The Red Cloud chief., 1892-03-18
See. they fly! they fly! "All fowl Of

to go on crutches; suppose he is blind
suppose he is deaf; suppose nine-tenths
of his life has been wasted" Then
answer, come with crutches; come, old
man, blind and deaf, come to Jesus II
you would sweep your hands around
before your blind eyes, the first thing
You would touch would be the cross.
1t is hard for an aged man or woman
to have grown old without religion.
Their taste is gone. The peach and
the grape have lost their flavor. They
say somehow fruit does not taste as it
used to. Their hearing gets defective.
and they miss a great deal hat is said
In their presence. Their friends have
all gone, and everybody seems so
strange. The world seems to go from
them, and they are left all alone. They
begin to feel in the way when you come
into the room where they are; and they
move their chair %nervous!y, and say,
Il hope l am not in the way" Alas!
that mother and father should ever be
in the way. When you were sick and
they sat up all night rocking you,s sing
ing to you, administering to you, did
they think you were in the wav? Are
you tired of old people? Do you snap
them up quick and sharp? You will
be cursed to the bone fcr your ingrati-
tude and unkindness.
o! it is hard to be old without relig-
ion-to feel this world going away and
nothing better coming. If there be any
here who have gone on far without
Christ, l address you deferentialIy.
You have found this n tough world for
old people. Alas! TO have aches and
pains, and no Christ to sooth them. 1
want to give you a cane better than
that you lean on. 1t is the cane that
the Bible speaks of when it says: Thy
rod and thy staff, they comfort me-" 1
want to give you better spectacles than
those you now look through. 1t is the
spiritual eyesight of divine grace.
Cnrist will not think thaty you are in the
way. Does your head tremble with the
palsy of old age? Lay it on Christ's
bosom. Do yOu feel lonely now that
your companions and children are
gone? think Christ has them. They
are safe in His keeping. Very soon He
will take you where they are. / take
hold of your arm and try to lead you to
n pace where you can put down all
your burden. Go with me. Only a little
while longer and your sight will come
again, and your hearing will come again,
and with the strength of an athlete, you
will stop on the pavement of Heave 1.
No crutches in Heaven: no sleepless
nights in Heaven; no cross looks for old
people. Dwelling there for ages, no
one will say, 'Father, you know moth
ing about this; step back; you are in
the way" o. how many dear old folks
has put to sleep! How sweetly
He has closed their eyes! How gently
folded their arms! How He has put
His hand on their silent hearts and
said, 'Rest, now, tired pilgrim. 1t is
all over. The tears will never start
again. Hush! hush!" So He gives His
beloved sleep. l think the most beauti-
full object on earth is an old Christian
the hair white, not with the frosts of
but the blossoms of the trees
tan old man. Why feel sorry for
those upon whom the glories of the
world are about to burst? They
are going to the goodly cedar. Though
their wings r heavy with age, God
shall renew their strength like the
and they shall make their nest
the cedar. "All fowl of every
Again: The very bad. the outrageous
ly sinful may come. Men talk of the
grace OF God as though it were SO
many yards long, and so many yards
deep. People poiut to the dying thief
as an encouragement to the sinner.
How much better it would be to point
TO our own ease and say: IF God
saved as He can save anybody" There
may be those here who never had one
word said to them about their
souls. Consider ne as putting my hand
On your shoulder and looking Ia our
eye. You ask: "How do YOU know
He has been very hard on me-"
''Where did You come from?' Home"
Then you have a home. Have you
thanked God for your home?
Have you children" "Yes." Have
SOu cscE tiduASQ uOl luz your
children? Who keeps them safe?
We're you rel sick?' Yes"
WHO ma lie you we'll? Have you
been fed every day? Who feeds you?
your hand on your pulse. Who
it throb? Listen to the respira- |
tiou of your lungs. Who helps you to
breathe? Have you a Bible in the
house. spreading before you the future
Who gave you that Bible?' o!
it has been a story of goodness and
mercy all the way through. You have
been one Of Gods pet children. Who
you, and caressed you and loved
you? And when you went astray and
to come back did He ever re-
1 know Of a father who, after
his son came back the fourth time said, |
''No; l forgave three times, but / will
never forgive you again." And the son
went off and died. But God takes back
His children the thousand:h time as
as the first AS easily as ]
with my handkerchief 1 strike the dust
IF a book God will wipe ou. all your
sins.
There are hospitals for ~''incurables."
When men are hopelessly sick, they
ire sent there. Thank God! there is