Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-05-18

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| would be dead failure. II would be
! dreadful sentence IL our race were doomed
| to remain here a thousand winters ard
| thousand summers. God keeps US here ius
| long enough to give US an appetite fol
! heaven. Had we been born in ceIestia
realms we would not be able to appreciate
| the bliss. 1t needs good many rough blasts
in this world to qualify US to properly esti
! mate the superb climate of that good land
| whore ii Is never too cold or too hot. toe
| 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 disappointed. so you may we'll take ray
teXt out of the minor key and set II to some
tune in the major key. zone genera
ton passeth away, and another generation
cOmGth."
Nothing can rob us of the satisfaction that
uncOunted thousands Of the generation Just
past were converted, comforted and har-
vested for heaven by this church, whether
in the present building or the three preced-
ing buildings in which they worshiped. The
two great organs of the previous churches
went down in the memorable fires, but the
multitudnous songs they led year after year
were not recalled or injured. There is no
power in earth or hell to kill q halleluiah.
It is impossible to arrest a hosanna. What a
satisfaction to know that there are many
thousands in glory on whose eternal well
fare this church wrought nightly! Moth
ing can undo that work. They have ascend
ed the multitudes who served God In that
generation. That chapter ts glorioL5ly
ended. But that generation has left its i'm
preston upon this generation.
sailor was dying on shtpboard, and he
said to his mates "My lads, I can only
think of one passage of Scripture, THE soul
that sinneth, it shall die,' and that keeps
ringing in my ears. The soul that sinneth,
1t shall die Can't you think Of something
else in the Bible to cheer me up?" Well.
sailors are kind, and they tried to think of
some other passage Of Scripture with which
to console their dying comrade, but they
could not. One of them said: "Let US call
up the cabin boy. His mother was a Chris
tian, and guess he has Bible" The cabin
boy was called up, and the dying sailor
asked him If he had a Bible. He said eyes, "
but he could not exactly find II, and the dy-
ing sailor scolded him and said, "Ain't you
ashamed of yourself not to read your Bible?'
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 sailor's case, ''The blood of Jesus
Christ, His Son, cleanseth from all sin"
That helped the sailor to die IN peace So
one generation helps another, and gool
things written or said or done arc repro
duced long afterward.
During the passing Of the last generation
some peculiar events have unfolded. One
day while resting at Sharon Springs, N. Y,
tlement in Brooklyn, and while walking in
the park Of that place, I found myself asking
the question. 'I wonder If there Is any
special mission for me to execute In this
world? If there is. may God show it to mo p
There soon came upon me great desire to
preach the gospel through the secular print
ing press. 1 realized that the vast majority
or people, even il Christian lands, never
enter a church, Gnd that it would be an op-
portunity of usefulness infinite if that door
OF publication were opened.
And 50 L recorded that prayer in q blank
book and offered the prayer day iE and day
out until the answer came, though in q way
different from mat which I had expected,
for it came through the Misrepresentation
ana persecution of enemies, and | have to
record it for the encouragement of all minis
terS of the gospel who are mtsrepresented,
that if the misrepresentation be vIrulent
enough and bitter enough and continuous
enough there is nothing that 50 Widens ones
field of usefulness as hostile attack, if you
are really doing the Lords work. The
bigger the lie told about ne, the big
ger the demand to see and hear what really
was doing. From one stage of sermonio
publication to another the work has gone on
until week by week, and for twenty-three
years, have had the world for my audience,
as no man ever had, AMI to-day more so
than at any other time. The syndicateS in
form me that my sermons go now to abou:
25 1000, 900 of people in all lands. mention
thus not in vain boast, but as a testimony to
the fact that God answers prayer. WOuIt
Go l had better occupied the field and been
moro consecrated to the work. May God
forgive me for lack of service in the past and
double and quadruple and quintuple my
work IN future.
In this my quarter century sermon re-
cord the fact that side by side with the pro-
cessiOn of blessings have gone procession
OF disasters. I am preaching to-day In the
fourth church building since began work in
this city. Ny first sermon was in the old
church on Schermerhorn street to an audi
ence chiefly of empty seats, for the church
was almost extinguished. That church filled
and overfoWing, we built larger church,
which after two or three years Disappeared
in flame. Then we built another church,
which also in a line of fiery succession dis
appeared in the same way. Then we put up
this building, and may it stand for many
years, fortress of righteousness and q
lighthouse for the storm tossed, its gates
crowded with vast asse'nblages long after we
have ceased to frequent them!
We have raised in this church over ST.
O3O, 900 for church charitable purposes dur
ing the present pastorate, while we have
given, free of all expense, the gospel to hun
dredS Of thousands of strangers, year bv
year. 1 record with gratitude to God that
during this generation OF twenty-five years |
remember but two Sabbaths that | have
missed service llk0 physical
indispositions. Almost a fanatic on the sub
iect of physical exercise, have made tho
parks with which our city is blessed the
means of good physical condition. A daily
walk and run in the open air have kept mo
ready for work and in good humor with all
the world. say to all young ministers Of
the gospel, it is easier to keep good health
than to regain 1t when once lost. The reason
50 many good men think the world is going
to ruin 1s because their own physical con-
dition is on the down grade. No man ought
to preach who has diseased liver or an en-
larged spleen. There are two things ahoad
Of us that ought to keep US cheerful in our
work-heaven and the millennium.
And now, having come up to the twenty
fifth milestone IN my pastorate, l wonder
how many more miles am to travel? Your
company has been exceedingly pleasant, o
my dear people, and would like to march
uy your side until the generation with whom
we are now moving abreast and step to stop
snail have stacked arms after tho last battle.
But the Lord knows best, and We ought to
be willing to stay or go.
Most of you are aware that 1 propose at
this time, between the close Of my twenty
filth year of pastorate and before the begin
ming of my twenty-siXth year, to be absent
for "a few months in order to take q journey
around the world. I expect to sail from San
Francisco in the steamer Alameda May 81.
Nv place here on Sabbaths will be fully oc-
cupied, while on Mondays and every Monday
l Will continue to speak through the printing
press in this and other lands as heretofore.
Why do go? To make pastoral visitation
among people I have never seen, but to
whom have been permitted a long while to
administer. 1 want to see them in their own
cities, towns and neighborhoois. I want to
know what are their prosperities, what thor
advcrsities and what their opportunities, and
so enlarge my work and get more adapted
ness. Why do go2 For educational pur
poses. Iwant to freshen my mind and heart
by new scenes, new faces, new manners and
customs. I want better to understand what
are the wrongs to be rishted and the waste
places to be reclaimed. I will put all learn
in sermons to be preached to you when re-
not so much in the light of modern politics
as in the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ
which has transformed them. and Samoa