Year: 1876

THE MuEsroSx ON TIE wAY--sEEMoN BY THE


REV. DIR. EEPwoRrH


Yesterday Mr. Hepworth's church was crowded,
fact owing probably ihe beautiful weather
the unusually interesting services Besides
service OF molly communion, celebrated ON the first
Sunday OF every month dcacons and two deacon
esses wero ordained yesterday and fifteen mem
bers wero added the church Mr.. Hepworth selected
his text from Exodus XII, IS-"And this day shall be
unto you for memorial, and you shall keep It feast
to the Lord; throughout your generation ye shan keep
IL a feast and ordinance forever" The children OF
Israel may be said have had two crowns which
they wero commanded TO aernately--the
trst OF onyx the crown Of fasting. and while
wearing il they sat the dust looking at their past
with regret and sorrow, recognizing their little
ness tho greatness Of God lifting up their hands in
suppncation for mercy. The other may be called the
crown Of diamonds the crown Of flashing brightness
and whheness the crown Of joy and thanksgiving
They wore IL during their feast day. when Joy filed
every throughout the nation, when tender and
triumphant songs up heaven from 10000 lips,
Those days Of eastng and fasting Of serious
portance and great The people Of Israel, like
the people OF America impulsive that they
needed


A CONSTANT REMINDER


facts and responsibilities and the feast days
days OF olden time along the journey





they might hesitate a moment confessing themselves
to Cod that they might receive pardon for time past
ana encouragement for the time to conc And these
frequent that they had sooner passed one
than they trod the heels OF another.


Brethren, think Ihis s the mission or our great
national and Individual DAYS of memorial; they
times when stand still and think for moment
Let me ask you to hesitate with me for moment
around this milestone which God has set on our
journey, We have 'welve months behind us God
knows n have twelve months before us Tho
past certain the future Insecure We have that
which have; that which we hope for We may or
may not have God wills To-day celebrate the
season and hold thanksgiving in our usual places
in the sanctuary; but when another twelve months
shsl have toled away its days and nights,
be- Perehance pursuing avocations with earnest
mess and vgor as now or we may lie asleep, the busy
added 20 the chorus which sings around the throne OF
God Il MAKES little difference where, II We only serve
spoke IN this place on this particular theme we have
undergone many changes Some would nnd it difficult
20 tell how they have got on. STILL Gods hand hath
been merciful to us, and here we are one more leaf
gone the CONSEQUENCES Of two three nippng frosts
lives but still able TO bear fruit for many years
20 come and a hopeful in the past Well can
not forget that with God there Is no such thing as
The great thought Of the Scriptures is that all
time is present 10 Him; no such thing as change 10
HIM We are children now anon we grow older, anon
we become and stll again our eyes grow dim
and winter SHOWS are spread lives What a
cnanee IN u.s. But With God there Is neither variable
moss change. He was never child; lie VIII never
grow Old We live on a little while seventy years
more less and that IS very short time out Of the
great circle OF eternity, and 1t Is so precious that VIC
needs DIVIDE it up into sections and call them
spring summer autumn and winter And so we reckon
time by seconds SO valuable IS the minutest atom OF
eternity prize u infinitely and would not lose
one moment OF our earthly existence We know moth
ing beyond that We cannot reach into heaven and
understand how Adams time and the Jude-
ment Day stand side by side, And yet time
is very variable with The old poet
right who sand ''we live in deeds, not words; no
lives the most who thinks the most" Have you ever
noticed how long time Is when you are waiting Tor
something 70 come 10 pass But when prosper
and everything goes we'll then how time ticks IT
time we spend on earth. but in tho way in which
spend Eternity is here, not there and be begins
The eternal life who begins the life OF God


THIS then, a milestone IN our religion, and II
seems to ought to ask ourselves serious ques-
ton and The question TO be asked here, and which
IN your journey are your Is God
closer you is He further on Is better with you
nov than evcr1 If So thank God for 1t You know
what God hath done for you you cannot forget that
Calvary stands alone, shrouded In midnight cloud The
cross,


how stands II your nfe is It victory TO your In
the face OF tins question, read the book with thirst
indescrbaple and lift my voice 10 the unknown God
and thank Him, wherever He is for the longing thst
will not let TIL say II believe In the hereafter
and when follow that marvellous journey Of that mar
veous people through the desert and 10 tho promised
land and when | told that journey is type OF
human hfe and that am wandering somewhere be.
tween Egypt and Canaan when ] read that
and believe u 20 he iact then can
sing for joy. There Is something too deep for utter



the Resurrection and tbe Lne;' and can make these
words certainty and fact by that book. You know
when the lsraees were wandering through The desert
they came across


MARA.


Oh how disappointed they weroi they were
thirsty and yet dared not drink and they complained
20 Moses and he sad, TAKE OF the wood and cast u
into the water and IL viii be swectened " Oh, If We
could take Of the and cast u into the bitter
waters and drink and drink ti We we're satisfied l
you 70 feel that have talked this morning n the
utmost simplicity, because have talked with the ut
most sOhcitude do long 70 be Of some good TO your
souls Thank Goo for the work have done and
grant We may stih DO greater work In the time 10