Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-08-06
CLOSE OF DAY
THE GOSPEL OF GOOD cHsEa FOR
THE soRRowINe.
Rev. Or. Ts1mage Draws Vivid Pictures Of
the Lensthening Shadows OF Life-when
Time Ends and Eternity BeSins-The
Light of Christ.


the Lengthenins Shadows OF Life-when |
Time Ends and Eternity Bssins-The
Light of Christ.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2-Dr. Talmage's |
subject today lights up the sorrows of
this life and sounds the gospel of good
cheer for all who win receive 1t. His text
was Luke xiv, go, "Abide with US, for
It Is toward evening"
Two villagers, having concluded their
errand In Jerusalem, have started out at
the city gate and are on their way to En-
maus the place Of their residence They
90 with a sad heart Jesus, who had been
their admiration and their Joy, had been
baseiy massacred and entombed. AS with
sad face and broken heart they pass on
their way, a stranger eccosts them. They
tell him their anxieties and bitterness of
soul he In turn talks to them, nightly
expounding the Scriptures He throws
over them the fascination of Intelligent
conversation. They forget the time and
notice not the objects they pass and be-
fore they are aware have come up In front
of their house They pause before the en-
to tarry with them. They press upon him
their hospitalities Night is coming on,
and he may meet a prowling wild beast
or be obliged to lie unsheltered from the
dew. He cannot go much farther now.
Why not stop there and continue their
pleasant conversationY They take him by
the arm and they insist upon his coming
In, addressing him In the words, abide
with us, for It Is toward evening""
The candles are lighted, the table Is
spread, pleasant socialities are enkindled.
They rejoice in the presence Of the stranger
guest he asks blessing upon the bread
they eat, and he hands piece of 1t to each.
Suddenly and with overwhelming power
the thought flashes upon the astonished
people-tt Is the Lord And as they sit in
breathless wonder, looking upon the resur-
rected body of Jesus, he vanished The In
terview ended He was gone.
The Bright Day.
With many of us 1t Is O bright, sunshiny
day of prosperity. There Is not cloud in
the sky, not leaf rustling In the forest,
no chill in the air. But we cannot expect
all this to last. He Is not.an intelligent
man who expects perpetual daylight of joy.
The sun will set after awhile near the hori-
zon. The shadows will lengthen While
speak, many of us stand in the very hour
described In the text, "for 1t is toward
evening"" The request of the text Is ap-
propriate for some before me- For with
them 1t is toward the evening of old age.
They have passed the meridian Of life.
They are sometimes startled to think how
old they are They do not, however, like
to have others remark upon 1t. II Others
suggest their approximation toward vener'
able appearance, they say, "Why, I'm not
so old after ell They do, indeed, notice
that they cannot lift quite so much as once,
They cannot walk quite SO fast They
cannot read quite so we'll without spec
tacles. They cannot so easily recover from
cough or any occasional aitment. They
| have lost their taste for merriment They
are surprised at the quick passage of thu
year. They say that 1t only seems LITTLE
while ago that they were boys They an
going o little down hill There Is some
| thing In their health, something In theil
vision, something In their walk, some
| thing In their changing associations, some
thing above, something beneath, some
| thing within, to remind them that 1t Is to
| ward evening.
The great want of all such Is to hav
| Jesus abide with them. 1t Is q disma
thing to be getting old without the reju
| venating influence of religion When W
step on the down grade of life and see tina
il dips to the verge of the cold river, W
want to behold some one near who will
help us across II. When the sight loses 1t
power to glance end gather up, we neet
the faith that can illumine When we fee
the failure of the ear, we need the clea
tones of that voice which In olden time
broke up the silence of the deaf with ca
dence of mercy. When the axmen of deat
hew down whole forests of strength an
beauty around us and we are left in soil
| tude, we need the dove of divine mercy t
sing In our branches. When the shadow
begin to fall and we feel that the day 1
far SPENT we need most of all to supplicat
the strong, benefcent Jesus In the praye
Of the villagers "Abide with us, for it
toward evening"
The Dark Night.
The request of the text is an approprfat
exclamation for all those who are ap
preached In the gloomy hour of temple
tion. There Is nothing easier than to b
good natured when everything pleases, @
to be humble when there is nothing to or
pose us, forgiving when we have not bee
assailed, or honest when we have no II
ducement to fraud, But you have felt th
grapple of some temptation. Your natur
at some time quaked and groaned unde
the internal force. You felt that the dev
was after you You saw your Christia
graces retreating. You feared that 20
would fall In the awful wrestle with 81
and be thrown into the dust The glooI
thickened. The first indications Of th
night were seen In all the trembling {
your soul In all the internal suggestions
satan, in all the surging up of tumultuou
passions and excitements, you felt wit
awful emphasis that 1t was toward ever
ing. In the tempted hour you need to as
Jesus to abide with you. You can bes
back the monster that would devour yol
You can unhorse the sin that would rio
you down. You can sharpen the battlea
with which you split the head Of helmete
abomination. Who helped Paul shake I'll
brazen gated heart of Felixf Who acte
like good sailor when ell the crew howle
in the Mediterranean shipwreckP WI
helped the martyrs to be firm when or
word of recantation would have unfastene
the withes Of the stake and put out Il
kindling f1ref When the night of the Sol
came on and all the denizens of darkne!
came riding upon the winds of perditiol
who gave strength to the soulp Who ga1
calmness to the heart? Who broke tt
spell of Internal enchantmentP He WI
heard the request of the villagers, AbiG
with us, for 1t Is toward evening"
One of the forts of France was attacked
and the outworks were taken before nigh
The besieging army lay down, thinkin
there was but little to do in the morning
and that the soldiery In the fort could
easily made to surrender. But during Il
night, through back stairs, they escape
into the country. In the morning the b.
sieging army sprang upon the battlement
but found that their prey was gone 81
when we are assaulted in temptation, thel