Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-08-12
EVENING SHADES.
When the Life Rays of Sunshine Fall
Aslant
49, Deepen to tho Twilight of DEATH.
Night Repentance to the Heart Come.
-Isamngc's Sermon the shadows
Ihat Close Round ut the End.

49, Deepen to the Twilight of Deaths
Night Repentance to the Heart Come.
1samnge's Sermon the shadows
That Close Round 1T the End.
Dr. Talmagc's subject Sunday lights
up the sorrows of this life and sounds
the Gospel of good cheer for all who
viii receive it. His text was Luke
xiv. 30: 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
Emmaus, the place of their residence.
xney go with a sad heart Jesus.
VINO had been their admiration
ana their JOY, had been basely mas
sacred and entombed. As with sad
race and broken heart they pass on
tneir way, stranger accosts them
Ihey tell him their anXieties and bit
terness of soul. He in turn talks to
them, nightly expounding the Scrip
lures He throws over them the fas-
cination of intelligent conversation
They forget the time, and notice not
the objects they pass, and before they
are aware, have come up in front of
their house. They pause before the en-
trance and attempted to per-
suade the stranger to larry
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 can not go much further
now. Why not stop there. and con-
tlnue their pleasant conversation?
a lrn n 49,. L. .
upon his coming in, addressing him in
the words: Abide with us, for it IS to-
ward evening"
The candles are lighted, the table is
spread, pleasant socialities are en-
kindled. They rejoice in the presence
OF the stranger guest. He asks "A bless
ing upon the bread they eat, and he
hands piece of it to each. Suddenly
and with overwhelming power the
thought flashes upon the astonishcd
people-it is the Lord! And as they sit
in breathless wonder, looking upon the
resurrected body of Jesus. He vanished
The interview was ended. He was
gone.
With many of us it is a bright. sun
shiny day of prosperity. There is not
cloud in the sky, not leaf rustling
In the forest. No chill in the air But
we can not expect all this to last. He
Is not an intelligent man who expects
perpetual daylight of JOY. The sun
will after while near the horizon.
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 appropriate for
some before Inc, for with them il 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 to remark upon il.
Ii others suggest their approximation
toward venerable appearance, they
say, why, I'm not so old, after all. -
They do, indeed, notice that they
can not lift quite so much as
once They can not walk quite
so fast. They can not read quite
so we'll without spectacles They can
not so easily recover from a COUGH
or an occasional ailment They have
lost their taste for merriment. They
are surprised at the quick passage of
the year. They say that it seems ONLY
little while ago that they were boys
They are going little down hill
There is something in their health
something in their vision, something in
their walk, something in their chang
ing associations, something above.
something beneath, something within.
TO remind them that il is toward even
ing.
The great want of all such is to have
Jesus abide with them. 1t is a dismal
thing to be getting old without the re-
juvenating influence of religion. When
we step on the down grade of life and
see that 4 dips to the verge of the
cold river, we want to behold some one
near who will help us across it.
When the sight loses its power to
glance and gather up, we need the |
faith that can illumine. When we feel |
the failure of the ear, we need the clear
tones of that voice which in olden |
times broke up the silence of the deaf
with cadences of mercy. When the az
men of death hew down whole forests !
Of strength and beauty around Us and |
we are left in solitude, we need the |
dove OF divine mercy TO sing in our |
branches. When the shadows begin to /
fall and we feel that the day is far |
spent, we need most of all TO suppli- |
cate the strong, beneficent Jesus in the |
prayer of the villagers. Abide with /
US, for IL is toward evening"
The request Of the text is an appro- |
pirate exclamation for all those who |
are approached in the gloomy hour Of .
Temptation. There is nothing easier
than 70 be good-natured when every. /
t1iDg pleases, or 20 be humble when |
there Is nothing 20 oppose us, or for |
,giving when we have no inducement IN |
fraud. But you have felt the gran |
pie OF some temptation. Your nature |
at some time quaiSed and groaned /
under the Internal force. You felt
that the devil was after Won Yor
saw your Christian graccs retrcating 1
lou feared that you would fall in 4
the awful wrestle with sin and be I
thrown into the dust. The gloom F.
thickened. The first indications Of The \
night we're seen ia all the trembling Of T.
your soul; in all the in .crnal suoOes- /
lions OF Satan, in all the surging un of 4
tumultuous passions and exeitemepts 1
you felt with awful emphasis that II /
was toward evening. In the tempted .
hour you need 90 ask Jesus 10 abide F.
with you. You can beat bacl, the nor.
ster that would devour you. You can I
unhorse the sin that would ride vou