Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 37.djvu/346

 From Richmond, Va., Times-Dispatch, June 20, 1909.

MEMORIAL SERMON.

In Old St. John's Church—" No Fight for Right and Truth and Honor Was Ever Truely Lost." Delivered before the Oakwood Memorial Association on May 9, (8 P. M.), 1909, by Rev. R. A. Goodwin, the rector, Lee and Pickett Camps and committees from Hollywood and other memorial associations being present.

"Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness."—Deut. viii, 2.

My Brethren: The present is the product of the past; the future will be the outgrowth of the past and the present.

That man is not without a heritage who can point with thankfulness and commendable pride to honest and God-fearing ancestors, especially if he makes it manifest by his conduct that his character is built upon the principles that govern them. And it is equally true that an honorable and glorious history is the most valuable asset of any people. Even barbarous peoples have their traditions which mark the ideal which they hope to attain. The peculiarity of God's ancient people, Israel, was that God made His power and wisdom manifest in their history. By so doing He prepared them to receive "the oracles of God," that they might make His truth known to all people. And now in this "dispensation of the fullness of times," all Christian nations know that "God is in history." The evil one may try to subvert God's purposes, and he may seem to prevail; he may even change times, and seasons, and countries, but "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh him to scorn, the Lord shall have him in derision!" Because He causes the wrath of man to praise him, and the remainder of wrath He .restrains.

God is in our history as truly as He was in the history of Israel, and we should hear his word: "Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led these forty years in the wilderness."