Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1894-05-12

the earth for thy possession" and so I
shall be ready to celebrate in heaven
the victories of Christ in more raptur-
GUS song than could have rendered had
l never seen the heather denominations
before they were conquered And so I
hope to come back refreshed, REINFORCED
and better equipped, and to do in 10
years more effectual work than have
done in the last 25.
A Garland and Il Palm.
And now, in this twenty-ifth ami
versary sermon, / propose to do two
things-frst, to put garland on the
grave of tho generation that has just
passed off 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, Zone generation
passeth away, and another generation
cometh." Oh, how many we revered |
and honored and loved III the last gen
Grafton that quit the earth! Tears fell
at the time Of their going, and dirges
were sounded, and signals of mourning
were put Oh, 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 assoclated-a picture,
or book. or garment or staff
a,,,ntinr, h11f
bear it simply because we have to bear
it. Oh, how snowy 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 fireside, 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 shall meet them again
in the land of salutation and reunion.
And now I twist garland for that
departed generation. Itneed not be cost
ly perhaps, just handful of clover
blossoms from the field through which
they used to walk, or as many violets
as you could hold between the thumb
and the forefnger, plucked out of the
garden where they used to walk in the
cool Of the day. Put these old fashion
ed flowers right down over the heart
that never again will ache, and the feet
that will never again be weary, and the
arm that has forever ceased to toll.
Peace, father! Peace, mother! Everlast-
ing peace! All that for the generation
gone
The Moving Throng.
But what shall we do with the palm
branch? That we will put in the hand
of the generation coming on. Yours is
to be the generation for victories. The
last and the present generation have
been perfecting the steam power, and
the electric light, and the electric forces.
To these will be added transportation
It will be your mission to use all these
forces Everything is ready now for 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 elevating 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 con-
quest move right on and right up. You
will soon have the whole field for your
self. Before another 20 years have gone,
we will be out Of the pulpits, and the |
offices, and the stores, and the factories,
and the benevolent institutions, and you
will be at the front Forward into the |
battle! If God be for you, who can be
against you? "He that spared not his
own Son, but delivered him up for Us
ALL how shall he not with him also
freely give US all things?"
And, as for US who are now at tho
front, having put the garland on the
grave Of the last generation, and having
put the palm branch in the hand Of the
coming generation, we will cheer each
other in the remaining onsets and go in
to the shining gate somewhere about the
same time, and greeted by the gener-
alton that has preceded US we will have
to wait only little while to greet the
generation that will come after u.s. And
will not that be glorious: Three genera
lions in heaven together-the GRANDPA
Their, the son and the grandson; the
grandmother the daughter and the
granddaughter. And SO with wider
range and keener faculty we shall real
ize the full significance of the text, Zone
generation passeth away, and another
generation cometh.