Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-05-11

Tabernacle The figures in flowers
back of the platform, 1869 and 1894,
indicated Rev. DIR. Talmage's time of
coming to Brooklyn, and the present
celebration, and was Introductory to
the great meetings in honor of DIR.
Talmage's pastorate to take place on
the following Thursday and Friday,
presided over by the mayor of the city
and ex-secretary of the navy, Gen.
Tracy, and to be participated in by
senators and governors and prominent
men from north, south, east and west
The subject of the sermon to-day was
1.-THE Generations" the text being
Ecclesiastes l: 4: zone generation
passeth away, and another generation
cometh."
According to the longevity of people
in their particular century has gen.
Grafton been called hundred years,
or fifty years, or thirty years BY COM
mon consent in our nineteeth century,
generation is fixed at twenty-five
years
The largest procession that ever
moved is the procession of years, and
the greatest army that ever marched
Is the army of generations In each
generation there are about nine full
regiments of days These 9,125 days
in each generation march with won
derful precision. They never break
ranks They never ground arms.
They never pitch tents They never
halt They are never off on furlough
They came out of the eternity
past and they move on toward the
eternity fut-.e. They cross rivers
without any bridge or boats The six
hundred immortals of the Crimea
dashing into them cause no confusion.
They move as rapidly at midnight as
midnoon. THERE haversacks are full of
good bread and bitter aloes. clusters
of richest vintage and bottles of ago
nizing tears. With regular tread
that no order of double quick" can
hasten, or obstacle can slacken, their
tramp is on. and on, and on, and on,
while mountains crumble and pyra-
mids die. "One generation passeth,
and another generation cometh
This is my twenty fifth anniversary
sermon, 1869 and 1894. 1t is twenty
lyn pastorate A whole generation
has passed. Three generations we
have known: That which preceded our
own, that which is now at the front,
and the one coming on. We are at the
heels of our predecessors, and our sue
cessors are at our heels What a gem
Grafton it was that preceded us! We
who are now in the front regiment are
the only ones competent to tell the new
generation just now coming in sight
who our predecessors were. Biography
can not tell it Autobiography can not
tell it Biographies are generally writ
ten by special friends of the departed,
perhaps by wife, or son, or daughter,
and they only tell the good things. The
biographers of one of the first Presi-
dents of the United States make no
record of the Presidents account
books, now in archives at the capitol,
which have seen, telling how much
he lost or gained daily at the gaming
table The biographers of one of the
early secretaries of the United States
never described the scene that day
witnessed when the secretary was car
ried dead drunk from the state depart
ments to his own home. Autobiogra-
phv is written by the man himself, and
no one would record for future times
his own weaknesses and moral deficits
Those who keep diaries put down only
things that read we'll No man or
woman that ever lived would dare to
make full record of all the thoughts
and wo,tNN of life time. Wewho saw
and heard much of the generation
marching just ahead of us, are far
more able than any book to describe
accurately to our succ essors who our
predecessors were. Very much tike
ourselves, thank you Human nature
| in them is very much like human nature
in us. At one time of life they were
very much like we are now. At the
time they were in their teens they
were very much like you who are in
your teens, and at the time they were
in their twenties, they were very much
like you who are in your twenties
Human nature got an awful twist
under fruit tree in Eden, and though
the grace of God does much to
straighten things, every new genera
ton has the same twist, and tie same
work of Strengthening out has to DO
done over again.
A mother in the country districts
expecting the neighbors at her table
on some gala night had with her own
hands arranged everything in taste,
and as she was about to turn from it
TO receive her guests, saw her little
child by accident upset pitcher all
over the white cloth, and soil every.
thing, and the mother lifted her hand
to slap the child, but she suddenly re-
membcred the time when little child
herself in her fathers house where
they had always before been used TO
candles, on the purchase of lamp
which was n matter of rarity and
pride, she took it in her hands, and
dropped it crashing into pieces. and
looking up in her fathers face expect
ing chastisement heard only the
words: 1T is a sad loss, but never mind;
you did not mean to do it." History re-
peats itself Generations are wonder
fully alike. Among that generation that
I. to. II h. -.