ars ago in a
city in Kentucky. A girl was converted in his meeting. She was in the
early bloom of young womanhood. She belonged to a wealthy and
prominent family. Her mother was not a Christian. The girl wanted to
join the Church and the mother objected. The preacher went to see the
mother and prayed with her and plead with her. She said she wanted her
daughter to have her coming out dance soon and therefore she should not
join the Church. And the preacher left that home with a heavy heart.

Three years later he was holding a meeting in a neighboring town. A
long distance call came asking him if he would not come and conduct the
funeral of Nellie, the girl who had not been allowed to join the
Church. He went. The undertaker said that it was a request of the
mother that the preacher ride with her and her other daughter to the
cemetery. The journey was made in silence. The remains were being
lowered when the mother ordered the undertaker to open the coffin
again. All the crowd was requested to stand back. They moved some
fifty feet away. Then leaning on the preacher's arm the mother showed
him her daughter. And lying upon her breast was a little armful of
shame.

That was all. The grave was filled and on the way back home the
penitent and heart-broken mother found Christ. She said to her
daughter, "Mary, I have found Jesus. I have found the salvation that I
rejected three years ago." And Mary answered, "No, Mother, you have
found salvation, it is true. But it is not the salvation that was
offered to you three years ago. Your salvation then would have
included the salvation of Nellie. Now it means only the salvation of
yourself."

Heart, you may be saved at another time. Many a father is saved after
he has wrecked his boys. This mother was saved after she had destroyed
her daughter. Manasseh was saved after he had ruined his kingdom. But
I submit to you that it is not the largest salvation. It is a
salvation that may yet leave you with a burning hell in your own heart,
the hell of the memory of evil you can never undo, and wrongs you can
never right, and of lost men and women, led away from God by your
influence that you can never lead back again.

Therefore, because of these startling and palpable facts, I come to you
with this oft-repeated word of our Lord upon my lips: "Now is the
accepted time. To-day is the day of salvation." Seek not to make
religion into a fire escape. Give God y