The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1903-02-27
FARMvILLE VA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY p, 1903.

10 aNNlllNlr TOD aNNlllti NAA uANAAAfAs
even as our martyr President William
Mckinley year by year was steadily
promoted Tor his public services until
at last he received the highest honor
his countrymen could confer upon him
and won worldwide sympathy by the
tragic close OF a life laid down IN the
service Of the American people whom
be loved and so faithfully served.
But there Is a negative side OF warn
ing I'm my text as well as a positive
side OF exhortation. John ]. Ingalls,
I'm his wonderful poem teaches the
same two lessons in a temporal sense
that Paul inculcates in a spiritual
sense. The negative warning which is
implied in my text goes practically
Ike this. As we therefore have op-
portunity do good unto all men, for II
you DO not a neglected opportunity IS
an IN used opportunity. And an op-
portunity for doing good once gone Is
gone forever" Ny father used 20 love
to picture lost opportunities as a flock
Of last years migrating birds. which
when gone cannot be brought back. I
remember well how De once stood in
the Brooklyn tabernacle crying with a
loud voice 10 the lost opportunities
these words: Come back. % ye past
opportunities Come back. Come
back" Then IN an almost inaudible
whisper he said: Il hear no futter OF
any wings. fear my voice has not
carried FAR enough-yea. / fear these
lost opportunities for doing good win
never. never come back" Tie old RO-
mans used to believe that Opportunity
was q messenger who had a 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 II Op-
portunity was not grasped by the fore
head she could not De caught again.
because her wings could outspeed even
the flight Of a meteor The Latin sym
Dol IS a good one II 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 20 others once gone are .
gone forever. Others may come. but
never those that are past: never. never. /
never.
But l bethink myself that. as q pas
tor. l have today an infinite opportu-
nifty which may never come 10 me
again. have an opportunity 20 pre-
sent Jesus Christ 20 some Young man
or woman here who is not a member
OF the Christian church. as were the
friends 20 whom Paul wrote bis Gala
tian letter. Ny brother or sister. .
want you 10 come into the fellowship
Of the Lord Jesus Christ so that you
may have a part In these gospel oppor- .
tunities. / plead with you earnestly I
that you viii 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. You I
were brought up in a Christian home. /
but when that home was broken mp on /
account Of your parents death you T.
drifted away from the church and /
from the teachings you learned at .
your mothers knee. You have not f.
been 10 a church service FOR years. II /
may be because you were c0olly treat /
ed in one Of the large city churches .
when you first came 20 town. But /
last night when you were alone in .
your room you took down the old fam /
ily album. Perhaps that was the first .
time you had looked at the book for .
months. Then you became homesick .
for the old scenes Of your childhood /
Then you opened some Of your dear /
mothers letters. now yellow from age /
As you read them the tears came 20
your eyes, yet you are a man now or
matured woman. but the tears came
And last night before
you went 10 bed you prayed just as
you used 10 do when a child. That is
the reason you are I'm church this
morning. That is the reason your
heart is softened. That Is the reason
I press home the gospel 10 your heart /
that l may start you forth I'm Jesus
name 10 Christian service. The oppOr-
tunity for the salvation OF your soul
may never come SO near 20 you again
as Just at this moment Brother. Sis
ter. let me improve this opportunity /
by presenting you 10 the Lord Jesus.
For your dear loved ones sakes who
are now among the redeemed viii you
take Jesus now and become his true
and loving disciplei VIII you not here
and now make this simple. earnest
prayer. which a young man. sick Of
sin. made a few years ago in a large
meeting: Lord, take me as
am and make me what ! ought 20
be-" Now IS your opportunity for sal
walton. Nowl Now Nowl