The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-12-01
Love of Life.

How instinctively the prayer for length o. days
| goes up from the heart of man Christian or
pagan, cropping in the darkness of ignorance and
superstition, or walking in the full light of heav-
enly wisdom, it has been always the same, even
from the hour that Hezekah turned his face to
the wall, and wept sore at the death-message of
the son of Amoz. 1t is natural that thus it
should be, and it is we'll also The earth is our
present home, and it is reasonable that we should
be fond of it, that we should delight in its beau
ties and enjoy its blessings for it is no scene of
bliss to many and so bitter are the sorrows and
sufferings often permitted to its inhabitants, that
were not this bond of union between them, and
their abode both strong and elastic utter disgust
and encouragement wonld soon paralyze every
energy, and turn each individual into hopeless,
aimless ghost, fitting about and searching for
some avenue of escape from its wretchedness.-
Honest downright love of life too, is conducive
to the easy and effectual performance of its du-
ties; child constantly craving for home will
seldom profit by bis studies a servant perpetu-
ally longing for the close of his engagement will
scarcely give satisfaction to his employer.
Yet good and beneficial as this appreciation Of
existence is it may be carried to unwise extremes,
or be retained too long. 1t is fearful sight to
witness that blind clinging to life, that terrified
depreciation of the idea of death that the world
ly-minded and the irreligious exhibit; it is q
sad spectacle to behold the very aged, those who
have long past the threescore years and ten, or
even the fourScore years assigned to man, still
longing to live-still choosing this low earth as
their proper sphere. Youth breads blight up
on its flowers; manhoods schemes ask time to
bring them to perfection; middle age draws its
home-loves around it, and feels as if it could not
part with ought so dear; but age, trembling
with weakness, deprived of almost every active
power of enjoyment often alone if not desoate,
what is there to chain it TO its ruined home; or
rather, to that foreign land, on whose shore it
has long dwelt, an exile and q wanderer p
What but habit; what but that dislike to change,
that shrinking from entering into what we only
know by report, that so many of us experience
in our every day concerns and undertakings p
Yes but there is something else that comes in TO
complete the work ! think we do not realize
the actual fact of heaven-the positive existence
of another life beyond the grave-as we ought
to do. We deal too much generalities on
this, as on other subjects we believe it is true,
but is our belief deep, as genuine fruitful of
result as becomes our Christian profession? We
need not fear to encourage such vivid concep-
tions; the hurry and the wear of life will too
constantly dim their brightness to allow them to
unfit US for our daily task. If, for one short
hour, the veil of sense seems removed, and we
see with clearness and rapturous triumph the glo-
rious future laid up for the redeemed of the Lord
the experience of the next will show us whole
somely, but humilatingly, that we are still flesh
and blood, still prone to commonplace planes
and subjects to human requirements and infirmi-
ties Duly cultivated, this anticipation of the
coming time will serve as a counterpoise to any
undue love Of earth; while the inherent instincts
of our nature will never fail to keep our feet
firmly planted on our daily road one principle
compensating the other, and producing harmo-
ny of thought and action given us, even in the
full vigor of youth and health and strength, to
remember our latter end with quiet hope, and
enabling us-when the days work is nearly fin
ished, when the shadows of evening are length
ening around US, when lover and friend are al
most all gathered to the silent house, when the sill
yer cord is nearly loosened, and the golden bowl
nigh unto its breakng-to await our summons
patiently, TRANQUILITY, but triumphantly; for
If the call
Be but our getting to that distant land
For whose sweet waters we have pined with thirst
Why should not its prophetic sense be borne
Into the hearts deep stiffness with a breath
OF summer Winds voice of melody,
Solemn, yet lonely ?"
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