Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-04-23

He il ChapIafn-Mr. DOggett Has
Resigned His Charge Here to En-
ter a New Field in the Southern
End of the State-A Thoughtful
and Interesting Discourse.
Last evening at st. Matthews church
the Rev. Luther w. Doggett, of ST.
Andrews, preached a farewell sermon
to the Wheeling Lodge No. %, B. P.
o. Elks, of which organization he is
Chaplain. 1t was the original inten-
ton to conduct the services at St.
Lukes, but owing to the serious illness
of the Rev. Jacob Brittingham's
son, the service had to be con-
Quoted at st. Mathews. The Elks at
tended in a body, occupying seats re-
served for them directly in front of
the chancel. The regular evening SER
vices were conducted by the rector,
David w. Howard.
Mr.. Doggett has resigned his pulpit
at ST. Andrews in order to take a
charge at Powelton and Montgomery,
in Tucker county. He leaves for there
some time next week.
Mr.. Doggett selected as his text, Gen.
2S:12: "And He Dreamed and Behold
a Ladder Set Upon the Earth and the
Top of 1t Reached to Heaven His
sermon in substance was as follows:
Every life rises Heavenward. For
as this ladder did not lie all along ups
on the ground, but had it's base upon
the. ground and it's top above the stars
at the very time, so true life lifts its
eye upward and presses ever onward
with singleness of aim toward the
perfection of character; it's constant as
pirations are for holiness and righteous
ness-its likeness, and it's goal, heaven.
There comes a time when every
young man must start out upon life.
The seed that ripens Upon the stalk
must be shaken off, and be planted and
grown upon it's own root. The scion is
cut off from the present branch and
grated upon another stalk;and it is
at the starting out in life that he
needs an inspiration, for an inspira-
ton he will and must have, either good
or bad. 1t is just at this point that
everyone needs, in some way suited to
his genius, his circumstances and con-
difinn fhot thoS0 chnII1d honnon .fn
hum substantiallythat which happened
to Jacob; that in his vision (Which
may be upon his bed, or one of those
waking visions which men sometimes
have) that there should be a ladder,
which touching earth connects it with
heaven: and a vision of Gods angels
passing between the Father and His
earthly child.
Let us, then, talk with you of your
visions; and address these remarks
mainly to those who are entering up
on life in the full vigor of youthful
manhood. Shall your ladder, my
brothers, standing upon earth reach to
heaven? Or is it, in its whole length,
flat along the ground? Stop and think!
By your ladder I mean your plans in
life. Are they, all of them, lying up
on the ground, or, though they begin
there, do they mount up, and con-
~sciously take hold of the future and the
spiritual?
You cannot avoid the world, for ev-
cry ladder must stand upon the
ground. And the ground is a very
good place to start from, but a very
a Christian by avoiding business; and
if you transact business, it must be
transacted in the accustomed ways.
Activity in earthly things is not in
consistent with true piety. A right in
dustry, a right enterprise, and right
ambitions in these do not stand in the
way of true religion. They not only
perfectly harmonic with it, but they
are indispensable to it, for we can
scarcely conceive of a lazy man being
a Christian. Even the chronicles of
those that have sought by retiring to
caves, thus by separating themselves
from human life to live a godly life,
show that while they escaped from
men, they did not escape from the
temptations which sprang through the
passion of human nature. A human
life, in its ordinary condition in chris
tian communities, is favorable (f any
one be wise enough to employ it, to
the production of morality, virtue and
true piety. A mans ladder, then,
should stand on the ground. A man
that is going to be a Christian should
be a man.; a man among mentioned
in interest with men, sympathizing in
many pursuits, active in daily duties;
not above the enterprise, the thought
fulness. and the proper amount of
care that belong to worldly avocations.
This is part of the Divine economy;
and those that have the romantic no.
ton of piety, that it-is something that
lifts them out of the way of, and away
from, actual worldly cares, misconceive
totally the methods of Divine grace.
But while our plans in this world
should be to a great extent secular, and