News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1893-07-13


Us of a Coming Change Compared with
Which All Earthly Changes Are as
Nnught-The Great Compensation.
BoOKLGN, July 9.-Rev. DR.. Talmage
has chosen as his subject for today the
text, cat evening time it shall be light"
(Zechariah xiv, y.
While might" in all languages is the
the symbol for gloom and suffering, it is
often really cheerful, bright and impress
i've. sGeak not of such nights as come
down with no star pouring light from
above or silvered wave tossing up light
from beneath-murky, hurting, portent-
ous-but such as you often see when the
pomp and magnificence of heaven turn
out on night parade, and it seems as
though the song which the morning stars
began so long ago were Ginning yet
among the consultations and the sons
of God were shouting for joy.
Such nights the sailor blesses from the
forecastle, and the trapper on the vast
prairie, and the belated traveller by the
roadside, and the soldier from the tent,
earthly hosts gazing upon heavenly, and
shepherds guarding their focks afield,
while angel hands above them set the
silver bells a-ringing, "Glory to God in
the highest and on earth peace; good
will toward men,
What a solemn and glorious thing is
night in the wildernessi Night among
the mountainsl Night ON the ocean,
Fragrant night among tropical groves!
Flashing night amid arctic severitiesi
Calm night on Roman campagnal Aw-
full night among the cordillerasl Glori-
Gus night mid sea after a tempest!
Thank God for the night The moon
and the stars which rule it are light
houses on the coast toward which, | hope,
we are all sailing, and blind mariners
are we if with SO many beaming, burn
ing, flaming glories to guide us we can
not find our way into the harbor. My
text may well suggest that as the nat
ural evening is often luminous so it
shall be light in the evening of our sor-
rows-of old age-of the worlds history
of the Christian life. cat eventime it
shall be light"
This prophecy will be fulfilled in the
evening of Christian sorrow. Fora long
GlIIl0 IL 10 DIOdtl Lie
high. Innumerable activities go ahead
with thousand feet and work with a
thousand arms, and the pickax struck a
mine, and the battery made a discovery,
and the investment yielded its 90 per
cent, and the book came to its twentieth
edition, and the farm quadrupled in
value, and sudden fortune hoisted to
high position, and children were praised,
and friends without number swarmed
into the family hive, and prosperity sang
in the music and stepped in the dance
and glowed in the wine and ate at the
banquet, and all the gods of music and
ease and qualification gathered around
this Jupiter holding in his hands so many
thunderbolts of power.
But every sun must set, and the bright
est day must have its twilight. Sudden
ly the sky was overcast. The fountain
dried up. The song hushed. The wolf
broke into the family fold and carried off
the best lamb. A deep howl of woe
came crashing down through the joyous
symphonies. At one rough twang of the
hand of disaster the harp strings all
broke Down went the strong business
firm! Away went long established cred
i'll Up flew flock of calumniesi The
new book would not sell A patent
could not be secured for the invention
Stocks sank like lead. The insurance
company exploded. Glow much" says
the sheriff, will you bid for this piano."
"How much for this ibrary?' How
much for this family picture?'
Will the grace of God hold one up in
such circumstances? What have become
of the great multitude of Gods children
who have been pounded of the fail and
crushed under the wheel and trampled
under the hoof? Did they lie down in
the dust weeping, wailing and crashing
their teeth? When the rod of fatherly
chastisement struck them, did they strike
back? Because they found one bitter cup
on the table of Gods supply, did they
upset the whole table? Did they kneel
down at their empty money vault and
say, "All my treasures are gomez" Did
they stand by the grave of their dead
saying, There never will be a resurrec-
tom
Did they bemoan their thwarted plans
and say, 1.-The stocks are down-would
L
their disaster come upon them moonless,
starless, dark and bowling, smothering
and choking their life out? Mol No!
No? AT eventime it was light. The
swift promises overlook them. The eter-
nal consultations from the circuit about
Gods throne poured down an infinite
luster. Under their shining the pillows
of trouble took on crests and plumes of
gold and jasper and amethyst and fame
All the trees of life rustled in the mid
summer air of Gods love. The night
blooming assurances of Christ's sympa-
thy filled all the atmosphere with heav-
en-. The soul at every step seemed to
start up from its feet bright winged joys
warbling heavenward.
1T is good that have been afflicted
cries David. "The Lord gave, and the
Lord hath taken away" exclaims Job
"Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" says
st. Paul. "And God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes," exclaims John
in apocalyptic vision. Ateventime it was
light. Light from the crossl Light from
the promisesl Light from the throne!
Streaming, joyous, outgushing. everlast-
ing light
The text shall also find fulfillment in
the time Of old age. 1t is grand thing
to be young-to have the sight clear and
the hearing acute and the step elastic
and all our pulses marching on to the
drumming of stout heart Midlife and
old age will be denied many of us, but
youth-we all know what that is. Those
wrinkles We're not always on your brow.
That snow was not always on your head.
That brawny muscle did not always
bunch your arm. You have not always
worn spectacles. Grave and dignifed as
you now are, you once went coasting |
down the hillside, or threw off your hat
for the race, or sent the ball flying sky
high.
But youth will not always last. 1t
stays only long enough to give us exu-
berant spirits, and broad shoulders for
burden carrying, and an arm with which
to battle our way through difficulties
Life's path if you follow it long enough
will come under frowning crag and
across trembling causeway. Blessed old
Gge if you let it come naturally. You
cannot hide it. You may try to cover
the wrinkles, but you cannot cover the
wrinkles. If the time has come for you
to be old, be not ashamed to be old. The
grandest things in all the universe are
old. Old mountains, 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
say thew are 40, but thew are 60. They