Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-03-16

not made until o'clock In the even
ing, but some of you propose to go
into camp ut 2 o'clock in the after
noon.
My subject next accosts those in the
seventies and beyond. My word to
them is congratulation. You have got
nearly, if not quite, through. You have
safely crossed the sea of life and are
about to enter the harhor. You have
fought at Gettysburg and the war is
over. Here and there Il skrmish with
the remaining sin of your own heart
and the sin of the world. but l guess
you are about done. There may be
some work for you vet on small or
large scale. Bismarck Of Germany,
vigorous in the eighties; the prime min
lister Of England strong at eighty-fcur;
Haydn composing his oratorio, ",rhe
Creator, at seventy years of age;
1socrateS doing some of his best work
at seventy-four; Plato busy thinking
for all succeeding centuries at eighty
one: Noah Webster. after making his
world-renowned dictionary, hard ut
work until eighty-tive years old: Rev.
Daniel Waldo pray ed in my pulpit at
100 years OF age; Humboldt producing
the immortal Cosmos" at Seventy-SiX
years; William Blake at siNty-sevcn
learning Italian so as to read Dante
in the original; Lord Cockburn at
eighty-seven writing his best treatise;
| John Wesley stirring great audiences
at eighty-iive; William c. Bryant, with
out spcctacles, reading in my house
'IhanatopSis' at eighty-three years of
| age. Christian men and women in all
| departments serving God after becom-
ing septllagenalians and octogcnarians
and nonagenarians prove that there
are possibilities of work for the aged,
| but think You who are past the seven
ties are near being through. How do
You feel about it?
y man got up in Il New York prayer
meeting and said: God is my part
ner. | did business without him for
twenty years. and failed every two or
three years l have been doing bust
ness With him for twenty years. and
have not failed once Oh. take the
supernatural into all your affairs had
such an evidence of the goodness of
God in temporal things when | entered
active life, | must testify. Called to
preach at lovely Rellcville in New
Jersey. I entered upon my work. But
there stood the empty parsonage. and
not cent had l with Which to furnish
it. After preaching three or four weeks
the officers of my church asked mo if l
dld not want to take two or three
weeks vacation. I said Yes" for I
had preached about all l knew. but I
feared they must be getting tired Of
me. When | returned to the village
alter the brief vacation. they handed
me the key of the parsonage and asked
me if ! did not want to go and look
at it. Not SuSpccting anything had
happened. | opened it. and there was
the hall completely furnished with car
pet and pictures and hat rack. and l
turned into tho parlorS, and they were
furnished. the SOftpSt sofas | ever sat
| on. and into the study, and found it
| furnished with book eases. and went
to the bed rooms. and they were fur
nlShcd. and into the pantry. and that
was furnished With every culinary ar
ticlc. and the spice boxes were filled
and 4 flour barrel stood there ready
to be opened, and l went down into
the dining room. and the table was
set and beautifully furnished. and into
the Kitchen. and the stove was full
OF fuel, and match lay on top of the
stove. and all | had to do in starting
housekeeping was to strike the match.
God inspired the whole thing. and if
l ever doubt his goodness, all I'D and
down the world, call me an Migrate.
l testify that j have been in many
tight places. and God always got me
out. and he will always get YOU out
of the tight places.
But the most of this audience will
never reach the eighties or the seven
ties or the sixties or the fOrtirs. He
who passes into the forticS has gone
far beyond the average of human life.
Amid the uncertainties take God
through Jesus Christ as your present
and eternal safety. The longest life
is only Il small fragment of the great
eternity. We will all of us soon be
| there.
| Eternity! how near it rolls
| Count the vast value of your souls
| Beware and count the awful cost
| What they have gained whose souls are