The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-05-23

tent of the present to be made to Christ az
spoken OF In the Psalms, "Ask OF me, and 7
shall give thee the heather for thine inhee-
tanee and the uttermoH parts OF the earth
for thy possession" and 50 shall be ready
to celebrate In heaven the victories Of Christ
In more rapturous song than I could have
rendered had never seen the heathen
denominations before they were conquered
And so hope to come back refreshed, re-
enforced ar d better equipped. and to do In
ten years more effectual work than I have
done In the last twenty-five .-.
And now, In this twenty-ffth anniversary
sermon, propose to do two things-frst, to
put g garland on the grave OF the genera
tion that has Just passed of and then to put
palm branch In the hand Of the generation
Just now coming on the field Of action, for
my text Is true, "One generation passeth
away, and another generation cometh." Oh,
how many we revered and honored and loved
In the last generation that quit the earth!
Tears fell at the time OF their going, and
dirges were sounded, and signals OF mourn
ing were put on, but neither tears nor dirge
nor somber veil told the half we felt. Their
going left vacancy In our souls that has
never been filled up. We never get used to
their absence. There are times when the
sight Of something with which they were as
sociated-a picture, or book, or garment,
or staf-breaks US down with emotion, but
we bear 1t simply because we have to bear It.
oh, how snow white their hair got, and how
the wrinkles multiplied. and the sight grew
more dim, and the hearing less alert, and the
step more frail. and one day they were gone
out OF the chair by the freside, and from the
plate at the meal, and from the end OF the
church pew, where they worshiped with us.
Oh, my soul, how we miss them! But let Us
console each other with the thought that we
49, H., IT, - 1o,I - oo11
ton and reunion.
And now twist q garland for that de-
parted generation. It need not be costly,
perhaps, Just handful OF clover blossoms
from the field through which they used to
walk, or as many Nolets as you could hold
between the thumb and the foreanger,
plucked out OF the garden where they used
to walk In the cool OF the day. Put these OLD
fashioned flowers right down over the heart
that never again will ache, and the feet thar
viii never again be weary, and the arm that
has forever ceased to toll. Peace, fathert
Peace, mother! Everlasting peace! All that
for the generation gone.
But what shall we do with the palm
branch2 That we will put In the hand OF the
generation coming on. Yours Is to De the
generation for victories. The last and the
present generation have been perfecting the
steam power, and the electric Light, and the
610CCrlC IOEC6S. 10 C1c5o Will no oOuoo lhoi&S-
portation. It will be your mission to use
all these forces. Everything Is ready Tor you
to march right up and take this world for
God and heaven. Get your heart right by
repentance and the pardoning grace OF the
Lord Jesus, and your mind right by elevat-
ing books and pictures. and your body right
BY gymnasium and field exercise, and
plenty OF ozone and by looking as often as
you can upon the face Of mountain and OF
sea. Then start ! In Gods name, start And
here Is the palm branch From conquest to
conquest, move right on and right up. You
will soon have the whole field for your
self. Before another twenty-five years have
gone, we I'll be out of the pulpits. and tha
offices, and the stores, and the factories, and
the benevolent institutions, and you will
be at the front. Forward into the battle Il
God be for you, who can be against your
"He that spared not His own Son, but detv-
cred Him up for us all. how shall he not
with Him also freely give Us all thingsT
And, as for US who are now at the front,
having put the garland on the grave OF the
last generation, and having put the palm
branch In the hand Of the coming genera
tion, we will cheer each other In the remain
ing onsets and go into the shining gate
somewhere about the same time, and greeted
by the generation that has preceded as we
will have to wait only a little while to greet
the generation that will come otter US. And
will not that be glorious? Three generations
In heaven together-the grandfather, the
son and the grandson the grandmother, the
daughter and the granddaughter. And SO
with wider range and keener faculty we
shall realize the full significance Of the text,
"One generation passeth away, and anotner
oarofioo onmafh "