The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-02-11
OUR GENERATION.
DR., Talmage's Sermon Yesterday,
Scriptural Descriptions of David's
Life Notably Expounded.
The Wonderful Versatility of the
Chosen Man OF God
Who Had Served His Own Gene
ration by the VIII of God.
Our Responsibilities Are With the Peo-
pie Now Walking Abreast OF Us
We Have Naught To 10 with the
Past--Now's tho Time.


tive OF stirring scenes in Dayid's life. Led
by organ and cornet the multtudes joined
in singing;
Time, like an over rolling stream,
Bears all ~ sons away;
They ny forgotten, as dream
Dies ut the opening day.
The subject of DIR. hlmages sermon
was "Our Own Generation" and his text,
Acts xiii, 80 "Ddvid, after he had served
his own generation by the will OF God, fell
on sleep"
Tha; is text which has for a long time
been running through my mind, but not
until now has IL been fully revcaled to me
Sermons have tine to be borne rs well
as time to die, a cradle as well M grave
David, cowboy and stone Singer and
fighter and car and dnamatist and blank
verse writer and prophet, did his best for
the people OF his time aud then went aud
laid down on the southern hill OF Jorusa-
lem in that sound slumber which nothing
but an archangclic blast can slartle.
David. after he had served his own gem
Grafton 10y the will oi God, fell on sleep"
II WAS his own generation that he had
| served, that is, the people living at the
| time he lived. Aud have youever thought
that our responsibilities are chiefly with
the people now walking abreast OF us2
There are about four gcncrations tO n
century now. but ia ulden time life was
longer aud there was, perhaps, only one
/ generation To a century. Taking these
facts into the calculation, | make u rough
guess and say that icrr have been at least
ls0 generations ol the human family.
With reference 90 thUm VI have no ro-
sponslbility We cannot teach them, we
cannot correct their mistakes we cannot
sOothr their soTrONs, We otnaut heal their
| wounds. Their scpulrhcrs nrc deaf aud
| dumb To anything we might say 10 thom.
The lat regiment OF that great army has
passed ont ol sight. We ufglit halloO "a
loud IA We could, not one them would
avert his hoal 10 see What &c wanted.
siiE CouLp nor iEAvE Mn our.
admit that am Ia sympathy with tie
child whose father hnl suddenly died aud
! who in her little evening prayer wanted 10
| continue 10 pray Tor her father, although
| ho had gone Into heaven aud no more
needed her prayers, aud looking up into
! her mothers iaco said: 20. mother, |
! cannot leave him all out lot me say,
! 'Thanl, Cod that had good father once
~ can keep him in my praycr,. BuI
| the lsO generations have passed. oil.
Pissed up. Passed down. Gone forever.
fhcn there are generations 10 come after
our earthly existence has ccnscd, perhaps
ls1 generations more, pcrhaps 1909 gem
orations mOrr. We shall not see them,
We shall not hear any Of their voices. We
vii take n0 part in their cOnvorations,
! their elections, their revolutions, their
ctiaslrophcs, their triumphA. We will In
no wise Affect the 40 generations gone, Or
thc iSD generations "a come, except ~
irim the galleries NJ heaven the former
generations look down and rejoice at our
| victories. uf us Ne may by our behavior
start inhucnc =. gool ~ bad, that shall
roll on through the advancing ages. Hut
our business h. like David. Ia serve our
own generation. the people nov living.
thusa whose hearts nov beat Aud, mark
! YOU, "a b. not silent procession. hut moving.
II u q "iof.sd march at twenty -four
miles a day. cacl hour being a mile. Go-
ing with that cclcrity, Il has got to be n
quick service on our part, ur no service at
nll We not only cannot teach the 80
generations past aud will not $40 the 100
generations tO come, hui this generation
nov on the stngr will -lun be- oil aud We
Ourselves will be- OF With them. The fact
iB that you aud ! will have tp start very
soon i0r ouf work or u viii lc iunuical and
| sarcastic iJr any one after uur exit "a sly
of M. ~ h was said oi David, "aitcr hu
had served bis own generation by the viii
Of God, be- icll on Sleep
Well, now, lct M look around earnestly,
puyrfiully aud in CDumul sense way
aud soc what We can DO &C. our own grn-
cmilon. Fifst oi al w., n. See 30 Il that
as iHr ag We can, they hlsu enough 10 cat
The human body H ~ constituted that
lhrc times q day thc buly needs food ne
much ns q lamp needs oh, .m much nH "a
locomotive needs iucL q meet this want
God has grdlui the cath With apple
orchards, orange groves. sbclt fields aud
oceans iull ui lsli aud pI'fiD iull Oi cat.
de-. Aud notwithstanding this, J will un,
dpfinkc a. aay th1t tnu vri majority Ul
ihr human family arc ulrnng either luf
iRck oi food ~ Tho night Cod ~ food Oui
. civilization "a all HskrW ol iiis subject and
1 God only can oct u right
. HrNmnm tur uDA
! Many Of the greatest uI1icg oi today
! have been built out of th.Huodaud bUuy.
, | of unrrquitcd toll. ln Iirn times, i0i
! the building 81 forts and towers, the in
q habiianH ul lspahan bel io contribute
q 10000 human skulls. unl lilgllnd uD,ON
!. human skulls, and thHi l1mutf oi poo
o Pic were slain 10 ~ ~ furnish ug skulls
10 liut these two Contribution aadcd 70
d gcthor made only ignul skulls, while
/. Into the tower of iho v0.ds wealth aud
4, pomp and magnih...U hayo. bc,t
:. wrought the skeletons 90. Inrpunicd mum
II boni Of tho half ied lulil9ns oi TIE
4 earth, millions Of aku.la
IL Don't ait down at your aNIg WIN hye %
six courses oi abundant npp.y ana thinl
nothing oi that family In ihe next stree
-, Who would take any oio Of thc,o nv
/" courses between soup al almond nuu
. aud feel thuy wero In hes "n. inc lael
ID Of the right kind Of fool q the cause o.
II much Of tho drunkonnos Aii,t uf,hh
* Ing what many of our gfDFn cNl oohoo
4. sNeotcned with what many cay sugar.
ri and eating what many Of iuf butchers eal ll
IL meat, and chewing Wilt many, W Vu
o. bakers call bread, ma1y Of '.' 'aD0''H'