The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-12-25
TALMAGES s~2I3N,
ThisEfs Cur First ard Last 5ootHsy
Through This World.

This Obscure is meat urus1s' pre-
sentaticn Ct th;igs t}at iAso 24ace Il
many l:vae, and Cr. Ts,mHee p,e@es t~H
merciful Interpretations Ct hunsn Pc
b,y;o-. The text is Joshua iii, 4, Ie
have not passed this gsy heretofore"
In December, 1859, / vaoeo Ire
river jordan s1d, siihough the current
was strc1g, Iwas sbie 20 besC up a9alnst
it. bus in the tims Of spring fceshe1,
when the SHOWS On Mouat L:!snop
melt, nothing bit miracle Tou:o e9-
sbls any ere to cIcss t1is river, J.
vss at the da1gercus spc:aa;ime :h"'
Joshua ard toe cEdoeIs Of a1s arI1T
uttered the vo1Ss ct my isS. 10 sae
people vho xe-: n /: few 5occS 20 l~<>s
The Jordan. A6tIs sHss czoSS'2s We
ssy bat !::tle, 3eesusc Oh previous
oosssion re G;scou:sed c2rc.Going saa5
p;l;rg up Of TIE ws.ers 1910 cryFral
ba--icsds. We o7ly speak G. the msEch
to she brink Of the river. No sFzacge1
thing has ever oc1u-eS in ali histcry.
TIE srk o. tle o9yerart Tas 6r.
liant chest of Acacia wood, cver:s'a
with sid, on tbs tcp oi va,co Teva
two winged 6su-e= jscipg esca Cher: l:
Ezs Eve feer long and three foes W'Ga
Poles we're t5-os5 through the 1l2gs q:
the SIDE. a1d By ibe fo;Ss the ak Tas
lifted. This splendid box vas to Se
carried thIee quarters Of mile aheso
Of the hosts Of Israel o. the Hsy to the
crossing. Thst distance between tie
box and the sGvaGciug thousands mutt
he kept because Of reverence. There
wss 8 sanctity in shat divine symbo!
that they must observe by keeylng
three, quarters Of mile avay. Trey
must watch thst giissering 5ox snd io!-
low, otherwise they would lose their
way and not arrive at the right plscs
for crossing. They had never been
there before, and they must be gulted.
For that reason, Joshua ut:ers she
words Of my texs, ''Ye have NOT pssssd
this way heretofore" sud tie suboEdl-
nate o&cers st the hesd Of the -eelneos
repeated it. ''Ye have not passed this
way heretofore"
What vss truthiully ssid Of The sn-
cient IsraeISes nay DO tCusatu!ly ssIc
Of Us. We are making our first s.d
last journey through thi5 world, Il ls
possible, IS sous Of my sood friends be.
lie7e, that this world will be corrected
ard improved and purified AID aoralis.
ed and enparsdised as 20 climate and
soil and charac.er Until il shall be
come hesven for the rAaEomed, Hus l
do not think is, have en icea that
heaven is already bulls somewhere.
Our departed friends could not visit ur-
til this world is fixed Up for sanity aac
angelic residence. Having o1cs go-e
ont of the world, Ido not think VIC
will come back, except as nlnis:erlog
spirits to help those who remain IL ths
esrthly struggle or perhaps to lock at
the Wonocous spectacle OF q bu!n-ng
planet.
But, leaving that theory aside, We
are very sure that We are foc the first
time walking the earthly pilgrimage.
eye have not passed this way before.
Every minute IS rew minute, every
hour new hour, every century DeW
century. Others folks have gone over the
same ROAD We are travelling, but II IS
our first trip. New appescances, new
temptations, new Eo1rcW5, DeT joys.
That Is the resson 80 many lose EAelr
way. Tkey NEST some one en- the road
Of life and ask FOR diIeo5lon, and wrocs
direction Is given. We have s!l been
perplexsd by misoireceicn sfseE asking
the Wsy TO scre place We wished to
visit. Some one said to us. Take
the frst rcsd to the rig ht ard, having
gone mile on that ros9, take tbs dsst
road to the left, and You will soon rssch
your destination" We tock the advice,
but our ;aHocner forget turn N the
road or forgot cne CT zoe roads leading
to the left, sad We took the wrong ros
and we're lost in the woods, and night
came on, and We were put to grsas
ircisstioa and srcubie.
The facsis ! b2=re 20 one for max
ing lifetime mistakes. I pisy them ~
stead Of blaming tham. There are 60
many wrong roads, but only one r;glt
one. You esnpos IL rai6life ccsW upon
your youthful experiences Cor Hisdcm
for mi6life is SO entirely o;se-sus
from youth. You capnot in oi0 age
draw upon ni6life experiences, for
the two stages Of existence are Sc
diverse. Wn&t IS wisaom Soc
one man to DO would BE- folly {or
another to undertake. A Ean o.
nerve sld pluck IS not qualified TO sd-
wise man timid an1 saEinzi2g. Al
achievement saas would be easy for
you might be Impossible 3cE nc. Eu-
man sd7ice Is ordinarily Of list!e va
ne. Pzeple review sGeiT owa SUCCESSES
or failures and then tel: rs What Ii oe2t
for Us to DC, not realizing thss cur cir
cumstsDces are different, our tenpe1s
1ent is 6i&srect, cur physicist and
mental and moral capacities different.
Most OF the crest mistakes shat have
been made hs7e been made under hu-
man adVisenent.
So, also, It may be said to every na-
ton. ''Yo have not passed this way
before" Our own republic is goIng
through novel experiences. CoUlc
wisest statesmen twenty years ago have
propheied present conditions? Every
president every congress, has new czi2es
TO meet and new questions 70 settle. so
prophecies made shout conditions a
this county fifty years fron now msg
tarn out as far untrue as the prophecies
made ffsy years aso By the greases5 of
American statesmen Ehsn ne declared
o. yonder Cspisol hill thaS it vas ua-
wise to think Of c;vil;E asicn or PROS
perity the other side Of shs R5cky
mountains, ard according TO his bsiisS
the Pacific coass would oe the peEDe:ua!
abode CT bsrbariags AID noG1tain !ious,
and ne must not bhink Of aaneIins