Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-05-24
CatnaQe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Taimsse, ID. ID.

are not sufficiently appreclative of or
thankful for the blessings we enjoy
and that to make life sweeter and bet
mind. The text is rs. Gill, 2, Forget
not all his benefits
Memory's grip Is not always firm.
Her pen Is not necessarily a chisel.
Her memorial tablets are not always
cast In bronze or iron or steel. Her
death masks are not impervious to
time. They crumble and decay like the
bones and the flesh and the life they
represent. Her thoughts are not al
ways recorded upon the leaves of solid
rock by the sharp pencil OF the light
ming. Her broad manuscripts are Of
ten like the sands or the seashore.
washed clean at least once q day by
the inaowing tides. They are the
blackboards in the schoolroom of a lit
tie child. The written words of the
morning are obliterated by the teacher
TO make room for the arithmetic class
and the figures of the afternoon. What
we do and say today may be swal-
lowed up In the great, deep, impenetra-
bic abysses of oblivion OF what we will
do and say tomorrow.
Indeed, IL l might use the illustra-
tion, memory has always seemed to
me to be like French bastile. 1t IS
similar to a great walled in castle OF
chivalric times. 1t is filed with secret
closets and secret rooms and secret
subterranean passages. 1t has its treas
ure vaults, where are concealed the
precious stones and the gold and the
silver no one knows anything about.
1t has Its cedar chests where the IA
bled brides have hidden their wedding
robes and where families hide their
decomposed grinning skeletons, so that
no one may find them, yet there men,
ory stands huge castle with her
watchtowers and her meats and her
drawbridges and her banquet halls and
her bathrooms and her cellars and also
with her secret chambers, about tho
contents of which even the owners
themselves have forgotten.
Perhaps i can illustrate my thought
even more simply than this. A very
dear friend OF mine is the owner of
one of the most historic Of Virginia
mansions. Every one conversant with
the history OF Washington's common
home of the famous Colonel William
Byrd OF James River. One day some
few years ago my friend was making
some repairs in his cellar. Suddenly
the pick of the workman went through
the wall. A large opening was made
through the wall. Lights were brought.
Then my friend entered and found n
secret tunnel, which old Colonel Byrd
had built, leading from his mansion
down TO the river bank, through which
II necessary I'm times OF danger he and
his family could have escaped and fed
10y water to the coast or to England.
Thus memory's castles have their Sc
cret halls and secret chambers and Sc
cret subterranean passages. We our
selves have built them. But after we
have built them we have shut the Sc
cret doors which lead TO them and
have then forgotten their very exist
ence. What we said and did as boys.
where we went as young men, the
warnings and advice we have received
in the past may be swallowed up in
the great sea OF forgetfulness. Memory
held these in tight grip for little
while. but mcmory's viselike hold after
time grew less and less strong. Now
they have slipped out OF her hands.
They will be lost TO us forever unless
some one opens for US memory's secret
chambers and says: Brother, look in.
Sister, here are your treasures"
Even David Forgot.
David in my text realizes how easy
1t is to forget. Especially by bitter ex-
pQrlanNa no hod laorna<y How, aa.,. q
was to forget the mercies and kind
nesses with which God had surround
ed him in his past life. No sooner had
God rescued him from Saurs javelin
than the shepherd boy fed to King
Achish's court, thinking he would be
safer with his country's enemies than
with Saul. Hardly had God seated
him firmly upon the Hebrew throne
than David forgot all OF Gods mercies
and care. He stayed at home from
his country's wars. He made love to
Bathsheba, another mans wife. He
then murdered her husband. Accord
Ing to Nathan's parable, he killed the
poor mans lamb. All, yes, David knew
what 1t was In his prosperity to forget
the love and the mercy and the pro-
lection OF God. Today we find him
opening the One Hundred and Third
Psalm with practically these words,
20 God, do not let me forget what
thou hast done for me-" He thus bids
us study gospel mnemonics," or the
laws by which we shall be able to hold
In tighter grip. the remembrances of
the benefits with which God surrounds
our lives now, as he has done during
our past years. BLESS the Lord, o my
soul, and all that is within me bless
Ills holy name. Bless the Lord, o my
soul, and forget not all his benefits"
How Is the psalmists prayer to be
answered in my life7 First, by clear
ly and distinctly and emphatically get.
ting an impression deep enough upon
my mind and heart so that I can re-
member the benefits OF what God has
done for me and my dear ones. BY
clearly and distinctly grasping In the
FIRST place that God Is good, and God is
Just and God is gentle and kind and
forgiving. BY having my conscious
ness aroused so that the thoughts
which are peopling the temple of my
brain today, as gospel messengers may
De recognized as individuals next week
next month, next year, as / go about
my daily occupations. IL Gods bless.
ings do not make deep impression
upon the mind and heart, then mem
ory' even though strong, will have moth.
Ing TO remember.
The Photograph Method.
III i might uSQ n familiar ulrst.ot,D.>