The Globe-republican., 1893-04-28
pei is good. the more that get it the

some sudden illnesS or casualty, be
snatched away before have the oppor-
tunity of doing So. | take this occa-
sion to declare my love for You rs peo-
pie. 1t is different work ii pastor Is
placed in church already built up.
and ne is surrounded by esta blished
circumstances There are not ten
people in this church who have not been
brought in the church through my nm
istry. You are my family. l feel as
much at home here AS do in my home
on Oxford street.
Your present and everlasting welfare
is the object of my ambition | have
no worldly ambition. l had once.
have not now. know the world about
as well as any one knows it. | have
heard the handclapping of its applause.
and have heard the hiss of its opposi-
tion. and l declare to you the former is
not especially to be sought for. nor is
the latter to be feared. The world has
given me about all the comfort and
prosperity it can give Il man. and have
no worldly ambition. l have an all
consuming ambition to make full proof
of my ministry. to get to Heaven my
self. and to take a great crowd with
me.
During these twentyfour years there
is hardly family that has not been in
vaded by sorrow or death. Where are
those grand old men. those glorious
Christian women who used To worship
with us? Why. they went away into
| the next world SO gradually that they
had concluded the second stanza or the
third stanza in Heaven before you
knew they were gone. They had on
the crown before You thought they had
dropped the staff of the earthly pill
| grimage.
And then the dear children. q. how
many have gone out of this church.
| You could not keep them. You folded
| them in Your arms and said: 20. God,
cannot give them up. Take all else,
take my property. take my reputation,
| but let me keep this treasure. Lord.
cannot bear this.
Oh, if we could all die together. if
we could keep all the sheep and the
lambs of the family fold together until
some bright spring day. the birds
achant and the waters a%litter. and
| then we could all together hear
| the. voice of the good Shepherd.
and hand in hand pass through
| the flood. No. no, no. no. o. II we
only had notice that we are all To de
part together. and we could say To our
families: The time has come; the
Lord bids us away" And then we
could take our little children to their
beds. and straighten out their limbs
and say: Now. sleep the last sleep.
| Good night until it is good morning"
| And then we could 20 to our own
couches and say: Now, altogether we
are ready to go. Our children are gone,
now let us depart. No. no. 1t is one
by one 1t may be in the midnight. 1t
may be in the winter, and in the snow
coming down twenty inches deep over
our grave. 1t may be in 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 good-by.
Death is a bitter, crushing. tremendous
curse.
play you three tunes on the gospel
Harp of comfort. Weeping may en-
dure for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning. That is one. ''All things
work together for 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 living foun-
tains of water. and God shall wipe all
tears from their eyes. That Is the
third During these twenty-four years
have tried>as far as could by argu-
ment. by illustration and by carica-
ture. to fill YOU with disgust with
much of this modern religion
which people are trying now to
| substitute for the religion of Jesus
Christ and the religion of the apostles.
| have tried to persuade you that the
worst of all cant is the cant of skepti-
cisIn, and instead of your apologizing
for Christianity, it was high time that
those who do not believe in Christian
ity should apologize to you, and have
tried to show that the biggest villains
in the universe are those who would
try to rob us of this Bible, and that the
prandest mission of the church of
Jesus Christ is that of bringing souls to
the Lord-a sOul-saving church.
But now those years are gone. IL you
have neglected your duty. if have neg
lected my duty, it is neglected forever.
Each year has its work. If the work is
performed within the twelve months,
it is done forever. If neglected. it Is
ne elected forever.
When a woman was dying, she said:
Call them back" They did not know
what she meant. She had been dis
ciple of the world She said: ''Oh, call
them back They said: .'Whodo you
want us to call back?'' ''Oh, she said,
..call them back. the days. the months.
| the wears l have wasted. Call them
: back" But you cannot call them back;
you cannot call a year back. or month
back or a week back, or an hour back,
or a second back. Gone once, it is gone
forever.
} When a great battle was raging, a
| messenger came up and said to the gen
. eral. who was talking with an officer:
General, we have taken standard
} from the enemy" The general Kept
right on conversing with his fell
low w-officer. and the messenger
: said again General. we have
a