The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1916-08-11
BEFORE 1T PASSES
Take Hold of Today, for It May
Prove to You the Day Of
Salvation.

tween the man who knows the value
of time and the present, and the man
who does not. a recent writer says
Tomorrow Is the harvest time OF
good intentions. It is the day when
every man does his duty. The sinner
expects to be saint. The dishonest
man intends to be honest. The inn.
moral man will be moral, and the
selfish man benevolent" Tomorrow
evil habits will be overcome, evil
tempers curbed, and rebellion against
God will be put down. Christ will be
enthroned. Self will be dethrOned
Tomorrow we will be all we ought to
be and do all we ought to do.
Tomorrow is the slogan Of the
dreamer. Today is the battle cry of
the doer. OF course we have heard
and admired and even used for con-
venience sake the old maxim, "There
is no time like the present" and that
other watchword Of industry, "Never
put off until tomorrow what you can
do today" But usage has worn of
the glitter and familiarity has bred
contempt. These sayings are extreme
ly useful In connection with our bust
ness interests and pleasures, and all
sources of material and immediate
gain. AS Hugh Black says In his
book, "The Open Door,, "Men dream
of a time when things will be easier
for them, when the strain will be re-
lieved and they can get breathing
space to come to some definite de-
cisiOns. As they are securing the
means of living, life itself is slipping
away from them. Those who halt,
standing first on one foot and then on
the other, do not really count in the
game. The greatest question ever
asked of man was, What shall it
profit to gain the whole world and
lose the soulT But men are every
where losing the soul. 1t is worse
than tragedy, it is farce!"
Today Is the Time.
Work is today. Play is tomorrow.
Today we are to set in motion those
forces that make the miracles tomor-
row. If we earnestly desire to be
Christian men and women, we must
do those things that will make us
Christians. Grace Is a growth. Right
eousness is a process. Character Is
an evolution. Today we must fill our
lamps and trim our wicks. Tomor-
row we must enter into privilege. The
man who Is ready Is the man who has
done those things which make him
ready when the call comes.
There is waiting time to every
opportunity. 1t is to be spent in get
ting ready. The bridegroom is on the
way. Let us prepare for his coming.
There Is an outer court to every
threne room. 1t is here that we put
on the wedding garment.
Eternal life begins In this sphere.
Immortality becomes certainty
when the soul surrenders to God. Life
is continuous; the Christian life can
not be divided between Nov" and
a "Then." Death, to be sure, Is some
thing in between. As Emily Dickin-
son wrote: death is but the porter
Of my Fathers lodge, or the hired man
to let down the bars for the tired
flocks to come under the Shepherds
care, to the securest fold, their wan
derings done, their bleatlngs at an
end" To her marble stone was
guide post" So, when we make the
great decision, we are heirs of inn
mortality. Life is no longer a "fitful
fever" with changing discords, confus-
ing elements and chaotic mixtures.
We shall face the future with calm.
We shall look toward the dark I'M
afraid, because we are facing the light.
We shall walk the new road to secur-
ity because we are walking in the way.
We shall not grow faint or weary bee
cause we are finding sustenance in the
bread of life. Pilgrims, indeed, but
like unto him who is going home. The
mansion is waiting. The place is pre-
pared. IF 1t were not so I would
have told you" Thus Is the dlctum
and assurance of the Master.
Call for Decision.
No one ever drifted to the eternal
life. We must decide; we must array
ourselves on the one side or the other.
There is no neutral ground. 'He that
Is not with me is against me, and he
that gathereth not with me scattereth
abroad"
The world is dying In Its SINS Let
us hasten to bring the Great Physician.
Multitudes are In want. Let us not
llnger in some delusive dream Of to-
in going to the rescue. Hearts
are breaking; we must not tarry with
the balm Of Gilead. Burdens are being
borne; let us apply the yoke that is
easy. The messengers of God must
not lolter in the halls Of Vanity Fair.
When we refuse the great commits
sion committed to our keeping. we are
holding back that which the world
needs. 1.-THE kings business requires
haste" Jesus said: II must do the
works of him that sent me while II Is
called today, for the night cOmeth,
when no man can work" What If he
had put of until some tomorrow the
business of redemption1 What II all
men and women, everywhere, Of all
fine nh, hnr-n hnlr,nd rrnnEn tho r-nrld