New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-07
the wear is to bring mould and trailing

breads old age, 1t is because he mas U6-
covered something. He has ceased grow
ing; he is beginning to shrink and wlther;
he is falling in wisdom, falling IN grace.
'sIn his heart is the wind OF autumn, and
the first fall of the snow. There are
signs that navigation is about to close.
The quick impulse and ready belief OF
youth are being frozen in. It is the COM
ing of this inward winter that man hates
the drawing near of the years when he
shall be made to say, - have no pleasure
in them" He notes the fine gradations
of the souls decay, and lie can prophecy
the end. The sun and moon and. stats
are darkened; 'the clouds return after
the rain; they shall be afraid of that
which is high, and fears shall be in the
way, and the grasahopper shall be bur
den, and desire shall fail.
If the outward must perish, and the III
ward man is not renewed, what Will the
old man be? Ifhe has forgotten to watch,
and never learned to pray, what viii the
old man do? If, when tie world slips
from under Lis feet, he las no hold on
God, where will the old man go: An-old
sinner is the dismalist spectacle earth can
ugline5s without drapery. What
shall it profit man to lose his own sou!
and gain the world, and then lose that:
He never had any faith, and now sight IS
going.
Willie Falstaf is tx AID witty, there is
something pleasant III his WickedAeas;
there is a Sheen and color q nipple and
| flow to his vile conversation that makes It
possible to pass an evening with hln.
| But look at him when he is Old: when SIN
| is tinisLed-.' How Iii white hairs become
fool and jester, 50 surtoit-swel!ed, so
Old and SO profane." And then listen to
his nurse telling the stcIy Of his dying:
| .Now l." she says, Ito comfort him, bid
he should not think Of God. l hoped
there was no need to trouble himself with
any such thoughts yet. That is the end
| of a dying man, whose only comfort Is not
| to think OF God
You see, my friends, that as We grow
old sin becomes more and more unbecom-
| tolerable to ourselves. bays should
speak, and the years should teach wis
dom. The young man ) folly is covered
by his youth. Take away the youth and
there is the Old mans shame. The playis
over and the mask is of.
If you can only strip sin of what it
wears, it stands hateful even to sinners,
| offending every sense. That is the use of
an old sinner-to exhibit the accused
thing as it is. The robber has
Fair fingers jewcled manifold,
j, With great gems set III hoop OF gold
| He hides his swift sword in sash Of silk
| and sheath Of silver. Standing thus III
the door of tent, the picture gives a
pleasure to the eye, that deceives the judg-
ment. Now strip off Lis tinery, and throw
over him a Lagsard Mexican blanket, and
tie him to a stakc-uow the eye sees tue
thief as he is.
Sin needs the fair adoruing of success
to be presentable in any society Old
age brings weakness and brings defeat.
The evil purpose is there as ever il the
old man S heart but the action Lalts like
Macbeth's amen. Being 4 hundred years
old you can hate yoUr enemy, bat the
wears have robbed you of the power tC
harm him. It is only that which makes
hate resiectaJle. WLo wants hatred Uy
itself?
Wickedues5 and strength can make
their way Ill the world and lead troop
bat wickedness on clutches, al OF {
treluble and hand Of heariug-what n
inheritance that is The young serpen
thinks sadly Of the day when he shall bt
f1ll Of poison and have DO fangs.
The fact IS that the sinner even of IL,
mildest and most agreeable type, can no
afford to be old. The pleasure goes viii
the wears, the gloss WeaGo of and leave
the worn thread and ragged edge OF pain
It is a short riot and III endless TAeul4a
tisln.
Look at that most urchristian Kim
Louis Ky. In his plan ct life he Leg
lected to provide for the last year, mad
ample arrangements for the career OF ;
gay transgre5sor; none for TIE last day
of that same transgrcssCr, st the end 0
the way sick and slowly dying. Le
youth abide with him and lie is the most
splendid sinner that ever numbered til,
ground; but tie years fly away from hin
as fast as from the captive il his dungeon
He gets old and sick as any beggar, de
monstrates his kinship to his subjects b,
taking from his gatekeeper, that mos
smallpox" People begin not to b
anxious not to see him. What one,
charmed them was made Of dust: It /
now going back to dust, and to dust OF ;
kind not to be approached.
Here is another man who does not wan
to think Of God He has not wasted III
time, he has crowded the minutes viii
folly and crime. Ia the morning he wen
forth to SOW and III the evening he with
held not his hand
The years have woven for him a gar
ment of fear He has worked up his op
portunities to bless a nation into VIVA
now is great curse for himself. /
covers him from head TO foot, shuts OF
heaven completely. His deeds have gon
before him to the judgment, and nov
come back racing VIII one another, eacl
anxious to be the first u tell in that IL
is damned already. This, the man 0
pleasure" Louis, tic Magnificent,
We read that he always had the creates
adherence Of old age, and could no
bear to drive by . cemetery. It is sait
! that he went into n kind Ct fit when Iii
| secretary spoke Of the late King Of Spain
could hot bear an alu3ion to the poss;
' bility of dying. Ii this, in q humble
' degree, suited to our humber rank q
common sinners, is the kind of old az
we never want to see and the death W
, dread, we DO right; only let our dislik
and fear OF these take logical toIm
You Will have just such an Old age an,
y. death, or dealt and Old age sometime
I one comes first and sometimes the other
+ as your use Of these present DAYS ant
+ years prepare. That is the probability
. When the sickle is thrust in it will talk
, what there is, wheat or thistles: Il.
!, reaper must gather to his breast the shea
: of LIS sowing. Let, tin, these yeal
. | DreDare what YOU VIII not dread villa