Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1900-01-04
ude that calls forth no reply: How

more vexatious to anyone than 10 tell
a story when people are not attending.
They may whisper on some other SUBJ
ject. or they are preoccupied. One
cannot tell a story effectually unless
there are good listeners. Well, that
which in my text is called the tale that
is told" has plenty of listeners. There
is no such thing as solitude, no such
thing as being alone. God listens, and
the air is full of spiritual inielligences
all listening. and the world listens 20
the story of our life, some hoping it
will be successful, others hoping it will
be failure.
We talk about public life and private
life. but there is no private life. The
story of our life. however Insignificant
it may seem to be, will win the applause
or hiss of great multitude that no
man can number. AS tale that is
told" among admirers or antagonists,
celestial or pandemoniacs, the universe
is full of listening ears as we'll as of
cleaning eyes. II we say or do the
right thing, that is known. l suppose
the population of the intelligences in
the air is more numerous than the pop
ulation of intelHgences on the earth.
Aye, all the world will yet listen 10
and be redeemed by tale that is told"
We are all telling it, each in his own
way-some by voice, some by pen, some
by artists pencil, some by harp and
some by song; mother telling IL TO
child. teacher telling il 10 Sabbath
class, reformer telling it 10 outcaSt.
preacher telling II to assemblage. The
story of the Loveliest of Heaven coming
down to this Scared and blasted island
of world. He was ordered back from
its shores and struck through with
lances of human hate as soon as be
landed. Shepherds dog baying on the
hills that Christmas night was better
treated than this reScuer of race. yet
keeping right on, brambles on brow.
feet on spikes, Negotiated with whips
that had Jumps of lead fastened to
them, through midnight without iau-
terms, through storms without a shell
ter. through years that got backer I'M
Ill they ended In a MONDAY with the
sun blotted out. Mightiest tale ever
told, and keep on telling it unth the
last sorrow is assuaged and the last
animosity is quenched and the last 6es-
ert is white with the lily and golden
with the cowslip and blue with the
gentian and crimson with the rose.
My text, in referring 10 the years, re-
minds me that in ~ hours this year will
forever have gone away. Ninety-nine
out Of the hundred years of this century
will have disappeared. We have only
| one year of the century left. There
ought to be something especially sug-
| gestive in the last year of century.
Ii ought TO be year of unparalleled i'm
dustries, of unheard of conservation.
Not a person in any of our audiences
| this day can remember the Grst year
of this century. Not person in any of
our audiences to-day will ever again see
the last year of century.
Through medical science the worlds
longevity may be greatly improved in
the future, as it has been in the past.
but il would not be well for people 10
live TOO long. Some of them would,
! through their skill at acquisitiveness,
gather too much. and some multi
| millionaires would become billionaires
and trillionaires, and some one would
| after awhile pocket hemisphere. No.
Death is useful in it's financial limita-
tions. and then all have enough SORROWS
and annoyances and sufferings by the
time they become nonagenarians or
centenarians to make il desirable TO
! quit. Besides that. ii would not be fair
so long TO keep so many good old peo-
| nj NJ nf - IL l.
ranged that those who stand by the.
deathbed of the nineteenth century
will not be called to stand by the death
bed OF the twentieth century.
oh. crowd this last year with prayers,
with hosanras. with kind words, with
helpfulness. Make the peroration of
the century the climax of Christlike
deeds. Close up the ranks of God and
during this remaining ~ months
charge nightly against the host of
Abaddon. Have no reserve corps. Let
swiftest gospel cavalry gallop. and
heaviest moral artillery roll. and
mightiest evangelistic batteries thun-
der on the scene. Let ministers of the.
Gospel quit all controversy with each
other, and in solid phalanx march out
for the worlds disinthrallment. Let
printing presses, secular and religious,
make combined movement 10 instruct
and emancipate the world. On all the
hills let there be Elijah. praying for "a
great rain" and on every contested
field Joshuas 10 see that final victory is
gained before the sun goes down, and
every mountain become transtigura-
tion and every Galilee o walking place.
for the worlds Olsen thrallment. Let
us be jealous of every month. OF every
week. Of every day that passes without
something significant and glorious.
wrought for God and this sin cursed
world Let our churches be thronged
with devout assemblages. Let the
chorals be more like grand marches
than requiems. Let this coming year
see the last wound OF Transvaal and
Philippine conflict. and the earth quake.
with the grounding arms of the last
regiment ever 10 be mnrshaled. and the,
furnaces Of the foundries blaze with the
fires that shall turn the last swords into.