Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-07-14

TO be ola. Inc BfanuSsb lnluBs III
all the universe are old. Old noun
tains; old rivers; old seas; old stars,
and an old eternity. Then do not be
ashamed to be old, unless you are
older than the mountains, and older
than the stars.
How men and women will lie! They
sly they are 40, but they are 60. They
| say they are 20 but they are 30. They
say they are 90, hut they are so. How
some people will lie. Gil rious old age,
| if found in the way of righteousness!
How beautiful the old age of Jacob,
| leaning on the top OF his staff; of j Ohm
| Quincy Adams, ia ling with the har-
ness ON: of Washington Irving. sitting,
pen IN hand, amid the scenes himself
! had made classical; of John Angel
james to the last proclaiming the Cos
pei TO the masses in Birmingham, of
Theodore Ere iinghuyseu, down to
/ feeblencss and cancellation devoting
! his illustrous faculties to the king
dom OF Cod At eventide it was light!
See that you do honor to the aged.
A philosopher stood at the corner of
the street day after day, saying TO the
passers by, you will be an old man;
you will be Fan OLD man. "You will
be an old WON an: you will be an old
| woman.
crazy. ] do not think he was. Smooth
the way for that mothers feet; they
Iave not many more steps to take.
Steady those tottering limbs;
they will soon be at rest. Plow
not mp that face with any more
wrinkles: trouble and care have
marked it full enough. Thrust no
thorn into that old heart: it will soon
cease to beat. "Ihe eve that mocketh
its father, and refuseth to obey it's
mother the ravens of the valley shall
! pick it out. and the young eagles shall
eat it" The bright morning and hot
MONDAY OF life have passed with many.
Il is 4 o'clock! o'clock! d o'clock.
Tee shadows fall longer and thicker
and faster. Seven o'clock! 5 o clock.
The sun has dipped below the horizon.
the warmth has gone out of the air.
Nine o'clock. 10 o'clock! The heavy
dews are falling; the activities OF life 5
day are all hushed; 1t is time To go TO
bed. Eleven o'clock IL o'clock! The
patriarch sleeps the blessed sleep, the
cool sleep, the lonr sleep. Heaven :
messengers of light have kindled bon
fires of victory all over the heavens.
AT eventime IL i light Light.
My text shall also find fuliillment in
the latter days of the church. only a
few missionaries, few churc es, n
few good men, compared with the in
stitutions leprous and purified.
1t is early yet in the history OF
everything good. Civilization and
Christianity are just getting out of the
cradle. The light of martyr stakes,
flashing all up and down the sky, is
but the flaming of the morning; but
when the evening of the world shall
come, glory To q 1t sconquering truth,
it shall he light. War sword clang-
ing back in the scabbard; intemper-
ance buried under ten thousand
broken decanters; the worlds impur-
| ity turning it's brow neav onward for
the benedIction. "l}lessed are the pure
in heart;' the last vestige of selfish
ness submerged in MISUNDERSTANDING
charities: all China worshiping DR.,
Abeel Saviour. all India believing in
Henry Martyrs Bible; aboriginal SUI
perstition acknowledging David Brain
erd's piety; human bondage delivered
through Thomas Garrison 5 Christian
ity; vagr II v coming back from it
pollution at the call of Elizabeth Fry S
Redeemer; the mountains coming
down, the val eys going up: "holi-
ness" inscribed on horses bell, and
silkworm's thread, and brown-thrash-
er's wing, and shells tinge, and manu-
factu er shuttle, and chemist labo'
ratory, and kings sceptre, and ma
tons Magma Charta. Not hospital,
for there are no wounds; not an aSy-
lum, for there are no orphans: not Q
prison, for there are no criminals; not
an almshuuse, for there are no paupers
not n tear, for there are no sorrows.
The long dirge of earth's lamentation
has ended in the triumphal march oil
redeemed empires, the forests harping
il on vine-strung branches, the water
chanting il among the gorges, the
thunders drumming it among the
hills, the OCEAN giving it forth with
its organs. trade-winds touching the
keys, and euroclydon's foot on the
pedal. i want to see John Howard
when the last pr soner is reformed;
want TO see Flore ce Nightingale
when the last sabre wound has
stopped hurting; want to see William
Penn when the last Indian has been
civilized; l want to see John Huss
when the last flame of persecution has
been eXtinguishel; l want TO see John
Bunyan after the last pilgrim has
come TO the gate of the celestial city;
above all, | want to see Jesus after
Jnc IdSL SdlnJ mas MS JHrOne, ana De-
gun to sing hallelujah!
You have watched the calmness and
the glory of the evening hour. The
laborers have come from the field. The
heavens are glowing with an indie
scrlbable effulgence, as though the
sun in departing had forgotten to shut
the gate after il, All the beauty OF
cloud and leaf swim in the lake. For
star in the sky, star in the water;
heaven above, heaven beneath. Not a
leaf rustl ng, or bee humming, or a
grasshopper chirping. Silence in the
meadow; silen e among the hills.
Thus bright and beautiful shall be
the evening OF the world. The heats
of earthly conflict are cooled. The
glory of heaven fills all the scene with
love, and JOY and peace. At eventime
it is light! light!
Finally, my text shall find fulfil
ment,It the end of the Christians life
You SNOW how short winters day is
and how little work you can do. Now
my friends, life is short winters day.
The sun rises at Ell hit and sets at our.
The birth-angel and death-angel fiy
only little way apart Baptism and
bu ial are near toyether With one