The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-11-25
"AFTERWARD"
Brilliant Sunday Sermon Ey Rev.
j. L. Lockwood.
Dtelares that th, Whole Enigma OF Life Is
Stlved at Once When You Hold the
keyword.

BROOKLYN, N. Y.-The Rev. j. II. Lock.
wood, pastor of the Naugatuck (Conn.) Nj.
Z. Church., preached Sunday morning in
| Grace M. T.. Church in the absence Of the
| pastor, the Rev. DIR. John +. Adams. Mr..
| Lockwood is well and favorably known in
Brooklyn and on Long Island, where he
has he'd several pastorates. He was born
and educated in Brooklyn and studied law
before he entered the ministry. He had
the distinction of being last year the only
clerical member of the Connecticut Leg.
stature. He took for the subject of his
sermon, "Afterward." His text was from
Hebrews, xi:2: Now no Christening, but
the present seemeth to be joyous, but
grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yield
eth the peaceable fruit of righteousness
unto them which are exercised thereby"
Mr.. Lockwood said:
Let us consider the single word "After.
ward as our text. Ii you grasp that word
and its rich content of comfort you will
have caught the whole message OF the SER
ihon, and you will possess a most valuable
solvent for lfe's perplexing, and often dis.
tressing. problems.
Human life is mysterious enic- a that
has successfully baifled the efforts persist
emily made by the profoundest thinkers Of
our race for its solution. "What is lie"
is the still puzz,ing question of questions.
As the biologists and their fellow scientists
have not succeeded in tellinc us just what
that elusive thing we call physical life is,
neither have poets, prophets, philosophers,
nor even philanthro' its been able to tell
US adequately what real life is.
Here is this strange. thing we call life,
with its many and varied phenomena, and
the more profoundly and comprehensively
we study it the more confused it leaves us.
There are experiences positively joyous and
experiences positively painful, and there
are experiences partially Joyous and par
t.a'I raa,t. t,,1 81. -
mass of lfe's complex data and are quite
baAied to know the meaning of it all. Still,
with our hearts. as well as with our heads
we ask again the ,irrepressible interroga-
tive. What is life"
Are we, indeed, only lot If animals
high class animals, to be SURE. but oriv ami
mas. nevertheless, sprung from the prime
val mud and risen to our present intellect
ual and moral exaltation and gorv bv
painful step and slow, onl.- to hr powed
under shortly in the great cosmis agricul.
ture to serve as soil for some future crop.
little finer grained than we? From mud
to mud--that is the program of evolution
Or, on the other hand, is it some splendid
sweeDing pan which we are in, working
out for us, the immortal participants. far
more exceeding and eternal weight Of glory
that shall thrill the soul forever? Have
we been but blind and stupid workers at
the loom of time, weaving an imaginary
fabric that really had no existence, even as
zone that beateth the air." or are we act.
ually, engaged in some real work of marvel
GUS design. whose pattern we see not Gear
L. and in al its comprehensive details. but
which our Master Workman knoweth well?
Let us look at the three proffered expla-
nations .t !.fe. First. there is the doleful
and distressing answer OF phi,osophic pes
simism which assures us that things are
surely growing worse all the time, the
world is rolling down hill and there are no
brakes that hp nDnIipd Tho world
now is better than it will ever be hereafter.
II you like that view, accent it. No. we
must not say it so. Not, do YOU like it.
but is it true? That is the way to p.; it;
for, pleasant or reDugnant we must accept
what is true. But this view cannot possi-
bly, be true unless the proposition on which
i is based is also true. the proposi,ion of
the fool who said in his heart, "There is no
God"
And in the second Place We have the an.
swer of philosophic optimism. which as.
serts that things are steadily getting bet.
than it was 1000 or 10000 years ago, it will
be far better 1000 or 10000 years hence.
But this prevalent theory is scarcely any
Improvement on the other, except to the
superficial thinker for it makes no provi.
sion for the perpetuation of personality.
Where will you and be when those far
off improvements of our race arrive? This
materialistic philosophy offers us of the
present no immortality, and hence no op-
portunity for the adjustment of life's pres
ent glaring injustices. ] am CAD to believe
. that the race that shall be resident here
1000 years from now will be better race.
But l would like to be in existence some.
where, too when the better day dawns.
And even il l could rise to the superb I'M
selfshness like unto that which poets some.
times sing when, temporarily, they happen
to be in Just that mood, and could say |
was content to live and die and cease t.
exist here or anywhere else If only. as q
result of my having lived while. future
generations might be lifted little higher;
still, one must feel that that pretty and,
scheme does not satisfy the imperative de-
mands Of our souls that wrongs shall be
adequately righted, that innocent sufferers
shall be COMPENSATED and that outraged
helpiessness shall he avenged.
Now comes Christianity, with its ample
answer. 1t admits all the facts. the APP
parent injustices OF the present, the pros.
perity Of the. unrighteous. the triumphing
of the wicked, and, on the other hand. the
suffering and the seeming defeats OF Coda
heroes and saints in the fierce hot contest
of ffe: and then It speaks one blessed
word, "Afterward." and we can be pa.
tient.
After VIC have heerd that divine word
we can see the wicked spread himself like
q green bay tree. and still we rest in the
Lord and wait patiently for Him, and we
refuse to fret ourselves because of him
who prospereth in his ways, because of the
man who bringeth wicked devices to PASS
The whole puzzling enigma of life is
solved at once when you ho'd the keyword,
and that word is the single word OF the
text, "Afterward."
That is to say, you can get no satisfac.
tory explanation Of this strange and some.
what feverish thing we call life, unless you
think of what is to follow. A noted Amer,
lean orator, in a famous sentence OF his,
has told us that we have no lamp with
which to guide our feet in the future ex.
cept the experience of the past. He con.
tended, and rightly, too that We cannot
properly estimate the future unless wa
base our judgment on the experience OF
the past. Now we may go on and supple
ment Patrick Henry's familiar dictum by
saying that we have no lamp to reveal the
the future. "Afterward" ia the word that
explains the mysterious disciplinings and
chastenings of the present. If you will
grasp that word with firm, athletic grip. il
will settle for you all these difficult prob.
lens that SO frequently confront your soul
and disturb your heart.
When you come to some terrific exper-
ience in life that all but skaters the very
foundations of faith--when your soul falls
stricken and wounded on life's cruel bat.
tleheld-a thousand arrows Of temptation
piercing the spirit and many a sword of
sorrow thrust through the heart-so that
all you can do is to cry in agony and terror,
NV God, nay God hast Thou forsaken
me" Then above the tumult OF grief and
the roar of the black pillows, may God