The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-06-05
Consolation In Old Age.
tLucIen Clark, d. D.j

The complete assurance Of the aget
Christian based on the experience is ;
blessing which younger people canno
possess in an equal degree. The yount
may hope and believe that God viii
care for them and keep them. They
have good ground for this hope. TheJ
have the word of God, the testimony
Of those in whom they have conf
dence, and their own faith in the char
acter of God. But they have not ye
tried and proved his promises in theil
own lives. The aged Christian know:
that God has kept his promise will
him, and displayed his faithfulnes'
and truth through many years. Ir
times of trouble and affiiction, in hours
of temptation and darkness, he has
proved the God in whom he has trust
ed, ard he can say as Paul said con
cerning his trial in Rome when de
serted by men, "Nevertheless the Lord
stood by ME-" This experience con
firms his faith and elevates it into the
plane of assurance. Others believe
and hope be knows. This is the pc
culiar privilege of aged believers.
There is a symmetry of character in
an aged Christian which those who
are younger seldom or never attain
Good men have their faults. Even
Christian perfection, according to the
standard Of Paul, does not abolish the
natural and innocent infirmities
which are common to men in this life
but the discipline of Christian life
removes many faults and flaws by
which the character was marred
Here is one whose antipathy to
wrongdoing bordered on severity and
almost indicated q want of charity,
He hated all forms of iniquity. This
was virtue. But it was sometimes
displayed in an exaggerated form, OF
with feelings and language which
were too intense. Gradually this
fault has been worn away by discip-
liue. Frequent views of his own in
firmities have increased his charity
toward others. Clearer views of the
divine patience and love have modi.
fed the intensity Of his condemna-
ton. Thus prolonged study of the
character of Christ, years of commun.
ion with God and good men in we'll
doing, have eliminated troublesome
and unseemly faults, and enlarged GER
tain virtues which were once weak,
and developed character beautiful
for symmetry, the peculiar treasure OF
aged saints.
After all, the best thing that Chris
tianity does for the aged is to furnish
them with good hope Of immortal
ity. The chief beauty of Cicero's es'
say on old age is the definite faith in a
future state of existence to which he
gives utterance. In all the range ol
nonchristian literature perhaps there
is no passage which expresses such 8
clear and confident hope of future
life.
1t must be conceded that men have
arrived at the notion of Immortality
without the aid of divine revelation
But their ideas of a future state are
generally vague and indistinct, and
supported by such insufficient grounds
that they produce little or no good ef
feet on the characters and lives Of
men. Their hope is SO faint that they
are properly said to be without hope
Cicero certainly was not destitute OF
hope. If, however, he does not stand
quite alone in this, he is the only pa
gan who has written with confidence
concerning Immortality.
Even Cicero writes in hesitatine
tone compared with the apostle to the
Gentiles. Above all the voices tha
have been employed in speaking o.
the future, the voice of Jesus rises
with clearest notes. So confident ant
unhesitating were his declarations, 81
marvellous was the assurance will
which he inspired his disciples, tha
it is written of him Jesus Chris
hath abolished death, and hatt
brought life and Immortality to ligh
through the gospel"