The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-01-12

7 abundant hOnOrs. 1t is royal priv
lege to have known this good woman
OF God, Catherine Chinn. Lexington
The centenary city, bathed in pioneer
memories and rich in historical mem
Orlals, Is here to do reverence to her
centuary resident. We have como
around her coffin, citizens, visitors,
saints, to weep with her aged and hon
orabls husband, himself as precious to
our hearts as she, and while, in all sim
cere and decOrOus ways, we show high
respect to the dead, also to gather les =
sons OF wisdom for ourselves, the liy-
ing.
Let us open Gods Word in this large
ana reverent presence, and see what
hight shines there concerning old age.
we shall not be disappointed of light,
The Bible does not fail man, for either
duty or promise, when his winter days
nave dawned. AT eI ening time there
IL light. Old age is not forgotten. For
it, too, the Word of God speaks in
healthful, beautiful, satisfying truth.
And the truth is 80 true to life, har-
monious with the facts of this mortal
existence and the wise, sure will of
God. 1t is the Bible that talks about
ga good old age," ga full age," "like
as shock of care cometh in its sea-
son" The words sound SO healthy, 30
natural, SO life-like. We unhesitating.
ly say, without any morbid doubt.
"That is the true life, the long life as it
was made to be, and ought to be-" We
hear again the Bible speaking to the
instinct of the heart for living: "What
man is he that desireth life, and loyeth
many days, that he may see good?r
And the answer is an echo of moral
sense and power: "Keep thy tongue
from evil, and thy lips from speaking
guile" The Bible roundly and sonndlv
joins health of soul and health OF BODY.
"My son, forget not my law; but let
thine heart keep my commandment:
Tor length OF days, and years of life,
and peace. shall they add to thee" The
Lhe Bible succinetly speaks the secret
OF the long earthly abode: "The fear
OF the Lord prolongeth days" The
Bible revels in the luxury OF figures, to
reveal the law of length of years:
Ihey that are planted in the house of
the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of
our Lord. They shall bring forth
fruit in old age; they shall be full of
sap and green"
We need to hear this old Hebraic
doctrine to-day. There is the largeness
of the truth of God in it, and there is
the reality of the experience of man in
1t. 1t speaks out of the days of faith,
far back in the history of Israel; but it
speaks living truth to these DAYS of
science, in the evening splendor of the
nineteenth century. In times of sad
inheritances of bodily evil, of high liv-
Ing and low thinking, of dissipations
OF life, in whirls of pleasure or craze
OF business, of torturous melancholy or
wild suicide, we need to hear again
and again how precious is life, the Gift
of God, with the image of God IN it.
and the purpose of Christ In it--a NOR.
tai body, indeed, its dwelling. place, but
SO precious and SO capacious that the
Holy Spirit will dwell in it as a sane
tnary. and so pliable under obedience
to the laws of God that the light of
reason, the light OF hope, will shine
through the earthen vessel till, with |
the last breath, it fades from our human
eyes, to rise forever in the glory of the |
eternal world.
Old age, and the truth of God-we |
want to bring these two together this !
morning, as we look upon the dust of |
this revered centenarian. 1t is no idle
moment. This service is not cold form.
1t is hallowed ground. 1t is a hallow.
ed hour. The angels are with us. The
voices OF the past speak their sacred
memories. Time seems large and long
to us to-day, and eternity becomes
more real. The heart of all true life
opens to our vision; and in its won
1rous depths we may behold the
lace of God, with its smile of love upon
every oSedient child. Catherine ChinD
died in good old age. But that
means to us more than the long num-
Der of years. 1t is not simply Curl
ous fact for fireside talk or journal
stic news. 1t is something other
han sensation of the day. It is not
only briet chronicle ofthe community.
Il Is a fact that lives i'm hearts oflove,
where fragrant memories have already
awakened in deathless bloom, whence
already arise voices that call her blessed, {
and in which, to ilumine the long life,
and make its meaning clear and sweet
md sacred forever, shines the light of
dod i'll His truth and providence.
The events of the long life are simple
enough i'll themselves. They are warm
With the pathos of pioneer days, or be-
;ome rich amid historical memories. as !
Ter years are mentioned. May l, 1857,
catherine May was born. She was a I
,aby, learning to walk, when the con- I
titution of the United States was rati- I
LED; and a baby learning to talk, when
" Washington took the oath of office as Q
lrst president. Virginia was her birth 7
,lace; but we look back, and when q
kentucky was five years old as state, q
We see familiar picture of those days l
the arduous and hazardous journey
ver the mountains into "the dark and i
'lo0dy grounds" and Catherine was a v
title girl ten years old, 1897 A. D., 4
Vhen she arrived in this historic town, Il
nd lived with her family in the old n
ouse still standing On Georgetown
treet. Here she grow TO wOmanhood, =
With no mean requirements OF mind,
nd especially with discipline OF
memory in history that was all the
lvlier and stronger because much of the p
history was occurring in her own day. !,
Ter taste for letters was decided; and a
nany visitor to her gracious, aged q
resence. was pleased to hear her vivid v
notations from "the pure wers of
English undefiled.n In he. DIRTY a
eventh year she became Catherine n
lawson bv marriage. All this time, i'm
he full bloom of her womanhood, she a
1as noted for her kindly vivacious h
7ays-a delight to her friends, AN orna- n
lent to the society in which she
loved. That brightness of tempera-
lent, as so many OF us know. not even M
Id aye shadowed. God gave her a
unshiny, generous nature, and it was
,arm and radiant to her diving day.
Ter tone of voice was never that of +
iscrepitude. She folt as if she was i,
oung; she talked as if she was young. i,
With her intellect unimpairod, and i,
er interest in all lite ever fresh, con-
ersation, as her days became many, c
'as rich resource of pleasure and fl
rott; while in her quiet hours the Ct
'lDle and the master pieces of the +,
'orld's literature were her sweet com I'll
anIons and friends. In the year 1865 q
'e find her widow and later on her h
istory begins to be filed with the Fl
lterest that reaches its climax of ten M
or pathos for us this beautiful January M
ay. She had long been follower of
ssus Christ, according to her light and q
cart: but there came to her, as has In
'me to thousand and tens of thousands W
this century, more careful know re
dge concerning her baptism. should bI
ashamed to speak of this fact before W
lis audience of Gods elect, in any al
ctarian spirit; but | should be unjust it
I'd untrue to our Sister Chinn's bless hi
memory, If | were 10 slight what
cant to her, when four score years of CT
re and past, serious, sincere, glad ta
~ n nf HtItx 20 h1,, II .