The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-05-10

phssetn away. and another generation
cometh."
There are fathers and mothers berp vbo.r
7 baptized in their infancy. Theirs ia no,
one person In this church's board OF session
or trustees who was here when I cane Hers
and there In this vast assembly is one person
who heard my opening sermon in BROOKLYN.
but not more than one person In every 500
now present. OF the seventeen persons who
gave mo unanimous call when came, only
three. believe. are living.
But this sermon Ia not diryc. W ia an
anthem. while this world IA appropri,te as
temporary stay. as an eternal residence IL
/ would be dead failure. II would he n
dreadful sentence II our race were doomed
! to remain here n thousand winters and a
thousand summers. Goi keeps us here lust
long ENOUGH to give us an appetite for
heaven. Had we been horn In celestial
| realms we would not he able TO appreciate
the bliss. II needs a good many rough blasts
In this world 10 qualify us IN properly estl.
mate the superb climate Of that good land
whern IL is never too cold or too hot, too
cloudy or too glaring. Heaven will be more
10 us than TO those supernal beings who were
never tempted or sick or bprenved or tried
or disappointed. SO you may we'll take my
text out OF the minor key and sat IL TO some
tuae In the major KEY. "Ons genera
lion passeth away, and another generation
cometh." "
Nothing can rob US OF the satisfaction that
uncounted thousands of the generation lust
past were converted. comtorted and har-
vested for heaven by this church, whether
IN the present building or the three preced-
ing buildings In which they worshiped. The
Two great organs OF the previous churches
went down In the memorable Ores. but the
muithudinous songs they led year after wear
were not recalled or injured There Is no
power In earth or hell TO kill n balleuiah.
tits Impossible TO arrest % hosanna What a
la Aafn a.
thousands In glory on whose eternal well
fare this church wrought nightly! Moth
Ing can undo that work. They have ascend
cd. the multitudes who served God In that
generation. That chapter IL eloriously
ended. But that generation has left its i'm
preston upon this generation.
A sailor was dying on shipboari, and he
sstd 10 his mates my lads. I can only
think OF one passage OF Scripture. The soul
that sinnsth, II shall die.' and that keeps
ringing in my ears. The soul that sinnetb.
Il shall die. Can't you think OF something
else In the Btble TO cheer me up?" Well,
sailors are kind, and they tried TO think OF
some other passage OF Scripture with witch
10 console their dying comrade, but they
could not. One OF them said Let us call
up the cabin boy. His mother was n Chris
tian, and guess he has n Bible" The cabin
BOY was called up, and the dying sailor
asked him 10 he had Bible. He said ''Yes"
ing sailor scoldoi him and said, 'Ain't you
ashamed OF yourself not TO read your Bibiey"
so the boy explored tho bottom OF his trunk
and brought out the Bible, and his mother |
had marked a passage that Just fitted the !
dying sailors case, The blood of Jesus
That helped the sailor TO die in pence SO |
one generation helps another, and good |
things written or said or done are rspro- |
duced long afterward.
During the passing OF the last generation /
some peculiar events have uuiolded. One +
day while resting At Sharon Springs. n. Y. !
think II was in 1870 the year after nv set |
tement in Brooklyn, and white walking in !
the park OF that place, found myself asking |
the question II wonder IL there Is auy
special mission for ms to execute in this /
worldP II there il. may Goi show II TO msr' |
There soon came upon me a great desire TO |
preach ths gospel through the secular print
Ing press. realized that the vast majority |
OF people. even In Christian lands. never
enter church. and that II would be an op-
portunity OF usefulness inauite IL that door
OF publication were opened
And 50 recorded that prayer in blank
book and offered tho prayer day liz and day
different from that which had expected
Tor II came through the misrepresentation
and persecution OF enemies, and have TO
record II Tor tho encouragement OF all minis
tiers OF the gospel who ARE misrspres sntsd.
tnat II the misrepresentation bB virulent
enough and bitter enough and continuous
enough there Is nothing that 50 wldsns ons's
Held OF usefulness as hostile attack, II YOU
are really doing the Lords work. The
bigger the lie told about me, tho bic. !
ger the demand to see and hear what really I
was doing. From one stage OF sermonic /
publication 10 another the work has gone on 1
until week by week, and for twenty-three |
/ a fn
as no man ever had. AMI to-day mors 80
than at any other time. Tds syndicates in |
Iorm me- that my sermons 20 now 10 about |
20. 0oO,OOo OF people in all lands. mention |
{ his not In vain boast. but as testimony TO |
the fact that God answers prayer. Would .
God had better occupied the field an been
moro consecrated 10 the work May God |
forgive me for lack OF service in the past and .
double and quadrup.e AMI quintupe nv
work in future.
In TINS my quarter century sermon re-
cord the Tact that side by side with the pro-
cessioa OF blessings have gons procession
OF disasters. am preaching to-iay IN the
fourth church eu'sting since began work ia
this city. My first sermon was In the old
church on Schernsrhorn street 10 an audi
ence chienv OF empty seats, for the church
was almost extingushed. That church illsd
and overhowing We built larger church
which after two or three years disappeared
IN flame. Then We built another church.
which also in a line of fiery succession dis
in the same way. Tnen We put up
this building aud may II stan for many
years, fortress OF righteousness and
lighthouse for the storm tossed. its gates
crowded with vast assemblagps long after we
have ceased TO frequent them
We have raised IN this church over 81
)30, 900 Tor church chart tble purposes dur.
ng the present pRstorate, while we have
given, free OF all expense, the gospel to hun
ireds OF thousands OF strangers, year bv
year. record with gratitude TO Col that
during this generation OF twenty-five years
but two Sabbaths that | hava
missed service through anything like physical
ndispositions. Almost a inn1tic on the sub
ect OF physical exercise, have made the
parks with which our city is blessed the
means OF good physical condition. A daily
walk and run In the open air HAYS kept me
ready for work and in gooi humor with all
he world. say to all young ministers OF
'hs gospel. !, Is easier to ksep good health
han 10 regain it when once lost. The reason
80 many good men think the world is going