The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1900-02-10
INGERSOL[ --- MOODY,
A COMPARISOK!'.
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who gathered his congregation about him,
and riveted their attention to his theme ny
his masterful eloquence. Moody was the
great field preacher who carried the gospel
to the masses. He was always on the
firing line; his command always was ''for.
ward" and his trumpet never sounded the
call to retreat. The general has fallen, hut
the armies he led are marching on to sure
and certain victory; and the trophies he
has won will appear only when the redeem
ed sons of men shall stand before the great
judgment seat of God!
Let me now appeal in the light of this
investigation to the young men here to
choose for yourselves which Of these lives
shall furnish the model for yours? Think
Of this man who went every where seeking
the lost, associating with convicts and
paupers tina. he might save them, sharing
their priyation and misery that he might
know to sympathize with them; and then
think Of the other, living in selfish ease;
unmoved by the cry of the poor; tearing
the last source Of comfort from the SORROW
ing, and blotting out the last ray of hope
for the dying.
What has intidelity to offer to men for
the hope it would blot out? Nothing, alb
solutely nothing. What has Mr.. Ingersoll
ever offered a broken heart? Nothing.
His effort was to pull down the church ;
What did he offer in its stead? Nothing.
He declared the Bible was lie; what did
he offer to substitute for it? When he
threw away this sheet anchor what had he
to fly to in the time Of trouble, and in the
experience Of death? Nothing, nothing
Moody helped everywhere, along all lines
where his life touched theirs; in his evan
gelical work, in the schools he established,
and in the books he has written; what has
Ingersoll ever done for humanity to better
the human lot? Did he ever build and en-
, dow a school? Did he ever establish an
asylum for the invalid or the orphan? Did
he ever found hospital for the care Of the
sick and unfortunate? Let his admirers
point out one such instance il they can,
and if they cannot, let them cease talking
about this great champion of human kind
ness, who lacked the gratitude and tilial
love to provide even a modest headstone to
mark the grave of his mother.
From the general estimate OF the lives of
the two men l gather this summary: or
Ingersoll it is said "He affirmed nothing
but ignorance; he built nothing but a
private fortune; he left nothing but a
memory soon to perish"; while Moody,
"Uncrowned, without title of any sort,
wears the first honors among the men who
loved their fellowmenn'
If ''the fear of the Lord is the beginning
OF WISDOM" then Moody has graduated
from that school Ingersoll has never e
ed. If the deeds of human life be
measure of ones puIpose-if the work Oh
does for mankind the good he promotes,
the sacrifice he makes for the good OF
others-if these are the test by which we
are to determine the amount of our indebt,
edness to others; then while we owe last
ing debt Of gratitude to Moody, Ingersoll
has absolutely no claim upon US.
Ingersol's purpose seems to have been
to gather the wealth of the world only that
he might turn all the streams OF his gath
ering into the home he is said to have loved
so well; Moody gathered, too, by the tens
of thousands at time; rich men opened
their pocketbooks to him; but instead O
boarding it or using it to furnish luAuries
in the home he loved as well as lngersol
loved his, his gathering simply flowed out
through that home in streams OF mum
ficence to brighten and cheer other
homes and hearts. He was always gather
ing and always poor but his poverty has
made others rich. He has left to his chill |.
rem, not gold or silver, but legacy of toll
to carry forward the work he has begun,
and the inestimable heritage of an unfair
nished name. His life day was burning
and shining light that illumined two con-
tinents, and its sunset hour filings back its
fiery glow over all the earth!
Young men, the possibilities of either oil
these lives lie within your reach; which OF
them will you choose for your pattern:
Will you live for time, or for time and
eternity, too? Will you spend your time
and effort simply to feed body that shall
soon die, or will you develop the soul that
shall never die? Will you live only fol
self, or will you live for others as we'll as
self? When you are gone; when you have
bid farewell to earth and all you may now
call your own, shall men pass by your grave
without thought Of gratitude, or shall
some one come, and, dropping tear there.
say, "He was the best friend ever had
he helped me to be a man?' When at last