The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-12-31

lom Is gone No physical strength u.s. for Sam
son, though he bore away the gates OF Gaza and
whelned his oppressors IN the ruins OF the temple had
himself to yield to mightier unto death, and
sleeps as poweress as the infant OF days But learn
this fact not only from the universal mortality, but also
from our own physical consciousness How many OF
those who hear me to-day convinced from many cir
emstanees in their physical condition, that they are
moral-that they are not what they were There
Is ample evidence that the seeds of decay are in
the system The dmmed eye, the blunted hearing, the
ianowed cheek the whitening hair all indicate the
of the common doom God sends them all remembances
Of death And no thoughessness no obstinate putting
IS s s would S no ali allow w the &c %od death
to be uttered in his court. But the fearful summons
came at last Yet we are prone to forget death As in
the days before the food men plant and marry and
eupy themselves with the things of time, as il 'a
mortal but themselves" In the words of Schiller, the
German Poet,
"Wh noiseless tread death comes on man
No Plea-no prayer delivers him
With sudden hand it sewers him
And ready, or not ready, delay,
Forth to his Judges bar he away"
Why this blindness, to the approach OF inevitable
death Do the men who think OF death die first No,
verify. tits written in this book when they shall say
peace and yet sudden destruction comsth upon them and
they shall not escape Although we know that God
will bring 10 DEATH" the time, ana the place, and the
manner OF that death all wisely hidden from
II said OF Cesar that he advised his army OF his
intention to move his camp but always kept his soldiers
ignorant of the time OF his marching that they might be
always ready. So it is with God. Our time is in his
His hands There is no man living that has the lease OF
a single hour This is wise. Why' why WISE For
these if every knew the exact limit of his
probahon--ii that probation was long, he would live
more fearlessy than now, and would say with the ser
want in the Gospel, my lord delayeh his coming and
shall begin to smite his fellow. servants and to eat and
drink with the drunken" But fearessness with regard
to the present life is incompatible with the duties which
every owes to his family and to society: 80 that
God has wisely hidden from us the time when we shall
be brought to the grave, in order that every may
grid up his ons-in order that every man may take his
sandas-ln order that every may have his staff in
his hand, ready 10 depart at moments warnng-in
der that every man may be always ready having his
lamp trimmed, and his light burning, waiting for his
Lords return from the wedding-that when he comeh
and knockeh il may be opened unto him So that every
man may fill up the measure of his days and act
well his part to the last hour-that husband 4
father citizen, legislator, jurist-that in all
the departments of civil life, every man may work
up TO the latest hour, that when he is gone the
world may be the better for his having acted part in it
The OF death, too IL may be STUDENT may
be lngerng-it may be yioent-t may be natural Look
at the of the gallant sodeI refer TO Capt Rdgely
OF my native State, who passed through the storm of
three battles, and went where the blows and
where the bullets fell hiekest and yet unscathed and
unhurt TO die from the effects OF fall of his horse in the
streets OF Monterey The circumstances of death
all hidden. The circumstances OF death hidden
in place as well as time and manner. We may die at
home. o. II is wise, wise wish TO die among ones
kindred lis hard enough to be separated from wife
tell the pangs of the heart when disease overakes US
in the midst OF strangers! We may die at home
where we may have the soothing kindness OF our CON-
panions, and give last blessing and utter last
prayer to the mother of children and the pledges OF
our mutual loye-where wie's hand may smooth the
last pillow and wipe off the last tear-and where there
may be the privege-the sad yet sweet consolaon--of
hearing the last articulation OF friendship and the kind
and mutual ..adieu"-'adeu till we meet in Heaven p
Or we may die among strangers the lot OF this
honorable gentleman whose lfeess remains here. OF
us also II may perhaps one day be said
By strangers hands his eyes were closed
BY strangers hands the decent limbs composed
BY strangers honored, and by strangers mourned."
The fact OF death is xedthe time OF ii unknown
and place and circumstances alike in the Divine
mind. All services of this kind unimpressve and
irreyerental when they hurried; and while we
would not hurry the services allotted to this OCCASION we
would still restrict our remarks, and close what have
to say now with ewpractcal lessons, such may be
briefly stated and which may tend to nve upon our
minds the impressions which have been made by this APP
paling event. For shall all die We shall all be
practical lesson which ought to be learned from this
mournful event is TO moderate earthly attachments
the time is short il remaineh that both they that have
wives be though they had and they that weep,
as though they wept not and they that rejoice, as
though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as
though they possessed not; and they that use this
world not abusing it for the fashion of thi
world passeth away" The fact that we must die, the
to moderate earthly attachmentsand 1.-THE remainder
of the sentence was lost As we shall die, should
be strongly impressed with the eeng nature of the pres
en and the permanent and stable nature of the future
My dear slrs, when you set of man for the future
world, his existence is perfect riddle-an enigma. No
philosophy can explain, wisdom upon earth can I'M
ravel the reason of his existence Class him with the
brutes class him with the irrational tribes OF animals
that lend their to enrich the SOIL but their
life departs Why, he but begins the lesson here, and
fees away to complete il in the spirit world This earth
is fes vestbule, mere entrance to mans existence
His A, B, is learned here the rudments of his educa
ton acquired here; and through the lapse of ages
ending that education is contnued-contnued forever
The things which temporal, the things which
eternal and by how much the things which
inferior and transory, and by how much the
things which not seen permanent and Abiding by
much the things which should be adhered to
slightly, and the things which not should be
yrasped and held with tenacity,
"Andi it in the flight of hreescore years
To push eternity from human thought
And smother souls immortal in the dust
soul immortal spending all her fires,
Wasting her strength in strenuous ideness,
Thrown into trmu, rapurd or aarhd
Alta ught this scene can threaten or indulge
Resembles ocean into tempest wrought,
To wait feather to drown Il fly"
Man is immortal, and in view of his Immortality, he
should set light by earth, and grasp the future with firm
ness-a frmness that nothing shake. "Here" says
the inspired apostle, 'here have continuing city
but we seek one to come" "Our days swfter than
post" sour days are as an handbreadth" sour days
are swifter than weavers shuttle" Life is vanity
it is nothing For the inspired penman records time to
be born, and time to die, but makes mention of
time to ve "There is time to be born and time to |
de-" but so short is human life that no mention is
made of time to live The grave is near the cradle
soon, and we must be gathered TO the house-hough il
be narrowwe must be gathered to the house appointed
for all the living 1t sometimes happens, it did in the
of the prodga and his elder brother that house
upon earth was too small to hold two brothers. Alas