Show AGAINST PROCRASTINATION Rev C E Perkins Preaches Sunday Morning Sermon S on This Subject TELLS RESULT OF NEGLECT LESSON DRAWN FROM EPISODE OF ST PAUL BEFORE FELIX Rev Charles E Perkins Parkins of St Pauls Episcopal church yesterday morning preached on the subject of Procrastination 24 25 tion He ITo took as his text Acts of righteousness And nd as a he reasoned temperance and judgment to come Felix trembled and answered go thy way for this time when I haY havo a t L convenient sea seaBon season season son Bon I will send for thit Ull UllOn On this subject he said and ceremony of or a With all the pomp Roman court St Paul was ushered into the presence of Felix the procurator of Judea The high priest Ananias se secures secures secures cures the services of one an orator who is the prosecuting attorney of the occasion With words of flattery he prefaces his remarks of accusation St Paul with every appreciation of the orators ability also prefaces his remarks not with words of flattery however but with a keen appreciation of the dignity of the office which Felix FeUx was debasing After the argument St Paul was given givena a sentence of imprisonment with a de degree degree degree gree of freedom so 50 far as access to his friends was concerned The sacred narra narrative narrative tive tire informs us that Felix hoped to re receive receive from his friends that I calve money through this bribe bribo he might find some I excuse to set him at liberty J JA A Crisis in Life Ufe While time hangs on his hands or else to gratify the tho curiosity of his wife Fe Felix Felix Felix lix calls for tor St Paul to give them some account of the religion he has been teach teaching teaching teaching ing In some respects this is a sorry mo moment moment moment ment for Felix FeUx For it makes another crisis in his fateful life Ufe He lIe comes face to face with facts of his life Ufo as St Paul reasoned of righteousness temperance and Judgment to come These rh se moments come ome into the life of every man mun and he is either a 11 better or a n worse man accord accordIng according according Ing ashe Is true or false to the highest that is in him Unfortunately for Felix F lix he proves false Although he lie trembled as us St Paul thus reasoned yet he lie deferred dl any definite definite nite nito action whereby when by he lie might have proven himself a n worthy worth man for the position he held The trouble with Felix was that he had been boon a procrastinator all his life His conscience had rebuked him hini more than once for his evil life Both officially and in his personal life Ufe he had hardened his conscience from time tim to time The rhe very ver wife who sits by b his side to hear St StPaul StPaul StPaul Paul has been seduced from her former husband Hundreds of Jews Jw could testify testify fy f to the cruelty lt of his rule Tacitus tolls tells us us that he exercised the office of a aking aking aking king with the baseness of a slave in all cruelty and lust S SNow Now for once oneO in his life he sits before a real manly man who Is far above even ven purchasing his hl own on personal freedom which may be he had for the price We Ye might think of some preacher arguing the theine theIne theine ine points of the Christian religion espe cape especially daIly when such an opportunity was WitS pre presented presented to him as IlS was presented to St StPaul StPaul StPaul Paul before this Roman Romon governor and his Jewish wife Instead of debating debuting the technical points of some sonic doctrinal ques question question question tion St S1 Paul reasons of eternal prin principles principles principles that wore were w re as clear I eo r to the minds of his hearers as the a b h c e is to the school schoolboy boy ho Judges Became Defendants It is the tue prisoners chance now to peak Note the contrast between 11 this scene and that of the trial which h had taken taleen place before Here the prisoner be bt becomes becomes comes the judge not personally but by eternal principles for which he stands Felix and his wife Drusilla are the de defendants defendants defendants Righteousness and temperance are not fond words to them They make their very ver blood run cold Now St Paul may be at their mercy but he reminds them that there Is a judgment to come when Roman procurators and even kings of sf n the earth shall stand before the Judge whose searching eye will pierce all the I deeper because with the love of a father whose heart has been broken will he judge Felix trembled Felix trembled One would think that thata a good omen But listen to his words How true to his whole life Ufe Go thy th way for this time when I have hae a convenient season I will call for fo thee It never came ame He lived on as he lie had lived be before before before fore a cruel man until finally he lie lost his position having no more mor friends at atthe atthe I Ithe the court to plead for him He died so j tradition tells us ILS suffering awful ago agonies agonies nies at the eruption of Vesuvius A Monumental Warning Felix stands along with many others as a n monumental warning against pro procrastination procrastination procrastination It is a subtle thing Little by b little it steals over one until his whole being becomes callous to t those divine in influences influences Influences which were wore once cherished at atthe atthe atthe the altar attar or the fireside Even the ap appeals appeals peals puls of a n mothers love loe and the en entreaties entreaties treaties of a faithful wife cannot avail with si It man who has given himself over oyer overto overto to the base passions of his life He lIe is joined to his idols and who can save sae him Only God In his wondrous mercy merc can possibly give any man hope Observe the influence of procrastination tion through life The pigeon hole in the desk makes it harder to answer the let letter letter letter ter that Is thrown there until a conven conen convenient convenient season The flowers and words of appreciation that we strew about and say over oyer the casket of a departed friend often mock our remissness and tell t us what we might have been to some soul while It breathed the breath of life One man stops above another on the tue rounds of the ladder because of embraced opportunities in m early earh life ife which the other neglected One mans man s family is the dearest spot on onearth onearth onearth earth because he has been true to the principles of righteousness and anel temper temperance ance another Is estranged estran ed from the wife of his young manhood because of the subtleties of the tempter whose ways have finally made him callous to holy hol in influences influences May Be Too Late One day It Is too late to argue Only reasoning reu with all the power Dower of Gods eternal principles will avail To quit himself like a n man requires power Only God can save him How much better to be the prisoner with St StPaul StPaul StPaul Paul of the worlds fickle ways wa s Let her criticise you ou Lift your head high above her luring snares snare Think only of this life if you please and what it will mean to you ou here Judge between the two Felix FeUx or StPaul St S1 Lauh Which had you ou rather be beAll beAU beAll All AU the pomp and glory of a Roman gov governor governor or the shackles of a prisoner with St Paul may be yours ours Which will you choose The opportunity for such choice comes I daily dally into our lives It is when we are given the choice hoIce of doing our duty or procrastinating Look at the end also I Hoar St Paul cry cr with the laurels upon his brow already I 1 have fought a good fight I have kept the faith I have fin finished fInished finIshed the course henceforth there is laid up tip for me a crown of righteousness which the tha Lord the righteous judge shall give unto me at that tha day da and not unto un o me only but unto all those who love his ap appearing May God give unto each one of ofus ofus ofus us grace to be worthy to say sa such words when we shall be bo called colled at our lifes uras end |