The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-10-13
SERVING HUMANITY.
Dr.. Talmage on What We Can
Do for Our Own Generation.
The Reward of Administering to Fell
low Man Is GlOriOus-The Sleep
Of Death and Its BIissful
Awakening.

less generality to practical helpfulness
to the people now living; text, Acts 13,
SO: David, after he had served his
own generation by the will of God, fell
on sleep"
That is text which has for long
time been running through my mind.
Sermons have atime to be born as well
as a time to die. cradle as we'll as
grave. David, cowboy and stone sling
er and fighter and dramatist and
blank verse writer and prophet, did
his best for the people of his time,
and then went and laid down on the
southern hill of Jerusalem in that
sound slumber which nothing but an
archangelic blast can startle. David,
after he had served his own genera
ton by the will of God, fell on sleep"
1t was his own generation that he had
served-that is, the people living at
the time he lived. And have you ever
thought that our sponsibilities are
chiefly with the people now walking
abreast of US? There are about four
generations to century now, but in
olden time life was longer, and there
was perhaps only one generation to a
century. Taking these facts into the
calculation, l make a rough guess and
say that there have been at least $50
generations of the human family.
With reference to them we have no re-
we cannot correct their mistakes, we
cannot soothe their SORROWS, we cannot
heal their wounds. Their sepulchers
are deaf and dumb to anything we
might say to them. The last regiment
of that great army has passed out Of
sight. We might halloo as loud as we
could, not one of them would avert
his head to see what we wanted. adj
nit that l am in sympathy with the
child whose father had suddenly died,
and who in her little evening prayer
wanted to continue to pray for her ia
ther, although he had gone to Heaven,
and no more needed her prayers. and,
looking up into her mothers face,
said: "Oh, mother, l cannot leave him
all out. Let me say: Thank God that
had good father once so can keep
him in my prayers
But the 1870 generations have passed
off. Passed up. Passed down. Gone for
ever. Then there are generations to
come after our earthly existence has
ceased. We shall not see them. We
shall not hear any Of their voices. We
will take no part in their convocations,
their elections, their revolutions, their
catastrophies, their triumphs. We Will
in nowisc affect the $50 generations
gone or the $50 generations to come,
except as from the galleries of Heaven
the former generations look down
and rejoice at our victories, or as
we may by our behavior start iuflu-
ences, good or bad, that shall roll on
through the advancing ages. But our
business is, like David, to serve our
own generation, the people now living,
those whose lungs now breathe and
whose hearts now beat, and mark you
it is not a silent procession, but moving
1t is forced march" at "a miles a
day. each hour being mile. Going
with that celebrity, it has got to be a
quick service on our part or no service
at all. We not only cannot teach the
$50 generations past and will not see
the $50 generations to come, but this
generation now on the stage will soon
be off, and we ourselves will be of
with them. The fact is that you and
will have to start very soon for our
work or 1t will be ironical and sarcastic
for anyone after our exit to say of us
as it was said of David: "After he had
served his own generation by the will
of God he fell on Sleep
Well, now, let us lock around ear.
nestly, prayerfully, in common sense
way and see what we can do for our
own generation. First of all, let us see
to it that, as far as we can, they have
enough to eat. The human body is sc
constituted that three times a day the
body needs food as much as lamr
needs oil, as much as locomotive
needs fuel. To meet this want God has
girdled the earth with apple orchards
orange grs,es, vines tfields and ocean;
full of fish and prairies full of cattle
and Notwithstanding this will under
take to say that the vast majority o1
the human family arc now suffering
either for lack of food or the right kline
of food. Our civilization is all askew
and God only can set it right. Many Of
the greatest estates of to-day have be er
built out of the blood and bones of un
requited toll.
How can we serve our generation
with enough to eat? By sitting dow,
in embroidered slippers and loungins
back in an armchair, our mouth puck
cred up around Havana of the bes
brand, and through clouds of luxuri
ant smoke reading bout political econ
omy and the philosophy of strikes
No, no. By finding out who in this cit,
has been living on gristle and send
ing them tenderloin beefsteak
Seek out some family who through
sickness or conjunction of misfortune
have not had enough to eat and dt
for them what Christ did for thl
hsngry multitudes of Asia Minor, md