The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-05-12
The Wage-Earners' Pulpit.

q. Harrison Allen. in Richmond News
Leader.)
Every progressive business man re-
allies the value of time and the danger
Of needless delays. To him time is
money, and a lost opportunity 4 thing
to be deplored. Habitual ~procrastina-
ton will in time make a pauper of the
richest man. Many a large establish
ment has gone into the receivers
hands because of the hardness of the
firm. Americas history is pregnant
with life stories Of great men, who
were poor and uneducated boys and
who reached the heights of success be-
cause they saw and grasped opportu-
mites.
James Taylor sat in his private Of
flee one day. when a rather seedy look
ing man entered. DO you recognize
me-" the newcomer asked. 'Nu." re-
piled the lumber dealer. L can't say
that 1 do" I am Fred Smith, was
the reply. Don't you remember our
fathers owned adjoining farms and We
went to school tOgether?" Yes"
cried Taylor. Il remember now; but l
wouldn't have recognized you"
The old friends cOnversed for some
time, rehearSing and living again the
days Of their youth. at last Smith
said. How is it, I wonder that the
fateS have been so peculiar in dealing
with us. We were poor boys together:
now o are a wealthy lumber dealer
and / am as Door as the prOverbial
church mouse. The fates have certain
ly been gracious to you"
"Oh. no. replied Taylor. The fates
are not at all responsible You and |
have worked on dierent principles. My
nave worked on different principles. My
and lose no opportunity Procrastina-
ton. you know is the thief of time, and
time is money. Do you remember the
r time when we were cutting timber
back in Berks and floating it down the
river to the city? [ suppose you have
not forgotten the day when you stopp-
ed in the country to attend q fair and
', spent nearly a week there. There was
a great demand for lumber, and I float
ed my timber down the river and sold
I. it for 5000. You got there several days
. later. and as the demand had been sup
piled you only got $50 for our lum-
Der, although you had as much AS l..
l That is one instance that I remember.
y There were others. No. No, friend
l. | EDlllllA. ~ ~ 49, O
I present condition. You have permitted
' golden opportunities to pass you by. I
= have taken and used them to my own
= advancement"
= AS they came to James Taylor, so
= opportunities come to every one. Some
lay hold of them and make their lives
=, worthy of admiration and esteem. Oth-
ers seem neither to see nUr to realize
the value of the passing moments and
events. and their lives are barren AND
q wasted. To the business man come Dr.
: ~portunities to increase his store OF
S wealth-and how greedily he snatches
e even the smallest. To the Christian
e come opportunities of doing good, and
e alas! how oft we permit them to pass
it by. If every protesting Christian
were as anxious to do good as the ave
If rage BUSINESS man is to increase his
V bank account. the world would have
been won to God long ago. There arr
l. many who look pious ana JON
q heartily in singing Wen work III
: Jesus comes" and then from one week
k end to another do little or nothing II
lie the divine cause Of uplifting fallei
IS man There is one thing certain-man!
d church members who call themselve'
II Christians will not keep the recordtn:
II angel busy in setting down thel" goo
e deeds. Some of us, / fear, are On
y par with a man whom I saw at a cam
~ meeting a few years ago. They Wer
N raising money to send missionaries in
- to foreign fields. The man l mentio
80 sat next to me and shouted amen!
- at almost every sentence from IN
al preacher. I thought him to be an en
- thusiastic until the collection basker
or were passed, and then saw him tur
to his brother. saying. will. nave yo
10 five pennies you can give me TOR
ID nickeI?' and one of those pennies re
- ~ ,o1lN1+I1r ho cl-a+' Cod hpl
the missionaries if every man acts o
o. that principle.
According to the Interchangeable Wor
and law of God we all. small ana gree
expect to stand before the judgmHf
he bar of the Eternal King. lherf II
or some who believe that after death tn
IS. soul appears Immediately before IN
I. great white throne and then receive
cd its final and everlasting reward or cor
In demnation. Others believe that the ia
of judgment will not be until tn2 Ia:
to day and that we shall then answer ff
ry the deeds done in the body Regardlf
re of which these two views We adhel
to We know that We must face the a.
- of Judgment. And when that day dot
: arrive how small we shall fee. Ihel
y are none perfect. and then w sha
remember things now forgotten W
are prone to glOat over our good deco
and to excuse our failures. Then y
shall be judged by strictest equity. an
as the revealing spirit brings all thine
to light. We would fain turn or face
from them. In that day as We loo
upon the fully revealed past what vi
we regret more than lost opportunitie
a certain mana member Of DWigl
1 Moody's Chicago church-waS new
fully converted until he dreamed tn
he had died and gone to judgment. Il
was a man inclined to think much
himself Like the Pharisee VINO
Christ mentioned he prided himself c
his piety and goodness. One night tn
$500 1rnnannl nnl n hic dran-