The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-23

quent in their simplicity. There was emotion in the voice of Dr. Stakely when he announced the opening hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. The little organ, played by Mrs. J. Q. Fonviie, pealed forth tho notes of the grand ola song and everybody sang. Dr. Stakely read the first chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, ap- plying it to the people who had as- sembled to listen to the preaching of Christ's salvation. Then the congre- gation raised the familiar hymn, All Hail the Power of Jesus Name after which the pastor of the church, Rev. R. W. Adams, offered a simple but fervent invocation.
 David S.. Hurst, clerk of the congre- gation. made a brief address. setting forth the history of the congregation. He announced that the great grandsons of Rev. J. A. Fonvi1le and the first dea- con of the church, Franklin Armstrong, were present and called upon David F. Stakeiy and David Webb Hurst to stand up, which they did.
 Dr. Stake1y never preached stronger or more powerful sermon. He does not use manuscripe on any occasion. but on this occasion he spoke in simple, but direct, language and with deep feeling, dwelling upon the thought that the re- ligion of the fathers was the religion of the present. The sermon was about thirty-five minutes in length.
 The text was Hebrews xiii, 7-S, read partly in the Revised Version: Re- member them that had the rule over you. that spake unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ. the same yesterday, and today, and forever
 Tt is impossible for me to be un- moved on this occasion" said Dr. Stakely in bis introductory remarks. 's1'he memories of other years crowd upon me as stand in this sacred place. Many of the brightest and most vivid recollections of my life are associated with this spot. It was here that l at tended my first church service; it was here that I heard my first sermon, and my grandfather was the leader and tho pl eacher. In your cemetery here, he lies buried with my grandmother by his side. I have two brothers and a sister lying with them in the same lot, and here, too, my father sleeps his last sleep. I was only a child, and the only member of my family present, when gentle and loving hands consigned his body to the embrace of the cold and silent grave. In this building, too, I attended school in those earlier years. A few of my old class mates are here today to assist me in recalling the past. Others in their respective walks of life have gone to other sections of the land, while others still, having fought the battle of life, have laid down their ar nor and passed over the river, where they are resting under the shade of the trees
 T cannot but feel that our beloved dead, who hallowed this ground with their footsteps, and made this forest ring with their songs of praise, are looking down upon us from their bat dement's today; yet I can almost feel the touch of their invisible hands Is it an unlawful thought? Daniel Webster, in his great oration in commemoration of the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, represented their spirits as present on the occasion for the inspiration of their descendants. Napoleon at the battle of the Pyramids. said for the animation Of his men, Soldiers of France, forty centuries look down upon your work today. And the great writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, catching up the self same idea, represented the depart ed heroes of the faith as ever present spectators of Christians in their strug- gles and services, Wherefore seeing, We also are compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set be- fore us looking unto Jesus, the author and fnisher, of our faith"
 Then taking up his text directly Dr. Stakely developed the thought of the vital relation of Jesus Christ to his churches, at CD, the inspiration of the past; (2), the enthusiasm of the pres. ent; (3), the comfort of the future. And no other line of thought could have been more in harmony with the occa- sion. At sometime in about the year A. D. 70. the author of one of the mo- blest epistles of the New Testament cXhorted a Christian community, not improbably at Antioch or Jerusalem to recall the name of those who had laid the foundation of their work and recalling them to mediate upon their fidelity and initiate their faith con- sidering the end of their conversation Jesus Christ. the same yesterday and today and forever.
 We should never forget" said Dr. Stakely, that we are building upon foundations laid by others. Our con- nection with the past is much more vi- tai than we may be disposed to feel. We are what we are today largely because our fathers and mothers lived and wrought before us. The Judgment Day
 will reveal the real and far-reaching value of the tears that they shed. the sacrifices they made. and the services they rendered.
 T have never yet learned to make fun of the fathers Our times are easy as compared with theirs. We could not have done any better. I sometimes feel that we would not have done as well In any case the legacy that has come down to us from them is valuable beyond all words to describe. We rIay say of a church what the poet has SD truly said of a country:
 When a land forgets its legends,
 Sees hut failures in its past
 And ita people view their sires,
 In the light of fools and liars
 'Tis sign of its decline r \-