Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-02-20

rimac shall have spun and woven it. An
here come forth the Rocky Mountain goa
and the cashmere and the beaver. Her
arc the merino sheep, their origin trace
back to the focks of Abrahamic an
Dsvidic times. Iu white letters of snow
fleece God has been writing for q thousaui
years bis wish that there might be wsrmtl
for all nations. While others are discuss
ing the eff-ct of high or low tariff or no tar
iff at all on wool, you and had better Sc
if in our wardrobes We have nothing tha
we can spare for the shivering, or pick ou
some poor lad of the street and take hin
down to a clothing store and fit him out 70
the winter. Don't think that God has for
gotten to send ice and snow, because of thi
wonderfully mild January and February
We shall yet have deep SHOWS and 80 mucl
frost on the window pane that in the morn
ing you cannot see through it; and Who'll,
hoeks of blizzards, for God long ago declar
ed that winter as we'll as 80 miner shall no
cease, and between this and the spring Gro
Gus we may all have reason to cry out will
the psalmist: "Who can stand before thi
cold?'
HOW MAY WE SERVE OUR GENERATION?
Again, let US look around aud see hov
we may serve our generation. Wha
short-sighted mortals we would be if W,
we're anxious to clothe and feed only the
most insignificant part of man, namely
lis body, while we put forth no effort t.
clothe and feed and save his soul. Time i,
a little piece broken off a great eternity
What are we doing for ths souls Of thil
present generation? Let me say it is g
generatian worth saving. Most magnificent
men and women are in 1t. Ws make 6
great ado about the improvements in navi
gation, and in locomotiop, and 10 art and
machinery. We remark what wonders oil
telegraph and telephone, aud stethoscope.
What improvement is electric light over a
tallow candlel But all these improvements
are Insignificant compared with the i'm
provement in the human race. In oldep
times, once in awhile,a great and good man
or woman would come up aud the world
has made great fuss about it ever since,
but now they are so numerous We scarcely
speak about them. We put halo about
the people of the past but l think if the
times demanded them it would be found we
have now living in this year 1889 fifty Mar
tin Luthers, fifty George Washingeons. e fty
Lady Huutingtons. fifty Elizabeth Frys.
During our civil war more splendid var
riors is North and South we're developed in
four years than the whole world developed
in the previous twenty years. I challenge
the four thousand years before the Fl Dod
and the eighteen centuries after the flood,
TO show me the equal of charity on a large
scale of George Peabody. This generation
of men and women is more worth saving
than any of the one hundred aud eight ty
generations that have passed off.
But where shall we begin? With our
selves. That is the pillar from which we
must start. Prescott, the blind historian,
tells US how P,zz4rro saved his army for
the right when they were about deserting
him. With his sword he mads a long
mark on the ground. He said 'My men,
Dn the north side are desertion and death,
On the south side is victory on the north
side, Panama and poverty; on the south
side, Peru with all it's riches. Choose for
yourselves; foI my part go to the south. >
Stepping across the line one by one, his
troops followed, and finally his whole army.
The s@ord Of Gods truth draws the 6ivi-
ling line to-day. On one side of it are sin
aud ruin aud death, on the other side are
pardon and usefulness and happiness and
heaven. You cross from the wrong side to
he right side and yonr family Will cross
With yo.. and your friends and your asso-
,iates. The way you go they will 60. IF
We are not saved. we will never save any
>ne else. How to get savedf Be willing
% accept Christ, and then accept him in.
and forever. Get on the
Rock first and then you will be able to hclp
,thers upon the same Rock. Men and
women have been saved quicker than l
,ave been talking about it. What, with
,dt prayer? Yes. What, without tims
to think ir over? Yes. What,
Without tear? Yes, believe That is all.
Believe whato That Jesus died to save
7ou from sin and death aid hell. Will you.
Do you? You have. Something makes me
hink you have. New light has come into
,our countenances. Welcome Welcome
4ail Hail! Saved yourselves, how are you
,oing to save others? By testimony. Tell
t to your family. Tell it to your business
associates. Tell it everywhere. We will
preach no more religion aud
will successfully talk no more religion than
We ourselves have.
BEHAVE WELL YOURSELVES.
The most of that which you do to bene-
1t the souls of this generation, you will eff
ect through your own behavior. Go wrong,
md that will induce others TO 60 wrong
70 right. and that will induce others to go
light. When the great centennial exhi-
,ltion was being held in Philadelphia, the
question came up among the directors as to
" whether they could keep the exposition
open on Sundays, when a director, who
vas q man of the world, from Nevada,
arose and said, his voice bling with
emotion and tears running down his cheeks:
ii feel like a returned prodigal. Twenty
yeArs ago l went West and INTO region
where we had no Sabbath, but to-day old
memories come back to me, and | remem-
ber what my glorified mother taught me
about keeping Sunday, and | seem to hear
her voice again and l feel as | did whea
every evening | knelt by her side in prayer.
Gentlemen, vote for the observance of the
Christian Sabbath" And he carried every
Thing by storm, and when the question wa.
put, s'Shall we open the exnlb bition on Sab
bath?" it was almost unanimous, mo, !"
''No" What one man can do if be does
right boldly right, emphatically right.
What if we could get this whole genera
ton saved! These people who are living
with US the same year and amid the same
events and flying toward the
future swifter than eagles to Jh ir prey
We canuo' stop. We think we can stop
We say, "Come now, my friend, let US stop
and discuss this subjecf," 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 band on that
wheel that keeps it revolving, and as that
wheel turns. ir turns three hundred and
sixty five smaller wheels, which are the
days, and then each of these three hundred
aud sixts-fve wheels turn twenty four
smaller wheels, which are the hours, and
these twenty four smaller wheels turn
sixty smaller wheels which are the minutes,
aud these slxty smaller wheels turn sixty
moie smaller wheels, which are tue
and they keep rolling, rolling,
rolling, mounting, mounting, mounting,
mounting, and switching, swiftening,
swlfteniDg. On, Cool if our generation is
going like that aud we are going with
nem, waken Us to the short but tiemen-
dous opportunity. | confess to you that
my one wish is to serve this generation,
not to antagonize it, not to damage it, not
to rule i6, but to serve it. | would like to
do something toward helping unstrap its
load, to stop Its tears, to basam its wounds
and to induce it to put foot on the up~ard
T lad that has at its terminus acclamatiou