The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-02
"THE OLO MANTLE"
A Sermon Preached at the Baptist
General Association.
(By Reuues..j

gestiye aud helpful sermons preached in
Roa yoke during the Sunday, that many
ut the city pulpits were occupied by Bap.
tist cler Eymen. attending the late Baptist
State convention, was the discourse
preached by Rev r. G.. Seymour. ID. d..
OF Philadelphia. DR.. Seymour occupied
the pulpit of the First PRESBYTERIAN
Church that morning ana was greeted by
a large, intelligent and appreciaiive con
gtegation. The following is the sermon:
Text: ''IIe took up also the mantle of
Elijah that fell from him, and went back
and stoou by the bans Of Ike Jordan"
2nd Kiugs 2:l3
Carlyle, in his Sartor Resartus says,
''Trust not the heart OF man for whom
old clothes are not venerable" II in your
home you have garments laid away which
were once iuhabit by those whom you
loved, you Will understand what he
means. We were quite impressed as we
walked through Washin0ton's old home
recently with y view of ~ coat which he
once wore, because it suggested to us de-
parted greatness.
We do not use this old mantle as the
Romans use the Holy Coat of Treves, TO
juggle with, out rather AS the old soldier
the tattered ensign, as the peasants the
clouted shoe, 40 the Nctherlanders the
wallet aud staff. in their battle with
IL
bols conceal and reveal. This old mantle
conceals the bodies OF Elijah and Elisha.
and reveals their characteristics
Let us review the story. Elijah after
his rest which God gave him under the
juniper tree, and food which the angels
brought, went up for communion again
with God. He gave him 81 fresh commits
sion for service aud time 20 appoint his
successor. From this communion he goes
up to Abel Mehclah, or ''the meadow of
the dance He there finds twelve young
men with twelve yoke OF oxen, plough
ing. The last OF these ii Elisha, the son
OF Shaphat Upon him he cast this old
mantle and STROBE on his way. Elish;,
understands what has happened to him
He is to leave his employ and follow the
man OF Ord for Gods service He over
took him, gets permission and bids fare
well to his friends and joins company
with the PROF. het OF the wilderness Here
marE- he formed q friendship that out
lasts time ami is eternal with the years
Let Us urge here higher ground in the
formations Of the r,endships of life, Tor
out OF these grow the real life OF the soul
ConsOrt with the great, not with the
base; with the high and the noble and
the true. BE not small in your compan
ionships.
But we ;oilow these two up to the
schools Of the prnphe's These schools
which Samuel founded before Zeno taught
in the porch. Schools at Ramah, Jcrico
Gilgal are as venerable and worthy Of our
attention as Oxford, Yale and Harvard
These were the first organizations for
young people-their education. Our Eli
sha sits at the feet Of Elijah and there
grows in his soul "a reverence for that
new friend such as we have had for the
great teachers at whose feet we have sat:
and here Eli JAN unfolded to him he ward
Of God. hasten on with thu story Tie
end of t.lijah's life draws near, aud tie
two are on their way. They come at last
to the brink OF the Jordan. Elijah he
sircs To ne alone. as he has been in the
great crisis of his life: just a. We have at
times when we .elt that no one bould
be near us but God himself But FL i4h
has purpose and will not ltave linn
The old prophet takes the mantle ana
divides the water OF the jordan and they
pa IS over to the other side. Then comes
the end ms they talk together. The air Is
electric with God and there * Il swirl If
power; ant! the chariots and hnr-einen Of
God are there. The prophet Of fire stems
into the chariot Of fire and goes up 10 the
God of fire. Elisha is left alone Ia his
GRIEF he cried out, "My Father My Ia
Their" 1t is personal grief, The char
lots Of Israel and the horsemen thereof. ~
IL IS Il public grief. For Elisha Was AS
tie chaliots OF God and the horaerlen Of
God to Israel as Knox was to tie cause
of Christ in Scotland
Now he steps down ana takes M the
old nnnile that has hoaie1 down TO him
from the skies and starts back to cross
the Jordan. He offers sillple prayer and
the waters Of Jordan res pond again TO The
old mantle; and be passes TO tho other
side and the young men who are watch
ing frcm afar cry, The spirit Of Elijah
rests upon Elisha
Now this old mantle suggests to me
TWO or three things in reference to the
Kingdom OF God. First. here is success
sion in the Kingdom of God both divine
ana human. ! say succession and not
continuity. There is always an Elisha to
follow AN Elijah There is never break
in the Kingdom Of God. If one man de-
parts God has another. we, ike the
young men, sometimes run after the old
Eli ah when God has sent the new Elisha
We wonder why God takes away one
man and puts in another. He does it be-
cause there are varied phases In his King
dom which must be developed by varied
talents. There WAS one architec: and one
plan for the hnlding of the great Cologne
Cathedral, which took 600 years to COM
pieic, bur hundreds of wOrkmen brought
the material to the superstructure. God
has an eternal kingdom. II building that
is going up, and the varied workmen are
necessity in the development Of its va
ried parts. The Kingdom Of God never
rests upon a single man. We sometimes
think it does, but God has other plans
md Pun poses and uses His Yaried talents
tor the development of that Kingdom.
You will notice if you turn the pages
of history Of this old hook on the great