The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-04

in the Vineyard"
Phil. Stretching Forward to
the Things Which Are Before"
The passages refer to duty under
time divisions-"The Past. Present
and Future"
The Past
The charm of life is in the success
sion of new things. Creation is con-
sistent. Everything moves in circles.
The systems of worlds. The seasons
of the earth. The division of time.
The elements of human life. Every
thing is renewed The race by gen.
erations. The individual by grace.
Time by new periods. New beginning
freshens life. So does new outlook.
Still more a new experience. Most af
all a new form of existence. We live
in new world. This truth is annual
ly renewed In the twilight of the
old year, like little children, we are
peeping around the corner curious
about the things of the new year. Be-
fore our good morning to the new, will
be our goodbye to the old We are
united with the past by unbreakable
chards of sacred memory and holy af-
fections. II would be bass ingratitude
TO forget the past. 1t is an act of re-
ligious duty to call TO remembrance
the former days. To magnify the ex-
cellency of the good old days of our
fathers. II would be inexecusable to
be less magnanimous in our thought
and appreciation of the past. 1t is a
priceless possession. Its lessons, ben
efactions. sanctifed sorrows, friend
ships. faces we loved, and voices of
affection will ever abide as holy mem
cries, permanent as the eternity of
love. The only things to be forgotten
are those which embitter the present,
abscure its light and joy, and discour-
ages the prospects of the future.
The Present
1t includes the blending of the old
and ever new. The whole of human
life is in this blending. The back
ward look of the veteran, and the on
ward look of hope. In Loutze's great
painting. "The Course of Time"
company of emigrant families are on
the crest of the great mountain divide
looking with intense interest into the
new country, toward which they we're
Journeying. In the rear is a company
of thoughtful men and women, look
ing back into the old country they
are leaving. The present is the crest
OF the mountain in our relation to
time. From its summit we look in
anectionate appreciation into the
memory of the past, and with bright
and expanding hope into the future
towards which we are journeying. The
wise and thoughtful man stands with
hrm grip upon the present, in the
thought yesterday is no more. tomor-
row is not yet. My chief business is
to make wise use of the present day.
He needs the Masters exhortation,
Son, Go to Work Today in the Vine
yard"
Pre-Emlnence of the Present.
TO thus believe is no dscredit upon
the past. The heroes of history who
contributed so largely in their respec-
tive fields to the worlds advancement, !
II permitted to be with us in the open.
ing of the New Year, would greatly
rejoice in the realization of the hopes
which inspired the work of their
hands. The old men of thought, /
science, philosophy. theology, discov-
cry and men of great learning would
joyously and unhesitatingly yield to
the superior light of the present. What
would the astronomers and philoso- 1,
pheres of the old system think of the
intelligence of this age bowling in
blind acceptance of their theories? No
more should intelligent faith of the
present bow down in blind submission
before the dogmas and creeds of the
early centruies. The knowledge of
the present mall things is a marked
advancement over the past. The faith
of this generation contains a larger
and clearer conception of God as the
universal Father than did the faith of
our forefathers. The present is the
greatest age in the history of the
church. II is the golden age in mis-
sionary zeal and conquests. The sue.
cess of the Gospel is circling the
globe. In no age has the freedom of
religious conscience been more re-
spected and safeguarded The obli-
cation of Christian brotherhood is be-
coming more and more a prevailing
power in public-opinion. Christianity
G N To- 81,