The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1920-07-01

/ A nave prlhelpdi
who every day or
"A go would enter the
schoolroom, and
slowly passing through IT, say in meas
ured tones. on--is-
he-thief-of-time." Then quietly.
without another word, he would pass
out. His purpose was to impress upon
his boys and girls that they should
not put off till tomorrow, or from day
to day, that which should be done at
once. 1t seems TO me that In our text
God rs in effect saying the same thing.
when he tells US, "Now is the accepted
time; behold, now Is the day of saliva
ton"
mo Promise of Tomorrow"
One time while being driven In the
country to minister at the funeral OF
man who had died very suddenly,
was surprised at the wisdom shown
by the hayward young man who was
conveying me. There was lull in the
conversation. Then suddenly he
broke forth with this startling fact:
You know, we have no promise of
tomorrow" What truth there is In
that statement-"No promise of a to-
morrow" And yet, how needless we
are of the fact ii so succinctly sets
forth. We go on neglecting to do that
which is of such moment to us, actual
ly gambling with time and with our
souls as the stake. No promise of a
tomorrow is what God is saying In
the words of our text.
Again, are you putting off your de-
cision to become Christian, because
you feel that you want first to have
a good time?
What a specious argument that 10,
and how Satan does use 1t, especially
to deceive young people. He would
try to make them believe that they
say good-by to all the good times when
they become Christians; but that 10
not so. for there is nothing good"
that a person has to give up to be-
come a Christian. To be sure, there
are things that are bad and harmful
that must be given up, and these the
Devil camouflages to make them look
good to people. He succeeds surpris-
ingly well, for folks are easily fooled
by the enemy of human souls and
often they do not awaken TO the fact
is too late.
What we need to do Is to estimate
the real value of things. Who that
is wise would buy glass Jewels for
diamonds or accept fools gold for
the genuine? If We scrape beneath
the tinsel with which Satan covers
things that are bad. to make them
look good and If we carefully weigh
everything he offers us in the bal
ances of eternity, we shall discover
their worthlessness; everything he Of
fers, though 1t give pleasure for sea-
son, "at last" as Solomon said of
the wine cup, ait biteth like a serpent
and stingeth like an adder"
Good Times for the Christian.
Christ on the other hand offers all
that is good and worthwhile in this
life and the life to come. The really
good times are for the Christian, and
If any one~on earth can enjoy him
been enlarged by the coming into it
of Christ. He 1t is who not only
gives life, but gives II abundantly.
This Is true In this life, because Christ
enlarges a persons capacity for en-
joyment.
We frankly admit that there are
restrictions and limitations for the
Christian; but he who says that there
are restrictions and limitations Of
real life is false. The things that
must be cut off are those that make
for death. The surgeons knife cuts
out q cancer, but cancer makes for
death and so do those things that the
person who would be Christian,
must cut out of his life. The very cut
ting out of these things sets a per-
son free for the real pleasure Of life.
Is II not a mean thing to choose the
pleasures of sin for season, and then.
when the candle Of life has almost
burned itself out fling ourselves upon
Gods mercy? To such who so choose,
expecting to become Christians when
they are about to die, that they may
thereby escape hell and gain heaven,
God holds out no promise of salvation.
That people are saved at the last mo-
ment of life, as was the thief on the.
cross, we know, but who dare say that
the one who chooses to refuse the sal
walton God offers now shall ever have
another proffer of mercy7
There is a time, we know not when;
A place, we know not where,
That seals the destiny Of man
For glory or despair.
Behold now Is the accepted time
hahnld now Ia tho dav OF saluntInrn