The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-02-27

| cannot STOP Ihey cannot StOp. we GnluA
friend. let US stop and discuss this subject
but we do not stop. The year does not
stop, the day does not stop, the hour does not
STOP The year is great wheel and there is
a band on that wheel that keeps it revolv-
ing, and as that wheel turns. it turns three
hundred and sixty-five smaller wheels. which
are the days and then each Of these three
hundred and sixty-five wheels turn twenty.
four smaller wheels, which are the hours, and
these twenty-four smaller wheels turn sixty
smaller wheels, which are the min
utes, and these sixty smaller wheels turn
sixty more smaller wheels, which are the
seconds. and they keep rolling, rolling, roll,
ing. mounting, mounting, mounting, and
God! if our generation is going like
that and we are going with them,
waken us to the short but tremendous
opportunity. I confess to you that my
one wish is to serve this generation, not to
antagonize it not to damage it, not to rule IL,
but to serve it. would like to do something
toward helping unstrap its load, to stop its
tear, to balsam its wounds and to induce it
to put foot on the upward road that has
at its terminus acc 'amation rapturous
and gates pearline, and garlands amaranth-
inc and fountains rainbowed and domlnlons
enthroned and coroneted, for cannot forget
that lullaby in the closing words of my text:
David, after he had served his own genera
sion 10y the will of God, fell on sleep"
And what lovely sleep it wasl Unflial
Absalom did not trouble it. Ambitious Ado.
niah did not worry it. Prosecuting Saul
did not harrow it. Exile did not fill it with
nightmare Since red headed boy amid
his fathers focks at night, he had not had
of age he lay down to it. He has had
many troubled Sleep as in the oaverns
of Adullam or in the palace at
the time his enemies were attempting his
capture But this was a peaceful sleep, a
calm Sleep a restful sleep, glorious sleep;
After he served his generation by the aI WI
thing is sleep after hard days work, Il
takes all the aching out Of the head and all
the weariness out Of the limbs and all the
smarting out of the eyes. From it we risein
the morning and it is new world. And If
we, like David, serve our, genera
most desirable and refreshing sleep: In it
will vanish our last fatigue Of body, our
last worriment of mind, our last sorrow Of
soul. To tho Christians body that was hot
with raging fever5 so that the attendants
must by sheer force keep on the blankets,
it will be the cool sleep. To those who
are thin blooded and shivering with
agues, it will be the warm sleep. 10
those who, because OF physical disorders,
were terrified with night visions, it
will be the dreamless sleep To nurses and
doctors and mothers who were wakened al.
most every hour Of the night by those to
whom they minlstered, or over whom they
watched, it will be the undisturbed sleep.
To those who could not get to bed till late at
NIGHT and must rise early in the morning
AMI before getting rested, it will be the long
sleep.
Away with all your gloomy talk about de-.
parture from this world. If we have served
cur generation 1t will not be putting out into
the breakers, it will not be the fight with the
A friend writing me from Illinois says
that Rev. Dr. Wingate. President of
Wake Forest College. North Carolina,
after q most useful life, found his last
day on earth his happiest day, and
that in his last moments he seemed to be per-
sonally talking with Christ, as friend with
friend, saying: "Oh, how delightful it is.
knew You would be with me when the time
came, and / knew it would be sweet. but !
did not know it would be as sweet as it Is"
The fact was he had served his generation in
the gospel ministry, and by the will Of God he
fell on sleep. When in Africa, Majwara, the
servant, looked into the tent Of David Liv-
ingstone and found him on his knees, he
stepped back, not wishing to disturb him In
prayer. and some time after went IN and
FOUND him in the same posture, and stepped
back again, but after While went IN and
touched him, and 10! the great traveller had
finished his last journey and he had
died in the grandest and mightlest
posture a man ever takes-on his knoes. he
had served his generation by unrolling the
scroll of continent, and by the will OF Goa
fell Oh sleep. Grimshaw, the evangelist,
when asked how he felt in his last moments,
responded: GAS happy as can be on earth
and as sure of glory as if were in it: nave
nothing to do but to step out Of this bed into
heaven" Having servel his generation in
successful evangelism by the will OF God ne
fell on sleep.
In the museum of Greenwich Hospital,
England, there is fragment of book that
was found in the Arctic regions am d the
relics of Sr John Franklin, who had per:
shed amid the snow and ice, and the leaf
of that piece OF book was turned down at
the words: when thou passest through the
waters l will be with thee" Having served
his generation III the cause OF science and
discovery Ivy the will of God, he fell on
sleep.
Why will you keep US all so nervous talk:
ing about that which is only a dcrmitory and
pillowed slumber, canopled by angels
WINGS Sleep! Transporting sleep And
what glorious awakening You and have
sometimes been thoroughly bewildered after
a long and fatiguing journey we have
stopped at friends house for the night and
after hours OF complete Inconsistencies we
have opened our eyes, the high risen sun full
in our faces, and, before We could fully col
lect our faculties, have said: "Where am l,
whose house is this. and whose are these gar
dens9" And then it has flashed upon us in
glad reality. And l should not wonder IL,
after we have served our generation and, by
the will of God, have fallen on sleep, the
deep sleep. the restf9l sleep, we
should awake in blissful bewilderment
o,l u,Iilo kWha
am 1! What palace is this' Who hung
this uphosteryl What fountains
are these tossing in the light! Why. this looks
like heaven! 1t is. 1t is. Why, there is a
building grander than all the castles of earth
heaved into a mountain Of splendor, that
must be the palace Of Jesus And, look
there, those walks lined with foliage moro
and see those who are walking down those
aisles OF verdure. From what l have
heard Of them, those two arm III arm
must be Moses and Joshua, him Of Mount
Sinai and him of the haIting sun over A:;aion.
And those two walking arm in arm must be
John and Paul, the one 80 gentle and the
other so mighty. And those two with the
robes as brilliant as though made out OF the
cooled off flames of martyrdom, must be
John Huss and Hugh Latimer.
But l must not look any longer at those
gardens Of beauty, but examine this building ]
in which have Just awakened. look ou.
of the window this way and that and up and
down, and l find it is mansion OF immense
size in which l am stopping. All its
windows of agate and its colonnades Of
porphyry and alabaster. Why Won
der if this is not the house Of
''many mansions of which l used to
read2 1t Is, it is. There must be many Of
my kindred and friends in this very man
sion. Hark! Whose are those voices, whose
are those bounding feet' l open the doar and