The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-20


had received during his visit to the city,
and of the presence of such large
gathering.
The text Bishop Murray took for his
sermon was "The Memory of the Just
| is Blessed" proverbs 10-D. He was
given the closest attention throughout
the eloquent and forceful discourse
which was delivered in most earnest
and impressive manner. Bishop Muir
ray said:
Bishop Murray's Sermon
'"rhese words of wisdom suggest
thoughts most appropriate for our consid-
| GRAFTON this morning.
| THE present life of this congregation
is pregnant with mighty future possi-
bilities.
The realization of these possibilities Is
dependent upon many contingencies, but
| suIfemey upon loving, conscientious
consistent action under the holy inspira-
tlcn of blessed memories of the just.
1.-The very atmosphere of this place this
hour is redolent with such memories. The
occasion itself is memory born.
| "A righteous man has just gone from
you. The memory of his ministering
| learning and love can never die among
you, and the blessing of that memory, as
precious heritage from heaven, shall
ever rest upon you.
| similar ties exist between you and
others still living upon earth. Thank God
| for them, and may we all strive to serve
both God and man better because of
| them.
| These, and bonds and memories other
than these, are supreme in my thought as
| stand in this pulpit and face the leving
| presence of this people after a lapse of
10 busy years of incessant activity and
evcntful change My mind persistently
mirrors among you who are here the
| forms of other dear ones who are there
/ gone now, but who in their companionship
and love strongly influenced us in their
| life, and whose blessed memory still has
| precious power over us, now that they
are dead.
| And so, under the spell of this oc-
casion, let us weigh well and ponder
prayerfully Solomon's words, both in the
| light of what the past personal presence
| of those who are gone, living and dead,
hath proflited us: and also in the hope
of what the present pure spiritual men,
ories, through our desire and determina-
| ticn, may in the future bring us.
These words were conceived in the
love of the Fathers proclamation, "A good
man shall not be moved forever;
the righteous shall be in everlasting re-
membrance.' psalm 112, 5-6) They were
brought forth in the light of the Sons
revelation, Blessed are the dead which
die in the Lord; yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labors and
their works do follow them. tRev. 1i-13)
Between Two Tides
MANY of the constituent scenes of llfe's
complete panorama vanish in their pass
ing as II they had never been. Others
continue through day and night, indelible
on the canvas of memory, either cursing
n. wi ha nf nj hirfb of
blessing us with the JOY of their creation.
The powerful influence for good or evil,
for JOY or sorrow, for success or failure,
thus exercised upon mind and conduct,
can only be appreciated and measured
wnen we remember that our present po-
sition Is always but a small floating island
of performance between the two mighty
seas of past preparation and future possi-
bility; and that even while we thus med
itate, the waters of the one are waxing
behind us while the waves of the other
are waning before us. The tide of the
past always flows and follows us; that
of the future always Gibbs and eludes us.
Today follows us as yesterday In the cal
endar of time; but becomes tomorrow only
in the memory of its thought, word and
deed. True, the inevitable influence given
immortal birth in the different relation
ships established and character formed
through these mediums, whether of ma
ture sacred or sinful, pious or profane, en-
dures forever. And in this one sense yes
terday and tomorrow are always .oday.
There Ia no present escape from the past
there Is no future obliteration of the pres
en.. What Of pleasure or of pain may
be dominant in the pulsating life of this
present moment, had its birth and began
it's growth in humanty's cradle 1t can
never accomplish the perfect work of its
joy. or realize the complete providential
purpose of Its sorrow until 1t merges into
memory. and our earthly house of this
tabernacle shall be dissolved, and we all
stand before the judgment seat of Christ:
that every one may receive the things
dcne in his body, according to that he
hath done whether 1t be good or bad
The wise man, then, uses words of
significance in all affairs both of time
and eternity when he says, The memory
OF the just is blessed And simple.
threefold aspect of this bessedness may
be by us, in the light and spirit 1 have
Indicated. profitably considered.
First, this memory is blessed in the
joy it affords in the creation of the char
acter which makes it possible.
Unjust as Well as Just Live
This is the more apparent when we
stop to note that the unjust live In men,
ory. as in fact, no less than the just The
memory of the one Is bitter, as that
of the other is blessed. Engaged in life's
increasing and insistent labors, every fac-
uliy aroused and active. competing with
some, assisting others, our attention is SO
occupied with the duties and demands of
the moment that the significance of this
fact as influence for our success or
failure is lost in our neglect of it's proper
consideration. 1t is only upon occasions
Ike the present, when under the influence
of fond affection and sacred veneration
we come itno the pervading atmosphere
of lfe's memories familiar and fragrant.