place for
unskil ed labor. What can YOU do? Time
is given you for this very purpose, to get
ready for the things further on. r,-----.>~
Bit how much time have we? Enough;