Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-05-10

the ages One minute after Adam got out
side Of paradise he was just like you, o
mani One step after Eve left the gate she
was Just like you, o womhnl All the faults
and vices are many times centenarians.
Yea, the cities Sodom, Gomorrah, Pom
peii, Herculhneum, Heliopolis and ancient
Memphis were as much worse than our
modern cities as you might expect from
the fact that the modern cities have some
what yielded to the restraints Of Christian
ity, while those ancient cities were not
limited in their denominations.
Born at the Right Time.
Yea, that generation which passed of
within the last 25 years had their bereave-
ments, their temptations, their struggles,
their disappointments, their successes,
their failures, their gladnesses and their
griefs, like these two generations now In
sight, that In advance and that following.
But the % years between 1869 and 1894
how much they sawl How much they
discovered! How much they feltl Within
that time have been performed the miracles
Of the telephone and the phonograph.
From the observatories other worlds have
been seen to heave in sight. Six presi-
dents Of the United States have been inau-
gurated. Transatlantic voyage abbreviat-
ed from 10 days to 511. Chicago and New
York, once three days apart, now only "a
hours by the vestibule limited. Two addi-
tional railroads have been built to the Pa
ciflc. France has passed from monarchy
to republicanism. Many of the cities have
nearly doubled their populations. During
that generation the chief surviving heroes
of the civil war have gone into the encamp-
ment of the grave. The chief physicians,
attorneys, orators, merchants, have passed
off the earth or are in retirement waiting
for transition. Other men in editorial
chairs, in pulpits in governors mansions,
in legislative senatorial and congressional
halls.
There are not 10 men or women on
the earth now prominent who were promi-
nent 25 years ago. The crew of this old
ship of world is all changed. Others at
the helm, others on the lookout" others
climbing the ratlines. Time is q doctor
who with potent anodyne has put an entire
generation into sound sleep. Time, like
another Crom we'll, has roughly proroCued
parliament and with iconoclasm driven
nearly all the rulers except one queen from
their high places. So far as 1 observed
that generation, for the most part they did
their best. CHASTITY exceptions, but so far
as knew them they did quite well, and
many of them gloriously well. They were
born at the right time, and they died at
the right time. They left the world better
than they found it. We are indebted to
them for the fact that they prepared the
way for our coming Eighteen hundred
and ninety-four reverently and gratefully
salutes 1869. lone generation passeth
away, and another generation cometh."
An Anthem.
There are fathers and mothers here
whom baptized in their infancy. There
Is not one person in this church's board of
session or trustees who was here when
came. Here and there in this vast assem-
bly, is one person who heard my opening
sermon in Brooklyn, but not more than
one person in every 500 now present. OF
the II persons who gave me a unanimous
call when came only three believe, are
living.
But this sermon Is not dirge. 1t is an
anthem. While this world is appropriate
as temporary stay, as an eternal resi-
dence it would be dead failure. Itwould
be a dreadful sentence if our race were
doomed to remain here 1000 winters and
1000 summers. God keeps us here ,ust
long enough to give us an appetite for
heaven. Had we been born in celestial
realms we would not have been able to ap-
preciate the bliss. 1t needs a good many
rough blasts in this world to qualify US to
properly estimate the superb climate of
| that good land where it is never too cold
| or too hot, too cloudy or too glaring
Heaven will be more to US than to those
supernal beings who were never tempted
or sick or bereaved or tried or disap-
pointed. So you may well take my text
out of the minor key and set it to some
tune In the major key, ''One generation
passeth away, and another generation
cometh."
Nothing can rob US of the satisfaction
| that uncounted thousands of the genera
| tion just past were converted, comforted
| and harvested for heaven by this church.
whether in the present building or the
three preceding buildings in which they
| worshiped. The two great organs of the
previous churches went down in the mem
orable fires but the multitudinous songs
| they led year after year were not recalled
| or injured. There is no power in earth or
| hell to kill halleluiah. 1t is impossible
| to arrest hosanna. What satisfaction
to know that there are many thousands in
glory on whose eternal welfare this church
wrought mightily Nothing can undo that
work. They have assembled, the multitudes
who served God in that generation. That
| chapter is gloriously ended. But that gen.
Grafton has left its impression upon this
generation.
A sailor was dying on shipboard, and he
said to his mates: MY lads, can only
think of one passage of Scripture, The
soul that sinneth, it shall die, and that
keeps ringing in my cars. THE soul that
sinneth, it shall die Can't you think of
something else III the Bible to cheer me
upf" Well, sailors are kind and they tried
to think of some other passage of Scripture
with which to console their dying COM
rade, but they could not. One of them
said: Let us call up the cabin boy. His
mother was Christian, and l guess he
has Bible" The cabin boy was called
up, and the dying sailor asked him if he
had o Bible. He said, Yes" But he
could not exactly find it, and the dying
sailor scolded him and said, "Ain't you
ashamed of yourself not to read your BIZ
ble?" So the boy explored the bottom OF
his trunk and brought out the Bible, and
his mother had marked a passage that
just fitted the dying sailors case, 1.-THE
blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth
from all sim" That helped the sailor tc
die in peace. So one generation helps an
other, and good things written or said OF
done are reproduced long afterward.
| Gods Answer to Prayer.
During the passing of the last genera,
tion some peculiar events have unfolded.
One day while resting at Sharon Springs,
N. VI think it was in 1870, the yea1
after my settlement in Brooklyn-and
while walking in the park of that place,
found myself asking the question: Il won.
der if there is any special mission for me
to execute in this worldS If there is,
may God show it to me-" There soon
came upon me great desire opreach the
gospel through the secular printing press.