Birmingham age-herald., 1895-06-03
Cnmherland Presbvterian Church.

IiGbDy lSiiet4A S'A'
 There was a fine congregation at the Cumberland Presbyterian church yester- day morning and Rev. Robert D. Wear took for his text Psalms, xiii, D: Why art thou cast down, o my soul? and why art thou disduieted within me? Hope thou in God?' MT. Wear said:
 | Hope is defined to be "a desire for good joined with expectation; to desire with expectation; to look or wait for These definitions involve three things. (a) A desire for that which to us seems good, and which we think will conduce to our happiness. (b) Waiting, looking, longing, almost persuading ourselves that the thing hoped for will be received, but with no evidence to give assurance. Co It involves always an uncertainty as to the fruition of our desires.
 9. Children gathering from their play with weary limbs lie down, and then are lulled to peaceful slumber by the voice of hope, so cheering, for she paints the morrow's morn gorgeous with some new delight, and dreaming of song birds singing. zephyrs signing, sunlight streaming, laughter ringing, they slum- Der in hope of the new born day.
 g. The youth stands watching, wait ing for advancing years, and hope is speeding his thoughts away to gather joys from the unborn years. Like an anxious watcher on the oceans shore as he scans each foam-rlmmed wave which
  ing for an incoming bark, so youth doth scan the rolling years as they unfold before his gaze, since hope doth lure him to believe there is treasure there.
 4. When manhood looks across Gfe's level plain, at last descending to the grave hope shows the way an even one, obscuring gulch and cliff, and gorge and Surging stream, and burning sand and Shadowy vale.
 B. Old age has found the empty vase, I. T 1 over memory's track. Hope has fled and disappointment settles down upon their hopeless souls like pail of night, and thus doth human hope, to end with life and what it has of good, ''jack-o- lantern" proves.
 G. Ambition is always famed into a flame by hope and keeps all men in anxious uncertainty.
 Teachings of such experiences.
 l. That hope is the incentive to all the affairs of men, and is the handspring of all human activity This desire for ones own good and happiness, coupled with the anxious expectation of it being fully realized, rushes men along in life's busy way.
 2. That hope predicates it's fruition upon the memorable law of toll, and en- phasizes ceaseless industry as necessary to gain those things which, however always fail to satisfy.
 8. That uncertainty veils the future with a loving ndnu, ana leaves lO nope the pleasing task of turing us on our way.
 4 That mans hopes are never fully realized.
 ,. That the fruition of all our tenn poral desires would produce mental, moral and material stagnation.
 The Christians is not thus. It is a desire for good, with a perfect assurance of it's ultimate fruition. and not wait ing for with uncertainty; for our faith is the evidence of things not seen, and the substance of things hoped for" and our hope maketh not ashamed" and thus brings no disappointment. And David said: Now, Lord. what wait l for: my hope is in Thee" If our hope is in God there is no anxious waiting for our future to be revealed, for He<has revealed those things to us which are for our good; and comparing this hope With our earthly hope we may truly say: If in this life only we have hope, We are of all men most miserable" The Christian has hope of rest peace im- mortality Heaven, eternal life and joy. Take the Christians hope-from. the ach- ing heart of the world, and we would be in a midnight of despair If no rainbow of promise spanned the dark cloud that Ina ngs above the tomb. and no immortal sheen fell athwart the deep abyss be- tween time and eternity, shriek of pain would burst from the heart of man, too ptiful for contemplation. Yes, hope.