Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-05-05

have no worldly ambition. L nave au az
consuming ambition to make full PROOF u
my ministry, to get to heaven myseLl an
to take great crowi with me. upon ~,
table and cradle and armchair ana pun"
and lounge and nursery and drawing rov -
and kitchen may the blessing VI '"'
Almighty God come down!
During these "a years there Is naruly
family that has not been invaded by sorro"
or death. Where are those grand, old men;
those glorious Christian women. VINO useo
to worship with us9 Why, they went away
into the next world so gradually that tney
had concluded the second stanza or tne
third stanzi in heaven before you knew tney
were gone. They had on the crown before
you thought they had dropped the stan OF
the earthly pilgrimage.
And then the dear children. w, no"
many have gone out Of this church! You
could not keep them. You folded them in
your arms aud said: 80 God, L cannot
give them upl Take all else, take my prop
erty, take my reputation, but let ms keep
this treasure. Lord, cannot bear TINS:
Oh, if we could all die together TX we
could keep all thu sheep and the lambs of
the family fold together until some bright
spring day, the birds a-chant, and the
waters a-glittsr, and then we could alto
gether hear the voice Of t le good Shepherd
and hand in hand pass through the hoodi
No. no. no. mol Uh, II we only had notice
that we are all to depart together, AMI we
could say to our families: "The time has
come. The Lord bids us away" AMI then
we could take our little children to their
beds AMI straighted out their limbs and say:
'Now sleep the last sleep. Good night IN.
til it is good morning" Ana tnen we coulu
10 to our own couches and say: NOW,
altogether we are ready to CO.. Our chill
lren are gone; nov let us depart"
the midnight. 1t may be in the winter and
in the snow coming down twenty inches
deep over our grave. 1t may be III the
strange hotel and our arm too weak to pull
the bell for help. 1t may be so suddenly we
have no time even to say goodby. Deatn Is
q bitter, crushing. tremendous curse.
play you three tunes on the gospel harp
OF comfort. weeping may endure Tor a
night, but JOY cometn in the morning"
That is one. 'All things work together ior
good to those who love God" That Is the
second. "And the Lamb which Is In the
midst Of the throne shall lead them to llv-
ing fountains OF water, and God shall wlps
ali tears IRON their eye'." That Is the
thirI. During these 81 years have tried
as far as could By argument by llustra-
ton and by caricature TO fill you with dis
gust with much of this mo1ern religion
which people are trying now to substitute
for the religion of Jesus Christ and the .rehg-
ion of the apostles.
have tried to persuade you that the worst
of all can't is the can't OF skepticlsm, and in-
stead of your apologizing for Christianity
it was high time that those who do not DE-
lieve in Christianity should apologize 10 you,
AMI have tried to show that the blggesG
Williams in tue universe are those VINO would
try to rob us Of this Bible, and that the
qrandest mission OF the church OF Jesus
Christ is that of bringing souls to the Lord
"a soul saving church.
But now those years ara gone. 1t you
have neglected your duty, II L nave neg
lected my duty, 1T IS neglected forever
Each year has its WORK II the WORK Is
performed within the II months. 1t Is done
forever. II neglected, it is neglected for
lever.
When a woman was dying she said
"Call them back" They did not know
what she meant. She had been disciple
of the world. She said, "Oh call then
backr' They sail, "Who do you want u:
to call backY "Oh," she said, ''call them
back the days, the months, the years have
wasted. Call them backp' But you canuo
call them back; you cannot call year back
or month back, or week back. or an hour
back. or second back Gone once, it II
gone forever.
When a great battle was raging, a mes
senger came up aud said to the general. who
was talking with an officer, General, we
have taken standard from the enemy"
The general kept right on conversng with
his fellow officer, and the messenger said
again, General. we have taken standard
from the enemy" Still the general KEEP
right On, and the messenger lost mis- patience,
not having his message seemingly apprecia
ted, and said again, General, we have taker
Ia standard from the enemy" The genera
then looked at him and said, Take another
| Ah, forgetting the things that are behind
! let US look to those that ara before. VIII
another castlei take another standard; gaiT
another victory.
Roll on, sweet day Of the worlds enamel.
nation, when ''the mountains and the hill
Shall break forth into singing, and all thu
trees of the wood shall clap their hands
and instead of the thorn shall come up th
fir tree, and instead of the brier will conn
up the myrtle tree, AMI it shall be unto tn
Lord for name, for an everlasting s1gr
that cannot be cut off"