The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-05-26

ur and dong, ilvlrg EIc m earnest. anu
not in spasrls. Yet thin& how many
suuardcr these precious :weire hours day
by day. Think. for example. or the hours
OF Idle rcveTieS. useless. a!micss dreaming,
respectable loa:inc. !k2t many OF Us give
ourselves up to throughout thc day. IT IS
not perhaps that cur thoughts are Vicious
or impure, but simply thac our m'nds get
into a state OF suspended animation; dur
ing which an uncuroea fancy makes havoc
of our will power palaiyze< our energy,
art! robs us CT the days ncst precious OPP
oo:su:i:es. Meditation. indeed: Is moi
id.eneSS-Qu:er. rest1rl thought, IN winch
the soul dreams lis visions Icr service, is
not wasted time. But the mistake So
many OF Us make Is that our moments or
meditation are lost IN hours ol idle dream
ing which leads us nowhere save on'y INTO
the maZe; o; selfish indulgence and sent;-
mental iancy. Twelve hours in the day,
and how many lost in foolish dreaming:
Think. 100. what waste in gossip, IN
needless. ti.oueit.css talk. 1t is not that
we are deliberate scanda.-mongers. out
simply tilat to pass the time we indulge ~
kind OF talk about Or ncigh5ors and
friends. tie results OF which for evil are
create: than We may ever knoW. Nhc CAN
estimate the regulations that have hecn
wrecked. the lives Of promise. that have
OSSn CGiCDlSQ. l:-S uSSlu!llSS" iOA S""N $50
the world that has been checked BY the
retailing of evil SANDER throughout the
twelve hours Of the day:
Once more. .hink OF the ho"rS consumed
in the pursuit OF merely selfish pleasure.
Indifferent to the hitter cry ot outcasc hr.
mainly. cal:ous to the great Mcra needs OF
the hour that come knocking at our uocrE'
how many CT rs Use up ;Ic twelve nouns
in the pursuit o. schemes whose one pur-
pose IS for SELF anG sci. a,onc: Busy We
may be, bat so husv with the atlerS OF sell
that we have no t!mo TO spend 10: the coI.l-
mon Good. icr the reeds OF man, o. the
Glory OF Cod. Twelve l.oa1s:: and all OF
them stranglcd upon the altar OF se't-:ot
one given up to God. 10 wing its way up;
ward like incense 1ciorc the eterEa! :nrcne!
Look back uDo~ the week i-,at IS gone;
with its treasury OF lours, and what record
have they ieft'upon the tablets or the soul;
How many hours o. k;st wcas; WI messed
YOU on your knees before Goa: How MANI
hours did you give to PRAYER: How many
hours did You give to studying the pipe!
How many to thinking thoughts OF love
and translating them into deeds or Eino,
enthroning Christ? How many? Perhaps
rot even one. And yet on these hours we
are building character for eternity; out OF
these hours is growing that immortal self
with which at last We must stand before
the Judgment seat OF God. Twelve hours
in the day to work cut yoUr salvation. and
how many mCn are using these Twelve
hours in working out their perditlon!
How. then, arc we gong 10 redeem our
DAYS. make the Eost OF those twelve hours,
so that at last no upbraldlng memory Shall
recall them with sorrow end shame: ,
would not be SO foolish as to say that
this power to use time Alright means that
we are to fiji un each separate. hour ,W'th with
some determined. conscious effort. That
would be- impossible, and. even Ii II were
possible, 1T would turn us INTO se1-con-
scious prig$ anc moral pedants. You can
not detach every hour and say. as trankiln
said in hi: diary. that this hour will be de-
voted to such an such a duty. that nc :;
to some other duty. and so on. That would
DESTROY a great deal OF the inspiration OF
lie and would turn existence into grlnd-
ing machine. No. the hours. :rc TO be re-
deemed, not so much BY what we 90 IN
them as by the spirit VIC hTi2s 70 them, oy
the temper in which We Use them. Let
every day be bsgun with It's season OF SSpe-
cial prayer. Let it have It's moments shut
off for communion with GOD. And then
these moments, however hTieI. CT con:e-
Grated prayer. will give ( tonic TO the rest
of the day -~hich will make Impossible taat
f1ippaut dissipation o. tine which ID so
ruinous 10 character.
There are two things that this spirit OF
prayer will produce in our use or the
twelve hours il the day. First. PRAYER
produces d sense OF urgency: i Sp!rit OK
haste, ii YOU like. but not spirit ct h'rrE.
1t intensiiies the thought that time is SNORT
and vet enough for each one oi ls to co
something icr God. II l. that ieeilns VI
,io1- II
that Il should leave TIC record OF soma
thing attempted. something given Tor Geo
and our fellow men. that gives richness 70
life. Il beauty to character. sunny "a
dance 10 the soul, that makes car;h the
threshold OF hcaren. Nothing Is mc!c dis
| gushing than to meet peop.e WHO simp.y
LOAF through lie. without any sense OF ur-
sercy. As the saying goes, they do not
! care whether school keeps or not. lhcy
are not worried about the ORD 5 neceSs-
ties What We want is this sense OF ur-
! gency. Time IS Snort, and YET lo@s enough
With prayer to DO Something th$s Will
abide when we have passed way. That is
| the first thing that prayer brings TO lae
twelve hours OF the day.
The second thing is a sense OF ca:mness,
spirit CT serenity. How Often we irst
and wcrry beneath .nc pressure OF iits!
The friction OF care ret.Ices the ehecslFe-
ness of or energy Many men are wearing
themselves out he;ar" their time. SIMPLY
because they have ,aiS hai:HciHation! that
there is 10. time enough. Trey get into
fever Q: worry because the days are TOO
snort. Bat prayer brings 70 Is the ;iio4Sns
that God has given Us time enough: and all
He asks from Us is 10 li;e and work cy the
day. In His service VIC ere oni.' day LABOR
ers. With tomorrow VIC have nothing to
60. The command is, Go. work to-day,
and he promise is. Il viii pay yo2 4 penny
day. Gods wages are paid. net by the
month nov the week. hus ay the day. Each
day brings it's duty. b2t each daE brings
its grace aud strength and blessing as we'll:
Build 1 little fence u tcGS:
Around to-Ga:.
FIJI tnc pace with loving work,
And therein stac.
LooI; not through the s..ci;;erins Jars
Upon tomorrow s..-.
Gee viii help t:.ce bear what cc2:cs
OF Joy OF sor:ow.
With some oi Us here this evening tie
day OF lie IS Young. Ihc morning light
! sill lends freshness 10 yoar youthful! ar
DOR Eat with othc"s q = Il IS already
II. n,o