The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-08-29
He WAS AN ONLY SON.
chris,'s Compassion and Miracle For the

mage, who IS now n AustreI!a Oh MS
round the world tour, has selected as the
subject for today's sermon through the
press can Only Son." the text chosen
being Luke vii, u Is: New when he
came nigh to the gate of the city, behold,
there was s dead man carried cut, tho
only son of his mother, and she was a
widow, and much psople of the city was
with her. And when the Lord saw her
he had compassion oa her and said unto
her, Weepuot. Aud he came sRd touched
the bier, and they that bare him stood
still. And he said, Young man, / say
unto thee arsS. And ne that was dead
sat up and began to speak. And be &c.
delivered him to bis mother"
The text calls US 10 stand st the gate
of the city Of Main. The streets are q.
rush with business and gsyety, and the
ear is dessened with the hammers Of me.
charlsm ana the wheels Of traffic. Work
with its thousand arms and thousand
eyes and thousand feet, fills all the
street, when suddenly the crowd parts,
and funeral passes. Between the
wheels of work and pleasure there comes
long procession of mourning people.
Who is liz A trifler says: sob, it's
nothing but funeral. It may have
come up from the hospital of the city,
or the almshouse, or some low place Df
the town." but not so saws the serious
observer.
There are 80 many evidences of dire
bereavement that We know at the first
glance some one has been taken away
greatly beloved. and to cur inquiry,
''Who is this that is carried out with so
many oficee OF kindness and afection?"
reply comes, ''The only son Of his mo-
ther, and she widow" Stand back and
let the procession pass out! Hush al the
voices of mirth and pleasure! Lst every
head be uncovered. Weep with this
passing procession, and let it be .old
through all the market places and ba.
zaars of Main that in Gahlee today the
sepulcher hath gathered 20 itself 'the
only son Of his mother; and she 8
widow"
There are two or three things that, in
my mind, give especial pathos to this
scene. The first is, he was young man
that was being carried cut. To the aged
death becomes beautiful. The old man
halts and pants along the road where
once ne bounded like the roe. From
the midst of imneicsble ailments and
sorrows he cries out, 'How long, 0
Lord, how long," Foot sore and hard
y bestead On the hot journey, he wants
10 get home. He sits in the church and
sings&ith tremulous voice some tune
he sang years ago, and longs to join
the better asssmblage of the one hun
dred and forty ana. four thousand, and
the thousands, of Thousands who have
passed the food. How sweeaS he sleeps
the last sleep! Push back tne whstel
locks from the wlnkled temples. They
will never ache again. Fold the hands
oYer the still heart. They will never
toll again. Close gently the eyes. They
will never weep again.
But this man that am speaking OF
was young man. He was just putting
on the amor oflife, and be was exulting
to think how his sturdy blows would ring
out above the clangor Of the battle. l
suppose be had 8 young mans hopes, a
young mans ambitions and young
mans courage. He said: ''If I live
many years, I will feed the hungry and
and clothe the naked. Ia this city OF
Nam, where there are so many bad
young men. J. Will be sober and honest
jpure and magnanimous, and my mother
shall never be ashamed OF me-" But
all these prospects are blasted IN one
hour. There he passes Ifeless in the
procession. Behold all that is left on
earth of the high hearted young man Of
the city of Main.
There is another thing that ADDS very
much TO this scens, and that is be was
an only son. However large the family
flock may be, We never could think OF
sparing one of the lambs. Though they
may all have their fauls, their
excellence that commend them
to the parental heart, snd II
it were peremptorily demanded of you
today that you should yield up one Of
avery large family you would be con-
founded, and you could not makes selec.
ton. But this was an only son, around
whom gathered all the parental expecte-
tions. How much care IN his education!
How much caution in watching his hab-
its! He would carry down the name to
other times. he would have entire con-
troll Of the family property long after the
parents had gone to their last reward.
he would stand in society thinker, 8
worker, q philanthropist, Christian.
No, no. It ls all ended. Behold him
there. Breathls IS gone. Life Is extinct.
The only son of his mother.
There was one other thing that added
to the pathos of this scene, and that was
his mother was a widow. The main
hops of q home had been broken. and
now he was come up to be the staff.
The chief light Of the household had
been extineuished, and this was the only
light left. I suppose she often said, look
ing at him, ''There are only two Of u.s."
Oh, it is grand thing to see a young
man step out in life aud say 10 his mo-
ther: "Don't be downhearted. I will,
as far as possible, take fathers place,
and as long as I live you shall never
want anything" It is not always that
way. Sometimes the young people get
t,red of the old people. They says they
are queer, that they have so many all
ments, and they sometimes wish them
out of the way. a young man and his
vile sat at tee table, tier little,
son on the floor playing beneath
the table. The old father was very old,
and his hand shook, so they said, You
shall no more sit with US at the table" :"
And 80 they gave him place IN the cor
ner where day by day he ate out of an
earthen bowl-everythin put into that
bowl. One day his hand trembled so
much he dropped it, and It broke, and
the son, seated at the elegant table in
midfoor, said to his wife, Now, we'll
get father wooden bowl, and that he
can't break" So Woodel, bowl was
obtained, and every day old grandfather
ate out Of that, sitting IN the corner.