Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-01-05
Miseellaneous 8adin9.
BLESSINGS Or THbPAST,
All Urge on the Duty OF
the Present.
FOR PERFECTION OF THE FUTURE

David, So Also is 1t the Privilege
and Duty of the Present Generation
to Strive Toward the Successful
Completion of That Infinite Work
Which God Has Had i'm Contempla-
tion From the Beginning.
The following sermon, preached by
Rev. w. G. Neville in the Yorkville
Presbyterian church last Sunday, has
been considered by those who heard 1t
to be Of such striking interest that
some Of the leading members have
made special request for it's publica-
tion in THE ENQUIRER:
"And thou mayest add thereto."-
I Chron., xii, IA.
By the grace Of God, and in the prov
idence of God, David did magnificent
work for the people and for the church
of God. He made an impression on
mankind and on the history of the
world that will be felt through all COM
ing time and through eternity.
But he commenced one work, at least,
which he was not able to finish. His
heart was in the building Of grand
temple for the worship of God, which
would reflect credit on the true religion.
lie had the plans for this house of God;
he had actually commenced it's con-
struction; but he was not permitted to
complete this great work
Just before he closed his earthly ca
reer, he gives to Solomon, his son and
successor, farewell message, loving
charge. Then he commits to him his
unfinished work. He says: Nov, be-
hold in my aff1iction I have prepared
for the house Of the Lord an hundred
thousand talents of gold, and a thou
sand talents of silver; and Of brass and
iron without weight; for it Is in abund-
ance; timber also and stone have pre-
pared; and thou mayest add thereto"
David's work, as far as his personal
connection with it was concerned, is
done? He lays down the trowel, the
sword, and the pen. Solomon'S work,
in his Independent connection with it,
now commences. Where David's work
terminates, there Solomon's work be-
gins.
But it is all the Lords work, and in
an important sense is the same work.
Gods workmen die; but Gods work
goes on"
Here Is a transition period. The past
the present, and the future are involv-
ed. We see the past in David and his
work. We see the future in Solomon
and his work. They are connected and
held together by the present. The con-
nection Is vital, one in which much Is
involved. "And thou mayest add
thereto" David's work made Solo
mons work possible. Solomon's work
made David's work complete. One Is
the complement of the other. Neither
is complete without the other. In the
plans and purposes OF the Almighty,
they are essential, the one to the other.
There is an interdependence. What
would David's work be without Solo,
mons added to it? A huge failure.
What would Solomon's work be with
out David's? An impossibility. The
foundation without the superstructure
is useless. The superstructure wlthou.
the foundation Is worthless. There Is
really no Independent work in this life,
in the sense that it Is complete in itself.
We add to the work that has been done
by those who have gone before. Those
who come after us will add to our
work. Paul plants and Apollos waters.
There Is an unbroken continuity In
mans work from generation to genera
ton. The unfinished work Of our fath-
ers has been transmitted to US; and We
will hand down to our children our un-
finished work.
Living as we do, in the very last
days of the nineteenth century and
standing on the very threshold Of the
twentieth century, we are forcibly re-
minded Of the fact that we are indis-
solubly connected with the past and
the future. We are connected with the
past in our thinking and modes Of
thought, in our habits and manner OF
life, in our doctrines, principles and
policies, in the unfinished work of our
fathers, and in all Of our environments.
We are, to a very great extent, Whac
| the past has made us. We are connect
ed with the future by our hopes and as
pirations. by our works which are to
follow US and by the impression these
works are to make upon the genera :
tions which are to come after us. The
future Is to be, to a very great extent,
what we are going to make it.
Hence the full sweep of mans in
f1uence and life can never be known by
us until the end Of time. Thus we can
see the propriety and justice Of waiting
till the last day for the general judg-
ment. Not till then will all the facts In
connection with a mans life be in, an1
not till then can a just estimate be
formed of that life.
Your influence goes on and on till the
end of time. It is impossible for you to
trace it out in all of it's different ramifi-
cations: but the omniscient eye Of God
keeps up with it.
Thus, as we stand here today with the
past stretching out behind us and the
future stretching out before us, we feel
like taking off our shoes; for we are
standing on sacred soil. The blessed
dead are in the past,-they have gone
to an infinitely better and happier
world: but their works do follow them.
They have transmitted to us their un-
finished work. "And thou mayest add
| thereto"
The glorious future, potential with
grand possibilities looms up before us
today AS we stand here in the midst
of the solemn issue that crowd upon US,
we are forcibly reminded Of our in
debtedness to the past and our obliga-
tions to the future. We do not appre-
ciate, as we should, our Indebtedness to
the past; nor do we realize, as we
should, our obligations to the future.
We are the benefciaries Of the faithful
work Of those who have gone before us;
and we are the custodians Of many of
the blessings that are to be enjoyed by
those who are to come after us.
There are many important differences
to be drawn from this general subject.
I. THE WORK OF OUR FATHERS COMES
TO US AS A PRICELESS BLESSING.
Though their work may come to us
in an incomplete form, yet they added
to what others had done, and transmit
ted to us the work in better condition.
Thus they have made our work easier,
and they have increased our possibili-
ties for usefulness and happiness. They
toiled, not simply for themselves, but
for others, for generations unborn; and
we today are enjoying the fruits of
their faithful labors. Every blessing
which we possess and enjoy has come
down to us through the tolls and tears,
through the struggles and sacrifices OF
those who have lived in the past. THE
great thoughts that warm our hearts
and inspire us to noble living are the