The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-01-23


ing the Lords truest friend. How true it
Is that when We have committed one ssn
and failed TO make that one right, the rest
becomes easy, not infrequent!y almost
delight.
In the third place we find him spArins
Agag and the part Of his flock. He the
king with lying upon his lips! Ths SIN
becomes very easy; IL we allow the corrup-
tion of two OF three days 20 lie IN our
souls without being eieansed how sad the
results, No one ought TO close his eyes at
night until he has absolutely made certain
that all OF the sins of the day have been
washed away in the precious blood Of
Christ.
The last we see OF Saul is when he falls
upon his sword and takes his own life-a
murderer in the sight of God and IN the
sight of man.
Sin is awful. In the very beginning OF il
you seem TO get the hiss OF the serpent as
ne trails through the Garden of Eden, 1t
breaks up home, drags multltudes away
from God and down to he'll. But the
warning cry Is gwen here that we must
forsake the small sins II We would not be
overpowered by the greater ones. We
must be cleansed from little transgres.
sions if we would not finally be lost: II
any one should ask the secret OF failure,
the reason why st last the crown should
be lost. it could all be summed up in three
letters-S-l-S.
THEN COMETH THE END.
The day of awards is a great day. 1t is
really the judgment seat of Christ, when
We are TO receive the reward OF the deeds
done through the body. 1t is not a time
when We are judged for sin,. for the SIN
question was all settled at the cross for
those who accept Jesus Christ. 1t is not to
be confused with the day of judgment spo-
ken OF in the twenty-fifth chapter OF Mat
thew and certainly 1t Is not identical with
the great white throne judgment presented
in the twentieth chapter OF Revelation 1t
is simply the day when the Master. before
whom the records of our lives are lad
bare, shall give to VS. the reward for our
falthfulness, or express His estimate OF
our fathlessness.
/ can see the Master, with His people
gathered before Him. A name Is called
that is familiar, and I see that one stand
ing before Him with great expectancy.
Then the Master speaks-with that voice
that John tells us sounds like the How OF
many waters, that voice that stilled the
tempest tossed sea, and caused Lazarus to
break the bonds of death. / hear Him
speak. The crowns are being lifted up,
and the first one is the crown OF life. i
hear Him say:
This is given to the one who has done
little things well for My glory, or to the
one who has suffered for My sake. You
might have had it, but you failed in your
own home. You had no testimony for your
own circle of friends. A kind word you
might have spoken, but you left 1T unsaid.
The cup Of cold water was never given.
You might have had the crown of life, but
it has been taken by another"
i see Him hold aloft the second crown.
This" lie says. "is given to the one
who has done hard work for Me. | suf'
Al ka
mockings OF the crowd, and the stripes OF
the Roman hagellator, and the pains OF
hell upon the cross. This crown is for the
one who has endured all things If only My
cause might have been advanced. Rit
alasl when there came time when the
church seemed about to move forward you
opposed it. When thousands of souls
might have been converted your prejudice
against the work of the Holy Ghost
BLOCKED THE BLESSING.
You might have had the crown, but an
other has taken it,"
/ see Him hold aloft the third crown,
resplendent with jewels. All the angels
shout aloud:
This is the soul-winner's crown"
There has always been JOY in the pres
ence of the angels Of God over those re-
deemed from sin.
You might have had this crown, but
strength and your social position never
won a soul for Me The members of your
own household were led into My kingdom
by others. The people in your own store
did not know you were Mine"
remember once holding a series of
meetings in Paris, Illinois. In walking
down the street with one of my assistants
asking him TO be Christian, but ne made
no impression upon him. i heard him say,
Your mother wants you to become a
Christian, does she not" And the young
man began to cry. Then l heard him ask,
Your father wants you to become a
Christian, does he not?" And there was
no answer. But soon / heard him make
this statement: MY father il an officer in
the church and my mother is leader IN
the work of the women's society in the
church, but neither OF them has ever spo,
ken to me about my soul
/ believe many a father and mother will
stand before the Judge on the great day OF
awards add hear the words
you are crownless. Your children were
not saved, or if they were, in their saliva.
tion you have had no part. You might
have had this crown, but another has
taken it."
| can see Him holding aloft the fourth
crown, the crown of glory. | can hear Him
picture how one came into the church
from great depths of sin; how his consttu
tion had been undermined by the power OF
an evil life; how he had been saved by
the power of God and cheered by the
word. and q brothers sympathy to hold
out to the end. And / can almost hear
Him say.
"Such an one sat beside you in church
and walked with you in the streets, or
in the store, or possibly lived with you IN
your home, and you said never word
You let him slip away from fellowship
with Christ and when he. wandered you
exclaimed in surprise: i expected no
more.
| can catch the tones of His voice, as
He says
you might have had this crown, but
another has taken it,
/ see Him hold aloft the fifth and last
crown-the crown OF righteousness. 1
hear Him say:
did ] not promise that ! would come
ay1in; Had not | written II over and over
again in the book Was not line added TO
line. statement added 10 statement, that
in like manner as | went away ] should
come back? Were not all the prophecies
OF Ny coming fulfilled. even 20 the last de-
tails OF Nv life Ny suffering and Ny
death? Did you not have faith that If one
prophecy was fulfilled the others nigh.
have been fulfilled alsoE'
And then that crown, which is 20 me
the most beautiful, the brightest and the
best. is held aloft for a moment, dazzling
in rs glory. and hear Him say:
You might have had this crown, but
another has taken IL
We may miss the FIVE crowns BY our un-
faithfulness, yet we may be saved. so az
by FIRE" But one thing must be: we must
see Him face to face
In the city Of indianapolis a celebrated
Quaker minister told me Of friend whose
child had been born blind, He was