The Weekly Tallahasseean., 1901-11-08
YEARLY RETROSPECT
Excellent Sermon by Rev.
". h. Carter
At The EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Touching Reference to Departed
Friends and NeighbOrs.

Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died. st. John, xi, 80.
Among all the places associated with
our Lords life upon this earth, no one
appeals to our human sympathieS more
strongly than the home in Bethany.
It was no place of monOtonous mac
tiyity. or even of Indifferent content,
the personal characteristics of each
gave variety to experience. Martha,
anxious, perhaps unduly so, about daily
comforts and necessities, would worry
somewhat over Mary's apparent indiff-
erence, while the sister might wonder
that so much care was given to matters
that occupied to-day while tomorrow
would be the same.
Of Lazarus it may fairly be said that
he shared the confluence Oh each and
gave to each such advice as might both
restrain and encourage; and we know
that our Lord, perfect gentleman,as he
was, contrasted the characteristics of
the sisters by intimating that there was
something more worthy of anxiety than
were the necessities Of daily life. And
we may be sure that the visits of such
a great guest were anticipated with
more than ordinary pleasure and re-
membered with more than ordinary ad
vantage.
A great sorrow affecting all has come
upon the household. He to whom they
would have appealed, knowing that the
appeal would be effectual, was absent,
and his friend Lazarus was sick unto
death. What now were the worries in
cident to much serving? What were
the hopes and expectations for fuller
and higher life? The most assiduous
care of the one had been in vain, and
the brightest thoughts Of the other had
failed to comfort, for the brother SO
intimately associated with both had
left them to unsatisfactory tasks and
to vain regrets.
Z And into the house of death the Lord
Of life comes. But what avails it now?
A few hours agoe-and the fading
strength might have been revived. But
Lazarus was dead. The grave held
his body in it's inexorable bondage, and
the eyes were not yet sufficiently clear
of the tears of sorrow to see far off the
vague reunion of the great hereafter.
At first it was only the hopeless re-
gret, Lord, if Thou hadst been here,
my brother had not died" This was
the common theme on which the busy
worker and the higher aspirant could
agree, for the sorrow of the one seemed
but the echo of the grief of the
other, Lord, if Thou hadst been
here my brother had not died" Ages
have passed away. but we are standing
to-day close to tnat home of mourning,
Every generation has taken up the
same plaint. Through every eXperi7
enee of earthly years, through every
event Of human life is woven the same
regret OF Waat might have been-a res
gret SO often not only useless but
harmful; it implies ignorance or care
leSsnesS on the part OF human means
and Indifference or hardness on thq
part of Gods providence. Probably.
neither Martha nor -Iary ever mean;
Il as such, but it sounds hk1
an implied reproach upon whal
might have been preventable absence
And until we have learned a difficuk
lesson it is hard to turn our thoughf
away from imagined pOsslbllltleH
Probably no life as it has advanced il
years is exactly as we thought it wouii
have been. We are mostly at our beS'
When we plan for the future, but plaIES
fall. We hardly know how, and we tgy
to find a reason in the supposition tina
it would have been different if we h3C
done or left undone something in the
past.
And this is especially true when Wt
are grieVing like that household y
Bethany over broken friendships a1C
love. Was everything done that was
possible? Or did our very anxiety prF
vent us from adopting the best course
II our loved one had not died! 1t Il
the implied rebellion of human anec
uon against. the inevitable course %
nature. We have done what we DelleT
-eo to be for the best, not according q
our judgment alone, but according 81
the knowledge and skill Of those Wp'
nave made a study and practice o
physical laws. We have used every St
Tort, but without avail. The result Il
disappointment which it takes Cnrlst
Ian faith to prevent deepening Int
unbelief Perhaps it is the long sepafa
non with the apparently uncertain fu
lure which makes each experience seen
IKE an individual mystery.
In general way, we acknoWleSg
That it ought not to be 80, that q:
Christians we should look forward WftI
confidence, but we are so conscious o
our weakness and sins that we fSal
And If we had to look only to our
selVees, there would be nothing pu
lear; but it is for the very Aur
pose Of removing this dread e1s
tress that Christ came to .dl
Tor US; that He might bring us alf
not the life over which death rNle
and to which it must surrenderFDu
the life that conQuers death and give
even to the imperfectness OF humap1t
perfect immortality. To most OF u