The National tribune., 1895-12-19
SUNDAY MEDITATION.

ioI boP'bS ~ h'eS ~ s"'S's 1850
profitable.
How the years glide by and life is made up
of years. Thus our days are unraveling. We
are deeply impressed with this fact rs each
year closes.
St. Paul wrote in Cor, z: %: 1.-The time
is short" Then he adds: 1T remaineth
that both they that have wives be as though
they had none; and they that weep as though
they wept not: and they that rejoice as though
they rejoiced not aud they that buy as though
they possessed not; and they that use this
world as not abusing it: for the fashion of tho
world passeth away" Compare Isaiah, DO:
6-S.
Time is duration that is measured or that is
measurable. So God made great lights to
divide day from night, and to be for signs,
seasons, days, and years. We can hardly
speak of time unless we add the idea of meas
urement. Time began when the heavenly
bodies were set in motion. Time shall end
when those stop. Eternity cannot be timed,
because we have no standard of measurement.
Hence there is no time in eternity. Time IS
the period from the origin of our world and
the rest of the universe to the end. Each per.
sons time is the period from his birth to his
death. That is all the time the mortal has.
little 10-year-old philosopher on being
asked TO define tme replied Time is some
thing given us b.-Ezsd, between when we are
born and when we lie, in which to do all our
work and duties"
Time is Short
Our word, time, comes to US from word
which means violent rushing. Time is fleet.
1t dashes us along. Tempest has the same
derivation as time.
a. All time is short when compared with
eternity. BY all time we mean the entire In
terval between creation and destruction. Give
the best margin to biologists; push the morn
ing of creation back millions of years, and the
Day of Judgment forward as many, and still
all this time would be as nothing. short, in
deed, to eternity. Grant the world is at pres
ent but about G.000 years old, and that it is
now at middle life. Ali time would then be
$4,000 years. But that total is short. 1t may
he long as compared with the life of the indi.
vidual. But put it beside eternity, and it is
hardly comprehensive. Earth and heavens
are to pass away. "Of old, God hath laid the
foundation Of the earth, and the heavens are
the work of his hands. They shall perish
yea, all Of them shall wax old as gar
mont, and as vesture shall they be changed"
Ps., I02: 25-27.
Sir Thomas Browne wrote: "Think not thy
time short in the world. since the world itself
is not long. The created world is but a paren.
thesis in eternity"
b. The time of ones life in this world is
short We may all say. with David Re
member, o Lord, how short my time is" Ps.
50: AT.
]. Human life is brief when thought of in
contrast with eternity. If the total of 5000 or
1900 years seems Insignificant, what shall we
say of even a long life2 WheDwe try to COM
pare time with eternityit makes little differ
ence what period of time we select for the ex-
pertinent, from the fact all time is as nothing
in such contrast.
9. No matter how many years one lives he
still feels that his life is short. In the first
ages of the world mems lives reached in many
cases nearly 1000 years. Yet that was Judged
to be brief Hear the psalmist: Thou [Godl
turnest man to destruction and sayest Re-
turn. ye children of men, For a thousand
years, in thy sight, are but as yesterday when
it is past and as watch in the night" Ps.,
l03, 4.
Then we come to the time Of job Men
then probably reached 200 years of age But
that was judged to be short Listen to Job: !
" Man is of few days and full of trouble He
cometh forth like a flower and is cut down;
ne teeth also as shadow and continueth not"
Job, 14:12
In the time of Moses we find human life put |
1T 20 years. This. indeed is short. "The
lays of years are three score years and |
en; and il by reason OF strength they be four
score years, yet is their strength labor and
borrow; for it is soon cut of, and we fly away"
so declared Moses.
But 20 years is rather the exception. Most
lie in early years. In each 100 years about
hree times as many die as are now in the
world. SO generation is only about SO years.
low generation alter generation sweeps by
We may estimate there have been 145 genera
ions. whole world has died over and over
again about, we may say, 145 times. One
ourth OF the world die before they are seven
years old. The whole of ones life, at that
ate, would amount to rs years for the last
ourth, for those who reached the longest lives
)ne-half of the race die before they are II
Tears of age. What then. is middle life and
"A years would be advanced age
c. Human life is short compared with the
ideas of our youthful days. Time to
,ome seems long Time past seems short.
imagination of what is to be and memory of
he same after it is accomplished are very
different as to seeming duration. Young peo-
lie deal with the future, while old people live
n tho past.
d. Human life is short as compared with our
cal activity in usefulness. Large deductions
must be made. We must take out infancy
md old age. Books have blank leaves at the
'eginning and the end. So life is quite blank
N the start and near the close. Then during
II Of life, it may be reckoned we sleep nearly
ne-haf the time Deduct time spent in
In planning in waiting, in repin-
NJ, III INDIGESTION, in hopes. in fears. Then
axe out the sick days. Deduct orr idle time
Pliny wrote: Consider the time spent in
leep, and you will find that n man actually
ives only half his space. The other half
asses IN state resembling death. You do not
axe into the account the years of infancy,
which are destitute of reason, nor the many
seases and the many cares of old age, those 1
enalties of longevity. The senses grow dull,
he limbs are racked, the sight, the hearing
he power Of walking, the teeth also die before
8; and yet all this time is reckoned in the
eriod of life"
Sydney Smith once said to a young girl: ,
Do you ever reflect how you pass your life &?
yOu live to be ~, which hope you may,
our life is spent in the following manner: An
our day is three years; this max es q years
eeping, nine years dressing, nine years at
able. six years playing with children, nine
ears drawing, walking and visiting. six years
hopping aud three years quarreing." ,
e. Lille is short when think of its great ,
iission. The more one has to do the shorter :
he time seems. If very busy with some i'm. !
ortant matter the sun OF longest day seems
D rise too late and to go down too early. Our {
nsness lin this world is to prepare for Heaven. {
'e DO not need simply the forgiveness of our !
ms. We want in addition a soul culture fill {
lg us Tor Heavenly society and celestial pur-
hts. ms cultivation should be reached by
ears oil care and practice Our minds must be ,
improved. We need to study Gods Word and '
nus enrich our thoughts with divine ideas.
fe want to get into the spirit of Heaven. We
mould learn beforehand all wo can of the
heavenly Land. Our yproclivty to sin must j
eradicated. We must become thoroughly
abituated to holiness. We must become con-