The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-12-05

a. man SCaTGVUtf III UdttIS lot fooo nnSs I.'.SS
truth and against sin. and the day OF his
usefulness is prolonged and prolonged andSI
prolonged. & y -. Z. !
But Joshua was not quite through;
There was time for five funerals before the
sun of that prolonged day set. Who will
preach their funeral sermon? Masslllon
XVI& Who will preach the funeral ser.
mon 2tof those five dead kings-king of
3Jerusalem, king. of Hebron, king of Jar.
muth,: king Iof Lachish. king of tEglon?
Let itf fbe by Joshua What is his text!
What shall be the epitaph put on the door
Of the tomb There shall not any man
be able to- stand before thee all the days.
of Thy life.". IN, j lI';:SS g.
Before. You fasten UP the door I$Want,
five more kings beheaded and thrust IN
King aAleohol King Fraud, King Lust,
King Supersritition, King In6delity. let
them Be beheaded and hurl them in. Then
fasten .pp the door forever. I
What shall the Inscription ]. and what
shall the epitaph be? EoTssll sghfistiEal i
philanthrepists of all ares going
to come and look at it. Whatsah& 1.-the
inscription beaaSsih lHT here shall sany
man besabie to stand before: thess4aI the
days of thy life. ~ II 7 q = ! ! :
But il IS time for Joshua to home.
He is ITO years Old, Washing gton tsweht
lsdoWn the Potomac and at Mount Vernon,
Fclosed his days Wellington died peaceful:
liy at Apsley House. Now, where shall
]sjoshua resty Why, he is to have bis
greatest battle now. After 'll0 years ne
| has toSmeet king who has more sub:
jects than all the present population OF
| the earth, This throne pyramid OF skuls3
his parterre the graveyards and the ceme-
teries of the world : his chariot the world 9
hearse-the king Of terrors. But II tins Is
Joshua's greatest battle it ls going 70 oe
Joshua's greatest victory; he gathers ms
! friends around him and gives hls vale
| dictory. and it is full of, "Reminiscences: =
Young men. tell what they are going to
do; old men tell what they have done. And
as you have heard q grandfather or great
| grandfather seated By the evening fire
tell Of Monmouth or Yorktown and then
| lift the crutch or. staff as though it. were
a musket to fghtyand show how TIC I'd
battles were won, SO Joshua gathers his
friends around his dying couch. and he
tells them the sto3y of what he has been
through, and as he lies there, his white
locks showing down on his wrinkled fore
head, I ask If God has kept His promise
all the way through. As he lies there ne
tells the story one, two or three times
you have heard old people tell story
two or three times Overland he answers,
Il 90 the way of all the earth, and not
one word of the promise has failed, not
one woro thereof has failed; all has come
to mass. not one word thereof has failed
And then he turns to his family, as dy'
inc narent will, and says "Choose now
whom YOU will serve, the God OF Israel OF
the God of the Amof;tes. AS for pe. and
INV house, we will serve the Lord. 4
diving parent cannot be reckless or
thouShtless of his children Consent te
part with them forever at the door c'
The tomb we cannot BY the cradle IL
which their infancy was rocked, by tht
bosom On which they first lay, by fh'
blood of the covenant, BY the G>i q
. Joshua it shall not be. We will not part
: we cannot part. JehovaE-Jireh, we tax,
: Thee at Thy promise. II will lie God tt
thee and thy seed after thee" :,
: Dead, the old chieftain must be IF
out. Handle him very gently
: sacred body is over ITO years
: ! J J > } ) ;
8 him out, stretch out tbSl
walked dry shod the part
5 those lips which helpl
i at which he walls