Democratic messenger., 1893-03-11

W hat time II was. that ilftieth year.
And if under the old dispcnsation it was
such a glad time. under our new and more
glorious disp nsation let all who have
come to the Eftics hear the trumpet of
Jubilee that | now blow That was the
allusion made by Mr.. Toplady. the great
hymnologist. when he wrote:
Blow Sc the trumpet. blow
The gladly solemn sound
Let all the nations know,
To earth'S rcmotcst bound,
TIL" year of jubilee is come
Return ye ransomed sinners home.
Ye who have sold for nausht
Your heritage above
Shall have il back unhought-
The Eft of Jesus love
The year uf Jubilee has come.
Return yc ransomcd sinners home.
My sermon next accostS the sixties
The beginning of that decade is more
startling than any other. In his chron-
ological journey the man rides rather
smoothly over the figures 80 and %
and ~ and ). but the figure &c" gives
him Il big jolt He says; 1T cannot he
that am 60 Let me examine the old
family record guess they made mis-
take. They got my name down wrong
i'll the roll of births But, no; the older
brothers or sisters remember the time of
his advent. and there is some relative n
year older. and another relative year
younger, and. sure enough. the fact is
established beyond all disputation
Sixty, Now vour great danger is the
temptation to fold up your faculties and
quit. You will feel IA tendency to remi-
nisce If you do not look ont, you will
begin almost everything with tee words
When was boy" But You ought TO
make the sixties more memorable for
God and the truth than the fifties. or the
forties. or the thirtics You ought TO do
more during the next 10 years than you
did in any 30 wears of vuur life because
of all the experience You have had. You
have committed enough mistakes in life
to make vou wise above your juniors.
Now. under the accumulated light of
your past experimenting. 90 TO work for
God rs never before
When man in the sixties folds up
his energy and feels he has done enough,
it is the devil of Incidence To which he is
4 anu NIOi ldhtS
the man at his word and lets him die
right away His brain, that under the
tension of hard work was active, now
suddenly shrivels Men, whether they
retire from secular or religious work.
generally retire to the grave. No well
man has Il right To retire. The world
was made for work There remaineth n
+ -. f.,. l3.A, ,tnnrl.. q f.a1 ht,t IN,
sphere beyond the reach of telescopes.
The military charge that decided one of
the greatest battles of the ages-the bat
tie of Waterloo-was not made until s
o'clock III the evening. but some of YOU
propose 10 20 into camp Mt , o'clock in
the afternoon
+ WAITING FOR TIE END.
+ My subject next accosts those in the
seventies and beyond My word to them
/ is congratulation. You have got nearly
I if not quite through You have safely
crossed the sea of life and are about 10
enter the harbor You have fought at
Gettysburg. and the war is over. Here
and there skrmish with the remaining
sin of your own heart and the sin of the
world. bat guess You are about done.
4 There may be some work for you yet
on small or large scale. Bismarck of
Germany vigorous i'll the eighties. The
prime minister of England strong at 81.
/ HAYDN composing his oraiorio, The Gre
alton, at 80 wears of age. Isocrates doing
some of his best work AT ii. Plato busy
thinking for all succeeding centuries at
81. William Blake at g. learning Ital-
ian 50 as to read Dante in the original
Lord Cockburn at s. writing his best
treatise John Wesley stirring great
audiences ut 81. William C. Bryant,
without spectacles. reading in my house
'Thanatopsis" at 81 years of age.
1 Christian men and women in all de-
partments serving God after becoming
septuagenarians and octogcnarians and
nonagcnarians prove that there are pos
sibilities of work for the aged. but
think you who are passed the seventies
are near being through. How do you
/ feel about il: You ought TO he jubilant,
because life is "A tremendous struggle. and
if you have got through respectfully and
usefully you ought TO feel like people to-
warl the close of summer day seated
on the rocks watching the sunset at Bar
I Harbor or Cape May or Lookout noun
tain.
4 ! am glad TO say that most old Chris
tians are cheerful. Daniel Webster Wis
/ tied John Adams short time before his
death and found him in very infirm
health He said To Mr. Adams: Il am
glad to see you. | hope you are getting
along pretty WELL The reply was: .'Ah,
sir. quite the contrary. find | am u
poor tenant occupying "a house much
shattered by time. 1t sways and trcm-
blcs with every wind. and. what is worse.
I sir. the lntllord. as near as can make
out, does not intend To make any re
/ pairs.
+ Er. Beman. after passing into the
/ seventies. was asked by my friend. Rev.
health now" and he replied Il have ON
me an incurable disease" What is
i that" asked my friend, and the septu-
agenariln replied. ''Old age" Both of
! the old men have mentioned intended
1 their remarks for righteousness. and old
1 people have right To be facetious. An
aged woman sent for her physician and
told him of her ailments. and the doctor
said: What would you have me do.
madam: cannot make You young
again" She replied: Il know that.
/ doctor What | want you 10 do is 10
help me grow old a little longer"
The young have their troubles before
them. The old have their troubles he
4 hind them. You have got about all ont
! of this earth that there is in it. BE glad
that you. an aged servant of God. are
going to try another life and amid better
+ surroundings. Stop looking back and
I look ahead. OH We i'll the seventies. and
+ the eighties. and the nineties. your best
days are yet to come: your grandcst as
sociations are vet to be formed: Your best
eyesight is yet to be kindled; your best
hearing is vet Ia he awakened; your
/ greatest speed is yet 10 he travelled; your
+ gladdcst song is Vet to bc sung.
The most Of your friends have gone