After the victory there is peace. After the labor there is rest.
After the pain there is pleasure. This world is not our abiding
place, our peace-place. As long as man lives on the earth he has
various inducements to sin. Enemies within and without are continually
organizing against him. Satan is seeking to devour him with lust and
sin. He too often, alas! renounces his allegiance to his God, he
forgets his Saviour, he turns away from the practice of his religion.
Worldly pleasures allure him, they deceive him, they intoxicate. Ten
thousand are the ways of this world to lead the humble pilgrim astray.
The Israelites wandered in the Wilderness forty days, but it was only
a seven days march from Egypt to Canaan; Why did they wander? Because
they sinned. The flesh is lusting against the spirit and the spirit
against the flesh. When we would do good evil is present with us. What
a mighty conflict this life of wandering is!
But blessed be God there are no haunts of innocent (?) amusement to
entice you from pure holiness, in Heaven! No dens to rob men and women
of their virtue, no pit-falls of saloons and gambling hells to lead
astray the holy inhabitants of that land of rest, none of these things
are to be found there! The ungodly rich man, the oppressor of the poor,
the robber, the thief, these are all cast into the lake where the worm
dieth not and the fire is not quenched. There is the place of our
Eternal Rest. It is a mountain where heavenly pastures grow and the
rivers of life gently flow. It is here that we shall know as we are
known. Here ignorance is forever banished and we see face to face. God
help as to enter this rest and to obtain this inheritance.
Our Legacy.
Peace I leave with you.--John 14:27.
Dear Brethren, in entering upon the work of this district two years ago
I found that the ship had sprung a leak, the sails were furled, many
of the crew had deserted the ship and left her to the mercy of the
waves. There seemed to be a heavy cloud over the church, her banners
had been trailing in the dust. I look back and almost shudder and
wonder what would have been the fate of the church had things drifted
on as I found them. I wonder if there were any here who at that time
would have believed our report and to whom the arm of the Lord would
have been revealed. I ask the question now, shall the church in Trenton
sink, shall her doors be closed, shall her banner be dust covered? No,
never, so long as God says “Thou shalt live.” So like Paul at Athens
I take courage and preach the Gospel to you that your strength may
increase and your faith grow stronger.
Bro. Joseph Long was the first man I saw, to whom I delivered my
message. He said go ahead, my son, sound the trumpet and we will rally
to the standard though the host of hell surround us. I accepted the
situation, seeing that there was a great field of usefulness before
me. I saw and felt my inability to do any good or to be of any service
to the church unless God was with me. So I consecrated myself anew to
God and made a complete surrender. My own capabilities united with
yours, we brought our forces into line and began the battle which you
have fought so nobly and bravely against every obstacle. You have been
faithful soldiers, and may be called veterans in the cause of Christ.
The enemy has been many times defeated and main victories have been won
and the cause has been greatly advanced, but the time of our separation
is drawing nigh, our communions will soon cease, they have been very
sweet and precious to me, very helpful, your kindness has been like
the bud on the tree continually swelling, and blossoming for my own
pleasure and profit. Like David, we have cried from the bottom of our
hearts, How long, O Lord, How long shall the wicked reign? Save thy
people, bless thine inheritance, feed and lift them up for ever. You
have proven your loyalty to the church at large, your efficiency in the
church here, I commend your integrity, your faithfulness. Your warm
hearts have beat continually for the success of the church during this
pastorate.
The old heroes have gone home to their reward. Their seats are vacant,
their work is complete but we have entered into their labors and their
memory is still precious among us. They are still with us in spirit,
they are looking down from the battlements of glory and are witnessing
our race here below. They have been described as a cloud of witnesses.
Therefore we are to lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so
easily beset us and run with patience the race that is set before us.
Their skill and bravery we should imitate, their example we should
copy, their life of service we should relieve. Oh! Could many of those
old warriors awake from their graves and revisit old Mt. Zion and stand
on her battleground, to tell us of the contests through which they had
passed and to show us the scars which they had received while fighting
the battle of the Lord, how often they have witnessed the going and
coming of ministers, having listened to their sad farewells, I am sure
that we would take courage today and rejoice that we are a part of that
grand procession, some of which are now in glory, some of which are
crossing and some of which are still on this side. These old veterans
of glory are not here to shake our hands; they have risen from the
bloody battlefield of earth to the sun lit hills of eternity and have
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Some
that I met two years ago are not here tonight to shake our hands, to
be with us in this farewell exercise, where are they? Where is father
Crusen and Sister Layten, Tolson, Phinley, Reley and Rachel Conover.
Young men, I ask you tonight where is Enoch Limehouse, Jimmie Vroom
and others of your companions? Parents and Sabbath School teachers,
I ask you where are the Scotts, the Sees and Lily Wright and others
whom I met here two years ago? They have gone down to the grave, they
are mouldering in their graves. But this shattered Mt. Zion church is
the same now as then, a few pillars are left. Brothers Long, Johnson,
Fisher, Jones, Ward, Ayers, Charna, Sisters Long, Ward, Perine, Hall,
Scroden, Hutchens, Lewis, Harriet, Charmer, and a host of others, we
have stood together through these years and are one tonight in spirit
and in truth. Our spirits have shared each other’s burdens, each
other’s sorrows, we have mingled our tears.
Your Christian advice, tender care, loyal friendship, all these have
helped me on my way to the better land. You have performed your part
well, a uniform desire to contribute to the harmony of all. Your
zeal for the growth of the church when it seemed to be dying, your
constant watching for its highest welfare, have often caused me to
say, “I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the
Lord.” Although we separate here in sorrow we will meet in a place
where sorrow is unknown. Do you promise to meet me there? March on, ye
Soldiers of the Cross, be not afraid, God is your helper, He will not
desert you! Keep your eyes on the city whose builder and maker is God.
Do not grow weary in well-doing nor faint by the way.
Christ said, My peace I leave with you. I can say my blessings I leave
with you. Let us pray for each other and look forward to the time when
we shall meet to part no more. Farewell!
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