National Republican., 1883-06-25
IN The CHURCHES.
Some Sabbath Sermons Preached in Washington
pulpitS Yesterday.
Rev. Dr. Rankin's Discourse on The
End Of Things"
Christ All in All as Illustrated BY the Rev. Mr.,
Ruhns
Interesting Missionary Meeting at Union
Chapel--Facts About China.
TIE END OF THINGS.

REV. DIR. RANK1N's SERMON READ AT THE
coNGREGTIoSAL CHURCH.
At the Congregational church yesterday, as
Or. Rrnkin was still unable to occupy the
pulpit, a sermon prepared by him the Sunday
previous was read 1t had peculiarly
mournful interest, as tho pastor had been
sick for some time, and it would be his last
sermon in that church until his return in the
autumn. His text was Psalm lxxii 20, THE
prayers Of David, the son of Jesse, are ended"
The sermon began: at is II remarkable fact
that artists sometimes seem TO have u pre-
intimation of what will he tho last product OF
their genius The preacher then cited the
last works Of Hogarth and of Mozart--"The
Eud of Things" Of the painter, aud the Re-
QUEEN of the musician.
Continuing, he said "The subject want
to discuss is, "Thc End of Things"
"I call your attention TO the fact that all
earthly things must come TO an end. And
this is especially true of mankind. The
dead things we build outlive the living things
VIC are. Tho fact that earthly things must
come to an ond is very commonplace one to
state, to be spectator of, but not 10 experience
God has made every day kind Of epitome, n
kind of pocket edition of life. Three hun
dred and sixty-fve times. during the la t
year, since last summers vacation,
of evening shadows, by oblig;ng us t. lay
aside our work, finished or unfinished and to
take the posture and the very image ofdeath,
that there comes to us all nightfal which
has no earthly morning, a time when we shall
rest from our labOrs, and our works shall fol-
low US when we shall come TO the end Tho
fact that all earthly things must come to an
end, that we shall have sung our last hymn and
offered our last prayer; this is one of the
great facts Of our natare and our destiny. II
soemnizos life II dignifes our being IL
makes tender and holy our relations. q
do not care what our obligations or ties to
other people; whether we are beneath them
or above them: wiser or more ignorant; there
is nothing more significant in these Obliga.
tions and ties than that they arc Temporary;
that they must cease and cease forever. Though
earthly things come to an end their influence
is permanent is endless. A man writes n
book. lie dies or changes his mind But
the book goes on forever. There is nothing
lighter than n word, 1t is but articulate
breath, having been once spoken, will wing
its fight until there is no car to hear
it. There is no folly like the folly
of men who undertake to measure
the penalty Of wrongdoing by the
injury done. The injury done is beyond
finite computation. Why should not the pen.
atty >" After dwelling upon the endless re.
suits OF earthly being the past Or said "God's
goodness has been put into laws They arc
all uniform They are expressed in this S ingle
form, whatsoever a man soweth that shall ht
also reap II is a law written on every dc.
partment of our being, illustrated in every
stage of our lives. We go on to be endleSsly
what we arc when life is ended"