The Progress., 1894-05-12


on Schermerhorn street, tOan audience .
chiefly of empty seats for the church
was almost eXtinguished. That .
church filled and overlooking, we butt .
a larger church, which after two or
three years disappeared in flame, .
Then we built another church, which .
also in a line of frey succession, dis
appeared in the same way. Then we .
put up this building, and may it .
stand for many years, a fortress OF .
righteousness and a lighthouse 70" +.
the storm tossed its gates crowded .
with vast assemblages long after we
have ceased to frequent them.
We have raised in this church over
one million and thirty thousand dol |
lars for church charitable purposes
during the present pastorate, while
we have given, free Of all expense. the
gospel to hundreds Of thousands of
strangers, year by year | record
with gratitude to God that during this
generation of twenty-five years. | re-
member but two SabbathS that have
missed service through anything like
physical indisposjtion. Almost
fanatic on the subject of ply
steal exercise, | have made the
parks, with which our city is blessed.
the means of good physical con-
dition. A daily walk and run in the
open air have kept me ready for work
and ii good humor with all the world.
say to all young ministers OF til"
gospel. it is easier to keep good health
than 10 regain it when once lost. The
reason 50 many good men think the
world is going to ruin is because their
own physical condition is on the down
grade 10 man ought to preach who
has a diseased liver, or an enlarged
spleen. : There are two things ahead
Of US that ought to keep us cheerful IN
our work, Heaven and Millennium.
And now, having come up to the
twenty fifth milestone in my pastor
ate, | wonder how many more miles
am to travel? Your company has
been exceedingly pleasant, o my dear
people, and | would like to march by
your side until the generation with
whom we are now moving abreast,
and step to step, shall have stacked
arms after the last battle But the
Lord knows best, and we ought to be
willing to stay or 90.
But this sermon IS not a dirge: it is
an anthem While this world is ap-
propriate as a temporary stay, as an
eternal residence it would be dead
failure 1t would be a dreadful sem
tenCe if our race were doomed to re-
main here a thousand winters and a
thousand summers God keeps us
here just long enough to give us an
appetite for heaven. Had we been
born in celestial realms, we would not
have been able to appreciate 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 those
supernal beings who were never
tempted, or sick, or bereaved, or tried,
or disappointed 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 satisfac
ton that uncounted thousands of the
generation just past were converted
comforted and harvested for HEAVIER
by this church, whether in the present
building, or the three preceding build
} ings in which they worshipped. The
two great organs of the previous
5 churches went down in the memorable
S fires, but the multitudinous song
l they led year after year were not re
} called or injured. There is no powe
in earth or hell to kill a hallelujah
7 1t is impossible to arrest a hosanna
: What a satisfaction to know tina
there are many thousands il
[ glory on whose eternal welfar
this church wrought nightly
, Nothing can undo that work
They have assembled, the multitude
t who served God in that generation
S That chapter is gloriously ended
t But that generation has left its i'm
q preston upon this generation.
: sailor was dying on shipboard and h
s said to his mates my lads | can onl
e think of one passage of scripture, TIL
4 soul that sinneth it shall de-" can
q you think of something else in tn
o bible to cheer me up?" Well, sailor
: are kind and they tried to think Q
j. some other passage of scriptur
with which to console their dyin
d comrade, but they could not On
q of them said, "Let us call up the cabi
boy His mother was a Christian
= and l guess he has Bible. " TIL
- cabin boy was called up aud the dy
~ ING sailor asked him if he had Bible
u He said, Yes" but he could not e2
% actly find it, and the dying sailC
4 scolded him, and said; "Aint 20
@ ashamed of yourself not to read yor
II Bible" SO the boy explored the DO
g tom of his trunk and brought cut til
Bible, and his mother had marked