The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-12-24
Methodist He looked fearfully white,

| Methodist He looked fearfully white,
| am told, as he stood in old Sands
Street Church, in Brooklyn. preaching
Christ and when he stood on the ami
versary platform in New York, pleading
for the B.A'e until unusual and un-
known glories rolled forth from that
book. When he was dying his pillow
was brushed with the wings OF the
angel from the skies, the messenger
that God sent down. Did John Sum-
fherfeld's sun set? Did John Summer
fields day end? OF no. He lives on
in his burning utteraDces in behalf OF
the Christian church.
Robert McCheyne was consumptive
Presbyterian. 1t was said when he
preached he coughed 80 1t seemed as II
he would never preach again. His name
is fragrant in all Christendom, that
name mightier to-day than was ever his
living presence. He lived to preach the
gospel Of Aberdeen, Edinburg and Dun
dee, but he went away very early. He
preached himself into the grave. Has
Robert McC Cheyne's sun set? Is Robert Nc
Cheyne's day ended? o, no. His sdying de-
lirium was filled with prayer, and whom
he lifted his hand to pronounce the
benediction upon his family, and the
benediction upon his iscountry, he seemed
to say: ~ can not die now, want to
live on and on. want to start an in
fuence Of the church that will never
cease. am only thirty years OF age.
Sun OF my Christian minister, stand
still over Scotland" And 1t stood still.
A long time ago there was Christian
woman very consecrated, and she had
drunken husband, and so on came the
night of domestic trouble. She lost her
children, and there came the night OF
bereavement. She was very i'll, and
there came the night Of sickness. Her
soul departed, and there came the night
OF death. But all these nights OF trou-
BILE, and sorrow, and sickness, we're IL
lumed by the grace Of the gospel; and
people came many miles to see
how cheerfully Christian could be
sick and how cheerfully a Christian
could die. The moon fhat ilumined
that night Of trouble was reflection
from the Sun OF righteousness. In the
last hour OF that night-that night OF
darkness and sickness and misfortune,
as she lifted her hand toward heaven,
those who stood nearest her pillow could
hear the whisper-for she wanted to live
on in the generations that were to fol-
low, consecrated to God; she wanted to
have an influence long after she had en-
tered upon her eternal reward and
while her'hand was lifted and her lips
were moving, those who stood nearesthe
pillow could hear her say, "rhou moon,
stand still in tho valley Of Ajalon."
But Joshua was not quite through.
There was time for FIVE funerals before
the sun Of that prolonged day set Who
will preach their funeral sermonP
Massillon preached the funeral sermon
over Louis XIV. Who will preach tho
funeral sermon OF those fve dead kings
King of Jerusalem, King Of Hebron,
King OF Jarmuth, King OF Lachish.
King Of Eglon? Let it be by Joshua.
What is his text? What shall be the
epitaph put on tho door Of the tombf
"There shall not any man be able to
stand before thee all the days OF thy
life."
But before you fasten up the door,
want five more kings beheaded and
thrust in: King Alcohol, King Fraud,
King Lust. King Superstition, King In
Hdelity. Let thom be beheaded and
hurl them in. Then fasten the doors
forever What shall the inscription and
what shall the epitaph be? For all
Christian philanthropists OF all ages are
going to come and look at it. What
shall the inscription be? "There shall
not any man be able to stand before
thee all the days Of thy life"
But II is time for Joshua to go home
He is a hundred and ten years old
Washington went down the Potomac
and Mt Mount Vernon closed his days
Wellington died peacefully at ApsleI
House. Now where shall Joshua rest
; Why, he is to have his greatest battle
now After hundred and ten years hC
I has to meet king. who has more sub
jects than all the present population o
the earth, his throne a pyramid o.
! skulls, his partcrro the graveyards ant
the cemeteries Of the world, his chario
the worlds hearse--the King Of Tor
rors. But II this IL Joshua's creates
battle. It Is going TO bo Joshua's great
est victory He gathers his friend,
around him and gives his valedictory
and IL is full Of reminiscence Young mer
tell what they are going TO do; old mer
tell what they have done. And as yot
have heard grandfather, or great
. grandfather seated by the evening fire
tell OF Monmouth or Yorktown and ther
lift the crutch or staff as though 1t wer,
q musket. TO fight and show how the ole
battles wore won-so Joshua gathers hi
friends around his dying couch, and ht
tells them the story Of what he has beer
through. and as he lies there, his white
! locks showing down on his wrinklet
forehead, wonder II God has kept Hi
promise all the way through. As he liei
there he tells the story one, two or three
times--you have heard old people tell I
story two or throo times overland hi
answers: ~ 20 the way OF the earth
and not ono word OF the promise
has failed, not one word thereof hai
failed; all has como 10 pass, not on,
word thereof has failed" And then b,
turns to his family, as n dying paren
will. and says: Choose now whom yot
will serve, tho God OF Israel, or the Goo
OF the Amoritea As for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord" A dy
ing parent can not be reckless OF
, thoughtless in regard to his children
Consent 10 part with them forever a
the door OF the tomb, we can not BY
tho cradle in which their infancy wal
rocked. by the bosom on which they
first lay. by the blood OF the covena I
by the God OF Joshua, 1t shall not be
We will not part we can not part. Je
/ a A-I. - l..