Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1881-10-02
A MEMORIAL SERMON.
Delivered in Carson City, sept &c, 1851.
by Rev. II. v. Rice.

ISAIAH, LXIV, g." We all do fade
as a leaf"
The face of the earth is Gods black
board upon which He draws figures
and diagrams to impress upon our
memories the truths of Scripture. All
Egypt is written over with hieroglyph-
| les, and recently a sepulchre has been
opened where, among the Kings and
Queens of over thirty centuries, these
figures are telling us hidden truths Of
the dead past. But God has write n
upon the face of the earth truths per-
tanning not to the dead past but to the
living future. He writes upon so
simple thing as leaf, our destiny.
When He produces a painting let artists
stand back. The Equinox has come,
bringing Gods paint brush with the
frost. He has stretched his canvas
along the rivers, by the shores of the
lakes, and upon the mountain side.
Within the last few days what pic
ture has He painted along the shores Of
Huron, upon the Hudson's highlands,
and on the banks of the rolling Oregon.
Here are the trees with their bios
SONS of fire. There is the foliage
of underwood brilliant with colors.
Here are bushes protected by over
hanging rocks and the frost has
been Warded Off. There is mass of
foliage in which the fire OF coiors has
caught, and it runs from branch to
branch until all covered with splendor
The torrents of the mountain
canyon plunge over cataracts as
though they would put out the con-
fagration, but still the fires deepen and
the painting progresses with crimson
banner that would exhaust the paint
tanks Of God, if His colors were not OF
infinite supply. But from this pano-
rama we learn lesson. All this gran
deur is a mark of death-beautiful or
otherwise the leaf has been death
struck-its colOrs come, then it fades.
Strains of sadness, yet strains Of glad
ness may be evoked from this harp of
Natures God. " We all do fade as the
leaf"
We notice that the foliage does not
fade all at once, but slowly, unperceived.
Some three weeks since there
was light frost, but the foliage did
not show it all at once. Again last
week there was another Then still
another came. The leaves which three
weeks ago were chilled have been
slowly gathering shade. The flush
has been deepening, the veins have
been opening, and the preparation has
been going on for the bleeding of its
life away From now leaf by leaf they
fall, until they ell drop away.
And SO the changes come upon
US, gradually, unpeI ceivel. To-
day, the day after, and the next will
pass without seeming change, but the
frost touch will show by and by in
frequent fatigue s, with fever now and
then, neuralgia, rheumatism, pains,
waning vigor, fading sight, deafness,
then the staff, and then the grave, fad
ing, slowly fading, fading GAS a leaf
Like the leaf we fade away for others
to take oar places The timber round
our homes will next year be dressed as
richly as in the summer past. The
cottonwood and the poplar will be
clothed next year with another foliage
If leaves that take the place of those
hat are falling now. With the nup-
ials of another Spring the month of
Nay will rock in the cradle of the wind
he young buds of another generation.
Elijah like, the trees of our yards will
lrop their mantle only to fall upon the
houlders of another Elisha, going hence
n chariot of fire. The Autumnal bat
alions open their blast and sweep the
anks away, but other forces take
heir place to protect the hamlets of tie
ale. From the nuggets of the seasons,