The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-02-05
LIFE AT MERIDIAN.
Looking Either Way From tho
Top OF the Hill.
UustEghres Miles From Cradle 10 Grave
-Ybuth, Manhood. Old Age-Looidng
y Forward With Confidence TO the
Other End Of the Road.
Trrom a Sermon BY DR.. Talmage.l

IffOm n bcffHoh Wy Ut ihihhto'l
~,Dr. Talmage preached on Sunday In
Brooklyn Tabernacle on the subjects
ssNoontlde OF Hfe.D Tho text was from
Bo,omon's Song, L., 7; "Tell mo, Oh, Thou
whom my soul loveth, where Thou makest
my fiocks 10 rest at nooniD
Reference 10 here made, said DIR. Tall
mage, 10 the habit OF shepherds who, nj
about twelve o'clock In tho day, lead their
hheop under the shadows OF trees and OF
rocks and by cool streams and let them re-
pose. IL Is n monday scene and typical OF
human life nj the meridian. About a hun
hred letters OF birthday congratulations
From all professions and occupations and
from all lands OF Christendom remind me
Shat / am ifty-three years OF age. II 10
with me tho warmth, the light, the vigor
OF n July MONDAY. My sermon shall be
about life at meridian-how II seems To me
NOW and how II seems as l look backward
and forward.
II you want 10 know how life seems 10
mo now, l answer IL is very bright. l have
had dark days, sad days, tumultuous days,
but there Is now not one cloud on my sky.
would rather DO here than anywhere
else. The top OF tho hill OF lIfo Is in some
respects the best part OF the road, Climb
tng up the steep is tough work. We slip
and stumble and fall back. In all occupa.
hlons and professions there arc drudgerloS
and fierce r~lyalrles at the start, We wor-
ry and fret at small antagonisms, We
FEAR we shall never como TO tho proper APP
probation. Climbing the long hill we pant
aud get out of breath and feel faint, and
are tempted 10 lie down In tho bower OF
lazy indulgence,
But after awhile we got TO the top Of the
hill, and In comparative tranquility and
ropoao we look both ways. II Is just three
miles from cradle 10 gravo-youth, the
ulrst mile; manhood, tho second milo; old
age, the third mile. Standing on the hill
Cop Of tho second mile, my %profoundest
emotion Is that Of gratitude 70 God for
Chat In His undosorvod mercy have o.
capped all physical illa, having missed but
4ono service since | entered my profession
Through III health, and that twenty four
years ago. | would DO the worst migrate
on earth did ! not FIRST OF all testify TO the
Divine goodness while many u man q hum
dred fold more consecrated than | have
been has gone staggering under burdens
% pain that often incapaoitatod him for
duties for which no was otherwise grandly
equipped. Standing hero on tho top of the
hill OF life, having come up one side, and
before / go down the other side | wish 10
declare that life 10 me Is q happiness, q
rapture, an ocstacy.
There Is n great deal Of Wholesale Sian.
der Of the world. 1t has boon fearfully
abused. Travellers on the mountain curse
htS chill, aud yoyagers on tho sea curse It's
rostlcsnoss, and people say II Is n misora-
bile, old, mean, disgusting world, aud from
pole 10 pole II has boon illuminated. Aud
~ the maltreatod world should bring a
libel suit against all who have slandorod
IL there would not DO gold enough In tho
mountains 10 pay the damages or peniten.
diaries enough 10 hold tho offenders. Not
content with d%enouucing the world, its
stellar and solar noighbors are maligned,
and tho sun Ia bolabored, at ono time DO.
cause II is too ardent aud another time DO.
cause II Is too distant. But | have found
out that whom things go wrong tho fault
~ not with the sun or moon or stars or the
meteorological condition, but with mysel..
Tn first thing a traveller docs aft n goO-
ring TO a hilltop aud having recovered his
breath IN 10 look all around about him, and
no says: "rhoro Is the winding road by
which ! came up, and yondor 10 tho wind.
hng road by which shall so down." SO ]
put my outeproad hand TO my forehead TO
shade my oyoe from the MONDAY sun and
% conconter my vision and look toward
tho road / have already travelled, and I see
way down In the dim distanco-at the start
OF the Journoy-somothing quito small, aud
u trembles and yibrates and rocks. All,
ycsl / guess what II Is, / know what Il
IL. A cradlol Thon | turn aud look no tho
road descending tho hill, and stlll keep my
outsproad hand 20 my forehead 30 as TO
nhado my oyos from tho MONDAY sun and
concentor my vision, and | 500 something
at tho foot Of tho road / am yet TO travel.
That something neither tromblos, nor vi
brotcs, nor rocks. II Is perfectly still. 10
a. white, and the ground about II IL q little
raised. All, yosl | guess what II ". !
know what II Is, A gravel What have l
aNhi hNh w Nh' l'AlhNl up nlll
First, that nothing IL accomplished With
out hard work. My life has boon prosper.
Gus TO tho last dogroo, but | have not had
any good luck. l have heard pooplo talk
about q streak Of good luck, lnovor In
my lifo had ono stroak Of good luck, But
j have had n cool God watching mo and
helping aud guiding mo, and correcting
my mistakes, and whom / worked hard Ho
blossed mo, and WHOM / was lazy lilo did
NOT blogs me. Whether my work has
amounted 70 any thing or not ] must loayo
others 10 judge, bul for the last thirty
years | have worked up TO my full capac-
fly Of endurance, aud IL | hayo gono away
60 rest, 10 was meroly 10 gctroady 10 work,
and this work all accomplished against
The full protest of my nature, for | ar
naturally tho laglost man that was oyo.
born. But ] nm ns afraid OF Incidence as
my reformed inebrlnto was ever afraid OF
tho wino.cup, FOR no knows that ono glass
would fling him back iato inobriacy. II !
should take ono good long pull nj nothing
90 do l fear 1 would stop forever. Young
men just starting Ne, ] give you my
solemn testimony that nothing Il accom-
plishod without hard work, continuous
work, everlasting work.
1 have also learned In my journey up the
hill that NIL tho events Of ones lifc arc
linkod together. Tho chain OF life IL made
mp of a great variety " links, long links
md small links, iron links, gold links,
beautiful links, ugly links, soleinn link
and mlrthful links; hut thoy nro oil part
OF one chain Of destiny, tho minute mado
Of sixty links, tho day made up OF twonty-
-four ltnls, tbe year of three hundred and
sixty five links, and all fastened In m end