Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-01-13

| lifetime Is an eternity of love. When Paul
was leaving so much OF this side the pillar
of martyrdom to gain SO much on the other
SIDE do you wonder at the cheerful valedic-
tory of the text, ''Ihe time of ny departure
Is at handm
Now, why cannot all the old people have
the sane holy glee as that aged man had?
Charles l., when he was cOmbing his hair.
found a gray hair, and he sent it 10 the
queen as a great joke; but old age IS really
no joke at all. For the last forty years you
have been dreading that which ought TO
have been an exhilaration. You say you
most fear the struggle at the moment the
soul and body part. But millions have en-
dured that moment, and may not we as
well? They got through with it and so can
! we.
BESIDES this, all medical men agree in say
ing that there is probably no struggle at the
last moment-nor so much pain as the prick
Of pin, the seeming signs of distress being
altogether involuntary. But you say, 1T
| is the uncertainty of the future" Now,
child of God, do not play the infidel. After
God has filled the Bible till it can hold no
more with stories of the good things ahead,
better not talk about uncertainties.
remark again, all those ought to feel
this joy of the text who have a holy curios-
1ty to know what IS beyond this earthly ter
minus. And who has not any curiosity
! about it? Paul, [ suppose, had the most sat
isfactory view of heaven, and he says 1T
! doth not yet appear what we shall be-" 1t
is like looking through broken telescope.
Now we see through a glass darby" Can
| you tell me anything about that heavenly
| place? You ask me a thousand questions
I about it that | cannot answer. L ask you a
/ thousand questions about it that you cannot
| answer. And do you wonder that Paul was
| so glad when martyrdOm gave him chance
| to go over and make discoveries in that
! blessed country?
l hope some cay, by the grace of God, to
go over and see for myself. but not now.
No well man, no p POS t3 man III, l think
| think, when [ shall go over. Iwant to see
what they do there and I want to see how
they do it. I do not want to be looking
through the gates ajar forever. l want
them to swing wide open. There are ten
thousand things I want eXplained-about
you, about myself, about the governmental
this world, about Go1, about every thing.
Columbus risked his life to find this con-
tlnent, ana shall we shu1der to go out on
voyage of discovery which shall reveal
vaster and more brilliant country? John
Franklin risked his life to find a passage
| between icebergs, and shall we dread to find
a passage to eternal summer? Men N
Switzerland travel up the heights of the
Matterhorn with apenstOck and guides and
rockets and ropes, and getting half way up
stumble and fall down in a horrible mas
sacre. They just wanted to say they had
been on the tops OF those high peaks And
shall we fear to 60 out for the ascent of the
beyond where stop the highest peaks of the
Alps when in that ascent there is no peril?
A man doomed to die stepped on the
scatfOld and said in joy, Nov in ten min
utes l will know the great secret" One
minute after the vital functions ceased, the
little child that died last night knew more
than Jonathan Edwards or st. Paul himself
before IA tie /. Friends, the exit from thi
world, or death, If you please to call it, t.
the Christian IS glorious explanation
linn
1t is sunburst. It is the opening of all the
windows. 1t is shutting up the catechism
OF douot and the unrolling of all the scrolls
OF positive ana accurate information In
stead OF standing at the foot OF the ladder
and looking up it is standing at the top of
the ladder and looking down It is the last
mystery taken out of botany and geology
and astronomy and theology.
remark again, Oh ght to have the ioy
OF the text, because, leaving this world, we
move into the best society OF the universe.
You see great crowd of people in some
street and you say: "Who is passing there?
What general, what prince is going up
there?' Well, l see a great throng in
heaven. [ say: ''Who is the focus Of all
rnat admiration. Who is the centre of that
glittering companyY It is Jesus the cham
pion of all the world the favorite Of all
ages.
Do you know what is tho first question the
soul will ask when it comes through the
gate Of heaven? [ think the first question
will be, 'Where is Jesus, the Saviour that
parioned my sin, that carried my sorrows,
that fought my battles, that won nv victor
ies| Oh, Radiant One! how l would like TO
see Thee! Thou OF the manger but without
its humiliations; Thou OF the cross, but
without its pangs; Thou Of the grave. but
without its darkness.
But when [ meet my Lord Jesus Christ of
what shall | first delight to hear Him speak?
Now think what it is. / shall first want TO
hear the tragedy of His last hours, and then
. Luke's account of the crucifixion and Marks
account Of the crucifixion, and Johns &C
count of the crucifixion will be nothing,
while from the living lips of Christ the
story shall be told of the gloom that fell and
the devils that arose, and the fact that upon
His endurance depended the rescue OF a
race; and there was darkness in the sky, and
there was darkness in the SOUL and the pain
became more sharp, and the burdens became
| more heavy, until the mob began to swim
away from the dying vision of Christ, and
| the cursing of the mob came to His ear more
family, and His hands were fastened to the
horizontal piece of the cross and His feet
| were fastene to the perpendicular piece Of
the cross, and His head fell for ward in a swoon
He uttered the last moan and cried, lit Is
| finishedr' All heaven will stop to listen
until the story is done, and every harp will
| be put down, and every lip closed, and all
| eyes fixed on the Divine Narrator until the
| story is done, and then, at the tap Of the
| baton the eternal orchestra will rouse up
| finger on string of harp, and lips to the
| mouth of trumpet, there shall roll forth the
| oratOrio of the Messiah "Worthy is the
| Lamb that was slain to receive blessing and
| riches and honor and glory and power, world
| without end"
hat He endured, oh, who can tell,
To save souls from death and hell
When there was between Paul and that