Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1889-03-01

with us the same year and amid the same
stupendous events and flying toward the fu-
ture swifter than eagles to their prey. We
cannot stop. They cannot stop. We think
we can stop. We say, Come now, my
friend, let US stop and discuss t5s subject,
but we do not stop The year does not
stop, the day does not stop, the hour does not
stop. The year Is q great wheel and there IS
band on that wheel that keeps it revolv-
ing, and as that wheel turns, it turns three
hundred and sixty-i 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, aud they keep rolling, rolling, roll
ing, mounting, mounting, mounting, and
switching, switching, switching. Oh,
Godl IL our generation is going like
that and we are going with them,
waken us to the short but tremendous
opportunity. l confess to you that my
one wish is to serve this generation, not to
antagonize it not to damage it. not to rule it,
but to serve it. 1 would like to do something
toward helping unstrap its load, to stop its
tear, to balsam its wounds and to induce 1t
to put foot on the upward road that has
at its terminus, acclamation rapturous
and gates pearline, and garlands amaranth-
lie anu TdllSOWtu anu
enthroned and coroneted, for cannot forget
! that lullaby in the closing words of my text:
"David after he had served his own genera
ton by the will of God fell on sleep"
And what lovely sleep it wasl Unf1iaI
Absalom did not trouble it. Ambitious Ado
nijah did not worry it, Prosecuting Saul
did not harrow it, Exile did not fill it with
nightmare Since red headed boy amid
his fathers locks at night, he had not had
such a good sleep. At seventy years
of age he lay down to it. He has had
many a troubled sleep, as in the caverns
of Adullam or in the palace at
the time his enemies were attempting his
capture. But this was a peaceful sleep, a
calm sleep, restful sleep, glorious sleep.
after he served his generation by the will
of God, he fell on sleep" Oh, what good
thing is sleep after a hard days work. It
takes all the aching out of the head al uIi
the WEAKNESS out of the limbs and all the
smarting out of the eyes, From it we rise in
the morning and it is a new world. And if
we, like David, serve our genera
ton, we will at life's close have
most desira lie and refreshing sleep. In it
will vanish our last fatigue of body, our
last worriment of mind, our last sorrow of
soul. To the Christians body that was hot
with raging fevers so that the attendants
must by sheer force keep on the blankets,
it will be the cool sleep. To those who
are thin booded and shivering with
agues it will be the warm sleep To
those who, because of physical disorders,
were terrified with night visions, it
will be the dreamless sleep. To nurses and
doc'o rs and mothers who were Weakened 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
and 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
our generation it will not be putting out into
the breakers it will not be the fight with the
King Of Terrors; it will be going to sleep.
A friend writing me from Illinois says
that Rev. DR.. Wingate. President Of
Wake Forest College, North Carolina,
after 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, saving: ooh, how delightful it is
knew You would be with me when the time
came and I knew it would he sweat, but
did not kGcw 1t would be as sweet a. l. ia. y
g fn.U 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 a while went in and
touched him, and lol the great traveller had
finished his last journey and he had
died in the grandest and mightiest
posture a man ever takes-on his knees He
had served his generation by unrolling the
scroll of continent, and by the will OF God
fell on sleep. Grimshaw, the evangelist
when asked how he felt in his last moments
! &, A. L, I Ia an t,th
and as sure Of glory ss if were in it. have
nothing to do but to step out Of this bed into
heaven" Having served his generation in
successful evangelism by the will OF God, he
fell on sleep.
In the museum of Greenwich Hospital,
England, there is a fragment of book that
was found in the Arctic regions amid the
relics of Sir John Franklin, who had per-
i6hed 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 | will be with thee" Having served
his generation in the cause OF science and
discovery by the will of God, he fell on
sleep.
Why will you keep us all so nervous talk
| ing about that which is only dormitory and
a pllowed slumber, canopled by angels
wings Sleep Transporting sleep And
what glorious awakening You and have
sometimes been thoroughly bewildered after
long and fatiguing journey we nave
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
densP And then it has flashed upon us in
glad reality. And | should not wonder if,
after we have served our generation and, by
the will of God, have fallen on sleep, the
| ola
should awake in blissful bewilderment
and for a little while say: "Where
am II What palace is this' Who hung
this uphoIsteryi What fountains
arc 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 more
beautiful than anything l ever saw before,
and see those who are walking down those
aisles of verdure From what l have
heard of them, those two arm in arm
must be Moses and Joshua, him OF Mount
Sinai and him of the hating sun over Aialon.
And those two walking arm in arm must be
John and Paul, the one so 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 I have just awakened / look out
of the window this way and that and up and
down, and find it Is a mansion Of immense
size in which l am stopping All its
windows of agate and its colonnades of
porphyry and alabaster Why l won
der if this is not the house of
"many mansions of which l used to
read9 1t is, it is There must be many of
my kindred and friends in this very man
sion. Harkl whose are those voices whose
are those bounding feet9 | open the door and
see, and lo they are coming through all the
cnrridnrS aud M nd down oil tho our