The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1878-01-09
A WORD FOR THE CLOSING YEAR.

| One day is with the Lord as a thousand years,
and thousand years as one day."-II Peter iii: s.
Gods measure of time and man. 8 are wide.
ly different; for His thoughts are not our
thoughts, nor his ways our ways; but as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are
His thoughts higher than our thoughts, and
His ways than our ways. That which man
thinks long God thinks short; very short; q
lifetime is but moment; thousand years
are as day. Each judges according to his
own being; finite and Infinite; the fuise
reckoning that very long which the Infinite
counts very short; for man cannot grasp an
age in his hand, nor comprehend even a life
time, far less thousands of years.
It is good to take both estimates; to meas
ure time and times things by both standards,
the divine and the human. We may learn
great lessons from both. We may look at
the things OF life from both points of view,
either from the depths of the valley or from
the summit of the mountain. If you are
standing by the margin of old Nile, you see
much that is beautiful; still it is only small
section of it that your eye reaches. But as.
cend one of these gray pyramids close by,
and what an expanse presents itself; miles
of the fair river, north and south, come be-
fore you at once and that on which, little
before, you were gazing with such wonder,
seems now Speck in the interminable line
of dazzling silver which stretches behind you
and before. Look at time from mans low
standing, and day is thousand years;
look at it from Gods heavenly height, and
thousand years are as a day.
Let US first take Gods reckoning, and see
what lessons are to be found. To Him a
thousand years, or thousand ages, are but
a day. To Him the vast space over which
creation spreads, and within which the stars
roll, is but handbreath. His measure
mentS quite swallow up ours; His reckon
ings wholly confound ours.
Does not this view help to correct our
false judgments of things, our imperfect es
Inmates of life, and the things of life : Does
it not check US in our overvaluing of some
things, and our undertaking of others p
Does it not say, Be sober and moderate in
your judgments; you are but children of a
day, whose faculties are feeble at the best,
and whose calculations are not to be depend
ed on, even for things the nearest and most
cOmmen? God only, who sees the end from
the beginning, and measures with equal ease
the past eternity and the future, is altogeth-
er unerring; and He only, whose judgments
are far out of sight, is the Being whose words
and thoughts and ways are perfectly to be
depended upon.
Having looked at Gods reckoning, let us
now look at mans. 1t is diff srent from, yet
not inconsistent with Gods. 1t is just the
nstural result of mans finite nature and po.
siton. The difference is difference of as.
pect, arising out of the different point of view
necessarily occupied by man. Oar estimate
of time is true estimate, as far as it goes !;
a real estimate, in so far as our finite nature
can calculate; and though widely differing
from Gods, is still, in its own way, valuable,
and fitted to teach many lesson.
Making use Of finite eyes in our survey of
time, we shall be kept from undertaking
little portions of it, or, indeed small frag-
mentS of anything. Looking at things
through this microscope, we count days long,
months longer, and years very long. And
thus we get better impression of the length
and value of time, as we'll as of the length
and value of eternity. This makes US more
apt to redeem time; it makes US count more
carefully our revolving years. Itsolemnizes
US, and makes US more in earneSt-lesS friv-
olous, less foolish, less light and vain.
If man looked on life with Gods eyes, he
might count it mere atom, a grain of sand,
hardly worth redeeming or seriously attend
ing to. But looking on it with his own finite
eyes, he sees it stretching out before him and
behind him, divided and subdi7ided into mo,
ments, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months
aud years and these subdivisions all tend
ing to magnify its Importance and value
Yet, having thus measured it and estimated
it, when spread out before him at full length
he cannot help also feeling that, after all, il
is but short; and that he himself is passing
througa that short space with appalling swift
ness. His life is, at the longest, but brie
and little space. 1t will soon be DONE
Taken at any estimate, measured by what
ever standard, human or divine, it will soor
be done. The space will soon be traverSed
the fight will soon be fought; the race vii
soon be run. And then, what will be the is
sue g? Ie it to be prize or no priz, Is it
small prize or great one =?
Take either estimate; we know that man
that is born of woman, is of few days ant
full of trouble; he cometh forth like flow
er, and is cut down; he feeth also like
shadow, and continueth not
Take either estimate; we know that, a
much of our life is already past, the tim
that remaineth is short.
} Take either estimate; we know that tn
day of the Lord hasteth greatly, and tina
He himself SO cometh as a thief in the night
Take either estimate; the call to be read.
, for the Lord is the same. For it is no