Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-08-11
FRom NEW pRovrnEGoE.

odO OIcS. Liz GRIM 1uOlSbSI lids
in the last few days, stalked along
the line and taken special pains tt
pluck from four stages of human
life-infancy, youth, meridian and
old age. AT what stage may we fee
secure? God is good, God is wise
yet we read his wisdom and good.
ness more Enthusiastically in the death
of the infant and the aged than those
in middle life. The aged have passed
through the tolls and struggles Of
life, borne the heat and burden OF
the day. Their age brings infirmity
and the strong man bends beneath
the weight of years. Their hands
tremble, knees grow feeble, teeth
fail, eyes grow dim. rest broken,
head whitens, and even "a grass
hopper shall be a burden" Such is
old age in miniature. If they have
lived without reference to the future
it calamitOus. Harvest past, sum-
mer ended, not saved the great OBJ
ject of life unattained. Oh, the sor-
rows of such unfortunate ones No
comfort to be found in rejecting up
on their past lives. Past days rise
before them with their load of sor-
row and lay it down for cool and in
evitable inspection. Their retros-
spectiOn of a wasted life is freighted
with anguish and self-crimination.
Youth spent in glee, manhood in
crime, old age in remorse. They
are fastening to an eternity for
which they have made no prepare
ton; they are going into the pres
ence of a God whose laws they have
broken, and whose penalties will
surely be inflicted. 1t is awful /!
Yet in the length of their probation
and the innumerable blessings they
have enjoyed we see the goodness
and wisdom of God. But our pious
aged; how different with them.
God called, they obeyed. They have
cOnsecrated themselves to him.
They have tried his promises, en-
jOyed his smile, and felt that they
were his. In youth they gave them
selves to him, in manhood they
served him, and in old age they suf-
fered for him. When they are "made
perfect through suffering the sum-
mons comes, and the place where
the good man meets his fate is so
close akin to heaven that we seem
to breathe the atmosphere and hear
its songs of triumph.
In the death of our children we
have great consolation. We do
what we can for them while living
and suffering, and when their little
ice-coId fingers lie cold and stiff
across their breasts we take them to
our warm and aching hearts feeling
that we could not prevent it. We
feel that God willed it and pray
"Thy will be DONE" They will
never sin; they are safe, and happy.
They will never come to us again,
but we may go to them. We will
not be childless when we get to
heaven if so be we have put our
little ones Sin snowy grace" beneath
the sod. Our living children may
give us trouble. Our Absaloms may
cause us to wish a thousand times
that we had died for them. They
may crush our hopes, snap our heart
strings, and bring our gray hairs in
sorrow to the grave; but when we
cross that dark and unknown stream
the agony and distress that suffused
our eyes with tears of grief will be
exchanged for shouts of joy as we
join our cherub ones in the land of
the beautiful and the bright.
COrinth camp-meeting was a grand
success. Forty protested faith in
Christ. There were a great many
people there, but there was no over
flow. The preachers were earnest
and unctiOus, the campers were
bOundless in their hospitality, and
the audience respectful in their de-
pertinent. Rev. w. A. Turner
preached with great power. 1
watched the eager multitudes as they
listened to the gospel gushing with
burning love from his lips or plead
with him to stay. The next day l
stand by the bedside of his suffering
wife and ask myself the question,
"Where does Turner belong?" His
patient, loving wife says: 81 am
well cared for; let him stay where
he can do the most good" Eternity
alone will tell how much of success
in the itinerant ministry is due to
the patience and Self-denial Of con-
secrated women.
a few hours of social intercourse
with my Cedar Hill friends was a
great comfort to me. Friendship
formed in affiictiOn and fame are
not forgotten in day. For four
years | ministered to them in holy
things for four years an unbroken
flow of liberality, kindness and love
was my reward. The ashes of our
humble home had not grown cold
ere my wife and children were well
coined with hospitable hands to a
grand old home, and more offers of
others made than l could possibly
accept. In affiictiOn's cruel fires an
gels of mercy stood around with will
ling hearts and ready hands. In our
bereavement they came with fearful
eye and touch of tenderest love and
put away, amid their prayers for
grace to help us, the love-guarded
dust of our sainted dead. The board
of stewards was a noble band, and
for four consecutive years rendered
to their pastor for his humble servi-
ces one hundred cents on the dollar.
These are eUeT,gree1S.
Mr.. George Carlisle has been quite
sick for several days, but is now con-