The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-08-24
WORK In OLD AGE.

Moses was. one hundred and twenty
wears old when he died. But it was not
his age, or sickness, or infirmity, that
brought his life-work to close, for we
are told that ''his eye was not dim nor
his natural force abated." He had DISC
beyed God at the waters of Meribah.
and for this disobedience he was to die
in sight of the land toward which he
had been leading the people of Israel
for period of forty years. Physically
and mentally Moses was as well quail
fed for the work of the conquest of
Canaan and the settlement of Israel at
the hour of his death as he had been
for years before. If he had not DISC
beyed God, he might have completed
the work which he commenced forty
years earlier.
Nor was age any objection to. the ac-
ceptance of new responsibilities, as we
learn in the case Of Joshua. Joshua
= was eighty or eighty-five years of age
when he took up the work which Moses
: laid down. If any one might plead old
. age as reason why he should not en-
z. gage in new enterprises, it was Joshua.
All his contemporaries. except Caleb,
had died. 1t was a difficult work in
which he was to engage. But he does
not plead his age as a reason why he
should be excused. He knew that God
could qualify him for his work, and
make his old age more fruitful of good
to Gods people than his youth and mid
age had been.
From these examples, we learn that
old age, unless it be burdened with in
firmities, is no hindrance in the Lord S
work, and that those we'll on in years
should not hesitate to engage in new
work for God and His cause. Men in
our time retire too early from religious
work. The conviction is growing that
the minister must leave his pulpit, the
superintendent and teacher the Sunday
school, and the private member the
work which has occupied his hands at
or before the age of sixty. The rest of
the time, ten, twenty, or more, years, is
TO be spent in comparative idleness.
And vet, unless the health or the mental
faculties are impaired. these years may
be the most fruitful years of ones life.
Ii is said of Rev. DIR. Ashbel Green,
that some of the best productions of his
pen were written after he had passed
his elgnJletH year. lue MoIh VI III
Charles Hodge, between the ages o.
seventy and eighty. in preparing hi:
great work on theology, was not ex
ceeded by any other of his life. In hi:
eighty-fourth year John Wesley wrote
the Life of Fletcher. and he said of it
I'm the work 1 dedicated all the time
could spare from five in the morning
till eight at night. These are my study
ing hours; | can not write longer with
out hurting my eyes" Besides, world
1y enterprises are begun late in lite
why not religious work? We read o
an author at seventy-two commencing
TO write the history pf Spain, and at The
same age another 2uthor commencing
the study of the Italian language, and
of another, at the age of ninety, prepar
ing a new edition of his works. Aget
men can do much for the world
and aged men can do much for tn,
Kingdom of Christ and if the aged
would desire their work to continue a!
long as life continues, what an increas
of good to the world there would be!
Better a death when work is done.
Than Car.I's r,ost faTprGd BIRTH.
-Cbica1O Interior